Bassist Michael Hovnanian, Seattle native, longtime member of the Chicago Symphony, and faculty member at DePaul University, performs works by Bach, Hindemuth, Brahms, and others.
NOTE: Michael Hovnanian also leads a free master class with UW music students on Saturday, Jan. 11, 2 pm at Brechemin Auditorium
PROGRAM DETAIL
JS Bach: Unaccompanied Cello Suite # 3
Paul Hindemith: Trauermusik
PI Tchaikovsky: Canzonetta (from the Violin Concerto)
J Brahms: Cello Sonata #1
G Bottesini: Variations on La Sonnambula
ARTIST BIO
Michael Hovnanian, double bass
Michael Hovnanian grew up in the Seattle, Washington, area and began playing the bass in the public schools. His primary private teachers were James Harnett and Ronald Simon of the Seattle Symphony. An early interest in solo playing led to performances with the Seattle Symphony, the Northwest Chamber Orchestra and the University of Washington Symphony. He attended the University of Washington and received a bachelor of fine arts degree from the California Institute of the Arts, where he studied with Frederick Tinsley of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. In 1986, he joined the Victoria Symphony as principal bass, and became a member of the bass section of the San Antonio Symphony in 1988. Since 1989, he has been a member of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
In addition to being a member of the Chicago Symphony, Hovnanian is active performing solo and chamber music in the Chicago area. He has performed on the CSO Chamber Music series at Orchestra Hall and at the Art Institute of Chicago and with Chicago Pro Musica and the Winter Chamber Music Festival of Northwestern University.
In addition to performing, Michael Hovnanian currently is president of Discordia Music, Inc., a publishing company specializing in new and arranged works for double bass. He also is cofounder of the International Bottesini Society, an organization dedicated to promoting the legacy of that composer.