Sjolund Auditorium, North Medford High School
1900 Keene Way Drive, Medford, OR 97504
Saxophone virtuoso Rob Verdi performs with talented school music students
JC Concerts opens the 2018-2019 season showcasing the musical talents of The North Medford High School Jazz Band and Wind Ensemble, under Director Steve Kessler, who will share the stage with saxophone virtuoso Rob Verdi as they perform beautiful arrangements of pieces utilizing the many variety of saxophones.. The show features saxophones ranging from a tiny curved sopranino to a 6 ft tall contrabass and includes a variety of popular songs associated with the sax such as Tequila, Pink Panther and Yakety Sax.
NMHS Concert Band with Director Steve Kessler
The award winning North Medford High School Jazz Band under Director Steve Kessler has performed at Disneyland, at numerous competitions and festivals, at football games and sporting events, on television broadcasts, and of course, on their home stage, Sjolund Auditorium of North Medford High School, where they will play this concert.
Saxophone maestro Rob Verdi, who is the Disney Jazz Workshop Conductor, explores the new generation of popular music with local school jazz bands and joins them in performing a repertoire of swing era classics along with trendy pop, rock and R&B songs in a professional concert setting.
Sjolund Auditorium, North Medford High School
1900 Keene Way Drive, Medford, OR 97504
International Concert Pianist Dr. Alexander Tutunov & Special Guest Dr. Brian Hall
Renowned international concert pianist Dr. Alexander Tutunov and his special guest, classically trained pianist turned anesthesiologist, local resident Dr. Brian Hall, will perform a great mix of beloved romantic music, such as Rachmaninoff’s Piano Suite No. 2 and modern ragtime compositions like Bolcom’s Garden of Eden Suite.
Alexander Tutunov
Alexander Tutunov is widely recognized as one of the most outstanding virtuosos of the former Soviet Union. First Prize winner of the Belarusian National Piano Competition and winner of the Russian National Piano Competition. Tutunov’s playing was described by Soviet Culture, Moscow, as “exhilarating and inspired, and which demonstrated a unique talent”. Dr. Tutunov maintains a busy performing schedule in Europe, China, Mexico, and the United States as a recitalist, soloist with orchestra, and on radio and television. Dr. Tutunov is also in demand as an adjudicator for piano competitions. Alexander Tutunov now lives in Ashland, where he is Professor of Piano and Artist in Residence at Southern Oregon University.
Dr. Brian Hall
2015 Seattle International Piano Competition award winner Brian Hall lives in Medford, Oregon with his wife and five children. He has worked as an anesthesiologist in Medford for over thirteen years. In addition, he currently serves as the Chief of Staff at Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center. Before attending medical school at the University of Utah he completed a bachelors degree in piano performance at Brigham Young University, where he studied with Dr. Paul Pollei. Brian’s wife Jill is also a musician, and music plays an important role in their home. He believes music is vitally important for developing children into well-rounded adults. Brian was blessed to find a new piano mentor in Dr. Alexander Tutunov. Alexander’s incredible musical talents and great generosity were instrumental in Brian returning to the stage.
Sjolund Auditorium, North Medford High School
1900 Keene Way Drive, Medford, OR 97504
Award winning Pianist Eugene Skovorodnikov
Russian pianist Eugene Skovorodnikov will be performing a diverse program of renowned classical pieces selecting among works by composers such as Haydn, Schubert, Brahms, Mozart, Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff. Reviewers have hailed Mr. Skovorodnikov’s skill and the quality of his performances, exclaiming: “[Mr. Skovorodnikov] captured the attention of the audience with his perfect mastery and polished sense of style, full of life and romanticism… he played with the power and colours of a symphony orchestra, with fluent and flawless virtuosity”. [Nevsky Times, Russia]
Eugene Skovorodnikov is recognized by audiences throughout Europe, Canada, U.S., Latin America, Asia and the former Soviet Union for his stylistic interpretation and his technical brilliance. Born in Ukraine, he is a prize winner of “N’Lisenko” National Piano Competition (Ukraine).
Eugene Skovorodnikov took his post-graduate course at the St. Petersburg Conservatory (Russia) where he remained teaching until 1990 when he left the country. In 2006 he was awarded an Honourary Doctorate in Musical Arts by Kharkov State University of Arts, Ukraine for his achievements in performance and teaching.
He was invited to perform in famous concert halls of the world such as St. Petersburg Philharmonic Hall (St. Petersburg, Russia), Chan Centre for Performing Arts (Vancouver, Canada), Theatre Bibiena (Mantova, Italy), Grand Theatre (Shenzhen, China), Xinghai Concert Hall (Guangzhou, China), Centre for the Performing Arts (Kfar-Saba, Israel), Ghione Theatre (Rome, Italy), Kharkov Philharmonic Hall (Ukraine), and Schwarts Arts Centre (Atlanta, USA).
Eugene Skovorodnikov is concertizing extensively as solo pianist and as chamber performer with such artists as Italian virtuoso flautist Stefano Maffizzoni; Russian/French violinist Alexandre Brussilovsky, internationally acclaimed clarinetist Julian Milkis, world renowned cellist Mischa Maisky, and many others, and with symphony orchestras. He was invited and reinvited to perform with such symphony orchestras as Sinfonia, West Coast Symphony (Canada), Kharkov Philharmonic, L’vov Philharmonic, Donetsk Philharmonic (Ukraine), Irkutsk Chamber Orchestra, St. Petersburg Philharmonic, Hermitage Chamber Orchestra (Russia), Mexican State Orchestra, Monterrey Symphony Orchestra (Mexico), Grosseto Symphony (Italy) and many others.
Sjolund Auditorium, North Medford High School
1900 Keene Way Drive, Medford, OR 97504
Pianist Christine Eggert & Trumpeter Dan Kocurek perform their American In Paris program
Trumpet player Dan Kocurek and pianist Christine Eggert will present a music program titled “American in Paris” that allows listeners to watch a movie in their minds as the music unfolds. Along the way the duo will perform wonderful music by Debussy, Gershwin, Stravinsky and Piazzolla, as well as some provocative cabaret songs and music made famous by singer Edith Piaf. Their jazz and cafe music repertoire is from the legends who visited and worked in Paris during the ’20s, as well as charming — and disarming — music that made it big on the radio and on stage.
Dan Kocurek
Trumpeter Daniel Kocurek has worked extensively as a soloist, chamber musician, studio musician, and clinician and is a strong advocate of music performance that not only touches people on a sonic level, but also moves them to their core. As lead trumpet in the world-renowned Dallas Brass, he performed throughout North America, in front of audiences numbering to over 10,000 people. His travels have led to performances with Jens Lindemann, Mark Gould, Ryan Anthony, Marty Hackleman, Alain Trudel, Nancy DiNovo and Bobby Shew, among many others.
Dan has been a frequently featured soloist on many programs ranging from baroque trumpet masterpieces to transcriptions of cello works on his custom 4-valve Flugelhorn. These include multiple appearances with the University of British Columbia Symphony Orchestra, Wind Ensemble and Chamber Strings, as well as the Vancouver Bach Choir, the Pro Nova Ensemble, the West Coast Symphony, the Vancouver Metropolitan Orchestra, and 2017 appearances with the Rogue Valley Symphony.
Dan received his formal classical training under the tutelage of Brian McWhorter, Larry Knopp, and Martin Berinbaum and has been the recipient of a number of prizes in both classical and jazz idioms, notably tuition scholarships at the Manhattan School of Music and the Chicago Conservatory of Performing Arts.
Dan leads the trumpet studio at the Oregon Center for the Arts at Southern Oregon University, is co-principal trumpet with the Rogue Valley Symphony, directs the Rogue Valley Symphonic Band and is lead trumpet with the Tony Award-Winning Oregon Shakespeare Festival. He resides in Ashland, Oregon.
Christine Eggert
Pianist Christine Eggert debuted on CBC radio as a piano soloist at age 16, and she has since performed across Canada and internationally in the United States, Austria, and Ireland. Christine holds a Masters from University of British Columbia, a Bachelor’s of Music with Distinction from University of Alberta, an ARCT from Royal Conservatory of Toronto, and has completed collaborative piano studies at the Schubert Institute in Baden bei Wien, Austria, under the world’s foremost lieder specialists, including Rudolf Jansen, Helmut Deutsch, Roger Vignoles, Elly Ameling, and Julius Drake.
In 2014 Christine joined the Oregon Center for the Arts at Southern Oregon University as Artist Faculty in the music department, where she teaches core theory and history as well as piano. Christine directs a concert series in Vancouver, Canada, and tours as a collaborative pianist, recently including UBC’s director of strings Eric Wilson and separately, trumpeter Dan Kocurek. She maintains a private piano studio, and is a Tholen Fellow with through Portland Piano International since 2015.
Christine Eggert & Dan Kocurek
Dan and Christine have established themselves as an international touring concert duo performing in tandem. As Les Deux, they have been called a “musical powerhouse” whose programs have been hailed as being “musically provocative, presented with charm and a deliciously human touch”.
Sjolund Auditorium, North Medford High School
1900 Keene Way Drive, Medford, OR 97504
Composer George Gershwin
JC Concerts kicks off its season with a Gershwin Spectacular concert featuring acclaimed pianist Alexander Tutunov, guitarist Ed Dunsavage, and vocalist Christine Williams presenting such Gershwin hits as Embraceable You, Nice Work If You Can Get It, The Man I Love and Rhapsody In Blue.
Pianist Alexander Tutunov
Alexander Tutunov, an international touring concert pianist and a professor of music at Southern Oregon University, is well known as a classical pianist. But he also worked as a jazz musician while he was a student in Russia. He studied classical music at the Moscow Conservatory, and at night he’d play in jazz clubs.
Ed Dunsavage
Ed Dunsavage has been a guitarist in the Pacific Northwest for more than 20 years, performing widely at venues and festivals in the area, including the Upper Sacramento River Jazz Festival, The Umpqua Jazz & Wine Festival, The Medford Jazz Jubilee, The Newport Oregon Jazz Festival, Jacksonville Celebrates the Arts, A Taste of Ashland, The Britt Festival, The Craterian Theatre, The Jazz Project in Bellingham, Washington, The Jackson County Fair, The Oregon Shakespeare Festival and many others.
Christine Williams
Christine Williams has worked as a vocalist with Oregon Cabaret Theatre, Rogue Music Theatre, Southern Oregon Repertory Singers, as a soloist with Rogue Valley Symphony, and as an actor for eight years at Oregon Shakespeare Festival.
Here is a brief video snippet of piano virtuoso Alexander Tutunov successfully conquering some Gershwin music:
And here’s Ed Dunsavage playing Gershwin’s It Ain’t Necessarily So –
Sjolund Auditorium, North Medford High School
1900 Keene Way Drive, Medford, OR 97504
Swing Dancers TWO ON TAP
Two On Tap, a song and tap dance sensation, presents gorgeous vocals, exciting choreography and unique musical arrangements.
The duo of Melissa Giattino and Ron DeStefano bring new life into classic song-and-dance, while stirring memories of the days when Fred & Ginger and Mickey & Judy livened the big screen with extraordinary chemistry, effortless harmony, and precision tap dancing.
Their high energy routines have been heralded by presenters and critics, e.g.: “. . . rhythm, style, humor, and Broadway flair . . . “ – New Orleans Times, Picayune, LA
Sjolund Auditorium, North Medford High School
1900 Keene Way Drive, Medford, OR 97504
pianist Steven Vanhauwaert
Concert pianist Steven Vanhauwaert, a Belgian native, plays a solo repertoire of works by Schumann, Schubert, Liszt, Chopin, and Debussy.
Mr. Vanhauwaert has appeared in solo recitals at the world’s leading venues such as the Concertgebouw in Brugge, Segerstrom Hall in Costa Mesa, Bovard Auditorium in Los Angeles, the Singel in Antwerp, the Great Hall of the Brussels Conservatory, the Great Hall of the Budapest Liszt Conservatory, as well as numerous other prestigious venues in Bulgaria, Hungary, the US, the Netherlands, France, Brazil, Canada, Israel, the UK, Austria, and Spain.
Mr. Vanhauwaert enjoys collaborating with other musicians and is a frequent guest at chamber music festivals around the world, including MusikZentral, Musikfest Schloss Wonfurt, Jerusalem Music Center, Arizona Friends of Chamber Music, Malibu Coast Music Festival, le Salon de Musiques, Salastina Festival, Chicago Duo Piano Festival, Classical Encounters, Fine Artists Series, Sundays-at-Two, Festival of Flanders, Chamber Music Society of North County, Jacaranda, Mammoth Lakes Music Festival, High Desert Chamber Music, Nevada Chamber Music Festival, Dilijan, the Riverside Villa-Lobos Festival, The Music Guild series, etc.
He is the recipient of the Maurice Lefranc award, the Rotary Prize, the Galiot Prize, and the Grand Prize at the 2004 Los Angeles International Liszt Competition. His discography includes a solo album with works by Schumann, Schubert, Liszt, Chopin, and Debussy; two 4hand-discs featuring arrangements of Stravinsky’s popular ballets Petrushka and the Le Sacre du Printemps, as well as works by Satie, Ravel, Poulenc and Casella (with his 4handsLA partner Danny Holt), and a disc with works by L.A.-based composer Lior Rosner for Bridge Records. His solo disc, Dispersion, with works by works by Schulhoff, Casella, Hindemith, Vierne, and a world premiere recording of the piano sonata by Belgian composer Raymond Moulaert was recently released on Editions Hortus.
Sjolund Auditorium, North Medford High School
1900 Keene Way Drive, Medford, OR 97504
Sonido Alegre
Sonido Alegre is a Spanish gypsy flavored band which performs a mix of Spanish gypsy flavored originals and unique covers of artists like James Taylor, Sting, The Beatles & others.
Sonido Alegre translated into English means “a joyful sound”. Based in Ashland, Oregon, Sonido Alegre consists of guitarist/ vocalist Charles Guy, violinist Linda Powers, bass player John Galloway and percussionists Theresa McCoy and Mike Fitch.
Sonido Alegre has maintained a busy performance schedule over the past several years, asked to play at almost every notable winery (and there are many) in the Southern Oregon wine-making region, as well as live jazz venues like Ashland’s LaBaguette Café, and in concerts, including among others as featured performers for the Medford Concert Series in Pear Blossom Park. A Sonido Alegre CD was released in 2014, presenting nine original Spanish, Flamenco flavored pieces.
Here is a video snippet of part of one of their many performances at local wineries:
