An evening of music for string trio featuring masterpieces by Dohnanyi and Mozart performed by distinguished chamber musicians

Performers

Violinist Jorja Fleezanis was concertmaster of the Minnesota Orchestra from 1989 to 2009—the longest-tenured concertmaster in the orchestra's history and only the second woman in the U.S. to hold the title of concertmaster in a major orchestra when appointed. Prior to Minnesota, she was associate concertmaster with the San Francisco Symphony for eight years. Jorja is currently Professor of Violin at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music where she holds the Henry A. Upper Chair in Orchestral Studies.

A devoted teacher, Fleezanis became an adjunct faculty member at the University of Minnesota's School of Music in 1990. She has also enjoyed teaching roles with other organizations: as teacher and artist at the Round Top International Festival Institute in Texas (1990-2007); artist-in-residence at the University of California, Davis; guest artist and teacher at the San Francisco Conservatory, where she served on the faculty from 1981 to 1989; artist and mentor at the Music@Menlo Festival (2003-2008); teacher and coach at the New World Symphony (1988-2008), and a visiting teacher to the Boston Conservatory, The Juilliard School, and Interlochen Academy and Summer Camp.

Fleezanis has had a number of works commissioned for her, including by the Minnesota Orchestra with the John Adams Violin Concerto and Ikon of Eros by John Tavener, the latter recorded on Reference Records. Her recording of the complete violin sonatas of Beethoven with the French fortepianist Cyril Huvé was released in 2003 on the Cyprés label. Other recordings include Aaron Jay Kernis' Brilliant Sky, Infinite Sky on CRI, commissioned for Fleezanis by the Schubert Club, and, with Garrick Ohlsson, Stefan Wolpe's Violin Sonata for Koch International.

Fleezanis studied at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music and the Cleveland Institute of Music.

Violist David Holland A founding member of the Aurora Quintet he has performed with the Interlochen, New World, & Stradivari string quartets. Instructor of Viola at Interlochen Arts Academy from 1973 until his retirement David is on the faculty at the Quartet Program at Bucknell University in Lewisberg, PA.

David Holland retired from thirty nine years as the Resident Violist at the Interlochen Center for the Arts, as well as coordinator of String Chamber Music and conductor of the String Orchestra. He also served as viola faculty of Central Michigan University and the University of Michigan. Until the fall of 2013, Mr. Holland performed as principal viola for both the Midland Symphony and the Traverse Symphony Orchestra. He was formerly the Duluth Symphony’s principal violist and conductor of the Duluth Youth Orchestra. Mr. Holland is an active chamber musician, was a member of the Aurora String Quintet, and has collaborated with the New World String Quartet and the Stradivari Quartet. His guest conducting and clinician appointments have taken him to many areas of the United States and to South America, including The National Youth Orchestras of Costa Rica and Columbia. Guest conducting has been also to all county, district, regional, state and tri-state Honors Orchestras in twenty five states. He served as Music Director and Conductor of the Traverse Symphony Orchestra and Traverse Youth Symphony. Recently he presented viola master classes at the University of Michigan, the Cleveland Institute of Music, and the Eastman School of Music.

The Juilliard School, the Cleveland Institute of Music, the University of Michigan, Eastman School of Music, Arizona State University, the University of Colorado, the University of Iowa School Of Music, the University of Alabama and the Hartt School of Music are among the prominent schools that have hosted him as a guest presenter of viola master classes. Mr. Holland acted as visiting viola instructor for the University of Iowa and Louisiana State University. Just as plentiful are his summer musical engagements, which have taken place at many festivals around the country. Most recently, David was on the faculty of the North American Viola Institute, the Interlochen Viola Institute, the Interlochen Arts Camp, and was a guest artist at Perlman Music Program. Other festivals included many years at the Quartet Program and longtime Director of the Ithaca Chamber Music Festival.

Cellist Carl Donakowski pursues a distinguished international career in Europe, Asia, and the Americas. Early in his career he was a finalist in the Mendelssohn Competition in Berlin. Since then his recital performances have been enjoyed at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC; Merkin Hall in New York City; and aired on WQRS Detroit, WQXR New York, and Südwestfunk Baden-Baden. He has performed at the Manitou, Fontana, Staunton, Tanglewood, Bay View, and Beethoven music festivals. As a member of the West End Chamber Ensemble he was Artist-in-Residence with the Chamber Music America Rural Residency Chamber Music Initiative. As a member of the Arcos Trio, Mr. Donakowski has performed on four continents and was recently awarded an Artistic Excellence grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to perform and record piano trios by Latin American composers on the Centaur label.
Of his performances at the Fontana Festival a reviewer wrote “Cellist Carl Donakowski is ideally suited to perform these romantic works. His tone was rich in resonance and passionate in approach, displaying the big sound that could sustain a charming longing.”

He is Professor of Cello at James Madison University in Harrisonburg Virginia.