Jan Wagner - Artistic Director and Conductor, Shenandoah Performs

Jan Wagner in rehearsal with the Shenandoah Performs Festival Orchestra,
July 2007

A native of Caracas, Venezuela, launched his professional conducting career after winning First Prize at the 1995 Nicolai Malko International Conductors’ Competition in Denmark. In 2002 he completed a five-year tenure as Principal Conductor of the Odense Symphony Orchestra in Denmark which he led in more than 200 performances conducting more than 200 different works both on subscription concerts and on two separate tours to the U.S.A. and Spain.

Simultaneous with his appointment in Denmark, Jan Wagner regularly conducted the Danish National Radio Symphony, the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, the Helsinki Philharmonic and the Danish Royal Theater as well as most of the principal Danish and Scandinavian orchestras. Other notable orchestras he has worked with include the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Stuttgart Radio Symphony, the Halle Orchestra, the Netherlands Radio Symphony and the Melbourne Symphony and West Australian Symphony. In North and South America, Wagner has appeared with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, the Jacksonville Symphony in Florida, the Aspen Festival Orchestra and the Aspen Chamber Symphony, the Minnesota Orchestra (where he was assistant to Edo de Waart), the Philharmonic Orchestra of the U.N.A.M in Mexico City, the Orquesta Sinfonica Venezuela and the Simon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela (whose previous conductor was the late Eduardo Mata).

Throughout his career Jan Wagner has collaborated with many distinguished artists such as clarinetists Richard Stolzman and Sabine Meyer, singers Anne Larson, Bo Skovhus and Yvonne Kenny, cellists Ralph Kirshbaum and David Geringas, violists Nobuko Imai, pianists John Browning, Ivan Moravec, Grigory Sokolov, Andrei Gavrilov, Nikolai Demidenko, violinists Mark Kaplan and Arve Tellefsen, and trumpeter Håkan Hardenberger. Recentcollaborations have included performances with  violinist Anne Akiko Meyers, trumpeter Jens Lindemann and pianist John O'Conor.

Jan Wagner has also been very active recording for labels such as Denon (Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring-DVD audio), DaCapo (works by Paul von Klenau which received a Danish Grammy nomination), Classico (world premier of Poulenc’s Les animaux modele), Bridge Records in the U.S.A. (world premier of Poul Ruders’ Guitar Concerto, works by Ginastera, world premiere of Villa-Lobos’ ballet Emperor Jones, and Carl Nielsen’s Violin Concerto) and Silverline (Strauss’ Ein Heldenleben-DVD audio). His recordings are frequently heard on NPR's "Performance Today" and BBC Radio 3

Wagner currently holds the position of associate professor of music at Shenandoah University where leads several instrumental ensembles. He has also been serving as the artistic director of the Shenandoah Conservatory Performing Arts Festival, Shenandoah Performs, since the summer of 2004.

He is a graduate of the Academy of Music in Vienna, Austria, where he completed his studies with Karl Österreicher and Günther Theuring. He has furthered his studies with Murry Sidlin and Lawrence Foster as a Fellow Conductor at the Aspen Music Festival, and has participated in master classes with John Nelson, Leonard Slatkin and James Conlon. Following his studies, he was the Top-Prize Winner at the 1994 Leopold Stokowski International Conducting Competition in New York and was the recipient of the 1994 Conducting Prize at the Aspen Music Festival. He has also served as assistant conductor to Lawrence Foster at the Aspen Music Festival and as assistant conductor to Kurt Masur at the New York Philharmonic.
 

Anne Akiko Meyers

Anne Akiko Meyers in rehearsal with the Shenandoah Performs Festival Orchestra, July 2007

Anne Akiko Meyers is recognized as one of today’s most inspiring and sought after violinists for her impassioned performances and mastery of a wide-ranging selection of music. Hailed by critics, media, conductors and audiences worldwide, she has continually sold out performances of classical standards and new music. Her passionate and enchanting communication to audiences of all ages has inspired composers to specifically write works for her.

The New York Times hailed Ms. Meyers's artistry as "playing that flows from the heart" and music that was "unspooled with impressive refinement, emotional freedom and tonal depth." The Minneapolis-St. Paul Pioneer Press said, “her breakneck brilliance completed an awe-inspiring interpretation.” The Philadelphia Inquirer summed up her playing as "deeply poetic." The Cleveland Plain Dealer wrote, “…the performance wove a magical spell that took the audience to another sonic realm.”

An active recitalist and deeply committed chamber musician, she has been a regular guest at the Aspen Music Festival, Beijing Music Festival, Hollywood Bowl, Ishikawa Music Festival, Mainly Mozart, Miyazaki Music Festival, Moritzburg Festival, Mostly Mozart, Ravinia, Seattle Chamber Music Society, SummerFest La Jolla, Tanglewood, and Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival. An avid supporter of contemporary music, she has premiered a number of works by composers such as Nathan Currier, Roddy Ellias, Jennifer Higdon, Somei Satoh, Teddy Shapiro, Joseph Schwantner, and Ezequiel Viñao.

A native of California of American and Japanese heritage, Ms. Meyers’ dynamic and compelling music making has catapulted her to the top of her generation. At the age of 15, she joined the Young Concert Artists roster. At 23, she was awarded the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant, the only artist to be the sole recipient of this annual award. Today she performs around the globe as a featured soloist with the most recognized names in classical music.

Ms. Meyers’ current musical activities include a Lincoln Center performance of the Manuel Ponce Concerto with Leon Botstein and the American Symphony Orchestra, a return to the Netherlands with the North Netherlands Orchestra, a return to the Gran Canaria Symphony performing the Hartmann Concerto, a recital in Bergamo, Italy and televised performances with the Slovenian Philharmonic with George Pehlivanian conducting. In the United States, Ms. Meyers has return engagements with the Colorado Symphony with Peter Oundjian, Florida Orchestra with Stefan Sanderling and the Minnesota Orchestra with Andrew Litton. Ms.Meyers celebrated Suntory Hall's 19th anniversary with the New Japan Philharmonic, toured Japan and Korea with the Hiroshima Symphony, made a guest appearance with the BBC Scottish Symphony performing Bernstein's 'Serenade' which was broadcast on Britain's Radio 3, and performed with the Rochester Philharmonic featuring the 'Chaccone' from John Corigliano’s film score, The Red Violin, a score she will repeat this year in Colorado and California.

Ms. Meyers has appeared with an outstanding number of American orchestras such as (partial list): the Baltimore Symphony, Boston Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Minnesota Orchestra, National Symphony, New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, Saint Louis Symphony, and Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. Global demand has led to appearances and tours with (partial list) the Australian Chamber Orchestra, the Berlin Radio Orchestra, Budapest Festival Orchestra, Buenos Aires’ Teatro Colon Symphony, the English Chamber Orchestra, the Hamburg Symphony, the Montreal Symphony, the Moscow Philharmonic, the Netherlands Radio Symphony Orchestra, l’Orchestre de Paris, the Polish National Radio Symphony, the Prague Symphony Orchestra, the Jerusalem Symphony, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic, the Singapore Symphony, the Swedish Radio Orchestra, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo’s NHK Symphony, the Toronto Symphony, the Vienna Symphony, and the Warsaw Philharmonic.

Her extensive discography can be found on the Hyperion, RCA Victor Red Seal and RPO labels. Her debut disc, at the age of 18, included the Barber Violin Concerto and the Bruch Violin Concerto No.1 with Christopher Seaman and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and sonatas of Saint-Saëns and Fauré for RPO Records. Her RCA catalogue is comprehensive and includes Lalo’s Symphonie Espagnole and Bruch’s Scottish Fantasy with Jesus Lopez-Cobos and the Royal Philharmonic; the Franck and Strauss sonatas; the Mendelssohn Concerto and a selection of other works with Andrew Litton and the Philharmonia Orchestra and Prokofiev Violin Concertos with the Frankfurt Radio Symphony under Dmitri Kitaenko. Sonata albums include Salut d’Amour featuring many encore pieces with classic Japanese folksongs and an album featuring works by Copland, Ives, Piston, and David Baker with pianist André-Michel Schub. Her most recent recordings include works by Debussy, Messiaen, Ravel, Satoh and Takemitsu for the AVIE label.

Also recorded are two works written expressly for Ms. Meyers that includes a live performance of the Somei Satoh Violin Concerto with Tetsuji Honna and the Tokyo Metropolitan Orchestra on the Camerata label and 'Angelfire,’ by Pulitzer-prize winning composer Joseph Schwantner with Andrew Litton and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra on Hyperion. She gave the world premiere of 'Angelfire' at the Kennedy Center with Marin Alsop and the National Symphony Orchestra. This fall, Naxos will be releasing a performance of Jennifer Higdon's piano trio live from the Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival.

Ms. Meyers' numerous television credits include an A&E Network telecast from the Casals Festival with the Montreal Symphony and Krzysztof Penderecki, a PBS broadcast with the Boston Pops Orchestra and John Williams. Her appearances on “The Tonight Show” with Johnny Carson and the "Emmy Award Show" attracted national attention. Ms. Meyers’ performances of the Sibelius Concerto led by James DePreist, the Bruch Concerto with Leopold Hager and the Mendelssohn Concerto led by Adrian Leaper with the RTVE Orchestra were televised across Europe. She was also featured performing with Keith Lockhart and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra that attracted an audience of 10,000 and was broadcast live on the Internet around the world.

An outstanding public speaker, she has been featured in numerous print and television commercials and in 1998, was selected to be photographed by Annie Leibovitz for the Anne Klein “Women of Substance” fashion campaign that appeared in magazines around the world. She has been on many magazine covers, most recently of the popular UK-based magazine, Muso.

A committed advocate of music education, she has led numerous masterclasses and lectures across the US and Japan, been a panelist at the Juilliard hosted Starling-DeLay Symposium and has been an adjudicator at many competitions.

Ms. Meyers studied with Alice and Eleanor Schoenfeld at the Colburn School of Performing Arts in Los Angeles, Josef Gingold at Indiana University, and Felix Galimir, Masao Kawasaki and the late Dorothy DeLay at the Juilliard School. She performs on a magnificent Antonius Stradivarius violin dated 1730.

Jens Lindemann

Jens Lindemann in performing an encore after his performance of Vizzutti's Rising Sun at the 2007 Shenandoah Performs Festival.

Trumpeter Jens Lindemann is hailed as one of the most celebrated soloists in his instrument's history. Jens has played in every major concert venue in the world; from the Philharmonics of New York, Los Angeles, London, Manchester, Munich, Hamburg, Lucerne and Berlin to Tokyo's Suntory Hall and even the Great Wall of China. His career has ranged from appearing internationally as an orchestral soloist, recording with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, being heralded as an official trumpeter for the N.H.L. Stanley Cup finals to playing lead trumpet with the renowned Canadian Brass. Jens has also won major awards ranging from Grammy and Juno nominations to winning the prestigious Echo Klassik in Germany as well as receiving an honorary doctorate. He has won first prizes in the most important classical trumpet competitions in the world, made numerous television and film appearances and performed at London's 'Last Night of the Proms' for over 40,000 people. In addition to his concertizing, Jens has also performed in football and baseball stadiums in the United States for over 70,000 fans!

Classically trained at the renowned Juilliard School in New York, Jens' proven ability to perform as a diverse artist places him at the front of a new generation of musicians. He has performed as soloist and recording artist with classical stars such as Sir Neville Marriner, Sir Angel Romero, Doc Severinsen, Charles Dutoit, Gerard Schwarz, Eiji Oue, Bramwell Tovey, Mario Bernardi and Jukka Pekka Saraste. Having recorded with BMG, EMI, CBC and the BBC, Jens is helping to redefine the idea of the concert artist by transcending stylistic genres and the very stereotype of his instrument by performing with "impeccable attacks, agility, and amazing smoothness" (The Clarin, Buenos Aires).

A prodigious talent, Jens Lindemann performed as a soloist with orchestras and won accolades at numerous jazz festivals while still in his teens. A prizewinner at numerous competitions including the prestigious ARD in Munich, Jens also placed first, by unanimous juries, at both the Prague and Ellsworth Smith (Florida) International Trumpet Competitions in 1992. Since then, he continues to perform with orchestras including, the London Symphony, Philadelphia, Beijing, Auckland, Bayerischer Rundfunk, Buenos Aires Chamber, Atlanta, Washington, Seattle, Dallas, Detroit, Houston, Montreal, Toronto, National Arts Centre, Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Warsaw, Welsh Chamber, I Musici de Montreal, I Virtuosi di Roma, St. Louis, and Mostly Mozart at Lincoln Center.

Heralded internationally as an outstanding artist, critics have stated; "one of the most memorable recitals in ITG history" (International Trumpet Guild '03), "performed brilliantly in the North American premiere of Bernd Alois Zimmermann's Concerto with the Toronto Symphony (Toronto Star), "gave the virtuoso highlight of the evening on piccolo trumpet with the Montreal Symphony (Montreal Gazette), and "was absolutely riveting" in Los Angeles (LA Variety).

As one of the world's most exciting young trumpet soloists, the Los Angeles based Lindemann is internationally endorsed by the Yamaha Corporation and performs exclusively on 24K gold plated trumpets.

"The trumpet is capable of being played with the virtuosity of a violin, the tenderness of the human voice and the stylistic flexibility of the piano. It allows me an endless range of communication with audiences."- Jens Lindemann

Aimé  Sposato


Aimé Sposato is in high demand in the field of symphonic concerts, recitals, opera and oratorio specializing particularly in distinguished performances of Baroque music throughout the US and has been critically acclaimed in Czechoslovakia, France, England, Hungary, and Italy as well as many other countries.

She is a frequent soloist with members of the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington DC. She was invited to sing the soprano solo in Faure’s Requiem for a benefit concert for the Washington Relief at the National Basilica and Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington DC with the Washington Chorus and Orchestra. She has appeared as soloist with many orchestras throughout the Eastern United States and Europe including the Virginia Symphony Chamber Orchestra, Alexandria Symphony Orchestra, Prince George’s Philharmonic, Front Royal Oratorio Society, Oratorio Society and Orchestra of Elkins, WV, Ohio Valley Symphony, The Plzen Philharmonic (Czech. Republic), the Budapest Concert Orchestra and with various orchestras throughout France. Her oratorio repertoire includes Bach's Weihnachts Oratorium, Handel's Messiah, Haydn's Paukenmesse, Mendelssohn's Hymn of Praise, Mozart's Requiem, Rossini's Stabat Mater, as well as numerous others.

Also at home on the operatic stage, her opera career includes over fifteen roles, which she has performed with American companies, highlighted by Susanna, Musetta, Lauretta, Zerlina, Nedda, Clorinda, Carolina, and the Governess.

She was awarded prestigious recognitions by such organizations as the Palm Beach Opera, Pittsburgh Concert Society, the Naomi Music Productions, Artists Association International, Vocal Competition, the Regional MacAllister Awards, Semi-Finalist, Di Capo Opera Theatre Vocal Competition, National Federation of Music Clubs Vocal Competition, and the National Association of Teachers of Singing Artist Awards.

Dr. Sposato spent two summers singing in Italy with the Ezio Pinza Council of American Singers of Opera, and participated in the Pittsburgh Opera Center Program as well singing in London at the Royal Academy of Music in the Baroque Ornamentation Sessions. The following year, she made her British Recital debut in Leeds, England followed by guest appearances throughout Germany and France. In 1996, Ms. Sposato joined the staff of the internationally renowned Organ Building Company based in Quebec, L’Orgues Letorneau, Inc. as featured recitalist.

She has been employed as a recording artist with Cottrell-Mangum Music, Inc. specializing in music for The Discovery Channel and The Learning Channel. For some diversion, she has been heard singing the National Anthem for the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Pittsburgh Steelers and for the NASCAR International Speedways.

Karen Keating


Karen Keating spent many years studying and working in Austria. While there, she studied with several renowned conductors, including Kurt Prestel, Walter Hagen-Groll, Gerhard Wimberger, and Bernhard Conz; she also attended a master class with Herbert von Karajan. She was the Director of the Robert Schollum Chor Hallein; the accompanist and assistant director of the Salzburger Liedertafel; performed in a twentieth-century vocal ensemble; and sang in opera productions, including Mozart’s Idomeno with Werner Hollweg and Carol Vaness.

Since coming to Shenandoah, she has been choirmaster for severak operas, including premiere of Russell Woollen’s The Birthday of the Infanta, which was performed at the Kennedy Center. She has served as music director for the Shenandoah Summer Music Theatre productions of Fiddler on the Roof, Hello, Dolly!, Grease (twice), Gigi, The King and I, The Music Man, My Fair Lady, Sugar, Brigadoon, Pirates of Penzance, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, and Guys and Dolls; she has also been music director for academic year productions of H.M.S. Pinafore, Me and My Girl, Carnival, The Pajama Game, and Pippin.

Karen Keating was a soloist in Mozart’s Coronation Mass for the Washington Chorus 2002 tour of Germany and Austria. She is Assistant Organist, Sacred Heart of Jesus Roman Catholic Church, Winchester. With fellow Shenandoah faculty member Byron Jones, she recorded an album of cabaret songs, What Have You Done to My Heart, released by Redfont Records. Under her leadership, the Shenandoah Chorus traveled to Roswell, New Mexico, in 2004 to premiere Stephen Melillo’s Beyond Courage, a tribute to veterans of the Bataan Death March. In May 2005, she and the Chorus went to Tokyo, Japan to record the work.

Byron Jones

Byron Jones has appeared with Baltimore Opera, Washington Concert Opera, Milwaukee Florentine Opera, Roanoke Opera, the Springfield (MA) Symphony, Kingsport (TN) Symphony, the Fairfax Symphony, Handel Choir of Baltimore, and the Washington Chorus. His operatic repertoire includes Gianni Schicchi, L’elisir d’amore, Don Giovanni, La Bohème, Le Villi, and many American chamber works. During the summer of 2006, he sang the role of Meriwether Lewis in Dream of the Pacific, a new opera co-commissioned by Opera Theatre of Saint Louis and Opera Omaha to celebrate the bicentennial of the Lewis and Clark expedition to the west.

He is featured as the tenor soloist on the Washington Chorus’ recording of Berlioz’s Requiem, released by Gothic Records. He frequently performs French cabaret music and especially the songs of Jacques Brel. With fellow Shenandoah facutly member Karen Keating, he recorded an album of cabaret songs, What Have You Done to My Heart, released by Redfont Records and available at www.cdbaby.com

Drew Colby

Drew VanDyke Colby is a student at Shenandoah Conservatory currently completing a Masters in Vocal Performance. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music at The College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, VA graduating with high honors. He has been a featured soloist with the City Choir of Washington, the Masterworks Chorus of the Shenandoah Valley, and most recently played the role of Figaro in Le Nozze di Figaro with the American Singers Opera Project in Winston-Salem, NC. Drew is honored to sing in this concert under the leadership of and along side such wonderful musicians.