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Jose Feghali, pianist
Winner of the Gold Medal at the Seventh Van
Cliburn International Piano Competition, José
Feghali has been a major presence on the concert
stage, having appeared in over 800 performances
worldwide. These include concerts with such renowned
orchestras as the Berlin Philharmonic, Gewandhaus,
Royal Concertgebouw, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Royal
Philharmonic, London Symphony, Birmingham Symphony
Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic, Warsaw Philharmonic
and, in the United States, with the symphony
orchestras of Chicago, Saint Louis, Pittsburgh,
Detroit, Houston, Dallas, Minneapolis, Indianapolis,
Atlanta, Baltimore and the National Symphony. Mr.
Feghali has performed with such eminent conductors
as Kurt Masur, Neeme Järvi, John Nelson, James
DePriest, Yuri Temirkanov, Leonard Slatkin, Kurt
Sanderling, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, Christoph
Eschenbach, Eduardo Mata, Sergiu Comissiona,
Philippe Entremont, Andrew Litton, Zdenek Macal,
Hans Graf, David Zinman and Hans Vonk.
Equally active as a recitalist, Mr. Feghali has appeared on such
prestigious stages as Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center, Ambassador Auditorium
and Chicago’s Orchestra Hall. He has also performed in the major concert
halls of the United Kingdom, Germany, Holland, Spain, Portugal, Eastern
Europe, Canada, Hong Kong, Singapore and Latin America. In addition, Mr.
Feghali has regularly collaborated in chamber music performances, including
recitals with renowned flutist James Galway, cellists Truls Mørk, Antonio
Meneses and Daniel Gaisford, violinists Régis Pasquier, Olivier Charlier and
Emanuel Borok, duo piano with André Watts, and performances of Strauss’
“Enoch Arden” with Jon Vickers. He is an Artist/Faculty member and Associate
Director of the Mimir Chamber Music Festival in Fort Worth, and a regular
performer at the “Classical Action/Performing Artists Against Aids” benefit
concerts.
Recent and upcoming engagements include performances with the Dallas,
Chicago, Houston, Nashville and Jacksonville symphonies as well as
appearances at the Kravis and Meyerson Symphony centers, the Cliburn
Concerts series and the Ravinia Festival. He participated in the Shanghai
Piano Summer Sessions in 2003 and was invited to return to China for a
concerto and recital tour last season.
A child prodigy in his native Brazil, Mr. Feghali made his recital debut
at the age of five and concerto debut three years later with the Brazilian
Symphony Orchestra. Feghali moved to London at fifteen to study with Maria
Curcio Diamand, then continued his studies at the Royal Academy of Music
with Christopher Elton.
His recordings include a CD of music inspired by dance on the Koss
Classics label and a live recording from the Van Cliburn Competition on the
VAI label. New recordings to be released this season include an all Schumann
program and an all-Brahms CD with cellist Daniel Gaisford on the Anacapa
Music Label. Feghali has also recorded Villa-Lobos' Bachianas Brasileiras
no.3 with the Nashville Symphony for the Naxos label.
Mr. Feghali is Artist-in-Residence at Texas Christian University. He has
a special interest in recording technology and was the producer and
re-mastering engineer for the retrospective set of nine compact disks
(V.A.I. label) featuring past medalists’ live performances in the Van
Cliburn International Piano Competition. Mr. Feghali also serves as Vice
President and Executive Producer for the new Anacapa Music label.
Daniel Binelli, bandoneón
Internationally renowned master of the bandoneón, Argentine Daniel
Binelli tours extensively in concert and recital. This unique and sensuous
instrument is showcased in a wide range of compositions, many of which have
roots in the Tango of Binelli’s native land, where he is known as a
dedicated researcher and profound expert of the form.
A seasoned composer in his own right, Binelli is also widely acclaimed as
the foremost exponent and now torchbearer of the music of Astor Piazzolla,
with whom he has collaborated. The torch was passed naturally after
the two toured together in Brazil, Chile, Spain, Italy, Germany, France,
Holland and Switzerland before Mr. Piazzolla’s death in 1992. Mr.
Binelli’s late spring 1998 appearance in Japan with the National Symphony of
Argentina, a shared program with Martha Argerich, was an unqualified
success. In the fall of 2001, he again shared a program with Ms. Argerich at
Carnegie Hall with the Montréal Symphony. Mr. Binelli recorded Piazzolla’s
Double Concerto and other works with Charles Dutoit and the Montréal
Symphony, on the Decca label. Another recent recording for Decca teamed
Binelli with tenor Juan Diego Florez.
Orchestras with which Mr. Binelli has appeared as guest soloist include
the Philadelphia Orchestra, Atlanta Symphony, Montréal Symphony Orchestra,
Dallas Symphony, Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, New World Symphony, Calgary
Symphony Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra of Argentina in Buenos Aires
and Spain, Teatro Colon Orchestra of Buenos Aires, Mexico City Philharmonic,
Buffalo Philharmonic, Buenos Aires Philharmonic, Simon Bolivar Symphony
Orchestra of Caracas, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Nashville Symphony and the
Fort Worth Chamber Orchestra. Conductors with whom Binelli has worked
include Charles Dutoit, Robert Spano, Sinón Blech, Gisèle Ben-Dor, José
Carli, Herrera de la Fuente, Francisco Rettig, Isaiah Jackson, Pedro Ignacio
Calderón, Carlos Miguel Prieto, JoAnn Falletta, Michael Christie and Franz
Paul Decker. In addition to several European and Asian tours (where he
performed with Charles Dutoit and the NHK Symphony Orchestra in Tokyo), past
seasons included an appearance on the Van Cliburn Concert Series with
pianists Andre Watts and José Feghali, .
In the worlds of modern jazz and contemporary music, Mr. Binelli has
played with Paquito de Rivera and the Dizzy Gillespie Orchestra, Andreas
Vollenweider (with whom he recorded Kryptos), Lalo Schifrin, Michael Brecker
and Gary Burton. Mr. Binelli frequently collaborates with guitarists
Cesar Angelieri and Eduardo Isaac and/or pianist Polly Ferman in recital and
concert. He is widely known for his contributions to film music and
his many recordings.
Daniel Binelli also collaborates with Orchestango and Tango Metropolis, a
complete tango ensemble for which Binelli is one of the creators and the
showcased artist. Their recent tours of Japan, France, Germany, Portugal and
Australia were highly acclaimed.
Cristina Valdes, piano
Committed to both contemporary and standard repertoire, Cristina Valdes
is known for presenting innovative concerts with repertoire ranging from
Bach to Xenakis. She enjoys a varied musical career that has taken her
across four continents and to multiple venues including Lincoln Center,
Carnegie Recital Hall, Merkin Hall, Miller Theatre, Jordan Hall and the
Kennedy Center. Her passionate interest in new music has led to
collaborations with such renowned composers as Terry Riley, Joan Tower, Ezra
Laderman, and Ned Rorem. She has also premiered the works of many
younger composers including Evan Ziporyn, Orlando Garcia, and Carlos
Sanchez-Gutierrez. Festival performances include New Music in Miami, the
Foro Internacional de Musica Nueva in Mexico City, the Brisbane Arts
Festival, the Festival of Contemporary Music in El Salvador, Theater de Welt
in Stuttgart, the Festival of Arts and Ideas in New Haven, the Great Lakes
Chamber Music Festival, and the Singapore Arts Festival among others.
An avid chamber musician, Cristina has toured extensively with the Bang
On a Can “All Stars” and has performed with Musician’s Accord, the Mabou
Mines Theater Company and the Parsons Dance Company. As a
collaborative pianist, she has also toured the US with trumpet player Joe
Burgstaller, formerly of Canadian Brass. From 1998-2001, Cristina was
a member of the award-winning chamber music group Antares, which
commissioned, premiered, and recorded the works of contemporary composers in
addition to performing piano trios and quartets from the standard
repertoire.
Born and raised in Elizabeth, NJ, Cristina began playing the piano at the
age of three, and at age sixteen entered the New England Conservatory of
Music where she studied with Steve Drury. She continued her studies at
SUNY Stony Brook with Gilbert Kalish where she earned a Master's and a
Doctor of Musical Arts degree, and performed Ravel’s Concerto for the Left
Hand under Gustav Meier. Other teachers have included Zenaida Manfugas, John
Perry, Jerome Lowenthal and Claude Helffer. She has been the recipient of
numerous prizes and awards including an Arts International Grant, the Thayer
Award for the Arts, the W. Burghardt Turner Fellowship, first prize in the
Ruth Slenczynska Solo Piano Competition, the Silver Medal in the Osaka
Chamber Music Festa, and an Yvar Mikhashoff Trust for New Music grant for a
recording project of all 20th century piano music.
Makoto Nakura, Marimbist
Makoto Nakura is a musician whose artistry and astonishing virtuosity has
been mesmerizing audiences for decades. He creates innovative programs of
new music as well as traditional classical repertoire, revealing the
versatility and expressive range of the marimba while enlightening and
entertaining the listener. His extraordinary communicative power and poetic
musicality is inspirational.
In 1994, Makoto Nakura moved from his native Japan to New
York City, becoming the first marimbist to win First Prize in the
prestigious Young Concert Artists International Auditions. His critically
acclaimed performances around the world have included venues in London,
Rome, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Seoul and Ho Chi Minh City. In the U.S., he has
performed for audiences in 40 of the 50 states with orchestras such as the
New York Chamber Symphony, the Chicago Sinfonietta and the California
Symphony. As a recital soloist, his long list of appearances includes
Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall, New York’s 92nd Street Y and Washington’s
Kennedy Center.
He has performed numerous times with the American Ballet
Theatre in New York City, including appearances at the Metropolitan Opera
House, the Kaye Playhouse and at City Center, where he was soloist in a new
production of "Marimba." He also has been a guest artist with the Chamber
Music Society of Lincoln Center and appeared in the Bravo! Vail Valley Music
Festival, Spoleto USA Festival, Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festival, and
Music from Angel Fire.
Mr. Nakura has established himself as a dedicated champion of the music of
our time. Many leading young composers such as Kevin Puts, Kenji Bunch,
Carlos Sanchez-Gutierrez, Pierre Jalbert, Michael Torke, David Schober and
Jason Eckardt have written pieces especially for him. This marimbist’s
mission is to explore and expand the possibilities of the instrument,
demonstrate what an exciting and provocative vehicle it offers to composers,
and provide a thrilling experience for audiences.
Born in Kobe, Japan, Mr. Nakura began to play the marimba at the age of
eight. He earned Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Musashino College in
Tokyo, where he wrote his graduate thesis on the marimba as a solo
instrument. He continued his studies at the Royal Academy of Music in
London. He has been invited to the Hong Kong Academy for the Performing Arts
four times to serve as a visiting consultant for Percussion Studies and
perform recitals. Indeed, because of his strong commitment to reaching
younger audiences, he conducts many master classes and workshops at schools
such as the Eastman School of Music and the Royal Academy of Music, among
many others.
His recent honors include a National Arts Festival New Artist
Award from the Japanese Agency of Cultural Affairs and the BMI/Carlos
Surinach Fund Marimba Commission. He was named an Associate of the Royal
Academy of Music in London. His first CD, “Ritual Protocol,” was released by
Kleos Classics. It was followed by “Tsuneya Tanabe Works for Marimba,”
released by Japan’s ALM Records, and “Triple Jump: Six Original Pieces for
Marimba,” also by Kleos. Virtually every composition on all three discs was
written for Mr. Nakura.
A network television portrait of Mr. Nakura was broadcast across the U.S. on
CBS Sunday Morning. His recitals have been widely televised by KBS (Korea)
and NHK (Japan) and played on many radio stations.
www.makotonakura.com
Christina Castelli, violin
An Astral Artistic Services National Auditions winner in 2001, Astral has
presented violinist Christina Castelli in recital and chamber performances
and as orchestral soloist on its concert series. She made her Philadelphia
recital and concerto debuts in 2003, also under Astral’s auspices, and was
featured with Astral artists at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall.
Ms. Castelli has garnered international acclaim for her concerto and
recital performances throughout the U.S., Europe, Canada, and South America.
A Laureate of the prestigious 2001 Queen Elisabeth International Violin
Competition in Brussels and Grand Prize winner of the 1997 William Primrose
International Viola Competition, she has been a featured soloist with
orchestras worldwide, including the Cleveland Orchestra and the Atlanta,
National, Seattle, Colorado, Pittsburgh, New Jersey, and Alabama symphonies,
and the Belgian National Orchestra, Royal Chamber Orchestra of Wallonia
(Brussels), National Orchestra of Colombia, and Chilean Regional
Philharmonic. As a recitalist, she has appeared on concert series in nearly
every major city in the U.S. and has been presented in such venues the
Ravinia Festival, the Vancouver Chamber Music Festival, the Kennedy Center
for the Performing Arts, and Carnegie Hall, where she made her critically
acclaimed recital debut in 2004.
An avid chamber musician, Ms. Castelli has appeared as soloist with and
leader of the International Sejong Soloists chamber ensemble and as
concertmaster of the Metamorphosen Chamber Orchestra in addition to giving
performances on both violin and viola in numerous string and piano trios and
quartets. She has been heard as a soloist and chamber musician in live and
recorded performances on radio stations worldwide, including NPR’s
“Performance Today,” WQXR in New York, Chicago’s WFMT, Vermont Public Radio,
Caracol Colombian Radio, RBTF Radio Brussels, and UCV Chilean Radio.
Highlights of the 2007-2008 season include Ms. Castelli’s debuts with the
Minnesota Orchestra and the Chicago Sinfonietta, in addition to opening the
new concert seasons for the Binghamton (NY) and the Grand Junction (CO)
symphonies. She also gives recitals throughout the U.S.
In 1996, Ms. Castelli earned the highest award available to young artists
in the U.S. when she was named a Presidential Scholar in the Arts, receiving
a gold medallion from President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore in
Washington, D.C. She has also been granted First Prize in numerous
competitions, including the Juilliard Concerto Competition, the California
International Young Artists Violin Competition, the Holland-America Music
Society Competition, the National Federation of Music Clubs Competition, and
the Sphinx Competition, where she was the only competitor ever to receive
the award twice.
A passionate advocate of music outreach, Ms. Castelli frequently gives
presentations to children in metropolitan public schools through her
Community Music Commitment (CMC) program, and conducts masterclasses for
violin and viola students. In the summer of 2007, she traveled to Tunisia as
part of an outreach program by Music for the People to learn about music
native to the country and to share Western music with communities in the
capital city of Tunis. While in Africa, Ms. Castelli presented masterclasses,
provided private music instruction, and performed both Western and Tunisian
music with musicians from both backgrounds.
Ms. Castelli began violin studies at age three with Edward Kreitman and
continued her studies with Roland and Almita Vamos. She earned a Bachelor’s
degree with honors in Chemistry from Harvard University and a Master’s
degree in Violin Performance from The Juilliard School, where she studied
violin with Dorothy DeLay and chamber music with Rohan De Silva. She is the
recipient of the 2001 Samuel Gardner Prize as well as the 2002 William
Schuman Prize, Juilliard’s only award for graduate students.
Ms. Castelli performs on a violin crafted by Giovanni Grancino of Milan
in 1709.
www.christinacastelli.com