Immerse yourself in the rich harmonies and lyrical beauty of a piano trio and solo vocal works by Debussy, Mendelssohn, and Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel, performed by renowned musicians: cellist Eugene Moye, violinist Erik Wyrick, pianist Yasmin Alami, and mezzo-soprano Eleanor Valkenburg.
The program includes Piano Trio in G Major by Claude Debussy, Piano Trio No. 1 in D Minor, Op. 49 by Felix Mendelssohn, and selected songs by Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel.
Although Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel’s works were long overshadowed by her brother Felix due to gender bias, her compositions have gained recognition in recent years. With a prolific output of songs, oratorios, and chamber music, Hensel is now celebrated as a brilliant composer in her own right. Her works have become more frequently performed in major concert halls, highlighting her rightful place in the classical music canon.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS:
Eric Wyrick
ERIC WYRICK, violinist, has been Concertmaster of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra since 1998. He is an established leader/member of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and is currently an Artistic Director with that international ensemble. In addition to annual New Jersey Symphony solo appearances, Wyrick has appeared as a soloist with Danish Radio Orchestra, the Orchestre de Toulouse and solo television appearances in the Dance in America presentation of Chausson’s Poème for American Ballet Theater on PBS, and as a featured soloist in the BBC’s “Great Composers” series playing Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 5. He has collaborated as soloist with Neeme Jaarvi, Jacques Lacombe, Zdenic Macal, Michel Plasson, Gunther Schuller and with Andrew Constantine. An active chamber musician, Wyrick can be heard frequently with the NJSO Chamber Players and, as he comes from a large family of musicians, performs regularly with the Wyrick Chamber Players. Mr. Wyrick is a lecturer regularly at Richardson Auditorium as Concertmaster of the NJSO and has collaborated with the Richardson Chamber Players.
EUGENE MOYE, cellist, is the principal cellist of the American Symphony Orchestra, the American Composers Orchestra, the Opera Orchestra of New York, and the Westchester Philharmonic Orchestra. As a soloist, he has played the world premier of a cello concerto by Francais Thorne at Carnegie Hall and the “Millennium Concerto” by Harold Farberman at Avery Fisher Hall. He also premiered the concerto by David Baker with the New York Philharmonic. After his recital at the 92nd Street Y, the New York Times called him one of the “foremost cellists of his generation” In addition he has collaborated with virtually every major pop artist, including Ricky Martin, Michael Jackson, Britney Spears, Tony Bennett, Garth Brooks, and Kiss on recordings, live performances and videos.
YASMIN ALAMI, pianist, is native of Jordan. She made her New York debut at Steinway Hall and has performed in a private solo recital in honor of Her Royal Highness Princess Wijdan Ali, a solo performance at the residence of the French ambassador in Jordan under the patronage of Her Royal Highness Princess Basma Bint Ali and a solo recital in memory of the Fukushima disaster under the patronage of the Japanese ambassador to Jordan She has given solo performances at the Palm Beach Atlantic International Piano Festival and at the Amman Spring Festival in Jordan and has also performed at the Bibliotheque Communale de Braine l’Alleud in Brussels, Municipal Theater Baltazar Dias in Madeira, the Ecole Normale de Musique- Alfred Cortot in Paris, Salle Ockeghem and Espace Malreaux in Tours, and the Conservatoire d’Orleans in Orleans, France. Yasmin was awarded the First Prize at the Regional Piano Competition held in Orléans, and won the First Prize as a soloist and chamber musician from the Conservatoire National de Tours
ELEANOR VALKENBURG, soprano, is Artistic Director of Poetica Musica. She has performed in some of the most prestigious festivals and chamber music series including the Bergen Festival, the Istanbul International Music Festival, the Sarajevo Festival, L’ Octobre Festival du Carthage, the Martinu Festival in the Czech Republic, at the Library of Congress in Washington, DC, the Victoria and Albert Museum and the St-Martin-in-the Fields in London. She has performed in more than 50 countries on 4 continents including Tunisia, Bosnia, India, Serbia, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan, Syria, and others, while conducting master classes as well as performing concerts. She has taught seminars and master classes at the Higher Institute of Music in Damascus, the Music Academies of Sofia, Istanbul, Bucharest, Bratislava, and Belgrade. Along with the members of Poetica Musica, she has performed in the Hans Christian Andersen celebration at Carnegie Hall and sponsored by Royal Danish Consulate in New York and the Hans Christian Andersen Foundation in Copenhagen. She recently performed at the Edvard Grieg Centennial Festival sponsored by Royal Norwegian Consulate in New York. Ms. Valkenburg has appeared in radio and television broadcasts for the CNN World Report, CNN Turk, Polish and Czech Television and has received praise for her work and artistry from the New York Times, Newsday, and the Washington Post. In 2015 Eleanor was awarded the Ambassador's Award for Cultural Diplomacy.
TICKETS & INFORMATION:
$24 OWG Members
$25 Seniors (62+), Full-time Students
$30 General Admission
TICKET ALSO INCLUDES:
Pre-concert discussion: 7:30 pm
Meet the Artists Reception immediately following the concert on the West Porch!