Music Academy Concerto Finalists Named
For Immediate Release July 11, 2007
Contact:
Tim Dougherty
805.695.7908
Instrumentalists will perform 20th century concerti at The Lobero July 21
Santa Barbara, CA- Having bested the field at this year's Concerto Competition Finals, five accomplished instrumentalists will take featured soloist turns with the Academy Festival Orchestra at the Lobero Theatre on Saturday, July 21. Conducted by Edwin Outwater, this year's Concerto Night concert will take place at 8 pm. Tickets will cost $51. The public also is invited to attend a dress rehearsal at 9:30 am on July 21. Admission to that event will cost $23.
Performing concerti will be Jens TenBroek, double bass; Gwen Seaton, bassoon; Tanya Gabrielian, piano; Jonathan Han, clarinet; and Aubrey Foard, tuba. Pianist Brendan Kinsella was named designate. In the event a finalist is unable to perform, he will take the stage. Biographies appear on the following pages.
In an unusual development, this year's finalists have all opted to perform 20th century works. Mr. TenBroek will perform the Concerto for Double Bass and Orchestra by Eduard Tubin (1905-1982); Ms. Seaton will perform Ciranda das sete notas (for bassoon and string orchestra) by Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887-1959); Ms. Gabrielian will perform the Concerto for Piano and Orchestra in D-flat Major by Aram Khachaturian (1903-1978); Mr. Han will perform the Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra by William Bolcom (b. 1938); and Mr. Foard will perform the Concerto for Tuba and Orchestra by John Williams (b. 1932). Mr. Foard was a finalist in 2005 as well.
"We've made a concerted effort in our programming this season to affirm the vitality and innovation of contemporary composers, many of whom continue to be overlooked. In that context it's gratifying to see our young artists discover and appreciate unheralded gems of the last century," said Richard Feit, vice president for artistic programs and operations at the Music Academy. "On another level it's fascinating to note our young artists' affinity for the works of 20th century composers. In a very real sense this is their world, their language."
A total of 25 Music Academy young artists took part in this year's Concerto Competition Finals on July 7. This year's judges were Mr. Outwater, music director of the Kitchener Waterloo Symphony; Music Academy alumnus Carey Bell, principal clarinetist with the San Francisco Symphony; and violist Paul Coletti, a faculty member at UCLA and the Colburn School. The Music Academy Concerto Competition begins with 55-60 Academy young artists auditioning for the opportunity to compete in the finals.
Mr. Outwater previously served as resident conductor of the San Francisco Symphony. He has appeared as guest conductor with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the New York Philharmonic, and the Houston, Seattle, Colorado, San Diego, Indianapolis, and Santa Barbara symphonies, among others. Internationally, he as appeared with the Winnipeg Symphony, Orchestre de Bretagne, Adelaide Symphony, and the National Youth Orchestra of New Zealand. He has also served as resident conductor of the Florida Philharmonic, associate conductor of the International Festival-Institute at Round Top, principal conductor of the Adriatic Chamber Music Festival in Italy, and assistant conductor of the Tulsa Philharmonic. Formerly music director of the Santa Barbara Youth Symphony, Mr. Outwater has been hailed for "lyric sensibility and a gift for blending high drama with subtle, convincing emotion (The Boston Globe).
The Lobero Theatre is located at 33 East Canon Perdido Street in Santa Barbara.
The Music Academy of the West is celebrating its 60th anniversary with an unprecedented 2007 season program featuring numerous classical music luminaries. Highlights include an ambitious production of La Bohème, performances by violinist Gilles Apap, baritone Thomas Hampson, and the Takács Quartet, and conducting turns by Jeffrey Tate and Alexander Lazarev.
For tickets and information, call 969-8787. Information is also available online at www.musicacademy.org.
Founded in 1947, the Music Academy of the West is among the nation's preeminent summer schools and festivals for gifted young classical musicians. The Academy provides these promising musicians with the opportunity for advanced study and performance under the guidance of internationally renowned faculty artists, as well as guest conductors and soloists. Admission to the Academy is strictly merit based, and students receive full scholarships. Academy alumni are members of major symphony orchestras, chamber orchestras, ensembles, opera companies, and university and conservatory faculties throughout the world. Many have established themselves as prominent solo artists. Based in Santa Barbara, the Music Academy of the West presents more than 175 public events annually, including performances by faculty, visiting artists, and students; masterclasses; orchestra and chamber music concerts; and fully staged opera. For more information, visit www.musicacademy.org.
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Biographies
Jens TenBroek, 22, born in Berkeley, California, is a double bass performance major at Indiana University, where he studies with Lawrence Hurst. He previously attended the Manhattan School of Music, where he studied with Timothy Cobb. Mr. TenBroek has participated in the Aspen Music Festival and School, was principal bass of the New York String Orchestra Seminar, and was a winner of the Young Peoples Symphony Orchestra concerto competition. He attended the Music Academy in 2006.
Born in Vancouver, bassoonist Gwen Seaton, 24, received her bachelor of music degree at the University of British Columbia in 2004, having studied with Jesse Read and Christopher Millard. She played in the National Youth Orchestra of Canada in 2002 and 2003, and began freelancing with the Vancouver Opera and the Vancouver Symphony as a college senior. Ms. Seaton served as acting principal for the Vancouver Opera productions of Der Rosenkavalier and Madama Butterfly in 2004. She also has played with the Victoria Symphony, the CBC Radio Orchestra, and the Turning Point Ensemble. Ms. Seaton is entering her second year of a master's program at the Shepherd School of Music, where she works with Music Academy faculty member Benjamin Kamins. She performs regularly with the Shepherd Symphony and Chamber orchestras.
Tanya Gabrielian, 24, born in Newport Beach, has performed widely in North America and Europe. She won first prize in both the 2004 Scottish International Piano Competition and the 2003 Aram Khachaturian International Piano Competition. Ms. Gabrielian has performed in such venues as New York's Carnegie Hall and London's South Bank Centre and with orchestras including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, the Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra, and the New London Sinfonia. Recent performances have included a debut recital at Wigmore Hall in London, solo and chamber music recitals in Canada, England, Germany, Scotland, Spain, and the United States, and a tour of Scotland with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra.
Jonathan Han, 24, originally from Chicago, just completed his master's degree at the USC Thornton School of Music, where he studied with Yehuda Gilad. Previously, he graduated from Northwestern University with bachelor's degrees in computer science and music, having studied with Russell Dagon, Lawrie Bloom, and Leslie Grimm. He also studied with Pei-yun Lin in Taiwan. Mr. Han won the 2006 USC Concerto Competition, and has since performed with the USC Chamber Orchestra. He serves as associate principal with the Debut Orchestra and second/Eb clarinet with the American Youth Symphony, and has attended the Symphony Orchestra Academy of the Pacific and the National Orchestral Institute.
Aubrey Foard, 25, born in Milwaukee, is the principal tubist of the Albany Symphony Orchestra, a position he has held since 2005. As a member of the orchestra, he has premiered Kamran Ince's Temple II for solo tuba and has recorded for the Koch record label. Mr. Foard has also performed with the Cleveland Orchestra, the New World Symphony, the Canton Symphony, the Milwaukee Ballet Orchestra, and the Spoleto Festival Orchestra. An avid tuba soloist, Mr. Foard has won prizes in competitions nationwide and has been featured on WQXR New York, KUHF Houston, and NPR's "Performance Today." Mr. Foard received a bachelor of music degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music and a master of music degree from Rice University. He will begin additional studies at the Colburn School this fall.
Brendan Kinsella, 26, born in Cincinnati, is a doctoral student at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, where he studies with Robert Weirich. He previously completed master and bachelor of music degrees (with honors) at the University of Cincinnati as a student of Frank Weinstock and James Tocco. In March 2005 Mr. Kinsella performed the Brahms Second Piano Concerto with the UMKC Conservatory Orchestra after winning the Concerto-Aria Competition and later, upon special invitation, performed Messiaen's Oiseaux Exotiques with the Conservatory Wind Symphony. His current interest is music for theatrical presentations, involving music with accompanying films, text recitation, and other extended performance elements. Mr. Kinsella has coached such programs with Frederic Rzewski, Anthony DeMare, and Martin Bresnick.
