The Georgia Guitar Quartet delivers a high-energy blend of breathtaking virtuosity and imaginative programming while taking an adventurous approach to classical music. Borrowing from both the past and present, the GGQ draw inspiration from the ever-evolving palette of music that has influenced them: classical masters such as Bach and Brahms, experimentalists in the vein of Cage, Bartok and Stockhausen, and contemporary rock icons like Radiohead and Led Zeppelin.

With critically acclaimed debuts at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center under his belt, pianist Robert Henry is Artist-in-Residence at Kennesaw State University.  Gold Medalist in four International Piano Competitions, he has been hailed as a “consummate artist — brilliant, formidable, elegant, and the epitome of poise and control.”  Dr. Henry released his award-winning debut CD, Twelve Nocturnes and a Waltz, in 2010.

Hailed by critics as “a grand departure from the usual” (News-Herald), the Manhattan Piano Trio has quickly become one of the most creative, exciting, and dynamic young ensembles in the United States. With more than 300 concerts in its first five seasons alone, MPT is one of the most active groups in the classical music scene, welcomed by enthusiastic audiences in over 30 states, Australia and South Africa, and in venues such as Alice Tully Hall, Merkin Hall, and the Ravinia Festival. The Washington Post described the Trio as “impressive” and “outstanding”, while the Sarasota Herald-Tribune said “one seldom is privileged to enjoy the music of such a wide range of styles performed with self-effacing skill and relaxed assurance.”

The Manhattan Piano Trio has been recognized for its electrifying performances in international competitions. Since its inception in 2004, the Trio has captured grand prizes at the Plowman Competition and at the Yellow Springs Competition; runner-up at the Chesapeake Competition; and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation Listeners’ Choice Award in Melbourne.

This season, MPT will embark on another set of exciting tours at home and overseas, returning to North Carolina Wesleyan College, Virginia Wesleyan College, Hobart and William Smith College, East Georgia College, and the Gualala Arts Center, as well as making debuts at Music in Corrales, Chipola College, and the Associazione Filarmonica di Rovereto in Italy. In September, the Trio celebrates the release of its third album, a disc of Schumann and Chopin trios for the Marquis Classics label, in honor of the composers’ bicentennials.

Since its formation, MPT has carved out a unique niche for itself by performing concerts in a much wider range of settings from major concert halls around the country to venues in smaller towns. The Trio has performed in prestigious venues such as the Kravis Performing Arts Center, the Clark Memorial Library at UCLA, Chamber Music Sedona, Virginia Tech and Pro Musica Detroit; alongside these engagements, MPT has maintained its goal of establishing and encouraging new concert series to grow in small towns often bypassed by other major classical groups.

Past seasons have brought the group to virtually every part of the country. Highlights include performances and return engagements at the Franciscan University, William and Mary College, Shenandoah University, Fairmont Chamber Music Society, Young Harris Methodist College, St. Simon’s Island Concert Association, St. Vincent College, Oxford College of Emory University, Covenant College and Lakes Chamber Music Festival in Minnesota. The Trio has also toured South Africa, performing in Pretoria, Cape Town, Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth and Durban.

Strongly committed to educating new generations of musicians and music lovers, the Manhattan Piano Trio enjoys communicating with their audiences through both music and commentary. The Trio also presents master classes and outreach programs to preparatory schools, colleges, and communities wherever it goes. As part of the community rebuilding effort in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, they were one of the first musical groups to perform in the city and were honored to give a benefit concert at the University of New Orleans.

The Manhattan Piano Trio is an ensemble that embodies, in the deepest sense, the borough that provides its namesake: these three musicians represent starkly different backgrounds, and yet connect on a fundamental level to enjoy making music together. Wayne Lee, violinist, is originally from San Francisco; the group’s cellist, Dmitry Kouzov, grew up in St. Petersburg, Russia; and Milana Strezeva, pianist, is a native of Kishinev, Moldova, and a naturalized American. Dmitry and Milana are founding members of the group; Wayne, who joined in 2008, is the most recent addition to the ensemble.

In addition to their rigorous concert schedule, the members of MPT are soloists and recitalists who have performed internationally. They are also devoted teachers; Milana and Wayne maintain private studios in New York and Miami, and Dmitry is a professor of cello at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The performers all completed graduate degrees at the Juilliard School, and the group still enjoys an active presence in Manhattan.

MANHATTAN PIANO TRIO

Wayne Lee – Violin

Dmitry Kouzov – Cello

Milana Strezeva – Piano

The Georgia Brass Quintet, founded in 1967, is a faculty chamber ensemble of the University of Georgia School of Music. Since its inception, the Georgia Brass and its members have functioned in the dual roles of performing artists and music educators. As a performing ensemble, the group has appeared on numerous community and college concert series programs throughout the Southeastern United States. The group has also sought to augment the available literature for brass quintet through the commission of new compositions and arrangements, and through arrangements and transcriptions by its own members. With its performance of the widest possible spectrum of brass literature, from Renaissance dances to the ragtime music of Joplin, and from 19th-century band music to music of the avant-garde, The Georgia Brass seeks to inspire, educate, and entertain its audiences.

The Fort Valley State University Concert Choir has been an essential part of the university and community since its inception.  It has performed at state and local conventions, the Governor’s mansion, the Congressional Black Caucus, and the Jimmy Carter Historic Preservation Center.  Singers are selected from the student body at The Fort Valley State University.  The Concert Choir is composed of music majors, and students majoring in other fields of study.  The FVSU Concert Choir is dedicated to performing a variety of choral music at the highest possible level.