Since the first EAST MOUNTAIN ARTISTS SERIES concert in March 1997, Monique Le Duc's dream of classical music in the East Mountains has been a reality. As we celebrate our Tenth Season, we welcome back EMAS' talented Artists-in-Residence, the remarkable Sierra Trio - pianist Monique Le Duc, violinist Margaret Hawn, and cellist Pamela Washburn DeLisse.
The EAST MOUNTAIN ARTISTS SERIES was founded with the mission of bringing outstanding classical music to the East Mountain community. We can’t do this without your support! Please consider a season subscription and/or a generous contribution to help us continue what has already become a wonderful tradition in the East Mountains. We are a not-for-profit organization; therefore your contributions are tax-deductible.
Our concerts are held on Sundays at 3:00 p.m. We are grateful to the Mountainside United Methodist Church for the use of their fine facility. The church is in Cedar Crest, at 4 Penny Lane, just off Highway 14, 3/4 mile north of I-40 (Exit 175).
We are pleased to provide concertgoers with free refreshments and childcare.
Our EMAS Artists-in-Residence will open the season, with Monique Le Duc on piano, Margaret Hawn on violin, and Pamela Washburn DeLisse on cello, performing selections from Mozart, Chopin, and Saint-Saens.
Founded in 2003, Trio New Mexico is a faculty Ensemble-in-Residence in the UNM Department of Music. Its members include Keith Lemmons, Professor of Clarinet and Presidential Teaching Fellow; Kevin Vigneau, Associate Professor of Oboe; and Kim Fredenburgh, Assistant Professor of Viola. They will perform works by Randall Thompson, Michael Kinder, Scott Wilkinson, and William Wood.
Bolivian-born violinist-violist Willy Sucre will be joined by Brazilian-born violinist Carmelo de los Santos, Polish-born violinist Joanna Morska-Osinska, and American-born cellist Joan Zucker. Given the global origins of the musicians, they plan a program with “international flavor,” including composers such as Spain’s Arriaga and Turina, and Brazil’s Carlos Gomes.
Violist Iris McDowell will join the Sierra Trio for a delightful afternoon of piano quartets. Iris is an accomplished violist and violinist, and performs with both the New Mexico and Santa Fe Symphony Orchestras.
Albuquerque native Rachel Hawn began her violin studies at the age of three. A winner of the Albuquerque Youth Symphony Senior Solo Competition, she made her solo debut in 1998. Since then, she has performed in recitals and musical tours and festivals in this country and abroad. Most recently her solo performances were with the University of Arizona Symphony Orchestra and the Catalina Chamber Orchestra. Now a second year Masters student at the Cleveland Institute of music, she is pursuing her love of performing and teaching. Accompanying Rachel on the piano will be Monique Le Duc and David Hawn.
This will be the 10th annual Youth Concert. Always remarkable and entertaining to a large audience, this concert features talented instrumental and vocal soloists and chamber groups of high school age and younger. Interested musicians should contact Mary Chambers (281-5187) by February 1. Auditions will be held in mid-February.
The New Mexico Symphony Orchestra features the talents of a distinguished group of brass section leaders. In addition to their contribution to the Symphony, this quintet also entertains audiences with their wonderful blend in ensemble performances. The East Mountain Artists Series is pleased to present the NMSO Brass Quintet in concert on Sunday, April 9, 2006.
Jon Dante is now in his sixth season as Principal Trumpet in the NMSO, a position he has also held with a number of other major orchestras. He is the founder of the Paramount Brass and has served on the faculties of several prominent institutions. Jon also enjoys playing the piano and composing and arranging music.
Mark Hyams joined NMSO as Second Trumpet in December 2003, and also serves as Principal Trumpet of the Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra. He is a former member of the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra, a group that accompanies silent films. Mark frequently performs at orchestral and band festivals.
Peter Ulffers joined the NMSO as Principal Horn in its 1992 season. During the 2001-2002 season, he was Principal Horn in the Phoenix Symphony Orchestra. He also performs regularly with the Santa Fe Symphony, Santa Fe Pro Musica, and Santa Fe Opera, and appears as soloist with many groups.
Richard White, NMSO Principal Tubist, is also a tuba instructor at the University of New Mexico. He began his music education at age twelve at Baltimore School for the Performing Arts, and later studied at the Peabody Conservatory of Music and the University of Indiana. He is currently a doctoral candidate.
Lynn Mostoller, trombonist with the Santa Fe Symphony, previously held the Principle Trombone position with the Tulsa Philharmonic, and fills in for former Quintet member, Debra Taylor.
The East Mountain Artists Series’ final presentation of the 2005-2006 Season is a Spring Concert by The Sierra Trio on Sunday, May 7, at 3 pm, featuring piano trios by Johannes Brahms and Joaquin Turina. EMAS’ Artists-in-Residence, The Sierra Trio is comprised of pianist Monique Le Duc, violinist Margaret Hawn, and cellist Pamela Washburn DeLisse.
First on the program is Brahms’ Piano Trio in B Major, Opus 8. Originally written in 1854, it was a work filled with youthful spontaneity and fresh lyricism, but within a somewhat stilted structure. Thirty-seven years later Brahms revised it, bringing to it a master’s technique and maturity without sacrificing its ardent vitality.
The program will continue with Joaquin Turina’s Piano Trio No. 1, Opus 35, Trio en Fa. This work earned the composer the National Music Prize of the Spanish State in 1926, before it had even been performed. In the second movement, “Thème et variations,” each section reflects the rhythms and melodic characteristics of a folk song or dance from a particular region of Spain.
The Sierra Trio’s pianist, EMAS founder Monique Le Duc, is a graduate of the Paris Conservatoire and a long-time concert pianist and educator. She has lived in New Mexico since 1989, teaching and performing, and in 1997 created the East Mountain Artists Series to bring exceptional classical music closer to home. In addition to performing on the EMAS concert stage, Monique serves as Program Director for the Series.
Violinist Margaret Hawn completed her musical training at the University of New Mexico and Indiana University. Before joining the Sierra Trio, she frequently performed with other musicians on violin and viola in past EMAS seasons. A former member of the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra and the Chamber Orchestra of Albuquerque, Margaret maintains a large Suzuki teaching studio in the East Mountain area.
Cellist Pamela Washburn DeLisse began her professional career as a member of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and performed extensively with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. She studied with the LaSalle Quartet in Cincinnati and with the Julliard Quartet. Currently Pamela is a member of the Santa Fe Symphony and various chamber music ensembles, and maintains a full studio of cello students.