Maestro 009: feat. Indie Classical Artists-String Soloists

Published: May 22, 2009, 7:44 p.m.

Violon XFabio Biondi
"Les Quatre Saisons (L'Ete)" (mp3)
from "Violon X"
(Naive)

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Fabio Biondi – violin:
 
Born in Palermo, Fabio Biondi began his international career at the age of twelve, performing his first solo concert with the RAI symphony orchestra. Driven early on by an inexhaustible cultural curiosity, Fabio Biondi was introduced to pioneers of the new approach to baroque music, an opportunity that was to expand his musical vision and change the direction of his career.

 In 1990, Fabio Biondi founded Europa Galante, an ensemble which, in just a few years thanks to their worldwide concert schedule and extraordinary recording successes, became the most internationally renowned and awarded Italian ensemble of baroque music. Fabio Biondi and his ensemble have been invited to play at the most important world festivals and concert halls, from La Scala in Milan to the Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome, the Suntory Hall in Tokyo, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Royal Albert Hall in London, the Musikverein in Vienna, the Lincoln Center in New York and the Sydney Opera House.



Vivaldi: The Four Seasons - Piazzolla: The Four Seasons of Buenos AiresLara St. John, The Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela, Eduardo Marturet

(Ancalagon LLC)


Vivaldi: The Four Seasons - Piazzolla: The Four Seasons of Buenos AiresLara St. John, The Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela, Eduardo Marturet

from "Vivaldi: The Four Seasons - Piazzolla: The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires"
(Ancalagon LLC)

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Lara St. John – violin: http://www.larastjohn.com/index.php
Canadian-born violinist Lara St. John has been described as "something of a phenomenon" by The Strad and a “high-powered soloist” by the New York Times .
She has performed as soloist with the orchestras of Cleveland, Philadelphia, Minnesota, Seattle, Brooklyn, Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, the Boston Pops and many more in North America. In Europe, she has played with the NDR Symphony (Hanover), Zurich Chamber Orchestra, Ensemble Orchestral de Paris, Bournemouth Symphony and the Amsterdam Symphony, among others. In Asia, solo appearances have included the Hong Kong Symphony, Tokyo Symphony, China Philharmonic in Beijing, Guangzhou Symphony and the Shanghai Broadcasting Orchestra. Lara has also performed with the Queensland Orchestra in Australia.
The Los Angeles Times has written, “St. John brings to the stage personal charisma, an unflagging musical imagination and genuine passion.” Recitals in major concert halls have included New York, Boston, San Francisco, Ravinia, Washington DC, Prague, Berlin, Toronto, Montreal and in the Forbidden City.
To learn more about Lara check out her website!
 

Bach: Suites for Solo Cello, Vol. 1Sara Sant'Ambrogio
"Suite No. 3 in C Major, BWV 1009" (mp3)
from "Bach: Suites for Solo Cello, Vol. 1"
(Sebastian Records)

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Sara Sant'Ambrogio – cello:

Grammy Award-winning cellist Sara Sant'Ambrogio first leapt to international attention when she won a medal at the Eighth International Tchaikovsky Violoncello Competition in Moscow, Russia. As a result of this prize, Carnegie Hall invited Sara to perform a recital that was televised nationally, as a part of a CBS News profile. The New York Times described her New York debut as “sheer pleasure”.

Sara has appeared as soloist with many orchestras, including Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, St. Louis, San Francisco, Prague Chamber Orchestra, Beijing Philharmonic, and Moscow State Philharmonic. She has performed throughout the world at most of the major music festivals and centers such as Aspen, Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Hollywood Bowl, Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, Musikverein in Vienna, Marlboro, Great Mountain in Korea, and Orchard and Suntory Halls in Tokyo.

As well as being featured in a broad range of international press, including Vanity Fair, Marie Claire, Glamour, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today and ABC, Fox, and CNN Networks, Sara has also been the subject of a feature length documentary entitled “Eroica!” which has had multiple airings on PBS. Always trying to expand the audience and push the boundaries for classical music, Sara has shot 4 music videos that have been aired internationally on Classic FM TV and has enjoyed collaborating with artists as diverse as the singer Rufus Wainwright-with whom she inaugurated a new concert series in New York City- to the rock group Vast- with whom she recorded. Sara collaborated with the New York City Ballet playing solo Bach at 7 sold-out shows at Lincoln Center and has had her playing featured on movie soundtracks including her own arrangement of Delibes' duet from Lakme on the soundtrack of the documentary “Jones Beach Boys.”
Sara was invited to study with David Soyer at the Curtis Institute of Music at the age of 16 and after receiving her high school diploma from that venerable conservatory she then attended The Juilliard School as a scholarship student of Leonard Rose. While at Juilliard, Sara co-founded the Naumburg Award winning Eroica Trio with 2 childhood friends. One of the most successful chamber ensembles in America, the Trio tours worldwide extensively and has released 8 recordings for Angel/EMI Classics which have been nominated for multiple Grammy's. This is Sara's second recording for Sebastian Records.