SCC Chamber Series Presents the Southampton Cultural Center Chamber Players

The SCC Chamber Players will perform the complete Brahms sonatas for violin and piano.

Marc Levine, violin
Ling Ju Lai, Piano

$ 20 general admission; $ 10 seniors and students

The Complete Brahms Sonatas for Violin and Piano
Marc Levine, violin and Ling-Ju Lai, piano present the complete sonatas for Violin and Piano by Johannes Brahms. Written later in his life, these three sonatas exemplify Brahms mastery of romantic lyricism. This concert promises a lush afternoon of beautiful melodies and exciting virtuosity from these young dynamic musicians.

Marc Levine's (violin) versatile performances have been described as "eloquent as well as technically superb combining technical mastery with emotional perceptiveness and beautiful sound" (Southampton Press). He is Artistic Director of the Southampton Cultural Center Chamber Music Series, has performed extensively in notable venues including Carnegie Hall and Symphony Space and has been a member of notable groups including the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble and the YouTube Symphony Orchestra. As a baroque violinist, Marc was a prizewinner in the 2008 American Bach Soloists International Competition for Baroque Violin and has performed with many top baroque ensembles including Concert Royal, Dallas Bach Society, the Aulos Ensemble and Early Music New York, a group with which he recently recorded on the Ex Cathedra label. Marc is a founding member of the baroque ensemble Flying Forms, known for innovative, interdisciplinary performances and considered "names to watch" (Berkshire Review for the Arts) and "the bright future of early music" (Arthur Haas, harpsichord).
Marc holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Stony Brook University and Master and Bachelor of Music degrees from Indiana University. His teachers include Pamela Frank, Ani Kavafian and Franco Gulli. On baroque violin, Marc has played in master class or studied privately with: Cynthia Roberts, Monica Huggett, Robert Mealy, Dana Maiben, Marc Destrube, Michael Sand and Elizabeth Blumenstock.

Ling-Ju Lai, a concert pianist and harpsichordist, has garnered consistent favorable reviews with her creative interpretation of Baroque keyboard music, particularly The Complete Bach Partitas. The Baltimore Sun writes, “The depth of the sound sinks in with startling poignancy as Ling-Ju Lai lets the notes linger long in the air . . . a moment of musical insight to savor.”

In spring of 2009, she performed two significant projects at The University of Michigan, The Complete Six Partitas by J.S. Bach and The Complete Ten Sonatas for Piano and Violin by Beethoven. Following the success of these two projects, Ms. Lai in the fall appeared as the Featured Soloist at Ann Arbor Camerata. She opens its 2009-2010 season with The Complete Bach Partitas and will perform extensively with the Ann Arbor Camerata throughout the season as a chamber player.

This winter Ms. Lai also made her first appearance as the Artist in Residence at Utah Valley University with recital and concerto performances engagements.The UVU Newsrooms writes, “The opportunity to hear a solo harpsichord recital with an artist of Ling-Ju Lai’s caliber is extremely rare. Often even musicians are not aware of the expressive power that the instrument has in the hands of the right performer. Ling-Ju Lai’s playing will transform the way you hear the harpsichord.”

Over the years, Ms. Lai has appeared in major music festivals and competitions in Europe and in her native Taiwan. For example, she performed in the Vlaanderen Festival in Bruges, the Bach festival in Leipzig, the SEHKS festival in Florida, American Romanian Festival, the International J.S. Bach Competition, and the 25th William Kapell International Piano Competition. She was named the "Rising Star” by two of Taiwan’s most prestigious performance organizations: the National Taiwan Concert Hall and the National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra.

Ms. Lai holds graduate degrees in piano and harpsichord performance from The University of Michigan and The Eastman School of Music, where she was awarded the Performer's Certificate for her excellence in performance. Her principal teachers included acclaimed musicians such as Logan Skelton, Edward Parmentier, Arthur Haas, Penelope Crawford, Dickran Atamian and Thomas Schumacher.