Soundscapes: New York Premiere of Ronen Shai's 'Fortune Teller'

Program and Artist Biographies

Program:
J. Brahms: Rhapsody No. 1 in B minor, Op. 79
Gurdjieff/De Hartmann: Armenian Song (1926)
Ronen Shai: Mother's Love XXII (2024)
Ronen Shai: Piano Trio 'Fortune Teller' - New York premiere - (2024)
G. Fauré: Trois Mélodies, Op. 7 - I. 'Après un Rêve'
C. V. Alkan: Grand Duo Concertant, Op. 21 - 1st mvt.

Artists:
Ronen Shai is a New York–based composer whose work spans chamber, orchestral, vocal, and electronic music. His music has been presented at venues including BAM, the Congress and Concert Hall in Innsbruck (Austria), and the Tel Aviv Museum of Art. He holds a Doctor of Musical Arts from the Manhattan School of Music, where he studied composition with Marjorie Merryman and Nils Vigeland, and began his training in Israel with André Hajdu.

Joenne Dumitrascu began her musical training in violin and piano. She continued college studies at the Royal Conservatory (B. Mus., A.D.), The Boston Conservatory at Berklee College (M.M.), and additional training in Europe. She completed her Doctorate in Musical Arts at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, with a concentration on music performance and secondary focus on the neuroscience of music.
The winner of the 2011 Glenn Gould Chamber Music Competition, Dumitrascu has toured internationally at such venues as Koerner Hall, Carnegie Hall, La Scala, and the Romanian Atheneum, and recorded for CBC Toronto, WGBH Boston, and WFMT Chicago. Dumitrascu was Concertmaster of the Boston Opera Co. and has performed in the orchestra of the National Ballet of Canada/Canadian Opera Company. She has worked on several film/TV projects including Chloe, Resident Evil 7, and recording work with the Screen Composers' Guild of Canada. Currently Chair at JSE Music Education Corp., an elite pre-college music training program in NYC, she was an Undergraduate Department chamber music coach at SUNY Stony Brook from 2015 to 2021. Dumitrascu is also Artistic Director of the Solomon Mikowsky International Music Competition for young artists, and regularly appears as guest lecturer/clinician. 

Sarah Sebaoun is an active performer and teaching artist in the United States and Europe. She started training in classical piano at the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music, while also studying jazz. She completed her BA and MM in piano performance at Hunter College. She has performed as a soloist, collaborative pianist and in chamber groups across the US and Europe, and maintains a private piano studio in NYC.

Sandro Sidamonidze is a Opus Klassik and German Recording Critics’ Award-nominated cellist who has performed across Georgia, Austria, Germany, the UK, Russia, Armenia, and the U.S., appearing in major festivals and venues like Carnegie Hall and the Newport Music Festival. Sidamonidze is a founding member of the Vienna-based Trio Revolution, a dynamic ensemble known for its innovative programming and captivating performances. In 2023, Sandro Sidamonidze achieved another milestone in his illustrious career by recording a CD of Arvo Pärt’s compositions for the prestigious Gramola Austrian label.
Internationally sought-after, Sidamonidze has enraptured audiences as a guest artist with the Georgian Sinfonietta chamber orchestra at the “Easter to Ascension” Festival and has graced the stages of renowned festivals, including the Newport Music Festival, Telavi International Music Festival, International Music Festival in Batumi, Georgia, “Mecklenburg Vorpommern Festspiele,” and “Mozartaugsburg,” where he received a new cello. His performances have resonated with audiences across the globe, from Italy to Russia, Austria, United Kingdom, United States, Armenia to Germany.
He serves as Principal Cellist of the Battle Creek Symphony and previously taught at Albion College, solidifying his role as a versatile and influential figure in classical music.

Michelle Kalisz is a pianist and teacher in NYC. She previously served on the Piano Faculty at Third Street Music School Settlement in New York City and now maintains a private teaching practice. She is grateful to have performed in NYC, Italy, and Norway.
She holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Chemistry from the University of Pittsburgh and a Master of Arts in Music from Hunter College. Her primary teachers include Victoria Dueck, Geoffrey Burleson, and Brandt Fredriksen. She has two sons with her husband, and a very loud Morkie, Wanda.

Maria Eleni Zollo is an NYC based singer, actress, writer and comedian. Credits include: core member of background on NBC's Saturday Night Live, ensemble singing backing up Andrea Bocelli and Sam Smith and performances at Carnegie Hall, Merkin Hall, the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet and Madison Square Garden. She is a member of Late for Dinner sketch comedy group with a residency at the Player’s Theater in the West Village, NYC. Currently she chants at St George Tropeoforos on 54th Street and St Nicholas National Shrine at Ground Zero Greek Orthdox Churches.

'Fortune Teller' was inspired by dreams and the unconscious mind. Although the piece is grounded in Romanticism, it engages multiple musical styles. These styles are reflected in the rest of the program which spans music from the Baroque, classical, and Romantic eras.