Sounds in Winter-Lark Strings

The Lark Strings first violinist is Michael Emery, who is a Distinguished Artist-in-Residence at Skidmore College, where he directs the vibrant string program. Through the annual Skidmore String Festival, which he initiated in 2005, the Skidmore community has enjoyed residencies by several highly acclaimed quartets. Mr. Emery blends performance with teaching to create an active musical career. He has collaborated in chamber music with many international artists, including Ruggiero Ricci, Elizabeth Pitcairn, and Emanuel Ax, and has performed in the Sibelius, Ludwig Spohr and Paganini International Violin Competitions .Mr. Emery has coached and performed in several international summer music festivals including the Spoleto Festival dei 2Mondi and InterHarmony Music Festivals in Italy, Luzerne Music Center and KentMusic in New York, and Mahler Conservatory in Vienna.He is concertmaster and frequent soloist with orchestras in New York and California, and has performed as soloist and concertmaster in Asia, as well as several major European cities. Mr. Emery has performed in collaboration with many contemporary composers, including Gunther Schuller, Jennifer Higdon, Joan Tower, Richard Danielpour, and John Corigliano.Mr. Emery earned his MM in Performance from the Manhattan School of Music as a scholarship student with Erick Friedman and Raphael Bronstein, and served as concertmaster of the Manhattan Symphony. At MSM he was selected to perform in masterclasses with Ruggiero Ricci and Henryk Szeryng, and as the violinist for the sonata class with Misha Elman’s longtime collaborative pianist, Joseph Seiger. Jessica Belflower, the second violinist, is an orchestral violinist, chamber musician, and educator. She is Assistant Concertmaster of Fenimore Chamber Orchestra, Principal Second Violin for Kinderhook's Concerts In the Village, and a member of Glens Falls Symphony. She frequently performs with the Albany Symphony, Albany Promusica, and Vermont Symphony. Jessica also loves playing operas and musicals and is the violinist for Playhouse Stage Company, and can be found in the pit orchestra at Proctor’s Theater. Her proximity to New York City has allowed her to perform in renowned halls, including a piano quintet at Carnegie Hall, and symphony concerts at Carnegie Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Symphony Space. Equally at home in the pop music sphere, Jessica toured the West Coast with Andrea Bocelli, was featured nationally in John Tesh's PBS television special Piano • Gospel • Dance, and has played with Josh Groban, Rocktopia, and Il Divo, among others. As an educator, Jessica is the violin faculty at Bard Simon’s Rock, works with Empire State Youth Orchestra, and maintains a private violin studio. She holds a Master's degree in violin performance from the University of Colorado at Boulder, under the tutelage of the Takács Quartet, and a Bachelor's degree from Arizona State University, where she studied with Dr. Katie McLin.. Stephani Emery, violist, is a sought after chamber music player and has toured with orchestras and chamber groups throughout Europe and the United States. She currently divides her performance time as Assistant Principal Violist with the Glens Falls Symphony Orchestra, and Principal and Assistant Principal violist with such groups as the Orchestra Santa Monica, Schenectady-Saratoga, Catskill, and Skidmore College Orchestras. She is currently the Personnel Contractor for the Glens Falls Symphony Orchestra, Catskill Symphony, and Schenectady-Saratoga Symphony Orchestra. Originally from California, Mrs. Emery now resides in Saratoga Springs, NY with her husband, Michael. She teaches viola and violin in her studio in Saratoga Springs and is a teaching mentor with We Are Instrumental/ArtSmart in the Adirondack group. Mrs. Emery is Professor of Violin and Viola, and Chamber music coach at Skidmore College. André Laurent O’Neil, cellist, engages in many diverse musical projects, ranging from performing on period instruments (baroque cello, violoncello piccolo, viola da gamba and fortepiano), to teaching modern cello, playing and coaching chamber music, and composing. He is Principal Cellist of the Schenectady-Saratoga Symphony Orchestra, Affiliate Artist at Union College, Cello Instructor at Schenectady County Community College School of Music, and plays with Musicians of Ma’alwyck. André has performed with many important early music ensembles around the world, including New Trinity Baroque, Handel & Haydn Society, Arcadia Players, Il Rossignolo, and L'Orfeo Barockorchester. During the pandemic André released a CD recording of all six of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Solo Cello Suites, about which Atlanta’s EarRelevant mused: “What shines through these unhurried and ruminative performances of the Suites is O’Neil’s obvious love and deep understanding of these iconic works.” André loves gardening, hiking, cross-country skiing, and creative writing.

Event Links

Tickets: https://go.evvnt.com/2857268-0

Read More

View Less