Fridays at Noon to feature Astralis Chamber Ensemble on Feb. 19
Post Published On:The Astralis Chamber Ensemble will be the featured performance group during the Next Fridays at Noon event presented by Arts for the Community at Thomas University (ACTU) on Feb. 19. The event will begin at 12 p.m. at www.facebook.com/actu31792/live. No Facebook account is required to view.
The Astralis Chamber Ensemble consists of Angela Massey on flute, Kris Marshall on trumpet and Chee-Hang See on piano. Astralis is an innovative and dynamic ensemble performing with much acclaim across the globe. Through creative programming and presentations on the works performed, ACE aims to make classical music more accessible and for audiences to make a lasting connection to the music. These musicians have performed together for many years and some for over a decade on major concert series and at notable venues. Another focus of the ensemble is to support the development of art through new compositions and bring recognition to the composers that surround us today.
Massey’s debut album has been described as “beautiful and enchanting, the performances on this CD are magical!” by Jeanne Baxtresser, former principal flute of the New York Philharmonic. As a soloist, she has been a featured guest artist with the Tryon Concert Association, Kosciuszko Foundation in New York City, National Flute Association Convention, and invited to perform a Vivaldi Piccolo Concerto with the Southwest Florida Symphony. Outside of the United States, she has performed in England, France, Germany, Italy, Romania, and Switzerland. In regard to chamber music, she serves as Artistic Director and founder of the Astralis Chamber Ensemble arranging and performing numerous recitals each year. She holds a flute/piccolo position with the Southwest Florida Symphony and performs regularly with the Sarasota Orchestra. She was awarded prizes in the Alexander and Buono Competition, Frank Bowen Competition, Myrna Brown Competition, and certificate in the Gheorghe Dima International Competition in Romania. Her instructors have been Alberto Almarza, Jeanne Baxtresser, Martha Kitterman, Jack Wellbaum, and Brooks de Wetter-Smith. She received degrees in flute performance from Carnegie Mellon University, Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Marshall is principal trumpet with the Southwest Florida Symphony Orchestra and has built an active career performing with multiple orchestras across the state of Florida, including the Jacksonville Symphony, Charlotte Symphony, Venice Symphony, Naples Philharmonic, and regular performances with The Florida Orchestra. Marshall has been a featured soloist with the Southwest Florida Symphony Orchestra on many occasions and with the Fifth Avenue Chamber Orchestra in Naples, Florida. As a founding member of the Astralis Chamber Ensemble, he presents several chamber recital tours each year and participates in commission projects to increase the chamber repertoire for trumpet. He won first prize in the Florida Orchestra Young Artist Competition and was later selected to attend the Chautauqua Institution Summer Music Festival where he studied with Chuck Berginc, principal trumpet with the Phoenix Symphony Orchestra. Other significant instructors include Robert Smith, principal trumpet with The Florida Orchestra, and Ed Cord, former principal trumpet with the Israel Philharmonic and Utah Symphony. Marshall pursued degrees in trumpet performance at Florida State University, Indiana University, and the University of South Florida.
Chee-Hang See is a prize-winning pianist who has been called “a cool and confident performer” by the Charleston City Paper. He has performed in concert series and festivals such as the Festival Internacional de Colonia, Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra Musicale, South Carolina Chamber Music Festival, Chicago Duo Piano Festival, Hawaii International Cultural Arts Festival, and Piccolo Spoleto Festival. He has soloed with the Toa Payoh West Chinese Orchestra in Singapore; Bela Bartok Orchestra in Perugia, Italy; Montevideo Philharmonic in Uruguay; Charleston Symphony Orchestra; and the Cleveland Institute of Music Chamber Orchestra. He plays regularly with Charleston Symphony, Chamber Music Charleston, and his duo, Tan and See Piano Duo. Chee-Hang is currently on faculty at the Charleston Academy of Music and music director of the Midtown Theater in North Charleston, where he founded “Midweek at Midtown,” a chamber music series. His debut album “Violin Transcriptions,” featuring works by Rachmaninoff and Muczynski, was released in 2014. He received degrees from the Cleveland Institute of Music, College of Charleston, and diplomas from the Royal Schools of Music and Trinity College London under the tutelage of Sandra Shapiro, Enrique Graf, and Wong Joon Hwang.
This program is supported in part by Georgia Council for the Arts through the appropriations of the Georgia General Assembly. Georgia Council for the Arts also receives support from its partner agency, the National Endowment for the Arts. This project is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts.
For more information about this and other ACTU events, visit www.facebookcom/actu31792 or www.thomasu.edu/actu, call 229-227- 6964 or email actu@thomasu.edu.
