A Living Legacy: Violin-Piano Music from our American Contemporaries

Claudia Schaer and Marc Péloquin present a recital of outstanding contemporary American Violin-Piano duos. A wealth of genres and styles are at our fingertips ...
Philip Wharton's Tombeau de Ravel harkens back not just to the impressionist Ravel but also to baroque composer François Couperin, reminding us of the past with vivid fresh imagination. Drew Hemenger's Sharks! is a jazzy play on that fish's most famous theme song. Max Lifchitz' Raoul's Tango-Waltz, from Four Tango Sketches which were premiered in their chamber orchestra version with Claudia Schaer and the North-South Chamber Orchestra in 2022, is a tongue-in-cheek fusion of tango and waltz styles. Christopher James' Labyrinths was written for Claudia Schaer and Marc Péloquin and recorded in spring 2024; it is a very expressive 12-tone work with many-faceted thoughts and characters. Jessie Montgomery's Peace was composed in 2020 and is a deeply pensive meditation on the sadness that is part of the fabric of life. Michael Torke's Spoon Bread gives a nod to Kentucky, and is brightly influenced by fiddling, jazz and baroque music altogether. Ellene Taaffe Zwilich's Partita rounds out the program with a light-hearted and fun take on many of the above genres.

Program

Phillip Wharton – Tombeau de Ravel (2003)
Drew Hemenger – Sharks! (2006)
Max Lifchitz – Raoul's Tango-Waltz, from Four Tango Sketches (2022)
Christopher James – Labyrinths, 2nd mvt (2024)
Jessie Montgomery – Peace (2020)
Michael Torke – Cornmeal, from Spoon Bread (2016)
Ellen Taaffe Zwilich – Partita (2000)
1. Introduction and Allegro
2. Serenade
3. Tango
4. Meditation
5. Finale

With beautiful and insightful interpretations, alongside intriguing programming, the versatile recitalist, soloist, and chamber musician Claudia Schaer meets with high acclaim from audiences and musicians alike. Her recording of the Bach Sonatas and Partias for solo violin is hailed for its "elegant, light touch and lucid timbre ... a wonderful performance" (Japan Bach Review) and unique "small softness at the beginning of the bowstroke" (American Record Guide).

Native of Calgary, Canada, Claudia Schaer was 11 when she received the "Most Promising Violinist" medal at the Canadian "Kiwanis Music Festival" as a student of Lise Elson, and she won prizes in international competitions thereafter. A graduate of the Juilliard School's Accelerated Bachelor/Master program, she served as concertmaster of the Juilliard Symphony, and as teaching assistant to her mentor, Sally Thomas, as well as receiving the "Sasakawa Young Leaders' Fellowship". She completed a Doctorate of Musical Arts at Stony Brook University in 2011, mentoring with Phillip Setzer, Ani Kavafian, and Pamela Frank, and writing about Varèse, Boulez, and the intersection of mathematics, philosophy, and music.

Dr. Schaer’s performances take her across North America and to Europe, where she has given many all-solo-violin concerts in Germany, Switzerland, and Denmark, performing all six Bach Sonatas and Partitas, the Bartók Solo Sonata, and Boulez's Anthèmes, among other works. Her Carnegie Hall Weill Recital Debut included collaboration with the Echo-prizewinning David Orlowsky Trio; other highlights include performances at the Banff Centre for the Arts, Columbia University's St. Paul's Chapel, and Glencairn Cathedral in Pennsylvania.

An avid chamber musician, Claudia Schaer is a founding member of , a new piano trio performing with spirit to standing ovations across the USA since 2023. She has also played in England's prestigious Prussia Cove festival, in the Danish "Thy" Festival, and with Berlin Philharmonic members in Italy's "Barga Festival", among others. Her international commitment extends further to China, where she has given performances and masterclasses in Guangzhou, Nanning, and Guilin, and is a Guest Professor of the Guangxi Arts College.

Claudia Schaer performed as guest soloist with the Pennsylvania Center Orchestra, the Orchestra of the Bronx, and the new-music Esprit Orchestra of Toronto, among others. She is currently a soloist and concertmaster of New York's North/South Consonance Ensemble, with which she gave the New York première of the Lifchitz Violin Concerto, alongside many other works. She is an advocate for creativity in music, and has inspired many composers to write for her. In addition to performing standard concerti, she has given debuts of violin-and-orchestra works by Zosha di Castri, Andrew Thomas, Winnie Yang, Max Lifchitz, Margarita Zelenaia, David Farrell, Lelio di Tullio, and Christopher James, to name a few. She has given the New York, American, and world premières of countless other compositions, also performing regularly with pianist Marc Péloquin.

For details about upcoming performances, and further information, please visit   www.ClaudiaSchaer.com

Dr. Schaer's writing on music is available at www.ClaudiaSchaer.blogspot.com. Her Bach recording is available in person after concerts, as well as at www.ClaudiaSchaer.com/discography, and on iTunes, Amazon, and Bandcamp.

*By attending this event, you consent to the taking of photographs, audio recordings, video recordings, and/or other digital images or recordings during this event by staff, volunteers, or outside media. Bloomingdale School of Music (Bloomingdale) may use, edit, alter, copy, publish, and/or distribute those photos and recordings in any and all of its publications, including social media and web-based publications, and/or for any other lawful purpose, without payment, compensation, royalties, or other consideration. Bloomingdale bears no responsibility for any unauthorized use of images or recordings by a third party.

Host or Publisher Bloomingdale School of Music