Sat

8/28/2010

8:00pm

Classical

duo parnas

• $25 Assigned Rows 1-2
• $15 Assigned Rows 3-5
• $10 General Admission
• $5 Student

• Madalyn Parnas, violin
• Cicely Parnas, cello

Event Details

"An astonishing mix of pungency and finesse." — Berkshire Record

These gifted young soloists and chamber musicians have collaborated as duo parnas for the past 12 years; winning first prize in an international chamber music competition at Carnegie Hall; releasing two internationally acclaimed CDs; and earning rave reviews for performances of compositions written for them by award-winning composers. duo parnas has performed numerous concerts with orchestras, including the New York String Orchestra and the Albany Symphony Orchestra. Forthcoming performances both in solo and duo concertos are scheduled with the Schenectady Symphony (New York), the Verde Valley Sinfonietta (Arizona) and the St. Petersburg Chamber Orchestra (Russia). Madalyn and Cicely are the granddaughters of legendary cellist Leslie Parnas, winner of the Tchaikovsky Competition and charter member of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. Composer William Bolcom will speak informally about his compositions that are featured on the program.

Program

Partita No. 3 in E Major - Johann Sebastian Bach
Suite No. 1 in C minor - William Bolcom
Duet for Violin and Cello in D Major - Joseph Haydn
Duo for Violin and Cello - Bohuslav Martinů
Suite for Violin and Cello - William Bolcom

Madalyn Parnas

American violinist Madalyn Parnas has firmly established her place on the concert stage as both a brilliant and charismatic soloist and a gifted chamber musician with a rare and exceptional sensitivity. Born in 1991, this young artist has already performed more than forty concertos with orchestra in the United States, and is now preparing for her upcoming Russian, Swiss, and French debuts. With equal passion, Madalyn has devoted her energy to chamber music performing with sister cellist Cicely as duo parnas since 1997. Lifelong study of piano trio literature prepared Madalyn and Cicely for collaboration with the great artist Peter Serkin, which began in 2007. Mr. Serkin, impressed with their “rich, thoughtful approach...” and the “purity of their playing,” began performing numerous concerts with them as the Parnas/Serkin Trio shortly thereafter. Madalyn has been featured in numerous national magazines and newspapers, and on many radio programs including WQXR’s “McGraw-Hill Young Artist Showcase” and NPR’s “From the Top.” The critics have dubbed Madalyn “a dazzler,” “a show-stopper,” and “a musical phenomenon.” Madalyn, a recipient of the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music Artistic Excellence Award, is a graduate student in the prestigious Artist Diploma Program studying with Jaime Laredo. A former student of James Buswell at NEC, Madalyn graduated summa cum laude in Music and French from The College of Saint Rose. She performs on a 1715 Alessandro Gagliano violin made in Naples.

Cicely Parnas

Born in 1993, cellist Cicely Parnas is one of the finest young artists performing today, a unique presence on the concert stage recognized for her highly individualized sound, exquisite tone, and spontaneous creativity fueled by an affable fearlessness. Cicely began cello studies at age four, and made her orchestral debut at nine. Since then, Cicely has performed over thirty times as a guest soloist with orchestra, including the New York String Orchestra conducted by master musician and conductor, Jaime Laredo, and David Alan Miller’s Albany Symphony. Three of Cicely’s concerto performances have been presented on WQXR’s “McGraw Hill Young Artist Showcase” in New York, and she has claimed six first prizes in national and regional soloist competitions. Cicely, still an undergraduate, is also a full-tuition scholarship recipient in the prestigious Artist Diploma Program at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music studying with renowned cellist Sharon Robinson. Cicely performs on a 1790 William Forster violoncello.