AFRICAN-AMERICAN COMPOSERS 1
9/26 5pm CST/4PM EST YouTube & Facebook streaming
Anthony R. Green
The creative output of Anthony R. Green (composer, performer, social justice) includes musical and visual creations, interpretations of original, contemporary, and repertoire works, collaborations, educational outreach, and more. Behind all his artistic endeavors are the ideals of equality and freedom. His compositions and projects have been presented in 25+ countries by various internationally acclaimed soloists and ensembles, including percussionist Dame Evelyn Glennie, vocalists Anthony P. McGlaun and Amanda DeBoer Bartlett, violists Ashleigh Gordon and Wendy Richman, pianists Hayk Melikyan and Eunmi Ko, the Keuris Sax Quartet (the Netherlands), Tenth Intervention (Hajnal Pivnick – violin, and Adam Tendler – piano), ALEA III (with Gunther Schuller, conductor), the American Composers Orchestra, Ossia New Music Ensemble, and Alarm Will Sound, to name a few. His operatic works have been presented in Israel, Canada, and the US by One Ounce Opera, New Fangled Opera, Opera in a Can, Opera Kansas, Annapolis Opera, Chants Libres, and featured during the Ft. Worth Opera Frontiers festival. A McKnight Visiting Composer (American Composers Forum), Green has received numerous fellowships, grants, awards, and invitations to be a composer-in-residence, a panelist, an adjudicator, and an invited feature artist. Green’s most important social justice work has been with Castle of our Skins: celebrating Black Artistry through Music. www.anthonyrgreen.com; www.castleskins.org
Mark Irchai
Mark Irchai (b. 1996), is an American-Russian concert pianist and conductor. As a highly in-demand performer, he has concertized across the United States and Europe. He has received numerous accolades, including awards from the II Future Stars International Competition (USA), the XIV International Orfeo Music Competition (Italy), the National Guild of Piano Teachers, and the Golden Classical Awards International Music Competition.
As a pianist, Mark regularly concertizes as soloist with ensembles such as the Piedmont Symphony Orchestra, the Mason Symphony Orchestra, and others. He also frequently gives independently organized recitals as part of his Mark Irchai presents concert series. Performance venues have included Carnegie Hall, NYC, the Lyceum in Alexandria, VA, the Embassy of Turkey to the United States in Washington, DC, the Musikschule Sterzing, Italy, and many others. Additionally, Mark has been presented on numerous concert series, such as the Washington Metropolitan Philharmonic’s Lyceum Concerts, the Ocala Symphony Orchestra’s SoundArt series, and George Mason University’s Grand Piano Celebration. As a pianist, Mark has collaborated with prominent artists such as John Aler, Marlisa Woods, Vasilisa Berzhanskaya, Jamie Reimer, and Janet Hopkins.
As a conductor, Mark frequently collaborates with orchestral and choral musicians of the highest caliber as performers in the Mark Irchai presents concert series. Most recently, he has performed alongside musicians from the National Philharmonic, the National Symphony, the US Army Orchestra, the US Army Chorus, the Singing Sergeants, the Peabody Institute, and other high-profile institutions of music. He has also worked as an assistant conductor for a number of ensembles, including the George Mason University Singers, Chorale, and Mason Opera. His most recent posting with the Mason Symphony Orchestra led him to a performance with soloist Eddie Adams, which was later featured on CBS News and Reuters. Mark’s conducting equally excels both on the podium, and from the keyboard.
Mark holds a BM in piano performance from George Mason University, where he studied piano and chamber music with Anna Balakerskaia and conducting with Dennis Layendecker, Stan Engebretson, Mark Camphouse, and Anthony Maiello. He has also studied piano at the International Orfeo Music Festival with Anna Balakerskaia, and at the Summit Music Festival with Efrem Briskin. Additionally, he studied conducting at the International Academy of Advanced Conducting after Ilya Musin with Oleg Proskurnya and Scott Woodard. He has appeared in masterclasses with artists such as George Li, Pavel Nersessian, Vadim Monastyrski, Awadagin Pratt, Faina Lushtak, Leon Schelhase, Claire Huangci, and, most recently, Richard Goode. Currently, Mark is pursuing an MM in Piano Performance under the direction of Simone Dinnerstein at the Mannes School of Music in NYC.
Dr. Hye Jee Jang
Dr. Hye Jee Jang, an enthusiastic performer and an educator, has appeared as a soloist and a collaborative pianist in South Korea, the United States, and Europe. She is originally from Seoul, South Korea, received her doctoral degree in piano pedagogy at University of South Carolina studied with Scott Price and served as a graduate assistant. She is a holder of two Master degrees form University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, the M.M. degrees in piano performance under William Heiles and piano pedagogy under Reid Alexander. Her Bachelor of Music in piano performance from University of Missouri-Kansas City, Conservatory of Music studying first under Richard Cass and then John McIntyre.
Hye Jee has appeared at several music festivals in the United States and also in Europe such as Aspen Festival in Colorado, Mozarteum Festival in Salzburg, Austira, Texas International Academy and Festival, the University of Florida International Piano Festival, and Vianden Chamber Festival in Luxembourg. As a soloist, Hye Jee has appeared with the University of South Carolina Symphonic Orchestra, and regularly performed in recitals of piano solo and duo at many institutions, festivals, and the public performing venues. Her most recent performing was an annual the Pianissimo Musical Arts Association concert at the Sejong Art Center in Seoul, South Korea in December 2019.
Hye Jee has performed wide range of 20th century and contemporary music, from orchestral suite, Appalachian Spring by Aaron Copland to computer generated sound music, Blacktop Infusion by Zack Browning. As an enthusiastic educator, she is not only performing contemporary classical piano music, but also in discovering and composing contemporary educational compositions for younger pianists. She also enjoys sharing teaching ideas and practical researches with other colleagues and peers in the pedagogical field. Her research topics have been selected from several conferences, and she was invited to present her research topics in the U.S, Canada, and South Korea in the previous years including conferences by Music Teachers National Association (MTNA), National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy (NCKP), Collegiate Piano Pedagogy Symposium, University of Calgary Graduate Music Society (GMS), and the Korean Association for Piano Pedagogy (KAPP).
Hye Jee currently serves on artist faculty at Chicago Center for Music Education and Adler Art Center. She lives in Chicago, IL with her husband, Rae Lee, and their little son, Steven.
Dr. Yoo Sun Na
Soprano Yoo Sun Na has been acclaimed for her unique and rich sound. She made her Carnegie Hall debut as the winner of the 2008 Barry Alexander International Vocal Competition. She was also a winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Tulsa District in 2010.
Dr. Na excels in music ranging from Baroque to Contemporary with her powerful interpretations and vibrant stage presence. Her vocal flexibility and array of timbres have won her several important operatic roles including Diana in La Calisto, Electra in Idomeneo, the Countess and Marcellina in Le Nozze di Figaro, Clorinda in La Cenerentola, Jean in Le Portrait de Manon, Rusalka in Soprano Monologue, Blanche in Dialogues of the Carmelites, Hedwige in Guillaume Tell, Beatriz in Rappacini’s Daughter, the Stepmother in Bruce Neely’s Hansel and Gretel, and Adina in The Elixir of Love. In great demand for her interpretations of contemporary music, she has premiered works with the Illinois Opera Theatre and the University of Illinois New Music Ensemble. Her recording of Peter Thoergersen’s Always Sleeping with violist Rudolf Haken was played in the New Music Series European Tour.
Dr. Na has appeared as a guest artist with numerous ensembles, including the Universal Philharmonic Orchestra, University of Illinois Concert Jazz Band, Danville Symphony Orchestra, Kyungbuk Orchestra, Yongin Youth Orchestra, Daegu Symphony Orchestra, and Daegu City Choir. She has performed extensively in Korea and the United States and has been featured on leading broadcasting systems throughout Korea and the U.S.
Dr. Na is also an author; her review of “Tenor: History of a Voice” by John Potter was published in the Journal of The National Association for Music Education. In September 2016, she directed a project titled “Music Journey with Yoo Sun Na, It embraces the World.” She worked on four songs with the theme of “Songs of Peace”; she wrote the lyrics, sang, and released it as a digital album. Because of this, she appeared as a guest artist in a TV show called the “Morning Forum” on the Korean Broadcasting System which is an equivalent show to the Good Morning America in terms of history and popularity within South Korea.
Dr. Na earned her Bachelor’s Degree with top honors from Seoul National University where she received the Presidential Scholarship. She earned her Master’s Degree in Vocal Performance with honors from the New England Conservatory of Music and received her Doctor of Musical Arts Degree in Vocal Performance and Literature from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She currently is a voice faculty at Northeastern University and Bunker Hill Community College.
Dr. Young Park
Young Park is a Steinway Artist. Most recently, she performed seven concerts in five different cities in Turkey with a violinist Grace Wollett. Also, she won the fourth prize at International Beethoven Piano Sonata Competition and she received her Doctorate of Musical Arts degree from The Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University.
Dr. Park enjoys a multi-disciplinary career as a soloist, chamber musician, collaborator, and pedagogue. She performed Mozart Piano Concerto, K.482 in E-flat Major with The Vienna International Orchestra at Palais Auersperg in Vienna, Austria. Her achievements include a first prize at the first American Protégé International Piano Competition, the first prize at Bradshaw and Buono International Piano Competition and winner at the Young Artist Competition sponsored by The South Orange Symphony in New Jersey.
She is a head faculty at Angelos Mission Ensemble and an adjunct professor at Norwalk Community College in CT. Dr. Park came to New York City when she was fourteen years old after her getting accepted into The Juilliard School Pre-College Division. She also holds her Bachelor’s and Master’s from The Juilliard School under the tutelage of Herbert Stessin.
Dr. Tatiana Shustova
Dr. Tatiana Shustova is originally from Saint Petersburg, Russia, where she studied at the Rimsky-Korsakov State Conservatory with Yaroslav Pugach. After coming to the United States in 2005, Tatiana completed the Artist’s Certificate Program and a Master’s degree in piano performance at Bowling Green State University in Ohio. There she studied with Maxim Mogilevsky and Dr. Robert Satterlee and won first prize in the 40th annual Concerto Competition. In 2008 she was awarded a fellowship to enter the doctoral program in piano performance at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, in the studio of Dr. Ian Hobson, and received her DMA in Spring 2013.
Tatiana has appeared at several festivals in the United States and in Europe such as the Interlochen Summer Arts Camp, Illinois Summer Youth Music, Bowling Green Music Institute, Toradze Piano Institute in Indiana, Ionian Summer Music Academy in Greece, Les Orres International summer academy in France; Suomussalmi Music Festival in Finland, Musica Atri and Scuola Italia in Italy, and has received numerous awards in solo and chamber music competitions. As a collaborative pianist, she has worked at Mussorgsky State College in St. Petersburg, Russia, at Bowling Green State University, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Bradley University.
Tatiana is currently an adjunct faculty member at Millikin University School of Music, and teaches piano, chamber music, theory and musicianship for the Illinois String Academy and Piano Laboratory Program at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In addition, she mentors an independent piano studio in Urbana, Illinois where she resides with her husband and two sons, and is Artistic Director of the Chambana Music Competition, which recently received Urbana Arts Grant.
Dr. Joseph Welch
Dr. Joseph Welch serves as Visiting Professor of Music at Blackburn College. An advocate for the vocal and keyboard arts, Dr. Welch is the Founder and Artistic Director of St. Louis Art Song. He coaches studios in the Opera Theatre of St. Louis Artists-in-Training program and is the Director of Music at First Congregational Church in Bunker Hill, IL. He is the Assistant Music Director for Variety Theatre in St. Louis. His previous music direction credits include Opera Edwardsville, SIUE's Summer Showbiz, Marble City Opera, Midwest Institute of Opera, and many summer programs. Dr. Welch is the resident pianist for Opera Edwardsville and frequently works with the Illinois Symphony Orchestra. As choral accompanist, he plays for the St. Louis Children's Choirs’ Young Men's Chorus and the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra's Holiday Festival Chorus. Dr. Welch serves on the boards of the Southern Illinois Young Artist Organization and the Bunker Hill Education Foundation. Recent awards include Member of the Year for the Illinois State Music Teachers Association - Gateway Arch East Chapter and Adjunct Instructor of the Year at Blackburn College. Dr. Welch enjoys genealogy, gardening, photography, farming, and home remodeling in his free time.
AFRICAN-AMERICAN COMPOSERS 2
10/03 5pm CST/4PM EST YouTube & Facebook streaming
Faith Zúñiga performed Prokofiev Concerto No. 1 and Beethoven Concerto No. 5 with the Mason Symphony Orchestra in 2014. She was a 1st Prize winner in the 2014 George Mason University Concerto Competition. She also won 1st Place in the 2013 UIUC Clara Rolland Undergraduate Piano Competition. Additional competition awards include Semifinalist in the Victor Elmaleh Concert Artists Guild Competition and Semifinalist in the Byrd International Piano Competition. Zúñiga took part in the inaugural edition of the Valencia International Piano Academy in Spain, where she studied with teachers from Juilliard, Peabody, and the Madrid Escuela Superior de Musica Reina Sofia. A native of Illinois, Zúñiga has performed in Costa Rica, Italy, Spain, and the United States (including Merkin Hall and Carnegie Hall in NYC). Zúñiga is currently a Doctor of Musical Arts student at George Mason University, where she studies with Dr. Anna Balakerskaia. She has studied at the Conservatory of East Central Illinois; the Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan; the Instituto Superior de Artes in San Jose, Costa Rica; the Conservatorio Benedetto Marcello in Venice, Italy; the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and Indiana University at South Bend.
Dr.Pei-I Wang
Originally from Taiwan, pianist Pei-I Wang received international recognition as a laureate in the artist division of the prestigious 2011 Liszt-Garrison International Piano Competition, which was held by the American Liszt Society in celebrating Franz Liszt’s bicentennial. Wang was the winner of several competitions, including the UIUC Concerto Competition, the Ninth Annual 21st Century Piano Commission Competition with composer John Ritz, the Asian Auditions of the International Piano Competition “Mauro Paolo Monopoli Prize”, and the National Music Competition, among others. Her name appeared in the “Treasury of Young Talented Musicians” program sponsored by the Council for Cultural Affairs of Taiwan. Wang received her D.M.A. in Piano Performance and Literature and an M.M. in Vocal Coaching and Accompanying from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) as well as an M.A. in Piano Performance from the Soochow University in Taiwan. During her studies, Wang was a recipient of the YAMAHA and KAWAI Outstanding Musicians’ Awards, assistantships at the Soochow University and UIUC, and the Dissertation Travel Grant at UIUC. Her former piano teachers include Dr. Ian Hobson, Dr. Rolf-Peter Wille, Dr. Daming Zhu, Ren-Jhen Wang, Chi-Wen Chen, Shi-Kai Lin, and Hui-Zhu He.
Wang has regularly performed in recitals of piano solo and duo and collaborated with fellow musicians in a variety of chamber music combinations at many institutions, conventions, festivals, and the public performing venues. Her orchestra appearances as a piano soloist include her collaborations with the Millikin-Decatur Symphony Orchestra, Illinois Symphony Chamber Orchestra, National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra, Sangamon Valley Civic Orchestra, University of Illinois Symphony Orchestra (UIUC), and the University of Illinois Springfield band (UIS).
Wang is passionate about the world of collaborative art and opera. She has worked with Maestro Eduardo Diazmuñoz, Dr. Ian Greenlaw, Dr. Elizabeth Zobel in the Opera/Musical divisions of UIUC, Millikin University, and Blackburn College. She has served as a vocal coach, rehearsal pianist, accompanist, and the orchestral keyboardist at several institutions, orchestras, choruses, and the operatic and musical productions, such as the Springfield Choral Society, Illinois Symphony Orchestra, Sinfonia da Camera, Taiwan Philharmonic, Gloriana Chamber Choir, Millikin Opera, Blackburn Voice & Choir, UIUC Opera, Celebration Company, Illini Women’s Chorus, and the Women’s Chorus of Soochow University.
Wang is an enthusiastic educator and active member of several professional organizations, such as MTNA, NFMC, CMS, Pi Kappa Lambda, and the American Liszt Society. She is a Nationally Certified Teacher of Music (NCTM) in Piano by MTNA and has served as a frequent adjudicator in auditions and competitions (both state and district competitions). She has taught a wide range of students both in Taiwan and the US. Her prior college-level teaching experiences in the US include the Lincoln Land Community College, Blackburn College, and University of Illinois Springfield. Currently, Dr. Wang is on the faculty of Millikin University as an Adjunct Professor of Music and serves as the MTNA Junior Competitions Coordinator at the Illinois State Music Teachers Association and President of the Decatur Area Music Teachers Association.
Dr. Peter Ryan
Peter Ryan is an Assistant Professor of Music at The University of Virginia’s College at Wise, where he teaches and coordinates the Piano and Music Theory programs. As a performer, Peter has given concerts in the Czech Republic, Austria, Ecuador, Quebec, and around the United States. His performing and research interests lie in underperformed repertoire and underrepresented composers.
Peter holds a Bachelor of Music from the University of Florida, and both a Master of Music and a Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Colorado at Boulder. He has studied with Jennifer Hayghe, Doris Pridonoff Lehnert, Elizabeth Pridonoff, and Kevin Sharpe, and has participated in masterclasses with artists such as Leon Fleisher and Rebecca Penneys. In addition to his duties at UVA Wise, Peter also enjoys performing with the Johnson City Symphony Orchestra as their Principal Pianist.
Prior to earning his degrees, Peter served as an Infantry Mortarman in the United States Marines Corps from 2004-2008. He now lives in Wise, VA with his wife, the UVA Wise Director of Choral and Vocal Activities, Hannah Wunsch Ryan, and son, Ellis.
Dr. Hannah Wunsch Ryan is Assistant Professor of Music and Director of Choral and Vocal Activities at the University of Virginia’s College at Wise (UVa-Wise) where she directs three choral ensembles and teaches courses in conducting, vocal pedagogy, diction, choral literature, music history, and choral methods.
Her doctoral research focused on two areas: Maddalena Casulana and teaching healthy vocal pedagogy in the choral classroom. Prior to her appointment at UVa-Wise, Ryan conducted a number of ensembles at the University of Colorado, and was the Artistic Director of multiple ensembles. She has been a featured presenter, clinician, and director at conferences and honors choirs across the country.
Ryan holds a B.A. in Vocal Performance from Gustavus Adolphus College, and an M.M. in Choral Conducting and Vocal Performance/Pedagogy and a D.M.A. In Choral Conducting and Literature from the University of Colorado in Boulder. She lives in Wise, VA, with her husband, pianist Peter Ryan, and son.
AFRICAN-AMERICAN COMPOSERS 3
11/07 5pm CST, 4PM EST, 11/08 12am CET YouTube & Facebook streaming
Aleksey Artemyev is a consummate soloist, collaborator and pedagogue, hailed for his passionate performances and fresh interpretations. His artistic credo is to reach out to the widest range of listeners and advocate the importance of classical music in our modern world.
As the prize winner of numerous piano competitions and recipient of several awards for outstanding achievements in music and piano, Artemyev has performed as a soloist and chamber musician throughout his native Uzbekistan and the United States. His orchestral debut includes Tchaikovsky’s 1st Piano Concerto with the San Francisco Conservatory Symphony Orchestra. He has performed numerous solo recitals at the California Rotary Club, Pacific Union Presents Music Club, and the San Jose Music Club. As a member of the Interlochen Ensemble, Artemyev performed nationwide as part of the Interlochen Center for the Arts engagement campaign.
Born and raised in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Aleksey Artemyev continued his piano studies at the prestigious Interlochen Arts Academy, Interlochen, MI. Upon graduating with honors, he received a full scholarship to enter the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Aleksey Artemyev completed his Doctor of Music in piano performance at the Jacobs School of Music, Indiana University, Bloomington, under the tutelage of the renowned pianist, André Watts. Dr. Artemyev held the position of the Director of Piano Studies at Franklin College, Franklin IN, and taught at the Jacobs School of Music, Indiana University, Bloomington as an Associate Instructor of Piano.
Kyu Butler, NCTM
A recipient of the Marina Grin and the Classical Music Awards, Kyu Butler is an accomplished pianist and has received awards from many competitions including the Chosun Daily News Co. Music Competition, Korea Times Music Competition, The Korean National Students Competition, Samick Piano Competition, Choonchoo Piano Competition, Monthly Music Magazine Competition, Yookyoung Students Competition, and the University of Illinois Symphony Concerto Competition. Butler has trained with such masters as Leon Fleisher, Aldo Ciccolini, Menahem Pressler, Yefim Bronfman, Vladimir Feltsman, Boris Slutsky, Timothy Ehlen, Daniel Schene and many others in US, Europe, and Asia. Butler is actively performing at prestigious stages such as Krannert Center for Performing Arts, Seoul Arts Center, and Carnegie Hall. Butler performed as a soloist with the Korea Soloists Orchestra under the baton of her own teacher, Maestro Ian Hobson in 2018. In the 2019 - 2020, she was invited to perform at Blackburn College, St. Louis University, and University of Illinois at Springfield as a guest artist.
Butler received her Bachelor of Music from The Korean National University of Arts’ School of Music. Here she studied with Mr. Choong-Mo Kang, a former faculty member of the Juilliard School in New York City. Butler also received a Master of Music in piano performance from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where she studied with Mack McCray. She also received her Professional Studies Diploma in Early Historical Keyboards with emphasis on Fortepiano from the Conservatory.
Currently, Butler is pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano Performance and Literature and Master of Music in Vocal Coaching and Accompanying at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with full scholarship. Here she studies with the renowned pianist and conductor Dr. Ian Hobson. Butler has completed the Piano Pedagogy Internship with one of the famous Piano Pedagogy scholars, the late Dr. Alexander Reid, and also worked as an opera coach, Teaching Assistant, and studio accompanist at the University of Illinois. Butler became a NCTM (Nationally Certified Teacher of Music) in piano and has been certified as an Elementary Specialist by the Royal Conservatory of Music in Canada.
Butler runs a private studio in Saint Louis, MO. She is also an adjunct faculty at the Community Music School of Webster University. Her students have won local and nation-wide competitions, festivals, exams and auditions. One of her recipient students of the “State Certificate of Excellence” award at Royal Conservatory of Music Piano Exam was selected among 12 states in Midwest to perform at the Chicago Symphony Hall in March 2020. As a pedagogue, Butler was invited to conduct masterclasses and a lecture at Kasetsart University in Bangkok, Thailand in 2019. She frequently serves as an adjudicator at local and national level competitions, auditions, and festivals.
Butler’s current research focus on preventing injuries and wellness for pianists is influenced by personal experience. Butler’s work was selected for presentations at the Music Techers National Association’s National Conference in Spokane WA, and at the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy in Chicago IL in 2019. Her superb presentation resulted in an invitation to write a paper for MTNA E-Journal, which will be published in September 2020.
Butler is a Co-Vice President of Missouri MTA, and President of St. Louis Area MTA, as well as Chair of SLAMTA’s Young Artist Competition. She recently inaugurated as President and Artistic Director of the World Piano Teachers Association USA-Missouri and created both 32 Complete Beethoven Sonata Concerts with 18 pianists to celebrate 250th Anniversary of Beethoven's birth and African-American Composers Series with 13 pianists and 4 singers in fall 2020. Butler is a member of MTNA, The Federation of Music Clubs, Piano Teachers Round Table in St. Louis, The Korean National Association of Piano Pedagogy, and The Pianissimo - The Musical Arts Association of Korea.
Described by the St. Louis Post Dispatch as "a magnificent pianist," her playing is said to be,
“...always precise with superb accentuation and warmth of feeling...”. Nina is a founding member of the Boston-based Calyx Piano Trio which has excited audiences throughout the United States with expressive ensemble playing and brilliant virtuosity. She has appeared in major concert venues throughout North America. She has performed with such ensembles as the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, The Chicago Symphony, Boston Symphony, Boston Pops, and the Boston Modern Orchestra Project (BMOP). Her festival appearances include those at Tanglewood, Banff, Norfolk, the Skaneateles Festival, as well as Kansas City's Summerfest. She also appears regularly at the Carolina Chamber Music Festival and Missouri Chamber Music Festival where the Calyx Piano Trio holds residencies. Ms. Ferrigno is a graduate of New England Conservatory of Music, where she received bachelors and masters degrees with distinction. Her principal teachers were Wha Kyung Byun and Randall Hodgkinson. As a long-time member of the AUROS Group for New Music and member of the Calyx Piano Trio, Ms. Ferrigno is committed to bringing classical music to new audiences and expanding the repertoire by working with organizations including Chamber Music America and the Barlow Foundation to commission and perform new works in a variety of settings. She appears often on "Live from the Pulitzer", the St. Louis Symphony's new music concert series. The New Music Connoisseur has said of her, “pianist Nina Ferrigno [brings] out the inherent horizontal logic...all the while imparting sonic beauty from end to end.” Her chamber music recording of Lansing McLoskey’s “Tinted” was released by Albany Records in 2008 and her 2010 recording of Elliott Schwartz’s Chamber Concerto III: Another View for the BMOP Sound label was described as “wonderfully musical” by Fanfare magazine. Along with clarinetist and husband Scott Andrews, Nina is Founder/Director of the Missouri Chamber Music Festival in St. Louis.
Dr.Ian Gindes
“I cannot believe how completely [Mr. Gindes] was attuned to the content of the music, the beautiful piano tone, and the absolutely appropriate sentiment of every moment!”
~ New York Concert Review
During his childhood in Southern California, Ian Gindes was first introduced to the world of classical music and the piano by his father, who had studied piano in his youth with Ania Dorfman and Michel Piastro. Ian went on to work with Bonnie Farrer and Errol Haun, both who had studied with the late pedagogue Rosina Lhévinne. Gindes earned a Doctor of Musical Arts in 2011 under the guidance of Ian Hobson at the University of Illinois.
Mr. Gindes has received many awards, including first prize in the 2011 Bradshaw and Buono International Piano Competition, an invitation to perform at the Bradshaw and Buono Festival of Music in 2014, and a CD collection in his name donated to the University of Colorado at Boulder library. This collection is one of largest of its kind in the United States. Gindes’ 2016 recording, American Visions, celebrated the American musical tradition from the 20th century to the present. It included works by Copland and Gershwin as well as by contemporary composers. Gindes’ recording was praised by Gramophone magazine for his “keyboard brilliance.” He received acclaim for his recording from The Whole Note magazine, New York Concert Review, and Fanfare and was a featured artist on Chicago’s own classical music station, WFMT.
In the 2018-2019 season, Ian Gindes was the featured soloist with the Belleville Philharmonic and the St. Louis Philharmonic. He also gave solo recitals in the St. Louis area. His current projects include recording the Rachmaninoff Third Piano Concerto with the Janacek Philharmonic Orchestra in the Czech Republic and developing a new video series on YouTube.
In addition to his performance career, Mr. Gindes continues to share his passion for music via social media and teaching. He serves as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Army National Guard. He and his wife currently reside in Chicago.
Tenor Cornelius Johnson’s voice has been described as “expressive and soaring” (The Post Standard, NY). Mr. Johnson’s repertoire encompasses classical, musical theatre, opera, and sacred music. He has performed throughout Asia, the Caribbean, Europe and the United States. His operatic performances have included roles in Carmen, Djamileh, Don Pasquale, La Bohème, Porgy and Bess, and The Magic Flute. Some of the companies he has performed with include Chautauqua Opera, Houston Grand Opera, La Scala in Milan, Los Angeles Opera, Opera Bastille in Paris, Lyric Opera of Chicago’s “Opera in The Neighborhoods”, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, San Diego Opera, San Francisco Opera, South Shore Opera of Chicago, and Teatro Real in Madrid, Spain. A proponent of new works and works by African-American composers Mr. Johnson has been seen in Harriet Tubman: When I Crossed That Line to Freedom, by Nkeiru Okoye, The Poet by Steven Allen and Troubled Island by William Grant Still.
In concert, Mr. Johnson has appeared with various festivals including Ravinia (IL), Yachats (OR), and Chicago’s Gospel Fest and the opening weekend of the Jay Pritzker Pavilion at Millennium Park in Chicago. Mr. Johnson’s concert repertoire includes the tenor solos in Bach’s Magnificat, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, and Handel’s Messiah to name a few. Other concert and recital appearances include performances at Atlanta’s Symphony Center, Chicago’s Symphony Center, the Chicago Cultural Center, the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture (NYC), and the Smithsonian Institution (DC). Mr. Johnson has also performed with the Sydney, Racine, Waukegan symphonies and with members of the Tokyo Philharmonic.
This season, Mr. Johnson performed a season preview concert for Lyric Opera of Chicago with Lyric Opera in the Gardens, Michigan City, IN. He was also a part of the tenth Anniversary concert of the South Shore Opera Company of Chicago. Mr. Johnson was also thrilled to make his role and company debut with Chicago Opera Theater in the world premiere of the opera Freedom Ride, by Dan Shore. He also performed in another new work premiere, A Sovereign Pout: Le Tumulte Noir of Josephine Baker, by composer Renee Baker, with the African-American Network of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. In additional to his performance schedule, Mr. Johnson is an Assistant Professor of Music at Olive-Harvey College in Chicago, IL. A native of Chicago, Mr. Johnson is an alumnus of Morehouse College and Northwestern University, and is currently completing Doctoral studies at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
American soprano Jacqueline Piccolino has been hailed by the San Francisco Chronicle as having "impeccable technique and stage presence" and as “an artist to watch." In the 2019-2020 season, Ms. Piccolino was scheduled to join the prestigious Santa Fe Opera Apprentice Program to sing Erste Dame in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte and to cover the title role in Dvořák’s Rusalka. In addition, Ms. Piccolino has been invited to perform Beethoven’s Christus am Ölberge with the UC Davis Symphony Orchestra at the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts.
A participant in the Merola Opera Program for 2012 and 2013, Ms. Piccolino appeared as Contessa Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro and Arminda in La finta giardiniera. Honored thereafter as a San Francisco Opera Center Adler Fellow, Ms. Piccolino made her professional debut in 2013 as Stella in Les Contes d'Hoffmann. Over the next two years, she sang First Lady in The Magic Flute, Lady Madeline in La chute de la maison Usher, Laura in Luisa Miller, 2nd Maid in the world premiere of Dolores Claiborne, Kate Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly, Clotilda in Norma, Mrs. Hayes in Susannah, and cover for Contessa Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro. Elsewhere Ms. Piccolino has performed the Israelitish Woman in Handel’s Judas Maccabaeus with the North Shore Choral Society in Evanston, Illinois and Erste Dame in Die Zauberflöte with Seattle Opera in 2017. She also sang Samuel Barber’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915 with the Johnstown Symphony Orchestra in 2017. Other career highlights include appearing as a Studio Artist with the Wolf Trap Opera Company, a soloist in the Napa Festival del Sole’s Bouchaine Young Artist Concert Series, and participant in the Houston Grand Opera Young Artist Vocal Academy.
In 2020, Ms. Piccolino received the Eileen Deneen Award from the American Opera Society of Chicago and was also a Bursary Recipient by the Opera Awards Foundation. She also has earned a first prize from The American Prize in Vocal Performance, the Igor Gorin Memorial Award from the Community Foundation of Southern Arizona, and the prestigious Rose M. Grundman Award from the Musicians Club of Women in Chicago. In addition, Ms. Piccolino has received awards from the Sullivan, Shoshana, and George London Foundations, and she was a finalist in the 9th International Stanisław Moniuszko Competition. Jacqueline graduated with a Bachelor of Music Degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign School of Music in 2013 and received the prestigious Kate Neal Kinley Memorial Fellowship from her alma mater.
Currently, she resides in the beautiful city of Chicago.
Dr.Joseph Welch
Dr. Joseph Welch serves as Visiting Professor of Music at Blackburn College. An advocate for the vocal and keyboard arts, Dr. Welch is the Founder and Artistic Director of St. Louis Art Song. He coaches studios in the Opera Theatre of St. Louis Artists-in-Training program and is the Director of Music at First Congregational Church in Bunker Hill, IL. He is the Assistant Music Director for Variety Theatre in St. Louis. His previous music direction credits include Opera Edwardsville, SIUE's Summer Showbiz, Marble City Opera, Midwest Institute of Opera, and many summer programs. Dr. Welch is the resident pianist for Opera Edwardsville and frequently works with the Illinois Symphony Orchestra. As choral accompanist, he plays for the St. Louis Children's Choirs’ Young Men's Chorus and the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra's Holiday Festival Chorus. Dr. Welch serves on the boards of the Southern Illinois Young Artist Organization and the Bunker Hill Education Foundation. Recent awards include Member of the Year for the Illinois State Music Teachers Association - Gateway Arch East Chapter and Adjunct Instructor of the Year at Blackburn College. Dr. Welch enjoys genealogy, gardening, photography, farming, and home remodeling in his free time.
Dr. Amanda Setlik Wilson specializes in new music and, in particular, the music of Emma Lou Diemer. Diemer wrote a solo piano piece for her in 2012, Toccata for Amanda, which she premiered on her final solo DMA recital in 2014. Amanda commissioned a second piece by Diemer in 2017, titled Variations on “Our Triangle,” to perform with violinist Dr. Mei Mey Segura at the 2017 Mu Phi Epsilon International Convention. She also commissioned a solo piano piece by award-winning composer Anthony R. Green, Fanatic, which she premiered on her final DMA lecture recital. Dr. Setlik Wilson performs regularly throughout the Denver area as a soloist and as part of Peak Duo, her performing group with Dr. Segura. She is a trained Suzuki teacher and has taught privately since age 17. Currently, she teaches a full studio of Suzuki and traditional piano students. She is also the pianist for the choir program at Skyline High School, the Visual and Performing Arts (VPA) school for the St. Vrain Valley School District. In addition, she is an instructor at Integral Steps, an organization specializing in education which integrates the mind, body, and emotions through interdisciplinary learning.
Dr. Setlik Wilson has been the recipient of numerous awards and honors, such as the Helen Haupt Piano Scholarship and the Summer Scholarship through the International, Professional music fraternity, Mu Phi Epsilon. She has been a member of Mu Phi Epsilon since 2003, and received the Denver Alumni Scholarship Competition award in 2007, 2009, 2011, and 2013. She has also presented and performed at National and International conventions including the MTNA Conference (2002, 2019) and the Mu Phi Epsilon International Convention (2017).
Dr. Setlik Wilson grew up in Lisle, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. She began piano studies at age four at the Wheaton College Community School of the Arts’ Suzuki program with Sarah Williams. At age 15, she began studying with Dr. William Phemister, a professor at Wheaton College. She attended several summer music programs, including the Suzuki Institute at Stevens Point, Wisconsin, Interlochen Arts Camp, Indiana University Piano Academy, and the International Institute for Young Musicians (IIYM) in Cincinnati.
Dr. Setlik Wilson studied Piano Performance at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music with husband-and-wife team Eugene and Elizabeth Pridonoff. During her time at CCM, she attended piano master class programs in Belgium and the Czech Republic as well as an opera program in Lucca, Italy. She graduated Cum Laude with her Bachelors degree from CCM and moved to Boulder, Colorado to study at the University of Colorado with Professor Doris Pridonoff Lehnert, earning both her Masters and DMA in Piano Performance. She currently lives in Longmont with her husband, Michael, and her dog, rats, and guinea pigs, teaching Suzuki and traditional piano lessons in her home studio.