SCCO: LADIES NIGHT!

SCCO Celebrates Women’s History month performing chamber music by three amazing composers. Mendelssohn, Carreño and Smyth were highly regarded for their talents as performers but rarely acknowledged by the masses for their abilities as a composer. Their music rivaled their male counterparts, but it wasn’t until very recently that there has been a revival of their sound.

Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel
Fanny’s  (1805 – 1847) music reflects her deep reverence for both Bach and Beethoven as well as a strong influence from her brother. It exhibits a fine craftsmanship and lyricism typical of the post-Classical Mendelssohnian style, combined with her own experimental and inventive approach to form and content.

Teresa Carreño
Primarily a composer of piano repertoire, Carreño (1853 – 1917) composed her string quartet in 1896 and from the time of its first appearance, this quartet received considerable notice which shows a thoroughly sound grasp of quartet technique and style

Ethel Smyth
Dame Ethel Smyth (1858 –1944) was marginalized as a “woman composer” and her
music was never accepted into the mainstream, when she composed more delicate compositions, they were criticized for not measuring up to the standards of her male counterparts. Her String Quartet in C minor was composed while studying the music of Beethoven in the Leipzig Conservatory and like Beethoven, Smyth shows a masterful command of the quartet form with dramatic themes and developments that were often considered “too masculine” for a female composer.

Their individual styles and sounds are so unique compared to their contemporaries. Each of their sounds is reflective of their remarkable careers, relationships, and personalities. We are thrilled to bring these extraordinary works to the stage for you all to enjoy.

Sullivan County Chamber Orchestra Musicians:

Akiko Hosoi – Violin
Alex Fortes – Violin
Chiu Chen Liu – Viola
Kirsten Jermé – Cello
Andrew Trombley – Bass

Program:

Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel: String Quartet in Eb Major

Teresa Carreño: String Quartet in B minor

Ethel Smyth: String Quintet in E Major, Op. 1

Sullivan County Chamber Orchestra Musician Bios:

Akiko Hosoi  | Violin

A resident of New York City, Japanese violinist Akiko Hosoi is an active solo and chamber music performer across the United States, while being a member of the New Haven Symphony and Stamford Symphony Orchestras. Akiko enjoys collaborating with other artists and organizations dedicated to promote community enhancement and social justice, with projects such as organizing outreach performances at veteran hospitals, hospices, schools, and state prisons across the US, as well as benefit concerts to raise money for the 3/11 Fukushima disaster. Akiko also maintains a performing presence in Japan with regular recitals as well as outreach collaborations with Alexander Technique Studio Tokyo. In 2016, Akiko partnered with Sullivan County (NY) non-profit arts organization Nesin Cultural Arts (NCA) to co-establish and lead the Sullivan County Chamber Orchestra, a conductor-less string orchestra, whose mission is to serve the community and elevate the quality of life for all generations through artistic expression and cultural experiences.

Always trying to inspire the younger generation, Akiko is in high demand as a violin instructor. Through NCA she has co-founded the Aspiring Young Musicians Program and the Summer Music (Arts) Academy, designed to provide students aspiring to develop their musicianship with regular and frequent contact with high caliber performing artists who have a commitment to music education. In 2019 she was invited to teach as a strings instructor at Summer Music in Tuscany, Italy.

Akiko has had an international career from an early age. After attending the Junior Department of the Toho Gakuen School of Music, she enrolled in the Purcell School of Music in London where she was a recipient of many awards and scholarships including the British Government Music and Ballet Scholarship. As a solo recitalist and chamber musician, she worked with distinguished pianists such as Noriko Ogawa and Boris Berezovsky; touring the UK, Finland, Malta, Russia and Japan. A third-prize winner in the 4th Uralsk International Violin Competition in Kazakhstan, she performed with the West Kazakhstan Philharmonic Orchestra. Festival invitations include Mozarteum Summer Music Academy, Encore School for Strings, Taos School of Music, Perlman Music Program Chamber Workshop, and the Tanglewood Music Center. Akiko has performed in masterclasses for Ida Haendel, Gyorgy Pauk and Zakhar Bron, and as a chamber musician, has worked with Seymour Lipkin, Bonnie Hampton, Peter Salaff, Roger Tapping, Donald Weilerstein, and members of the Borromeo, Brentano, Cavani, Orion and Shanghai Quartets. Akiko holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music, and a Master of Music degree from The Juilliard School. Her teachers include David Cerone, Ronald Copes, Maurice Hasson, Lydia Mordkovitch, Kazuki Sawa, and David Updegraff.

Andrew Trombley | Bass

Andrew Trombley, a graduate of The Juilliard School and Manhattan School, has performed actively around New York City and abroad throughout his career. Andrew holds positions as Principal Bass for the New Haven Symphony Orchestra and the Stamford Symphony Orchestra. Andrew was previously Principal Bass for the Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra and has performed with ensembles such as the New York Philharmonic, the Minnesota Orchestra, and the Metropolitan Opera, to name a few. As an active recording artist, Andrew has performed for numerous film scores including the soundtracks for “A Dog’s Purpose”, “Hundred Foot Journey”, “Noah”, the Oscar nominated film “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close.” In the summer 2016 through a partnership with Nesin Cultural Arts Andrew founded and accepted the role of Artistic Director of the Sullivan County Chamber Orchestra.

Active as a chamber musician, Andrew has collaborated with musicians from the New York Philharmonic, The Metropolitan Opera, Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and with the JP Jofre Hard Tango Band. Andrew has also performed concertos with the Eleva Chamber Players the Chelsea Symphony Orchestra, Sullivan County Chamber Orchestra, as well as numerous recitals and benefit concerts for Nesin Cultural Arts where he collaborated with the late American composer, Lee Hoiby to premiere “Three Songs for Solo Double Bass and Piano”

Through Nesin Cultural Arts, Andrew co-founded the Aspiring Young Musicians program which offers private lessons, large & small ensembles and performance opportunities to the students of Sullivan County. He is also on the co-founder and faculty member of the Nesin Summer Music Academy. Andrew is double bass faculty for the Kaufman Center Special Music School and New York University Steinhardt School of Culture, Education & Human Development.

Chiu-Chen Liu | Viola

Violist Chiu-Chen Liu enjoys a diverse career in orchestra, chamber music and pedagogy. Recent performances include engagements with Chamber Music Hellas in Greece, Cremona International Music Academy, Alion Baltic International Music Festival, Festival Suoni D’abruzzo in Italy, BAMcafé Live, American Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra of St. Luke’s, American Chamber Music Ensemble, New York Classical Quartet, Attacca Quartet and Lecture-Performance Series at Columbia University. Chiu-Chen has served as principal viola with the Greater Bridgeport Symphony, the Sarasota Opera, Di Capo Opera, Fairfield County Chorale Orchestra. Her chamber music performances have been broadcast on NPR and WQXR radio.

Currently residing in New York City, Chiu-Chen relocated from her native Taiwan at age seventeen to study at the Manhattan School of Music. She later earned her Bachelor of Music, Master of Music and Professional Studies Diploma from Mannes College The New School for Music, receiving full scholarship as a student of Hsin-Yun Huang, Mark Steinberg and Laurie Smukler. A dedicated teacher, Chiu-Chen was appointed the String Department Chairperson from 2013 to 2016 at the Third Street Music School where she is currently serving as a full time violin, viola and chamber music faculty.
In addition to Music, Chiu-Chen is also an active visual artist. She is currently serving as the Visual Artist-In-Resident for the Olympic Music Festival in Washington State, VivaViola Festival in Taiwan and the Sejong International Music Festival at the Curtis Institute from 2013-2014.

Kirsten Jermé  | Cello

Cellist Kirsten Jermé leads a multi-faceted life as a chamber musician, recitalist, educator, and arts advocate. Kirsten was previously Principal Cellist of the Evansville Philharmonic and cellist of the Eykamp String Quartet, which served as Faculty Artists-in-Residence at the University of Evansville, where she developed and directed a chamber music course. She was also cellist of the Larchmere String Quartet, with whom she performed across the United States, Canada and Italy, gave university masterclasses, and recorded for the Naxos label. An avid chamber musician, she has performed internationally from Harlaxton College in England to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., the Dame Myra Hess Series in Chicago, the Banff Arts Center in Canada, Accademia Chigiana in Siena, and the Speed Museum in Louisville.

As a freelancer in New York City, Kirsten performed at Carnegie, Weill and Zankel Halls, Le Poisson Rouge, the Joyce Dance Theatre and the Strad for Lunch Recital series, recorded with Mimesis Ensemble for Bridge Records, and taught cello at Greenwich House Music School in Manhattan and Frank Sinatra High School of the Arts in Queens. She has appeared as a soloist with the Metro Chamber Orchestra in Brooklyn, Russian Chamber Chorus of New York, Stony Brook University Orchestra, University of Evansville Symphony Orchestra, and, as a member of the Eykamp String Quartet, with the Evansville Philharmonic. She spends summers in Oregon as a member of the Britt Festival Orchestra.

An advocate of music in the community, Kirsten co-founded and curated the “Coffee and Classics” series at Wired in Evansville, and previously worked for Turtle Bay Music School and The Learning Maestros in New York City on education and outreach initiatives. While still in college, she helped launch an outreach program through the Staller Center for the Arts, serving students across Eastern Long Island.

Kirsten received her M.M. at Eastman School of Music as a student of Steven Doane and Rosemary Elliott, and a B.A. from Stony Brook University, where she studied with Colin Carr and the Emerson String Quartet. She also spent a semester at the Royal College of Music in London, studying with Thomas Carroll.

Alex Forte  | Violin

Originally from San Diego, violinist Alex Fortes is recognized for his versatility and warmth.  Recent chamber music and orchestral performances have included engagements in France, Germany, Denmark, Austria, and Indonesia as well as throughout North America with groups such as the Dalí Quartet, Henschel Quartett, Franklin String Quartet, the Momenta Quartet, the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, the Knights, and A Far Cry. His playing is featured on A Far Cry’s 2014 GRAMMY-nominated album, Dreams and Prayers. He holds degrees from Harvard College and Mannes College, and his teachers include Mark Steinberg, Peter Zazofsky, Hernan Constantino, Mary Gerard, and Michael Gaisler.