Summer Festival Subscription Concert 2
Amy Taylor, Christian Colberg, Zuill Bailey, and Katerina Chatzinikolau
Saturday, June 7, 7 p.m.
Harrigan Centennial Hall
Join us for the second night of the 2025 Sitka Music Festival’s Subscription Concert Series, featuring flutist Amy Taylor, violinist Katerina Chatzinikolau, violist Christian Colberg, and cellist Zuill Bailey.
The program begins with Max Reger’s Serenade for Flute, Violin, and Viola, Op. 141a, a late work by the German composer that highlights the delicate and expressive interplay between instruments. Composed in 1915, this piece is known for its lyrical warmth and intricate harmonies, offering a fresh and captivating chamber music experience.
Next is Ernő Dohnányi’s Serenade in C for String Trio, Op. 10, written in 1902. This vibrant trio for violin, viola, and cello blends melodic richness with hints of Hungarian folk influences. Its five movements range from playful to poignant, making it a cornerstone of the string trio repertoire.
After intermission, the program concludes with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Divertimento in E-flat Major, K. 563, composed in 1788. This six-movement work is a pinnacle of chamber music, weaving elegant melodies and intricate counterpoint into a symphonic tapestry for violin, viola, and cello.
Program
Max Reger – Serenade for Flute, Violin, and Viola, Op. 141a
Ernő Dohnányi – Serenade in C for String Trio, Op. 10
Intermission
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – Divertimento in E-flat Major for Violin, Viola, and Cello, K. 563
Artists
Amy Taylor, flute
Katerina Chatzinikolau, violin
Christian Colberg, viola
Zuill Bailey, cello
About the Artists
Amy Taylor, Flute
Amy Taylor is a piccolo specialist who has held positions with several major United States orchestras including the Cincinnati, San Diego, Milwaukee, and the Honolulu Symphonies.
Amy will be the Acting 2nd flutist with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra during the ’23-24 season and will be guest piccolo with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Ms. Taylor was recently the winner of the 2nd flute position with the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra.
Throughout her career she has played frequently with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and joined the CSO on tours to Asia and Carnegie Hall. She has also performed with the Cleveland Orchestra, Minnesota, Atlanta, Baltimore and St. Louis Symphony Orchestras on both piccolo and flute, and was a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago.
Ms. Taylor is a frequent guest at a number of summer music festivals, including the Bellingham Festival of Music and the Sun Valley Music Festival. She has also performed with the Mainly Mozart Music Festival and the Sitka Summer Music Festival.
Other notable accomplishments of this Yamaha Artist include her performance in 2006 as a soloist with Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble at Chicago’s Grant Park. She was also the first place winner of the National Flute Association’s Orchestral Excerpts Competition and the Oklahoma Young Artist Competition.
In addition to her active performing career, Ms. Taylor is a devoted teacher. In addition to her UNT position, she is teaches at the Interlochen Summer Arts Academy. She has also held teaching positions at Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.
Originally from the Dallas, Texas area, she received her BM from the University of North Texas and her MM from Northwestern University. Her primary teachers include, Walfrid Kujala and Terri Sundberg.
Zuill Bailey, Cello
Zuill Bailey, widely considered one of the premiere cellists in the world, is a Grammy Award winning, internationally renowned soloist, recitalist, Artistic Director and teacher. His rare combination of celebrated artistry, technical wizardry and engaging personality has made him one of the most sought after and active cellists today.
Mr. Bailey has been featured with symphony orchestras and music festivals worldwide. He won the Best Solo Performance Grammy Award in 2017, for his recording of Michael Daugherty’s Tales of Hemingway, with the Nashville Symphony led by Giancarlo Guerrero. His extensive discography includes his newest release – the world premier recording of Ellen Taaffe Zwilich’s Cello Concerto with the Santa Rosa Symphony.
Mr. Bailey received his Bachelor’s Degree from the Peabody Conservatory where he was named the 2014 Johns Hopkins University Distinguished Alumni, and received a Master’s Degree from the Juilliard School. He performs on the “Rosette” 1693 Matteo Gofriller Cello formerly owned by Mischa Schneider of the Budapest String Quartet.
Christian Colberg, Viola
Violist, violinist, and composer Christian Colberg, began his musical studies at the age of four in his home country of Puerto Rico. At sixteen, he continued his studies at the Peabody Conservatory of Music, in Baltimore Maryland. Mr. Colberg is currently the Principal Viola of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. Prior to joining the CSO, he was Assistant Principal Viola with the Baltimore Symphony. Other positions currently include serving as Principal Viola of the Bellingham Festival of Music and Aspen Music Festival Chamber Orchestra. In addition he is Artist-faculty at the Aspen School and has also held teaching positions at both the Peabody Conservatory of Music, and the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.
His main teachers include, Alexander Schneider, Saul Ovcharov, Charles Libov and Shirley Givens. Recipient of numerous awards, including the Alpha Delta Kappa Foundation Fine Arts grant, Colberg has also been recognized by the House of Representatives and the Senate of Puerto Rico for his achievements in the field of classical music.
As an active chamber musician, Mr. Colberg has collaborated with such artists as, Gary Karr, Milton Katims, Augustin Hadelich, Leon Fleisher, Samuel Sanders, Joseph Silverstein, Jaime Laredo, Sharon Robinson, and Marvin Hamlisch. Chamber music collaborations include, the Muir, Cypress and Ariel String Quartets and with the Silk Road Festival in China.
Mr. Colberg performed his Viola Concerto with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra in October, 2018 (Read review in Cincinnati Business Courier.) He has performed it with numerous orchestras, including the Puerto Rico Conservatory Orchestra and Música de Cámara in New York City. The second movement of his concerto, "Aldonza", was used as the competition piece for the 2014 Primrose International Viola Competition. In June, 2018, The Rant - For Two Violas, was also premiered at the International Viola Congress in Los Angeles. In 2024, the third movement "Sancho" of his Viola Concerto was used as the mandatory piece for the Sphinx Competition.
Katerina Chatzinikolau, Violin
Violinist Katerina Chatzinikolau has been hailed by the Rheinische Post as a musician of "sparkling vitality and virtuosity". She has made significant strides in her career, including becoming the first-ever female concertmaster in the history of Greece. Since 2023 she is holding the concertmaster position of the Athens State Orchestra. She has held prominent positions as concertmaster of the Duisburger Philharmoniker at Deutsche Oper am Rhein and of the Bergische Symphoniker.
Since January 2025 Katerina is guest professor at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens in the department Musical Studies. Katerina is Youth Ambassador for the Hellenic Institute of Cultural Diplomacy promoting Greek heritage and culture through music.
Her solo debut with conductor Christoph Eschenbach at the International Kalamata Music Days in July 2022 marked a significant milestone.
Katerina is a multiple award-winning artist. She is winner of the first prize of the Golden Classical Music Awards, the eMuse International Music Competition, the Thöne International Competition and a prize winner of the London International Music Competition, the Panhellenic Young Soloists Competition and the Alois Kottmann Prize.
Katerina is a tireless explorer with a great desire to offer new artistic approaches. She produces her own music videos that reflect her creativity and remarkable technical skills as virtuoso in original compositions for violin solo. Her videos on Youtube and Instagram reach millions of people worldwide.
In the recent years Katerina has established a rapid career as a soloist. As a soloist she has been invited to perform at prestigious venues the Cologne Philharmonic, Carnegie Hall, the Tonhalle Düsseldorf, the rbb-Rundfunksaal Berlin, the Royal Theatre of Thessaloniki, the Beethovenhalle Bonn, the Laeiszhalle Hamburg, the Liederhalle Stuttgart and the Ruhrtriennale.
As a chamber musician Katerina played in famous concert halls around the globe such as Beijing Concert Hall, Seoul Arts Center, Shanghai Oriental Art Center, Lanxess Arena Cologne, the BarclayCard Arena Hamburg, the Allianz Arena Munich & Laeiszhalle Hamburg, Alte Oper Frankfurt, Bangkok Art and Culture Centre, National Theater Kuala Lumpur, Singapore Raffles Center.
She has performed with Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Bremerhaven Philharmonic Orchestra, Philharmonie Südwestfalen, Thessaloniki State Symphony Orchestra, Athens Philharmonia Orchestra, Vamos Orchestra, Neues Rheinisches Kammerorchester Köln, Neue Philharmonie Westfalen and Cognimus Kollektiv and the Athens State Orchestra.
About the Sitka Music Festival
The Sitka Music Festival (SMF) inspires audiences, sparks creativity, and strengthens community across Alaska through live chamber music performances, music education, and training by artists of the highest caliber.
For over 50 years, SMF has presented classical music at the highest artistic standards. Throughout its history, SMF musicians have shared their music with Alaskans who would otherwise not have access to live chamber music of the highest caliber and, in turn, Alaskans have shared their music, traditions, and ways of life with the visiting musicians. These shared experiences have taken SMF musicians to more than 40 Alaskan communities, many of which are small, remote villages off the road system. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, SMF remains dedicated to bringing exceptional music experiences to communities statewide.