" /> Melvin Chen  Image Credit: Photo by Susan Wilson

The Bard Conservatory Orchestra Perform in the Sosnoff Theater Sunday, November 9

ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, NY—On Sunday, November 9, the Bard College Conservatory of Music presents the Bard Conservatory Orchestra conducted by Melvin Chen, performing Verdi's Overture to Nabucco, Debussy’s Première rhapsody for clarinet and orchestra, selections for clarinet and orchestra drawn from the klezmer musical tradition, and Rachmaninoff's Symphony No. 2., with guest faculty artist clarinetist David Krakauer. Free and open to the public, the program begins at 3:00 p.m. in the Sosnoff Theater of the Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts.

Melvin Chen, associate director of the Conservatory and associate professor of music and interdisciplinary studies at Bard, has performed at major venues in the United States, including Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Merkin Concert Hall, Weill Recital Hall, the Frick Collection, and the Kennedy Center, in addition to other appearances throughout the country, Canada, and Asia. A Tennessee native, Chen completed a doctorate in chemistry from Harvard University, and also holds a double master’s degree in piano and violin from The Juilliard School, where he studied with Seymour Lipkin and Glenn Dicterow, respectively. At Juilliard, Chen received a U.S. Department of Education Jacob Javits Fellowship, as well as the William Petschek Piano Scholarship and Ruth D. Rosenman Memorial Scholarship. Previously, he attended Yale University, receiving a bachelor of science degree in chemistry and physics. Upon graduation he was awarded the New Prize by the fellows of Jonathan Edwards College. During his tenure at Yale he studied with Boris Berman, Paul Kantor, and Ida Kavafian.

David Krakauer received his B.A. from Sarah Lawrence College, and his M.A. in Music at the Juilliard School of Music as a student of Leon Rushinoff. He also studied at the Paris Conservatory. Known for his mastery of myriad styles, including classical chamber music, Eastern European klezmer music, the avant-garde, rock, and jazz, Krakauer has gone way beyond "crossover." He is a natural storyteller who has long dazzled colleagues and the public with his ability to shift and meld musical gears. Krakauer is in demand worldwide as a guest soloist with the finest chamber music groups. He has collaborated with the Tokyo String Quartet, Eroica Trio, Kronos Quartet, Lark Quartet, Mendelssohn String Quartet, and Empire Brass Quintet in programs ranging from Brahms and Bartók to Schoenberg and Golijov. As one of the foremost musicians of the vital new wave of klezmer, Krakauer tours the globe with his celebrated Klezmer Madness! Ensemble. His compositions also pay homage to R&B, jazz, classical, and funk.

The Bard College Conservatory of Music. Is an innovative, five-year, double-degree program guided by the principle that musicians should be broadly educated in the liberal arts and sciences to achieve their greatest potential. While training and studying for the bachelor of music degree with world-class musicians and teachers and performing in state-of-the-art facilities, such as the Frank Gehry–designed Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts, Bard Conservatory students also pursue a bachelor of arts degree at Bard, one of the nation’s leading liberal arts colleges. The Conservatory’s instrumental and composition faculty includes renowned musicians and composers. The Colorado Quartet and Da Capo Chamber Players are in residence. Members and principals of the American Symphony Orchestra are also available for instruction, coaching, and leading of sectional rehearsals in the Conservatory Orchestra. In 2006 the Conservatory introduced three new programs: the Vocal Arts Graduate Program, directed by Dawn Upshaw; The Conductors Institute and its graduate program in conducting, directed by Harold Farberman; and the Composition Program, directed by Joan Tower and George Tsontakis.

For more information about the Bard College Conservatory of Music, call 845-758-7196, e-mail [email protected], or log onto the program’s website, www.bard.edu/conservatory.

This event was last updated on 11-05-2008

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