Musicians

Sejer Andersen    Haleh Abghari   Maria Hanke   Monica Nørgård Stevns   
Kari Groven   Marianne de Kleer   Sung-Hyun Kim   Oliver Donaldson    
Emil Ritter    Frederik Schøning   Ella Marie Gray   Greg Hesselink   
Sally Schlichting   Bill Paulick   Roger Schmidt   Edward Littlefield   
Clemens Hund-Göschel   Jocelyn Clark

Actor
Sejer Andersen (Denmark)

Actor/Director Sejer Andersen of Denmark received his Master of Arts in 1969 from the University of Copenhagen. As an actor, director, and artistic director, Andersen has worked mostly with modern and newly written drama, particularly with young people, at such theaters as the Café-Teatret Experimental State Theatre (1972-83), Hvidovre State Touring Theater (1984-2000), The European Theatre Council (1989-2000), and Vitus Bering Theater (2004-present). His main interest is theatrical cooperation internationally. He performs in Danish, French, and English.

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Soprano
Haleh Abghari  (Iran / NYC)

Soprano Haleh Abghari, a native of Iran, currently makes her home in New York City. She has worked as a singer, actor, and voice-over artist in the U.S., Canada, and Europe, to critical acclaim. The New York Times described her performance of Georges Aperghis' Recitations for Solo Voice as “a virtuoso and winning performance,” and the Washington Post has described her voice as a “high, dry, sweet and piercingly pure soprano.” She was recently interviewed as featured artist on WNYC’s Ear to Ear. Abghari is the only woman to have portrayed the title role of Peter Maxwell Davies’ Eight Songs for a Mad King, a portrayal hailed as one of the “Performances of 2007” by MusicWeb International.

Abghari has studied at The University of California at Davis, Peabody Conservatory, The Mannes College of Music, and the Banff Centre for the Arts in Canada. Her awards include a Fulbright Scholar Grant to work on the vocal music of György Kurtág in Budapest.

As a founding member of Mouths Wide Open (MWO), an ad hoc group of volunteers dedicated to promoting active citizenship and civic dialogue, and to finding new forms of political expression through the arts, Abghari produced and created two performance events in New York, featuring renowned performers and commentators: Breaking the Silence at Symphony Space in opposition to the War on Iraq, and The Republic in Ruins at Washington Square Church.

www.geocities.com/halehabghari

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Soprano
Maria Hanke  (Denmark)

In 2002, Danish Soprano Maria Hanke won 1st prize in The Royal Danish Academy of Music's scholarship competition for singers. She studied at conservatories in the Hague, Amsterdam, and in Copenhagen. Maria’s studies concluded with her Debut Concert January 31, 2006. In October of 2004 Hanke finished the Britten-Pears Young Artist Program, Aldeburgh, England—a Masterclass with pianist Malcolm Martineau—as well as the course “New Music/New Media” with a.o. London Sinfonietta, Sound Intermedia, and Dutch composer Louis Andriessen. She was invited to perform the music from the course at two concerts at the renowned Aldeburgh Festival in June 2005.

Hanke has performed in several world premiers as a soloist, and in ensembles in Denmark, Sweden, The Netherlands, England, Italy, Spain, France and Germany. Roles performed include Carmen, Elvira in Don Giovanni, and the Sorceress in Dido & Aeneas. She was a member of The Danish National Radio Concert Choir (1999-2004) and The Danish National Opera Chorus( 2003-04). Hanke was a prizewinner in the Haverhill Sinfonia Soloist Competition (UK) in 2006. Her madrigal ensemble was Artist in Residence at The Danish Library for the Blind in April/May 2005.

She is a co-founder of the Copenhagen-based community “Elfenbenstaarnet”' (“The Ivory Tower”), which serves as a platform for music-drama productions for the member artists involved. Upcoming projects include a.o. “Kvindekævl—en Diva-Clash Cabaret,” based on Swedish composer Lars-Johan Werle's one-act-opera “Kvinnogräl” and songs by Kurt Weill; a video-staged concert about identities, emerging from Dominick Argento's song cycle “From the Diary of Virginia Woolf”; and, in 2010, a fully-staged version of Claudio Monteverdi's 8th book of Madrigals.

"When shaping a piece of art, I enjoy meeting with other cultures where I can dive deeply into the language, sounds, and textures. Getting to know a culture through working intensely on a piece of music from the inside out makes space for understanding, touching on similarities between people, and compassion, also in a greater context. Chamber Music is for me a very strong way to work and express myself. Each member of the group stands equally beside each other, with both soloist and ensemble functions that the artists glide in and out of during performance and rehearsals. It is as if we were talking and listening at the same time, thus communicating very intensely while being enormously accurate, consistent, energetic, and open to both giving generously and receiving from each other, the music, and the audience. It is an experience that is new and unique every time it happens. Even though the frame is very strict and put down in a score, we have total freedom to interpret what is given to the unique constellation of artists and audience in any performance."

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Soprano
Monica Nørgård Stevns  (Denmark)

Danish soprano Monica Nørgård Stevns was born in Copenhagen in 1981. She took an interest in singing at an early age, and began her career with the Copenhagen Girls' Choir. From 2002 to 2007, Ms. Stevns worked with Bodil Gümose at the Royal Danish Academy of Music, while pursuing studies in improvisational drama with the actress Hanne Jørna, and Italian language at the Università per Stranièri di Perugia. Ms. Stevns has also participated in numerous master classes with internationally renowned musicians such as Edith Mathis, Inga Nielsen, Malcolm Martineau, Philip Langridge, Susanna Eken, Rudolf Jansen, and Roger Vignoles. After graduating from the Royal Academy, Ms. Stevns continued her studies in Vienna, where she trained with Professor Franz Lukasovsky at the Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst. A regular concert performer, Ms. Stevns is a soloist with the Royal Naval Choir, and has appeared as Atalanta in Handel's Xerxes, Susanna in excerpts from Mozart's Marriage of Figaro, and the title role in Purcell's Dido and Aeneas. In 2007, she was awarded two prestigious scholarships: the Børge Schrøder og hustru Herta Finnerup music grant and the Léonie Sonning bursary.

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Mezzo Soprano
Kari Groven  (Juneau)

Juneau Mezzo Soprano Kari Groven originally comes from Norway and a family deeply involved with performing arts in a variety of genres. At the age of nineteen she put the idea of becoming an actress on ice and began studying music at the University of Oslo. She got involved with music projects ranging in styles from jazz to Norwegian folk, from various kinds of medieval European music to contemporary atonal music, and for several years she had the pleasure of being her composer brother's guinea pig while pre-recording and performing his music, which was written for theater productions, contemporary arts festivals, private events and whatever other musical projects that fancied his interest.

In 2000 Groven moved to Dublin, Ireland, where she studied jazz vocals, improvisation, and composition for three years, co-funded the all-original jazz quintet “Wicked Meal” and got to perform with some of Ireland’s finest jazz musicians. Kari moved to Juneau in 2006 after marrying her Juneau-resident husband, and has since been a fixture in the funk, jazz, blues fusion band BRAVEmonkey, as well as serving as Program Coordinator for the Juneau Arts & Humanities Council.

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Alto
Marianne de Kleer (Canada)

Canadian Alto Marianne de Kleer earned her BA in music and BEd from University of British Columbia and has been an active choral singer in her native Vancouver for the past number of years. In addition to singing with “musica intima” since its formation in 1992, Marianne has performed and recorded with such groups as the Vancouver Cantata Singers, Elektra Women's Choir, and the Vancouver Chamber Choir. When not singing, Marianne splits her time between working as an interior designer in Vancouver and spending her summers at her home in France, where she runs French Farmhouse Holidays with fellow "musica intima" alto, Caitlin MacRae.

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Tenor
Sung-Hyun Kim  (Korea)

Tenor Sung-Hyun Kim was born in Korea in 1984. In 2004 he entered the Department of Vocal Music at the Korean National University of Arts. Recent performances include Kim’s recital “the Night of Italian Art Songs” at KNUA HALL (2004), and the operas Falstaff and L'elisir d'amore at KNUA Theater (2008). In June 2008 Kim won third prize at the Hanmeen Competition.

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Tenor
Oliver Donaldson (Seattle)

Born and raised in Seattle, Washington, this young tenor is completing a music degree at Willamette University in Oregon. He joined the Seattle Opera Chorus this summer for "Aida" and plans to return to Seattle upon graduation to further pursue Opera. An active student, athlete and performer, Oliver's college experiences include the role of Blind in Die Fledermaus, Choir President, Men's Chorus Soloist, Jazz guitarist for both the big band and the vocal jazz ensemble, dancer as well as Varsity Soccer and the Lacrosse team. Oliver is excited to join international and Alaskan performers, composers and conductors for this celebration.

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Baritone
Emil Ritter (Denmark)

Danish Baritone Emil Ritter was born in Copenhagen in 1979, and started singing in The Copenhagen Boys Choir at the age of 12. In 2007 he finished his singing studies at the Royal Danish Music Conservatory. He played the lead in the opera “Inside your mouth, Sucking the Sun,” written by Niels Rønsholdt, and also a main role in the new opera “Don Juan Effekten” for the Helsingør theatre. Ritter often works as a soloist. In 2007 he performed at the St. John passion and J. Haydns Stabat Mater on several occasions. He is a Member of the Royal Naval Choir and also sings in the Danish Radio Choir. He won the public prize at the Danish opera competition for young singers in 2007.

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Baritone
Frederik Schøning (Denmark)

Danish Baritone Frederik Schøning was born in 1981. Although he completed no official vocal education, Frederik is a very active and appreciated chorister in and around Copenhagen. He joined his first choir at the age of 9, and by the age of 12 was touring parts of Denmark as the Pie Jesu soloist in Faure’s Requiem. This was followed by an intense childhood career as a boy soprano soloist. Ever since, Frederik has sung in countless choirs and smaller ensembles, refining his skills. Since 2004, he has been employed as a bass-baritone both as a soloist and a chorister in the nationally renowned Royal Naval Choir, as well as singing in the Naval Church Vocal Ensemble, each year giving numerous concerts of renaissance, baroque, and contemporary music.

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Violine
Ella Marie Gray (Seattle)

Seattle Violinist Ella Marie Gray began her career in New York as a member of the Kronos Quartet. Upon returning to her native Seattle she became a member of the Northwest Chamber Orchestra, Pacific Northwest Ballet Orchestra, and the New Performance Group. Gray is a founding member of the Rainier String Quartet, and served on the faculty of Western Washington University, Seattle University, and Cornish College of the Arts. Sought after as a chamber musician and soloist throughout the United States, she is currently Artist in Residence at the Santa Barbara Chamber Music Festival and Associate Concertmaster of the New Hampshire Music Festival. This is Ella’s second season with CrossSound.

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Cello
Greg Hesselink (New York City)

Cellist Greg Hesselink leads an eclectic performance life in New York City, with a strong emphasis on new music. He is a winner of the Naumburg Chamber Award with the New Millennium Ensemble, and is also the cellist of Sequitur, New Band (caretakers of the Harry Partch Instruments), the Locrian Chamber Players, the Manhattan Sinfonietta, and is principal cello of the Riverside Symphony. He has performed extensively around Europe, Japan, and North America, with upcoming performances at the Library of Congress (for Elliot Carter's 100th birthday) and in Indonesia. Hasselink is on the faculty of Mannes Prep., and in the summer teaches at Apple Hill and plays at the Monadnock festival. He attended the Interlochen Arts Academy, and holds degrees from the Eastman School of Music and SUNY Stony Brook. His recordings can be heard on CRI, Nonesuch, Bridge, Koch, Albany, Wergo, Innova, PPI, and Point Records.

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Flute
Sally Schlichting (Juneau)

Juneau Flautist Sally Schlichting has performed in many CrossSound programs, including in its 1999 inaugural season. She also regularly performs with the Juneau Symphony, the Amalga Chamber Orchestra, Opera to Go! and the Juneau Lyric Opera, including tours to other southeast Alaska communities. Schlichting is a frequent performer of solo and chamber works, many with local pianist Mary Watson, and has served as the artistic coordinator of the Symphony Showcase chamber music concerts for most of the last 20 years. Schlichting studied music at the University of Southern California and the University of Washington. Formative teachers have included John Barcellona, Felix Skowronek, Mary Louise Poor, Irene Pruzan, Gary Woodward, Pamela Ryker, Zart Dombourian-Eby, Amy Porter, and others.

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Horn
Bill Paulick (Juneau)

Juneau Hornist Bill Paulick this year joins CrossSound for a fourth season. Paulick became hooked on horn following the Leonard Bernstein "Concerts for Young People" series of the 1960s. He started playing in the public school system in Whittier, California, and continued studying privately under Paramount Studio’s hornist Arthur Franz, and, later, with Dr. Philip Farkas. Paulick played in various ensembles in the Los Angeles area, including regional honor bands, brass and woodwind ensembles, and the Rio Hondo Symphony. Following graduation from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in 1973, Bill settled in Juneau where he has been active in local brass and woodwind ensembles, the Juneau Symphony, the annual Juneau Symphony Showcase, Juneau Lyric Opera, Opera to Go!, and as a freelance player and recording artist on the Airborne Studios label. In a partnership with Professor Farkas, Bill produced a two-hour video titled "The Horn" for use as a surrogate instructor in rural areas. Distribution eventually included 14 countries around the world. Paulick is a past president of the Juneau Symphony, and currently teaches music in the local public school system’s “Early Morning Musician” program, in addition to teaching horn at his own studio. He has spent the past three summers studying at the Kendall Betts Horn Camp in New Hampshire with such horn virtuosi as Hermann Baumann, Douglas Hill, Lowell Greer, Ted Thayer, Michael Hatfield, Bernhard Scully. He is owner/manager of Juneau Brass & Woodwinds, serving the repair, sales, and rental needs of Southeast Alaska brass and wind musicians.

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Trombone
Roger Schmidt (Sitka)

Trombonist Roger Schmidt grew up in his present home, Sitka, Alaska. As a musician he has studied music at the Bruckner Konservatorium in Linz, Austria, at Oberlin Conservatory, and at the Aspen Music Festival. His principal teachers have been Raymond Premru of the Philharmonia Orchestra and Paul Welcomer of the San Francisco Symphony. He has toured with the Orion Trombone Quartet, and has worked as a freelance musician in the San Francisco Bay area playing with various groups in a wide range of musical styles. He currently teaches music in Sitka. Roger is a former student of the Sitka Fine Arts Camp, which won the Governor's Award for the Arts under his direction in 2004. It is his 10th year with CrossSound.

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Percussion
Edward Littlefield (Sitka)

Percussionist Edward Littlefield of Sitka attended the University of Idaho where he majored in instrumental and vocal music education, with an emphasis in percussion. While there, he studied percussion with Daniel Bukvich. He has played in the show band on various cruise ships for Carnival Cruise Lines in the Carribean and the Bahamas. Littlefield is a former music teacher at Sitka High School. He has toured throughout the country as the percussionist for the critically acclaimed Dallas Brass. He is currently a member of the percussion ensemble “Juxtapercussion,” and a freelance musician and clinician in the Pacific Northwest. Ed is a former student and teacher of the Sitka Fine Arts Camp. This is his third year with CrossSound.

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Piano
Clemens Hund-Göschel (Germany)

Pianist Clemens Hund-Göschel was born 1983 in Frankfurt/Oder in Germany. He went to a music high school in Berlin at the age of 16 where he won a scholarship from the Prade Foundation and second prize at the German National Competition for Young Musicians. In 2003 he entered the Hanns Eisler Conservatory of Music in Berlin under Prof. Birgitta Wollenweber. In 2005 he played a pianist in the film “Bye, Bye Berlusconi.” In 2006, Hund-Göschel won the “Best Chamber Music Artist” award at the German Oberstdorfer Summer Festival. He is also three-time winner of the Hanns Eisler Interpretation Prize. Last August he took part in the CrossSound Summer Festival in Alaska where he performed with members of the Quake Ensemble. In Germany he has played in various ensembles for contemporary music like “Klangexekutive” and “Kaleidoskop,” and has performed in well-known concert series, such as “unerhörte Musik.” He participated in master classes with B. Engerer (Paris), P. Buck (Stuttgart), and J. Brädli (Oslo).

Last year, Hund-Göschel performed in the “Konzerthaus Berlin,” the Presidential Palace in Warsaw, and in the “Forum of German Conservatories of Music,” Gladbeck. This is his third year with CrossSound.

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Kayagûm
Jocelyn Clark (Juneau)

Kayagûm player Jocelyn Clark grew up in Juneau playing the piano, clarinet, and oboe in the Juneau Symphony, as well as attending the Sitka Fine Arts Camp. After a year in Japan, she started studying the koto at age 18 with the Sawai Koto Academy under Yagi Michiyo, and later Maruta Miki at Wesleyan University. In 1990-91 she studied zheng at the Nanjing Academy of Arts in China, and then in New York with master Wang Changyuan. In 1992 she received a scholarship to study traditional Korean music, majoring in kayagûm performance at the National Classical Music Institute in Seoul, Korea. She returned in 1995 to study kayagûm with a grant from the Harvard Korea Institute. In 1999 she received a Fulbright Fellowship to study Korean traditional music in Seoul with Ji Aeri and “National Intangible Human Cultural Asset” Kang Jeongsuk. Clark won 1st Place in the KBS Korean Folk Arts contest for foreigners in 1994 and 1999, and grand prize at the HBS contest in 1995. In 2000 she returned to Korea on a Seonam Foundation Fellowship and appeared at the 2001 Jeonju Sanjo Festival. Since then she has gone on to play at festivals, chamber music series, and venues like Musica Viva in Munich, Unerhörte Musik in Berlin, GlobalEar in Dresden, Rheinsberger Pfingstwerkstatt Neue Musik, Opera Latenight in Nürnberg, 38e Rugissants in Grenoble, Le Festival de l'Imaginaire in Paris, Taipei Festival of Traditional Music in Taiwan, Tokyo Summer in Japan, and Symphony Space in New York.

Founder and director of CrossSound, Jocelyn also founded the East Asian zither ensemble IIIZ+ in 2001 with changgu player/composer Il-Ryun Chung of Berlin. With IIIZ+ she has commissioned seven new works and has toured in Germany, France, The Netherlands, Belgium, Taiwan, Japan, and the US. IIIZ+ recorded their first CD in 2007.

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Sejer Andersen    Haleh Abghari   Maria Hanke   Monica Nørgård Stevns   
Kari Groven   Marianne de Kleer   Sung-Hyun Kim   Emil Ritter   
Frederik Schøning   Ella Marie Gray   Greg Hesselink   Sally Schlichting
Bill Paulick   Roger Schmidt   Edward Littlefield   
Clemens Hund-Göschel   Jocelyn Clark