Guest Artistic Director Joseph Williams presents A Contemporary Portrait: Brian Raphael Nabors, the final free virtual concert of Byron Schenkman & Friends’ 10th Anniversary Season. Join cellist Sterling Elliot, violinist Caitlin Edwards, and pianist Jessica Evotia Andrews-Hall for an emotionally rich program featuring Nabor’s Piano Trio, Theme & Variations for Solo Violin, and Sonata for Cello & Piano. This online concert will premiere on the Byron Schenkman & Friends YouTube channel on Sunday, April 23, 2023, at 7:00 PM PDT. After the premiere, a post-concert Q&A will be held with the musicians via Zoom. The link to the Zoom meeting can be found in the show notes.
Brian Raphael Nabors is an internationally renowned composer whose music blends many styles, drawing from Jazz, Funk, R&B, Gospel, and contemporary classical music. A 2020 Fulbright scholar and a 2019 Fellow in the American Composer’s Orchestra Earshot program, his work tells emotionally engaging stories with vibrant themes and colorful harmonic language, creating an exciting listening experience. https://www.briannabors.com/
Cellist Sterling Elliott is an Avery Fisher Career Grant recipient and winner of the National Sphinx Competition’s Senior Division. Described as “expressive and technically brilliant”, he was recently recognized by Classic FM as one of “30 musical artists performing today to watch.” https://sterlingelliott.com/
Caitlin Edwards is an esteemed, award-winning violinist, having been recognized with an Artist Award from the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and a 3Arts/Walder Foundation award. She was a featured soloist in the PBS documentary “Dreams of Hope” and released her debut solo album, Exhale, in August of 2021. https://www.caitlinedwards.com/
Jessica Evotia Andrews-Hall enjoys a vibrant career as a collaborative pianist, teaching artist and arts advocate. As a Seattle Symphony teaching artist, she led Carnegie Hall programs like Link Up and the “The Lullaby Project,” which provided unsheltered families with the opportunity to write and record lullabies for their children. Jessica is a pianist for the Pacific Northwest Ballet, Seattle Theatre Group’s Ailey Camp, and is currently on her 4th tour with the Seattle Opera. https://www.jessicaandrewsmusicstudio.com/
Guest Artistic Director and sound liberator Joseph Williams is intent on supporting the work of numerous living composers, under-resourced performing artists, and arts institutions authentically committed to anti-racism, equity and belonging. Williams has collaborated with BS&F in the past, including performing piano works of Teresa Carreño and Florence Beatrice Price. https://www.soundliberator.net/
BS&F’s commitment to performing music by underrepresented composers and advocating for more equitable representation in the repertory and on stage comes to life with this season’s virtual concert series. This season highlights the range of three composer’s works, each representing a different era of music history. This concert as well as, A Romantic Portrait: Luise Adolpha Le Beau and A Baroque Portrait: Élisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre will remain free and available for all to access online on BS&F’s YouTube Channel.