Dvorak and Weber

Antonin Dvorak: Terzetto in C Major Op.74
I. Introduzione : Allegro ma non troppo
II. Larghetto
III. Scherzo: Vivace — Trio: Poco meno mosso
IV.Tema con Variazioni
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Alexander Glazunov: Oriental Reverie for Clarinet and String Quartet ​
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Carl Maria von Weber: Clarinet Quintet in B-flat Major Op.34
I. Allegro
II. Fantasia
III. Menuetto, capriccio presto
IV. Rondo, allegro giocoso

About the Program

Antonin Dvorak was a composer born in 1841 in the region of Bohemia, now known as the Czech Republic. Dvorak was influenced by composers such as Smetana and Brahms and was known for combining Romantic period compositional practices with the folk music of his own country. Dvorak’s early success was due in part to a recommendation from Brahms to his publisher who subsequently commissioned Dvorak’s Slavonic Dances.

Dvorak moved to the United States in 1892. He was hired as the director of the National Conservatory of Music of America in New York City. During his years in New York he wrote his New World Symphony and his Cello Concerto, two of his most famous compositions. He settled in Spillville, Iowa for a time before returning to his home in Bohemia. He died in 1904 of an unknown cause.

Dvorak’s Terzetto in C Major for two violins and viola was written in January of 1887 within a matter of days! The composition was written for Dvorak himself on viola, his violinist friend, Jan Pelikan, and a student of Pelikan. The piece ended up being too difficult for the student, so Dvorak wrote another simpler trio for the same instrumentation now known as his Miniatures, Op. 75. The first official public performance with professional musicians was given in March of 1887.



Alexander Glazunov (1865-1936) was a prominent Russian composer, professor, and conductor. He began studying piano and composition from childhood, and when he was a teenager he was introduced to the famous composer, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. Rimsky-Korsakov took an interest in Glazunov’s compositional talents and organized a performance of one of Glazunov’s earliest symphonic scores. Glazunov’s career also benefited from the help of a wealthy benefactor, and by 1905 he was experiencing international fame and appointed director of the Saint Petersburg Conservatory. His students included Dimitri Shostakovich and Nathan Milstein.

Glazunov’s Orientale Reverie was written in 1886. The piece stays true to its title. Dreamy melodies and exotic harmonies reminiscent of music of the ancient East are beautifully written for this clarinet and string quartet.



Carl Maria Von Weber, born in Germany in 1786, is best known for his opera Der Freischutz and for being the first composer to write in the new style of German Romantic opera. He had a varied musical career as a composer, conductor, pianist, guitarist, and music critic. He died of tuberculosis in 1826 when he was only 39 years old.

​Weber’s Clarinet Quintet, also known as his Grand Quintet, was written between the years 1811 and 1815. The piece was composed for a close friend of his, Heinrich Baermann. Baermann was a virtuoso clarinet player of the time and positively influenced Weber’s compositions. Weber’s quintet is often compared to Mozart’s, which was written only a couple of decades before. While Mozart’s quintet is considered to feature all of the instruments of the quintet equally, Weber’s features the clarinet as soloist and the quartet as accompaniment. However, Weber’s quintet is a masterful composition in its own right and has even been performed with a clarinet soloist and full string orchestra.


-Ann Fink

CONCERT ARTISTS

Robert Walker/Clarinet
​Originally from Queens, NY, Robert Walker is currently the 2nd Clarinetist of the Louisville Orchestra in Kentucky. Before moving to Louisville, Robert was a member of the Grant Park Orchestra in Chicago, the Pro Musica Chamber Orchestra in Columbus, OH, and the Sarasota Opera Orchestra in Florida. He has also performed as a substitute with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra. Robert is a graduate of the University of Southern California, where he received his Master's Degree in Clarinet Performance, studying with Yehuda Gilad, and a graduate of the Juilliard School of Music in New York City, where he completed his Bachelor's Degree, studying with Alan R. Kay and Charles Neidich. When not playing Clarinet, Robert spends most of his time reading and writing music. ​

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Eva Kozma/Violin
A native of Romania, Eva Kozma began her tenure as the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra’s Assistant Principal Second Violin in September 2004. Studying violin in Romania and at McGill University, Kozma has performed with the Targu Mures Philharmonic and the Societe Philharmonique de Montreal. Additionally, she received a Fellowship to the Tanglewood Music Center and performed with the New World Symphony in Miami prior to her appointment with the SLSO. With the SLSO, she considers participating in community and education programs one the most valuable roles. She enthusiastically participates in SLSO appearances at St. Louis-area schools, hospital, and other community spaces. As a soloist, she performed Ravel’s Tzigane under David Robertson in 2015 and Hubay’s Hejre Kati at the 2018 New Year’s Eve concert.
An enthusiastic chamber musician, Kozma regularly performs with small ensembles around the St. Louis region. She is a member of the Chamber Music Society of St. Louis and has performed at the Missouri Chamber Music Festival and the Gesher Music Festival. She also enjoys performing at Westminster Presbyterian Church and teaching children in her neighborhood.

She lives in Olivette with her husband, a talented sculptor, and her three children, all of whom also play string instruments. She enjoys spending time with her family, staying active with outdoor activities including hiking, biking, and camping, and traveling to her native Romania.

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Kyle Lombard/Violin
Kyle Andre Lombard, violinist, is a native of Kansas City, Missouri. He graduated with honors from Indiana University, earning the prestigious Performer’s Certificate, and received his Masters Degree from Yale University. Mr. Lombard enjoys a variety of musical activities. As a chamber musician, Mr. Lombard has performed throughout Europe, the Middle East and the U.S. He has recently performed on chamber music programs at Carnegie Hall and at the Ravinia Festival’s “Rising Stars” series. As part of the Ritz Chamber Players, he featured in the University of Washington’s esteemed “World Series of Chamber Music,” and features regularly in a residency at the esteemed Morehouse College. As a member of the Goffriller Piano Trio, Mr. Lombard’s performances were broadcast on Israeli Public Radio during Isaac Stern’s 3rd International Chamber Music Encounters in Jerusalem. He also performed, as a member of the Gateways Chamber Music Ensemble, in a weeklong residency with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
As a soloist, Mr. Lombard made his debut with the Kansas City Symphony. At age sixteen, he was the first area musician ever invited to perform with the ensemble. He has also concertized with the Savannah Symphony, the Sphinx Symphony, as well as recitals at the MOJA Festival in Charleston, S.C. and on the recital series at Southern Illinois University.  Mr. Lombard was also featured in “Young Heroes of Music”, a live radio broadcast for Classic 99 FM of Saint Louis. Mr. Lombard completed a two-year fellowship with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra in 2001. He has performed with the orchestra since the 1999 season, touring numerous times to Carnegie Hall. In addition to orchestral playing, Mr. Lombard performs with several area ensembles, including the Chamber Music Society of St. Louis, Chamber Project of St. Louis, and the Missouri Chamber Music Festival. He performs on a violin by Gennaro Vinaccia, Napoli, 1775.

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Laura Reycraft/Viola
​Laura Reycraft, viola, received her Bachelor of Music in Viola Performance from The Cleveland Institute of Music in 2003 as a student of Jeffrey Irvine and Lynne Ramsey.  In 2005 she earned her Master of Music diploma from the University of Maryland College Park where she studied viola with Daniel Foster and Michael Tree and Suzuki Violin Pedagogy with Ronda Cole.  Laura has participated in a number of music festivals including Tanglewood Music Center, Spoleto Festival USA, Sarasota Music Festival, Aspen Music Festival and School, and the New York String Orchestra Seminar.  She has played as substitute with National Symphony Orchestra and is currently a regular substitute with the Saint Louis Symphony and an active freelancer in the St. Louis area. Ms. Reycraft is a string faculty member of the Community Music School of Webster University and City Academy and maintains a private teaching studio. Laura is an Artistic Director of Chamber Project

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Jun Seo/Cello
Dr. Jun Seo started playing cello at age 13 and he soon attended Seoul Arts High School where he won the 1st prize from the Seoul Young Artist Chamber Music Competition. During his high school years, he came to the United States to study abroad and attended the Walnut Hill School in Natick, MA. He received the 2nd prize from Newton Symphony Orchestra Young Artist Concerto Competition, Elizabeth Harper Vaughn Concerto Competition, the International Chamber Music Society in Boston and the Sorantin International String Competition. He received a 1st prize from Mid-Texas Symphony Orchestra Young Artist Competition, Colorado College Summer Music Festival Concerto Competition and UT Butler School of Music String Competition. He has also received Best Instrumentalist award from Sidney Wright Competition and two honorable mention awards from Sidney Wright Competition, Coeur d’Alene Symphony Orchestra Young Artist Competition. He soloed with the Mid-Texas Symphony Orchestra, University Orchestra at the University of Texas-Austin, Colorado College Summer Music Festival Orchestra and Austin Civic Orchestra. Dr. Seo was an adjudicator for numerous competitions, such as University of Texas String Project at Austin, Texas Strings Camp, Austin Chamber Music Center, Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville Suzuki Program and Jackie McGehee Young Artist’ Competition. 
 
He received a Bachelor of Music Degree from the New England Conservatory School of Music in Boston in 2009. He received a Master’s of Music Degree and a Doctor of Musical Arts Degree in Music Performance from the University of Texas at Austin studying under Professor Bion Tsang. At the same time, he was a teaching assistant for Professor Tsang and a faculty member at the UT-String Project for three years. Dr. Seo received full scholarships to attend the Heifetz International Music Institute, StonyBrook Summer Music Festival, Killington Music Festival, and Colorado College Music Festival. In 2013, Dr. Seo was a resident artist at the Lake George Music Festival in Lake George, NY. From 2010-2015, Dr. Seo was a music director at Austin Korean Presbyterian Church. He also was a cello faculty member at Omaha Conservatory of Music Summer Institute, String Orchestra Camp at Webster University Community Music School, Chamber Music Encounter at Webster University Community Music School, Austin Chamber Music Center, Songbird Rising String Camp at Austin, Assistant Director at Texas Strings Camp Young Artist Division and he also was a cello instructor at various public schools in Austin area.
 
Dr. Seo has studied cello with Jin-kyung Chee, Hee-song Song, Laura Blustein, and Yeesun-Kim. He also played in Cello masterclasses of Brinton Smith, Laurence Lesser, Alexander Baillie, Ralph Kirshbaum, Peter Wispelwey, Lynn Harrell and Anner Bylsma. He has collaborated with artists such as David Ying, Phillip Ying, Mark Fewer,Yehonatan Berick, Lynn Chang, Thomas Landschoot, Sheila Browne, and Christof Huebner.  In the summer of 2009, Dr. Seo performed alongside the Cappella Choir of Seoul Theological University in their European tour. In the summer of 2014, he toured several European countries such as Switzerland and Scotland with the Austin Eurythmy Ensemble. Recently, Dr. Seo recorded the cello part for “Learning Together: Sequential Repertoire for Solo Strings or String Ensemble Volume 2 by Laurie Scott, Winfred Crock and William Dick”. He has maintained a full private studio since 2007. Dr. Seo joined as cello faculty, Traditional and Suzuki, at Webster University Community. Dr. Seo joined as cello faculty at University of Illinois at Springfield as well as University of Illinois at Springfield Community Music School in Fall 2019.