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Alpenglow Chamber Music Fest brings world-class musicians to Summit

Daily News staff report
Rieko Aizawa, piano, co-artistic director of the Alpenglow Chamber Music Festival.
Special to the Daily |

Alpenglow Chamber Music Festival schedule

7 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 14 — Soiree, private home in Silverthorne, $75

7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 16 — Public concert, Lord of the Mountains Lutheran Church, Dillon, $20 for adults, $10 for seniors, free for students

Wednesday, Sept. 17 — Student workshops

7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 19 — Soiree, private home in Breckenridge, $75

7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 20 — Public concert, Lord of the Mountains Lutheran Church, Dillon, $20 for adults, $10 for seniors, free for students

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit http://www.alpenglowchambermusic.org.

Rieko Aizawa and Jesse Mills, artistic directors, return to Summit County for the 17th Alpenglow Chamber Music Festival, slated for Sunday, Sept. 14, through Saturday, Sept. 20.

Four additional musicians will join Aizawa and Mills to perform diverse programs of chamber music, including Bart Feller on flute, Makoto Nakura on marimba, Mark Holloway on viola and James Wilson on cello. This year, the musicians offer a new twist on traditional chamber music by featuring selections for marimba and flute. There will be two soirees at private homes in Silverthorne and Breckenridge, two public performances at Lord of the Mountains Lutheran Church in Dillon and workshops for students at Summit Middle School and Summit High School.

A soiree is an evening gathering held in a private home to enjoy live performances of music in an intimate setting. Alpenglow soirees welcome attendees with a champagne reception and light refreshments follow the performance. Plan to get your tickets early, as the soirees have limited seating and tickets go quickly. Directions to the private homes hosting the soirees are provided once tickets are purchased.



About the directors



Praised by the New York Times for an “impressive musicality, a crisp touch and expressive phrasing,” Japanese pianist Rieko Aizawa has performed throughout the United States, Canada and Europe, including Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall, Boston’s Symphony Hall, Chicago’s Orchestra Hall and Vienna’s Konzerthaus.

The youngest-ever participant at the Marlboro Music Festival, Aizawa has performed as a guest with string quartets such as the Guarneri Quartet and the Orion Quartet. She is a founding member of the Horszowski Trio and of the prize-winning Duo Prism. Aizawa became artistic director of the Alpenglow Chamber Music Festival in 2010.

A Steinway artist, Aizawa was the last pupil of Mieczyslaw Horszowski at the Curtis Institute, and she also studied with Seymour Lipkin and Peter Serkin at the Juilliard School. Aizawa lives in New York City, and she is on the faculty at Longy School of Music of Bard College.

Two-time Grammy nominated violinist Jesse Mills enjoys performing music of many genres, from classical to contemporary, as well as composed and improvised music of his own invention.

Since his concert debut at the Ravinia Festival in Chicago, Mills has performed throughout the United States and Canada, including concerts at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall, Carnegie Hall, the 92nd Street Y, the Metropolitan Museum, the Kennedy Center in Washington, Boston’s Gardener Museum and the Marlboro Music Festival. Mills is a founding member of the Horszowski Trio and of Duo Prism, a violin-piano duo with Aizawa, which earned first prize at the Zinetti International Competition in Italy in 2006.

Mills is also known as a pioneer of contemporary works and a renowned improvisational artist, as well as a composer. He earned Grammy nominations for his performances of Arnold Schoenberg’s music, released by NAXOS in 2005 and 2010. As a composer and arranger, Mills has been commissioned by venues including Columbia University’s Miller Theater and the Chamber Music Northwest festival in Portland, Oregon.

Mills graduated from The Juilliard School and studied with Dorothy DeLay, Robert Mann and Itzhak Perlman. He lives in New York City, and he is on the faculty at Longy School of Music of Bard College and at New York University.

About the musicians

Bart Feller is principal flute of the New Jersey Symphony and the Santa Fe Opera Orchestra. He has performed with the New York Philharmonic, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Bargemusic and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and has appeared as concerto soloist with the Philadelphia Orchestra, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra and the Jupiter Symphony.

Feller is professor of flute at Rutgers University/Mason Gross School of the Arts and teaches in the pre-college division of The Juilliard School. He is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music.

Violist Mark Holloway is a chamber musician sought after in the United States and abroad. He has appeared at prestigious festivals such as Marlboro, Ravinia, Caramoor, Banff, Cartagena, Taos, Music from Angel Fire, Mainly Mozart, Music at Plush and the Boston Chamber Music Society.

Holloway has been principal violist at Tanglewood and of the New York String Orchestra and has played as guest principal of the American Symphony, the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, Camerata Bern and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. An artist of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Holloway was a student of Michael Tree at The Curtis Institute of Music and received his bachelor’s degree from Boston University.

Marimbist Makoto Nakura is a musician whose artistry and astonishing virtuosity has been mesmerizing audiences for several decades. His critically acclaimed performances around the world have included venues in London, Paris, Berlin, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Seoul, Montreal, Sao Paulo and Buenos Aires.

In the U.S., he has performed for audiences in 41 of the 50 states, with orchestras such as the New York Chamber Symphony, the Chicago Sinfonietta and the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and, as a recital soloist, his long list of appearances includes Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall and Washington’s Kennedy Center.

Cellist James Wilson has consistently performed to the delight of audiences throughout the world, from small towns to the world’s most famous halls. Acclaimed for his singing tone, and intelligent and soulful approach to music, the Los Angeles Times described Wilson as a musician “with something to say and a commanding way of saying it.”

A devoted advocate for the arts and arts education, Wilson is currently the artistic director of the Richmond–based Chamber Music Society of Central Virginia, and teaches cello and chamber music at Columbia University in New York.

Alpenglow Chamber Music Festivals enhance the cultural life of the community by bringing nationally and internationally known musicians to Summit County. The festival concerts offer chamber music appreciation and education for adults and children. The organization provides affordable concerts, along with opportunities for audiences to interact with the musicians. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit http://www.alpenglowchambermusic.org.


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