blueFROG's take on Ensemble ACJW
Members of ACJW have played a wide range of music, in a variety of venues—from works written centuries ago to those completed days before—with verve and total commitment to their art.
About Ensemble ACJW
Ensemble ACJW is an inspirational collective of outstanding post-graduate musicians from The Academy that has earned accolades from critics and audiences alike for the quality of its performances as well as its fresh and open-minded approach to performance and programming. They have played a wide range of music in a variety of venues - from works written centuries ago to those completed days before - with verve and total commitment to their art.
Ensemble ACJW is an inspirational collective of outstanding post-graduate musicians from The Academy that has earned accolades from critics and audiences alike for the quality of its performances as well as its fresh and open-minded approach to performance and programming. They have played a wide range of music in a variety of venues - from works written centuries ago to those completed days before - with verve and total commitment to their art.
Sarah Beaty, Clarinet
Clarinetist Sarah Beaty has appeared as a recitalist, chamber musician, and concerto soloist at Carnegie Hall. In London, Sarah has given recitals at Wigmore Hall, Royal Festival Hall, and Queen Elizabeth Hall, the latter in which she performed as a winner of the 2009 Royal Over-Seas League Competition. Sarah has participated at the Marlboro Music Festival and Prussia Cove’s Open Chamber Music, where she has enjoyed collaborations with such artists as Mitsuko Uchida, Radavan Vlatković, and Peter Wiley of the Guarneri Quartet.
Meena M. Bhasin, Viola
Meena Bhasin is an entrepreneurial violist who is interested in forging new roles for the classical musician. Her passion for cultural dialogue has led her to projects all over the globe—from China and Israel to Iran and Ghana. In performance, Ms. Bhasin pursues her diverse interests, collaborating with a range of world-class artists.
Her recent engagements have included performances with Emanuel Ax and Sir Simon Rattle, appearances with Vampire Weekend on Saturday Night Live and MTV Unplugged, and a tour of the US as a soloist with legendary British rock band Jethro Tull. Ms. Bhasin grew up under the tutelage of Itzhak Perlman at the Perlman Music Program.
Owen Dalby, Violin
Owen Dalby is hailed for his gripping interpretations of music from across the stylistic spectrum. A specialist in both new and early music on both the violin and the viola, Mr. Dalby brings daring and sophisticated artistry to audiences worldwide. Recent performances include Lou Harrison’s Concerto for Violin and Percussion Orchestra at Lincoln Center, and the world premiere of Look Around You, a concerto by Timothy Andres for solo violin (doubling viola) with the Albany Symphony.
He also appears frequently with leading groups in New York City, such as St Luke’s Chamber Ensemble, Argento Chamber Ensemble, and Metropolis Ensemble. Mr. Dalby brings a special zeal to music written before 1800, and can be heard on baroque violin with Four Nations Ensemble, Clarion Music Society, and Trinity Wall Street’s Baroque Orchestra and Choir.
Gregory DeTurck, Piano
Gregory is a graduate of the Juilliard School and the Eastman School of Music, where he studied with Julian Martin and Thomas Schumacher, respectively. As the winner of the 2010 William Petschek Award, he gave his formal debut recital at Alice Tully Hall. Gregory has appeared in chamber recitals at Weill Recital Hall, the 2009 Tanglewood Festival, West Cork Chamber Music Festival, the Swiss Embassy in Washington DC, and on WFMT Chicago on the Dame Myra Hess Series.
He has won several prizes on the international piano competition circuit, including the Raeburn Prize for Artist of Special Promise at the 2006 Honens Competition in Calgary. Gregory has appeared as a soloist with the Minnesota Symphony, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra; most recent appearances include Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue at Beijing's Forbidden City Concert Hall with the International Festival Orchestra Beijing, and Thomas Ades' Concerto Conciso with Ensemble ACJW in Zankel Hall with the composer as conductor.
Elizabeth Janzen, Flute
Elizabeth Janzen has established herself as a prominent chamber and contemporary musician. She pursued formal studies at the University of Toronto with Susan Hoeppner, and at the Manhattan School of Music, where she completed her doctoral degree with Linda Chesis. Elizabeth has performed solo flute in Pierre Boulez’s ... explosante-fixe ... under the composer’s baton, and worked on both contemporary and period music with conductors David Robertson, Sir Simon Rattle, and Christopher Hogwood.
Furthermore, she has collaborated with artists in a variety of fields, including Dawn Upshaw, Paula Robison, and Orli Shaham. She performs regularly as a member of the Fireworks Ensemble, an amplified contemporary chamber ensemble, and also as a frequent guest with the Talea and Argento Chamber ensembles. Elizabeth is on the faculties of the Manhattan School of Music Precollege Division and the Diller-Quaile School of Music.
Jared Soldiviero, Percussion
Percussionist Jared Soldiviero performs regularly with The St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Newband, Ensemble ACJW, and Continuum. He has appeared as a guest with the symphony orchestras of Vermont, Springfield, Stamford, and Albany; as well as the American Ballet Theatre Orchestra. Additionally, Mr. Soldiviero has appeared with Alarm Will Sound, Fireworks Ensemble, and Speculum Musicae, and is the principal timpanist at the Crested Butte Music Festival in Colorado.
With a strong interest in contemporary music, Mr. Soldiviero has performed numerous premieres at the Lucerne Festival under Pierre Boulez, and with The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and Newband.
Saeunn Thorsteinsdottir, Cello
A passionate soloist, chamber musician, teaching artist, and new music advocate, Saeunn Thorsteinsdottir has performed across the US, Germany, Poland, Italy, France and her native Iceland and has appeared as soloist with the Iceland Symphony, Des Moines Symphony (Iowa), Colombian National Youth Orchestra and the Silesian Philharmonic (Poland) among others. She has garnered numerous top prizes, including the Antonio Janigro International Cello Competition in Zagreb, Croatia, and the 2008 Naumburg Competition in New York City.
A graduate of The Cleveland Institute of Music and The Juilliard School, her principle teachers include Richard Aaron, Tanya Carey, and Joel Krosnick. Ms. Thorsteinsdottir has collaborated with such artists as Mitsuko Uchida, Itzhak Perlman, Richard Goode, Kim Kashkashian, and the Cavani Quartet, and has been a featured soloist on NPR’s From the Top and PBS’s Sunday Arts.
