AN AFTERNOON OF CHAMBER MUSIC AT BARD COLLEGE WITH CELLIST ROBERT MARTIN AND FRIENDS Martin will be joined by pianist Melvin Chen and violinist Erica Kiesewetter for the November 10 concert featuring works by Rachmaninov, Brahms, and Dvorák
ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y.-The Bard Center presents an afternoon of romantic chamber music with cellist Robert Martin, violinist Erica Kiesewetter, and pianist Melvin Chen. on Sunday, November 10. The program, open to the public without charge, will begin at 3:00 p.m. in Olin Hall.
"Chamber music is meant to be played with friends and for friends," says Robert Martin, vice president for academic affairs and dean of graduate studies at Bard. "I so look forward to making music with Erica and Melvin, and the three of us are delighted to be offering this program to our many friends in the Bard community."
The program will feature performances of Rachmaninov's Sonata in G Minor for Cello and Piano, Opus 19; Brahms's Sonata No. 3 in D Minor for Violin and Piano, Opus 108; and Dvorák's Trio in F Minor for Piano, Violin and Cello, Opus 65.
This concert is made possible, in part, through the generosity of the Homeland Foundation and the Leon Levy Foundation at Bard College. For further information about the program, call The Bard Center at 845-758-7425.
About the Performers:
Allen Kozinn, writing in the New York Times, notes that Melvin Chen is "a pianist whose playing is powerful and driven." Chen has been recognized as an important young artist, having received acclaim for performances throughout the United States and abroad. He completed a doctorate in chemistry from Harvard University, and also holds a double master's degree in piano and violin from the Juilliard School, where he studied with Seymour Lipkin and Glenn Dicterow, respectively. He received a bachelor's degree in chemistry and physics from Yale University, where, upon graduation, he was awarded the New Prize by the fellows of the Jonathan Edwards College. During his tenure at Yale, he studied with Boris Berman, Paul Kantor, and Ida Kavafian. An avid chamber musician, Chen has collaborated with such artists as Kavafian, Steven Tenenbom, David Shifrin, Robert White, Pamela Frank, Peter Wiley, and members of the St. Lawrence, Mendelssohn, Orion, Borromeo, and Arditti quartets. Chen has been heard both in solo recital and chamber music appearances at major venues throughout the U.S., Canada, and Asia, and at myriad music festivals, including the Bard Music Festival; Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival; Norfolk Chamber Music Festival; Chamber Music Northwest; and Music from Angel Fire. He is a performer on Wynton Marsalis's series on music education, "Marsalis on Music," and may also be heard on recordings on the Discover, Nices, and KBS labels with violinist Juliette Kang. Chen is visiting assistant professor of chemistry and music at Bard, and also serves on the piano faculty of the Yale School of Music.
Violinist Erica Kiesewetter is well-known to Bard audiences, having performed at the Bard Music Festival since its inception. She is concertmaster of the American Symphony Orchestra, and also holds that position with the Opera Orchestra of New York, Long Island Philharmonic, Stamford Symphony, Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic, and Solisti New York Chamber Orchestra. In October, she stepped in at the last minute as concertmaster and violinist with the American Ballet Theater at City Center. Kiesewetter brings a wealth of experience to her chamber music performances. For 14 years she was violinist of the Leonardo Trio, touring internationally and recording two albums. Previously, she was the first violinist of the Colorado Quartet, garnering prizes at the Evian and Coleman competitions. Kiesewetter is a founding member of the Perspectives Ensemble and performs regularly at the River Run and Central Vermont chamber music festivals. She is also a former member of the Alexandria Quintet and the Odyssey Chamber Players, and has been a guest artist with numerous groups in New York, such as Bargemusic, Omega Ensemble, and Da Capo. Since 1982 she has toured and recorded with Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. Kiesewetter has many recordings to her credit, including performances of L'histoire du Soldat with Solisti New York and the Taneyev cello quintet with Robert Martin. She currently teaches at Columbia University, and has coached string sectionals at The Juilliard School and SUNY Purchase.
Robert Martin,
cellist, "offers polished, vital music-making in an imaginatively conceived program," according to the Los Angeles Times. Martin, in addition to his work as vice president for academic affairs and dean of graduate studies, is also professor of philosophy and music at Bard. He is the coartistic director of the Bard Music Festival. Martin was the cellist of the Sequoia String Quartet from 1975 to 1985, during which time the ensemble made many recordings and toured internationally. He was the assistant dean of humanities at UCLA and founded and produced the Los Angeles chamber music series "Music for Mischa," presented subsequently at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Martin studied cello at the Curtis Institute of Music with Leonard Rose and Orlando Cole, and liberal arts at Haverford College. He made his New York recital debut, with pianist Richard Goode, in the Young Concert Artist Series. During his doctoral studies in philosophy at Yale University, he was the principal cellist of the New Haven Symphony and cellist of the Group for Contemporary Music, then at Columbia University. After receiving his Ph.D., he pursued a dual career in music and philosophy, holding joint appointments at SUNY-Buffalo and Rutgers University. Martin produces and performs in the series "Chamber Music at the Neue Galerie: From the Bard Music Festival" in New York. He is currently president of Chamber Music America.# # #
(10.24.02)