Viridian Strings Presents: Freshwater Fantasies
June 13 | 6:00 PM Q+A with the Artists, 7:00 PM Show
Freshwater Fantasies celebrates lyricism, color, and imagination through three beloved chamber works inspired by song, landscape, and expressive freedom. Clara Schumann’s intimate Romances open the evening with warmth and elegance, followed by the expansive pastoral sweep of Vaughan Williams’ early piano quintet. After intermission, Schubert’s iconic “Trout” Quintet brings buoyant rhythms, radiant melodies, and virtuosic interplay—an ideal soundtrack for a Northern Michigan summer.
Performers
Nathan Meltzer, violin
Joe Skerik, viola
Kyle Stachnik, cello
Nina Bernat, bass
Umi Garrett, piano
Program
Clara Schumann – Three Romances, Op. 22
Ralph Vaughan Williams – Piano Quintet
~Intermission~
Franz Schubert – Piano Quintet in A Major, D. 667 “Trout”
Artist Bios
Nathan Meltzer, violin
Winner of the 2023 Concert Artists Guild Competition and a major prize winner at the Sibelius and Singapore International Violin Competitions, Nathan Meltzer is establishing a multifaceted international career as both a soloist and chamber musician. He has appeared with orchestras including the Philharmonia Orchestra, Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Helsinki Philharmonic, and Royal Northern Sinfonia. A graduate of the Juilliard School, where he studied with Itzhak Perlman and Li Lin, he is also the co-founder and Artistic Director of The Green Room Ensemble.
Joe Skerik, viola
Violist Joe Skerik has been a member of the Vega String Quartet since 2023, holding a permanently endowed residency with the Emory Chamber Music Society of Atlanta. He has appeared at venues including Carnegie Hall, Zankel Hall, and the National Gallery of Art, and regularly performs at international festivals such as Aspen, Ravinia, and Kronberg Academy. Joe serves on the faculty of Emory University and directs chamber music studies at Oxford College.
Kyle Stachnik, cello
Cellist Kyle Stachnik is Executive and Artistic Director of Viridian Strings and Professor of Cello at California State University, Sacramento. He is also Fourth Chair Cellist of the Santa Rosa Symphony and Assistant Principal Cellist of the Bay Philharmonic. A graduate of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, he maintains an active orchestral and chamber music career throughout Northern California and the Midwest.
Nina Bernat, double bass
American double bassist Nina Bernat is acclaimed for her expressive depth, technical precision, and redefinition of the double bass as a solo instrument. She was awarded the Avery Fisher Career Grant and First Prize at the Concert Artists Guild Elmaleh Competition in 2023 and has appeared as soloist with the Minnesota Orchestra. Nina is a member of CMS Lincoln Center’s Bowers Program and serves on the faculty of Stony Brook University.
Umi Garrett, piano
Pianist Umi Garrett is a highly sought-after collaborative artist and Young Steinway Artist. She has performed with orchestras including the Boston Symphony, Boston Pops, Hiroshima Symphony, and New Mexico Philharmonic. Umi was awarded the John Newmark Prize for Best Collaborative Pianist at the 2023 Montreal International Violin Competition. Umi has worked as a collaborative pianist and coach at the Yale School of Music and the Aaron Copland School of Music. During the summers, she is a Staff Collaborative Pianist for the Program for Piano and Strings at the Ravinia Steans Music Institute, under the leadership of Artistic Director Midori.
The Dennos Museum Center builds community, sparks conversation, and inspires change for audiences of all ages through its exhibitions, programs, and the collection and preservation of art.
Opened in 1991, the Dennos Museum Center at Northwestern Michigan College is a premier cultural facility in northern Michigan offering a dynamic array of exhibitions and programs in the visual arts, sciences, and performing arts. The Museum includes temporary exhibition and permanent collection galleries, an elegant sculpture court, and a hands-on Discovery Gallery. The permanent collection features regional, national, and international art from the 19th-21st centuries. The Milliken Auditorium hosts events and concerts with performers from around the world. Visit the Museum Store for great shopping, including a fine selection of Inuit art for collectors.
The Museum's signature collection is Inuit art of the Canadian Arctic, one of the largest and most historically complete collections of these distinctive sculptures and prints in the United States. A significant collection of outdoor sculptures by noted international and Michigan artists surrounds the Museum on the beautiful campus of Northwestern Michigan College. In 2000, the Dennos Museum Center was recognized by ArtServe Michigan with the Governor's Award for Arts and Culture. The Museum expanded its original building in 2018, adding new galleries and auditorium spaces with wide support from the community.
In 2021, the Dennos joined a network of more than 200 other Smithsonian Affiliates in the U.S., Puerto Rico, and Panama. Established in 1996, the affiliations program is designed to facilitate a two-way relationship among Smithsonian Affiliates and the Smithsonian to increase discovery and inspire lifelong learning in communities across America. Smithsonian Affiliates are collaborators on many of the Smithsonian’s strategic priorities, adding local content, context, and expertise to national initiatives to help tell a fuller story.
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