Announcing 2017 Shenson Faculty Concert Series Grant Recipients

Each year, The Shenson Foundation sponsors four free community concerts at CMC. The following faculty members and their ensembles were selected by a committee of musicians from CMC’s Board of Directors. Stay tuned for concert announcements from these winning projects!

Zina Bozzay and Vadalma
vadalma-2016Vadalma (“Wild Apple”) is a collaborative project led by Zina Bozzay with Matthew Szemela and Misha Khalikulov (son of CMC piano faculty member Lilia Zheltova) that creates vibrant, intimate arrangements of traditional Hungarian folk songs. Zina sings songs directly from village traditions in Transylvania, Moldavia, Transdanubia, and other parts of the Carpathian Basin, and the musicians integrate both traditional and original accompaniment to frame these rich melodies. Learn more at www.zinabozzay.com/vadalma.

Zina Bozzay – voice
Matthew Szemela – violin
Misha Khalikulov – cello

 

Lauren Cony: A Trio of Trios by Women Composers
LibertyTrio-webIn light of our recent presidential election which bumped but did not shatter the glass ceiling for women, The Liberty Street Piano Trio finds it particularly relevant to perform trios by women composers. Their selection of composers spans two centuries, from the 1800’s to the present day. Historically, many women composers were overshadowed by their male counterparts, and their works have not been performed with as much frequency as is deserved. It is time these women receive equal play time, and that audiences hear their wonderful and strong voices. The program consists of trios by works by Fanny Mendelssohn (1805-1847), Rebecca Clarke (1886-1979), and Lera Auerbach (1973).

Josepha Fath – violin
Poppea Dorsam – cello
Lauren Cony – piano

 

Richard Fey: A Classical Cabaret
richard_fey_web
Baritone Richard Fey will entertain and educate, primarily senior citizens in their residences. The repertoire contains operatic arias: Mozart, Leoncavallo, Verdi and Korngold. Also included are musical theater groups and historic art songs literature. Fey employs costumes to enhance the theatrical aspect of the performances.

Richard Fey – voice
Britt Day – piano

 

Elyse Weakley and the Hurd Ensemble
Hurd EnsemblePerforming original music by San Francisco-based composer George Hurd, The Hurd Ensemble, in a broader sense, unifies the worlds of electronic and classical music, but leaves the door wide open for numerous other styles. Rarely making one genre more dominant than the next, the sound world they create exists because almost everything is equal, nothing being so sacred it has to kneel before the rest. By reaching this balance, a new synthesis is born where originality flourishes and gives rise to music that stands apart, welcoming whatever ideas it needs in order to realize itself.

Wrought from elements of classical, electronic, jazz, rock, ambient, experimental and more, each piece is meticulously bound together by digitally-arranged found sounds collected from Hurd’s travels, placed shoulder to shoulder to form a greater whole. His sounds are layered and manipulated to weave textures that perfectly complement the acoustic instruments, giving rise to a sound that is extremely organic despite its digital origins.

Employing classical instrumentation of violin, viola, cello, bass, vibraphone and piano with an array of electronics, Hurd’s music is both wildly, intricately rhythmic and aglow with shimmering harmonies and melodies. Accessible and daring, its percussive yet lyrical qualities make it at home in both concert halls and nightclubs.

Check out this video of their performance at the Kennedy Center last July.

Learn more at: www.hurdensemble.com.

George Hurd – electronics/cues
Solenn Seguillon – violin
Jacob Hansen-Joseph – viola
Anton Estaniel – cello
Ari Gorman – cello/bass
Elyse Weakley – piano