Classical Up Close: Pärt, Madsen, Beethoven

Classical Up Close

Friday, April 26, 2024 @ 7:00pm – 9:00pm (PDT)

Hillsdale Community Church, United Church of Christ, Portland, OR, United States

Free

Arvo Pärt — Spiegel im Spiegel
Franz Joseph Haydn — Piano Trio in A major, Hob. XV:18 ("III. Allegro")
Trygve Madsen — Quintet for Violin, 2 Violas, Cello, and French Horn, Op. 145
Zdeněk Fibich — Piano Quintet in D major, Op. 42 ("I. Allegro non tanto")
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart — String Duo No. 1 in G major for violin and viola, K. 423 ("I. Allegro")
Ludwig van Beethoven — Wind Quintet in E-flat major for Oboe, Bassoon, and 3 Horns, Hess 19
Felix Mendelssohn — Konzertstück No. 2, Op. 114

Programs subject to change without notice.

About Classical Up Close

Classical Up Close is a chamber music festival created and produced by members of the Oregon Symphony and friends. Our mission is to bring high quality, live classical music to as many people as possible. To that end, we travel to neighborhoods all around the Portland metro area, holding concerts outside of the usual downtown concert hall, and every performance is free.

https://www.classicalupclose.org/

About Gregory Ewer, violin

Greg Ewer, hailed by The New York Times for his "refinement and spirit," has been a member of the Oregon Symphony since 2001. Greg is also well known to Portland audiences for his regular appearances with the Portland Baroque Orchestra, Third Angle New Music Ensemble, and Pink Martini. He is also the founder and artistic director of 45th Parallel, a highly acclaimed chamber music series founded in 2009, featuring musicians of the Pacific Northwest.

Greg has appeared as a guest recitalist at Yale University, and at the National Library in Mexico City. He has performed at numerous summer festivals, including the Tanglewood Music Center, San Luis Obispo Mozart Festival, Grand Teton Music Festival, Moab Music Festival, and the Montana Baroque Festival.

Greg’s 2014 recording of the Complete Sonatas for Two Violins of Jean-Marie Leclair with his longtime collaborator Adam LaMotte was described as a "landmark recording" and hailed for its "zest and athleticism" by The Strad magazine. In addition to his performing activities, Greg is on the music faculty of Reed College in Portland.

https://www.orsymphony.org/discover/orchestra/strings/gregory-ewer/

About Marilyn de Oliveira, cello

https://www.orsymphony.org/discover/orchestra/strings/marilyn-de-oliveira/

About María García, piano

https://www.mariagarciapiano.com/

About Charles Noble, viola

http://www.nobleviola.com/

About Ben Brogadir, oboe

A native of San Diego, California, Benjamin Brogadir currently holds the position of Principal Oboe with the Berkeley Symphony. In high demand on both oboe and English horn, he has made appearances as a guest musician with the San Francisco Symphony, London Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Opera, San Diego Symphony, and Pacific Symphony. This also includes performances as guest principal oboe with the San Francisco Symphony during their 2022 summer season. Brogadir served as principal oboe of the 2021 Ojai Festival Orchestra and has participated in numerous international music festivals including the Pacific Music Festival, Music Academy of the West, Aspen Music Festival, Music from Angel Fire, Colorado College Music Festival, and the National Orchestral Institute.

In the International Double Reed Society’s 2021 Fernand Gillet-Hugo Fox Oboe competition, Brogadir, being the only American candidate, was one of five finalists and received an honorable mention. As a chamber musician, he has collaborated with globally esteemed artists such as Emanuel Ax, James Conlon, David Geber, Karyn Dreyfus, Nokuthula Ngwenyama, and Pedja Mužijević. A graduate of the Colburn Conservatory, he received his Bachelor of Music degree studying under the second oboe of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Anne Marie Gabriele and former principal oboist Ariana Ghez. Brogadir went on to receive a Master of Music degree at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music under the mentorship of Eugene Izotov, principal oboe of the San Francisco Symphony. His other principal teachers include SF Opera Principal Oboe Mingjia Liu, San Diego Symphony English horn Andrea Overturf, and Daniel Stolper, former instructor of oboe at Interlochen Arts Academy.