Acclaimed Perlman/Schmidt/Bailey Trio
To Perform at Hahn Hall on October 23
Ensemble also will appear with the Santa Barbara Symphony
For Immediate Release September 15, 2008
Contact:
Tim Dougherty
805.695.7908
Santa Barbara, CA – The Perlman/Schmidt/Bailey Trio, long celebrated for its extraordinarily nuanced and compelling performances, will perform at the Music Academy of the West's newly renovated Hahn Hall beginning at 7:30 pm on Thursday, October 23. Tickets cost $40 and $35.
The group will perform Beethoven's Piano Trio in E-flat Major, op. 70, No. 2, and Mendelssohn's Piano Trio in D Minor.
Formed in 1998, this acclaimed trio is composed of pianist Navah Perlman, cellist Zuill Bailey, and violinist Giora Schmidt, who replaced original violinist Kurt Nikkanen in May 2003. Messrs. Schmidt and Bailey are Music Academy alumni. The ensemble has performed at the Kennedy and Lincoln centers, the Ravinia Festival, and in cities including San Francisco, Chicago, St. Louis, Phoenix, Houston, and Mexico City. Last month the group performed at the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival. Hailed by the Santa Barbara News-Press as "an outstanding ensemble of young thoroughbreds," the trio has been lauded by The Washington Post and other publications for its precision and on-stage energy.
Renowned as much for their rapport with audiences as for their charisma as performers, Ms. Perlman and Messrs. Schmidt and Bailey also are committed to educational and community outreach activities, from workshops with young children to in-depth residencies at major universities. Individual biographies appear below.
For additional information, call 969-8787. The event is being co-presented by the Santa Barbara Symphony.
In related programming, the Perlman/Schmidt/Bailey Trio will help the Santa Barbara Symphony kick off its inaugural season at The Granada with performances of Beethoven's elegant Triple Concerto, Mahler's sonically spectacular First Symphony, and a specially commissioned fanfare by veteran film and concert composer Bruce Broughton ("Silverado") on October 25 and 26. For information concerning these events, call 898-9386 or visit www.thesymphony.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 frequent 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 Fellows receive full scholarships (tuition, room, and board). Academy alumni are members of major symphony orchestras, chamber orchestras, ensembles, opera companies, and university and conservatory faculties throughout the world. Many enjoy careers as prominent solo artists. Based in Santa Barbara, the Music Academy of the West presents more than 200 public events annually, including performances by faculty, visiting artists, and Fellows; masterclasses; orchestra and chamber music concerts; and fully staged opera. The Music Academy will broadcast live performances by the world-renowned Metropolitan Opera at Hahn Hall beginning in October. For more information, visit www.musicacademy.org.
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Known for her lyrical eloquence on the stage, Navah Perlman has established herself as one of the most poetic and admired pianists of her generation.
Ms. Perlman began her piano studies at age 6 with Ronit Amir Lowenthal and later attended Juilliard, where she worked with Herbert Stessin. She also studied chamber music with Robert Mann, Felix Galimir, and Dorothy DeLay. Ms. Perlman holds an honors degree in art history from Brown University.
Ms. Perlman has appeared with numerous orchestras throughout North America, including the Chicago Symphony, Toronto Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony, Louisville Orchestra, Nashville Symphony, Montreal Symphony, and Oklahoma City Philharmonic. Internationally, she has appeared with the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra, the National Orchestra of Mexico, the Israel Philharmonic, the Prague Symphony, and the New Japan Philharmonic in Suntory Hall.
Ms. Perlman's recital recording of Bach, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Chopin and Prokofiev is available on EMI Classics.
Still in his early 20s, violinist Giora Schmidt has earned a reputation as a virtuoso whose commanding presence is distinguished by his lush tone and effortless technique.
Last season he appeared with the Arkansas and Vancouver symphony orchestras, the Naples Philharmonic, the Israel Chamber Orchestra and with regional orchestras in Alaska, California, Connecticut, Florida, Montana, and Pennsylvania, among others. Season highlights include appearances at the Bard and Santa Fe Chamber Music Festivals, a return to the Louvre Museum in Paris for a series of all-Beethoven recitals, and the complete Brahms sonatas in Texas and Alaska. His debut recital disc Vocalise was released in September 2007 on Allegro/Endeavour Classics.
Other recent highlights include performances with the Orquesta Sinfónica de Chile in Santiago, the Chicago Symphony at Ravinia, the New York Youth Symphony at Carnegie Hall, and the Israel Philharmonic with Itzhak Perlman and Pinchas Zuckerman.
A recipient of the Samuel Sanders Artist Award, which was presented to him by Itzhak Perlman at the 2005 Classical Recording Foundation Awards Ceremony at Carnegie Hall, Mr. Schmidt was awarded a 2003 Avery Fisher Career Grant. His numerous other honors include first prize in the Philadelphia Orchestra's Student Competition and the Concerto Competition at the Music Academy of the West. A graduate of Juilliard, Mr. Schmidt was a student of the late Dorothy DeLay and Itzhak Perlman. When not touring, he serves on the faculties of Juilliard and the Perlman Music Program.
A multi-faceted musician of consummate virtuosity, Zuill Bailey has established himself as one of the most sought-after and active cellists today.
Last year he performed with the Long Island and Buffalo philharmonics, the Canton, Edmonton, Honolulu, Puerto Rico, and Virginia Symphony orchestras, and regional orchestras in California, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Illinois, and Texas. Mr. Bailey and his frequent recital partner Simone Dinnerstein were recently honored by the Classical Recording Foundation, and their recordings of the complete Beethoven Cello Sonatas have met with sweeping critical and commercial acclaim.
In recent years Mr. Bailey has presented concerts at the Kennedy Center, Alice Tully Hall, the 92nd St. Y., and Carnegie Hall. As a concerto soloist, he has performed with the Chicago, Milwaukee, Toronto, Ft. Worth, Dallas, Utah, Louisville, Phoenix, North Carolina, Santa Barbara, and San Francisco symphony orchestras. He has played concerts abroad in Israel, Jordan, China, and Mexico; at the Manchester International Cello Festival; and with the Moscow Chamber Orchestra in its 50th anniversary tour of Russia.
Mr. Bailey is artistic director of the El Paso Pro-Musica and serves as professor of cello at the University of Texas-El Paso. A graduate of the Peabody Conservatory and Juilliard, he performs on a 1693 Matteo Gofriller cello formerly owned by Mischa Schneider of the Budapest Quartet. He is an alumnus of the Music Academy of the West.
