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May 18, 2015- 7pm
Schwan Hall, Wisconsin Lutheran College
Season Finale
Aeolus String Quartet
Frank Almond, violin
Winston Choi, piano
PROGR A M
Three Pieces for String Quartet (1914)......................................................................Igor Stravinsky
1. Danse
(1882-1971)
2. Excentrique
3. Hymne
String Quartet in g, Op. 10...........................................................................................Claude Debussy
1. Animé e très decide
(1862-1918)
2. Assez vif et bien rythmé
3. Andantino, doucement expressif
4. Très modéré
Intermission
Concerto for Violin, Piano, and String Quartet, Op. 21................................. Ernest Chausson
1. Decide - Calme – Anime
(1855-1899)
2. Sicilienne
3. Grave
4. Finale- Trés animé
Season Finale | Aeolus Quartet
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F R A N K LY M U S I C B OA R D O F D I R E C TO R S
Linda Tojek, President
Barbara Wanless, Vice President
Mary Wann, Secretary
Calvin C. Kozlowski, Treasurer
Dr. Russell Brooker
Patricia Crump
Jenna Kashou
Marta Haas
Wendy Slocum
Jessica Stenz
Frank Almond, Artistic Director
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FR ANK ALMOND
Violinist Frank Almond holds the Charles and Marie
Caestecker Concertmaster Chair at the Milwaukee
Symphony Orchestra. He returned to the MSO after holding
positions as Concertmaster of the Rotterdam Philharmonic
with Valery Gergiev, and Guest Concertmaster of the
London Philharmonic with Kurt Masur. Other Guest
Concertmaster appearances have included the Seattle
Symphony, the Montreal Symphony, the Dallas Symphony,
and the Grand Tetons Music Festival. He continues an active
schedule of solo and chamber music performances in the
US and abroad including appearances with the Ojai Festival,
Frankly Music, An die Musik, the Nara Academy in Nara,
Japan, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Music in the Vineyards, and
various solo appearances with orchestras. He has been a
FA photo by Nigel Parry/CPI
member of the chamber group An die Musik in New York
City since 1997, and also founded and directs the much-loved and somewhat
notorious Frankly Music Chamber Series based in Milwaukee. At 17, he was one of the
youngest prizewinners in the history of the Nicolo Paganini Competition in Genoa, Italy,
and five years later was one of two American prizewinners at the Eighth International
Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, which was documented in an award-winning PBS
film. Since then he has kept up an eclectic mix of activities in addition to his
concertmaster duties, appearing both as a soloist and chamber musician.
In addition to his work with An die Musik, Mr. Almond’s work as a chamber musician has
generated collaborations over the years with many of today’s well-known institutions,
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Frankly Music
FR ANK ALMOND
c o n t.
including the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the Hal Leonard Corporation,
the Ravinia Festival, La Jolla Summerfest, Music in the Vineyards, the Cape and Islands
Festival, and numerous other summer festivals.
He has recorded for Summit, Albany, Boolean (his own label), Innova, Newport Classic,
Wergo and New Albion and has appeared numerous times on NPR’s Performance Today.
In both 2002 and 2004 An die Musik received Grammy nominations for its “Timeless
Tales” series. The re-release of Mr. Almond’s recording of the complete Brahms Sonatas,
performed in collaboration with pianist William Wolfram, brought extraordinary critical
acclaim, and was also listed in the American Record Guide top recordings of 2001.
With pianist William Wolfram, a CD of sonatas by Respighi, Janacek, and Strauss was
released on the AVIE label, and was named a “Best of 2007” by the American Record
Guide. His CD of American violin and piano music was released on Innova Recordings
with pianist Brian Zeger and also garnered much press enthusiasm. A CD of selected
works of Samuel Barber was released in 2010, in cooperation with the Hal Leonard
Corporation. In April 2013 AVIE released A Violin’s Life, featuring works and composers
directly associated with the “Lipinski” Stradivarius, charting in the Billboard Top 10 in
its first week of release. It has received notable press in major news outlets, and was
featured in a full program of interviews and excerpts on SiriusXM Symphony Hall.
In recent seasons he has occasionally appeared as a conductor, most recently with
the Cabrillo Chamber Orchestra (CA), the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra, the Traverse
Symphony (MI), on the Frankly Music series with members of the Milwaukee Symphony,
and the Berlin Sinfonietta.
Mr. Almond holds two degrees from the Juilliard School, where he studied with
Dorothy DeLay. Other important teachers included Michael Tseitlin, Felix Galimir, and
Joseph Silverstein. He has held academic positions at San Diego State University, Texas
Christian University, Northwestern University, and is currently on the faculty as Artist/
Teacher of Violin at the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University. In
2014 be began a newly-created position as Artist-in-Residence at the Milwaukee Youth
Symphony.
When he’s not traveling around playing the violin he lives in Milwaukee with his wife and
two young daughters. He usually plays on a violin by Antonio Stradivari from 1715, the
“ex-Lipinski”. In December 2011, he appeared in concerts and masterclasses in Poland to
commemorate the 150th anniversary of Karol Lipinski performing on his former violin.
In the next two seasons he will be presenting a series of concerts and master classes
both in US and abroad commemorating the 300th birthday of the violin, featuring works
from both A Violin’s Life and other music connected with the overall history of the
instrument. A volume 2 of A Violin’s Life is planned for 2016 release.
On January 27, 2014, the “ex-Lipinski” Stradivari was stolen from Mr. Almond in an armed
robbery after a concert. The violin was recovered nine days later, and the story continues
to make headlines around the world, most recently with a major investigative feature in
Vanity Fair and a BBC World Service documentary. Mr. Almond is extremely grateful to
the Milwaukee Police Department, the FBI, and the thousands of individuals who sent
messages of concern and support.
Season Finale | Aeolus Quartet
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A E O L U S Q UA R T E T
Praised by Strad Magazine for their
“high-octane” performance, the Aeolus
Quartet is among the finest young string
quartets performing today. Violinists
Nicholas Tavani and Rachel Shapiro,
violist Gregory Luce, and cellist Alan
Richardson formed the Aeolus Quartet in
2008 at the Cleveland Institute of Music.
Since its inception, the all-American
quartet has been awarded prizes at
nearly every major competition in the
United States and performed across the
globe with showings “worthy of a major-league quartet” (Scott Cantrell, Dallas Morning
News). Luke Quinton of the Austin-American Statesman writes, “The Aeolus Quartet is a
powerful and thoughtful group of young musicians who are plotting an ascending
course…this vibrant group shows great promise.” They are currently the Graduate
Resident String Quartet at the Juilliard School.
The Aeolus Quartet are Grand Prizewinners of the 2011 Plowman Chamber Music
Competition and 2011 Chamber Music Yellow Springs Competition. They were awarded
First Prize at the 2009 Coleman International Chamber Ensemble Competition, a Silver
Medal at the 2011 Fischoff International Chamber Music Competition, and a Bronze
Medal at the 2010 International Chamber Music Ensemble Competition in New England.
The 16th Annual Austin Critics’ Table named the Aeolus Quartet their 2010-2011 “Best
Ensemble.” The Aeolus Quartet has released two critically acclaimed albums of classical
and contemporary works through the Longhorn/Naxos label which are available on
iTunes, Amazon, and major retailers worldwide.
The Quartet has performed across North America, Europe, and Asia in venues such as
Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Reinberger Recital Hall at Severance Hall, Merkin Hall,
The Library of Congress, Renwick Gallery, St. Martin-in-the-Fields, and the Shanghai
Oriental Arts Center.
Dedicated to bringing music into the community, the Aeolus Quartet has been widely
recognized for their highly innovative and engaging outreach programs. The Fischoff
National Chamber Music Association awarded the Aeolus their 2013 Educator Award in
acknowledgment of the positive impact their educational efforts have had in diverse
Waukesha Area
Chamber Orchestra
8 TH A N N UA L B E N E F IT CONCE R T
FRIDAY, JUNE 19, 2015 | 7:00PM
SHATTUCK AUDITORIUM,
CARROLL UNIVERSITY
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Frankly Music
A E O L U S Q UA R T E T
c o n t.
communities. Additionally, they were awarded the 2012 Lad Prize which culminated
in large-scale community engagement work, performing in the Stanford area, and a
masterclass residency at Stanford University. The Aeolus Quartet has also served as
teaching faculty at Stanford University’s Education Program for Gifted Youth (EPGY),
the Austin Chamber Music Workshop, and Da Camera of Houston’s Music Encounters
Program. Working in collaboration with the University of Texas through the Rural
Chamber Music Outreach Initiative, the Quartet has presented educational programs and
performances in communities throughout the state of Texas.
The Aeolus Quartet has studied extensively with the Miró, Guarneri, and Juilliard
Quartets. Other mentors include artists such as William Preucil, Peter Salaff, Donald
Weilerstein, Itzhak Perlman, Gerhard Schulz, and Mark Steinberg. Members of the Quartet
hold degrees from the Peabody Conservatory, the Cleveland Institute of Music, and the
University of Texas at Austin, where they served as the first Graduate String Quartet-inResidence.
The Quartet’s 2013-2014 season included multiple performances on the Smithsonian
Institute’s rare instrument collection, an educational tour of the Midwest in conjunction
with the Fischoff Competition, concert touring throughout the United States, and
residencies in North Carolina and at the Austin Chamber Music Center’s Summer
Festival. The Quartet is named for the Greek god Aeolus, who governed the four winds.
This idea of a single spirit uniting four individual forces serves as an inspiration to the
members of the Aeolus Quartet as they pursue their art.
W I N S TO N C H O I
Winner of the 2002 Orléans Concours International and
Laureate of the 2003 Honens International Piano
Competition, Canadian pianist Winston Choi is an inquisitive
performer whose fresh approach to standard repertory, and
masterful understanding, performance and commitment to
works by living composers, make him one of today’s most
dynamic young concert artists.
Choi maintains an active international performing
schedule. In demand as a concerto soloist, orchestras
he has appeared with include the Calgary Philharmonic
Orchestra, the CBC Radio Orchestra, the ChampaignUrbana Symphony Orchestra, the Cheyenne Symphony
Orchestra, the East Texas Symphony Orchestra, the Elmhurst Symphony Orchestra, the
Fort Collins Symphony Orchestra, the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony Orchestra, the
Kamloops Symphony Orchestra, La Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Colombia, l’Orchestre
Symphonique d’Orléans, the Missisauga Symphony Orchestra, the Peninsula Music
Festival Orchestra, the Richmond Symphony Orchestra, and the Victoria Symphony
Orchestra.
Known for his colorful approach to programming and insightful commentary from
the stage, Choi has recently appeared in recital at the National Arts Centre of Canada,
the Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto, New York’s Carnegie-Weill Recital Hall and Merkin
Season Finale | Aeolus Quartet
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W I N S TO N C H O I
c o n t.
Recital Hall, the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., the Kravis Center in Florida, Berlin’s
“Klavierfieber” Festival and the “Cicle Grans Solistes” in Spain. Choi performs extensively
in France, having played venues such as the Salle Cortot, Lille’s Festival Rencontre Robert
Casadesus, the Messiaen Festival, and the Strasbourg Festival. Frequently in demand
throughout his native Canada, he has been awarded numerous grants from the Canada
Council for the Arts. His numerous performances can often be heard on CBC radio
broadcasts. Recently, he toured Eastern Ontario and Quebec under the auspices of
Jeunesses Musicales and embarked on a 10-city Prairie Debut tour of the Canadian Prairie
provinces. Choi is currently touring with Bach’s epic Art of Fugue. An accomplished
chamber musician, he performs regularly with his wife, MingHuan Xu as Duo Diorama, as
well as with the Pivot Chamber Soloists and the Civitas Ensemble.
As a dedicated champion of contemporary music, Choi has premiered and commissioned
over 100 works by young composers as well as established masters. A composer himself,
being involved with the creative process is an integral part of his artistry. He was the first
pianist to perform Pierre Boulez’s last version of Incises in North America and made the
South American premiere of Luciano Berio‘s Sonata for pianoforte solo. He also regularly
appears in concert at IRCAM, the world’s most renowned institution for contemporary
music. Composers he has collaborated with include William Bolcom, Elliott Carter, John
Corigliano, Brian Ferneyhough, Bright Sheng, Christian Wolff, Chen Yi and John Zorn. He
is also a core member of the new music ensemble Brave New Works and the Chicagobased Ensemble Dal Niente. His upcoming performances include piano concerti by
Jeffrey Mumford and John Melby.
Already a prolific recording artist, Choi’s debut CD, the complete piano works of Elliott
Carter (l’Empreinte Digitale in France) was given 5 stars by BBC Music Magazine. He has
also recorded 2 CDs of the piano music of Jacques Lenot for the Intrada label, having won
the Grand Prix du Disque from l’Académie Charles Cros for Volume I. Other labels he can
be heard on include Albany, AMP, Arktos, Crystal Records, Naxos and QuadroFrame.
Choi began his studies in Toronto with James Tweedie and Vivienne Bailey. He obtained
both his Bachelor and Master Degrees at Indiana University, studying with Menahem
Pressler. Further studies were with Ursula Oppens at Northwestern University, where he
completed his Doctorate of Music. An accomplished teacher, he is also in demand as a
master class clinician. Previously on the faculties of Bowling Green State University and
the Oberlin Conservatory, he is Associate Professor and Head of Piano at the Chicago
College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University.
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