Thursday Musical Artist Series
Parking Information: Click here
Complimentary Coffee and Donuts at 10:00 am
Tickets $15, $10 (groups of 8+), $6 students, sold at the door, general seating
Program
Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)
Piano Trio in D Minor, Op. 49
Andante con moto tranquillo
Chen Yi (b. 1953)
Night Thoughts (2004)
The Fremont Trio
Andrea Myers, flute; Grace Heatherington-Tilka, cello; Brian DeYoung, piano
Thursday Musical Debut
George Walker (1922-2018)
Sonata No. 2 for Piano
I. Adagio non troppo (Theme and Variations)
II. Presto
III. Adagio
IV. Allegretto tranquillo
Kristine West Denton, piano
William Grant Still (1895-1978)
Suite for Violin and Piano
II. Slowly and expressive (suggested by Sargent Johnson's "Mother and Child")
III. Rhythmically and humorously (suggested by Augusta Savage's "Gamin")
Holly Ager, violin
Kristine West Denton, piano
Duke Ellington (1899-1974)
arr. Dick Hyman (b. 1927)
Jubilee Stomp (1928)
Kristine West Denton, piano
Kurt Weil (1900-1950)
What good would the moon be? from Street Scene
Ricky Ian Gordon (b. 1956)
Genius Child
Winter Moon
To Be Somebody
Prayer
My People
Joy
Tara Priolo, soprano
Brian DeYoung, piano
Performer Information
Kristine West Denton, piano
Kristine West Denton has performed across the country, in Canada, and Germany as a soloist and collaborative pianist. She recently retired from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. Previously, she taught at Grinnell College, Coe College and Fort Hays State University.
She was a frequent soloist with the Erie Philharmonic and played keyboards for the Erie Philharmonic, Erie Chamber Orchestra and the Bemus Bay Pops. She performed on live broadcasts from WKSU (Kent, OH), WCLV (Cleveland) and WQLN (Erie) in collaborative performances. She administered and performed in a free concert series at the Erie County Public Library and served on the Arts Council of Erie.
A concert review from the Badische Zeitung (Freiburg, Germany) called her “an excellent soloist and an intelligent and sensitive accompanist” while a recipient of a Collaborative Fulbright Grant.
She attended the vocal accompanying program at the Music Academy of the West and the vocal and instrumental programs of the Blossom Festival School, studying with Martin Katz, Warren Jones and Cleveland Orchestra members.
A native of Minnesota, Kristine received degrees from the University of Iowa (DMA), Kent State University, and Augsburg College (Mpls). Her principal teachers were Kenneth Amada, Margaret Baxtresser and Jim Johnson.
Holly Ager, violin
Violinist Holly Ager is originally from Seattle, where she studied with Emanuel Zetlin, professor emeritus of the Curtis Institute.
She has a Bachelor of Music degree in violin performance from the University of Michigan, as a student of Paul Makaowitzky and Jacob Krachmalnick, and a Master of Music degree from Yale University, where she studied with Koichiro Harada and Szymon Goldberg. She was concertmaster of the Yale Philharmonia under the direction of Otto Werner Mueller, and studied chamber music with members of the Tokyo String Quartet.
Summer festivals include the Aspen Festival, where she was concertmaster of the conducting symposium orchestra, and the Grand Teton Music Festival, where she played both in the orchestra and performed chamber music for many seasons.
Ms. Ager has played regularly with several symphonies; Seattle Symphony, Atlanta Symphony and the Minnesota Orchestra She currently free-lances in the Twin Cities.
Ms. Ager plays on a violin made for her by Keisuke Hori in Chicago.
Andrea Myers, flute (Thursday Musical Debut)
The Fremont Trio
Andrea Myers, flute; Grace Heatherington-Tilka, cello; Brian DeYoung, piano
Andrea Myers, performer and Suzuki Flute teacher, received her Bachelor’s of Music in Flute Performance from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities where she studied with Immanuel Davis. While growing up she had the opportunity to learn jazz alongside classical which stirred her curiosity about other music styles. She has continued this exploration through her performing career by collaborating with artists of various disciplines, creating performance art to educational concerts. Andrea has been fortunate to have the opportunity to commission and perform new works as a member of various ensembles. As a part of her development as an artist she has participated in masterclasses held by Keith Underwood, Ali Ryerson, Conor Nelson, and Wilbert Hazlezet. Other influential teachers include Nadine Hur, Linda Nielsen-Korducki, and Jennifer Regan-Volk.
She has received Suzuki pedagogical training (Books 1 – 9) from David Gerry, Meret Bitticks, Kelly Williamson, Laura Larson, and Wendy Stern. She was drawn to the Suzuki philosophy because of the core values which includes developing the whole person, meeting the student where they are personally and musically, and that music is about community and connection.
Grace Heatherington-Tilka, cello (Thursday Musical Debut)
A previous cello student of internationally renowned pedagogues Peter Stumpf and Peter Howard, Grace Heatherington-Tilka has performed as a cellist in diverse performance settings throughout her career; from classical chamber and orchestral music to latin and new music.
Graduating from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music in 2013 with her degree in Cello Performance and Recording Arts Technology, Grace performed as the principal cellist for the Latin American Popular Music Ensemble and section cellist in the Symphony Orchestra.
Actively seeking opportunities to play new works at Indiana University and beyond, Grace worked as the Operations Director and Audio Engineer consultant for the new music ensemble Dal Niente in Chicago, Illinois, where she had the honor of working with composers and musicians Eliza Brown, George Lewis, Michael Hersch, and Ah Young Hong. She has been an active cello instructor in Chicago, Illinois and now in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She currently teaches at Hopewell Music Cooperative North, a school that provides access to music education in North Minneapolis, and she works as the Assistant Sound Engineer at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts.
Brian De Young, piano (Thursday Musical Debut)
Brian De Young is a pianist and organist who has performed musical theatre, opera, and chamber music throughout the Midwest. He has collaborated with members of the Chicago, Grand Rapids, Saginaw, Marquette, and Sioux City Symphonies at events such as the Saugatuck Chamber Music Festival, White Lake Chamber Music Festival, and Grand Rapids Symphony Bach Fest, and has performed theatre and cabaret shows with Broadway veteran Tom Zemon and soprano Rachael Gates, among others.
As a teacher, Brian has served on the faculties of Grand Valley State University and Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp in addition to teaching award-winning piano and voice students. He has also directed many community choirs and church music programs, and is currently the Director of Traditional Music at All Saints Lutheran Church in Minnetonka.
Brian holds a bachelor's degree from Dordt College, where he studied organ and piano pedagogy. Graduate work in organ, voice, and choral conducting was done at Capital University in Columbus, Ohio, and he studied piano with Helen Marlais and chamber music with Arthur Campbell at Grand Valley State University, where he received a Piano Pedagogy Certificate.
Tara Priolo, soprano (Thursday Musical Debut)
Colorfully diverse soprano Tara Priolo is currently collaborating on and creating a variety of classical and contemporary repertoire. Tara currently serves as Alto Section Leader and frequent soloist for Exultate Chamber Choir under the direction of Thomas Rossin and also performs with Vox Nova Chorale under the direction of Vicki Peters and Gregorian Singers under the direction of Monte Mason. She is a founding member of the chamber group, drip project, which focuses on women’s rights and issues as well as unusual instrumentation. As a soloist, Tara frequently performs with Opera on Tap-Twin Cities and will be competing in several competitions in 2019. Recently, Tara presented a solo recital with collaborating pianist, Clara Byom, “To Be Somebody,” presenting a mix of little-known classical repertoire with a focus on Ricky Ian Gordon’s Genius Child; collaborated with many Twin Cities-area community performers on “My Refuge is Humanity,” a benefit concert for refugees.
Previously, Tara appeared in the University of Minnesota-Duluth’s Opera Scenes programs: ‘Opera Fatale’ as Eurydice (Orphée aux enfers)and ‘Bedtime Stories’ as Laetitia (The Old Maid and the Thief) both under the direction of Alice Pierce. She also participated in several master classes and recitals, including a masterclass with David Mayfield, the Graduate Showcase Recital and Twin Cities’ composer Nicholas Mroczek's Composition Presentation recital. At Luther College, she performed in the full stage production of Così fan tutte and the Freshman Opera Scene’s production of Beggar’s Opera as Jenny Diver. At both schools Tara held leadership positions in choral ensembles as soprano/alto section leader and co-president.
In addition to performing, Tara is equally active in other behind-the-scenes projects. At University of Minnesota-Duluth, Tara held a graduate teaching assistantship with Prof. Alice Pierce and Elias Mokole, assisting the former with stage management and costuming and the latter in teaching the Vocal Techniques course. She also acted as the marketing liaison between the School of Fine Arts and marketing departments of the University. Outside of UMD, she was an intern with Lake Superior Youth Chorus’ Choristers under the direction of Jennifer Robbins. Tara remains an active volunteer in the Twin Cities community with Opera on Tap-Twin Cities, as a volunteer coordinator with Ruff Start Rescue, and as Content Creator with Modern Singer Magazine. Tara maintains a voice and piano studio at Spark Music Studio, as well as privately.
A native of Omaha, NE, Tara holds a BA and MM in Vocal Performance from Luther College and University of Minnesota-Duluth. At these schools she studied with Kristin Kenning, Jonathon Struve, Jessica Paul, and Rachel Inselman; she currently studies with mezzo-soprano Victoria Vargas. Tara resides in Minneapolis with her husband, Ross and puppies, Millie and Moose.