As the Valley begins to bloom with the promise of warm days and delightful nights, three brilliant Heifetz International Music Institute artists will return to the area to celebrate the season, as well as a new era for the Institute in its new Downtown Staunton location.
Kicking off with a Greater Augusta Regional Chamber of Commerce “Business at Breakfast” gathering at the Stonewall Jackson Hotel on Tuesday, March, 24th, returning faculty pianist Carlos Avila, who wowed Valley audiences with his Tour performances as both a collaborative and solo artist last November, will be joined by Heifetz alums Yezu Woo, violin, and Zlatomir Fung, cello, for a series of appearances with music ranging from the shimmer of Ravel to the verve of Gershwin.
In addition to outreach and school events, the trio will present two public concerts:
- Wednesday, March 25th – 7:30 PM at the Lexington Presbyterian Church, Lexington
- Friday, March 27th – 7:30 PM at Francis Auditorium, (Mary Baldwin College) Staunton
Reserved seating via donation and complete program information for these concerts are available online at www.heifetzinstitute.org, or by calling 540.907.4446.
In addition, the trio will be on hand to perform at the Heifetz Institute’s Open House on Thursday, March 26th from 3 to 7 pm. The public is cordially invited to check out the Institute’s new downtown Staunton location, at 107 E. Beverley Street, home to its new box office, gift shop, and administrative headquarters. There will be giveaways, door prizes, discounts, and locally-sourced food and beverages. Admission is free.
All proceeds from the two Valley concerts and Open House raffles will benefit the Heifetz Institute’s recently-announced Shenandoah Scholarship Campaign, an unprecedented dollar-for-dollar matching-grant challenge: If the Institute can raise $100,000 for scholarships before April 19th, 2015, it will be matched dollar-for-dollar by the Heifetz Institute Board, providing a total of $200,000 for scholarship assistance to attend the Institute. The 2015 Institute will run from June 25-August 8. As of press time, the Institute has raised 70% of its goal, with one month remaining in the campaign.
About the Artists
15-year old Zlatomir Fung, a 2013 Heifetz student, was the winner of the Tchaikovsky Junior Competition in Moscow and already a three-time veteran of NPR’s From The Top. He has been described as “on the fast track to greatness.” His solo engagements this season include orchestras in Boston, San Francisco, Baltimore (with the Heifetz Institute), and Washington, DC.
Yezu (Elizbeth) Woo, a 2014 Heifetz alumna, has gained recognition since her 2004 debut at Carnegie Hall, where she became the youngest performer ever to play all 24 of Niccolo Paganini’s notoriously difficulty Caprices for solo violin. She is one of the few South Korean performers ever to be invited to perform with a North Korean ensemble; she has formed with the Pyonyang Symphony Orchestra.
Hailed for his “beautiful command of tone and mood…and unruffleable savoir-faire” (San Francisco Chronicle), his “layers of emotional expression” (The Examiner) and his “level of artistry that seem far beyond his years” (Contra Costa Times), Heifetz (and Juilliard School) pianist Carlos Avila is one of the most in-demand pianists in the classical music scene. His concerts have taken him across North and South America, Europe, and Asia.
About The Heifetz International Music Institute
Founded in 1996, The Heifetz International Music Institute is held on the campus of Mary Baldwin College located in Staunton, Va., for six weeks each summer. The Institute is highly selective, as hundreds of the most brilliant and deserving young string players (violin, viola, and cello) from all over the globe apply to the Institute for only 80 openings. This year students from 12 countries and throughout the U.S. were admitted to the Institute for studies with world-renowned faculty, participation in the Institute’s “Celebrity Series,” “Stars of Tomorrow” and other festival performances, instruction in the Institute’s signature Heifetz Performance and Communication Training©, featuring classes in public speaking, voice, drama, movement, and freedom of expression with a popular blues artist, in addition to intense private lessons and chamber music coaching. In 2012, the Institute formed a partnership with Mary Baldwin College and moved to Staunton, VA. The Heifetz Institute National Program of Outreach and Career Development, “Heifetz on Tour”, consists of year-round concerts and residencies throughout the country, forming partnerships with cultural institutions in both major cites and rural areas, such as the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and the Jamestown, RI Arts Center. For more information visit www.heifetzinstitute.org
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