Show Biographies

A native of the Pacific Northwest, Offbeat host Merry Peckham is a founding member of the Cavani Quartet, whose numerous awards and prizes include the Naumburg Chamber Music Award, Cleveland Quartet Competition, ASCAP Award for Adventuresome Programming, and the Governor's Prize from the Governor of Ohio. As a soloist, Ms. Peckham has made many guest artist appearances with orchestras and chamber ensembles. She was a prize winner in numerous competitions including the National Federation of Music Clubs, in which she received the top prize in cello and in overall string categories. Ms. Peckham received her Bachelor of Music degree with distinction from Indiana University, her master's in Music Performance and Literature from the Eastman School of Music, and did additional studies at The Ohio State University and Yale University. Her major teachers and mentors include Janos Starker, Gary Hoffman, Aldo Parisot, Paul Katz and Peter Salaff. She has performed throughout the United States and abroad, including appearances at the Corcoran Gallery and Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., the Ambassador Series in Los Angeles, Festival L'Epau in France, the Ijsbreker Series in Amsterdam, and several engagements at Carnegie Recital Hall and Lincoln Center in New York. Ms. Peckham has adjudicated and served as panelist for national arts-advocate organizations, such as Chamber Music America, the American Cello Congress and the American String Teachers Association. She is currently on the cello and chamber music faculties at the Cleveland Institute of Music and performs and teaches during the summer at the Perlman Music Program and ENCORE School for Strings.

January 6
Menahem Pressler is founding member and pianist of the Beaux Arts Trio. His world renowned career was launched after he was awarded first prize at the Debussy International Piano Competition in San Francisco in 1946. This was followed by his successful American debut with the Philadelphia Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Eugene Ormandy. Since then, Pressler has performed with the orchestras of New York, Chicago, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Dallas, San Francisco, London, Paris, Brussels, Oslo, Helsinki and many others. The 1955 Berkshire Music Festival saw Menahem Pressler's debut as a chamber musician, where he appeared as pianist with the Beaux Arts Trio. His other chamber music collaborations have included multiple performances with the Juilliard, Emerson, Guarneri and Cleveland Quartets as well as the Israel Quartet and the Pasquier String Trio. In that same year, Pressler began his association with the music school at Indiana University where today he holds the rank of Distinguished Professor of Music. He was awarded the Service Award by Chamber Music America in 1994. Professor Pressler has received Honorary Doctorates from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the North Carolina School of the Arts. He received a Lifetime Achievement Award from Gramaphone Magazine in London, and the German Critics "Ehrenurkunde" award in recognition for 40 years of being the standard by which chamber music is measured. In addition to over fifty recordings with the Beaux Arts Trio, Menahem Pressler has compiled over thirty solo recordings, ranging from the works of Bach to Ben Haim.

January 13
David Bamberger, Artistic Director of CIM Opera Theater, has staged more than 150 productions on three continents in styles from grand opera to musicals. A founder of Cleveland Opera, he was the company's General Director from 1976 to 2004, building it into one of America's major regional opera companies. He secured The Three Tenors in Concert to celebrate its 25th Anniversary. At the insistence of Jerome Robbins, Mr. Bamberger staged the dialogue scenes for West Side Story, thus gaining permission for Cleveland Opera to be the only opera company in the Western hemisphere permitted to re-create Robbins' original choreography. Mr. Bamberger's work from coast to coast ranges from The Barber of Seville at Lincoln Center (New York City Opera) to The Ballad of Baby Doe (Los Angeles Music Center), with such stars as Roberta Peters, Beverly Sills and Sherrill Milnes. For Santiago, Chile, he staged Rigoletto and Lucia di Lammermoor and, for the Israel Vocal Arts Institute, La Bohème and La Cenerentola. In 1990, he represented the opera industry before Congress, testifying in a successful effort to garner support for the National Endowment for the Arts. He has served on the Board of Directors of OPERA America and of the National Alliance for Musical Theater, of which he was a founder. His many honors include the Ohio Governor's Award for Arts Administration and doctorates from Swarthmore College (his alma mater), Cleveland State University and CIM. He was appointed to the CIM faculty in 2004.

January 20
Richard Weiner, Co-Head of Timpani and Percussion Department, Director of CIM Percussion Ensemble, has been principal percussionist of The Cleveland Orchestra since 1968; he has been a member of the Orchestra since 1963. He received a Bachelor of Science degree from Temple University, a Master of Music degree with distinction from Indiana University, and a Juris Doctor, magna cum laude, from Cleveland State University. He is a student of Charles Owen and George Gaber, and was the first percussionist to receive the Performer's Certificate from Indiana University. Previous faculty appointments include the Settlement Music School of Philadelphia, Combs College of Music, Philadelphia Musical Academy, Philadelphia Board of Education and Oberlin College. A member of the Aspen Festival Orchestra, 1962, and Chautauqua Summer Symphony, 1964, he is also contributing editor to the Symphonic Percussion column of Percussive Notes, the official publication of the Percussive Arts Society. He is a percussion clinician and a faculty member of the National Orchestra Institute. He also served as a seminar participant at the New World Symphony and has been soloist with The Cleveland Orchestra and various contemporary music organizations. He is a member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia and was appointed to the CIM faculty in 1963.

January 27
Mitsuko Uchida, born December 20, 1948 is a classical pianist. Born in a seaside town close to Tokyo, Japan, Uchida moved to Vienna, Austria when she was twelve with her diplomat parents, and she enrolled at the Vienna Academy of Music to study with Wilhelm Kempff and Stefan Askenase. In 1969 she won the first prize in the Beethoven Competition in Vienna and in 1970 the second prize in the Chopin Competition. Then in 1975, she won second prize in the prestigious Leeds Piano Competition. She is an acclaimed interpreter of the works of Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Chopin and Debussy. She has recorded all of Mozart's piano sonatas and concerti with the English Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Jeffrey Tate. She is also distinguished as an interpreter of the works of the Second Viennese School. She is featured with Dame Felicity Lott in the 2005-06 season of the Cleveland Orchestra. She is an Artistic Director of the Marlboro Music School and Festival, along with fellow pianist Richard Goode. Uchida currently resides in London, with partner Robert Cooper, a respected UK Diplomat.

February 3
Margaret Brouwer, Head of Composition Department, Director of CIM New Music Ensemble, Vincent K. and Edith H. Smith Chair in Composition, has received a 2006 Award in Music from the American Academy of Arts and Letters; a 2005 Ohio Arts Council Individual Fellowship; a 2004 Guggenheim Fellowship; the 2003 Ohioana Music Citation; the 1999 Cleveland Arts Prize in composition; and grants from the NEA, Ford Foundation, Knight Foundation, Meet the Composer, Virginia Commission for the Arts and the Indiana Arts Commission. Aurolucent Circles, a CD of Dr. Brouwer's orchestral music featuring Evelyn Glennie, solo percussion, and The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra with Gerard Schwarz conducting, was released by Naxos in January 2006. Light, a CD of her chamber music, was released in November 2003 by New World Records and Crosswinds, another CD of her chamber music, was released in June 1999 by CRI. Premieres in 2005-2006 included Trio for the Verdehr Trio; Quintet for String Quartet and Clarinet, premiered by Dan Silver, clarinet, and the Cavani String Quartet; and Declarations, premiered by Lucy Shelton. She was selected to compose the Ohio Bicentennial commissioned work, premiered by the ProMusica Chamber Orchestra in February 2003. Other recent premieres include her percussion concerto, Aurolucent Circles, by Evelyn Glennie and Gerard Schwarz with the Seattle Symphony in 2002 and Pulse by the Roanoke Symphony in 2003. Her Light was performed at the Tanglewood Music Festival in August 2005 and Skyriding at the Contemporary Music Forum in Washington, D.C. in February 2005. In 2004-05, the Cavani String Quartet toured the U.S. performing Dr. Brouwer's Demeter Prelude and Crosswinds. Recent residencies have included Indiana University and the University of Missouri/Kansas City. Dr. Brouwer received a Bachelor of Music degree from Oberlin College-Conservatory, a Master of Music degree from Michigan State University, and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Indiana University. Her teachers have included Donald Erb, Harvey Solberger, Frederick Fox and George Crumb. She has completed residencies at the Wellesley Composers Conference, MacDowell Colony, the Rockefeller Foundation's Bellagio Center, Virginia Center for the Creative Arts and the Charles Ives Center for American Music. Her music is published exclusively by Carl Fischer and recorded on the Naxos, New World, CRI, Crystal, Centaur and Opus One labels. Dr. Brouwer's music has also been performed by such musicians and ensembles as the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center; Richard Stoltzman; the Orchestra of St. Luke's Second Helping Series; ISCM at Merkin Hall; and the Seattle, Saint Louis, Roanoke, Long Beach, Canton, Akron, and Wichita Symphonies. Her Web site is brouwermusic.com. Dr. Brouwer was appointed to the CIM faculty in 1996.

Febuary 3
Dan Visconti is a composer of concert music who has been influenced by America's contemporary vernacular as much as its shared classical heritage. Drawing freely from the rough expressive language of rock, the textural and formal experimentation of the electronic underground, and the poignant clarity of Tin Pan Alley songcraft, Visconti's music has been praised for its "youthful, inventive energy" as well as its "exciting and risky effectiveness." His work has been recognized with awards from BMI and ASCAP, the American Music Center, and the Barlow Endowment, and has been championed by such ensembles as the Corigliano Quartet, Antares, Brave New Works, and the Kronos Quartet.

February 10
Todd Wilson, Head of Organ Department, received Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. He pursued further study with Russell Saunders at Eastman School of Music. Director of music/organist at the Church of the Covenant in Cleveland, he was also winner of the French Grand Prix de Chartres and U.S. Fort Wayne competitions. He holds Fellow and Choirmaster certificates from the American Guild of Organists, and was a featured performer at 1996 Centennial Convention of the Guild in New York City. He was formerly the organist and master of the choristers at the Cathedral of the Incarnation in Garden City, New York. He has given recitals throughout the U.S., Europe, and Japan, including orchestral appearances with the Atlanta Symphony, The Cleveland Orchestra, the Naples Philharmonic (Florida), the Calgary Philharmonic, the City of London Sinfonia and the Fort Worth Symphony. He has released numerous CDs on the DELOS and JAV labels, and was appointed organ curator for The Cleveland Orchestra in 2001. He was appointed to the CIM faculty in 1990.

March 3
Cavani String Quartet, Quartet-in-Residence, was winner of the prestigious Naumburg Chamber Music Award. The Quartet has been described by The Washington Post as "completely engrossing, powerful and elegant." In addition to receiving the Naumburg Award, the Cavani Quartet has been a top prize winner in numerous competitions including the Coleman, Fischoff, Banff International and Cleveland Quartet Competitions. Since their New York debut in 1987, they have won the hearts of audiences across the country with their soulful and riveting performances. In 2005, the Quartet was the first recipient of the Guarneri String Quartet Residency Award from Chamber Music America. The Quartet concertizes regularly on major series and festivals throughout North America and Europe. Appearances include the Carnegie Hall Centennial Series and Alice Tully Hall in New York, the Corcoran Gallery of Art and Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, the Ambassador Series in Los Angeles, Muziekcentrum De Ijsbreker in Amsterdam, and Festival de L'Epau in France. The Austin American-Statesman wrote of their Bartók quartet cycle, "As a group, the quartet played as one, forcefully, confidently, yet passionately. Its full, brightly illuminated sound complemented solo playing as well, without sacrificing each player's individuality." The Cavani Quartet has been featured on National Public Radio's Performance Today and seen on NBC, CBS, ABC and PBS television. Collaborations with distinguished artists include Itzhak Perlman, Michela Petri, Anton Nel, Benita Valente, Alisa Weilerstein, Charles Neidich and members of the Juilliard, Cleveland, Ying and Emerson String Quartets. At CIM, the Quartet has developed the Apprentice Quartet Program, Intensive Quartet Seminar and New Quartet Project for students devoted to the serious study of chamber music. Students from these programs have gone on to successful careers as members of the Maia, Biava, Miró, Cypress and Fry Street Quartets and have been top prize winners of the Coleman, Fischoff, Banff, and Naumburg Competitions. Dedicated and dynamic teachers, the Cavani Quartet has been visiting artists at Interlochen Arts Camp, Madeline Island Music Festival, Kneisel Hall, Yale Summer School of Music and Art at Norfolk, Britt Arts Training Program and Allegheny Summer Music Festival. This year, the Cavani Quartet returns to perform and teach at the Perlman Music Program and the ENCORE School for Strings. Active proponents of new music, the Cavani Quartet has commissioned, performed, and recorded the music of a worldwide array of living composers, including Ellen Taaffe Zwilich, Dan Welcher, Joan Tower, Donald Erb, James Primosch, and Margaret Brouwer. The Quartet annually programs world premieres and is a recipient of an ASCAP-Chamber Music America Award for Adventurous Programming of Contemporary Music. Nationally recognized as pioneers in arts-in-education, the Cavani Quartet is sought after by universities and communities for their ability to cultivate community partnerships. The quartet has developed creative outreach programs for a wide variety of settings and for audiences of all ages including a series of children's concerts for The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. The Cavani Quartet has also collaborated with artists across disciplines to create programs that unite poetry, painting, theatre and dance with the string quartet medium. As a result of their extensive experience in chamber music education, the Cavani Quartet was invited to participate as a leadership ensemble in the first national Chamber Music Educator/Ensemble Seminar sponsored by Chamber Music America. Formed in 1984, the Cavani Quartet is named after the 19th century violin makers Giovanni and Vincenzo Cavani. Recordings of Bartók, Ravel, Dvořák, Schumann, Brahms, Welcher, Erb, Chausson, Brouwer and Primosch are available on the Azica, Gasparo, New World, Albany, and Pantheon labels. The Cavani Quartet was appointed to the CIM faculty in 1988.

March 10
Michael Sachs, Head of Trumpet Department, Chairman of Brass Division, has been principal trumpet of The Cleveland Orchestra since 1988. His numerous solo performances with The Cleveland Orchestra include the world premiere performances of John Williams' Concerto for Trumpet and the U.S. premiere of Hans Werner Henze's Requiem. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from The University of California at Los Angeles; additional studies were undertaken at The Juilliard School of Music. Mr. Sachs' teachers include Mark Gould, Anthony Plog and James Stamp. He was formerly fourth/utility trumpet with the Houston Symphony Orchestra. In Houston, he performed with the Houston Grand Opera and taught at the Shepherd School of Music, Rice University. In New York, Mr. Sachs has performed with many groups, including the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, New York Philharmonic, Orchestra of St. Luke's, the New York Chamber Symphony, and Speculum Musicae. He has served as a faculty member of the Grand Tetons Music Festival, Summit Brass, Aspen Music Festival, Blekinge International Brass Academy (Karlskrona, Sweden), Masterclass Internacional para Instrumentos de Metal (Lisbon, Portugal), and as principal trumpet/instructor in the Solti Orchestral Project at Carnegie Hall in 1994. Mr. Sachs is the author of Daily Fundamentals for the Trumpet and Mahler: Symphonic Works complete trumpet parts, both published by International Music Co. He was appointed to the CIM faculty in 1988.

March 17
Jamey Haddad, regarded as one of the foremost world music and jazz percussionists in the U.S., is an associate professor at Boston's Berklee School of Music and New England Conservatory. Having just returned from the Fez Festival of World Sacred Music U.S. tour, Mr. Haddad collaborates regularly with Paul Simon, Osvaldo Golijov, Elliot Goldenthal, Brazil's Assad Brothers, Daniel Schnyder, Joe Lovano, Simon Shaheen, The Paul Winter Consort, Nancy Wilson, Dave Liebman, Nguyen Lee, Trichy Sankaran, vocalist Betty Buckley, Steve Shehan, among others. Jamey is the recipient of three NEA Performance Grants and a Fulbright Fellowship. He can also be heard on more than 150 recordings and routinely has articles published internationally relating to the experiences of the contemporary world musician. He was appointed to the CIM faculty in 2005.