Lura Johnson, piano
Lisa Emenheiser, piano
Saturday, May 11, 2019 at 4:00 pm
Ticket: $50
Highly acclaimed piano duo Lura Johnson and Lisa Emenheiser bring a powerhouse of talent and sound to Silo Hill in an eclectic program ranging from the sensual sounds of Debussy to the symphonic sonorities of Rachmaninoff. Two magnificent Steinway grands, two magnificent artists, one magnificent Music Barn. In short—C’est magnifique!
Pianist Lisa Emenheiser earned every decibel of the ovation. . . an hour of the most intense music-making and pianism. . .
The Washington Post
Lura Johnson. . . virtuosic. . . hugely entertaining. . . brilliant. . . spirited,. . . charming.
New York Post
Lura Johnson
Pianist Lura Johnson is a Steinway Artist and the Second Prizewinner, as a member of Duo Baltinati with cellist Ilya Finkelshteyn, of the 2015 International Johannes Brahms Competition Chamber Music Division. Hailed as “brilliant” by the Washington Post, she is celebrated for her passionate and insightful interpretations of the standard repertoire and esteemed by colleagues for her uncommon sensitivity and skill as a collaborative partner. Equally comfortable as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral musician, she is the Principal Pianist of the Delaware Symphony and has performed extensively as the pianist of choice for the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, at the pleasure of Marin Alsop, since 2007. Trained by luminaries Robert McDonald and Leon Fleisher, Ms. Johnson’s extensive orchestral collaborators include Pinchas Zukerman, Yo Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman, Midori, Leila Josefowicz, Augustin Hadelich, Joshua Bell, and Jean-Yves Thibaudet, and the St. Lawrence String Quartet. Ms. Johnson has also performed as soloist with the Baltimore and Delaware Symphonies, performing Rachmaninoff’s First Piano Concerto, Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, and the complete Bach Brandenburg Concerti multiple times.
Ms. Johnson’s discography includes a 2001 album, The Jennings-Johnson Duo, with flutist Christina Jennings, and 2010 Centaur Records release of Inner Voice, with BSO violist Peter Minkler, featuring sonatas by Rochberg and Shostakovich. This recording of Arvo Pärt’s spiegel im spiegel was featured in the official teaser trailer for the 2013 Warner Brothers film Gravity, directed by Alfonso Cuarón and starring George Clooney and Sandra Bullock. Ms. Johnson can also be heard on several recordings released by the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, including Naxos’ Grammy nominated release of the Bernstein Mass, on which she played principal keyboard. Ms. Johnson’s first solo CD, Turning, was released in summer of 2014. Ms. Johnson has recorded for the Foxridge, Naxos, Innova, Centaur, Albany, and Azica labels.
Devoted to chamber music from an early age, her many recital partners include Baltimore Symphony concertmaster Jonathan Carney, with whom she has presented the complete Brahms violin sonata cycle, clarinetist Anthony McGill, cellists Ilya Finkelshteyn, Amit Peled and Kenneth Slowik, and flutist Marina Piccinini. She is a founding member of three duos, the Jennings-Johnson Duo with flutist Christina Jennings, Times Two with violinist Netanel Draiblate, and Duo Lalu, a cabaret duo with soprano Lara Bruckmann. She performs with VERGE Ensemble, 21st Century Consort, PostClassical Ensemble, and the Towson New Music Ensemble.
Ms. Johnson has taught piano at the Peabody Conservatory since 2002 and from 2013-2015 was Director of Chamber Music at Georgetown University in Washington. She has taught on the faculty of the Sequoia Chamber Music Workshop and the Apple Hill Center for Chamber Music.
Formerly the Artistic Director of Baltimore chamber music series Music in the Great Hall, Lura has also worked as Pianist and General Manager with the PostClassical Ensemble in Washington, DC, an innovative and wildly ambitious chamber orchestra that is reinventing and reinvigorating the presentation of classical music with programming that is thematic and cross-discliplinary.
When not onstage, Lura can be found on the dance floor. She is an avid social and competitive dancer with roots in gymnastics, ballet, and ballroom, specializing now in West Coast Swing.
Lisa Emenheiser
Steinway Artist Lisa Emenheiser is heralded for her "intense music-making and pianism". She has been performing with the National Symphony Orchestra for the past 25 years. A graduate of Juilliard School, where she earned both Bachelor's and Master's of Music degrees, Ms Emenheiser is a past winner of the "Young Artist in Recital" and "National Arts Club" competitions.
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.
Ms. Emenheiser has performed in recital at Alice Tully Hall, Avery Fischer Hall, Carnegie Recital Hall and has appeared in concerts at the National Gallery, Phillips Collection, Smithsonian Institute, Kennedy Center and at 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 appeared 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, the McLean Orchestra and was one of the featured soloists for the Kennedy Center's Piano 2000 Festival. Ms. Emenheiser was also a soloist for the Kennedy Center's "Journey to America" Festival, and the NSO's Composer Portrait: Mozart. She has performed under the batons of some of the world's most distinguished conductors, including Maestros Eschenbach, Rostropovich, Solti, Slatkin, Fruhbeck de Burgos, Jarvi, Kuenzel, and Maazel, and has been rehearsal pianist for many of the soloists who performed with the National Symphony.
Lisa is an established chamber musician, and appears regularly with musicians of the National Symphony Orchestra. She may be heard on numerous Kennedy Center Millennium performances. Recently Lisa shared the stage with Christoph Eschenbach as part of the Kennedy Center's Iberian Festival. She has performed with many extraordinary soloists, including Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, Glenn Dicterow, Julius Baker, Eugenia Zukerman, Ransom Wilson, Philipe Quint, and Jean-Pierre Rampal. She has appeared in solo and chamber performances across the United States, as well as internationally, including performances in London, Manchester, Berne, Haifa, Nice, Mexico City, Zagreb, and Ljubljana. 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, 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 performed with some of the finest ballet companies. She has been both soloist and orchestral keyboardist for numerous performances, and most recently was featured soloist in Phillip Glass’s “Metamorphosis” and Stravinsky’s “Movements for Piano and Orchestra”.
Lisa is an avid performer of contemporary music. She is pianist for the 21st Century Consort in Washington, D.C., where she has premiered works by Stephen Albert, Nicholas Maw, Eugene O'Brien, David Froom, Donald Crockett, and many others. She is a founding member of Opus 3 Trio with violinst Charles Wetherbee and cellist David Hardy. The Opus 3 Trio has commissioned, premiered and recorded many new works and has performed across the country. 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.
A committed teacher, Lisa was awarded the "Steinway & Sons 2016 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, and has represented the NSO on various occasions by teaching masterclasses and serving as piano instructor for cultural exchange liaisons.
Ms. Emenheiser has recorded for the Bridge, Albany, Decca, Pro Arte, Naxos, VAI Audio, Centaur, Arabesque, Delos, AUR, Jubal House,and Cascades labels.
