Photo by Jay Mallin
On Wednesday May 3 at 7:00 p.m., St. Mary’s College of MD music faculty members José Cueto, violinist, Amy Smith, cellist and Brian Ganz, pianist will perform their final concert of the season, a program of two great trios for piano, violin and cello, Beethoven’s Trio Op. 1, No. 1 in E-flat major and Chopin’s Trio in G minor.
The concert, which will take place in the Main Auditorium of the new Performing Arts Center on the St. Mary’s College of Maryland college campus, is free and open to the public.
For more information call (240) 895-4498 or visit Chamber Concert: Ganz, Cueto, Smith | St. Marys College of Maryland (smcm.edu)
“There is something about playing trios that is unlike any other form of music making,” pianist Ganz said recently. “I have always loved the wide range of emotions that three musicians allows, from extremely intimate conversation to very powerful synergy. And the repertoire is spectacular! Beethoven began his career as a published composer with three of the greatest piano trios ever composed. It is absolutely astounding that his Op. 1, No. 1 trio is the mature masterpiece that it is. And Chopin’s Trio in G minor is also amazing, as he composed it at the age of 18. How wonderful that some of our first year students will be hearing music composed by their peer!”
Maryland based Cellist, Amy Stennett Smith, has performed in a wide range of venues from Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry to Washington D.C’s Kennedy Center. Other notable performances include A Christmas Carol at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center. Amy received a Bachelor of Music from The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. and a Masters of Music from Belmont University in Nashville, TN. During her time in Nashville, Amy had the opportunity to perform with many diverse artists, such as Grammy award winning artist Kirk Franklin, Tony nominated artist Laura Bell Bundy, Country Music Hall of Fame artist Ricky Skaggs, and Grammy award winning artist Trisha Yearwood. Since returning to Maryland, Amy can be seen playing at Shirlington’s Tony award winning Signature Theatre, and with numerous chamber groups in the Greater D.C. area. Outside of performing, Amy is the adjunct cello professor at St. Mary’s College of Maryland and has an active and growing private studio, allowing her to pass on her love of performing to the next generation.
Recognized for the beauty of his tone, violinist José Cueto performs worldwide as chamber musician and guest soloist with orchestras. His recordings with orchestra include Gladness of Heart, performing the Menotti Violin Concerto with Concert Artists of Baltimore conducted by Edward Polochick (Sonora Label) and Two Italian Violin concerti-featuring violin concertos by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco and Ottorino Respighi, with Vladimir Lande conducting the St. Petersburg Symphony Orchestra of Russia (Marquis label).
The album includes the premiere of Cueto’s violin solo and string orchestra arrangement of the song La rosa y el sauce (The Rose and the Willow Tree) by Carlos Guastavino. A featured guest artist in major music festivals in North America, Puerto Rico, France and Italy, he has toured in Hungary, Slovakia, China, the Czech Republic, Italy and Russia. Mr. Cueto is Concert Master of the Maryland Lyric Opera Orchestra and the Chesapeake Festival Orchestra. He served as Concert Artists of Baltimore orchestra’s concertmaster from the beginning of its creation until the recent demise of the organization in 2019. José Cueto holds degrees from the Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music and BM and MM in violin performance from the Peabody Conservatory at the Johns Hopkins University.
He plays a 1920 Stefano Scarampella, and a 2006 Luiz Bellini violin. Mr. Cueto is on the violin faculty at the Catholic University of America and at St. Mary’s College of Maryland, where he has also served as Artist in Residence and Chair of Strings. He has taught for the Road’s Scholar program at Johns Hopkins University Peabody Institute. He serves on the Advisory Committee of the Center for Latin American Studies at CUA.
Pianist Brian Ganz has appeared as soloist with such orchestras as the St. Petersburg Philharmonic, the National Philharmonic, the Baltimore and the National Symphonies, the City of London Sinfonia, and L’Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte Carlo. He has performed in many of the world’s major concert halls and has played under the baton of such conductors as Leonard Slatkin, Mstislav Rostropovich, Pinchas Zukerman, Jerzy Semkow and Yoel Levi. A critic for La Libre Belgique wrote of Ganz’s work: “We don’t have the words to speak of this fabulous musician who lives music with a generous urgency and brings his public into a state of intense joy.”
Photo by Jay Mallin
