ARK Trio returns to PREformances with Allison Charney

The ARK Trio returns to the classical concert series "PREformances with Allison Charney" on Monday April 3rd where they first "preformed" in anticipation of their NYC inaugural concert "Love Resounding" earlier this year. The ARK Trio's commitment to contemporary classical works evidenced by their presentation of six world premieres, was praised by Broadway World who noted "In a city where even the most revered classical music institutions offer new works in relatively small doses, this intrepid program, "Love Resounding" was noteworthy entirely because it presented a complete program of new classical works."

Bringing their unique sound of voice, cello and piano, the ARK Trio will share the stage with Metropolitan Opera stars' tenor Todd Wilander and countertenor Jeffery Mandelbaum, and PREformances' collaborative pianist Craig Ketter in a concert program that promises scintillating operatic arias and duets by Bellini, Donizetti, Verdi and Strauss alongside contemporary pieces by composers Michael Ching and Moshe Knoll.

The ARK Trio - who include soprano Allison Charney, cellist Kajsa William-Olsson and pianist Reiko Uchida will perform Michael Ching's "Arrangements and Derangements: Interpretations of Schubert" and Moshe Knoll's cantata "Simplicity."

Michael Ching's composition "Arrangements and Derangements: Interpretations of Schubert" is the composer's witty, mock polemic on the Romantic era's obsessive, perhaps even delusional point of view. The work is based on a set of German texts by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Matthäus von Collin, Friedrich Rückert, and Johann Gabriel Seidl - 19th century poets and delivers five of Schubert's lieder to the audience in a new form. "Arrangements and Derangements" pivots on its comic pièce de résistance, "DIE Forelle."

Moshe Knoll's cantata, "Simplicity" which comprise a setting of texts by Henry David Thoreau is a musical study of transcendental timelessness. "Simplicity" masterfully shape shifts musical techniques from eras of the baroque, classical, romantic (as well as jazz-pop) in an ever-changing meter that leaves the audience with no sense of time or space. Knoll's mercurial composition particularly underscores the "voice" of the piano with florid, soloistic passages. From the opening cello solo to the exquisite notes given to soprano voice, the music suggests the notion that if only we, as a civilization would pay attention to the truth and essence of what matters, anything is possible.

Together with noted soprano Allison Charney, ARK Trio founding members, cellist Kajsa William Olsson and pianist Reiko Uchida, are accomplished soloists as well as ensemble performers. Pianist Reiko Uchida enjoys an active career as a soloist and chamber musician, performing regularly throughout the United States, Asia, and Europe, in venues including Suntory Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, Alice Tully Hall, the 92nd Street Y, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Kennedy Center, and the White House. As a chamber musician, she has performed at the Marlboro, Santa Fe, Tanglewood, and Spoleto Music Festivals; as guest artist with Camera Lucida, American Chamber Players, and the Borromeo, Talich, Daedalus, St. Lawrence, and Tokyo String Quartets; and in recital with Jennifer Koh, Thomas Meglioranza, Anne Akiko Meyers, Sharon Robinson, and Jaime Laredo. Her recording with Jennifer Koh, "String Poetic" was nominated for a Grammy Award. She is a past member of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center Two and is a founding member of the ARK trio with S. Ms. Uchida holds a Bachelor's degree from the Curtis Institute of Music, a Master's degree from the Mannes College of Music, an Artist Diploma from the Juilliard School, and is currently an associate faculty member at Columbia University.

Swedish cellist Kajsa William-Olsson is frequently heard as a soloist, chamber musician and orchestral musician throughout the world. As a founding member of the VITALIS and the Hanna String Quartets, Ms. William-Olsson has performed extensively throughout Europe. She regularly teaches and performs at the MMCJ Festival in Japan, and appears as a chamber musician in festivals including the Aspen Music Festival, the Sangat Festival in Mumbai and the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival. Ms. William-Olsson is a founding member of the ARK trio with soprano Allison Charney and pianist Reiko Uchida. Ms. William-Olsson's solo career has taken her throughout the globe, having performed concertos in the United States, Europe and Asia. She was the featured soloist in Tan Dun's Cello Concerto, with the composer conducting, in both Norway and China. Amongst many others, Ms. William-Olsson has collaborated with composer Marc Neikrug, and renowned chamber musicians including Eric Kim, Emanuel Ax, Joyce Yang, and her husband Alan Gilbert. Ms. William-Olsson has been a member of the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra since 1996.

ARK Trio member, soprano and PREformances' founder and host, the multi- talented Allison Charney began her singing career following the national finals of the Metropolitan Opera Competition with her debut at the New York City Opera. She went on to earn a reputation for her "vocal agility, lush sound and dramatic portrayals" of dozens of leading roles in opera companies across the United States. Concert highlights have included performances at Alice Tully Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Boston Pops under the baton of Alan Gilbert. A champion of music of our times, Ms. Charney has premiered many new works and is featured on the first recording of the Pulitzer Prize nominated oratorio CHOOSE LIFE. Ms. Charney can also be heard in a CD of American song on the DSC Label and is a founding member of the ARK trio, whose first recording is scheduled to be released in 2018. An active recitalist and master teacher, Ms. Charney is the founder and curator of the NYC concert series,PREformances with Allison Charney. Ms. Charney holds a Bachelor's degree from Harvard University and two graduate degrees in music from the Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University.

PREformances with Allison Charney celebrates its eighth season and is co-produced within the JCC Manhattan's Lambert Center for Arts + Ideas, a key cultural asset of the JCC Manhattan. A cornerstone of progressive programming in Manhattan, the JCC serves over 55,000 people annually through 1,200 programs each season that educate, inspire, and transform participants' minds, bodies, and spirits. Since its inception, the JCC Manhattan has been committed to serving the community by offering programs and services that reach beyond neighborhood boundaries. Programs at the JCC reach people at all stages of their lives, and serve the entire family and community. Proceeds from 'PREformances with Allison Charney" help support the pivotal work of The Basser Center for BRCA and the breadth of arts programing at the JCC Manhattan

PREformances with Allison Charney

Featuring tenor Todd Wilander, countertenor Jeffrey Mandelbaum, ARK Trio - with soprano Allison Charney, cellist Kajsa William- Olsson and pianist Reiko Uchida and PREformances' collaborative pianist Craig Ketter

April 3, 2017 at 12:30 PM

The Goldman- Sonnenfeldt Auditorium,
JCC Manhattan, Lambert Center for Arts + Ideas
334 AMSTERDAM AVE AT 76TH ST, NEW YORK
Tickets available online and at the door

$15 General Admission; $10 Members; $5 Students/Seniors