University of Washington Announces 2023 Great Artists Series – The Source

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Acclaimed mezzo-soprano J’Nai Bridges will kick off the University of Washington’s 2023 Great Artists Series on January 29. (Photo: S. Richards Photography)

2022 Grammy Award-winning J’Nai Bridges is “a sumptuous-voiced mezzo-soprano” (New York Times) with a “calm stage presence” (The New Yorker). England’s legendary Academy of St Martin in the Fields are among “the finest chamber orchestras in the world” (South Florida Classical Review), while Johannes Moser is “a star rock cellist” (Dallas Observer).

Renowned pianist Emanuel Ax is “masterful” and “unfailingly elegant” (Philadelphia Inquirer). Violin virtuoso Augustin Hadelich revels in “myriad ways to bring a phrase to life” (Washington Post).

the Great Artists Series at Washington University in St. Louis features affordable concerts by some of today’s top classical musicians. The 2023 season – the series’ sixth – will open on January 29 with a solo recital by Bridges, followed by the academy and Moser on March 4. Axis will perform on March 26; Hadelich will conclude the series on April 16.

“J’Nai Bridges was a big hit as Nefertiti in the Metropolitan Opera’s recent ‘Akhnaton,'” said Patrick Burke, Associate Professor and Chair of Music in Arts and Sciences. “The academy is a beloved institution for classical audiences around the world, and Johannes Moser is one of the finest cellists of his generation.

“Emanuel Ax is an accomplished soloist who plays with power, lyricism and imagination,” Burke added. “Augustin Hadelich is a renowned musician whose chosen repertoire ranges from Bach to Bartók.

“We are thrilled to welcome them all to St. Louis.”

The Academy of St Martin in the Fields, led by violist Joshua Bell, will join acclaimed cellist Johannes Moser on March 4. (Photo: Benjamin Ealovega)

Tickets

Subscriptions to all four recitals are $120 – a 25% discount on the price of a single ticket – and include premium reserved seating, post-concert receptions with the artists (if applicable), and all Ticketing. Subscription orders will be available online starting May 23.

Single tickets are $40, or $32 for University of Washington faculty and staff, and $15 for students and children. Single ticket sales will be available starting September 6.

All four performances take place in the E. Desmond Lee Concert Hall at 560 Music Center, located at 560 Trinity Avenue at the intersection with Delmar Boulevard. Tickets are available at the Edison Theater box office, 314-935-6543, or at edison.wustl.edu.

J’Nai Bridges (Photo: S. Richards Photography)

J’Nai Bridges

Known for her “rich, dark and thrilling sound” (Opera News), Bridges is a “rising star” (Los Angeles Times) who has graced many of the world’s most prestigious opera and concert stages. Recent highlights include appearances with the Washington National Opera, National Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic and San Francisco Symphony.

In 2019, Bridges made her Metropolitan Opera debut as Nefertiti in Philip Glass’ “Akhnaten,” a production that won the 2022 Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording. Bridges was also featured in Richard Danielpour’s oratorio “The Passion of Yeshua” with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, which won the 2021 Grammy for Best Choral Performance. Other recent highlights include a sold-out debut recital at Carnegie Hall; the role of Kasturbai in Glass’s “Satyagraha” at LA Opera; and made his debuts at the Dutch National Opera and at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona.

Read the full biography here.

Cellist Johannes Moser will join the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields on March 4. (Picture: Manfred Esser/Haenssler Classic)

The Academy of St Martin in the Fields with Johannes Moser

Formed by Sir Neville Marriner in 1958 from a group of leading London musicians, the Academy of St Martin in the Fields is renowned for its new interpretations of the world’s greatest orchestral music. Currently led by virtuoso violinist Joshua Bell, the Academy retains the collegiate spirit and flexibility of the original small, conductorless ensemble. With the support of director Tomo Keller and principal guest conductor Murray Perahia, the academy continues to push the boundaries of directed performance to new heights.

Moser, born into a musical family in 1979, began studying the cello at the age of 8 and won first prize at the Tchaikovsky Competition in 2002. He has performed with many leading orchestras, including the Berliner Philharmoniker, New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony and BBC Philharmonic at the Proms. Among the main recordings are concertos by Dvořák, Lalo, Elgar, Lutosławski, Dutilleux and Tchaikovsky. Among the main distinctions are the Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik, the Diapason d’Or and the Brahms Prize 2014.

Read their full biography here.

Emanuel Ax will perform on March 26. (Photo: Lisa Marie Mazzucco)

Emmanuel Hache

Born in Lvov, Poland, Ax moved to Winnipeg, Canada with his family when he was a young boy. He made his New York debut in the Young Concert Artists series and in 1974 won the first Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Master Competition in Tel Aviv, Israel. In 1975 he won the Michaels Award of Young Concert Artists, followed four years later by the Avery Fisher Prize.

An exclusive Sony Classical artist since 1987, Ax has recently recorded Brahms trios with Yo-Yo Ma and Leonidas Kavakos. He received Grammy Awards for the second and third volumes of his cycle of piano sonatas by Haydn and, with Ma, made a series of Grammy-winning recordings of cello and piano sonatas by Beethoven and Brahms. He also contributed to an Emmy-winning BBC documentary commemorating the Holocaust, broadcast on the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.

Read the full biography here.

Violinist Augustin Hadelich will conclude the 2023 series on April 16. (Photo: Rosalie O’Connor)

Augustin Hadelich

Born in Italy to German parents, Hadelich studied with Joel Smirnoff at the Juilliard School and is now an American citizen. One of the great violinists of our time, he has performed with major orchestras across North America, Europe and Asia, from the Philharmonies of New York, London and Hong Kong to the Boston Symphonies, Chicago, New Zealand and Singapore, among others.

Named “2018 Instrumentalist of the Year” by Musical America, Hadelich has received numerous accolades, including a 2016 Grammy Award for Best Classical Instrumental Solo for his recording of Dutilleux’s “L’Arbre des Songes” Violin Concerto with the Seattle Symphony . His most recent recording is a Grammy-nominated double CD of Johann Sebastian Bach’s six sonatas and solo partitas.

Read the full biography here.

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