Holgen Gjoni
Cellist

Sunday, September 16
4:00 PM
— in the sanctuary of First Presbyterian Church

Admission - free
reception follows

The program includes

Beethoven's Third Sonata for Cello and Piano
—Mária Horváth, pianist
George Crumb's Sonata for Solo Cello
Tchaikovsky's Rococo Variations
Elliot Carter's Figment for Cello Alone
Bach's Suite #1 for Cello in G Major


Albanian cellist Holgen Gjoni has been highly praised by critics and audiences alike for his solo and chamber music performances throughout America, Asia and Europe. Cultura e Spettacoli of Bari, Italy, praised him for his “technique, beauty of sound and emotional projection,” while the prestigious Actualitatea Muzicala of Bucharest, Romania, hailed him for his “seriousness and profoundness of an authentic concert soloist,” “turmoiled musical sensibility, marked by an ineffable luminosity of expression,” calling him an “excellent cellist” and an “elite musician.”

Holgen Gjoni is the recipient of The Virtu Foundation Instrumental Scholarship Award and a top prize winner at the Mihail Jora International Cello Competition, Jeunnesse Musicales International Competition, Concerto Competition of the National University of Music Bucharest, in addition to receiving Boston Symphony’s Karl Zeise Memorial Cello Award, Boston Conservatory Presidential Award and APERTO Foundation Award.

Since his debut at age twelve with Korca String Orchestra, Albania, Mr.Gjoni has soloed and toured with the National Romanian Radio Orchestra, Philharmonia and Symphony Orchestras of Bucharest, Concerto and Academica Orchestras of the National University of Music Bucharest.

As a member of the Hamburg based Philharmony of the Nations, he gave solo performances as an Ambassador of Peace throughout the world, including a papal audience in Vatican City.

Holgen’s versatile career includes numerous concertos, recitals, chamber music and orchestra concerts internationally, appearing at venues such as New York’s Carnegie, Avery Fisher, Alice Tully and Merkin Halls, Kennedy Center, Strathmore, Jordan, Seiji Ozawa and “Tchaikovsky” Concert Halls, Berlin and Budapest Opera Houses, Tokyo City Opera, Shanghai Center Theatre and Beijing Century Theatre.

Gjoni is brought here by the Virtu Foundation. The Virtu Foundation awards instruments to young professionals on a competition basis. They also provide scholarship help to young musicians.

Enjoy fellowship and conversation with both musicians during a reception following the performance.

——
Mária Horváth, Hungarian pianist has lived in the United States of America since 1992. She has appeared as a soloist in France, Hungary, Austria, Slovakia, and the USA and has also performed in a variety of chamber ensembles and orchestras and accompanied singers, instrumentalists, choirs, as well as opera and musical theater productions. Currently she is the principal pianist and celeste player of the Illinois Symphony Orchestra and an active soloist and accompanist. Visit her website here.