2025 SUMMER SEASON
ALL CONCERTS START AT 4PM
Saturdays @ 4pm
July 12 ANITA GRAEF, cello and NATHAN CANFIELD, piano
July 19 KIRON ATOM TELLIAN, piano
Sundays @ 4pm
August 3 TRIO BRILLANTE
August 10 CUARTETO LATINOAMERICANO
Saturday, July 12 @ 4pm
ANITA GRAEF, cello and NATHAN CANFIELD, piano
Management: Contact Booking@AnitaGraef.com
American cellist Anita Graef has garnered praise as a musician of “superb artistry” (Pasadena Now) who plays with “high energy and polish” (WQXR). She has appeared both nationally and internationally in concerto, recital and chamber music engagements, while establishing a reputation as an artist who is equally at home exploring traditional as well as contemporary works, along with a deep commitment to service, outreach and education. Notable appearances include features in Strings Magazine, as well as Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert series, and “Concerts from the Library of Congress.” She has also performed as a guest of various radio programs, including WQXR, WFMT and NPR, among others.
As the winner of the 2022 Gheens Young Artist Award and the 2021 American Prize, recent seasons have seen concerto debuts from Ms. Graef with the Louisville Orchestra, the Arkansas Philharmonic, the Riverside Symphony, the Miami Valley Symphony and many others. She recently concluded an appointment as the 2023 Duncanson Artist-in-Residence for the Taft Museum of Art. Upcoming recital and chamber music appearances include engagements with the Norton Museum of Art (West Palm Beach, FL), Saugerties Pro Musica, the Turner Center for the Arts (Valdosta, GA), Musica Sierra (Lake Tahoe/Reno, NV), the Adirondack Lakes Center for the Arts, and the Partnership for the Performing Arts (Brookings, OR), with return appearances to “Live from WFMT” and others. Ms. Graef has appeared at numerous festivals, most recently including the Victoria Bach Festival, Green Lake Festival of Music, along with Artist-in-Residence positions at pianoSonoma and Lake George Music Festival. In 2023, Ms. Graef assumed the role of Artistic Director for Tallgrass Chamber Music Festival.
Ms. Graef also serves as the Artistic Director of the Juliani Ensemble, an inventive, multi-faceted chamber ensemble, with whom she performs extensively both on tour and in residence in Chicago, directing their Saturday Salons series. In 2023, along with the other core members of the Juliani Ensemble, she helped to launch an outreach program in collaboration with the Mayfair Arts Center providing free music instruction, lessons and resources to students of all ages and backgrounds in Chicago’s South Side neighborhoods.
Born into a family of professional musicians, Ms. Graef grew up surrounded by music. Her introduction started with piano studies, while beginning to study cello at age four, later making her concerto debut at the age of twelve. She went on to obtain a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Michigan’s School of Music, Theatre, and Dance, where she studied with professor Anthony Elliott. Following this, she received her Master’s Degree from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music as a CSO/CCM Fellow, under the tutelage of Ilya Finkelshteyn.
When not making music, Ms. Graef enjoys reading, cooking, crocheting, weight lifting, hiking, horseback riding, any kind of dance training, spending time with friends and family, volunteer work and exploring new cities.
Ms. Graef performs on a modern Italian cello by Ferdinando Garimberti, dated 1923.
Pianist Nathan Canfield serves as a staff pianist at Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music. An eager collaborator, he cherishes frequently performing with musicians from his native Illinois and beyond, including members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and Ravinia’s Steans Music Institute. He has also worked alongside musicians of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, as well as members of other major orchestras and ensembles throughout the United States as a rehearsal and recital pianist. Beyond performing, Mr. Canfield is also a passionate arranger and transcriber for his instrument. His latest projects include arrangements of Sergei Rachmaninov’s lesser-known works, as well as a program of “Golden Age” piano duo transcriptions set for performance in 2025. Mr. Canfield is an alumnus of Northwestern University, completing a Master of Music degree under the guidance of James Giles.
Saturday, July 19 @ 4pm
KIRON ATOM TELLIAN, piano
Management: Young Concert Artists
Austrian pianist and composer Kiron Atom Tellian currently pursues his bachelor’s degree at The Juilliard School in New York, studying with Maestro Sergei Babayan. He is a proud recipient of the prestigious Kovner Fellowship, which, among other things, covers all expenses for the entire duration of his studies. Growing up in Vienna, Tellian started studying piano at the University for Music and Performing Arts Vienna (MDW) when he was only seven years old, going on to play his debut with orchestra at the age of nine.
Mr. Tellian is the winner of countless first prizes at national and international competitions for piano, chamber music, and composition in Austria, France, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Italy, Slovakia, Russia, England, the USA, and Japan. In Fall 2024, Mr. Tellian won the Young Concert Artists auditions. He was additionally awarded eight special prizes, including The Friends of Music Concerts Performance Award, The Hayden’s Ferry Chamber Music Series Prize, The Liliane Questel Recital Award, The Serge Rachmaninoff Foundation Prize, The Alexander Kasza-Kasser Concert Prize, The Paul A. Fish Memorial Prize and The Stern Young Artist Development Award.
Among his other prizes, especially noteworthy are the first prize and Haydn prize at the prestigious 17th Ettlingen International Piano Competition in Germany, the grand prize and special prizes at the X. Savshinsky International Music Competition in Saint Petersburg, Russia, and three first prizes in three different categories at the Fifth Rosalyn Tureck International Bach Competition in New York City, USA. Mr. Tellian won the Grand Prize, the “Alexei Sultanov Memorial Discovery Prize,” as well as the prizes for the best mazurka and the best Etude at the Nashville International Chopin Competition. Shortly after, Mr. Tellian won the First Prize at the Borderland Chopin International Competition. As a composer, Mr. Tellian’s works span different instruments and ensembles, with many compositions winning first prizes at composers’ competitions. This season, he has been commissioned to write a piece for orchestra, to be performed at the Vienna Musikverein.
Some of the last season’s special moments were concerts with the conductor and violinist Emmanuel Tjeknavorian, involving duo recitals in the Shoe Factory in Cyprus, as part of the Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in Germany, with a live broadcast in the NDR, as well as at the Viotti-Festival in Italy. Mr. Tellian played Chopin recitals for the opening of the prestigious music festival Kulturfest im Schloss Walpersdorf as well as at the Konzerthaus Blaibach, the Vienna Konzerthaus, and performed with orchestras such as the WKO Heilbronn. Another highlight was his invitation to the Verbier Festival, performing both solo and chamber music. This season’s highlights include recitals at the Vienna Konzerthaus, the Viotti Festival, and the Vienna Musikverein, as well as with the El Paso Symphony. A special moment will be Mr. Tellian’s debut with the Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano playing Chopin’s first piano concerto.
Next season’s special moments include, Mr. Tellian performing at the Villa Senar by invitation of the Rachmaninov Foundation. He will perform his debut with the San Diego Symphony as well as at Carnegie Hall, performing a solo recital.
Sunday, August 3, @ 4pm
TRIO BRILLANTE
Giorgio Consolati, flute
Hui-Chuan Chen, piano
Natalia Vilchris, cello
Management: Contact giorgioconsolati@yahoo.it
A native of Milan, flutist Giorgio Consolati was the first flutist in his hometown Conservatory to graduate with top honors and honorable mention. He studied with some of Italy’s foremost flutists including Davide Formisano, Paola Fre, Nicola Mazzanti, and Chiara Tonelli. As a proud recipient of a Kovner Fellowship, Mr. Consolati earned both his Bachelor and Master of Music degrees at The Juilliard School under the tutelage of Carol Wincenc. Mr. Consolati is continuing his education with a Doctorate of Music degree under the guidance of Marina Piccinini at the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University, where he previously earned the prestigious Artist Diploma.
An avid chamber musician, Mr. Consolati performed for several summers at the Marlboro Music Festival alongside artists such as Hiroko Yajima, Charles Neidich, and Lydia Brown. He was also heard at the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society and the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival. Dedicated to expanding the flute repertoire, Mr. Consolati regularly collaborates with contemporary composers and has recorded new works, including the recently released album Neon and Oak, featuring four world premieres.
As an educator, Mr. Consolati serves as the assistant of Marina Piccinini at the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University where he also teaches chamber music and flute lessons for Hopkins students minoring in music. In addition, Mr. Consolati has been on the faculty of the Chamber Music Conference and Composers Forum of the East at Colgate University and gave masterclasses for the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, at the Longy Conservatory of Bard College, the University of Maryland, the Pavia Conservatory in Italy, and the Beijing Central Conservatory.
When not blazing through the flute repertoire, Mr. Consolati enjoys going to art exhibitions, traveling, and trying new cuisines.
A native of Taiwan, pianist Hui-Chuan Chen began piano lessons at age four and made her debut performance at six. As a successful soloist, chamber musician, collaborative pianist and educator Ms. Chen traveled and performed widely throughout the United States, Europe and Asia.
Ms. Chen has collaborated and toured with celebrated soloists, including Amit Peled, Marina Piccinini, Demarre McGill, Chee-Yun Kim, Jennifer frautschi, and Robert McDuffie. She returns regularly to The Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University as a collaborator and is a long-term partner of the Washington International Competition, The National Symphony Orchestra Youth Fellowship Program, and the Arts Club of Washington.
For season 2024-2025, Ms. Chen starts with the inaugural concert of her own treasured project “Standing on Giant’s Shoulder” (SGS) at the Emmanuel Episcapal church in Baltimore. Other performances include “Music in the Valley” at St. John’s, Western Run, MD with YaoGuang Zhai, Principal Clarinet at Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and Bo Li, cellist from Baltimore Symphony Orchestra; “The Composers of Color Collective Symposium” at Morgan State University, with violinist Claudia Chudacoff, concert master of both the National Gallery Orchestra and the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra; a debut performance at “Ringwood Friends of Music” with flutist Giorgio Consolati a prestigious concert series in New Jersey; and “Pianorama” a celebration of piano ensemble pieces, performed by piano faculty and students of University of Maryland Baltimore County. As a wrap up for a fruitful season, Ms. Chen will record her first solo album, featuring works from her project, SGS, in the summer of 2025.
Ms. Chen a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University where she is also a faculty member in the preparatory division. She also serves on the faculty of the University of Maryland Baltimore City, Washington Conservatory of Music and the Heifetz International Music Festival in Virginia.
Cellist Natalia Vilchis has performed as a soloist accompanied by The Columbia Orchestra, Symphony Orchestra of ESMDM, the Chamber Orchestra of UANL, and the National Mexican Baroque Orchestra performing in several concert halls in Monterrey (Centro de las Artes, Aula Magna, Teatro de la Ciudad), Morelia (National Library) and Mexico City (Blas Galindo Hall), as well as the Liederkranz Concert Hall in New York City and several halls in the DC area. She has also performed as a soloist in the Santa Lucia’s International Festival, and Morelia’s Baroque Music Festival.
Ms. Vilchis has been a student at Accademia Musicale Chigiana, in the Studio of Antonio Meneses in Siena, Italy. She also attended the Keshet Eilon Summer Master-course 2022 in Israel, performing alongside Sergei Ostrovsky and Noemie Bialobroda. She performed as a soloist at Festival Internacional de Música de Cámara San Miguel de Allende 2021, and in the summer of 2023 performed as a soloist at Festival de Axixic Haus der Musik.
Natalia recently participated in the recording of the album “Bach 6 with 4” released by CTM Classics with Amit Peled and the MVV Cello Gang.
Through her playing in Mount Vernon Virtuosi, Ms. Vilchis was awarded and currently plays a cello graciously donated by Rhonda Stoffel, that was played by her late husband, Peter Rudolfi.
Ms. Vilchis graduated with a Master’s Degree in Violoncello Performance and is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland in the Studio of Professor Amit Peled.
Sunday, August 10 @ 4pm
CUARTETO LATINOAMERICANO
Management: Tom Gallant at General Arts Touring
Cuarteto Latinoamericano is one of the world’s most renowned classical music ensembles, for more than forty years the leading proponent of Latin American music for string quartet. Members are the three Bitran brothers: violinists Saul and Aron and cellist Alvaro, with violist Javier Montiel. Founded in Mexico in 1982, the Cuarteto has toured extensively throughout Europe, North and South America, Israel, China, Japan and New Zealand. They have premiered more than a hundred works written for them and they continue to introduce new and neglected composers to the genre. They have recorded on over 80 CDs and received many awards such as two Latin Grammys, multiple Grammy nominations, and the coveted Diapason d’Or in France. Notably, they are the winners of the 2012 and 2016 Latin Grammys for Best Classical Recordings. They have been recognized with the Mexican Music Critics Association Award and three times received Chamber Music America/ASCAP’s “Most Adventurous Programming” Award.
The quartet has performed in renowned halls such as the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Carnegie Hall, the Concertgebouw and other marvelous concert venues in Israel, China, Japan, New Zealand, and practically all of Europe and the Americas. In addition to collaborating with the Los Angeles Philharmonic under EsaPekka Salonen, the Seattle Symphony under Gerard Schwarz, and the Simón Bolívar Orchestra of Venezuela, under Eduardo Mata, they have also collaborated with celebrated artists over the years including cellist János Starker, pianists Rudolph Buchbinder and Cyprien Katsaris, tenor Ramón Vargas, guitarists Narciso Yepes, Sharon Isbin, David Tanenbaum, and Manuel Barrueco. Their support has come from varied institutions, especially Mexico’s National Fund for Culture and Art (FONCA), which has supported us uninterruptedly since 2004 through its Mexico en Escena grant. Its members teach at multiple music schools, universities and conservatories with which collaborate regularly in numerous international festivals.