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See the Palisades Virtuosi in performance
The Palisades Virtuosi has been delighting audiences throughout the northeast for over seven years. In their performances, flutist Margaret Swinchoski, clarinetist Donald Mokrynski and pianist Ron Levy combine standard repertoire with newly commissioned works, all performed with virtuosic and passionate flair.As of the 2008-2009 season, the organization has commissioned new works from Seymour Barab, Dan Cooper, Gary Eskow, Eric Ewazen, Randall Faust, Carlos Franzetti, Aaron Grad, Matt Halper, Amanda Harberg, Dick Hyman, Sunbin Kim, John Lampkin, Richard Lane, Frank Ezra Levy, Robert Manno, Ben Model, Caroline Newman, Brian Schober, Godfrey Schroth, Paul Mack Somers, Allen Shawn, Joseph Turrin, Melinda Wagner and Gwyneth Walker. In addition, they have commissioned arrangements or transcriptions of existing works from Matthew Baier and Michael Colina, as well as having been gifted with works by Ron Levy, David Messer and Fred Messner. Composers commissioned for 2009-2010 include young composer, Ryan Francis, Pulitzer-Prize-winning composer, Paul Moravec, Raymond Wojcik and Steve Perillo.
They have presented concerts at many important venues throughout the Northeast, including The National Flute Association (NYC), Lincoln Center Library (NYC), The New York Flute Club (NYC), Troy Music Hall (Troy, NY), Abendmusik in Morristown (NJ), Southern Vermont Arts Center (Manchester, VT), and in New Jersey at the 342-year-old First Presbyterian Church in Elizabeth, the First Presbyterian Church of Englewood, and the Unitarian Society of Ridgewood, where they present their annual subscription concert series. They have also presented concerts for the Morning Music Club of Pearl River (NY), the Crossroads Arts Council (Rutland, VT) Music at Noon in Morristown (NJ) Rossmoor Music Association of Monroe Township, (NJ), the First Night celebrations in both Mannasquan and Ridgewood, (NJ) and the Livingston (NJ) Music and Bronxville Womens' Club.
Volumes One and Two of their New American Masters CD series have been released by Albany Records to critical acclaim and feature works by Aaron Grad, Robert Manno, Dan Cooper, Richard Lane, Paul Mack Somers, Godfrey Schroth and John Lampkin (Vol.1) and by Allen Shawn, Carlos Franzetti, Gary Eskow, Ben Model, Caroline Newman and Frank Ezra Levy. They were awarded a substantial grant from the Argosy Foundation Contemporary Music Fund to assist in the production of Volume Two of this series. Both of these albums have received rave reviews from such publications as Fanfare Magazine, American Record Guide and Living Music Journal. They are at work recording Volumes 3 & 4 of this series. They have also released a CD on High Point Records - Palisades Virtuosi in Recital, which includes music of Ernest Bloch, Phillipe Gaubert, Debussy, Scriabin, Saint-Saens and Franz Danzi.
The Palisades Virtuosi, Inc is a 501(c)(3) organization that was established to promote and enrich the repertoire for flute, clarinet and piano.
The artists of the Palisades Virtuosi are Margaret Swinchoski, flute, Donald Mokrynski, clarinet and Ron Levy, piano.
Margaret Swinchoski, flutist, began her musical studies at the age of nine in Vermont. She graduated with degrees and high honors both in Performing Arts and Music Education from Johnson State College, Johnson, Vermont. She received her Master of Arts degree from Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College. Ms. Swinchoski was a featured soloist at the National Flute Association Convention in the World Premiere of Leo Kraft’s “From The Hudson Valley”, recently premiered Richard Lane’s Flute Concerto with the Adelphi Chamber Orchestra and has appeared as a concerto soloist with many other orchestras. She was presented in her debut recital by Artists International at Carnegie's Weill Recital Hall. She has served as principal flutist with the Westchester and Harrisburg Symphony Orchestras, and travels to Ohio each summer to play principal flute with the Lancaster Festival Orchestra. She was recently honored with a 2007 Outstanding Alumni Award from her alma mater in Vermont. Her solo debut CD “From The Hudson Valley” was released by Albany Records in 2000 and garnered rave reviews from “Fanfare” magazine and “American Record Guide”. Ms. Swinchoski can also be heard on the Newport Classics, CRI and High Point labels. She is a founding member of the Palisades Virtuosi. Ms. Swinchoski performs on a Powell flute.
Donald Mokrynski, clarinetist, is a native to metropolitan New York and has played with many of the area’s finest ensembles. He was principal clarinetist with the national tour of “Phantom of the Opera” and with “The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber” starring Michael Crawford. Mr. Mokrynski has also performed with the New Jersey Symphony, Albany Symphony, the New Haven Symphony, Solisti New York, and Orchestra New England, as well as the Jersey Lyric, New Haven and Connecticut Grand Opera Companies. An avid chamber musician, he has performed with members of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and is a founding member of the Palisades Virtuosi. Graduating with honors from the Eastman School of Music and completing a master’s degree from the Juilliard School, Mr. Mokrynski has also attended the music festivals of Aspen, Waterloo and Heidelberg and has recorded for Koch International, Soundstream and Elektra records. He is on the faculties of the Ridgewood Conservatory and the Bergen Education Center of Music & Art. Mr. Mokrynski performs on a Buffet R-13 clarinet.
Ron Levy, internationally acclaimed pianist, has been called "first-class" by the New York Times. He regularly appears as a soloist, and in partnership with many of the world's leading singers and instrumentalists. A graduate of Oberlin, Mr. Levy is a founding member of the Hudson Trio, Kaleidoscope, the New World Trio, the Manchester Chamber Players, the Breucklen Trio and the award-winning Palisades Virtuosi; he has been pianist and harpsichordist of the Oberlin Orchestra, the Adelphi Chamber Orchestra, the New Jersey and North Jersey Philharmonics, the Westchester Symphony, and the Albany Symphony. Presently he is Associate Artist with the All Seasons Chamber Players, and is the pianist of the Orpheus Men's Chorus. For over 20 years, Mr. Levy was associated with the Manchester (VT) Music Festival, of which he was a faculty and Board member. While living in Vermont, he was Music Director & Conductor of the Opera Theatre in Weston, and impresario of the "Third Saturday" chamber music series at the historic Equinox Hotel, as well as the "Music on the Hill" series at the Southern Vermont Art Center. A champion of new music, he has been the recipient of a considerable number of works written for him by prominent composers. Mr. Levy has taught at numerous colleges, and is currently an instructor at Montclair State University, Kean University and the Ridgewood Conservatory; he maintains an active and on-going affiliation with the Manhattan School of Music, Juilliard, and NJ PAC. Recently, Mr. Levy conceived two "mini-festivals," one based on music inspired by the "Ondine" myth, the other on works by "Les Six," which were presented by the NY Public Library at Lincoln Center in 2006 & 2007. In 2008 Mr. Levy played in St. Petersburg, Russia, and at the venerable Stratford (CA) Summer Music Festival (with Palisades Virtuosi). A two-term President of the Professional Music Teachers' Guild of NJ, he is a contributing editor to BIM Music Publications, Switzerland. Recordings by Mr. Levy are available on the Albany, Centaur, Eroica, Koch International, MMF and High Point labels.
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