Up close with…

Chris Gekker
- On November 12, 2020 at 6 pm (EST).
- Angel Gil-Ordóñez chats with PostClassical Ensemble’s principal trumpet player Fatma Daglar and shares excerpts of his performances.
Chris Gekker serves as principal trumpet of the National Philharmonic at Strathmore, the Washington Ballet, Washington Concert Opera, and PostClassical Ensemble. He has been a guest principal trumpet of the New York Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, the Santa Fe Opera, and the Baltimore Symphony. As a featured soloist, Crhis has appeared at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia. He has also performed and recorded with many jazz and commercial artists. In 2009, he recorded and toured with Sting, and is featured on the DVD A Winter’s Night.
Throughout his career, Chris has been focused on education and community service. He is Professor of Trumpet at the University of Maryland School of Music, where he was awarded the rank of Distinguished University Professor –the first professor from the School of Music to receive this honor. In 2013 the Maryland Classics Youth Orchestra awarded him the Chester J. Petranek Community Award “for outstanding community service in enriching the musical life in the Washington D.C. Metropolitan area.”
Fatma Daglar
- On October 22, 2020 at 6 pm (EST).
- Angel Gil-Ordóñez chats with PostClassical Ensemble’s principal oboist Fatma Daglar and shares excerpts of her performances.
Fatma Daglar is the oboist of the acclaimed wind quintet, Zéphyros Winds. In addition to being the principal oboist of the PostClassical Ensemble, Annapolis Symphony Orchestra, Maryland Symphony Orchestra, Washington Concert Opera, Wolftrap Opera and Baltimore Chamber Orchestra, she has also held the position of assistant principal oboe with the Louisville Orchestra and has performed on oboe and English horn with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Richmond Symphony Orchestra, among many others. An enthusiastic advocate of historical performance, she frequently appears with the Washington Bach Consort, Ama Deus Ensemble, Brandywine Baroque, Modern Musick, and Bach Sinfonia. She has been described as “a dexterous technician with attractive tone and a nifty sense of phrasing” and her playing “of virtuoso caliber, enthusiastically received.” Daglar currently teaches at Towson University and at UMBC.
Netanel Draiblate
- On September 17, 2020 at 6 pm (EST).
- Angel Gil-Ordóñez chats with concertmaster Netanel “Nati” Draiblate and shares excerpts of his performances.
Hailed as “an extremely gifted violinist,” Netanel Draiblate’s performances as a soloist, chamber musician, and recording artist serve to emphasize his versatility. Draiblate has collaborated with such luminaries as Pinchas Zukerman, Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman, Jaime Laredo, and Cho Liang Lin. Recent engagements include appearances with the American Symphony at Carnegie Hall, the Israel Chamber Orchestra, the Brasilia Concert Society Orchestra, and Turkey’s Bursa Symphony Orchestra. Draiblate also toured with duo partner pianist Lura Johnson as Times Two, with a program that included selections from their Azica Perspectives recording. He also led a string quartet in a special program celebrating the 50th anniversary of German-Israeli diplomatic relations at Carnegie Hall, in Washington, DC and at Ravinia. Recognized for artistry that “combines confidence and eloquence,” Draiblate made his Canadian debut last season on the Friday Music Series. Draiblate serves as the Director of Chamber Music at Georgetown University and is the Founder and Director of the Annapolis Symphony Academy.
Latest performances
Up close with…
09/17/2020—12/31/2020A virtual talk with the Ambassador of Spain
06/17/2020PostClassical: More than Music
04/19/2020—12/01/2020An Armenian Odyssey: The Color of Pomegranates
03/04/2020World premiere of Aaron Travers' Yellowwood for orchestra and video
01/25/2020