ORPHEUS CHAMBER ORCHESTRA
Announces the appointments of
Four Musicians
and
Two Trustees
Musicians Carl Albach, trumpet; Jordan Frazier, bass;
Maya Gunji, timpani; and Christoph Huebner, viola
Trustees Cynthia Friedman and Arthur Lindenauer
Orpheus Chamber Orchestra is proud to announce the expansion of the Orchestra’s membership to include four new musicians, as well as two additions to its Board of Trustees. Carl Albach, Jordan Frazier, Maya Gunji, and Christoph Huebner have been elected to membership of the New York-based musician-led orchestra. Additionally, Cynthia Friedman and Arthur Lindenauer have been elected to serve on the Orpheus Board of Trustees.
Richard Lannamann, Chairman of the orchestra’s board of Trustees said, “As Orpheus continues to expand its artistic legacy, we are proud to welcome several new members to the Orpheus Family: extremely talented musicians who are the heart of the orchestra, and two new Trustees as advocates for and supporters of this artistic treasure.”
Speaking on behalf of the Trustees, Mr. Lannamann continued: “The Board of Trustees is honored to have Cynthia Friedman and Arthur Lindenauer join the board for their wise counsel and support. Cynthia’s many dedicated years of service to education as part of her role at Carnegie Mellon will undoubtedly bring a unique dimension to the Trustees, as will Arthur’s many years of experience at the helm of a major multinational corporation, and his involvement with the Tuck School of Business.”
Eric Wyrick, one of three Artistic Directors of the orchestra said of the new musicians, "Over the past several seasons, Carl, Jordan, Maya, and Christoph have proven to be extraordinary and dedicated colleagues. Their commitment to Orpheus music making and culture has been constant, their performances and rehearsals have been of the highest level and the membership has certainly taken notice. The orchestra is proud to welcome Carl Albach, Jordan Frazier, Maya Gunji and Christoph Huebner to full membership."
Orpheus Chamber Orchestra is currently expanding its membership, with four additional positions (trumpet, horn, viola, and violin) to be announced in the upcoming seasons.
About the Musicians
CARL ALBACH
A native of Dallas Texas, Carl Albach, has been a freelance trumpet player in New York since 1982. In addition to performing with Orpheus, he performs regularly with the Orchestra of St. Luke's, the New England Bach Festival, the Riverside Symphony and the Bard Festival Orchestra. He has participated in numerous recordings with all of these and many other ensembles. He has also performed and recorded with many of the New York area's early instrument ensembles.
Over the last several years Mr. Albach has performed as a soloist with Orpheus in Europe and Japan. He has performed the Handel "Suite for Trumpet in D", the Shostokovich Piano Concerto, Copland's "Quiet City" and Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto Nr. 2. Last year he performed and recorded a Torelli sonata on the natural trumpet with The American Classical Orchestra in Connecticut.
Carl lives in New Jersey with his wife Maureen Strenge, a bassoonist, and their three sons.
CHRISTOPH HUEBNER
In addition to his position with Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Mr. Huebner serves as Artistic Director of Walden Chamber Players. He is a frequent performer at music festivals such as Marlboro Festival, Tanglewood, Seattle Chamber Music Festival, Rockport Chamber Music Festival, Salzburg Festival and Wiener Festwochen. He has performed with members of the Guarneri Quartet, Alban Berg Quartet and the Boston Chamber Music Society. He has appeared as a guest artist with the American String Quartet and the New World String Quartet and also frequently tours with Musicians from Marlboro.
He has recently appeared with the Connecticut Early Music Festival and the Handel and Haydn Society Orchestra, with the Smithsonian Chamber Players, Concert Royal and Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra of Canada. Mr. Huebner is also on the faculty of the Preparatory Division of the New England Conservatory of Music.
Born in Vienna, Austria, Mr. Huebner attended the Vienna Conservatory and subsequently the Wiener Musikhochschule where he won First Prize in Competition in 1984. Mr. Huebner studied with Hatto Beyerle, violist of the Alban Berg Quartet, and was the recipient of a grant by the Alban Berg Foundation. Continuing his studies with Michael Tree at the Saint Louis Conservatory as a Fulbright Scholar, he received his Artist diploma and received First Prize at the Concerto Competition at the Saint Louis Conservatory in 1986. Before coming to the US, he played with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, the Vienna State Opera Orchestra, and the Vienna Chamber Orchestra.
JORDAN FRAZIER
Jordan Frazier has performed, recorded and toured worldwide with Orpheus since 1993. He is a former member of the L’Orchestra Ciudad de Barcelona, and currently is a member of the American Composers Orchestra, the Westchester Philharmonic, and the American Symphony Orchestra. In addition, he has performed with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, New York City Opera, American Ballet Theater, Brooklyn Philharmonic, and the Mark Morris Dance Company. Equally at home playing period music, Mr. Frazier has performed since 1996 at the historic Carmel Bach Festival in California, where he holds the principal bass position. He has also performed and recorded with the Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, both in Toronto and at the Klang und Raum Festival in Bavaria.
A frequent chamber musician, Mr. Frazier has performed as a guest with Bargemusic, Helicon Ensemble, Speculum Musicae, The Los Angeles Piano Quartet, The Corigliano Quartet, and the Perspectives Ensemble.
A native of Cleveland, Mr. Frazier received his musical training at the Interlochen Arts Academy and the Manhattan School of Music, and former teachers have included Scott Haigh, Timothy Cobb, and Donald Palma. He is currently on the Faculty of the Mannes College of Music. Jordan lives in Manhattan with his wife, bassoonist Laura Koepke, and their two sons, Nicholas and Calvin
MAYA GUNJI
In addition to Orpheus, timpanist Maya Gunji is a member of the Orchestra of St Luke’s, and was previously the timpanist for the Radio City Music Hall Orchestra from 1992-2006. Ms. Gunji has performed with many of New York’s leading ensembles, including the New York Philharmonic, the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, and the American Ballet Theater Orchestra. She has also appeared as a guest artist with the Berlin Philharmonic, St Petersburg Philharmonic, the Israel Philharmonic, and the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra. Ms. Gunji’s performances on Broadway include productions of The Three Penny Opera, The Man of La Mancha, Les Miserables, Miss Saigon and Mary Poppins.
Maya Gunji is a graduate of The Juilliard School, where she received both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees.
About the Trustees
CYNTHIA FRIEDMAN
Cynthia Friedman, the owner of a commercial and residential real estate firm in Pittsburgh, PA, also currently serves as a member of the Board of Trustees of Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.
Additionally, Ms. Friedman is a member of the Collectors Committee of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. She is an active member of the Board of Directors of Ballet Florida, a national ballet company based in Palm Beach, Florida, and has previously been a member of the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities for three years from 1999-2002, a Presidentially-appointed position.
Ms. Friedman was co-founder of the Women's Leadership Forum (WLF) of the Democratic National Committee, an organization formed to encourage women to participate in the national Democratic Party.
Cynthia Friedman is the mother of three grown children. Her husband, Milton Friedman, who died in 1996, was founder, President and CEO of Emglo Products Corporation in Pennsylvania for over 30 years. Emglo manufactures equipment for the construction industry and was sold by Mr. Friedman in 1990. The company is presently owned by the Black and Decker Corporation.
ARTHUR LINDENAUER
Arthur Lindenauer served as Chairman of Schlumberger Technology Corporation, the principal U.S. subsidiary of Schlumberger Limited, from 1998 through 2004, following an eight-year tenure as the organization’s Executive Vice President-Finance and Chief Financial Officer. Prior to his positions at Schlumberger, Mr. Lindenauer was a partner at Price Waterhouse Coopers.
Mr. Lindenauer also sits on the Boards of Transocean and Todco corporations, and serves as a Trustee of the American University in Cairo and as a member of the Board of Overseers of the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. An MBA graduate of Dartmouth, Mr. Lindenauer has previously been the Lecturer in Corporate Governance and Negotiation Strategy, as well as the Executive in Residence at Tuck.
Orpheus Chamber Orchestra
The Grammy® Award-winning Orpheus Chamber Orchestra is internationally renowned for its fine artistry and distinctive approach to music-making, with a performing and recording legacy spanning 35 years. Performing with many of today’s most dynamic and esteemed soloists, Orpheus presents an annual concert series at Carnegie Hall that illuminates both classic orchestral repertoire and new works by contemporary composers. Noted by critics and audiences alike for their unsurpassed energy, sensitivity, and connection to listeners, Orpheus is considered one of New York’s cultural treasures.
In the 2007-2008 season, Orpheus collaborates with world-renowned artists, including pianists Yefim Bronfman and Christian Zacharias, soprano Dame Felicity Lott, and violinists Nikolaj Znaider and Sarah Chang. The Orchestra will premiere commissioned works by Christopher Theofanidis, Tania León and Charles Wuorinen. Mr. Theofanidis’ new work will be the second installment of the New Brandenburgs commissioning project, a four-year project premiering six new orchestra works modeled on Bach’s “Brandenburg” concertos.
In addition to appearances at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Orpheus tours on a regular basis throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia. Orpheus’s 2007-2008 season tour includes multiple appearances in Asia and throughout the United States at concert halls in the Miami and Washington, DC regions, as well as the states of New Jersey, Nebraska, and Pennsylvania. Orpheus’ 2008 two-week Asia tour includes performances in Japan and Korea.
The Orpheus recording legacy consists of more than 70 albums and a 2001 Grammy® Award for Shadow Dances: Stravinsky Miniatures. Their extensive catalog for Deutsche Grammophon includes the Baroque classics, works by Haydn, Mozart, Dvorák, Grieg and Tchaikovsky, as well as a number of 20th century masterpieces. Additional releases include a recording of English and American folk songs with countertenor Andreas Scholl (Decca); Creation, a collection the jazz-inspired music from 1920s Paris with saxophonist Branford Marsalis (SONY Classical); and a critically-acclaimed series of Mozart’s greatest piano concerti with Richard Goode (Nonesuch). Orpheus resumed recording in 2007, after a hiatus of more than six years. The orchestra releases its first disc on EMI Classics – a recording of Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons with Sarah Chang – in the fall of 2007.
Orpheus is building significant bridges between conservatory training and the professional music field in through the Orpheus Institute. Orpheus musicians share their unique artist-centered philosophy, methodology and skills with students at the Juilliard School and Manhattan School of Music. A year-long comprehensive set of seminars and courses provides opportunities for students to develop artistic and administrative leadership skills that will enhance their ability to participate fully in any performing arts organizations that might employ them.
Founded in 1972 by cellist Julian Fifer and a group of fellow musicians who aspired to present musician-led performances of standard and contemporary orchestral repertoire, Orpheus is a self governing organization. Central to its distinctive personality is its practice of sharing and rotating leadership roles. For every work, the members of the orchestra select the concertmaster and the principal players for each section.
Orpheus Website and Blog
The Orpheus Chamber Orchestra website, www.orpheusnyc.org, provides information on the ensemble, the musicians, performances, and special events. The Orchestra also maintains a web log, located at blog.orpheusnyc.org.
MetLife Foundation is the Official Tour Sponsor of Orpheus
A copy of this release can be found here
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