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Chamber music collage

Concert details

Program

Glinka – Grand Sextet
Leonid Tsoy, violin; Farangiz Takhirova, violin; Aidan Chapman-Anderson, viola; Lauren McKaque, cello; Eli Hilborn, bass; Yooiin Choi, piano

Milhaud – Suite
Sage Rosales, violin; Alicia Gutierrez, clarinet; Leonid Tsoy, piano

Serenade for flute, clarinet and cello (2019) - Harry Sdraulig (1992*)
Nathaniel Diaz, flute; Juan Tovar, clarinet; Po-Chen Chang, cello

L. Beethoven - Piano Sonata op.53 "Waldstein"
Leonid Tsoy, piano

E. Ysaye - Sonata for Violin-Solo 3 "Ballade"
Leonid Tsoy, violin

Performers

A native of Taiwan, Po-Chen Chang is studying for his doctoral of musical art degree at Michigan State University (MSU) with Professor Suren Bagratuni. Dedicated to participate in various performances and to explore different possibilities on creative cello playing, Po-Chen not only performs regularly with different orchestras such as Flint Symphony Orchestra and Battle Creek Symphony Orchestra, but also has performed different projects and recitals in United States, Europe, and Asia. He also attends several international music festivals, such as . His principal teachers have included Professor Bagratuni at MSU and Dr. Peter Opie at Ball State University. 

Aidan Chapman-Anderson is a third-year undergraduate student at MSU, studying viola performance with Eric Nowlin and composition with David Biedenbender. He is originally from Shelby Township, Michigan.

Originally from South Korea, Yooiin Choi iscurrently studying at MSU, where she is pursuing her masters of music in collaborative piano.

Nathaniel “Richie” Diaz is a flutist from Abilene, Texas, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in music performance in flute at Hardin-Simmons University. He is currently studying at Michigan State University to receive his masters of music in music performance. In 2018, Diaz received the Outstanding Soloist award at the Texas State Solo and Ensemble Contest. During his time at Hardin-Simmons, Diaz was a private lesson instructor for the Abilene Independent School District while also holding the co-principal spot of the Civic Orchestra of Abilene. Diaz has traveled and performed with the “World Famous” Cowboy Band, marching in the 2020 Mardi Gras parade in New Orleans, Louisiana, as well as the 2022 St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Dublin, Ireland. Diaz has studied under Alex Carpenter (Hardin-Simmons), Richard Sherman (Michigan State University), and Hannah Hammel Maser (Detroit Symphony Orchestra), as well as taken lessons from Melissa Suhr (University of Houston), Kathrine Kemmler (Louisiana State University), and Terri Sundberg (University of North Texas).

Alicia Gutierrez is a Costa Rican clarinet player. They are currently starting their doctor of musical arts degree in clarinet performance at MSU under the direction of Dr. Guy Yehuda. Gutierrez came to the United States in 2014 to start their undergrad program in music performance at Duquesne University with Professor Ronald Samuels, and earned their master’s in clarinet performance from Carnegie Mellon University in the spring of 2021 with Professor Thomas Thompson. Gutierrez has performed in various occasions with the Banda Nacional de San Jose in Costa Rica andis a former second clarinetist of the Lansing Symphony orchestra.Recently, Gutierrez started a new position as the second clarinetist of the Johnstown Symphony Orchestra.

Double bassist Eli Hilborn has been surrounded by music his entire life and has enjoyed every moment of it. He began studying the double bass when he was seven years old and has been performing in various large ensembles since he was nine. Currently, Hilborn is an undergraduate student studying with Kevin Brown at MSU, where he also performs with the MSU Symphony Orchestra in principal, assistant principal, and section positions. Previously, he held the role of principal double bassist of the Detroit Symphony Youth Orchestra for two years and performed with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra in their 2018 annual Hero’s Gala. Furthermore, in October of 2020 he won Honorable Mention in the Double Bass Lab Orchestral Competition Junior Division. In 2023, Hilborn attended the prestigious Domaine Forget de Charlevoix Festival in Québec, Canada. He has also performed in numerous masterclasses led by Paul Ellison, David Allen Moore, Nina DeCesare, Scott Dixon, Etienne LaFrance, Nicholas Walker, Brandon Mason, the Kansas City Symphony bass section, Ali Yazdanfar, and Andrew Raciti.

Lauren McKague is a sophomore at Eastern Michigan University, where she studies under Deborah Pae and Dr. Jeremy Crosmer. While working toward a degree in cello performance at EMU, she is a guest student at MSU for chamber music. Outside of her studies, she works as the orchestra librarian for the EMU Symphony Orchestra and as a cellist for the Michigan Philharmonic.

Sage Rosales is an avid orchestral and chamber performer in the Michigan area. She completed her master's degree at MSU under the tutelage of Dmitri Berlinsky. Currently, she holds a position with the Jackson Symphony Orchestra, Wichita Symphony Orchestra, and regularly plays alongside the Lansing Symphony Orchestra. Rosales is an advocate for performing and commissioning new music by living composers and has given multiple world premieres in Europe and across the United States. In addition to her passion for performing, she is a devoted educator. Rosales teaches at the MSU Community Music School as well as various music festivals and public schools throughout the year.

Farangiz Takhirova is an international student and currently pursuing her doctoral of music degree in violin performance at MSU with Professor Dmitri Berlinsky. She performs with different orchestras such as the Midland Symphony Orchestra, the Battle Creek Symphony Orchestra, and the Lansing Symphony Orchestra, and has collaborated with numerous musicians such as Teddy Abrams, Morgan James, Paquito D’Rivera, Dave Eggar,Meg Okura, and I-Fu Wang. Throughout her career, Takhirova has won awards in the VII International Music Competition in Prague andhas participated in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Music Festival and the Sharq Taronalari International Ethnic Music Festival.

Juan Tovar is a Venezuelan clarinetist trained in El Sistema where he was an active orchestra musician, teacher and conductor until 2020. He holds a master’s degree in clarinet performance from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he studied with Romie de Guise-Langlois. His previous studies focused on psychology and psychoanalysis, and he holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the Universidad Rafael Urdaneta in Venezuela. Tovar has participated in international tours to Colombia, Italy, the Netherlands, Russia, and Mexico, as an orchestra conductor. He was also first clarinet of Maracaibo Symphony Orchestra and Simon Bolivar Concert Band in Venezuela, and second clarinet of the New England Repertory Orchestra. Currently, Tovar is a doctor of musical arts student under Dr. Mingzhe Wang at MSU.

Leonid Tsoy is a first-year graduate student at the MSU College of Music. He completed his bachelor's degree in violin and piano performance at the State Conservatory of Uzbekistan. Presently, he is studying with Professor Dmitri Berlinsky and Professor Young Hyun Cho. Tsoy has experience playing solo, chamber, and orchestra music, and has premiered music written by Uzbek, Russian, and Canadian composers. He also holds the position of graduate teaching assistant.