Chamber Music Festival of Marble Falls
a musician's retreat...
| Artist/Clinicians for 2010 |
Members Blue Rose Trio
Audrey Solomon (left), Ira Glansbeck (center), Rose Chen (right)
Pianist Rose Chen came to the United States in 1997 after winning numerous solo piano awards as a teenager and making her solo debut at the National Concert Hall in her native Taiwan. Rose earned a Bachelor’s Degree at New England Conservatory of Music in Boston and Masters Degree at San Francisco Conservatory of Music. In November, 2009 Rose successfully completed her Doctorate in Musical Arts with full-scholarship at the prestigious USC Thornton School of Music. She was awarded as the outstanding graduate in the USC doctoral program.
In the past six years, Rose has devoted herself to chamber music and is enjoying a chamber music career with much success. Her highly accomplished piano trio, the Blue Rose Trio had captured top prizes in the Colman, MTNA, and Peninsula chamber music competitions. Rose has concertized in Canada, Austria, Brazil, France, Israel, Hong Kong, and China. Within the United States Rose also maintains a steadfast performing and teaching career in Alaska, Texas, and throughout California. Rose also had appeared in master classes with Goto Midori, Thomas Allen, Lowell Liebermann, Gilbert Kalish, Eroica Trio, Takacs Quartet, and Julliard Quartet.
In addition to her lifelong interest in Western classical music, Rose’s eclectic taste in music encompasses a variety of styles and genres, including Jazz, folk, and the music of the Middle East, Latin America, and Asia. The venues in which she has performed are comparably varied: concert halls, churches, schools, hospitals, and restaurants. Whatever the style or setting, it is playing in an ensemble, with the excitement of interacting among other musicians, often spontaneously, that she finds most rewarding. This fervor carries across to others, she feels, making it an ideal medium for musical communication with an audience.
Rose’s recent projects include playing the piano in a Tango band called Haberdashery Ensemble, and recording an all Villa-Lobos album with cellist, Dr. Lars Hoefs. Rose is currently the Artist-in-Residence of the Los Angles Musical Salon Concert Series where she collaborates with numerous guest performers. She is also the staff accompanist/vocal coach at Biola University in California.
, Violin
Audrey Salmon, an Alaskan born violinist, is dedicated to a modern musical career with a diverse approach. With her focus on chamber music and a philosophy of making music part of the composition of every day life, Audrey strives to participate in the evolution of art and its function in American society. Stimulated by her classical music background, her music outreach endeavors, and her experiences in the entertainment industry, she is devoted to expanding concert venues and programs and exposing the public to the incredible effects music has on our communities.
Audrey began her studies with her mother, Beverly Beheim in Alaska and continued with pianist, Svetlana Velichtko. At 15 while doing correspondence school, she left home to study at the Cleveland Institute of Music with Linda and David Cerone, where she also continued on to complete her Bachelors in Violin Performance. Audrey received her Masters and a Graduate Certificate in Violin Performance at the University of Southern California with Robert Lipsett. She was a featured USC Alum in the “Trojan Family Magazine in 2007.
Audrey was the violinist and a founding member of the award winning Blue Rose Trio. They won top prizes in the Coleman National Chamber Music Competition, the MTNA National Chamber Music Competition, and the International Young Artists Peninsula Competition. They were recipients of USC’s “Outstanding String Ensemble” award. In addition to playing concerts in California, they performed in Alaska, Texas, Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Rio Dejenaro Brazil, and Northern France. They were the first Chamber Group in Residence at the Anchorage Chamber Intensive, the Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival, the La Salon Series, and the Chamber Music Festival of Marble Falls.
Audrey was titled “Miss Alaska 2000” and was the recipient of the Bert Parks Talent Award at “Miss America 2000”. She spent her year speaking and performing at schools promoting music education in the public school system with her platform “Outreach through Music”. While attending the Cleveland Institute of Music, she received a scholarship award for promoting music outreach in Cleveland. Inspired by her two-time winnings as Alaska State Fiddling Champion, Audrey is featured in classical crossover and folk fusion groups such as the group “Feast” in Colorado and the Worship team at her church, Pacific Crossroads. Audrey has performed live with pop artists such as Britney Spears on “Saturday Night Live”, “Il Divo” on the “Tonight Show”, and Chicago’s Peter Cetera. Her recent studio work includes recording for artists such as Kanye West, Christina Aguilera, Mary J Blige, Mandy Moore, Bryan McKnight, Rod Stewart, and Barry Manilow. Some major motion picture films she recorded for are “A Night in a Museum”,“Next”, “Spider Man 3”, and “Beowulf”.
In addition to concertizing and free-lancing, Audrey is dedicated to teaching for the Harmony Project and Education Through Music. Both outreach organizations work toward building communities and providing music education for children in a city that has lost most of its government funding for arts education.
Alaskan born, Cellist, Ira moved to Southern California in 1998. Currently he freelances in the Los Angles area and has performed with Los Angles Mater Chorale, New West Symphony, Santa Barbara Symphony, and Mlädí, among others. Ira has performed in such venues as Walt Disney Concert Hall, Hollywood Bowl, and Berlin Philharmonie. He has had the pleasure of performing at the Uriopäisches Musikfest Stuttgart in orchestra and chamber music settings with renowned conductor, Helmuth Rilling. As a chamber musician, Ira has worked with members of the St. Petersburg and Peterson Quartets and is a founding member of the Ascher String Quartets. Ira enjoys playing a variety of music, from new age to flim scores, classical to electronia, and anything in between.
Joel Becktell (left), Michelle Schuman (right)
A native Canadian, Dr. Michelle Schumann is a highly sought after solo pianist and collaborative artist both in her hometown of Austin, TX and throughout the US, Canada and Europe. Her performances have been described as “smart, irresistible, and utterly captivating” and have been included among the years’ top arts ten events by the Austin American Statesman. In 2009, Schumann won the award for best instrumentalist by the Austin Critic’s Table and in 2006, 2007, and 2008 won the award for Best Chamber Music Performance. In 2006, she was the top prizewinner in the Janice K. Hodges Competition for Contemporary Piano Music and her performance of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue was named the #1 Classical Arts Event of 2008 by the Austin Chronicle.
Michelle is the Artistic Director of the Austin Chamber Music Center where she leads the season programs, Austin Summer Chamber Music Festival, and all educational programs. Following her ground breaking first season with the Austin Chamber Music Center, she won multiple awards from the Austin Critics Table for Best Chamber Music Performance and Best Body of Work/Season. She has performed at international festivals including the Edinburg Fringe Festival, Fayetteville Chamber Music Festival, Tanglewood, Round Top, Long Beach Opera Festival, Fou de Basson Festival in Angouleme, France, Bang on a Can Summer Festival at the Massachusetts Museum of Modern Art, Banff Festival of Music and Sound, International Institute of Music in Munich, Germany, Victoria Bach Festival, and the Snake River Chamber Music Festival.
Michelle has collaborated with leading ensembles throughout the US including the Carpe Diem Quartet, Chiara Quartet, Meridian Arts Ensemble, Austin Lyric Opera, American Ballet Theater, New York City Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, the Austin Symphony Orchestra, Ballet Austin, and Long Beach Opera. Her solo and chamber music performances have been heard on CBC Radio, KMFA and Austin’s NPR affiliate, KUT.
Additionally a committed teacher, Dr. Schumann serves as Associate Professor of Music and Artist in Residence at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor where she is the founder and Artistic Director of the Hillman Visiting Artists Series. She received a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from The University of Texas at Austin where she studied with Anton Nel and Gregory Allen. Additionally she holds a Young Artist Diploma from the Cleveland Institute of Music and a Performance Diploma from the Vienna Conservatory
“...A tour de force...splendid outpouring of Romantic sympathy with this music...”
“...A virtuoso performer.”
“...played to perfection.”
“...highlight of the Festival...”
Cellist Joel Becktell has performed, taught, and lectured throughout North America and Europe. He is a graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Music, where he received his Bachelor and Master of Music degrees with honors, and was awarded the Rubenstein prize for cello performance. Joel has been a member of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, the Nichols Quartet, the Harrington String Quartet, and the Moveable Feast chamber ensemble. He has collaborated in concert with Yo-Yo Ma, Daniel Gaisford, Charles Castleman, Marion Verbrugen, and many others. From 1995 - 2002 he served as Principal Cellist of the Austin Symphony Orchestra, and has also been Principal Cellist with the Santa Fe Pro Musica, and Assistant Principal Cellist with the Santa Fe Symphony. Joel appears frequently on Baroque and modern cello, and violoncello piccolo as soloist and with ensembles throughout North America. With pianist Carla McElhaney he is co-founder of REVEL, an ensemble performing a wide range of repertoire for cello and piano and larger ensembles in a casual, welcoming atmosphere. During the 2009-2010 season, his activities included both the complete Beethoven cycle of sonatas for cello and piano, and the complete Bach sonatas for viola da gamba and keyboard, performed on violoncello piccolo. More details about his concert schedule are available at www.joelbecktell.com.
Joel has written about cello pedagogy and musical instrument history and construction for numerous publications, including Strings and Strad Magazine.
Joel's principal cello teachers were Anne Cole, Alan Harris, and Stephen Geber.
Violinist, Keenan Fletcher received her Bachelor of Music from the University of Texas at Austin. She is Suzuki Certified and uses all methods to accommodate learning styles. She studied under Barbara Porbe (California), the late Leonard Posner and Jan Sloman of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. Keenan has performed chamber music throughout Europe, including at the Innsbruch Conservatory and the Hindemith Foundation in Switzerland. She freelanced in the Dallas area including performing with the Texas Chamber Orchestra for Ballet Arlington. She has also taught private lessons in Violin, Viola, and Cello since the age of 18 and considers teaching the violin an art-form. Keenan's students have won competitions and have been selected for many prestigious festivals including Interlochen and Meadowmount. Keenan is the founder/creator of the Chamber Music Festival of Marble Falls as well as the founder and director of the Highland Lakes Community Orchestra. She deeply loves the notion that "all children can learn and love music" and has had extensive experience teaching with inner city children in Dallas. After moving to the small community of Marble Falls, Keenan "spear-headed" an outreach violin program for at-risk children attending the Girls & Boys Club. She also donates her time with Camp Phoenix, a non-profit program targeting abused and neglected youth in the Texas Hill-Country. In May of 2009 Keenan was invited to attend the Starling-Delay Violin Symposium at the Juilliard School in New York City. She enjoys a well-rounded musical diet including performing Jazz in the Lake Bottom Jazz Combo, Classical, Christian Coffee-House with the Lainey Wright Band, and can be seen at a true Texas-Style Fiddling circle with Jesse Mears and Randy Elmore (world champion fiddler)!!! Keenan loves her three awesome children, her supportive non-musical husband, and her two dogs!