Dear Members of the Committee,
Dr. Natasha Farny was kind enough to recommend me for the Hagen Award. As requested below is a comprehensive list of achievements under three main categories:
Performance
Teaching
Community minded projects
Sincerely,
Dr. Eliran Avni
A professional performance duo that includes faculty cellist Natasha Farny and me has been a source of profound inspiration and pride. Having dedicated 2020 to working on a program of all-women composers, this project opened my eyes to the inequality and unfairness experienced by female and minority composers. Furthermore, in the process, I fell in love with the music of these wonderful composers. The program was performed several times in different locations, was recorded in Rosch Hall with the help of faculty members Paul Coleman and Bernd Gottinger, and was released in October 2022. Our second album, "From the Shadows", is also a tribute to underrepresented composers George Walker, Henriette Bosmans, Alexander Zemlinsky, and Chen Yi, and will be released in 2023. The duo is now under management with Unbound Artists.
Concerto Press Release
Original Commission from Avner Dorman was presented by the Fredonia Orchestra and conductor Jaman Dunn on October 15, 2022, featuring Natasha Farny and myself. This is an original concerto for cello and piano, written especially for us and our school's orchestra by an internationally acclaimed composer Avner Dorman. This project is not only exciting on an artistic level but will also bring a lot of attention to the university and music school. Alongside the premiere on campus, we presented the work at Sewanee Music Festival with Robert Moody. We are in negotiations to perform this work with several other orchestras and record it as well.
"The Ekstasis Duo presented a breathtaking performance of Avner Dorman's extraordinary new double concerto. Our patrons were mesmerized and our entire festival was elevated by the process and performance. This important new contribution to contemporary music will have a long life in the concert hall. Bravo!"
—John Kilkenny
Executive and Artistic Director, Sewanee Summer Music Festival
"Duo Ekstasis together with Robert Moody and the Sewanee Symphony orchestra created a deeply inspiring premiere of my new concerto. They brought the piece to life with passion and musicality, great virtuosity, and unique personal touch. I could not have hoped for a better premiere."
—Avner Dorman
Recordings
Performances
Research
MUS 375 and book
Sorel fellows
The Claudette Sorel Piano Competition
The Robert Jordan Piano Festival
Students Concert Series: Ekstasis 2.0 Concerts
Letters
Examples of published work
Impact of the nominees research and creative activities
Letters of recommendation