Strata Trio: Stomping Grounds
$35
- James Stern, violin & viola
- Nathan Williams, clarinet
- Audrey Andrist, piano
Rebecca Clarke — Prelude, Allegro, and Pastorale
Karim Al-Zand — Stomping Grounds
Béla Bartók — Contrasts for violin, clarinet, and piano, Sz. 111, BB 116
Claiming a wide territory for their unusual medium, Strata traverses a world of sounds. Their vast repertoire spans from the rural, folkloric style of Béla Bartók to the urbane wit of Jean Françaix. Highlighting works ranging from the English Pastoralism of Rebecca Clarke's duo for clarinet and viola to the joyful eclecticism of Karim Al-Zand's Stomping Grounds, which draws its inspiration from such diverse sources as Baroque ground bass, music of the African "thumb piano," and "stop time" jazz, this program delivers a generous helping of assorted delights.
About James Stern, violin & viola
About Nathan Williams, clarinet
Clarinetist Nathan Williams has recently been praised for his “sublime control”, “silky sound”, and “dazzling technique”. He is the principal clarinetist of ROCO in Houston and a founding member of Strata with pianist Audrey Andrist and violinist James Stern. Williams is a frequent guest performer and teacher across the country and abroad. He has given concerts throughout North America, Europe, and Asia, and broadcasts of his performances can be heard regularly on National Public Radio’s “Performance Today”. He has recorded for Albany Records, Composers Recordings, Inc., Naxos, New Dynamic Records, and Arizona University Recordings. His students have garnered prizes in national and international competitions, and hold positions in major symphony orchestras and universities in the United States and abroad. A graduate of Eastman (MM) and Juilliard (DMA), Williams is an artist/clinician for Vandoren and a Buffet Group USA Performing Artist. For further information about Nathan and his activities, visit his website.
http://www.nathanwilliamsclarinet.comAbout Audrey Andrist, piano
Hailed as a “stunning pianist with incredible dexterity”, Canadian pianist Audrey Andrist has thrilled audiences around the globe, from North America to Japan, China and Germany with her “passionate abandon” and “great intelligence.” Ms. Andrist grew up on a farm in Saskatchewan, and while in high school traveled three hours one-way for lessons with William Moore, himself a former student of famed musicians Cécile Genhart and Rosina Lhévinne. She completed Masters and Doctoral degrees at the Juilliard School with Herbert Stessin, and garnered first prizes at the Mozart International, San Antonio International, Eckhardt-Gramatté, and Juilliard Concerto Competitions. She is a member of the Stern/Andrist Duo with her husband, James Stern, Strata, a trio with Stern and clarinetist Nathan Williams, and the Andrist-Stern-Honigberg Trio with Stern and cellist Steve Honigberg. She lives in the Washington, DC area, where she teaches at the Washington Conservatory and the University of Maryland-Baltimore County.
http://www.audreyandrist.com