Coffee Patisserie & Classical Music 3.5.22

Recoding of their performance on 3/5/22

Mekhi Gladden, oboe and English horn
Katherine Needleman, oboe and piano

Katherine Needleman is a multi-faceted musician and native of Baltimore. She won first prize in the International Double Reed Society’s Inaugural Commissioning Competition in 2020. She curates Coffee, Patisserie, and Classical Music at An die Musik Live. She explores the connection between composer and performer in this series, focusing on music that has been unreasonably under-programmed for various reasons. She performs as an oboe recitalist throughout the U.S. As a day job, she is an orchestral oboist, having performed as guest principal with all of the U.S.’s “Big Five” orchestras except for one and has been the Baltimore Symphony’s principal oboist since 2003.

Mekhi Gladden is an oboist and English hornist from Atlanta, Georgia who is currently based in Philadelphia. Mekhi has attended the Aspen Music Festival and performed with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Princeton Symphony Orchestra, and Symphony In C. After winning first prize in the Eric Varner Young Artist Competition in 2021, he attended the Brevard Summer Music Institute where he won the Jan and Beattie Wood Concerto Competition. He is entering his fifth year at the Curtis Institute of Music under the tutelage of Richard Woodhams. Mekhi began studying oboe at age twelve before entering the Talent Development Program at age fifteen. He then studied with Emily Brebach, English horn of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. During his time at Curtis, Mekhi has also worked to further diversity, equity, and inclusive excellence in classical music through his performance and advocacy.

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PROGRAM

Bela Bartok (1881-1945)
arr. Katherine Needleman
Three New Years’ Greetings

Althea Talbot-Howard (b. 1966)
Troparion (2018)

James Lee III (b. 1975 )
Principal Brothers No. 2 (2021)

Thea Musgrave (b. 1928)
Niobe (1987) for solo oboe and pre-recorded sound track

Che Buford (b. 2000)
Wounds in so many places (2021)
WORLD PREMIERE

Laura Schwendinger (b. 1962)
Luna (2020) 
WORLD PREMIERE

Ruth Gipps (1921-1999)
Threnody (1990)

Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges (1745-1799) 
The New Chevalier Sonata, realized for oboe and piano by Althea Talbot-Howard

Bela Bartok (1881-1945),
arr. Katherine Needleman
Duos for Oboe and English Horn