2014 - The Classical Recording Foundation

The Classical Recording Foundation
THIRTEENTH ANNUAL
AWARDS CEREMONY
MONDAY, NOVEMER 24, 2014
WEILL RECITAL HALL AT CARNEGIE HALL
NEW YORK CITY
The Classical Recording Foundation
THIRTEENTH ANNUAL AWARDS CEREMONY
Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall
Monday, November 24, 2014, 7:30 PM
2014 FOUNDATION AWARDS
2014 Foundation Award
Pablo Villegas
2014 Samuel Sanders Collaborative Artist Award
Brian Zeger
2014 Composer of the Year Award
Paul Lansky
2014 Young Artist Award
Paul Huang
CONCERT AND PRESENTATION OF
2014 AWARD WINNERS
Opening Remarks
Adam Abeshouse,
President of The Classical Recording Foundation
Talking Guitars .................................................................. Paul Lansky
I. Let’s Talk
II. Fast Talk
Jiyeon Kim, guitar and Hao Yang, guitar
Tango en Skaï ........................................................................ R. Dyens
Un sueño en la floresta.......................................... A. Barrios-Mangoré
Presentation of the Composer of the Year Award to
Paul Lansky
David Starobin
Alma Llanera ............................................................P. Elías-Gutiérrez
Pablo Villegas, guitar
Presentation of the Foundation Award to
Pablo Villegas
David Starobin, Professor of Guitar,
Manahttan School of Music and Curtis Institute of Music
L’Invitation au voyage ............................................ Duparc/Baudelaire
Selections from the Paul Huang debut solo album ................... Various
I. Mazurka (Aleksander Zarzycki)
II. Valse Trise (Franz von Vecsey)
III. Romanza Andaluza (Pablo de Sarasate)
IV. Hungarian Dance No. 2 (Johannes Brahms)
Paul Huang, violin and Jessica Xylina Osborne, piano
Presentation of the Young Artist Award to
Paul Huang
Susan Wadsworth, Director of Young Concert Artists
Le Balcon .............................................................. Debussy/Baudelaire
Virginie Verrez, mezzo-soprano, and Brian Zeger, piano
Closing Remarks
Adam Abeshouse
Presentation of the Samuel Sanders Collaborative Artist Award to
Brian Zeger
Ara Guzelimian, Provost and Dean of The Juilliard School
— INTERMISSION —
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CLASSICAL RECORDING FOUNDATION
AWARD WINNERS 2014
PABLO VILLEGAS
THE FOUNDATION AWARD
Pablo Villegas is hailed by critics as one
of the world’s leading classical guitarists
and celebrated as a natural ambassador of
Spanish culture with performances in
more than 40 countries since his
auspicious debut with the New York
Philharmonic under Rafael Frühbeck de
Burgos at Avery Fisher Hall.
His “beautifully rounded guitar tone”
and “soulful rendition” (The New York
Times) makes him one of the most soughtafter soloists by today’s foremost orchestras, conductors and festivals. A
champion and supporter of new repertoire for guitar, he performed the
world premiere of ‘Rounds,’ the first guitar piece to have been written by
five-time Academy Award-winning composer John Williams.
Pablo Villegas has performed in the presence of the Dalai Lama as well
as the Royal Family of Spain and has the honor of being an Ambassador to
Vivanco Foundation and its museum of wine culture in Spain, considered
the world’s best by UNESCO.
Performance highlights for the 2014/2015 season include engagements
with the Pittsburgh Symphony, National Orchestra of Spain, Bergen
Philharmonic Orchestra, Fort Worth Symphony, Oregon Symphony, and the
Rheingau Music Festival.
Known for his outreach programs, Villegas is the founder of “The
Music Without Borders Legacy,” a program sponsored by Caixa Bank that
seeks to bridge communities across cultural, social, and political borders for
the benefit of children and youth, which has served more than 15,000
children.
The Foundation Award to Pablo Villegas went to underwrite his new
disc, entitled Americano. The recording is an exploration of the rich and
colorful tradition of the guitar in the American continents. The repertoire
combines the emotions of the sensual Brazilian music, the nostalgic tango,
the vivid Venezuelan rhythms, the humanity of John Williams, and the
exciting and colorful American bluegrass. This disc will be released in
2015.
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CLASSICAL RECORDING FOUNDATION
AWARD WINNERS 2014
BRIAN ZEGER
THE SAMUEL SANDERS COLLABORATIVE ARTIST AWARD
Widely recognized as one of today’s leading
collaborative pianists, Brian Zeger has
performed with many of the world’s greatest
singers including Marilyn Horne, Deborah
Voigt, Anna Netrebko, Susan Graham, René
Pape, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Frederica von
Stade, Piotr Beczala, Bryn Terfel, Joyce
DiDonato, Denyce Graves and Adrianne
Pieczonka in an extensive concert career has
taken him to the premiere concert halls
throughout the United States and abroad.
His current season has included a recital
tour with Deborah Voigt, a collaboration
with Susan Graham at the Metropolitan
Museum of Art, recitals at the new Pace
University vocal recital series, as part of the Marilyn Horne Foundation:
The Song Continues festival at Carnegie Hall and at the Washington Vocal
Arts Society at the Kennedy Center. Upcoming concerts include a recital as
part of the Bard Music Festival’s “Schubert and his World” series with
tenor Paul Appleby, a recital at the Schubertiade Festival with Adrianne
Pieczonka, further recitals with Ms. Voigt and the Marilyn Horne Birthday
Gala at Carnegie Hall with Ms. Graham.
Mr. Zeger’s critical essays and other writings have appeared in Opera
News, The Yale Review and Chamber Music magazine. He has made
frequent appearances on the Metropolitan Opera radio broadcasts both on
the opera quiz and as intermission host and performer and has the
distinction of creating, narrating and performing in five intermission
features devoted to art song, a first in the long history of the Met
broadcasts. He has also made numerous musical appearances on livestreamed broadcasts from WQXR’s The Greene Space. He has adjudicated
many prominent competitions including the Metropolitan Opera National
Council Auditions, the Concert Artists Guild auditions, the Walter W.
Naumberg Vocal Competition and Richard Tucker Music Foundation
Auditions.
Brian Zeger is the embodiment of the Samuel Sanders award: he improves
his concertizing partners through collaboration. In addition, Mr. Zeger is
continuing Mr.Sander’s legacy as a Juilliard professor. Mr. Zeger is a true
world-class artist. The Award went to underwrite the disc Dear Theo,
comprised of 3 song cycles by Ben Moore featuring Paul Appleby, Susanna
Phillips and Brett Polegato, released May 2014 by Delos .
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ABOUT THIS AWARD
The Samuel Sanders Collaborative Artist Award commemorates
Samuel Sanders, a consummate chamber musician and beloved teacher.
Mr. Sanders was the recital partner of choice to many instrumentalists and
singers including Itzhak Perlman, Mstislav Rostropovich, Robert White, and
Paula Robison.
Mr. Sanders had always preferred the term collaborator to
accompanist, and so embodied the essence of chamber music in all of his
performances. He helped each artist find his or her voice, always achieving
the right balance between leading and following, anticipation and support.
His range of tonal color was inspiring, without demanding the spotlight and
always in service to the music. The Foundation has established this award
in his honor and consequently it is reserved for chamber music of the
highest caliber.
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CLASSICAL RECORDING FOUNDATION
AWARD WINNERS 2014
PAUL LANSKY
THE COMPOSER OF THE YEAR AWARD
From his pioneering work in computer
music through his fresh and engaging
instrumental compositions of the past
fifteen years, Paul Lansky is regarded
as a leading voice in contemporary
American music. Until the mid-1990s,
most of Lansky’s work was in the
computer music genre, for which he
was honored in 2002 with a lifetime
achievement award by SEAMUS (the
Society for Electroacoustic Music in
the United States). Lansky’s recent
instrumental music eschews attempts to “break new ground,” relying
instead on fresh approaches to tonality and harmony.
Born in New York City in 1944, Lansky attended Queens College,
studying composition with George Perle and Hugo Weisgall. He later
attended Princeton University, where he worked with Milton Babbitt and
Earl Kim. Lansky was appointed to the Princeton faculty in 1969, and 45
years later, in 2014, retired as Princeton's William Shubael Conant
Professor of Music. Paul Lansky has received awards from the National
Endowment for the Arts, the Guggenheim, Koussevitsky and Fromm
Foundations, Lila Wallace/Reader’s Digest, ASCAP and the American
Academy of Arts and Letters. In 2000 he was the subject of a documentary
film “ My Cinema for the Ears”. His music is well represented on recording
including a dozen CDs on the Bridge Records label. Mr. Lansky is
currently completing a woodwind quintet, commissioned by the Library of
Congress and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center.
The Composer of the Year Award went to partially underwrite a new disc of
Lansky’s works entitled Contemplating Weather, encompassing works for
piano, percussion and choir. The disc will be released March 2015 on the
Bridge Records label.
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PERFORMING TONIGHT
Jiyeon Kim, from Seoul, South Korea, has appeared on NPR’s From the
Top and has performed at the Great Mountains International Music Festival
and School. She recently performed a solo recital at the Metropolitan
Museum of Art, and shortly after was invited as a guest artist for the
Cleveland Institute of Music’s “Classical Guitar Weekend.” As concerto
soloist, she made her solo debut with the Kansas City Symphony in the
2013-14 season. Jiyeon entered the Curtis Institute of Music in 2011,
becoming one of the first two guitarists accepted in Curtis’s distinguished
history. She is now completing her studies at Curtis with renowned
guitarists David Starobin and Jason Vieaux. Ms. Kim is the John J.
Medveckis Annual Fellow at Curtis.
Hao Yang, from Beijing, China, began playing guitar at the age of seven
and was admitted to the Central Conservatory of Music Middle School at
the age of nine. She has studied with Zhi Chen, Yiping Yu, Qiang Xu and
Yi Chen. She performed at Beijing International Guitar Festival in 2008 and
the Tianjin International Guitar Festival in 2011. Ms. Yang was the first
prize winner in the 7th Andres Segovia International Guitar Competition
(Germany) Junior Division in 2012, and she won first place in the 2014
Division II Columbus State University Guitar Competition. Hao Yang
entered the Curtis Institute of Music this year, becoming at age 14, the
youngest student admitted to Curtis's guitar program. She studies at Curtis
with renowned guitarists David Starobin and Jason Vieaux. Ms.Yang is the
Nina von Maltzahn Annual Fellow at Curtis.
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CLASSICAL RECORDING FOUNDATION
AWARD WINNERS 2014
PAUL HUANG
THE YOUNG ARTISTS AWARD
Hailed by the Washington Post as “an artist
with the goods for a significant career” and
praised by The Strad for his “stylish and
polished playing,” Taiwanese-American
violinist Paul Huang makes his Lincoln
Center recital debut on the Great Performers
series this season, and performs concertos,
recitals, chamber music, and educational
outreach around the country. As a concerto
soloist, he performs the Saint-Saëns Violin
Concerto No. 3 at the Brevard Music Festival,
Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons at Crested Butte
Music Festival, the Vaughan Williams Violin
Concerto in D minor with the Fairfax
Symphony, and the Walton Concerto with the
Symphony at WKU. He performs recitals at University of Georgia, the
Lied Center of Kansas, the Ocean Grove Summer Stars Series, and the
Paramount Theatre. He has also been re-engaged to perform with Camerata
Pacifica, and gives duo recitals with pianist Louis Schwizgebel at
Rockefeller University, Tannery Pond Concerts, the Macomb Center of the
Performing Arts, and the Morgan Library and Museum. Mr. Huang has
been selected as a member of Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s
CMS Two program for 2015–2018.
Winner of the 2011 Young Concert Artists International Auditions and
recipient of YCA’s 2012 Helen Armstrong Violin Fellowship, Mr. Huang
made critically acclaimed recital debuts in the Young Concert Artists Series
in New York at Merkin Hall and in Washington, D.C. at the Kennedy
Center. Other honors include First Prize at the 2009 International Violin
Competition Sion-Valais in Switzerland, the 2009 Chi-Mei Cultural
Foundation Arts Award for Taiwan’s Most Promising Young Artists, the
2008 Juilliard Achievement Award, and the 2013 Salon de Virtuosi Career
Grant.
The Young Artist Award to Paul Huang went to underwrite his debut solo
album. Mr. Huang has artistic maturity well beyond his years and plays
with an old soul understanding of the violin repertoire. He has a rich,
satisfying sound and musical integrity at every step of the process, both
performing and recording. The recording will be released in early 2015.
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PERFORMING WITH MR. HUANG
Hailed by the Washington Post as a pianist “with a refreshing mellowness
and poetic touch” after her debut with the National
Symphony Orchestra, Jessica Xylina Osborne is
one of the most intensely expressive, passionate
artists of her generation. She has performed
throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia,
including performances in such venues as Weill
Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center’s
Terrace Theater and Concert Hall, and the Seoul
Arts Center. Radio broadcasts include NPR’s
Performance Today, WQXR in New York, WGMS
in Washington D.C., and KUHF in Houston.
Jessica Osborne has collaborated with some of
the world’s most distinguished performing musicians, including Miriam
Fried and Felicia Moye, and with such rising stars as Benjamin Beilman,
Paul Huang, and Yura Lee. As a founding member of Trio Dumka, Ms.
Osborne has toured Western Europe, including performances in Venasque,
Chateauneuf-du-Pape and Barcelona.
An active proponent of new music, Jessica Osborne is a frequent
collaborator with composers including Martin Bresnick and Christopher
Theofanidis, and has premiered works by Matthew Barnson, Ted Hearne,
and Hannah Lash. She recently performed with members of Opera Moderne
at the Galapagos Art Space in Brooklyn, receiving praise from the New
York Times, and is a frequent collaborator in the renowned New Music
New Haven series.
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THE FOUNDATION MISSION AND HISTORY
The Classical Recording Foundation (CRF) was formed to address the
growing needs of classical musicians who have found it increasingly
difficult to record their musical visions. It was founded by Adam
Abeshouse, a Grammy-winning classical producer and engineer, whose
passion in life is recording classical music of all periods and working with
artists to achieve their ultimate performance on CD. From the outset, Mr.
Abeshouse believed that the economic climate for most classical recording
artists was bleak, and therefore many great projects that deserved to be
preserved would not be recorded. Thus, it became the Foundation’s mission
to support classical music recording philanthropically, following the same
model as most live performance organizations.
The concept for the Classical Recording Foundation was formally
launched in 2001 when Mr. Abeshouse was asked to produce a CD for the
soprano Benita Valente and the Juilliard String Quartet. Ms. Valente was a
year away from retiring, and she wanted to record several wonderful works
by Ginastera, Harbison, and Wernick, which were written specifically for
her and the Juilliard Quartet. Fortunately, the recording sessions happened,
and in 2007, the Classical Recording Foundation supplied the funds for
editing and mastering these works, and arranged for distribution. Because it
was quite difficult to raise the funds necessary to make those three days of
recording possible, it became obvious to Mr. Abeshouse that a philanthropic
organization whose primary goal was to support recordings was critical if
many more memorable recordings were to be produced.
A number of people were involved in taking this original Foundation
goal to fruition, and are responsible for the success it has enjoyed to date.
Samuel Sanders was committed early on to the concept and suggested that
Susan Rose be invited to nurture the idea. Elizabeth Edersheim also saw
the power and potential of developing the idea and has worked tirelessly to
make it a reality. Years of close friendship with Rob Jones have helped
shape the Foundation and its mission. The Foundation is also grateful for
the support, guidance, and enthusiasm of Dr. Julius Jacobson and Susan
Rothwell.
From the Foundation’s early success, it was clear that for classical
artists, the benefits of recording go beyond the physical product. Recording
sessions provide artists with the time to reflect, analyze, and refine their
performance and interpretation, and are therefore an important vehicle for
artistic growth. The input of a trusted producer also adds benefit to this
process. Another important byproduct of these recording sessions is the
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ability to document a performer’s life. Thus, the Foundation’s mission is to
provide artists and composers with an opportunity to create and promote
classical recordings in a manner that captures ideal performances –
performances that define our era.
The need for such a foundation is clear. Fewer and fewer classical
artists have the opportunity to record their work in optimum conditions.
Most recording companies, in response to the economic realities and
fundamental difficulties with distributing classical recordings, have reduced
their classical rosters. The Foundation believes the inherent value of the
recording, both to the public and the artist, is not reflected by current market
conditions, and thus must be supported through the Foundation’s efforts.
Since CRF’s inception, it has released numerous single- and multi-CD
sets to critical acclaim. It has presented eleven annual award ceremonies at
Carnegie Hall. In addition, CRF has begun to help in the restoration of the
landmark live recordings from the archives of the Library of Congress by
supporting Bridge Records in that effort. 2006 marked the first year of a
Library of Congress collaboration with a remarkable disc featuring Samuel
Barber and Leontyne Price, which garnered a Billboard “Top 10 of the
Year” distinction.
CRF received two grants from the Copland Fund for ongoing projects
and one grant from the NEA to help support Bridge Records’ George
Crumb Film/DVD. CRF was very pleased to be part of this historic
document of this important composer’s life.
CRF’s award winners continue to thrive. Susanna Phillips, CRF 2011
Young Artist of the Year, sang the starring role of Fiordiligi in the
Metropolitan Opera’s productions of Così Fan Tutte, and will was featured
in the Met’s Live in HD of that production in April 2014.
The Claremont Trio, 2004 Samuel Sanders award-winners, recorded
the Beethoven Triple Concerto at Skywalker Studios with the San Francisco
Ballet Orchestra. This exciting disc was released in December 2012 on
Bridge Records.
Producer Adam Abeshouse won an Echo Award for music Production,
and received a Palm D’Or nomination for the DVD production of “The
Little Mermaid” featuring the music of Lera Auerbach performed by the
San Francisco Ballet, Martin West, conducting.
(continued)
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THE FOUNDATION MISSION AND HISTORY
(continued)
In 2012, CRF supported the continuing series of 2003 Composer of the
Year George Crumb -- recordings lovingly produced by David Starobin,
engineered by Adam Abeshouse, to be released on Bridge Records. In the
last 10 years, George Crumb has used American themes, creating a series of
folk songs settings called “American Songbooks,” most recently, “Voices
from the Heartland.” The piece featured soprano Ann Crumb, the
composer's daughter, and Grammy-nominee baritone Patrick Mason along
with pianist Marcantonio Barone and percussionists William Kerrigan,
David Nelson, Brenda Weckerly and Greg Giannascoli. James Freeman
conducted.
These achievements illustrate CRF’s commitment to its artists to
provide the best possible recording environment to help them achieve the
best possible results, wonderful performances that truly reflect the artists’
vision of the works recorded. Despite economic pressures, CRF has held
true to this mission and will continue to do so.
The Foundation wishes to thank you for attending its Annual Awards
Ceremony as it honors not only this year’s award recipients, but also those
who have helped to guide it and ensure its future success.
Mission Statement
To provide great performing artists and composers with an
opportunity to record, release, and promote new classical
recordings in a manner that captures ideal performances
that define our era, by providing established artists with
awards and new artists with grants.
Foundation Catalogue
Please visit our website for a complete history of
all awards, a total of 55 recordings to-date.
www.ClassicalRecordingFoundation.org
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THE FOUNDATION BOARD
Adam Abeshouse, President
Robert W. Jones
Dr. Julius H. Jacobson II, MD
Neil Yelsey
Dimitri Sogoloff
SPECIAL THANKS
Friends and Advisors
Christopher Beach
David Bury
Mario Davidovksy
Lawrence Dutton
Edward Houser
Christina Jensen
Susan Rose
Thomas Shepard
Thanks to
Board Members
Ed Court
Silas Brown
Paul Cox
Dew Graphics
Andy Ryder
David and Becky Starobin
Scott Starrett
Laura Emert, Whitmore Group
Please visit our website for Foundation news and events:
www.ClassicalRecordingFoundation.org
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