Headlined “Unbeatable Choices from BAE” and referring to the “Sumptuous blend” that “could be another way of praising BAE’s Mozart. So, too, could sustainability, in their ability to maintain an elevated vision yet always with the spirit of human endeavor, which places BAE’s performance of the quintet at the top of my list.” Read the full review here.
April Concert Review by Boston Musical Intelligencer
January 2016 Performance Review by ArtsFuse
January 2016 Performance Review by ArtsFuse
The January 10 BAE concert of string quartets by Bartók and Ravel drew praise from David Janssen from Boston’s ArtsFuse. Noting that the BAE “is serving up world class performances of chamber music” and delivered a performance “full of bravado, virtuosity, subtlety, and charm”, the review went on to express appreciation for the musician’s virtuosity and presentation of the pieces. “As gorgeous as the work may be, it is no less technically demanding than the Bartók. The virtuosity of the performers turned sounding beautiful into an easy task…The performers provided seamless intonation throughout the work; their detailing was particularly impressive during very bare spots in the third movement.” The full review can be read here on the ArtsFuse website.
Boston Musical Intelligencer reviews “South of the Rio Grande”
Boston Musical Intelligencer reviews “South of the Rio Grande”
The November BAE concert of the music of Heitor Villa-Lobos and Alberto Ginastera drew kudos from the Boston Musical Intelligencer. Citing the possibility that “more downtowners will be eager to seek it (the BAE) out in the leafy corner of Brookline, the publication lauded the programming and the performances. Saying “the string quartet drawn from BAE’s roster offered up a sampler of some of the best quartet music ever produced south of the Rio Grande.” The full review can be read here on the Intelligencer website.
BAE Brookline Move Featured in “Wicked Local”
BAE Brookline Move Featured in “Wicked Local”
” The Boston Artists Ensemble (BAE), a chamber music group known for providing deeply moving concerts, is moving itself.” The BAE’s move from Newton Centre to St. Paul’s Church in Brookline was the subject of a feature article in “Wicked Local Brookline” this week. Read the full article here.
(photo DailyNews/Ken McGagh)
Boston Artists Ensemble Presents Revolutionary Piano Trios in E-Flat
Boston Artists Ensemble Presents Revolutionary Piano Trios in E-Flat
Boston Artists Ensemble will present our first chamber music program of the 2015/2016 season at historic Hamilton Hall in Salem, and St. Paul’s Church in Brookline on September 18 and September 20, respectively. For our first program, Artistic Director Jonathan Miller has selected two revolutionary works for piano trio, both in the key of E-flat: Beethoven’s Op. 70, No. 2 and Schubert’s Op. 100 (D. 929). Mr. Miller will be joined by violinist Sharan Leventhal and pianist Randall Hodgkinson.
Hamilton Hall is located at 9 Chestnut Street, Salem. The performance is on Friday evening, September 18, 2015 at 8 PM. Please Note: Hamilton Hall is a Registered National Historic Landmark and is not handicap accessible to the performance hall on the second floor.
St. Paul’s Church is located at 15 St. Paul Street, Brookline. The performance is on Sunday afternoon, September 20, 2015 at 3 PM.
Tickets are available on-line at BostonArtistsEnsemble.org and may be purchased at the door before each performance (cash, credit card and checks are accepted at the door). Season subscriptions and advance tickets can also be purchased on our website.
BAE Featured in Mass Realty Site
BAE Featured in Mass Realty Site
The Boston Artists Ensemble would like to thank Mass Realty for featuring our 2015-2016 chamber music season in Brookline and Salem on their website. We are delighted that Mass Realty takes an interest in the arts as part of building communities. You can read the article here.
Boston Artists Ensemble featured in Salem News
Boston Artists Ensemble featured in Salem News
Today’s Salem News features BAE Artistic Director Jonathan Miller discussing Beethoven’s Opus 131 String Quartet, what’s “great” in music, and the wonderful acoustics in Hamilton Hall.
Boston Artists Ensemble to Present Music of Beethoven and Debussy
Boston Artists Ensemble to Present Music of Beethoven and Debussy
On Friday, December 5, at 8:00 PM in historic Hamilton Hall in Salem and again on Sunday, December 7 at 2:30 PM in beautiful Trinity Church in Newton Centre, the Boston Artists Ensemble will perform Beethoven’s String Trio in C minor, Opus 9, No. 3 and Debussy’s String Quartet in G minor, Opus 10. In addition our annual “Mystery Piece” invites our audience to guess the composer of an unannounced piece. The winner(s) receive free tickets to one of our upcoming performances.
Artists for these concerts are Bayla Keyes and Tatiana Dimitriades on violins, Kazuko Matsusaka on viola, and Jonathan Miller on cello.
There is ample parking is available at both locations. Tickets for all concerts are available at the door, or may be reserved by telephone.
Ticket prices are $27 for the general public, $24 for senior citizens and $12 for students.
Jonathan Miller to Perform Elgar Cello Concerto on November 9
Jonathan Miller to Perform Elgar Cello Concerto on November 9
Boston Artists Ensemble Artistic Director Jonathan Miller will perform the Elgar Cello Concerto, Opus 85 in E minor with the North Shore Philharmonic Orchestra on November 9, 2014 at 3:00 pm. The concert will take place at Swampscott High school. This program also includes Rossini’s Overture to La Gazza Ladra and Brahms’ Symphony No. 1, Opus 68, in C minor. Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for seniors and students, and free for children under 13. To purchase tickets, click here.
Music from the Time of Louis Comfort Tiffany
Music from the Time of Louis Comfort Tiffany
On Tuesday, October 21 at 7:00 pm, BAE Artistic Director Jonathan Miller and Pianist Marc Ryser will perform cello sonatas of Janacek, Debussy, and Henry Cowell at Boston’s Ayer Mansion — the country’s only surviving residence created by famed American artist and designer, Louis Comfort Tiffany. Tickets may be purchased online at AyerMansion.org
BAE Season Opens in Hamilton Hall to a Full House
BAE Season Opens in Hamilton Hall to a Full House
The Boston Artists Ensemble kicked off its 2014-15 season in its new Salem venue — historic Hamilton Hall on Chestnut Street. BAE musicians Sharan Leventhal, Jonathan Miller, and Randall Hodgkinson performed piano trios of Haydn, Dvorak, and Shostakovich to a full and enthusiastic house.
BAE Artistic Director Jonathan Miller said, ” We are delighted to perform in this elegant space — and the acoustic are superb.” The group will repeat this performance on Sunday, September 21 at Trinity Church in Newton Centre
Dvořák Piano Quintet in A, Opus 81, Scherzo
BAE performance recorded live at Trinity Church in Newton Centre
Violins: David Coucheron, Julianne Lee
Viola: Kathryn Lockwood
Cello: Jonathan Miller
Piano: Randall Hodgkinson
Jessica Bodner, viola
Bodner, Jessica, viola
Jessica Bodner is the violist and a founding member of the Grammy Award-winning Parker Quartet. In 2014 she joined the faculty of Harvard University’s Department of Music in conjunction with the Parker Quartet’s appointment as the Blodgett Quartet-in-Residence. She has appeared at the International Viola Congress, as a guest of the East Coast Chamber Orchestra, and been a finalist for a Pro Musicis Award. With the Parker Quartet, Ms. Bodner has recently appeared at Carnegie Hall, the Library of Congress, the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, and the Seoul Arts Center, and at festivals including Caramoor, Yellow Barn, Perigord Noir in France, and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in Germany. A native of Houston, Jessica Bodner began her musical studies on the violin at the age of two, switching to the viola at age twelve because of her love of the deeper sonority. She holds degrees from New England Conservatory, where her primary teachers were Kim Kashkashian and Martha Strongin Katz.
Daniel Chong, violin
Chong, Daniel, violin
Daniel Chong is the founding first violinist of the Parker Quartet, which has garnered wide recognition for performances in such venues as Carnegie Hall, the Library of Congress, Vienna’s Musikverein, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, and London’s Wigmore Hall. The quartet is currently the Blodgett Quartet-in-Residence at Harvard University, where they serve on the faculty of the Department of Music. In addition, Chong is a member of the East Coast Chamber Orchestra and Ensemble DITTO, and has received several awards, among them the 2009-2011 Cleveland Quartet Award and top prizes at the Concert Artists Guild Competition, Young Concert Artists International Auditions, and the Bordeaux International String Quartet Competition. He studied at the Curtis Institute of Music, Cleveland Institute of Music, and the New England Conservatory of Music. His teachers were Robert Lipsett, Donald Weilerstein, and Kim Kashkashian.
Rebecca Gitter, viola
Gitter, Rebecca, viola
Rebecca Gitter began violin studies at the age of seven and viola studies at thirteen. In May 2001 she received her bachelor of music degree from The Cleveland Institute of Music where she was a student of Robert Vernon. While at CIM, she was the recipient of The Institute’s Annual Viola Prize and the Robert Vernon Prize in Viola. Among other honors, she was the 2000 recipient of Toronto’s Ben Steinberg Jewish Musical Legacy Award. Rebecca joined the viola section of The BSO in August 2001.
Julianne Lee, violin
Lee, Julianne, violin
Julianne Lee joined the Dover Quartet, the quartet-in-residence at the Curtis Institute of Music, as its violist in September 2023. She has forged a remarkable career as both violinist and violist, frequently appearing as soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral player. She is assistant principal second violinist of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and has been a member of the BSO violin section since 2006, serving as acting assistant concertmaster from 2013 to 2015. From 2017 to 2019, she was also the principal second violinist of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Ms. Lee has toured nationally and internationally with the BSO, the Marlboro Music Festival, and the Australian Chamber Orchestra, where she held the title of guest principal violist. She also served as second violinist of the Johannes String Quartet, an ensemble that performed commissioned works by Esa-Pekka Salonen, Derek Bermel, and William Bolcom. Throughout her illustrious career, she has performed as a soloist with orchestras in Germany, the United States, and South Korea and as a chamber musician at numerous music festivals, including the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, Chamber Music at the Banff Centre, Aspen Music Festival, and the Marlboro Music Festival. She received her bachelor’s from Curtis in 2005, having studied both violin and viola, and a master’s degree from the New England Conservatory, where she double majored in violin and viola.