Up close with…
PostClassical Ensemble presents a new virtual series, Up Close With…, an in-depth virtual discussion with our musicians. In this series, we hope to inspire you by showcasing our players and featuring our music in a whole new way.
Kevork Mourad
Angel Gil-Ordóñez chats chats with visual artist Kevork Mouradand and shares excerpts of his performances.
New York-based artist Kevork Mourad employs his technique of live drawing and animation in concert with musicians — developing a collaboration in which art and music harmonize with one another. Counted mong his diverse collaborators are Yo-Yo Ma, Kim Kashkashian, and PCE, and they stretch from North America to African, Asia, and the Middle East. Mourad premiered his animated film, 4 Acts for Syria, at the Stuttgart Animation Festival and was the 2016 recipient of the Robert Bosch Stiftung Film Prize.
His works are in the permanent collection of the Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris. Recent commissions include Seeing Through Babel, a 20-foot drawing-sculpture which is currently on exhibit at the Asia Society Triennial in New York, the visuals for the Korea National Opera’s production of Beethoven’s Fidelio, and Well Wish Ya, a dance performance piece with the OYO Dance Troupe in Namibia. Mourad has been a resident teaching artist at Brandeis University, Harvard University, and Holy Cross (Worcester).
Chris Gekker
Angel Gil-Ordóñez chats with PostClassical Ensemble’s principal trumpet player Chris Gekker 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
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
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.