In Order of Appearance
Kelly Hall-Tompkins, violin
(Fontainebleau 1992) Winner of a Naumburg International Violin Competition Honorarium Prize and featured in the Smithsonian Museum for African-American History, Ms. Hall-Tompkins is a violin soloist entrepreneur who has been acclaimed by the New York Times as “the versatile violinist who makes the music come alive,” for her “tonal mastery” (BBC Music Magazine) and as New York Times “New Yorker of the Year.” She has appeared as co-soloist in Carnegie Hall with Glenn Dicterow and conductor Leonard Slatkin, in London at Queen Elizabeth Hall, at Lincoln Center and with the Symphonies of Baltimore, Dallas, Jacksonville, Oakland, recitals in Paris, New York, Toronto, Washington, Chicago, and festivals of Tanglewood, Ravinia, Santa Fe, France, Germany and Italy. She was “Fiddler”/Violin Soloist of the Grammy/Tony-nominated Broadway production of Fiddler on the Roof. Inspired by her experience, she commissioned and developed the first ever Fiddler solo disc of all new arrangements, “The Fiddler Expanding Tradition,” which is featured in the upcoming new documentary “Fiddler: A Miracle of Miracles” on the 55-year history of the musical. Actively performing virtually throughout the pandemic, numerous projects include premiering 4 pieces written for her, creating and/or been invited to participate in unique collaborations including with Tony-nominated actor Daniel Watts, aerial dancer Alexandra Peter, Frisson Films, Gil Shaham’s Gilharmonic, Routledge press as contributing author for a new book on Music and Human Rights and with WQXR as part of the inaugural Artist Propulsion Lab. As founder of Music Kitchen-Food for the Soul, Kelly Hall-Tompkins is a pioneer of social justice in classical music, bringing top artists in over 100 concerts in homeless shelters coast to coast from New York to Los Angeles, and in internationally in Paris, France. Music Kitchen commissioned and will present the World Premiere of the Forgotten Voices Song Cycle in Association with Carnegie Hall.
Donna Weng Friedman, piano
(Fontainebleau 1978) Award winning pianist Donna Weng Friedman enjoys a varied career as soloist,chamber musician, producer, app developer and educator. The creator of Heritage and Harmony programs – including the video series on WQXR, and the education program Heritage and Harmony: Her Art, Her Voice at the National Women’s History Museum – Donna Weng Friedman was recently honored with two silver medals for her pandemic album Heritage and Harmony: Silver Linings, at the 2022 Global Music Awards.
She has performed in concert halls and appeared as soloist with major symphony orchestras worldwide. An avid chamber musician, she has collaborated with world renowned musicians including Carter Brey, Anthony McGill, Ani Kavafian, David Shifrin and St. Luke’s Chamber Ensemble. She has conducted master classes at the Shanghai and Beijing conservatories and is on the faculty of the Mannes School of Music. A graduate of Princeton University, she received her master’s degree from the Juilliard School under the tutelage of Adele Marcus and has the privilege of studying with the famed composer/ educator Nadia Boulanger and the
incomparable pianist Radu Lupu. She is the creator/developer of “The Music Bee Club” interactive classical music apps for children, produced by twenty-time Grammy Award winner David Frost.
Diana Ligeti, cello
(Director of the Conservatoire Américain de Fontainebleau since 2018) Following musical studies in Rumania, the cellist Diana Ligeti entered the Paris Conservatoire post-graduate program. She soon attracted the attention of Lord Yehudi Menuhin and attended the International Menuhin Music Academy in Gstaad (Switzerland). Ms. Ligeti also holds a Master of Musicology degree from the Sorbonne Paris University.
Since March of 2018 Diana Ligeti is the Artistic Director of the Fontainebleau Schools. She is the second woman to hold the title after the long tenure of the famous Nadia Boulanger. More information available at https://www.dianaligeti.eu/?lang=en. Tonight, Diana will be performing on a cello by Bartolo Bimbi Florentinus on generous loan from Jonathan Solars Fine Violins.
Dalit Hadass Warshaw, piano
DALIT HADASS WARSHAW (b.1974) attended Fontainebleau in 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000 and 2001. Her works have been performed by ensembles including the NY and Israel Philharmonic Orchestras (Zubin Mehta conducting), the Cleveland Orchestra, and the Boston, Houston, and Grand Rapids Symphonies. She premiered her piano concerto, “Conjuring Tristan,” with the Grand Rapids Symphony in 2015. Her theremin concerto, “Sirens,” performed in 2019 by both the Boston Modern Orchestra Project and the Albany Symphony, was listed among “Boston’s Best Classical Music Concerts in 2019” by the Boston Globe. After receiving a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2016, she was awarded an OPERA America Discovery Grant and the Goddard Lieberson Fellowship from the American Academy of Arts and Letters the following year. Additional honors include five ASCAP Grants, a Fulbright Scholarship, a Charles Ives Scholarship, and two BMI Awards. Warshaw currently teaches on the composition faculties at Brooklyn College and at the Juilliard School.
Shannon Lee, violin
(Fontainebleau 2015) Shannon Lee has been praised for her “remarkable fire, impeccable intonation, and big, vibrant tone” (Gramophone). She is a recent prizewinner in several international competitions such as the Sendai, Queen Elisabeth, Naumburg, and Indianapolis competitions. Born in Canada, Shannon began studying violin at age four in Plano, Texas. She made her solo debut at the age of twelve with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, and two years later performed in Europe with Maestro Christof Perick and the Nuremberg Philharmonic. Other notable appearances include with the Tokyo Symphony, Antwerp Symphony, Belgian National Orchestra, and New York String Orchestra in Carnegie Hall. Her debut recording on the Telarc label, Introducing Shannon Lee, features 19th and 20th century violin-piano works, which Gramophone Magazine praised for Shannon’s “technical command and fearless virtuosity.” Shannon studies with Jaime Laredo and Jan Sloman at the Cleveland Institute of Music, where she has been a recipient of the Presidential and Starling Foundation scholarships. She graduated from the Curtis Institute of Music as a student of Ida Kavafian and Arnold Steinhardt and as a Community Artist Fellow. Previously she completed her Bachelor’s degree in computer science from Columbia University while taking violin lessons with David Nadien.
Baron Fenwick, piano
(Fontainebleau 2017) At 27 years old, pianist Baron Fenwick has performed as a recitalist and a soloist with orchestras around the world and throughout the United States. He is the winner of numerous awards, including the Silver Medal in the 2019 Sendai International Music Competition. A graduate with his Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees from Mannes School of Music, he is currently pursuing his Doctorate of Musical Arts at The Juilliard School.
Baron enjoys performing a wide range of repertoire. He has premiered works by dozens of living composers, including four piano concertos. As a teacher, he maintains a private studio, regularly gives masterclasses, and has been a guest artist in festivals including the International Keyboard Institute and Festival. Originally from Boone, North Carolina, he now lives in New York City.
Natalie Darst Xia, violin
(Fontainebleau 2019) Violinist, Natalie Darst Xia, is a four-time recipient of the SAG-AFTRA Foundation scholarship and has performed as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral player in France, Switzerland, and the United States. Natalie will be attending the 2022 Spoleto Festival USA as a Violin Fellow and has participated in music festivals on full scholarship including the Sarasota Music Festival, New York String Orchestra Seminar, Les Écoles d’Art Américaines de Fontainebleau, and with French pedagogue, Pierre Amoyal at the Académie de Musique Riviera. Additionally, Natalie performed in collaboration with the late Joseph Silverstein at the Meadowmount School of Music and studied chamber music intensively with Earl Carlyss and Ann Schein at Mannes School of Music. As an orchestral player, Natalie served as Concertmaster of the Mannes Orchestra from 2019-2021. Natalie holds a Bachelor of Music with Honors and a Master of Music degree from Mannes where she held the President’s Scholarship and studied with Sally Thomas, Todd Phillips, and Nancy Wu (Associate Concertmaster – Metropolitan Opera Orchestra.) Currently, Natalie is a scholarship recipient and Doctor of Musical Arts candidate in Violin Performance at Boston University College of Fine Arts where she works with Lucia Lin (Boston Symphony Orchestra.)
Matthew Bengtson, Piano
(Fontainebleau 2002) Critically acclaimed as a “musician’s pianist,” Matthew Bengtson has a unique combination of musical talents ranging from extraordinary pianist, to composer, analyst, and scholar of performance practice, and thus is in demand as both soloist and collaborator. An advocate of both contemporary and rarely performed music, he commands a diverse repertoire, ranging from William Byrd to György Ligeti and numerous contemporary composers. He has been presented in concerts as a La Gesse Fellow in France, Germany, Italy and Hungary, in Washington, DC, at Monticello, and in solo recitals at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall. He has also appeared on the Pro Musica series in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. He has performed as a soloist with numerous orchestras and has appeared with violinist Joshua Bell on NPR’s “Performance Today” and XM Satellite Radio’s “Classical Confidential.” His recordings can be heard on the Roméo, Arabesque, Albany, Musica Omnia, Griffin Renaissance, and Navona record labels.
Mr. Bengtson is lauded as one of the most persuasive advocates of the music of Scriabin and Szymanowski. On his recordings of the complete Scriabin Piano Sonatas, the American Record Guide writes: “Big-boned pianism, rich tonal colors, and dazzling technique are on display here. Has Scriabin ever been played better? Only Horowitz and Richter can compare to what Bengtson achieves on this disc.” In Fanfare magazine he has been called “a Scriabinist for the 21st century .. upon whom future generations can rely for definitive interpretations.” He marked the 100th anniversary of the composer’s death with numerous all-Scriabin recitals, including performances of the complete Sonatas in Philadelphia and Chicago and a multi-sensory festival “Scriabin in the Himalayas” in Ladakh, India, which is planned as the source of a documentary on the composer and his vision. More information available at www. mattbengtson.com. Mr. Bengtson is a Steinway Artist.
Khari Joyner, cello
(Fontainebleau 2013) Acclaimed musician and arts ambassador Khari Joyner is one of the leading cellists of his generation. Dubbed by the New York Classical Review as one of the most exciting young musicians on the classical scene, he has a following nationally and abroad, and has made a number of accomplishments including teaching residencies and concert series for over one thousand students in Beijing, Shanghai, Japan, Vancouver, The Netherlands, and across the United States. A passionate advocate for the music of today, his most accomplishments include performing the world premiere of MacArthur Genius Tyshawn Sorey’s Cycles of My Being, the New York Premiere of Kaija Saariaho’s cello concerto Notes on Light, and the world premiere of Carman Moore’s MADIBA for cello and orchestra.
Carol McGonnell, clarinet
(Fontainebleau Artist-In-Residence 2009) Hailed as “an extraordinary clarinetist” by the New York Times, “elastic, exacting, stupendous” by the LA Times and “clarinet genius” by Time Out NY, Dublin born clarinetist, Carol McGonnell, is known for the expressive power of her playing of standard repertoire while also enjoying acclaim for her fearless exploration of cutting-edge developments in new music. Carol is a founding member of the Argento Chamber Ensemble. She has been involved in the commissioning of over 100 new works, ranging from solo pieces to clarinet concerti.
Carol has appeared in the inaugural concert of Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall and in Lincoln Center’s Great Performers Series, has performed as soloist in both John Adam’s “In Your Ear Festival” at Carnegie and in LA’s “Monday Evening Concerts”, curated by Esa-Pekka Salonen and with numerous orchestras around the world and ensembles including Ensemble Modern, St. Paul’s Chamber Orchestra, the Zankel Band of Carnegie Hall, Decoda and the Metropolitan Museum Artists in Concert. She has performed at the Marlboro, Mecklenburg, Santa Fe and Charlottesville Chamber Music Festivals, among many others. Carol is artistic director of Music for Museums, in association with the National Gallery of Ireland, and involving Museums such as the Isabella Stewart Gardner in Boston, J.P. Getty in LA and the Metropolitan Museum in NYC. Carol has been broadcast on RTE, Lyric FM, BBC, WQXR and NPR and is awaking the release of her latest CD including a new concerto by Phillipe Hurel.
Carol spent two years in residence with Trio Ariadne at Weill Hall at the Green Music Center in Sonoma and on faculty at Sonoma State University. She is an alumni of the Carnegie/ Juilliard Academy and is on faculty at the Aaron Copland School of Music of CUNY and auxiliary faculty for contrabass clarinet at the Juilliard School in NYC.
Mahir Cetiz, piano
MAHIR CETIZ (b.1977), who attended Fontainebleau in 2011, is a composer of concert music with an output spanning solo works to electronics as well as to orchestra. As an active conductor and pianist, Cetiz is continuously engaged with the performance of new music. As a scholar and teacher, he specializes in musical analysis, perception of movement, and gesture, as well as Turkish Makam (a system of melody types used in Turkish music). In past seasons his compositions have received performances by such ensembles as: International Contemporary Ensemble, SO Percussion, YARN/WIRE, Ensemble Intercontemporain, BBC Philharmonic, BBC Symphony Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, and Zurich- Tonhalle Orchestra. He is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Nadia Boulanger Composition Award of Fontainebleau Schools in 2011 and a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2017. Cetiz earned his doctorate from Columbia University in 2013 and is currently the assistant professor of composition and music theory at the University of Memphis, Rudi E. Scheidt School of Music.
Idil Belgin Kucukdogan, violin
A chamber and orchestral musician, Idil Belgin Kucukdogan, is a classical violinist who likes to embrace the genres such as jazz and traditional Turkish music. Living in Istanbul, Turkey for the last decade, she was a member of Istanbul State Symphony Orchestra and CRR Istanbul City Orchestra. As a teacher, Ms Kucukdogan taught violin and chamber music in Istanbul Marmara University and Ankara University State Conservatory. A dedicated volunteer for teaching violin to children without financial support, Ms Kucukdogan traveled to different cities of her native country, Turkey and reached out to the children of the communities who did not have any chance of getting musical training. Ms. Kucukdogan holds degrees in violin performance from Ankara Bilkent University and Carnegie Mellon School of Music. Currently pursuing her doctoral studies in University of Memphis, Rudi E. Scheidt School of Music, she is also studying Alexander Technique at Balance Arts Center in New York which enables her to unite her musical practice with awareness and wellbeing.
Min Young Kang, piano
(Fontainebleau 2011, 2012 & 2013) Praised as “an absolute gem” by the Montecito Journal, Korean-born pianist Min Young Kang enjoys a versatile career as a chamber musician, collaborative pianist, and music director. For the past ten years, Min Young has performed in concerts and recitals throughout the United States, France, and South Korea. In October of 2021, she released her first album on PENTATONE with Spanish Violist Jesus Rodolfo, entitled “Remembering Russia,” to positive reviews. Min Young Kang is the Founder and Artistic Director of the salon-style Kallos Chamber Music Series, based in New Haven, Connecticut. She is a prizewinner of the J.C. Arriaga Chamber Music Competition, Artur Balsam Duo Competition, and the Lillian Fuchs Chamber Music Competition. Min Young Kang has extensive collaborative experience and has worked as one of the recommended pianists for the Naumburg International Competition and the Long-Thibaud Violin Competition (New York Regional). She has completed education at the Eastman School of Music, Manhattan School of Music, and the Yale School of Music. She is a current staff pianist at the Mannes School of Music in New York City. More information available at http://www.minyoungkang.com/bio-1
Yeong Eun Jane Lee, cello
(Fontainebleau 2016) Cellist Yeong Eun Jane Lee is from South Korea, and has performed solo and chamber music at major venues. Ms. Lee received a Bachelor’s degree in Music from The Juilliard School under the tutelage of Timothy Eddy. In 2017, she then graduated from the Manhattan School of Music with a Masters Degree in Music from the studio of Philippe Muller. Ms. Lee is currently pursuing Graduate Certificate in Performance at University of Southern California Thornton School of Music under the tutelage of Andrew Shulman, the Principal Cellist of Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. She is currently based in L.A.
Magdalena Baczewska, piano
(Fontainebleau 2000 & 2001) Hailed by the press as “One of the most innovative, even radical classical keyboardists in the U.S.” and described as “Columbia University professor by day, musical sorceress by night,” pianist and harpsichordist Magdalena Baczewska [pronounced ba-CHEV-ska] enjoys a versatile career as a concert artist, educator, speaker, and administrator. Having debuted as a soloist with the Silesian Philharmonic at age 12 in her native Poland, Baczewska performed internationally with the world’s leading orchestras: Philadelphia Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, China National Symphony, Vancouver Symphony, among others.
Baczewska collaborates extensively with the Oscar and Grammy Award-winning composer Tan Dun, having performed his music throughout China and the U.S., including the Tanglewood Music Festival. At the invitation of the composer, Baczewska also recorded his chamber music and the Piano Sonata in Shanghai’s famous Water Heavens Hall.
Baczewska is the Director of the Music Performance Program at Lecturer in Music at Columbia University. She has given master classes and lectures around the world (Beijing Central Conservatory, New York University, International Keyboard Institute, Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, Manhattan School of Music). She is a recipient of the Outstanding Achievement Award from the Polish Minister of Culture and National Heritage for promoting Polish culture abroad. Baczewska is a Yamaha Artist. More information at http://www.MagdalenaNYC.com
Ren Martin-Doïké, viola
(Fontainebleau 2012 & 2017) Violist Ren Martin-Doïké is a versatile performer on a mission to share music with diverse audiences around the world. Ms. Martin-Doïké has performed throughout Europe, Asia, and the Americas as a soloist and member of a diverse range of ensembles including the Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Benny Rietveld Jazz Quintet. Often heard on the radio, Ms. Martin-Doïké has performed for broadcasts on Radio France, American Public Radio, National Public Radio, as well as RTHK television in Hong Kong. More recently, she appeared in Death in Montmartre, an RTHK film production for which she also recorded original arrangements.
Named a 2015-16 Harriet Hale Woolley Scholar and Artist in Residence at the Fondation des États- Unis in Paris, Ms. Martin-Doïké is also the recipient of the First Prize in the string quartet division at the Fondation Maurice Ravel Competition and the Prix de musique de chambre at the Conservatoire américain de Fontainebleau (France). After graduating from the Curtis Institute of Music, Ms. Martin-Doïké earned her master’s degree from the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris, receiving a unanimous first prize from the jury. She joined the viola section of Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra in 2019.
Alan Moverman, piano
(Fontainebleau 1980) Alan Moverman is a piano soloist at New York City Ballet. He holds a master’s from Juilliard, a doctorate from SUNY Stonybrook, has been an artist-fellow at the Banff Center and is an alumni of the American Conservatory at Fontainebleau. His main piano teachers were Gilbert Kalish, and Richard Goode. Locally he appears with the Bang-on-a-Can All Stars, the NY Pops, and the Mostly Mozart Festival orchestra, and the Martha Graham Dance Co. As a Solo Pianist with NYCB and their “Moves” chamber group since 2000, he has been heard as a soloist in major venues worldwide. He has recorded for CRI and Sony Classical.
Eugenia Choi, violin, Concertmaster
(Fontainebleau 2003 & 2007) Described as “a sensational force” (La République, France), a “technical virtuoso” (Berliner Morgenpost, Germany), and a “must see” (Chicago Tribune), violinist Eugenia Choi has been attracting international acclaim since her solo debut with orchestra at age ten. Performances on some of the world’s greatest stages have included Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Kimmel Center’s Verizon Hall in Philadelphia, Symphony Hall in Boston, Kravis Center in Palm Beach, Dame Myra Hess series in Chicago, Vienna Saal-Mozarteum in Austria, Teatro Municipale in Santiago, Chile, Tokyo International Forum in Japan, and her personal favorite, the Palais de Fontainebleau, where she performed as a soloist with the festival orchestra and in recitals with the faculty. Miss Choi has performed as soloist with orchestras in Europe, Asia, North and Latin Americas and been broadcast on live radio and television internationally. She also enjoys collaborating with a range of artists, including Grammy winner Jon Batiste, tap artist Savion Glover, and The Knights ensemble. Eugenia can be heard on classical recordings for the American String Project on MSR Classics and the Turning Point Ensemble on ATMA Classique. Born in Canada, Eugenia studied at the Juilliard School, where she received her Doctorate, Masters, Bachelors and Pre-college degrees. She is also an alumna of Dartmouth College where she majored in Government. Eugenia is currently based in Beverly Hills, where she enjoys the warm weather and a full-time recording career for the movie studios (Sony, Fox, WB), tv shows (Netflix, Hulu, broadcast tv), and video gaming (Microsoft, Riot). Thanks to Fontainebleau, she remains a Francophile through her love of 20th century French music.
Dan Zhu, violin
(Fontainebleau 2003) Dan Zhu is widely recognized as one of the finest musicians of his generation on the international stage today, performing Worldwide with distinguished maestros, such as Christoph Eschenbach, Uroš Lajovic, Zubin Mehta, Krzysztof Penderecki, Alexander Rahbari, Long Yu, and major orchestras Boston Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, Maggio Musicale di Fiorentino, Munich Philharmonic, Orchestre National de France, Tokyo Symphony, Slovenian Philharmonic, etc.
Praised as “an artist of affecting humility, truly brilliant, compelling, and polished” by the international press. Frequently invited to perform and give master classes at renowned festivals and institutions, Salzburg Festspiele, Tanglewood, Verbier, Marlboro, Schleiswig-Holstein, Prades-Casals, Enescu, Sibelius Academy. His regular collaborators in recital and chamber music such as, Michel Dalberto, Henri Demarquette, Philippe Entremont, Richard Goode, Nobuko Imai, Lang Lang, Gerhard Oppitz, Kun-Woo Paik, Jean-Yves Thibaudet. In 2020, together with violist Diemut Poppen and cellist Danjulo Ishizaka formed Trio 3D, their performances has been highly raved by Luzerner Zeitung. Premiered and recorded works for solo violin with composers of our time, including George Benjamin, Gyorgy Kurtag, the late Gian-Carlo Menotti, Wolfgang Rihm, Tan Dun, Bright Sheng, and Xiaogang Ye.
Born in Beijing, Dan Zhu gave his first solo concert at the age of nine, performing Mendelssohn violin concerto with the National Youth Chamber Orchestra, made his Carnegie Hall debut at the age of eighteen with Tchaikovsky violin concerto, while studying with Prof. Lucie Robert at Mannes College in New York City that time. His other influential mentors were Ivry Gitlis, Gerard Poulet, and Aaron Rosand. As recording artist, he has appeared on several international labels, such as BIS, Cascavelle, CPO, Naxos, ORF. Since 2021, Dan Zhu is the founder and artistic director of the annual international chamber music festival Etruscan Bloom in Florence, Italy. His dedication and passion in the nature environmental field, as honorary member of the Antarctica Forum and The Nature Conservancy, led him to be the first classical musician performed on the continent of Antarctica in 2013. Follow Dan Zhu’s music journey: www. danzhumusic.com
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