Great Lakes Performing Artist Associates 415 N. 4 th Avenue Ann Arbor, MI 48104 734.665.4029 greatlakespaa.org Petar Jankovic Ensemble string quartet led by guitar http://www.PJEnsemble.com After many years of touring almost exclusively as a solo classical guitarist, Petar Jankovic, international award-winning musician and professor at Indiana University JACOBS School of Music broke new ground by initiating what has been called a truly unique chamber ensemble: The Petar Jankovic Ensemble - traditional string quartet led by guitar! As an innovative, as well as a revolutionary idea, the guitarist’s Spanish and Latin American influences meld splendidly with the string quartet’s European musical traditions. Critics have hailed the PJE for breaking new ground and pushing the limits of the Chamber Music genre. "PJE is a fantastic new group from Bloomington, Indiana!" -APR's Performance Today "Jankovic has broken new ground and pushed the limits with his ensemble… The PJE, which is a string quartet led by classical guitar is a brilliant new group on today’s chamber music scene, and they will no doubt be bringing the music to many new fans around the world." - Brad Conroy, music critic at GuitarInternational.com The musicians in this US based international ensemble are highly-skilled professional artists whose brilliance and musical versatility are manifested through expressing the unique character of this new musical format. PJE covers a wide range of repertoire with idiomatic and expressive renditions: from traditional Spanish works by Albeniz and De Falla, to classical music jewels of Boccherini, Debussy and Shostakovich . Passionate Piazzolla tangos and rich Brazilian music forms of Gnattalli, Bellinati, are performed alongside new classical works by contemporary composers such as Phillip Glass, E. Bark, and Roland Dyens. PJE has successfully toured US and Europe, received many great reviews. Selections from PJE's LIVE concert tour were even broadcast three times in a singe year on famous American Public Media’s Performance Today show. "...entertaining, interesting and uplifting program! The group play in tight formation with a nice balance between performers and program is very well chosen with no ‘fillers-in’!" - world famous London based Classical Guitar Magazine Jankovic's expressive interpretations and technical mastery - found only among the world's top musicians – leaves no mystery to the many rave reviews received over the years. Since his first
Transcript
Great Lakes Performing Artist Associates
415 N. 4th Avenue
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
734.665.4029
greatlakespaa.org
Petar Jankovic Ensemble string quartet led by guitar
http://www.PJEnsemble.com
After many years of touring almost exclusively as a solo classical guitarist, Petar Jankovic,
international award-winning musician and professor at Indiana University JACOBS School of
Music broke new ground by initiating what has been called a truly unique chamber ensemble:
The Petar Jankovic Ensemble - traditional string quartet led by guitar!
As an innovative, as well as a revolutionary idea, the guitarist’s Spanish and Latin American
influences meld splendidly with the string quartet’s European musical traditions. Critics have
hailed the PJE for breaking new ground and pushing the limits of the Chamber Music genre.
"PJE is a fantastic new group from Bloomington, Indiana!"
-APR's Performance Today
"Jankovic has broken new ground and pushed the limits with his ensemble… The PJE, which is a
string quartet led by classical guitar is a brilliant new group on today’s chamber music scene,
and they will no doubt be bringing the music to many new fans around the world."
- Brad Conroy, music critic at GuitarInternational.com
The musicians in this US based international ensemble are highly-skilled professional artists
whose brilliance and musical versatility are manifested through expressing the unique character
of this new musical format. PJE covers a wide range of repertoire with idiomatic and expressive
renditions: from traditional Spanish works by Albeniz and De Falla, to classical music jewels of
Boccherini, Debussy and Shostakovich . Passionate Piazzolla tangos and rich Brazilian music
forms of Gnattalli, Bellinati, are performed alongside new classical works by contemporary
composers such as Phillip Glass, E. Bark, and Roland Dyens.
PJE has successfully toured US and Europe, received many great reviews. Selections from PJE's
LIVE concert tour were even broadcast three times in a singe year on famous American Public
Media’s Performance Today show.
"...entertaining, interesting and uplifting program! The group play in tight formation with a nice
balance between performers and program is very well chosen with no ‘fillers-in’!" - world famous
London based Classical Guitar Magazine
Jankovic's expressive interpretations and technical mastery - found only among the world's top
musicians – leaves no mystery to the many rave reviews received over the years. Since his first
Great Lakes Performing Artist Associates
415 N. 4th Avenue
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
734.665.4029
greatlakespaa.org
professional performance in 1985, Jankovic has delighted audiences at recitals and enlightened
students in his master classes throughout both Europe and the United States. As a performer at
major competitions around the globe, Jankovic’s universally evocative sound has won high
regard with the world’s classical music community, and as a result, he has garnered numerous
prestigious Jankovic, who is a very active international performer with over 25 concerts each
season, is currently a Professor at the world-renowned Indiana University JACOBS School of
Music.
Violinist Maria Storm made her solo début at the age of fourteen with the Odessa Symphony
Orchestra in Ukraine. A year later her recording of sixteenth Paganini Caprice was regularly
broadcasted on the Second Channel of Ukrainian Radio. While living in Europe, Maria
established herself as an active soloist and chamber musician, performing among others with
Torun Chamber Orchestra, A.Rubinstein Symphony Orchestra and appearing at the Festival
Weeks in Gmunden, Austria. Her recent engagements include performances on ‘Live from
WFMT’ with CUBE Ensemble and International Chamber Artists, a broadcast from the Piano
Forte Salon Series, recital at St. James Chapel, as part of the concert series Second Saturday at
Two and solo appearance with Waukegan Symphony Orchestra. She is a concertmaster of
Composers Orchestra of Chicago with which she recently played an American premier of
“Spheres” for violin solo and orchestra by Gabriel Prokofiev.
Born in Chiba, Japan, violinist Azusa Tashiro began her violin studies at the age of 4. She earned
her Bachelor of Music degree from Toho Gakuen school of Music under Kenji Kobayashi. In 2008,
Azusa came to United States and attended Chicago College of Performing Arts as a Student of
Nathan Cole. She continued her violin studies at DePaul University school of music with Ilya
Kaler and completed her Master of Music degree. Azusa is an active violinist in Chicago area. She
is a current principal second violinist of the Rockford Symphony Orchestra and has played with
various ensembles such as New Millennium Orchestra Chicago, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra,
and Civic Orchestra of Chicago that she was appointed as a concertmaster. Azusa has also
appeared as a soloist with the College of DuPage Chamber Orchestra. She has attended many
summer festivals that include Spoleto Festival USA and Pacific Music Festival. Throughout her
musical experience, she played under world-class conductors such as Bernard Haitink, Fabio
Luisi, Alan Gilbert and Riccardo Muti.
Violist Amanda Grimm enjoys a versatile career as a freelance artist in the greater Chicago area.
A graduate of Oberlin Conservatory and Carnegie Mellon University she has performed as a
soloist, recitalist, and concertmaster in both the United States and abroad. Making her concerto
debut at age fifteen with the Parma Symphony Orchestra, she has also soloed with the Baldwin
Wallace Youth Orchestra, the Blue Lake European Orchestra, the Carnegie Mellon Baroque
Ensemble, and the Carnegie Mellon Philharmonic as the winner of its concerto competition. Also
an active chamber musician, she has been a member of the Cerberus Piano Trio, the Logan
Piano Quartet, the Logan Square Chamber Players, and the Silberman award winning Faure
Piano Quintet. The former concertmaster of the Pittsburgh Opera Theater Orchestra, Ms. Grimm
Great Lakes Performing Artist Associates
415 N. 4th Avenue
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
734.665.4029
greatlakespaa.org
has performed as a violinist and violist with the Elgin, Northwest Indiana, and Wheeling
Symphonies, as well as the Illinois Philharmonic, Chicago Philharmonic, and Chicago Chamber
Orchestras. From 2009-2011, she held a position as a violinist with the Civic Orchestra of
Chicago. In 2012 she was appointed a member of the Fort Wayne Philharmonic viola section as
well as selected as a Fellow of the prestigious Tanglewood Music Center where she also served
as Principal Viola. She currently serves as Associate Principal Viola of Orchestra Iowa.Ms. Grimm
was featured on WQED Pittsburgh as the first violin soloist in a performance of Vivaldi’s
Concerto for Four Violins, on WBEZ Chicago in a live broadcast from Roosevelt University, and
on Iowa Public Radio as a performer in Orchestra Iowa’s Chamber Music Series. She was also
heard live on WCLV Cleveland as concertmaster of the Oberlin Chamber Orchestra in a
performance of Mahler’s Fourth Symphony under Sir Simon Rattle. Ms. Grimm can be heard on
the soundtrack for the documentary film In My Hands, which was an official entry at the
Toronto Film Festival and seen on the PBS special “Ethan Bortnick: The Power of Music.”
An avid proponent of new music, Kyra Saltman is the principal cellist of the Chicago Composers
Orchestra and recently joined eighth blackbird and other members of New Music Chicago for a
special performance of Terry Riley’s In C at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago.
Additionally, she has collaborated with the Chicago-based series Singers On New Ground
(S.O.N.G) and is a frequent performer on many contemporary music programs throughout
Chicago. With soprano Samantha Stein, she has presented recitals across the United States
exploring contemporary repertoire for soprano and cello. Orchestral highlights include
performances with the Aspen Festival Orchestra, Aspen Opera Theater Orchestra, the Illinois
Symphony, Green Bay Symphony, Wisconsin Philharmonic, and the New Millennium Orchestra
of Chicago. She has also served as principal cellist of the Chicago College of Performing Arts
Symphony Orchestra. Kyra holds degrees from the Chicago College of Performing Arts and the
University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. Her primary instructors include Tanya Carey and
Brandon Vamos. She has performed in masterclasses for Richard Aaron, Jeffrey Solow, Andres
Diaz, Emilio Colon, Yehuda Hanani, David Ying, and Darrett Adkins. She has studied quartet
playing extensively with the Pacifica Quartet. Other mentors include the Borromeo Quartet,
Cavani Quartet, Biava Quartet, Cuarteto Latinoamericano, the Kronos Quartet, and Atar Arad.
Addition, she has participated in festivals including the Aspen Music Festival and School, the
Bowdoin International Music Festival, the Manchester Music Festival, Musicorda, the California
Summer Music Festival, the Innsbrook Institute and the Austin Chamber Music Festival.
