Active as a concerto soloist, chamber musician, recitalist, conductor and educator, James Buswell is one of the most versatile musicians performing today. He has appeared with virtually all of the major orchestras in the United States and Canada, as well as with orchestras in Europe, Asia, Australia and South America, and has collaborated with such distinguished conductors as Leonard Bernstein, Pierre Boulez, Erich Leinsdorf, Zubin Mehta, Seiji Ozawa, André Previn, George Szell and Michael Tilson Thomas. In recital, he is noted for adventuresome programming, regularly combining standard masterpieces with works that are less well-known.
James Buswell is as closely associated with new music as he has been with the standard repertoire. World premiere performances include works by Donald Erb, Charles Wuorinen, Gian Carlo Menotti, Ned Rorem, Leon Kirchner, John Harbison, Gunther Schuller, William Bolcom, Ellen Taaffe Zwilich, Peter Schickele, and Yehudi Wyner. Presently he is active in reviving little-known masterpieces from the 20th century by composers such as Martinu, Kurt Weill, Busoni, and Respighi.
For many years an artist-member of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and the Bach Aria Group, Mr. Buswell continues to appear as guest artist with many chamber music organizations. Recording credits include the violin concerti and chamber music of Walter Piston and a 2003 Grammy nomination for a recent recording of the Samuel Barber Violin Concerto. Culminating a lifelong study of the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, he has recently recorded the six unaccompanied Sonatas and Partitas on the Centaur label, and produced a major documentary film, "The Stations of Bach," broadcast numerous times on the PBS Network, and now available on video.
In 1987, after serving for more than a decade on the faculty of the Indiana University School of Music, Mr. Buswell joined the faculty of the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston. He is frequently engaged as an Artist-in-Residence and Visiting Professor, most recently at Harvard University and Amherst College. During the summer he is regularly engaged by festivals on both sides of the Atlantic, and has a long-term relationship with the Sarasota Festival in Florida and the Musicorda Festival in Massachusetts.
While at the same time pursuing an active concert career, James Buswell received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Harvard University with a major in early Renaissance painting and sculpture. As a Pre-College student at The Juilliard School in New York, James Buswell was a pupil of the renowned violinist Ivan Galamian. During that time, he won First Prize in the famed Merriwether Post Competition in Washington, D.C.
He resides in Boston with his wife, cellist Carol Ou.
Conductor and violinist Guillermo Figueroa is one of the most renowned and versatile musicians of his generation. A member of Puerto Ricoâs most distinguished musical family, he was named Music Director of the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra in 2000, and in November 2003, conducted them in their first-ever Carnegie Hall appearance. In 2001 he was also named Music Director of the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra, becoming the first Puerto Rican-born conductor to lead an important orchestra in the United States. With this orchestra, he made his debut as a conductor on CD, a highly acclaimed performance of Tchaikovskyâs Fourth Symphony, and works by Berlioz and Ravel.
In 1994 he made his Lincoln Center conducting debut with the New York City Ballet. In his dual role as soloist and conductor he has appeared with the Kansas City Symphony, the Colorado Symphony and the Iceland Symphony. He has been guest conductor of the New Jersey Symphony, the Memphis Symphony, the El Salvador Symphony, the Orquesta del Teatro Municipal de Rio de Janeiro, and with Ballet Memphis and Ballets de San Juan. This season marks his debut with the Phoenix Symphony.
Mr. Figueroa has performed with such distinguished soloists such as Janos Starker, Hilary Hahn, Ruth Laredo, Gary Graffman, Carol Wincenc, Marcelo Alvarez, Florence Quivar, Pepe Romero, Valdimir Feltsman, Horacio Gutierrez, Barry Douglas, Glenn Dicterow, Paul Neubauer, Itzhak Perlman, Jennifer Larmore, Justino Diaz and Elmar Oliveira.
For ten years he was Concertmaster of the New York City Ballet, appearing in over a hundred performances of the violin concerti by Stravinsky, Berg, Prokofiev, Brahms, Barber, Adams and Glass.
Figueroa is a Founding Member of the world-renowned conductorless Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, which celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2003. With this group he has been concertmaster and soloist in acclaimed performances throughout the US, Europe and Asia. Orpheus made over 50 recordings for Deutsche Grammophon, many led by Figueroa, and in 1995 he was the soloist in the world premiere of Mario Davidosvkyâs Concerto for Violin and Chamber Orchestra, written especially for Mr. Figueroa and Orpheus, and performed at Carnegie Hall.
Figueroa has recorded the three Violin Sonatas by Béla Bartók, with pianist Robert Koenig, on the Eroica Classical Recordings label, and an album of virtuoso violin music by Wieniawski, Sarasate and others, with pianist Ivonne Figueroa.
Committed to the music of his native Puerto Rico, Figueroa has given the world premieres of works by important composers such as Erneso Cordero, Raymond Torres, Carlos Vazquez and Mariano Morales. One composer that has merited special attention from Figueroa is Roberto Sierra, the Composer-in-Residence of the Philadelphia Orchestra. Albany Records has released the premiere recording of Sierraâs oratorio, Bayoán, with the Bronx Arts Ensemble Orchestra and Chorus, led by Figueroa. He also gave the world premiere at the Library of Congress of a work for violin and piano written by Sierra, commissioned in honor of the birth of Aaron Copland.
Mr. Figueroa began violin studies with his father Guillermo, and later with his uncle José at the Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico, where he also worked with Pablo Casals. He attended The Juilliard School where his teachers were Oscar Shumsky and Felix Galimir. His conducting studies were with Harold Farberman in New York. In 1979 Mr. Figueroa won first prize in violin at the Washington International Competition.
A native New Yorker, Paul Kantor studied at the Juilliard School where he earned the Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees, a
nd during the summers at the Aspen Music School and the Meadowmount School. His major teachers were Margaret Graves, Dorothy DeLay and Robert Mann.
Since 1978, Mr. Kantor has combined a performance career with a serious commitment to teaching. As a performer, he has been active as a soloist with numerous symphony orchestras, he has served as concertmaster of six orchestral ensembles, and he has been especially active as a chamber musician with such groups as the New York String Quartet, the Berkshire Chamber players, the Lenox Quartet and the New Haven String Quartet, among others.
Mr. Kantor's playing can be heard on three recordings, (C.R.I., Delos and Mark Records), of chamber music of the twentieth century. In the summer of 1994 Mr. Kantor gave the world premiere performance of Dan Welcherâs Violin Concerto, comissioned by the Aspen Music Festival in honor of Dorothy DeLay. He performed and recorded the work last year with Symphony II of Chicago, Larry Rachleff, conductor. In 2002, Mr. Kantor presented the world premiere of John Coriglianoâs "Red Violin Caprices" in Washington, D.C.
Paul Kantor is recognized as one of the principal violin pedagogues of his generation. He was a member of the violin faculty at the Neighborhood Music School, New Haven, CT from 1978-81. Subsequently he held concurrent appointments at the Yale University School of Music, (1981-88), the New England Conservatory, (1984-88), and at the Juilliard School, (1985-88) Since 1980, he has spent summers as an artist/faculty member at the Aspen Music School.
Mr. Kantor served for ten years as the concertmaster of the New Haven Symphony Orchestra, and for ten years as concertmaster of the Aspen Chamber Symphony. The 1988-89 season found him in Europe where he was appointed concertmaster of the Lausanne Chamber Orchestra, leading that orchestra on it's successful world tour. A frequent guest concertmaster, he appeared most recently with the New Japan Philharmonic and the Toledo Symphony.
In September of 2002 Mr. Kantor was appointed to the faculty of the Cleveland Institute of Music as Eleanor H. Biggs Distinguished Professor of Violin.
Elmar Oliveira has taken his place as one of the most commanding violinists of our time, with his unsurpassed combination of impeccable artistry and old-world elegance. Mr. Oliveira is one of the few major artists committed to the entire spectrum of the violin world, constantly expanding traditional repertoire boundaries as a champion of contemporary music and rarely-heard works of the past, devoting energy to the development of the young artists of tomorrow, and enthusiastically supporting the art of modern violin and bow makers.
Among his generationâs most honored artists, Elmar Oliveira remains the first and only American violinist to win the Gold Medal at Moscowâs Tchaikovsky International Competition. He is also the first violinist to receive the coveted Avery Fisher Prize, in addition to capturing First Prizes at the Naumburg international Competition and the G.B. Dealey Competition.
Mr. Oliveira has become a familiar and much-admired figure at the worldâs foremost concert venues. His rigorous international itinerary includes appearances in recital and with many of the worldâs greatest orchestras, including the Zurich Tonhalle, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Leipzig, Gewandhaus Orchestras; the New York, Helsinki, Los Angeles and London Philharmonic Orchestras; and the San Francisco, Saint Louis, Boston, and Chicago Symphony Orchestras. He has also extensively toured the Far East, South America, Australia and New Zealand. Mr. Oliveiraâs upcoming engagements include performances with the Philadelphia Orchestra, the San Francisco Symphony, the Montréal Symphony, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, the Hong Kong Philharmonic, the Moscow State Academic Symphony, and many more. Recent and upcoming recitals include National Gallery in Washington DC, Alice Tully Hall in New York, Sanibel (Florida), Kansas City, Johns Hopkins University and Caramoor.
Mr. Oliveiraâs repertoire is among the most diverse of any of todayâs preeminent artists. While he has been hailed for his performances of the standard violin literature, he is also a much sought-after interpreter of the music of our time. He has premiered works by such distinguished composers as Morton Gould, Ezra Laderman, Charles Wuorinen, Joan Tower, Andrzej Panufnik, Benjamin Lees, Nicholas Flagello, Leonard Rosenman, Hugh Aitken, and Richard Yardumian. He has also performed seldom-heard concerti by Alberto Ginastera, Einoujuhani Rautavaara, Joseph Achron, Joseph Joachim, and many others. He recently gave the Spanish premiere of Krzysztof Pendereckiâs Second Violin Concerto, conducted by the celebrated composer.
A prodigious recording artist, Elmar Oliveira is a two-time Grammy nominee for his CD of the Barber Concerto with Leonard Slatkin and the Saint Louis Symphony. His discography on Artek, Angel, SONY Masterworks, Vox, Delos, IMP, Ondine, and Melodiya ranges widely from works by Bach and Vivaldi to the Present. His best-selling recording of the Rautavaara Violin Concerto with the Helsinki Philharmonic (Ondine) recently won a Cannes Classical Award and has appeared on Gramophoneâs "Editorâs Choice" and other Best Recordings lists around the world. Other recordings include the Brahms and Saint-Saëns B minor Concerti with Gerard Schwarz and the Seattle Symphony (Artek), the Respighi B minor and Pizzeti A Major Violin Sonatas (Artek), "Favorite Encores" with pianist Robert Koenig (Artek), the Three Brahms Sonatas with pianist Jorge Osorio (Artek), the Joachim Concerto "in the Hungarian Manner" with the London Philharmonic (IMP) and the Tower Concerto (written for him) with the Louisville Orchestra (dâNote), the Chausson Concerto for Violin, Piano, and String Quartet, and the Lekeu Sonata (Biddulph). Of great historical significance are two unique projects: a CD released by Bein & Fushi of Chicago, featuring Mr. Oliveira performing on some of the worldâs greatest violins (fifteen Stradivaris and fifteen Guarneri del Gesus), and a recording of short pieces highlighting the rare violins from the collection of the Library of Congress.
The son of Portuguese immigrants, Mr. Oliveira was nine when he began studying the violin with his brother John. He later continued his studies with Ariana Bronne and Raphael Bronstein at the Hartt College of Music and the Manhattan School of Music, where Mr. Oliveira also received an honorary doctorate. Other honors include the Portuguese Order of Santiago. He has served on the juries of some of the most prestigious violin competitions, including the Montréal, Indianapolis, Naumburg, and Vianna da Motta. Elmar Oliveira performs exclusively on an instrument known as the "Stretton", made ca. 1729-31 by Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesu, and on an exact copy of that violin made by Curtin and Alf in 1993.
A 1998 Outstanding Young Woman of America awardee and a top-prize winner in both the National Federation of Music Clubs Young Artist Competition and the Irving Klein International String Competition, Carol Ou has won praise from audiences and critics alike across North America and Asia for her "utterly fabulous" playing (The Republic), and for her "astounding tone and incisive technique" (The Republic and Strad Magazine). The China Times called her "a magician on the cello."
Born in Taipei, Taiwan, Miss Ou came to the United States at ten years of age and began cello studies with Gretchen Geber in Los Angeles. She later studied with Ronald Leonard, Janos Starker and Aldo Parisot. She holds the Bachelor of Arts degree from Yale College and the Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees from the Yale School of Music.
A versatile artist, Miss Ou has appeared with orchestras in such locales as Taipei, Louisiana, Arkansas, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio and Connecticut. Recent seasons have seen the release by the Chi-Mei Foundation of her debut CD recording of seventeen cello and piano pieces, as well as her world premiere performance of Tyzen Hsiaoâs Cello Concerto.
An avid chamber musician, she has collaborated with such celebrated artists as Midori, Felix Galimir, Timothy Eddy, Andras Schiff, and Richard Goode. She has appeared at the chamber music festivals of Santa Fe, La Jolla and Marlboro.
Miss Ou resides in Boston with her husband, James Buswell, and daughter, Anna. She is a member of the faculty of the New England Conservatory of Music.
Sandra Robbins graduated from the Manhattan School of Music after studying viola in both the preparatory and college
divisions with Lillian Fuchs. At an early age, her love and special interest in chamber music was fostered by studies with the Budapest String Quartet and with such renowned musicians as Artur Balsam, Sascha Jacobsen, Lillian Fuchs, and Raphael Bronstein at the Kneisel Hall Chamber Music School in Blue Hill, Maine.
Ms. Robbins has been a member of the Ysaye Quartet, the Paganini Trio, and the Bronx Arts Ensemble, and has performed in chamber music concerts with such prominent artists as Nathaniel Rosen, Julius Baker, Elmar Oliveira, Zara Nelsova, Laszlo Varga, Carol Wincenc and Paul Doktor. She has participated in the festivals of Aspen, Caramoor, Grand Teton, Vermont Mozart, Seattle Chamber Music, Bard Festival, Festival Musicades in Lyon, France, Kneisel Hall in Maine, Amelia Island Festival in Florida and the Australian Festival of Chamber Music in Townsville, Australia. Immediately prior to the Viola Congress Ms. Robbins performed at the first Amiata Summit (a symposium of world-renowned violinmakers and performers working and performing together to advance the art of violin making) in the Tuscany region of Italy. Ms. Robbins is currently a member of the American Composers Orchestra, The Westchester Philharmonic, and freelances in New York City. She has taught viola and chamber music on the faculties of Cornell, SUNY Geneseo and Syracuse University.
Ms. Robbins has recorded for Newport Classics and New World Records. She can be heard on the world premiere recording of Max Bruchâs viola quintet in A minor (1919) on Premier Recordings with the Bronx Arts Ensemble, as well as on the Elan label in a performance of the Martinu Three Madrigals for Violin and Viola with violinist Elmar Oliveira and on the recording of Chaussonâs Concerto for Violin, Piano, and String Quartet with violinist Elmar Oliveira and pianist Robert Koenig on Artek Recordings.
