Shepherd's Two Rivers Chamber Players holds concert in Hagerstown

ISSUED: 6 November 2009
MEDIA CONTACT: Valerie Owens
(Shepherd's Two Rivers Chamber Players holds concert in Hagerstown)

Shepherdstown, WV--Shepherd University's Two Rivers Chamber Players will perform at the First Christian Church in Hagerstown, Maryland, on Sunday, November 8 at 3 p.m. The Two Rivers Chamber Players includes Shepherd faculty members Dr. Scott Beard, piano, and Stephen Czarkowski, cello, and Salvatore Amadeo, violin, a member of Shepherd's Two Rivers Chamber Orchestra.

The mission of the Two Rivers Chamber Players is to bring chamber music to today's generation of audiences, performing masterworks for piano trio, as well as new works by American composers. All the members have performed extensively throughout the Washington metropolitan area and beyond.

Included on the program are Beethoven's popular Trio Op. 11, which includes variations on the aria "Before I begin work, I must eat!," Astor Piazzolla driving Tango Primavera Portena "Spring," and the Trio, Op. 49 in d minor by Felix Mendelssohn. The concert is open to the public and free of charge. For directions to the concert, visit http://www.fcchagerstown.org/html/directions.html.

Beard is a nationally recognized pianist, teacher, clinician, author, and recording artist. He was named 2006 West Virginia Music Teacher of the Year. His students have won prizes state, regional, national, and international competitions, including the National Symphony, Oberlin, Beethoven Society, IIYM, IYPAC, and Ithaca international competitions. Concerts as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral soloist have taken him throughout the United States, Canada, France, Italy, and Croatia. His recent recital appearances include Weill Recital Hall, the Tenri Cultural Institute, the Polish, Danish, Belgian, and Russian embassies, and numerous universities throughout the East Coast. Beard has published articles in several national publications and his anthologies of ensemble music for piano are published by Alfred. He is currently professor of music and coordinator of keyboard studies at Shepherd University and associate artistic director of the Opera Camerata.

Czarkowski graduated from the Catholic University of America in May 2005 with a graduate artist diploma in orchestral conducting. He is currently on the cello faculty of the Landon School, Holton Arms School Creative Center for the Arts, the Bullis School, Montgomery College, and Shepherd University. Czarkowski is currently the professional manager for the Landon Symphonette and orchestra personnel manager of Opera Camerata. In the summer of 2000, Czarkowski was invited as a Fellowship conductor to attend the Aspen Music Festival American Academy of Conducting Program. While at Aspen he conducted the Academy Orchestra and was soloist in the Dvorak Cello Concerto. He is an active member of the Conductor's Guild.

Amadeo was recently featured as concerto competition winner with the Catholic University Orchestra in Ravel's Tzigane. Recent performances include concertmaster with the Landon Symphonette, Montgomery College Symphony, and Catholic University Orchestra. Amadeo is currently concertmaster of Opera Camerata where he has performed at the Polish Embassy, French Embassy, Bellagio Hotel, and the Portuguese Embassy together with Czarkowski.

-30-YOUNG

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