GUEST ARTISTS
DANIEL LAU
PIANO
Pianist Daniel Lau has received enthusiastic press notices for both his solo and chamber performances. The Washington Post praised his "exemplary artistry;" the Baltimore Sun noted "Lau's beautifully shaded playing;" the Intelligencer Journal (Lancaster, PA) lauded his "flair, great technical proficiency and expressiveness;" and La Liberte (Fribourg, Switzerland) cited "playful nuances, translucent phrasing, and miraculous sonorities."
He has appeared in recitals and with orchestras throughout North America and Europe. In recent years, he has soloed with the Loudoun Symphony Orchestra, the Snow Pond Symphony, the Port City Chamber Orchestra, and the Oakville Chamber Orchestra where the Ontario Arts Review stated, "Daniel Lau is a superb pianist whose dexterity, focus and concentration are not spoiled with histrionics or over-dramatization." He collaborates frequently with singers internationally and is a sought-after chamber musician. With soprano Sabrina Coleman Clark, he has performed a multimedia show, "Marian Anderson - A Legacy of Hope," to thousands of school children. He performs frequently with Camerata Philadelphia, the Port City Music Festival Players, and is a founding member of the Ravel Trio praised recently by the Swiss Journal du Jura, "Splendid interpretation, vigorous and nuanced playing."
He has released half a dozen recordings with a variety of artists, including a CD with award winning engineer Marc Arbort and a self-produced solo CD "Transcendent Colors." With a special interest in Asian American and African American composers, Lau is committed to the performance of living composers. He has premiered many solo and chamber music works and can be heard on a number of recordings of works by contemporary living composers.
A versatile pianist, violinist and conductor, Daniel has served as Music Director for performances of Manon, Amahl and the Night Visitors, The Merry Widow, and The Magic Flute, among others. Lau attended Loma Linda University, where he served as concertmaster of the orchestra and 1st violinist of the LLU String Quartet. Graduating with a Bachelor of Music Degree in Piano Performance - high honors, he won the coveted Dean's Award. He then attended the Peabody Conservatory of Music, becoming a member of the Pi Kappa Lambda honorary society while earning masters and doctoral degrees. His major teachers include Lillian Freundlich, Anita Norskov Olsen, Samuel Sanders, and Jerome Lowenthal.
Dr. Lau is a dedicated educator of music and has given masterclasses and clinics throughout the United States. He serves as Vice President for Student Activities and chairs the Spring Festival: Piano Ensemble event for the Maryland State Music Teachers Association. He has taught at the Pennsylvania Academy of Music, Notre Dame of Maryland University, and was recently named Chair of the Department of Music at Washington Adventist University.
Daniel resides in Baltimore, MD with his wife - mezzo-soprano Kyle Engler, daughter - Channing, greyhound - Comet, and cats - Creamsicle and Moxie.
He has appeared in recitals and with orchestras throughout North America and Europe. In recent years, he has soloed with the Loudoun Symphony Orchestra, the Snow Pond Symphony, the Port City Chamber Orchestra, and the Oakville Chamber Orchestra where the Ontario Arts Review stated, "Daniel Lau is a superb pianist whose dexterity, focus and concentration are not spoiled with histrionics or over-dramatization." He collaborates frequently with singers internationally and is a sought-after chamber musician. With soprano Sabrina Coleman Clark, he has performed a multimedia show, "Marian Anderson - A Legacy of Hope," to thousands of school children. He performs frequently with Camerata Philadelphia, the Port City Music Festival Players, and is a founding member of the Ravel Trio praised recently by the Swiss Journal du Jura, "Splendid interpretation, vigorous and nuanced playing."
He has released half a dozen recordings with a variety of artists, including a CD with award winning engineer Marc Arbort and a self-produced solo CD "Transcendent Colors." With a special interest in Asian American and African American composers, Lau is committed to the performance of living composers. He has premiered many solo and chamber music works and can be heard on a number of recordings of works by contemporary living composers.
A versatile pianist, violinist and conductor, Daniel has served as Music Director for performances of Manon, Amahl and the Night Visitors, The Merry Widow, and The Magic Flute, among others. Lau attended Loma Linda University, where he served as concertmaster of the orchestra and 1st violinist of the LLU String Quartet. Graduating with a Bachelor of Music Degree in Piano Performance - high honors, he won the coveted Dean's Award. He then attended the Peabody Conservatory of Music, becoming a member of the Pi Kappa Lambda honorary society while earning masters and doctoral degrees. His major teachers include Lillian Freundlich, Anita Norskov Olsen, Samuel Sanders, and Jerome Lowenthal.
Dr. Lau is a dedicated educator of music and has given masterclasses and clinics throughout the United States. He serves as Vice President for Student Activities and chairs the Spring Festival: Piano Ensemble event for the Maryland State Music Teachers Association. He has taught at the Pennsylvania Academy of Music, Notre Dame of Maryland University, and was recently named Chair of the Department of Music at Washington Adventist University.
Daniel resides in Baltimore, MD with his wife - mezzo-soprano Kyle Engler, daughter - Channing, greyhound - Comet, and cats - Creamsicle and Moxie.
JIMMY GILMORE
CLARINET
JIMMY GILMORE, clarinet, is a native of Dallas, Texas and Principal Clarinetist (ret.) of the North Carolina Symphony. He holds a Bachelor’s degree from the Eastman School of Music and a Master of Science degree from the Juilliard School of Music. Mr. Gilmore was formerly a member of the Rochester Philharmonic and the U.S. Military Academy Band at West Point. A faculty member of Duke University and Meredith College, Mr. Gilmore has made numerous appearances as a soloist and recitalist throughout the Southeast. In addition, he has appeared many times as a concerto soloist with the North Carolina Symphony. In March of 2017 he performed the Copland Clarinet Concerto with Duke Symphony Orchestra.
Mr. Gilmore is very active in the Raleigh music community, performing regularly with North Carolina Ballet and other leading arts organizations. He serves as Assistant Executive Director of the North Carolina Chamber Music Institute (NCCMI), reflecting his dedication to young people and chamber music. He is a founding member of the ensemble, AURORA MUSICALIS and has performed in many recitals in the Carolinas.
Mr. Gilmore is also a published writer. His articles have appeared in Opus Magazine, The State Magazine, The Spectator and Clarinet Work. In 1989 his one act play, The Picture Album, won second prize in the Wachovia Playwrights Competition, a state-wide contest.
Mr. Gilmore is very active in the Raleigh music community, performing regularly with North Carolina Ballet and other leading arts organizations. He serves as Assistant Executive Director of the North Carolina Chamber Music Institute (NCCMI), reflecting his dedication to young people and chamber music. He is a founding member of the ensemble, AURORA MUSICALIS and has performed in many recitals in the Carolinas.
Mr. Gilmore is also a published writer. His articles have appeared in Opus Magazine, The State Magazine, The Spectator and Clarinet Work. In 1989 his one act play, The Picture Album, won second prize in the Wachovia Playwrights Competition, a state-wide contest.
CHARLES WOODWARD
PIANO
Known in the Hampton Roads community as a pianist and choral conductor, Charles Woodward has served as choral director at the Governor's School for the Arts. He is the Music Director of Ohef Sholom Temple where, in 2012, he celebrated his thirtieth anniversary, and of Saint Paul's Episcopal Church, Norfolk, where he conducts the church's annual Christmas presentation of the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, broadcast by WHRO-FM.
As a pianist, Mr. Woodward is a frequent collaborator in both vocal and instrumental chamber concerts, having performed with the Virginia Arts Festival, Virginia Chamber Players, Virginia Symphony Orchestra, I. Sherman Greene Chorale, Art Song of Williamsburg, and the Norfolk Chamber Consort; at The Phillips Collection (Washington, D.C.), Jordan Hall (Boston), and the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival and in Germany and Italy. In April 2011, he served as Principal Coach for the premiere of Ricky Ian Gordon's Rappahannock County, a music theater work co-commissioned by the Virginia Opera and Virginia Arts Festival. Mr. Woodward's performances have been heard on American Public Media's Performance Today.
A graduate of Northwestern University, Charles Woodward has served on the adjunct music faculties of The College of William and Mary, Old Dominion University, and Christopher Newport University.
As a pianist, Mr. Woodward is a frequent collaborator in both vocal and instrumental chamber concerts, having performed with the Virginia Arts Festival, Virginia Chamber Players, Virginia Symphony Orchestra, I. Sherman Greene Chorale, Art Song of Williamsburg, and the Norfolk Chamber Consort; at The Phillips Collection (Washington, D.C.), Jordan Hall (Boston), and the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival and in Germany and Italy. In April 2011, he served as Principal Coach for the premiere of Ricky Ian Gordon's Rappahannock County, a music theater work co-commissioned by the Virginia Opera and Virginia Arts Festival. Mr. Woodward's performances have been heard on American Public Media's Performance Today.
A graduate of Northwestern University, Charles Woodward has served on the adjunct music faculties of The College of William and Mary, Old Dominion University, and Christopher Newport University.