Hanson-Koobs Chamber Music Series 2022 – 2023 Season

The Hanson-Koobs Chamber Music Series will feature violinist Martin Chalifour, principal concertmaster of the Los Angeles Philharmonic with Julio Elizalde, piano; Jason Uyeyama, violin; Ariana Solotoff, viola; and Juliette Herlin, cello.

Program repertoire will consist of Bedrich Smetana's String Quartet No. 1 in E minor, "From My Life," and Franz Schubert's Piano Trio in E-flat major, D. 929.

Mr. Chalfour began his tenure as L.A. Phil concertmaster in 1995. He is a native of Canada and the recipient of numerous grants and awards including a Certificate of Honor from the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow and an honoree of the Montreal International Competition. With a wide-ranging repertoire of more than 60 concertos, Chalifour maintains an active solo career. He has appeared with such renowned conductors as Pierre Boulez, Gustavo Dudamel, Sir Neville Marriner, and Esa-Pekka Salonen and soloed internationally with the Auckland Philharmonia, the Montreal Symphony, and the Hong Kong Philharmonic among others.

Chalifour is a frequent guest at summer music festivals. In December 2014 he was featured at the Reno Chamber Music Festival with friend and colleague Noah Bendix-Balgley, first concertmaster with the Berlin Philharmoniker. He has recorded solo and chamber music for the Telarc, Northstar and Yarlung labels. Chalifour returns often to his native Canada to teach and perform as soloist with various Canadian orchestras. He teaches at the USC Thornton School of Music and CalTech. Chalifour graduated with honors from the Montreal Conservatory at the age of 18 and pursued studies at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia.

Mr. Elizalde, a San Francisco Bay Area native, is artistic director of the Olympic Music Festival near Seattle, Wash. and is a founding member of the top prize-winning New Trio which has performed for national leaders such as President Bill Clinton, Condoleezza Rice and others. He tours with world-renowned violinists Sarah Chang and Ray Chen and has collaborated with a roster of high-profile artists including violinist Pamela Frank, conductor Itzhak Perlman, as well as members of the acclaimed Juilliard, Cleveland, Kronos, and Brentano string quartets. His accomplishments include serving as a featured performer on the 2013 Jimmy P. film soundtrack by Academy Award-winning composer Howard Shore. Elizalde holds master’s and doctoral degrees from The Juilliard School in New York City.

Ms. Solotoff, a New York native, is a prize-winning Los Angeles-based teacher and performer of viola and violin. She is a substitute violist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and organizes the Canvas Concert Series in which she collaborates with members of the L.A. Phil. Solotoff is a regular guest player with ensembles throughout the U.S. and Europe such as Camerata Venia, Hulencourt Symphony Orchestra and Kaleidoscope Ensemble. She won the top prize in the ASTA Solo Competition in California, and was a finalist in the Eastern Music Festival Concerto Competition in 2010. Solotoff is a participant in many music festivals in Euorpe and North America. She holds degrees from The Juilliard School in New York City and the Haute École de Musique de Genève in Switzerland.

Ms. Herlin has performed throughout Europe, the U.S. and Asia. As a soloist, chamber musician, and recitalist, she has appeared in prestigious venues such as the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, the Musée du Louvre, and the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., Alice Tully Hall in New York, and many others and collaborated with such renowned artists as Martin Chalifour, Glenn Dicterow, Romain Guyot, Frans Helmerson, Teng Li, Michaela Martin, and Roger Tapping, to name a few. Recent highlights include a Canadian recital debut in Toronto with pianist Kevin Ahfat, a 10-concert tour in China, as well as performances at Sundays Live at LACMA. Winner of the Yamaha Music Foundation of Europe String Competition, Herlin has earned first prizes in other international and national competitions and received the Grunin Prize as well as grants from the “Fondation Safran pour la Musique.” She studied at Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris, The Juilliard School,  and the University of Southern California. 

Mr. Uyeyama is associate professor of music and director of string studies at La Sierra University and organizes the Hanson-Koobs Chamber Music series concerts. In addition to teaching, he leads an active career as a recitalist, chamber musician, and orchestral musician. He has performed regularly with the Los Angeles Philharmonic since 2005, performs wtih Camerata Pacifica, and has played with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, and the Pacific Symphony. He is also founder and director of the Orange County String Studio in Irvine. Uyeyama holds a master’s degree from The Juilliard School where he studied with Masao Kawasaki.