Hye-Jin Kim and Joao Luiz to Peform in New York City Classical Guitar Society Series, 1/15

The exceptional young Concert Artists Guild Competition winners violinist Hye-Jin Kim and guitarist and member of the noted Brasil Guitar Duo Joao Luiz will perform on Saturday evening, January 15th at 7:30 p.m. at Renee Weiler Concert Hall at Greenwich House Music School, 46 Barrow St., New York, NY as part of the New York City Classical Guitar Society's Salon Series. The program is entitled, "Cultural Crossroads," and explores the points of intersection and difference between the folk music of both musicians' respective nationalities: Ms. Kim's homeland of Korea and Mr. Luiz's native Brazil. The evening will also feature an eclectic mix of dance-inspired classical repertoire, including works by Piazzolla, D'Rivera, Nazareth, Assad, and an original composition by Mr. Luiz.

Program:
PAGANINI Sonata for Violin and Guitar, Op. 33; Tarantella
TRADITIONAL (arr. Kim) Korean Folksongs
JOÃO LUIZ Suite for Violin and Guitar
PIAZZOLLA (arr. Luiz) Three Tangos
D'RIVERA (arr. Luiz) Three Latin American Dances
NAZARETH (arr. Luiz) Coração que Sente; Escorregando
ASSAD Mangabeira
TRADITIONAL (arr. Luiz) Brazilian Folksongs

Tickets are $18, $15 for students, seniors and NYCCGS members, and can be purchased by calling 1-800-838-3006 or by visiting nyccgs.com.

Violinist Hye-Jin Kim, winner of the 2009 Concert Artists Guild Competition, has been lauded by The Strad for her "...heart-stopping, unrivalled beauty...well-thought out, yet of the moment." Ms. Kim crafts extraordinary programs often reflecting her interests in Art and Literature which, paired with her rare sensitivity and intellect, set her apart in today's music scene. This remarkable artistry brought her to international prominence quite early in her career when she was awarded First Prize at the Yehudi Menuhin Competition at the age of nineteen.

2013-14 recital highlights include a performance presented by the Arizona Chamber Music Society and return engagements with New York's Greenwich Village Orchestra and the East Carolina University Orchestra, as well as debut performances with the Dupage Symphony (IL), Victoria Symphony (TX) and Mansfield Symphony (OH).

Ms. Kim has performed as soloist with the Philadelphia Orchestra under the direction of Christoph Eschenbach and the New Jersey Symphony led by Gerard Schwarz as well as with the BBC Concert Orchestra, Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, Pan Asia Symphony (Hong Kong), the Greenwich Village Orchestra and the Hannover Chamber Orchestra, where she led the ensemble in Mozart's A Major Concerto at age 12. She has appeared in major venues across North America, Europe and Asia, including the Kennedy Center Terrace Theater, KimMel Center Verizon Hall, the Kravis Center, Salzburg's Mirabel Schloss and both St. John's Smith Square and Wigmore Hall in London. At the invitation of Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, she was honored to perform at the U.N. Headquarters in both Geneva and New York. Ms. Kim has also served as a cultural representative for Korea in Switzerland, Australia, New Zealand, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan through concert and outreach engagements.

In addition to her prizes in the CAG and Menuhin Competitions, Ms. Kim is also a winner of the Philadelphia Orchestra Concerto Competition, the Virtuosos of the 21st Century in Moscow and the Kay H. Logan Chamber Music Award. A rising force in the chamber music world, Ms. Kim has toured throughout the US as a member of Musicians from Marlboro, and festival appearances include Marlboro, Ravinia, Music from Angel Fire, Music at Menlo, Madison (GA) Chamber Music Festival, Chamber Music at Gretna, Kansas City's Sunflower Festival and Prussia Cove's Open Chamber Music. She has collaborated with renowned artists such as Paul Biss, Miriam Fried, Gilbert Kalish, Kim Kashkashian, Ida Kavafian, Jaime Laredo, Menahem Pressler, Mitsuko Uchida and members of the Guarneri, Juilliard, Miami and Orion String Quartets. Ms. Kim has served as concertmaster of both The Curtis Symphony Orchestra and New England Conservatory Philharmonia.

Born in Seoul, Korea in 1985, Hye-Jin Kim began her violin studies with Dong-Hyun Kim at the age of 8. When she was 14, Ms. Kim entered The Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, studying with Jaime Laredo and Ida Kavafian. She earned her Masters degree studying with Miriam Fried at New England Conservatory as a recipient of NEC's prestigious Emma V. Lambrose Presidential Scholarship. She is an Assistant Professor of Violin on the faculty of East Carolina University in Greenville, NC. Ms. Kim plays a Gioffredo Cappa violin, crafted in Saluzzo, Italy in 1687.

Beyond her musical activities, Ms. Kim is an avid reader of classic literature, with particular interest in the writings of 19th century British authors. During her travels, she has toured the homes and haunts of the Bronte sisters, Jane Austen, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and C.S. Lewis. Her other passion is baseball, and her years at Curtis made her a hardcore fan of the Philadelphia Phillies.

Brasil Guitar Duo, a 2006 winner of the Concert Artists Guild International Competition, and hailed by Classical Guitar magazine for its "maturity of musicianship and technical virtuosity," is equally at home on a classical or a world-music series. Its innovative programming features a seamless blend of traditional and Brazilian works, resulting in a full global touring schedule and a growing catalogue of critically acclaimed recordings. The Duo has appeared internationally on major concert series and at festivals in Germany, England, South Korea, Colombia, Brazil, Austria, Panama, Poland, and Bermuda. U.S. engagements have included recitals in such major cities as New York, Santa Barbara, Miami, Houston, Dallas/Fort Worth, St. Louis and Tucson, as well as in Chautauqua and Cooperstown, N.Y.; Stowe, Vt.; and Lancaster, Ohio.

Eager advocates for both traditional and new concerti for two guitars and orchestra, the Duo premiered a work by Brazilian composer Paulo Bellinati with the Sa?o Paulo Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Giancarlo Guerrero, in June 2012, and gave the first U.S. performances in the 2012-13 season. Recent concerto engagements include concerts with the Dallas and Houston symphony orchestras, Ohio's Dayton Philharmonic and Lancaster Symphony Orchestra, and the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas in New York City.

The Duo's first CD, in 2007, was Bom Partido, a CAG Records release featuring all Brazilian repertoire that prompted Steve Marsh to write in Classical Guitar, "The maturity of musicianship and technical virtuosity displayed on this debut recording by Joa?o Luiz and Douglas Lora is simply outstanding...The original compositions by Douglas Lora comfortably stand alongside the 'big names' on the rest of the programme and are well crafted and very appealing new works." Two critically acclaimed CDs on the Naxos CDs, released in 2008 and 2009, contain the complete works for two guitars by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco. The Duo has also won praise for its latest CD, released on the Avie label: a collaboration with flutist Marina Piccinini that features all of J.S. Bach's sonatas for flute and harpsichord, as arranged by the Duo for flute and two guitars.

Brasil Guitar Duo actively strives to expand the repertoire for two guitars, with Lora contributing works of his own and Luiz arranging both classical and Brazilian music. Appearing frequently in diverse non-traditional spaces, the Duo brings a broad repertoire of classical guitar duos (Bach, Sor, Scarlatti, Debussy, etc.) combined with the traditional music of its native land (choro, samba, maxixe, and baia?o).

Duo members Joa?o Luiz and Douglas Lora met in Sa?o Paulo as teenage guitar students and have been performing together for more than fifteen years. The Duo's primary studies were with Henrique Pinto along with Fabio Zanon, Paulo Martelli, Sergio Abreu, and Alice Artz. Douglas Lora earned his Master's degree at the University of Miami as a student of Dr. Rene Gonzalez.

Joa?o Luiz received his Master's degree from Mannes College the New School for Music under Michael Newman, and is pursuing a Doctoral degree at Manhattan School of Music, studying with David Leisner. He teaches guitar at New Jersey City University.

CAG provides support to a roster of talented artists during the critical and formative time between completion of formal studies and the achievement of an established career. Artists are selected through a rigorous multi-round annual competition open to traditional and non-traditional instrumentalists, ensembles and singers. CAG offers comprehensive management services including concert bookings and tour management, commissioning and recording opportunities and marketing and publicity support. Competition winners are also presented on the Concerts in New York at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall. The New Music/New Places initiative presents CAG artists in non-traditional venues such as bars, clubs and galleries, introducing diverse audiences to concert music. The CAG Records label enables roster musicians to get their music onto disc and into the marketplace. The CAG Commissioning Program ensures that classical music continues to be a living art form by fostering collaborations between performers and composers.