2006 Guest Artists

Every year Music Naturally attracts some very special performers to be a part of the summer festival. In 2006, we would like to thank these performers for their contributions.

Cassatt Quartet - Hailed as one of America's outstanding ensembles, the Manhattan based Cassatt String Quartet has performed throughout North America, Europe, and the Far East, with prestigious appearances at New York's Alice Tully Hall and Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, the Tanglewood Music Theater, the Kennedy Center and The Library of Congress in Washington, DC, the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris and Maeda Hall in Tokyo. Visit their website...

Tina Davidson, Composer - A highly regarded American composer, creates music that stands out for its emotional depth and lyrical dignity. She has been acclaimed for her authentic voice, her “vivid ear for harmony and colors” (New York Times) and her works of “transfigured beauty” (OperaNews). She writes “real music, with structure, mood, novelty and harmonic sophistication - with haunting melodies that grow out of complex, repetitive rhythms” (Philadelphia Inquirer) that is both “intellectually rigorous and deeply moving” (Star-Tribune). Visit her website...

Robert Sherman, Narrator - Broadcaster, writer, teacher and radio personality, Robert Sherman is probably best known for his work at WQXR, where he has been Program Director, Executive Producer and (currently) Senior Consultant. For twenty four years he presided in "The Listening Room," and he continues to present such award-winning series on the station as "Woody's Children," "Metropolitan Opera Previews" and "The McGraw Hill Company's Young Artists Showcase."

Arnold Steinhardt, violin, is the highly acclaimed first violinist of the Guarneri String Quartet. He is world renowned for his performances as a solo and chamber violinist and violist. In addition to his many recordings with the Guarneri String Quartet for RCA and Phillips Records, his solo violin discography includes unaccompanied Bach, an album of Romantic music, and a collection of Dvorak, Grieg and Kreisler pieces. He is currently a faculty member of the Curtis Institute of Music and a professor of music at the University of Maryland.

Newstead Trio - One of the most distinguished piano trios in North America, the Newstead Trio's performances are personified by warmth, energy, and depth of expression. After twelve years together, they have performed for audiences throughout the United States, Canada, Italy, Hungary, Singapore, and China, where they gave their concerto debut performing Beethoven's Triple Concerto with the Shenzen Symphony Orchestra. Visit their website...

Veri & Jamanis, duo-pianists- Among the top Gershwin interpreters, the co-founders of the Pennsylvania Academy of Music, Francis Veri and Michael Jamanis, hold distinguished careers in performances around the world as well as recording and television.