You pick the set list, then SHUFFLE goes to town!
SHUFFLE, a hot young group of New-York based chamber musicians and vocalists, takes to the Gordon stage Saturday night, December 3, 2016, at 8:00pm. This modern day chamber group puts on an unexpected, inspiring and energetic concert in which the audience chooses the tunes.
SHUFFLE’s members are exceptionally accomplished; they are graduates of such schools as Juilliard, New England Conservatory, Oberlin, Manhattan School of Music and Bard College and have all individually won numerous prizes and have performed extensively as soloists and collaborative musicians throughout the world. Their roster is as follows:
Eliran Avni is SHUFFLE’s artistic director and pianist. The SHUFFLE concept was born while Avni was exercising on the elliptical machine at the gym. His MP3 player jumped from a Pretenders song to the first movement of Prokofiev’s Fifth Symphony, nearly causing him to lose his balance!
Avni has been hailed as “The new hope of Israeli music” by Ma’ariv and described as possessing both “ironclad technique” and “ample suppleness” by The New York Times. Having made his debut with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra at age seventeen, Mr. Avni has appeared as a soloist and chamber collaborator throughout Europe, North and South America, as well as in his native Israel and has taught at prestigious institutions such as The Juilliard School and the Bowdoin Summer Music Festival.
“I’m super-excited to play this concert at the Gordon Center as it has been in the works now for over 3 years!” he says. “I used to travel to Peabody [Conservatory] to visit friends who were studying at the music school, so I have very warm memories of [Baltimore].”
SHUFFLE clarinetist Moran Katz, as well, is “Very much looking forward to bringing our fun show (and my 6 week old son!) to Baltimore for the first time! I’m hoping to see many familiar faces, as well as to make new SHUFFLE friends!
Katz received the Audience Choice Prize as well as the Artistic Encouragement Prize voted on by the Houston Symphony musicians. She performs extensively throughout the United States, Europe and Asia as a soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician, and has appeared as a soloist with such orchestras as the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, China Philharmonic, Houston Symphony, Brooklyn Philharmonic, Israel Sinfonietta and the Tel Aviv Soloists Ensemble.
Cellist Sofia Nowik is a recent graduate of the Juilliard School where she served for five years as one of the principal cellists of the Juilliard Orchestra.
During her graduate studies Sofia worked for the Juilliard Pre-College Division as both a chamber music and orchestral mentor, coaching individual chamber groups and leading string sectionals. An active freelance musician in the New York and New Jersey Area, Sofia enjoys a diverse career as a chamber, orchestral, and studio musician. She recently joined the roster of the SHUFFLE Concert Ensemble, the Exponential Ensemble, and has performed as principal cellist with the Arcos Chamber Orchestra and the Arco Ensemble.
American oboist Hassan Anderson says, “Whenever I think of Baltimore I think of a family friend who always made the best Crab Cakes. And of course she was from Maryland! So as I visit Baltimore for the second time I am truly looking forward to visiting the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of African-American History & Culture and finding that perfect Crab Cake.”
A multitalented artist, Anderson is a soloist, chamber musician, and teacher, and noted for his clarity of tone, range of colors and energetic stage presence. A popular collaborator, amongst his numerous guest appearances with distinguished ensembles are performances with the American Ballet Theater, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra, the Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players, East Coast Contemporary Ensemble (ECCE), Harlem Chamber Players and the Juilliard Orchestra.
Violinist Brendan Speltz, a Los Angeles native, began his serious music studies at the Colburn School of Music. He received his bachelor’s degree at the University of Southern California, studying with Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra concertmaster Margaret Batjer. While at USC, Brendan was chosen by legendary violinist Midori Goto to participate in a string quartet program with the latter coaching from the second violin chair. In 2012, he earned his Master’s degree at the Manhattan School of Music in New York City. At both institutions he served in a principal or concertmaster capacity. Brendan has performed at a wide variety of music festivals as soloist and chamber musician.
“I’m looking forward to returning to Charm City as it’s amongst my favorites,” Speltz exclaims. “I spent many weeks in the Mt. Vernon area and consider the Peabody Conservatory to be the most architecturally beautiful of all the American music schools. Above all, I’m looking forward to performing for a wonderfully cultured Baltimore audience!”
Vocalist Ariadne Greif “has passed through Baltimore a million times, but never with enough free time to do what I really wanted to do—visit the Edgar Allan Poe House! [This time] I’m going to try!”
Greif has been praised for her “luminous, expressive voice” (New York Times), her “elastic and round high notes” (classiqueinfo), and her “mesmerizing stage presence” (East Anglian Daily Times). She recently gave a triumphant run as the title role in Poulenc’s Les Mamelles de Tiresias with the Britten-Pears Young Artist Programme in Aldeburgh, UK. Ariadne has also starred as the title role in Ravel’s L’enfant et les sortileges, Ivona in Jeff Myers’ The Hunger Art, and Sandmann in a concert version of Hänsel und Gretel.
The Gordon is thrilled to welcome SHUFFLE to its stage. Please join us Saturday, December 3, at 8:00. It will be an evening to remember featuring some of the best musicians in the world!