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
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Flute Sonata in C major, BWV 1033
Libby Laufers, flute
Chun-Chi Chang, piano
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Piano Sonata No. 31 in A-flat major, Op. 110
Eunchong Lee, piano
Clémence de Grandval (1828-1907)
Deux Pièces pour Clarinette avec Piano
William Bolcom (b. 1938)
Little Suite of Four Dances
Ona Pinsonneault, clarinet
James Kurschner, piano
Bohuslav Martinů (1890-1959)
Cello Sonata No. 3, H 340
Will Richardson, cello
Stephen Self, piano
Performer Information
Libby Laufers, flute
Libby Laufers is a diverse musician having received her Bachelors of Music degree from the University of Minnesota and her Masters of Music from University of Missouri-Kansas City. She has been involved on the boards of several musical organizations in the Twin Cities, including the Upper Midwest Flute Association and the Suzuki Association of Minnesota as well as serving as a judge for Thursday Musical. Currently, Libby teaches flute, piano and organ from her home in Minnetonka and is the organist at Our Savior Lutheran in Excelsior. She and her husband, Jason Hernandez (also a Thursday Musical performer) recently welcomed their first child in December.
A native of Taiwan, June (Chun-Chi) Chang holds a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance and Music Education from the National Taiwan Normal University. While in the USA, she received her Master of Music with a performance scholarship from the Cleveland Institute of Music where she studied with a Van Cliburn International Piano Competition winner - Antonio, Pampa-Baldi. In 2008, June was awarded a teaching assistantship to study her doctoral degree with the Artist Director of International Piano e-Competition - Alexander Braginsky at the University of Minnesota. June was a finalist of the National Taiwan Piano Competition and one of the top prize winners of the Taichung City Piano Competition, Annual Kawai Piano Competition and Vienna Piano Competition in Taiwan. She has presented as a solo and chamber musician at numerous cities and venues in the United States and Taiwan.
Her recent appearances include performing Beethoven’s Kreutzer Sonata for Minnesota Public Radio at the Fitzgerald Theater, Schumann’s Piano Concerto for the 200th Anniversary of Schumann’s Birth in Sundin Music Hall and chamber concerts with the National Music Festival in Maryland, Hot Springs Music Festival in Arkansas, and solo performances in New York’s Carnegie Weill Recital Hall and St. Paul's Landmark Center. In addition to performing, she is also a dedicated teacher and enjoys teaching pre-college students in Twin Cities.
Eunchong Lee, piano
Thursday Musical Debut
Pianist Eunchong Lee made his successful debut at the age of 14 with the Gyeong-Buk Provincial Philharmonic Orchestra in Korea 7 years after he began piano studies. Eunchong continued his further studies at Pohang Arts High School and graduated as valedictorian.
Eunchong received numerous scholarships and awards including first prize in the TBC National Music Competition, the Nan-Pa National Music Competition, the Korean Young Artist Music Competition, the Brahms Music Competition in Korea, and the Korea-USA International Music Competition.
Highlights of his recent performances include being featured as a soloist with the Gyeong-Buk Provincial Philharmonic Orchestra, the Pohang Philharmonic Orchestra, and critically acclaimed solo performances at Carnegie Hall.
Eunchong received his Bachelor of Music degree from Yonsei University in Korea and his Master of Music degree from the Manhattan School of Music under the guidance of Dr. Arkady Aronov. Eunchong is a recipient of a School of Music Graduate Fellowship at the University of Minnesota where he is a Doctor of Musical Arts candidate studying with Dr. Kyung Kim.
In addition to his solo activities, he is an avid chamber musician, actively performing in hospitals, retirement homes, churches, and schools to share his musical talents and passion.
Ona Pinsonneault, clarinet
Ona Pinsonneault retired from Normandale Community College after having taught Music Theory and Ear Training there for many years. She holds a D.M.A. in clarinet performance from the University of Minnesota where she studied with John Anderson. She currently performs with the Normandale Concert Band and the OTL Clarinet Quartet and writes a Music Theory column for Clapper Chatter, the newsletter of Area VII Handbell Musicians of America. Ona’s scale study Clarinet Agility is available from Jeanné, Inc.
James Kurschner is a member of the music faculty at Normandale Community College in Bloomington, MN, where he conducts the concert band, instrumental ensembles, and teaches class piano and applied saxophone. He has been the Music Director of the Sheldon Theatre Brass Band since 2002. He is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, and Northwestern University in Evanston, IL.
Will Richardson, cello
Will Richardson is a cellist and teacher in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. Aside from numerous freelance performances in the Twin Cities, he has performed with the Mill City Summer Opera, American Ballet Theater, Duluth-Superior Symphony, Evansville Philharmonic, Owensboro Symphony, Marion Philharmonic, and the Richmond Symphony, among many others. He was assistant principal cellist of the National Orchestral Institute and attended the Indiana University Summer Music Festival.
Mr. Richardson completed his undergraduate and performer diploma degrees at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, where his primary teachers were Helga Winold and Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi. He studied baroque cello with Christine Kyprianides. While at Indiana University, he was awarded the Eva Heinitz Scholarship, Dean's Award, Merit Scholarship, and the Faculty Music Award.
Mr. Richardson is a faculty member of North Star Cello Academy located in Roseville, MN. His teaching experience includes, Bethel University, Hamline University, St. Joseph's School of Music, The College of Saint Benedict, and Ramsey International Fine Arts Center in Minneapolis. He has completed Suzuki Cello Teacher training through the Suzuki Associations of the Americas. Mr. Richardson has served as a judge for various local and national competitions such as WAMSO Young Artist Competition and Thursday Musical Young Artist Competition.
Mr. Richardson plays a cello made by David Folland of Northfield, Minnesota. He uses bows by Roger Zabinski and Bernard Walke.
Stephen Self received the M.M. degree in piano performance from the University of Missouri at Kansas City, the Ph.D. in music history from the Ohio State University, and the D.M.A. in organ performance from West Virginia University. He is a member of The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, an international and multi-disciplinary honor society, and Pi Kappa Lambda, a national music honor society.