1/19 at Shriver Hall: Cellist Pablo Ferrández & Pianist Julio Elizalde

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Mallory McFarland | Morahan Arts and Media
mallory@morahanartsandmedia.com | 646-378-9386

SHRIVER HALL CONCERT SERIES CONTINUES 2024-25 SEASON WITH
CELLIST PABLO FERRÁNDEZ IN HIS BALTIMORE RECITAL DEBUT AND
PIANIST JULIO ELIZALDE

Sunday, January 19, 2025 at 5:30 pm at Shriver Hall


"superb technique and exhilarating musicality"
–Los Angeles Times on Pablo Ferrández

"compelling artistry and power"
–Seattle Times on Julio Elizalde

www.ShriverConcerts.org

Baltimore, MD (December 6, 2024) — Shriver Hall Concert Series (SHCS) — Baltimore’s premier presenter of chamber music ensembles and solo recitalists — kicks off 2025 with the Baltimore Recital Debut of acclaimed Spanish cellist Pablo Ferrández, joined by Hispanic-American pianist Julio Elizalde, on Sunday, January 19, 2025 at 5:30 pm at Shriver Hall.

The duo’s program will feature expressive pieces including Max Bruch’s Kol Nidrei, Op. 47, Beethoven’s Sonata No. 3 for Cello and Piano in A major, Op. 69, Rachmaninoff’s Vocalise, Op. 34, No. 14, and Brahms’s Sonata for Cello and Piano in E minor, Op. 38.

“I am truly excited to return to Baltimore to perform some of the most remarkable pieces ever written for cello and piano,” shares Pablo Ferrández. “Joining me will be my longtime friend and musical partner, Julio Elizalde. Our program features Beethoven’s Sonata No. 3, a masterpiece that showcases Beethoven’s genius in all its glory. This sonata offers a captivating journey, filled with joy, drama, and profound expression — undoubtedly one of the greatest works of classical music. We will also perform Brahms’s Sonata No. 1, a deeply personal favorite of mine. This piece has accompanied me throughout my career, and it’s particularly special as it marks the first time Julio and I will perform it together. I can’t wait to share this extraordinary music with the wonderful audience in Baltimore and experience its beauty together.”

“As friends on and off the concert stage, my partnership with cellist Pablo Ferrández consistently inspires some of the most selfless and poetic music-making that I have the privilege of being a part of,” remarks Julio Elizalde. “We challenge each other to seek the truth in the music and sharing that with the audience at Shriver Hall will be something very special that we look forward to.”

Hailed as a “new cello genius” by Le Figaro, Pablo Ferrández is recognized as a cello phenomenon and one of the most in-demand instrumentalists of his generation. Ferrández is a prizewinner at the XV International Tchaikovsky Competition and is a SONY Classical exclusive artist. His recordings include his debut album, Reflections (2021), and his most recent album, Brahms: Double Concerto & C. Schumann: Piano Trio (2022), which features violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter, who he also toured with last season. Ferrández’s recent highlights include appearances with the LA Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl, Czech Philharmonic, Filarmonica della Scala, Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Oslo Philharmonic, Seoul Philharmonic, and more.

Julio Elizalde is a Hispanic-American pianist and a multifaceted artist who enjoys a unique career as a soloist, collaborator, curator, and educator. As a highly respected recital partner, Elizalde has appeared in performances with world-renowned violinists Ray Chen and Sarah Chang, and has collaborated with many of the leading artists of our time. A champion of new music, Elizalde has also collaborated with various celebrated composers and was a featured artist on the Jimmy P film soundtrack, composed by Academy Award-winner Howard Shore. He has performed at many of the world’s major music centers including Walt Disney Concert Hall, Davies Symphony Hall, Koerner Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Kioi Hall, Seoul Arts Center, and many others.

Following Pablo Ferrández and Julio Elizalde’s appearance on the mainstage series is the return of the Grammy-nominated Dover Quartet on Sunday, February 2, 2025, at 5:30 pm. They will present a program dedicated to America featuring the Baltimore Premiere of Jerod Impichchaachaaha' Tate’s Abokkoli' Taloowa' (Woodland Songs), also a SHCS co-commission.

SHCS’s free Discovery Series continues in the new year with violinist Wei Zhu, winner of the 2024 Yale Gordon Concerto Competition, on Saturday, February 8, 2025 at 3:00 pm at the Baltimore Museum of Art.

Shriver Hall Concert Series’ season is made possible through generous support from the Maryland State Arts Council, Baltimore County Commission for Arts & Sciences, and Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts.

Concert Information
Pablo Ferrández, cello (Baltimore Recital Debut) and Julio Elizalde, piano
Sunday, January 19, 2025, at 5:30 pm
Shriver Hall | 3400 N. Charles Street | Baltimore, MD 21218
Tickets: $46 Single Tickets and $10 Students
Link: shriverconcerts.org/ferrandez 

MAX BRUCH: Kol nidrei, Op. 47 
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN: Cello Sonata No. 3 in A major, Op. 69 
SERGE RACHMANINOFF: Vocalise, Op. 34, No. 14 
JOHANNES BRAHMS: Cello Sonata No. 1 in E minor, Op. 38 

A Pre-Concert Conversation with The Peabody Institute's Dr. Paula Maust will take place at 4:30 pm in Shriver Hall before the concert.

The Piatigorsky Memorial Concert

About Pablo Ferrández
Prizewinner at the XV International Tchaikovsky Competition and a Sony Classical exclusive artist, Pablo Ferrández is hailed as a “new cello genius” (Le Figaro). A captivating performer, “Ferrández has the lot: technique, mettle, spirit, authority as a soloist, expressivity and charm” (El País). Introduced by the Pittsburgh Symphony as “the next Yo-Yo Ma,” Pablo Ferrández has turned into a cello phenomenon and one of the most in-demand instrumentalists of his generation.

His debut album under Sony Classical, “Reflections,” released in 2021, was highly acclaimed by critics and praised with the Opus Klassik Award. In Fall 2022 Pablo Ferrández released his second album, which included Johannes Brahms’s Double Concerto, performed with violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter and the Czech Philharmonic under Manfred Honeck, as well as Clara Schumann’s Piano Trio, performed with Mutter and pianist Lambert Orkis; this, too, received rave reviews.

Ferrández’s recent seasons have seen him appearing with the Boston Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, Filarmonica della Scala, L’Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, Bayerischen Rundfunk Symphony Orchestra, Munich Philharmonic, Frankfurt Radio Symphony, Konzerthausorchester Berlin, NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestre National de France, Israel Philharmonic, Oslo Philharmonic, and Seoul Philharmonic. He has also toured with the London Philharmonic, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Antwerp Symphony, and the Czech Philharmonic under Semyon Bychkov. Ferrández is frequently invited to renowned international festivals such as Verbier, Salzburg, Dresden, Sion, Tsinandali, Abu Dhabi, and Dvorák Prague Festival, among others.

The 2024-25 season brings Ferrández back to the Munich Philharmonic, Bamberg Symphony, Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI, London Philharmonic, Orquesta Nacional de España, KBS Symphony, and Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo, where he will play the Brahms Double Concerto alongside Anne-Sophie Mutter and Kazuki Yamada. He debuts with NDR Radiophilharmonie, Belgian National Orchestra, Bergen Philharmonic, Swedish Chamber Orchestra, and North Carolina Symphony, and will be artist-in-residence at the Tongyeong International Music Festival in South Korea. Additionally, Ferrández tours with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic, and with the WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln under Andrés Orozco-Estrada in Spain.

Ferrández appears in trio alongside Anne-Sofie Mutter and pianist Martha Argerich at Hamburg Elbphilharmonie, with Mutter and pianist Yefim Bronfman on tour in the United States, with violinist Janine Jansen and pianist Denis Kozhukhin at Vienna Musikverein and Kamermuziek Festival Utrecht, and as recitalist in New York, Baltimore, Milan, Florence, Bilbao, Laufen, and Münster, as well in the Aix-en-Provence, Sion, Peralada, Verbier, and Abu Dhabi festivals.

Born in Madrid in 1991 to a family of musicians, Ferrández joined the prestigious Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofía when he was 13 to study with Natalia Shakhovskaya. After that, he completed his studies at the Kronberg Academy with Frans Helmerson and became scholar of the Anne-Sophie Mutter Foundation.

Pablo Ferrández plays the Stradivarius “Archinto” 1689, on a generous lifelong loan from a member of the Stretton Society. His website is pabloferrandez.com

About Julio Elizalde
Praised as a musician of “compelling artistry and power” by The Seattle Times, the gifted Hispanic American pianist Julio Elizalde is a multifaceted artist who enjoys a unique career as soloist, collaborator, curator, and educator. Elizalde has performed at many of the world’s major music centers including Walt Disney Concert Hall (Los Angeles), Davies Symphony Hall (San Francisco), Koerner Hall (Toronto), Alice Tully Hall (New York), Kioi Hall (Tokyo), Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall, Seoul Arts Center, Teatro Colón (Buenos Aires), St. Paul’s Knightsbridge (London), National Centre for the Performing Arts (Beijing), Shanghai Oriental Arts Center, Palacio de Bellas Artes (Mexico City), National Concert Hall (Taipei), and the Esplanade Concert Hall (Singapore), among many others.

For nearly a decade, he has appeared as recital partner to world-renowned violinists Ray Chen and Sarah Chang, and has collaborated with many of the leading artists of our time, including Pablo Ferrández, Kian Soltani, Pamela Frank, Robert McDonald, and members of the Juilliard, Cleveland, Takács, Kronos, Brentano, St. Lawrence, and Dover string quartets. As a founding member of the N-E-W Trio, he won the grand prize at the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition and received the Harvard Musical Association’s prestigious Arthur W. Foote Prize. As part of the Trio, he performed for notable American politicians including President Bill Clinton and Secretaries of State Condoleezza Rice and Henry Kissinger.

A champion of new music, Elizalde has collaborated with celebrated composers such as Osvaldo Golijov, Sir Stephen Hough, Adolphus Hailstork, and Michael Stephen Brown. Elizalde was a featured artist on the soundtrack composed by Academy Award winner Howard Shore for the film Jimmy P: Psychotherapy of a Plains Indian starring Benicio del Toro.

Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, Julio Elizalde is a graduate of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where he earned a bachelor’s degree with honors as a student of Paul Hersh. He holds Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees from The Juilliard School in New York City, where he studied with Jerome Lowenthal, Joseph Kalichstein, and Robert McDonald. Since 2014, he has served as artistic director of the Olympic Music Festival outside Seattle, WA, and he is currently the Associate Chair of Strings and Piano Chamber Music at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.

Julio Elizalde’s website is juliothepianist.com.

About Shriver Hall Concert Series
For almost 60 years, Shriver Hall Concert Series (SHCS) has been “Baltimore’s finest importer of classical music talent” (The Baltimore Sun) and the area’s premier presenter of chamber music ensembles and solo recitalists with a mission to craft performances and educational programs at the highest level of excellence. A 5-time recipient of Baltimore Magazine’s distinction “Best Classical Music” in its annual “Best of Baltimore” issue, the coveted subscription series features many of the world’s most renowned soloists and ensembles, presented in The Johns Hopkins University’s Shriver Hall.

Founded in 1966 by Dr. Ernest Bueding, a pharmacologist at Johns Hopkins University, and a group of similarly dedicated music enthusiasts, SHCS set out to make an important contribution to the vitality of an already vibrant city. When flutist Jean-Pierre Rampal walked onto the stage of Shriver Hall for the first concert, more than 1,100 people witnessed the launch of what is now recognized as a remarkable success story: Shriver Hall Concert Series. In the succeeding years, SHCS has presented hundreds of acclaimed and emerging international artists in classical chamber music and recitals and a legacy of important debuts and premieres. In addition, SHCS collaborates with local schools and subsidizes hundreds of student tickets each season.

The list of artists presented by SHCS is remarkable—Radu Lupu, Murray Perahia, Ewa Podlés, Maurizio Pollini, Jacqueline du Pré, Mstislav Rostropovich, Jordi Savall, András Schiff, Rudolf Serkin, Janos Starker, Daniil Trifonov, Lynn Harrell, Emmanuel Ax, Alban Berg Quartet, Guarneri Quartet, Kronos Quartet, Cleveland Quartet, and Quartetto Italiano, among many others. SHCS also has a history of championing important musicians early in their careers, including Richard Goode, Hilary Hahn, Hélène Grimaud, Dawn Upshaw, Lang Lang, and the Emerson String Quartet. Commissioned composers include Timo Andres, Sebastian Currier, Han Lash, James Lee III, Jonathan Leshnoff, Caroline Shaw, Carlos Simon, and Nina C. Young.

Designed specifically for the community, SHCS’s Discovery Series is a set of free concerts presented in venues throughout the region focused on artists emerging on the national and international scene. Artists featured include Sterling Elliott, Narek Hakhnazaryan, Sheku and Isata Kanneh-Mason, Eric Lu, and the Dover Quartet. SHCS also offers the annual Spring Lecture Series, a series of free talks focused on annual topics related to the intersection of music and society and a variety of student programs.

For more information, visit www.shriverconcerts.org.

Photo of Pablo Ferrández by Igor Studio; photo of Julio Elizalde by Dada Zheng

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