The Cygnus Players

Flutist Tara Helen O'Connor is a charismatic performer known for her unusual artistic depth, brilliant technique and colorful tone in music of every era, as well as for her masterful readings of her huge repertoire of new works. In March 2001 she was awarded a coveted Avery Fisher Career Grant. Ms. OConnor is a member of the woodwind quintet Windscape, a founding member of the 1995 Naumburg Award winning New Millennium Ensemble and she is also the flute soloist of the world renowned Bach Aria Group, following in the footsteps of Samuel Baron and Julius Baker. Ms O'Connor was the first wind player to be chosen to participate in the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s Chamber Music Society Two program for emerging artists. She continues to perform regularly with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Orpheus, Barge Music, Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, Chamber Music Northwest, Music from Angel Fire and has been featured on A&E's Breakfast for the Arts. Ms. O'Connor has collaborated with the Orion, Borromeo, and St. Lawrence String Quartets. In the summer of 1999 she made her concerto debut at the Mostly Mozart festival. Ms O'Connor was nominated for a Grammy in January of 2003 for her participation in a recent EMI release. She has also recorded for Arcadia, CRI, Koch International, and Bridge Records. Her recordings of the complete Etudes for Solo Flutes by Isang Yun was presented to the composer in honor of his 75th birthday. This season's highlights include performances with Jamie Laredo, Peter Serkin, Paula Robison and the Kalichstein, Laredo, Robinson Trio. She received a Doctorate from the State University of New York at Stony Brook and she is professor of flute at the Purchase College Conservatory of Music. Ms. OConnor plays a gold Brannen-Cooper flute fitted with a Lafin head joint. An avid photographer, she has photo credits in Time Out, Strad, and Chamber Music America magazines.

Cellist Susannah Chapman is well-established as a chamber musician, soloist, contemporary music interpreter, and performer in leading chamber orchestras. The principal cellist of the Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra, she is a former member of the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and currently performs regularly with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. In past seasons with Orpheus she has toured Southeast Asia, Europe, South America, Japan, appeared in Carnegie Hall, and performed on their European chamber music tour. Premiering new works by many of America's leading composers, Ms. Chapman performs with the Bang-on-a-Can All-Stars, the cello quartet "Cello", and is a member of Cygnus, a contemporary music sextet with its own series at Merkin Hall, and residencies at both Sarah Lawrence College and City University of New York. Ms. Chapman has appeared at Jacob's Pillow as a soloist with the Mark Morris Dance Company in works designed for and premiered by Yo-Yo Ma. She has traveled to Australia with Bang-on-a-Can All-Stars to perform contemporary concertos in the Sydney Opera House as part of the Olympic Arts Fest! ival. Ms. Chapman is a founding member of the string trio Trigon and spent several summers at the Marlboro Music Festival, performing with such artists as Midori, Samuel Rhodes, and Isidore Cohen. With Musicians from Marlboro she has toured nationally. She regularly performs a gives masterclasses with The Walden Chamber Players, and her chamber music performances with other New York groups have been heard at the 92nd Street Y, Weill Recital Hall, Merkin Hall, the Metropolitan Museum, on NHK Television, and on WNYC. Ms. Chapman holds a Doctorate of Music from SUNY Stony Brook, and is the cello instructor at Sarah Lawrence College.

Calvin Wiersma, violinist, has appeared throughout the world as a soloist and chamber musician. He is currently a violinist with the Manhattan String Quartet. He has performed numerous solo recitals, including appearances in Boston, New York, and Chicago, and has appeared with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, The Concerto Company of Boston and the Lawrence Symphony, among others. He was a founding member of Meliora Quartet, winner of the Naumberg, Fischoff, Coleman and Cleveland Quartet competitions. The Meliora Quartet was the Quartet-in-Residence at the Spoleto Festivals of the U.S., Italy and Australia and recorded Mendelssohn’s Octet with the Cleveland Quartet on the Telarc label. Mr. Wiersma was also a founding member of the Figaro Trio. In addition to his extensive touring with the Quartet and Trio, Mr. Wiersma has been heard at the summer Chamber Music Festivals in Vancouver, Rockport, Portland, Crested Butte, An Appalachian Summer, and at Music Mountain, as well as the Aspen Music Festival. A regular performed on National Public Radio, his most recent project involved a series of broadcasts performing the complete Beethoven Violin and Piano Sonatas with the pianist Catherine Kautsky. In addition to his performing activities, Mr. Wiersma is classical co-ordinator for Culturefinder, the largest Internet address for the Performing Arts.

Guitarist/composer William Anderson began performing chamber music at Tanglewood at age 19. He now performs in guitar festivals and new music festivals in Europe, the U.S., Latin America and in Japan. In New York Anderson performs regulalry with many ensembles including the Cygnus Ensemble, which he founded in 1985. He performs regularly with the Theater Chamber Players in Washington D.C. He has released three recordings: The Guitar Music of Meyer Kupferman, on Soundspells; Diary of a Seducer, on CRi; and Hausmusik, on Furious Artisans labels. He appears on numerous other recordings on various lables including Koch, Bridge Records, and Open Space. Anderson’s essay, Hausmusik dealing with some of the problems of modernism, will appear in the June 2003 issue of Bejamin Boretz’ Open Space magazine. Anderson’s compositions have been heard on Danish National Radio, Polish National Radio, and at festivals including the Europe/Asia Festival in Kazan, the Weekend of Chamber Music in the Catskills, the Rotenburg Festival in Northern Germany, and various music festivals in Spain and Italy. Anderson is now Artistic Director of the Composers Guild of New Jersey. He teaches guitar at Sarah Lawrence College.


Principal oboist of the American Symphony Orchestra, Bachworks and Philharmonia Virtuosi, Robert Ingliss has appeared with almost every important large ensemble in New York City, and also recently served as principal oboist with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. He has toured worldwide with the Orpheus Chamber Ensemble, and was a soloist in the Haydn Sinfonia Concertante when Orpheus became the first American orchestra to play in Vietnam since the war. As a chamber musician, he is a member of An die Musik - oboe, strings and piano, with whom he has premiered works by Jon Deak, Peter Schickele and John Harbison (April 2003), and served as oboist of the Aspen Wind Quintet for six years. A musician of the Ensemble Sospeso, Bob is one of the most sought-after new music oboists in New York. He has appeared with the Da Capo Chamber Players, League-ISCM Chamber Players, New Music Consort, Parnassus, and Speculum Musicae, presenting many US and world premieres. He can also be heard on over two dozen record labels performing a wide range of repertoire. Mr Ingliss teaches oboe at Columbia University and has given masterclasses in oboe and chamber music at such places as the Juilliard School, University of New Mexico, University of Nebraska, and the Mexican National Conservatory. Robert Ingliss is a graduate of the Juilliard School, and studied with Robert Bloom and Arthur Krilov, as well as with Heinz Holliger at the Darmstadt New Music Courses.

Oren Fader is active as a performer of classical guitar repertoire, both traditional and contemporary. Reviewing his solo New York recital, Guitar Review magazine stated: „His scholarship, technique, and intelligent musicianship are plainly evident and the beauty of his tone is consistently compelling.” He has performed in London, Tokyo, Munich, Amsterdam, Montreal, Maui, Russia, Mexico, and throughout the United States. Concerto performances include the Villa-Lobos Guitar Concerto with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. Other soloist appearances include the North Country Chamber Players, Queensboro Orchestra, Manchester Music Festival Chamber Symphony and the Riverside Symphony. Recent chamber and orchestral performances include Music from Japan, Da Camera Houston, Sequitur, American Composers' Orchestra, Music at the Anthology, Absolute Ensemble, New World Symphony, Speculum Musicae, New Amsterdam Singers, Glimmerglass Opera, Brooklyn Philharmonic, Met Chamber Ensemble, New York City Ballet, and the New York Festival of Song. Festival performances include Aspen, Tanglewood, and Morelia (Mexico). Mr. Fader is well known for his performance of contemporary music. In a performance of Mario Davidovsky&Mac226;s Synchronisms #10 for guitar and electronic tape, The New York Times wrote: „Oren Fader gave the guitar part a polished, energetic performance that was precisely matched to the tape sounds‰. And at a recent performance The New York Times called Mr. Fader's playing „Electrifying" (playing together with guitarists William Anderson and Scott Kuney). As a member of the Award- winning new music ensembles Cygnus and Parnassus, he has premiered over 30 solo and chamber works with guitar, including compositions by Babbitt, Wuorinen, Machover, Biscardi, Currier, Naito, Pollock, and others. CRI recently released the Cygnus ensemble&Mac226;s first disc, featuring works written for the group. Mr. Fader can be heard on over 15 recordings, in repertoire ranging from the 19th Century (Sor) to late 20th (Carter). Recent projects include a new recording with the Absolute Ensemble, and a performance of Schoenberg&Mac226;s Serenade, conducted by James Levine. Mr. Fader&Mac226;s solo CD will be available in the Spring of 2003. Mr. Fader received his undergraduate degree from SUNY Purchase and his Master of Music (Performance) degree from Florida State University. His major teachers include David Starobin and Bruce Holzman. Since 1994 Mr. Fader has been on the guitar faculty and directed the Guitar Chamber Music program at the Manhattan School of Music.