Page 20 – ChamberFest Cleveland

PETER TAKÁCS
piano

Hailed by the New York Times as “a marvelous pianist,” PETER TAKÁCS has performed widely, receiving critical and audience acclaim for his penetrating and communicative musical interpretations.

Mr. Takács was born in Bucuresti, Romania and started his musical studies before his fourth birthday. After his debut recital at age seven, he was a frequent recitalist in his native city until his parents’ request for emigration to the West, at which point all his studies and performances were banned. He continued studying clandestinely with his piano teacher until his family was finally allowed to emigrate to France, where, at age fourteen, he was admitted to the Conservatoire National de Paris.

Upon his arrival in the United States, his outstanding musical talents continued to be recognized with full scholarships to Northwestern University and the University of Illinois, and a three-year fellowship for doctoral studies at the Peabody Conservatory, where he completed his artistic training with renowned pianist Leon Fleisher.

Mr. Takács has received numerous prizes and awards, including First Prize in the William Kapell International Competition, the C.D. Jackson Award for Excellence in Chamber Music at the Tanglewood Music Center, and a Solo Recitalist Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. His performances have been hailed by audiences and the press for their penetrating intellectual insight as well as for emotional urgency and communication.

Mr. Takács has performed as guest soloist with major orchestras in the U.S. and abroad, as well as at important summer festivals such as Tanglewood, Music Mountain, Chautauqua Institution, ARIA International, Schlern Music Festival in the Italian Alps, Tel Hai International Master Classes in Israel, Sweden’s Helsingborg Festival, Musicfest Perugia, and the Beijing International Music Festival. Since 2008, he has been a member of the faculty at the Montecito Summer Music Festival in Riverside, CA. He has performed and recorded the complete cycle of Beethoven Piano Sonatas, which was released on the CAMBRIA label in July 2011. In 2015, he was selected to inaugurate a new series in Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall entitled “Key Pianists”, presenting three recitals of Beethoven solo and chamber music to critical acclaim. His recording of the complete Beethoven piano-cello music with cellist Robert DeMaine was released in July 2022.

Mr. Takács’ success as a teacher is attested to by his students’ accomplishments, who have won top prizes in competitions in the United States, Canada, Europe, and South Africa. They have been accepted at major graduate schools such as the Curtis Institute, Juilliard School, Peabody Conservatory, and the Mozarteum in Salzburg, among many others. Mr. Takács has given master classes in the U.S., Europe and Asia, and has been a jury member at prestigious national and international competitions such as San Antonio International Keyboard Competition, Canadian National Competition, Cleveland International Piano Competition, and Hilton Head International Piano Competition. In 2020, a generous donor established a fund for a Takács/Beethoven Piano Sonata Prize to be awarded to a student excelling in Beethoven interpretation. Mr. Takács is Professor of Piano at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, where he has been teaching since 1976.

CYNTHIA KOLEDO DEALMEIDA

CYNTHIA KOLEDO DEALMEIDA was appointed by Lorin Maazel as principal oboe of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra in 1991. For two years prior, she was associate principal oboe of the Philadelphia Orchestra under Riccardo Muti.

DeAlmeida received the Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Michigan, studying with Arno Mariotti, and the Master of Music degree from Temple University, as a student of Richard Woodhams. She is also grateful to her other teachers — Sarah Young, Robert Sorton, Elaine Douvas, John Mack, H. Robert Reynolds and Max Rudolf. DeAlmeida proudly plays on F. Loree oboes of Paris, France.

In November 2002, DeAlmeida’s first solo CD was released on the Boston Records label. Classic Discoveries for Oboe was hailed by American Record Guide as “a masterly recording… Cynthia Koledo DeAlmeida is simply one of the finest exponents of the instrument anywhere.” Her second solo CD, entitled Mist Over the Lakeon the Crystal Record label, was released in 2006 to rave reviews: “Ms. DeAlmeida is hands down one of the best players in the world…” In 2015, her third CD Silver and Gold was released on the Crystal Records label. Gramophone magazine called her “a poetic artist” and Fanfare magazine wrote “she is a soloist of immense technique and considerable charm…”  DeAlmeida can also be heard on Crystal Records’ recording of Sir Andre Previn’s Sonata for Oboe, Bassoon, and Piano with Sir Andre Previn, as well as all the Pittsburgh Symphony recordings since 1991 under Lorin Maazel, Mariss Jansons, Marek Janowski and Manfred Honeck. In 2009, DeAlmeida travelled to Berlin to perform and record the German Requiem of Brahms with Marek Janowski and the Radio Orchestra of Berlin (RSB) on the Pentatone label.

DeAlmeida has been featured with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra in concertos by J.S.Bach, Leonardo Balada, Alan Fletcher, Francaix, Haydn, Mozart, Lucas Richman, Richard Strauss and Vaughan Williams. She performed these concertos with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra conducted by Andres Cardenes, Sir Andrew Davis, Gunther Herbig, Manfred Honeck, Lorin Maazel, Sir Andre Previn, Lucas Richman, Alessandro Siciliani, Leonard Slatkin, Jeanette Sorrell, Yoav Talmi and Pinchas Zukerman. The concertos by Balada, Richman and Fletcher were all commissioned for DeAlmeida by the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, in 1992, 2006 and 2015 respectively. The Balada was recorded for New World Records with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Lorin Maazel conducting. The Richman concerto was recorded for Albany Records with the Pittsburgh Symphony, Lucas Richman conducting. Four different times, DeAlmeida has performed Bach’s Concerto for Violin and Oboe with the Pittsburgh Symphony, partnering with violinists Vladimir Spivakov, Andres Cardenes, Pinchas Zukerman and Noah Bendix-Balgley. DeAlmeida also has appeared as soloist with the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Haddonfield Symphony, the Cayuga Chamber Orchestra, the Concerto Soloists of Philadelphia, the Knoxville Symphony, the U.S. Army Orchestra and the Carnegie Mellon Philharmonic. 

DeAlmeida is an avid chamber musician, having performed 10 recitals at Carnegie Mellon University since 1993. For one of these recitals, she commissioned, published and recorded a piece for Oboe, Horn, Cello, and Piano by Michael Moricz, entitled “Three Consequences for Four Players.” Each summer since 2002, she performs and teaches as a faculty member of the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, California. Several of her performances there have been featured on NPR’s Performance Today. DeAlmeida has also performed at the Strings Festival in Steamboat Springs, Colorado; the La Jolla Festival in La Jolla, California; and the Marlboro Music Festival in Vermont as well as several “Music from Marlboro” tours.

Teaching has always been a rewarding part of DeAlmeida’s artistic life. She has been associate teaching professor at Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Music since 2012, and a faculty member there since 1991. She has held teaching positions at Temple University in Philadelphia and Trenton State College in New Jersey, and has taught at the National Orchestral Institute at the University of Maryland as well as the New World Symphony. She has given masterclasses at universities in the United States and abroad including the Manhattan School of Music, the University of Tennessee, Eastern Michigan University, the University of South Carolina and the Seoul Conservatory. 

In 2003, DeAlmeida was featured on national television on the CBS Early Show in a story relating to the oboe and its remarkable health benefits for asthma sufferers, which led to her work as an ambassador for the American Respiratory Alliance in Pittsburgh.

DeAlmeida volunteers at Pittsburgh’s classical radio station WQED in their fundraising pledge drives. She participates in the Pittsburgh Symphony’s Education and Community Engagement department playing and speaking to young people in various venues throughout the Pittsburgh area. Each summer, DeAlmeida enjoys volunteering at the Woodlands Foundation’s Notes from the Heart music camp in Wexford, Pennsylvania.

IZAIAH CHEERAN

Twenty-year-old oboist, IZAIAH CHEERAN, is an emerging musician dedicated to bringing communities together through shared experiences, cultures, and our inherent differences, using the arts as a unifying force.

In October 2024, Cheeran was appointed Second Oboe/English Horn of the Philadelphia Ballet by Beatrice Jona Affron. In addition, he has performed with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Curtis Symphony Orchestra, Symphony in C, Quad City Symphonies, and Carnegie Hall’s NYO2 and NYO-USA. He has also spent summers at the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, CA, and the Pacific Music Festival in Sapporo, Japan. His orchestral career has led to performances internationally, most recently at Carnegie Hall, David Geffen Hall, the Royal Concertgebouw, the Lucerne Festival, and Suntory Hall.

Equally passionate about solo and chamber music, Cheeran frequently performs in the weekly Curtis “Student Recital Series” and is deeply committed to community engagement. This past January, Cheeran performed alongside pianist Jonathan Biss in the “Music for Food” benefit concert to support food insecurity initiatives in the city of Philadelphia. As a soloist, he has performed with the Minnesota Orchestra and has earned top honors in competitions presented by Thursday Musical and the Schubert Club.
He has garnered media recognition through appearances on NPR’s “From the Top” and the PBS-WHYY documentary series, “On-Stage at Curtis”.

Currently, Cheeran is a pupil of Katherine Needleman and Philippe Tondre at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, which he entered in 2022 at age sixteen. A Minnesota native, he began playing the oboe at age ten under the tutelage of Dr. Carrie Vecchione and Cassie Pilgrim. When not practicing or making reeds, you can find him exploring Philadelphia or perfecting latte art at home.

About our Rising Stars
ChamberFest Cleveland’s Rising Stars are recognized for their extraordinary talent. They are invited to deepen their connection to the art of chamber music by immersing themselves in the festival, rehearsing side by side with the leading chamber musicians of our time, and performing in a professional concert setting for discerning audiences and critics alike.

The Rising Stars program is generously sponsored by Michael Frank and the late Pat Snyder.

AMITAI VARDI
clarinet

Clarinetist AMITAI VARDI, an avid soloist, orchestral, and chamber musician, serves as Associate Professor of Clarinet at Kent State University. Vardi made his solo debut at the age of sixteen with the Madison Symphony Orchestra. He has since performed as a featured soloist with the Cleveland Institute of Music Orchestra, the Round Top Symphony Orchestra, the Spoleto Symphony Orchestra, the Blue Water Chamber Orchestra, the Lake Placid Sinfonietta, and with members of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.

As an orchestral player, Vardi served as principal clarinetist of Red {an orchestra}, Opera Cleveland and Lyric Opera Cleveland. He currently serves as principal clarinetist of the Blue Water Chamber Orchestra, the Erie Philharmonic, and the Lake Placid Sinfonietta. Vardi has performed with many orchestras, including the American Ballet Theatre, Joffrey Ballet, The Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra and most notably with The Cleveland Orchestra, with which he performed well over 150 concerts including many tours. During the 2014-2015 season, Vardi substituted with The Cleveland Orchestra on bass clarinet for most of the season.

His enthusiasm for chamber music has led to performances across the United States, South America, and Europe. He is featured on several chamber music CDs, including Soulmates with his father, cellist Uri Vardi, and pianist Arnon Erez, on the Delos Label. During the summers he performs and teaches at the Round Top International Music Festival in Texas.

Vardi received his Bachelor of Music degree from Indiana University, where he studied with Eli Eban and his Master of Music degree at The Cleveland Institute of Music, as a student of Franklin Cohen. Mr. Vardi pursued his post-graduate studies with Yehuda Gilad in Los Angeles. Vardi resides in Cleveland with his wife, Diana, who is a violinist, and their three year old son, Jonah.

STEPHEN WAARTS
violin

STEPHEN WAARTS’ innate and individual musical voice has established him as a firm favourite with audiences. With a voracious appetite for repertoire, he has already performed more than 30 standard violin concertos, as well as rarely performed works, and he is a passionate chamber musician.

Stephen has performed with orchestras such as the Chamber Orchestra of Europe under Sir András Schiff, hr-Sinfonieorchester under Christoph Eschenbach, Antwerp Symphony Orchestra under Elim Chan, Orchestre National de Belgique under both Marin Alsop and Constantinos Carydis, Lucerne Symphony Orchestra under Lawrence Foster and Deutsche Streicherphilharmonie at the Dresden Philharmonie.

In the 2021/22 season, he performs with the Münchner Symphoniker, Mozart-Gesellschaft Dortmund, Brandenburger Symphoniker, Orquestra Simfònica De Les Illes Balears, Folkwang Kammerorchester Essen, Camerata Schweiz, and at the Con Spirito Festival in Leipzig. As part of his association with the Kronberg Academy, he also appears at the Tonhalle Zürich with András Schiff. In recital, he performs at the Philharmonie Luxembourg, Vancouver Recital Society as well as a number of chamber recitals throughout Europe. In 2021, Stephen returned to the Aspen Festival for two performances under Nicholas McGegan featuring Mozart Concerto No.3 and Bach Brandenburg Concertos. He also performed with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, hr-Sinfonieorchester and Noord Netherlands Orkest. Stephen collaborated with Kirill Gerstein as part of Daniel Hope’s ‘At Home’ series for Arte and performed numerous recitals, including at Deutschlandfunk and Bayerischer Rundfunk.

In 2022, Waarts will release his first concerto recording for Alpha Classics: Mozart Violin Concerto No.1 with the Camerata Schweiz under Howard Griffiths. 2020 saw the release of Hindemith Kammermusik No.4, as part of Ondine Classic’s Kammermusik cycle with Christoph Eschenbach, the Kronberg Academy Soloists and the Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orchestra. He released his debut recital album for Rubicon Classics in November 2018, with pianist Gabriele Carcano, featuring works by Schumann and Bartók.

Stephen was awarded the International Classical Music Awards Orchestra Award by the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra in 2019. In March 2017 he was awarded the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant. He also won the Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern’s soloist award the same year and has performed at the festival every year since then. In 2015, he was awarded the Mozart Gesellschaft Dortmund scholarship following his appearance at the Krzyżowa-Music Festival. In the same year, his prize-winning success at the 2015 Queen Elisabeth Competition – including securing the majority vote of the television audience – boosted international attention.

Stephen is currently a Fellow at the Kronberg Academy, having graduated in 2021 studying under Mihaela Martin. He graduated with a Bachelor’s degree from the Curtis Institute, Philadelphia, where he studied under Aaron Rosand. Prior to this he worked with Itzhak Perlman at the Perlman Music Program and Li Lin at the San Francisco Conservatory. In 2013 he won the Young Concert Artists International Auditions in New York, aged just 17. He was also prize-winner at the 2013 Montreal International Competition and won first prize at the 2014 Menuhin Competition. Stephen is part of the Development Programme of the Orpheum Foundation for the Advancement of Young Soloists.

SHAI WOSNER
piano

SHAI WOSNER has appeared with the major orchestras of Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Ottawa, San Francisco, and Toronto. He has also appeared with the Orpheus, Saint Paul, and Los Angeles Chamber Orchestras, conducting the latter from the keyboard. Abroad, he has soloed with the BBC orchestras, Bournemouth Symphony, Frankfurt Radio Symphony, Gothenburg Symphony, Staatskapelle Berlin, and Vienna Philharmonic. His penchant for eclectic pairings was displayed this season when he toured with the East Coast Chamber Orchestra and performed a Mozart concerto alongside the world premiere of Christopher Cerrone’s Dissolving Margins, co-commissioned for him by the 92nd Street Y and the Albany and Phoenix Symphonies. Mr. Wosner has collaborated with ChamberFest Cleveland’s Orion Weiss, Martha Argerich, Martin Fröst, Lynn Harrell, Dietrich Henschel, Ralph Kirshbaum, Cho-Liang Lin, Christian Tetzlaff, and Pinchas Zukerman. Among his recordings is Impromptu, featuring a mix of improvisations and impromptus by composers from Beethoven and Schubert to Gershwin and Ives. Additional releases include concertos and capriccios by Haydn and Ligeti with the Danish National Symphony; solo works by Brahms and Schoenberg; and works by Schubert and Missy Mazzoli. He has recorded Beethoven’s complete sonatas and variations for cello and piano with Ralph Kirshbaum, and works by Bartók, Janáček, and Kurtág with longtime duo partner Jennifer Koh. He recently completed his recordings of Schubert’s last six sonatas.

HUGH SHIHAO ZHU
Clarinet

HUGH SHIHAO ZHU is currently pursuing his bachelor degree in clarinet performance under Franklin Cohen at the Cleveland Institute of Music. Starting at the age of 4, Hugh’s clarinet study has come through a long way. In 2014, he moved to Los Angeles to study with Burt Hara of the LA Philharmonic; then the second year, got recommended to study at the Interlochen Arts Academy under Emil Khudyev of the Seattle Symphony, and graduated with the Young Artist Award and many other academic awards in 2017. During his years of study, Hugh has also appeared in numerous competitions. His past awards include first place in the Beijing Mozart International Clarinet Competition (2011); winner of the Interlochen Arts Academy Concerto Competition (2015); bronze medalist in the Fischoff International Chamber Music Competition (2019); and winner of the Concerto Competition at Cleveland Institute of Music (2019). As an avid soloist, orchestral and chamber musician, Hugh has performed extensively in the United States, Asia and Europe, including the Berlin Philharmonie, San Marco Basilica, Carnegie Hall, Severance Hall, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and Henan Art Center.

In addition to music, Hugh also has long-term passion towards traveling, cooking, physics, and philosophy. During the summers, he enjoys time at home Zhengzhou, China, with his beloved parents and 4-year-old sister Mia!

ANDRIUS ŽLABYS
piano

Grammy-nominated pianist ANDRIUS ŽLABYS has received international acclaim for his appearances with many of the world’s leading orchestras, including The New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, Rotterdam Symphony, and Philharmonic Orchestra of Buenos Aires.

He is a featured soloist in “Between two Waves” by Victor Kissine for piano and string orchestra released on ECM in 2013 in collaboration with Gidon Kremer and Kremerata Baltica.

In 2012 Andrius Žlabys made his concerto debut at the Salzburg Festival performing Mozart’s Concerto K.467 with the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra conducted by Mirga Grazinyte-Tyla.

Andrius Žlabys—born in Lithuania and trained at the Curtis Institute of Music—was 18 years old when the Chicago Tribune wrote: “Pianist-composer Andrius Žlabys is one of the most gifted young keyboard artists to emerge in years.” Žlabys was also heralded by The New York Sun in a review titled “A Shining Hope of Pianists” after his recital at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

Žlabys’s artistry has received many other accolades from the press for his performances of “easy virtuosity” (The Strad), “generous and all encompassing“ sound (The Philadelphia Inquirer),“spell-binding interpretation” (The Plain Dealer) and his “wealth of musical perception” (The Greenville News). This international acclaim has followed his uniquely honest approach to music, as described by The Philadelphia Inquirer: “The beloved C-major chord… rippled off Žlabys’ hands with such open-hearted rightness that you couldn’t escape the notion that the pianist was acting as Bach’s ventriloquist…”

Mr. Žlabys’s concerts have included appearances on many of the world’s leading stages, such as Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center, Concertgebouw, Carnegie Hall, Phillips Collection, Teatro Colón, Wigmore Hall, Vienna’s Musikverein and Suntory Hall. He has also appeared at numerous festivals both in the U.S. and abroad, including the Menuhin, Salzburg, Lockenhaus and Caramoor music festivals, and made his Carnegie Hall debut at the Isaac Stern Auditorium with the New York Youth Symphony conducted by Misha Santora in 2001 in a performance of Beethoven’s First Piano Concerto. He was also invited the following season as soloist with Kremerata Baltica to perform Benjamin Britten’s Young Apollo at Carnegie Hall’s Zankel Hall.

Andrius Žlabys has enjoyed collaborations with several esteemed musicians, including violist Yuri Bashmet, violinist Hilary Hahn, and an enduring collaboration with violinist Gidon Kremer with whom Zlabys has toured extensively in Europe, Japan, South America, and the U.S.

In 2003, Žlabys received a Grammy nomination for his recording of Enescu’s Piano Quintet with Gidon Kremer and Kremerata Baltica. A multifaceted musician of wide-ranging repertoire, Andrius Žlabys holds a special reverence for J. S. Bach, while remaining a strong advocate for the contemporary stage with numerous works commissioned by and written for him. He was a winner of 2000 Astral Artists National auditions.

Andrius Žlabys began piano studies at the age of six in his native Lithuania with Laima Jakniuniene at the Ciurlionis Art School,  and continued his studies in the U.S. with Victoria Mushkatkol (Interlochen Arts Academy), Seymour Lipkin (Curtis Institute of Music), Sergei Babayan (Cleveland Institute of Music), and Claude Frank (Yale School of Music).
 
 

JESSICA SINDELL

Flutist JESSICA SINDELL joined The Cleveland Orchestra in October 2018. Prior to winning this audition, she was the solo piccolo player of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. After graduating from the Eastman School of Music, she won her very first orchestral audition at the age of 22 to be principal flute of the Oregon Symphony. Ms. Sindell has been performing with the Lake Tahoe Music Festival orchestra since 2012, and also acted as principal with the Mainly Mozart Festival in San Diego as well as the Colorado Music Festival. She has also performed and recorded at the new Tippet Rise Arts Center. A Cleveland native, Jessica Sindell was a member of the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra (2005-07) and is a high school graduate of Western Reserve Academy.

DENIS SAVELYEV

Originally from Western Ukraine, DENIS SAVELYEV was born in Lviv and began studying flute at the young age of five. After completing a combined Bachelor’s and Master’s degree at the ‘Gnessin Academy of Music in Moscow, he moved to the USA to pursue a MM and Professional Studies at the Mannes School of Music, The New School University, where he studied under Judith Mendenhall. He was later a member of The Orchestra Now, graduating from Bard College with a Master’s degree in Curatorial, Critical, and Performance Studies.

Denis has won multiple prizes, including the 1st Prize at the New York Flute Club Competition, the New Jersey Flute Society, and the 2nd Prize at the Young Artist Competition of the National Flute Association. He is also a recent recipient of the “Rising Star” award at Galway Flute Academy.

Orchestrally, he has worked with the Mariinsky Theater in Vladivostok, as well as with Orchestra Now, the Manhattan Symphonie, and the New York Symphonic Ensemble on its Japanese tour in 2016, under conductors such as Neeme Järvi, Fabio Luisi, Hans Graf, Gerard Schwarz, Tan Dun, JoAnn Falletta, and Leon Botstein amongst others.

He has performed at various international venues, including the Kennedy Center in Washington DC; Merkin Concert Hall, the Morgan Library, and the Metropolitan Museum in NYC; Lviv Philharmonic, Kremlin Concert Hall, Berlin Konzerthaus; Suntory Hall in Tokyo, as well as Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall.

Currently, Denis is pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts Degree at the Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University in the studio of Marina Piccinini.