Candlemas Soirée
Guest Artist Bios

Christine Abraham, mezzo-soprano

Performing a varied repertoire to great acclaim, mezzo-soprano Christine Abraham has been declared “radiant” by the Los Angeles Times and “glamorous and melting of voice” by the Wall Street Journal. She has performed roles with the Metropolitan Opera, New York City Opera, Glimmerglass Opera, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Santa Fe Opera, Bard Festival, Boston Lyric Opera, and Spoleto Festival USA, and has appeared as featured soloist with the orchestras of

Philadelphia, San Francisco, Dallas, and St. Louis, as well as Boston Baroque, Chicago’s Music of the Baroque, and the Toronto Consort. An advocate of contemporary works, Ms. Abraham has created roles in world premiere productions ofoperas and oratorios by composers such as Tan Dun, James MacMillan, Tod Machover, Peter Lieberson, Paul Moravec and David Carlson and can be heard on recordings on Signum Classics, Naxos American Classics, BIS Music, Arabesque Recordings, and BBC Music.

Ms. Abraham maintains a private teaching studio and serves on the collegiate faculty of California State University East Bay and the Pre-College and Continuing Education faculty at

San Francisco Conservatory of Music.

Richie Hawley, clarinet

There are those who define their instrument and those who are defined by their instrument. Richie Hawley, a musician whose name has become a byword for exceptional clarinet playing, is among the distinguished former group. Richie is one of the most celebrated clarinetists of his generation, a sought-after recitalist and chamber musician who regularly appears on stages around the world. During his 17 years as principal clarinet of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra (CSO), Richie made an indelible mark on the institution. Hailed by the Cincinnati Enquirer as “an example of the real virtuosity that lies within the [CSO’s] ranks” and praised for possessing the “seamless flowing tone so many clarinetists long for and few can achieve,” he has wowed audiences and critics with his technique and velvety tone. Richie has also left his mark on recorded classical music, appearing on dozens of albums with the CSO. With many of the 60+ TELARC recordings by the CSO and Cincinnati Pops during his tenure featuring major solos of the clarinet repertoire, Richie’s memorable playing has been frequently singled out. American Record Guide hailed his "gorgeous" solo in Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 2 as "the crowning achievement" of the CSO’s recording with Maestro Jesus Lopez-Cobos.

Richie is as much an educator as he is a performer, a leader of his own generation who is dedicated to inspiring future ones. In 2011, Richie left the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and moved to Houston, Texas to become the Professor of Clarinet at Rice University's Shepherd School of Music. During the summer months he is in residence as a faculty artist at the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, California, one of the premiere summer festivals for exceptionally talented musicians. His public clarinet masterclasses are among the best attended at the Music Academy, where students and audiences alike are drawn to his impeccable musicianship and charming, seemingly effortless teaching style. Richie’s students have gone on to win positions in the National Symphony Orchestra, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic and many others.

Aloysia Friedmann, viola

Aloysia is the Founder and Artistic Director of the Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival in Washington State, now in its 27^th Season. Ms. Friedmann continues to reinvent the role of a modern performer in the music world. Chamber Music America recognized Aloysia’s artistic leadership with its 2008 CMAcclaim Award, and in 2016 CMA invited her to their national Board. In December of 2018, she was given the special honor of being named a Musical America Top Professional of the Year.

While living in New York City, Ms. Friedmann performed with New York’s most prestigious musical ensembles, including the Orchestra of St. Luke’s and American Symphony Orchestra, and was concertmaster of The Fairfield Orchestra. She gave her Carnegie Recital Hall debut and was praised by the New York Times for her “fiery spirit.” Her many Broadway credits include a special onstage role alongside Dustin Hoffman in the Merchant of Venice, as well as hundreds of performances of Crazy for You, Candide, A Christmas Carol and appearances in many other shows including Metallica at Madison Square Garden. A versatile artist, Aloysia also appeared on several Live from Lincoln Center Productions, including a memorable one with Jessye Norman, and on a Saturday Night Live episode with Luciano Pavarotti.

In Houston, Aloysia Friedmann is Associate Concertmaster of ROCO. She also served on the Advisory Council for Chamber Music Houston. Highlights of concerts in Houston include her solo viola performance of Morton Feldman’s Rothko Chapel in the chapel itself. Ms. Friedmann taught as an Affiliate Artist of Viola and Violin at the Moores School of Music at the University of Houston and has coached at Rice University. She’s also played with the Houston Grand Opera. This past season Ms. Friedmann was a guest artist at the Butler School of Music at the University of Texas in Austin, giving masterclasses, speaking, and performing with the Miró Quartet. She was invited to play with the Houston Symphony on viola and the San Diego Symphony on violin for several of their main concert series programs.  

Last year, Ms. Friedmann played on the Eagles Hotel California 2023 Tour in San Diego, where she is also a founding member of the Mainly Mozart Festival. In 2022, she played for The Who Hits Back tour in Houston and performed with the Olmos Ensemble in San Antonio. Pre-covid, she toured the Pacific Northwest, Vietnam, and France with pianist Jon Kimura Parker. They also appeared on KING-FM Rhine and Danube River Cruises. She has performed at the Seattle Chamber Music Society, and festivals in Hong Kong, Santa Fe, Portland, Reno, Napa Valley, Maui, Ottawa, Sarasota, and San Antonio. Her chamber music colleagues have included the Montrose Trio, the New Orford Quartet, Gervase de Peyer, Peter Schickele, Gary Hoffman, Jeffrey Kahane, the Miró Quartet, Cho-Liang Lin, Chee-Yun, Alisa Weilerstein, Gabriel Kahane, and Lynn Harrell. Versatile offstage as well, Ms. Friedmann has produced recordings for artists including Viktor Valkov, Lachezar Kostov, Stephanie Sant’Ambrogio, Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival, and Jon “Jackie” Kimura Parker.

This past summer Ms. Friedmann was a guest at the Highlands Cashiers Chamber Music Festival. This season, she will join Jackie Parker on another Earthbound Expeditions Cruise in France. She is also premiering several chamber works on viola with ROCO. Ms. Friedmann was the guest soloist in a Benaroya Hall performance of the Handel-Casadesus Viola Concerto conducted by Adam Stern, and she also appeared with Frederica von Stade in the 25^th Anniversary Gala of the Noe Valley Chamber Music Series, giving the world premiere of Meditation by Jake Heggie.

Aloysia Friedmann studied with Emanuel Zetlin at the University of Washington and Margaret Pardee, and Ivan Galamian at The Juilliard School. She plays on a Grancino violin and the ex-Rebecca Clarke Grancino viola, both made in Milan in the late 1600s.

Aloysia is married to concert pianist Jon Kimura Parker, and their daughter Sophie graduated from Rice University in 2021. She enjoys eating great meals with her family, especially sushi, walking their dog Ricky, and brushing their cat Oscar!

Sunday, March 24th - 3pm
The Maverick Carter House
119 Taylor Street, San Antonio
Stephanie Jutt, flute
Stas Venglevski, accordion (bayan)
Jeffrey Sykes, piano

An incredibly beautiful historic venue, a trio of world-class musicians and an afternoon of musical delights. The trio will be performing tangos, milongas, waltzes, polkas, and other seriously fun music. Don't miss this one-of-a-kind soirée.

FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TICKETS CLICK
THE IMAGE AT RIGHT.

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