Between January and March 2018, the following musicians performed at the Flagler Museum. Concert programs have been included for each performance.
2018 Music Series sponsored by:
Tesla Quartet
January 9, 2018
7:30 p.m.
The Tesla Quartet was formed at The Juilliard School in 2008 and quickly established itself as one of the most promising young ensembles in New York, winning Second Prize at the J.C. Arriaga Chamber Music Competition only a few months after its inception. From 2009 to 2012 the quartet held a fellowship as the Graduate String Quartet-in-Residence at the University of Colorado-Boulder, where they studied with the world-renowned Takács Quartet. They have studied at the Chamber Music Residency of the Banff Centre, and they have also worked with Günter Pichler and Rainer Schmidt in ProQuartet-CEMC’s professional training program in France. Additional coaches include the Tokyo String Quartet, the Artis Quartet, Mark Steinberg, and Sylvia Rosenberg. In the summer of 2011 the quartet held a fellowship at the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, and in 2010 they were fellows at the Aspen Music Festival’s Center for Advanced Quartet Studies. The Tesla Quartet is Ross Snyder (violin), Michelle Lie (violin), Edwin Kaplan (viola), and Serafim Smigelskiy (cello).
Flagler Museum Concert Reviews:
"Young Tesla Quartet opens Flagler’s 2018 series in fine fashion"
- Marcio Bezerra, Palm Beach Daily News
"Stellar Bartók stands out at Tesla Quartet’s Flagler appearance"
- Dennis Rooney, Palm Beach ArtsPaper
Hermitage Piano Trio
January 23, 2018
7:30 p.m.
Descending from the great Russian musical tradition, the Hermitage Piano Trio is distinguished by its exuberant musicality, interpretative range, and sumptuous sound. In the same way that St. Petersburg’s venerable Hermitage State Museum both represents the very essence and history of Russia while also using its collection to embrace and promote cultures from around the world, the Hermitage Piano Trio embodies the majesty of its Russian lineage while at the same time including in its immense repertoire works from the great European tradition to contemporary American commissions. Following a recent performance, The Washington Post raved that “three of Russia’s most spectacular young soloists… turned in a performance of such power and sweeping passion that it left you nearly out of breath.” The Hermitage Piano Trio is Misha Keylin (violin), Sergey Antonov (cello), and Ilya Kazantsev (piano).
Flagler Museum Concert Reviews:
"Hermitage Trio delivers expressive, virtuosic concert in Palm Beach"
- Marcio Bezerra, Palm Beach Daily News
"Beautifully played Dvořák caps fine Hermitage Trio outing"
- Dennis Rooney, Palm Beach ArtsPaper
Violinist Simone Porter
February 14, 2023
7:30 p.m.
Violinist Simone Porter has been recognized as an emerging artist of impassioned energy, interpretive integrity, and vibrant communication. In the past few years she has debuted with the New York Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic; and with a number of renowned conductors, including Stéphane Denève, Gustavo Dudamel, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Nicholas McGegan, Ludovic Morlot, and Donald Runnicles. Born in 1996, Simone made her professional solo debut at age 10 with the Seattle Symphony and her international debut with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London at age 13. In 2015, Simone was named a recipient of an Avery Fisher Career Grant.
Recent highlights include Mendelssohn with New Jersey Symphony, Brahms with Pacific Symphony and an extensive tour throughout the US including concerts with the Santa Rosa, Amarillo, Pasadena, Fairfax and Midland Symphonies; the Rochester, Westchester, Orlando and Great Bay Philharmonics; the Sarasota Orchestra and the Northwest Sinfonietta. With the cessation of live concerts Simone continued to record streamed events with Seattle, Pittsburgh, Charlotte and Greater Bridgeport Symphonies. Beginning with the Aspen festival where she is a frequent guest, in July 2021 she resumed a full season of orchestral and recital concerts to include Denver, North Carolina, St. Louis, Grand Rapids, Quebec, Sarasota, Bakersfield, Princeton and Monterey Symphonies and recitals including Boston where the program includes the world premiere of a commission from composer Reena Esmail.
Reviews:
Palm Beach ArtsPaper: "Violinist Porter brilliant, stylish in wide-ranging Flagler recital"
Elissa Lee Koljonen
February 13, 2024
7:30 p.m.
Recognized as one of the most celebrated violinists of her generation, Elissa Lee Koljonen has thrilled audiences and critics in more than one hundred cities throughout the world. Ms. Koljonen received international acclaim when she became the first recipient of the prestigious Henryk Szeryng Foundation Award and the silver medalist of the Carl Flesch International Violin Competition. Her playing has been hailed by the Helsingin Sanomat (Helsinki) as “sparkling, sensual and personal,” and the Chicago Tribune has said she displays “boundless technique and musicianship.”
Ms. Koljonen has performed with such orchestras as the Boston Pops, the Minnesota Orchestra, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Royal Philharmonic, as well as the symphony orchestras of Bilbao, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Dallas, Detroit, Oregon, Pittsburgh, Helsinki, and Seoul. She garnered critical acclaim for her appearance with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo in a special concert celebrating the 700th anniversary of the Grimaldi Dynasty. She has collaborated with such noted conductors as Matthias Bamert, Dirk Brossé, JoAnn Falletta, Lawrence Foster, Miguel Harth-Bedoya, Neeme Järvi, James Judd, Andrew Litton, José-Luis Novo, the late James DePreist, and the late Bryden Thomson.
Ms. Koljonen has performed in some of the world's most venerated concert venues, including the Musikverein in Vienna, the Mozarteum in Salzburg, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Barbican Centre and Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, Konzerthaus Berlin, the Seoul Arts Center, Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in New York City, Symphony Hall in Boston, and the Academy of Music and Kimmel Center in Philadelphia. An avid chamber musician, Ms. Koljonen appears regularly at festivals throughout North America, Europe, and Asia.
Ms. Koljonen is a protégée of the late Aaron Rosand, with whom she studied at the Curtis Institute of Music. Incorporating his influence, she carries on the legacy and tradition of Leopold Auer and his legendary school of violin playing.
Elissa Lee Koljonen will be accompanied by pianist Sheng-Yuan.
Prima Trio
February 6, 2018
7:30 p.m.
Prima Trio was founded in 2004 while its members were studying at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Ohio. The Trio triumphed at the 2007 Fischoff Chamber Music Competition, winning the coveted Grand Prize (out of no fewer than 137 entries from across the country and around the world) as well as the Gold Medal in the Senior Division. In addition, the Prima Trio was awarded a Midwest Winner’s Tour and a European début at Italy’s Emilia Romagna Festival, as well as a total of $10,500 in prize money. The final round and grand-prize winner’s concert were held at the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center on the campus of the University of Notre Dame in Indiana. Prima Trio is Boris Allakhverdyan (clarinet), Gulia Gurevich (violin), and Anastasia Dedik (piano).
Flagler Museum Concert Reviews:
"Prima Trio’s show provides refreshing change"
- Marcio Bezerra, Palm Beach Daily News
"Prima Trio brings zest and brilliance to Flagler Series"
- Dennis Rooney, Palm Beach ArtsPaper
Summit Piano Trio
February 21, 2023
7:30 p.m.
Celebrating its 14th season as the ensemble-in-residence at Georgia’s Kennesaw State University, the critically acclaimed Summit Piano Trio continues to impress and delight audiences with its highly refined, dynamic performances, and has firmly established itself as one of the Southeast’s preeminent chamber ensembles. Offering an eclectic repertoire ranging from the beloved classics to the latest of the avant-garde, SPT is regularly heard on Atlanta’s NPR station and throughout the country.
Boston Trio
February 20, 2018
7:30 p.m.
Violinist Irina Muresanu, cellist Jonah Ellsworth, and pianist Heng-Jin Park each have distinguished careers as soloist, recitalist, chamber musician, and have appeared with major orchestras and premier chamber music festivals throughout the United States and Europe. Cellist Mr. Ellsworth has performed as soloist with the Boston Symphony, Akron Symphony, Boston Philharmonic, Jacksonville Symphony, Johnstown Symphony, Symphony by the Sea and New Bedford Symphony. Additionally, Ellsworth attended the Marlboro Music Festival from 2014-2016. Ms. Muresanu, who has appeared as soloist with the Boston Philharmonic, the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, and other top international orchestras, is the recipient of top prizes at the Montreal International Competition and the Queen Elizabeth Violin Competition. Ms. Park, who made her solo debut with the Boston Pops at the age of 15, is the founding member of the Boston Trio and founder and artistic director of Halcyon Music Festival.
Flagler Museum Concert Reviews:
"Boston Trio delivers great evening of music at Whitehall"
- Marcio Bezerra, Palm Beach Daily News
Cuarteto Latinoamericano
February 28, 2023
7:30 p.m.
Cuarteto Latinoamericano is one of the world's most renowned classical music ensembles, for more than thirty years the leading proponent of Latin American music for string quartet. Founded in Mexico in 1982, the Cuarteto has toured extensively throughout Europe, North and South America, Israel, China, Japan and New Zealand. They have premiered more than a hundred works written for them and they continue to introduce new and neglected composers to the genre. Winners of the 2012 and 2016 Latin Grammys for Best Classical Recordings, they have been recognized with the Mexican Music Critics Association Award and three times received Chamber Music America/ASCAP's "Most Adventurous Programming" Award.
Aznavoorian Sisters
February 27, 2024
7:30 p.m.
The Aznavoorian sisters' first public performance was at the ages of 4 and 8 at their Armenian church in Evanston, IL. They won First Prize in the Illinois Bell Young Performers Competition, resulting in a live performance with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra on PBS.
Since then, they have toured France, Armenia, and Finland, performed at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, and presented countless programs in their hometown of Chicago including a major fundraiser for the Armenian earthquake in 1988. This season, the Aznavoorian Duo embarks on a tour of California, and the Seattle Chamber Music Society presents them in a winter residency.
The Aznavoorian Sisters went on to win the National Foundation for the Arts Award, leading to their appointment as Presidential Scholars in the Arts and performances at The Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. and at The White House, where Ani met President Bill Clinton and Marta met President George H. W. Bush.
In 2022, the Aznavoorian Sisters released their début album, Gems from Armenia, on the Cedille Label. The CD features Armenian music and a world premiere recording written for the duo by composer Peter Boyer and Vache Sharafyan. The CD has been receiving rave reviews in the press.
Ani Aznavoorian is in demand as a soloist and chamber musician with some of the most recognized ensembles, and she has appeared with many of the world’s leading orchestras. Ani studied with Aldo Parisot at the Juilliard School, where she won First Prize in the Concerto Competition, the youngest cellist in the history of the competition to do so. This season marks her fifteenth year as Principal Cellist with Camerata Pacifica.
“A pianist of exceptionally finished technique and purity of musical impulse” (Boston Globe), Marta Aznavoorian is known for her inspiringly spirited playing and vast emotional reach. The multi Grammy-nominated artist made her professional début at the age of 13 performing Mozart Piano Concerto No. 24 with the Chicago Symphony at the invitation of Sir Georg Solti.
Henschel Quartett
March 6, 2018
7:30 p.m.
The year 1994 marked the foundation of the Henschel Quartett’s international career, when cellist Mathias Beyer-Karlshøj joined the founding members Christoph, Markus, and Monika Henschel, and the quartet devoted itself exclusively to chamber music. In 1995 the quartet won multiple prizes at the international competitions of Evian, Banff, and Salzburg, and the following year won 1st prize and the gold medal at the Osaka International Chamber Music Competition. Successful debuts in the world’s musical capitals, including an acclaimed BBC live broadcast standing in for the Juilliard Quartet, led their way to the forefront of international chamber music.
“This is, no question, one of the best groups in the world, a great string quartet.” - Los Angeles Times
Flagler Museum Concert Reviews:
"Henschel Quartett hits its stride in a rousing finale"
- Marcio Bezerra, Palm Beach Daily News
Neave Trio
March 7, 2023
7:30 p.m.
Since forming in 2010, Neave Trio – violinist Anna Williams, cellist Mikhail Veselov, and pianist Eri Nakamura – has earned enormous praise for its engaging, cutting-edge performances. The group’s 2019 album Her Voice, on Chandos Records, was named one of the best recordings of the year by both The New York Times and BBC Radio 3. The Boston Musical Intelligencer reports, “it is inconceivable that they will not soon be among the busiest chamber ensembles going,” and “their unanimity, communication, variety of touch, and expressive sensibility rate first tier.”
