The ventures of Debussy and Ravel into impressionism and the responsive compositional output from Les Six produced a flowering of innovative and compelling wind music.
The clarinet chapter of 20th century French music is saturated with tonal nuance and trademark French lyricism at their finest. In addition to the well-known nonpareils composed by Debussy, Poulenc, Messiaen, and Ravel, there is a vast underground of forgotten gems by lesser known masters: Bozza, Cahuzac, and Pierné. While these latter pieces are mainstays of the clarinet repertoire, they are largely unknown by wider audiences. Clarinetist Sam Boutris and pianist Marina Iwao will provide a fresh look at these unjustifiably unheralded treasures. Commentary by Michael J. Gilligan.
Reservations: 212-998-8750 or maison.francaise@nyu.edu
Tickets:
$20 General Admission
$10 Students with ID
Sam Boutris
Clarinetist Sam Boutris’ nuanced and genuine performances balance artistic originality with elegant interpretations that engage both audiences and critics alike. He regularly performs as a concerto soloist, recitalist and chamber musician, collaborating with an eminent array of renowned conductors and colleagues.
Mr. Boutris’ 2017-2018 season performances include concerto engagements at the Vermont Mozart Festival, and with the Yale Chamber Orchestra (Mozart Clarinet Concerto), a live broadcast solo recital appearance on WQXR’s Midday Master Series, solo recitals at Brooklyn Center for the Arts, Lincoln Centers’ Paul Hall and Wilson Theater, and the Harvard Club of New York. Boutris is also collaborating on chamber music recitals on the New York Piano Society at Carnegie Hall, and the Vermont Mozart Festival winter series at the Burlington Country Club in Burlington, VT. A series of guest masterclasses and recitals at universities along the east coast is planned throughout the calendar year, including events at SUNY Fredonia and Ithaca College, among others.
Mr. Boutris habitually contrasts the standard clarinet literature with his own adaptations of violin, piano, and vocal repertoire, which he incorporates generously into his programs.
A native of Fort Worth, Texas, Boutris began his orchestral studies as a member of the Fort Worth Youth Symphony. Since then, Boutris has been a member of the Curtis Symphony and Yale Philharmonia and has performed many concerts in collaboration with musicians from America’s top orchestras, allowing him to engage with orchestral musicianship of the highest level. He has rehearsed and performed under the baton of many renowned conductors including Charles Dutoit, Yannick Nezet-Seguin, and Giancarlo Guerrero, among others. Boutris has made appearances as soloist with orchestras across the nation, and has also participated in a number of music festivals across the globe spanning from Dresden’s annual music festival to Carnegie Hall’s famed New York String Orchestra Seminar. Boutris has been a member of the Lake George Music Festival Symphony Orchestra since 2015. These collaborations and others have lent Boutris the opportunity to perform in close quarters with world-class artists including Joseph Silverstein, Roberto Diaz, and Noah Bendix-Balgley.
Starting in the fall of 2017, Boutris took a position in the prestigious Artist Diploma program at the Juilliard School in New York. He also holds degrees from Yale University and the Curtis Institute of Music.
Marina Iwao
Japanese born pianist Marina Iwao has appeared on concert stages throughout Japan and the United States as a soloist and collaborative pianist. Performing regular recitals in Boston, New York and Japan, Marina has performed at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Merkin Concert Hall, and Acros Fukuoka Symphony Hall in Japan.
This past summer, Marina was named a collaborative piano fellow at Music Academy of the West. The following fall, she performed the Schumann Piano Quintet with the Quatuor Debussy at Fukuoka Symphony Hall in Japan. She was a collaborative piano fellow at Bowdoin International Music Festival in 2017. She has been featured on WQXR’s McGraw Hill Young Artists Showcase with cellist Mina Kim, performing Lucas Foss’s Capriccio.
As a soloist, she was the first prize winner of the 2015 Bradshaw and Buono International Piano Competition and was invited to perform at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall. Marina also won the Solo con Tutti concerto competition, performing Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 1 as a soloist with the Alliance Ohio Symphony Orchestra. She has also attended the Bowdoin International Music Festival in Maine, as well as the International Keyboard Institute Festival in New York.
Marina holds a Professional Studies Diploma in Piano Performance from Mannes College the New School for Music in New York, as well as an undergraduate diploma from Longy School of Music and Bachelor of Music from Emerson College. Her principal teachers were Maira Liliested, Wayman Chin, Victor Rosenbaum, Miyuki Hirakawa in solo piano, Diane Walsh, Marco Granados and Terry King in chamber music.
Currently based in New York City, she is pursuing a Master’s degree in collaborative piano at The Juilliard School studying under Jonathan Feldman, and she is a staff pianist at the School for Strings, Kaufmann Music Center, Mannes College the New School for Music, and the Juilliard School.