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design by: liliana
KEYBOARD
Timothy Hester, Coordinator
thester@uh.edu
KEYBOARD
The Keyboard Chamber Music Area of the Moores School of Music offers coachings in two-piano and four-hand literature as well as literature with mixed instrumentation. Students of all levels are able to enroll; subsequently, their playing levels and interests are assessed and matched, creating the ideal learning environment. At the end of each semester, jury examinations are held in an open format, with all students enrolled present to serve as a supportive audience.
Crossover coachings with other areas are encouraged so that students receive highly-detailed instruction. These coachings are coordinated by the chamber music area directors. An example of the product of crossover coaching is the Moores Piano Trio (Mikylah Myers - violin, Erika Johnson - cello, and Tomoko Isshiki, piano). This trio, having been coached by Cellist Laszlo Varga and Pianist Timothy Hester, achieved success on a national level by winning the silver medal in the 2000 Carmel Chamber Music Competition.
Pre-formed groups are encouraged to enroll. For example, if a group would like to organize their own 'named' ensemble, they may work on approved literature and are encouraged to pursue national competitions and festivals to help establish future careers in chamber music.
The piano faculty at the Moores School of Music recognize that the greatest players out there in the professional world today also excel in the area of chamber music. It is the faculty's vision that our students who aspire to great solo careers will be trained to excel in their chamber music skills.
GROUPS ENROLLED IN SPRING 2002 SEMESTER:
KARA LILLY & KATHRYN SMITH: Non-committal Duo
RYAN FOGG, HEIDI MARTIN & CLIFTON ANTOINE: Alserstrasse Trio
CHIA-WEN WANG, KATHRYN ORR & LOIS GEERTZ:
JOANNA CHEUNG & MANDY KUNG: Psycho Manjo Duo
LIANG-YUN YOU, LISA BURRELL, KANA KIMURA & LISA VOSDAGANES: Rilke Quartet
GIOVANNI ANTIPOLO & YANG LI: Dynamic Duo
The Moores Piano Trio, Mikylah Myers, violin, Erika Johnson, cello, and Tomoko Isshiki, piano, was formed in August of 1999 at the Moores School of Music. The Trio was a prize winner at the Carmel Chamber Music Competition and a finalist in the Coleman Chamber Ensemble Competition in May 2000. The Moores Piano Trio was one of five groups selected nationally to perform at the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival in Michigan in June. At the Festival the Trio was coached by William Bolcom for a performance of his "Spring Trio: A Bouquet of Traditional Flower Rags" at the Detroit Institute of Art. Mark Stryker of the Detroit Free Press wrote that "the Moores Piano Trio found the poetry in Mozart's B-flat Trio, K. 502..."
Pianist Timothy Hester, Coordinator of Keyboard Chamber Music Studies, is Assistant Professor of Piano and Director of Keyboard Collaborative Arts at the Moores School of Music at the University of Houston where he also enjoys instructing students in the skills of sight reading and collaborative techniques. He earned a Master's degree in Piano Performance from The Juilliard School as a student of the renowned pedagogue ADELE MARCUS. He has performed as a soloist with numerous orchestras such as the Houston Symphony, Galveston Symphony, Wichita Symphony, Woodlands Symphony and the Colorado Philharmonic under such conductors as Niklaus Wyss, Erich Bergel, Michael Palmer, Richard Pickar, Sidney Harth and Antonia Brico.
He works with many vocalists in the Houston area and has taught Opera Studies at Rice University. Mr. Hester has performed at the Ojai Festival in California, the Park City International Chamber Music Festival in Utah, the Texas Music Festival, Colorado MusicFest, the Bargemusic Series in New York and the OK Mozart Festival in Oklahoma.
He has also been a regular performer with Da Camera, a Houston-based chamber music ensemble directed by Sarah Rothenberg. He has had the pleasure of collaborating with such artists as Paula Robison, Ransom Wilson, Christiaan Bor, Nathaniel Rosen, Arturo Delmoni, Nina Beilina, Fredell Lack, William Sharp, Nancy Weems, Eugenia Zukerman, Leon Speirer, Laszlo Varga, Andrzej Grabiec, Mitchell Stern, Katherine Ciesinski, Paul Neubauer and Reiko Watanabe. Mr. Hester's discography includes twentieth century works of Robert Beaser, Arnold Rosner, Michael Horvit, Roy Harris, Samuel Barber and Bohuslav Martinu. In addition, Mr. Hester studied extensively with the beautifully artistic keyboard collaborator, ALBERT HIRSH and maintains a busy accompanying schedule, also having played master classes for Jean- Pierre Rampal, Pinchas Zukerman, Itzhak Perlman, Carol Wincenc, Richard Stoltzman, Renato Capecchi, Vladimir Spivakov and many others. Mr. Hester is also currently the Chief Artistic Consultant for Rehearsalnet, L.L.C., an Internet Site which provides the University of Houston with free access to down-loadable midi files of accompaniments and scheduling data which coordinates accompanying assignments throughout the applied area.
Variations on a Theme by Beethoven, Saint-Saens
Trio in C minor, Beethoven
Aphrodite and the Lava Lamps Trio
Suite for two violins and piano, Moskowski
Duo in A major for Violin and Piano, Schubert
Quartet in Eb major for Piano and Strings, Dvorak
Sonata in A major, Beethoven
The members of the Trio have performed internationally as both soloists and chamber musicians, including appearances in Japan, Taiwan, Korea and France, and often perform with the Houston Grand Opera and the Houston Symphony. They have been coached by Gilbert Kalish, Ruth Laredo, James Tocco, Nathaniel Rosen, Paul Katz, Scott St. John and Charles Castleman. The Moores Piano Trio is primarily coached by Timothy Hester, Laszlo Varga, and Fredell Lack. Violinist Mikylah Myers and pianist Tomoko Isshiki are both doctoral candidates at the Moores School. Cellist Erika Johnson received her bachelor's degree from the School in May 2000.