Laura Hamilton was Principal Associate Concertmaster for the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, where she led hundreds of performances over 33 years. She was concertmaster for many of the MET's popular “Live in HD” videocasts, including Carmen, Parsifal, Turandot, Faust, Salome, and Madama Butterfly. Previously a member of the Chicago Symphony, she appeared with that orchestra as concerto soloist with Maestro Sir Georg Solti. She is currently Artistic Director and Concertmaster for the summer festival Classical Tahoe in Nevada, and Concertmaster for CityMusic Cleveland.
Laura returns to Downtown Music with clarinetist Daniel Gilbert and pianist Nelson Padgett. The program includes Contrasts for violin, clarinet and piano, SZ. 111 of Bela Bartok.
Clarinetist Daniel Gilbert joined the faculty at the University of Michigan as Associate Professor of Clarinet in 2007. Previously, he held the position of second clarinet in the Cleveland Orchestra from 1995 to 2007. A native of New York City, Gilbert received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Yale University and both a Master of Music degree and Professional Studies certificate from the Juilliard School. Prior to joining the Cleveland Orchestra, Gilbert was an active freelancer in New York City, appearing regularly with groups including: the Metropolitan Opera, American Ballet Theater, the New Jersey Symphony, Solisti New York, the Stamford Symphony and the New Haven Symphony, where he played principal clarinet from 1992 to 1995. Gilbert was a member of the Quintet of the Americas during that time touring throughout the United States and in residence at Northwestern University. An active soloist and chamber musician, Gilbert has appeared at the Round Top Festival, the Classical Tahoe festival, Festival Napa Valley, the Aspen Music Festival, the Maui Chamber Music Festival, the St. Barth’s Music Festival, Music on the Hill, the Rhode Island Music Festival, and the Cape Cod Music Festival, among others. He has appeared as soloist with orchestras throughout the United States, including the Cleveland Orchestra, CityMusic Cleveland, Classical Tahoe orchestra, the Reno Chamber orchestra, the New Haven Symphony, Solisti New York and the Aspen Chamber Orchestra. Gilbert also performs extensively with his wife, the pianist Donna Lee. The duo has given recitals throughout the United States to critical acclaim.
Nelson Padgett enjoys a multifaceted career as a soloist and collaborator. He has appeared with the Houston, National, and North Carolina Symphonies, and his many awards include a silver medal at the William Kapell International Competition and a Beethoven Fellowship from the American Pianists Association. A former student of Leon Fleisher, he toured the world with the Philip Glass Ensemble for over thirty years. Specializing in collaboration with string players, he has given recitals with renowned violinists such as Pamela Frank and Elmar Oliveira, and has been an official pianist at the Meadowmount School of Music, the International Violin Competition of Indianapolis, and the Cooper International Violin Competition. Since 2011 he has been a pianist at the Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival. A native of North Carolina, Mr. Padgett has lived in New York City since 1987, and spends most of his time playing with string students at The Juilliard School and New York University. He can be heard in the soundtrack for the recent movie May December, starring Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore.
This concert is made possible, in part, with the generous support of Catherine Toolin.