P.O. Box 34
Sedona, AZ 86339
(877) 733-7257
redrocksmusic@gmail.com
RED ROCKS MUSIC FESTIVAL
August 24 - September 2, 2012
VIOLIN
Mr. Ehrlich served as concertmaster of the Colorado Festical Orchestra, Filarmonica de Caracas, Chicago Philharmonic Orchestra, and for several seasons was acting concertmaster and associate concertmaster, as well as solist, with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra.In 1984 he jointed the Audubon String Quartet as first violinist, a position he held for 17 years. With the quartet, Mr. Ehrlich toured all over the world performing, conducting master classes and appearing on radio and television. He has recorded on RCA, Telarc and Centaur labels. In 1993, he and his wife, Teresa, founded the Renaissance Music Adadeny of Virginia, in Blacksburg. He is a member of the violin faculty and conducts the youth chamber orchestra.
ELMIRA DARVAROVA
“…Sweet, flexible tone.. “ --The New York Times “… A night to remember.. “ -- The Chicago Tribune “…Enchantingly charismatic…Mesmerizing…” – Fanfare Magazine “Intoxicating tonal beauty.…Silky-smooth, voluptuous tone…” – The Strad Magazine Elmira Darvarova has appeared in recitals and as soloist on four continents, and has been concerto soloist with the Moscow State Symphony Orchestra and with numerous other orchestras in the United States and abroad. She has given concerts and master classes at many festivals in Europe and America, and has performed chamber music with James Levine, Janos Starker and Gary Karr. She has premiered and/or recorded music by Franco Alfano, Joseph Marx, Vernon Duke, Phillip Ramey, David Baker and Paul Chihara. She has recorded live for Radio Innsbruck in Austria, as well as for Radio Suisse Romande in Switzerland. Her recital at Bela Bartok's Memorial House in Budapest was broadcast live throughout Europe. A documentary film about her life and career was shown on European TV. Her most recent recordings, world premiere CDs with music by Franco Alfano, were released to critical acclaim on the Naxos label. Ms. Darvarova is the leader of the New York Piano Quartet. She is also President and Artistic Director of the New York Chamber Music Festival.
VIOLIN
Elmira Darvarova, former Concertmaster of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra (and the first woman-concertmaster in the MET’s history), started playing the violin at the age of 3, gave her first recital at 4, and made her debut as a soloist with an orchestra when she was 8 years old. She was prizewinner of several international competitions, including the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow and studied at some of the best music schools in Europe and America, such as London’s Guildhall School (on a British Council scholarship), the Geneva Conservatory (on a grant from her teacher Henryk Szeryng) and Indiana University, Bloomington (as one of Josef Gingold’s assistants). Elmira Darvarova was chosen by Herbert von Karajan to perform the Brahms Concerto for one of his film projects. She has led, as concertmaster, major American orchestras, such as the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, the Rochester Philharmonic, the Columbus Symphony, and the Grant Park Symphony in Chicago. She caused a sensation, becoming the first ever woman-concertmaster in the history of the Metropolitan Opera in New York. With the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra she has toured Europe, Japan and the United States, and was heard on the MET's live weekly international radio broadcasts, television broadcasts, CDs and laser discs on the Sony, Deutsche Grammophon and EMI labels. She has also performed with the MET Chamber Ensemble in Carnegie Hall.
PIANO
Tomoko Kanamaru, pianist Described by The Philadelphia Inquirer as a “charismatic pianist,” Japanese pianist Tomoko Kanamaru has captivated audiences and garnered the acclaim of critics as a versatile recitalist, concerto soloist, chamber musician, and collaborative artist. Since her first public performance with a professional orchestra at the age of nine in Japan, Ms. Kanamaru has been seen in numerous concert venues around the world. Her concerto debut in the United States was with the Savannah Symphony Orchestra, performing Grieg’s Concerto, as part of the Orchestra’s classical series in December, 2000. She recently appeared with the Toledo Symphony, the Binghamton Philharmonic, the Middletown Symphony Orchestra (Ohio), and the Symphony of Southeast Texas.
Equally active in chamber music, Ms. Kanamaru recently performed with the Philharmonic Quintet of New York, in addition to making a guest artist debut appearance for the New York Philharmonic Ensembles at Merkin Concert Hall Series. As a 2011 season opener, Ms. Kanamaru participated in three concerts for the New York Chamber Music Festival at Symphony Space, which included the “Music for Violin and Piano by Women-composers” with violinist Elmira Darvarova, “An Evening with New York Philharmonic Musicians” (as a guest pianist), and the “September 11 Tenth Anniversary Commemorative Concert,” which was favorably reviewed by Allan Kozinn in The New York Times. Other past appearances include concerts presented by Karl Böhm Foundation in Germany, Rode Kruis Amsterdam in Holland, the Kravis Performing Arts Center in Florida, and Bechstein Piano Center in New York for the Grand Opening Series, among others.
With an enthusiasm for new music, Ms. Kanamaru has performed and premiered works by acclaimed contemporary composers: she premiered Eric Ewazen’s Trio, Gold Coast Harmony with MirrorImage, horn duo, with which she also premiered Paul Basler’s Majaliwa during the Fall 2009 Tour at ten US venues. Ms. Kanamaru’s performances have also been heard on radio broadcasts, television, and commercials in Japan and the United States. She has recorded solo and chamber works for the Nippon Columbia label. She has also participated in the MirrorImage at the Opera,which was released on the MSR Classics label during the summer of 2008.
Ms. Kanamaru has devoted herself to teaching piano and collaborative arts. Through the invitation of the Yamaha Corporation of America, she has conducted seminars to teachers in Los Angeles, Minneapolis, San Antonio, Fredericksburg, Chicago, and Washington D.C. Ms. Kanamaru has written articles and essays for several publications, in addition to co-editing more than 30 volumes of educational piano music to her credit. During the summer 2009, Ms. Kanamaru presented a workshop at the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy in Chicago, and The Washington Post included a preview interview with her on the subject during the same week. She was later also interviewed for the BBC’s The World Today, which was broadcast worldwide.
Ms. Kanamaru holds a bachelor's and a master's degree in music from Musashino Academia Musicae in Tokyo, an Advanced Certificate from The Juilliard School, and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Cincinnati. Ms. Kanamaru currently serves as Associate Professor/Keyboard Area Coordinator at The College of New Jersey.
Last edited: October, 2011
Not to be altered without permission; contact the artist before reproducing this biography. Please do not use previously dated biographies.HORN
A long-time member of two of world’s finest orchestras, Howard Wall is presently with the New York Philharmonic. A native of Pittsburgh, he joined the horn section of the New York Philharmonic in March 1994, after having been a member of The Philadelphia Orchestra for almost 20 years. He is also a former member of both the Phoenix Symphony and the Denver Symphony Orchestra. He has appeared as soloist with the New York Philharmonic in Schumann’s Konzertstück for Four Horns in New York (1995, 2001, 2007), as well as on tours in Europe (1996) and South America (2001). Howard Wall can be heard on the CD Take 9, featuring the New York Philharmonic horn section and the American Horn Quartet. Mr. Wall, who began playing the horn at age 10, earned his bachelor of arts degree in music performance at Carnegie Mellon University. He appears regularly at the New York Chamber Music Festival, and is a member of the Delphinium Trio.
PIANO
Sonya Schumann has a bachelor in music from the University of South Carolina. She made her orchestral debut with the Williamsburg Symphonia League at thirteen, performing as the Young Soloist Competition winner. She has competed and won several competitions, including the Bartok-Kabelevsky-Prokofiev Competition, Williamsburg Symphony Concerto Competition, Lion’s Club Bland Competition, South Carolina Music Teachers Association Competition and Southeastern Piano Festival. In 2005, Sonya perform Rachmaninoff’s Second Piano Concerto with the South Carolina Philharmonic.
Also nationally recognized for prose and poetry interpretation, Sonya recently competed and placed at the state and national level for Speech and Debate. She has participated and competed in theater and thespian conferences.
Sonya has performed solo and chamber works internationally. She has participated in the Southeastern Piano Festival, Indiana University Piano Academy, Ameropa Chamber Music Festival at Prague Conservatory, and the Burgos Music Festival.
Elizabeth Schumann performs internationally as a recitalist, chamber musician, and concerto soloist. The Washington Post Magazine noted her playing as “deft, relentless, and devastatingly good-the sort of performance you experience not so much with your ears as your solar plexus.”
Recently winning the first prize at both the Bosendorfer International Piano Competition and the Pacific International Piano Competition, Elizabeth has won several prizes and awards in other major national and international competitions, including the Cleveland International Piano Competition and the Hilton Head International Piano Competition. Elizabeth was honored with the prestigious Gilmore Young Artists Award, and was highlighted in a PBS Television documentary on the Gilmore Festival.
An innovative programmer, Elizabeth’s most recent invention is Piano Theater, an interactive experience of music and words; Piano Theater’s fall 2010 tour of the US and Canada was acclaimed by critics and audiences alike. Fascinated with contemporary music, Elizabeth is a frequent performer of 21st century works, most recently performing the World Premiere of award winner Canadian Composer Hugues Leclair’s American Haikus (2010). After commissioning Australian Composer Carl Vine to write his Piano Sonata No. 3, she gave the continental premiere performances of the piece in America, Europe, Africa, and Australia.
She has performed solo recitals and chamber music concerts worldwide, in such venues as the Kennedy Center, Vienna’s Bosendorfer Saal, Toronto’s Koerner Hall, the International UNICEF benefit concert for Hurricane Katrina Victims, the New Hampshire Music Festival, the Gilmore Festival, Australia’s Huntington Festival, the Musica Viva chamber music series, the Ravina “Rising Stars” Series, New York City’s “Rock Hotel Pianofest” Series, National Public Radio’s “Performance Today,” and “Sundays Live” radio broadcast program in Los Angeles. Her recitals have been broadcast live on public radio and television in cities around the world, including Washington D.C., New York, Sydney, Cleveland, Montreal, Dallas, and Chicago. www.elizabethschumann.com.
CELLO
A native of Romania, Mr. Simiz studied at the Ciprian Porumbescu Conservatory in Buchares. In 1980, Mr. Simiz arrived in Los Angeles and won the principal cellist position with Neal Stulberg at the Young Musicians' Foundation "Debut" Orchestra. He received his master's degree in cello performance from the University of Southern California where he studied with Eleanor Schoenfeld.
In 1985 Mr. Simiz joined the Phoenix Symphony and became assistant principal cellist in 1989. He is also principal cellist for the Music in the Mountains Festival in Durango, Colorado. He frequently performs in chamber music ensembles.
