Portland Chamber Music Festival Resident Performers and Composers 		 
     
  Performers in recent years have included members of the Vermeer, Mendelssohn, Borromeo, and Brentano String Quartets; the Boston, St. Louis, and Chicago Symphonies, and the New York Philharmonic. Resident Composers have included Grammy winner Osvaldo Golijov, internationally celebrated composer Earl Kim, retired Bowdoin Professor Elliott Schwartz, and many others.  
     
     
  2010 Resident Performers and Composers
  
     
  August 12, 14 and 15

  Claire Bryant, Cello
  Cellist Claire Bryant has appeared as a soloist with orchestras in Finland, Honduras, and the U.S. She has collaborated with members of the St. Lawrence, Orion, Mendelssohn, and Pacifica String Quartets. Claire is the founding cellist selected by The Academy: A Program of Carnegie Hall, The Juilliard School, and the Weill Music Institute, a two-year fellowship program encompassing performance, teaching, and community engagement. She is the founder and artistic director of the chamber music series With Strings Attached, which has raised over $10,000 for arts education in her native South Carolina. Claire is currently Assistant Faculty to Bonnie Hampton in the pre-college and college divisions of The Juilliard School.
   
  Miranda Cuckson, Violin
  Sought after as a soloist and chamber musician, violinist Miranda Cuckson has been praised as "fiercely gifted" (Time Out NY) and “a brilliant young performer who plays daunting contemporary music with insight, honesty, and temperament" (NY Times). She has appeared internationally as soloist with many orchestras, including her recent debut with the Jerusalem Symphony. She made her recital debut at Carnegie's Weill Hall as winner of the Presser Award, and has performed at the Berlin Philharmonie and the Marlboro and Lincoln Center festivals. A passionate champion of new music, she performs with the groups counter)induction, Argento Chamber Ensemble, and Sequitur. Her upcoming events include concerto appearances with the American Symphony Orchestra and a concert at the Library of Congress honoring Fritz Kreisler. She studied at Juilliard, where she received her doctorate. She teaches at Mannes College.
   
  Jennifer Elowitch, Violin
  Violinist Jennifer Elowitch has been a guest artist with the Franciscan and Fidelio Quartets, the Winsor and Andover Chamber Music Series, the Williamstown and Walden Chamber Players, and the Mark Morris Dance Group. She is the Assistant Principal Second Violinist of the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra and performs often with the Boston Symphony. As Artistic Co-Director and Executive Director of PCMF, Ms Elowitch has appeared on WGBH radio in Boston, NPR’s “Performance Today,” and at the Harvard Musical Association. A noted teacher, she is on the faculty of the New England Conservatory Preparatory School.
   
  Deborah Hoffman, Harp (8/12 Only)
  Deborah Hoffman has been principal harpist with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra since 1986. She is also solo harpist with the Orchestra of St. Lukes in New York City and a former member of the Pittsburgh Symphony. She has performed at the festivals of Aspen, Holland, St. Nazaire, Saratoga, Spoleto, Caramoor, Newport, Waterloo, Sitka, Flagstaff and Windham. Ms. Hoffman has appeared as soloist with the Pittsburgh Symphony, Jupiter Symphony, Orchestra of St. Lukes, and the MET Orchestra in Carnegie Hall under the baton of James Levine. Deborah Hoffman records for Arabesque Records and has recently completed a Grammy-nominated recording of original transcriptions of Chopin works. In addition to teaching at the Verbier Festival in Switzerland, Ms. Hoffman is chairperson of the harp department at Manhattan School of Music and serves on the faculty of the Aspen School of Music.
   
  Marc Johnson, Cello
  For thirty-five years, Marc Johnson performed as the cellist of the renowned Vermeer Quartet. The Quartet appeared regularly in the world's musical capitals and made extensive tours yearly in Europe and North America. They received three Grammy nominations and appeared regularly at the world's great music festivals. They also held residency positions at Northern Illinois University and at Rockport’s Bay Chamber Concerts. He and his wife, the pianist Katherine Johnson, are co-directors of Bay Chamber Concerts, the Next Generation, a series of free chamber music seminars for students from Maine. He joined the faculty of Boston University in September, 2007. His cello is a fine, old Italian instrument made c. 1730 by Francesco Stradivarius.
   
  Dena Levine, Piano
  Pianist and Artistic Co-Director Dena Levine has appeared at international music series and festivals around the United States, and in Europe, Asia, and Latin America. As co-founder and pianist of the Laurel Trio for four years, Ms. Levine was a winner of the Concert Artists Guild Competition and ProPiano Debut Series. In addition to a residency on WQXR Radio, her performances with the group included Carnegie Recital Hall in New York, the Gardner Museum in Boston, the National Concert Association of Panama, and the La Jolla Discovery Series. She is currently Associate Professor of Piano and Director of Instrumental Music at Seton Hall University.
   
  Anna Lim, Violin
  Violinist Sunghae Anna Lim is a founding member of the Laurel Trio, which won the Nathan Wedeen Award at the Concert Artists Guild Competition. The trio has served as ensemble-in-residence at the Tanglewood Music Festival. As violinist of the New Millennium Ensemble, Ms. Lim won the Naumburg Chamber Music Award. As a soloist, she has appeared with the Honolulu Symphony and the Princeton Symphony, and has toured Japan. Ms. Lim has taught chamber music at the Yale School of Music and currently teaches violin at Princeton University.
   
  Elizabeth Mann, Flute
  Elizabeth Mann is a member of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and the principal flutist of the Orchestra of St. Luke’s. Recent concert highlights have included a solo performance with Renee Fleming in Carnegie Hall and the U.S. premiere of a concerto for flute and violin in Carnegie Hall with Gidon Kremer and the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. She has performed with Yo Yo Ma’s Silk Road project and recently played principal flute with the Rotterdam Philharmonic. Miss Mann has performed at festivals including Santa Fe, Lochenhaus (Austria), Caramoor, Moab, and Mostly Mozart. She recently released a CD of Chopin transcriptions titled “Reflections” with harpist Deborah Hoffman, to critical acclaim.
   
  Carol Rodland, Viola
  Carol Rodland made her solo debut with the Philadelphia Orchestra at age seventeen. She presently enjoys an international career as a concert and recording artist and pedagogue. Recent performances have taken her throughout the Americas and Europe, and her solo recordings on the Crystal and Neuma labels have been critically acclaimed. She has held professorships at New England Conservatory, where she was recognized in 2005 with the “Krasner Award for Excellence in Teaching”, at the Musikhochschule “Hanns Eisler” Berlin, at Arizona State University, and as guest faculty at the Juilliard School. In 2008, she joined the viola faculty of the Eastman School of Music.
   
  Dan Sonenberg, Composer
  Daniel Sonenberg is a composer, performer and scholar. His music has been presented by the Da Capo Chamber Players, Friends and Enemies of New Music, the Momenta String Quartet, the Season String Quartet, the American Composers Alliance, The Hudson Valley Philharmonic, The Woodstock Chamber Orchestra and many others. Portions of his opera, The Summer King, have been presented by American Opera Projects, the Manhattan School of Music, the University of Southern Maine and the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music, and the opera was the subject of a 2007 feature in the Wall Street Journal. Mr. Sonenberg is Assistant Professor and Resident Composer at the University of Southern Maine.
   
  Jo-Ann Sternberg, Clarinet
  Clarinetist Jo-Ann Sternberg lives in New York, where she is a member of the Riverside Symphony, the Greenleaf Chamber Players and Sequitur, and performs regularly with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, St. Luke's Chamber Orchestra, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Musicians from Marlboro and New York Philomusica. Her summer festivals have included Marlboro, Tanglewood and Schleswig-Holstein. After receiving a B.A. in English from Tufts University and a B.M. in Clarinet Performance from the New England Conservatory, Ms. Sternberg continued her studies at Yale University and at the Julliard School. Ms. Sternberg's discography includes recordings on the Nonesuch, Troy, CRI, Archetype and St. Cyprien labels.
   
  Jonathan Vinocour, Viola
  Principal violist of the San Francisco Symphony since 2009, Jonathan Vinocour previously served as principal violist of the Saint Louis Symphony and guest principal of the Gewandhaus Orchestra of Leipzig. While serving as principal of the Saint Louis Symphony, Jonathan had the opportunity to perform as soloist there with conductors Nicholas McGegan and Hans Graf. He looks forward to performing Berlioz’s Harold in Italy later this season with Maestro Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony. He has been a regular participant at the Marlboro Music Festival and has toured extensively with Musicians from Marlboro in past seasons.
   
  Chen Yi, Composer
  Recipient of the prestigious Charles Ives Living Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, composer Chen Yi is Distinguished Professor in Music Composition at the Conservatory of the University of Missouri-Kansas City. She was the first woman to receive a master’s degree in composition in China. Dr. Chen has received major commissions from the Koussevitzky, Fromm, Ford, Rockefeller, and Roche foundations, the National Endowment for the Arts, Chamber Music America, and Carnegie Hall, among many others. Recent years have seen the world premieres of numerous works, including the cello concerto, Ballad, Dance and Fantasy written for Yo-Yo Ma; and Si Ji (Four Seasons), a finalist for the 2006 Pulitzer Prize in Music. For more about Chen Yi, click here.
   

August 19 and 21

  Natasha Brofsky, Cello
  As cellist of the Naumburg award winning Peabody Trio, cellist Natasha Brofsky performs regularly on chamber music series in the United States and abroad. She has also collaborated with ensembles including the Takács, Prazak, Borromeo and Jupiter Quartets as well as the Boston Chamber Music Society. During nearly a decade living in Europe, she was a member of the Serapion Ensemble and the String Trio Opus 3, and held principal positions in the Norwegian Radio Orchestra and the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra. Ms. Brofsky is on the cello faculty and serves as Assistant Chair of Strings at the New England Conservatory, and is a faculty member at the Yellow Barn Music School and Festival. Her recordings can be heard on the Aurora, New World and Artek labels.
   
  Jennifer Elowitch, Violin
  Violinist Jennifer Elowitch has been a guest artist with the Franciscan and Fidelio Quartets, the Winsor and Andover Chamber Music Series, the Williamstown and Walden Chamber Players, and the Mark Morris Dance Group. She is the Assistant Principal Second Violinist of the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra and performs often with the Boston Symphony. As Artistic Co-Director and Executive Director of PCMF, Ms Elowitch has appeared on WGBH radio in Boston, NPR’s “Performance Today,” and at the Harvard Musical Association. A noted teacher, she is on the faculty of the New England Conservatory Preparatory School.
   
  Ronald Feldman, Cello
  Ronald Feldman joined the Boston Symphony Orchestra at the age of 19. Chamber music affiliations have included performances with the Boston Symphony Chamber Players and Collage New Music Ensemble to name a few. Chamber music partners have included artists Emanuel Ax, Garrick Ohlsson, Gil Shaham, and Yo Yo Ma. In 1989, Mr. Feldman was appointed assistant to Boston Pops conductor John Williams. He has appeared as guest conductor with the Rochester Philharmonic, the Quebec Symphony, the Saint Louis Symphony, and the London Symphony Orchestra, among others. He is on the faculties of Williams College, and The New England Conservatory. Mr. Feldman's teachers have included, Joseph Emonts, Claus Adam, Lorne Monroe, and Harvey Shapiro. In September 2001 Mr. Feldman joined the faculty of Williams College as Artist in Residence ending a distinguished career with the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
   
  David Grossman, Bass (8/21 Only)
  Bassist David J. Grossman began playing with the New York Philharmonic as its youngest member in 1999. He is a member of the faculties of the Manhattan School of Music and The Juilliard School. Mr. Grossman has performed with The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and was a featured artist at the 2007 Portland Chamber Music Festival. Mr. Grossman was a member of the Marcus Roberts Trio whose recording, Time and Circumstance, was listed in the “best top ten jazz CDs of the year" in both Time and The New York Times. Mr. Grossman has released two CDs (one classical and one jazz), available at www.davidjgrossman.com.
   
  Marka Gustavsson, Viola
  As violist of the award-winning Colorado Quartet, she has been invited for several seasons to the Bard Music Festival, has performed at the Mostly Mozart Festival at Lincoln Center, and has toured with the Bartok and Beethoven cycles nationally and internationally. Marka currently serves on the faculties of Bard College and Soundfest with the Colorado Quartet. She performs regularly with the Blue Elm Trio, and in a duo with pianist/composer/husband John Halle. She has earned degrees from Indiana University, Mannes College, and CUNY, where her teachers have included Mimi Zweig, Josef Gingold, Felix Galimir, and Daniel Philips.
   
  Dena Levine, Piano
  Pianist and Artistic Co-Director Dena Levine has appeared at international music series and festivals around the United States, and in Europe, Asia, and Latin America. As co-founder and pianist of the Laurel Trio for four years, Ms. Levine was a winner of the Concert Artists Guild Competition and ProPiano Debut Series. In addition to a residency on WQXR Radio, her performances with the group included Carnegie Recital Hall in New York, the Gardner Museum in Boston, the National Concert Association of Panama, and the La Jolla Discovery Series. She is currently Associate Professor of Piano and Director of Instrumental Music at Seton Hall University.
   
  Jesse Mills, Violin
  Grammy-nominated violinist Jesse Mills enjoys performing music of many genres, from classical to contemporary, as well as composed and improvised music of his own invention. In 2004, Mills made his professional concerto debut with the Ravinia Festival Orchestra in a unique partnership with Salsa trombonist, Jimmy Bosch. As a chamber musician, Mr. Mills has performed at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall, Carnegie’s Weill Hall, Columbia University’s Miller Theater, Boston’s Gardener Museum, the CooperArts Series at Cooper Union, and at the Marlboro Music Festival. An avid performer of contemporary works, Mr. Mills was a member of the FLUX Quartet for two years.
   
  Todd Palmer, Clarinet
  Clarinetist Todd Palmer happily returns to for his 9th summer at PCMF. Highlights of Mr. Palmer’s season include appearing as soloist with the Atlanta and BBC Scottish Symphonies with conductor Robert Spano; a number of chamber music endeavors with the St. Lawrence & Brentano quartets, including a performance at Carnegie Hall; and six staged performances of his commissioned theatre work Orpheus & Euridice by Ricky Ian Gordon in Los Angeles and Durham, NC. Mr. Palmer also joined the forces this spring in Lincoln Center's revival of Rodgers & Hammerstein's musical South Pacific.
   
  Peggy Pearson, Oboe
  Oboist Peggy Pearson is a winner of the Pope Foundation Award for Outstanding Accomplishment in Music. Ms. Pearson gave her New York debut with soprano Dawn Upshaw in 1995. A member of the Bach Aria Group, Ms. Pearson is also solo oboist with the Emmanuel Chamber Orchestra. Ms. Pearson is Artistic Director of, and oboist with the Winsor Music Chamber Series in Lexington, Massachusetts, a founding member of La Fenice, and principal oboe with the Boston Philharmonic.  She has toured internationally with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, and has appeared with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra as principal oboist,  and Music from Marlboro.
   
  Jessica Thompson, Viola
  Jessica Thompson is the violist of the renowned Daedalus Quartet. A passionate chamber musician, she spent several summers at the Marlboro Music Festival and has toured with Musicians from Marlboro. She was chosen for the singular honor of performing at the Isaac Stern Memorial Concert at Carnegie Hall in 2001. Before joining the Daedalus Quartet, Ms. Thompson was a member of the Chester String Quartet, resident ensemble at Indiana University South Bend, where she served as Associate Professor of Viola. Ms. Thompson has appeared as soloist with the Minnesota Orchestra and in recital in cities such as Philadelphia, Minneapolis, and Washington, DC.
   
 
     
     

 
 

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