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Event
Five Fridays: Clarinet, Cello and Piano
Three incredible Astral Artists will present a the second concert of the 2014-2015 Five Fridays Season on Friday, November 14 at 7:30 pm.
Benito Meza, Clarinet
Regarded as "a daring force of nature" by The New York Times, and "a performer in a league of his own" by The Los Angeles Times, Colombian clarinetist Benito Meza has appeared with the Boston Philharmonic, the Youth Orchestra of the Americas, the Gardner Chamber Orchestra, the Modern Music Ensemble, the Los Angeles Wind Ensemble, and on Harvard University's Chamber Music series, among many others. A winner of Astral Artists' 2009 National Auditions, he made his critically acclaimed concerto debut on Astral's series in April 2012, with Symphony in C. Mr. Meza has appeared in Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Pittsburgh's Heinz Hall, Boston's Jordan Hall, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Sanders Theater at Harvard University, and at Lincoln Center, and recorded the Grammy-nominated album Providencia with famed pianist and composer Danilo Pérez, for the Mack Avenue Records label. At the age of 17, Mr. Meza was awarded a full scholarship to Javeriana University's music program. In 2001, he was invited to study at the National Institute of Musical Studies in Venezuela, and joined Venezuela's world-famous music education program, El Sistema. As a member of the celebrated Simón Bolívar Youth Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela, he made television appearances with Maestro Andrés Briceño. Also a composer, Mr. Meza's compositions are greatly influenced by both classical and jazz music, as well as Colombian folk music, Afro-Caribbean rhythms, and contemporary improvisation. Benito Meza is currently an Affiliate Artist serving on the music faculty of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Christine Lamprea, Cello
Colombian-American cellist Christine Lamprea is a multi-faceted soloist and chamber musician. The First Prize winner of the XVI Annual Sphinx Competition (2013), she joined the roster of the Sphinx Soloists Program, and as such will be presented as soloist with major orchestras worldwide. She has also received awards from the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts, the Young Texas Artists' Competition and, most recently, captured First Prize at the 2013 Schadt National String Competition. She is also a winner of Astral Artists' 2013 National Auditions. Ms. Lamprea has appeared as a soloist with the Houston Symphony, New Jersey Symphony, and most recently, on tour with the Sphinx Virtuosi across the U.S., including venues such as Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center. Upcoming engagements include performances with the Hilton Head and Costa Rica National symphonies. Ms. Lamprea explores many genres of music as well as non-traditional venues for performance and teaching. She has worked with members of Baroque ensemble Les Arts Florissants, studied sonatas with fortepiano with Audrey Axinn, and has premiered several works by composers at The Juilliard School and the New England Conservatory. Most recently, she was a member of a small ensemble that worked with jazz musician Anthony Coleman on avant-garde composer John Zorn's game piece Cobra, for musical improvisers and prompter. A passionate teacher, Ms. Lamprea worked with Ecuadorian youth in Quito and Guayaquil, as part of a residency between The Juilliard School and "Sinfonia Por La Vida," a social inclusion program modeled after Venezuela's El Sistema program. She was also a Gluck Community Service Fellow at Juilliard, performing in hospitals and nursing homes in and around New York City as part of a mixed ensemble of dancers, actors, and musicians. Ms. Lamprea is the recipient of a Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans. She studied with Bonnie Hampton at The Juilliard School and holds a Master's degree from the New England Conservatory, where she studied with Natasha Brofsky.
Pallavi Mahidhara, Piano
Pianist Pallavi Mahidhara was awarded the "Most Promising Young Pianist" from Switzerland's Verbier Academy, and she received a $25,000 Davidson Fellowship for her extraordinary achievements in the field of music. She is also the Second Prize winner of the VI International Prokofiev Competition (St. Petersburg). A winner of Astral Artists' 2013 National Auditions, she has appeared in solo and orchestral concerts across North and South America, Europe, Asia, and Africa. Ms. Mahidhara's musical interests cover an extensive range, from standard classical works to music of contemporary and living composers, as well as fusion and crossover projects. In 2011, she joined drummer Questlove of The Roots and international singer/songwriter Keren Ann for a genre-defying concert, fusing the classical world with hip-hop, jazz, and folk-pop artists, at the Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts. She also premiered a piano work by one of India's leading film composers Vanraj Bhatia entitled Fantasia and Fugue in C and based on the Indian epic The Mahabharata. In September 2008, on a few hours' notice, Ms. Mahidhara stepped in for Van Cliburn at the Liberty Medal Award ceremony at Philadelphia's National Constitution Center honoring former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. She has also been featured on "Piano Grand," a celebration of the Piano's 300th birthday, hosted by Billy Joel and produced by the Smithsonian Institution and Maryland Public Television. Ms. Mahidhara made her orchestral debut at the age of 10, in Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 21 with Disney's Young Musicians Symphony Orchestra at the Ravinia Festival. At the age of 14, she debuted with the National Symphony Orchestra. She has gone one to appear with the Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra of Ecuador, the Cape and Kwa-Zulu Natal philharmonic orchestras, Symphonic Orchestra of Concepción (Chile), Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Bangor Symphony Orchestra, Corpus Christi Symphony Orchestra, China National Symphony Orchestra, Tianjin Symphony Orchestra, Orquesta Sinfónica Freixenet (Madrid), and others. Ms. Mahidhara currently studies at the Escuela Superior de Música REINA SOFÍA under Dimitri Bashkirov. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the Curtis Institute of Music.
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LocationSaint Paul's Episcopal Church (View)
22 East Chestnut Hill Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19118
United States
Categories
| Kid Friendly: Yes! |
| Dog Friendly: No |
| Wheelchair Accessible: Yes! |
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