and sparkle and two great instrumental works with the added delight of
Stravinsky's beguiling. Suite Italienne. The program allows both performer and
composer ...
MEDIA RELEASE: APRIL 2012 – for immediate release
Friends and Admirers
“Selby has brought together musicians of exceptional calibre who clearly love playing together.” The Australian, March 2012 “Haunting, thrilling, intoxicating and inspiring.” Canberra Times, March 2012 “KATHRYN SELBY'S concert series has always been a treasure trove of interesting repertoire and artists. Selby led the way, with an easy mastery of the Gershwinesque melodies, while Newman and Rowell added their own idiomatic gestures with impressive versatility. ” SMH, March 2012 Selby & Friends received rave critical and audience reviews after our 2012 season opener, capped off with a live national broadcast over ABC Classic FM. Our next tour, Friends and Admirers, celebrates that rare kind of musical friendship formed between great artists who not only respect and admire each other, but also support each other’s work. Superb violinist, Sophie Rowell (Violin) returns with Artistic Director, Kathryn Selby (Piano), and they are joined by one of Australia’s most prominent cellists, Julian Smiles. Selby’s trademark communication with an audience from the stage is echoed by her guest artists, creating a most memorable experience whilst allowing the audience to get to know the performers and hear their thoughts on the music. Selby says, “I believe my 2012 season reflects the true spirit of chamber music which brings good friends together to share music and enjoy exploring its many delights! “ Friends and Admirers features an impressive group of great composers who lived at the same time and, in the case of Mendelssohn, Gade and Chopin, were great friends. With this program, chamber music, collaboration and friendship is glorified in the form of two trios rich with melody and sparkle and two great instrumental works with the added delight of Stravinsky’s beguiling Suite Italienne. The program allows both performer and composer to shine! According to Smiles, “This is Chopin’s last major work, which he and the cellist Franchomme, for whom it was written, performed in the composer's last ever public concert. It is also one of only a handful of works he wrote for anything apart from piano. The slow movement is beautifully simple and simply beautiful.” “I am delighted to welcome both Sophie and Julian back to Selby & Friends. They are amongst my favourite artists with whom to share the stage and I look forward to presenting something quite different with this beautiful program filled with melodies!” says Selby.
Friends and Admirers Kathryn Selby (Piano) Sophie Rowell (Violin) Julian Smiles (Cello) Niels Gade – Piano Trio Movement in B flat (1839) Fryderyk Chopin – Sonata for cello and piano, Op.65 Igor Stravinsky – Suite Italienne (arr. S Dushkin) Felix Mendelssohn - Piano Trio in D minor, Op.49 Bowral – Saturday 5th May @ 5pm – Performing Arts Centre, Chevalier College Turramurra – Sunday 6th May @ 2pm – Turramurra Uniting Church Canberra – Monday 7th May @ 7:30 pm – Fairfax Theatre, NGA Sydney – Tuesday 8th May @ 7pm – City Recital Hall, Angel Place Melbourne – Wednesday 9th May @ 7:30pm – BMW Edge Theatre, Federation Square Adelaide – Sunday 13th May @ 2:30pm, Elder Hall, University of Adelaide Tickets range from $44 - $68. Special Introduction of Under 30s Price: $33.00 all concerts Accompanied children 12 and under admitted free – please call our office to book. Media enquiries and interviews please contact Teri King on 02 9405 5532 or
[email protected] Further details and hi-res images: www.selbyandfriends.com.au
Sophie Rowell, violin Born in Adelaide, Sophie Rowell studied at AIM and at the Cologne Hochschule for Musik with the Alban Berg Quartet. She has also participated in masterclasses with renowned violinists and chamber musicians, including Sir Yehudi Menuhin, Walter Levin (LaSalle Quartet) and Norbert Brainin (Amadeus Quartet.)In 2000, Sophie won the Symphony Australia Young Performer's Award, and has since had solo engagements with all the major Australian orchestras, and in France. As the first violinist of the Australian String Quartet (formerly Tankstream Quartet 20002006) she has given concerts and been broadcast throughout Australia, Europe, North America, Japan and New Zealand. Julian Smiles, cello Julian is one of Australia’s leading cellists. With a career based in chamber music, but extending with great success into solo as well as orchestral playing, his schedule sees him performing and recording extensively both in Australia and overseas. A former principal cello with the Australian Chamber Orchestra, and frequent guest principal with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Julian is currently cellist with Australia Ensemble, the University of New South Wales’ acclaimed resident chamber music ensemble, and the highly successful Goldner String Quartet. Julian is very much a part of the worldwide musical “network”, having worked with musicians such as Stephen Kovacevich, Boris Bermann, Frans Helmerson, Slava Grigoryan, Pieter Wispelwey, Pascal Roge, Piers Lane, Irina Schnittke, Jane Peters and Paul Grabowsky, conductors such as Lorin Maazel, Charles Duthoit, Vladimir Ashkenazy, David Zinmann, and Edo de Waart, and composers Arvo Paart, Peter Sculthorpe, Ross Edwards, Nigel Westlake, Carl Vine, Brett Dean and Matthew Hindson. Julian plays on an 1827 Lorenzo Ventapane cello and lives in Sydney. Artistic Director and Pianist, Kathryn Selby Hailed by the Australian press as ‘formidablet’ and most recently, ‘Australia’s pre-eminent chamber music pianist’, Miss Selby is the artistic director of both the popular nationally touring Selby & Friends concert series and the A Little Lunch Music series at Sydney’s City Recital Hall Angel Place, and is the recipient of the prestigious Churchill and Australia Council Fellowships. She studied at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, the famed Curtis Institute of Music and Bryn Mawr College in Philadelphia, and earned her Master’s from New York’s Juilliard School. Selby has won numerous international competitions and recorded extensively for ABC Classics and Naxos. Her ensembles, TRIOZ and Macquarie Trio have been extremely successful with TRIOZ as the first ensemble in-residence at City Recital Hall Angel Place and Macquarie Trio inresidence at Macquarie University for 16 years. Selby has been touring nationally for over 20 years, presenting concerts and encouraging young musicians. Selby is Patron of the Sydney University Symphony Orchestra and teaches at Sydney Grammar School.
