Meet the extraordinary musicians who will perform in the Spring 2024 concert in the Four Seasons in Music series:
Kathryn Lockwood, Viola and Artistic Director
Australian violist Kathryn Lockwood leads an active and varied career as performer, teacher, and artistic director. Kathryn’s career launched straight out of graduate school as founding member of the Pacifica Quartet where she traveled the world concertizing and recording. After moving to New York in 2001 Kathryn soon claimed the viola chair of the internationally renowned Lark Quartet.
Always evolving and thinking out of the box, Kathryn formed the innovative group duoJalal with percussionist and husband Yousif Sheronick. Kathryn’s creative mind led her to be appointed Artistic Director for the Four Seasons in Music at the Sands Point Preserve Conservancy – a very special series presenting four magical concerts with unique themed programs of chamber music and poetry.
Kathryn is also the Artistic Director for the “Music@MoMA” Series – an intimate salon style chamber music series and is newly appointed as co-artistic director of the Telluride MusicFest. She has recorded for Innova, Bridge, Cedille and Endeavor records. Kathryn is currently on faculty at University of Massachusetts/Amherst and at the John Cali School of Music at Montclair State University where she was recently appointed Curator of the Immersive Residency Program overseeing weeklong residency visits of internationally renowned artists and groups. www.kathrynlockwood.com
Yousif Sheronick, Percussion
Hailed by the New York Times for his “dazzling improvisations” and his “wizardry on a range of humble frame drums” Yousif Sheronick enjoys an active career as percussionist, composer, producer and educator. Having studied classical percussion through a Masters degree at Yale, Yousif went on to study music from Brazil, India, Africa and the Middle East which he seamlessly incorporates into his playing.
Yousif’s unique skills in both World and Classical music have led him to perform with a diverse range of ensembles and musicians including Philip Glass, Yo-Yo Ma, Laurie Anderson, Ethos Percussion Group, Lark Quartet, Silk Road Ensemble, Branford Marsalis, Sonny Fortune, Cindy Blackman Santana, Glen Velez and Paul Winter.
A feature article in Drum! Magazine highlighted Yousif’s versatility in an article titled “At The Corner Of The World”. His many musical influences are showcased in duoJalal, his venture with violist and wife Kathryn Lockwood. Kathryn and Yousif are the new co-directors of the Telluride MusicFest which is a yearly summer festival in the gorgeous mountains in CO. A firm believer in the power of education, Yousif recently established an online school FrameDrumSchool.org and now has over 700 enrolled students from 54 countries around the world.
duoJalal, Ensemble in Residence
duoJalal “are fearless seekers and synthesizers of disparate instruments and cultures” raves the Toronto Star. Like the marriage between Kathryn Lockwood and Yousif Sheronick, their music represents an organic amalgam of cultural traditions and musical styles. Audiences are enthralled as an Australian violist ignites her instrument with passion – one minute embodying a medieval rebec, the next a contemporary violist playing Philip Glass. Yousif, of Lebanese descent, dazzles as he manipulates multiple sounds on an array of hand drums followed by intoxicating melodies on vibraphone. duoJalal moves from Classical to Klezmer, Middle Eastern to Jazz, with a skillful confluence that is natural, exploratory, and passionate. duoJalal has performed throughout the United States, Australia and Brazil regularly performing world premieres of works composed or arranged for the group by Philip Glass, Andrew Waggoner, Derek Bermel, Kenji Bunch, Evan Ziporyn, Eve Beglarian and John Patitucci.
As the ensemble in residence for the Four Seasons in Music concert series, the duo have the luxury of collaborating with an array of top tier artists including string players, vocalists, clarinets, dancers and more! Known for their outstanding teaching skills, duoJalal offers masterclasses and clinics for string soloists and ensembles as well as drumming workshops to both children and adults. Recent masterclasses were held at Manhattan School of Music, New York University and the Percussive Arts Society’s International Convention. Kathryn and Yousif are proud to announce a new position as co-artistic directors and ensemble in residence of the Telluride MusicFest. A festival housed in a gorgeous mountain home situated at 10,000 feet!
SPRING GUEST ARTISTS:
Deborah Buck (Violin) has built a rich and varied musical career as chamber musician, concertmaster, professor, soloist, and artistic leader. Ms. Buck was a member of the Lark Quartet and more recently received two commissions: one by John Harbison and another by Bruce Adolphe. Recent performances include the Kauffman Center’s Musical Storefront series (NYC), the Four Seasons in Music and the Music for Food series (NYC). Ms. Buck has led the Stamford Symphony (CT) as its Acting Concertmaster and is Assistant Professor of Violin and Head of Strings and Chamber Music at SUNY Purchase. She is also Co-Director, and Faculty Concert series curator of the Kinhaven Music School in Vermont.
Min-Young Kim (Violin) is the first violinist and a founding member of the Daedalus Quartet. She performs regularly throughout the United States, Canada, Europe and Asia, and has been presented by many of the world’s leading musical venues including Lincoln Center, the Library of Congress, the Musikverein in Vienna, and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. An advocate for the music of our time, Ms. Kim enjoys working closely with composers and has commissioned and premiered many new works including those of Fred Lerdahl, Anna Weesner, Huck Hodge, and Wolfgang Rihm. She can also be heard on historical violin on tour with Tempesta di Mare and Apollo’s Fire. A dedicated teacher, Ms. Kim holds degrees from Harvard, Juilliard and the Cleveland Institute of Music, and currently teaches at Princeton and the University of Pennsylvania.
Caroline Stinson (Cello) is a Canadian born cellist. She is currently with the Ciompi String Quartet and Associate Professor at Duke University. Ms. Stinson performs widely as a soloist, recitalist and chamber musician, and is Principal Cello of the Stamford Symphony in CT. Ms. Stinson has premiered dozens of works for solo cello, concerti and chamber music, and her many recordings include the solo CD Lines on Albany Records. Ms. Stinson taught at Juilliard from 2008-2018 and was a member of the Lark Quartet in NY before moving to Durham. With her husband, composer Andrew Waggoner, Caroline is Co-Artistic Director of Weekend Chamber Music in the Catskill Region of NY State.
Abigail Brodnick, (Soprano) is described as “personable, pretty of voice [and] engaging” by South Florida Classical Review, coloratura soprano Abby Brodnick captivates audiences all over the country.
Abby is the first prize winner of the 2023 Camille Coloratura Awards Student Division. A finalist in the 2023 Sherrill Milnes Opera Idol Competition, she also graced the 2023 Savannah Voice Festival as a Study Grant Artist. This summer, Abby will perform as a Resident Artist with Opera North (Eurydice in Orphee aux Enfers, Rapunzel in Into the Woods). Recent credits include Soeur Constance in Dialogues des Carmélites directed by Malena Dayen, soprano soloist of Carmina Burana (Cali School of Music), and soprano soloist of Handel’s Messiah (South Orange Symphony). Currently finishing her graduate studies with Beth Roberts at the Cali School of Music, Abby earned her Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance with a musical theater minor at DePauw University, studying with Dr. André Campelo.