Richardson Chamber Players
MUSICIANS
Sarah Shin Flute, Liam Boisset Oboe, Jo-Ann Sternberg Clarinet, Christopher Komer Horn, Robert Wagner Bassoon, Eric Wyrick Violin, Jessica Thompson Viola, Tomoko Fujita Cello, Jack Hill Bass, Alan Feinberg Piano
About the Program
By Sophie Brady
Sophie Brady is a graduate student in musicology at Princeton University. Her research examines the history of the musical avant-garde in France and Francophone West Africa in the second half of the twentieth century, focusing on experimentation at radio stations and the philosophical ideas that shaped this musical production and exchange.
Though regarded as one of the finest Czech composers after Leoš Janáček (1854–1928), Bohuslav Martinů (1890–1959) spent most of his artistic career outside his homeland. Born in the small town of Polička near the border between Moravia and Bohemia, Martinů’s upbringing was modest. He showed a proclivity for the violin from a young age, but he was a poor student and was dropped from both the violin and the organ programs at the Prague Conservatory. Eventually, he passed the state examination for music teaching. After World War I, he moved to Paris to continue his studies. He would never live in Czechoslovakia again. With the outbreak of World War II, he fled to the United States, where his music was in great demand, and he taught at Tanglewood, Princeton University, and the Mannes College of Music. Returning to Europe in 1953, Martinů spent his final years in France and Switzerland before he died of stomach cancer at the age of 69.
But while the Martinů’s adult years were spent in exile, Bohemian and Moravian folk music remained an important source of inspiration throughout his life. A prolific composer, Martinů wrote more than 400 pieces for a diverse array of instruments and genres. Nonet No. 2 (1959), composed in the last year of his life, reflects his signature neoclassical style. The nine instruments form a symphony orchestra in miniature, offering the diversity of sounds found in a large-scale work in the intimacy of a chamber ensemble. The spritely opening theme of the first movement is given a warm timbre by the clarinet, and fragments of the theme are quickly echoed by the other instruments and transformed before returning in the recapitulation. By contrast, the second movement is slow and pensive with Wagnerian undertones and bears more than a hint of melancholy, perhaps reflecting the composer’s mediations on his sickness and mortality. The flute solo about midway through the movement seems to introduce glimmers of hope, however, leading to a peaceful, almost regal conclusion of the movement. But this moment of calm is not to last, and the spirited energy of the first movement returns in the final movement, though this time the joy-filled folklike melodies are balanced by darker textures.
Beloved for such well-known compositions as the Requiem and “Clair de lune,” Gabriel Fauré (1845–1925) was one of the most influential French composers of his generation. At once lushly Romantic and harmonically complex, Fauré’s style is often described as the link between the end of nineteenth-century Romanticism and the rise of twentieth-century modernism. In contrast to Martinů, Fauré spent virtually his entire life living and working in his home country, France, with only brief stints of time abroad, such as a memorable trip to Weimar with Camille Saint-Saëns to meet Franz Liszt. In addition to his compositions, Fauré was an accomplished organist and a celebrated teacher with many famous pupils, including Maurice Ravel, Nadia Boulanger, and Georges Enescu.
His Piano Quartet No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 15 (1880) is one of two chamber works written for piano, violin, viola, and cello. With four movements of roughly equal length, the work is an elegant example of Fauré’s mastery of sonata form. The first movement’s robust opening theme is reminiscent of Brahms, while the second movement, the Scherzo, is a test of virtuosity for the musicians, as the piano maintains a pizzicato bass pattern in the left hand while the right hand outlines a fanciful, dazzling melody. The somber third movement evokes a crushing sense of sadness with its use of ascending melodic segments that seem to trail off into silence. Fauré’s fiancée, Marianne Viardot, daughter of famed singer and composer Pauline Viardot, abruptly broke off their engagement shortly after he began writing the piece. Though we should be careful conflating biographical details with composorial intent, it is easy to imagine that the movement’s pathos-filled, yet lyrical lines evoke the heartbreak that Fauré was no doubt experiencing. The energetic finale weaves together melodic ideas introduced earlier in the quartet, offering a synthesis and sense of closure with an emphatic conclusion in C major.
A versatile and wide-ranging composer, Stacy Garrop (b. 1969) has written instrumental and vocal work for many American ensembles, including the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, The Crossing, the Kronos Quartet, Chanticleer, the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, the San Francisco Choral Society, and many others. With themes touching on faith, politics, mythology, and more, she seeks to tell stories through her compositions that bring the audience on sonic journeys.
Bohemian Café (2015) is a spirited journey through a variety of musical emotions and styles, evoking the vitality of busking culture in Prague. Scored for woodwind quintet and double bass, the music surrounds the audience with interlocking melodies, making us feel, as the composer writes, as though we are sitting “at an outdoor café in a plaza in Prague, drinking coffee, watching street musicians set up around the plaza, and listening to assorted strands of music wafting through the air.”
Louise Farrenc (1804–1875) was a French composer, pianist, and teacher. Her compositional output includes symphonies, choral music, many chamber pieces, and numerous works for solo piano. Raised in an artistic family, her father, Jacques-Edme Dumont, and brother, Auguste Dumont, were both successful sculptors. Farrenc’s parents encouraged their daughter’s nascent musical talents at the piano and at age 15 sent her to study in Paris. Louise married a fellow musician, a flautist named Aristide Farrenc, and the couple gave concerts across France following their marriage. Aristide grew tired of the touring life and instead opened a publishing company, Éditions Farrenc, which would remain one of France’s top music publishers for nearly four decades. Like her contemporary, Clara Schumann, Farrenc was in high demand for her virtuosic pianistic abilities, and she gained considerable fame as a performer. She was also an esteemed teacher and was able to hold a permanent position as Professor of Piano at the male-dominated Paris Conservatory for thirty years.
Farrenc’s Nonet in E-Flat Major, Op. 38 (1849) was one of her most popular compositions during her lifetime, and the celebrity virtuosic violinist Joseph Joachim performed at its premiere. Bringing together string quartet and wind quintet, the nonet is notable because it does not include piano, despite Farrenc’s reputation as a virtuosic pianist. The first movement alternates stately unison passages with deft transfer of the main melody between the instruments, and it shares a romping, dancelike energy with Martinů’s Nonet No. 2. The second movement is made up of a set of variations that demonstrate the virtuosic skills of each individual player. The third movement continues the playful energy of the first two movements, as crackling pizzicato leads the other instruments to a chase at breakneck speed. Some critics have likened the main theme of the trio section—introduced about halfway through this movement—to a nursery rhyme. The fourth movement recalls the majestic opening lines of the first movement, bringing the musical ideas presented throughout the piece to a neat resolution. In the final movement, Farrenc subtly plays with convention through atypical instrument pairings, writing an intricate duet for treble-voiced flute and the rich lower register of the bassoon, creating an unexpectedly airy and open texture.
About the Artists
Founded during the Princeton University Concerts 1994–1995 centennial season, the Richardson Chamber Players is our resident ensemble comprised of performance faculty, distinguished guest artists, and supremely talented students. The performance faculty share the artistic direction and seek to present repertoire of works for singular combinations of instruments and voices, which would otherwise remain unheard. Today’s program was conceived and organized by bassoonist Robert Wagner.
Liam Boisset
A native of San Francisco, Liam Boisset has performed in many of the world’s great concert halls. Recently he served as guest principal oboe with the Los Angeles Philharmonic—including two international tours—as well as the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Nashville Symphony, and the Calgary Philharmonic. Mr. Boisset also regularly performs in supporting roles with the New York Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and the San Francisco Symphony. Mr. Boisset has appeared as a concerto soloist with the Las Vegas Philharmonic and the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra. Every summer, Mr. Boisset teaches and performs alongside Elaine Douvas at Hidden Valley Music Seminars in Carmel, California. He was also a featured teacher and performer in the inaugural season of the Juilliard Summer Winds festival. He has been awarded fellowships at the Aspen Music Festival and School, and the Tanglewood Music Center, and was recently a featured as a guest artist at ChamberFest Cleveland. Mr. Boisset studied with Elaine Douvas at the Juilliard School and Eugene Izotov at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Liam Boisset proudly performs on a Howarth XL Cocobolo VT.
Alan Feinberg
Pianist Alan Feinberg has over 400 premieres to his credit and has received four Grammy nominations for Best Instrumentalist of the Year. He has performed as soloist with the Cleveland Orchestra, the Chicago Symphony, the New York Philharmonic, the London Philharmonic, the Montreal Symphony, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the BBC Scottish Symphony, the American Symphony, the St. Louis Symphony, the Baltimore Symphony, and the New World Symphony. He has taught at The Juilliard School, Eastman School of Music, SUNY Buffalo, Carnegie Mellon, Duke, Oberlin, and Princeton. He currently is on the faculty of the CUNY GradCenter and NYU, and curating the House Blend series at PS21.
Tomoko Fujita
Tomoko Fujita enjoys an active musical life as soloist, chamber musician, and educator. She was a founding member of the Bryant Park Quartet, and played with the group during its ten-year history which included a self-titled album in 2014. She has also collaborated with esteemed artists such as violinist Itzhak Perlman, members of the Cleveland, Emerson, and Juilliard String Quartets, dancer Wendy Whelan, and the Lar Lubovitch Dance Company. Currently, Tomoko is a member of the Benzaiten Trio and the New York Chamber Music Co-Op, a performance collaborative which seeks to explore issues of social justice in the context of classical music programming. She also performs with pianist Luba Poliak. Tomoko has premiered and performed many contemporary works as a soloist and in ensembles such as Argento Chamber Ensemble, Mimesis Ensemble, New Fromm Players, Stony Brook Contemporary Chamber Players, and New Juilliard Ensemble. On baroque cello, she has performed with the Aulos Ensemble, and at the Boston Early Music Festival and the Naumburg Orchestral Concerts series.Tomoko graduated summa cum laude from Rice University with a double degree: a Bachelor of Music in cello performance and a Bachelors of Arts in psychology. Having earned a Master of Music at The Juilliard School, she received a Doctorate of Musical Arts from Stony Brook University. Tomoko is Assistant Professor at the Cali School of Music at Montclair State University, and coordinator of the Cali Pathways Project, an initiative to support talented high school musicians from underrepresented and/or low income backgrounds reach their goals of higher education and a career in music. She also coaches at the New York Youth Symphony Chamber Music Program. In the summers, Tomoko is in residence at the Kinhaven Music School in Weston, Vermont.
Jack Hill
Jack Hill performs with the New Jersey Capital Philharmonic and as principal bass for the American Repertory Ballet’s annual Nutcracker. He has appeared at Princeton University with the Richardson Chamber Players, Princeton University Orchestra and in solo recitals. He has also played with the Bay Atlantic Symphony, Delaware Valley Philharmonic, Edison Symphony, and Riverside Sinfonia. In New England he was principal bass with the Boston Philharmonic and has also performed with the Springfield Symphony Orchestra, Triptych Chamber Orchestra, and the Boston Civic Symphony. In 2000 he was an Artist-in-Residence at the American Academy in Rome. While in Rome he performed with I Virtuosi di Roma and as solo bass with Opera Passione. Hill received his BM from New England Conservatory, and has studied with Gary Karr and Henry Portnoi. Mr. Hill maintains a teaching studio both at Princeton University and at home. He also works as a luthier and bow maker.
Christopher Komer
Proudly beginning his 6th season as Principal Horn of the New Jersey Symphony, and his 12th year teaching horn at Princeton University, Chris Komer keeps up an extremely active and diverse musical life outside of these duties. These include performances with the Metropolitan Opera, the New York Philharmonic, The New York City Ballet, The American Ballet Theater, and the New York City Opera. He has been a frequent guest principal horn with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra and also guest principal horn with the Milwaukee Symphony. He is currently a member of the Burning River Brass, which is one of the premier brass ensemble in the world. US and a member of the Nu-Deco Ensemble which is a gender-bending chamber orchestra based in Miami, Florida. He is also a member of the Jamie Baum Septet Plus and the All Ears Orchestra which is an exciting new big band led by trombonist Ryan Keberle. Recent jazz performances include jazz festivals including the Monterrey Jazz Festival, the London Jazz Festival, the North Sea Jazz Festival, Jazz Topad (Finland), performances in Poland, Germany, and Amsterdam and a recent stop at Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, and Birdland. Past jazz performances include The Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra (led by Wynton Marsalis), Panamericana (a 20-piece Latin/Brazzilian Big Band led by Gary Morgan), the Michael Brecker Dodectet, The Jim McNeeley Tentet, The Charles Mingus Orchestra, Chuck Mangione Orchestra, and the Kieran Overs Nonet in Toronto, Canada. His studio recording credits include Barbra Streisand, Natalie Cole, Sting, Harry Connick Jr., J.J Johnson, Elvis Costello, David Byrne, Audra McDonald, Tony Bennet, the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, the Cleveland Orchestra and many movie soundtracks and television commercials. Active on Broadway, he has been the contracted principal horn on eleven major Broadway Productions. A multi-instrumentalist, he has a jazz-folk solo piano album called Travlin’ Music streaming on all music streaming services and spends his summers in Montana directing the Artists’ Refuge at Thunderhead, a diverse artists’ retreat he founded in 2007 deep in the mountains of the Lewis and Clark National Forest.
Sarah Shin
Sarah Shin is the lecturer of flute at Princeton University and on flute faculty at Rutgers University Community Arts. She has made guest appearances as a soloist, chamber musician, and teaching artist in Europe, Asia, and the United States. A few of Sarah’s upcoming highlights include recording a Mozart Concerto album at Vienna Konzerthaus with the Savaria Symphony Orchestra, performing Mozart Concerto for Flute and Harp with the Istanbul Symphony Orchestra and Mirjam Schröder, and performing in Prague at Smetana Hall with the North Czech Philharmonic Orchestra. Sarah received her BFA from Carnegie Mellon University, MM from Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, and DMA at Rutgers University Mason Gross School of the Arts. Sarah also attended Walnut Hill School for the Arts, where she is an honorary alum of the Young Artist Program at the Boston Flute Academy. Her teachers are Jeanne Baxtresser, Thomas Robertello, Bart Feller, and Judy Grant.
Jo-Ann Sternberg
Clarinetist Jo-Ann Sternberg leads a diverse musical life in the New York area as a chamber musician, orchestral player, music educator, and interpreter of new music. A member of Sequitur, the Saratoga Chamber Players, Wind Soloists of New York, the Richardson Chamber Players and the Riverside Symphony, she also regularly performs and tours with Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, American Composers Orchestra, American Symphony, Mark Morris Dance Company, The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, and Musicians from Marlboro, and can often be heard playing in a number of different Broadway musicals. Currently, Ms. Sternberg serves on the faculty of the Music Performance Program of Princeton University, the Music Advancement Program at the Juilliard School, and maintains an active teaching studio from her New York home. Additionally, she serves as an advisor for New England Conservatory’s Entrepreneurial Musicianship Program and coaches chamber ensembles for the New York Youth Symphony. In the summer months, Ms. Sternberg lives in Maine where she is the founder and artistic director of The Maine Chamber Music Seminar, teaches and performs at the Chamber Music Conference & Composers’ Forum of the East at Bennington College, and participates in numerous performance residences throughout greater New England.
Jessica Thompson
Violist Jessica Thompson is a passionate chamber musician who performs regularly throughout the United States and abroad as a member of the Daedalus Quartet. Grand Prize winner of the 2001 Banff International String Quartet Competition, the quartet is in residence at the University of Pennsylvania. The Daedalus Quartet has premiered works by composers such as Fred Lerdahl, Joan Tower, Vivian Fung, Richard Wernick, and Lawrence Dillon. In addition to performing with the Daedalus Quartet, Ms. Thompson is a member of the East Coast Chamber Orchestra, has toured with Musicians from Marlboro, and appears frequently at festivals including Portland (Maine), Charlottesville, Skaneateles, Halcyon, and Newport. Ms. Thompson currently teaches at Princeton and Columbia Universities.
Robert Wagner
Robert Wagner is Principal Bassoonist of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra and a member of the New York Chamber Soloists. He began his studies with Simon Kovar and Norman Herzberg in Los Angeles and graduated from The Juilliard School, where he was a student of Stephen Maxym. He has been a featured performer at the Salzburg Mozarteum and soloist in Richard Wilson’s Concerto for Bassoon and Chamber Orchestra on the CRI label. In April, gave the east coast premiere of Christopher Rouse’s Bassoon Concerto with the NJSO. With the Boehm Quintette, Mr. Wagner can be heard on the New World and Premiere labels, with Orpheus Chamber Orchestra on Deutsche Grammophon, and with the New Jersey Symphony on Delos and New World. He is currently on the Board of League of American Orchestras and the New Jersey Intergenerational Orchestra.
Eric Wyrick
Violinist Eric Wyrick has been concertmaster of the New Jersey Symphony since 1998. Recently retired from the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Eric had been a member of the ensemble for 38 years. As soloist with the New Jersey Symphony, Wyrick has performed repertoire ranging from unusual and underperformed works such as the Schumann, Strauss and Busoni violin concertos to pr the complete Bach Brandenburg Concertos and the Vivaldi Four Seasons as soloist and leader. Wyrick has collaborated with contemporary local New Jersey composers Darryl Kubian and Steven Mackey in their solo compositions as well as a revival of Princeton’s legendary Edward T. Cone Violin Concerto. This season, he performs the Bottesini Gran Duo for bass and violin. As an active chamber musician, Wyrick can be heard frequently with the New Jersey Symphony Chamber Groups and performs regularly with the Richardson Chamber Players. Mr. Wyrick is a lecturer at Princeton University and a frequent guest for coaching and masterclasses at music schools and festivals across the country.
