Program:
Three Romances for Violin and Piano, Op. 22 -- Clara Schumann
Three Romances for Oboe (Flute) and Piano, Op. 94 -- Robert Schumann
Intermission
Trio No. 1 for Piano, Violin and Cello in B major, Op. 8
I. Allegro con brio
II. Scherzo: Allegro molto
III. Adagio
IV. Allegro
About the Program:
There are few composers whose lives became as intertwined as those of Robert Schumann, Clara Schumann, and Johannes Brahms. At the urging of his friend, the violinist virtuoso Josef Joachim, young Brahms introduced himself to the Schumann’s in 1853, with Robert later writing that Brahms was a genius who was destined to be the heir of Beethoven’s legacy. Brahms would struggle with this proclamation throughout his whole career, relying on the advice of friends like Joachim and Clara Schumann until the end of his life.
Three Romances, Op. 94 by Robert Schumann
The Three Romances, Op. 94 by Robert Schumann (1810–56) were originally written for the oboe and piano (his only chamber piece for oboe), but has entered the repertoire for violin, clarinet, and flute. The set was premiered with the violin in a private concert in 1850 and was not performed on oboe in public until 1863. Robert wrote the pieces on three different days in December, 1849 in order to give them to Clara as a Christmas present. The three pieces highlight several characteristics of his music: they are songs, but without a strong separation of melody and accompaniment, and the alteration of the two contrasting aspects of Robert’s own personality, the Dionysian ‘Florestan’ and the Apollonian ‘Eusebius.’
Three Romances, Op. 22 by Clara Schumann
Clara Schumann’s (1819–96) Three Romances, Op. 22 was written in 1853 and published in 1855, dedicated to Josef Joachim. Indeed, Joachim and another violinist, Wilhelm Joseph von Wasielewski, worked with her on the violin parts. The three movements were almost certainly a reflection of Clara and Robert’s relationship, with the first romance containing several explicit references to Robert’s first violin sonata. Though Clara had composed several works when she was young, these were among the first pieces she had written since 1846 and they became some of the last pieces she ever wrote. Robert’s mental health continued to deteriorate, culminating in a suicide attempt in 1854, after which he was committed to a sanatorium until his death in 1856. Clara stopped composing after Robert’s death, instead committing herself to performing Robert’s music and caring for her family.
Piano Trio No. 1 in B major, Op. 8 by Johannes Brahms
Johannes Brahms’ (1833–97) Piano Trio No. 1 in B major, Op. 8 was originally written in 1854, but was heavily revised by the composer in 1889. Brahms seemed to have been displeased with the original version almost right away, telling Josef Joachim that he wanted to make alterations to the piece immediately after it was published. Some have conjectured that Robert’s article praising him as “Germany’s new rising star” pressured Brahms to rush the publication of the work. Brahms had burned several earlier chamber works he deemed not worthy and said “the praise you have openly bestowed on me will arouse such extraordinary expectations of my achievements by the public that I don’t know how I can begin to fulfill them even somewhat.”
In the revised version, Brahms suggested that he merely wanted to rid the piece of its “youthful exuberances,” writing “I didn’t provide it with a new wig, just combed and arranged its hair a little.” In reality, the original version is about a third longer than the revised version, with the second movement the only one that was not heavily revised with themes being rewritten and replaced.
About the Musicians:
Charissa Leung, native of San Jose, CA, is one of Nashville Symphony’s newest members, joining the ensemble’s 2nd violin section in the 2022-23 season. She has most recently performed at the Manchester Music Festival in 2021, received the String Quartet Fellowship at Madeline Island Chamber Music in the summers of 2018 and 2019, attended the Aspen Music Festival from 2013-2016, and made her solo debut with the Prometheus Symphony as the winner of the Khuner Concerto Competition in 2015. Charissa was featured at the Rome Chamber Music Festival in 2017 and 2018, and is a frequent guest artist at Hawaii Chamber Music Festival and Nashville Chamber Music Society. Charissa is passionate about teaching, whether it be giving group lessons at the elementary school in which she grew up, teaching underprivileged aspiring musicians online through a non-profit organization called Through the Staff, or more recently, maintaining a small studio of Yale undergraduates. She is currently on faculty at Covenant Conservatory teaching budding violinists and coaching adult chamber groups. Charissa began her violin studies at age 3 with the Suzuki method, and graduated from the McDuffie Center for Strings where she double majored in Violin Performance and French as a recipient of a four-year Presidential scholarship. In 2021, she completed her Master of Music degree under the tutelage of Syoko Aki and Tai Murray at Yale University. Charissa loves hiking, baking focaccia, and admiring cats from afar.
Cellist MaryGrace Bender is a performer, teacher, and believer in the beauty of music and the important impact it has on how we see the world. As a Suzuki teacher, she leads a studio of cellists in the Huntsville area and co-founded the Huntsville Suzuki Academy. MaryGrace founded the Nashville Chamber Music Society, which is a 501(c)(3) organization and performs regularly with NCMS in a variety of spaces for a variety of audiences. Bender recently taught at StringTime in DC, a festival for young musicians, and previously served as a faculty member and performer for Lincoln Center’s Restart Stages series for BridgeMusik in NYC. She regularly records in Nashville for scoring companies such as Sony, Bungee, Hulu, and Netflix, and enjoys coaching NashvilleCMS program chamber groups. She performed with the McDuffie Center for Strings in Carnegie Hall, as Young Artist for The Rome Chamber Music Festival in Italy, and recorded orchestrally under Philip Glass’s Orange Mountain Music label which The Wall Street Journal reviewed as, “impeccably polished.” MaryGrace’s studies include a master's degree from The Cleveland Institute of Music in Cello Performance and Suzuki Pedagogy, and an undergraduate degree from The Robert McDuffie Center for Strings at Mercer University. She spent summers at The National Repertory Orchestra, Meadowmount School of Music, Brevard Music Festival, Chautauqua Summer Institute, and the Aspen Music Festival and School as a New Horizon's fellow. Past influential teachers include Dr. Melissa Kraut, Hans Jørgen Jensen, Julie Albers, Dr. Felix Wang, and Anne Hall Williams. MaryGrace lives in Huntsville with her husband Blake, their son Charles. They have a loving dog named Cooper and two chickens, Juanice and Glenna.
Canadian-American pianist Brendan Jacklin is a performer, teacher, lecturer, and new music advocate. A special interest of his involves performing interdisciplinary and multimedia music, performing works with electronics, video, poetry, and dance. Brendan has presented at conferences across the USA, including topics on recording technology, performance practice, and pedagogy.
Brendan is a co-founder of A Seat at the Piano, an initiative to create a more equitably representative body of piano works, as well as Director of Programming for the Nashville Chamber Music Series. He currently serves as Assistant Professor of Piano at Fisk University. Brendan completed his D.M.A. at the University of Cincinnati, with cognates in piano pedagogy and multimedia music. He received his M.Mus from Bowling Green State University, and his B.Mus at Brandon University with minors in cello performance and history. Previous teachers and mentors include Awadagin Pratt, Michelle Conda, Thomas Rosenkranz, Megumi Masaki, and Leanne Zacaharias. Based in Nashville, TN with his family, when he is not doing any of the above, you can probably find Brendan running, baking, or reading. You can follow his baking at with Instagram (@brendanjacklin) or find upcoming concert and project details at www.brendanjacklin.com
Korean-Australian flutist Danielle Maeng pursues a multi-faceted career and has performed in notable venues across the United States. Growing up in Nashville, Danielle studied with Norma Rogers and Philip Dikeman as a Myra Jackson Scholar at the Blair School of Music of Vanderbilt University. She continued her studies in London at the prestigious Royal Academy of Music where she earned her Bachelor of Music degree. Furthering her education, Danielle studied in Paris, France at l’École Normale de Musique de Paris and subsequently obtained her Masters of Music at Yale University - School of Music.
She was a first prize winner in the Alexander & Buono International Flute Competition and gave her debut performance in Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in New York City. She has spent summers at the Brevard Music Center, Caroga Lake Music Festival and L’Académie Internationale d’Eté de Nice. This summer, she will be a Flute Fellow at the esteemed Classical Tahoe Academy. During the 22/23 season, Danielle was a Flute Fellow in TŌN (The Orchestra Now). Based in New York, TŌN comprises vibrant young performers from across the globe performing regularly at venues including Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center. Most recently, she was appointed flute faculty at Brevard Music Center’s Flute Seminar. Currently based in Nashville, Danielle performs regularly with the Nashville Chamber Music Society, an organization dedicated to promoting chamber music in and around Nashville; she is also a dedicated teacher, avid session musician, and frequently performs with various ensembles, including the Nashville Symphony.