Nordica Trio

Personnel

Cheryl Tschanz  

Cheryl Tschanz

Piano

Cheryl Tschanz was born in Lima, Ohio. Her ability as a pianist was recognized early. As a four-year-old, she began piano studies with Ruth Watson Cable, a student of Rosina Lhevinne. At six, she transferred to the Cleveland Institute of Music where she studied with Ruth Edwards. When she was seven, Clavier magazine described her as having "startling qualities of great talent."

She made her major orchestral debut, at age eleven, as guest soloist with the Cleveland Symphony Orchestra. Her solo and chamber performances have taken her to concert halls throughout the United States, Canada, France, Italy, and Finland. Reviewing her New York performances at Lincoln Center and the Carnegie Recital Hall, the New York Times described her as a "wonderful young pianist" whose "playing is full of character and a pleasure to hear." After conducting her, the late renowned conductor Jinrich Rohan of the Prague Symphony said: "She has all the prerequisites of professional success: great technique, musical intelligence, and dramatic playing. She isn't just playing notes but projecting real feeling and expression."

Ms. Tschanz was the first recipient of the prestigious Thayer Fellowship for the Arts. She has also been honored as a fellow of the Tanglewood Summer Festival. She has received numerous prizes at international piano competitions including University of Maryland International Competition (Loren Eisely Prize), Cleveland Symphony Orchestra Competition (first prize), Indiana University Concerto Competition (first prize), Beethoven Foundation Fellowship (finalist), and Piano Teachers Congress of New York International Competition (second prize).

Ms. Tschanz studied with Lillian Freundlich at the Peabody Conservatory. She received bachelor's and master's degrees from Indiana University, where she studied with Boris Berman, Stephen Bishop, Zadel Skolovsky, and Abbey Simon. She holds a doctorate from State University of New York at Stony Brook, where she studied with Gilbert Kalish. She is currently assistant adjunct professor of music at Colby College, Waterville, Maine.
Karen Beacham  

Karen Beacham

Clarinet

Karen Beacham is band director and teacher of music theory and instrumental music at Maine School Administrative District No. 9. She serves as principal clarinet with Maine Chamber Ensemble, Maine State Ballet Orchestra, Atlantic Chamber Orchestra, and Portland Ballet Orchestra. Ms. Beacham also performs with the Portland Symphony Orchestra and is a founding member of the Nordica Trio. For the 2005–2006 academic year, she returned to serve as Applied Music Associate in Clarinet at Colby College, a position she held during 1993–2000.

Ms. Beacham has held the position of principal clarinet with the Mexico City Philharmonic, Orquesta Sinfónica de Minería in Mexico City, and the Tulsa Philharmonic. She has performed as soloist with Mel Tormé and the Tulsa Philharmonic Pops. She has also appeared as soloist with the Maine Chamber Ensemble, Colby Symphony Orchestra, and University of Maine at Farmington Community Orchestra. Recorded performances have been broadcast over a number of public radio stations in the United States and via television in Mexico. From 1999 to 2005, Ms. Beacham conducted the University of Maine at Farmington Band, building that ensemble from a dozen members to approximately sixty musicians.

She holds a master's degree from New England Conservatory of Music as a student of Harold Wright, and a bachelor's degree from the Philadelphia College of the Performing Arts, where she was a winner of the Helen P. Neuman Solo Competition. Her conducting studies have been with Kenneth Kiesler at the Conductor's Retreat at Medomak and Dr. Peter Martin at the University of Southern Maine. Additional teachers include Anthony Ciccarelli, Peter Hadcock, Donald Montanaro, George Silfies, and William Wrzesien.

Ms. Beacham has participated in many festivals, including the Kneisel Hall Chamber Music Festival, Sebago–Long Lake Region Chamber Music Festival, Aspen Music Festival, Sunriver Music Festival, New College Music Festival, and Norfolk Chamber Music Festival/Yale School of Music. In addition, she has performed as a guest artist with the Portland String Quartet.
Graybert Beacham  

Graybert Beacham

Violin and viola

Graybert Beacham has been an active orchestral and chamber music performer throughout the United States and Mexico. He holds bachelor's and master's degrees in performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music, where he was the recipient of the Dr. Jerome Gross Prize in Violin.

Major teachers include David Cerone, Bernhard Goldschmidt, and Emanuel Borok. His conducting studies have been with Kenneth Kiesler at the Conductors Retreat at Medomak, Lawrence Golan, and Max Bragado-Darman. He has studied chamber music with members of the LaSalle and Guarneri String Quartets. Recorded performances have been broadcast over public radio stations across the United States. His orchestral affiliations have included the Mexico City Philharmonic, Tulsa Philharmonic, Orquesta Sinfónica de Minería, and Kansas City Philharmonic. He has served as Acting Concertmaster of the Vermont Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Jaime Laredo, and as Concertmaster and soloist for the Cascade Festival of Music in Oregon.

As a violist, he has been a guest artist with the Portland String Quartet and served as Principal Violist with Opera Boston (formerly the Boston Academy of Music). Faculty positions have included the Cleveland Institute of Music Preparatory Department, Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute, Sunriver Institute for Strings, Music Festival of Arkansas, Bay Chamber Concerts Next Generation Program, Maine ASTA Summer String Conference, the New England Suzuki Institute, and the Southern Maine String Academy. He has held the position of conductor with the University of Maine at Farmington Community Orchestra, has guest conducted the Midcoast Symphony Orchestra, and is an active conductor/clinician at various educational festivals in Maine and Massachusetts.

From 1993 until 2002, Mr. Beacham was a member of the applied faculty at the University of Southern Maine School of Music, teaching violin, viola, and chamber music. Currently, he is Applied Music Associate in Violin and Viola at Colby College, where he also teaches chamber music, serves as concertmaster for the Colby Symphony Orchestra and is a member of the Colby Chamber Players. He maintains an active performing schedule with the Nordica Trio (clarinet, piano, and violin/viola), and is currently enrolled in the doctoral program at Boston University School of Music, pursuing a DMA in Music Education. In addition, Mr. Beacham is a substitute player with the Portland Symphony, having performed as Concertmaster, Principal Second Violin, Principal Viola, and soloist. He has recorded for Albany Records.