Makoto Nakura, marimbist
Barbara Podgurski, pianist
QNMF & Musica Reginae Present: Makoto Nakura, marimba
QNMF Kick-off Concert
Thursday, May 19, 2016, 8:00pm
The Church in the Gardens, Forest Hills, Queens
Musica Reginae Productions in collaboration with Random Access Music (RAM) present the kick-off event for the 5th Annual Queens Music Festival on Thursday evening, May 19th at 8pm. Featuring internationally-acclaimed artists Makoto Nakura, marimbist and Barbara Podgurski, pianist, this program shows the equal partnership of marimba and piano, the largest of the keyboard instruments. You will witness throughout the program that they sound like one unified instrument as well as they speak with their own individual voices. The program will feature works of Kevin Puts, Lane Harder, Philip Lasser and Benjamin C.S. Boyle. The world premiere of “Prelude and Fugue” by Lane Harder will be juxtaposed with two Preludes and Fugues of J.S. Bach. You will also hear the New York premiere of Benjamin C.S. Boyle’s Les bois du paradis, a most suitable piece to be played in Forest Hills. A number of the composers will be present to discuss their works. The concert will take place at The Church-in-the-Gardens, 50 Ascan Avenue, Forest Hills, NY. Reception to follow the event with an opportunity to meet the artists and composers.
Music to be heard on this evening:
Ritual Protocol for marimba and piano by Kevin Puts
Prelude and Fugue in C-sharp Major by J.S. Bach
Prelude and Fugue in D-flat Major* for solo marimba by Lane Harder
Prelude and Fugue in E-flat Minor for solo piano J.S. Bach
Prelude and Fugue in E-flat Minor for solo marimba by Lane Harder
Vocalise for marimba and piano by Philip Lasser
Les bois du paradis+ pour marimba et piano, Opus 27 by Benjamin C.S. Boyle
Joined by Barbara Podgurski, piano
*World premiere
+New York premiere
Makoto Nakura, marimba
Marimbist Makoto Nakura is a musician whose artistry and astonishing virtuosity has been mesmerizing audiences for several decades. In 1994, Makoto moved from his native Japan to New York City, becoming the first marimbist to win first prize in the prestigious Young Concert Artists International Auditions. His critically acclaimed performances around the world have included venues in London, Paris, Berlin, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Seoul, Montreal, Mexico City, Sao Paulo, and Buenos Aires.
In the U.S., he has performed for audiences in 41 of the 50 states, with orchestras such as the New York Chamber Symphony, the Chicago Sinfonietta and the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and, as a recital soloist, his long list of appearances includes Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall and Washington’s Kennedy Center. He has appeared as a guest artist with The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and appeared in many chamber music festivals. A television portrait of Mr. Nakura was shown on CBS News Sunday Morning throughout the U.S.
Mr. Nakura has established himself as a dedicated champion of the music of our time. Since he founded the ISGM New Music Commissioning Fund in 2001, numerous solos, concertos, chamber works, and interdisciplinary works have been commissioned from leading composers by the fund for him.
He has also been developing collaborative works with other art forms, such as a project with the American Ballet Theatre as well as ones with the spoken word, paintings and image projection.
Born in Kobe, Japan, Mr. Nakura began to play the marimba at the age of eight. He earned both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Musashino College in Tokyo and continued his studies at the Royal Academy of Music in London from which he was named an Associate.
His recent honors include a National Arts Festival New Artist Award from the Japanese Agency of Cultural Affairs, the Barocksaal Award from the Aoyama Music Foundation in Kyoto and the BMI/Carlos Surinach Fund Marimba Commission.
His latest CD “Bach Beat II” was released by Naxos Japan in April, 2016. The first installment of his Bach CD “Bach Beat” is available on the American Modern Recordings (AMR) label. His three other CDs from AMR (“Ritual Protocol”, “Triple Jump” and “Wood and Forest”) are devoted to works written especially for him.
Barbara Podgurski, piano
A native of New York, pianist Barbara Podgurski holds a DMA in piano performance from The Graduate Center (CUNY) as well as a BM in piano performance and an MM in both piano performance and music theory from the Mannes College of Music. Dr. Podgurski has performed as soloist and chamber musician throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, Caribbean and Europe and has performed at many of the world’s finest venues including a number of performances at Carnegie Hall. She has been featured in numerous television and radio broadcasts, including appearances on WQXR’s Young Artists Showcase, WNYC’s “Soundcheck”, NPR, WPLN Nashville’s “Live from Studio C”, WQED and numerous others. Ms. Podgurski was recently featured on a television documentary for NHK in Japan with her touring partner violinist Elizabeth Pitcairn and the famed “Red” Mendelssohn Stradivarius. Ms. Podgurski was a special guest in March 2015 performing for the National Association of Broadcasters at the 2015 Golden Mike Awards with Grammy-nominated violinist Jenny Oaks Baker. Past collaborations with renowned artists including violinists Philippe Graffin and the late Lorand Fenyves, flutist Harold Jones, clarinetist Charles Neidich, pianists Diane Walsh and Seymour Lipkin, and cellists Manfred Stilz, Marcy Rosen and the late Paul Tobias. Dr. Podgurski has premiered numerous new works including a commission of a concerto by Pulitzer-Prize winning composer George Walker which she premiered with the Queens Symphony Orchestra. Dr. Podgurski is currently the Executive and Artistic Director of Musica Reginae Productions in Queens, NY. She is also the Artistic Director of NIAM (the Nantucket Island Arts and Music Summer Festival). She is a member of the Lexington Piano Trio (with violinist Cyrus Beroukhim and cellist Arash Amini) as well as the Barbad Chamber Orchestra and Ensemble based in Astoria, Queens. A former faculty member at The Mannes College of Music and Hunter College, she is currently on the faculty of Mercy College, the RiverArts Music Program in Hudson Valley, and is a consultant for the Board of Education for both New York City and State. By invitation in 2014, Dr. Podgurski became a Steinway Teaching Artist.
