2024 Young Artists Chamber Concert with William Hagen

PROGRAM

• Quartet for 4 Violins in G major - Carl Bohm
• String Quartet, Op. 76, No. 1 - Joseph Haydn
  • I. Allegro con spirito
• String Quartet No. 1 in E minor - Bedřich Smetana
  • I. Allegro vivo appassionato
  • II. Allegro moderato à la Polka

INTERMISSION

• Violin Sonata in G Minor (Devil's Trill Sonata) - Giuseppe Tartini
  • William Hagen, violin
  • Tomasz Robak, piano

• Four Romantic Pieces - Antonín Dvořák
  • William Hagen, violin
  • Tomasz Robak, piano

• Five Pieces for Two Violins and Piano - Dmitri Shostakovich
  • William Hagen, violin
  • Eric Boruff, violin
  • Tomasz Robak, piano

Boruff Violin Studio is thrilled to present its annual Young Artists Chamber Concert, showcasing some of the most talented young string musicians in the community. This year, we are excited to welcome guest artist and instructor William Hagen, who will be coaching each young artist quartet and trio as well as performing himself along with pianist Tomasz Robak. The concert features a diverse program of chamber music and will take place on Saturday, June 1 at 7:30 pm at the Rafters at Historic St. Mark’s, a stunningly beautiful venue with exceptional acoustics.

Audience members can expect to be swept away by the virtuosic performances of these young musicians, who have dedicated countless hours to perfecting their craft. The concert is a unique opportunity to experience the beauty and complexity of chamber music, performed by the next generation of talented musicians.

Whether you are a seasoned classical music lover or a newcomer to the genre, the Young Artists Chamber Concert is not to be missed. Come and support these talented young musicians and be captivated by their incredible artistry.

ABOUT WILLIAM HAGEN

William Hagen has performed as soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician across the United States, Europe, Asia, and Latin America. Highlights of the 2023/24 season include a return to the Detroit Symphony and a tour of the Netherlands with the Amsterdam Sinfonietta.

As soloist, William has appeared with the Chicago Symphony, Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Detroit Symphony, Frankfurt Radio Symphony (HR Sinfonieorchester), San Francisco Symphony, Seattle Symphony, Utah Symphony, and many others around the globe.

As recitalist and chamber musician, William has performed at venues such as Wigmore Hall and the Louvre, and collaborated with artists such as Steven Isserlis, Gidon Kremer, Edgar Meyer, and Tabea Zimmerman, among others. He maintains an active schedule on both sides of the Atlantic, making frequent trips to Europe and cities around the US to play a wide range of repertoire.

In 2020, William released his debut album, “Danse Russe,” with his good friend and frequent collaborator, pianist Albert Cano Smit. The album is available on all streaming platforms.

A native of Salt Lake City, Utah, William began playing the violin at the age of 4, studying the Suzuki method with Natalie Reed and then Deborah Moench. He studied with Itzhak Perlman and Catherine Cho at the Juilliard School, Christian Tetzlaff at the Kronberg Academy, and was a longtime student of Robert Lipsett, studying with Mr. Lipsett for 11 years both at the Colburn Community School of Performing Arts and at the Colburn Conservatory of Music. In 2015, William won 3rd prize at the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels.

William performs on the 1732 “Arkwright Lady Rebecca Sylvan” Antonio Stradivari, and on a violin bow by Francois Xavier Tourte, both on generous loan from the Rachel Barton Pine Foundation.

ABOUT TOMASZ ROBAK

Dr. Tomasz Robak is a versatile keyboard artist, in demand as a pianist, organist, duo partner, chamber musician, and vocal coach.

Robak currently serves as Assistant Professor of the Practice in Music at Davidson College in North Carolina. At Davidson, he plays for a variety of concerts, including vocal and instrumental recitals, choral concerts, opera workshop performances, and annual college-wide services. He also coaches singers and instrumentalists and teaches a small studio of organ students. Most recently, he has been appointed organist at Myers Park Presbyterian Church in Charlotte, one of the largest PC(USA) congregations in the United States. Comfortable in front of any keyboard, Robak also appears regularly as an orchestral keyboardist with the Charlotte Symphony.

Over the years he has received recognition in several piano competitions, including winning the Grand Prix at the 32nd Polish Tournament of Foreign Scholarship Holders in Antonin (2019), an Honorable Mention at the 1st International Chopin Competition in Turzno (2019), Second Prize at the International Beethoven Sonata Competition in Memphis (2013), and Second Place in the American Prize concerto category (2018).

As a piano concerto soloist he has performed with the New North Shore Chamber Orchestra, the Memphis Repertory Orchestra, the Manassas Symphony Orchestra, the Midwest Youth Symphony Orchestra, the Parma Symphony Orchestra, the Southwest Symphony Orchestra, the White Mountain Symphony Orchestra and the Los Alamos Community Winds. As a solo recitalist, he has performed across the United States in Austin, Baltimore, Canton, Chicago, Los Alamos (NM), Memphis and Washington, D.C., as well as in several cities in Poland, Austria, and Germany.