Hermitage Trio with Jordan Bak, viola

Mary Seaton Room - Kleinhans Music Hall

Tuesday December 3, 2024 @ 7:30pm

Program

• Bridge : Phantasy for Piano Quartet in f-sharp minor

• Shaw : Thousandth Orange

• Turina: Piano Quartet in a minor, Op. 67

• Fauré: Piano Quartet No. 1 in c minor, Op. 15

Artists

• Misha Keylin, violin

• Sergey Antonov, cello

• Ilya Kazantsev, piano

• with Jordan Bak, viola

The Hermitage Piano Trio's "power and sweeping passion" melds with the
"haunting lyrical grace" of Jamaican-American violist Jordan Bak for an unforgettable musical experience.

Jordan Bak, viola

Award-winning Jamaican-American violist Jordan Bak has achieved international acclaim as a trailblazing artist, praised for his radiant stage presence, dynamic interpretations, and fearless power. Critics have described him as “an exciting new voice in Classical performance” (I Care If You Listen), “a powerhouse musician, with a strong voice and compelling sound” (The Whole Note) and lauded his “haunting lyrical grace” (Gramophone). The 2021 YCAT Robey Artist and a top laureate of the 2020 Sphinx Competition, Bak is also a Grand Prize winner and Audience Prize recipient of the 2019 Concert Artists Guild Victor Elmaleh Competition, the recipient of the 2019 Samuel Sanders Tel Aviv Museum Prize and the 2019 John White Special Prize from the Tertis International Viola Competition. Other recent accolades include being named one of ClassicFM's "30 Under 30" Rising Stars, Musical America’s New Artist of the Month and being a featured artist for WQXR’s inaugural Artist Propulsion Lab.

Bak was dazzling...he played with a full-bodied sound and exacting intonation and articulation.
His playing was so constantly involving and impressive that one was drawn to each note and phrase.

George Grella, New York Classical Review

Bak’s enthusiastically-received debut album IMPULSE (Bright Shiny Things) was released in May 2022, garnering over one million streams on major digital media platforms and featuring new compositions by Tyson Gholston Davis, Toshio Hosokawa, Anne Leilehua Lanzilotti, Quinn Mason, Jeffrey Mumford, and Joan Tower. A proud new music advocate, Bak gave the world premieres of Kaija Saariaho’s Du gick, flög for viola and mezzo-soprano, Jessica Meyer’s Excessive Use of Force for solo viola and On fire…no, after you for viola, mezzo-soprano and piano, and Augusta Read Thomas’ Upon Wings of Words for string quartet and soprano. He has additionally championed works by H. Leslie Adams, Esteban Zapata Blanco, Carlos Carillo, Caroline Shaw, and Alvin Singleton.

Passionate about education, Bak currently serves as Assistant Professor of Viola at University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA). He was a former faculty member of Bowling Green State University in Ohio and served as a visiting artist and Ambassador for Music Masters in London. Only the third violist to earn the Artist Diploma from The Juilliard School, Jordan Bak holds a Bachelor of Music degree from New England Conservatory and a Master of Music degree from The Juilliard School where he was awarded the prestigious Kovner Fellowship. His principal teachers were Dimitri Murrath, Hsin-Yun Huang, and Samuel Rhodes.

Hermitage Piano Trio

Now entering their second decade, the United States-based Hermitage Piano Trio has solidified its place as one of the world’s leading piano trios, garnering multiple GRAMMY® Award nominations and receiving both audience and press accolades for their performances that The Washington Post singled out for “such power and sweeping passion that it left you nearly out of breath.”

More striking even than the individual virtuosity was the profound level of integration among the players,
who showed a rare degree of ensemble from beginning to end.

THE WASHINGTON POST

The Trio is a champion of immense repertoire ranging from the works of the great European tradition to more contemporary American pieces.  Hallmarks of the Hermitage Piano Trio are their impeccable musicianship, sumptuous sound and interpretative range, which have led to demand for many repeat performances.  They have appeared on major chamber music series and festivals in Los Angeles, New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Miami, Washington, D.C., Tucson, Portland (OR), Tulsa, San Diego, Corpus Christi, Newport (RI), San Miguel de Allende (Mexico), Winnipeg (Canada), New Orleans, and many others.  In addition to their extensive touring engagements, the Trio is involved in educational and outreach projects.

Works by Bartok, Coleridge-Taylor, Martinu, Hindemith, Chopin and Brahms.

Tickets

Adults - $75    Teachers - $50    Students - $25

6:00pm - Opening reception at the Villa

7:00pm - Start of the concert

Acclaimed for its profound musical insight and rare tonal beauty, the Escher Quartet opens its PCMS program with Samuel Barber’s Quartet in B Minor, Op. 11, the middle movement of which Barber later arranged for string orchestra as the Adagio for Strings. Following Florence Price’s second quartet—a monumental work that vividly captures the depth of Price’s unique talents—the ensemble is joined by violist Jordan Bak, “a powerhouse musician, with a strong voice and compelling sound” (The Whole Note), for Dvořák’s American string quintet, composed shortly after the composer’s quartet of the same name.

Barber: Quartet in B Minor, Op. 11
Price: Quartet No. 2 in A Minor
Dvořák: String Quintet in E-flat Major, Op. 97, American

Award-winning Jamaican-American violist Jordan Bak has achieved international acclaim as a trailblazing artist, praised for his radiant stage presence, dynamic interpretations, and fearless power. Critics have described him as “an exciting new voice in Classical performance” (I Care If You Listen), “a powerhouse musician, with a strong voice and compelling sound” (The Whole Note) and lauded his “haunting lyrical grace” (Gramophone). The 2021 YCAT Robey Artist and a top laureate of the 2020 Sphinx Competition, Bak is also a Grand Prize winner and Audience Prize recipient of the 2019 Concert Artists Guild Victor Elmaleh Competition, the recipient of the 2019 Samuel Sanders Tel Aviv Museum Prize and the 2019 John White Special Prize from the Tertis International Viola Competition. Other recent accolades include being named one of ClassicFM's "30 Under 30" Rising Stars, Musical America’s New Artist of the Month and being a featured artist for WQXR’s inaugural Artist Propulsion Lab.

Bak’s enthusiastically-received debut album IMPULSE (Bright Shiny Things) was released in May 2022, garnering over one million streams on major digital media platforms and featuring new compositions by Tyson Gholston Davis, Toshio Hosokawa, Anne Leilehua Lanzilotti, Quinn Mason, Jeffrey Mumford, and Joan Tower. A proud new music advocate, Bak gave the world premieres of Kaija Saariaho’s Du gick, flög for viola and mezzo-soprano, Jessica Meyer’s Excessive Use of Force for solo viola and On fire…no, after you for viola, mezzo-soprano and piano, and Augusta Read Thomas’ Upon Wings of Words for string quartet and soprano. He has additionally championed works by H. Leslie Adams, Esteban Zapata Blanco, Carlos Carillo, Caroline Shaw, and Alvin Singleton.

Bak has appeared as soloist with such orchestras as Sarasota Orchestra, London Mozart Players, New York Classical Players, Juilliard Orchestra and Brandon Hill Chamber Orchestra among others, and has performed under such esteemed conductors as Howard Griffiths, Stephen Mulligan, Keith Lockhart, Gerard Schwarz, and Ewa Strusińska. As a recitalist and chamber musician, he has been heard at some of the world’s greatest performance venues including Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, the Concertgebouw, Wigmore Hall, Jordan Hall, Merkin Concert Hall, Princeton University Concerts, Perelman Theater at The Kimmel Center, Elgar Concert Hall, and Helsinki Musiikkitalo. Bak’s recent performances include recitals at Kravis Center, Wiltshire Music Centre, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Harriman-Jewell Series, Lichfield Festival, and Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival.

Haydn himself praised Mozart’s bright “Prussian” Quartet, which opens this performance by the Escher String Quartet –an Avery Fisher Career Grant winner known for its “eloquent, full-blooded playing…a beautiful blend of individuality and accord” (BBC Music Magazine). The prodigious violist Jordan Bak, a “powerhouse musician” (The Whole Note) noted for his “lyrical grace” (Gramophone) joins the group to explore the warmth and expressivity of cherished quintets by Dvořák and Brahms.

"Clearly one of the finest quartets of their generation." —The Guardian

Bak is "an exciting new voice in Classical performance." —I Care If You Listen

A powerful collaboration between Bak’s “haunting lyrical grace” (Gramophone) and the Escher Quartet’s “eloquent, full-blooded playing” (BBC Music Magazine)

Award-winning Jamaican-American violist Jordan Bak joins the celebrated Escher Quartet for the opening concert of our 2024–25 MainStage Live season. Embodying the range of artistic voices that have shaped chamber music, this program pairs 20th century works by Samuel Barber and Florence Price with a string quintet by Johannes Brahms.

Named for M.C. Escher’s method of interplay between individual components working together as a whole, the Escher Quartet is lauded for its “beautiful blend of individuality and accord” (BBC Music Magazine). The Quartet has built a reputation for profound musical insight and rare tonal beauty over nearly two decades performing together. Beyond serving as season artists of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the Quartet tours many of the great music halls of America and Europe. 

Jordan Bak has achieved international acclaim as a trailblazing artist, praised for his radiant stage presence, dynamic interpretations, and fearless power. Playing with “haunting lyrical grace” (Gramophone), Bak has performed as a soloist with leading orchestras and toured internationally. Bak is “an exciting new voice in Classical performance” (I Care If You Listen), championing new music by composers shaping the field.

The Escher Quartet features Adam Barnett-Hart on violin, Brendan Speltz on violin, Pierre LaPointe on viola, and Brook Speltz on cello.

Samuel Barber Quartet in B minor, Op 11

Florence Price  Quartet No. 2 in A minor 

Johannes Brahms  String Quintet in G Major, Op. 111 

A lineup of today's most exciting classical musicians will perform rare gems of chamber music repertoire from historically underrepresented heritages, including works by Justinian Tamusuza, Gabriella Ortiz, Gabriella Smith, concluding with Ernest Bloch's boldly original and rapturous piano quintet no.1.

Greenroom Ensemble was founded by American violinist Nathan Meltzer (2023 Concert Artist Guild winner) and violist Devin Moore (Isidore Quartet), with the mission to expand and enrich the classical music landscape and acknowledge the content and context of the art form. Comprised of a rotating roster of musicians, the Green Room Ensemble performs a wide range of compositions, with a special emphasis on new music and historically unexplored works by composers from a variety of backgrounds and heritages.

Justinian Tamusuza (1951- ):

Mu KKubo Ery 'Omusaalaba (On the Way of the Cross) for String Quartet

I. Ekitundu Ekisooka

Gabriella Ortiz (1964- ): Trifolium (2005) for piano trio

Gabriella Smith (1991- ): Carrot Revolution (2015) for string quartet

- Intermission- 

Ernest Bloch (1880-1959):

Piano Quintet No. 1 (1923)

I. Agitato.                                                                          

II. Andante mistico                                                                  

III. Allegro energico

*This music program lasts approximately 100 minutes with a 10-minute intermission.

Geneva Lewis and Nathan Meltzer, violins  

Jordan Bak, viola                        

Jonathan Swensen, cello                

Sophia Zhou, piano

Free, no tickets required.

Savor farm-fresh fare and delightful drinks amidst the beauty of Glen Oaks Farm followed by a magical concert featuring a world-class string quartet, stunning visual projections, and nature-inspired melodies.

We are thrilled to announce our Special Fall Concert on Saturday, September 21: Nature Lies Peaceful. We’re honored to have an exclusive sponsor for this concert, Spring Creek Farm, who will also host our free community open rehearsal on Friday, September 20. Sitting on 165 acres of rolling pasture in beautiful Bucks County, landowner Brent Alderfer is committed to building an environmentally sustainable agriculture model that restores farmland and preserves the natural beauty of this community for generations to come! “We continuously strive for harmony with nature…” These words from Spring Creek Farm resonate in the heart of every artist.

For our main event, please join us in the glorious setting of the barn at Glen Oaks Farm for an immersive experience where our artists will take us on a musical journey starting from Haydn’s string quartet The Dream, stopping to enjoy Summer Tunes by Pēteris Vasks, and Vivaldi’s Summer, on to the heavens with Musica Celestis by Aaron Jay Kernis, and finally landing on Antonin Dvořák’s Nature Lies Peaceful. This homage to the profound relationship music has always shared with nature will be further amplified with projections, created by videographer Zak Winokur, reflective of the natural beauty that surrounds us in all the seasons. I can imagine no more beautiful way to launch the 2024-2025 season together. In the meantime, take advantage of the abundance of organic produce, farm-fresh eggs, and grass-fed beef that Spring Creek Farm makes available to the public.

Nature Lies Peaceful

• The Fruit of Silence – Peteris Vasks

• String Quartet “The Dream” Poco adagio -Joseph Haydn

• Summer, Presto – Antonio Vivaldi

• Now Found is the Fairest of Roses – Danish String Quartet

• Wind in High Places – Above Sunset Pass – John Luther Adams

• Musica Celestis – Aaron Jay Kernis

• Eine Kleine Nachtmusik – Wolfgang A. Mozart

• Echo of Songs B. 152, Nature Lies Peaceful in Slumber and Dreaming – Antonin Dvorak

Artists:

Siwoo Kim – violin
Rubén Rengel – violin
Jordan Bak – viola
Michelle Djokic – cello

Zak Winokur – videography

Save the Date: The seventh annual Viola Gators Day will be held on Sunday, September 8, 2024!

All-State Preparation Workshop for strings students in grades 7-12: violin, viola, cello and bass

Special Guest Artist Jordan Bak

Contact Lauren Hodges for more info. Check our Facebook group for updates.

The stars align for the final concert of our Summer Festival celebrating Beethoven’s profound influence on the evolution of music. Messiaen’s transcendent Interstellar Call and Ravel’s heroic and nearly orchestral Piano Trio capture both the grace and power he brought to music. Beethoven’s masterfully entertaining Septet in E-flat Major—arguably, the greatest septet ever written—expresses his exquisite wit and joy. Don’t miss this exciting Summer Festival finale!

More than any previous composer, Beethoven challenged musicians to reach new heights, redefining musical virtuosity. Tonight’s program features soaring soloist masterworks, including Beethoven’s Cello Sonata No. 3, Jörg Widmann’s clarinet Fantasie, and Weber’s epic Clarinet Quintet arranged for chamber orchestra—performed by some of the world’s finest on their instruments.

More than any previous composer, Beethoven challenged musicians to reach new heights, redefining musical virtuosity. Tonight’s program features soaring soloist masterworks, including Beethoven’s Cello Sonata No. 3, Jörg Widmann’s clarinet Fantasie, and Weber’s epic Clarinet Quintet arranged for chamber orchestra—performed by some of the world’s finest on their instruments.

Dvořák’s sublime Piano Quintet in A Major occupies a lofty place in the chamber music canon, at the same elevation as Brahms’s Piano Quintet in F minor, op. 34.  Simply put, both works are majestic, symphonic in scope, and invite the listener into a lost world of powerful beauty, profundity, and nobility of sentiments, peppered with folk tunes and polkas.

Dvořák admired Brahms, Brahms encouraged and mentored Dvořák. The combination of string quartet and piano lends the quintet a sonic grandeur as it joins two self-sufficient forces in an ideal partnership.

An all-star ensemble that shares the stage with artistic director Yehuda Hanani includes Max Levinson (“a brilliant American pianist…who touches the listener deeply and often—Los Angeles Times) and violist Jordan Bak (“a bright commanding presence…a rising star”—Boston Musical Intelligencer) making his CEWM debut. So concludes Season 32 of Close Encounters—bookended by the most miraculous output of Johannes Brahms and with Dvořák’s folkloric genius, spontaneity, and vitality.

Max Levinson, piano; Ara Gregorian and Hye-Jin Kim, violin; Jordan Bak, viola; Yehuda Hanani, cello

NOVUS NY: 20th Century Romantics featuring works by Anton Webern, Igor Stravinsky, George Enescu. Trinity Church.

Brahms: String Quintet No. 2 in G Major, Op. 111

Curated by the Balourdet Quartet and featuring The COT's Durham Fellows, UpClose Chamber Music Series is the essence of ensemble playing. With performances in a variety of intimate settings across the Triangle, this dynamic and interactive series brings audiences even closer to the music and its performers.

This program features the genius of Dvorak and Beethoven at pivotal points in their careers. Dvorak’s Quartet Op. 105 marks the end of his American “New World Symphony” period, representing a renewed dedication to his Czech roots, and an inventive chromaticism that foreshadows Janacek. Beethoven’s Serioso Quartet in F minor Op. 95, with its terseness and high energy, stands at the tipping point between his middle and late period, foreshadowing the great late quartets to come.

String Quartet in F minor Op. 95 “Serioso”      Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)

      Allegro con brio
      Allegretto ma non troppo
      Allegro assai vivace ma serioso
      Larghetto espressivo – Allegretto agitato

String Quartet in Ab major Op. 105              Antonin Dvorak (1841-1904)

      Adagio ma non troppo – Allegro appassionato
      Molto vivace
      Lento e molto cantabile
      Allegro non tanto

The musicians of the Reynolda Quartet bring a wealth of chamber music experience to this new ensemble, and share a deep well of experience, a unified musical vision, and a deep love of the great string quartet repertoire. They look forward to sharing joyous music-making in the inspiring setting of the Reynolda House Museum of American Art.

Like artist M.C. Escher, for whom it is named, the Escher String Quartet creates its own ‘impossible constructions’, simultaneously showcasing each instrument’s part while melding them into one, offering audiences unusual views and new perspectives. As The Guardian noted, the ensemble displays “fabulous unanimity, tonal warmth and care over detail.”

Jordan Bak has achieved international acclaim as a trailblazing artist, praised for his radiant stage presence, dynamic interpretations, and fearless power. Only the third violist to earn the Artist Diploma from The Juilliard School, Bak currently serves as Assistant Professor at University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA).

PROGRAM

• Mendelssohn – Quartet No. 1 in E-flat Major, Op. 12

• Janáček – Quartet No. 2, “Intimate Letters”

• Brahms – Quintet No. 2 in G Major, Op. 111

Program TBD.

Crawford Hall, UNCSA School of Music.

The Escher String Quartet has received acclaim for its profound musical insight and rare tonal beauty. A former BBC New Generation Artist and recipient of the Avery Fisher Career Grant, the ensemble serves as season artists of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, based in New York City. They are joined by award-winning Jamaican-American violist Jordan Bak who is “a powerhouse musician, with a strong voice and compelling sound” (The Whole Note).

Program

Quartet in D Major, Op. 64, No. 5 “Lark” HAYDN

Quartet No. 2 “Intimate Letters” JANACEK

String Quintet in E-flat Major, Op. 97 “American” DVORAK

HERMITAGE PIANO TRIO & JORDAN BAK

RACHMANINOFF Trio in G minor “Elégiaque"
MAHLER Piano Quartet (movement) in A Minor
ELFMAN Piano Quartet (2017)
BRAHMS Piano Quartet No. 3 in C minor, Op. 60