Judges Judge: J. Lawrie Bloom Noted for his incredible fl exibility, J. LAWRIE BLOOM has been heard in recital, concerto, chamber, and orchestral settings performing on the clarinet, bass clarinet, basset clarinet, basset horn, Eb clarinet, and contra bass clarinet. Called a “super soloist... crisp, intense indeed” by the Chicago Tribune, he has been with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra since 1980, when Sir George Solti offered him the position of clarinet and solo bass clarinet. In honor of his 40th season with the CSO, Maestro Riccardo Muti commissioned Nicolas Bacri to create a bass clarinet concerto for Lawrie. Mr. Bloom is a senior lecturer in clarinet at the Bienen School of Music at Northwestern University. He has performed at Ambler, Grand Teton, Ravinia, Skaneateles, Spoleto, and New York’s Mostly Mozart festivals and has toured with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. The Civitas Ensemble, of which Mr. Bloom is a founder and artistic director, performed in Prague in 2016 in a collaboration with the Gipsy Way Ensemble. This collaboration, supported by a MacArthur Foundation International Connections Fund grant, included an exchange of concerts and presentations in Prague and Chicago. Alla Zingarese, the debut CD of this collaboration, was released in 2018 by Cedille Records. interlude Judge: Ieva Jokubaviciute Judge: Michael Kannen Lithuanian pianist IEVA JOKUBAVICIUTE's performances have earned her critical acclaim throughout the U.S. and Europe. Her ability to communicate the essential substance of a work has led critics to describe her as possessing “razor-sharp intelligence and wit” (The Washington Post) and as “an artist of commanding technique, refi ned temperament and persuasive insight” (The New York Times). In 2006, she was honored as a recipient of a BorlettiBuitoni Trust Fellowship. Ieva’s Alban Berg Tribute CD was released to critical acclaim in 2010. The New York Times described her as “an authoritative and compelling guide throughout this fascinating disc." Her piano trio, Trio Cavatina, won the 2009 Naumburg International Chamber Music Competition and made its Carnegie Hall debut in 2010. A much sought-after chamber musician and collaborator, notably with violinist Midori, Ieva has appeared on major stages, such as Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and London’s Wigmore Hall. She regularly appears at music festivals, including Marlboro, Ravinia, Bard, Caramoor, Chesapeake Music, and Prussia Cove (England). A graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music and the Mannes College of Music, she is currently Assistant Professor, Piano at the Shenandoah Conservatory in Winchester, Virginia. 410-819-0380 Cellist MICHAEL KANNEN has distinguished himself as a musician and educator of uncommon accomplishment who is comfortable in widely diverse musical situations and venues. He was a founding member of the Brentano String Quartet and for seven years performed with that group on concert stages around the world, on radio and television, and on recordings. During those years, the Brentano Quartet was awarded the fi rst Cleveland Quartet Award, the Naumburg Chamber Music Award, a Royal Philharmonic Award and was the fi rst participant in the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center II program. Mr. Kannen continues to perform chamber music around the country as a member of the Apollo Trio, on period instruments with the Houston-based group Context, and at major music festivals such as Yellow Barn, Chamber Music Northwest, Portland Chamber Music Festival and the International Musicians Seminar in Prussia Cove, England. Mr. Kannen has served on the faculties of Dartmouth College and the Purchase College Conservatory and he is currently the Director of Chamber Music at the Peabody Conservatory of Music, where he holds the Sidney Friedberg Chair in Chamber Music. 3
4 Publizr Home