music from poplar hill

CONCERT ON FRIDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2023 at 7:30PM

DAVID HARDY, Principal Cello of the National Symphony Orchestra, achieved international recognition in 1982 as the top American prize winner at the Seventh International Tchaikovsky Cello Competition in Moscow.
A native of Baltimore, Maryland, David Hardy began his cello studies there at the age of eight. He was 16 when he made his debut as soloist with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. When he was 21 years old, Mr. Hardy won the certificate in the prestigious Geneva International Cello Competition. The next year, he graduated from the Peabody Conservatory of Music, where he studied with Laurence Lesser, Stephen Kates and Berl Senofsky. In 1981, he was appointed to the National Symphony Orchestra as Associate Principal Cello by its then Music Director, Mstislav Rostropovich. In 1994, Mr. Hardy was named Principal Cello of the NSO by Music Director Leonard Slatkin.
Mr. Hardy made his solo debut with the National Symphony Orchestra in 1986 with Mstislav Rostropovich conducting. A regular soloist with the NSO, Mr. Hardy, in 2004, gave the world premiere performance with Leonard Slatkin conducting of the Stephen Jaffe Concerto for Cello and Orchestra which was commissioned by the Hechinger Foundation. Mr. Hardy gave the European premiere of the Jaffe concerto in Slovenia in 2007. In 2008, Bridge Records released the premiere recording of the concerto with Mr. Hardy and the Odense Symphony of Denmark.
The National Symphony Orchestra’s recording of John Corigliano’s Symphony No. 1 featuring Mr. Hardy’s solo cello performance won the 1996 Grammy Award for “Best Classical Album.”
David Hardy is a founding member of the Kennedy Center Chamber Players and has appeared with this ensemble before enthusiastic audiences in the Kennedy Center’s Terrace Theater since 2003. He appears on two recordings by this ensemble that have been released on the Dorian label including The Beauty of Two [duos for cello and piano by Grieg and Martinů], and An Emotional Journey, Clarinet Works of Johannes Brahms, joining former Principal Clarinet Loren Kitt for the Trio in a minor, Op. 114.
Mr. Hardy’s recording, Beethoven Past & Present, on Dorian Recordings, contains two complete performances of Beethoven’s eight works for piano and cello performed on both modern and period instruments. Most recently Bridge Records released its recording of Stephen Jaffe’s Cello Sonata which was written for him.
Mr. Hardy was a founding member of the Opus 3 Trio, with violinist Charles Wetherbee and pianist Lisa Emenheiser. The Opus 3 Trio performed to critical acclaim across the country and commissioned, premiered and recorded many new works for piano trio. Mr. Hardy and Ms. Emenheiser have been recital and chamber music partners since the late 1980s.

Steinway and Spirio Artist LISA EMENHEISER has been heralded for her “intense music-making and pianism”.  She has been performing with the National Symphony Orchestra for the past 30 years.
A native of Washington, D.C., Ms. Emenheiser began her piano studies at the age of four and made her debut at the age of seventeen performing the Grieg Piano Concerto with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and "The President's Own" United States Marine Band. 
A graduate of The Juilliard School, Ms. Emenheiser earned both Bachelor’s and Master's of Music degrees and was a past winner of the "Young Artist in Recital" and "National Arts Club" competitions.  She has performed in recital at Alice Tully Hall, Avery Fischer Hall, Carnegie Recital Hall and at the National Gallery, Phillips Collection, Smithsonian Institute, Kennedy Center and the embassies of France, Austria, Germany, Britain, Slovenia, and Spain. As described by the New York Times, Lisa "played the piano dazzlingly", and by the Washington Post, she "shimmered and beguiled, shifting easily between virtuosity and transparency." Ms. Emenheiser has performed as soloist with the National Symphony Orchestra, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, The Richmond Symphony, the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra, the Virginia Chamber Orchestra, the Fairfax Symphony, and the McLean Orchestra.  She was also a soloist for multiple festivals at the Kennedy Center, including “Journey to America”, “Kennedy Center Piano 2000”, “Iberian Suite”, and “NSO Composer Portrait: Mozart”.  She has performed under the batons of some of the world's most distinguished conductors and has been rehearsal pianist for many of the soloists who have performed with the National Symphony.  Christoph Eschenbach has hailed her as having "a stunning technique and profound musicality... to match the greatest artists". 
Ms. Emenhei is an established chamber musician and appears regularly with musicians of the National Symphony Orchestra. She has performed with many world-renowned soloists and is a founding member of Opus 3 Trio with violinist Charles Wetherbee and cellist David Hardy.   Ms. Emenheiser has performed in both national and international summer music festivals, including Aspen, Hidden Valley, Strings in the Mountains, Snake River Chamber Players, Penn-Alps, Garth Newell, Masterworks, and L'Academie Internationale d'Ete de Nice.   Her vast orchestral performances are equally as extensive, including tours of Europe, Russia, and American residencies in Alaska, Maine, Wyoming, Montana, Nebraska, Texas, Alabama, Vermont, Oklahoma, North Dakota, and West Virginia.  Lisa also works with the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra and has been both soloist and orchestral keyboardist for numerous ballet performances.
Ms. Emenheiser is an avid performer of contemporary music.  As pianist for the 21st Century Consort in Washington, D.C., she has premiered works by Stephen Albert, Nicholas Maw, Eugene O'Brien, David Froom, Donald Crockett, and many others. She recently performed the world premiere of Stephen Jaffe’s “Tableaux”, a major work for solo piano commissioned for Lisa by the 21st Century Consort.  Additionally, Lisa was featured on national television as an expert artist commentator and performer in the PBS documentary entitled “Exploring Your Brain”, in which she performed Ginastera’s Piano Sonata No. 1 and discussed the topic of memory with Garrick Utley.  
Ms. Emenheiser has recorded Respighi’s “Three Preludes on Gregorian Melodies” for the Steinway Spirio collection and recently added Rzweski’s “Winnsboro Cottonmill Blues” and “Down by the Riverside”.  She has also recorded for the Bridge, Albany, Decca, Pro Arte, Naxos, VAI Audio, Centaur, Arabesque, Delos, AUR, Jubal House, and Cascades labels. 
A committed teacher, Lisa has represented the NSO in numerous masterclasses and has served as piano instructor for cultural exchange liaisons.  She has been a coach and mentor for the NSO Summer Music Institute and NSO Youth Fellowship program.   Recently Lisa was inducted into the Steinway Teacher's Hall of Fame and was also awarded the Steinway & Sons Top Teacher Award, with many of her students achieving top recognition in both local and international competitions.  She holds a private studio in her home.