Rhapsody in Blue


Live Concert: April 3rd, 2023 @ 7:30 PM
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Virtual Concert: April 11th, 2023 @ 7:30 PM
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​George Gershwin is one of the only composers who truly integrated jazz, in all its style, harmony, and soul, into larger-scale classical forms. His piano concerto Rhapsody in Blue is a perfect example of that symbiosis: virtuosic piano cadenzas and clear theme structures are met with carefree jazz rhythms and goofy woodwind solos. Rhapsody in Blue is as fun as it is expressive, and as serious as it is silly. Come share the experience of hearing this unique arrangement of the work for piano, strings, and clarinet, along with arrangements of his irresistible songs Bess You is My Woman Now, I Got Rhythm, and more.  Along with Alec Templeton’s delightfully jazzy “pocket-sized” sonata for clarinet and piano, the first half of this all-American program includes one of Philip Glass’s most revered works: his String Quartet no. 5. Book-ended by a mysterious, dissonant chorale, this minimalist work is an epic journey through tonal harmony and intricate rhythm. 

Program
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Alec Templeton: Pocket-Size Sonata No. 1
Philip Glass: String Quartet No. 5
Gershwin: ​Selected Songs for Clarinet and Strings
Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue

Musicians
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A soloist and chamber musician based in San Antonio, Texas, pianist Daniel Anastasio combines an intellectual curiosity with “technical prowess and emotional sensitivity” (Rivard Report). His performance of Beethoven’s Piano Concerto no. 3, conducted by Leon Fleisher with the Ithaca College Chamber Orchestra, was “the highlight to everyone’s ears, if the full-house of standing ovation were any indication” (ECM reviews). Anastasio was a concerto competition finalist at Cornell University, Stony Brook University, and Juilliard, where he won the Mieczyslaw Munz Scholarship. He received fellowships to Music Academy of the West, Kneisel Hall, Tanglewood Music Center and Yellow Barn Music Festival. Anastasio is the co-founder of Unheard-of//Ensemble, a group dedicated to commissioning composers and premiering their works.

Recently joining the faculty of San Antonio College as an Assistant Professor, Anastasio is a member of Agarita, a San Antonio-based chamber ensemble dedicated to making classical music accessible to everyone in San Antonio, and reaching the whole of its community including the most underserved populations. Anastasio received a Bachelor of Arts degree in music and philosophy at Cornell University under Xak Bjerken, and a Master of Music degree at The Juilliard School under Jerome Lowenthal. Last Spring he received his Doctor of Musical Arts at Stony Brook University, under Gilbert Kalish and Christina Dahl.
Jen Betz is from San Jose, California and has played violin since the age of seven. She received her Bachelor of Music from Northwestern University in 2008 and is currently playing with the Fort Worth Symphony. She has played with the New World Symphony in Miami Beach, Florida. She has been a member of the Peninsula Music Festival since 2008. 
In addition to playing violin, she enjoys running, reading, and traveling.

​Molly Baer joined the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra in 2012. Before moving to Texas, Molly was a violin fellow at the New World Symphony in Miami Beach. She graduated from the New England Conservatory in Boston as a student of Miriam Fried, and received her Master’s degree from Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Music, where she studied with Andrés Cárdenes. Since moving to Fort Worth, Molly has participated in frequent chamber music performances with local ensembles and festivals. She has performed with Spectrum Chamber Music Society, Hall Ensemble, the Basically Beethoven Festival, Opus Nova, and Sedici Strings, a string quartet made up of colleagues in the Fort Worth Symphony. 
She also teaches a private studio of violin students and has enjoyed coaching young chamber musicians for the Fort Worth Youth Orchestra.
Dmitry Kustanovich immigrated with his family to the U.S. at age 5, settling in Worcester, MA. After completing violin studies at the New England Conservatory and Manhattan School of Music, Dmitry became a violist, attending the Curtis Institute of Music, while working with Joseph de Pasquale. Dmitry joined the FWSO in 2005 and has also performed with the Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Detroit, Pittsburgh, and Seattle Symphony Orchestras. He has toured the U.S. and Europe, working with many of the world's greatest conductors. His participation at Greenwood Music Camp and New York String Seminar propelled him into a career in music. 
In his spare time, Dmitry enjoys playing chamber music with his string quartet Sedici Strings, travel, hiking, baseball and chess.
Allan Steele was born in Chicago and began studying the cello at the age of four. He studied at the Music Institute of Chicago for four years, and was a long-time member of the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras. He previously studied with Tanya Carey, Hans Jensen, Susan Moses, and most recently, Ronald Leonard at the Colburn Conservatory of Music in Los Angeles, where he graduated with a Bachelor's of Music. Steele maintains an active solo career and has soloed with the Chicago Youth Symphony, the Northwest Symphony, the Colburn Conservatory Orchestra and the American Youth Symphony. 
He is a founding member of the classical music group MC2.
An "eloquent" clarinetist with "incredible artistry” Russian-born Stas Chernyshev has established a versatile career as an orchestral musician, soloist, chamber musician, and educator (Dallas Morning News, Theater Jones). Principal clarinetist of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, Mr. Chernyshev has performed at such prestigious venues as Carnegie Hall in New York, Kimmel Center in Philadelphia, Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., as well as in Switzerland, Spain, Germany, Russia, South Korea and Japan. A devoted chamber musician, Mr. Chernyshev has collaborated with Grammy-winning ensembles Eighth Blackbird and Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, commissioned new works for his instrument. He has been featured on WQXR -New York’s classical music station and WHYY’s television program - On Stage at Curtis. He is the founder and artistic director of Fort Worth Performances for Autism, and a co- founder of Opus Nova Chamber Music Series. Mr. Chernyshev holds a Bachelor’s degree from the Curtis Institute of Music, and a Master’s degree from St. Petersburg Conservatory.
Ann Hung, born in Taipei, Taiwan, began her musical studies at a young age, starting with piano at age five and clarinet at age nine. Dr. Hung is an active performer in the Dallas and Fort Worth area who regularly performs in the realms of both the orchestral and chamber music. She has shared the stage with the Fort Worth Symphony, the Cleveland Orchestra, the members of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and the faculty of the Juilliard School. Dr. Hung is always pushing the boundaries of her repertoire and skills, such as collaborating with jazz musicians and commissioning new composers. As a proponent of new music, she has avidlycommissioned new works including a wind quintet with her quintet Opus Now premiering in Symphony Space in NYC. One of the new works that Dr. Hung commissioned is included in a recently released album “Stained Glass Story” by Eldad Tarmu. Dr. Hung is currently teaching in Lewisville ISD, Burleson ISD as private lesson instructor and often plays with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra. She is the associate director of the Fort Worth Performances for Autism and co- founder of Opus Nova Chamber Music Series.
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