A native of Alabama and an honors graduate of the Alabama School of Fine Arts, Charles Staples received his early training under Witold Turkiewicz. After winning the Van Cliburn full-tuition scholarship to Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music, he entered college after his junior year of high school on an early admission program and began his studies with internationally acclaimed pianist David Bar-Illan. While in Cincinnati he played with the CCM Concert Orchestra and the North Carolina Symphony twice each, and with the Congress of Strings under Milton Katims. He won prizes in the MTNA Southern Division Competition and the Bryan Young Artist Competition, as well as several local competitions. He also made several appearances as soloist and accompanist on Cincinnati’s public radio station, WGUC.
Upon graduating magna cum laude, he earned an assistantship to teach piano at Stony Brook University in New York and to study with Martin Canin. He received his master’s and doctoral degrees there, winning prizes in the Five Towns and Sunwood competitions. He also represented Stony Brook on WQXR radio in a series on New York’s top-five music schools. After graduation, he was chosen to open the 1984 Select Debut Series in New York City’s historic Town Hall. Since coming to Richmond, he has played numerous recitals and has appeared in chamber music, orchestral concerts and over public radio on WCVE. He has also held the position of visiting assistant professor of music at the University of Richmond.
Staples has held teaching and church music positions in Alabama, New York and Texas and is currently director of music ministries at Trinity United Methodist Church in Richmond. He is on the music faculty of VCU. Along with being a pianist, he is also a black belt in Tae Kwon Do. Staples has performed as soloist with both the Richmond Symphony in Liszt’s Totentanz and the Richmond Philharmonic in Beethoven’s Emperor Concerto, Rachmaninoff’s 1 st and 2nd Piano Concerti and in Tchaikovsky’s 1st Piano Concerto. Most recently, he was featured as soloist with the University of Richmond Orchestra in Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue and Grieg’s Piano Concerto. “[He] proved yesterday to be fully up to the technical and expressive demands of the Rachmaninoff concerto . . . the pianist lifted more than 300 listeners out of their seats in a cheering ovation after a performance that was both bravura and lyrically sensitized.” After his first recital in Richmond, Richmond News Leader music critic Francis Church wrote that Staples “is a pianist of prodigious talent, fire and thunder, blood and guts . . . this was no metronomic key-banging. It was piano playing that reached to the listeners’ emotional jugular veins!”
Upon graduating magna cum laude, he earned an assistantship to teach piano at Stony Brook University in New York and to study with Martin Canin. He received his master’s and doctoral degrees there, winning prizes in the Five Towns and Sunwood competitions. He also represented Stony Brook on WQXR radio in a series on New York’s top-five music schools. After graduation, he was chosen to open the 1984 Select Debut Series in New York City’s historic Town Hall. Since coming to Richmond, he has played numerous recitals and has appeared in chamber music, orchestral concerts and over public radio on WCVE. He has also held the position of visiting assistant professor of music at the University of Richmond.
Staples has held teaching and church music positions in Alabama, New York and Texas and is currently director of music ministries at Trinity United Methodist Church in Richmond. He is on the music faculty of VCU. Along with being a pianist, he is also a black belt in Tae Kwon Do. Staples has performed as soloist with both the Richmond Symphony in Liszt’s Totentanz and the Richmond Philharmonic in Beethoven’s Emperor Concerto, Rachmaninoff’s 1 st and 2nd Piano Concerti and in Tchaikovsky’s 1st Piano Concerto. Most recently, he was featured as soloist with the University of Richmond Orchestra in Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue and Grieg’s Piano Concerto. “[He] proved yesterday to be fully up to the technical and expressive demands of the Rachmaninoff concerto . . . the pianist lifted more than 300 listeners out of their seats in a cheering ovation after a performance that was both bravura and lyrically sensitized.” After his first recital in Richmond, Richmond News Leader music critic Francis Church wrote that Staples “is a pianist of prodigious talent, fire and thunder, blood and guts . . . this was no metronomic key-banging. It was piano playing that reached to the listeners’ emotional jugular veins!”
Chioke I’Anson is Instructor of African American Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University. A philosopher by trade, he studies Africana philosophy and German idealism. Chioke is currently the voice of underwriting for NPR newscasts and digital downloads. He loves motorcycles. Like, a lot.
Hailed in classical circles as “among the very best trumpet soloists in the world today,” (International Trumpet Guild) and in jazz as “a standout soloist with the power, range and flexibility to rival Freddie Hubbard and Woody Shaw,” (DownBeat Magazine) Yamaha Performing Artist Rex Richardson was named the 2008 Brass Herald Personality of the Year.
A veteran of the acclaimed chamber ensemble Rhythm & Brass, jazz legend Joe Henderson’s Quintet and Sextet, William Russo’s Chicago Jazz Ensemble, and the Brass Band of Battle Creek, known as the world’s “Rolls Royce of Brass Bands” (Brass Band World), he stays busy as a headline artist at international brass and jazz festivals and as a soloist with orchestras, concert bands, brass bands and jazz ensembles on five continents. These ensembles have ranged from the Phoenix Symphony to the U.S. Army Field Band, and from England’s Fodens Brass Band to the U.S. Air Force’s Airmen of Note Jazz Ensemble.
Richardson has collaborated with countless legendary artists and ensembles, including Brian Blade, Benny Carter, Boston Brass, Ray Charles, Mike Clarke, Dave Douglas, Kurt Elling, Carl Fontana, Aretha Franklin, Wycliffe Gordon, Stefon Harris, Conrad Herwig, Dave Holland, Dave Liebman, Keith Lockhart, James Morrison, Jimmy Owens, Jim Pugh, Chris Potter, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Arturo Sandoval, Bobby Shew, Allen Vizzutti, Bill Watrous, and Steve Wilson. Jazz trumpet star Dave Douglas has called Rex “A national treasure.” (Style Weekly magazine)
A tireless champion of new music and an advocate of improvisation in classical as well as jazz settings, he presented the premiere performances of genre-bending concertos by Dana Wilson, Doug Richards and Peter Meechan on five continents since 2006. Since then he has performed James Stephenson’s Trumpet Concerto no. 2, “Rextreme.” in over twenty countries. 2016 will see the premiere performances of four new concertos written for him by Anthony Plog, Allen Vizzutti, David Sampson and Andy Scott.
Richardson’s first six solo recordings, including the 2010 release Magnum Opus: 21st Century Trumpet Concertos are all released on Summit Records. His most recent CDs, Bugles Over Zagreb: the Music of Doug Richards” and Blue Shift have just been released in October of 2014 to rave reviews. Style Weekly called Richardson “One of the world’s most engaging and astonishingly versatile trumpeters.”
Richardson has taught at Virginia Commonwealth University since 2002. He served as Yamaha Artist-in-Residence for the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, England for spring of 2012 and thereafter served the RNCM as International Tutor in Trumpet until 2015. He has a degree in Anthropology from Northwestern University and degrees in Music from Louisiana State University.
A veteran of the acclaimed chamber ensemble Rhythm & Brass, jazz legend Joe Henderson’s Quintet and Sextet, William Russo’s Chicago Jazz Ensemble, and the Brass Band of Battle Creek, known as the world’s “Rolls Royce of Brass Bands” (Brass Band World), he stays busy as a headline artist at international brass and jazz festivals and as a soloist with orchestras, concert bands, brass bands and jazz ensembles on five continents. These ensembles have ranged from the Phoenix Symphony to the U.S. Army Field Band, and from England’s Fodens Brass Band to the U.S. Air Force’s Airmen of Note Jazz Ensemble.
Richardson has collaborated with countless legendary artists and ensembles, including Brian Blade, Benny Carter, Boston Brass, Ray Charles, Mike Clarke, Dave Douglas, Kurt Elling, Carl Fontana, Aretha Franklin, Wycliffe Gordon, Stefon Harris, Conrad Herwig, Dave Holland, Dave Liebman, Keith Lockhart, James Morrison, Jimmy Owens, Jim Pugh, Chris Potter, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Arturo Sandoval, Bobby Shew, Allen Vizzutti, Bill Watrous, and Steve Wilson. Jazz trumpet star Dave Douglas has called Rex “A national treasure.” (Style Weekly magazine)
A tireless champion of new music and an advocate of improvisation in classical as well as jazz settings, he presented the premiere performances of genre-bending concertos by Dana Wilson, Doug Richards and Peter Meechan on five continents since 2006. Since then he has performed James Stephenson’s Trumpet Concerto no. 2, “Rextreme.” in over twenty countries. 2016 will see the premiere performances of four new concertos written for him by Anthony Plog, Allen Vizzutti, David Sampson and Andy Scott.
Richardson’s first six solo recordings, including the 2010 release Magnum Opus: 21st Century Trumpet Concertos are all released on Summit Records. His most recent CDs, Bugles Over Zagreb: the Music of Doug Richards” and Blue Shift have just been released in October of 2014 to rave reviews. Style Weekly called Richardson “One of the world’s most engaging and astonishingly versatile trumpeters.”
Richardson has taught at Virginia Commonwealth University since 2002. He served as Yamaha Artist-in-Residence for the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, England for spring of 2012 and thereafter served the RNCM as International Tutor in Trumpet until 2015. He has a degree in Anthropology from Northwestern University and degrees in Music from Louisiana State University.
David Dash is Assistant Professor of Trumpet at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and a member of the Santa Fe Opera Orchestra. Previous to his UNCSA appointment, he served as Assistant Principal Trumpet of the Naples Philharmonic and was a member of “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band, where he performed as a soloist and toured much of the United States. He has also performed with the Atlanta, Baltimore, Charleston, Charlotte, Richmond, and San Francisco Symphonies, the Florida Orchestra, and the Sarasota Opera. This season, he has filled in as Associate Principal Trumpet with the Charlotte Symphony on several concert. In addition to “The President’s Own,” he has performed as a soloist with the Naples Philharmonic, Naples Orchestra and Chorus, Naples Concert Band, Bonita Springs Concert Band, Monmouth Symphony, and the Astoria Symphony. As a member of the Naples Philharmonic, David performed in a wide variety of genres, including pops, opera, ballet, baroque, educational concerts, and masterworks. While in “The President’s Own” Marine Band, he performed “Taps at the nationally broadcast PBS National Memorial Day Concert and performed frequently at the White House and state functions.
David performs with his wife Mary Bowden in Watson Brass, the faculty brass quintet at UNCSA, as well as the Dash Duo. While in the Naples Philharmonic, he performed several annual recitals with the Naples Philharmonic Brass Quintet. He was a member of the Bay Street Brassworks and the Echelon Brass Quintet, and has performed with the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival.
His recordings include Cold Mountain and The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs with the Santa Fe Opera (Pentatone). Cold Mountain received two Grammy nominations. He also recorded American Anthems with the Gramercy Brass Band (Koch International), the Manhattan School of Music Opera Theater (Albany Records), and Carmen Symphony and Other Classics (Naxos Records) and Symphonic Dances with “The President’s Own” Marine Band.
David received his Bachelor of Music degree from Rice University and his Master of Music degree from the Manhattan School of Music. He received scholarships to the Orchestra Institute in Attergau, Austria, and the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival. His teachers include Armando Ghitalla, Robert Sullivan, Mark Niehaus, and Tim White.
David performs with his wife Mary Bowden in Watson Brass, the faculty brass quintet at UNCSA, as well as the Dash Duo. While in the Naples Philharmonic, he performed several annual recitals with the Naples Philharmonic Brass Quintet. He was a member of the Bay Street Brassworks and the Echelon Brass Quintet, and has performed with the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival.
His recordings include Cold Mountain and The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs with the Santa Fe Opera (Pentatone). Cold Mountain received two Grammy nominations. He also recorded American Anthems with the Gramercy Brass Band (Koch International), the Manhattan School of Music Opera Theater (Albany Records), and Carmen Symphony and Other Classics (Naxos Records) and Symphonic Dances with “The President’s Own” Marine Band.
David received his Bachelor of Music degree from Rice University and his Master of Music degree from the Manhattan School of Music. He received scholarships to the Orchestra Institute in Attergau, Austria, and the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival. His teachers include Armando Ghitalla, Robert Sullivan, Mark Niehaus, and Tim White.
Classical Trumpeter and Gold Medal Global Music Award Winner Mary Elizabeth Bowden has been described by Gramophone Magazine as “brilliant” and “radiant in new repertoire for trumpet.” Bowden, a Yamaha Performing Artist, is highly regarded for her artistry and virtuosity as a soloist, and has been praised for the clarity, purity and power of her sound. Bowden released her debut album, “Radiance”, on Summit Records featuring new American works. She has been featured on MPR’s “New Classical Tracks” with Julie Amacher, which is being aired on NPR stations nationwide.
Bowden’s 2018-19 performance highlights include solo performances at the Maspalomas International Trumpet Festival in Gran Canaria and at Lieksa Brass Week in Finland. She will also perform as a soloist with the Kassia Ensemble, Chrysalis Chamber Players, Richmond Philharmonic, and will make her Vancouver and New York City recital debuts. She will release her second solo album through Summit Records with the Kassia Ensemble.
Bowden is the First Prize winner of the International Women’s Brass Conference Trumpet Competition. She has performed as a soloist with Montana’s Big Sky Festival, Evansville Philharmonic, Peninsula Symphony (California), Laredo Philharmonic Orchestra, Croatian Army Wind Band at the Velika Gorica Brass Festival, Festival Amadeus Strings (Montana), Springfield Symphony (Missouri), Naples Symphony, Fifth Avenue Chamber Orchestra (Florida), Richmond Philharmonic Orchestra, San Juan Symphony, Springfield (Ohio) Symphony Orchestra and New Haven Chamber Orchestra, among several others. She has performed with trumpet soloist Jouko Harjanne at the Lieksa Brass Week in Finland, where she also served on the jury of the Lieksa International Trumpet Competition. At The Banff Center in Alberta, Canada, she performed Vivaldi’s Concerto for 2 Trumpets with trumpeters Jens Lindemann and Ryan Anthony. She was also awarded the Public Prize from the Perrenoud Foundation International Music Competition. Bowden frequently performs in recital both in solo programs and as the Dash Duo with her husband, trumpeter David Dash. Bowden and Dash teach at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, Dash as the Assistant Professor of Trumpet and Bowden as a Resident Artist.
Bowden is a founding member of both Seraph Brass and the Chrysalis Chamber Players, a recipient of a Yale Alumni Grant. Seraph will be a guest ensemble at the 2019 International Trumpet Guild Conference in Miami and was the featured ensemble at the International Women’s Brass Conference in 2017 and at the Lieksa Brass Week in Finland in 2017 and 18. They released their debut album, “Asteria,” through Summit Records in 2018, which has been awarded a Silver Medal Global Music Award. Bowden has collaborated in chamber music programs at the Marlboro Music Festival, Lakes Area Music Festival, The Banff Centre, and at the Sydney Opera House under the baton of Håkan Hardenberger. She has served on the adjunct faculty of Virginia Commonwealth University and at The Curtis Institute of Music’s Young Artist Summer Program.
An experienced orchestral musician, Bowden is currently Principal Trumpet of the Artosphere Festival Orchestra and a member of the Iris Orchestra. She has served as Principal Trumpet of the Sarasota Opera Orchestra, Lakes Area Music Festival Orchestra, New Zealand’s Auckland Philharmonia, the Daejeon Philharmonic in Korea, and with Seraphic Fire’s Firebird Chamber Orchestra. At the Lucerne Festival in Switzerland, she held the principal chair in Pierre Boulez’s performance of Mahler’s Symphony No. 6, which was released on CD in 2011. The Luzerner Zeitung described her playing in one word – “outstanding.” Bowden is also a member of the Richmond Symphony Orchestra. She has also performed many dates on Adele’s 2016 North American tour.
Bowden began full-time college studies at the age of 14, receiving an Associate degree from the Joliet Junior College. Subsequently, she earned her Bachelor of Music degree from The Curtis Institute of Music, where she studied with the principal trumpeter of the Philadelphia Orchestra, David Bilger. She was awarded her Master of Music degree in 2006 from the Yale School of Music where she studied on a full scholarship with trumpeter Allan Dean.
Bowden’s 2018-19 performance highlights include solo performances at the Maspalomas International Trumpet Festival in Gran Canaria and at Lieksa Brass Week in Finland. She will also perform as a soloist with the Kassia Ensemble, Chrysalis Chamber Players, Richmond Philharmonic, and will make her Vancouver and New York City recital debuts. She will release her second solo album through Summit Records with the Kassia Ensemble.
Bowden is the First Prize winner of the International Women’s Brass Conference Trumpet Competition. She has performed as a soloist with Montana’s Big Sky Festival, Evansville Philharmonic, Peninsula Symphony (California), Laredo Philharmonic Orchestra, Croatian Army Wind Band at the Velika Gorica Brass Festival, Festival Amadeus Strings (Montana), Springfield Symphony (Missouri), Naples Symphony, Fifth Avenue Chamber Orchestra (Florida), Richmond Philharmonic Orchestra, San Juan Symphony, Springfield (Ohio) Symphony Orchestra and New Haven Chamber Orchestra, among several others. She has performed with trumpet soloist Jouko Harjanne at the Lieksa Brass Week in Finland, where she also served on the jury of the Lieksa International Trumpet Competition. At The Banff Center in Alberta, Canada, she performed Vivaldi’s Concerto for 2 Trumpets with trumpeters Jens Lindemann and Ryan Anthony. She was also awarded the Public Prize from the Perrenoud Foundation International Music Competition. Bowden frequently performs in recital both in solo programs and as the Dash Duo with her husband, trumpeter David Dash. Bowden and Dash teach at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, Dash as the Assistant Professor of Trumpet and Bowden as a Resident Artist.
Bowden is a founding member of both Seraph Brass and the Chrysalis Chamber Players, a recipient of a Yale Alumni Grant. Seraph will be a guest ensemble at the 2019 International Trumpet Guild Conference in Miami and was the featured ensemble at the International Women’s Brass Conference in 2017 and at the Lieksa Brass Week in Finland in 2017 and 18. They released their debut album, “Asteria,” through Summit Records in 2018, which has been awarded a Silver Medal Global Music Award. Bowden has collaborated in chamber music programs at the Marlboro Music Festival, Lakes Area Music Festival, The Banff Centre, and at the Sydney Opera House under the baton of Håkan Hardenberger. She has served on the adjunct faculty of Virginia Commonwealth University and at The Curtis Institute of Music’s Young Artist Summer Program.
An experienced orchestral musician, Bowden is currently Principal Trumpet of the Artosphere Festival Orchestra and a member of the Iris Orchestra. She has served as Principal Trumpet of the Sarasota Opera Orchestra, Lakes Area Music Festival Orchestra, New Zealand’s Auckland Philharmonia, the Daejeon Philharmonic in Korea, and with Seraphic Fire’s Firebird Chamber Orchestra. At the Lucerne Festival in Switzerland, she held the principal chair in Pierre Boulez’s performance of Mahler’s Symphony No. 6, which was released on CD in 2011. The Luzerner Zeitung described her playing in one word – “outstanding.” Bowden is also a member of the Richmond Symphony Orchestra. She has also performed many dates on Adele’s 2016 North American tour.
Bowden began full-time college studies at the age of 14, receiving an Associate degree from the Joliet Junior College. Subsequently, she earned her Bachelor of Music degree from The Curtis Institute of Music, where she studied with the principal trumpeter of the Philadelphia Orchestra, David Bilger. She was awarded her Master of Music degree in 2006 from the Yale School of Music where she studied on a full scholarship with trumpeter Allan Dean.
Thomas Jöstlein, Associate Principal Horn with the St. Louis Symphony since 2010, enjoys an active and varied musical life. From 2007-09, Jöstlein was the New York Philharmonic's Assistant Principal Horn, playing all positions, including Associate Principal and Third Horn. Under Music Director Lorin Maazel, he was on three major tours, including the historic live broadcast from North Korea (2008). Previously, he held positions with the Honolulu, Omaha, Richmond, and Kansas City symphony orchestras, and performed in summer festivals in Oregon, Ohio, Colorado, and North Carolina. He has served as Assistant Professor of Horn at the University of Illinois, playing in the Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra and Ian Hobson's Sinfonia da Camera while teaching horn and orchestral repertoire. He taught several weeks at Indiana University in 2014 in both natural and un-natural (i.e. valved) horn, and has held adjunct positions at the University of Hawaii and at Virginia Commonwealth University.
An active soloist, Jöstlein won First Prize in the professional division of the American Horn Competition in 2003, and the Grand Prize at the Hugo Kauder Music Competition at Yale University in 2005, earning a recital at Merkin Concert Hall in New York City. In 2014, he appeared with his hornist colleagues in the St. Louis Symphony as a soloist on Schumann's Concertstück for Four Horns and Orchestra, op. 86.
As a composer, he has had several works published, including his original setting of Clement Moore’s ’Twas the Night before Christmas for Horn Trio and narrator (Cimarron Press). He appears on several recordings, notably Tony Bennett’s Duets II album, along with Phil Myers, Principal Horn, New York Philharmonic, and Jöstlein’s sister, Barbara Currie, Fourth Horn with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra.
He is indebted to his terrific teachers, notably tubists Arnold Jacobs and Roger Rocco, and hornists William VerMeulen, Philip Farkas, Tom Bacon, and Nancy Fako. He performs on horns by K. Berg, E. Schmid, R. Seraphinoff, J. Vanon, and L.J. Raoux. Thomas Jöstlein lives in University City, Missouri with wife and fellow horn player, Tricia, and sons Klaus and Max.
An active soloist, Jöstlein won First Prize in the professional division of the American Horn Competition in 2003, and the Grand Prize at the Hugo Kauder Music Competition at Yale University in 2005, earning a recital at Merkin Concert Hall in New York City. In 2014, he appeared with his hornist colleagues in the St. Louis Symphony as a soloist on Schumann's Concertstück for Four Horns and Orchestra, op. 86.
As a composer, he has had several works published, including his original setting of Clement Moore’s ’Twas the Night before Christmas for Horn Trio and narrator (Cimarron Press). He appears on several recordings, notably Tony Bennett’s Duets II album, along with Phil Myers, Principal Horn, New York Philharmonic, and Jöstlein’s sister, Barbara Currie, Fourth Horn with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra.
He is indebted to his terrific teachers, notably tubists Arnold Jacobs and Roger Rocco, and hornists William VerMeulen, Philip Farkas, Tom Bacon, and Nancy Fako. He performs on horns by K. Berg, E. Schmid, R. Seraphinoff, J. Vanon, and L.J. Raoux. Thomas Jöstlein lives in University City, Missouri with wife and fellow horn player, Tricia, and sons Klaus and Max.
James Ferree joined the Richmond Symphony in January 2012 as Principal Horn. An Atlanta native, James began piano studies at age 6, and when singing as an 11-year-old choir boy behind the horn section of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra with Robert Shaw in 5th grade, he was inspired to pursue a career in the horn. Soon after he began studies with Richard Deane, and in 2003 he was the recipient of the Jon Hawkins Memorial Scholarship of the International Horn Society. After a timely family move to Germany, where he studied with horn legend Hermann Baumann, he was accepted to the Juilliard School with Presidential Distinction to study with Jerome Ashby (BM) and William Purvis (MM). Upon graduation, he joined the New World Symphony in Miami under music director Michael Tilson Thomas.
Solo appearances include the Britten Serenade for Tenor, Horn & Strings with the RSO and Messiaen’s Des Canyons aux Ètoiles at Juilliard. When he performed Glière’s Horn Concerto as a member of the New World Symphony, the South Florida Classical Review wrote, “The accuracy of James Ferree’s playing stood out…and [James] displayed a mastery of the instrument that allowed him to paint all the moods…golden sounds.” James has performed with the orchestras of Atlanta, Virginia, Florida, Jacksonville, Charleston, and Kansas City. In 2015 he joined the Los Angeles Philharmonic on their Asia Tour, and a recording of Mahler Symphony No. 6 for upcoming release (TBD), under the direction of Gustavo Dudamel. He can also be heard alongside the American Brass Quintet in their 50th Anniversary album. During the summers, James is a member of the Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra in Switzerland, with whom he joined in violinist David Garrett’s 2014 Germany tour. James has also participated in the festivals of Tanglewood, Spoleto USA, and Music Academy of the West.
James is active locally as a chamber artist, performing with the Atlantic Chamber Ensemble, Richmond Chamber Players, Chamber Music Society of Central Virginia, and the Staunton Music Festival. As a teacher, James enjoys masterclass engagements at universities throughout the region. While at Juilliard, James also devoted study to composition and theory with Dr. Philip Lasser and Eric Ewazen, and James’s Sonata on its Knees was premiered by renowned horn soloist David Jolley. More recent premieres include his piece for violin and piano, Love for a Sweater, with RSO concertmaster Daisuke Yamamoto, and his quintet For a Newborn with the RSO’s principal winds.
James resides in Richmond with his two cats, who do not like the horn but do like eating bugs. When not performing, he enjoys a good game of baseball or disc golf, reading a book over coffee, and participating at his church.
Solo appearances include the Britten Serenade for Tenor, Horn & Strings with the RSO and Messiaen’s Des Canyons aux Ètoiles at Juilliard. When he performed Glière’s Horn Concerto as a member of the New World Symphony, the South Florida Classical Review wrote, “The accuracy of James Ferree’s playing stood out…and [James] displayed a mastery of the instrument that allowed him to paint all the moods…golden sounds.” James has performed with the orchestras of Atlanta, Virginia, Florida, Jacksonville, Charleston, and Kansas City. In 2015 he joined the Los Angeles Philharmonic on their Asia Tour, and a recording of Mahler Symphony No. 6 for upcoming release (TBD), under the direction of Gustavo Dudamel. He can also be heard alongside the American Brass Quintet in their 50th Anniversary album. During the summers, James is a member of the Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra in Switzerland, with whom he joined in violinist David Garrett’s 2014 Germany tour. James has also participated in the festivals of Tanglewood, Spoleto USA, and Music Academy of the West.
James is active locally as a chamber artist, performing with the Atlantic Chamber Ensemble, Richmond Chamber Players, Chamber Music Society of Central Virginia, and the Staunton Music Festival. As a teacher, James enjoys masterclass engagements at universities throughout the region. While at Juilliard, James also devoted study to composition and theory with Dr. Philip Lasser and Eric Ewazen, and James’s Sonata on its Knees was premiered by renowned horn soloist David Jolley. More recent premieres include his piece for violin and piano, Love for a Sweater, with RSO concertmaster Daisuke Yamamoto, and his quintet For a Newborn with the RSO’s principal winds.
James resides in Richmond with his two cats, who do not like the horn but do like eating bugs. When not performing, he enjoys a good game of baseball or disc golf, reading a book over coffee, and participating at his church.
George Harple was an active member of the Richmond Symphony for 29 years, retiring in 2002. Originally from upstate New York, George graduated from the Crane School of Music, State University of New York in Potsdam NY. After graduation, George decided he was interested in a life in the south. He applied for a position in the Richmond Symphony and was accepted. While continuing a career with the Richmond Symphony, George also began teaching music in private schools in Richmond, and he discovered a passion for teaching music to young students. As he continued to teach with private schools, George was then offered a full time teaching position in 1989 with Richmond Public Schools. George continues to not only teach and inspire young students his love of music, but also provides instruments for students in need.
George is the proud father of 2 married daughters and one granddaughter. Upon retirement from the Richmond Symphony, George joined the Richmond Philharmonic. He feels very privileged to be included in this horn quartet for this season’s performance of Robert Schumann’s Konzertstück.
George is the proud father of 2 married daughters and one granddaughter. Upon retirement from the Richmond Symphony, George joined the Richmond Philharmonic. He feels very privileged to be included in this horn quartet for this season’s performance of Robert Schumann’s Konzertstück.
Merry Beth Hall is co-principal horn in the Richmond Philharmonic, and a member of the Beltway Brass Quintet and Commonwealth Winds. She holds a Bachelor of Music Education from James Madison University and a Master of Public Administration from Virginia Commonwealth University. Her horn teachers include Jeff Bianchi and the late John Cryder.
Outside of music performance, Mrs. Hall is Assistant Vice President for Workforce Development at the Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors -- National Association Educational Foundation. Her role at the PHCC Educational Foundation is to help attract and train new talent into the plumbing and HVAC trades. She was recognized by Plumbing Engineer magazine as one of its 2016 Industry Leading Ladies.
Outside of music performance, Mrs. Hall is Assistant Vice President for Workforce Development at the Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors -- National Association Educational Foundation. Her role at the PHCC Educational Foundation is to help attract and train new talent into the plumbing and HVAC trades. She was recognized by Plumbing Engineer magazine as one of its 2016 Industry Leading Ladies.
Romanian violinist Irina Muresanu has won the hearts of audiences and critics alike with her exciting, elegant and heartfelt performances of the classic, romantic and modern repertoire. The Boston Globe has come to praise her as “not just a virtuoso, but an artist” and the Los Angeles Times has written that her “musical luster, melting lyricism and colorful conception made Irina Muresanu’s performance especially admirable” while Strad Magazine called her Carnegie/Weill Hall performance “a first-rate recital”. Irina Muresanu’s performances have been frequently cited as among the Best of Classical Music Performances by the Boston Globe, and her recital in the Emerging Artist Celebrity Series was named one of the Top 10 musical events by the TAB Magazine.
Early on Muresanu achieved international acclaim as an outstanding young soloist, recitalist and chamber musician winning top prizes in several prestigious international violin competitions including the Montreal International, Queen Elizabeth International, UNISA International String, Washington International, and the Schadt String Competition. She is the winner of the Pro Musicis International Award, the Presser Music Award, the Kate Kinley Fellowship Award from the University of Illinois and the Arthur Foote Award from the Harvard Musical Association.
Muresanu has performed in renowned concert halls throughout North America, Europe and Asia. Her recent solo engagements include concerts with the Boston Pops, the Miami Symphony Orchestra, the Williamsburg Symphonia, the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande (Geneva), the Syracuse Symphony, the Metropolitan Orchestra (Montreal), the Transvaal Philharmonic (Pretoria, S. Africa), the Romanian National Orchestra, the Orchestre de la Radio Flamande (Brussels), the Boston Philharmonic, the Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra, the New England String Ensemble amongst others.
In 2013, Muresanu introduced her “Four Strings Around the World” project, a solo violin recital featuring works of composers inspired by various musical cultures around the world. An early reviewer of the project wrote that “[W]hen the D Major section moves into D minor [in Bach’s Chaccone], it seemed as if the violin had had its heart broken and was crying. Muresanu’s performance was simply spectacular.”
Her recent recording releases include the Thomas Oboe Lee Violin Concerto (dedicated to Muresanu) on the BMOP label, works of Elena Ruehr (also dedicated to Irina Muresanu) on Avie Records label and the complete William Bolcom’s Violin and Piano Sonatas on Centaur label with pianist Michael Lewin (a recording that was funded by a Copland Recording Grant). In Europe, her recording of the Guillaume Lekeu and Alberic Magnard late Romantic Violin and Piano Sonatas with pianist Dana Ciocarlie for the AR RE-SE French label has sparked enthusiasm. Fanfare noted the recording with “singing and soaring…[a] sizzling performance.” Ms. Muresanu has also recorded chamber music works of Gerhard Schedl with the Walden Chamber Players, the world premiere recording of Marion Bauer’s Sonata for Violin and Piano with pianist Virginia Eskin on Albany Records, and a CD featuring chamber works of Erich Korngold released by the VPRO Radio Amsterdam. Adding to her other competition laurels, Ms. Muresanu was granted a Special Commendation award for her recording of Schoenberg’s Fantasy for Violin and Piano at the 3rd International Vienna Modern Masters Performers Recording Competition.
An active chamber musician and recitalist, Ms. Muresanu has appeared in such festivals and venues as Bargemusic in New York, the Rockport Festival in Massachusetts, Bay Chambers concert series and Bowdoin Festival in Maine, the Strings in the Mountains and San Juan Music Festival in Colorado, Maui Chamber Music Festival in Hawaii, Reizend Music Festival in Netherlands, Festival van de Leie in Belgium, and the Renncontres des Musiciennes Festival in France. Ms. Muresanu has been a member of the Boston Trio since 2002 and she regularly performs with Mistral and the Walden Chamber Players.
Irina Muresanu currently serves on the faculty the University of Maryland and Boston Conservatory, and has taught in the Harvard and MIT Music Departments. She received the prestigious Artist Diploma degree and a Doctor in Musical Arts degree from the New England Conservatory. She plays an 1849 Giuseppe Rocca violin and an Etienne Pajeot bow.
Early on Muresanu achieved international acclaim as an outstanding young soloist, recitalist and chamber musician winning top prizes in several prestigious international violin competitions including the Montreal International, Queen Elizabeth International, UNISA International String, Washington International, and the Schadt String Competition. She is the winner of the Pro Musicis International Award, the Presser Music Award, the Kate Kinley Fellowship Award from the University of Illinois and the Arthur Foote Award from the Harvard Musical Association.
Muresanu has performed in renowned concert halls throughout North America, Europe and Asia. Her recent solo engagements include concerts with the Boston Pops, the Miami Symphony Orchestra, the Williamsburg Symphonia, the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande (Geneva), the Syracuse Symphony, the Metropolitan Orchestra (Montreal), the Transvaal Philharmonic (Pretoria, S. Africa), the Romanian National Orchestra, the Orchestre de la Radio Flamande (Brussels), the Boston Philharmonic, the Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra, the New England String Ensemble amongst others.
In 2013, Muresanu introduced her “Four Strings Around the World” project, a solo violin recital featuring works of composers inspired by various musical cultures around the world. An early reviewer of the project wrote that “[W]hen the D Major section moves into D minor [in Bach’s Chaccone], it seemed as if the violin had had its heart broken and was crying. Muresanu’s performance was simply spectacular.”
Her recent recording releases include the Thomas Oboe Lee Violin Concerto (dedicated to Muresanu) on the BMOP label, works of Elena Ruehr (also dedicated to Irina Muresanu) on Avie Records label and the complete William Bolcom’s Violin and Piano Sonatas on Centaur label with pianist Michael Lewin (a recording that was funded by a Copland Recording Grant). In Europe, her recording of the Guillaume Lekeu and Alberic Magnard late Romantic Violin and Piano Sonatas with pianist Dana Ciocarlie for the AR RE-SE French label has sparked enthusiasm. Fanfare noted the recording with “singing and soaring…[a] sizzling performance.” Ms. Muresanu has also recorded chamber music works of Gerhard Schedl with the Walden Chamber Players, the world premiere recording of Marion Bauer’s Sonata for Violin and Piano with pianist Virginia Eskin on Albany Records, and a CD featuring chamber works of Erich Korngold released by the VPRO Radio Amsterdam. Adding to her other competition laurels, Ms. Muresanu was granted a Special Commendation award for her recording of Schoenberg’s Fantasy for Violin and Piano at the 3rd International Vienna Modern Masters Performers Recording Competition.
An active chamber musician and recitalist, Ms. Muresanu has appeared in such festivals and venues as Bargemusic in New York, the Rockport Festival in Massachusetts, Bay Chambers concert series and Bowdoin Festival in Maine, the Strings in the Mountains and San Juan Music Festival in Colorado, Maui Chamber Music Festival in Hawaii, Reizend Music Festival in Netherlands, Festival van de Leie in Belgium, and the Renncontres des Musiciennes Festival in France. Ms. Muresanu has been a member of the Boston Trio since 2002 and she regularly performs with Mistral and the Walden Chamber Players.
Irina Muresanu currently serves on the faculty the University of Maryland and Boston Conservatory, and has taught in the Harvard and MIT Music Departments. She received the prestigious Artist Diploma degree and a Doctor in Musical Arts degree from the New England Conservatory. She plays an 1849 Giuseppe Rocca violin and an Etienne Pajeot bow.
With work described as “sumptuously scored and full of soaring melodies” (The New York Times), and “unspeakably gorgeous” (Gramophone), American composer Elena Ruehr is known for her lyrical and rhythmically vibrant music. Her music has an organic, breathing flow, derived from its origin in the movement of the body and the vitality of the natural world; her melodies often incorporate details and figurations of improvised performance, sometimes with exotic touches. Ruehr says of her music “the idea is that the surface be simple, the structure complex.”
An award-winning faculty member at MIT since 1992, she is a Guggenheim fellow, has been a fellow at Harvard’s Radcliffe Institute, and was the first composer-in-residence with the Boston Modern Orchestra Project (BMOP) from 2000-2005, where the orchestra premiered her pieces Shimmer, Sky Above Clouds, Ladder to the Moon, as well as her acclaimed opera Toussaint Before the Spirits in collaboration with Opera Boston (Arsis Records, 2005). BMOP also released a recording of her complete orchestral works in 2014.
Ruehr's oeuvre includes compositions for chamber ensemble, orchestra, chorus, wind ensemble, instrumental solo, opera, dance and silent film. Her six string quartets have been championed by the Cypress, Biava, Borromeo, Lark, ROCO and Shanghai string quartets. In addition, she has written works for Cantata Singers, Roomful of Teeth, the Metamorphosen Chamber Ensemble, the San Jose Chamber Orchestra, the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players, the Rockport Chamber Music Society, Dinosaur Annex, Lorelei and the Radcliffe Chorus, and many others. She has also written two scores for silent films: Manhattan Trade School for Girls and Deschutes Driftwood.
In addition to her work with BMOP, her recordings include Lift (Avie Records, 2015) Averno (Avie Records, Trinity Choir, 2012), How She Danced: String Quartets of Elena Ruehr (Cypress String Quartet, 2010), and Jane Wang considers the dragonfly (Albany, various artists, 2009). Ruehr’s pieces are often inspired or suggested by work from other artistic spheres, and she is known for her collaborations with the writers Louise Glück, Elizabeth Alexander, Margaret Atwood, Ann Patchett and Adrienne Rich, among others.
An award-winning faculty member at MIT since 1992, she is a Guggenheim fellow, has been a fellow at Harvard’s Radcliffe Institute, and was the first composer-in-residence with the Boston Modern Orchestra Project (BMOP) from 2000-2005, where the orchestra premiered her pieces Shimmer, Sky Above Clouds, Ladder to the Moon, as well as her acclaimed opera Toussaint Before the Spirits in collaboration with Opera Boston (Arsis Records, 2005). BMOP also released a recording of her complete orchestral works in 2014.
Ruehr's oeuvre includes compositions for chamber ensemble, orchestra, chorus, wind ensemble, instrumental solo, opera, dance and silent film. Her six string quartets have been championed by the Cypress, Biava, Borromeo, Lark, ROCO and Shanghai string quartets. In addition, she has written works for Cantata Singers, Roomful of Teeth, the Metamorphosen Chamber Ensemble, the San Jose Chamber Orchestra, the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players, the Rockport Chamber Music Society, Dinosaur Annex, Lorelei and the Radcliffe Chorus, and many others. She has also written two scores for silent films: Manhattan Trade School for Girls and Deschutes Driftwood.
In addition to her work with BMOP, her recordings include Lift (Avie Records, 2015) Averno (Avie Records, Trinity Choir, 2012), How She Danced: String Quartets of Elena Ruehr (Cypress String Quartet, 2010), and Jane Wang considers the dragonfly (Albany, various artists, 2009). Ruehr’s pieces are often inspired or suggested by work from other artistic spheres, and she is known for her collaborations with the writers Louise Glück, Elizabeth Alexander, Margaret Atwood, Ann Patchett and Adrienne Rich, among others.
A graduate of The Juilliard School and a Fulbright Grant winner, cellist Jennifer Kloetzel has concertized throughout the United States, Europe and Asia. A founding member of the Cypress String Quartet, Ms. Kloetzel has toured the world and performed at outstanding venues such as the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Chautauqua Institute and the Ravinia Festival, as well as leading Colleges nationwide.
Ms. Kloetzel is noted for her elegant playing and has given numerous recitals, including concerts for San Francisco Performances and on WQXR in New York. This past season, she performed the world premiere of a Cello Suite by Daniel Asia and a Cello Concerto that was written for her by MIT composer Elena Ruehr. The San Jose Mercury News proclaimed, “Cellist Jennifer Kloetzel shines in premiere” and called her a “terrific soloist…with a robust and earthy sound.” Ms. Kloetzel has recorded the Ruehr Cello Concerto “Cloud Atlas” with the Boston Modern Orchestra Project, which will be released on the BMOP label next season. She is winner of The Juilliard School’s top award, the “Peter Mennin Prize for Outstanding Leadership and Achievement in Music”, and a Presser Music Award, as well as a Fulbright Grant to England. In 2004 she was honored with the McGraw-Hill Companies’ “Robert Sherman Award for Music Education and Community Outreach” in recognition of years of outreach work in schools and community centers. She has appeared at the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, the Sarasota and Aspen Music Festivals, the Britten-Pears School, the Prague Mozart Academy, and performed as cellist of the Cassatt Quartet during the 1995-96 season.
Growing up near Baltimore, Ms. Kloetzel began her cello studies at age six. Her teachers included Aldo Parisot, William Pleeth, Harvey Shapiro, Stephen Kates and Paula Virizlay, as well as members of the Juilliard String Quartet, the Amadeus Quartet and the Cleveland Quartet. After performing with pianist Andre Previn at the La Jolla Chamber Music Festival in 1992, Ms. Kloetzel was invited to appear as one of his select “Rising Stars” at the 1993 and 1994 Caramoor Festivals in New York.
From 2003-2009, Ms. Kloetzel taught cello and chamber music at San José State University, where the Cypress String Quartet was Ensemble-in-Residence. She has given master classes at The Juilliard School, San Francisco Conservatory and at universities throughout the U.S.
Together with her colleagues in the Cypress String Quartet, she has been featured numerous times on National Public Radio’s “Performance Today” and performances have been broadcast on radio stations from coast to coast. The Cypress String Quartet has received the Copland Award for championing living American Composers and has also commissioned and premiered more than thirty works. Ms. Kloetzel has recorded over 14 CDs with the CSQ, most recently an all-Dvorak disc on the Avie label. She has performed as principal cellist of the Concert Artists of Baltimore, the Baltimore Opera and the Juilliard Orchestra (under Maestro Kurt Masur). In addition, she is a frequent guest soloist with numerous orchestras, performing concertos by Brahms, Dvorak, Elgar and Haydn.
Ms. Kloetzel plays a cello by Hieronymus Amati II, made in Cremona in 1701.
Ms. Kloetzel is noted for her elegant playing and has given numerous recitals, including concerts for San Francisco Performances and on WQXR in New York. This past season, she performed the world premiere of a Cello Suite by Daniel Asia and a Cello Concerto that was written for her by MIT composer Elena Ruehr. The San Jose Mercury News proclaimed, “Cellist Jennifer Kloetzel shines in premiere” and called her a “terrific soloist…with a robust and earthy sound.” Ms. Kloetzel has recorded the Ruehr Cello Concerto “Cloud Atlas” with the Boston Modern Orchestra Project, which will be released on the BMOP label next season. She is winner of The Juilliard School’s top award, the “Peter Mennin Prize for Outstanding Leadership and Achievement in Music”, and a Presser Music Award, as well as a Fulbright Grant to England. In 2004 she was honored with the McGraw-Hill Companies’ “Robert Sherman Award for Music Education and Community Outreach” in recognition of years of outreach work in schools and community centers. She has appeared at the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, the Sarasota and Aspen Music Festivals, the Britten-Pears School, the Prague Mozart Academy, and performed as cellist of the Cassatt Quartet during the 1995-96 season.
Growing up near Baltimore, Ms. Kloetzel began her cello studies at age six. Her teachers included Aldo Parisot, William Pleeth, Harvey Shapiro, Stephen Kates and Paula Virizlay, as well as members of the Juilliard String Quartet, the Amadeus Quartet and the Cleveland Quartet. After performing with pianist Andre Previn at the La Jolla Chamber Music Festival in 1992, Ms. Kloetzel was invited to appear as one of his select “Rising Stars” at the 1993 and 1994 Caramoor Festivals in New York.
From 2003-2009, Ms. Kloetzel taught cello and chamber music at San José State University, where the Cypress String Quartet was Ensemble-in-Residence. She has given master classes at The Juilliard School, San Francisco Conservatory and at universities throughout the U.S.
Together with her colleagues in the Cypress String Quartet, she has been featured numerous times on National Public Radio’s “Performance Today” and performances have been broadcast on radio stations from coast to coast. The Cypress String Quartet has received the Copland Award for championing living American Composers and has also commissioned and premiered more than thirty works. Ms. Kloetzel has recorded over 14 CDs with the CSQ, most recently an all-Dvorak disc on the Avie label. She has performed as principal cellist of the Concert Artists of Baltimore, the Baltimore Opera and the Juilliard Orchestra (under Maestro Kurt Masur). In addition, she is a frequent guest soloist with numerous orchestras, performing concertos by Brahms, Dvorak, Elgar and Haydn.
Ms. Kloetzel plays a cello by Hieronymus Amati II, made in Cremona in 1701.