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    Programme for Season 2015

    This season has now concluded.  We include it for your interest.

    Alexander Ullman
    Ji Liu
    The Villiers Quartet
     
    Sunday 29 March 2015 at 4pm

     

    Alexander Ullman

    Piano

     

    Programme

    1. J S Bach - Prelude and Fugue in C sharp minor, BWV849
    2. Beethoven - Sonata op. 10 no. 2 in F major
    3. Tchaikovsky - Theme and Variations in F major
    4. Chopin - Ballade no. 4 op. 52 in F minor
    5. Chopin - Mazurkas op. 24
    6. Chopin - Etude op. 10, no. 5
    7. Chopin - Etude op. 25, no. 5
    8. Chopin - Etude op. 25, no. 11

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Artist Biography

    Born in 1991 in London, Alexander Ullman studied at the Purcell School of Music with William Fong, and at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia with Leon Fleisher, Ignat Solzhenitsyn and Robert McDonald. In 2014 he was selected for representation by Young Classical Artists Trust (YCAT)and he completes his Masters in performance at the Royal College of Music with Dmitri Alexeev.

    Some of the works in his programme are in preparation for his participation in the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow in June.

    During his studies Alexander has won numerous awards at international competitions including 1st Prize at the International Competition in Memoriam Ferenc Liszt (2012), the Lagny-sur-Marne International Competition (2013), the Tunbridge Wells International Young Concert Artists Competition (2012), and 2nd Prize at the Isidor Bajic Memorial International Competition (2014).

    He has given concerts throughout Europe, Asia and America, taking him to venues and festivals in Italy, France, Spain, Germany, Hungary, Netherlands, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Denmark and India. Recent engagements include a tour of China and recitals at the Leipzig Gewandhaus, Archive Nationales (Paris), Louisiana Museum of Modern Art (Copenhagen), Auditorio de la Diputación de Alicante, the Festival Pontino & Teatro Rossini (Italy), La Jolla Arts Festival (California), and concerts in the UK, Spain, Germany and France with the Dover Quartet.   Read more...

    Programme Notes

    Programme notes are available here

     
     
    Sunday 12 Apr 2015 at 4pm

     

    Ji Liu

    Piano

     

    Programme

    1. Busoni - Sonatina no. 6, Carmen Fantasy
    2. Schubert - Fantasia in C. op 15, the "Wanderer"
    3. Beethoven - Sonata in C minor, op. 13, "Pathetique"
    4. Gershwin / Earl Wild - 3 virtuoso etudes : Man I love, Embraceable You, I got rhythm
    5. Liszt / Gounod - Faust Waltz

     

     

     

     

     

    Artist Biography

    In 2014 Ji’s debut CD Piano Reflections was released by Classic FM and immediately went on to become No.1 in the classical charts.

    Born in 1990, Ji Liu studied at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. In 2005 and 2006 he took part in the Verbier Festival & Academy where he received the Tabor Piano Award and CUBS Prize from the UBS Bank. He went on to study with Dmitri Bashkirov at the Escuela Superior de Musica Reina Sofia in Madrid and the Royal Academy of Music with Christopher Elton where he completed his Masters on piano and composition. He was selected for representation by Young Classical Artists Trust (YCAT) in 2013.

    Engagements during the 2014/15 season include his debut with the Philharmonia Orchestra at the Royal Festival Hall, and appearances as soloist with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Vasily Petrenko at the Royal Albert Hall, and in China. He gives a series of performances of Bach’s Goldberg Variations at Wigmore Hall, the Bristol Proms and at the Holywell Room in Oxford, and takes part in the Nottingham International Piano Series. Earlier this year Ji performed Rachmaninov’s Concerto No.2 at the Barbican and Liszt’s Totentanz at the Queen Elizabeth Hall and gave recitals at The Sage Gateshead, the Newbury Spring, Lichfield, Dart and Beaumaris Festivals.

    A hugely creative artist, Ji has worked on cross arts collaborations, particularly with visual art, including film and sand animation. Over the next few years he will be exploring the complete Schubert Sonatas and working on a multi-media approach to Schubert’s unfinished works.   Read more...

    Programme Notes

    Programme notes are available here
     
    Sunday 26 April 2015 at 4pm

     

    The Villiers Quartet

    String Quartet

    Violin I – James Dickenson
    Violin II – Tamaki Higashi
    Viola – Carmen Flores
    Cello – Nick Stringfellow

     

    Programme

    1. Haydn String Quartet ; "The Lark"
    2. Beethoven - String quartet op. 18, no. 6.
    3. A mystery work
    4. Dvorak - String quartet, the "American"

      5.  

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Artist Biography

    The Villiers Quartet have been appointed Quartet-in-Residence at Oxford University for a period of 3 years, starting in 2015.

    James Dickenson studied both in the UK and the USA and lists Lydia Mordkvitch, Danny Phillips, Jerry Horner, Wen Zhou Li, and Christopher Rowland as some of his many teachers and mentors. After graduating from the Royal Northern College of Music, James left the UK to lead the Degas Quartet in the USA. With this quartet James gave concerts all over the USA, in Carnegie Hall and at the Aspen Music Festival, and held various residencies in over ten universities. Since leaving the quartet in 2007, James returned to the UK to continue his teaching, performing, and chamber music career. An advocate of new music, James has worked closely with many American composers, including Jeffrey Mumford, Andrew Waggoner, and he is currently commissioning a new piece for violin from Shafer Mahoney.

    Japanese-born violinist Tamaki Higashi started violin at the age of seven and was a multiple winner of the South Japan Music Competition in her hometown of Kagoshima. She was invited to study with Lewis Kaplan in New York City, and she received both her bachelors and masters degrees from the Mannes College of Music. After graduating in 2002 she founded the Degas Quartet. Together with her husband James, the Degas Quartet held residencies at Syracuse University and with the Western Piedmont Symphony, working closely with the Cassatt Quartet and Earl Carlyss of the Juilliard Quartet. The Degas Quartet toured frequently within the United States and was featured live on NPR broadcasts, appearing in many prestigious venues and festivals including Carnegie Hall, Aspen Music Festival, and the Library of Congress.

    Tamaki and James moved to the UK in 2007, and since then she has enjoyed a busy schedule as recitalist, teacher, and chamber musician. A passionate advocate for music education and community outreach, Tamaki organised several music projects in North Carolina, USA and Kagoshima, Japan, bringing chamber music to local schools and children's groups.

    She plays on a fine Italian violin by Antonio Ungarini of Fabriano, 1740.

    Carmen Flores attended Dartmouth College in New Hampshire and studied viola at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor and the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, Canada. Her principal teachers were Yizhak Schotten and Steven Dann. In 2007 she was appointed Principal Viola of the Royal Ballet Sinfonia, the orchestra of the Birmingham Royal Ballet. She has also performed as guest principal viola with the orchestras of the Canadian Opera Company and the English National Opera.

    Nick Stringfellow began his musical education at Chetham’s School of Music, performing in masterclasses at an early age with Heinrich Schiff and Janos Starker. After further study at the Royal Northern College of Music with Clive Greensmith, he completed his training at the Royal College of Music, studying jointly with Anna Shuttleworth and Anthony Pleeth.

    Nick cut his chamber music teeth as cellist with the London Mozart Ensemble alongside violinist David le Page. He is Principal Cellist with the Orchestra of the Swan, often appearing as soloist with the orchestra and taking part in its extensive education and outreach programmes. Nick has performed with many ensembles including the Fitzwilliam String Quartet and the Brook Street Band, and he has recorded for EMI, Naxos, Somm and Orfeo labels. He is the featured cellist on Schott’s Baroque around the World series and his trio Spirituoso is resident ensemble at Handel House.  Read more...

    Programme Notes

    Programme notes are available here