Festival Artists — Hawaii International Music Festival

Inspiration, Illumination, Intrigue

Amy Shoremount-Obra Co-Founder / Director / Soprano  

Soprano AMY SHOREMOUNT-OBRA made her much-anticipated Metropolitan Opera Debut in October 2014 as “First Lady” in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, singing all nine performances of the opera, three of which were Sirius XM Satellite Broadcasts. She recently returned to the Met in the fall of 2017 for the revival of the English version of the opera in the same role. In previous seasons at the Met, she has covered the roles of "Donna Anna" in Don Giovanni,  "Anna" in Nabucco,  “Clotilde” in Norma, “Aksinya” in Shostakovich’s Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk and “Queen of the Night” (also in Die Zauberflöte).  Ms. Shoremount-Obra’s other recent operatic appearances have included “Donna Anna” in Don Giovanni with Opera Las Vegas, The Savannah Voice Festival, and NYC's new Venture Opera, “Musetta” in La Bohème with the Savannah Philharmonic, “Marchesa” in Verdi’s Un Giorno di Regno with Odyssey Opera of Boston, “Fiordiligi” in Cosi fan tutte with Annapolis Opera, and “Leonore” in Beethoven’s Fidelio with Grand Harmonie. During the 2017-18 season, she covered the role of "Freia" in Wagner's "Das Rheingold" with the New York Philharmonic and traveled to Hawaii for concerts as part of the Hawaii International Music Festival. Her performances in Hawaii included her first collaboration with Argentinean Bandoneon player JP Jofre at Blue Note Hawaii. The fall of 2017 saw her return to the Metropolitan Opera in the role of "First Lady" for both the German and English versions of The Magic Flute. 2018 began with an Artist-in-Residency with the Palm Springs Opera Guild in Palm Springs, California. This February she made her debut with the Pacific Symphony in Costa Mesa, California for Mozart’s The Magic Flute, performing her signature role of “First Lady” and in March, performed Gounod's St. Cecilia Mass and Schubert's Mass in G with the Scarsdale New Choral Society. In April, she returns to New York to perform Beethoven’s 9th Symphony and Vaughan Williams’ Serenade to Music with the National Chorale in Lincoln Center at David Geffen Hall. In May, she makes her role debut as the “Countess” in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro with the Norwalk Symphony in CT. The summer of 2018 includes teaching residencies in Palm Springs, California with the Palm Springs Opera Guild, Chihuahua Mexico for the International Opera Workshop CUU and in Orlando, FL with The Juilliard School. Recent solo concert engagements include the Fauré Requiem (2013) and Schubert Mass in G (2016) at Carnegie Hall with MidAmerica Productions, Haydn Lord Nelson Mass/ Mozart Coronation Mass (2013) and Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle (2017) with the New Choral Society, various performances at the Viennese Opera Ball of New York (2010-2016) and the Fire Island Opera Festival (2013, 2014) (including a concert in Marfa, TX with Marfa Live Arts 2015), appearances with the FL Keys Concert Association (2013, 2015), a concert of opera favorites at Yavapai College in Prescott, AZ (2016), a recital with Tenor Cameron Schutza in Lincoln Center with the Wagner Society of New York (2017), an appearance with Opera America’s New Opera Showcase (2017), a concert with Violinist Eric Silberger and Pianist Carlin Ma at The Old Church in Portland, OR (2017), a special appearance at the Sherrill Milnes Gala in NYC (2017), a concert appearance at the Savannah Music Festival (2016), a solo recital of Rachmaninoff with Pianist Chris Cooley at the Savannah Voice Festival (2015), Beethoven's Ninth Symphony at SUNY Purchase under the baton of Justin Bischof (2017), an Artist-In-Residency at the Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua in collaboration with Opera Guadalajara which culminated with a performance with Mexican Tenor Manuel Castillo (2017), and a solo recital with pianist Eunjung Lee as part of the Dame Myra Hess Concert Series at the Chicago Cultural Center (2013). This recital aired live on WFMT, Chicago’s Classical Station. Important concert debuts include her Carnegie Hall debut in 2005 as the Soprano Soloist in Brahms’ Requiem with The Juilliard Orchestra under the baton of the late James DePreist, and in 2016, her debut at David Geffen Hall in Lincoln Center as the Soprano Soloist in Verdi's Requiem with the National Chorale. During the summer of 2016, she appeared in Honolulu, on The Big Island of Hawaii and in Maui with Virtuoso Violinist Eric Silberger, Louisiana Philharmonic Cellist Daniel Lelchuk and Canadian Pianist Ian Parker for the first season of the Hawaii International Music Festival, a festival she co-founded. Her performance at the Blaisdell Concert Hall included a collaboration with world renowned Taiko Artist Kenny Endo. Ms. Shoremount-Obra made her European Operatic debut in 2004 as “Ifigenia” in Handel’s Oreste at the Spoleto Festival, Italy. A champion of new music, Ms. Shoremount-Obra has premiered/collaborated with some of today’s most popular and notable composers including Tarik O’Regan, John Zorn, Paola Prestini, and Mikael Karlsson. She completed a one-year residency in 2011/12 with American Opera Projects as part of their Composers and the Voice Program, where she premiered music written specifically for her, by a team of six composers/librettist teams. Most recently, she has collaborated with Mikael Karlsson and designer Elle Kunnos de Voss on a one woman monodrama originally written for her, called The Echo Drift, which premiered in December 2014 at the House of Sweden in Washington, DC. In the fall of 2018, Ms. Shoremount-Obra looks forward to appearing in Boston as “Artemis” in the world premiere of Dan Visconti and Cerise Jacob’s virtual reality video game opera “PermaDeath”. Ms. Shoremount-Obra is a 2004 New York Regional Winner and National Semi-Finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. She has also won numerous awards from other organizations, including the Richard F. Gold Career Grant from the Shoshana Foundation, which she was awarded at her graduation from The Juilliard School and has since been supported with supplemental grants from the same foundation. Most recently she is the 2016 winner of the Ursula Springer Award from the Wagner Society of New York. She is a native of New Jersey and holds degrees from Manhattan School of Music (BM, MM) and The Juilliard School (AD). She continues her vocal studies in New York as a student of Diana Soviero. In August 2017, Ms. Shoremount-Obra was appointed Adjunct Assistant Professor of Voice at Brooklyn College Conservatory of Music. She enjoys teaching graduate level students there while she continues her active performing career. Ms. Shoremount-Obra is also the daughter-in-law of Lorie Obra, owner of Rusty's Hawaiian 100% Ka'u Coffee.

Amy Shoremount-Obra

Co-Founder / Director / Soprano

Hawaii International Music Festival HIMFJanuary 27, 2018

Eric Silberger Co-Founder/Director/Violinist

Virtuoso violinist Eric Silberger is a prize winner of the XIV International Tchaikovsky Competition and the Michael Hill International Violin Competition in 2011. His performances have been described by critics as "spine-tingling..astonishing" (The Guardian), "dazzling virtuoso playing" (The Washington Post, "impeccable level of playing, a wonderful musician" (Heather Kurzbauer, The Strad), and “ ….he has got everything in his favour, technique, composure and personality. We are on the eve of a great soloist.” (El Pais, Spain) Eric has performed as soloist, recitalist and chamber musician throughout the United States and around the world, including solo performances with the St Petersburg Philharmonia, Chamber Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theatre, London Philharmonia, Munich Chamber Orchestra, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, among others. In 2015 he performed Brahms Violin Concerto on a tour to Spain with the Konzerthausorchester Berlin under Dimitri Kitajenko, a performance highly acclaimed by the audience and press. He has appeared at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, the Louvre in Paris, the Great Hall of the St Petersburg Philharmonia, The Moscow International House of Music in Russia, Shanghai Grand Theatre in China, Royal Festival Hall in London, the National Arts Centre in Canada and more. Among numerous television and radio appearances in the United States, Asia and Europe, he was featured on Radio France, STV in China, KBS in Korea, and WQXR, WFYI, FOX 59, WISH-TV and NPR among others. As an avid chamber musician, Eric frequently performs chamber music at The Castleton Festival, internationally and has a special collaboration with bandoneonist and composer JP Jofre. Eric received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Columbia University, and a Master of Music degree from The Juilliard School. His former teachers have included Glenn Dicterow, Itzhak Perlman, Pinchas Zukerman, Robert Mann, and Dorothy Delay among others. He was also mentored by Lorin Maazel. Eric is the CEO of Jukubox LLC, a company dedicated to connecting the world through online music lessons. He was awarded the Tarisio Trust Young Artist Grant in 2015 to support Jukubox. Eric plays on a rare J.B. Guadagnini violin from 1757 on generous loan from the Sau-Wing Lam collection. More at his music website Follow his Facebook More about his company, Jukubox

Eric Silberger

Co-Founder / Director / Violinist

Hawaii International Music Festival HIMFJanuary 26, 2018

Carlin Ma Aristic Program Director / Photographer / Pianist

Seeking means of discovery and expression, Carlin Ma has dedicated her life to music and the arts, including solo piano, chamber music, photography, and multidisciplinary projects.  As a pianist, she has performed for audiences at prestigious venues including the Kennedy Center, Ravinia Festival, Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival, Philharmonic Hall of St. Petersburg, and Tanglewood Music Festival.  She finds it equally meaningful to initiate performances in local venues, including the inaugural Musicians@Google series in Seattle, outreach programs, and house concerts. She holds a Master’s Degree of piano performance from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and Bachelor’s and Performer’s Degree from Indiana University. Her mentors include Menahem Pressler, Yoshi Nagai, Arnaldo Cohen, Evelyne Brancart, Emile Naoumoff, and Karen Taylor.  She also had the privilege of working in masterclasses with Sergei Babayan, Karl-heinz Kämmerling, Robert Levin, Joseph Kalichstein, Jon Nakamatsu, and Angela Chang. hile being an Associate Instructor at Indiana University, Carlin found passion in pedagogy, empowering a world of creative possibility  in others.  She later became a Primary Instructor at New Music School in San Francisco, and now resides in Seattle, where she has a private studio. In her continued quest for expression, Carlin found that music and photography strike the same internal chord, merely on different instruments.  To her, photography is like chamber music through light, rather than sound.  As a professional photographer, Carlin is the lead festival photographer for Music@Menlo and staff photographer for the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.  She enjoys photographing individuals, couples, families, and for larger institutions such as Seattle Symphony, Aspen Music Festival, Indiana University, and Chinese American International School.  Special merit recognitions include front page features in Symphony Magazine, 1st place Aspen Chamber of Commerce Photo Contest, and 3rd place in Tiffen Pawtraits Contest. er multidisciplinary talents have led to national invitations for artistic cross-pollination projects, including with Purdue  Symphony Orchestra, Blueprint Ensemble, and Hawaii International Music Festival, where she is the Artistic Program Director, photographer, and pianist. Fostering perpetual awareness and learning for herself and others is her committed passion. More on her photography website More on her music music website

Carlin Ma

Aristic Program Director / Photographer / Pianist

Hawaii International Music Festival HIMFJanuary 25, 2018

Taylor Yasui Operations Manager

Taylor Yasui, 23, is a passionate and aspiring leader in the world where music and business intersect. Graduating from the Robert McDuffie Center for Strings at Mercer University in Macon, GA as a Presidential Scholar in 2015, Taylor received intensive conservatory-level training as a classical musician in addition to electives in business and law.  Born and raised in Honolulu, HI, Taylor began studying the cello at the age of 12 under Lifen Anthony.  In 2009 Taylor performed the Dvorak Cello Concerto with the Honolulu Symphony as a winner of their annual concerto competition.  As a 2011 graduate of Kamehameha Schools, he also received the Benjamin Hooke and Zillah Young scholarships for musical excellence.  Taylor takes great pleasure in chamber music, where he has played in masterclasses for prestigious groups such as the Emerson, Brentano, Ehnes, Orion, and Cavani quartets. Former cello instructors include Julie Albers, Hans Jørgen Jensen and Lifen Anthony. Taylor was an Artistic Coordinator at the Heifetz International Institute of Music 2015 Season.  After spending a year as the Managing Director of Macon Pops, Taylor is now pursuing his M.A. in Music Business at NYU Steinhardt in New York City. Find out more at http://www.tayloryasui.com/bio/

Taylor Yasui

Operations Manager

Hawaii International Music Festival HIMFJanuary 24, 2018

JP Jofre

Bandoneonist / Composer / Tango Specialist

Hawaii International Music Festival HIMFJanuary 21, 2018

Sung Chan Chang

Cellist

Hawaii International Music Festival HIMFJanuary 20, 2018

Kwan Yi

Pianist

Hawaii International Music Festival HIMFJanuary 20, 2018

Ken Goodrich

Multimedia Artist

Hawaii International Music Festival HIMFJanuary 19, 2018

Byron Yasui

Ukelele Player

Hawaii International Music Festival HIMFJanuary 19, 2018

Leslie Goldman McInerny

Soprano

Hawaii International Music Festival HIMFJanuary 18, 2018

Sandra Aldaz

Young Artist - Mezzo Soprano

Hawaii International Music Festival HIMFJanuary 16, 2018

Manuel Castillo

Tenor

Hawaii International Music Festival HIMFJanuary 16, 2018

Christopher Yick

Promotions & Operations Intern/Bassist

Hawaii International Music Festival HIMFJanuary 15, 2018