Andrzej Ciepliński Plays Jewish Clarinet Masterworks

Sidney Krum Young Artists Concert Series Co-sponsored by the American Society for Jewish Music and Polish Cultural Institute New York In Person: Admission: Free Registration is required. Register Zoom Livestream: Admission: Free Registration is required. Register

Distinguished Warsaw-based clarinetist Andrzej Ciepliński will appear in a rare American recital performing Jewish classical music masterworks. This program will feature Alexander Krein's two suites of "Jewish Sketches" for Clarinet and String Quartet which take inspiration from Yiddish folksong and Klezmer music and Joseph Achron's Kindersuite, a collection of character pieces inspired by Hebrew cantillation for clarinet, string quartet, and piano. The program will also feature a new work by YIVO's own Alex Weiser and selections from Ciepliński's Limanowa project which features recently discovered pre-Holocaust Jewish music found in a small town in Southern Poland. Sergei Prokofiev's beloved Overture on Hebrew Themes completes the program. Ciepliński will be joined by cellist Julian Schwarz, pianist Marika Bournaki, violinists Peter Sirotin and Daniel Kurganov, and violist Colin Brookes. 

The Sidney Krum Young Artists Concert Series is made possible by a generous gift from the Estate of Sidney Krum.

This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council.

About the Performers

​Andrzej Ciepliński is a distinguished Polish clarinetist who has gained recognition from a wide audience, performing as a soloist with such orchestras as: Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra in Katowice (NOSPR), Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra in Warsaw, Opole Philharmonic, Lviv Philharmonic, Slovak Sinfonietta, Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra, Aukso, Sudeten Philharmonic. He has given concerts under the baton of Krzysztof Penderecki, Elim Chan, John Axelrod, Jerzy Maksymiuk, Marek Moś, Zsolt Hamar, Boon Hua Lien, Tung-Chieh Chuang, Yaron Traub, Christian Zacharias, Boian Videnoff, Paweł Kapuła. In 2015 as a representative of the Polish Radio, he won the prestigious title of The New Talent of The Year at the International Forum of Young Performers in Bratislava, held by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). He is also a laureate of many clarinet competitions. In 2022, the DUX label released the Ciepliński’s debut album, "Irrberge," which includes Claude Debussy's Sonata for Violin and Piano. Continuing the work of his grandfather, a legendary Polish trombonist Juliusz Pietrachowicz, Andrzej Ciepliński is involved in creating new clarinet literature through collaborating with many composers. He also promotes Polish music, his repertoire including all of the clarinet masterpieces by Krzysztof Penderecki and Mieczysław Weinberg. This young and yet acknowledged artist is a graduate from the class of François Benda at Hochschule für Musik in Basel and professor Arkadiusz Adamski at the Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music in Katowice where he was awarded the title Primus Inter Pares. Andrzej Ciepliński was awarded the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage Scholarship for his outstanding achievements.

Born in Seattle into a musical family, cellist Julian Schwarz is already being recognized as a cellist destined to rank among the finest of the 21st century. Mr. Schwarz made his orchestral debut at the age of 11 playing the Saint-Saens Concerto No. 1 with the Seattle Symphony with his father, Gerard Schwarz, on the podium. Since then, he has appeared with the Seattle, San Diego, Puerto Rico, Columbus (OH), Syracuse, Virginia, Sarasota, Grand Rapids, Omaha, Wichita and Modesto symphonies among others, and performed recitals at the Casals Festival in Puerto Rico and in Palm Springs. He also appears regularly on the stage of Bargemusic in New York City playing chamber music and recitals with his regular recital partner, pianist Marika Bournaki. Mr. Schwarz’s recent and upcoming performance highlights include debuts with the Charlotte, Des Moines, West Virginia, Chicago Camerata, Toledo, Amarillo and Washington/Idaho symphonies, The Louisville Orchestra and Symphony Silicon Valley in San Jose; return engagements with the Hartford and Boca Raton symphonies and the Northwest Sinfonietta; and recitals in Palm Springs, Washington, DC, Pennsylvania and Nova Scotia. Internationally, he made his Australian debut with the Queensland Symphony in Brisbane as well as his debut in Hong Kong appearing at the Intimacy of Creativity Festival. He also returned to the Boca del Rio Orchestra in Veracruz, Mexico and made his debut with the Mexico City Philharmonic in June 2016.

Marika Bournaki is a pianist committed to distinctive interpretations of standard repetroire, commissioning works by younger composers, and collaborating with artists from various fields. Marika was featured in the award-winning documentary, “I am not a rock star”, directed by Bobbi Jo Hart and featuring Marika, and her performances can be heard on Radio-Canada, Radio-France, BBC, WQXR in New York City, and Toronto’s Classical 96.3 FM. She has been featured on television networks such as ERT, TF1, France 2, CTV, Global, Radio-Canada, CBC, and Canal+. Marika holds a Bachelor’s degree from the Juilliard School of Music, in New York.

Peter Sirotin started playing chamber music with his parents at age 11, and to this day, it is his favorite form of music-making. Together with his wife, pianist Ya-Ting Chang, he gets to perform and record some of the best repertoire as part of the Mendelssohn Piano Trio. Other memorable chamber music projects include sharing a stage with his mentors, Earl Carlyss and Ann Schein; performing the complete Mozart String Quintets for the WETA-sponsored Mozart’s 250th birthday celebrations at the Austrian Embassy in Washington; and performing for BBC Proms in the Royal Albert Hall with the Moscow Soloists. He approaches his work as concertmaster of the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra a lot like chamber music collaboration but with a larger group of excellent musicians. 

Violinist Daniel Kurganov has emerged as a unique musical voice synthesizing values of different artistic eras. He has already garnered praise from such musical giants as Sergej Krylov, Ivry Gitlis and Rudolf Koelman, as well as from publications in the United States, Europe and Japan. 2018 saw a new album release with pianist Constantine Finehouse on the Spice Classics label. The disc, featuring masterworks of Brahms, Prokofiev, Tchaikovsky and others, was met with positive reviews. Fanfare Magazine lauded Kurganov’s “smoldering intensity” and “ingratiatingly idiomatic violinistic personality. Kurganov’s and Finehouse's recital brings together a wide variety of styles, rendered with an effervescence and panache that earn it its recommendation.” ArtsFuse journal wrote “Kurganov gives a tour de force performance, superbly impassioned.” Some highlights of recent seasons include solo appearances with the New Hampshire Philharmonic and Canterbury Strings, performances at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Harvard Musical Association, and multiple concert tours of Japan with his chamber group “Kurofune Ensemble” and the Boston Chamber Orchestra. In Sion, Switzerland, Kurganov was invited to The Violins of Hope project, where he had the honor of performing on a violin rescued from Auschwitz. In Boston, Kurganov performs as a member of the Essex Chamber Players. He is also a passionate teacher, holding a private studio and leading workshops and masterclasses internationally. 

Praised as “master of the strong lines,” concert violist Colin Brookes is a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he made his solo debut with the Pittsburgh Symphony at the age of 17. A founding member of the award-winning Ulysses Quartet, Colin has taught in the Pre-College Division of the Juilliard School, and the undergraduate programs of Yale University and SUNY Stony Brook. Colin has performed regularly with A Far Cry, The Knights, and other critically acclaimed ensembles. Festival appearances include Kneisel Hall, Appalachian Chamber Music Festival, Geneva Music Festival, Rockport Chamber Music Festival, Manchester Summer Chamber Music, and Tanglewood. In June 2013, he gave a solo recital with pianist Euntaek Kim for the St. Gaudens Concert Series in Cornish, NH.