Abiquiu Chamber Music

 This concert is underwritten through the great generosity of ISABEL and SAM JEWELL of Abiquiu, NM.

ACMF's resident chamber ensemble, TRIO ARRIBA first debuted at ACMF in 2009 with an All-Russian program of exhilarating magnitude.  New York City-based Pianist DIYI TANG officially joins the Trio this season, following his first appearance here in 2017. Hailed by the New York Concert Review as “Vibrantly Musical” and presenting a "Striking performance", Mr. Tang is already established as one of the leading artists of his native China and his remarkable talent is now becoming recognized throughout the U.S. Born into a musical Family in Shanghai, he entered the Conservatory at age seven and made his professional debut at the age of twelve with the Shanghai Symphony. He was also the youngest pianist from China to win the top prize at the Chopin International Piano Competition in Moscow. Mr. Tang made his Lincoln Center debut in Alice Tully Hall with the Mannes Orchestra, playing Chopin's E Minor Piano Concerto. He has also performed as a guest soloist with the Moscow Symphony, Orchestra National de Lyon, Beijing Symphony, and in concerts at Weill Recital Hall, the United Nations, the 92nd Street Y, and at the Lucerne Festival in Switzerland. A top Prize winner in the 2014 Russian Music International piano Competition and 2012 William Kapell International Piano Competition. He now resides in New York City, where he is also on the faculty of The Center for Musical Excellence and Rutgers University. His major teachers have been Pavlina Dokovska, Dr. Min Kwon, and Richard Goode.

Violinist DAVID FELBERG is not only one of the most sought-after violinists in NM, virtually performing with every orchestra and chamber series in the state, but has appeared as a soloist with the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra, Albuquerque Philharmonic Orchestra, Noisy Neighbors Chamber Orchestra, Tucson Symphony, the Chautauqua Music School Festival Orchestra, Palo Alto Orchestra, and the Balcones Orchestra of Austin, TX.  Mr. Felberg is also Artistic Director of one of the most vibrant musical organizations in the state, Albuquerque's Chatter. Chatter is an innovative Sunday morning series highlighting music and poetry, featured regularly on NPR and in the Los Angeles Times. He also serves as Associate Concertmaster of the New Mexico Philharmonic and Concertmaster of the Santa Fe Symphony Orchestra.  Mr. Felberg has performed numerous solo recitals throughout the state, and performs with Serenata of Santa Fe, Chatter, and the Taos Chamber Music Group.  In 2005, he made his New York recital debut in Merkin Hall. In addition to his graduate music degree from the University of New Mexico, Mr. Felberg has also taken advanced string quartet studies at the University of Colorado at Boulder and attended the prestigious American Academy of Conducting at the Aspen Music Festival. There, he worked with maestros David Zinman and Murray Sidlin, and with renowned conducting pedagogue Jorma Panula. As a founding member of Trio Arriba, Mr. Felberg has been a invaluable artist with ACMF every season since 2009 with the trio and numerous other chamber ensembles.

Cellist SALLY GUENTHER is both a familiar and favored artist of ACMF, performing regularly with ACMF since the 2009 season when she became a founding member of Trio Arriba. After engagements with numerous U.S. orchestras, including the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Cincinnati, Fort Worth, and the Syracuse Orchestra (principal), she became solo cellist of the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra in Norway, a position she held for twenty years. In Norway, Ms. Guenther was also active as a pedagogue, teaching at the Grieg Academy of Music, and was a member of the chamber ensemble, BIT-20, an internationally recognized group traveling and recording extensively in Europe and Asia. After returning to the U.S., she originally made Taos her home for nearly a decade as well as her base for performing. This spring, has relocated to Santa Fe.  Ms. Guenther performs regularly with Montage Music Society the Santa Fe Opera Orchestra, the New Mexico Symphony, Santa Fe Pro Musica, Serenata of Santa Fe, the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, Chatter, the Amarillo Symphony, and the Taos Chamber Music Group.  Ms. Guenther's musical training was at Indiana University's Jacob School of Music and The Juilliard School, with principal teachers who were truly iconic, Janos Starker and Harvey Shapiro. Her continued affiliation with ACMF each season is indispensable.

 Although ACMF strives to present all artists and programming as advertised, we reserve the right to make comparable artist or program substitution as might become necessary.

This concert is underwritten through the great generosity of Dr. Isolde Thalmann of Abiquiu, NM; St. Louis, MO; and Vienna, Austria. 

Called "outstandingly talented and creative musicians" by Musikverein Vienna, Duo Aliada consists of saxophonist Michał Knot  and accordionist Bogdan Laketic  . Since their founding in 2013, the duo has caught the listening attention of the classical music world, resulting in a performance concert schedule with more than 150 performances in over 30 countries, many in illustrious concert venues such as the Carnegie Hall, Tonhalle Zurich, Vienna Musikverein and the Hermitage Theater in St. Petersburg to name but a few. Duo Aliada unanimously won the Grand Prix at the 12th Fidelio Competition in Vienna. In 2018, Duo Aliada also took Third Prize at the M-Prize Chamber Arts Competition, at the University of Michigan. The duo recorded their debut studio album New colors of the Past with ARS production and it has been received with tremendous critical acclaim. They were also selected for the international program "The New Austrian Sound of Music 2016-17", a prestigious sponsorship platform funded by the Austrian Government.  Duo Aliada have been featured regularly on popular european radio broadcasts such as ORF1, SWR2, BR Klassik, and Radio Klassik and they could not be more excited about sharing their unique music with audiences all around the world. Their appearance at ACMF follows their concert the previous week in Paris, France, and we warmly welcome them.

Vienna-based saxophonist MICHAL KNOT was born in 1987 in Jaworzno, southern Poland and is considered one of the most active saxophonists of the younger generation. He has given over three hundred recitals and concerts in such world-renowned venues as Carnegie Hall, Berlin Konzerthaus, Musikverein Wien, Walt Disney Concert Hall Los Angeles, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Wiener Konzerthaus, Tonhalle Zürich, Hermitage Theatre Saint Petersburg, Liederhalle Stuttgart, Gasteig München, Teatro del Lago Chile and National Concert Hall Taipei to name a few. Mr. Knot has been invited to perform in numerous music festivals in 40 countries, on five continents. In 2013 he was awarded the “Młoda Polska” scholarship, given to the most successful Polish artist by the Polish Minister of Culture and National Heritage.

Vienna-based Serbian accordionist BOGDAN LAKETIC was born in 1994 and is one of the most prolific accordionists of his time. Bogdan is a dynamic chamber musician and member of multiple ensembles of different musical styles. With Duo Aliada, he pushes the limits of his instrument’s possibilities, regularly performing challenging transcriptions of works written for piano and even full orchestra. Additionally he is an active performer of contemporary music, having worked with such established composers as Wolfgang Rihm and Isabel Mundry. Mr. Laketic regularly collaborates with young composers and has contributed to the accordion repertoire by premiering more than fifteen works. He has already performed in over 30 countries at festivals such as Wien Modern, Impuls Graz, Festival de musica de Morelia Mexiko, Chiloe Concertante Festival, Summerwinds Festival, Musical Olympus Festival, Johor Bahru Festival, European Arts Forum, Brückenfestival, Alpenarte Festival, Ohrid Summer Festival to name a few. Bogdan has played in some of the most important concert halls including Carnegie Hall, Musikverein Wien, Tonhalle Zürich, Teatro Del Lago Chile, Hermitage Theater St. Petersburg, Kolarac Belgrade, Katsushika Symphony Hills Tokyo and ORF Radiokulturhaus. 

 Duo Aliada has such a high technical level that makes everything musically possible. They always play with a unique creativity, which totally captivates the listener. Fabulous!  -- Remy French, President of the International Classical Music Awards. 

Although ACMF strives to present all artists and programming as advertised, we reserve the right to make comparable artist or program substitution as might become necessary.

This concert is underwritten through the great generosity of DEBORAH BECKETT and STEVEN BRUBAKER of Chicago, IL and Abiquiu, NM; and ANNE BECKETT of Youngsville, NM; as well as through the generous sponsorship of JANET HARRINGTON and ROBERT WHITE of Abiquiu, NM.

JAMES SHIELDS, Clarinet, has been Principal Clarinet with the Oregon Symphony Orchestra since 2016 as well as Co-Artistic Director of Albuquerque's Sunday CHATTER since its inception a decade ago. CHATTER presents more than 60 concerts annually, where he is a frequent soloist. Before relocating to Portland, Mr. Shields served as principal clarinet of the Canadian Opera Company in Toronto, as well as the New Mexico Philharmonic in Albuquerque. A graduate of The Juilliard School, he studied with Ricardo Morales, principal clarinet of the Philadelphia Orchestra. He has also appeared as a soloist with the Oregon Symphony, New Mexico Philharmonic, Interlochen’s World Youth Symphony Orchestra (MI), the Albuquerque Philharmonic (NM), and as guest principal clarinet with the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, Aspen Music Festival (CO), and Santa Fe Pro Musica (NM).  In addition to his orchestral and solo activities, Mr. Shields has become well known to North American audiences as a dynamic and passionate performer of chamber music, making over 30 appearances annually in more intimate settings throughout the United States and Canada. In addition to his performing activities, he holds an M.M. in composition from the University of New Mexico, and continues to compose regularly. A recent review from the Albuquerque Journal enthused that …Shields performed with an exceptional beauty of tone and dynamics ranging from arresting fortes to subtle pianissimos, gentle zephyrs of sound seemly coming out of nowhere especially in the sublime Adagio... The final Rondo:Allegro was testimony to the sheer joy of being alive. ACMF welcomes his return after his previous performances here. His stunning and memorable performances for ACMF have included Osvaldo Golijov's Dreams and Prayers of Isaac the Blind, as well as both the Mozart and Brahms Clarinet Quintets.

Pianist DEBRA AYERS performs nationally and internationally as a recitalist with instrumentalists, singers and chamber music ensembles. She has been a frequent artist at ACMF, as well as the Albuquerque Chamber Soloists, Serenata of Santa Fe, Sunday Chatter, Taos Chamber Music Group and Santa Fe Desert Chorale. She has enjoyed collaborations with Aspen Music Festival Chamber Players; American, Apple Hill, La Catrina and Vega string quartets; Aspen Santa Fe Ballet; Ballet Pro Musica; Breckenridge Music Festival; the International Piatti Cello Festival; and at Denver’s annual JAAMM Festival. A proponent of contemporary music, her numerous premieres include works by Ofer Ben-Amots, William Bolcom, Paul Elwood, Jeff Harrington, Andrew List, Daniel Schnyder, Ronald Strauss, Bruce Wolosoff and Yehudi Wyner. Debra and cellist Marc Moskovitz presented the North American premiere of the rediscovered Zemlinsky Cello Sonata at the Library of Congress in Washington, DC.  An alumna of the University of Southern California and the University of Wisconsin, Ms. Ayers' teachers include Gwendolyn Koldofsky, Jean Barr, André-Michel Schub, Brooks Smith, Martin Katz, and John Barrows. She is Co-Founder, artistic director and pianist with Montage Music Society of both Boston and Santa Fe. Montage Music Society has commissioned numerous chamber works and released multiple DVD's and CD's, the most recent of which will be released this fall. 

Although ACMF strives to present all artists and programming as advertised, we reserve the right to make comparable artist or program substitution as might become necessary.

 This concert is sponsored in part throught the great generosity of SUSAN CHANDLER, Tucson, AZ; SALLY PATTON and RICK GRENZEBACK of Abiquiu, NM; and MELODIE and JON USHER of Abiquiu, NM.

Lauded for her "lustrous and expressive voice" by the Seattle Times after her performances as Adalgisa in Norma, mezzo-soprano PHYLLIS PANCELLA has received critical acclaim for her artistic versatility, superlative musicianship, and powerful stage presence. A truly accomplished artist, she has appeared on many of the finest international opera, concert, and recital stages in repertoire ranging from the Baroque era to that of the present century. In the summer of 2015 Phyllis sang the role of the Marquise in La fille du régiment with the Santa Fe Opera. Other recent engagements include soloist in Mahler's Kindertotenlieder with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra and as Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd for Virginia Opera. She also returned to the Alabama Symphony as Mother/Witch in Humperdinck’s Hänsel und Gretel, and was soloist in Alexander Nevsky with the Eugene Symphony Orchestra. Other significant engagements include soloist in Bach’s Christmas Oratorio with the Hong Kong Bach Choir under Jerome Haberman; a series of chamber recitals with violist Paul Neubauer; singing in the New Music Showcase at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague; her return to Boston Lyric Opera as Despina in Così fan tutte; to Central City Opera as Mrs. Gibbs in Rorem’s Our Town; and soloist in Messiah with Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, under Jane Glover. Ms Pancella was also soloist in an evening of Bach cantatas (curated by John Harbison) in a return to Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center; in Messiah with the Philadelphia Orchestra, under Jane Glover; her return to Music of the Baroque Orchestra and Chorus to sing Sorceress in Dido and Aeneas; to Handel and Haydn Society to sing Handel’s Dixit Dominus and Mozart’s Requiem (released on the Coro label); to Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra as soloist in Handel’s Messiah (Part One) and Bach’s Christmas Oratorio; to the Berkshire Choral Festival in works by Vaughn Williams, Elgar, and Brahms, Robert Page conducting; and singing as soloist in Mozart’s Mass in C Minor with the Alabama Symphony. She has performed countless roles with the other U.S. opera companies, including the San Francisco, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Houston Grand Opera, Dallas, Florida Grand Opera, and Glimmerglass. Phyllis portrayed the the title role of Lizzie Borden (broadcast on PBS Great Performances series) at both Glimmerglass Opera and New York City Opera. ACMF is delighted to welcome Ms. Pancella's return after her previously acclaimed 2016 recital.  

Her collaborator, SHIELDS COLLINS BRAY has been principal keyboardist of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra since 1986 and has hosted the orchestra's pre-concert discussions since 1993. He has appeared numerous times as soloist with the orchestra, most recently in works by Liszt, Janacek, and Britten. He has also appeared also as soloist with symphony orchestras of Dallas, Jacksonville, and New Orleans, and with the Buffalo Philharmonic. Mr. Bray was pianist in Miguel Harth-Bedoya's The Passion of Tango in 2003, with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl. He is also Artistic Director for Special Projects at the Van Cliburn Foundation, where he oversees the foundation's extensive education initiatives, and produces its Cliburn at the Modern series, which in recent seasons has hosted the composers Ned Rorem, John Corigliano, William Bolcom, Osvaldo Golijov, Adam Guettel and Jennifer Higdon. Mr. Bray can also be heard on the CD of Juan Diego Florez, Sentimiento Latino, a 2006 Decca release, and on Gasparo's Dwell in Possibility, with mezzo-soprano Virginia Dupuy. He  studied with the late, great Van Cliburn International Gold Medalist, Steven De Groote, and more recently with Yoheved Kaplinsky.  

 Although ACMF strives to present all artists and programming as advertised, we reserve the right to make comparable artist or program substitution as might become necessary.

This concert is significantly underwritten through the great generosity of ABIQUIU VALLEY FARM, Abiquiu, NM; SUSAN and CHARLES MIZE of Tesuque, NM; and PIANOWERKES of Albuquerque, NM.

The season finale highlights both young and mature artists of incomparable accomplishment to bring a program found nowhere else in NM.  Under the direction of maestro JEFFREY MILARSKY, ACMF is able to present a work not previously performed in the state for more than a decade, the Shostakovich First Concerto.  This unique work unites two virtuosos: Tawainese pianist HAN CHEN with JOHN MARCHIANDO on trumpet. The concerto includes numerous musical quotations and parodies of the composer, as well as from Haydn and Beethoven. By concluding the season with this work---since Shostakovich both begins and ends with quotes of Beethoven--it aptly launches ACMF's 2020 season---a tribute to Beethoven's 250th birthday. Soprano SARAH WOLFSON also joins members of the ACMF Ensemble in a rare performance of Ravel's  sensual, impassioned Chansons Madecasses. Listeners will also be treated to a new work by much-heralded composer Missy Mazzoli, as well as solo works from HAN CHEN by Shostakovich and Steven Stucky.

Hailed by the New York Times as a pianist with "a graceful touch... rhythmic precision... hypnotic charm” and "sure, subtle touch," HAN CHEN is a distinctive artist whose credentials at a young age already include important prizes in competitions of traditional music as well as increasing respect in the avant-garde. His debut CD with Naxos Records, which consists of all-Liszt operatic transcriptions, was released in January 2016 as the first prize winner of the 6th China International Piano Competition. He was also the winner of the International Russian Music Piano Competition, the Hong Kong International Piano Competition, and the 26th Chimei Art Prize. Mr. Chen's extraordinary performances in the 15th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, the 15th Arthur Rubinstein Piano Competition, and the 11th International Franz Liszt Competition were also highly acclaimed. As a soloist, he has already appeared with many orchestras, including the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra (under Maestro Vladimir Ashkenazy), the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, the Aspen Music Festival Brass Ensemble, the China Symphony Orchestra, Macao Orchestra, Juilliard Orchestra, Lexington Philharmonic Orchestra, Sendai Philharmonic Orchestra, Shanghai Conservatory  Orchestra, National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra, and the Xiamen National Orchestra. Mr. Chen holds the bachelor and masters degrees from The Juilliard School and is now a doctoral student at CUNY. His major teachers there are Yveda Kaplinsky and Ursula Oppens. 

Praised as “one of the finest trumpeters of his generation,” JOHN MARCHIANDO currently serves as Associate Professor at the University of New Mexico. He also performs as Principal Trumpet with the New Mexico Philharmonic, Trumpeter in the Summit Brass, Enchantment Brass Quintet, Tromba Mundi, and MarchianDUO, a trumpet duo with his wife, Brynn Marchiando.
Marchiando was Principal Trumpet with the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra from 2006 until it’s untimely demise in 2011, and has also held positions with the Phoenix Symphony and Arizona Opera. He has performed as Guest Principal Trumpet with the Tucson Symphony Orchestra and Santa Fe Symphony, and has appeared with many other notable ensembles, such as the Santa Fe Opera, Colorado Symphony Orchestra, Fountain City Brass Band, Santa Fe Chamber Music, Chatter 20-21, Santa Fe New Music, and the Figueroa Music and Arts Project. Marchiando has performed with ensembles across the globe, including appearances with the Summit Brass, Denver Municipal Band, New Mexico Philharmonic, United States Navy Band, Santa Fe Symphony, Albuquerque Concert Band, Canticum Novum, La Crosse Symphony Orchestra, Chatter 20-21, and more. He can be heard on recordings on the Accord, Centaur, Summit and Stemming record labels and has done projects for National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting System. With two performance degrees from the University of Michigan, Dr. Marchiando completed his doctorate at Arizona State University and has been extremely fortunate to study with some of the greatest trumpet virtuosi in the world, including David Hickman, Armando Ghitalla, Charles Daval, Raymond Mase, Chris Gekker and Ramon Parcells. Dr. Marchiando is an S.E. Shires performing artist. ACMF is delighted to welcome him for his premiere performance at the festival. 

Lyric Soprano SARAH WOLFSON continually demonstrates a remarkable ability to communicate with an audience, whether in recital or on the operatic stage. The New York Times called her a keenly intelligent artist…who sings with luminous sound and impressively focused high notes. Ms. Wolfson was on the MET roster, having performed in their 2017 production of Fidelio. Other recent performances have been solo recitals in South Carolina; soloist for the Brahms Requiem Beethoven's 9th with Symphony of Northwest Arkansas; the Fauré Requiem with the Bangor Symphony Orchestra; and recitals of the  Bolcom Cabaret Songs. In addition to performing with New York Festival of Song (NYFOS) as part of its Next series, Ms. Wolfson also appeared in the Market Square Concerts in Pennsylvania where she sang the world premieres of song cycles by Jeremy Gill, Jake Heggie, and Paul Moravec. In addition, she has performed the opera premiere of Jetzt by Mathis Nitchke, and has sung Rose in Elliott Carter's What Next at Opéra de Montpellier. Ms. Wolfson was hailed by ResMusica: [As Rose] ---the American soprano Sarah Wolfson prevails by far, her performance possessing the exuberance, the color, and the sensuality required for the part. In past seasons, Ms. Wolfson presented a recital series that featured American composers Samuel Barber, Aaron Copland, and Charles Ives. She also performed an all Kurt Weill cabaret program titled Foolish Heart: Kurt Weill's Search for Love and Home from Berlin to Broadway in New York City at the Neue Galerie's Cafe Sabarsky. In addition she has sung solo recitals in Florida, Virginia, and, Arkansas, Ms. Wolfson performed Schumann at Symphony Space as part of Simply Schumann, and was invited to sing Der Hirt auf dem Felsen with Antares Ensemble as part of The Newtown, CT Chamber Music Series. A resident of NYC, Ms. Wolfson also serves as Adjunct Professor of Voice at William Paterson University. We welcome her artistry for the third time at ACMF, having appeared previously in 2015 and 2017 seasons. Ms. Wolfson will also return to ACMF for the 2020 season, performing a duo-recital with baritone Joshua Hopkins.

 American Conductor JEFFREY MILARSKY is highly acclaimed worldwide for his impeccable musicianship, exhilarating presence and innovative programming.  Mr. Milarsky returns this season to conduct the ACMF Ensemble in the Shostakovich First Concerto, Mazzoli's Set That on Fire, the Chansons Madecasses of Ravel. Milarsky has been hailed for his interpretation of a wide range of repertoire, which spans Bach to Xenakis.  In recent seasons he has worked with the San Francisco Symphony, American Composers Orchestra, MET Chamber Ensemble, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Milwaukee Symphony, Bergen Philharmonic, New York City Opera, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, New World Symphony, Tanglewood Festival Orchestra, and the New York Philharmonic chamber music series. In the U.S. and abroad, he has premiered and recorded works by numerous contemporary composers in venues such as Carnegie Hall, Zankel Hall, Davies Symphony Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Walt Disney Concert Hall,  Boston’s Symphony Hall, and at IRCAM in Paris. This spring, he conducted six performances in NYC of Stravinsky's Rite of Spring. In June of 2015 Mr. Milarsky made his New York Philharmonic debut conducting their CONTACT series, a Japanese based program including music of Takemitsu, Messiaen, Fujikura, and Mochizuki. He was invited again in November of 2015 to conduct works by Mario Davidovsky.  In 2017, Mr Milarsky led the Los Angeles Philharmonic at Walt Disney Concert Hall in a program devoted to the 80th birthday celebration of Steve Reich. Mr. Milarsky has a long history of premiering, recording and performing American composers and has frequently conducted the works of Philip Glass, working in close collaboration with the composer. A dedicated teacher, Mr. Milarsky is a Senior Lecturer in Music at Columbia University, where he is the Music Director and Conductor of the Columbia University Orchestra. In addition to conducting the Juilliard Orchestra, he is the Music Director of AXIOM, The Juilliard School’s critically acclaimed contemporary music ensemble, and serves on the conducting faculty at Juilliard. Also much-in-demand as timpanist and percussionist, Mr. Milarsky has been the Principal Timpanist for the Santa Fe Opera since 2005.  In addition, he has performed and recorded with the New York Philharmonic, The Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Pittsburgh Symphony. He has recorded extensively for the labels of Angel, Bridge, Teldec, Telarc, New World, CRI, Music Masters, EMI, Koch, and London. We are always thrilled to have this distinguished artist as principal maestro for all ACMF larger ensemble programs.

  Although ACMF strives to present all artists and programming as advertised, we reserve the right to make comparable artist or program substitution as might become necessary.