Clarinet Trios with William Blayney, Julian Schwarz, & Li-Tan Hsu

Brahms Trio in A minor, Op. 114
Beethoven Trio in B-flat major, Op. 11

Julian Schwarz was born to a multigenerational musical family in 1991. Heralded from a young age as a cellist destined to rank among the greatest of the 21st century, Julian’s powerful tone, effortless virtuosity, and extraordinarily large color palate are hallmarks of his style.

In 2013 Mr. Schwarz won first prize in the professional cello division of the Schoenfeld International String Competition in Hong Kong, and in 2016 won first prize at the Boulder International Chamber Music Competition’s “The Art of Duo” with Canadian pianist Marika Bournaki.

After making his concerto debut at the age of 11 with the Seattle Symphony and his father Gerard Schwarz on the podium, he made his US touring debut with the Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra in 2010. Since then he has led an active career as soloist. Recent and upcoming debuts include the Buffalo and Rochester Philharmonics, Camerata Chicago, Symphony Silicon Valley, and the Toledo, Jacksonville, Charleston, Tucson, Amarillo, San Antonio, Des Moines, Charlotte, and West Virginia Symphonies. Return engagements include the Hartford and Springfield (MA) Symphonies, Northwest Sinfonietta, Lake Union Civic Orchestra, Symphoria (Syracuse NY), and the Boca Symphonia. Internationally, he made his Australian debut with the Queensland Symphony, his Mexican debuts with the Boca del Rio Symphony in Veracruz and the Mexico City Philharmonic with frequent collaborator Jorge Mester, and his Hong Kong debut at the Intimacy of Creativity Festival. He has also appeared at the Salzburg Mozarteum, and the Verbier festival in Switzerland.

William Blayney is highly regarded as a soloist, clinician, and clarinet pedagogue. His wide range of experience extends from playing with the Atlanta and Seattle Symphonies, opera and ballet companies in New York, Baltimore, Atlanta, and Seattle, to playing First Clarinet on Broadway and on movie soundtracks such as Die Hard III. He is on many of the SSO’s CDs including the premiere recording of David Diamond’s 11th Symphony on which he plays First Clarinet.

Upon receipt of his Bachelor of Music Degree in Clarinet Performance from the Peabody Conservatory, he was invited to teach in their Preparatory Department. While in Baltimore he also taught at the Baltimore High School for the Performing Arts and the University of Maryland (UMBC). Known also for his interest in and knowledge of historical clarinetists and their recorded legacy, he is preparing a series of historical recordings of Great Clarinetists of the 20th Century. Mr. Blayney’s three clarinet teachers were all noted for their beauty of sound and expressive musicality. They were his father, Donald R. Blayney, Ignatius Gennusa, and David Weber.

S prizewinner from the Liszt Garrison Competition, Dr. Li-Tan Hsu is currently a Collaborative Artist in Residence in Music Division of the Seattle University. Before moving to Seattle in April 2015, she was a faculty member of the Peabody Preparatory of the Johns Hopkins University. A pianist in high demand, recently she was named the accompanist of the semi-final round for the Seattle Symphony Piano Competition. Dr. Hsu was a rehearsal pianist for concert musicians such as Jean-Efflam Bavouzet and Victor Danchenko, to name a few.

Her past experience included the official accompanist for Washington International Competition, WPAS Feder Competition, and a staff accompanist at the prestigious Aspen Music School and Festive. She has appeared in recital halls such as Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center, and McEvoy Auditorium of the Smithsonian American Art Museum. She has given concerts in Austria, the U.S., and Taiwan. Dr. Hsu has collaborated with other distinguished artists including Peabody’s cello faculty Michael Kannen, double bassists John Hood of the Philadelphia Orchestra, Mark Huang from the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, and Oboe professor Mark Hill from University of Maryland, College Park. She has also played in the masterclasses of renowned musicians; Leon Fleisher, Mikhail Kopelman, Gyorgy Pauk, Ida Kavafian, Kim Kashkashian, Stephen Geber, and Pamela Franck are among them. She has attended Kneisel Hall Chamber Music Festival in Maine with a full scholarship, The Frederic Chopin Academy of Music, and the National College of Music Belarusian Academy of Music.

A graduate with a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from University of Maryland, College Park under the tutelage of Professor Rita Sloan, she came to the U.S. to pursue degrees at the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University in Master of Music in Ensemble Arts and Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance where her teacher was Ms. Marian Hahn. While at school, she was a two-time recipient of the Clara Arschfeld Award for Outstanding Accompanist from the Peabody Institute. She has served as Graduate Accompanist Assistants at Peabody Conservatory and University of Maryland, College Park, respectively.