(Thursday, June 6, 2024, Los Angeles, CA) – The Colburn School announces three featured evening recitals performed by some of today’s most esteemed violists as part of the 2024 Primrose International Viola Competition and American Viola Society Festival. Composer and violist Jessica Meyer performs a concert of her works for loop pedal and viola on June 19, celebrated chamber musician, soloist, and Colburn faculty member Tatjana Masurenko performs on June 20, and distinguished Primrose jury members Atar Arad and Steven Dann and Primrose jury chairman Ayane Kozasa perform on June 21. Ayane Kozasa replaces Tim Frederiksen, who has withdrawn as Primrose Competition jury chairman due to visa delays.
Single tickets are $10-$20 and available at colburnschool.edu/calendar. In addition, all pass-holders for the American Viola Society Festival receive complimentary access to the competition rounds and recitals. Register here to attend.
These events will also be livestreamed at https://www.colburnschool.edu/livestream/ and on the Violin Channel.
Jessica Meyer, whose first composer/performer portrait album Ring Out (Bright Shiny Things, 2019) debuted at #1 on the Billboard Traditional Classical Chart, will be presenting a recital of self-composed works for loop pedal and viola on June 19 at 7:30 pm in Colburn’s Zipper Hall. Her works have been performed in venues from the Kennedy Center to Carnegie Hall, by musicians of the Minnesota Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic, and her first Symphonic Band piece was commissioned and toured by “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band. At home with many different styles of music, Jessica can regularly be seen as a soloist, premiering her chamber works, performing on Baroque viola, improvising with jazz musicians, or collaborating with other composer-performers. Ms. Meyer is equally known for her inspirational work as an educator. In 2023, she joined both the Viola and Chamber Music Faculty of the Manhattan School of Music.
Tatjana Masurenko, Colburn School Viola Faculty and Richard D. Colburn Viola Chair, will perform a recital featuring works by Rubinstein, Beethoven, Roslavets, Dimitri Terzakis and Prokofiev on June 20 at 7:30 pm in Zipper Hall. As a performer, Masurenko has made solo appearances with leading orchestras in Europe and Asia and has been a welcome guest at major international festivals as both soloist and chamber musician for many years. As an educator, Masurenko has been professor of viola at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater “Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy” Leipzig since 2002 and has held the same position at at the Haute Ecole de Musique de Lausanne in Sion, Switzerland since 2019. She also acts as artistic director of the International Viola Camp in Iznik (Turkey).
On June 21 at 7:30 pm in Zipper Hall the Colburn School will host a recital featuring Primrose Competition jurors. This recital will include performances by jurors Ayane Kozasa, Atar Arad and Steven Dann and feature works by Paul Wianko, Mary Kouyoumdijan, Reena Esmail, Tessa Lark, Pierre de Bréville and juror Atar Arad.
Ayane Kozasa, a founding member of the Grammy-nominated Aizuri Quartet, is the winner of the 2011 Primrose International Viola Competition. Since this achievement, she has appeared on stages across the world, and as a passionate advocate for the expansion of viola repertoire, has commissioned multiple new works featuring the viola. Kozasa is currently a member of the duo Ayane & Paul with composer and cellist Paul Wiancko and of Owls, a quartet collective with violinist Alexi Kenney and cellists Gabriel Cabezas and Paul Wiancko. Other collaboration highlights include performances with world-renowned artists such as Tessa Lark, Steven Banks, Nobuko Imai, and the Kronos Quartet. As a seasoned orchestral performer, Kozasa has performed with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, A Far Cry, Philadelphia Orchestra, East Coast Chamber Orchestra, the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, as well as the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, where she served as principal violist from 2012 to 2016.
Atar Arad is a recipient of the American Viola Society’s Career Achievement Award (June 2018) and the International Viola Society’s Silver Alto Clef 2018 “in recognition for his outstanding contributions to the viola” (November 2018). After winning First Prize at the 1972 International Viola Competition in Geneva, he performed extensively as a soloist with major orchestras and at prestigious European festivals. Arad was also a member of the Cleveland Quartet, which he joined in 1980, and toured globally with them, collaborating with renowned musicians. He has recorded for labels such as RCA, CBS, and Telarc, and appeared at major festivals including Aspen, Edinburgh, and Salzburg. He also served as Professor of Viola at the Eastman School of Music and has taught at the Aspen School, Rice University, and Carnegie Mellon University. Currently, Arad is a Professor of Music (viola) at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music and teaches at various summer institutes. A composer since 1992, his notable works include a Solo Sonata for Viola and multiple string quartets.
Steven Dann has served as Principal Viola for a range of prestigious orchestras including the National Arts Centre Orchestra, Tonhalle Orchestra, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Vancouver Symphony, and Toronto Symphony Orchestra. As a guest principal, he has played with the Lucerne Festival Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra, and City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. A dedicated chamber musician, Dann is a member of the Smithsonian Chamber Players, Axelrod String Quartet, Zebra Trio, and the Grammy-nominated ARC Ensemble. His collaborations include performances with Sir Andrew Davis, Vladimir Ashkenazy, and Sir John Eliot Gardiner. He has recorded for Sony, Naxos, and ATMA Classique, among others. Dann’s repertoire spans from solo works by Mark-Anthony Turnage to rediscovered pieces by Rebecca Clarke. He teaches at the Glenn Gould School in Toronto’s Royal Conservatory of Music and coordinates chamber music programs at Domaine Forget and Music by the Sea Festival.
Please click here to read more about Ayane Kozasa, Atar Arad, Steven Dann and the other Primrose jurors.
Please click here to read more about Tatjana Masurenko and click here to learn more about Jessica Meyer.
Primrose Recital: Jessica Meyer: Sounds of Being
A collection of self-composed works for loop pedal and viola
Wednesday, June 19, 2024 at 7:30 pm Zipper Hall at the Colburn School
Source of Joy Hello Getting Home (I must be…) Flooded Flower on the Destin Shore Duende
Love Songs (a collection of words & music)
– The Light that Still Lives (poem: “Eros” by Jennifer Beattie) – The in between only us (poem: “I do not” by Lucy Anderton) – Touch (poem: “Riverside Park, Late Summer” by Giancarlo Latta) – Unbearable Lightness (poem: “Not Anyone Who Says” by Mary Oliver)
Works for solo viola
– Naughty Kitty (from “Snapshots”) – Delta Sunrise – Tempest (from “Snapshots”)
Swerve
Primrose Recital: Tatjana Masurenko, Viola
Thursday, June 20, 2024 at 7:30 pm Zipper Hall at the Colburn School
RUBINSTEIN Melodie in F, Op. 3 No. 1 BEETHOVEN Violin Sonata No. 5 in F Major, “Spring Sonata” ROSLAVETS Sonata No. 1 for Viola and Piano DIMITRI TERZAKIS Songs Without Words for Viola Solo (arr. Tatjana Masurenko) PROKOFIEV Suite from Romeo and Juliet (arr. Vadim Borisovsky)
Primrose Recital: Competition Jurors
Friday, June 21, 2024 at 7:30 pm Zipper Hall at the Colburn School
WIANCKO Viola Sonata (“Buoyant Forces”) for Viola and Piano KOUYOUMDIJAN Children of Conflict: A Boy and a Makeshift Toy for Viola and Piano ATAR ARAD Sonata for Solo Viola ATAR ARAD Caprice No. 12 (“Unknown”) REENA ESMAIL Varsha for Viola TESSA LARK Jig and Pop for Viola DE BRÉVILLE Sonata for Viola and Piano
The 2024 Primrose International Viola Competition will take place at the Colburn School, June 17-22, 2024. As one of the most renowned string instrument competitions in the world, the Primrose International Viola Competition features the world’s best and most promising young violists. The Competition offers southern California one week of exceptional international competition, exquisite music, and an exhilarating finish. All rounds are open to the public, and audiences can expect to hear a broad survey of the viola repertoire.
In conjunction with the Primrose International Viola Competition, the American Viola Society will host its 2024 Festival taking place at the Colburn School on June 19-22, 2024. Over eighty performances, lectures, presentations, masterclasses, youth competitions, and exhibits will be scheduled around the competition Semi-Final and Final rounds, and a virtual option is available. More information is available at americanviolasociety.org/avs-festival.
Founded in 1979 by the American Viola Society as the first international competition solely for violists, the Primrose International Viola Competition is proud of the rich history and legacy of excellence it promotes. For over 40 years, the Competition has continued to attract distinguished jurors and talented participants worldwide, serving as an inspiration to young artists across the globe. The Competition has an international reputation for identifying the talent of tomorrow and is respected for its artistic and professional integrity. Its laureates occupy principal seats of major symphony orchestras, act as professors in major centers of education, and have achieved critical acclaim as international soloists.
For more information about the Primrose Competition, please visit http://www.primrosecompetition.org/.
About the Colburn School
A performing arts institution located in the heart of Los Angeles, the Colburn School trains students from beginners to those about to embark on professional careers. The academic units of the School provide a complete spectrum of music and dance education united by a single philosophy: that all who desire to study music or dance should have access to top-level instruction.
Each year, more than 2,000 students from around the world come to Colburn to benefit from the renowned faculty, exceptional facilities, and focus on excellence that unites the community.
The Colburn Center, designed by Frank Gehry, is a multi-faceted campus expansion of the Colburn School. Located across the street from the School’s existing campus at the intersection of Olive and Second Streets, the Colburn Center will enable the School to expand its mission of presenting programs for the public. Gehry’s design includes a 1,000-seat in-the-round concert hall named Terri and Jerry Kohl Hall, five professional-sized dance studios including a 100-seat studio theater, and gardens that bring fresh air and green spaces to the downtown landscape. The Colburn School broke ground on the Colburn Center on April 5, 2024. The completed project will join Gehry’s Walt Disney Concert Hall and The Grand complex to create the largest concentration of buildings designed by the architect in the world.
About the American Viola Society Founded in 1971, the American Viola Society inspires excellence and builds community through viola study, performance, research, composition, and lutherie. The largest organization of violists in the world, the AVS provides support and resources for a global community of violists and viola enthusiasts with online resources, live events, competitions, scholarships, online series, funding opportunities, and the Journal of the American Viola Society. Signature AVS offerings include the triennial Primrose International Viola Competition, biennial AVS Festival events, David Dalton Research Competition, Maurice Gardner Competition for Composers, Exhibition of Modern Violas and Bows, solo and orchestral audition competitions for youth and emerging artists, and programs supporting education and health and wellness initiatives.
Contact: Lisa Bellamore lbellamore@gmail.com 323-500-3071
Jennifer Kallend jkallend@colburnschool.edu 215-622-6195
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