Recipient of the Gheens Young Artist 2022 Award.
Winner of the 2021 American Prize in Instrumental Performance.
"a world class musician" (Galena Gazette). Plays with“high energy and
polish” (WQXR).
(Photo credit: Michelle Kaffko)
Louise Chan,
Pianist
Winner of the Canadian Music Competition
Sunday, October 16, 2022
3:00 pm /
Logan House
at the Beatrice Wood Center for the Arts
8585 Ojai-Santa Paula Rd. (in Upper Ojai)
Ojai, CA 93023 Detailed map and directions
Program Three Preludes for Cello and Piano, G. Gershwin
Cello Sonata No 4, Op. 102, No. 1, L.v. Beethoven Cello Sonata No. 2 in D Major, Op. 58, Felix Mendelssohn
Five Pieces for Cello and Piano, A. Beach
Sonata in A Major, M. 8, C. Franck
A reception was held on our patio immediately following the performance.
Louise Chan, Pianist and Anita Graef, Cellist
Photo taken at the outdoor patio reception following their October 16, 2022 performance. (Photo by Christine Gregory)
Described as "a world class musician" (Galena Gazette) who plays with “high energy and
polish” (WQXR), cellist Anita Graef has earned recognition for her music making as a soloist,
chamber musician, and orchestral performer. Notable appearances include features in Strings
Magazine, as well as Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert
series, and “Concerts from the Library of Congress.” She has also performed in recital as a guest
of various radio programs, including “Young Artists Showcase” on WQXR, WFMT, WGTE,
WUOL, WOSU, WVPB, NPR and others. She serves as the Artistic Director and cellist of the
Juliani Ensemble, an innovative, multi-faceted chamber ensemble, with whom she has performed
extensively both nationally and internationally. Highlights of 2021/2022 include concerto debuts,
notably with the Louisville Orchestra among others, recital performances at Columbia
University, the New Lens Concert Series, “Live from WFMT,” and a residency at the University
of Missouri.
She was recently named as the 2022 Gheens Young Artist, an award from the Gheens
Foundation which sees her making her concerto debut with the Louisville Orchestra, as well
performing, speaking and serving as an educator throughout the city. In 2021, she was
announced as the recipient of the American Prize in Instrumental Performance. As a writer, her
work has been published in Strings Magazine, where she serves as a frequent contributor.
Watch Video Strings Sessions in Place: Cellist Anita Graef Performs Sibelius and Gilere
She has performed at various music festivals, including as Artist-in-Residence at
pianoSonoma, as a Fellow with the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra, as principal cellist at
Brevard Music Festival, as assistant principal cellist of Miami Music Festival, as well as the
Catskills High Peaks Music Festival and Credo Chamber Music Festival at Oberlin
Conservatory. As an orchestral musician, frequent appearances include the Cincinnati Symphony
Orchestra, originally as a recipient of the CSO-CCM Fellowship, as assistant principal of the
Missouri Symphony, as well as performances with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra,
Louisville Orchestra, and others.
She has had occasion to work with and perform for musicians such as Stephen Geber,
Johannes Moser, Felix Wang, Roberto Diaz, Joel Smirnoff, Eric Kim, Charles Pickler, Yehuda
Hanani, Martin Katz, Paul Watkins of the Emerson Quartet, Anne Martindale Williams, the
Shanghai String Quartet, the Calidore Quartet, and the Chiara Quartet. Former teachers include
Marc Johnson of the Vermeer Quartet, Hans Jorgen Jensen, and several members of the Chicago
Symphony Orchestra. She has performed in orchestras under the baton of maestros such as
Leonard Slatkin, Miguel Harth-Bedoya, James Gaffigan, Peter Oundjian, David Efron, JoAnn
Falletta, Rossen Milanov, Louis Langree, James Conlon and Keith Lockhart.
Watch Video Cellist Anita Graef Performs Robert Schumann, Drei Fantasiestücke, Op. 73
Born into a family of professional musicians, Anita grew up surrounded by music. She
began piano studies at age two, while beginning to study cello at age four, later making her
concerto debut at the age of twelve. She went on to obtain a Bachelor’s Degree from the
University of Michigan’s School of Music, Theatre, and Dance, where she studied with professor
Anthony Elliott. Following this, she completed studies for a Master’s Degree at the University of
Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, under the tutelage of Ilya Finkelshteyn.
When not making music, Anita enjoys reading, cooking, crocheting, weight lifting,
hiking, spending time with friends and family, volunteer work and exploring new cities.
Anita performs on a modern Italian cello by Ferdinando Garimberti, dated 1923.
Pianist Louise Chan, a native of Ottawa, Canada, has performed as a solo and chamber
musician for audiences across North America, including Orchestra Hall in Chicago, Weill
Hall in New York, and the National Arts Centre in Ottawa. She is a past winner of the
Canadian Music Competition, and has appeared as a soloist with the National Arts
Centre Orchestra and the Northwestern Summer Orchestra.
Watch Video Louise Chan, Pianist, Performs with Mindy Park, Cellist Barber - Cello Sonata op. 6 1st movement Allegro ma non troppo
She and violinist Kate
Carter, as Blue Violet Duo, released their debut CD, American Souvenirs, in the fall of
2018, which was featured as WFMT 98.7’s Album of the Day. They perform regularly in
the Midwest, including repeat engagements at the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concerts.
Dr. Chan has served as principal pianist of the Madison Symphony Orchestra and on the
faculty of Northeastern Illinois University. She is currently on faculty at the Music
Institute of Chicago, and performs as a keyboardist with the Milwaukee Symphony
Orchestra. She is a member of the Royal Conservatory of Music’s College of Examiners.
She holds degrees from the Eastman School of Music and Northwestern University.
