Clarinetist Alexander Fiterstein to Perform at WMP Concert Hall, 3/15

On March 15 at 7:30pm, clarinetist Alexander Fiterstein will perform at New York City's WMP Concert Hall with cellist Julia Bruskin, violinist Miranda Cuckson, and pianist Aaron Wunsch in a program of Bach's Excerpts from the Musical Offering, BWC 1079 and Messiaen's Quartet for the End of Time. The concert is part of the WMP Concert Hall's "Pairings Series" in which two unlikely composers are paired in concerts, and audience members can enjoy a glass of wine included with admission.

WMP Concert Hall is located on 31 East 28th Street. There is a suggested donation of $20 at the door. Reservations are recommended and can be made by calling (212) 582-7536 or by emailing admin@wmpconcerthall.com.

Winner of the 2001 Carl Nielsen International Clarinet Competition, Mr. Fiterstein has been lauded by the Washington Post saying, "Fiterstein treats his instrument as his own personal voice, dazzling in its spectrum of colors, agility and range. Every sound he makes is finely measured without inhibiting expressiveness." He regularly performs at the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and in 2012 he performed the Nielsen Clarinet Concerto with conductor Thomas Dausgaard and The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. He also gave the world premiere of a new orchestrated version of the first track on his Ronn Yedidia album, World Dance, in South Carolina.

Still ahead for Mr. Fiterstein during the 2012-13 season are performances for the Birdfoot Chamber Music Festival in New Orleans, the Boston Chamber Music Society, the Marlboro Festival, the Music Mountain Festival, and the Zodiac Music Academy and Festival in France. Mr. Fiterstein is also currently working on film score project with producer/director Richard Ledes. The film is called "The Dark Side" and Mr. Fiterstein will play three Gypsy tunes with violist Paul Neubauer and others. Mr. Fiterstein will appear in the film itself, along with recording the tunes for the soundtrack.

Mr. Fiterstein was born in Belarus. At the age of two, he immigrated with his family to Israel where he later studied at the Israel Arts and Science Academy. He graduated from the Interlochen Arts Academy and the Juilliard School. His teachers included Charles Neidich and Eli Heifetz. Mr. Fiterstein is a first prize winner of the Carl Nielsen International Clarinet Competition and the "Aviv" competitions in Israel; a winner of the Young Concert Artists International Auditions; and he is the recipient of the Bunkamura Orchard Hall Award (Tokyo) and numerous awards from the America-Israel Cultural Foundation. Mr. Fiterstein is the clarinet professor at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities.