CMSFW Ensemble

The first Korean Gold medalist of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, Yekwon Sunwoo has been hailed for his “unfailingly consistent excellence” (International Piano) and celebrated as “a pianist who commands a comprehensive technical arsenal that allows him to thunder without breaking a sweat” (Chicago Tribune). A powerful and virtuosic performer, he also, in his own words, “strives to reach for the truth and pure beauty in music.”

In September 2023, Mr. Sunwoo released his second album for Decca Universal Music Korea, featuring works by Rachmaninov, following his first album in 2020 of works by Mozart.

Mr. Sunwoo’s chamber music tours include Costa Rica, Panama, and Guatemala, as well as performing at Chamber Music of Lincoln Center’s Inside Chamber Music Lectures.

He has performed as a soloist with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, Munich Philharmonic, Royal Danish Orchestra, Washington Chamber Orchestra, and Royal Scottish National Orchestra, among others. Recital appearances include Carnegie Hall in New York, Wigmore Hall in London, Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, Salle Cortot in Paris, Hong Kong Arts Festival, and a tour of Japan.

He has also played concertos with the New York Philharmonic, Colorado Springs Philharmonic, Macao Symphony, Victoria Symphony, Slovak Philharmonic, and Orchestre de Chambre de Paris.

Born in Anyang, South Korea, Mr. Sunwoo began learning the piano at the age of 8 and made his recital and orchestral debuts in Seoul at 15.

Yekwon Sunwoo’s Profile

Photo by ROHSH

Gary Levinson is the senior principal associate concertmaster of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and the artistic director of the Chamber Music Society of Fort Worth.

Born in St. Petersburg, he began studying the violin at age 5 at the Leningrad Special Music School. He and his family immigrated to the United States in 1977, and he began winning top prizes at international competitions.

Known for his Bel Canto playing style and adroit technique, Mr. Levinson made his New York Philharmonic solo debut in 1991, coinciding with the completion of his master’s degree at The Juilliard School.

He was appointed in March 1998 as the first violinist of the Elysium String Quartet. He led the inaugural season of the Mykonos International Music Festival in August 1998, as well as a gala concert honoring the Elysium String Quartet at the United States ambassador’s residence in Athens, Greece.

Much sought-after as a chamber musician, he has collaborated with Yo-Yo Ma, Lynn Harrell, and Eugenia Zuckerman. He has recorded several CDs, including a bass and violin duo — performed with his father, renowned double bassist Eugene Levinson — written for and dedicated to the father and son team.

Gary Levinson travels and performs year round all over the globe, including summer music festivals. He also mentors young musicians through the CMSFW2 emerging artist program.

Gary Levinson’s Website

Photo by AJK Images

Michael Klotz has established an international reputation as a performer and pedagogue of the viola. He has toured around the world and recorded commercially with the Amernet String Quartet.

Passionately dedicated to chamber music, he regularly performs with many of today’s most esteemed artists and many principal players from major U.S. and European orchestras. He made his solo debut with the Rochester Philharmonic at the age of 17 and has appeared worldwide as chamber musician, recitalist, orchestra principal and soloist with orchestra.

After a performance of the Brandenburg Concerto No. 6 with violist Roberto Diaz, the Portland Press-Herald proclaimed, “This concert squelched all viola jokes, now and forever, due to the talents of Diaz and Klotz.”

In 2015, Mr. Klotz was named a charter member of the Ensemble with the Chamber Music Society of Fort Worth and regularly appears on this series.

Michael Klotz’s Biography

Photo by So-Min Kang Photography

Inbal Segev is “a cellist with something to say” (Gramophone). Combining “thrillingly projected, vibrato-rich playing” (The Washington Post) with “complete dedication and high intelligence” (San Francisco Classical Voice), she makes solo appearances at leading international venues and with preeminent orchestras and conductors worldwide.

Celebrated for her fresh insights into music’s great masterworks, the Israeli-American cellist is equally committed to reinvigorating the cello repertoire. Ms. Segev is personally responsible for commissioning, premiering, recording, and championing new works by important living composers from the United States, Israel, and beyond. She commissioned a new cello concerto from Ukrainian composer Victori Poleva, giving its world and European premieres in 2023-24 with the Dallas Symphony and London Philharmonic Orchestras, respectively.

Ms. Segev spent a week-long residency at Chicago’s Grant Park Music Festival. Bookending the residency were performances of composer Mark Adamo’s Last Year and DANCE, written by British composer Anna Clyne. Ms. Segev commissioned DANCE after she and Ms. Clyne were introduced by conductor Marin Alsop. She also teaches a masterclass and gives recitals that include her own works to round out the residency.

Ms. Segev’s premiere recordings crown a rich and wide-ranging discography. Having studied Bach’s solo cello suites for many years, she recorded the complete cycle over a six-month period with Grammy-winning producer Da-Hong Seetoo at New York City’s Academy of Arts and Letters, released in 2015, and live accounts of C.P.E. Bach’s A-major concerto and other works in 2023, among other recordings. Ms. Segev can also be heard playing music by Peter Nashe on the soundtrack of Bee Season, a 2005 feature film starring Richard Gere and Juliette Binoche.

A prodigy who first played for the Israeli president at just 8 years old, Segev came to international attention 10 years later when she made concerto debuts with both the Berlin Philharmonic and Israel Philharmonic under the baton of Zubin Mehta.

Inbal Segev’s Website

Photo by Veronica L. Yankowski