CCM STRING QUARTET-IN-RESIDENCE SERIES PRESENTS

AMERICAN DREAM

IN MEMORY OF SUE FRIEDLANDER

7:30 p.m. Feb. 21, 2023, Robert J. Werner Recital Hall

The Ariel Quartet

String Quartet-in-Residence at CCM

Gershon Gerchikov, violin
Alexandra Kazovsky, violin
Jan Grüning, viola
Amit Even-Tov, cello

Featuring guest artist Edward Arron, cello

By the Ariel Quartet

Our journey in the USA is now spanning more than two decades. We came from Israel and Germany, with roots in Russia and Eastern and Western Europe, and our path in this country was transformative — from arriving here as students to recently completing the long awaited transition from being Aliens to becoming Residents.

The question of identity is often at the heart of the immigrant’s experience, and so was the case for generations of artists, creators, and composers who settled in this country. The musical offsprings of these stories, and our connection to them, have become a central point of interest to us in the last few years, and especially during and following the difficult years of the pandemic. The disproportionate devastation COVID-19 brought upon vulnerable communities, the wave of police killings of members of the Black community, the violence towards the Asian community, all made us question our openness as a society and confront our own biases and cultural blind spots.

This program is a result of our exploration into the musical voices that evolved as a consequence of the composers’ experiences in the United States. We’ll journey into works by Americans, visitors and immigrants, representing different cultures and backgrounds, from various parts of the world. What they share is the pursuit of their unique version of an American Dream. It is the musical wonders we picked up on this journey that we want to share with you this evening.

We chose to leave the first half of the program unannounced as a metaphor for how we aspire to see others and be seen — freed from prior judgment and labels, simply experienced for who we are and what we can share with others.

Selections include works by Lera Auerbach (Russia), George Walker (USA), Béla Bartók (Hungary), Igor Stravinsky (Russia), Tan Dun (China), Florence Price (USA) and Matan Porat (Israel).

Musical Selections

Ariel Quartet Repertoire

  • American Dream
    Selections chosen by the Ariel Quartet and announced from the stage (refer to program note above)

INTERMISSION

 

  • String Quintet in C Major, Op. 163, D. 956
    Franz Schubert (1797-1828) 
    Edward Arron, cello
    • I. Allegro ma non troppo
    • II. Adagio
    • III. Scherzo. Presto - Trio. Andante sostenuto
    • IV. Allegretto

About Edward Arron, guest artist

Edward Arron

Edward Arron

Cellist Edward Arron has garnered recognition worldwide for his elegant musicianship, impassioned performances, and creative programming. A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, Mr. Arron made his New York recital debut in 2000 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Since that time, he has appeared in recital, as a soloist with major orchestras, and as a chamber musician, throughout North America, Europe and Asia.

The 2022-23 season marks Mr. Arron’s 10th anniversary season as the co-artistic director of the Performing Artists in Residence series at the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, Massachusetts. Mr. Arron tours and records as a member of the renowned Ehnes String Quartet and he is a regular performer at the Boston and Seattle Chamber Music Societies, Bargemusic, Caramoor, CityMusic Cleveland, Bowdoin International Music Festival, Seoul Spring Festival in Korea, Music in the Vineyards Festival, Lake Champlain Chamber Music Festival, Manchester Music Festival, and the Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival in Finland. He has appeared as a guest artist with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and has performed numerous times in Carnegie’s Weill and Zankel Halls, Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully and David Geffen Halls, New York’s Town Hall and the 92nd Street Y. Other festival appearances include Salzburg, Ravinia, Tanglewood, Mostly Mozart, PyeongChang, Bravo! Vail, Bridgehampton, Spoleto USA, Santa Fe, Evian, La Jolla Summerfest, Chesapeake Chamber Music, and the Bard Music Festival. He has participated in Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Project as well as Isaac Stern’s Jerusalem Chamber Music Encounters. Mr. Arron’s performances are frequently broadcast on American Public Media’s Performance Today. In 2021, Mr. Arron’s recording of Beethoven’s Complete Works for Cello and Piano with pianist Jeewon Park was released on the Aeolian Classics Record Label. The recording received the Samuel Sanders Collaborative Artists Award from the Classical Recording Foundation.

In the May of 2022, Mr. Arron stepped down after 15 years as the artistic director of the acclaimed Musical Masterworks concert series in Old Lyme, Connecticut. In 2013, he completed a ten-year residency as the artistic director of the Metropolitan Museum Artists in Concert, a chamber music series created in 2003 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Museum’s prestigious Concerts and Lectures series.

Edward Arron began playing the cello at age seven in Cincinnati and continued his studies in New York with Peter Wiley. He is a graduate of the Juilliard School, where he was a student of Harvey Shapiro. In 2016, Mr. Arron joined the faculty at University of Massachusetts Amherst, after having served on the faculty of New York University from 2009 to 2016.

About the Ariel Quartet

Described by the American Record Guide as "a consummate ensemble gifted with utter musicality and remarkable interpretive power," the Ariel Quartet has earned a glowing international reputation. The ensemble is comprised of Alexandra Kazovsky, violin; Amit Even-Tov, cello; Gershon Gerchikov, violin; and Jan Grüning, viola. The group was formed in Israel in 1998 and has served as CCM’s string quartet-in-residence since 2012.

rock stars of the classical scene

Cincinnati Enquirer

The Ariel Quartet

A portrait of Gershon Gerchikov.

Gershon Gerchikov

Assistant Professor of Violin

A portrait of Alexandra Kazovsky.

Alexandra Kazovsky

Assistant Professor of Violin

A portrait of Jan Grüning.

Jan Grüning

Assistant Professor of Viola

A portrait of Amit Even-Tov.

Amit Even-Tov

Assistant Professor of Cello

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CCM News

1

CCM alums win prestigious grants from the Sphinx Organization

April 22, 2024

The University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music is thrilled to congratulate alums Titilayo Ayangade (BM Cello, ’14) and Jaime Sharp (MM Voice, ’22) on their recent wins of two MPower Artist Grants from the Sphinx Organization. Available only to alumni of the Sphinx Organization, these competitive grants are intended to “empower artists’ careers.”

3

Ariel Quartet welcomes Pavel Vinnitsky in "Best of Brahms"...

March 22, 2024

The Ariel Quartet presents its final CCM concert of the 2023-24 season at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 26 in Robert J. Werner Recital Hall. The program includes two of the most beloved works in the chamber music canon: Beethoven’s intense Op. 59 No. 1 and Brahms’ Clarinet Quintet in B Minor, featuring faculty artist Pavel Vinnitsky. Tickets are on sale now through the CCM Box Office.

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The competitive scholarships CCMpower provides help attract and retain the best and brightest students, nurture professional development opportunities and – in turn – continue CCM’s tradition of excellence for the next generation of student-artists. Join or renew your CCMpower membership today to help provide critical scholarship funds.

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Sponsors

Louise Dieterle Nippert Trust
Scholarship and Resident Artist Sponsor
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
CSO/CCM Diversity Fellowship Sponsor
The Corbett Endowment at CCM
Dance Department Sponsor
All-Steinway School Sponsor
Louise H. & David S. Ingalls Foundation, Inc.
Community Partners
The Joseph and Frances Jones Poetker Fund of the Cambridge Charitable Foundation, Ritter & Randolph, LLC, Corporate Counsel
Visiting Artists & Thinking About Music Sponsor
Dr. & Mrs. Carl G. Fischer 
Greg Mathein 
Gary & Barb Cummins 
Jim & Linda Miller 
George & Carroll Roden
Musical Theatre Department Sponsors
Genevieve Smith
Opera Production Sponsor
Rafael and Kimberly de Acha
Opera D’Arte Sponsor
An Anonymous Donor
Estate of Mr. William A. Friedlander
Mrs. William A. Friedlander
Dr. Randolph L. Wadsworth
Judith Schonbach Landgren and Peter Landgren
Mr. & Mrs. Harry H. Santen
Elizabeth C.B. Sittenfeld
Mr. & Mrs. Thomas E. Stegman
Mrs. Theodore W. Striker
Mrs. Harry M. Hoffheimer
Ariel Quartet Sponsors
Jan Rogers
Willard and Jean Mulford Charitable Fund of the Cambridge Charitable Foundation
Choral Studies Sponsors
Anonymous
  Classical Guitar Sponsor

Mr. & Mrs. Joseph W. Hirschhorn
Orchestral Sponsor
Dorothy Richard Starling Foundation
Starling Pre-Collegiate Sponsor
Starling Strings Sponsor
Dr. Timothy E. and Janet L. Johnson
Thom Miles and Roberta Gary
Organ Department Sponsors
Keyboard Club of Cincinnati
Louis and Susan Meisel
Piano Department Sponsors
Kevin and Nancy Rhein
   Wind Studies Sponsor
Buddy Rogers Music
LINKS Sponsor
Sponsors listed as of Sept. 7, 2023

General Information


Land Acknowledgment

The Cincinnati area and the land that the University of Cincinnati has been built on is the native homeland of the Indigenous Algonquian speaking tribes, including the Delaware, Miami, and Shawnee tribes.


Box Office

Located in the CCM Atrium, the Box Office is open Monday through Friday, 1-5 p.m.; and one hour prior to curtain for all ticketed performances. MasterCard, Visa and Discover cards are accepted.

  • Location: CCM Atrium Lobby next to Corbett Auditorium
  • Telephone: 513-556-4183
  • Email: boxoff@uc.edu
  • Mail: CCM Box Office, P.O. Box 210003, Cincinnati, OH 45221-0003

Parking

Convenient parking is available in the CCM Garage at the base of Corry Boulevard off of Jefferson Avenue. Additional parking is available in garages throughout the UC campus. Any questions concerning on-campus parking should be directed to UC Parking Services at 513-556-2283.


Tax Credit

If you find that you cannot attend your performance, your tickets may be donated for tax credit as a charitable contribution. Simply notify the Box Office prior to the performance to release your seats, and give your name and address. A tax donation receipt will be mailed to you.


Lost and Found

If you have lost an item, contact lost and found at 513-556-9413.


House Policies

The House Manager has been instructed to minimize the disturbance to patrons already seated when accommodating latecomers. The director and producer of each production select times that are least likely to interrupt the performance, and latecomers will be seated only during these times. Latecomers who miss these opportunities will not be admitted until intermission. Children under the age of 6 will not be admitted.


Cameras, Phones and Recording Devices

The video or audio recording of performances is prohibited.

The use of cameras, with or without flashes, recording devices, cellular phones and other electronic devices inside the theater is prohibited. Please leave them with the House Manager.


Smoking and Refreshments

Smoking and refreshments are not permitted in the theater. Effective May 1, 2017, smoking and tobacco use (including chewing tobacco and electronic cigarettes) shall be prohibited by students, staff, faculty, visitors, vendors and contractors at all times in or on University of Cincinnati properties, including events on university property during non-school hours. This includes all shelters, indoor and outdoor theaters and athletic facilities, bridges, walkways, sidewalks, residence halls, parking lots, and street parking and garages owned by the university.


Hearing Enhancement

Telex listening devices are available for checkout during performances in both Patricia Corbett Theater and Corbett Auditorium. Please inquire at the Box Office.


Wheelchair Seating

Wheelchair seating is available in both Corbett Auditorium and Patricia Corbett Theater. Seating is limited, so reservations should be made with the Box Office when ordering tickets. These seats are subject to availability.


Group Sales

The Box Office can accommodate groups for major productions and concerts. Preview and benefit performances are also available for some productions. For more information, call the CCM Box Office at 513-556-4183.


CCM Faculty and Staff

CCM's faculty and staff and its state-of-the-art facilities make possible the professional training and exceptional education on which CCM believes the future of the arts relies. The school's roster of eminent faculty regularly receives distinguished honors for creative and scholarly work, and its alumni have achieved notable success in the performing and media arts. More than 150 internationally recognized faculty members work with students from around the world, specializing in eight areas of study.


Know Your Exit

Map depicting exits from Robert J. Werner Recital Hall

Performance dates and repertoire are subject to change. View CCM's current calendar of events.

The purpose of these performances is educational, and they are part of a University of Cincinnati academic program.