Photo courtesy of the musicians. Left to right: Phillip Silver, piano, Noreen Silver, cello, Mitchell Newman, violin

Phillip Silver, Noreen Silver and Mitchell Newman to play Piano Trios in the Midday Concert @ 1:00 at Ellsworth Community Music Institute on March 20th.

ELLSWORTH - Ellsworth Community Music Institute (ECMI) offers its next Midday Concert @ 1:00 on Friday, March 20th, with Phillip Silver, piano, Noreen Silver, cello, and Mitchell Newman, violin.

The concert will be held at the Moore Community Center Theater, 125 State Street, in Ellsworth, Maine. The series is sponsored by Ellsworth Community Music Institute (ECMI) with funding assistance from the City of Ellsworth and supported in part by a grant from the Onion Foundation. Admission is free to the public.

Phillip Silver is an internationally acclaimed soloist, collaborative artist and researcher. For over two decades Phillip has carried out research on music and musicians caught up in the Holocaust. He has presented his research in the form of commercial recordings, lectures and recitals on both national and international stages including venues in Israel, Germany, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, the United States and the United Kingdom. His most recent recordings for the Toccata Classics label in London include a world premiere recording of music by Leone Sinigaglia, an Italian-Jewish victim of the Nazis, and a recording of music by German-Jewish composer Bernhard Sekles. Steve Arloff writing in MusicWeb International described it as “a really valuable discovery” marked by “flawless playing.”... “thoroughly deserving to be heard by every chamber music lover.” Phillip also promotes the music of Israeli composers and through performance and lecture actively works to bring this music before a wider international public. Phillip Silver has been on the faculties of Glasgow University, Strathclyde University, and the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow, Scotland. He is currently a Professor of Music at the School of Performing Arts at the University of Maine, Orono.

Cellist Noreen Silver was born and grew up in Glasgow, Scotland. She studied at the Royal College of Music in London, and the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, MA. She was fortunate to pursue independent study with the great cellists Jacqueline du Pré and Pierre Fournier. The Glasgow Herald has described her as “an extraordinarily soulful player” who “demonstrates an uncommon depth of feeling and imagination.” Since 1999 Noreen has been an adjunct faculty member at the University of Maine, where she directs the Chamber Music program, and teaches cello and music theory. She also holds the position of Principal Cellist in the Bangor Symphony Orchestra, and has appeared as soloist with the orchestra on numerous occasions. Along with her husband, pianist Phillip Silver, Noreen has performed much of the cello/piano repertoire in the USA, Europe, Israel and the UK. Much in demand as a teacher, she has also served on the faculties of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Strathclyde University, and Ellsworth Community Music Institute.

Violinist Mitchell Newman is a performer, educator and advocate for bringing music to underserved communities across the country. After 34 years in the LA Philharmonic, Mr. Newman relocated to Philadelphia, where he teaches privately and through Philadelphia Music Alliance for Youth (www.pmayartists.org). Mitchell is a graduate of The Curtis Institute of Music, where he studied under Aaron Rosand, David Cerone and Yumi Ninomiya. He studied chamber music with Karen Tuttle, Felix Galamir and Mischa Schneider. At the Meadowmount School, he studied violin with Ivan Galamian and chamber music with Josef Gingold. Mitchell Newman currently serves as concertmaster of the Bangor Symphony Orchestra. He and the Music Director of the Bangor Symphony Orchestra, composer/conductor Lucas Richman, also collaborate on the Paths To Dignity Project (www.pathstodignity.com) which brings music, dignity, humanity and awareness to the homeless community. Mr. Newman collaborates with long-time friend, pianist Daniel Shapiro in duo recitals, is a member of the Hutchins Ensemble based in Philadelphia, and the Synergy Ensemble based in New York City.

Future concerts in the series include: April 3rd - DownEast New Music; April 24th - Heidi Powell with members of the Baroque Orchestra of Maine (BOOM)

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