Meet the extraordinary musicians who will perform in the Winter 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!
WINTER GUEST ARTISTS:
Ilmar Gavilan, Violin
Violinist Ilmar Gavilan, a native of Havana, Cuba, has had a remarkable performing career that has taken him all over the world. This fascinating journey ranges from performing for world leaders such as President Obama at the White House and Queen Sofia of Spain at The Royal Palace of Madrid to performing with top stature artists of diverse styles such as Itzhak Perlman and Chick Corea. As a soloist, Mr. Gavilan has performed with Atlanta, New Jersey, Baltimore, Detroit, Milwaukee, St. Louis, Hartford, Nashville, Ann Arbor, Santa Monica, Phoenix, Denver, Louisiana, Anchorage, Santa Fe, Havana, Mexico City, and Venezuela Symphonies and played recitals in England, Russia, Spain and Portugal. An avid chamber musician, Mr. Gavilan is first violinist of the Harlem Quartet and has performed with Itzhak Perlman, Arnold Steinhardt, Ida Kavafian, Carter Brey, Paul Katz, Fred Sherry, Anthony McGill and Misha Dicter.
Doori Na, Violin
Violinist Doori Na, a San Francisco native, began playing at the age of four and received his early training under Li Lin at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. In 2018, he had a notable debut with the San Francisco Symphony, performing Bach’s Double Violin Concerto alongside Itzhak Perlman and Michael Tilson Thomas. He now resides in New York City and collaborates with various musical ensembles. Doori is a member of the Argento Chamber Ensemble, specializing in contemporary compositions by living composers. He also regularly performs solo works for dance with New Chamber Ballet, a commitment he’s had since 2013. He has also had the privilege of collaborating with esteemed musicians from groups such as the Juilliard String Quartet, Orion String Quartet, and has toured with Itzhak Perlman, performing at venues like the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
Raman Ramakrishnan, Cello
For eight seasons as a founding member of the Horszowski Trio, and for eleven seasons as a founding member of the Daedalus Quartet, cellist Raman Ramakrishnan has performed across North America, Europe, and Asia, and recorded for Bridge Records and Avie Records. He is currently a member of the Boston Chamber Music Society and is on the faculty of the Bard Conservatory of Music. In the summers, he has performed at the Marlboro, Vail, and Kingston Chamber Music festivals, and served on the faculties of the Kneisel Hall and Norfolk Chamber Music Festivals. Mr. Ramakrishnan was born in Athens, Ohio and grew up in East Patchogue, New York. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in physics from Harvard University and a Master’s degree in music from The Juilliard School. His principal teachers have been Fred Sherry, Andrés Díaz, and André Emelianoff. He plays a Neapolitan cello made by Vincenzo Jorio in 1837.
Yumi Kurosawa, Koto
Yumi Kurosawa is an award-winning Koto star from a young age, having won first prize at the National Koto Competition in ‘89 and ‘92, and in ’98 received a fellowship from the Agency for Cultural Affairs of Japan. She made her Carnegie Hall debut in ‘06. Kurosawa premiered Daron Hagen’s Koto concerto Genji with both Orchestra of the Swan, UK, and Hawaii Symphony Orchestra. She has also performed as a principal soloist for Suntory Hall’s opening gala with Tokyo Symphony Orchestra in ’17. She was a guest artist for Japanese Connection at the Kennedy Center. Kurosawa also has been active as a composer on projects including music for the theater, ballet and she has been commissioned by Smithsonian’s Freer Gallery of Art and National Gallery of Art. Kurosawa was awarded a grant from Chamber Music America in ’22. She has been lauded by The NY Times, Washington Post among others and is teaching at the Music Performing Program at Columbia University.