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*$25 adult/ $20 senior/ $15 student

John Sharp, Principal Cellist, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra

Liba Shacht, Violinist, the Lyric Opera of Chicago

Praised as "an absolutely superb cellist" by the Chicago Tribute, John Sharp is the principal cellist of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and a top prizewinner of the Tchaikovsky International Cello Competition. John is a student of Maestro Lev Aronson and has served as a board member of The Aronson Cello Festival (ACF).

Upon the recommendation of Isaac Stern, violinist Liba Shacht made her New York City debut to glowing reviews:  "Miss Shacht delights in her nimble technique, and virtuosic display pieces...present few obstacles," according to The New York Times.

John and Liba met playing chamber music at the Marlboro Music Festival and married in 1987.  They perform frequently as a duo and in collaboration with other musicians.

This concert includes a special film about John Sharp directed by Emmy Award winning storyteller Ty Kim, filmed in 2019 before the pandemic. Mr. Kim serves as Emeritus Board Chair and Chief Operating Officer of ACF. He has called this one of his favorite films because of the friendship forged with John and Liba over the project.

This year's recipients of the the coveted "A" Award named after Maestro Lev Aronson will be presented by last year's recipients. Come hear the leadership of The Aronson Cello Festival discuss this special week—including our Founding Artistic Director Brian Thornton, our ACF Co-Board Chair - Mitch Maxwell and others.

Hear the students of The Aronson Cello Festival (ACF) perform in this special informal concert.

Ben Hong is the Associate Principal Cellist for The Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra. He is also a Board Member for The Aronson Cello Festival (ACF). Ben served as a consultant on the DreamWorks feature film “The Soloist” (2009) starring Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey Jr. Ben taught Mr. Foxx how to play the cello.

*Michael G. Nathanson is a senior executive with over three decades of experience in the film business. Mr. Nathanson has served as either Chairman or President of four major motion picture companies including MGM Pictures, Columbia Pictures and New Regency. He is also a successful film producer with acclaimed credits including the Academy Award winning LA CONFIDENTIAL and A TIME TO KILL.

John Cerilli served as Vice President of Unscripted/Content & Programming for Marvel Entertainment. He transformed Marvel Digital from a single site into a premier global network of multimedia entertainment, critically acclaimed apps and industry-defining social media engagement. He has produced prime time specials “Marvel 75 Years: From Pulp to Pop!” and other specials for ABC Network and Marvel’s collaboration with ESPN Films. John has served in key executive roles respectively for WWE.Com and Playboy.

Nico Abondolo is an internationally recognized as a leading double bass soloist and chamber musician. He made his debut at the age of 14 with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and in 1983 became the first double bassist ever to win first place in the International Competition for Musical Performers in Geneva, Switzerland. He works closely with Oscar-winning composer Hans Zimmer and has multiple credits on major motion picture films.

Moderated by Ty Kim, winner of six Los Angeles area Emmys. Mr. Kim has feature films, feature documentaries and scripted television programs in various stages of development. Ty’s documentary about the cellist Lynn Harrell included extensive interviews with multiple Oscar-winning Composers John Williams and André Previn in his last interview. Ty works closely with Michael G. Nathanson.

One of the most prolific ways for audiences to hear music is watching movies. In fact, some of our greatest modern era composers have straddled both classical music and film. We’ll explore this subject with some amazing creative minds.

*invited

Violinist Liba Shacht was born in Vilnius, Lithuania, where she began her musical studies at age five. Shortly thereafter, her family emigrated to Israel. The recipient of an Artist Diploma with distinction from Tel Aviv University, Ms. Shacht appeared as soloist with the Israeli Philharmonic, the Jerusalem Broadcasting Symphony, the Israeli Sinfonietta, and in chamber orchestras and recitals throughout Israel. She represented Israel at the Jeunesses Musicales World Congress in Korea, Japan, and England, where she performed chamber music at the Royal Albert Hall.

Upon the recommendation of Isaac Stern, Ms. Shacht was awarded a special Fellowship by the America-Israel Cultural Foundation to study with Dorothy DeLay at the Juilliard School in New York. She earned a master's degree and a doctorate from Juilliard.

Her New York recital debut at Town Hall was marked by a glowing review from The New York Times : "Miss Shacht plays with Russian intensity, yet her performances are tempered with abundant humor. She delights in her nimble technique, and virtuosic displays present few obstacles. Prokofiev Sonata in D was played with explosive energy, and Schumann's Sonata in a minor was enriched with a dark, songful melancholy."

Ms. Shacht is the winner of several competitions, among them the Artist International Distinguished Artists Award, which led to her first appearance at Carnegie Recital Hall in New York. As the winner of the Affiliated Artists national auditions, she has toured the United States extensively, performing with critical acclaim in recitals, playing with orchestras, and conducting master classes. She later performed as soloist in the rarely-played Glazunov Violin Concerto with the Grant Park Symphony Orchestra.

Ms. Shacht is an avid performer of chamber music. She has participated in the Aspen Music Festival and the Marlboro Music Festival, where she performed with Rudolf Serkin and members of the Guarneri Quartet, as well as the chamber music series at the 92nd Street "Y" in New York.

She is a member of the Lyric Opera of Chicago, as well as principal second violin of the Grant Park Symphony. Ms. Shacht frequently performs with her husband, cellist John Sharp.

A children’s book by Ty Kim and illustrated by Joy Jamerson (Lev Aronson’s Step-Daughter).  With music by Cellist Brian Thornton of The Cleveland Orchestra and one of Mr. Aronson’s last students.

Narration by Joan Katz, Education Director of the Cleveland Orchestra.

Joan Katz Napoli has served for 20 years as Director of Education and Community Engagement for The Cleveland Orchestra whose education and outreach programs serve more than 70,000 annually. In addition to school fieldtrip concerts and an outstanding Youth Orchestra, Music Study Groups for adults, and Music Mentors and Music Masters that support instrumental music programs in local schools, The Cleveland Orchestra was one of the first in the country to implement an arts integration program, Learning Through Music (now in its 14th year) which uses music to support learning across the K-5 curriculum, and has recently established a Musical Neighborhoods program in partnership with local Head Start sites, using music to build school readiness skills. Prior to The Cleveland Orchestra, Joan worked in public television, first with the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), then with the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) where she was the national Director of K-12 Learning Services. Joan managed several award winning educational television programs and series for the PBS network including: Good Morning Ms. Toliver (Peabody Award 1993); Who Will Teach for America? (1992 Emmy-nominee); Futures with Jaime Escalante (Peabody Award 1991); and a prime-time special, Math: Who Needs It?

https://www.clevelandorchestra.com/about/administrative-staff/

Cellist Sterling Elliott in Reinberger Hall at Severance Music Center. Piano collaboration by Anita Pontremoli.

With a special follow up conversation immediately from the stage after the recital.

Cellist Sterling Elliott​ is a 2021 Avery Fisher Career Grant recipient and the winner of the Senior Division of the 2019 National Sphinx Competition.

His orchestral appearances in the 2021/2022 season include Haydn Cello Concerto No. 2 with the San Antonio, Richmond, West Virginia symphony orchestras and the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra; the Popper Hungarian Fantasy with the Orlando Philharmonic and Hawaii Symphony Orchestra, and the Elgar Concerto with the Midland Symphony.

He will appear in a Tuesday Matinee recital at Merkin Hall at the Kaufman Music Center, Ashmont Hill Chamber Music Society, and Tuesday Musicale, as well as chamber music at Festival Mozaic and with Shai Wosner and friends for Peoples Symphony Concerts.

During the summer of 2021 Sterling debuted with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl performing the Tchaikovsky Rococo Variations led by Bramwell Tovey, with further appearances at Chamberfest Cleveland, and Music@Menlo.

Previous orchestral engagements have included the Philadelphia Orchestra with Yannick Nezet-Seguin, the New York Philharmonic with Jeffrey Kahane, the Boston Symphony with Thomas Wilkins, the Cleveland Orchestra, Detroit Symphony with Mei Ann Chen, the Dallas Symphony, Virginia Symphony and Buffalo Philharmonic among others.

Sterling has enjoyed a simple and humble musical journey.  As the youngest of 3 siblings, he did not want to play the cello but the violin like his older brother and sister. After a bit of encouragement, he completed The Elliott Family String Quartet by learning to play the cello at the age of three under the direction of Suzuki Cello teacher Susan Hines.

He went on to make his concerto debut at the age of 7 by winning the Junior Division of the PYO Concerto Competition, and later the 2014 Richmond Symphony Concerto Competition, the Bay Youth Orchestra Concerto Competition.

Sterling has a long history with the Sphinx Organization where he first received 2nd place in the 2013 National Sphinx Competition Junior Division, then won the 2014 Junior Division.  In 2016 he received the Isaac Stern Award by the Sphinx Organization and toured with the Sphinx Virtuosi in 2018 before winning in 2019.

He is a two-time alum of NPR’s From the Top where he was a recipient of a scholarship from The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation and performed several concerts in Switzerland at the 2019 World Economic Forum.  He is a Young Strings of America ambassador for SHAR Strings.  In 2019, he was the first recipient of The National Arts Club’s Herman and Mary Neuman Music Scholarship Award.

Sterling Elliott is currently a Kovner Fellow at The Juilliard School where he is pursuing his Masters of Music degree studying with Joel Krosnick and Clara Kim.  He completed his undergraduate degree in cello performance at Juilliard in May 2021. 

Sterling is currently represented for worldwide General Management by Colbert Artists in New York City. He currently performs on a 1741 Gennaro Gagliano cello on loan through the Robert F. Smith Fine String Patron Program, in partnership with the Sphinx Organization.

Appointed as one of the youngest principal cellists in the history of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, John Sharp has served in that position during the tenures of Sir Georg Solti, Daniel Barenboim, Pierre Boulez, Bernard Haitink and Riccardo Muti.  A top prize winner of the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, he has appeared as soloist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Mstislav Rostropovich in the Britten Symphony for Cello and Orchestra, in a recording of Strauss' Don Quixoteconducted by Daniel Barenboim, and with Itzhak Perlman and Daniel Barenboim in performances of Beethoven's Triple Concerto. He has performed as a soloist under the baton of Riccardo Muti, Sir Georg Solti, Pierre Boulez, Bernard Haitink, Lorin Maazel, Charles Dutoit and Michael Tilson Thomas.

An active chamber musician, Sharp has appeared at the festivals of Marlboro, Santa Fe, La Jolla and Vail as well as the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. He has recorded Tchaikovsky's Souvenir de Florence with the Vermeer Quartet, and has performed in chamber music concerts with Mitsuko Uchida, Yo-Yo Ma, Pinchas Zukerman, Emmanuel Ax and Christoph Eschenbach. He and his wife, violinist Liba Shacht, often perform together as a duo and in chamber music concerts, and have appeared in France, Spain and throughout the United States.

Born in Texas, Sharp studied the cello with Lev Aronson and later with Lynn Harrell at the Juilliard School.  Previously he has played in the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and served as principal cello of the Cincinnati Symphony.  He has given master classes throughout the United States and in Europe, and has coached at the New World Symphony, the National Orchestral Association, the National Youth Orchestra of the USA, the Chicago Civic Orchestra and most recently at the Taipei Music Academic Festival. He is currently a professor of cello at Roosevelt University. 

John Sharp plays a rare cello made by Joseph Guarnerius in 1694.

Paul Katz is known to concertgoers the world over as cellist of the Cleveland Quartet, which, during an international career of 26 years, made more than 2,500 appearances on four continents. As a member of this celebrated ensemble from 1969 to 1995, Katz performed at the White House and on many television shows, including "CBS Sunday Morning," NBC's "Today Show," "The Grammy Awards" (the first classical musicians to appear on that show), and in "In The Mainstream The Cleveland Quartet," a one-hour documentary televised across the U.S. and Canada.

Katz has received many honors, the most recent including the "Chevalier du Violoncelle," awarded by the Eva Janzer Memorial Cello Center at Indiana University for distinguished achievements and contributions to the world of cello playing and teaching; The Richard M. Bogomolny National Service Award, Chamber Music America's highest honor, awarded for a lifetime of distinguished service in the field of chamber music; an Honorary Doctorate of Musical Arts from Albright College; and the American String Teacher's Association "Artist-Teacher of the Year 2003." Katz is a passionate spokesperson for chamber music the world over, and served for six years as President of Chamber Music America. As an author, he has appeared in numerous publications and wrote the liner notes for the Cleveland Quartet's three-volume set of the complete Beethoven Quartets on RCA Red Seal.

*Mr. Katz will be interviewed by Zoom,

The life of the late American composer Earl Kim is the subject of this special presentation. He served our country as a distinguished US Intelligence Officer. His parents had no formal music education or training, yet Earl Kim went on to teach at Princeton and Harvard as a tenured professor. Find out why he remains an enigma and deserving of recognition for his brilliant work from two people who knew him best.

Composer Paul Salerni is the NEH Distinguished Chair in the Humanities and Professor of Music at Lehigh University, where he teaches composition, theory, and directs the Lehigh University Very Modern Ensemble (LUVME). He is also founder and Artistic Director of the Monocacy Chamber Orchestra, a professional ensemble in the Lehigh Valley.

Salerni received his Ph.D. in composition from Harvard University, where he studied with Earl Kim. He has held composition fellowships from the Sheldon Foundation, the Charles Ives Festival, and the Pennsylvania Council for the Arts, and has been the recipient of grants from Meet the Composer and the NEA.

Salerni’s numerous commissioned orchestral and chamber music works have been performed throughout the US, Canada, Europe and China. Recent commissions include Cape Cod Symphony, San Diego Chamber Orchestra, New Haven Symphony, the Allentown Symphony, and the Lehigh Valley Chamber Orchestra. His chamber music and songs are also widely performed. Recent highlights included performances by the Da Capo Chamber Players of two song cycles, Speaking of Love and Bad Pets, at New York City’s Merkin Hall.

Salerni’s one-act opera Tony Caruso’s Final Broadcast, with a libretto by Dana Gioia, won the National Opera Association’s Chamber Opera competition. A definitive recording was recently released on Naxos. His second one-act, The Life and Love of Joe Coogan, is adapted from a Dick Van Dyke TV Show episode. The original screenplay was written by Carl Reiner and adapted by librettist Kate Light. Joe Coogan had its premiere in September 2010.  Both one-acts are published by Theodore Presser.

A dedicated educator, Salerni is recipient of the Stabler Award, Lehigh University’s most valued acknowledgement of excellence in teaching. His service to the larger community has also included participation on Fulbright Fellowship and NEA peer review panels and seven years’ service on the Board of Directors of the Suzuki Association of the Americas, including two years as Chair of the Board.

Salerni is married to opera and stage director Laura Johnson, and also often writes for and performs with their two sons, violinist Domenic and percussionist Miles.

Laura Johnson freelances as a director and teacher of theatre and opera. Her work embraces classical and contemporary repertoire in traditional and non-traditional productions which have earned awards and received critical acclaim. Her versatility has allowed her to direct in Italy, Korea, and Canada.

She directed the world premieres of works by Earl Kim. Ms. Johnson has staged productions at Harvard, Lehigh, Boston, and Temple Universities, Lafayette College, the University of lowa, and the University of Cincinnati. Her work has been enjoyed by audiences at the Bloomsburg Theater Ensemble, the Williamstown Theatre Festival, Opera in the Ozarks, and the Lenox Arts Center/Music Theatre Performance Group. She has worked with the Lyric Opera of Chicago, the Opera Company of Boston, the Manhattan School of Music, Theater for the New City, Pittsburgh Opera, the Buckingham Opera in New York City, Pittsburgh Opera Theater and the Pennsylvania Opera Theatre. Her production of L'amico Fritz for Temple Opera Theater in Philadelphia was a winner in the National Opera Association's Competition for best production.

She was the first director to stage composer Earl Kim's music/theatre pieces (based on texts by Beckett and other poets), Ms. Johnson worked closely with the composer on the world premiere of Narratives featuring Irene Worth. She directed the award winning premiere of Footfalls for Cincinnati's College-Conservatory of Music. She was invited to direct the Korean premiere of Kim's music/theatre work with Sejong Soloists at the Great Mountains Music Festival.

Moderated by ACF Emeritus Board Chair and Chief Operating Officer Ty Kim. Mr. Kim is directing a short documentary film about the American Composer Earl Kim in the only family-authorized film or television work of its kind.

This LEVTALK is free and open to the public

Bruno Price, Partner, Rare Violins of New York.  Board Member of the Aronson Cello Festival (ACF)

Bruno is a leading expert in the rare instrument market.  He will display examples of exquisite instruments and discuss how to think strategically about investing in lifetime instruments.  We will hear about trends in the marketplace and find out how to find the right instrument for the right artist.

The Aronson Cello Festival (ACF) presents Sterling Elliott​—a 2021 Avery Fisher Career Grant recipient and the winner of the Senior Division of the 2019 National Sphinx Competition.

His orchestral appearances in the 2021/2022 season include Haydn Cello Concerto No. 2 with the San Antonio, Richmond, West Virginia symphony orchestras and the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra; the Popper Hungarian Rhapsody with the Orlando Philharmonic and Hawaii Symphony Orchestra, and the Elgar Concerto with the Midland Symphony.

Previous orchestral engagements have included the Philadelphia Orchestra with Yannick Nezet-Seguin, the New York Philharmonic with Jeffrey Kahane, the Boston Symphony with Thomas Wilkins, the Cleveland Orchestra, Detroit Symphony with Mei Ann Chen, the Dallas Symphony, Virginia Symphony and Buffalo Philharmonic among others.

Sterling Elliott is currently a Kovner Fellow at The Juilliard School where he is pursuing his Masters of Music degree studying with Joel Krosnick and Clara Kim.  He completed his undergraduate degree in cello performance at Juilliard in May 2021.

Sterling is currently represented for worldwide General Management by Colbert Artists in New York City. He currently performs on a 1741 Gennaro Gagliano cello on loan through the Robert F. Smith Fine String Patron Program, in partnership with the Sphinx Organization.

This LevTalk will be moderated by ACF Emeritus Board Chair and Chief Operating Officer Ty Kim.

This LevTalk is free and open to the public

This master class is free and open to the public.

Cellist Ben Hong joined the Los Angeles Philharmonic in 1993 at age 24 as a section player and six months later, he won the assistant principal cello position. He currently serves as associate principal cello, appointed by LA Phil Music Director Gustavo Dudamel in 2015. Hong also performs frequently as a soloist and as a member of chamber music ensembles. He has collaborated with such artists as Emanuel Ax, Yefim Bronfman, Janine Jansen, Lang Lang, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Sir Simon Rattle and Esa-Pekka Salonen. Concerto appearances with the LA Phil have included the U.S. premiere of Mark-Anthony Turnage’s cello concerto Kai, with Rattle conducting at the Ojai Music Festival; the LA Phil premiere of Tan Dun’s Crouching Tiger Concerto, conducted by Long Yu at the Hollywood Bowl; and the U.S premiere of Bernd Alois Zimmermann’s concerto for cello and orchestra, en forme de pas de trois, conducted by Susanna Mälkki.

DreamWorks Pictures hired Hong to train Jamie Foxx and several other cast members of the 2009 film The Soloist. In addition, he was the featured soloist on the soundtrack, which was released on the Deutsche Grammophon label. In 2020, Hong was asked by the Los Angeles Lakers to perform a rendition of “Hallelujah” at the Staples Center as part of a pre-game tribute in memory of Kobe Bryant.

Born in Taipei, Taiwan, Hong won his native country’s national cello competition three years in a row before leaving home at age 13 for the Juilliard School. Later, he studied with Lynn Harrell at the USC School of Music before joining the LA Phil. Hong currently serves on the faculty of the USC Thornton School of Music and the Colburn School. Additionally, he frequently performs and teaches at music festivals throughout the U.S., Asia and Europe.

This master class focuses on orchestral excerpts and preparing for an audition for a major symphony orchestra.

Please join us for a multi-stage “Cello-Bration!” of the educator, cellist, arts leader and impressario Marta Casals Istomin.* 

*Mrs. Casals Istomin will be interviewed in a live telephone conversation from her home in Washington, D.C. at 2:30pm. Moderated by Ty Kim, Emmy Award winning storyteller and Emeritus Board Chair and Chief Operating Officer of the Aronson Cello Festival (ACF).

At 6:00pm, we premiere a short film by Mr. Kim about Marta Casals Istomin that is not to be missed. Please join us for this screening at Mixon Hall. This is only the first part of our “Cello-Bration!”

We learn about the life and times of Marta and her husband, Pablo Casals.  A special film by Ty Kim premieres that reveals major revelations about the decision by Maestro Casals to come out of exile to play at the White House for President John F. Kennedy.

The “Cello-Bration!” continues with ACF Founding Artistic Director Brian Thornton of the Cleveland Orchestra, who performs "El Cant dels Ocells" or "The Song of the Birds", a traditional Catalan song and lullaby made famous by Pablo Casals.

At 6:30pm, the evening culminates in a festive celebration held in The Thomas Commons where food and drinks will be served.

André Gremillet, President & CEO, The Cleveland Orchestra.

Paul Hogle, President & CEO, The Cleveland Institute of Music (CIM).

Dr. Sarah Kim - (Incoming) ACF Co-Board Chair. Cellist. Teacher.

Cho-liang Lin -Concert Violinist. Recording Artist. Professor of Music at The Juilliard School.

Da-Hong Seetoo - Grammy Award Winner. Classical Record Producer. Violinist.

Moderator:  Ty Kim, Emmy Award winner. Emeritus Board Chair and Chief Operating Officer of the Aronson Cello Festival (ACF).

An exploration of the most urgent and relevant topics facing classical music from some leading and brilliant figures in classical music.

This panel is dedicated to Marta Casals Istomin—who will be honored at 2:30pm in Mixon Hall in a special live telephone interview.

Special interview by phone to honor our Keynote Speaker Madam Marta Casals Istomin.

The former President of the Manhattan School of Music, Marta Angélica Montañez y Martinez was bom in Puerto Rico where she began her music studies at the age of six under the tutelage of her uncle. Rafael Montañez was a poet and newspaperman as well as a musician who taught her the fundamentals of the violin and solfeggio, and who was instrumental in her transferring, upon graduation from public school at the top of her class, to New York's Marymount School of the Convent of the Sacred Heart of Mary. During her four years there, she briefly considered devoting her life to work in a Catholic religious order. She also began to study the cello with Lieff Rosanoff at The Mannes College of Music, making astonishingly rapid progress. Uncle Rafael took her to the Perpignan Festival in 1951 (when she was 15) and asked the great Spanish cellist Pablo Casals-whose mother came from Puerto Rico — to hear her play. Impressed with the girl's natural talent, he told her to go back to New York and that he would accept her as a student when Rosanoff judged her ready.

In the spring of 1954, Marta Montañez graduated maxima cum laude from Marymount. To her credit was an award for being a top Latin student in New York State, a considerable proficiency as a cellist and singer, and a reputation for being well organized, fast, efficient, energetic, and generous. With these promising attributes in her kit bag, she went back to Europe to see if the Maestro, then at the Prades (France) Festival, might make good on his offer to take her on as a student. He did, soon feeling a personal responsibility for her. There are, from that time, touching photographs of Casals inscribed to Martita and signed "Tío Pablo," and by the 1955 Festival she was identified as his favorite student. From Prades she accompanied him to the Zermatt Summer Academy of Music where Casals held master classes in the interpretation of cello literature. It was during that summer, too, that she first came to meet two music enthusiasts whose personalities were immediately and indelibly inscribed in her memory: Albert Schweitzer and Charlie Chaplin. During the year that followed, 1956, a new and very special festival was organized and Marta was of inestimable help in managing the welter of logistics inevitable with such a venture. Pablo Casals was music director, Alexander Schneider assistant director of San Juan's Festival Casals, with the first festival scheduled for the following year.

Three events occurred in rapid succession in 1957: Casals suffered a major heart attack; the first Festival Casals took place as scheduled but supervised by the faithful Sasha Schneider; and, in August, the music world took note of the marriage of Casals to his student and assistant, the vivacious Martita. She was to be his helpmate and the love of his life until his death in 1973 at the age of 97.

*Marta Casals Istomin will be appearing in a special telephone interview from her home in Washington, D.C.

This featured panel discussion is free and open to the public.

Brian Thornton, Cellist, the Cleveland Orchestra.  Founding Artistic Director of the Aronson Cello Festival (ACF)

Mitchell Maxwell, Principal Cellist, the Dallas Opera Orchestra.  Co-Board Chair, the Aronson Cello Festival (ACF)

Ben Hong, Associate Principal Cellist, the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra. Board Member, the Aronson Cello Festival (ACF).

Moderator - Ty Kim, Emmy Award winning storyteller.  Emeritus Board Chair and Chief Operating Officer of the Aronson Cello Festival (ACF)

Lev Aronson was an inspiring teacher who mentored a generation of accomplished cellists including Lynn Harrell, Ralph Kirshbaum, John Sharp, Christopher Adkins, Mitchell Maxwell and Brian Thornton. What made this teacher so exceptional? How does an individual who survives the Holocaust find a way to turn darkness into light. We’ll hear from some of his former students and learn about the life lessons they learned.

Featuring a short film on Lev Aronson featuring Brian Thornton of the Cleveland Orchestra. Mr. Thornton was one of the last students of Maestro Aronson.

This master class is free and open to the public

Alan Rafferty, University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music cello faculty member, is rapidly gaining recognition as a preeminent musician and master teacher.  In demand as a clinician around the world, Mr. Rafferty has presented Master Classes at numerous schools including the Cleveland Institute of Music, Northwestern University, the University of Michigan  and Depaul University and has been a visiting faculty member for the Cleveland Institute of Music, Malta Philharmonic Orchestra and makes yearly visits to work with the Fellows at the New World Symphony.  

A member of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra since 2007, Mr. Rafferty holds the Ruth A. Rosevear cello chair.  In addition to playing over 1000 concerts as a member of the orchestra both in Cincinnati and around the world on tour, he has been a regular performer on the CSO Chamber Players Series and narrated Education Concerts.  He can be heard on recordings for Telarc, Sono Luminus, CR and for WGUC Radio Station.

As a chamber musician, Mr. Rafferty regularly collaborates with the likes of Leon Fleisher, Matt Haimovitz, Sandra Rivers, the Ariel Quartet, and members of the Cavani Quartet.  In the summer, he is the Artistic Director of the Ascent International Chamber Music Festival currently hosted by the University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music.  In the summer of 2022, Mr. Rafferty joins the faculty of the Aronson Cello Festival as the (incoming) Co-Board Chair.  Each January, he goes to Brazil as a faculty member of the Festival de Music de Santa Catarina.

His students have played as soloist with the Cincinnati Symphony, Louisville Orchestra and Dayton Philharmonic and have been 1st prize winners in the MTNA National Solo Competition, Louisville Orchestra Competition, Cleveland Cello Society and Tennessee Cello Workshop.  Additional awards include U.S. Presidential Scholar of the Arts, YoungArts prizewinners and Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award presented by From the Top. 

Mr. Rafferty holds degrees from the Cleveland Institute of Music and Northwestern University.  His primary studies were with Hans Jorgen Jensen, Alan Harris, Merry Peckham, and Richard Weiss.  He and his wife, cellist Dr. Sarah Kim, were recently named the 2016 Ohio String Teachers Association Studio Teachers of the Year.  They are the founders and directors of the nationally recognized Cincinnati Young Artists and Ascent Music.

Cleveland Institute of Music (CIM) McAfee Board Room

The Board of Directors for the Aronson Cello Festival (ACF) convene in a private meeting to discuss key topics, leadership and goals.  This event is private and not open to the general public.

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*$25 adult/ $20 senior/ $15 student 

Join us for a special concert by renowned violinist Cho-Liang Lin in collaboration with members of The Cleveland Orchestra and The Aronson Cello Festival (ACF) Faculty.

Répertoire to include Prokofiev Duo, Bacewicz Quartet for Four Violins, and Brahms Sextet, opus 18, with Katherine Bormann, Ben Hong , Joanna Patterson, Jessica Lee, Eliesha Nelson, and Brian Thornton.

Cho-Liang Lin was born in Taiwan. A neighbor’s violin studies convinced this 5-year old boy to do the same. At the age twelve, he moved to Sydney to further his studies with Robert Pikler, a student of Jenő Hubay. After playing for Itzhak Perlman in a master class, the 13-year old boy decided that he must study with Mr. Perlman’s teacher, Dorothy DeLay. At the age fifteen, Lin traveled alone to New York and auditioned for the Juilliard School and spent the next six years working with Ms DeLay.

A concert career was launched in 1980 with Lin’s debut playing the Mendelssohn Concerto with the New York Philharmonic and Zubin Mehta . He has since performed as soloist with virtually every major orchestra in the world. His busy schedule on stage around the world continues to this day. However, his wide ranging interests have led him to diverse endeavors. At the age of 31, his alma mater, Juilliard School, invited Lin to become faculty. In 2006, he was appointed professor at Rice University. He is currently music director of La Jolla SummerFest and the Hong Kong International Chamber Music Festival. Ever so keen about education, he was music director of the Taiwan National Symphony music camp and youth orchestra for four years.

In his various professional capacities, Cho-Liang Lin has championed composers of our time. His efforts to commission new works have led a diverse field of composers to write for him. The list includes John Harbison, Christopher Rouse, Tan Dun, John Williams, Steven Stucky, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Bright Sheng, Paul Schoenfield, Lalo Schifrin, Joan Tower and many more. Recently, he was soloist with the New York Philharmonic, Detroit Symphony, Munich Philharmonic, Toronto Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony, Nashville Symphony and Royal Philharmonic.

Lin performs on the 1715 Stradivari named “Titian” or a 2000 Samuel Zygmuntowicz. His many concerto, recital and chamber music recordings on Sony Classical, Decca, BIS, Delos and Ondine can be heard on Spotify or Naxos.com. His albums have won Gramophone Record Of The Year, Grammy nominations and Penguin Guide Rosettes.

This concert is dedicated to Medical and Health Care Workers.

This LevTalk is free and open to the public.

Dr. Sarah Kim is the (incoming) Co-Board Chair of The Aronson Cello Festival (ACF). She serves as Miami University Assistant Professor of Cello, leading a vibrant and diverse career as performer, educator, and arts administrator. She is an acclaimed instructor who was named the 2016 Ohio String Teachers Association Studio Teacher of the Year and recipient a 2015 Cincinnati Arts Association Overture Educator Award. Previous teaching appointments have included serving on the string faculty of the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music where she was Instructor of Cello and String Pedagogy as well as the String Pedagogy Cognate Coordinator for doctoral students.

Her students have been top prize winners in regional and national competitions as well as soloists with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Louisville Orchestra, Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra, and Blue Ash Montgomery Orchestra.

As a solo artist and chamber musician, Dr. Kim has performed internationally. She has been broadcast on WGN Chicago, Vermont Public Radio, and WGUC Cincinnati. She continues to be an active performer in the Cincinnati area where she has played with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Louisville Orchestra, Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra and as guest principal cello of the Kentucky Symphony Orchestra.

A native of Minneapolis, MN, Dr. Kim attended Eastman School of Music, Northwestern University, and the the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati (UC-CCM). Her primary studies have been with Peter Howard, Steven Doane, and Hans Jørgen Jensen. Dr. Kim has regularly collaborated with members of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music faculty, and faculty from renowned music schools on chamber music performances. She is the cellist of the resident Oxford String Quartet at Miami University.

 Dr. Kim is executive director of the Cincinnati Young Artists, which she co-founded in 2010. The organization holds annual chamber music and cello festivals drawing the nation’s young talent to Cincinnati to work with renowned artist faculty.

 A sought after clinician, Dr. Kim has given master classes and presentations at numerous cello festivals and workshops at universities such as the University of South Carolina, University of Tennessee, Oklahoma State University, and DePaul University. She has also adjudicated local and national competitions such as the Music Teacher’s National Association National Finals. Dr. Kim maintains a strong interest in cello pedagogy and is regularly invited to present at conferences such as the American String Teachers Association and Suzuki Association of the Americas.

This master class is free and open to the public

Please click here to download the digital program

Cho-Liang Lin was born in Taiwan. A neighbor’s violin studies convinced this 5-year old boy to do the same. At the age twelve, he moved to Sydney to further his studies with Robert Pikler, a student of Jenő Hubay. After playing for Itzhak Perlman in a master class, the 13-year old boy decided that he must study with Mr. Perlman’s teacher, Dorothy DeLay. At the age fifteen, Lin traveled alone to New York and auditioned for the Juilliard School and spent the next six years working with Ms DeLay.

A concert career was launched in 1980 with Lin’s debut playing the Mendelssohn Concerto with the New York Philharmonic and Zubin Mehta . He has since performed as soloist with virtually every major orchestra in the world. His busy schedule on stage around the world continues to this day. However, his wide ranging interests have led him to diverse endeavors. At the age of 31, his alma mater, Juilliard School, invited Lin to become faculty. In 2006, he was appointed professor at Rice University. He is currently music director of La Jolla SummerFest and the Hong Kong International Chamber Music Festival. Ever so keen about education, he was music director of the Taiwan National Symphony music camp and youth orchestra for four years.

In his various professional capacities, Cho-Liang Lin has championed composers of our time. His efforts to commission new works have led a diverse field of composers to write for him. The list includes John Harbison, Christopher Rouse, Tan Dun, John Williams, Steven Stucky, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Bright Sheng, Paul Schoenfield, Lalo Schifrin, Joan Tower and many more. Recently, he was soloist with the New York Philharmonic, Detroit Symphony, Munich Philharmonic, Toronto Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony, Nashville Symphony and Royal Philharmonic.

This panel is free and open to the public

Experienced music directors and conductors interact with students in a live forum to discuss and teach how to effectively collaborate.

Guests include Victoria Bond, the first woman to graduate the conducting and composing programs for the Juilliard School.  Victoria serves as a board member for the Aronson Cello Festival (ACF) and was bestowed an “A” Award by ACF for her leadership in the arts.

Victoria Bond leads a multifaceted career as composer, conductor, lecturer, and artistic director of Cutting Edge Concerts. Her compositions have been praised by The New York Times as "powerful, stylistically varied and technically demanding," and her conducting has been called “impassioned” by the Wall Street Journal and “full of energy and fervor” by The New York Times.

Praised for his versatility, technical clarity, and keen musical insight, Tito Muñoz is internationally recognized as one of the most gifted conductors on the podium today. Now in his sixth season as Music Director of the Phoenix Symphony, Tito previously served as Music Director of the Opéra National de Lorraine and the Orchestre symphonique et lyrique de Nancy in France. Other prior appointments include Assistant Conductor positions with the Cleveland Orchestra, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra and the Aspen Music Festival. Since his tenure in Cleveland, Tito has celebrated critically acclaimed successes with the orchestra, among others stepping in for the late Pierre Boulez in 2012 and leading repeated collaborations with the Joffrey Ballet, including the orchestra’s first staged performances of Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring in the reconstructed original choreography of Vaslav Nijinsky.

Tito serves as a board member for The Aronson Cello Festival (ACF).

Vinay Parameswaran is internationally recognized for his energetic presence, imaginative programming, and compelling musicianship. Vinay Parameswaran is one of the most exciting and versatile young conductors on the podium today. American born and of Indian descent, Parameswaran begins his fourth season as the Assistant Conductor of The Cleveland Orchestra. In this role, he leads The Cleveland Orchestra in several dozen concerts each season at Severance Hall, Blossom Music Festival, and on tour. He also serves as music director of the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra.

Vinay serves as a board member for The Aronson Cello Festival (ACF).

This master class is free and open to the public

Please click here to download the digital program

Praised by the Montreal La Presse as “ a natural born cellist,” Charles Bernard was named assistant principal cello of The Cleveland Orchestra in 2001 after joining the orchestra as a section player in 1992. Prior to The Cleveland Orchestra, he was principal cello of the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra. Mr. Bernard studied with Michael Kilburn at the Montreal Conservatory and with Stephen Geber (former principal cello of The Cleveland Orchestra) at the Cleveland Institute of Music, from which he earned an Artist Diploma. A recipient of grants from the Canadian Arts Council and the FCAR Foundation, Mr. Bernard has won the Feiman Memorial Prize in cello and first prizes in cello and chamber music at the Montreal Conservatory.

An avid chamber musician, Mr. Bernard was a member of the Cleveland-based ensemble “Myriad” and The Cleveland Octet, and currently performs with Ensemble HD. His discography includes Paul Schoenfield’s “Cafe Music” on Innova Recordings, Bernstein’s Piano Trio on Naxos, and “Ensemble HD Live at the Happy Dog.” He currently teaches at Cleveland State University.

To purchase tickets please click the following link…

https://app.arts-people.com/index.php?show=137230

*$25 adult/ $20 senior/ $15 student 

The Catalyst Quartet’s recordings span the ensemble’s scope of interests and artistry. Its debut album, The Bach/Gould Project, features the quartet’s own collaborative arrangement of J.S. Bach’s monumental Goldberg Variations, the first ever 4-voiced version of the piece, paired with Glenn Gould’s rarely heard String Quartet Op. 1. The ensemble can also be heard on Strum (Azica 2015), the solo debut album of composer Jessie Montgomery, who was a member violinist from 2012-2020; Bandaneon y cuerdas (Progressive Sounds 2017), tango-inspired music for string quartet and bandoneon by JP Jofre; and Dreams and Daggers (Mack Avenue Records 2017), a 2-CD GRAMMY-winning album with Cecile McLorin Salvant. 

The Catalyst Quartet combines a serious commitment to diversity and education with a passion for contemporary works. The ensemble serves as principal faculty at the Sphinx Performance Academy at The Cleveland Institute of Music and Curtis Institute of Music. The Catalyst Quartet’s ongoing residencies include interactive performance presentations and workshops with Native American student composers at the Grand Canyon Music Festival and the Sphinx Organization’s Overture program, which delivers access to music education in Detroit and Flint, Michigan. Past residencies have included concerts and masterclasses at The University Of Michigan, University Of Washington, Rice University, Houston’s Society for the Performing Arts, Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, The Virginia Arts Festival, and Pennsylvania State University, as well as internationally at the In Harmony Project in England, The University of South Africa, and The Teatro De Bellas Artes in Cali, Colombia. The ensemble’s residency in Havana, Cuba for the Cuban American Youth Orchestra in January 2019, was the first by an American string quartet since the revolution.

The Catalyst Quartet members hold degrees from The Cleveland Institute of Music, Curtis Institute of Music, Juilliard School, and New England Conservatory. The Catalyst Quartet proudly endorses Pirastro strings.

This concert is dedicated to Female Composers and Artists, and Composers of Color.

This working rehearsal is free and open to the public

ACF Board Members Victoria Bond and Dr. Myles Lee present a working rehearsal of their new work honoring “Winston Churchill.” With Narration by Kevin Radaker.

Ms. Bond has composed eight operas, six ballets, two piano concertos and orchestral, chamber, choral and keyboard compositions. Bond’s opera, Clara, based on the life of composer and pianist Clara Schumann, premiered at the Berlin Philharmonic Easter Festival in Baden-Baden, Germany in 2019.

Victoria Bond is the first woman awarded a doctorate in orchestral conducting from the Juilliard School where she also received her Master’s degree.

Music by Victoria Bond

Libretto by Dr. Myles Lee

Narrator Kevin Radaker

Cellist Brian Thornton

Pianist Frank Huang

A short film about Victoria Bond directed by Emmy Award winning storyteller Ty Kim, and ACF Emeritus Board Chair and Chief Operating Officer will be presented.

This seminar is free and open to the public

David Brockett, Adjunct Professor of French Horn, served as Acting 3rd Horn of the Utah Symphony for the 2006-07 and 2007-08 seasons. During the two previous seasons he played 2nd Horn with The Cleveland Orchestra; over the past two decades he has spent four full seasons and portions of many others with that orchestra, appearing in subscription concerts at Severance Hall and the Blossom Music Festival, playing on numerous recordings, and touring around the world. David was Acting Assistant Principal Horn of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and Acting Principal Horn with the Cincinnati Pops for the 1990-91 season, and has also performed frequently with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the Key West Symphony, the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra, the Erie Philharmonic, the Akron Symphony, the Blossom Festival Concert Band, the Detroit Concert Band, and as Featured Alto Horn Soloist with the Jack Daniel’s Silver Cornet Band. He has played in the orchestras of the Pittsburgh Opera, the Cleveland Opera and Ballet, the Cleveland Jazz Orchestra and the Cleveland Chamber Symphony.

David Brockett was born in London, Ontario and grew up in the Detroit area. He earned a Bachelor of Music from the Cleveland Institute of Music and a Master of Music from the University of Akron. His principal teachers included Roy Waas, Richard Solis, Albert Schmitter, and Dale Clevenger. David Brockett lives in Cleveland and is married to soprano Adele Karam.

This master class is free and open to the public

Please click here to download the digital program.

An advocate for multifaceted musical diversity in the 21st century and a founding member of the Catalyst Quartet, Cuban-American cellist Karlos Rodriguez is an avid soloist, recitalist, chamber musician, clinician, recording artist, writer, and administrator. Rodriguez made his orchestral debut with the New World Symphony at the age of 13 to critical acclaim. 

The winner of several competitions and prizes, including Florida’s State Cello Prize and the Irene Muir Performance Prize, Rodriguez has appeared at many of the United States’ major musical venues, including Carnegie Hall, David Geffen Hall, Alice Tully Hall, The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, The New World Center, Philadelphia’s Kimmel Center, And Radio City Music Hall, to name a few. Rodriguez has also had the honor of working with distinguished artists and members the Beaux Arts Trio, American, Cavani, Cleveland, Emerson, Guarneri, Juilliard, Miami, Orion, Tokyo, And Vermeer String Quartets; Janos Starker, Lynn Harrell, Zuill Bailey, Pieter Wispelway, Rachel Barton-pine, Awadagin Pratt, Joshua Bell, Anthony McGill, Paul Neubauer, and Steven Isserlis. His teachers have included Richard Aaron, Peter Wiley, and David Soyer. 

This panel discussion is free and open to the public

Hailed by The New York Times at its Carnegie Hall debut as “invariably energetic and finely burnished… playing with earthy vigor,” the Grammy Award-winning Catalyst Quartet was founded by the internationally acclaimed Sphinx Organization in 2010. The ensemble (Karla Donehew Perez, violin; Abi Fayette, violin; Paul Laraia, viola; and Karlos Rodriguez, cello) believes in the unity that can be achieved through music and imagine their programs and projects with this in mind, redefining and reimagining the classical music experience.

We hear from this acclaimed quartet what it really means to play well with others. How do these world class musicians collaborate and make music—especially when it comes to finding their individual voices. Moderated by Emmy Award winning storyteller Ty Kim, and Emeritus Board Chair and Chief Operating Officer of The Aronson Cello Festival (ACF).

This master class is free and open to the public

Praised for his expressive, virtuoso and poetic music making, Belgian cellist Tom Landschoot enjoys an international career as a concert and recording artist and pedagogue. He has toured North America, Europe, South America and Asia and has appeared on national radio and television worldwide. He has been an early and constant supporter of The Aronson Cello Festival (ACF).

Mr. Landshoot’s solo career started after taking a top prize at the International Cello Competition ‘Jeunesse Musicales’ in 1995 in Bucharest, Romania. He has performed with top orchestras from around the world including the National Orchestra of Belgium, the Frankfurt Chamber Orchestra, Tempe Symphony,  Prima la Musica, His recordings are available on Summit, Organic, Kokopelli, ArchiMusic and Centaur Records.