Ovidiu Marinescu
Ovidiu Marinescu, one of the outstanding musicians of his native Romania, was chosen to play at Carnegie Hall for Romanian President Constantinescu on an official visit to the United States. Soon after, he made his debut with the New York Chamber Symphony in Beethoven’s Triple Concerto, followed by recitals in Merkin Hall (New York), Philadelphia, and Los Angeles. After his debut with the National Radio Orchestra of Romania in 2001 in the Saint-Saens Cello Concerto, which was broadcast live on “Romania Cultural” radio station, he returned to perform “Ipostaze 3” by Adrian Iorgulescu, and his own transcription of the Mozart G Major Concerto. Most recently, Marinescu played Haydn’s Cello Concerto in C Major with the Moscow Chamber Orchestra in the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory and the Slobodkin Center. To his critically acclaimed first recording “Fiesta Latina”, he added a recording of the complete Miaskovsky cello works with the Russian Philharmonic Orchestra and pianist Kenneth Boulton, released by Cambria.
Known for his powerful interpretations of orchestral works by Russian composers such as Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev and Stravinsky, Marinescu was invited to record Tchaikovsky’s Symphony no. 5 and Marche Slave with the Russian Philharmonic Orchestra in Moscow. He has developed several programs for young audiences, including a narrated version of Lt. Kije by Prokofiev. Most recently, he led the Russian Philharmonic in a recording of music by Stephen Limbaugh III.
A product of the illustrious Romanian National Academy of Music, he won first prize and Music Critics’ Award in the George Dima Cello Competition. In the United States, he studied with Wolfgang Laufer at the University of Wisconsin, and with Orlando Cole, at Temple University. Marinescu has been honored in Romania with invitations to perform with many renowned orchestras including the orchestras of Cluj, Iasi and Brasov. In addition, he has toured with Bucharest Symphony. Ovidiu Marinescu feels a strong commitment to expanding the cello repertoire by making transcriptions of works such as Mozart violin concerti and in supporting the composition of new music. He has commissioned and performed many new works, among which are those of Lawrence Moss and Jae-Wook Kim, as well as those of his brother, Liviu Marinescu. In December of 2000, Mr. Marinescu premiered with Newark Symphony a new work for cello and orchestra, “Anecdote,” by Hilary Tann, and in March 2006 he premiered a new work by Liviu Marinescu with Orchestra 2001 in Philadelphia. Marinescu is on faculty at West Chester University, and Wilmington Music School.
Annie Yano
Annie Asuka Yano first began violin lessons with Kenneth Goldsmith in Houston, Texas. After seven years she returned to her native Japan where she continued her studies with Tsugio Tokunaga, the former concertmaster of the NHK Symphony. While still in Tokyo she enrolled in the Toho Gakuen School of Music. In 1998 she entered the Juillliard Pre-College in New York and shortly thereafter she began studies at The Juilliard School, where she majored in violin performance under the tutelage of Naoko Tanaka. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in 2004, and her Master’s Degree in 2007 studying with both Naoko Tanaka and Joel Smirnoff.
She has participated in music festivals including the Aspen Music Festival and School, New York String Seminar, Tanglewood Music Center, Saito Kinen Festival, Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival and the Verbier Festival Orchestra. She is currently a member of the Seiji Ozawa Music Academy Orchestra.
Blythe Gaissert
Mezzo-Soprano Blythe Gaissert has established herself as a young artist in great demand in the United States for opera, concert and recital engagements. This Texas native has received great praise from critics for her rich sound and
intense, dramatic interpretations of operatic roles. Of her performance of in Transformations with San Francisco Opera’s Merola Program, the San Francisco Philistine said: “The cannibalism aria of mezzo-soprano Blythe Gaissert whetted our appetite with her soft-edged voice.”
Ms. Gaissert has performed Hansel in Hansel and Gretel Tulsa Opera, The Isrealitish Man in a staged version of Handel’s Judas Maccabeus with Los Angeles Opera under the baton of James Conlon, the title role in the Rape of Lucretia with the Aldeburgh Festival in England, Carmen at the Aspen Music Festival under the baton of Julius Rudel and also in a semistaged concert version for Lake George Opera, Mere Marie in Dialogues of the Carmelites (also with Maestro Conlon),Maddelena in Rigoletto under the baton of Julius Rudel, (with the Aspen Opera Theatre Center) as well as with Sarasota Opera, Suzuki in Madama Butterfly with Opera Plus! in Coeur DAlene, ID, Rose in Dinner and Delusion with the Cell Theatre/Center for Contemporary Opera, Lady Angela in Patience (Sorg Opera), Suzy in La Rondine with Sarasota Opera, Augusta Tabor in The Ballad of Baby Doe, Elizabeth Proctor in The Crucible (Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music). Ms. Gaissert has also performed with the Cincinnati Opera and the Opera Teatro di Lucca. She has participated in many of the countrys major young artist programs such as the Merola Program at San Francisco Opera, Cincinnati Opera, Lake George Opera and Sarasota Opera.
Equally at home on the concert stage, Ms. Gaissert has appeared in a premiere of a new production of Manuel de Falla’s El Amor Brujo with the Asheville Symphony, the American premiere of Gyorgy Ligeti’s Sippal, Dobbal, Nadihegiduvel, as well as the American premiere Louis Andriessen’s Y Despues with the Aspen Music Festival. She has also established herself as a favorite with many American composers leading to an ongoing relationship with the Foundation for Modern Music in Houston Texas, Americana Arts Foundation Productions and the Aspen Contemporary Ensemble. Other concert performances include Alto Soloist in Zemlinsky’s Psalm 83 with James Conlon and the Cincinnati Symphony as well as multiple performances of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony.
In 2010, Ms. Gaissert was named the 1st prize winner in the National Opera Association’s Artist Awards. She was also a finalist in the Giulio Gari Competition in NYC. In 2009 Ms. Gaissert was selected as one of the winners of the NYC round of the Mezzo TV competition which continued in Szeged, Hungary. In 2008 Ms. Gaissert was a Finalist in the Bel Canto Competition as well as Portland Opera’s Eleanor Lieber Competition. She was also the Recipient of the Mandelker Award for returning Studio Artists in 2008 at Sarasota Opera. In 2006, Ms. Gaissert was recognized as a Finalist in Fort Worth Opera’s Marguerite McCammon Competition, Shreveport Opera’s Singer of the Year Competition with the Gretchen Crow Award, and as a semi-finalist with the Elardo Competition.
Jo Ellen Miller
Jo Ellen Miller sang with Maestro Burkot last summer as “Micaela” in Carmen at Opera North. This fall, she covered the role of “Mimi” in La Boheme with Virginia Opera, and she was most recently heard at Carnegie Hall singing the soprano solo of Pierre Boulez’s “Improvisations sur Mallarmé” with the Met Chamber Ensemble conducted by James Levine. Jo Ellen has also performed with Sarasota Opera as “Giannetta” in L’Elisir d’amore, Opera Theatre of Pittsburgh as “Barbarina” in Le Nozze di Figaro, Tanglewood Music Center, Ravinia Music Festival, Dell’Arte Opera, Opera Company of Brooklyn and Opera New Jersey. Roles include Gilda, Juliette, Susanna, Musetta, Zerlina, Oscar, Genovieffa, Rosalinde and Lauretta.
An enthusiast of contemporary music, Jo Ellen recently debuted with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra as the soloist in Elliott Carter’s “A Mirror on Which to Dwell,” conducted by Boulez. Previously she has collaborated with composers Charles Wuorinen, Heinz Holliger, Ulrich Kreppein, John Aylward, Milton Babbitt, Betsy Jolas, Jorge Muniz, and Mathew Rosenblum. She holds degrees from University of Michigan and Carnegie Mellon.
Injoon Yang, D. M. A.
Dr. Yang is a native of Seoul, Korea, and began his voice studies at the age of fifteen. In 1994, he entered Seoul National University as a voice student. In 2001, he debuted as a professional singer in Korea as Tamino in Die Zauberflöte at the Seoul Art Center. Upon graduation, he came directly to the United States to earn a master of music degree in opera at Temple University. In 2008, he has earned his doctorate (Doctor of Musical Arts) at the university. While earning his doctorate in music at Temple University, Dr. Yang was a district winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions.
Roles he has performed include Rinuccio in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi, title role in Mascagni’s L’amico Fritz, Alfred in Johann Strauss’s Die Fledermaus, Fenton in Verdi’s Falstaff, Don Ottavio in Mozart’s Don Giovanni, and title role in Offenbach’s Les contes d’Hoffmann which was the American premiere of Michael Kaye’s new version. His Fritz, Fenton and Hoffmann won a first-place award in the National Opera Association’s opera production competition, the only national competition of its kind. He recently sang Don José in a semi-staged performance of Carmen for Lake George Opera, and Rodolfo in La Bohème for Opera Delaware.
As a concert soloist, Dr. Yang has performed numerous oratorios and masses both in United States and in Korea. Works that he has performed include Handel’s Messiah, Haydn’s The Creation, Mozart’s Coronation Mass, and J. S. Bach’s Matthew’s Passion. Recently, he sang Bruckner’s Te Deum and Mozart’s Requiem with Temple University orchestra, and Beethoven’s 9th Symphony with West Chester University orchestra.
| Previous | Top |