James Tocco, Artistic Director and piano Sponsored by Rayna & Natalio Kogan
In frequent demand worldwide as a recitalist, orchestral soloist, chamber music collaborator and pedagogue, Tocco is Eminent Scholar/Artist-in-Residence at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. He has been Artistic Director of the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival since its birth.
Jeremy Denk, piano Sponsored by Gail and Ira Mondry
Known as one of today’s most compelling artists, Denk has appeared with the Philadelphia Orchestra and the St. Louis, Houston, Detroit and San Francisco symphonies, among others. He is currently collaborating with violinist Joshua Bell.
Joseph Kalichstein, piano
Acclaimed for the heartfelt intensity and technical mastery of his playing, pianist Kalichstein enthralls audiences throughout the United States and Europe, winning equal praise as orchestral soloist, recitalist and chamber musician. Kalichstein is a founding member of the famed Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson piano trio.
Awadagin Pratt, piano Eugene Istomin Endowed Piano Chair
Among his generation of concert artists, Pratt is acclaimed for his musical insight and intensely involving performances. Pratt is currently Associate Professor of Piano and Artist-in-Residence at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.
Pei-Shan Lee, piano Ruth Laredo Endowed Piano Chair
In high demand as a duo and chamber music partner, Lee has toured the world in recitals with international artists from America’s leading artist management companies. Her hometown is Boston, where she teaches Collaborative Piano at the New England Conservatory. Lee is also on the faculty of the Perlman Music Program in Sarasota.
Ani Kavafian, violin
Enjoying a prolific career as a soloist, recitalist and chamber musician, Kavafian has performed with virtually all of America’s leading orchestras. Her numerous solo recital engagements include performances at New York’s Carnegie and Alice Tully Halls, as well as in major venues across the country.
Frank Huang, violin Beverly Franzblau Baker Young Artist Chair
First Prize Winner of the 2003 Walter W. Naumburg Foundation’s Violin Competition and the 2000 Hannover International Violin Competition, Huang was recently selected by the Lincoln Center Chamber Music Society to perform regularly at Alice Tully Hall as part of the highly prestigious CMS II program. Huang is first violinist of the Ying Quartet.
Yehonatan Berick, violin Henry Meyer Endowed Violin Chair
A prizewinner at the 1993 Naumburg Competition and a recipient of the 1996-97 Prix Opus, Berick is in high demand internationally as a soloist, recitalist, chamber musician (on violin as well as viola) and pedagogue. He is Associate Professor of Violin at the University of Michigan.
Kim Kashkashian, viola
Established as one of the most accomplished artists of her generation, Kashkashian has extensively enlarged the repertoire for the viola through her intense and continuous work with such composers as Gubaidulina, Kancheli, Kurtág, Mansurian and Penderecki.
Paul Katz, cello
Known to concertgoers around the world as cellist of the Cleveland Quartet, Katz is Professor of Cello and Chamber Music and Director of the Professional String Quartet Training Program at The New England Conservatory of Music in Boston. He is the Director of the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival’s Shouse Institute.
David Ying, cello Paul Katz Cello Chair
Cellist of the Grammy Award-winning Ying Quartet, Ying has performed widely and released several acclaimed recordings with the quartet. He has also been recognized as a solo cellist, having won prizes in the Naumburg and Washington International Competitions. Ying also enjoys teaching at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY where he resides with his wife, the pianist Elinor Freer, and their two children.
Debra Fayroian, cello
Fayroian captivates audiences with her musical insight and beauty of tone. She served as a member of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra from 1976 to 2006 and as a soloist with Detroit Chamber Winds & Strings and many Michigan orchestras. Now retired from the DSO, Fayroian founded and serves as Director of Chamber Music North and Northern Cello Retreat.
Robert deMaine, cello Sponsored by Cecilia Benner
Praised by The New York Times as “an artist who makes one hang on every note,” deMaine has distinguished himself as one of the finest musicians of his generation, having performed to critical acclaim as soloist, recitalist, recording artist and chamber musician throughout the world. He was appointed Principal Cellist of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra in 2002.
Lauren Skuce, soprano
Skuce has been distinguished for her versatility on both the opera and concert stages. She received the prestigious Prix du Public in the Montreal International Singing Competition and in April 2007 she was the first place winner of the International Concert Alliance Competition in both the aria and art song categories. Skuce has performed with many of the world’s top musical organizations, including the New York City Opera and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center.
Rachel Gottlieb Kalmowitz, soprano
The District Winner at the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, Kalmowitz has a rich variety of musical experience in opera, musical theatre and concert work. She holds degrees from Interlochen Arts Academy, the Eastman School of Music and the University of Michigan. Kalmowitz is currently the cantor at Temple Beth El in Bloomfield Hills, MI.
Daniel Gross, baritone
Currently the cantor at Adat Shalom Synagogue in Farmington Hills, MI, Gross has performed with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Chamber Music Northwest, the Pittsburgh Opera, the Los Angeles Symphony, and the National Symphony Orchestra, among others. The New York Times has described his lyric baritone voice as “fine and creamy.”
Lera Auerbach Stone Composer-in-Residence
Auerbach is an award-winning poet, pianist and one of the most widely performed and imaginative composers of her generation. She has been commissioned to write works for orchestra, ballet, opera, chamber ensemble, chorus, and the theatre. Auerbach was named Poet of the Year by the International Pushkin Society in 1997, and her poetry is taught in universities and schools as required reading for modern literature courses. Auerbach will premiere a new work at the Festival, commissioned by the Philip and Muriel Berman Foundation.
Leonard Slatkin, conductor
Internationally renowned American conductor Slatkin currently serves as the 12th Music Director of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. His performances throughout North America, Europe and Asia have been distinguished by imaginative programming and highly praised interpretations of both the standard and contemporary symphonic repertoire.
Ying Quartet
The Ying Quartet has established itself as an ensemble of the highest musical qualifications. Their performances regularly take place in many of the world’s most important concert halls, from Carnegie Hall to the Sydney Opera House. As quartet-in-residence at the Eastman School of Music, the Ying Quartet teaches in the string department and leads a rigorous, sequentially designed chamber music program.
Detroit Chamber Winds & Strings
With an international reputation established through performances, touring and recording, the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival’s host ensemble is committed to bringing to life the wonderful body of repertoire that utilizes between 6 and 20 musicians.
Laurence Liberson, clarinet
A Detroit native, Liberson was Principal Clarinetist with the Grand Rapids Symphony for five years before his appointment as Assistant Principal Clarinetist and E-flat Clarinetist of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra in 1981. He is a graduate of the University of Michigan, he teaches privately, and has presented master classes in clarinet nad chamber music throughout the U.S. Liberson is clarinetist with Detroit Chamber Winds & Strings.
