Season 59: 2023-2024

Neave Trio with Jonah Sirota


Concert Information


“Their unanimity, communication, variety of touch, and expressive sensibility rate first tier.” - The Boston Musical Intelligencer

Composer, producer, and violist Jonah Sirota is a new breed of multi-talented musician that creates and recreates vivid music for a wide variety of audiences.


Neave Trio with Jonah Sirota
7:30 pm
Thursday, March 28, 2024

$35 Regular | $5 Student
Complimentary Streaming for Ticket Holders


Program
“Dreams of the Wounded Musketeer,” featuring early music of Vienna and the Alps


Venue
Johnny Carson Theater at the Lied Center
11
th & R Street
Lincoln, NE 68588


Parking
Que Place Garage
1111 Q St.
Lincoln, NE 68508

The Neave Trio with Jonah Sirota

Program


Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875–1912)
Five Melodies for Piano Trio, Op. 59, No. 1 (1906)

  • Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child
  • I was Way Down a-Yonder
  • Didn’t My Lord Deliver Daniel?
  • They will not Lend Me a Child
  • My Lord Delivered Daniel

Jonah Sirota (b. 1976)
Dry Ocean (2024)

  • Prologue: Uncomformaties
  • Falling Backwards
  • Still Point: Cambrian
  • Sedimentation
  • Epilogue: Dry Ocean

      Intermission

      Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
      La Mer (composed 1905, arranged 2013-2015)
      Sally Beamish (b. 1956)

      • De l'aube à midi sur la mer
      • Jeux de vagues
      • Dialogue du vent et de la mer

      Program


      Anonymous (?Biber/?Schmelzer)
      Sonata Jucunda a6 in D Minor

      Giovanni Priuli (c.1575-1626)
      Canzona Prima a8 from Sacrorum Concentuum

      Giovanni Valentini (c.1582-1649)
      Sonata a4 (arr. a10) in G Minor "Enharmonic"

      Antonio Bertali (1605-1669)
      Sonata a4 in D Minor

      Alessandro Poglietti (d. 1683)
      Sonata a8 in A Minor

      Johann Pezel (1639-1694)
      Ciacona a6 in B-flat Major from Opus Musicum Sonatarum


      Intermission


      Johann Rosenmüller (1619-1684)
      Sonata a5 in A Minor  

      Samuel Capricornus (1628-1665)
      Sonata a8 in A Minor

      Adam Drese (1620-1701)
      Sonata a6 in C Major

       J.H. Schmelzer (c. 1620/23-1680)
      Serenada in Mascara a8 in A Major

      H.I.F. von Biber (1644-1704)
      Battalia a10 in D Major


      Neave Trio Members


      "Since forming in 2010, Neave Trio – violinist Anna Williams, cellist Mikhail Veselov, and pianist Eri Nakamura – has earned enormous praise for its engaging, cutting ­edge performances. WQXR explains, "'Neave' is actually a Gaelic name meaning 'bright' and 'radiant', both of which certainly apply to this trio's music making." The group’s 2019 album Her Voice, on Chandos Records, was named one of the best recordings of the year by both The New York Times and BBC Radio 3. The Boston Musical Intelligencer reports, “it is inconceivable that they will not soon be among the busiest chamber ensembles going,” and 'their unanimity, communication, variety of touch, and expressive sensibility rate first tier.'" - neavetrio.com

      Anna Marie Williams - Neave Trio

      ANNA MARIE WILLIAMS, VIOLIN
      A violinist described as "a glowing presence" (Boston Globe) and “truly amazing, sending a tingling sensation up my spine” (Fanfare Magazine),

      Anna Marie Williams is a passionate soloist, recitalist, chamber musician, interdisciplinary collaborator, and recording artist, whose performances have taken her across the United States, Central America, Europe and Japan. Ms. Williams’ performances, described as "beautifully shaped" (Wall Street Journal), have often been cited among the "Best of the Year" by publications including The New York Times, BBC Radio 3, and the Boston Musical Intelligencer, which has described those performances as “enthusiastic and artful”, displaying “energy and elegance”.

      As a featured soloist and recitalist, Ms Williams has performed in some of the finest concert halls , including Lincoln Center's David Geffen Hall, Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall, the Fisher Center at Bard College, New England Conservatory's Jordan Hall, the Smithsonian Museum, The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, the Kauffman Center, and The Boston Opera House. Upcoming solo engagements include the 2023 world premiere performance of a new triple concerto by American composer, Robert Paterson as part of the American Modern Orchestra, under the baton of legendary conductor, Joann Falletta.

      Recent solo engagements with orchestra include appearances with the Brown University Orchestra, the Desert Community Orchestra, the Fall River Symphony, the California Chamber Orchestra, the Rhode Island Youth Philharmonic, the San Diego State University Symphony Orchestra, the Antigua Symphony Orchestra (Guatemala) and the New England String Ensemble, among others. Ms. Williams has had the privilege of both premiering and recording solo works written expressly for her, including “She Moves With The Music: A Violin Concerto” by Panamanian composer, Jorge Bennett as well as “Fields of Gold for Violin and Piano” by American composer, Lisa Heffter. 

      Ms. Williams is the founding violinist of the critically acclaimed Neave Trio. Described as “a brilliant trio” (Music-Web International), “a consummate ensemble” (Palm Beach Daily News) and recognized for both their “bright and radiant music-making” (WQXR) as well as “having exceeded the Gold Standard and moved on to Platinum” (Fanfare Magazine), the Neave Trio enjoys concert and recording success across the United States and abroad, performing on some of the finest chamber music series. Recent notable appearances include performances at Lincoln Center's Mostly Mozart Festival in David Geffen Hall, the Bard Music Festival, Mostly Modern Festival, Carnegie Hall/Weill Recital Hall, the 92nd Street Y, the Rockport Chamber Music Festival, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center/La Jolla, Music at Kohl Mansion, Syracuse Friends of Chamber Music, the Kalliroscope Gallery Chamber Music Series, the La Jolla Atheneaum and the Chamber Music Society of Utica, Arizona Friends of Chamber Music, among others. Recent live radio broadcasts include those on WGBH, WQXR, KUCO, WFMT , WXXI and WCNY radio stations, as well as stations abroad, most recently featured on BBC3 radio in London as well as Berlin and Latvian public radio.

      The Neave Trio is signed to the prestigious Chandos Record Label as Exclusive Recording Artists and their discography continues to expand. Beginning In November of 2016, the Neave Trio released their first album for Chandos, American Moments. This successful album lead to the Trio's second album for the Chandos label, French Moments, which features works by Faure, Roussel and Debussy and was met with much critical acclaim in June of 2018.  In October of 2018, the Trio released Celebrating Piazzolla on the Grammy - winning Azica Record Label, featuring works by Astor Piazzolla, including new arrangements of Piazzolla’s songs for piano trio and mezzo-soprano. The Trio's fourth album, Her Voice was released in the Fall of 2019, again for the Chandos Label, and features works by all women composers; Farrenc, Beach and Clarke. In Spring of 2022, Neave Trio released their fourth album for Chandos, Musical Remembrances, featuring trios by Ravel, Brahms and Rachmaninov, to critical acclaim, with the Wall Street Journal highlighting "the expressive alchemy among the players".

      Neave Trio's recordings have been met with wide critical acclaim, and have been honored to appear regularly on many "Critics Pick"s and "Best of the Year" Lists. Most recently, Her Voice was named as one of "The Best of 2019" by both the New York Times and BBC3 Radio. Other recent recordings have been met with similar enthusiasm and have been placed on Best of the Year Lists (Boston Musical Intelligencer “Best of 2016”, Music-Web International’s “Recording of the Month”, Dean Villa Frey of Canada “Best of 2016,” and Fanfare Magazine’s “2014 Want List”). 

      Neave Trio has held residencies at many notable institutions. Recent residencies include those at the Avaloch Farm Music instituteLongy School of Music of Bard College,  multiple residencies at Brown University, the University of Virginia, the Banff Center, Walnut Hill School for the Arts, the Gann Academy, Concord Academy, Providence College and San Diego State University, among others. In 2022-2023, the Trio will be Ensemble in Residence at both the Mostly Modern Festival, and Wartburg College.

      A true believer in the importance and vitality of collaboration, Ms Williams, as co-founder of the Neave Trio, has sought out and curated collaborations across many mediums, including those with dancers, choreographers,  filmmakers, and visual artists. Recent collaborations include projects with artist David Michalek,  choreographer Richard Colton and the MIT School of Architectural Design, The Massachusetts College of Art, filmmaker Amanda Alvarez,  projection artist Ryan Brady and Blythe Barton Dance. Upcoming collaborations include Rising, an evening of reflection, music and dance with choreographer Gabrielle Lamb and the PigeonWing Dance company, featuring a world premiere  work by American composer Robert Sirota. In addition, Ms Williams and Neave Trio will premiere their new collaborative work, Gathering Light, an immersive musical and visual experience featuring the music of Ravel and the work of visual artist and Harvard University professor, Sharon Harper.

      The recipient of the Lillian Fuchs Prize and the Fisch/Axelrod Award, Ms. Williams holds degrees from the Manhattan School of Music (BM), the Longy School of Music of Bard College (MM, GPD) and San Diego State University (Artist Diploma). Ms. Williams is a graduate of the Walnut Hill School/New England Conservatory joint program. Festival appearances have included Yellow Barn, National Arts Centre (under director, Pinchas Zukerman), the Banff International Centre (Canada), Bowdoin International Chamber Music Festival, Niagara on the Lake, Halcyon Chamber Music Festival, and the Bard Summer Music Festival, among others.

      Ms. Williams is a passionate teacher, having served as Teaching Assistant to the world-renowned pedagogue, Patinka Kopec at the Manhattan School of Music (Pre-College). She has also served on the faculties of San Diego State University, The Castleman Quartet Program, Bard Conservatory (Pre-College)  the ArtsAhimsa Festival and the Winsor School as well as adjudicator for the Bard Conservatory Pre-College and Society of American Musicians competitions. 

      Ms. Williams currently serves on the violin and chamber music faculties of the Longy School of Music of Bard College and her students have been accepted, with scholarships, to premiere conservatories, schools of music and universities, including  the New England Conservatory of Music, the Manhattan School of Music, Boston University, Northwestern University, Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, the Peabody Conservatory, and the Longy School of Music of Bard College, among others.

      Ms. Williams plays on a 1794 Joseph and Antonio Gagliano violin.

      Mikhail Veselov, Cello - Neave Trio

      MIKHAIL VESELOV, CELLO
      Described by Fanfare Magazine as “simply extraordinary” cellist Mikhail Veselov has earned recognition as a soloist, chamber musician and teacher. Hailing from St. Petersburg, Russia, Veselov is the First Prize Winner of the Citta di Barletta International competition in Bari, Italy. As a soloist, Mr. Veselov has performed with the Brown University, Vasilievsky Ostrov, Cantus Firmus, Rhode Island Youth Philharmonic and California Chamber Orchestras, among others.

      Mikhail Veselov is a founding member of the Neave Trio, which has been described as a “brilliant trio”, recognized for their “bright and radiant music-making” (WQXR) and has been cited as “having exceeded the Gold Standard and move on to Platinum” (Fanfare Magazine). Neave Trio tours nationally and abroad, performing in some of the finest venues. Most recently, Neave Trio appeared at the Carnegie/Weill Recital Hall, 92nd Street Y, the Rockport Chamber Music Festival, Music a Kohl Mansion, Kalliroscope Gallery Chamber Music Series, UCLA Chamber Music at the Clark and the Chamber Music Society of Utica. In November 2016, the Neave Trio released their first album for the Chandos Label. In the Spring of 2017, the Neave Trio will record a CD of works by Astor Piazzolla, including new arrangements of Piazzolla’s songs for piano trio and mezzo-soprano for the Grammy Winning Azica Label.

      Currently Alumni Artists, Faculty Ensemble-in-Residence at Longy School of Music of Bard College, Neave Trio has been honored to hold numerous residencies including residencies at Brown University, Banff Center, Walnut Hill School for performing Arts, the Gann Academy, Concord Academy, Providence College and San Diego State University.

      With the distinction of a Presidential Ambassador scholarship, Mikhail holds the Masters of Music and Graduate Performance Degrees from the Longy School of Music of Bard College. He received his Bachelors of Music Diploma under the tutelage of Maria Zhuravleva at the Moscow State Chopin Academy.

      Eri Nakamura, Piano - Neave Trio

      ERI NAKAMURA, PIANO
      Renowned pianist Eri Nakamura has been praised for her “delicacy of touch” by the Wall Street Journal and as “a pianist of exceptional sensitivity” by MusicWeb International. UK-based Strad magazine echoed these comments by praising Ms. Nakamura’s “eminently sensitive pianism”. Eri Nakamura has toured extensively throughout the world, performing in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Italy, Spain, Finland, Serbia, as well as in her native Japan. Noted for her brilliantly expressive colors and virtuosic playing, she is equally at home as a soloist and as a collaborator with singers and instrumentalists alike. Ms. Nakamura was appointed as a member of the faculty in the Keyboard Studies and Collaborative Piano Department at Longy School of Music of Bard College in the fall of 2019.

      Ms. Nakamura is currently the pianist of the critically acclaimed Neave Trio. With violinist Anna Williams and cellist Mikhail Veselov, the Neave Trio has earned enormous praise for its engaging, cutting edge performances. WQXR explains, “’Neave’ is actually a Gaelic name meaning ‘bright’ and ‘radiant’, both of which certainly apply to this trio’s music making.” The Boston Musical Intelligencer included Neave in its “Best of 2014” and “Best of 2016” roundups, proclaiming, “their unanimity, communication, variety of touch, and expressive sensibility rate first tier.”

      Neave Trio has performed and held residencies at many esteemed concert series and festivals worldwide and has appeared frequently as soloists for Beethoven’s Triple Concerto with orchestras across the country. Most recently, the trio’s residencies included the Kaatsbaan Summer Festival (Tivoli, NY), the Mostly Modern Festival (Saratoga Springs, NY) and the Newport Classical Music Festival (Newport, RI). Neave Trio will perform the world premiere of a groundbreaking triple concerto by celebrated American composer Robert Paterson at the Mostly Modern Festival in the summer of 2023 with the American Modern Orchestra under the baton of legendary conductor Joann Falletta who is currently the Music Director of the Buffalo Philharmonic orchestra. Neave Trio’s visiting residencies include Brown University, University of Virginia and the MIT School of Architecture and Design in collaboration with dancer/choreographer Richard Colton. The Trio was Ensemble-in-Residence at Longy School of Music of Bard College from 2017 to 2022.

      Neave Trio’s fifth and most recent album Musical Remembrances released on May 6, 2022 includes trios by Ravel, Rachmaninoff and Brahms. This album gained early support from BBC Radio 3’s Katie Derham and Andrew McGregor, as well as The Wall Street Journal, which wrote that, “Neave offers a fine, intelligently paced interpretation with many lovely touches… and expressive alchemy among the players.” Neave’s fourth album, Her Voice, featured all-women composers and included trios by Amy Beach, Rebecca Clarke, and Louise Farrenc. Her Voice was released internationally on Chandos Records on October 4, 2019 and was selected as a “Best of 2019” album by BBC Radio 3. Neave’s performance of Rebecca Clarke’s third movement in Her Voice was named by The New York Times as one of “The 25 Best Classical Music Tracks of 2019”. In November 2018, Neave released their third album, Celebrating Piazzolla, featuring The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires and all new arrangements of Piazzolla’s songs for piano trio and voice by Argentine arranger Leonardo Suarez Paz on Azica Records. Gramophone described their recording of The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires as “thrilling,” having “wild energy,” and “electrifying,” while Classics Today wrote, “the energetic edginess, the snap, the rhythm sound convincing, totally invigorating, and authentic”. Blog critic praised Ms. Nakamura specifically saying, “Pianist Eri Nakamura summons orchestral depth, by turns dark and brilliant, from the keys.” Neave released their second album, French Moments, on Chandos Records in June 2018. That album showcased works by Debussy, Fauré, and Roussel and was featured on WQXR’s list of “The Best New Recordings of 2018”. Neave’s 2016 debut album, American Moments, featuring works by Korngold, Foote, and Bernstein, was released to critical acclaim on Chandos Records. BBC Music Magazine praised, “Eri Nakamura’s clear-toned pianism is very classy indeed and enlivens throughout.”

      Ms. Nakamura’s recent recitals include performances at the Mostly Mozart Festival in the David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, Merkin Hall, the Terrace Theater at the Kennedy Center, the Rockport Celtic Festival at Shalin Liu Performance Center, La Jolla Athenaeum, PS21- Performance Spaces for the 21st Century (NY), the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the San Jose Center for the Performing Arts, Izumi Hall in Osaka, Japan, the D.O.O.R Hall and Aster Plaza in Hiroshima, Japan, BBC 3 Radio: “In Tune”, Blackheath Halls in London, the Norfolk and Norwich Chamber Music Series (United Kingdom), Tuupovaaran Ullakko in Finland, Kulturni Center Belgrade in Serbia, Begemot Art Gallery in Barcelona, and the Aosta Classica Concert Series and Teatro Romano in Italy. Ms. Nakamura has also appeared as a soloist with Tokyo’s Edogawa Philharmonic, the National Repertory Orchestra, and the Cleveland Institute of Music Orchestra in Severance Hall. She has been featured on the Saugerties, NY Pro Musica Concert Series; the Muhlenberg College Recital Series; the Chamber Music Society at Yale; the International Chamber Music Courses in Positano, Italy; the Piano Plus! Concert Series in New York City; and the Zephyr International Chamber Music Festival in Courmayeur, Italy. Summer festival appearances include Tanglewood Music Center, Banff Centre, Aspen Music Festival, and Norfolk Chamber Music Festival. Ms. Nakamura served as the repetiteur for La Lingua della Lirica in Novafeltria, Italy, as well as for the Opera on the Avalon in St. John’s, Canada.

      A prizewinner of many competitions, Ms. Nakamura was the first prize winner of the Yale School of Music Chamber Music Competition, the Miyazawa Piano Competition in Japan, the California State Division of the MTNA- Steinway & Sons Collegiate Artist Piano Competition, as well as the recipient of the Distinguished Musician Award at the IBLA Grand Prize International Piano Competition in Ragusa, Italy. In addition, Ms. Nakamura has received numerous awards and scholarships, including the Mu Phi Epsilon Rose Lobe Collaborative Piano Award, the Helen Curtis Webster Award, the William B. Kurzban Scholarship and the Rosa Lobe Memorial Scholarship at the Cleveland Institute of Music, the Henry & Lucy G. Moses Scholarship and Mary Clapp Howell Scholarship at Yale University, the Liberace Foundation Scholarship, and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music Piano Award, and the Fine Arts Award in Piano.

      Ms. Nakamura was born in Hiroshima, Japan and began her piano studies at the age of four with Mie Ishii. Ms. Nakamura holds a Professional Diploma in vocal collaborative piano from Mannes School of Music at the New School where she was a student of Cristina Stanescu and Vlad Iftinca. Ms. Nakamura studied with Sergei Babayan and Anita Pontremoli at the Cleveland Institute of Music where she received Artist Diplomas in both solo and collaborative piano. Ms. Nakamura also holds a Master of Music degree and Artist Diploma from Yale University School of Music where she was under the tutelage of Peter Frankl, as well as a Bachelor of Music degree from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music under Mack McCray. Ms. Nakamura is a graduate of the Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan, where she was a student of Victoria Mushkatkol and Stephen Perry. Other important chamber music influences include Ms. Nakamura’s work with Claude Frank and the Tokyo String Quartet at both Yale University and the Norfolk Music Festival, as well as her studies with Ken Merrill during his residency at Mannes and with John Perry at the Banff Centre and Aspen Music Festival. In 2016, Nakamura was selected as a Leonard Bernstein Piano Fellow at the Tanglewood Music Center, where she studied with Peter Serkin, Joseph Kalichstein, Garrick Ohlsson, Alan L. Smith, Kenneth Griffiths, Kayo Iwama and Margo Garrett. Ms. Nakamura has also worked with Dawn Upshaw, Sanford Sylvan, Stephanie Blythe, Renée Fleming and Frederica von Stade.

      In master classes, Ms. Nakamura has performed for Murray Perahia, Leon Fleisher, Claude Frank, Jerome Lowenthal, Gilbert Kalish, Martin Katz, Warren Jones, Jorg Demus, and Boris Berman. From 2013 to 2015, Ms. Nakamura was a Collaborative Piano Fellow at the Bard Conservatory of Music, where she closely worked with the Vocal Arts Program led by Dawn Upshaw and Kayo Iwama.

      Jonah Sirota


      Anna Marie Williams - Neave Trio

      JONAH SIROTA, VIOLA
      Composer, producer, and violist Jonah Sirota is a new breed of multi-talented musician. Equally at home scoring and recording music for TV, film, and video games, writing concert music, and performing as a soloist and chamber musician, Jonah creates and recreates vivid music for a wide variety of audiences.  He has performed and/or arranged music for numerous projects including the 2021 Oscar-nominated animated short If Anything Happens I Love You…, the 2021 Sundance film Wild Hearts, and major cinematic releases from Mulan to the Mandalorian. His recent EP Storylander brings his unique string voice to life in cinematic cues made for visual media. His debut solo recording STRONG SAD features premiere recordings of new elegies for the viola by Nico Muhly, Paola Prestini, Arthur Joseph McCaffrey, Valgeir Sigurðsson, Robert Sirota, Kurt Knecht, and Jonah himself.  Recent concert compositions include Entangled—a flute and viola d’amore duo for Christina Jennings and Matthew Dane, and the string quartet Socially Distant, commissioned by the Hartt School of Music.

      Jonah was the violist of the recently-disbanded Chiara String Quartet for all of its 18 years. With the Chiara Quartet, he toured internationally, recorded seven albums and played in numerous major venues worldwide. The Chiara Quartet performed much of the string quartet repertoire from memory ('By Heart"), including the complete string quartets of Béla Bartók, a recording of which was released in 2016 on Azica Records. The group was honored with a Grammy nomination (2011, Best Contemporary Classical Composition for Jefferson Friedman's 3rd String Quartet on the New Amsterdam label), the ASCAP/CMA Adventurous Programming Award, the Guarneri Quartet Award, and top prizes at the Paolo Borciani, Astral, and Fischoff competitions. Their albums have been featured on N.P.R., and in "Best of the Year" lists from the Boston Globe, the New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal. In the 2015-2016 season, the group was in residence at the Metropolitan Museum in New York, a venue to which the group returned for their farewell New York concert in May of 2018.

      As a concert violist, Jonah performs with pianist Molly Morkoski, with organist Kurt Knecht as the improv duo Mondegreen, and as a member of the revived California String Quartet.  He is sought after as a session player and regularly plays with major orchestras, including the Long Beach Symphony, where he is Assistant Principal Viola. He coaches chamber music at the Colburn School, teaches viola at Cal State University Fullerton and the Greenwood Music Camp, and gives viola and composition masterclasses and residencies across the country. He resides in South Pasadena, CA.