Mozart Clarinet Quintet and Schubert Octet: Alexander Fiterstein and Mark Peskanov with Semplice Players

Mark Peskanov, violin– American virtuoso violinist and artistic visionary Mark Peskanov was born in Odessa. Peskanov sang before he could walk or talk, and soon became a star violin student at the famed Stolyarsky school. His phenomenal facility and musicianship won him both the Aspen and Juilliard concerto competitions, bringing him to the notice of Isaac Stern and Mstislav Rostropovich and rocketing him into the top echelons of the music world. Peskanov’s major accolades include the Avery Fischer Career Grant, the first Frederick R.Mann Award, and Carnegie Hall’s first Isaac Stern Award. Since 2005, he is president and artistic/executive director of Bargemusic. Peskanov has curated over 3,000 chamber concerts at Bargemusic, encompassing a vast range of genres and styles, presenting over 200 concerts annually to New York audiences. Under his leadership Bargemusic continues to evolve as an innovative, influential, and integral component of New York City’s cultural world.

Alexander Fiterstein, clarinet– Clarinetist Alexander Fiterstein is considered one of today’s most exceptional artists. Fiterstein has performed in recital, with distinguished orchestras, and with chamber music ensembles throughout the world. He won first prize at the Carl Nielsen International Clarinet Competition and received the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant Award. The Washington Post has described his playing as “dazzling in its spectrum of colors, agility, and range. Every sound he makes is finely measured without inhibiting expressiveness” and The New York Times described him as “a clarinetist with a warm tone and powerful technique.” As soloist he has appeared with the Czech, Israel, Vienna, and St. Paul Chamber Orchestras, Belgrade Philharmonic, Danish National Radio Symphony, Tokyo Philharmonic, China National Symphony Orchestra, KBS Orchestra of South Korea, Jerusalem Symphony, Orchestra of St. Luke’s at Lincoln Center, Kansas City Symphony, and the Simon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela.

SEMPLICE PLAYERS In music, the Italian marking “Semplice” means the performance should sound fresh, simple, and satisfying. Semplice Players has taken that approach in close to one hundred concerts in beautiful New York City venues since its founding in 2016. The concerts have attracted listings and critical attention from the New York Times (most recently in the NYT’s “Fall Preview” of must-see music performances for the 2020-21 season in New York and the US), the New Yorker, and the New York Classical Review. Whether playing the great masterworks or a piece written yesterday, expert musicians and emerging artists join together in bringing the always living, evolving tradition of music-making to audiences of every age and walk of life, wherever chamber music can be enjoyed.

Salley Koo, violin- A violinist of great range and energy, Salley Koo has performed internationally as a solo, chamber, and orchestral musician.  Her recent calendar includes engagements as soloist, recitalist, chamber musician, orchestral guest, and faculty in California, Minnesota, New Hampshire, and Wisconsin.  Salley has appeared in concert at the Musikverein in Vienna, Carnegie Hall, Town Hall, Central Park, Music from Salem, the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia, the National Cathedral and National Gallery in Washington D.C., Columbia Museum of Art, the Harris Theater in Chicago, the Nasher Series in Dallas, the Peoples Symphony Concerts, the Ojai, Tanglewood, Ravinia, Skaneateles, and Caramoor Festivals, and on tour alongside artists ranging from Bela Fleck to Dawn Upshaw to Gil Shaham.  She soloed with the Lebanese Philharmonic Orchestra and recently returned a third time to Lebanon as artist in residence with the IMAGINE Workshop and Concert Series at the Lebanese American University in Beirut, Lebanon.  She is regularly invited as a guest artist with groups such as the Minnesota Orchestra, Orchestra of St. Luke’s, East Coast Chamber Orchestra, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, the International Contemporary Ensemble, and the Knights.

Beatrice Chen, viola-  is an award-winning violist who hails from Chicago. Appointed by Riccardo Muti, she served as a member of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s viola section during the 2022–23 season. Chen has been awarded first prize in competitions including the Johansen International Competition for Young String Players and Albert M. Greenfield Competition. In 2019, she was named a finalist and Silver Medalist in Classical Music from the National YoungArts Foundation. Chen is a member of the Grant Park Orchestra.

Nathan Whittaker, violoncello– enjoys a diverse career as a soloist, chamber musician, recitalist, teacher, and historical cello specialist, with concert stops ranging from New York to Seattle to Dubai. He is Artistic Director of Gallery Concerts (Seattle), a chamber music series on period instruments, and appears frequently with the Trinity Baroque Orchestra, New York Baroque Incorporated, ARTek, Twelfth Night, The Sebastians, and the Kaleidoscope Vocal Ensemble. He has also served on the faculty of Cornish College of the Arts and each summer hosts “Cello Day,” a one-day workshop for adult cellists. His performances can be heard on recordings for ATMA Musique, Harmonia, and Centaur, as well as in live broadcasts on NPR, CBC, and KING FM. Dr. Whittaker holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Washington and Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Indiana University. He performs on a 1957 cello by Mario Gadda and a baroque cello by Johann Christian Ficker II, c.1770. When not playing the cello, Nathan enjoys strolling through Hell’s Kitchen, coffee in hand, with his wife, soprano Linda Tsatsanis, and their mischievous mutt, Julep.

Nathaniel Chase, double bass- performs a wide range of music, from period performance with the Sebastians and the Trinity Baroque Orchestra, to new music with Ensemble LPR and Ensemble Échappé, to orchestral repertoire with the Experiential Orchestra and Riverside and Allentown Symphonies. He performed on Broadway in the critically acclaimed production of Farinelli and the King with countertenor Iestyn Davies.

Sarah Boxmeyer, french horn- is a freelance French horn player and educator based in New York City. A graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music and Yale School of Music, she has had success in the orchestral world as well as on Broadway. After auditioning for and winning a job with the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra, Sarah was offered a job in the orchestra of King Kong on Broadway. Most recently, Sarah was the horn player at Sweeney Todd and is currently in the orchestra at Pirates! The Penzance Musical.

Cynde Iverson, bassoon-  is recognized as one of the finest bassoonists today. She is Principal bassoonist with the Stamford Symphony and a member of the American Ballet Theater Orchestra. She performs with many of New York’s prestigious ensembles including the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, the Orchestra of St. Luke’s and the American Symphony Orchestra. Ms. Iverson has toured the US, Europe, Japan and been a soloist in Asia with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra.