"Natasha Farny and Eliran Avni are two very skilled musicians who are creating something greater with this new partnership. They cast a perfect and dreamy spell... I was absolutely entranced by the sensitivity and poetry of the way they shaped the music -- lovely ideas, with the exacting technique to carry out these musical visions. Even our cynical engineers were touched by the music!"
— Mona Seghatoleslami, WXXI Radio
EKSTASIS
Photo By: Isabelle Wroblewski
We wanted an easy-to-spell, easy-to-pronounce name, and we ended up with ... EKSTASIS
The term suggests an experience that lifts the spirit in an intensely joyful, profoundly moving, and unforgettable way. We believe that there is a treasure trove of unknown works that a listener would be excited to discover with us.
Since their debut in 2018, the Ekstasis Duo has appeared on distinguished national stages such as New York City’s Merkin Hall, Arizona’s Del E. Webb Center for the Performing Arts, Ohio’s Holland Theater, Maryland’s Resonance Chamber Music Series, and The Strings Music Festival in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.
The duo produced their first CD, “Women’s Voices,” in the fall of 2021. For purchase, please visit www.ekstasisduo.com/single-project. They are currently in the finishing stages of a second CD, “…From the Shadows,” to be released in the fall of 2023.
This year’s programs, “Slavic Masters” and “Sophisticated Lady,” can be heard in upcoming concerts at Merkin Hall in New York City, Saugerties’ Pro Musica, Rochester’s “Live from Hochstein,” and at the University of Albany Performing Arts Center.
The duo premiered a concerto for Cello, Piano, and Orchestra, written for them by renowned Israeli-American composer, Avner Dorman. Commissioned by a consortium that includes the Fredonia Foundation and the Sewanee Summer Music Festival, the premiere took place in July 2022 with the Sewanee Summer Music Festival Orchestra, followed by an October performance with the College Symphony Orchestra in King Concert Hall at SUNY Fredonia.
Natasha (cello) and Eliran (piano) met at Juilliard. Later, as colleagues at SUNY Fredonia, they decided to perform masterpieces alongside recently-discovered jewels, with a special regard for minority figures. Ekstasis has given lectures online and in person both nationally and at an international conference on women composers in Lucca, Italy. They gave a multimedia performance involving live music and video as a result of winning Fredonia’s Kasling Award and published a paper on women’s compositions for cello and piano in the online journal, The College Music Society Symposium.
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Photos By: Isabelle Wroblewski
Praised as possessing both “ironclad technique” and “ample suppleness” by The New York Times, Eliran Avni is an emerging force in the contemporary classical music scene. Hailed as “The new hope of Israeli music” by Ma’ariv, he made his debut with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Zubin Mehta at age 17. Since then, he has appeared as a soloist and chamber music collaborator throughout Europe, North and South America, as well as in his native Israel, and has played for live broadcasts for the Israeli and German broadcasting systems.
As a soloist, Eliran is known as a preeminent interpreter of the music of composer Avner Dorman. Solo performance highlights include Dorman’s Azerbaijani Dance with the Israel Philharmonic and Zubin Mehta at Carnegie Hall, Rachmaninoff’s 3rd Piano Concerto with the Alabama Symphony, and the Grieg Concerto with the Oakland East Bay Symphony.
Acclaimed as a "terrific cello soloist" and as having a "big, generous tone," American cellist Natasha Farny performs frequently as a soloist and chamber musician. Her debut CD of French music for cello and piano was released on the Centaur label in 2020, followed by Ekstasis's first album in 2022. An accomplished soloist, Ms. Farny has performed with orchestras such as the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Buffalo Philharmonic, as well as several local orchestras throughout the Western New York region. She has taken solo and chamber music tours across Germany, the Czech Republic, and Brazil, and has played at many national venues like the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concerts in Chicago and Brooklyn’s Bargemusic “Here and Now” Series. A vibrant teacher, she has been invited to give master classes at various institutions, including Weimar’s Hochschule für Musik Franz Liszt in Germany, the Brancaleoni International Music Festival in Italy, and the Eastman School of Music.
Dorman's Double Concerto
Ekstasis Duo Premieres
New Work in Summer 2022
Rare double concerto for cello and piano is one of the few works in this idiom
This one-of-a-kind new work by award-winning composer Avner Dorman written for the Ekstasis Duo received its world premiere in the summer of 2022, followed by the New York premiere on October 15, 2022. Made possible by a generous donation from Chris Granger and the Fredonia Foundation, and consortium member Sewanee Summer Music Festival, the double concerto for cello, piano, and orchestra is one of the few concertos specifically written for cello and piano.
The final notes of the Double Concerto for Cello, Piano, and Orchestra brought the audience to its feet. The solo and orchestral parts explored magical textures and unforgettable rhythms, listeners were struck by the ground-breaking genre that offered continued nuance and conversation between the two soloists, and afterwards, the melodies and harmonies in this four-movement work lit up continuously in the mind. As the soloists for this epic new work, we feel that Avner's writing demands the utmost from us in emotional expression, technical prowess, and interactive abilities. “I am thrilled to have the opportunity to write a concerto for the Ekstasis Duo,” Avner Dorman remarked. “It’s rare to hear such a high level of musicianship paired with technical prowess from two performers, and to write for both of them is a dream come true.”
Click here for the complete press release
"The Ekstasis Duo presented a breathtaking performance of Avner Dorman's extraordinary new double concerto. Our patrons were mesmerized and our entire festival was elevated by the process and performance. This important new contribution to contemporary music will have a long life in the concert hall. Bravo!"
—John Kilkenny
Executive and Artistic Director, Sewanee Summer Music Festival
"Duo Ekstasis together with Robert Moody and the Sewanee Symphony orchestra created a deeply inspiring premiere of my new concerto. They brought the piece to life with passion and musicality, great virtuosity, and unique personal touch. I could not have hoped for a better premiere."
—Avner Dorman
WATCH
All Videos
All Videos
TV Spot 7 NEWS Buffalo with Mike Randall
Highlights from Avner Dorman's Double Concerto or Cello, Piano, and Orchestra
Henriëtte Bosmans: Sonata for Cello and Piano, I. Allegro maestoso
CALENDAR
CURRENT 23-24 PROGRAM
PAST PROGRAMS
Women’s Voices
Celebrating the amazing talent of female composers from the 19th and 20th centuries, these stunning and brilliant works, coupled with images and anecdotes, provide insight into their thoughts about music.
Program:
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Louise Farrenc - Sonata in B-flat, Op. 46
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Clara Schumann - Three Romances, Op. 11
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Lera Auerbach - Preludes nos. 7, 23 & 24
Intermission
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Ellen Taaffe Zwilich - Lament
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Ethel Smyth - Sonata in A minor, op. 5
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Hommage à Nina Simone
Total: 68 minutes
...From the Shadows
Vibrant, joyous, and deeply moving program featuring under-represented composers.
Program:
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Lili Boulanger - Nocturne (1911)
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George Walker - Sonata for Cello and Piano (1957)
Intermission
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Alexander Zemlinsky - Three Pieces (1891)
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Alma Mahler - Five Songs (1911)
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Henriette Bosmans - Sonata for Cello and Piano (1919)
Total: 70 minutes
Enchanted Fairy Tales
Take a fantastical musical journey with us through different lands and tales.
Program:
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Prokofiev - Andante from Cinderella
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Beethoven - "Magic Flute" Variations, WoO 46
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Martinů - Variations on a Slovak theme
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Hindemith - Phantasiestücke, op. 8, no. 2
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Cassadó - Dance of the Green Devil
Intermission
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Caroline Mallonée - Crossings
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Janáček - Pohádka
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Rachmaninoff - Little Red Riding Hood for solo piano
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Cui - Orientale
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Prokofiev - Cello Sonata, 2nd movement
Total: 70 minutes
La Vie en Rose
An evening of Parisian masterpieces accompanied by readings of French poetry.
Program:
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Louise Farrenc - Sonata in B-flat, Op. 46
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Franchomme - Caprice no. 9 for solo cello
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Ravel - Pièce en forme de Habanera
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Ravel - Sonata op. posthume
Intermission
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Poulenc - Improvisation for solo piano
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Roland Dyens - Filmaginaires: Musique en quête d'image
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Debussy - Beau Soir
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