THE MUSICIANS CLUB OF NEW YORK

Presents

 
TAVI UNGERLEIDER, CELLO
Second Prize Winner,
2013 Serge & Olga Koussevitzky Young Artist Awards

CARLOS AVILA, PIANO


Friday, December 20th, 2013 at 8:00 PM

Liederkranz Concert Hall
6 East 87th Street
New York City

 

 

PROGRAM

In memory of Kermit Moore:
Sarabande from Cello Suite No. 1 – Bach


Sonata for Cello and Piano, Op. 102, No. 1 – Beethoven

    Andante - Allegro vivace
    Adagio - Tempo d'andante - Allegro vivace
 
Excerpts from Porgy and Bess – Gershwin
It Aint Necessarily So
    Summertime
    Tempo di Blues
                 
Sonata for Cello and Piano op 19 – Rachmaninoff
    Lento - Allegro moderato
    Allegro scherzando
    Andante
    Allegro mosso

 

Tavi Ungerleider, Cello
Cellist Tavi Ungerleider plays with a "jaw-dropping virtuosity and an enthusiasm that makes a lapsed dabbler want to dust off her own keyboard" (LA times). His performances have been described by critics as "mesmerizing...thrilling" (Worcester telegram), "technically confident and musically sensitive" (Boston Globe). Ungerleider has performed as soloist, recitalist and chamber musician across the United States, Europe, Asia and South America, including solo performances with the Thayer Symphony, Waltham Philharmonic, Concord Symphony, Wellesley Symphony, Brockton Symphony, and New England Conservatory's Youth Philharmonic, among others. He has appeared at Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall, Carnegie Hall's Issac Stern Auditorium and Weill Recital Hall, the Kennedy Center's Terrace Theatre, Jordan Hall, Symphony Hall, and more. Appearing numerous times on WQXR and nationally broadcast radio station NPR, Ungerleider has performed in collaboration with many of the great innovators in music today, including Grammy Award winners Bela Fleck and Leonard Slatkin. Mr. Ungerleider also recently collaborated with Michael Tilson Thomas for a television series entitled "Masterclass" that is currently being aired on HBO and PBS. Most recently, Ungerleider has appeared in the Kennedy Center's "Conservatory Project", the Juilliard School's "ChamberFest", and as cellist for Aspen Festival's annual faculty Beethoven Series.

In addition to performing regularly, Ungerleider has also been the recipient of numerous awards, including top prizes from the 2013 Koussevitzky Young Artist Awards, 2012 International Crescendo Music Awards Competition, and from competitions hosted by the Harvard Musical Association, National Federation of Music Clubs, and the International Chamber Music Ensemble Competition of the Chamber Music Foundation of New England. 

Born to a musical family, Mr. Ungerleider began cello studies at the age of 5 in Sudbury Massachusetts. Since 2008, he has studied at the Juilliard School with Joel Krosnick, cellist of the Juilliard String Quartet. He received a Bachelor of Arts from the Columbia University and Juilliard School joint degree program and is currently pursuing studies at the Juilliard School for the Master of Music degree. Before entering the Juilliard School, Ungerleider studied with Ronald Feldman, and has also been mentored by cellists Ralph Kirshbaum, Timothy Eddy, Frans Helmerson, Gary Hoffman, Laurence Lesser, and Paul Katz. He has been a participant at some of the most prestigious summer music festivals including the Aspen Music Festival, Kneisel Hall, and Ravinia's Steans Institute.

Carlos Avila, Piano
Filipino-American pianist Carlos Avila is quickly becoming recognized as one of the most sought-after pianists in the United States. He has performed in concert and recital in countries around the world including Germany, Italy, Holland, Spain, Japan, South Korea, Canada, Chile and in over half of the continental United States as well as at such prestigious festivals as Schleswig-Holstein, Holland, Tanglewood, Sarasota, Aspen, Banff, Music Academy of the West, Pianofest at the Hamptons, Gijon Piano Festival, California Summer Music, Carnegie Hall, Atlantic Music Festival and others.

Mr Avila has won numerous international, national and regional competitions – including top prizes in the 28th International Corpus Christi Competition, the San Francisco Pianist’s Competition, the International Sorantin Competition, and the Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition at Juilliard. He has also had the opportunity to work and study with many legendary musicians including the late Isaac Stern, Daniel Barenboim, Michael Tilson Thomas, Garrick Ohlsson, Emanuel Ax, Richard Goode, Claude Frank, Leon Fleisher, John O’Conor and members of the St. Lawrence, Tokyo, Guarneri, Juilliard, Ying, and Borodin String Quartets.

Mr. Avila has performed as soloist with many orchestras, including filling in for an ailing Stuart Goodyear at 24 hours notice to perform the Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 1 with the California Symphony – "a pinch-hit homerun" according to the San Francisco Classical Voice. As a young musician, he shared a long-time relationship with Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony in chamber music collaborations, coaching, performances, and events.

Joshua Kosman of the San Francisco Chronicle says, "[Avila] possesses a nimble keyboard technique, eloquent legato, beautiful command of tone and mood...unruffleable savoir-faire." The Contra Costa Times says "[Avila] performs with poise and a level of artistry that seem far beyond his years."

Mr. Avila is also an avid collaborator with many musicians in recitals and concerts – based in New York City, he frequently collaborates with acclaimed Korean violinist Jay Oh, with whom he recently finished three 16-city tours of South Korea in 2008, 2010 and 2012. Last fall, he gave an all-transcription recital broadcast over WQXR New York radio as part of the McGraw-Hill recital series and last winter, he finished a mammoth long 29-city United States tour with acclaimed Baritone Leon Williams. Also a frequent collaborator with Assistant Concertmaster of the New York Philharmonic's Michelle Kim, he often participates in the promotion of her Doublestop Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing young musicians with no-cost loans of high-quality instruments. In the spring, he performed in Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s All-Access Chamber series.

Mr. Avila also serves as affiliate-faculty at The Atlantic Music Festival in Waterville, Maine. He received both his B.M and M.M from the Juilliard School under the tutelage of Jerome Lowenthal – previously he was a student at the Yale School of Music under the direction of Peter Frankl. In addition, he also spent three years at UC Berkeley pursuing a Legal Studies degree.