Kurt Nikkanen violin, Maria Asteriadou, piano
Zuill Bailey, cello, James Logan, clarinet
A special performance of the "Quartet for the End of Time," by composer Olivier Messiaen, who wrote the composition while imprisoned in a Concentration Camp in Germany. This performance is generously underwritten by the Jewish Federation of El Paso.
Program
Quartet for the End of Time Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992)
Crystal Liturgy
Vocalise
The Abyss of the Birds
Interlude
Praise to the Eternity of Jesus
Dance of Wrath for the Seven Trumpets
Tangle of Rainbows
In Praise of the Immortality of Jesus
Intermission
Piano Trio No. 2 in E minor, Op. 67 Dmitri Shostakovich(1906-1975)
Allegro Moderato
Allegro von brio
Largo
Allegretto-Adagio
James Logan is the clarinet professor at the University of Texas at El Paso and Principal Clarinetist of the El Paso Symphony and a former Associate Principal Clarinetist with the US Navy Band in Washington DC where he served for 26 years. Logan appeared as soloist on nearly 100 concerts with this ensemble including performances in St. Petersburg, Russia, Quebec City, Quebec, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, DAR Constitution Hall in Washington DC and Baird Auditorium in the Smithsonian Natural History Museum. Additionally, he performed on 24 National Concert Tours, four as soloists. His Navy career led to performances in diverse settings while witnessing historic events at the White House, Pentagon, seven inaugural parades and balls as well as dedication ceremonies for The Korean War Memorial, the FDR Memorial, and the World War II Memorial. Logan has performed throughout Europe, as well as 46 states.
During his years serving in the US Navy Band, he formed Logan Circle, an ensemble dedicated to the performance of clarinet chamber works that was very active throughout metropolitan Washington DC. Logan’s solo appearances include the “Jazz and Classics” music festival in Juneau, Alaska (performing alongside Awadagin Pratt), a Bach’s Lunch Recital in El Paso, Tx, the Center for Jewish History in New York City, the Greencastle Summer Music Festival in Depauw, Indiana, the Iowa Military Veterans Band in Des Moines, Ia, and the Packard Concert Band in Warren, Oh.
Dedicated to the promotion of new music, Logan premiered a sonata for clarinet and piano, Beneath the Painted Skies by Dominic Dousa, recorded Erich Stem’s Bay Images on a CD entitled Semantemes and served as editor for Jonathan Leshnoff’s Concerto for Clarinet that was premiered by Ricardo Morales and the Philadelphia Orchestra. Most recently he was part of a consortium that commissioned Fin de la Tierra: Land’s End, and Sea Songs: Mobile Ray, by Jennie Brandon.
Logan is a former member of the American Festival Pops Orchestra (VA), the Northwest Orchestra (MI), and the Midland Odessa Symphony. In addition to performing on 21 CD projects with the US Navy Band, he recorded with the National Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra as principal clarinetist on a CD of works by Steven Gerber featuring Carter Brey, principal cellist with the NY Philharmonic.
Kurt Nikkanen is an international soloist of the highest order. Born in Hartford, Connecticut, he began his violin studies at the age of three, later studying with Roman Totenberg and Jens Ellerman. At twelve he gave his Carnegie Hall debut, performing with the New York Symphony; two years later he was invited by Zubin Mehta to perform the Paganini Concerto No.1 with the New York Philharmonic for a Young People’s Concert. He is a graduate of the Juilliard School, where he was a scholarship student of Dorothy DeLay.
Mr. Nikkanen regularly receives invitations from the leading orchestras and presenters in the USA and Europe and has toured Japan and the Far East. In North America he has appeared with the Dallas Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic and Cleveland Orchestra, and in Europe with the BBC Symphony, Royal Philharmonic, BBC Philharmonic, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Rotterdam Philharmonic and the Dresden Staatskapelle. He has worked with many leading conductors.
An enthusiastic advocate of contemporary music, Kurt Nikkanen has given numerous performances of the John Adams Violin Concerto, with orchestras such as the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, London Sinfonietta, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Oregon Symphony, Hallé Orchestra and Cincinnati Symphony (all under the composer’s direction).
Highlights of recent seasons have included a UK tour with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, performances with the Gothenburg Symphony and Neeme Jarvi at the BBC Proms, and concerts with the Rotterdam Philharmonic, Prague Symphony and RTE Orchestra in Dublin; also, with the Bayerischer Rundfunk and Suddeutscher Rundfunk orchestras, both with the late Yakov Kreizberg, and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra with Junichi Hirokami. He has also appeared with the Belgian National Orchestra, Trondheim Symphony and the orchestra of RAI Turin, the Detroit Symphony and Orchestra of Galicia, the Bilbao Symphony, the Malaysian Philharmonic, and performances of the Dvorak concerto with the Czech Philharmonic and Vladimir Ashkenazy, both in Prague and on tour in the USA, with concerts in New York and Chicago.
Mr. Nikkanen has had many works written for him, including Steven R. Gerber’s violin concerto, which he recorded for Koch International. In 2009, Mr. Nikkanen performed the world premiere of Mikko Heinio’s concerto Alla Madre, subsequently recording it for Sony Classical with the Turku Philharmonic under Petri Sakari and released in 2010. His recording of William Walton’s Violin Concerto with the New Haven Symphony Orchestra was released on the Nimbus Alliance label in 2010 and was chosen as “Critics Choice for 2010” in Gramophone Magazine.
Mr. Nikkanen gave the New York premiere of the Violin Concerto by Thomas Adès in May 2010 and has since performed it in Australia with the Perth Symphony Orchestra conducted by Paul Daniel. In addition to his orchestral appearances, Kurt Nikkanen performs regularly as a recitalist both in the US and abroad with his wife, pianist Maria Asteriadou, presenting repertoire ranging from the complete Beethoven sonatas to Piazzolla tangos.
He is the Concertmaster of the New York City Ballet Orchestra and maintains a private teaching studio in New York, where he resides with his family.
Zuill Bailey, widely considered one of the premiere cellists in the world, is a Grammy Award winning, internationally renowned soloist, recitalist, Artistic Director and teacher. His rare combination of celebrated artistry, technical wizardry and engaging personality has secured his place as one of the most sought after and active cellists today.
In addition to his extensive solo touring engagements, Zuill Bailey dedicates his time and artistry to communities by providing Master Classes at the University level and Educational Outreach in schools throughout the country to enlighten, entertain and inspire a new generation of Classical Music enthusiasts. Mr. Bailey works tirelessly to share music to help soothe, heal, and comfort at Hospitals, Rehabilitation and Detention Centers, Food Banks and Senior Facilities. Zuill Bailey is the Artistic Director of El Paso Pro-Musica (Texas), the Sitka Summer Music Festival/ Alaska Classics Series and Cello Seminar, (Alaska), Juneau Jazz and Classics, (Alaska), the Northwest Bach Festival (Washington), Classical Inside Out Series- Mesa Arts Center (Arizona). Mr. Bailey serves as the Director of the Center for Arts Entrepreneurship and Professor of Cello at the University of Texas at El Paso.
A renowned recording artist, Zuill Bailey won the “Best Solo Performance,” Grammy Award in 2017 for his Live Recording of “Tales of Hemingway,” by composer Michael Daugherty. The CD, recorded with the Nashville Symphony, Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor, also received Grammys for Best Composition and Best Compendium. His celebrated “Bach Cello Suites”, Britten Cello Symphony/Sonata CD with pianist Natasha Paremski, Haydn Cello Concertos CD and Schumann/Brahms Concertos immediately soared to the Number One spot on the Classical Billboard Charts. Other critically acclaimed recordings include his live performances with the Indianapolis Symphony of the Bloch Schelomo, Muhly Cello Concerto World Premiere, Elgar and Dvorak Cello Concertos, described by Gramophone magazine as the new “reference” recording and one that “sweeps the board.” In addition, the Dvorak Cello Concerto CD is listed in the “Penguin’s Guide,” as one the Top 1000 Classical Recordings of all time. Other diverse releases, include the Brahms Sextets with the Cypress Strings Quartet, “Brahms” complete works for cello and piano with pianist Awadagin Pratt, and “Russian Masterpieces” showcasing the works of Tchaikovsky and Shostakovich performed with the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra. Mr. Bailey is featured on the chart- topping Quincy Jones produced “Diversity,” with pianist/composer Emily Bear. Additional innovative releases include “Spanish Masters,” for Zenph Studios, where he forms a unique duo blending with historic recordings of composer Manuel de Falla, along with a tribute to George Gershwin and other iconic American composers, with Pianist Lara Downes. His discography includes the Walton Cello Concerto, Strauss Don Quixote, a Debut Recital disc for Delos, Cello Quintets of Boccherini and Schubert with celebrated cellist Janos Starker, Arensky and Dohnanyi works with Lynn Harrell, Saint-Saens Cello Concertos No. 1 and 2 “Live,” and the Korngold Cello Concerto with Kaspar Richter and the Bruckner Orchestra Linz for ASV.
Mr. Bailey received his bachelor’s and master’s Degrees from the Peabody Conservatory and the Juilliard School. His primary teachers include Loran Stephenson, Stephen Kates and Joel Krosnick. Mr. Bailey performs on the "Rosette" 1693 Matteo Gofriller Cello, formerly owned by Mischa Schneider of the Budapest String Quartet.
Maria Asteriadou has performed in major halls throughout the United States and Canada as well as Austria, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Romania, Spain, Switzerland, and Germany. Her orchestra engagements include appearances with the Moscow Radio Symphony, Academy of St. Martin of the Fields, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Stuttgart Kamerata, Luxembourg Philharmonia, Bucharest Chamber Orchestra, Virtuosi Moldavi Romania, Iasi Philharmonic Romania, Manhattan School Symphony Orchestra, Adrian Symphony Orchestra, Canadian Chamber Academy, Athens State Orchestra, Kamerata (Athens Chamber Orchestra) as well as the Thessaloniki State and City Orchestras.
Her love for her native Greece and her enthusiasm for new music has resulted in prestigious premiere performances of works by many of Greece’s most important composers such as Manos Hadzidakis, Perikles Koukos, Dimitri Mitropoulos, Emilios Riadis, Christos Samaras, Yiorgos Sicilianos, Nikos Skalkottas, as well as American born Greek composer George Tsontakis.
As an active chamber musician, Maria Asteriadou has collaborated with members of the New York Philharmonic and performs regularly in festivals and summer music institutes. Together with violinist Kurt Nikkanen founded the Elektra Chamber Players, an ensemble comprised of performers from the great orchestras and conservatories of New York City.
The recipient of numerous awards and prizes, Maria Asteriadou won first prize in performance from the State Conservatory in Greece as well as top prize in the Maria Callas International Piano Competition. Maria Asteriadou enjoys the distinction of being the only pianist selected from the Musik Hochschule in Freiburg to perform in honor of the composer-conductor Pierre Boulez in Baden Baden, Germany. Both her Geneva debut recital, as well as her debut at Weill Hall in New York’s Carnegie Hall, for which she won the sponsoring competitions, were greeted with rave reviews. In 1992 she won the Dora Zaslovsky piano competition at Manhattan School of Music in New York and consequently was selected to collaborate with the renowned conductor, Christopher Keene, in a critically acclaimed performance of Beethoven’s Third Piano Concerto.
Maria Asteriadou has recorded the complete piano and string chamber works by Nikos Skalkottas and the complete violin and piano works by Carl Nielsen for BIS (recording label). She has also recorded works by Greek composers Yiorgos Sicilianos and Emilios Riadis. A CD with solo and chamber music works by Dimitri Mitropoulos, will be released in 2006. Maria Asteriadou has been heard frequently in live performances on radio and television in Europe and in the United States, including the WQXR-FM with Robert Sherman.
Maria Asteriadou holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Manhattan School of Music, where she studied with Constance Keene. She received her Master of Music degree from The Juilliard School, as a scholarship student of Jacob Lateiner. Following her undergraduate studies at the State Conservatory of Music in Thessaloniki, Greece, Maria Asteriadou was accepted at the Musik Hochschule in Freiburg, Germany as a student of Tibor Hazay and received her Graduate Soloist Diploma with high honors. She has also worked with Gyorgy Sebok, Richard Goode, Domna Evnouchidou and Vitalji Margulis.
An energetic and passionate teacher, Maria Asteriadou has been faculty at the Algonquin International Music Institute in Canada and the Summer Arts Institute in University of Michigan. From 1992 to 2002, she was the Artistic and Chamber Music Director of the Silver Bay Summer Music Festival in New York. In the summer of 2002 and 2004 she served as a chamber music coach at the New York Piano Competition. She is also on the Advisory Board of the Children’s Foundation.