This three-session workshop reveals the tools, techniques, and rich interplay between maker, musician, and audience. Participants experience the artistry of musical collaboration, create their own instruments, and develop a strong listening ear. No musical background or experience necessary.
April 2
Session I: Workshopping Woodwinds
Musicians David Ross and Benjamin Matus lead this session covering a range of woodwind instruments and the elements of classical music. Participants deconstruct these instruments to discover the secrets of their distinct sounds.
April 9
Session II: Strung Out: Violin Making
Study the history and development of design and construction, from the strings
to the bow and materials used to create the violin, in this session led by
violinist, Seohee Min and a violin maker.
April 16
Session III: In Time: Collaborative Sound (11am–2pm at Bard Graduate Center)
Peek inside the working mechanisms of instruments and selected musical
traditions from around the world with the Attacca Quartet. Participants
deeply explore the working relationships among musicians and instruments.
Baroque Bassoonist, Ben Matus, has performed under the
direction of some of the leading conductors in the field of Early Music. Ben
holds degrees in performance from the Juilliard School and the Eastman School
of Music. In addition to the Baroque Bassoon, Ben performs frequently on
Classical Bassoon, Modern Bassoon, Dulcians, and Recorders.
Violinist Seohee Min enjoys performing a
wide selection of repertoire, from early music to classical
to contemporary. She is a native of Seoul, South Korea. She made her
solo debut at the age of 11 with the Cheongju Philharmonic Orchestra,
performing Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 5 in G major. An honoree of numerous
competitions including the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s Concerto Competition,
she won the Colorado College Music Festival Concerto Competition in the summer
of 2012, where performed the Prokofiev Violin Concerto No.1 in D major with the
festival orchestra. She also won the 2014 Eastman Open Strings
Concerto Competition, in which she performed the Prokofiev Violin Concerto
No.2 in G minor with Eastman Philharmonia in Kodak Hall, Rochester,
NY. She has also won the 2nd prize at the 2015 Hellam Young
Artists’ Competition. Seohee is currently pursuing her Master’s
at the Juilliard School. She has received her BM and BA in Violin
Performance and Business, a certificate in Arts Leadership Program and a
Performer’s Certificate.
Praised by the New York Times for the “limpid
sweetness” of his baroque flute playing, David Ross is one of
the leading professional historical flutist in North America. He is the
principal flutist with the period instrument orchestra Mercury in Houston,
Texas, and with the Sebastians in New York City where he resides. Mr. Ross
began his training as a modern flutist at the Cleveland Institute of Music and
went on to earn historical performance degrees from the Royal
Conservatory of The Hague and the Juilliard School. He remains dedicated to
exploring and expanding the possibilities of his instrument, prioritizing
creativity and spontaneity in his approach to making music.
Listen to David Ross: WF Bach Flute
Duo in F Minor Movement 1, David Ross & Immanuel Davis
The Attacca Quartet has engaged in extensive
educational and community outreach projects, serving as guest artists and
teaching fellows at the Lincoln Center Institute, the Boston University
Tanglewood Institute, Vivace String Camp in New York, the Woodlands ChamberFest
in Texas, and Animato Summer Music Camp at Florida International University in
Miami. Since 2006, they have performed in yearly benefit concerts
supporting the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation’s efforts. The members of
the Attacca Quartet currently reside in New York City. They are
represented by Baker Artists, LLC.
First Prize winners of the 7th Osaka International Chamber Music Competition in
2011, top prizewinners and Listeners’ Choice Award recipients in the 2011
Melbourne International Chamber Music Competition, and winners of the Alice
Coleman Grand Prize at the 60th annual Coleman Chamber Ensemble Competition in
2006, the internationally acclaimedAttacca Quartet has become one of America’s
premier young performing ensembles. They were recently named the Quartet in
Residence for The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The quartet was
formed at the Juilliard School in 2003.
Listen to Attacca Quartet:Haydn Op. 64 no. 5 “The Lark” — Second Movement Bravo! Vail After Dark
