COURTNEY MILLER

• Ricardo Matosinhos: Os Contos do Oboé (excerpt)

"Listeners will find the variety of musical styles on this collection of Portuguese oboe music appealing... [I] found a great deal to admire on this CD. Chief among its attractions is the skilled oboe playing of Courtney Miller. [Ronald Grames in Fanfare 39:4] also highly praised Miller, noting that 'she is a performer of considerable skill, with an unfailingly lovely sound, abundant technical ability, and a special gift for turning notes into poetry.' I agree completely with my colleague and would add that Miller is capable of varying her sound to suit a wide range of moods... Very natural, well-balanced sound quality and excellent notes from the various composers round out a fine disc for those who love woodwinds, or who have musical curiosity."

Henry Fogel, Fanfare [November/December 2019]

"Among its striking elements [in Tales of the Oboe] are stratospheric oboe pitches... Beautiful playing by violinists Scott Conklin and Katie Wolfe, violist Christine Rutledge, and cellist Anthony Arnone."

Kilpatrick, American Record Guide [November/December 2019]

"[Portuguese Perspectives is] an intense exploration of the sounds of an oboe... As the CD plays, you may shut your eyes and be transported by the spirit within the music of six composers to Portugal, the context of their work. Aside from such fantasy, the intensity of the music eliciting the full tonal range of the oboe does captivate the listener and bring one to another place of sonic wonder. While pianist Minji Kwon factors heavily in the playing of the various compositions to support Miller in her leading role, four stringed instrument players also contribute significantly... To further enhance the listening experience, the sounds created by the musicians are expertly recorded and blended in balance to bring each composition to full life. Overall, the CD is a top shelf achievement, a tour de force, especially for the oboe and its sonic potential."

Joel C. Thompson, Cherry Grove Music Review [September 2019]

"There are pleasures on a (+++) MSR Classics release... [In the Suite Romantique] the songful oboe part comes across well... [The Oboe Quintet] is quite well played."

Mark J. Estren, InfoDad.com [September 2019]

"[Courtney Miller has] an unfailingly lovely sound, abundant technical ability, and a special gift for turning notes into poetry”

Fanfare

Oboist Courtney Miller maintains an active career as a soloist, chamber musician and orchestral player. In addition to a wide array of recital appearances, Miller is a member of the prestigious international chamber ensemble, Virtuoso Soloists of New York, founded in 2014 by Edoardo Carpenedo. As a dedicated orchestral musician, she performs frequently with orchestras in the United States, including the Quad City Symphony and Orchestra Iowa. Professor Miller is a frequent performer at International Double Reed Society Conferences, and her writings have been published in the IDRS Journal. She was a featured artist of the Brazilian Double Reed Society at the first International Conference of the Associação Brasileira de Palhetas Duplas (Brazilian Double Reed Society, or ABPD). In the summer months, Miller serves on faculty at Lutheran Summer Music. Miller has a Bachelor of Music degree from Florida State University, a Master of Music degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Boston University. Her primary teachers included John Ferrillo, John Mack and Eric Ohlsson. Currently assistant professor of oboe at the University of Iowa, Dr. Miller has previously served on faculty at Boston College and Ashland University. Courtney Miller is a Loree Artist. [ www.courtneymilleroboe.com ]

Pianist Minji Kwon is an insightful collaborator, educator and musician. Born in Korea, Kwon received the Ambassadorial Scholarship from the Rotary Foundation to study in the United States, and was the recipient of the Iowa Performance Fellowship while she worked on her Doctor of Musical Arts degree with Uriel Tsachor at the University of Iowa. Kwon taught as an adjunct professor at New York University, where she earned her Master’s degree in Collaborative Piano. She has performed at venues in music centers around the world, including the Stern Auditorium and Weill Recital Hall in Carnegie Hall in New York City, and in Chicago, Prague, Mexico and Seoul. She has given concerts at Columbia University, Western Michigan University and the University of Michigan. Currently, Kwon serves as the staff pianist for the University of Iowa.

Violinist Scott Conklin regularly appears as a soloist, chamber musician, orchestral player, adjudicator and teaching clinician throughout the United States and abroad. Conklin has performed as soloist with numerous orchestras, including the symphony orchestras of Louisville, Nashville and Berlin. Active as a recording artist, he released Pieces and Passages to critical acclaim (Albany Records), the album featuring pianists Alan Huckleberry and Jason Sifford, multiple world premieres and Conklin’s own visual artwork. An earlier release, Violinguistics: American Voices, was similarly well-received, and named a “recommended album” in The Strad, which commended him on his “brilliance of tone and charismatic delivery.” Conklin is currently associate professor of violin at the University of Iowa’s School of Music and a teacher of violin at the Preucil School of Music in Iowa City.

Violinist Katie Wolfe leads a varied career as a soloist, chamber musician, orchestral leader and adjudicator, having appeared in performance venues around the globe. An active recording artist, she has released albums on Centaur Records, Albany Records, Newport Classics and Kleos Classics. Recent recording projects include Music Between the Wars, featuring music of Korngold, Messiaen, Poulenc and Stravinsky, and a new work by composer Ketty Nez. Wolfe, who joined the string faculty of the University of Iowa in 2004, also taught at Oklahoma State University and served as Associate Concertmaster of the Oklahoma City Philharmonic. Other recent performances include Beethoven’s Violin Concerto in D major and all 10 of his Violin Sonatas.

Violist Christine Rutledge began her career in the Louisville Orchestra before moving on to faculty positions at the University of Notre Dame and the University of Iowa, where she is currently Professor of Viola. Rutledge is an avid scholar and performer of the string works of Johann Sebastian Bach on both modern and period instruments. She is also an active performer of new music. Performances and master classes have taken her around the globe, from New Zealand to Iceland. Her transcriptions for viola of baroque masterpieces are in high demand.

Cellist Anthony Arnone, who has been commended for a rich tone, subtlety and a highly effective phrasing, enjoys a varied career as a soloist, chamber musician, conductor, composer and teacher throughout the country and around the world. Arnone has collaborated with many of today’s great chamber ensembles and artists, including members of the Pro Arte Quartet, Cypress Quartet, Fry Street Quartet and Arianna Quartet. Performances have taken him around the United States, Europe and Asia to many of the leading concert venues as soloist, chamber musician, and conductor. Also active as a recording artist, Arnone is currently associate professor of cello at the University of Iowa School of Music. RICARDO MATOSINHOS (b.1982)
OS CONTOS DO OBOÉ, OP.73 (2017)

ANNE VICTORINO D’ALMEIDA (b.1978)
SONATINA BREVE PARA OBOÉ E PIANO (2016)
I. Lento
II. Presto
III. Andantino
IV. Allegretto

MANUEL PEDRO FERREIRA (b.1959)
SAUDADE FOR OBOE SOLO (1999)
I. Adagio pensoso
II. Largo con espressione

EURICO CARRAPATOSO (b.1962)
TRÊS PEÇAS ATLÂNTICAS (1999)
I. Chorinho baiano
II. Swinging in the rain
III. Balho micaelense

ANTÓNIO FRAGOSO (1897-1918)
SUITE ROMANTIQUE (1916; Transcribed for oboe: 2017)
I. Preludio
II. Intermezzo
III. Berceuse
IV. Nocturno

SÉRGIO AZEVEDO (b.1968)
OBOE QUINTET (2004 / 2017)
I. Alla Marcia
II. Scherzo
III. Intermezzo
IV. Disquiet
 



MSR Classics