Charles Abramovic
Charles Abramovic has won critical acclaim for his international performances as a
soloist, chamber musician, and collaborator with leading instrumentalists and singers. He
has performed a vast repertoire on not only the piano but also the harpsichord and
fortepiano Mr. Abramovic made his solo orchestral debut at the age of fourteen with the
Pittsburgh Symphony. Since then he has appeared as soloist with numerous orchestras,
including the Baltimore Symphony, the Colorado Philharmonic, the Florida
Philharmonic, and the Nebraska Chamber Orchestra. He has given solo recitals
throughout the United States, France and Yugoslavia. He has also appeared at major
international festivals in Berlin, Salzburg, Bermuda, Dubrovnik, Aspen and Vancouver.
Mr. Abramovic has performed often with such stellar artists as Midori, Sarah Chang,
Robert McDuffie, Viktoria Mullova, Kim Kashkashian, and Jeffrey Khaner. His
recording of the solo piano works of Delius for DTR recordings has been widely praised.
He has recorded for EMI Classics with violinist Sarah Chang, and Avie Recordings with
Philadelphia Orchestra principal flutist Jeffrey Khaner. Actively involved with
contemporary music, he has also recorded works of Milton Babbitt, Joseph Schwantner,
Gunther Schuller and others for Albany Records, CRI, Bridge, and Naxos.
Mr. Abramovic is a Professor of Keyboard Studies at Temple University's Boyer College
of Music in Philadelphia where he has taught since 1988. He is an active part of the
musical life of Philadelphia, performing with numerous organizations in the city. He is a
core member of the Dolce Suono Ensemble and the Dolce Suono Trio with flutist Mimi
Stillman and cellist Yumi Kendall. In 1997 he received the Career Development Grant
from the Philadelphia Musical Fund Society, and in 2003 received the Creative
Achievement Award from Temple University. He is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of
Music, the Peabody Conservatory, and received his doctorate from Temple University.
His teachers have included Natalie Phillips, Eleanor Sokoloff, Leon Fleisher, and Harvey
Wedeen.
Mr. Abramovic is also a composer. He studied composition with Maurice Wright at
Temple University. Philadelphia's Orchestra 2001 premiered his Concerto for Piano,
Strings and Timpani in November of 2004. "Beasts," a trio for flute, cello and piano, has
received performances at Temple University and on the Dolce Suono series.
"Unanswered Hands," for piano six hands, was premiered at Temple University. His
most recent work, "Laus Deo" was jointly commissioned by the Philadelphia Chamber
Music Society and the Dolce Suono Ensemble, receiving a premiere performance in
January of 2010.
William Ransom
Pianist William Ransom has appeared as soloist with orchestras, recitalist, and chamber musician in Europe, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Canada, South America, Ireland, and throughout the United States. His performances have been broadcast on National Public Radio and Television in the US, Argentina, Poland and Japan. He has collaborated with musicians including Yo-Yo Ma, Richard Stoltzman, William Preucil, Robert McDuffie, Stephen Isserlis, and members of the Tokyo, Cleveland, American, St. Petersburg, Borromeo, and Lark String Quartets; the Empire Brass Quintet, Eroica Trio, and the percussion group Nexus among others. As a master teacher, he has also performed and given master classes at numerous schools of music and universities around the world. He has recorded for ACA Digital and Rising Star Records. Ransom is the Mary Emerson Professor of Piano at Emory University in Atlanta where he is Director of Piano Studies in the Music Department and founder and Artistic Director of the Emory Chamber Music Society of Atlanta. A graduate of The Juilliard School of Music and the University of Michigan, in the summers, Ransom is Artistic Director of the Highlands-Cashiers Chamber Music Festival in North Carolina and for a decade was an artist-faculty member at the Kamisaibara Pianists Camp in Japan.
Eric Stomberg
Eric Stomberg enjoys a wide-ranging musical career as soloist, chamber musician, orchestral player and artist-teacher. He plays with "elegance and refinement" while displaying "impeccable tone and technique" (American Record Guide, 2009). He is quickly becoming one of the most sought after bassoonists in the country with numerous invitations to present recitals and masterclasses at conservatories and schools of music across the country. His students have gone on to study at the most prestigious music schools in the country, while former students also hold orchestral and academic positions in the United States and abroad.
Stomberg maintains an active teaching schedule with positions as Associate Professor of Bassoon at the University of Kansas, Instructor of Bassoon at the Interlochen Arts Academy, and as woodwind faculty for the Filarmónica Joven De Colombia. He has held orchestral positions over the past fifteen years as a member of City Music Cleveland, the ProMusica Chamber Orchestra of Columbus and the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra.
Stomberg served as Visiting Professor of Bassoon at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music in 2010 and has also held guest residencies at the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, Eastman School of Music, Florida State University, and Michigan State University. During the summer, Stomberg teaches at the world-renowned, Interlochen Arts Camp, where he also serves as Associate Director of Music. Stomberg is also active in professional societies serving as secretary for the International Double Reed Society and as President of the Midwest Double Reed Society.
Stomberg released his first CD in 2008, Victor Bruns: Music for Bassoon. Eric Stomberg and Friends, on the Azica label. Pianist Robert Koenig and fellow bassoonists George Sakakeeny, Jonathan Sherwin and Barrick Stees join Stomberg in the world-premier recording of these works.
Stomberg received the Doctor of Musical Arts and Master of Music degrees from the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and the Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Kansas. His major teachers include William Winstead, Alan Hawkins and Gregg Randall.
In his spare time, Stomberg enjoys home improvement projects, kayaking and spending time with his wife Karen and their dogs on their 5-acre "farm" outside of Lawrence, Kansas.
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