Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association Presents The Solisti String Ensemble

Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association will present the acclaimed Solisti Ensemble in concert on Thursday, July 8 at 7:30 PM in the Great Auditorium.

The Great Auditorium is located at Pilgrim and Ocean Pathways in Ocean Grove, New Jersey. All facilities are handicapped accessible. Tickets: $16.00, $10 for students; and $80 for all five concerts prices includes taxes and fees. To purchase your tickets please visit a??www.oceangrove.org/stars or call 732-534-3462.

This eleven-piece string ensemble has garnered a following in Ocean Grove, where it will be back by popular demand after successful performance over the past several summers.

Program

"Spring" from Vivaldi's Four Seasons, Christine Kwak, violin
Bach's Concerto for Two Violins in D-Minor

Shostakovich's String Quartet #8
"Emperors Waltz" - Johann Strauss

Mozart's Divertimenti #1 in D-Major

Brahms' Hungarian Dance #1 in G-Minor

Mozart's Piano Concerto #21 in C-Major #467, Second Movement (Arranged for Strings)

Handel's Concerto for Organ and Orchestra, Gordon Turk, Organist
Benjamin Britten's "Simple Symphony" No. 4

Founded in 2008 by violinist Byung-Kook Kwak, the New York-based Solisti Ensemble consists of eleven active string soloists and chamber musicians dedicated reviving the traditions of small-ensemble chamber music. The ensemble is exceptional for its unique size of the ensemble and the individual virtuosity of each member.Solisti Ensemble performs not only classical chamber music, but also arrangements of pop, tango, and jazz.

Since its inception, the ensemble has given concerts around the Metropolitan Area, including regular appearances at Alice Tully Hall and Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall. In January 2013, the ensemble made its debut at Carnegie Hall's Stern Auditorium. In hopes of making a meaningful musical contribution to its community, both local and global, Solisti Ensemble envisions the enthusiastic revival of classical music in a way that is both culturally relevant and nostalgically reminiscent of an oft forgotten period of the art. Solisti Ensemble promises to bring a most fulfilling and fascinating musical experience to audiences everywhere.

Byung-Kook Kwak enjoys a versatile career as a soloist, chamber musician, and educator. He has been described by

Anthony Tomassini of The New York Times as, "... a distinguished artist...with a warm penetrating sound and tasteful expressivity...". From coast to coast, critics have hailed him as a premier violinist whose musical gifts and technical wizardry are powerful and sensitive.

Mr. Kwak has performed with orchestras throughout North America, Europe, Asia, and Scandinavia. Finalist and prize winner of many international competitions, he was featured on PBS Live from Lincoln Center as a member of the renowned Sea Cliff Chamber Players. He has taught at Mannes College for 10 years as an assistant to Aaron Rosand and is currently a faculty member at Manhattan School of Music, Pre-College, Queens College, and Nyack College. In addition, he also performs and gives master classes regularly in Seoul, Korea.

As a founder and artistic director of Solisti Ensemble, he has performed with the Ensemble at Stern and Zankel Halls at Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, and Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall, among many other performing arts centers on the East coast. He has also been active as a choral conductor for over thirty years, and has led countless performances of Handel's Messiah, Beethoven 9th Symphony, as well as many of the major choral works with Central Presbyterian Church Choir where he is serving as a music director.

Born in Seoul, Korea, Mr. Kwak was hailed as a child prodigy. He made his orchestral debut at the age of 7 with the Seoul Philharmonic. After earning much accolade and winning prestigious competitions in his native country, Mr. Kwak came to the U.S. and, at age 12, became one of Jascha Heifetz's youngest students. He earned both his Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees from the Juilliard School, where he studied with Ivan Galamian and Dorothy DeLay.