2003

Alborada is an international chamber ensemble consisting of pianist Nancy Roldán, violinist José Cueto, with violist Julius Wirth and cellist Suzanne Orban. Roldán, a member of the Peabody Conservatory faculty, maintains an active solo and ensemble performance schedule. Cueto, an artist-in-residence at St. Mary’s College, performs with the Kennedy Center Chamber Players, the Washington Chamber Society and The Casals Festival Chamber Music Series. Wirth is on the faculty at the University of Maryland Baltimore County. Orban is a member of the Baltimore Opera Orchestra and was previously principal cellist of the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra.

Sponsored by Casselman Inn

The members of Strata have been performing together since 1988. Clarinetist Nathan Williams; James Stern, violin/viola and pianist Audrey Andrist all hold the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the Juilliard School and have appeared in concert throughout North America. Williams has received numerous prizes and honors, teaches at the Interlochen Academy and is principal clarinetist with the Winston-Salem Symphony. Stern, a member of the music faculty at the University of Maryland, has appeared in concert throughout the U.S. Andrist, who is married to Stern, maintains an active career as a chamber musician and soloist and performs with her husband in the Stern/Andrist Duo.

Sponsored by First United Bank

Arco Voce, a chamber group of acclaimed musicians from the Washington, D.C. area, specializes in historically informed performances of early music for instruments and voice, as well as standard and modern repertory. Members for this concert include Nina Falk, violin; Steven Silverman, harpsichord; Stephanie Vial, cello and Rosa Lamoreaux, soprano. The ensemble will perform on original instruments. Critics have praised the ensemble for its ability to perform a wide range of repertoire with great technical skill and strong musical expression.

Sponsored by Coldwell Banker

Red and Murphy Henry, a veteran husband-and-wife bluegrass team from Winchester, Virginia, bring more than 25 years’ experience to Penn Alps. Red (mandolin, guitar and fiddle) joins Murphy (banjo and guitar), plus daughter Casey (bass and banjo) and son Christopher (guitar and mandolin) for a family show of humorous originals, old favorites, clever stage patter and plenty of high-powered picking. Since 1974, Red and Murphy have recorded 10 albums and two CDs on their own Arrandem Records label and have appeared at bluegrass festivals from Kansas to Nova Scotia.

Sponsored by Beachy Pharmacy

Soprano Elizabeth Hart joins pianist Nancy Roldán for an evening of Romantic-era songs. Hart, the director of the voice program at Loyola College, performs frequently in the Baltimore-Washington area as both recitalist and chamber musician. Her interests range from 20th century music to caberet music and American song. Roldán, who is also appearing with Alborada to open this Penn Alps season, has been a frequent figure at Penn Alps as a co-organizer of this past fall’s International Piano Festival and performer on several occasions. A native of Argentina, she has performed nationally and internationally.

Sponsored by M & T Bank

Violinist Mark Huggins and pianist Luz Manriquez have been frequent collaborators in chamber music. Huggins, associate concertmaster of the Pittsburgh Symphony since 1987, performs throughout the United States, Europe and Japan. He is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music. Chilean native Manriquez is an artist lecturer in piano and chamber music at Carnegie University, where she earned her master’s degree. She has appeared as soloist, recitalist and chamber musician throughout the United States, Latin America and Europe.

Sponsored by Total Biz Fulfillment

Flutist William Montgomery has been active for many years in the Baltimore-Washington area as a performer, educator, concert producer, consultant and member of numerous organizations involved with music. A professor of flute, chamber music and wind pedagogy at the University of Maryland, he is the flutist with the Theater Chamber Players and has performed with top ensembles in the United States and Europe. Roy Hakes is a well-known collaborator in the Washington area who has appeared at Wolf Trap, the Arts Club of Washington and the Summer School Museum. A winner of a fellowship at Tanglewood and a national accompanying competition, he has taught at Prince George’s Community College and toured with several ensembles.

Sponsored by Gerwig & Associates

Pianist and music educator Lura Johnson returns to Penn Alps after performing in last September’s International Piano Festival. An active recitalist, she has appeared as soloist and chamber musician throughout the United States and Europe, with appearances at Carnegie Hall, the Phillips Collection and the State Department. Her awards include 2nd Prize in the 2003 William Byrd Competition; 1st Prizes in the Rice University, Miami University and Kent State University Piano Competitions; a LaGesse Foundation Fellowship in France, semi-finalist in the Houston Symphony Ima Hogg Competion; and honors at the Wideman International Competition and Midland-Odessa Young Artist Competition. Johnson’s varied interests include not only the standard solo repertoire, but also 20th Century music. She has a strong interest in pianos of different vintages and participated in the 1st Annual Festival for Classical Chamber Music on Period Instruments at Oberlin Conservatory. Now on both the piano faculty at Loyola College and the theory faculty at the Peabody Institute, Johnson holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music from Rice University, where she has also served as staff accompanist. This summer, she is on the faculty of the Sequoia Chamber Music Festival in Arcata, California.

Sponsored by Will ‘O the Wisp
Underwritten by The Iris and Peter Halmos Private Foundation

In 1997, three talented young musicians formed the Mendelssohn Piano Trio to honor the 19th century composer whose versatility they greatly admired. Since then, violinist Peter Sirotin, cellist Fiona Thompson and pianist Ya-Ting Chang have developed a loyal following for their strong individual talents and tight-knit collaboration. Currently the trio is Ensemble-in-Residence for Washington, D.C.’s Embassy Concert Series. All graduates of the Peabody Conservatory, the Mendelssohn Piano Trio performed at Penn Alps in 2001.

Sponsored by  Railey Summer Rentals

Hasse Borup and Amy Leung previously appeared at Penn Alps as part of the Coolidge Quartet during the 2000 season. While with the Quartet, violinist Borup and cellist Leung performed throughout the United States, Europe, Israel, Hong Kong and Guatemala. Both are now on the faculty of the McIntyre Department of Music at the University of Virginia. They also serve as principals with the University Symphony Orchestra and the Charlottesville Symphony and are members of the Rivanna Quartet, an ensemble specializing in traditional and contemporary string quartet literature. Both have won prizes in musical competitions in Europe and the United States.

Sponsored by Garrett Community College

The Miltenberger Jazz Quartet consists of faculty and former students from West Virginia University. The group plays a variety of jazz styles, from Big Band to the Beatles. Organized more than 20 years ago by James Miltenberger, professor of piano at WVU, the ensemble includes Miltenberger, Cumberland native Kevin Lloyd on drums, Scott Green on bass and saxophonist Curtis Johnson, along with vocalist Anna Lama. The quartet has released four compact discs and toured Europe on eight different occasions to outstanding reviews.

Sponsored by Main Street Books

Chiara Selby serves as director of the Institute of Musical Arts and member of the piano and piano pedagogy faculty at The Catholic University of America. A graduate of the Peabody Conservatory and The Catholic University, she performs and lectures nationally and internationally. Ivo Kaltchev, an assistant professor of piano at The Catholic University, has won prizes in numerous international competitions and performed as recitalist, soloist with orchestras, chamber musician and recording artist. After coming to the U.S. in 1990, he earned a master’s degree from Yale University and a doctorate from Rutgers University. Both performers are active as teachers and adjudicators.

Sponsored by Allegany College of Maryland

Joe Lowe of Key West Florida who has appeared at Penn Alps in the past will present an array of music from Broadway and Venia with a special melody of Sigmund Romberg.