GREAT CHINA TOUR CHAMBER MUSIC Harrington-Lewis Violin Piano Duo, Ireland/USA, 2013 | Harrington-Lewis Violin Piano Duo, Ireland/USA, 2013 |
  Tour Dates: 15 August - 2 September, 2013 Gregory Harrington and William Lewis' appearances take them to the world’s most prestigious concert halls and festivals as soloists and as a duo.
Tour Dates
23 August, Tianhe Culture Center, 020-87576750 020-87581479 Gregory Harrington, violin Gregory Harrington and William Lewis' appearances take them to the world’s most prestigious concert halls and festivals as soloists and as a duo. With a wide repertoire spanning early baroque to present day literature for violin and piano, and a commitment to new music, they have commissioned numerous works for violin and piano. Their debut disc "Reflections" - a collection of 16 classical and immensely popular pieces - gained great acclaim in the press and has been performed on radio all over the world. As collaborators, they have worked with highly renowned and acclaimed artists from members of the Emerson, Manhattan and Lark String quartets, celebrated jazz bassist John Patitucci and the acclaimed tenor Marcello Giordani. They have been touring together for nearly ten years. Harrington is on the faculty of two Manhattan based schools in New York and Lewis is Artist in Residence at the University of Kentucky. About this performance, Strad Magazine wrote, “Harrington performed with aching tenderness, a profound sense of melancholy touching every phrase.” As a prizewinner of the Artists International Competition in New York in February 2003, Harrington made another successful debut, also to positive review, at Weill Recital Hall in Carnegie Hall, where he has held multiple performances. Harrington has toured and performed as soloist in venues throughout the Americas, Asia and Europe including Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Town Hall & Merkin Hall in New York; Symphony Hall in Boston; the Shanghai Oriental Art Center; Benaroya Hall, Seattle; the South Bank Center, London; The Hugh Lane Gallery, the West Cork Chamber Music Festival and The National Concert Hall, Dublin. For his interpretation of Vivaldi's "Four Seasons" with the RTE Concert Orchestra in the National Concert Hall, Dublin, the Irish Times commented: “The soloist Gregory Harrington was impressive. This young Dublin born violinist showed natural artistry and an ability to dazzle.” and with the San Diego Symphony under conductor Thomas Wilkins, The LaJolla Light noted, "Harrington delivered a virtuoso performance". “Reflections”, Harrington’s first album, is a recording of 16 virtuoso short pieces that gathered rave reviews in the press, earning "Critics Choice" in Newsweek with the magazine declaring “This debut CD features a sultry ‘Summertime’ and a haunting performance of the theme from ‘Schindler's List’ that rivals Perlman's justly famous recording.” Estile Productions, which self-produced “Reflections”, is Harrington’s own production company. "A Different World", his current disc devoted to the music renowned Scottish composer James MacMillan has earned more acclaimed reviews in the press including a double 5 star review in BBC Music Magazine and “Recording of the Month” in Music Web International. The disc includes three world premiere recordings and embodies Harrington’s passion and excitement for contemporary music. As soloist, Harrington has performed with the San Diego Symphony, Rhode Island Philharmonic, Orquestra Filharmonica de la Ciudad de Mexico, RTE Concert Orchestra, Naples Philharmonic, the Orquesta Sinfonica del IPN, Mexico; the Irish Concert Orchestra, The Musica Bella Orchestra of New York and the Dublin Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Thomas Wilkins, Robert Houlihan, Alan Tongue, Francisco Noya, Hector Reyes Bonilla, Susan Haig and Philip Gaskill. He has collaborated with members of the renowned Emerson, Manhattan and Lark String Quartets, British virtuoso pianist Simon Mulligan, legendary Irish fiddler Martin Hayes as well as the celebrated jazz bassist John Patitucci. Gregory Harrington's dedication to 20th century and contemporary music is highlighted through close contacts with several eminent composers, including American composers Steve Gerber, Meira Warshauer and Scottish composer James MacMillan. He is committed to exploring the works of lesser known composers and has given premieres of concerto and recital works in London, Dublin, Wellington, Mexico and New York including the recent North American Premiere of Donacha Dehennys violin concerto and the Mexican premiere of Jorge Sosa's Concerto for violin and orchestra. Harrington received a bachelor's degree in International Commerce and Spanish literature from University College Dublin and performance diplomas in music from both the Guildhall School of Music in London and Mannes College of Music in New York City. He is also a graduate of the Royal Irish Academy of Music. His principle teachers have been Kevin Kiely, Sally Thomas and the late Erick Friedman and he has been a recipient of Awards from the Arts Council and the Department of Cultural Affairs in Ireland. An advocate for culture, education and cancer research, Harrington is passionate about furthering music education by putting instruments in the hands of children, affording them opportunities to develop creatively. A committed educator, Harrington devotes time outside performances to teaching in New York in two private schools - the Spence School and Nightingale - Bamford School in Manhattan, and to fundraising in aid of cancer research. William Lewis is a highly sought after coach and accompanist who has just celebrated 40 years as a professional musician. He has served on the coaching staff of the State of the Opera, Texas Opera Theatre, and Lake George Opera Festival and for several years was the head vocal coach for the Central City Opera House Association. He has performed in all the major concert halls in the continental US and has recorded with numerous instrumental and vocal artists. He is also a published author. Review "The soloist Gregory Harrington was impressive. This young Dublin born violinist showed natural artistry and an ability to dazzle". - The Irish Times "…Harrington described its winding contours with aching tenderness, a profound sense of melancholy touching every phrase." - The Strad Magazine |
