Brahms Double Concerto in Sitka
Henri Dutilleux (1916–2013)Tout un monde lointain… (“A Whole Distant World…”) for cello and piano Zuill Bailey, cello Dominic Dousa, piano
I. Énigme
II. Regard
III. Houles
IV. Miroirs
V. Hymne
Erich Wolfgang Korngold (1897–1957) Marietta’s Lied from Die tote Stadt Tanzlied des Pierrot from Die tote Stadt
Aaron Copland (1900–1990) Nocturne Ukelele Serenade (from Two Pieces for Violin and Piano, 1926)
Yuriy Bekker, violin
Dominic Dousa, piano
— Intermission —
Johannes Brahms (1833–1897) Double Concerto in A minor, Op. 102 (for violin, cello, and piano)
Yuriy Bekker, violin
Zuill Bailey, cello
Dominic Dousa, piano
I. Allegro
II. Andante
III. Vivace non troppo
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. In 2021 he released his second recording of the Bach Cello Suites for PS Audio’s Octave Records label, recorded and mixed in stereo and multichannel sound.
He appeared in a recurring role on the HBO series “Oz,” and has been heard on NPR’s “Morning Edition,” “Tiny Desk Concert,” “Performance Today,” “Saint Paul Sunday,” BBC’s “In Tune,” XM Radio’s “Live from Studio II,” Sirius Satellite Radio’s “Virtuoso Voices,” and his latest disc of Bach Suites was the disc of the week on Sirius’ Symphony Hall.
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.
He is the Artistic Director of El Paso Pro-Musica (Texas), the Sitka Summer Music Festival and Cello Seminar, Juneau Jazz and Classics, (Alaska), the Northwest Bach Festival (Washington), Classical Inside Out Series- Mesa Arts Center (Arizona) and is Director of the Center for Arts Entrepreneurship and Professor of Cello at the University of Texas at El Paso
Yuriy Bekker is a critically acclaimed conductor, violinist, and passionate community ambassador. He has led the Charleston Symphony Orchestra as Artistic Director since 2021, while concurrently serving as Concertmaster since 2007 and Principal Pops Conductor since 2016. Bekker previously served as the orchestra’s Acting Artistic Director from 2010 to 2014 and has long demonstrated vision and dedication to the CSO. In 2011, he received the Outstanding Artistic Achievement Award from the City of Charleston in recognition of his cultural contributions to the community.
Bekker is currently Distinguished Professor of Practice at the College of Charleston School of the Arts (CofC), serving as Director of the College of Charleston Orchestra, where he has engaged internationally renowned soloists such as Augustin Hadelich and Sarah Chang, leading to sold-out performances. In 2023, Bekker led the CofC Orchestra on its first tour, culminating in a Kennedy Center debut. He previously served as Music Director of the Piccolo Spoleto Festival’s Spotlight Chamber Music Series and is co-founder of the Charleston Chamber Music Intensive, a summer program for high school and college-aged musicians. During the summer, he also regularly serves on the faculty of both the Gingold Chamber Music Festival in Miami, FL and the Nelli Shkolnikova Academy in the Loire Valley, France.
In 2025, a multi-year initiative reached its peak when the Charleston Symphony Orchestra, Charleston Youth Symphony, and College of Charleston Orchestra shared the stage at Carnegie Hall in a gala celebrating Charleston’s vibrant cultural community — and marking Maestro Bekker’s Carnegie conducting debut. His vision, fundraising, and tireless advocacy made this extraordinary evening possible.
Yuriy Bekker has performed internationally as a guest concertmaster, chamber musician, conductor, and soloist. He has served as concertmaster of the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra and the AIMS Festival in Graz, Austria, and has held positions with the Houston Symphony, Houston Grand Opera, and Houston Ballet. In addition to performing over a dozen violin concerti with the CSO, he has also appeared as guest concertmaster with the Vancouver Symphony, Ulster Orchestra, Buffalo Philharmonic, and Kansas City Symphony. His festival and venue appearances include the European Music Festival (Stuttgart), Pacific Music Festival (Japan), Spoleto Festival USA, Aspen Music Festival, The Kennedy Center, Chicago Chamber Music Society, and many others across the U.S. and abroad.
From the podium and in chamber settings, he has collaborated with artists including Itzhak Perlman, Augustin Hadelich, Gil Shaham, Sarah Chang, Joshua Roman, Alexander Kerr, Andres Cardenes, Robert DeMaine, and Ilya Kaler. As Principal Pops Conductor of the CSO, he has led performances with celebrated entertainers such as Ben Folds, Tony DeSare, Ellis Hall, Ranky Tanky, and Cirque de la Symphonie.
Bekker is a passionate champion of contemporary music. He has recorded new works by Edward Hart and Thomas Cabaniss to critical acclaim. His recording of Hart’s Under an Indigo Sky reached the Top 10 on Billboard’s Classical Albums chart. His debut CD, Twentieth Century Duos, received international praise and a nomination for the International Classical Music Awards.
Bekker earned a Graduate Performance Diploma from the Peabody Conservatory as a student of Herbert Greenberg. He also holds Bachelor's and Master's degrees from the Indiana University School of Music, where he studied violin with Nelli Shkolnikova and Ilya Kaler. His conducting teachers and mentors have been Christopher Wilkins, David Zinman, Imre Palló, and David Effron.
Born in Minsk, Belarus, Yuriy Bekker is now a proud U.S. citizen, husband to his wife, Jenny, and father to their children, Nathanael and Charlotte. He performs on the 1638 Franz Degen Andrea Guarneri violin, generously on loan from an anonymous patron.
Dominic Dousa, a native of Rochester, Minnesota, has been a member of the faculty at the University of Texas at El Paso Department of Music since 2004. He holds degrees in music from Ball State University (D.A.), Central Michigan University (M.M.), and Harvard University (A.B. summa cum laude), and in statistics from Iowa State University (M.S.), and has also studied composition in Prague. His primary composition teachers include Jody Nagel, David Gillingham, Craig Weston, and Milan Slavický. At UTEP, Dousa teaches courses in music theory and composition and has been the director of the Department of Music’s graduate program since 2014.
Dousa’s compositions have received performances at recitals, festivals, and conferences in the U.S. and in 16 countries worldwide. Blue Griffin Recording has released two CDs of Dousa’s chamber music, including A Musical Portrait of the American Southwest, which features UTEP faculty member Stephen Nordstrom on viola and Dousa at the piano. This recording has received critical acclaim in Gramophonemagazine and American Record Guide.
As a collaborative pianist and chamber musician, Dousa has performed in numerous recitals with faculty, guest artists, and students, including presentations with his fellow UTEP faculty member, world-renowned cellist and 2017 Grammy-award winner Zuill Bailey. He has also worked with UTEP Professor of Mathematical Sciences Larry Lesser on a grant project sponsored by the National Science Foundation involving teaching statistics through educational songs.
About the Sitka Music Festival The Sitka Music Festival (SMF) inspires audiences, sparks creativity, and strengthens community across Alaska through world-class chamber music performances, education, and artist training. For 55 years, SMF has presented classical music at the highest artistic standards. Festival musicians have traveled to more than 40 Alaskan communities, including remote villages off the road system, sharing music with audiences who might not otherwise experience live chamber music at this level. In turn, visiting artists are enriched by the deep cultural traditions and unique landscapes of Alaska. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, SMF remains committed to bringing exceptional music experiences to communities statewide.