MARTIN
PERRY
PIANO
“The combination of program and pianist was a double fulfillment: The performances were superb, and the music was fascinating… Perry is an absolutely first-rate pianist.”
– William Glackin,
The Sacramento Bee
Of Perry’s performance of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, Christopher Hyde, of The Portland Press Herald writes: “Perry’s technique is astounding. More important, it was placed in service to dramatic emotional contrasts between the solo cadenzas and the broad sweep of melodies in which the orchestra joins.”
Martin Perry has distinguished himself as a consummate interpreter of contemporary classical piano music, with appearances across the United States and abroad from the Boston Pops to the Moscow Philharmonic. His three recent CDs on Bridge Records featuring the works of Carter, Bartók, Ives and Hindemith have drawn raves from the critics, calling his playing “supremely assured” (International Piano), “commanding and virtuosic” (Clavier) and “quite dazzling!” (American Record Guide). In a lighter vein, as musical director and pianist for Stephen Sondheim’s musical Marry Me A Little, he can be heard on the best-selling RCA Red Seal cast recording. Closer to home, Mr. Perry has appeared as concerto soloist with the Portland Symphony Orchestra on many occasions, served on the piano faculties of Bowdoin and Bates Colleges, and enjoyed numerous collaborations with the DaPonte String Quartet and the Nordica Trio (member since 2008). A native Californian and proud Armenian American, Martin Perry is a graduate of the Juilliard School, where he studied with the renowned pedagogue Adele Marcus. Mr. Perry joined the Nordica Trio in 2012.
KAREN
BEACHAM
CLARINET
“The high point of the afternoon was a delicate and virtually flawless rendition of the Mozart Clarinet Concerto in A Major, (K. 622) by clarinetist Karen Beacham. Her scales and arpeggios were like liquid gold, and the descents into the lower registers, new in Mozart’s time, totally ravishing.”
– Christopher Hyde,
The Portland Press Herald
Karen Beacham has held the position of Principal Clarinet with the Mexico City Philharmonic, Orquesta Sinfónica de Minería in Mexico City and the Tulsa Philharmonic Orchestra. She has appeared as soloist with the Tulsa Philharmonic, the Maine Chamber Ensemble, Colby Symphony Orchestra and the University of Maine at Farmington Orchestra. An active orchestral musician as well as soloist and chamber music artist, Karen has performed with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the internationally touring New Sousa Band, and appears regularly with the Portland Symphony Orchestra. Dedicated to education as well as performance, Karen has served on the music faculties of Colby College, University of New Hampshire and University of Maine Farmington (where she was also conductor of the concert band). In her role as conductor/music instructor at Mt. Blue Regional School, she was awarded Maine Music Educator of the Year for 2014. Karen Beacham received a Bachelor of Music from the Philadelphia College of the Performing Arts where she studied with Donald Montanaro of the Philadelphia Orchestra. While there, she performed with the PCPA Orchestra as a winner of the Helen P. Neuman Solo Competition. Karen received her Master of Music Degree at the New England Conservatory of Music as a student of Harold Wright, Principal Clarinetist with the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
GRAYBERT BEACHAM
VIOLIN and VIOLA
In reference to a performance of the adagio movement from the Sonata in D minor by Johannes Brahms: “…and Beacham settled into the melancholy grandeur of its adagio, an aria full of luscious double stops and an almost unbearable sense of pathos. This sonata demanded consummate technique and control from both violinist and pianist, and they delivered handsomely.”
– Christopher Hyde,
The Portland Press Herald
Graybert Beacham has been an active orchestral and chamber music performer throughout the United States and Mexico. He holds a Master’s degree in performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music, where he was the recipient of the Dr. Jerome Gross Prize in Violin. Orchestral affiliations have included the Mexico City Philharmonic, Tulsa Philharmonic, Orquesta Sinfónica de Minería, Kansas City Philharmonic and Portland Symphony Orchestra. 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. Faculty positions have included the Cleveland Institute of Music Preparatory Department, Colby College, University of Southern Maine, Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute, Sunriver Institute for Strings, Music Festival of Arkansas, Bay Chamber Concerts Next Generation Program, 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 throughout New England.
