Mimir Chamber Music Festival announces 18th season

FORT WORTH, Texas - Now in its 18th year, the acclaimed Mimir Chamber Music Festival is the premiere festival in the South Central United States dedicated exclusively to the study and performance of chamber music. The festival will run June 29-July 10, on the campus of Texas Christian University, and will feature an outstanding lineup of performing artists from the world's leading orchestras and music schools. Once again, Mimir will feature a matinee concert at the Kimbell Renzo Piano Pavilion.

Guest artists are selected not only for their superb performance skills, but also for their ability to teach. In the evenings, these artists will present a series of five exciting and distinctly different musical performances.

During the two-week event, Mimir Artists hold master classes for the Festival's Emerging Artists, comprised of three pre-formed string quartets: Calla Quartet, fresh from their Silver Medal win at the 2015 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition in May, Ignaz Quartet from the United States, and Quartet Non Troppo from Australia. All three were selected through an international audition process. Each will receive intensive instruction through daily coaching sessions and will be presented in public master classes and performances.

Mimir Artists concerts are July 2, July 3, July 5, July 7, and July 10. All concerts are held at TCU's PepsiCo Recital Hall at 7:30 p.m. except for the July 5 performance, which will be 2 p.m. at the new Renzo Piano Pavilion at the Kimbell Art Museum. Emerging Artists concerts will be July 6 and July 9 at 7:30 at PepsiCo Recital Hall. Individual tickets are $30; $20 for seniors and students; $10 for Emerging Artists concerts. Mimir Artists Concerts are hosted by TCU's School of Music.

For a complete schedule and detailed information, go to www.mimirfestival.org. For information, phone: 817-257-5443.

This year's performers:

Alessio Bax (piano) was First Prize winner of the Leeds International Pianoforte Competition in 2000 and a 2009 Avery Fisher Career Grant recipient. He is a member of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center Two and has performed with more than 70 orchestras and worked with a number of esteemed conductors. He has recorded on Warner Classics and Signum records. He is currently on the teaching faculty of Southern Methodist University in Dallas.

Joan DerHovsepian (viola) is Associate Principal Viola of the Houston Symphony Orchestra, and is an Artist Teacher of Viola at Rice University's Shepherd School of Music. She spends her summers in Wyoming performing with the Grand Teton Music Festival and in Wisconsin as Principal Viola of the Peninsua Music Festival.

Misha Galaganov (viola) is Chair of Strings and Associate Professor of Viola at Texas Christian University. He is the founder of several chamber music programs, and is a member of Trio Con Brio, a unique group combining viola, clarinet, and piano. His solo and chamber music engagements have taken him to concert halls in the US, Europe, Middle East, Latin American, and China.

Frank Huang (violin) is the newly named Concertmaster of the famed New York Philharmonic. He is a first prize winner of the 2003 Walter W. Naumburg Foundation's Violin Competition and the 2000 Hannover International Violin Competition. He has performed with orchestras throughout the world, including the Cleveland Orchestra, LA Philharmonic, Saint-Paul Chamber Orchestra, Indianapolis Symphony, Hamburg Symphony, NDR-Radio Philharmonic Orchestra of Hannover, Amadeus Chamber Orchestra and the Genoa Orchestra.

Jun Iwasaki (violin) serves as concertmaster of the Nashville Symphony since his appointment in 2011. He previously served as concertmaster with the Oregon Symphony (2007) and with the Canton Symphony Orchestra (2005-2007). A graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Music's prestigious Concertmaster Academy, he has been hailed for his combination of dazzling technique and lyrical musicianship.

John Novacek (piano) is a Grammy-nominated musician who regularly tours the world as a solo recitalist, chamber musician and concerto soloist. He has recorded more than 30 CDs. He is a much sought-after collaborative artist and has performed with Joshua Bell, Matt Haimovitz, Leila Josefowicz, Cho-Liang Lin, Yo-Yo Ma, Truls Mork, Elmar Oliveira and Emmanuel Pahud.

Stephen Rose (violin), is principal second violin of the Cleveland Orchestra and serves on the faculty of the Cleveland Institute of Music. He is a featured artist in festivals world-wide.

Brant Taylor (cello) is a member of the Chicago Symphony, and appears as a guest soloist with orchestras and music festivals around the world. He also serves on the faculty of the DePaul University School of Music.

Curt Thompson (violin) is the founding director of Mimir and was appointed Head of Strings at the University of Melbourne Conservatory of Music in late 2012. Previously, he was associate professor of violin at the TCU School of Music. Thompson has performed as soloist, recitalist and chamber musician on five continents, and is the former concertmaster of the Corpus Christi and San Angelo Symphonies, the Texas Chamber Orchestra, and has served as concertmaster of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra (by special invitation).

Mimir Chamber Music Festival Announces 18th Season
April 25th 2015