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Matthew Driver DMA Piano Recital

Matthew Driver, piano
Carmen Lemos Gonzalez, piano
Megan Angriawan, piano

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Program

Mozart K.448 Two Piano Sonata      Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Allegro Con Spirito
Andante
Molto Allegro

Piano Suite No. 2 Op. 17 for Two Piano    Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943)
Introduction (Alla Marcia, in C major)
Valse (Presto, in G major)
Romance (Andantino, in A-Flat Major)
Tarantelle (Presto, in C minor)

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Matthew Driver, born in Chesterfield, Virginia, has established a distinguished career as a pianist, educator, and researcher. His extensive performance experience spans numerous festivals, competitions, and collaborative projects with various artists across the United States.

Driver commenced his piano studies at the age of nine, demonstrating exceptional talent and dedication. Under the careful guidance and unwavering support of his family, he continued his musical education through the collegiate level. At the age of nine, Driver gave his first public performance, marking the beginning of a lifelong commitment to music.

Throughout his career, Driver has performed at prestigious festivals, including the Green Mountain Music Festival and Dance West Virginia. In addition to his performances, he has served as a faculty member at the Dance West Virginia festival, where he taught music, adjudicated the scholarship competition, and accompanied dance classes.

In his role as a graduate teaching assistant at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA), Driver has mentored numerous students who have gone on to achieve success in competitions throughout North Carolina and have received full scholarships to universities. His dedication to music education is further exemplified by his passion for community engagement. Driver was invited to participate in an Alzheimer’s research study conducted by Wake Forest University, where he will use music to investigate the effects of Alzheimer’s disease on the brain.

Driver’s academic accomplishments include graduating with honors from Virginia Commonwealth University with a Bachelor of Music (B.M.) degree. He also earned a Master of Music degree and a Performance Diploma with highest honors from UNCSA. Currently, Driver is pursuing a Doctorate in Piano Performance and Pedagogy at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he serves as a teaching assistant, instructing undergraduate piano lab courses and accompanying a diverse range of musicians.

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$20 general admission
Students free (ticket required)
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Mead Witter School of Music Faculty Artist Series

Dan Cavanagh Faculty Composition Recital

Benjamin Davies Hudson, violin
Christopher Bolduc, violin
Sage Eckard-Lee, viola
Timothy Mullins, flute
Deirdre Brenner, piano
Sarah Brailey, soprano
David Perry, violin
Suzanne Beia, violin
Sally Chisholm, viola
Parry Karp, cello
James Waldo, cello
Max Feng, cello
Martha Fischer, piano
Eleni Katz, bassoon
Dan Cavanagh, piano

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Program

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Dr. Dan Cavanagh is a composer and pianist who has garnered numerous awards in both areas. He has been commissioned by a wide range of jazz and classical artists throughout North America and Europe, and his music continues to be performed across the globe. Cavanagh has released five jazz CDs as a leader. His music can be heard on many other recordings both classical and jazz.

Cavanagh has performed extensively in North America and internationally. He has been a finalist in the EuropaFest Jazz Contest in Bucharest, and in the Jacksonville Jazz Festival Piano Competition.

He is Professor of Composition and Jazz Studies and the Pamela O. Hamel/Board of Advisors of the Mead Witter School of Music at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Prior to his time at UW–Madison, he held appointments at the University of Texas at Arlington, where he served for 18 years.

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Brendin Larson Master’s Voice Recital

Brendin Larson, voice
Thomas Kasdorf, piano

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Brendin Larson is a second-year master’s student at UW–Madison, pursuing a degree in vocal performance. He specializes in genderbending roles in opera and musicals. After graduating this spring, he plans to pursue a career in stage performance and vocal teaching. Notable roles include Lady Jane (Patience), Mrs. Anderson (A Little Night Music), Public Opinion (Orpheus in the Underworld), Lucy (The Threepenny Opera), and Ms. Trunchbull (Matilda: The Musical)

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Ricky Medina Master’s Flute Recital

Ricky Medina, flute
William Preston, piano
James Waldo, cello

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Program 

Poison Mushroom for flute and electronics      Dai Fujikura (b. 1977)

Vox balaenae for three masked players      George Crumb (1929-2022)
Vocalise (..for the beginning of time)
Variations on Sea-Time
Sea-Theme
Archeozoic (Var. I)
Proterozoic (Var. II)
Paleozoic (Var. III)
Mesozoic (Var. IV)
Cenozoic (Var. V)
Sea-Nocturne (..for the end of time)

Nocturne for flute and piano     Georges Barrère (1876-1944)

Le moment du cristal    Yuko Uebayashi (b. 1958)

Sonatine pour flûte et piano      Henri Dutilleux (1916-2013)

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Eliza Morris Master’s Voice Recital

Eliza Morris, mezzo-soprano
Will Preston, piano

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Program

Banalités       Francis Poulenc (1899-1963)
I. “Chanson d’Orkenise”
II. “Hôtel”
III. “Fagnes de Wallonie
IV. “Voyage à Paris”
V. “Sanglots”

Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen       Gustav Mahler (1860-1911)
I. “Wenn mein Schatz Hochzeit macht”
II. “Ging heut’ Morgen über’s feld”
III. “Ich hab’ ein glühend Messer”
IV. “Die zwei blauen Augen von meinem Schatz”

Intermission

“Acerba voluttà” from Adriana Lecouvreur      Francesco Cilea (1866-1950)

”Wouldn’t it be queer?”      Amy Beach (1867-1944)

”Einsamer Gang”     Alma Mahler (1879-1964)

”The Seal Man”      Rebecca Clarke (1886-1979)

”Alto’s Lament”       Zina Goldrich (b. 1964)

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Eunsu Kim and Carolyn Van De Velde DMA Piano/Violin Recital

Eunsu Kim, piano
Carolyn Van De Velde, violin
Zou Zou Robidoux, cello

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Program

Piano Trio No. 1, Op. 49    Felix Mendelssohn (1809–1847)
Molto allegro agitato
Andante con moto tranquillo
Scherzo: Leggiero e vivace
Finale: Allegro assai appassionato

Piano Trio No. 2, Op. 66         Felix Mendelssohn
Allegro energico e con fuoco
Andante espressivo
Scherzo: Molto allegro quasi presto
Finale: Allegro appassionato

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Eunsu Kim, pianist, was born in South Korea and began her first piano lessons at the age of four. At eleven, she explored composition, but music remained only a hobby during her early years. For a time, she stepped away from the piano, dreaming of becoming a historian. However, her deep love for music ultimately prevailed, and at sixteen, she returned to the piano by entering Busan Arts High School. She has performed as a guest artist and collaborated with numerous musicians, particularly bass trombonists, at various venues across the United States and South Korea. From 2019 to 2023, she studied with André Watts, whose mentorship significantly shaped her musical development. During this time, she earned her Master of Music and Performer Diploma on a full scholarship and stipend at Indiana University – Bloomington. While studying, she participated in masterclasses with Edward Auer, Emanuel Ax, Tanya Gabrielian, Christopher Harding, and Nelita True. She also taught undergraduate students through both group and private lessons as an Associate Instructor at Indiana University – Bloomington. Eunsu is currently in her first year of the Doctor of Musical Arts program at the University of Wisconsin–Madison as a Paul J. Collins Wisconsin Distinguished Graduate Fellow, studying under Christopher Taylor. At the same time, she is completing her Artist Diploma at Indiana University – Bloomington under the guidance of Evelyne Brancart, continuing to expand her artistry through these complementary experiences.

Carolyn Van De Velde is a professional violinist and educator living in Madison, Wisconsin. After completing her Masters Degree with UW-Madison in 2024, she decided to continue her academic adventure and is currently perusing her Doctorate of Music. She studies with and is the teaching assistant to David Perry. Carolyn enjoys working as a leader in the UW Symphony Orchestra and was a member of the Rabin Graduate Student Quartet from 2022-2024 where she extensively studied chamber music with the ProArte Quartet. In addition to her studies, she freelances with multiple orchestras including the the Madison Symphony Orchestra, and has been a member of the Quad City Symphony Orchestra since 2019. Carolyn received her Bachelors Degree from the University of Illinois Champaign Urbana and also completed her Artistic Diploma in Vienna, Austria at the Vienna Konservatorium, where she studied with Barbara Gozynska for five years. She has shared the stage with renowned artists such as Emanuel Ax, Joshua Bell, Yo-Yo Ma, Michael Bublé, and Hamilton’s René Elise Goldsberry. She enjoys drawing and painting and playing with her rescue dog, Winston.

Zou Zou Robidoux is a Wisconsin-based cellist working across classical and contemporary genres. She is currently pursuing a Master of Music at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, studying with Dr. James Waldo as a Paul Collins Wisconsin Distinguished Graduate Fellow. Prior to her graduate studies, Zou Zou lived in Montreal from 2016-2024. During this time, she performed throughout Canada in band, musical theater, and orchestral settings, including performances at the Montreal Jazz Festival, National Arts Centre, Theatre Calgary, and Vancouver Folk Festival.

As a studio musician in the Montreal scene, Zou Zou collaborated with members of Arcade Fire, The Weather Station, and U.S. Girls, and was featured as a cellist and string arranger on two of Basia Bulat’s studio albums, The Garden and Are You In Love? Zou Zou received her B.Mus. in Cello Performance from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where she studied with Uri Vardi. Following her degree, Zou Zou served as the cellist of the Nightingale String Quartet at the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR), where she also performed the Elgar Cello Concerto as a soloist with the UNR Symphony Orchestra.

A passionate collaborator, Zou Zou has performed as a chamber musician with Bach Before Bedtime, Willy Street Chamber Players, among others. In 2022, Zou Zou founded ChamberFest at the Spring Green General Store (ChamberFest), a chamber music festival committed to bringing diverse and engaging programming to the Wisconsin River Valley Community. As an orchestral musician, Zou Zou has worked with the Reno Philharmonic, Pronto Musica, and Orchestre de la francophonie, with whom she toured South Korea.

An avid lover of musicals, Zou Zou has played in over 30 musical theater productions across the U.S. and Canada. In 2022, Zou Zou made her professional acting debut at the Segal Centre for the Performing Arts, originating the role of Music in the English adaptation of Keren Peles’ rock musical April Fools. Other highlights of her pit work include a Yiddish and English production of It Shoulda Been You with the Dora Wasserman Yiddish Theatre at the Segal Centre, Sisters: The Belles Soeurs Musical with Theatre Calgary, and the world premiere of the French-language version of The Phantom of the Opera at le Monument-National.

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Ben Johnson Master’s Voice Recital

Ben Johnson, tenor 
Thomas Kasdorf, piano

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Program

Les Illuminations         Benjamin Britten (1913-1976)
Fanfare
Villes
Phrase
Antique
Royauté
Marine
Interlude
Being Beauteous
Parade
Départ

Trzy pieśni do słów arabskich z X wieku           Grażyna Bacewicz (1909-1969)
Mamidło
Inna
Samotność

Songs of the Seasons          Margaret Bonds (1913-1972)
Poème d’Automne
Winter Moon
Young Love in Spring
Summer Storm

Kaksi laulua, op. 8            Toivo Kuula (1883-1918)
Suutelo
Marjatan laulu

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Palestinian-American tenor Ben Johnson is a second-year M.M. Voice Performance student at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he studies with Mimmi Fulmer. He also holds a B.M. in Voice Performance from the Crane School of Music in Potsdam, NY.

His recent stage credits include the roles of Piquillo in Songbird (Madison, WI), Fabrizio in The Light in the Piazza (Madison, WI), Pane in La Calisto (Madison, WI), Tony in West Side Story (Somerset, NJ), Pluton in Orphée aux enfers (Waimea, HI), and Milio Dufresne in Zazà (Potsdam, NY). Ben was also the tenor soloist for the world premiere of the symphony Revelation by William Banfield with the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra. He is originally from Hellertown, PA, and currently lives in Madison, WI with his boyfriend and his cat.

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Doudou Jin DMA Violin Recital

Doudou Jin
Mira Katz-James
Oliver Milton Diaz Moore
Colette Mouton
Matthew Driver
Sage Eckard-Lee
Carmen Julia Lemos-Gonzalez

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Program

Piano Quintet in A major, D. 667. ”The Trout Quintet (Forellenquintett)” (1819)     Franz Schubert(1797- 1828)
1. Allegro vivace
2. Andante
3. Scherzo: Presto
4. Andantino – Allegretto
5. Allegro giusto

Trio in E-flat Major, K. 498, “Kegelstatt Trio” (1786)     Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791)
1. Andante
2. Menuetto
3. Rondo. Allegretto

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Live from the Mead Witter School of Music presents:
Sondermusik Trio

Madlen Breckbill, viola
Philip Bergman, cello
Micah Behr, piano

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Program

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“Live from the Mead Witter School of Music” is a chamber music series held the second Sunday of each month at the Hamel Music Center during the academic year.

The series is made available by the generosity of donors to the David and Kato Perlman Live from the Mead Witter School of Music Fund.