America at 250: Alaska Premiere of Visions of Humanity, Bernstein, Joplin & More*
*This concert is supported in part by a grant from the Alaska State Council on the Arts and the NEA America 250 program
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840–1893) Andante cantabile (from String Quartet No. 1 in D major, Op. 11; arranged for cello and strings)
Zuill Bailey, cello
Ulysses Quartet
America 250 Chamber Premiere Visions of Humanity and Unity
Zuill Bailey, cello
Ulysses Quartet
Dominic Dousa, piano
I. Repeated Petitions – Avner Dorman (b. 1975)
II. Fiddler Coming Home – Mark O’Connor (b. 1961)
III. Elegy – Zhou Tian (b. 1981)
IV. Intermezzo – Chanda Dancy (b. 1978)
V. Alebrije – Enrico Chapela (b. 1974)
— Intermission —
Luigi Boccherini (1743–1805) Cello Quintet in C major Ulysses String Quartet Zuill Bailey, cello
Jessie Montgomery (b. 1981)Voodoo Dolls (c. 5')
Christina Bouey Soul (c. 7')
Scott Joplin (1868–1917), arr. Banerdt Maple Leaf Rag (c. 3')
Traditional, arr. Fedkenheuer Orange Blossom Special (c. 3')
Leonard Bernstein (1918–1990), arr. Bouey Themes from West Side Story (c. 3')
Ulysses Quartet
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/Series and Cello Seminar, (Alaska), 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
The Ulysses Quartet has been praised for their “textural versatility…grave beauty….the kind of chemistry many quartets long for, but rarely achieve” by The Strad.
Founded in the summer of 2015, the group won the grand prize and gold medal of the 2016 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition and first prize in the 2018 Schoenfeld International String Competition. In 2017, the quartet finished first in the American Prize and won second prize at the Osaka International Chamber Music Competition. They were winners of the Vietnam International Music Competition in 2019. Ulysses garnered a career development grant in the 2016 Banff International String Quartet Competition.
The quartet’s has performed in such prestigious halls as Carnegie Hall, Jordan Hall, and the Taiwan National Recital Hall. Performance highlights have included their debut at Alice Tully Hall, and appearances at the Chautauqua Institution, Buffalo Chamber Music Society, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, Bilbao Philharmonic Society, Picasso Museumand Fundación March in Madrid, Teatro Mayor de Bogotá, Sociedad Filarmónica de Lima, Hong Kong Premiere Performances, Beijing Modern Music Festival, Campo do Jordão Festival in Brazil, Basel Kammermusik, the Cemal Reşit Rey Concert Hall in Istanbul, Yale School of Music, Music Mountain Festival, and the San Juan Chamber Music Festival,.
In 2023, the Ulysses Quartet became GBH Music’s first-ever quartet in residence, made possible by a generous contribution from the Mattina R. Proctor Foundation. Recent visiting residencies have included Louisiana State University, Louis Moreau Institute in New Orleans, Ithaca College, Syracuse University, and Bucknell University. At Juilliard from 2019 to 2022, they were the Lisa Arnhold Fellows, serving as Graduate Resident String Quartet for 3 years.
Ulysses recently released their debut album, “Shades of Romani Folklore,” on the Navona label and 2 collaborative albums: “Sea Change Quartets” by Grammy-nominated composer Joseph Summer, and “A Giant Beside You” with guitarist Benjamin Verdery.
The Ulysses Quartet believes intensely in the power of music to inspire, enlighten and bring people together.
The members of Ulysses hold degrees from the Manhattan School of Music, New England Conservatory, Boston Conservatory, the Juilliard School, and University of North Texas.
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.