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$20 general admission
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Mead Witter School of Music Faculty Artist Series
Eleni Katz, bassoon
Christopher Taylor, piano
Gabrielle Herbst, composer
Richard Brasseale, composer & saxophone
Marc Vallon, composer
Alicia Lee, clarinet
Jean Laurenz, trumpet
Dawn Wohn, violin
Matthew Zalkind, cello
……
Program
Fantasia no. 3 Georg Philip Telemann
Elephant Suite 12 Gabrielle Herbst
1. The Tail that Trills
2. Tusks as Teeth
3. The Trunk that Drinks
4. The Lost Elephant
5. A Trek through the Savannahs
Enlaced Friendship Richard Brasseale
I. A Royal Blue Thread
II. The River at the Base of the Summit
III. Combing through the Thick Water
IV. Electric Exchange
V. Unbreakable Unforgettable Unstoppable
VI. Pedaling Forward
VII. The Song of this Journey
VIII. The Thread is Infinite
Intermission
High Tide Marc Vallon
La revue de cuisine Bohuslav Martinů
I. Prologue
II. Tango
III. Charleston
IV. Final
……
Hailed for her virtuosity and vibrant musical spirit, bassoonist Eleni Katz has established herself as a prominent soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral player. Her “thoughtful and expressive” approach to music making has led her to performances by the bright blue waters of Bermuda to the lights of Carnegie Hall (San Diego Union Tribune). Eleni is a winner of the 2022 Concert Artist Guild Victor Elmaleh Competition and has performed with the likes of Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, La Jolla Music Society’s SummerFest, and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. Currently, Eleni is bassoon teaching faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Mead Witter School of Music.
As a classically trained singer from Iowa City, Katz has always believed that the bassoon should emulate the organic nature of the human voice and her approach to playing the bassoon has been described as “uncannily human” (The Royal Gazette). In 2021, she commissioned and premiered “Sea Glass Partita for Singing Bassoonist” with composer Lila Meretzky. Drawing its lyrics from a poem that Eleni composed, the piece intersperses bassoon performance with singing and visual projections. Since the performance of this work, Eleni has commissioned several other works for bassoon that are multidisciplinary experiences by Tanner Porter, Harry Castle, and Richard Brasseale. In May 2024, Eleni Katz co-released an album featuring Richard Brasseale’s composition Enlaced Friendship, a work based on her original poetry that premiered at the New World Symphony in April 2023.
A few of Eleni’s 25-26 season highlights include performances with Camerata Pacifica, Charlottesville Chamber Music Festival, Artist Series Concerts of Sarasota, and a return to Phoenix Chamber Music Society. Other recent appearances include Tallgrass Chamber Music Festival, Highlands Cashiers Chamber Music Festival, Newport Classical, Ibagué Festival in Colombia, a California tour with the Concert Truck, Chamber Music Society of Fort Worth, and the Lake George Music Festival. As an orchestral performer, Eleni has appeared with several groups across the country, including the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, The Orchestra San Antonio, the Fort Worth Symphony, the Sarasota Orchestra, the Nu Deco Ensemble, and as a member of the New World Symphony.
Eleni received her B.M. at the University of Wisconsin’s Mead Witter School of Music under Marc Vallon. She earned her M.M and M.M.A degrees at the Yale School of Music, studying with Frank Morelli.
