Pegasus: The Orchestra, BACH BRANDENBURG CONCERTI – Orchestra Series

Monira Foundation Virtual Stage Presents Pegasus: The Orchestra’s Fourth Season

 

BACH BRANDENBURG CONCERTI – Orchestra Series 

 

For the Season Finale – Pegasus: the orchestra performs Bach’s Brandenburg Concerti No. 2, 4 and 5 conducted by Karen Hakobyan from the harpsichord.

*Stream Premiere Date – Thursday, September 23rd, 2021 8:00 PM

*Will stay active for 2 weeks to subscribers, a link will be e-mailed after ticket purchase

*Stream Venue – YouTube

 

PROGRAM:

BACH Brandenburg Concerto No. 4 in G major, BWV 1049

I.  Allegro

II. Andante

III. Presto

BACH Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D major, BWV 1050

I.  Allegro

II. Affettuoso

III. Allegro 

BACH Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in F major, BWV 1047

I.  Allegro

II. Andante

III. Allegro assai

 

PERFORMERS:

Pegasus: The Orchestra

Karén Hakobyan, artistic director and principal conductor

 

Eiko Kano, violin/concertmaster

Edson Scheid, violin/principal

Abigel Kralik, violin/principal

William Hakim, viola/principal

Connor Kim, cello/principal

Milad Daniari, contrabass/principal

Kaori Fujii, flute/principal

Katie Althen, flute

Hsuan-Fong Chen, oboe/acting principal

John Thiessen, trumpet/guest artist

Karén Hakobyan, harpsichord/conductor

ARTIST BIOGRAPHIES:

Eiko Kano, concertmaster/soloist

Praised as an artist with “electrifying intensity and lyrical expression” by Kyoto Newspaper and “mesmerizing interpreter” by Ongakuno-Tomo Magazine, Japanese violinist Eiko Kano is known for her sensational and dynamic performances. Eiko has a thriving international career as a soloist as well as a chamber musician frequently collaborating with distinguished artists such as principal oboist of the Berlin Philharmonic Albrecht Meyer, Eugene Drucker of the Emerson Quartet and Glenn Dicterow.

 

She is a top prizewinner of international competitions such as the 4th International Competition of Tokyo among others. As a result of winning the prestigious Forval Scholarship, Eiko was granted the Stradivarius “Reinville” violin. She serves as an assistant concertmaster in Albany Symphony Orchestra as well as regularly plays in the New York Philharmonic. Eiko is the concertmaster and senior artistic advisor of Pegasus: The Orchestra. Eiko has received BM and MM degrees from Manhattan School of Music and is a long-time resident of New York.

 

In 2016, she launched the critically acclaimed production titled “A Manhattan Story” with unique style of violin music with original storytelling.  The first album “Winter” was released in 2017 followed by “Spring” in 2018: both being featured in the audio program on all international JAL flights. In 2018, Eiko founded a new ensemble, The New Yorkers, featuring Karén Hakobyan as her duo partner. Since then they have been performing extensively in USA and touring Japan.

 

As a recognition of her achievements, Eiko was loaned the precious “Wilhelmj” Stradivarius violin by Nippon Music Foundation. Her rare and mesmerizing video production of Bach Chaconne filmed in the prestigious Kyoto temple Zenrin-ji (Eikando) was featured in the Strad digital magazine in 2020. Eiko Kano was recently appointed as the music ambassador of the OIST Foundation. http://www.eikonyc.com

Edson Scheid, violin 

Edson Scheid has been praised for his “polished playing” (The Strad), and for being a “virtuoso violinist” (The Boston Globe). His performance of Strauss’s song Morgen at Carnegie Hall alongside Joyce DiDonato and Il Pomo d’Oro was described as follows: “The concertmaster, Edson Scheid, proved a worthy foil as violin soloist” (The New York Times).

 

A native of Brazil, Edson Scheid is based in New York City, where he plays with the city’s leading period orchestras. He frequently performs throughout the United States, on both modern and period instruments, and in Europe, Asia, North and South America with such ensembles as Il Pomo d’Oro and Les Arts Florissants.

Edson Scheid’s many performances of Paganini’s 24 Caprices, on both period and modern violins, have been received with enthusiasm around the world. He has been featured live in-studio on In Tune from BBC Radio 3 and his recording of the Caprices on the baroque violin for the Naxos label has been critically acclaimed: “Far from being mere virtuoso stunts, Scheid’s Caprices abound in the beauty and revolutionary spirit of these works…” (Fanfare Magazine). His album “On Paganini’s Trail… H. W. Ernst and more” has been released on October 2019 under the Centaur Label – the first recording ever of this repertoire on a period violin.

 

Edson Scheid holds degrees from the Universität Mozarteum Salzburg, the Yale School of Music and The Juilliard School, where he was the recipient of a Kovner Fellowship. He is a two-time winner of the Historical Performance Concerto Competition at Juilliard, and a recipient of the Broadus Erle Prize at Yale. www.edsonscheid.com

Abigel Kralik, violin

Hungarian-Nicaraguan-American violinist Abigel Kralik is quickly gaining attention as “a shooting star in the truest sense of the word” (Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk Kultur). As soloist, Abigel has appeared with the Savaria and MAV Symphony Orchestras as well as the Szentendre and Anima Musicae Chamber Orchestras.

 

Abigel was named Emerging Artist of Wilmington Music Festival for the 2019/20 season. She has also won top prizes at the New York International Artists Association, Vienna International Music Competition, Rising Stars (Berlin) Grand Prix, Talents for Europe International Competition, and Koncz Janos competition. 

 

She is a passionate chamber musician and frequently performs with Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players. She also has appeared as a featured artist at the Verbier, Clasclas, Budapest, Krzyzowa and Moritzburg Festivals, as well as the Perlman Music Program and Festival Mozaic. Kralik has collaborated with Itzhak Perlman, Guy Braunstein, Vilde Frang, Viviane Hagner, Hsin-Yun Huang, Maxim Rysanov, Jan Vogler, and Gary Hoffman.

 

Abigel studied with Kristóf Baráti in Budapest and earned her Bachelor’s degree from The Juilliard School under the tutelage of Itzhak Perlman and Li Lin. She is now pursuing her Master’s degree with Perlman and Laurie Smukler. Abigel is a proud recipient of the Kovner Fellowship. http://www.abigelkralik.com/

William Hakim, viola

William Hakim has performed extensively throughout the United States and abroad. Praised for his “warmth of tone and musicality” (Leipziger Volkszeitung), he enjoys playing, writing and arranging music in many styles. He has recorded for Albany Records, Decca, and Nonesuch for various artists including Renee Fleming, served as Billy Joel’s violist for his Madison Square Garden residency, had numerous TV appearances with Josh Groban, toured the country with Branford Marsalis and the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia.

 

​Mr Hakim is a member of the Iris Orchestra in Memphis and the le Poisson Rouge Ensemble as well as serving as principal of the New York Symphonic Ensemble and the Glens Falls Symphony. A former member of the Hyperion String Quartet, he studied with John Graham at the Eastman School of Music, Samuel Rhodes at Juilliard, and with Paul Neubauer at the Graduate Center of CUNY where he is pursuing a doctorate and researching improvisation methods for classically trained musicians. Mr. Hakim served on the faculty at Brevard Music Center and is on the faculty of Seton Hall University and Skidmore College.

Connor Kim, cello

Praised by the San Francisco Classical Voice as to having “one of the more vigorous and expressively varied performances… that I’ve heard”, cellist Connor Kim is quickly gaining wide- spread recognition as a humble musician. He quickly learned of his life passion at that young age, and amongst many awards he had earned, was a top prize-winner of the Schadt National Competition for Strings, Anton Rubinstein International Cello Competition, Menuhin-Dowling Young Artists Competition, and recipient of the Margaret Brady Study Grant at the Y.E.S. Foundation Competition, to name a few. Connor debuted with the Fremont Symphony Orchestra after winning first prize at the Young Artist Competition, and was invited to perform Dvorak Cello Concerto at their 50th Anniversary Gala under the baton of Maestro Greg Sudmeier. 

 

A passionate chamber musician, Kim has participated in various chamber music festivals and has shared stages with many respectable musicians. He has attended the Hotchkiss Summer Portals Chamber Music Program, where he worked with members of the Brentano, Shanghai, Miami, and Miro Quartets, and was re-invited to attend for three years in a row, upon which his last year, was fortunate enough to solo alongside violinist Ida Kavafian in Astor Piazzola’s Otoño Porteno. He also participated in Yellow Barn’s Young Artist Program, Kneisel Hall, International Masterclass Series Prussia Cove of the UK, the Perlman Music Program Chamber Music Workshop, and was most recently an International Program participant at Music@Menlo. He was also invited to participate in the Winter Residency for Music@Menlo in 2019. This summer, he will be attending Ravinia’s Steans Music Institute.  Throughout the various programs, Connor has had the chance to perform with world- renowned artists such as Itzakh Perlman, Hsin-Yun Huang, Roger Tapping, Vivian Hornik Weilerstein, and more. Kim is currently a member of the Kila Quartet, and as a group, they are members of the Juilliard Honors Chamber Music Program, where they were given the opportunity to debut at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall amongst many other engagements. Connor has received both his Bachelors and Masters Degrees at The Juilliard School under the tutelage of Joel Krosnick and Timothy Eddy with a full tuition scholarship as an Irene Diamond Graduate Fellow, and through the generosity of the George L. Shields Memorial Scholarship and Mari Brown Scholarship. He currently plays a Becker cello generously on loan from the Colburn Foundation.

Milad Daniari, contrabass

Bassist Milad Daniari maintains a dynamic career in NYC as a musician with orchestras on the East Coast including the American Ballet Theatre, Albany Symphony, and the Vermont Symphony in addition to serving as Principal Bass with Pegasus: The Orchestra. Milad regularly performs at major venues including Carnegie Hall, the David H. Koch Theater, the Metropolitan Opera House, Alice Tully Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Previously, he served as Co-Principal Bass with The Orchestra Now. He has served as Principal Bass with the Chesapeake Orchestra and appeared in performance with the Shreveport Symphony. Milad currently serves as the Double Bass Instructor at The Browning School in NYC. As a chamber musician, Milad has appeared at the Roxbury Arts Group, at the National Opera Center in the world premiere of Martin Hennessy’s monologue operas in 2019, and in workshop with Decoda, the affiliate ensemble of Carnegie Hall, leading students of the New York Youth Symphony. Milad’s festival appearances include Co-Principal Bass at the National Repertory Orchestra as well as the Round Top Festival Institute, Colorado College Summer Music Festival, Bard Music Festival, Grafenegg Academy, and the Alba Music Festival. A recipient of the Ambrose Monell Foundation Scholarship, Milad received his Bachelor of Music from Manhattan School of Music as a student of New York Philharmonic Principal Bass Timothy Cobb. He attained his Master of Music from Bard College.

Kaori Fujii, flute

Born in Tokyo and residing in New York, Kaori Fujii has emerged as one of the leading imaginative and creative flutists ever to come out of the classical music world. She has released a total of 8 albums, including “Garota de Ipanema”, which was shortlisted for a nomination at the Grammy Awards. Kaori has performed with such renowned artists as Ennio Morricone (Composer), Albrecht Mayer (Oboist), Phillip Moll (Pianist), Stanislav Bunin (Pianist), Vienna Piano Quartet, Sinfonia Varsovia, Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, and Suk Chamber Music Orchestra, to name only a few.

 

In addition, she has graced the stage of leading concert halls, such as The John F. Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, Alte Oper Frankfurt, Liederhalle Stuttgart, Teresa Carreño Theater, Suntory Hall, and Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall. Kaori took the first prize in the 7th Japan Woodwind Competition, in the 14th Japan Wind and Percussion Competition, and in the 67th Music Competition of Japan. She was the youngest winner in the history of these competitions. Kaori was also awarded the second prize in the 44th International Competition Maria Canals de Barcelona in Spain, and in the 10th International Flute Competition Friedrich Kuhlau in Germany.

 

A graduate of the Tokyo University of the Arts, and of the soloist class of the University of Music and Performing Arts Stuttgart, Kaori has studied extensively with Jean-Claude Gerard, Paul Meisen, Jeannie Baxtresser, Aurele Nicolet, Wolfgang Schulz, Sir James Galway and Akiko Mikami. In 2014, Kaori has founded Music Beyond, Inc. — a nonprofit organization that harnesses the universal power of music to empower and transform people’s lives in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in Central Africa. She now frequently visits DRC to provide music teacher training program, women’s empowerment program and help build music curriculum for local schools.  kaorifujii.net | musicbeyond.org

Katie Althen, flute

An award-winning flutist, content creator, and educator, Katie Althen enjoys a rich career with a multifaceted impact on the arts. She has performed in concert halls across the U.S. as well as in Argentina, Mexico, and Bermuda. Katie is a founding member of the NYC based Sonora Collective, a group that brings music to art galleries and other unique spaces. Eager to diversify her impact, Katie is known to a wide audience for her contributions to the flute community on Instagram and YouTube, where she has amassed nearly 100,000 followers and subscribers, as well as over 6 million views. A passionate educator, Katie maintains a private online flute studio and is an Artist Faculty member of The Charles Ives Music Festival at the Western Connecticut Youth Orchestra. Katie holds a M.M. from Juilliard and a B.M. from the New England Conservatory. www.officialkatieflute.com

Hsuan-Fong Chen, oboe

Oboist Hsuan-Fong Chen (pronounced “SHUan-fong”) has performed across the United States, Europe, and Asia, enjoying a diverse career in orchestra, Broadway, and new music. Having she is sought after for a wide range of performances that range from a guest principal appearance with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, sharing the stage with Rihanna at the Met Gala, and performing in the hit Broadway production of Rocktopia as its lead oboist, with an additional appearance in Wicked.

 

A seasoned orchestral player, Hsuan-Fong Chen regularly performs with Symphoria, the Talea Ensemble, the Huntsville Symphony Orchestra in Alabama, the Albany Symphony Orchestra, and the New York Philharmonic, with whom she accompanied in the orchestra’s West Coast tour. In new music, she premiered the East Coast premiere of Nico Muhly’s The Faire Starre with Trinity Wall Street’s contemporary orchestra NOVUS NY, and has performed several times with ensemble mise-en. As a soloist, she has given recitals and performed concerti with orchestras in Taiwan, Germany, and across the United States. Her album debut came in October 2019 on the Naxos label, when she recorded Beethoven’s Serenade for Winds alongside faculty from the Yale School of Music.

 

A native of Taiwan, Hsuan-Fong Chen holds education from The Juilliard School (B.M.), the Yale School of Music (M.M. & Artist Diploma), and the Manhattan School of Music (Orchestral Performance Diploma). A musician from age four, Hsuan-Fong was a former competitive pianist—highlights include a Carnegie Hall performance and a brief feature in the documentary “A Museum Without Walls”. She is based in New York City, where she lives with her Cockapoo, Hiro.

John Thiessen, trumpet

Karén Hakobyan, conductor/harpsichord

Described as “a musician of abundant gifts and bountiful ideas” by New York Concert Review, and “an immensely talented and dynamic performer” by Deseret Morning News, Armenian American pianist, composer, and conductor Karén Hakobyan is a versatile force on the international music scene. Since his Carnegie Hall debut at the age of seventeen, he has performed in major concert halls in Armenia, Argentina, Mexico, Germany, UK, Belgium, France, Japan, and the US. Karén regularly appears in prestigious festivals and concert series. Some of his festival performance highlights include: the “Lille International Piano(s) Festival” in 2005 (Lille, France), “The Pianist as Composer” Festival in 2008 (New York), Keys to the Future” Contemporary Music Festival in 2009-2010 (New York), the Gina Bachauer International Festival in 2015 (Utah), Festival Musique d’Abord in 2017 (Barbizon, France) and the Philip Lorenz International Keyboard Concerts in 2018 (California). 

 

He is a top prizewinner of multiple international piano and composition competitions and holds degrees from the Manhattan School of Music, Mannes College of Music, and the University of Utah. Karén has appeared as a soloist with major orchestras across several continents. His performances have been broadcasted on WQXR Radio (New York City), WMFT Radio (Chicago), WSKG Radio (New York), Argentine National Radio, Monterrey’s (Mexico) Op. 102 station, Armenian National Radio, Al Jazeera TV, Public TV of Armenia and Voice of America TV (International). 

 

He is the Founder, Principal Conductor and Artistic Director of Pegasus: the Orchestra, based in New York. www.karenhakobyan.com