Gypsy Fireworks - Brahms on the Bluff

Sunday, September 18, 2005

This concert features the two piano quartets that Brahms wrote for his debut in Vienna in 1863. Brahms himself was the pianist and these works have an abundance of memorable melodies, lush harmonies and lots of Gypsy fireworks.

Charles Stegeman, Chair of Strings at Duquesne University, was for many years the violinist of the Sartory Trio (with David Allen Wehr as pianist). He is currently Concertmaster of the Pittsburgh Opera and Ballet Orchestra and artist-in-residence at Azusa College in California. A native of Vancouver, he is a graduate of both the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia and the Juilliard School in New York City. He has founded numerous music festivals all over the US, and is currently Artistic Director of the Sunflower Chamber Music Festival in Topeka, Kansas.

Violist Donald McInnes is one of the most distinguished musicians in the world today. The holder of the William Primrose Chair at the University of Southern California, McInnes is in constant demand as a performer and teacher. A former principal violist of the Pittsburgh Symphony, he has recorded with all the major conductors and orchestras. He will be returning frequently as a guest artist in future seasons of Brahms on the Bluff.

Cellist Emil Miland is Principal Cellist of the San Francisco Opera Orchestra. He makes his Pittsburgh debut at this concert. An accomplished soloist and chamber music player, Miland brings an unbeatable combination of musical passion and technical brilliance to everything he plays.