Nazareth College Department of Music presents "Project Ludwig: The Piano and Cello Sonatas of Beethoven"

ROCHESTER, NY (01/02/2013)(readMedia)-- The Nazareth College Department of Music presents "Project Ludwig: The Piano and Cello Sonatas of Beethoven," a collaboration between pianist Elinor Freer and cellist Mimi Hwang. The musicians will perform all five of Beethoven's sonatas for piano and cello over two concerts beginning in January and continuing in March.

"While one often hears a single work of a composer on a program, Project Ludwig provides a unique opportunity for audiences to follow the span of Beethoven's musical life," Hwang explains. "One will hear how the works are similar and related to each other, but also very different."

Freer and Hwang have performed as a duo and in a number of chamber music groups throughout Rochester. Their biographies are attached.

About Elinor Freer

Pianist Elinor Freer has built a versatile career as soloist and chamber musician, performing across the United States, Europe, and China. In Europe, Ms. Freer has given multiple performances at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam and appeared at the Valery Gergiev Festival in Rotterdam. Other highlights include recordings for Dutch radio, performances at the International Musicians' Seminar in Prussia Cove, England, concerts at Moscow's Gnessin Institute, and two tours of China. Ms. Freer has been featured as soloist with numerous orchestras and at festivals including Summer Music in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; the Festival de Música de Cámera in Mexico; the Bowdoin Music Festival; the Lake Winnipesaukee Music Festival; and Music in the Vineyards in Napa Valley, California. Ms. Freer has been a laureate and prizewinner in such competitions as the Joanna Hodges International Competition and the American Pianists Association, and has held piano fellowships at the Tanglewood Music Center and the Ravinia Festival's Steans Institute. She holds degrees with honors from the Cleveland Institute of Music and the University of Southern California, and was awarded a Performer's Diploma from the Hogeschool voor de Kunsten Utrecht in the Netherlands. Ms. Freer serves on the faculty of the Eastman School of Music, and has recorded for Cedille Records. Together with her husband, cellist David Ying, she serves as Co-Artistic Director of the Skaneateles Festival in Central New York. In 2008, Ms. Freer and Mr. Ying were awarded an ASCAP/CMA Special Recognition Award for Adventurous Programming, recognizing their work with the festival.

About Mimi Hwang

The daughter of Chinese immigrants, cellist Mimi Hwang was born and raised in Los Angeles. She was a founding member of the Franciscan String Quartet, First Prize winner of the Banff International String Quartet Competition, and top prize winner of the Evian International String Quartet Competition. The Quartet performed in concert halls throughout North America, Europe, and Asia, including Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, and Casals Hall in Tokyo. The Quartet held the position of Wardwell Fellows at the Yale School of Music and was Quartet-in-Residence at the Hopkins Center at Dartmouth College, where Ms. Hwang was on the faculty of the Department of Music. She has recorded for Verdi Records, and was a member of the Peabody Trio, winners of the Naumberg Chamber Music Award. As a soloist, Ms. Hwang has performed with the Beijing Philharmonic, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the San Francisco Chamber Orchestra. She holds degrees from the New England Conservatory and the San Francisco Conservatory. Ms. Hwang is currently an Assistant Professor of Chamber Music at the Eastman School of Music, Lecturer of Music at Nazareth College, and a founding member of the Amenda Quartet. She is also Co-Artistic Director of Yellow Barn Music School and Festival's Young Artists Program, a three-week summer chamber music program for talented high school students held in Putney, Vermont. Ms. Hwang serves on the Board of Trustees of the Rochester Area Community Foundation, where she chairs the Governance Committee, and lives in Brighton with her two daughters.

About the Nazareth College Department of Music

The Department of Music at Nazareth College integrates intensive studies in music (musicianship and performance), with professional programs and the liberal arts, for a truly unique experience that prepares students for careers in music and equips them with the skills to share the art of music in a variety of capacities.

Each degree program is designed to prepare students not only for careers within the various degree areas, but also for exciting endeavors that will perpetuate and sustain the art of music in local and global communities.

The department is a vibrant community of musicians focused on the art of music, the professional domains of knowledge within the musical career areas, and the relationship of these areas to the liberal arts. For additional information, visit naz.edu/music.

About Nazareth College Arts Center

For more than 40 years, the Nazareth College Arts Center has served as a venue and educational resource for students, educators, visual and performing artists, and audiences to create, study, and experience all areas of the arts. These cultural programs support the College's curriculum in music, art, and theatre arts, and provide area residents with opportunities to experience exceptional dance, children's theatre, and international entertainment.

The Nazareth College Arts Center is a nonprofit institution; attracts more than 80,000 adults and children annually; is the premier presenter of world-class dance, children's theatre, and international entertainment in Rochester; is the performance home of Rochester City Ballet and world-renowned Garth Fagan Dance, as well as the home of Rochester Children's Theatre and Bach Children's Chorus; houses the Nazareth College departments of art, music, and theatre arts, which present exceptional theatre productions, musicals, operas, recitals, and art exhibitions each year (events are open to the public); serves as a venue for auditions, art classes, music lessons, recitals, fundraisers, lectures, community theater productions, camps, workshops, and graduations; provides access to master classes, school performances, and subscription series shows for underserved youth; and presents an annual Dance Festival each July. For additional information, visit artscenter.naz.edu.