Opening concert on April 3 honors co-founder Derek Han
Sarasota, FL – The critically-acclaimed La Musica International Chamber Music Festival celebrates its 36th season in 2022, with events from February 15 to April 13. Four concerts will be held at the Sarasota Opera House, 61 N. Pineapple Avenue, Sarasota. The season kick-off event, and the first concert with special guest pianist Wu Han, will celebrate the legacy of co-founder and associate artistic director Derek Han, who passed away in April of 2021. Subscriptions to all four concerts are $195 and include a festival rehearsal pass; single concert tickets range from $50-$65.
Bruno Giuranna, La Musica’s co-founder and artistic director, stated, “Although covid keeps me from traveling to Sarasota this year, my gift to La Musica is the repertoire patrons will enjoy throughout the festival. I am especially saddened to miss paying tribute to Derek Han, my colleague and good friend, but I know he will be listening from afar.”
The Musicians
Dmitri Atapine (cello) has been described as a cellist with “brilliant technical chops” (Gramophone) whose playing is “highly impressive throughout” (Strad). He is the artistic director of Ribadesella Chamber Music Festival (Spain) and Apex Concerts (Nevada), and the cello professor at the University of Nevada, Reno.
Daniel Avashalomov (viola) is the violist of the American String Quartet, now enjoying its fifth decade of international acclaim. He was recently hailed by Strad magazine as “one of the finest occupants of that chair, both instrumentally and musically, of any quartet now active.”
Wendy Chen (piano) is making her La Musica debut. The youngest winner ever of the National Chopin Competition, she has appeared in programs that also featured musical legends Art Garfunkel and James Taylor, and in a private concert for the justices at the U.S. Supreme Court presented by The Honorable Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
Jennifer Frautschi (violin) is a two-time Grammy nominee. She has appeared at the Bridgehampton, Charlottesville, Lake Champlain, Moab, Ojai, Santa Fe, Seattle, and Spoleto music festivals.
Wu Han (piano) received Musical America’s Musician of the Year Award and is the artistic co-director of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and Music@Menlo. She also serves as artistic advisor for Wolf Trap’s Chamber Music in the Barns series and for Palm Beach’s Society of the Four Arts.
Benny Kim (violin) is making his La Musica debut. He has performed in virtually every major city in the United States. Kim is first violinist of the Miami String Quartet, winner of the prestigious Cleveland Quartet Award, and Quartet in Residence at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio.
Christine J. Lee (cello) – Accepted to The Curtis Institute of Music at age 10, she was one of the youngest soloists in history at the age of 12. She is passionate about bringing music to diverse audiences through social media and collaboration with different mediums of art.
Kristin Lee (violin) – A recipient of the 2015 Avery Fisher Career Grant, she is a soloist, recitalist, chamber musician, and educator. She is the co-founder and artistic director of Emerald City Music in Seattle.
Ruth Lenz (violin) has collaborated with such distinguished artists as Natalie Cole, Johnny Mathis, Luciano Pavarotti, and Itzhak Perlman. She is concertmaster of both the Reno Philharmonic and Reno Chamber Orchestra, and a member of the Classical Tahoe Orchestra.
Dee Moses (double bass) is the longtime principal double bassist of The Florida Orchestra. He has recently delved back into contemporary composition and performance in collaboration with his wife, modern dancer and choreographer Elsa Valbuena
Cynthia Phelps (viola) – Her recording, “Air,” for flute, harp and viola, was nominated for a Grammy Award. She is on the faculty of The Juilliard School, Shanghai Academy, and Music Academy of the West.
Jason Vieaux (guitar) – Grammy-winner Jason Vieaux, “among the elite of today’s classical guitarists” (Gramophone), is described by NPR as “perhaps the most precise and soulful classical guitarist of his generation.” He recently performed the premiere recording of a new solo work, “Four Points of Light,” composed for him by jazz legend Pat Metheny.
The Concerts
Sunday, April 3, 3:00 p.m.
Derek Han Memorial Concert
Celebrate the legacy of La Musica’s co-founder and associate artistic director Derek Han. His friends and colleagues, including special guest pianist Wu Han, perform the music he loved. Special programming funded by The Exchange. $65
Ludwig van Beethoven, Piano Trio in G Major, Op. 1 no. 2
Maurice Ravel, Sonata for Violin and Cello
Johannes Brahms, Quartet for Piano and Strings in G Minor, Op. 25
Wednesday, April 6, 7:30 p.m.
Innocence and Illicit Passion
The 15-year-old Mozart celebrated completion of his second set of string quartets by composing his sunny first viola quintet. One hundred years later, Franck created his piano quintet, secretly dedicated to his young lover. Is passion audible? $50
Wolfgang Mozart, String Quintet in Bb, K.174
Bernhard Romberg, Trio for Cello, Viola and Bass in E Minor, Op. 38 no. 1
César Franck, Quintet for Piano and Strings in F Minor
Sunday, April 10, 3:00 p.m.
Strut and Fret
Grammy Award-winning guitarist Jason Vieaux returns to perform in contemporary and Classical quintets, contrasted with the lush Dvořák quintet for piano and strings. $50
Luigi Boccherini, Guitar Quintet in D Major, G.448, “Fandango”
Giacomo Susani, Quintet for Guitar and String Quartet
Antonin Dvořák, Quintet for Piano and Strings in A Major, Op. 81
Wednesday, April 13, 7:30 p.m.
From Darkness Into Light
Mozart’s dark and stormy piano quartet may have deterred its publisher, but it showed the way from the Classical to the Romantic – so Tchaikovsky owes Mozart (and Florence) for his inspiration. This souvenir is beyond festive – think 1812 without the cannons. $50
Wolfgang Mozart, Quartet for Piano and Strings in G Minor, K. 478
Zoltan Kodály, Serenade for Two Violins and Viola, Op. 12
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, String Sextet in D Major, Op. 70, Souvenir de Florence
Free Pre-Concert Talks
Pre-concert talks, hosted by Robert Sherman, are free and begin 45 minutes prior to each concert at the opera house. For more than 40 years, Sherman was a music critic and columnist for The New York Times, and for nearly 20 years he served on the graduate faculty of The Juilliard School.
He says, “I’ve spent most of my life as a broadcaster, making friends I never get to see. I’m so excited about hosting these talks: to be in the same room with the listeners, take their questions, and hear their laughter when I bumble a name or phrase.”
Open Rehearsals, April 1-12, times vary
A rare opportunity to sit in on rehearsals, which will be held in the Bayfront Community Center at Sarasota Municipal Auditorium, 801 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. Rehearsals are free of charge for series subscribers, faculty and students; non-subscribers may purchase a pass to all rehearsals for $80, or daily passes for $20.
Musical Kids Go Free
New this season, all music students age 18 and under and accompanying parents may attend La Musica concerts and open rehearsals for free thanks to the generosity of the La Musica board of directors.
“Behind the Music” Special Events
Sonata a Due, Tuesday, February 15, 6:00 p.m.
In remembrance of Derek Han, the season kick-off event features violist Daniel Avshalomov – Han’s oldest friend from Juilliard days – sharing his memories and the music they played together. The evening begins with a recital performed by Avshalomov and pianist Sila Senturk, followed by a cocktail reception with the artists, and concludes with a three-course dinner. Michael’s Wine Cellar and Ballroom, 1283 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. $300-$500 per person. Sponsored in part by Bernard Friedland in loving memory of his wife Shirley.
Musical Bouquet, Tuesday, April 5, 5:30 p.m.
Enchanting music performed by Daniel Avshalomov, viola and Wu Han, piano, amid the ambience of Marie Selby Botanical Gardens (Downtown Sarasota Campus), 1534 Mound Street, Sarasota. Mingle with the artists following the program while enjoying a glass of wine. $85 per person.
Meet the Musicians, Friday, April 8, 5:30 p.m.
Get to know the musicians and enjoy a mini concert in the unique setting of Dolphin Aviation’s hangar, 8191 N. Tamiami Trail #100, Sarasota. Wine and light bites are served. $35 per person. Sponsored by Dolphin Aviation.
Musical Chefs Dinner, Monday, April 11, 6:00 p.m.
Hosted by Phil Mancini at Michael’s Wine Cellar, 1283 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. La Musica musicians prepare their favorite recipes along with Executive Chef Jamil Pineda for an evening of food, fun, and frivolity. $200-$250 per person. Sponsored by Gloria Moss in honor of Janet Hunter.
The season is sponsored and funded in part by Sarasota County Tourist Development Tax Revenues (TDT).
For subscriptions, tickets, and more information, visit LaMusicaFestval.org or call the La Musica box office at (207) 266-7999. Additionally, single concert tickets can be purchased by calling the Sarasota Opera box office at (941) 328-1300.
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La Musica’s mission is to bring together the finest musicians to present exciting programs of familiar and unusual chamber music, communicating a joy in performance to enthusiastic audiences. A major goal is to reach out to the community to draw people into the creative process through special performances and daily open rehearsals. For more information about La Musica, visit www.lamusicafestival.org.