Home of Greg & Lisa Buck

Pre-concert reception at 7:00 pm.

Reservations are required and can only be made by subscribers.

Program

Camillo Schumann (1872-1946)
Sonata No. 1, Op. 112
I. Allegro ma non Tanto
II. Andante cantabile
III. Scherzo and Trio

Ona Pinsonneault, clarinet
James Kurschner, piano

Clara Schumann (1819-1894)
Liebst du um Schönheit (poem by Friedrich Rückert)
Ihr Bildnis (poem by Heinrich Heine)
Er ist gekommen in Sturm und Regen (poem by Friedrich Rückert)
Mein Stern (poem by Friedericke Serre)

Lee Hoiby (1926-2011)
Where the Music Comes From (lyrics by Lee Hoiby)
A Christmas Song (lyrics by Jacques Mitchell)
Lady of the Harbor (lyrics by Emma Lazarus)

Melyssa Rice, soprano
Matthew Harikian, piano

A tribute to Cuban composer Ernesto Lecuona

Ernesto Lecuona (1896-1963)
Malaguena

Lecuona
Ante el Escorial

Ignacio “Nachito” Herrera

Please note Julia Floberg, flute has cancelled.

Program order subject to change.

Performer Information

Ona Pinsonneault retired from Normandale Community College after having taught Music Theory and Ear Training there for many years. She holds a D.M.A. in clarinet performance from the University of Minnesota where she studied with John Anderson. She currently performs with the Normandale Concert Band and the OTL Clarinet Quartet and writes a Music Theory column for Clapper Chatter, the newsletter of Area VII Handbell Musicians of America. Ona’s scale study Clarinet Agility is available from Jeanné, Inc.

James Kurschner is a member of the music faculty at Normandale Community College in Bloomington, MN, where he conducts the concert band, instrumental ensembles, and teaches class piano and applied saxophone. He has been the Music Director of the Sheldon Theatre Brass Band since 2002. The brass band began a celebration of their 30th year this past summer and will continue with celebratory concerts in the forthcoming season. Jim is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-River Falls where he studied piano with Carolyn Britton, and Northwestern University in Evanston, IL where he studied conducting with John Paynter.

Soprano Melyssa Rice has performed opera roles, opera/oratorio solos in concert, and art songs in a variety of settings. Companies include Seattle Opera (AGMA chorus); Puget Sound Opera, Kitsap Opera, and Seattle Comic Opera (opera roles); the Minnesota Sinfonia and Hildman String Orchestra (solos with orchestra); and Cornish College of the Arts (guest artist), where she premiered the role of Tituba in the opera Gallows Hill. Melyssa has also performed six solo recitals and in over 20 shared concerts in Minnesota, Washington and Alaska, and is currently a soloist with Thursday Musical. A lifelong learner, her teachers include Janis Hardy, Larry Weller, Erich Parce, Awilda Verdejo and Thomasa Eckert. Melyssa has taught singing since 1992, including adjunct faculty with Seattle Central, South Seattle, Bellevue and Shoreline Community Colleges, and primary faculty at the Music Center of the Northwest. Currently, she has a private voice studio in Prescott, WI, and is faculty at Blessings Academy of Art and Music in Hastings, MN.

A native of Fresno, California, Matthew Harikian has performed throughout Minnesota and California, and has given concerto performances with the Lompoc Pops, Opera San Louis Obispo, and Buffalo Community orchestras. Matthew holds top prizes from the Minnesota Music Teacher Association’s Young Artist competition, the Schubert Club competition, the Glendale competition, and the Sylvia Ghiglieri competition in Turlock, CA.
In addition to pursuing a Bachelor’s at St. Olaf College, Matthew spent a semester participating in a contact study at the Musikhochschule in Lübeck, Germany. Matthew has also participated in Pianofest in the Hamptons, a prestigious summer festival in East Hampton, NY, performing and studying with other international pianists. Matthew spent this past summer at the Meadowmount School of Music, performing as a chamber and solo pianist. Sharing an equal interest in both performance and academia, he hopes for his future career to include teaching and researching in the field of music theory while also performing both solo and chamber music.

Matthew has previously studied with Lydia Artymiw, Kent McWilliams,and Arlene Steffen. He holds a Master’s degree in Piano Performance from the University of Minnesota and is currently pursuing a Master’s in Music Theory.

Ignacio “Nachito” Herrera - This hot Classic Cuban Piano Latin Jazz artist stunned Cuban audiences at the age of 12, performing Rachmaninoff’s Concerto No. 2 with the Havana Symphony Orchestra. He later joined the famed “Cubanismo” as the lead pianist, arranger, and Musical Director. He was also a special guest for “Afrocuban All Stars.” Nachito has played at many of the world’s finest concert halls and prestigious jazz festivals. He has had many awards, including City Pages Best Jazz Artist for 4 years, Emmys, Grammys, Minnesota Music Awards, the Immigrants of Distinction Award, among many others.

Nachito has been playing with his own band, as well as with different projects and orchestras, including the Minnesota Orchestra, Minnesota Youth Symphony, Metropolitan Orchestra, Cuban National Symphony, Naples Philharmonic Orchestra, Chippewa Valley Symphony, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Big Band, and many others. Nachito’s musicianship continues to wow audiences everywhere!