Holidays Unfold in OICMF Leaves of Gold Concert

Thursday, December 13, 5:30 p.m., Rosario Mansion

— from Linda Slone for Chamber Music Festival —

Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival’s founder and Artistic Director Aloysia Friedmann is pleased to announce the Festival’s annual Leaves of Gold concert on Thursday, December 13, at 5:30 p.m. The Music Room in the Mansion at Rosario Resort, glowing with old-fashioned cheer for the holiday season, is the enchanting setting for this musical evening.

Cellist Desmond Hoebig and pianist Jon Kimura Parker have performed together frequently since they were teenagers in British Columbia, and this concert brings them together again to perform works by Rachmaninoff and Richard Strauss. Also on the program is pianist Artem Kuznetsov, a graduate student in Jon Kimura Parker’s Rice University studio. The concert features musical surprises and familiar pieces, including a virtuoso arrangement of Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker Suite.

Desmond Hoebig’s distinguished career began in British Columbia, where he first performed as a soloist with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra at age eight. He has held the chair of Principal Cellist in the Cleveland Orchestra, the Houston Symphony Orchestra, and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and has been a soloist with many prominent orchestras around the globe. Mr. Hoebig has taught and performed at festivals throughout North America and is currently professor of Cello at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University and is on the faculty of the Glenn Gould School at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto.

A native of Balashov, Russia, pianist Artem Kuznetsov has been hailed for his artistry, virtuosity, lyricism and exciting energy. He has won top awards at numerous prestigious piano competitions such as the Ivanovka International Piano Competition, the International Music Fraternity Sigma Alpha Iota, and the Seattle International Piano Competition. Mr. Kuznetsov has performed as a soloist and an avid chamber performer across Europe, Russia and the United States. He has a full upcoming season with solo recitals and concerto performances and a Washington State concert tour.

Known for his passionate artistry and engaging stage presence, Jon Kimura Parker is in high demand for recitals and concerto performances with major orchestras around the world. He is Professor of Piano at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University and has lectured at The Juilliard School, the Colburn School, the Steans Institute, New York University, and Yale University. Mr. Parker is the Artistic Advisor of the Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival, where he has given world premieres of new works by Peter Schickele and Jake Heggie. He was recently appointed the Artistic Director of the Honens International Piano Competition in Calgary, Alberta.

A reception in the sparkling Mansion Dining Room follows the concert, featuring a delicious buffet of hors d’oeuvres, desserts, and wines, prepared and served by executive chef Raymond Southern and his staff. Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival is grateful to Rosario Resort owners Jan and Jerry Barto for hosting this event. The concert is underwritten by the Valerie and William Anders Foundation and kind patrons like you. Tickets are $150 ($75 is tax deductible). To reserve your seat at this festive concert, email info@oicmf.org or call the OICMF office at 360-376-6636.