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Linus Lerner, DMA A native of Brazil, Linus Lerner has conducted orchestras, operas, choruses and instrumental groups at home, in the United States, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Spain and Mexico.He is music director of SASO in Tucson and artistic director of the Bayou City Performing Arts in Houston. He’s previously served as associate conductor for Opera in the Ozarks, the Tallahassee Youth Symphony Orchestra and University of Arizona Philharmonic. He also was assistant conductor for the Arizona Opera.International guest conducting engagements include the Orchestra Nacional de Valles in Spain, the Symphony and Chamber Orchestras of Porto Alegre in Brazil, the International Opera Workshop in the Czech Republic, the International Opera Workshop in Bulgaria and the Solistas Ensamble of the Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes in Mexico. He's also guest conducted The Brooklyn Opera Company and the University of Colorado at Boulder opera.
He holds a master’s degree in orchestral conducting from Florida State University, where he was assistant conductor of the FSU Orchestra and led the group in the American premier of the opera Procedura Penale. Linus also holds a master’s degree in voice performance from the College Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati and a bachelor’s degree in choral conducting at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil. Linus has 20 years of experience as a choral conductor, working with more than 40 groups and participating in numerous tours, festivals and competitions. He provides services as a chorus clinician, voice teacher and voice coach in the United States, Mexico and Brazil. He also has sung in many operas and concerts, and received awards in voice competitions. 2011-12 Guest Artists
Youthful, gifted and passionate are just some of the words that best describe violinist, Gareth Johnson. At the age of 10 after hearing famed Itzhak Perlman, the young Mr. Johnson declared, “I can play that instrument!" And how right he was. Mr. Johnson is an articulate, enthusiastic, and creative presenter and an inspiration to young musicians everywhere. Now in his mid-20s, the New York Times once said of Mr. Johnson that he “possesses prodigious musical gifts – like Joshua Bell or Maxim Vengerov…he dominates the stage.” In addition to his talents as a classical violinist, Mr. Johnson is also a devoted composer and arranger of other music forms. His passion and persistence to master the violin has allowed him to be regarded as an artist who brings a unique since of energy, emotions and personal interpretations to his audiences. More info can be found at www.garethjohnson.org
Blessed with the desire to learn and play music, Larry Leung has become an accomplished musician. Remarkably, without attending any school of music or receiving formal training, he is self taught and can barely read musical notations. Through sheer determination and his love of music, five years ago Larry, with the guidance of Master Li Ma, learned how to play the Guzheng with weekly lessons for six months. Over this five year period, Larry's passion of the Guzheng lead to the rekindling of his Chinese roots. He is honored to play alongside the accomplished musicians of SASO and TSC, his first ever performance with a symphony orchestra and choir. Larry is 62 years young and his motto in life is "never too late to learn."
Tucson Sino Choir (TSC) is a non-profit organization under IRS (503)(c)(1), organized exclusively for charitable and educational purposes, to provide members and the community an enriched artistic experience through the study and performance of Chinese and American choral music, to establish a high standard of musical excellence, to build bridges of understanding among diverse communities through music and cultural activities, and representing and serving the community as an artistic and cultural resource.
Marcia Fest was born in China andhas enjoyed singing since she was a child. She was always involved in many singing and dancing programs, from elementary school through college. In high school, Ms. Fest was selected to attend Gansu Province Opera Troupe—Specialized Training in Performing Arts. There she received her performing arts training at the professional level for almost three years. She then attended Lanzhou University for her bachelor’s degree, majoring in English. Post-graduation, she worked at both Lanzhou University and Shenzhen University in the Foreign Affairs Office. After several years working in China, Ms. Fest came to the United States for her graduate study at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, where she was awarded two master’s degrees—International Affairs and Communications Media. During those years, one of her favorite things to do was to perform in her spare time. After moving to Tucson, she was one of the founders of Tucson Sino Choir in 2007. Ms. Fest is happily married to Otto Fest and enjoys their three lovely children – Xiao, Sabrina and Katrina.
Tao Fan holds the rank of National First Class Conductor in the People’s Republic of China. He studied conducting and composition with famous conductor, educator, and mentor Huang Xiao Tong at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, winning several awards and scholarships. After graduating at the top of his class in 1995, he was appointed Resident Conductor of the National Film and Radio Philharmonic in Beijing. Since then he has conducted leading orchestras in China and around the world, collaborating with internationally recognized soloists and choruses. He conducts more than 100 concerts a season. Mr. Fan is known as a precise but passionate conductor with flawless technique. In May 2000, he was selected to compete in the 2nd International Sibelius Conducting Competition in Finland. He so impressed jury chairman and world-renowned conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen that the Sibelius Estate awarded him a special grant to continue his studies with Mr. Salonen. Mr. Fan’s later performances at the annual Finnish Summer Music Festival were broadcast on national television to critical acclaim. He has conducted many Finnish ensembles: the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Finnish National Broadcasting Orchestra, Avanti Chamber Orchestra, and Sibelius Academy Symphony Orchestra. In 2001, Mr. Fan was awarded a full scholarship to study with famed pedagogue Philip Spurgeon at Florida State University. While at FSU, Mr. Fan became Artistic Director of the Chamber Orchestra and Assistant Conductor of the Symphony Orchestra and Philharmonic Orchestra. In 2003, Mr. Fan premiered modern works by famous contemporary U.S. composers at the 11th Florida Contemporary Music Festival. That same year, his successful New York Carnegie Hall debut featured contemporary music. In 2006, China’s Ministry of Culture chose Mr. Fan to conduct an orchestra drawn from the 10 countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations at the opening of ASEAN’s conference in Cambodia. In 2009, he guest-conducted the Bogota Philharmonic Orchestra in Colombia, and led the National Film and Radio Philharmonic on a well-received month-long tour of Eastern Europe. Earlier this year, Mr. Fan guest-conducted the Southern Arizona Symphony Orchestra in Tucson, and the China Philharmonic at the Sydney Opera House in Australia. In addition to conducting the Oberlin Symphony Orchestra in Ohio, Mr. Fan was the final juror at the Oberlin International Piano Competition and has judged many national competitions. His music and personal interviews have been broadcast frequently on Chinese radio and television. He has composed and conducted music for numerous film and television soundtracks in China. In 2007, his many recordings earned him the title "outstanding conductor of the year" from the Chinese government.
HarpFusion was begun by Carrol McLaughlin in 1978 and has become respected as one of the world’s most innovative and creative touring ensembles. Their appearances have included Russia, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, Japan, Indonesia, Korea, China, Spain, Puerto Rico, Holland, Belgium, Liechtenstein, Brazil and throughout the United States and Mexico. They were featured Centerstage at the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai, China. All the music that HarpFusion plays is written or arranged by a member of the group, and each student participates in every part of their productions, including arranging, recording and editing their CD’s and DVD’s. All members of the group are students of Dr. Carrol McLaughlin, Distinguished Professor of Harp at the University of Arizona. Past members of the group now include numerous famous harpists from around the world, including the harp professors at 8 American Universities, The Shanghai Conservatory, the Royal Conservatory of Music in London, and many others.
The Brazilian bass player, Waldir Bertipaglia, continues to enjoy an exciting career as a soloist and chamber musician, performing in prestigious music festivals throughout the U.S., Europe and South America. In addition to performing solo concerts with many orchestras and ensembles, Mr. Bertipaglia is currently the principal double bassist with the Arizona Opera Orchestra and also performs regularly with the Phoenix Symphony. He holds degrees from Indiana University, Western Michigan, and is a DMA candidate at Arizona State University where he has served as a Teaching Assistant for Professor Catalin Rotaru. Waldir also serves on the double bass faculty and is the resident artist at respected annual music festivals in his home country, including the Festival Virtuosi in Recife and the Festival de Musica de Londrina. He has won many competitions and continues to be a featured soloist with several orchestras in Brazil and the U.S. As a chamber musician, Waldir has collaborated with pianist Caio Pagano, Marcelo Cesena, the Jacques Thibaud Trio (Berlin), to name but a few. He has participated in recording projects for EMI, Summit, Con Brio and Canyon Records. Waldir plays a 1991 Martin Hillmann double bass, which was a gift from the Swiss luthier during the 1995 International Society of Bassists convention in Bloomington, Indiana.
Catalin Rotaru, double bass, joined the School of Music at Arizona State University, in 2005. Mr. Rotaru is in demand as a performer and clinician throughout the world. He is a licentiate of the National University of Music from Bucharest, Romania and holds a Master’s degree in music performance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Previously he was Associate Professor of Double Bass and Jazz Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, taught at Millikin University, and at the University of Illinois. He has performed both solo classical and jazz bass throughout Europe, the United States, South America and Japan. He served as associate principal bass in the Romanian National Radio Orchestra, principal bass in the Sibiu Philharmonic Orchestra, Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra of Bucharest, Danville Symphony Orchestra, Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra, associate principal and principal bass in Sinfonia Da Camera, and principal bass of the Orchestra Sinfonica Europea. Mr. Rotaru collaborates frequently with the Phoenix Symphony Orchestra and Arizona Opera and performs extensively as soloist in recitals or with symphony orchestras throughout the United States and abroad, giving numerous clinics and master classes. He received the second prize at the 1997 International Society of Bassists Solo Division Competition and the Jury's Special Award for the best performance of the required piece at that competition. He was the winner of the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts Debut Recital Award in 1997, and received the Central Illinois Chapter of the National Society of Arts and Letters Award in 1996. Mr. Rotaru recently completed recording his debut solo CD, entitled Bass*ic Cello Notes released by Summit Records. For the last several years, Professor Rotaru has been a frequent solo performer at the “Virtuosi” International Chamber Music Festival of Pernambuco in Brazil. Mr. Rotaru performs on a double bass made in Italy by Luciano Golia and a bow made by Marco Pasquino. |
Gareth Johnson, violin
Larry Leung, guzheng
Tucson Sino Choir
Marcia Fest, soprano
Tao Fan, guest conductor
HarpFusion
Waldir Bertipaglia, bass
Catalin Rotaru, bass