Talented musicians Joseph Morag, violin and Yong Murray, piano will be performing at Faculty House on Wednesday February 24, 2016 at noon.
Program
Brahms: Sonata No. 2 in A Major for Piano and Violin, Op. 100
I. Allegro amabile
II. Andante tranquillo
III. Allegretto grazioso
Prokofiev: Sonata No. 1 in F minor for Violin and Piano, Op. 80
I. Andante assai
II. Allegro brusco
III. Andante
IV. Allegrissimo - Andante assai, come prima
BIOGRAPHIES
Joseph Morag, acclaimed by the New York Times for his "gorgeous tone," has performed extensively as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral violinist. He is currently a student of Aaron Rosand, under the prestigious Dolan Prize awarded by Columbia University. He spent his early years under the tutelage of Anna Pelekh, who was a student of David Oistrakh and Pyotr Stolyarsky. Most recently, Joseph served as concertmaster of the National Orchestral Institute during it’s groundbreaking recording of John Corigliano’s First Symphony with Naxos. He also led the inaugural orchestra of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra institute, in addition to appearing with the orchestra as soloist under the baton of Bramwell Tovey. During the regular season, Joseph serves as the concertmaster of the Columbia University Orchestra, as well as New York Youth Symphony.
Joseph has given performances at all of the major concert venues of New York City, including Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, the New York City Opera Theater, Alice Tully Hall, Merkin Concert Hall, the National Arts Club, and the New York Historical Society, as well as the Kennedy center in Washington DC. Internationally, he has performed in the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory, the Mariinsky Theater, Royal Albert Hall, Svetlanovsky Hall, and the Grand Palais. In April, he was the first soloist ever to appear in Alice Tully Hall with the Columbia University Orchestra, under the baton of Maestro Jeffrey Milarsky.
In 2010, Joseph was awarded a Gold Medal by the American Association for Development of the Gifted and Talented and a recital debut at Weil Hall. Most recently, Joseph received first prize at the New York Chamber Orchestra Concerto Competition and performed the Brahms Violin Concerto with the Chamber Orchestra as well as the Bergen Philharmonic, under Maestri Giacomo Franci and David Gilbert. Joseph was also selected as the first soloist ever to appear with the newly formed Empire Chamber Orchestra of New York, performing the Mozart Violin Concerto No. 4, under the baton of David Bousso, and was invited back to perform the Beethoven Violin Concerto. As a member of the Apophis Quintet, he performed at the opening of the Ship of Tolerance Exhibition in Moscow and New York, as well as at the opening of the Monumenta Exhibition at the Grand Palais in Paris, appearing in a duet with the famed violinist and conductor, Dmitri Sitkovetsky.
Joseph was a member of the first National Youth Orchestra of America under Valery Gergiev, and has appeared at Bowdoin International Music Festival, New Virtuosi Violin Mastercourse, Salzburg Music Festival, and the Summit Music Festival. Having graduated from Laguardia High School as Valedictorian, Joseph currently pursues his academic studies at Columbia University, majoring in both music and physics.
Yong Murray is a third-year math major at Columbia College. He currently studies with Alexandre Moutouzkine and previously was a student under Choong Mo Kang and Ya-Fei Chuang. In past summers Yong has attended the Aspen, Orford, and Euro Music Festivals as well as the International Summer Academy of the Salzburg Mozarteum. He was recently awarded an honorable mention at the 2015 Thousand Islands International Piano Competition and was a 1st prize winner of the 2015 Rondo Forma Competition. In 2013, Yong was a national finalist in the Music Teachers National Association Competition. In addition to past performances in Canada, London, Germany, and Hungary, Yong also performs regularly at nursing homes in the Boston area. He is a recipient of the Rapaport and Dolan Prizes from Columbia University.
