Eighteen Musicians to Join Ensemble ACJW for Two-Year Fellowship Program

This season, a new group of eighteen musicians -- some of the finest professional players in the world -- will join Ensemble ACJW, a two-year fellowship program of Carnegie Hall, The Juilliard School, and the Weill Music Institute in partnership with the New York City Department of Education. Ensemble ACJW is designed to prepare young professional musicians for careers that combine musical excellence with teaching, community engagement, advocacy, and leadership. It offers performance opportunities, year-long partnerships within New York City public schools, and intensive professional development.

Highlights of Ensemble ACJW's 2014-2015 concert season include more than sixteen concerts at Carnegie Hall, The Juilliard School, and other venues throughout New York City, including a three-concert series at Greenwich Village music venue SubCulture, with programs conceived and developed by the musicians. The group's concert season begins at Carnegie Hall on Monday, October 20 at 7:30 p.m. in Weill Recital Hall with a program to include Mozart's Quartet for Flute, Violin, Viola, and Cello in D Major, K. 285, David Lang's these broken wings, and Beethoven's Septet in E-Flat Major, Op. 20. Ensemble ACJW will also premiere new music by this season's Richard and Barbara Debs Composer's Chair Meredith Monk, commissioned by Carnegie Hall, on Monday, February 16 in Weill Recital Hall. Concerts this season also include performances of works by Beethoven, Ravel, Stravinsky, Schumann, and more.

Ensemble ACJW is set to play a wide variety of free concerts this season-at The Juilliard School's Paul Hall, at Trinity Wall Street, and as part of Carnegie Hall's Neighborhood Concert Series. The ensemble also continues its highly successful biannual residency at Skidmore College, continuing the commitment of bringing music and community engagement to the Saratoga Springs, New York area.

In addition to their performances, members of Ensemble ACJW will begin year-long residencies at New York City public schools this fall, with each musician working alongside a partner music teacher, all bringing their expert musicianship as well as a professional performer's perspective to band, keyboard, and string programs in music classrooms in all five city boroughs. Each member of Ensemble ACJW will develop and play in interactive ensemble concerts, bringing high-quality performances to their school audience as well to their fellow ACJW colleagues' schools.

Introducing the 2014-2015 Ensemble ACJW fellows:

Garrett Arney
Percussion
Lansing, MI
Michigan State University (Undergraduate)
Peabody Institute (Graduate)
Yale School of Music (Graduate)

Andrea Casarrubios
Cello
Arenas de San Pedro, Spain
Peabody Institute (Undergraduate)
University of Southern California (Graduate)

Stanislav Chernyshev
Clarinet
St. Petersburg, Russia
St. Petersburg Conservatory (Undergraduate)
Curtis Institute of Music (Undergraduate)

Jacqueline Cordova-Arrington
Flute
Philadelphia, PA
University of Michigan (Undergraduate)
College Conservatory of Music, University of Cincinnati (Graduate)
Eastman School of Music (Doctoral Candidate)

Elizabeth Fayette
Violin
Wading River, NY
Curtis Institute of Music (Undergraduate)
The Juilliard School (Graduate)

Michael Katz
Cello
Tel Aviv, Israel
New England Conservatory (Undergraduate)
The Juilliard School (Graduate)
Stony Brook University (Doctoral Candidate)

Dana Kelley
Viola
Manlius, NY
Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University (Undergraduate)
New England Conservatory (Graduate)

Beomjae Kim
Flute
Seoul, Korea
Oberlin Conservatory (Undergraduate)
Manhattan School of Music (Graduate)

Danny Kim
Viola
St. Paul, MN
University of Wisconsin-Madison (Undergraduate)
The Juilliard School (Graduate)

Siwoo Kim
Violin
Westerville, OH
The Juilliard School (Undergraduate and Graduate)

Jean Laurenz
Trumpet
Chicago, IL
Northwestern University (Undergraduate)
Yale University (Graduate)

Kobi Malkin
Violin Karmiel, Israel
New England Conservatory (Undergraduate)
The Juilliard School (Graduate)

Jenny Ney
French Horn
Suffield, CT
Eastman School of Music (Undergraduate)
The Juilliard School (Graduate)

James Riggs
Oboe
Tampa, FL
Oberlin Conservatory (Undergraduate)
The Juilliard School (Graduate)

Shir Semmel
Piano
Jerusalem, Israel
Jerusalem Music Academy (Undergraduate)
Buchmann-Mehta School of Music (Graduate)
Peabody Institute (Graduate)

Michael Smith
Piano
Davis, CA
Lawrence University (Undergraduate)
Stony Brook University (Graduate and Doctoral Candidate)

Caleb van der Swaagh
Cello
New York, NY
Columbia University (Undergraduate)
New England University (Graduate)
Manhattan School of Music (Graduate)

Michael Zuber
Bassoon
Buffalo, NY
The Colburn School (Undergraduate)
Yale University (Graduate)

Ensemble ACJW, 2014-2015 Concert Season:

Performances: During the 201402015 season, Ensemble ACJW will perform more than 16 concerts at a number of venues, including Carnegie Hall's Zankel Hall and Weill Recital Hall; The Juilliard School's Paul Hall; SubCulture in Greenwich Village; in New York City community venues as part of the free Neighborhood Concert Series presented by Carnegie Hall's Weill Music Institute; and at Skidmore College's Arthur Zankel Music Center, Helen Filene Ladd Concert Hall.

2014-2015 season highlights include:

• Monday, October 20 at Weill Recital Hall - Ensemble ACJW performs Mozart's Quartet for Flute, Violin, Viola, and Cello in D Major, K. 285, David Lang's these broken wings, and Beethoven's Septet in E-flat Major, Op. 20. (This program is also performed on October 17 at Skidmore College.)
• Tuesday, November 11 at Paul Hall - Ensemble ACJW presents a free concert at Juilliard's Paul Hall with an invigorating program that includes Paul Hindemith's Wind Septet, Bohuslav Martinu's La revue de cuisine, and Dohnányi's Sextet in C Major, Op. 37.
• Sunday, November 23 at Our Savior's Atonement Lutheran Church - In a free Carnegie Hall Neighborhood Concert, Ensemble ACJW pairs Bohuslav Martinu's La revue de cuisine with Dohnányi's Sextet in C Major, Op. 37.
• Thursday, January 8 at Paul Hall - Ensemble ACJW presents a free concert at Juilliard's Paul Hall with a program that includes Toru Takemitsu's And then I knew 'twas wind, Maurice Ravel's Sonata for Violin and Cello, and Olivier Messiaen's Quatuor pour la fin du temps.
• Monday, February 16 at Weill Recital Hall - Ensemble ACJW performs the New York premiere of a new work by Meredith Monk, this season's Richard and Barbara Debs Composer's Chair. The program also includes Albert Roussel's Trio for Flute, Viola, and Cello, Op. 40 and Maurice Ravel's Piano Trio in A Minor. (The world premiere of Ms. Monk's new work will be performed by Ensemble ACJW on February 13 at Skidmore College.)
• Sunday, March 8 at Our Savior's Atonement Lutheran Church - As part of the free Neighborhood Concert Series, the group will perform a program that includes Beethoven's Piano Trio in D Major, Op. 70, No. 1, "Ghost" and Brahms's Trio in E-flat Major for Violin, Horn, and Piano, Op. 40.
• Tuesday, March 10 at Paul Hall - Ensemble ACJW presents a free concert at Juilliard's Paul Hall with a program that includes Beethoven's Piano Trio in D Major, Op. 70, No. 1, "Ghost," György Kurtág's Hommage à R. Sch., Op. 15d, and Brahms's Trio in E-flat Major for Violin, Horn, and Piano, Op. 40.
• Friday, April 17 at Weill Recital Hall - Ensemble ACJW's versatility and verve are showcased in a program that includes Schumann's Piano Quintet. An exuberant and remarkably inventive work, Schumann's Quintet delights from its opening movement to its thrilling finale. The program also includes Osvaldo Golijov's Mariel and Fanny Mendelssohn's String Quartet in E-flat Major.
• Friday, May 15 at Weill Recital Hall - Ensemble ACJW perform's Stravinsky's devilishly entertaining Histoire du soldat along with György Ligeti's Six Bagatelles for Wind Quintet and Francis Poulenc's Trio for Oboe, Bassoon, and Piano.
• Wednesday, June 3 at Paul Hall - Ensemble ACJW presents a free concert at Juilliard's Paul Hall with a program that includes Mozart's Quintet for Horn and Strings in E-flat Major, K. 407, Leoš Janácek's Mládí, and Schumann's Piano Trio No. 1 in D Minor, Op. 63

Trinity Wall Street Series: For a fourth consecutive year, Ensemble ACJW performs a free concert series in downtown Manhattan at Trinity Wall Street. This year's concerts are on April 23 and April 30.

SubCulture Series: Ensemble ACJW will perform a three-concert series at Greenwich Village's SubCulture on January 22, March 26, and June 12, with programs conceived and developed by the fellows themselves.

Residencies & Special Projects:

Skidmore College: For the eighth consecutive year, Ensemble ACJW returns to Saratoga Springs, New York, for two five-day residencies at Skidmore College from October 14-18, and from February 10-14. While on campus the fellows work with music department faculty and students, offering master classes, lessons, and class demonstrations. The fellows also play side by side with the students of the Skidmore College Orchestra and read student composers' new works. Ensemble ACJW performs in the Arthur Zankel Music Center, presenting concerts that include a world premiere of a Carnegie Hall-commissioned piece by Meredith Monk. In addition, the fellows offer collaborative demonstrations and informal performances beyond the music department in classes, dormitories, and libraries, as well as in schools and other community venues in Saratoga Springs.

Musical Connections: Ensemble ACJW will continue to work with diverse audiences, engaging in in community-based musical work in non-traditional venues across New York City through Musical Connections-a program of Carnegie Hall's Weill Music Institute. Through this program, fellows will participate in performance based residencies at correctional facilities, healthcare settings, and senior-service organizations throughout New York City.

Alumni Activities:

Carnegie Hall maintains close relationships with the program's 83 alumni. As the reputation of Ensemble ACJW has grown, demand for work by its alumni has developed as well. In recent seasons, alumni ensembles have participated in residencies through Carnegie Hall in Abu Dhabi, Iceland, South Africa, Spain, Mumbai, Tokyo, Mexico City, and Germany. In 2011, Decoda-an ensemble exclusively made up of Ensemble ACJW alumni-was formed. The group was recently named as an affiliate ensemble of Carnegie Hall. Program alums have also co-founded music ensembles and festivals, such as Third Coast Percussion, Genghis Barbie, New Docta International Music Festival, Scrag Mountain Music, Miami Chamber Music Society, and New York Chamber Musicians. They are members of world-renowned orchestras and ensembles, such as the New York Philharmonic, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Orchestra of St. Luke's, The Knights, Canadian Brass, and Bryant Park Quartet. Many alumni also hold faculty and guest artist teaching positions at US universities and colleges.

Additionally, alumni perform with current fellows in Ensemble ACJW, lead professional development sessions, serve as advisors for current fellows, and perform as part of the Weill Music Institute's Family Concerts series and Musical Connections program.

Ensemble ACJW - Created in 2007 by Carnegie Hall's Executive and Artistic Director Clive Gillinson and The Juilliard School's President Joseph W. Polisi, Ensemble ACJW is an inspirational collective of young professional musicians who are fellows in a two-year program that supports them in building careers as top-quality performers, innovative programmers, and dedicated teachers who fully engage with the communities in which they live and work.

Ensemble ACJW fellows -- chosen for their musicianship, but also for their leadership qualities and commitment to music education -- come from some of the best music schools in the country, includingthe Curtis Institute of Music, Eastman School of Music, The Juilliard School, Manhattan School of Music, New England Conservatory, Peabody Institute, Stony Brook University, University of Southern California, and Yale School of Music.

This is just one of the many accolades Ensemble ACJW has received for the quality of its performances and its fresh and open-minded approach, performing a wide range of music -- from centuries past to works written days before an event -- in a variety of performance venues. The group performs its own series at Carnegie Hall and has regularly appeared at The Juilliard School's Paul Hall and other venues throughout New York City, including (Le) Poisson Rouge nightclub in Greenwich Village, Subculture in Noho, and Galapagos Art Space in Brooklyn. As part of a partnership with Skidmore College that began in 2007, Ensemble ACJW gives master classes for university students and performs for the Saratoga Springs community in both concert halls and in informal settings around town.

Along with performance opportunities at premier venues in New York City and beyond, Ensemble ACJW fellows each partner with a New York City public school to share their artistry with -- and become central resources for -- music classrooms in the five boroughs. Ensemble ACJW fellows also take part in community work through the Weill Music Institute's Musical Connections program, in which they perform at multiple non-traditional music venues across New York City, including healthcare settings, correctional facilities, and senior-service organizations. Throughout the two-year program, Ensemble ACJW fellows participate in rigorous, ongoing professional development to ensure that they gain the necessary skills to be successful in all areas of the program and to become leaders in their field. Areas of emphasis include artistic excellence, engagement strategies on and off the stage, advocacy, professional skills, and preparation for their in-school work.

Exemplary performers, dedicated teachers, and advocates for music throughout the community, the forward-looking musicians of Ensemble ACJW are redefining what it means to be a musician in the 21st century. Visit carnegiehall.org/acjw to learn more.

Tickets are available at the Carnegie Hall Box Office, 154 West 57th Street, or can be charged to major credit cards by calling CarnegieCharge at 212-247-7800 or by visiting the Carnegie Hall website, carnegiehall.org. For more information on discount ticket programs, including those for students, Notables members, and Bank of America customers, visit carnegiehall.org/discounts.

Ensemble ACJW concerts at Juilliard's Paul Hall are free, but tickets are required and are available The Janet and Leonard Kramer Box Office at Juilliard, located at 155 West 65th Street; by calling the Box Office at 212-769-7406; or by visiting the Juilliard website: juilliard.edu.

Ticket Information for Skidmore College's Arthur Zankel Music Center - Tickets: $8 adults, $5 seniors, Free for students and children. For more information, visit skidmore.edu/zankel or call the college's Department of Music at 518-580-5320.

Ticket Information for Subculture - For more information, visit boxoffice@subculturenewyork.com or call 212-533-5470.