Violinist Rachel Barton Pine to lead a free Masterclass April 2
Violinist Rachel Barton Pine will present a masterclass from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, April 2, at the Gail Borden Public Library, 270 N. Grove Ave. in Elgin.
The event, sponsored by the Elgin Symphony Orchestra and the library, is free and open to the public.
Musicians participating in the class are Claire Arias-Kim, performing "Zigeunerweisen" by Pablo de Sarasate, Sofiya Kyrylyuk, performing Bach Cello Suite No. 2, I. Prelude, and Joanna Nerius, performing Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto in D Major, Movement 1.
The masterclass is a featured program of the ESO's weeklong tribute to Maud Powell, which culminates in all-Dvorak ESO performances on April 1-3, led by conductor David Danzmayr, and featuring Rachel Barton Pine. Call (847) 888-4000 or visit ElginSymphony.org for tickets.
The ESO, with a mission to serve and engage a broad audience through the performance of powerful symphonic music and dynamic educational programs while developing strong community relationships, offers several masterclasses a year.
For information on the ESO's educational programs, visit ElginSymphony.org.
• Claire Arias-Kim, 14, is a Merit Scholarship Fellow at the Music Institute of Chicago's Academy, a training center for advanced pre-college musicians. She studies violin with Almita and Roland Vamos. She was the winner of the Jacobs School of Music Summer String Academy Concerto Competition as well as the winner of the Elgin Youth Symphony Orchestra Young Artist Concerto Competition which gave Claire the opportunity to perform the 3rd movement of Bruch's first violin concerto. Other achievements include first place in the Junior division of the Sejong Music Competition and Granquist Music Competition as well as prizes in the Music Festival in Honor of Confucius Competition and DePaul Concerto Festival. At 9 years of age Claire had the opportunity of performing on tour with The Magical Strings of Youth under the direction of Betty Haag in Prague and had solo performances on the California tour. Also, she was chosen five times to perform a piano solo in Orchestra Hall for the Betty Haag Academy of Music annual concert and had the privilege of playing in violin masterclasses for Ilya Kaler, Vadim Gluzman, Kristof Barati, Gerardo Ribeiro and Olga Kaler as well as piano masterclasses with Dr. Brian Lee and Angela Yoffee.
• Sixteen-year-old Sofiya Kyrylyuk was born in Bucha, Ukraine. At the age of 4, she moved to the United States and began studying violin a year later. She added viola to her priorities when she was 12. Sofiya's previous teachers include Stefan Hersh (professor at Roosevelt University), Alexander Belavsky (violinist at Lyric Opera), and Lisa Chodorowski. Her current teachers are Desiree Ruhstrat and Rami Solomonow for viola. Kyrylyuk has held the position of concertmaster in multiple orchestras including the Canzonetta, CYSO, the MYAC Philharmonia and Concert Orchestras. At the moment, she is the principal violist at Midwest Young Artists Conservatory (MYAC) Symphony Orchestra, while also participating in MYA chamber groups, sonata class, and orchestral excerpts class, as well as previously attending composition class, music theory, and conducting class. She held the position of principal violist with North Suburban Symphony from 2012-14.
• Joanna Nerius is a senior violin performance major at Northern Illinois University and is currently studying with Mathias Tacke. She previously studied with Rachel Handlin and has participated in masterclasses with Elisabeth Perry, Paul Zafer, Igor and Vesna Gruppman, and Darwyn Apple. She soloed with the Rockford Youth Symphony Orchestra after winning the Rock Valley College Concerto Competition and, on two occasions, appeared as a guest soloist with the Rock Valley College Community Orchestra. She was also a finalist in the Northern Illinois University Concerto Competition. In addition to being an avid performer, she is a dedicated violin and viola teacher. She teaches out of a private studio in Cherry Valley, Illinois and is currently on faculty at the Sforzando String Camp in Downers Grove.
In both art and life, violinist Rachel Barton Pine has an extraordinary ability to connect with people. Celebrated as a great interpreter of classical works, her performances combine her innate gift for emotional communication and her scholarly fascination with historical research. She plays with passion and conviction across an extensive repertoire. Audiences are thrilled by her dazzling technique, lustrous tone, and infectious joy in music-making.
Pine holds prizes from several of the world's leading competitions, including a gold medal at the 1992 J.S. Bach International Violin Competition in Leipzig, Germany. She was the first American and, at age 17, the youngest person to ever win this honor. Other top awards have come from the Queen Elisabeth (Brussels, 1993), Kreisler (Vienna, 1992), Szigeti (Budapest, 1992) and Montreal (1991) International Violin Competitions. She won prizes for her interpretation of the Paganini Caprices at both the Szigeti Competition and the 1993 Paganini International Violin Competition in Genoa.
Pine is committed to encouraging the next generation to experience the transformative power of the arts. Her Rachel Elizabeth Barton Foundation assists young artists through various projects including the Instrument Loan Program, Grants for Education and Career, Global HeartStrings (supporting classical musicians in developing countries), and a curricular series developed in conjunction with the University of Michigan: The String Student's Library of Music by Black Composers. She is a Life Trustee of the Music Institute of Chicago which named the "Rachel Barton Pine Violin Chair" in her honor. Pine coaches chamber music, leads sectionals for youth orchestras, and gives master classes. Along with touring activities, she enjoys giving special programs and demonstrations for children and often incorporates spoken program notes or pre-concert conversations into her appearances. She is a frequent instructor at Mark O'Connor's Fiddle Camp and the Mark Wood Rock Orchestra Camp. She received the prestigious 2006 Studs Terkel Humanities Service Award for her work in music education.
A Chicago native, Pine began violin studies at age 3 and made her professional debut four years later at age 7 with the Chicago String Ensemble. Her earliest appearances with the Chicago Symphony (at ages 10 and 15) were broadcast on television. Her principal teachers were Roland and Almita Vamos and she has also studied with Ruben Gonzalez, Werner Scholz, Elmira Darvarova and several early music specialists. Pine resides in Chicago with her husband and daughter. She performs on the Joseph Guarnerius del Gesu (Cremona 1742), known as the "ex-Soldat," on generous loan from her patron. For more information visit rachelbartonpine.com.