Trio Fedele

Now for over a decade, the unique instrumental combination of Trio Fedele has offered fresh and varied repertoire to fascinated listeners in concert halls, on college campuses, and in a variety of outreach settings across the country from Maine to San Francisco. Their repertoire ranges from works of the baroque and classical masters (Bach, Mozart, Haydn, Hummel, Weber) to some of the most important music of our time. David Fedele, winner of the Young Concert Artists International Audition Award, founded Trio Fedele with friends and colleagues of long standing, cellist, Matthew Herren, and pianist, Robert Koenig, with the intention of exploring this rich and varied repertoire. With the recent commissions and subsequent world premieres of trios by Lowell Liebermann and Charles Hoag, the group shows a strong commitment to expanding the chamber music catalog. Graduates of The Curtis Institute and The Juilliard School, each has enjoyed an international career that spans North and South America, Europe and Asia, and virtually every major venue, including Lincoln and Kennedy Centers, The National Gallery and Library of Congress, Teatro Colon, The Louvre, Suntory Hall and The Victoria Theatre in Singapore. Festival appearances at Aspen, Tanglewood, Norfolk, and Ravinia, as well as broadcasts on NPR and frequent performances with The New York New Music Ensemble, American Composers Orchestra, Ensemble 21, The Orchestra of St. Luke's, and The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, among others, give them each a notable presence on the American music scene. Together, they have developed programs that provide intriguing new musical insights to listeners of all ages.

Nearly every superlative has been used to describe flutist David Fedele. He is a seasoned, dazzling, impressive and accomplished performer who plays with fluency, feeling, grace and vigor, critics say. After presenting his New York recital debut at the 92nd Street "Y" as winner of the Young Concert Artists International Audition Award, he was described by the New York Times as "the most impressive debut artist, whose virtues begin with a firm tone that is especially beautiful, mechanical facility, and a feeling for the rise and fall of a phrase." He has won many other honors including the Olga Koussevitsky Competition of the Musicians Club of New York, a grant from Arts International, a top prize in the Second Kobe International Flute Competition in Japan and first place in the New York Flute Club Competition.

Mr. Fedele has appeared as concerto soloist with the National Chamber Orchestra, the New York Symphonic Ensemble, The String Orchestra of the Rockies, the New Jersey, Charlotte, Knoxville, Green Bay and Cosmopolitan Symphony Orchestras, and in recital throughout the United States and abroad. Engagements have included performances at the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, Stanford University, Dartmouth College, the Krannert Center for Performing Arts, Philadelphia's Free Library and Academy Ballroom, and numerous other universities and concert series from Alaska to Florida.

An active international career has taken Mr. Fedele to Japan, where he made a critically acclaimed debut at Suntory Hall in Tokyo as part of a highly successful recital tour, and to France, South America, and Spain, where he was flute and piccolo soloist in the New York Chamber Soloists' presentation of Bach's complete Brandenburg Concerti and the Vivaldi Piccolo Concerto in C, and the Mozart Concerto in G. He has also performed recitals at the Rieti International Festival in Italy and the Festival de San Miguel de Allende in Mexico.

Mr. Fedele has performed as guest artist with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, The Group for Contemporary Music, Ensemble 21, The Steve Reich Ensemble, Bang on a Can, The Bronx Arts Ensemble, and The New Music Consort. Each summer since 1992, he has been a featured soloist at the Vermont Mozart Festival. He has performed at the Elan International Music Festival, Grand Canyon Music Festival, Chattanooga Riverbend Festival, May Music Festival in Charlotte, NC, and the Columbia Festival for the Arts in Maryland. Mr. Fedele created the role of "the cowherd," an on-stage flute, alto flute, and piccolo part in Bright Sheng's opera The Silver River, which premiered at the Spoleto Festival USA 2000 to critical acclaim. This work was presented on an international tour during the 2000-01 season and was featured at The Lincoln Center Festival in 2002. Mr. Fedele frequently performs in duo recitals with harpist Victoria Drake.

A native of Charlotte, North Carolina, Mr. Fedele is a graduate of The Curtis Institute of Music and The Juilliard School where he studied with Julius Baker. He has also studied with Jeffrey Khaner and contemporary flute specialist Robert Dick. Mr. Fedele has served on the faculty of Columbia University, Franklin and Marshall College, and The Pennsylvania Academy of Music. Currently, Mr. Fedele serves as Assistant Professor of Flute at The University of Kansas, and divides his time between Lawrence and New York City. He is affiliated with Astral Artistic Services of Philadelphia, and is the recent recipient of a grant from the Musical Fund Society of Philadelphia. He is featured on Koch International Classics' recording of Charles Wuorinen's New York Notes, a recording of the works of Oliver Knussen for Virgin Classics, a recent release of the works of SteveReich for Nonesuch Records, and the works of Zhou Long on Calla Records. Mr. Fedele can also be heard on Christmas with Paul Plishka on Naxos Records and the Grammy-nominated Joining Hearts and Voices, with the Holy Trinity Bach Choir on Augsburg Fortress.

Cellist Matthew Herren has appeared as chamber musician, recitalist and concerto soloist throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, Europe, and Asia. He has performed at the Norfolk, Ravinia, Red Lodge, Sarasota, Rutgers' Summerfest, and Caramoor festivals, as well as the Vermont Mozart Festival, where he is Principal Cellist. Mr. Herren has also been featured at Philadelphia's Mozart on the Square Series, Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center and The National Gallery in Washington. He has worked in collaboration with such distinguished artists as Menahem Pressler, Dawn Upshaw, Albert Fuller, Robert White, and The American String Quartet. Mr. Herren has received many awards, notably First Prize in Vienna Modern Masters' International Performers' Award Competition, resulting in the release of a compact disc recording, and the Louise Oberne Award from the National Federation of Music Clubs. His performances have frequently been broadcast on NPR's Performance Today and he has recorded for the Deutsche Grammophon, Sony, Atlantic, Archetype and London Decca Labels.

Mr. Herren performs regularly with The Orchestra of St. Luke's, The New York Virtuosi, The American Composers Orchestra, The New York Oratorio Society, The New York Concert Singers and the New Jersey Chamber Music Society. He has been heard with Metamorphosen Chamber Ensemble, and as guest cellist of The Eaken Piano Trio and The Strathmere Ensemble. He is a founding member of Concertante Chamber Players, The Boston Modern Orchestra Project and The Yellowstone Music Festival. Recent activities include premieres at The 92nd Street "Y" (with Regina Resnick) and Merkin Hall, recitals at The Helicon Foundation and St. Paul's Chapel in New York, and the premiere of Bright Sheng's chamber opera The Silver River in Singapore, as well as chamber music concerts throughout the country with The New York Chamber Soloists.

Mr. Herren was Chair of the String Department at the inaugural season of the Performing Arts Institute of Wyoming Seminary in Kingston, PA, and has been Acting Principal Cello of the Harrisburg Symphony. He has been artist in residence at both The University of Montana and Montana State University and has served on the faculty of The Pennsylvania Academy of Music in Lancaster, PA. He is a graduate of The Juilliard School.

A prolific performer and teacher, Dan Velicer appears regularly with the Kansas City Symphony, Trio Fedele, the Lyric Arts Trio, and the outreach program of the Kansas City Ballet while also in constant demand as a collaborative pianist and vocal coach.

Mr. Velicer has performed in recital with Joshua Bell and Richard Stoltzman, tuba phenomenon Pat Sheridan and, most recently, with Yo-Yo Ma in a chamber work commissioned by the Silk Road Project. He has also had the privilege to work with singers Fredrica von Stade, Denyce Graves, Marietta Simpson, and, of Broadway and West Wing fame, Kristin Chenoweth. Mr. Velicer has accepted invitations to perform on concerts celebrating Lou Harrison's 80th birthday and Ross Lee Finney's compositional career and to perform the major role of onstage pianist in the classic Jerome Robbins' comedy ballet The Concert. For the nationally acclaimed Stravinsky Festival, he helped prepare vocal soloists from the participating institutions, which included the Kansas City Symphony, the Kansas City Ballet and the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

Within the academic year, Mr. Velicer performs with the Kansas City Symphony on classical, pops, and family series concerts, has been a featured soloist on numerous occasions, and often collaborates with symphony members in recitals throughout the metropolitan area. Additionally, he performs with faculty members from local universities and helps prepare students of voice and all instruments at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music for recitals and other significant performances. He frequently accompanies prizewinners in local, regional, and national competitions, and was recently an Official Pianist for the Music Teachers National Association National Finals round.

During the summer, Mr. Velicer is pleased to serve as chamber music coach and artist performer on the faculty of the Rocky Mountain Summer Conservatory, located in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Previous summer appearances include Steamboat Strings in the Mountains and the music festivals at Sarasota, Aspen and Sandpoint. While at Sandpoint he was a member of the contemporary chamber ensemble under the direction of noted composer and educator Gunther Schuller. A fan of new compositions, he regularly programs them on collaborative recitals and has performed with the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble and New Ear in Kansas City. Also, the Lyric Arts Trio and Trio Fedele regularly commission new works for public performance.

Prior to arriving in Kansas City, Mr. Velicer was the head staff pianist at the University of the Pacific Conservatory of Music and the Aspen Opera Theater Center as an Opera Coach Fellow. He is a graduate of Cornell University, double-majoring in anthropology and music, and Rice University, where he received a Master's Degree in piano chamber music and accompanying. His principal teachers were Brian Connelly, Jonathan Shames, and Deborah Moriarty. Mr. Velicer lives in Overland Park, Kansas with his wife Kristi, who is a violinist with the Kansas City Symphony, and their two young children.