Welcome from Music Director

Dear Friends,

Welcome to our milestone 15th Anniversary Season! Our 2022/2023 Season includes a four-concert Carnegie Hall Masterworks Series between Weill and Zankel Halls, along with run-out performances around the New York area.

We warmly invite you to our 15th Anniversary Gala Concert “Voyages – Star Wars and Respighi’s Fountains” on Friday, April 14, 2023 at Carnegie Hall’s Zankel Hall. Selected tickets are available for patrons who also wish to attend the post-concert reception. The anniversary program includes Respighi’s Fountains of Rome, John Williams’ Star Wars Suite and the US Premiere of my Voyages of Aeneas with violinist Salvatore Greco, following its world premiere on January 5, 2023 with the Teatro Massimo Opera Orchestra in Palermo, Italy.

Highlights this season include wonderful guest artists such as the renowned Venetian contralto Alessandra Visentin (who has debuted at La Scala Opera and Opera Théâtre des Champs-Elysées de Paris) singing Handel’s famous opera arias on Friday, November 11, 2022, and American pianist John Wilson who will perform Mozart’s early masterwork Piano Concerto No. 9 “Jenamy” on Friday, February 10, 2023.

We cherish our commitment to nurture programs such as our NY Conducting Workshop, The Respighi Prize music competition (in affiliation with Bologna, Italy), and our Education Program Maestro Juniors. And continue collaborations such as last season’s Star Wars (Disney) production in partnership with the Kith fashion brand. Next season we’ll look forward to the release of our 7th Naxos Records album.

I am especially proud of our “premier ensemble which also advances the careers of extraordinary young artists.” Our deepest, heartfelt thanks to our friends and patrons who have supported our music-making over the 15 years. Grazie!

For details regarding our 22/23 Season, including Single and Subscription Tickets, please visit: https://chamberorchestraofnewyork.org/concert-season/

It’s always great to meet you in the lobbies after the performances. Enjoy the music!

With warmest wishes,
Salvatore Di Vittorio
Music Director & Composer
Chamber Orchestra of New York

VIOLA

Celia Hatton, Co-Principal Viola

Based in New York City, violist Celia Hatton has performed throughout the world. The Michigan Daily described her playing as “rich, robust, and personified the heightened emotional presence of a prima donna singing their heart out.” Hatton’s solos as Principal Viola of Experiential Orchestra can be heard on GRAMMY winning album “The Prison.” She is a member of A Far Cry and Co-Principal of Chamber Orchestra of New York. She has performed with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, and St. Paul Chamber Orchestra; and toured with ECCO, The Knights, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, and Sphinx Virtuosi. She has given the world premiere of string quartets by Colin Matthews, Derek Bermel, and Felix Jarrar. She has appeared with the Blair String Quartet, Harlem Quartet, Manhattan Chamber Players, and North Country Chamber Players, As an Honorary Ambassador, she has performed throughout South Korea with the New York in Chuncheon Festival. Outside of the classical vein, Hatton has performed at the Apollo Theatre, Jazz at Lincoln Center in collaboration with Paquito D’Rivera, Smalls Jazz Club, The Blue Note Jazz Club, and Birdland Jazz Club. She can be heard on Mark Gross’ jazz album “+ Strings,” BIGYUKI’s electronic album “Reaching for Chiron,” and Terry Slingbaum’s “Slingbaum One.” Collaborations with dancers have included performances at Jacob’s Pillow and Little Island’s Music and Dance Festival. Hatton can be heard on the movie scores of Joker (2019), Judas and the Black Messiah, I Tonya, The Greatest Showman, and West Side Story (2021), among others. An Adjunct Professor at Adelphi University, she has given masterclasses at Colburn Music Academy, New York University, and Vanderbilt University. Hatton earned her Bachelor’s Degree with Kim Kashkashian from New England Conservatory receiving a Presidential Distinction Award Scholarship. She obtained her Master’s Degree and Professional Studies Certificate from Manhattan School of Music where she studied with Karen Dreyfus as a recipient of a William Randolph Hearst Scholarship. http://www.celiahatton.com/

FRENCH HORN

Cort Roberts

Hornist Cort Roberts enjoys a diverse life in music as a performer, educator, entrepreneur and academic. He is a fellow in Carnegie Hall’s Ensemble Connect, class of 2020-23, where he performs chamber music, curates interactive concert experiences, and works as a Teaching Artist in several NYC public schools. In recent summers, he has been heard at Skaneateles Festival, Bravo! Vail Music Festival, Rockport Music, Bang on a Can Summer Festival, and Bowdoin International Music Festival. An active freelance player in NYC, Cort has played with the Brooklyn Orchestra, Riverside Symphony, Montclair (APEX) Orchestra, New York Chamber Players, New England Symphonic Ensemble, Pegasus Orchestra, and a variety of other projects. A committed educator, Cort is on faculty at Mahanaim College as Professor of Horn, and he has also been a guest faculty artist at the Universidad de Antioquia in Medellín, Colombia. An avid chamber musician, Cort is a member and co-manager of The Brass Project, a sextet dedicated to commissioning new works for brass that represent diverse 21st-century musical perspectives. To date, the ensemble has commissioned more than 45 new works, and has shared this music through residencies in New York, Massachusetts, Texas, Colorado, and New Mexico. The group has been a 2-year recipient of Chamber Music America’s Ensemble Forward Grant. Committed to community engagement, the Brass Project has curated and presented educational programs for students and communities of all ages. Cort is currently pursuing his doctoral degree at Stony Brook University, and expects to finish in the spring of 2023. He completed his master’s degree at The Juilliard School in 2019, where he held two community engagement teaching fellowships. A native of Colorado, Cort completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Colorado Boulder, where he finished minors in Business and Leadership and worked for several years in office administration.

VIOLIN 2

Julia Danitz

Violinist, Julia Danitz is currently a Doctorate of Musical Arts candidate at CUNY Graduate Center, and is a graduate of The Juilliard School with a Masters of Music. Prior to her doctoral studies, she completed a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science at Columbia University, where she was enrolled in the rigorous dual degree Columbia-Juilliard exchange program, majoring in Political Science. Her violin tutelage includes noteworthy professors such as Daniel Phillips, Yoko Takebe Gilbert, Masao Kawasaki, and Li Lin. She leads a multifaceted performing career which has led her to diverse concert venues such as Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall, to on the screen and behind the scenes on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Julia collaborates with Late Show bandleader Jon Batiste on various projects. She has performed at many prestigious summer music festivals including the Tanglewood Music Center, Spoleto Festival USA, Aspen Music Festival and School, Lake George Music Festival and Bowdoin International Music Festival. At Tanglewood she had the privilege to collaborate with the iconic Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble at the Seiji Ozawa Hall. From 2019-2021 Julia was invited to be on the artist roster of the Center of Musical Excellence, and spent the summer of 2021 performing solo and chamber music concerts around Austria as part of the CME tour. Julia maintains a musicians collective, Sonora Collective, which performs living composers works as well as contemporary and underrepresented repertoire in the classical music canon. https://www.juliadanitz.com/

VIOLIN 1

Sophia Stoyanovich

American violinist Sophia Stoyanovich has captivated audiences since her premiere at age ten with the Bremerton Symphony. She has soloed with numerous orchestras including highlights with the Seattle Symphony at Benaroya Hall, and has performed across North America, Europe, Russia, China, and Vietnam as both soloist and chamber musician. Recent highlights include first prize at the 2022 New York International Artists Violin Competition, 2021 Beverly Hills National Auditions, joining the roster for Chamber Music America as recipient of the 2021 Ensemble Forward Grant, as well as recital debuts on The Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert Series (Chicago, IL.), Great Music L.A. @LACMA SundayLive! (Los Angeles, CA.) and Encinitas Music by the Sea Series (San Diego, CA.). Her debut recital atWeill Hall at Carnegie Hall will be in January of 2023. Ms. Stoyanovich has performed with the La Jolla Music Society, Rome Chamber Music Festival, Zermatt Music Festival, Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival, Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, Olympic Music Festival, Four Seasons Chamber Music Festival, Sarasota Music Festival, and Aspen Music Festival. Based in New York City, Ms. Stoyanovich currently performs with the Chamber Orchestra of New York, Symphony in C, and is a teaching artist for The Midori & Friends Foundation. Ms. Stoyanovich is also violinist and founding member of the Finnish-American Versoi Ensemble, and Arts Advocate & Global Community Leader for the UN Chamber Music Society of the United Nations Staff Recreation Council. Ms. Stoyanovich holds Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from The Juilliard School as recipient of the Irene Diamond Graduate Fellowship and the Dr. & Kassie Biros Neuman Scholarship. Ms. Stoyanovich currently is a Doctoral Candidate at The Graduate Center in New York City, studying under the tutelage of Mark Steinberg as a fully-funded five year fellowship recipient. Previous mentors include Li Lin, Sylvia Rosenberg, Ronald Patterson and studies attending the Barenboim-Said Akademie with Chaim Taub (Berlin, Germany) and the International Musicians Seminar at Prussia Cove with Anthony Marwood and András Keller (Cornwall, England.) She performs on a 1930 Berger Violin made in New York City. www.sophiastoyanovich.com

Story Behind the Respighi Editions

A few Italian conductors of chamber orchestras noticed early on the neoclassical influence of Ottorino Respighi on Salvatore Di Vittorio’s early works, pairing them together in their programs. Music critics also made the connection, with some articles praising Di Vittorio and then described him as “following in the footsteps of Respighi”. In March of 2006, Di Vittorio founded the Chamber Orchestra of New York “Ottorino Respighi” to honor this bond and his commitment to the Italian repertoire. These developments caught the attention of certain Respighi scholars and the news eventually reached Respighi’s great-nieces, Elsa Pizzoli Mazzacane and Gloria Pizzoli Mangini.

Subsequently, Gloria Pizzoli hosted Di Vittorio in her home in Rome in January of 2008 along with Elsa Pizzoli at which time they spoke by phone with family archive curator/cataloger Potito Pedarra in Milan. They would invite Di Vittorio to complete several of the Bolognese composer’s unpublished early orchestral works. In the coming days, Di Vittorio would meet Potito Pedarra in Milan, and together they would visit Italian publisher Casa Ricordi to begin discussing the long-term project.

Amongst the works planned included the first Violin Concerto (in A Major), which would be completed compositionally in the third movement, the Tre Liriche for mezzo-soprano and orchestra would be completed in orchestration, and the remainder of the works would be completed editorially (i.e., as critical editions). All of the works would be engraved and published in their first printed editions. Today, the works are published under Edizioni Panastudio (Palermo) and distributed by Casa Ricordi (Milan).

During an interview for RAI Italia at Carnegie Hall in March of 2019, Di Vittorio was asked why he felt he had received such a great honor from the family and archive curator of one of Italy’s greatest orchestral composers. Di Vittorio responded “It was a tremendous honor for me as a composer to have earned their trust, and I had such great respect for them as they nurtured and escorted me to Respighi archives and a few related sites around Italy. They had caught that I shared Respighi’s love and unique interest in composing orchestral program music, with themes of antiquity. But, frankly, I learned later from Casa Ricordi that there were actually only a few living Italian neoclassical composers that would even have been considered at the time. Neoclassical composers are a rarity these days, including in Italy. I am forever grateful to Elsa, Gloria, and Potito for their dear friendship, vision and belief in the importance of my work as a composer.”

Di Vittorio continues to publish first printed editions of Respighi’s early orchestral works, and champions the works in performances with orchestras – especially with the Chamber Orchestra of New York for ongoing recordings on Naxos Records.

Visit: Works – Respighi Editions

HARPSICHORD AND PIANO

JONATHAN SALAMON, Principal

Jonathan (Jon) Salamon is a harpsichordist, pianist, and composer based in New York, NY. He has performed at festivals in the U.S. and abroad including the International Baroque Institute at Longy, Cambridge, MA, and at the Virtuoso & Bel Canto Festival in Lucca, Italy, among others. Jonathan has performed in masterclasses for artists such as Jordi Savall, Pierre Hantaï, Luca Guglielmi, Peter Sykes, and Ketil Haugsand. While in-residence at Yale, he played continuo for the Yale Baroque Opera Project, assisted in tuning at Yale’s Collection of Musical Instruments, and was a frequent collaborator on chamber music concerts.

A passionate educator, Jonathan taught secondary harpsichord lessons at Yale and was a Teaching Assistant for a graduate course in the history of early music. He has presented lecture-recitals at the Yale Collection of Musical Instruments and at the Historical Keyboard Society of North America’s 2018 conference. He recently presented his DMA thesis, “The Leo: A Galant Schema and Its Affective Content,” at Temple University’s THEMUS Conference.

With his colleague Felice Doynov, flutist and arts advocate, he co-founded HEAR Classical. HEAR stands for History, Equality, and Artistic Representation, and it is a resource and concert platform for music by women and minority composers throughout western music history. After an inaugural concert at Yale in April 2018, HEAR Classical partnered with the United Nations Chamber Music Society and in May of 2018 presented a concert at All Saints Episcopal Church in New York, NY, with musicians from Yale and Juilliard, and featuring speakers from the United Nations.

Jonathan was born in New York City and grew up in Connecticut. He earned his Bachelor of Music degree cum laude from NYU, majoring in piano performance and minoring in law and society; his principal teachers included Seymour Bernstein (piano) and Dr. Morwaread Farbood (harpsichord). Jonathan holds a Master of Music degree in harpsichord from the Yale School of Music, where he studied with Arthur Haas, and is currently a Doctor of Musical Arts candidate at Yale.

jonathansalamon.com

HARP

Kristi Shade, Principal

Based in New York City, Kristi Shade began playing the harp at the age of two and has since become one of the preeminent emerging harpists in the industry. A diverse performer, Kristi performs in a variety of musical settings including classical, jazz, pop, Broadway and contemporary music. Kristi holds degrees from the University of Miami and the Manhattan School of Music.

Kristi is the Principal Harpist with the Chamber Orchestra of New York, with which she has recorded several albums on the Naxos record label. She is a member of the flute-viola-harp trio, Hat Trick, and the harp duo, Duo Scorpio. Duo Scorpio released their debut album, Scorpion Tales, in the fall of 2012 on the American Modern Recordings label and were featured performers at the 50th Anniversary American Harp Society Conference in New York City. Their album, Scorpion Tales, was included on the 2012 GRAMMY nomination ballot in three separate categories. Duo Scorpio were featured performers at the World Harp Congress in Sydney, Australia in July 2014, where they premiered their commissions by composers Nico Muhly and Andy Akiho. Duo Scorpio also performed at the World Harp Congress in Hong Kong in July 2017, where they premiered their commission by composer Paul Patterson. Duo Scorpio’s second album, Two Bridges, was released in the spring of 2017 and consists entirely of pieces commissioned by the duo.

Kristi has been a guest artist with the Baltimore Symphony, the Florida Philharmonic and the Albany Symphony Orchestra. Her solo engagements have included concerto performances with the Miami Symphony, the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas, Ensemble 212, and the Astoria Symphony. Kristi was the Principal Harpist for the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas, with which she toured Mexico and North America and recorded an album for Sony Classical.

Kristi has performed on Broadway for several shows, including Carousel, Hello Dolly, Dr. Zhivago, Cinderella, Wicked, A Little Night Music, Gypsy and The Apple Tree. She can also be heard on the Official Broadway recording of Anastasia.

Kristi currently resides in Manhattan where she maintains a vigorous performance and teaching schedule. She has been on faculty at the Manhattan School of Music Precollege Division since 2007.

TROMBONE

Burt Mason, Principal

Burt Mason currently serves as Principal Trombone of the Chamber Orchestra of New York. He performs frequently with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and New York Philharmonic, and has been featured as a guest artist of the New York Philharmonic Brass, the Metropolitan Opera Brass and Utah Symphony. Mr. Mason is on faculty at the Juilliard School serving as Trombone and Low Brass instructor for the Music Advancement Program.

He was formerly solo trombone for the Miami Music Project as well as Principal Trombone and soloist of the New York Staff Band of The Salvation Army. He has also appeared as soloist with numerous ensembles, performing throughout North America, the United Kingdom, Europe and Australia. Mr. Mason has performed under the baton of notable conductors such as James Levine, Alan Gilbert, Mstislav Rostropovich, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Skitch Henderson, Gustavo Dudamel, and Yannick Nézet-Séguin amongst others in world-renowned venues such as Royal Albert Hall, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center and the Apollo Theater.

NAfME/MENC All-Eastern Band, the NYSSMA All-State Band and Orchestra, as well as winning several local music contests during high school. While in college at the Crane School of Music, Mr. Mason won the school’s most prestigious performing contest, the annual Crane Concerto Competition, as a freshman.

As an advocate for diversity in the arts, Mr. Mason is founder and director of Ovation Concerts, an organization dedicated to balanced diversity in orchestral music. He appeared as a guest on WQXR’s “Conducting Business” with Naomi Lewin to discuss the history and future of classical music and diversity in symphony orchestras. In addition, he performs regularly with organizations and events that promote artistic diversity in classical music, including the Sphinx Competition and Symphony and the Gateways Music Festival.

As a recording artist, Mr. Mason has been featured as a soloist on a variety of recordings with the New York Staff Band on the Triumphonic label. He has also completed several recordings with the Chamber Orchestra of New York on the Naxos label.

Mr. Mason holds an MM in Orchestral Performance from the Manhattan School of Music studying with David Finlayson of the New York Philharmonic. He has had additional studies with Joseph Alessi of the New York Philharmonic, Weston Sprott of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and obtained his BA in Music as a student of Mark Hartman at the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam. He also holds an MBA in Arts Administration from SUNY Binghamton University. Mr. Mason is a Yamaha Performing Artist and Clinician.

TRUMPET

Thomas Boulton, Principal

Appearing extensively throughout New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, trumpeter Thomas Boulton has performed alongside members of the Canadian Brass, New York Philharmonic, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, and musicians on Broadway. Tom’s trumpet playing has been broadcasted live on television to over 200 million homes internationally, heard on numerous National Public Radio programs, and on live concert stages in front of crowds exceeding 25,000. As an educator, clinician, and recitalist, Tom appears at schools and universities across the country and is a published author in the International Trumpet Guild Journal. Tom holds degrees from Rutgers University (Doctor of Musical Arts), Manhattan School of Music (Master of Music), and Eastern Michigan University (Bachelor of Music). His principal teachers include Kevin Cobb, Thomas V. Smith, Carter Eggers, and Michael Bowman. He received additional individual instruction from trumpeting icons Håkan Hardenberger, Thomas Stevens, Gabriele Cassone, Stephen Burns, Edward Carroll, Jim Ross, Mark Gould, David Krauss, Peter Bond, Brian McWhorter, Ray Mase, and Robert Sullivan. Tom has performed under notable conductors such as Alan Gilbert, Marin Alsop, Lorin Maazel, and Kurt Masur and performs regularly in prestigious concert halls including New York City’s Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall. He has recorded on the Sony Classical, Mark Masters, and Naxos Classical labels.

More information can be found at thomasboulton.com

FRENCH HORN

Aleksander Ozolins, Principal

Originally from Verona, New Jersey, Aleksander Ozolins began playing horn at the age of 10. He went on to eventually complete his graduate studies under Michelle Baker, at The Manhattan School of Music in the highly acclaimed Orchestral Performance Department.

As an orchestral performer, Ozolins has performed in countries throughout Europe and Asia under the batons of most notably, James Levine and Herbert Blomstedt. He has been a member of the Verbier (Switzerland) Orchestra, and presently holds the position of Principal Horn of the Philharmonic Orchestra of The Americas.

As a chamber musician, Ozolins also performs regularly on period instruments with groups including Sinfonia New York, Tempesta di Mare of Philadelphia, and the Trinity Consort of Portland, Oregon.

In addition, Ozolins can be found performing anywhere from Broadway shows, to recording studios, to popular music venues.

Aleksander Ozolins is a member of the Chamber Orchestra of New York, since 2007.

BASSOON

Natalie Pilla

Natalie Pilla is quickly establishing herself as an active solo, chamber, and orchestral musician both in and around New York City. As a freelance bassoonist, Natalie has performed with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, American Symphony Orchestra, Brooklyn Philharmonic, Long Island Philharmonic, Albany Symphony, West Chester Philharmonic, and the Harrisburg Symphony.

In 2011, Ms. Pilla joined the Metropolitan Opera on tour in Japan performing La Boheme, Don Carlo and Lucia di Lammermoor. Under the direction of Fabio Luisi, she also performed with the Met Orchestra at Suntory Hall in Tokyo. While in NYC, Natalie performs regularly at Avery Fisher Hall, Alice Tully Hall and Carnegie Hall and has worked with such conductors as Gianandrea Noseda, Christoph Eschenbach and Alan Gilbert.

Natalie is co-founder of the Aeolian Collective, a chamber music ensemble that performs works written primarily for wind and brass instruments. She has performed chamber music throughout the country as well as in South America, Europe and Japan. Ms. Pilla collaborates with various emerging new music ensembles in New York City and was a featured soloist with The Chelsea Symphony performing the Mozart Bassoon Concerto.

As well as being a performer, Natalie is also an advocate for arts education. She is a teaching artist for the 92Y’s Musical Introduction Series where she brings music education to inner city schools in both the Bronx and Harlem. Ms. Pilla teaches bassoon at the Rudolf Steiner School and has taught at both Mannes and Juilliard precolleges.

Natalie received her Master of Music and Professional Studies Diploma from Mannes College of Music in NYC where she studied with Patricia Rogers. She received a Bachelor of Science in Music Therapy from Duquesne University Mary Pappert School of Music. Ms. Pilla’s principal teachers include Marc Goldberg, David Sogg and Shirley Curtiss.

BASSOON

Stephanie Corwin, Principal

Praised for her “warmth and composure” (Wichita Eagle), Stephanie Corwin has established herself at the forefront of up and coming bassoonists. She was named the inaugural winner of the Meg Quigley Vivaldi Bassoon Competition in June 2005 and was a semifinalist in the 2007 Ima Hogg Young Artists Competition. An avid performer of chamber music, she received prizes at the Fischoff, Coleman, Chesapeake and Yellow Springs national chamber music competitions.

Stephanie has participated in the Yellow Barn Music Festival, Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, Spoleto Festival USA, National Repertory Orchestra, and the Aspen Music Festival.

With interest in and passion for historical performance, Stephanie also performs extensively on baroque and classical bassoons. Studying with Frank Morelli, she received her Doctorate of Musical Arts degree from Stony Brook University and her Master of Music degree from Yale University. Stephanie also holds a Performer Diploma in historical bassoons from Indiana University’s Early Music Institute, where she studied with Michael McCraw.

CLARINET

Benjamin Baron, Principal

Hailed as a player of great “emotion, skill, and intensity” (Sioux City Journal), who “played with reverence” (New York Sun) and demonstrated “clean, incisive clarinet playing” (American Record Guide), New York–based clarinetist Benjamin Baron enjoys a diverse career as a performer, educator, and clinician. He has performed with the New York Pops, American Ballet Theater Orchestra, American Composers Orchestra, West Point Band, Belgian Radio Orchestra, and the London Winds, and has toured across North America, Europe, and Asia.

Baron can be heard as principal clarinet and soloist on recordings with the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas, Chamber Orchestra of New York, and The Knights Chamber Orchestra, all currently available on the Sony, Naxos, and Orange Mountain Music labels. As principal clarinet with the New York Symphonic Ensemble, Benjamin performed the Mozart Clarinet Concerto on the orchestra’s thirty-fifth year of summer tours throughout Japan. Additional solo engagements have included the New Haven Symphony, Sioux City Symphony, Ensemble du Monde, One World Symphony, as well as university bands and orchestras in both the United States and Europe.

A versatile musician, Baron has performed with a varied set of chamber, new music, theater, and jazz ensembles—including the International Contemporary Ensemble, Ensemble ACJW, Argento Chamber Ensemble, Paragon Ragtime Orchestra, Sylvan Winds, Quintet of the Americas, Either/Or Ensemble, Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, and the Broadway productions of On the Town, Wicked, and Mary Poppins. Festival appearances include domestic and international engagements in Verbier, Graz, Delft, Williamstown, the Hamptons, Napa Valley, and with the Glimmerglass Opera Orchestra.

As an educator, Benjamin serves as the director of instrumental music at Manhattan’s Calhoun School, and is an adjunct associate professor of music at Lehman College, City University of New York. He regularly presents master classes and clinics at universities throughout the United States, and has also taught within the precollege departments of the Manhattan School of Music and Mannes College The New School for Music. Baron holds graduate degrees from Yale University (M.M.) and the Manhattan School of Music (D.M.A.), where he studied with David Shifrin, Mark Nuccio, and David Krakauer. Undergraduate studies were completed with Robert Spring at Arizona State University (B.M.), with additional degree work earned at the Royal Conservatory of Belgium with Eddy Vanoosthuyse, funded through a grant from the Belgian-American Educational Foundation.

Baron’s book, The Audition Method, written in collaboration with Mark Nuccio, is currently available through GIA Publications. He is a D’Addario Performing Artist and an Artist/Clinician for Buffet Music Group. More information is available at www.benjaminbaron.com

OBOE

Merideth Hite

Named a 2006-07 Fulbright Scholar, Merideth Hite studied Baroque and Modern oboe in the Musikhochschule in Trossingen, Germany. Upon completion of her Fulbright Grant, Merideth received her degree of Künstlerische Ausbildung (KA) under Martin Stadler and Nicholas Daniel. Also a graduate of the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, Ms. Hite received her Bachelor of Music degree summa cum laude in 2006 and she currently studies at Yale School of Music under oboist Steven Taylor in pursuit of a Masters degree.

Bringing a wide array of musical experience to her playing, Ms. Hite has performed orchestrally, as a chamber musician, and soloist. She was awarded first prize at the University of Cincinnati-College Conservatory of Music Oboe Concerto Competition in March 2005, and appeared as a soloist with the CCM Wind Symphony that same year. She also participated in the Barbirolli International Oboe Festival and Competition in the Isle of Man, British Isles in August 2005.

Orchestral experience, both on oboe and English horn, includes the Chamber Orchestra of New York, Kentucky Symphony Orchestra, Norwalk (CT) Symphony, Brevard Music Center Festival Orchestra, Opera and Chamber Music Festival of Lucca Orchestra, Cincinnati Choral Society, Yale and CCM Philharmonias, Yale Collegium Players, Nutmeg Symphony (CT), Waterbury Symphony (CT), and New Britain Sympony Orchestra (CT). Ms. Hite recently returned from an extensive tour of Asia with the Yale Philharmonia.

Notable chamber music performances include the Divisi Quintet of CCM and others at the Banff Arts Centre, South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities, and Sewanee Summer Music Festival. Most recently, during the summer 2008 performed in chamber, orchestral, and opera performances in the Spoleto USA Festival in her home state of South Carolina.

Merideth has continued her work on baroque oboe since returning from Germany under the tutelage of Marc Schachman. She performs on historical instruments with numerous Baroque ensembles at Yale and the New Haven area, including Yale’s Institute of Sacred Music and the Amherst Early Music Festival Academy. Ms. Hite is a native of Abbeville, SC.

OBOE

Slava Znatchenii, Principal

Slava Znatchenii has been called “a beautifully crafted musician” by The Met Opera Guild and the New York Times has noted Mr. Znatchenii for his shapely sound and velocity. The Times Union has described his oboe solos in the Brahms Requiem as “exquisite” and TheaterScene.net praised his playing for being “notably strong and expressive”. He has appeared as guest Principal Oboist with such orchestras as the New England Symphonic Ensemble at Carnegie Hall, the American Ballet Orchestra and DiCapo Opera Orchestra. Slava Znatchenii has served as the Principal Oboe of Chamber Orchestra of New York since the fall of 2007.

Most recently, Mr. Znatchenii became the principal oboist with the Classical Concert Chamber orchestra and toured extensively throughout Spain, France and several other European countries. As a member of the Verbier Chamber Orchestra in 2007, Mr. Znatchenii has toured throughout North America and Europe under the direction of Maxim Vengerov as soloist and conductor. Slava has also performed with such conductors as Pierre Boulez, Kurt Mazur, Leonard Slatkin, David Robertson, Samuel Wang, John Mauceri and John Rutter.

A native of Moldova, Slava Znatchenii started his musical studies at the age of 10.He completed his Bachelor degree at the Mannes College of Music and holds a Masters and a Post Graduate Degree in Orchestral Performance from Manhattan School of Music, where he studied with Joseph Robinson, the principal oboist of the New York Philharmonic and Steven Taylor, the principal oboist of St.Lukes orchestra and the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. Slava also studied English Horn performance and chamber music with the renowned English Hornist Thomas Stacy, also of the New York Philharmonic. Currently, Slava Znatchenii resides in New York City where he also enjoys an active chamber music career and maintains a private teaching studio.

FLUTE

Ginevra Petrucci, Principal

Hailed by the press as “one of the most interesting talents of her generation”, Ginevra Petrucci has performed at Carnegie Hall (New York), Kennedy Center (Washington D.C.), Salle Cortot (Paris), Teatro La Fenice (Venice), Villa Medici (Rome), Ohji Hall (Tokyo), as well as throughout China, South America and the Middle East.

As a soloist, she has appeared in concert with I Pomeriggi Musicali, I Virtuosi Italiani and the Chamber Orchestra of New York, and has released the first recordings of Edouard Dupuy and Ferdinand Buchner’s Concertos. Her chamber music experience has brought her to appear alongside pianists Bruno Canino and Boris Berman, and to a long-standing collaboration with the Kodály Quartet, with whom she has released the highly acclaimed recording of the complete Flute Quintets by Friedrich Kuhlau. Her recording of Robert Muczynski’s Sonata has been praised as “oozing with lifeblood and zest … enthralling and rousing”. In 2017 she has rediscovered and recorded Wilhelm Kempff’s Quartet for flute, strings and piano and toured Italy with its premiere performances.

She has been heard on RAI3 Italian National Radio, and her recital with Jory Vinikour at Myra Hess Memorial Concert Series in Chicago has been broadcast on WFMT. Her feature interviews on the conditions of the migrating artist have been published on the Huffington Post and La Voce di New York.

In 2018, she has promoted the 200th anniversary of flute virtuoso Giulio Briccialdi through the release of the first recording of his four Concertos, where she was described as having “a beautiful phrasing, brilliant virtuosity and a legato worthy of a great singer”. In the same occasion, she has founded the Giulio Briccialdi Online Catalogue, the only existing online platform with full downloadable catalogue dedicated to a flutist composer. Her lectures on Briccialdi and the Romantic Virtuoso Flute Concerto have been hosted by Columbia University, Eastman School, Stony Brook University, the Royal Academy in Dublin, the Chopin Academy in Warsaw, the Paderewsky Academy in Poznan, the Liszt Academy in Budapest, and the Hangzhou University in China.

Ginevra devotes much of her artistic endeavors to contemporary music. At Yale University she has collaborated with George Crumb, Steve Reich, Betsy Jolas and Kaija Saariaho, performing the American premiere of Terrestre. She commissioned Jean-Michel Damase’s last composition, 15 Rubayat d’Omar Khayyam for voice, flute and harp, and she has appeared at the Venice Biennale Contemporary Music Festival with a commissioning project dedicated to Witold Lutosławski. In 2018 she has founded the Flauto d’Amore Project, a large-spanning commission endeavor aimed to the creation of a new music repertoire for the modern flauto d’amore. After the premiere concert in New York City in May 2019, over twenty composers have written, or are in the process of writing new works for the instrument. The next premiere concerts, as well as one-off performances exploring the instrument in different musical styles, are planned for the next three years, as well as residencies, lecture-recitals, recordings, editions and outreach programs.

She has curated the edition of over twenty musical editions, including Briccialdi Concertos for Ricordi/Hal Leonard and first editions of works by Mercadante, Jommelli, Morlacchi, Busoni, De Lorenzo and Brescianello for Keiser/ Southern Music Company and other editors. Her book on the history and repertoire of the flute is adopted in several Italian Conservatories as reference text for the Masters programs. Her scholarly articles appear in the Flutist Quarterly, as well as in the leading flute magazines in Italy and France.

She holds a Doctorate of Musical Arts at Stony Brook University, and a Master of Music at Yale University. Her education include a Master at Santa Cecilia Conservatory in her native Rome under the guidance of her father, and a Diplome Superieur at the École Normale in Paris.

She is Principal Flute at Chamber Orchestra of New York.

ginevrapetrucci.com

CONTRABASS

Christopher Johnson

Christopher Johnson won his first orchestral job in 2007 with the New Haven Symphony. He was the principal bass from 2008-2011 in the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas and co-principal of The New York Chamber Virtuosi in 2010. Chris has also filled in as a substitute bassist in Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, New World Symphony in Miami as well as the Verbier Festival Orchestra in Switzerland. The summer of 2010 Chris attended the Pacific Music Festival in Japan. In 2013 he won a position in the Allentown Symphony Orchestra in Pennsylvania and 1st place in the International Society of Bassist (ISB) Orchestral Competition. He has been playing with the Chamber Orchestra of New York since 2008.

CONTRABASS

Victoria Morris, Principal

A native of Rouse, Bulgaria, Victoria Morris joined the Chamber Orchestra of New York in the spring of 2007. Previously she appeared with Albany Symphony Orchestra and acted as a Principal Bassist of the Hudson Valley Symphony Orchestra.

Widely traveled, Ms. Morris has performed throughout Europe and the United States including venues such as Teatro Carlo Felice in Italy and Carnegie Hall in New York. As a chamber musician she performed regularly at Merkin Hall, Alice Tully Hall and at Barge Music in Brooklyn.

Ms. Morris attended the Music Academy in Sofia under the instruction of Professor Nikolai Nikolov and later received her graduate degree from the Mannes College of Music, where her teachers included Homer Mensch, Orin O’Brien and Marji Danilow.

Victoria Morris recently joined the Orchestra Philarmonica de Minas Gerais, Brazil, where she enjoys an active career of a soloist, chamber musician and Assistant-Principal Bass of the Orchestra.

VIOLONCELLO

Leigh Stuart

Leigh Stuart is a versatile cellist who thrives on performing music from a wide range of styles and genres. She has toured the U.S. extensively as a chamber musician, performing in venues such as Alice Tully Hall, Carnegie Hall, the Deer Valley Music Festival, the Library of Congress, the Lied Center of Kansas, the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, and countless others. She has recorded with Makoto Ozone and Paquito D’Rivera for the album Live and Let Live-Love for Japan, appeared with tap dancing virtuoso, Savion Glover, at the Spoleto Festival in Italy, songwriter, Sufjan Stevens, at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, and Jay-Z, Beyonce, and The Roots at Radio City Music Hall.

Leigh is a founding member of the boundary-breaking new music group, Fireworks Ensemble, described as “adventurous and ahead of the curve” by the Washington Post and “musically fearless” by Time-Out New York. With Fireworks Ensemble, Leigh has premiered over one hundred new works by emerging and established composers, including a recent commission by Pulitzer-prize winning composer, David Del Tredici. This season the ensemble will release an album of selected instrumental chamber rock pieces by Frank Zappa on E1 (formerly Koch Classics).

As a member of the Brooklyn-based, acoustic, ambient ensemble, Bing and Ruth, Leigh has recently performed for the Wordless Music Festival, the MATA Festival, and the Darmstadt “Classics of the Avante Garde” series. She has collaborated with numerous other artists from a vast range of media, including songwriters, Fran Healy (lead singer of Travis), Lia Ices, Marty Wilson Piper (lead singer of The Church), and Shara Worden (lead singer of My Brightest Diamond), progressive rock band, The Mahavishnu Project, Brooklyn-based indie band, Oneida, multi-media dance company, Troika Ranch, and choreographer, Yoshiko Chuma (The School of Hard Knocks).

Recently, Leigh has recorded for Cuneiform, E1, Rough Trade, and for the soundtracks of the PBS documentary, No Job for a Woman (2011), and feature films, Festival of Lights (2010) and Heterosexuals (2010). She also recorded Faure’s Elegy for an episode of the internationally broadcasted show, Law and Order: SVU and has since appeared as a cellist in dramas on CBS, NBC, in a music video for British pop star, Lucie Silvas, and in the Warner Brothers film August Rush.

Originally from Southwestern Connecticut, Leigh began her cello studies at the age of nine. She received her bachelor’s degree from the Hartt School as a student of Steven Thomas and David Wells and her master’s degree from the Manhattan School of Music as a student of David Geber. A dedicated teaching artist, Leigh is on the cello faculty of the Diller-Quaile School.

VIOLONCELLO

Adrian Daurov, Principal

A native of St. Petersburg, Russia and now living in New York City, cellist Adrian Daurov is one of the most dazzling artists of his generation.

Highlights of Adrian Daurov’s current season include his debut with Colorado’s Longmont Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of Elliot Moore, and a return engagement with the Chamber Orchestra of New York at Carnegie Hall, as well as Northeast touring with the Indiana-based Euclid Quartet. Looking ahead to summer, 2020, he will make his debut at the famed New Hampshire Music Festival.

Adrian Daurov, at the age of 15, made his debut as soloist with the St. Petersburg State Symphony Orchestra. Subsequently, he earned top honors at three international competitions – Bulgaria’s 1st International Music Competition “Coast of Hope” (First Prize, 1996); The Netherlands’ Peter De Grote International Music Competition (Grand Prix, 2002); New York City’s L.I.S.M.A. International Music Competition (First Prize, 2004). In 2004, he toured as soloist with the St. Petersburg Chamber Orchestra, performing in St. Petersburg, Moscow, Warsaw and throughout Germany, and was appointed to the dual position of principal cellist and soloist with the Bayreuth Youth Festival Orchestra, under the baton of Peter Gulke. 2008 heard him as a featured participant in a gala Carnegie Hall concert celebrating Russia’s Independence Day, a program that included the distinguished Russian singers Yelena Obratztsova and Vladimir Galouzine.

After studying at the St. Petersburg Conservatory, Adrian Daurov was awarded the Jerome L. Greene Scholarship for advanced studies at The Juilliard School with the renowned cello pedagogue David Soyer (of the Guarneri Quartet). At Juilliard, he completed his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees, graduating in 2009. While still in school, he was appointed principal cellist of The Chamber Orchestra of New York. Mr. Daurov has also collaborated in chamber music programs with pianist Alexander Ghindin, violinist Mark Peskanov and flutist Eugenia Zukerman. Recent seasons have included debuts with the Dayton and Massapequa philharmonic orchestras as well as the symphony orchestras of Bozeman, Glacier, Kalamazoo, Longwood, Ridgefield, Westerville and Wyoming. In 2012, he Passionately devoted to the music of our own time, Adrian Daurov has already presented the world premieres of two important works – In 2008, Fountains of Fin for flute, violin and cello by the Persian composer Behzad Ranjbaran and, in 2009, The Epistle – Concerto for Cello & Chamber Choir by the Siberian composer Yuri Yukechev, written for Mr. Daurov and the Russian Chamber Chorus of New York, Nikolai Kachanov, Artistic Director.

Originally from Southwestern Connecticut, Leigh began her cello studies at the age of nine. She received her bachelor’s degree from the Hartt School as a student of Steven Thomas and David Wells and her master’s degree from the Manhattan School of Music as a student of David Geber. A dedicated teaching artist, Leigh is on the cello faculty of the Diller-Quaile School.

Adrian Daurov’s artistry has been heard on several radio and television stations, including WNYC, WQXR and NTV-America. He is also featured on a recent album by the young New York City-based jazz star Romain Collin.

Adrian Daurov performs on a magnificent 1989 cello crafted by John Terry in Florence, Italy.

parkerartists.com/Adrian-Daurov