Andy & Friends: The Young Firebrands

The Sigal Music Museum is pleased to present Andy & Friends Concert Series at Greenville’s Fine Arts Center. World-renowned pianist and concert host Artistic Director Andrew Armstrong will be joined by a stellar lineup of world-class musicians, ensuring an unforgettable second season for this very special series.

Simone Porter – violin

Nathan Meltzer – violin

Virgil Moore – violin

Hayoung Choi – violin

Melissa Reardon – viola

Carlos Walker – viola

Alice Yoo – cello

Sara Scanlon – cello

PROGRAM

Maurice Ravel | 1875-1937

String Quartet in F Major, M. 35 (1903)

Felix Mendelssohn | 1809-1847

String Octet in E-flat Major, Opus 20 (1825)

ABOUT THE MUSICIANS

Violinist Simone Porter has been recognized as an emerging artist of impassioned energy, interpretive integrity, and vibrant communication. She has debuted with the New York Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Seattle and Pittsburgh Symphonies and with a number of renowned conductors, including Stéphane Denève, Gustavo Dudamel, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Nicholas McGegan, Ludovic Morlot, Donald Runnicles, David Robertson, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Manfred Honeck, Louis Langrée and David Danzmayr. Simone made her professional solo debut at age 10 with the Seattle Symphony and her international debut with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London at age 13. In March 2015, Simone was named a recipient of an Avery Fisher Career Grant.

Winner of the 2023 Concert Artist Guild Competition, major prize winner at the at the 2022 Sibelius and Singapore International Violin Competitions, recipient of the Salon de Virtuosi Career Grant, and youngest ever to win the Windsor Festival Competition, violinist Nathan Meltzer is establishing a holistic and multi-faceted career as both a soloist and chamber musician, with passions for both standard and contemporary repertoire. As a soloist, he has performed with the Aalborg Symphony, Orchestre national d'Île-de-France, the Philharmonia Orchestra, the Royal Northern Sinfonia, the Finnish RSO, the Helsinki Philharmonic, and the Charlotte, Indianapolis, Pittsburgh, and North Carolina Symphonies, among others, performing across Europe, Asia, and North and South America. And as a chamber musician, Nathan has performed at celebrated festivals including ChamberFest Cleveland, Krzyzowa Music, La Jolla SummerFest, the Montreál and Moritzburg Festivals, and Newport Classical. A Juilliard graduate and student of Li Lin and Itzhak Perlman, Nathan plays on a Storioni violin on generous loan from the Rin Foundation.

Virgil Moore began violin studies at the age of 9, and studied with Joseph Nigro and Dr. Yevgeniy Dovgalyuk. He served as Concertmaster of the Lynchburg Symphony Youth Orchestra, and was a member of the Lynchburg Symphony Orchestra and the James Chamber Players. He is currently a substitute violinist with the New World Symphony in Miami Beach, and has sat Principal of The Juilliard Orchestra, having worked with conductors including Stéphane Denève, Peter Oundjian, Scott Yoo, and Giancarlo Guerrero. Virgil graduated Magna Cum Laude from the Robert McDuffie Center for Strings at Mercer University studying with Amy Schwartz Moretti, Robert McDuffie, and David Kim. He is currently pursuing a Masters degree at the Juilliard School on a full-tuition scholarship, in the studios of Laurie Smukler and Joseph Lin.

Luna Hayoung Choi is an award-winning violinist from Daejeon, South Korea. Most recently, Choi received 1st Prize at the Bales Violin Competition and won the NEC Honors Chamber Music Competition. Other recent accolades include performing as the feature soloist in a concert with the Aspen Festival Orchestra and David Robertson after winning the coveted 2023 Dorothy DeLay Competition, and winning top prizes at numerous competitions including the Irving M. Klein International String Competition, Hong Kong Generation Next Arts International Music Competition, MTNA Young Artist National Competition. Solo appearances include performances with Neo-Strings, Sangrok Orchestra, Seoul Symphony Orchestra, Daejeon Philharmonic Orchestra, Macon-Mercer Symphony Orchestra.

Grammy-nominated violist Melissa Reardon is an internationally renowned performer whose solo and chamber playing spans all musical genres. Melissa is the Artistic Director of the Portland Chamber Music Festival in Portland, ME, Artist in Residence at Bard College and Conservatory and a founding member and the Executive Director of the East Coast Chamber Orchestra (ECCO). As a member of the Ensō String Quartet from 2006 until its final season in 2018, Melissa toured both nationally and internationally, with highlight performances in Sydney, Melbourne, Rio de Janeiro, New York’s Carnegie Hall, and Washington, DC’s Kennedy Center to name a few. Lauded by Classical Voice for her “elegant” and “virtuosic” performances, the Massachusetts-born musician won first prize at the Washington International Competition, and is the only violist to win top prizes in consecutive HAMS International viola competitions.

Carlos Walker, a violist from St. Petersburg, Florida, is currently pursuing a masters degree in viola performance from The Juilliard School. With chamber music being one of their most treasured passions, they found a love for the viola while playing Samuel Barber’s String Quartet. Since finding their voice, Carlos has completed a Bachelor of Music in Viola Performance at the McDuffie Center for Strings, and had the pleasure of participating in NYO-USA, Aspen Music Festival and School, Heifetz International Music Institute and more.

Cellist Alice Yoo has warmly been hailed for her sensitive musicianship, expressive nuance, and passionate commitment to chamber music and teaching. Yoo is the Co-Artistic director of the Denver Chamber Music Festival; the festival features the world’s most celebrated chamber musicians in world-class chamber music summer concerts all around the city. Festival appearances include the Marlboro/Musicians from Marlboro Tours, Ravinia, Chamber Music Society of Palm Beach, VIVO, Olympic, and Moab Music Festivals. A sought after chamber musician, Yoo has collaborated with artists such as James Ehnes, Itzhak Perlman, Mitsuko Uchida, Pamela Frank, Kim Kashkashian, Midori Goto, Jonathan Biss, and members of the Cleveland, Guarneri, Takács, and Juilliard Quartets. She has worked closely with composers Sophia Gubaidulina, Jennifer Hidgon, Andy Akiho, Samuel Carl Adams, and John Harbison.

Known for captivating audiences with her passionate performances and musical artistry, cellist Sara Scanlon is quickly becoming a sought-after talent in the world of classical music. Sara made her solo debut, performing the Elgar Concerto with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra. She has been featured as a soloist on NPR’s nationally broadcast program From the Top, served as principal cellist for the Emmy Award–winning Night of Georgia Music on PBS, and performed alongside Joshua Bell at a TED Talk with the Chamber Orchestra of America. A Native of Milford, Connecticut, Sara won the Chappaqua Orchestra, Adelphi Orchestra, Greater New Haven Orchestra, Hamden Symphony Orchestra, and the Townsend Orchestra’s Concerto Competitions.

NOTE: This performance takes place at the Fine Arts Center, 102 Pine Knoll Drive, Greenville, South Carolina

Host or Publisher Sigal Music Museum