Dawn Wohn & Ellen Hwangbo
UW Hamel Music Center-Collins Recital Hall 740 University Ave., Madison, Wisconsin 53706
Live from the Mead Witter School of Music series.
media release: Free | No ticket required. Also streaming live.
Dawn Wohn, violin
Ellen Hwangbo, piano
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Program
Violin Sonata in b minor (1874) Amanda Maier (1853-1894)
I. Allegro
II. Andantino – Allegretto, un poco vivace – Tempo primo
III. Allegro molto vivace
Valse Triste Franz von Vecsey (1893-1935)
Sonata No. 7 in C minor, op. 30 (1801-1802) Ludwig van Beethoven(1770-1827)
I. Allegro con brio
II. Adagio cantabile
III. Scherzo: Allegro
IV. Finale: Allegro; Presto
Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso (1863) Camille Saint-Saens (1835-1921)
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Praised as having “a joyful sense of freedom, and a pure, unencumbered tone” by BBC Music Magazine, violinist Dawn Dongeun Wohn has performed in concert halls across five continents including Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center. She has appeared as a soloist for live-broadcast performances with orchestras such as the Korean Broadcasting Symphony and the Aspen Conducting Orchestra, The New York Sinfonietta, and Japan’s Telemann Ensemble. In addition, she has performed recitals across the world including Carnegie Weill Hall, Alice Tully Hall in Lincoln Center, Merkin Hall, and Jordan Hall.
Her debut solo album Perspectives, featuring works by female composers was featured by the New York Times, Spotify and Apple Music and was chosen as one of WQXR’s best albums of the year. Her recent release, Unbounded by Delos Music explores music by American women. Both albums have been featured on radio programs all over the world and have been noted for its “enlightened advocacy” (Gramophone), warm, crystal-clear tone” (Whole note), “stunning and panache” (IAWN) and “impassioned playing” (Classical Magazine).
As a musician with a wide range of styles and interests, Dawn often performs with new music ensembles and as guest concertmaster for orchestras in venues as diverse as Carnegie Hall to Radio City Music Hall. Recent projects include international tours with DJ Kid Koala and the Afiara Quartet as part of an interdisciplinary live show “Nufonia Must Fall”. As an active chamber musician, Dawn has performed at festivals such as International Musician’s Seminar Prussia Cove in England, The Banff Centre, Music@Menlo, and Aspen Music Festival. Notable collaborations include members of the Emerson, Miami and Tokyo String Quartets, as well as Colin Carr, Jason Vieaux and Roberto Plano.
Dawn began her violin studies at age 4 and trained at The Juilliard School’s Pre-College Division as a full scholarship student of the renowned pedagogue Dorothy DeLay. Further studies include an undergraduate degree from The Juilliard School, a Master of Music and Artist Diploma from Yale University, and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Stony Brook University where she studied with Philip Setzer of the Emerson Quartet, Soovin Kim and Gilbert Kalish.
Committed to teaching the next generation of violinists, she is currently Assistant Professor of violin at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Mead Witter School of Music and teaches at Rocky Ridge Music Festival during the summers. Previously, she held the position of Associate Professor of Violin at Ohio University’s School of Music as well as Associate Concertmaster of Harrisburg Symphony. As a guest artist she has presented and performed at institutions including Oberlin, New England Conservatory, NYU and Kansas University. She has also been on faculty of festivals such as the Rocky Ridge Music Festival, Académie Anglicorde in France, International Music Festival of the Adriatic in Italy, and Festival de Febrero in Mexico.
Dawn performs on a 1732 Nicolo Gagliano violin and is artistic director and co-creator of the newly formed Coppia Concerts- a multisensory concert series based in Fitchburg, WI. In her free time, she enjoys reading, baking and spending time with her husband Jay and son Jasper.
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Lauded as an “excellent pianist” (Daily Gazette) and “amazing … young talent” (Silicon Valley Insider), Ellen Hwangbo is known for her “harmony, energy and elegance” and her ability to deliver “truly potent and dramatic” experiences (Rutland Herald) that leave her audiences “wanting to hear more” (Times Union). A top-prize winner of the Music Teachers National Association’s National Young Artist Competition in 2006, she has performed to great acclaim across Asia, Europe, and North America. She has recently performed in Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and Merkin Hall, and appeared as a soloist with the Timisoara Philharmonic in Romania.
As a spirited chamber musician, Ellen has devoted a substantial portion of her career to the collaborative sphere. She is renowned for her “wonderful interplay” with colleagues (Rye News), and broad range of expression from “moody sobriety” (Boston Musical Intelligencer) to “bold exuberance,” leading the gallery on “a joyous romp” (Daily Gazette). She is a member of the award-winning Saguaro Piano Trio based in Los Angeles, and has performed with world-renowned musicians such as Anthony Marwood, Richard Lester, Benjamin Beilman, Soovin Kim, Tessa Lark, Colin Carr, William Sharp, Eduardo Leandro, and Aaron Berofsky, among others. Ellen’s performances have been broadcast on several radio stations including VPR Classical and WRCJ Detroit. She has appeared at Chamber Music Northwest, Music@Menlo, Yellow Barn, Lake Champlain, Peasmarsh, Chautauqua, Sarasota, and Aspen music festivals, as well as Pianofest and the Banff Centre.
Ellen has also been highly engaged in the new music world, collaborating with many composers and making both new solo and chamber works a standard part of her repertoire. She has worked directly with composers David Ludwig, William Bolcom, Stefano Gervasoni, Jörg Widmann, and Brett Dean on many of their works, including several world premieres and recordings. Her passion for new music led to her role as a founding member of new music ensemble Consortium Ardesia, regular appearances with SUNY Stony Brook’s long-standing Contemporary Chamber Players, close working relationships with faculty composers at Stony Brook, including Perry Goldstein and Sheila Silver, and advocacy for the next generation of young composers.
Ellen began her piano studies with Peter Cooper and continued with Logan Skelton at the University of Michigan, graduating summa cum laude. She received her Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees from SUNY Stony Brook, where she studied under luminary pedagogue Gilbert Kalish. During her academic career at U-M and Stony Brook, Ellen focused intently on the life and music of Béla Bartók, authoring several research papers on Bartók’s Mikrokosmos, Kossuth, and other works, analyzing the impact of biographic and geopolitical events on his musical style. Her doctoral lecture-recital examined “Themes of Unity” in Bartók’s Dance Suite, comparing structural and thematic elements from the Suite to selections from Bartók’s collections of Hungarian folk music. This fascination culminated in the opportunity to perform two recitals of his works at the Bartók Museum in Sânnicolau Mare, Romania, Bartók’s birthplace.
In addition to her performing and academic careers, Ellen has extensive experience as an arts administrator and teacher. As founder and Artistic Director of Constellations Chamber Concerts, Ellen organizes an annual series of intimate chamber music performances in the Washington, D.C. area. She has also served as Admissions Coordinator for the Yellow Barn Festival, as Executive Coordinator, Piano Program Coordinator, and Webmaster for the Amalfi Coast Music & Arts Festival, and managed the Stony Brook Piano Project concert series from 2010 to 2012. She has given recent masterclasses at the University of Michigan, Davidson College, Covenant College, Washington & Lee University, the Lake Champlain Chamber Music Festival, and the Amalfi Coast Music & Arts Festival. Ellen currently teaches privately in the D.C. area.
Ellen lives in Potomac, Maryland with her husband Tom and daughter Lily. When not performing or teaching, Ellen enjoys oil painting, cooking, and family trips to the C&O Canal National Historic Park.
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“Live from the Mead Witter School of Music” is a chamber music series held the second Sunday of each month at the Hamel Music Center during the academic year.
The series is made available by the generosity of donors to the David and Kato Perlman Live from the Mead Witter School of Music Fund.