Rachmaninov, Piano Trio No. 1. in G minor
Shostakovich, Piano Trio No. 1 in D minor
Piazzolla, “Winter” from Four Seasons of Buenos Aires
Mendelssohn, Piano Trio No. 1 in D minor
Violinist Egle Jarkova, cellist Edevaldo Mulla, and pianist Rui Urayama are top prizewinners at many international competitions and have earned numerous awards in Europe, Asia and the USA. Pianist Ms. Urayama was a winner of the PTNA 2013 Competition, a 2nd Prize winner at the Chopin International Competition in the USA, and a Churchill Competition recipient in Boston among other achievements; she has performed with Tokyo, Kyoto, and Perugia Orchestras. Violinist Ms. Jarkova is an active soloist, teacher and chamber musician. She has won Boston Conservatory Chamber and String Departments Honors Competitions, is a recipient of the Queen Morta Premium Laureate, has performed with Albanian National Radio and TV Orchestra, and is the founder and artistic director of the International Summer Music Festival “Vivace Vilnius” in Lithuania. Cellist Mr. Mulla was principal cellist at the Sarajevo Philharmonic Orchestra, a cello teacher at the Art School in Tirana, and has performed solo and chamber music recitals in Albania, Italy, Greece, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Lithuania, and the USA.
The Jemur Piano Trio was formed in January 2012, handpicked to play the Tchaikovsky Piano Trio for six Boston Conservatory Dance Concerts, with world premiere choreography by the Boston Ballet’s Daniel Pelzer. These performances were so well-received, and the three musicians so enjoyed their collaboration, that they decided to perform together and explore the vast repertoire for piano trio. They made their concert debut in an all-Russian program in 2012 at the St. Botolph Club in Boston, and they toured and performed in Italy, Lithuania, and Albania. Last year Jemur Piano Trio performed at the Ellingwood Chapel Concert Series in Nahant, at the Crowell Chapel Concert Series presented by the Historic Manchester Trust, at the Museum of Fine Arts, at The Boston Conservatory, and they are actively arranging concerts for next season and a trip to Japan. The Jemur Trio is an honor ensemble of The Boston Conservatory, and they are coached by cellist Rhonda Rider and pianist Michael Lewin. Next year Ms. Jarkova will be attending Boston University (MM), Ms. Urayama will be earning her Artist Diploma at The Boston Conservatory, and Mr. Mulla will be a teaching assistant at the University of South Florida.
Donations to support the International Summer Music Festival “Vivace Vilnius” in Lithuania will be accepted at the concert.
Swedish-American jazz singer Anna-Frida Abrahamsson and her trio share Swedish love songs and standards. Influenced by Jan Johansson and Monica Zetturlund, Abrahamsson’s soft velvety voice will be backed by piano, drums, bass and harmonica. Complimentary Swedish vanilla heart pastries, coffee and tea will be served.
This event was rescheduled from its original 2/15 date due to a snowstorm. Previously purchased tickets will be honored. Contact Christina at 617.795.1914 with any questions.
In the 1940s, we are invited to follow Thor Heyerdahl as he gathers a crew of Scandinavians attempting to cross the Pacific on a balsam raft. A delight to watch, the film is all about the sheer excitement of the ocean and it is as magnificent as it is beautiful and as dangerous. 118 minutes. Norwegian/Swedish with English subtitles. 2013
Films start at 1:30pm. Refreshments for attendees are served at 1pm. Lunch (not included) is available in the Kaffestugan, which is open until 3pm every Saturday.
For more information, contact Suzanne Clowes, director of the film program, at 508-545-2386 or by e-mail.
After their public showing movies in our film series become part of the Scandinavian Library’s collection of DVDs available for borrowing by Library members.
Presented as part of ArtWeek Boston, Nordlig Vinter is a suite of compositions for percussion duo and iOS devices inspired by the arctic environment in Sweden. Ensemble Evolution’s Charles Martin (Canberra, Australia) and Maria Finkelmeier (Boston, Massachusetts) will share a journey to the arctic north through an interactive performance and presentation dedicated to this special part of the world, their former home.
Ensemble Evolution is an international ensemble exploring the future of percussion through composition, education and technology. Taking elements from jazz and contemporary classical music, the group creates musical experiments incorporating improvisation, new media and unexpected collaborations into their original concept of a 21st century percussion ensemble. Learn more about the ensemble here.
ArtWeek Boston is a collection of curated events and experiences throughout the city that highlights the quality and diversity of arts, culture, and creative community in Boston.
Join outstanding graduate students from the New England Conservatory for a performance of Czech composer Antonin Dvorak’s celebrated Piano Quartet in E flat Major, Op. 87.
Mason Yu, violin
Dana Kelley, viola
Jamie Clark, cello
Jonie Huang, piano
Finnish educator and scholar Pasi Sahlberg, Visiting Professor of Practice at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education, discusses his book “Finnish Lessons: What Can the World Learn from Educational Change in Finland”.
Sahlberg worked as schoolteacher, teacher educator and policy advisor in Finland and has studied education systems and reforms around the world. His expertise includes international educational change, the future of schooling, and innovation in teaching and learning. His best-selling book “Finnish Lessons: What Can the World Learn from Educational Change in Finland” (Teachers College Press, 2011) won the 2013 Grawemeyer Award and Sahlberg received the 2011 Upton Sinclair Award in the United States and the 2012 Education Award in Finland.
Sahlberg has lived in England (King’s College), the United States (World Bank in Washington, DC) and Italy (European Training Foundation in Torino) and has worked in 50 countries around the world. He earned his PhD from the University of Jyväskylä (Finland) in 1996 and has been invited to speak at Harvard University, Stanford University, Columbia University and Vanderbilt University in the U.S. and in Parliament Houses in England, Scotland, New Zealand and the European Union.
He is a member of the Board of Directors of ASCD (Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development) and IASCE (International Association for the Study of Cooperation in Education). He is also a member of the Advisory Board of the Center on International Education Benchmarking and an Adjunct Professor at the Universities of Helsinki and Oulu. He is former Director General of CIMO (Centre for International Mobility and Cooperation) in Helsinki.
Sahlberg is known as an international “school improvement activist” because of his direct links to practitioners and their communities. He is active in social media and public debates about education. Follow him on Twitter at @pasi_sahlberg.
Join pianist Jonie Huang with cellist Daniel Mitnitsky, outstanding graduate students from New England Conservatory, for a performance featuring the works of celebrated Romantic composers such as Brahms and Schubert.
Qiuning (Jonie) Huang began her piano study at the age of six, instructed by Xiaofan Li and Yuanji Fan. At the age of 14, she won the first prize in the Liaoning First Teenage Piano Competition. In 2005, she was admitted to the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, where she studied with Hung-Kuan Chen and Lei Zhu and received bachelor degrees in piano performance and electric keyboard. Ms. Huang continued her graduate studies in piano performance at Shanghai Conservatory with a full scholarship; she completed her masters degree first in her class and under the tutelage of Yiqi Sheng.
Throughout her career, Ms. Huang has studied with masters such as Arie vardi, Fu T’song, Russel Sherman, Gary Graffman, and Dominique Merlet. In addition to her expertise as a soloist, Ms. Huang excels in chamber music. She has adapted orchestra music for electric keyboard, regularly performs collaboratively, and served as a teaching assistant for singers and instrumentalists from 2009-2012. Moreover, Ms. Huang has performed chamber music with the Shanghai Philharmonic, the Shanghai Youth Symphony Orchestra, and the Shanghai Oriental Symphony Orchestra.
Ms. Huang is currently pursuing her masters degree in collaborative piano at New England Conservatory under the tutelage of Vivian Weilerstein and Cameron Stowe.
About Daniel Mitnitsky
Born in Israel in 1987, Daniel Mitnitsky began his cello studies with Zvi Harell in Tel Aviv. Graduated from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, where he studied with Zvi Plesser, and later served in the Israel Defense Forces as an Outstanding Musician. Daniel went on to study with Zvi Harell at the Buchamnn-Mehta School of Music, where he won the 2011 concerto competition and received first prize in the chamber music competition, graduating in 2012 with honors. Currently pursuing his Master’s degree under Natasha Brofsky and Paul Katz at the New England Conservatory as a recipient of the Edward Hyde Cox Presidential Scholarship and is a member of the Honors ensemble Veridis Quartet. Participated in festivals such as the Perlman Music Program and the Aspen Music Festival and School. Daniel is winner of the Rachel and Dov Gottesman cello prize in the 2012 Aviv Competition and has been a recipient of scholarships by the America-Israel Cultural Foundation since 2001.
“A beautiful documentary, To Breathe as One captures the power and inspiration of the festival and of voices joined en masse to be heard over past and present world events.”
– Marta Yamamoto, Contra Costa Times
In Estonian, the words “soul” and “breathe” come from the same root — “to breathe as one” means more than coordinated inhaling and exhaling — it connects souls together.
Every five years, 30,000 people gather on the same stage in the small country of Estonia to join
voices and sing in the National Song Festival for two days, becoming the largest choir in the
world. More than a music festival, it’s a miracle that at least twice in history gave freedom to
that country. To Breathe As One explores the beauty and meaning of the choral festival through
the eyes of the young members of the California-based Piedmont East Bay Children’s Choir,
one of the few American choirs invited to participate.
Learning difficult songs — all in Estonian — the youngsters prepare for months and then set
off to join the many thousands from around the world who gather every five years in Tallinn.
Forming cross-cultural friendships that span the oceans, there they discover the unique role
that music has played for Estonians for over 150 years, as an integral force in maintaining
strength and identity for a people who have faced cultural genocide — more than once.
From the filmmakers of the acclaimed The Singing Revolution, the film reveals that for Estonians
singing is not just a means of cultural expression, but a defining part of their national identity.
Filmmaker Jim Tusty will be present at this screening.
Composer and pianist Heikki Sarmanto is a leading Finnish jazz scene figure who has been internationally praised for his symphonic, orchestral and jazz ensemble works. Sarmanto studied at the Sibelius Academy in Finland in the early 1960’s, and later at the Berklee College of Music in Boston where he honed his piano and composition skills with coaching from Herb Pomeroy, Charlie Mariano and Margaret Chaloff. In 1970, Sarmanto was chosen “Jazz Musician of the Year” in Finland. In 1971, he was awarded top honors at the Montreux Jazz Festival in both piano and combo categories. In the 80s, Mr. Sarmanto was chosen by Sonny Rollins to arrange and conduct his “Saxophone Concerto.” More recently, Sarmanto’s collaboration with Brazil’s great lyricist, Fernando Brant, and the gifted guitarist-arranger, Juarez Moreira, resulted in the beautiful CD “A Lua Luara” featuring one of Brazil’s top vocalists, Claudya de Oliveira. Sarmanto has toured the United States, Europe, Latin America, Asia and Africa, and continues to actively expand his musical horizons. Porter Records along with Heikki Sarmanto and EMI Finland have begun to re-release a substantial body of Sarmanto’s previously unavailable early work for the enjoyment of jazz enthusiasts old and new. More details are available at www.sarmanto.com.
Singer, actress, and pianist Jeannine Otis has musical roots founded in the pure sounds of gospel, rhythm & blues and jazz. She is a graduate of Wellesley College where she was a Presser Music Scholar, the first and only African-American to win that award, and she also holds a Masters Degree from Emerson College in Boston where she was a teaching fellow. She first toured as a vocalist with the group Kool & The Gang whose co-founder, George Brown, continues to be one of her musical mentors. Another important collaborator and supporter has been saxophone legend Grover Washington, Jr. Her talents can be heard on the recording Do Dot, a smooth jazz classic she performed with Washington. Ms. Otis has also worked with trumpeter Donald Byrd, folk hero Pete Seeger, and Oscar winning film composer Eliot Goldenthal, to name a few. Her recordings include the recently re-released “Magic Song”, performed with the Helsinki Philharmonic. You can read more about her dynamic career at www.operaexposures.org/jeannine-otis/.
The SCC is proud to participate in Boston Design Week with a presentation about highly influential Finnish design company Marimekko offered by independent curator and researcher Susan Ward.
In the summer of 1959, Marimekko designs were introduced to the American market through an exhibition at Design Research (D/R), the innovative Cambridge home furnishings store founded by architect Benjamin Thompson. Marimekko fabrics and their dresses, dubbed a “uniform for intellectuals,” went on to enjoy phenomenal success in the U.S. (especially in the Boston area) over the next 20 years. Now, having recently celebrated its 60th anniversary, Marimekko is once again bursting onto the American scene, introducing new designers while continuing to make use of its rich archive of “classic” designs. In this informal program Susan Ward will discuss the history of Marimekko, D/R, and the local context, from the 1950s to the present.
Reservations recommended. Email Christina to reserve your seat(s) at cmealey@slcenter.org.
The First Annual Boston Design Week, a 10-day citywide design festival, takes place March 20-30, 2014. All events are open to the public, and most are free, but some with limited capacity require RSVPs, so claim your places early. Participating organizations, businesses, sponsors and individual designers are offering 80+ design events, exhibitions, speakers, receptions, behind-the-scene tours and activities throughout the city of Boston and its neighborhoods and in numerous other cities and towns. Don’t miss it!
