November 22, 2009

at the home of
Jenny Wright

A Benefit for Chamber Music Wilmington

featuring:

Alan Toda-Ambaras, cellist

playing cello suites by Bach and Britten

Alan Toda-Ambaras captured the attention of the musical world when, at the age of fourteen, he received the Prize for Most Promising Contestant at the 2005 Rostropovich International Cello Competition in Paris. Alan has given recitals in England, France, Japan, and the United States, demonstrating his comfort with musical styles ranging from baroque to contemporary; and has appeared as soloist with the North Carolina Symphony and other orchestras. He has been featured on French television, in the European documentary films “Les Enfants de Slava” and “Cellisten von Morgen,” and on various radio programs, including National Public Radio’s From the Top.

Born in Tokyo, Alan began his cello studies at the age of four, and has been a student of North Carolina Symphony cellist Leonid Zilper since 2001. He has also participated in master classes and taken lessons with many of the world’s foremost artists, including David Geringas (at the Accademia Musicale Chigiana, in Siena), Frans Helmerson, Anner Bylsma (both at the Kronberg Academy in Germany), Bernard Greenhouse, Janos Starker, and Joel Krosnick. In 2008, Alan won first prize in the North Carolina Symphony Youth Concerto Competition, Senior Division; the Thomas S. Kenan, III Award in the inaugural Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle Concerto Competition for Strings; and the Raleigh Symphony Orchestra Youth Concerto Competition. He has previously won competitions held by the Durham Symphony Orchestra and the Tar River Philharmonic Orchestra.

Alan’s performances have gained enthusiastic reviews. In Paris, he “touched the public and the jury” (musique.france2.fr). The Washington Post noted that Alan “has the poise of a seasoned performer” and “showed off his strengths convincingly in the demanding repertoire.” And another critic declared that Alan’s playing “proved remarkable by any standard. . . . Toda-Ambaras is worth seeking out and hearing.”

Alan is a member of the East Chapel Hill High School Class of 2009. In the fall of 2009, he will enter the dual degree program at Harvard University and the New England Conservatory.

"From the Top" website

for more information contact us: chambermusicwilmington@gmail.com