Lilit Hartunian, violin and Yoko Hagino, piano perform works by Bach, Rihm, Nemtsov, Richter and Clara Schumann
We are proud to partner with our neighbors at Emmanuel Music to present this program, pairing the music of J.S. Bach with that of female and living German composers. One hour in length, this program highlights the artistry of past and present German culture. Join us for a drink and snacks to follow.
Use the discount code "GOETHE" for a special 20% discount on tickets.
Program
J.S. Bach
Sonata for Violin and Harpsichord in E Major, BWV 1016
Wolfgang Rihm
Antlitz for violin and piano
Clara Schumann
Romance, op. 22, no. 1
Sarah Nemtsov
Deconstructions for violin and piano
Max Richter
Mercy
Violinist Lilit Hartunian performs at the forefront of contemporary music innovation, both as soloist and highly in-demand collaborative artist. First prize winner in the 2021 Black House Collective New Music Soloist Competition, Ms. Hartunian’s "Paganiniesque virtuosity" and “captivating and luxurious tone” (Boston Musical Intelligencer) are frequently on display at the major concert halls of Boston, including multiple solo performances at Jordan Hall and chamber music at Symphony Hall (Boston Symphony Orchestra Insights Series), as well as at leading academic institutions, including the New England Conservatory, Berklee College of Music, Boston Conservatory, Brandeis University, and Tufts University, where she often appears as both soloist and new music specialist. Described as “brilliantly rhapsodic” by the Harvard Crimson, Ms. Hartunian can be heard on Mode Records, Innova Recording, SEAMUS records, New Focus Records, and on self-released albums by Ludovico Ensemble and Kirsten Volness. She has appeared as soloist in the SEAMUS, SCI, NYCEMF, Electroacoustic Barn Dance, Open Sound, and Third Practice festivals. Ms. Hartunian frequently performs works written for her by leading composers, including a world premiere by Guggenheim Fellow Marti Epstein, duo recitals with composers John McDonald and Ryan Vigil, and both audio album and special video projects with composer Sid Richardson. A long-time collaborator with the the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Ms. Hartunian curated and performed a season of chamber music paired with visual art in the museum’s collection in her one-year chamber music residency, Vellumsound, and has also given numerous solo recitals at the museum, including an innovative online performance that reached over 20,000 viewers and was picked up by Forbes Magazine. As collaborative artist and ensemble musician, Ms. Hartunian regularly performs with Boston Modern Orchestra Project, A Far Cry, Sound Icon, Emmanuel Music, Callithumpian Consort, Guerilla Opera, and Ludovico Ensemble, and recently performed as guest artist with the Lydian Quartet and the Arneis Quartet.
Pianist Yoko Hagino was born and raised in Japan, where she began her piano studies at the age of 4. As a child, she performed her own compositions, which took her to Europe and the United States, including performances as a concert soloist with the Czech Symphony, the University of Southern California Symphony, Kyoto City Symphony, and Ensemble Orchestra Kanazawa. Hagino has appeared as a soloist with Osaka Century Orchestra, UMass Boston Chamber Orchestra, Key West Symphony Orchestra, White Rabbit Sinfonietta, and has also performed various piano recitals ranging from the music of Bach to contemporary repertoire. Hagino is a prize winner of the Steinway Society Piano Competition, the First International Chamber Music Competition, the All-Japan Selective Competition of the International Mozart Competition, and Chamber Music Competition of Japan.
She received her bachelor’s and her master’s degrees with honors from Tokyo National University, where she won its concerto competition. She earned an Artist Diploma from the Longy School of Music, where she studied with Victor Rosenbaum and also won the school’s concerto competition. Hagino completed a Performance Diploma at Boston Conservatory, where she was a student of Michael Lewin and also received the Churchill Scholarship.
She has been invited to play at the Bösendorfer Piano Recital Series in Tokyo, Japan, the Harvard Musical Association, Boston Steiner Hall, the Killington Music Festival, the Boston Conservatory New Music festival, the William Kapell Music Festival, and at Steinway and Sons in Kamen, Germany. She also has appeared live on Suisse Romande Radio in Switzerland.
As a devoted chamber musician, she is the Co–Director of “Die Musiker Witz,” and has given many concerts in various locations in Japan. She has performed with contemporary ensembles such as White Rabbit during their Ensemble Residency at Harvard University, Alea III, Ludovico Ensemble, ENSEMBLE / PARALLAX, and Sound Icon. She has been a staff pianist at the Boston Conservatory and is a faculty member of Concord Conservatory, The Key West Young Artist Program, and Morgan State University Summer Opera Workshop in Baltimore.
Emmanuel Music has served as the ensemble-in-residence for Boston's Emmanuel Church since its founding by Craig Smith in 1970. The two organizations maintain a close, symbiotic relationship that is crucial to each entity’s individual success. The primary activity of the ensemble is the weekly presentation of the sacred cantatas of J.S. Bach in the liturgical context for which they were written. In addition, the Ensemble presents a series of evening concerts which include oratorio and operatic works, large ensemble works, and chamber music. Emmanuel Music has released recordings of works by Bach and Schütz, and has collaborated with Mark Morris and Peter Sellars on operatic works by Mozart.
Since 2010, the Ensemble has been under the artistic leadership of Ryan Turner who has overseen the expansion of the group’s performance activities. Such performances include works by John Harbison (Principal Guest Conductor), Benjamin Britten, and Kurt Weill in NEC’s Jordan Hall, Rockport’s Shalin Liu Performance Center, and Harvard University’s Sanders Theater
