ADAM GRABOIS BIO
Summer 2009

With a varied career as chamber musician, soloist, teacher and recording artist, Adam Grabois founded the record label Reflex Editions (www.reflexeditions.com) in 2002. Soon after, he released its first recording, music by Beethoven, Debussy and Rachmaninov, about which the Philadelphia Inquirer wrote, “Sometimes, the way he plays with the sound of a single note has enough emotional sustenance in it to launch a half-dozen distinct feelings in quick succession.” A second disc, DUOS: Martinu Ravel Kodaly was released to critical acclaim in 2008.

A resident of New York City, Adam Grabois is the cellist of the New York Chamber Soloists with whom he performs throughout the country. Recent concerts have included appearances at the Morgan Library in New York City, the National Gallery in Washington and at the Getty Center in Los Angeles. He is also the cellist with the Lile Piano Trio and plays with the Finckel Cello Quartet. Other collaborations include performances with Menahem Pressler and, in past seasons, with Mikhail Baryshnikov in a piece for solo dancer and on-stage cellist. He offered a New York solo recital on the inaugural season of Makor as well as multiple concerto appearances with the Vermont Mozart Festival. Last summer, he returned to Vermont for performances with the Central Vermont Chamber Music Festival.

Adam Grabois was educated at the Lycée Henri IV, Swarthmore College and Kinhaven Music School on whose board of trustees he now serves as President. He studied with David Finckel and has taught as his assistant. His cello was made by Samuel Zygmuntowicz in Brooklyn in 1998 and his bows was made by Ole Kanestrøm in 2004 and 2008.

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ADAM GRABOIS SHORT BIO
Summer 2009

With a varied career as chamber musician, soloist, teacher and recording artist, Adam Grabois founded the record label Reflex Editions in 2002. A second disc, DUOS: Martinu Ravel Kodaly was released to critical acclaim in 2008. He is the cellist of the New York Chamber Soloists with whom he performs throughout the country. In recent seasons, he has appeared as concerto soloist with the Vermont Mozart Festival, recitalist on series along the east coast and has collaborated with Mikhail Baryshnikov in performances in South America and the Caribbean. Adam Grabois was educated at the Lycée Henri IV, Swarthmore College and Kinhaven Music School on whose board of trustees he now serves as President. He studied with David Finckel and has taught as his assistant. He plays a cello made by Samuel Zygmuntowicz and a bow by Ole Kanestrøm.

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DEBORAH WONG BIO

The first American-born child to Shanghainese parents, violinist Deborah Wong graduated from the Juilliard School with both Bachelors and Masters degrees under the tutelage of the renowned Dorothy Delay. Her violinistic abilities span a wide range of styles and activities from chamber music to symphonies to cutting edge contemporary. In demand as a guest concertmaster, she has performed with the Oklahoma Symphony, the Brooklyn Philharmonic, the American Composers Orchestra, the Westchester Philharmonic and the Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic. In 2002, she was appointed concertmaster of the Bridgeport Symphony. Also, as the newly appointed concertmaster of the Dance Theatre of Harlem, she was hailed as "Splendid!" by the New York Times for her solo performances of the Meditation from Thais and the Bach A minor Concerto during their 2003 Lincoln Center season. As a soloist, she has performed with the Hudson Valley Philharmonic, the Brattleboro Bach Festival Orchestra, the Stony Brook Symphony, the North Country Quartet and the Hawthorne Piano Trio. A champion of new music, Ms. Wong performs in New York with such groups as the Washington Square Contemporary Music Ensemble, Speculum, ISCM and the New York New Music Ensemble. A dedicated teacher, she has been on the faculty of the Weston Music Center, is a registered Suzuki violin teacher and maintains an active private studio. Ms. Wong has recorded for Deustche Gramophon, Elysium and CRI, New World Records and Reflex Editions. She resides in New York with her husband, cellist Chris Finckel and their two children, Emeline and Paul. Ms. Wong joined the New York City Opera Orchestra in 2003.

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THE FINCKEL CELLO QUARTET BIO & COLLECTIONS

As an outgrowth of George Finckel’s increasing use of cello ensembles as an integral part of his teaching, the Finckel Cello Quartet emerged in the late 1960’s as, first, sons Michael and Christopher and, later, nephew David began to participate. Soon, members of the Quartet, composers, colleagues and friends contributed arrangements, transcriptions and original pieces to a rapidly expanding library of first-class works for cello ensemble. In 1994, several years after George Finckel’s death, Adam Grabois joined the Quartet.

Comprising over fifty transcriptions, arrangements and original compositions, the Finckel Cello Quartet Collection is the inspiration of cellist George Finckel. Over the years, colleagues and family members have contributed numerous transcriptions and original compositions for cello ensembles of varying sizes. These works, ranging from transcriptions of 14th and 15th century polyphony to compositions written by living composers, include treasures not often encountered by cellists today. Among these, the chorale preludes of Bach and the choral works of Victoria, Isaac, Palestrina and Brahms are truly some of the world’s most inspired musical creations.

As a teaching tool, the collection provides many useful resources for the developing musician. The varying difficulty of the individual parts allows students of all levels and capabilities to work together and to be appropriately challenged on an individual basis. Beginning and intermediate level students are given an opportunity to put what they have learned into a musical context, to interact with fellow cellists in making musical decisions and to share in enjoying the fruits of their efforts.

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JOHN NAUMAN BIO

A charismatic and passionate performer, John Nauman is uniquely gifted in his ability to communicate profundity and beauty to his audiences through a powerful and completely relaxed technique. A native of Maryland, his teachers have included Adele Marcus, Sascha Gorodnitski, Herbert Stessin and Julian Martin. Mr. Nauman held the prestigious Van Cliburn Scholarship at The Juilliard School where he received his bachelor’s and master’s degree.

Mr. Nauman received critical acclaim for his début recital at Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall. In addition, Nauman has garnered top honors at international piano competitions including the Joanna Hodges, the Stravinsky Awards and the Xerox Affiliate Artist Program. He has also been featured in Joseph Horowitz’s book, The Ivory Trade, and on ABC-TV’s Nightline, documenting the Van Cliburn International Competition.

John Nauman has appeared with such major orchestras as the Atlanta Symphony, the Boston Pops, the Phoenix Symphony, the Rochester Philharmonic, the Utah Symphony, the Baltimore Symphony and the New Orleans Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Maxim Shostakovich. He has also appeared as recitalist at The Gold Medal Winners Series at the Ambassador Auditorium in Pasadena, the Annenberg Theater in Palm Springs and Old First Concerts in San Francisco. European appearances include the Academy of London Orchestra, the Tempere Philharmonic Orchestra in Finland and the Davos Music Festival in Switzerland.

His solo disc, Fantasy, includes works by Liszt and Scriabin and is available on the Newport Classics label. Tom Frost, father of producer David Frost, brought John to the attention of Vladimir Horowitz and arranged for visits to the Horowitz home. John Nauman is an International Steinway Artist. He records for Reflex Editions and Newport Classics.

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