Trombonist Levi Boylan began his musical journey studying the piano at the age of four. He turned to the trombone at age ten, studying with Ann Arbor low brass teacher Jonathan Holtfreter. Occasionally making cameo appearances with members of his musical family, he performed the trombone solo of the aria Tuba Mirum from the Mozart Requiem in a spectacle organized by his great uncle, Canadian bass baritone Gary Relyea at the Niagara-on-the Lake Music festival in Ontario, Canada. Over the years, he played many times at Ann Arbor’s Kerrytown Concert House (KCH), often accompanied by his grandmother and KCH Founder Deanna Relyea. He currently studies at The Juilliard School with the distinguished teacher Joseph Alessi.
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Michael Baker, trumpet
Michael Baker holds both a Bachelor's and Master's Degree from The Juilliard School where he studied with Philip Smith, Mark Gould and Edward Treutel. He is a busy freelance musician within the New York and New Jersey area, playing with the New York Philharmonic, the Metropolitan Opera, and the Garden State Philharmonic. Michael is currently the 2nd/Associate principal trumpet of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra. Michael has toured with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, the Mariinsky Orchestra and the Israel Philharmonic. He is also a member of the prestigious Brass Band of Battle Creek. Michael has toured America, Japan, Australia, the UK, Canada, Norway, Sweden, and Korea as a trumpet and cornet soloist. In 2014, he was a guest soloist at the International Trumpet Guild Conference. Michael teaches Trumpet at William Paterson University in New Jersey.
Colleen Bernstein
Colleen Bernstein is an award-winning percussionist and educator recognized for her versatility and passion. She is currently the percussionist for Monty Python’s Spamalot on Broadway, as well as a member of the Radio City Music Hall Orchestra. Ms. Bernstein has previously collaborated with notable artists including Béla Fleck, Judy Collins, Tania León, Concertgebouw Orchestra Camerata, American Symphony Orchestra, Silkroad Ensemble, International Contemporary Ensemble, Talea Ensemble, Balla Kouyaté, and Sandbox Percussion.
Phillip Solomon, clarinet
Clarinetist Phillip Solomon enjoys a varied career of collaborative and heartfelt music making in New York City. As an orchestral musician, he performs regularly with the Metropolitan Opera, and has appeared with the New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, New Jersey Symphony, and the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, among others. During his summers, he serves as Second Clarinet of the Glimmerglass Festival Orchestra. As a Klezmer musician, he was a founding member of Mountain Mishpokhe, a Klezmer band based in Aspen, Colorado.
Mimi Solomon, piano
American pianist Mimi Solomon enjoys a multi-faceted career as a chamber musician, soloist, and teacher. She has performed throughout the United States, China, Japan and Europe, has appeared as soloist with orchestras including Shanghai Symphony, Philharmonia Virtuosi, and Yale Symphony Orchestra, and has been featured on numerous radio and television broadcasts including the McGraw-Hill Young Artist’s Showcase, France 3, France Inter, and National Public Radio.
September 24th at 4PM, Mysteries of Identity at the Cooperage!
Mysteries of Identity, Caroline Stinson & Ieva Jokubaviciute in Recital A musical exploration of how we define ourselves, culturally, personally and spiritually, Mysteries of Identity brings together a wide range of compositional voices in search of their own expressive “I am”.
Aleksandra Dzenisenia, cimbalom
Aleksandra Dzenisenia studied at the Belarusian State Academy of Music and at the Conservatoire supérieur in Strasbourg. Literally since her first steps in music Aleksandra made herself known as a talented and original musician. Being only a first-year student Aleksandra got the first prize at the international musical competition in Moscow. She later she took part in many international competitions and was invariably a prize-winner.
John Harbison, Composer in Residence
Composer John Harbison’s concert music catalog of almost 300 works is anchored by three operas, seven symphonies, twelve concerti, a ballet, six string quartets, numerous song cycles and chamber works, and a large body of sacred music that includes cantatas, motets, and the orchestral-choral works Four Psalms, Requiem, and Abraham. He has also penned a substantial body of jazz compositions and arrangements, and cadenzas for major violin and piano concertos. Harbison has received commissions from most of America’s premiere musical institutions, including the Metropolitan Opera, Chicago Symphony, Boston Symphony, New York Philharmonic, and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. As one of America’s most distinguished artistic figures, he is recipient of numerous awards and honors, among them a MacArthur Fellowship and a Pulitzer Prize.
Ensemble Accroche Note
Accroche Note is a group of soloists formed around the soprano Françoise Kubler and clarinettist Armand Angster. Their aim is to lead in the promotion of today’s music through a variety of mediums and genres. The programe of each concert dictates the number of musicians who constitute the ensemble. The flexibility of the group, from solo musician to large chamber ensemble, allows them to tackle varying projects; from the historical pages of the classical repertoire to instrumental and vocal literature of the 20th and 21st century. Other projects centre around improvisation through jazz and other improvised traditions.
Steven Banks, saxophone & composer
Winner of the prestigious 2022 Avery Fisher Career Grant, Steven Banks is an ambassador for the classical saxophone, establishing himself as both a compelling and charismatic soloist, dedicated to showcasing the vast capabilities of the instrument, as well as an advocate for expanding its repertoire. Steven is also the first saxophonist to capture First Prize at the Young Concert Artists Susan Wadsworth International Auditions (2019). He was also recently chosen to join WQXR’s 2022 Artist Propulsion Lab, a program designed to advance the careers of artists and support the future of classical music. Steven has recently appeared as soloist with the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, Aspen Festival Orchestra, Oregon Mozart Players, Colorado Music Festival, Colorado Symphony, Utah Symphony, the Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra and on subscription with the Cleveland Orchestra.