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Performers:
Mari Lee (violin)
Ari Evan (cello)
Program:
Erwin Schulhoff: Duo for Violin and Cello
Maurice Ravel: Duo for Violin and Cello
With selections from Bach, Jorg Widmann, Benjamin Goddard, and Xenakis
Members: $18
Non-members: $25
Door: $36
Students with ID or 18 and under: free
Concert will be live-streamed at RTFH.org/Live
The Forest Hills Chamber Music Series will open its third consecutive season with chamber music in its most intimate form: the string duo. A not-so-often medium of composition, the string duo did not rise in prominence until the 20th century. Due to its sparse instrumentation, many of the great composers of the Classical and early Romantic era strayed away from it. That being said, great composers of the 20th century The rose to the challenge, breaking boundaries and conventions in what was expected of the violin and cello in this medium. This concert will highlight Erwin Schulhoff, a Jewish Czech composer whose life and career was prematurely ended by the Nazi regime, pairing his duo with that of renowned French composer Maurice Ravel.
Mari Lee is an artist dedicated to forging deep human connections through music. As a violinist, creative mind, and entrepreneur, she explores the intricate relationship between audiences, performers, and composers.
Praised as “extremely impressive” by the influential music magazine The Strad, Mari has performed as a violinist at such prestigious venues as the Wigmore Hall, Philharmonie Berlin, Lincoln Center, and Carnegie Hall, as well as renowned festivals including Ravinia, Verbier, and Marlboro.
Mari is an alumna of The Yehudi Menuhin School, New England Conservatory of Music, and Universität der Künste Berlin, studying under Natasha Boyarsky, Miriam Fried, and Nora Chastain. She was a fellow at Carnegie Hall’s Ensemble Connect and Beth Morrison’s Producer Academy, and is a member of CIPA (Creative & Independent Producer Alliance). Mari plays on 1863 Jean-Baptiste Villaume.
Ari Evan, cellist, was born and raised in New York. He recently completed an artist residency at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapelle, under the tutelage of Gary Hoffman. Previously, he was a fellow of Ensemble Connect, a prestigious two-year performance and teaching residency at Carnegie Hall. Prior to Ensemble Connect, he studied with Timothy Eddy at the Juilliard School, where he completed his Master’s degree in 2017. His solo appearances include performances with the Wallonie Royal Chamber Orchestra, Vienna Concert Orchestra, and Northwestern University Symphony orchestra.
A versatile chamber musician, Ari has performed with many of the world’s pre-eminent musical artists. In the summer of 2021, he embarked on a 2-continent summer tour as guest cellist with the award-winning Rolston String Quartet. During his time at the Chapelle, Ari recorded a streamed performance of Brahm’s B-flat sextet with Gary Hoffman, and recorded the first three Cesar Franck piano trios with Frank Braley for the Chapelle’s recently released CD album commemorating Franck’s 250th birthday. Other notable chamber music collaborations include performances with Shumel Ashkenasi, Colin Carr, Miriam Fried, Hsin-Yun Huang, Ani Kavafian, Itzhak Perlman, Robert McDonald, and former members of the Cleveland and Artemis quartets.
