VETTA CHAMBER MUSIC ARTISTS

Joan Blackman, Artistic Director of Vetta, Violin
Joan Blackman, Associate Concertmaster of the VSO, enjoys a vibrant musical life in our community. Besides playing in the orchestra, she is sought after as a first class chamber musician in Canada. She is also an active teacher, giving master classes throughout B.C. Joan has performed and recorded as soloist with Vancouver Symphony, Victoria Symphony, CBC Radio Orchestra, and the Banff Festival Orchestra. "Shapelier phrases and sweeter tone would be hard to imagine", "a ravishing tone", "first rate soloist", "exchanged lines meltingly in a flawless performance" "playing with lyricism, precision, and evident joy"; are accolades that have graced Joan’s reviews. As Artistic Director of the Vetta Chamber Music and Recital Society, she programs and performs in a first class concert series which features the best of BC talent along with invited guests from afar. Joan has also performed chamber music with premier groups such as the Pendereski String Quartet, Purcell String Quartet, Curio, Music in the Morning, Vancouver New Music, Turning Point Ensemble, and in recital broadcasts on CBC radio. She is a member of the acclaimed American String Project, which brings together concertmasters and soloists throughout North America, and has participated several times in the Pender Harbour Chamber Music Festival. This summer, she will play a recital with Ian Parker, pianist, at the Hornby Festival .

Eugene Osadchy, Artisitc Advisor of Vetta, Cello
Cellist Eugene Osadchy is hailed as having "the most refined and balanced string playing" by the New York Times and has been called "a paragon of Russian élan" by the Vancouver Sun. Newsday writes he is "a soloist with a clearly defined musical personality" and is noted for his "extraordinary playing" by the Dallas Morning News. "Mr. Osadchy possesses a very rich tone and is steeped in the great classical tradition. It is good to know that there are ardent keepers of the flame." The New York Sun.

Currently Professor of Cello at the University of North Texas, Eugene Osadchy is a Principal cellist with the Plano Symphony and the Dallas Chamber Orchestra. He is also the Artistic Advisor of the Vetta Chamber Music Series in Vancouver, Canada and the Blue Candlelight Music Series in Dallas, TX.

Mr. Osadchy regularly performs and gives master classes throughout Canada, the United States, Europe, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and South Africa. He has performed at the Weill Recital Hall in Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall at the Lincoln Center, and the Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto. In addition, Mr. Osadchy makes frequent appearances at the Bargemusic series in New York, the Autumn Classic series in Anchorage, Chamber Music International in Dallas, Strings in the Mountains at Steamboat Springs, Colorado, International Niagara Music Festival in Canada and Summit Festival in New York.

Mr. Osadchy has participated in numerous festivals around the world including the Amsterdam and Groningen International Festivals in Holland, the Stellenbosch International Music Festival in South Africa, Famalicao Music Festival in Portugal, the Vetta Chamber Music Series in Vancouver (where he formerly served as Artistic Director), Music at Blair Athol in Scotland, the Castel Franko di Veneto Festival in Italy, the Mozart Festival in Woodstock, Illinois, as well as Vancouver, Victoria, Banff, Seattle, Sitka, Durango, the Mozart Festival in Long Island, NY, and Maui Music Festivals.

Other musical credits of Mr. Osadchy include recordings with the CBC Radio Orchestra, which have received numerous Juno awards - the Canadian equivalent of the Grammies. He has composed two film scores and has several CD’s on the Melodia label featuring his own compositions and arrangements. Mr. Osadchy has more than 60 arrangements for various cello ensembles. For the past nine years, Mr. Osadchy has presented his Annual North Texas Summer Cello Clinic. Mr. Osadchy has won critical acclaim for his recent CD “Russian Romances” on Seafair-Bolo Records with pianist Anastasia Markina

Anastasia Markina, Piano
Anastasia Markina was born in St. Petersburg, Russia in 1978. She started playing piano when she was almost four winning her first competition six years later. Her first teacher, Tatyana Shrago led her to win her first international piano competition in Marsala, Italy in 1992. After graduating from Music School, she took lessons with Alexander Mndoyants and Maria Mekler. In 1994, she entered the Rimsky-Korsakov College of Music where she studied for four years in the studio of Mary Guseva, student of Pavel Serebryakov. While there, she won several international piano competitions, including 1st prize at the 1st International Maria Yudina Piano Competition, 1st prize in solo and 1st prize in chamber music at the Beach of Hope International Music Festival and Competition in Dobrich-Albena, Bulgaria, and was one of the three prize winners at the Peter the Great Music Festival in Groningen, Holland in 1997.

After receiving her diploma with honors from the College of Music, she was invited to study in the United States by Victor Rosenbaum, well-known teacher and pianist, and director of the Longy School of Music in Cambridge, MA. In 1999, she moved to the Dallas-Fort Worth area to continue her education at the University of North Texas in the studio of Prof. Vladimir Viardo (Gold medalist of the 1973 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition).

While studying at UNT, she continued winning competitions in the United States, including 1st prize at the San Angelo Sorantin International Music Competition, 1st prize at the First Boesendorfer International Piano Competition, 1st and Grand prize at the Young Texas Artist Music Competition, and 2nd prize at the First Jose Iturbi Music Competition. In November 2005, she has performed Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini with the San Angelo Symphony under Hector Guzman. In January 2007, she has performed Ravel Piano Concerto in G with the Phoenix Symphony under Lawrence Golan. Her upcoming performances include solo and orchestra appearances in the United States, Mexico and Austria.

Yariv Aloni, Viola
Violist Yariv Aloni is acclaimed by critics for his “impeccable technical accomplishments, exquisite phrasing and superb viola playing”, and as “the ideal soloist, with a huge, singing tone and a rare depth and nobility of feeling”.
Born on A kibbutz in Israel, Yariv Aloni began studying the violin at the age of eight and turned to the viola when he was sixteen. He studied viola with David Chen at the Rubin Academy of Music in Jerusalem, Daniel Benyamini, principal violist of the Israel Philharmonic and Michael Tree and the Guarneri String Quartet. With an emphasis on chamber music he also studied at the Jerusalem Music Centre with distinguished visiting faculty from around the world including the Isaac Stern, the Amadeus and the Guarneri String Quartets, and many others.

He was a finalist at the François Shapira competition in Tel-Aviv. His awards included the Israel Broadcasting Authority award for chamber music performance and numerous awards and annual scholarships from the American-Israel Cultural foundation. As the violist of both the Aviv and the Penderecki string quartets, he has performed in many concert halls around the world including Lincoln Centre in New York, the Louvre in Paris, Tonhalle in Zurich, and numerous concert halls in Canada, the United States, Germany, Italy, Holland, Mexico, France, Poland and many more. In 1985 he was invited to join Isaac Stern and Pinchas Zuckerman to play a gala concert at Carnegie Hall in New York.

An avid and dedicated teacher he is teaching chamber music at the University of Victoria, British Columbia and is a former faculty member of Sir Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario. He has given master classes at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Brandon University, University of Alberta in Edmonton, and Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia. In 1994 he became a faculty member and subsequently the artistic director of the Courtenay Youth Music Centre in the Comox Valley, British Columbia.

Aloni recorded for the United, Marquise, Tritonus, and CBC labels as well as independent CD labels. He appears regularly with the Vetta Ensemble in Vancouver and performs in numerous chamber music festivals and recitals series. Also a conductor He is the founder and music director of the Galiano Ensemble of Victoria, the Victoria Chamber Orchestra and an associate music director for the Greater Victoria Youth Orchestra.

Zoltan Rozsnya, Cello
Zoltan Rozsnyai was born into a musical family. Both his parents and grandparents were professional musicians. He studied piano and violin, before taking up the cello at the age of six. He joined the Windsor Symphony at 15, then left to attend the University of Toronto two years later. While in Toronto, he studied with Vladimir Orloff and Daniel Domb. Zoltan also took masterclasses at the Banff School of Fine Arts, studying with Aldo Parisot, Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi, and Janos Starker. He played for many years in the Canadian Opera Company and National Ballet orchestras, as well as performing as soloist and chamber musician throughout Ontario. Zoltan also spent a year in India with his electric cello, traveling and collaborating with musicians. In 1999 he joined the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, and has been the Assistant Principal cellist since 2001.

Victor Costanzi , Violin
Victor Costanzi, co-founder and formerly Artistic Director of the critically acclaimed Vetta Chamber Series, is one of North America’s most versatile violinists. His professional engagements span many genres including Soloist, Concertmaster (symphony and chamber orchestra, opera, ballet, film-scores, musical theatre and for many leading popular performers), New Music, Early Music and Chamber Music. He has been a frequent guest of various chamber music series, and collaborated with numerous international artists including Heinz Holliger, Anner Bylsma, Monica Huggett, John Eliot Gardener, Andrew Parrott and Steve Reich. His debut as soloist was with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra at the age of sixteen, and he has toured Latin America, the United States and Canada with broadcasts on both radio and television.

The critical acclaim for his performances confirms his reputation as a violinist both popular and in demand: “virtuoso performances by Victor Costanzi” … “inspired playing brought the house down” - Toronto Globe and Mail; “The highlight of the concert” - Montreal Gazette; “exceptional” – Vancouver Province. Mr. Costanzi is a native of St. Paul Minnesota and a graduate of the Eastman School of Music which he attended on full scholarship. He has lived in Vancouver, BC since 1979 and has recorded for the CBC, Vox, Skylark, Centre Disc and Miracle Records labels.

In March of 2005 he re-located to New York following an invitation to perform as Concertmaster on Broadway. Other performances in the area include numerous appearances with the New Jersey Symphony, the American Ballet Theatre and touring the US as solo-violinist with Chita Rivera and Topol. In February 2010 he performed as Concertmaster for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Opening Ceremonies.

Jenny Press , Violin
Jennie Press began her violin studies at the age of three in St. John's, NL. She made her solo debut with the Newfoundland Symphony at thirteen and has since had solo appearances with several symphonies and chamber orchestras in Canada and the United States. Ms. Press has been a national finalist numerous times in the Canadian Music Competitions, the Shean Strings Competiton and the National Music Festival, both as a soloist and as a chamber musician. She has also been a prize winner in numerous competitions including the Marbury Violin Competition, the Yale Gordon String Competition, the Alexandria Symphony Competiton and the Wellesly Symphony Competition.

Jennie has performed in many symphony and chamber orchestras including the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra, Concert Artists of Baltimore Chamber Orchestra, Annapolis Symphony, Lancaster Symphony, and Key West Symphony, and has served as concertmaster in several orchestras including Royal Opera Canada, Annapolis Opera, Washington Summer Opera, De Camera Chamber Players, Peabody Symphony Orchestra and the Peabody Concert Orchestra. She has also performed with many pops orchestras which have led to performances in Hong Kong, at the Kennedy Centre in Washington, DC, and at Carnegie Hall in New York. She is currently Second Assistant Concertmaster of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra.

Sarah Davis Buechner , Piano
Sara Davis Buechner is a classical concert pianist of noteworthy accomplishment, virtuosic mastery, artistic sensitivity and extraordinary versatility. A major prizewinner of many of the world's most prestigious international piano competitions -- Reine Elisabeth of Belgium, Leeds, Salzburg, Sydney and Vienna -- she established her career by winning the Gold Medal of the 1984 Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition in Salt Lake City, Utah, and as a Bronze Medalist of the 1986 Tschaikowsky International Piano Competition in Moscow.

With an active repertoire of over 100 piano concertos ranging from A (Albeniz) to Z (Zimbalist), she has appeared as soloist with North America's most prominent orchestras: the New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia, Cleveland, Saint Louis and San Francisco Symphony Orchestras; the Vancouver, Victoria, Edmonton and Calgary Symphony Orchestras; and abroad with the Japan Philharmonic, City of Birmingham (U.K.) Symphony Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic, Kuopio (Finland) Philharmonic, Slovak Philharmonic, and the Orquesta Sinfónica de Castilla y León (Spain). She was a featured artist at the "Piano 2000" Gala Concerts in the Kennedy Center with the National Symphony, and has performed solo recitals at Lincoln Center's "Mostly Mozart" Festival. In addition to her frequent North American and European concert appearances and radio broadcasts, she tours widely throughout the Far East on a yearly basis.

David Harding, Viola
David Harding has an extensive solo and chamber music career, having performed throughout Europe, the United States, Canada and Central America. His performances have been broadcast on BBC, NPR and Deutschland Radio, Berlin. David is frequently featured on CBC Radio in Canada. He regularly performs at Chamber Music festivals throughout North America and is a member of the Music Toronto Chamber Society, Triskelion string trio and the American String Project.

He was the winner of the Sir John Barbirolli award at the Lionel Tertis International Viola Competition. Having served on the faculty of Indiana University South Bend, he is currently Professor of viola at the University of British Columbia. David plays on a viola made by Pietro Antonio dalla Costa, Tresviso Italy, circa 1750.

Joseph Elworthy, Cello
Joseph Elworthy has received critical acclaim for his interpretive insight and technical prowess. Mr. Elworthy began his musical studies with Audrey Nodwell at the Vancouver Academy of Music; following six years in private instruction with Eric Wilson (UBC), he continued his education at Yale University and the Julliard School studying with esteemed padagague, Aldo Parisot. Upon graduation from Yale, Elworthy received the "Aldo Parisot Prize" - the highest honour issued by Yale to a graduating cellist "showing most promise for an international career."

Elworthy has been a featured soloist, recitalist, and chambar musician throughout Canada, the United States, Asia and Europe, performing on such stages as Alice Tully Hall, Suntory Hall, Carnegie Hall, the Library of Congress, and Seojong Hall. He has appeared on numerous television and radio broadcasts around the globe including CBC, Arts & Entertainment, BRAVO, PBS, Radio Europe, and NHK. His recordings can be heard on EMI, Sony, Achtype, and Bose record labels. In addition to being names the Sylva Gelber Award of $15,000 from the Canada Council, Elworthy has been the recipient of numerous Canada Council career grants exceeding $50,000. Mr. Elworthy has been a faculty member at the Long Island School of the Arts (NY) and the Closter Conservatory (NJ).

Joseph plays on a rare 1760 Ferdinando Gagliano that once belonged to the legendary German cellist, Hugo Becker.

Ian Parker, Piano
Magnetic, easy-going and delightfully articulate, Canadian pianist Ian Parker captivates audiences wherever he goes. He has appeared with the Buffalo Philharmonic, Calgary Philharmonic, Cincinnati Symphony, CBC Vancouver, Cleveland Orchestra at Blossom, Edmonton Symphony, Greenwich Symphony, Honolulu Symphony, Jacksonville Symphony, Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, Louisiana Philharmonic, Mobile Symphony, National Symphony, Quebec Symphony, and the symphonies of Toronto, Vancouver, Victoria, and Winnipeg, among others. One of the highlights of 2006 was Mr. Parker’s dazzling performance of Rachmaninov’s second piano concerto and the Variations on a Theme by Paganini with the Jacksonville Symphony, both at the same concert and on short notice! The tour de force brought the house down in Jacksonville and marked the grand finale of the Jacksonville Symphony’s Classical Madness festivities.

First Prize winner at the 2001 CBC National Radio Competition, Ian Parker has also won the Grand Prize at the Canadian National Music Festival, the Corpus Christie International Competition and the Montreal Symphony Orchestra Competition. At The Juilliard School, he received the 2002 William Petschek Piano Debut Award and, on two occasions, was the winner of the Gina Bachauer Piano Scholarship Competition. Heard regularly on CBC Radio, Mr. Parker has also performed live on WQXR (hosted by Robert Sherman) in New York.

Joy Branagan, Horn
Joy Branagan is the newest member of the Vancouver Symphony horn section, having joined the orchestra as Second Horn in September of 2009.

Joy is originally from Marietta, Georgia, and has a degree in Music Education from The University of Georgia and a Master of Music in Orchestral Performance from the Manhattan School of Music. Her teachers were Jean Martin-Williams and Erik Ralske.

While still a student in New York, Joy began playing professionally as Fourth Horn with the Albany Symphony, Third Horn with the New Haven Symphony, and as a substitute with the New Jersey Symphony. Upon graduation, she won a position as Second Horn with the San Antonio Symphony, where she played for five years. In 2003, Joy moved to Washington, D.C., to begin a freelance career. She joined the Richmond Symphony (Virginia) in 2005 as Second Horn, while also performing with notable orchestras in the area including the National Symphony Orchestra, the Baltimore Symphony, and the orchestra of the Washington National Opera. In 2005, Joy was invited to perform as guest solo artist with the Cobb Symphony Orchestra in her hometown of Marietta, Georgia.