John McMurtery (flute)
enjoys a multi-faceted career as a soloist,
ensemble performer, orchestral musician and
teacher. His innovative approach to concert
programming, coupled with his unique ability
to inspire audiences with performances of
the most challenging contemporary music, has
brought McMurtery tremendous acclaim as one
of the most versatile performers of his
generation. Of his debut performance of
Carceri d'Invenzione IIb at the 2005 Lincoln
Center Festival, The New York Times wrote:
"…a tour de force for flute bristling with
invention was played brilliantly by John
McMurtery…[exploring] the extreme high and
low registers of the instrument, zapping
back and forth at hyperspeed…" 2002
marked McMurtery's debut at Carnegie Hall in
New York City with the eclectic ensemble
UpTown Flutes. In recent seasons, McMurtery
has also been invited to tour extensively
throughout Europe, performing recitals in
France, Germany, Austria, Italy, and the
Czech Republic. He made his much-anticipated
European debut with the Vienna Chamber
Ensemble in 2000 as part of the prestigious
Wien Modern concert series. Adding to his
discography, Mr. McMurtery recently recorded
for the NAXOS label as principal flutist on
a collaborative disc of world premieres by
award-winning composer Sean Hickey. Mr.
McMurtery's devotion to commissioning and
performing works of contemporary composers
earned him a debut at the innovative Focus!
Festival at Lincoln Center in 2001, where he
was selected to perform the American
premiere of Nicola Sani's "I binary del
tempo" (1998). His success led to immediate
reengagement at the 2002 Focus! Festival for
a performance of Roger Reynolds's
"Transfigured Wind IV." Works commissioned
for him include two virtuosic pieces for
solo flute by James Romig: "Sonnet 2" (1999)
and "Oiseau Miro" (2000). Mr. McMurtery has
given countless premieres by renowned
composers such as Sean Hickey, Jackson Hill,
and Edward Taylor. In the interest of
emphasizing programmatic diversity, he
frequently performs works of Elliot Carter,
Milton Babbitt, George Perle, and Brian
Ferneyhough. As an orchestral
performer, McMurtery is currently section
flutist with the New York City Opera
orchestra. He is a frequent substitute
flutist with the Metropolitan Opera
Orchestra and the New Jersey Symphony
Orchestra. During the summer, he tours
Japan and Taiwan with the New York Symphonic
Ensemble. In past seasons, McMurtery served
as principal flutist of the Manhattan
Chamber Orchestra and the Dicapo Opera
Company, additionally performing with the
New England Symphonic Ensemble and the
Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic.
Prior to his appointment as visiting
Professor of Flute at the University of
Nevada – Las Vegas for the 2006-07 academic
year, Mr. McMurtery served on the music
history and music theory faculty at the
Westminster Conservatory young artist
program as well as at the Drew University
Summer Music faculty. Mr. McMurtery was also
the featured artist in presentations at the
Pittsburg State University Festival of New
Music, the Associated Colleges of the South
New Music Festival, Bucknell University, and
Millsaps College. He regularly gives
instrumental master classes throughout New
York, New Jersey, and Washington State.
Mr. McMurtery earned a Doctorate of Musical
Arts degree from The Juilliard School in
2005, where he studied with Jeanne
Baxtresser and Julius Baker. He also holds a
Master of Music degree from Rutgers
University where he studied with Bart
Feller, and Bachelor of Music degree from
Central Washington University, under the
guidance of Dr. Hal Ott.
www.johnmcmurtery.com
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2009-2010 Performers |
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Sooner or Later -
the Music of Stephen Sondheim |
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| Michele Ragusa - Fresh off her starring role in Young Frankenstein, Michele Ragusa, joins some of New Jersey’s most talented young performers on Thursday, April 1 at the Westminster Arts Center at Bloomfield College. “Sooner of Later” will celebrate the music of Stephen Sondheim, one of the greatest living musical theatre composers. Done in a cabaret style and featuring a live band, the evening will include music from Sweeny Todd, Company, Into the Woods, music written for Madonna from the movie, Dick Tracy and a Little Night Music, currently in revival on Broadway. Director, Darren Gage, says, “Sondheim is such an important American artist and it’s been trilling to introduce young people to his music. With the students involved in this concert we can see the future of Broadway and with Michele Ragusa we have one of Broadway’s most vital and accomplished current artists.” Before playing Elizabeth in Young Frankenstein, Michele Ragusa’s most recent credits include Lilli/Kate in Kiss me, Kate at the Paper Mill Playhouse and Corinna in Christopher Durang’s Adrift in Macao at Primary Stages where she received both Lortel and Drama Leagure Award nominations. Additional Broadway credits include Urinetown (Penny/Hope), Ragtime (Evelyn), A Class Act (Mona), Titanic (Caroline) and Cyrano (The Novice). |
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Pictures 2010 |
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Brett Deubner (viola) is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music, where he was awarded the prestigious Performer’s Certificate in viola. He has made concerto appearances with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, the Knoxville Symphony, the State Orchestra of Bulgaria, the North Shore Philharmonic of Boston, the Eastman Philharmonia, as well as the Bachanalia Chamber Orchestra in New York City with whom he recorded Mozart’s Symphonia Concertante, and the New Philharmonic of New Jersey. Deubner’s discography includes chamber music, solo, and concerto recordings for the Albany and Eroica Classical labels. Mr. Deubner is on the faculty at Temple University in Philadelphia. Mr. Deubner is a member of the viola and guitar duo, duofresco and the viola, clarinet and piano trio, The Halcyon Trio. www.duofresco.net www.halcyontrio.com |
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Kimberly Burja (percussion) is a percussionist, composer and educator, whose strength lies within the diversity of her experience. As a musician, she has been deeply committed to the creation and performance of Contemporary Classical music. She is co-founder and Executive Director of the New Jersey Arts Collective, an organization whose purpose is to promote the art and artists of New Jersey. Dr. Burja is currently the principal percussionist with the Ionisation New Music Ensemble and has previously performed with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, Royal Ballet of London Orchestra, the Artichoke Dance Company (NYC) and Wide Open Arts at the 2000 Philadelphia Fringe Festival. In 2003, she served as musician / composer for the American Dance Festival (Durham, NC) and her commissioned score for the play, The Yellow Boat, was performed by the Wellington School (Columbus, OH) at the 2004 International Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, SCOTLAND. Other musical commissions include music for The Three Musketeers, The Jungle Book and most recently, An Act of Genesis, a multi-media collaboration for orchestra, dance and visual art. Dr. Burja has also studied many musical cultures from around the globe. Her study of Ewe music culminated in a summer-long residency in Ghana, AFRICA, where she studied with Master Drummer and Dancer, Godwin Agbeli. Additional studies include the Zimbabwean mbira with Erica Kumdidzora–Azim, the Ghanaian gyil with Bernard Woma and the Senegalese djembe with Doug Floyd. Most recently, she studied Newari music with Buddhalal Manandhar at the University of Kathmandu, NEPAL. On the subject of World Music, she has been a guest lecturer at William Paterson University, New Jersey School of the Arts and at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC), where she presented a performance lecture with World Music Percussion Ensemble Mbiradinda, on the amadinda xylophone from Uganda. As an educator, Dr. Burja has taught at Rutgers University and the University of Miami, as well at several High Schools in Texas, Florida and now in New Jersey. She recently served as Director of the Passaic Valley School for the Performing and Visual Arts, developing and implementing curriculum in Music, Theatre, Visual Art and Dance. Dr. Burja is currently the Band Director at Tenafly Middle School and is a longtime summer percussion faculty member at the Interlochen Center for the Arts (Interlochen, MI). She has degrees from the University of North Texas (B.A.), University of Miami (M.M.) and Rutgers University (D.M.A.). |
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Amanda Harberg (composer), a native of Philadelphia, has had her music performed in Lincoln Center, Carnegie’s Weill Hall, the Juilliard School, the Eastman School’s Women in Music Festival, the National Flute Convention, the New York State Piano Teachers Convention at Ithaca College, the National Theory Convention at Skidmore College, the MLA Convention, the Chautauqua Music Festival, Interlochen Center for the Arts, the Woodmere Art Museum, and many other universities and recitals throughout the country. Harberg has received many prizes including a Fulbright/Hays Fellowship, a MacDowell Colony summer residency, regular ASCAP Plus awards, and a Whittaker Reading Session with the American Composers Orchestra. Her commissions include those from the New York Youth Symphony, the New York State Council on the Arts, the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, the Palisades Virtuosi, the Harmonium Choral Society, the New York State Music Teachers Association, the Juilliard School’s ‘Piano Century’ Festival, the New Juilliard Ensemble, the Azure Ensemble, the Margaret Atwood Commissioning Project, and from the violist Brett Deubner. Harberg has also composed music for several PBS documentaries. Harberg’s music has been recorded by Koch International, the Centurion label and on an independent label. She has taught at Juilliard and at the Interlochen Center for the Arts, as well as maintaining an active private teaching studio since 1997. Harberg received her BM and MM from the Juilliard School, where she was awarded the Peter Mennin Prize for outstanding accomplishment. Harberg currently lives in New Jersey with her family. www.myspace.com/amandaharberg |
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