New Lunchtime Concert Series

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The inaugural recital in a new lunchtime series entitled Music at St. Michael's will take place at 12:15 p.m. Thursday, April 4 in the sanctuary of St. Michael's Episcopal Church, an historic building located in downtown Trenton at 140 N. Warren St. The performers, Kenneth Ellison, clarinet; Dezheng Ping, violin; and Larissa Korkina, piano, are faculty members of Westminster Conservatory, the community music school of Westminster College of the Arts of Rider University. The program, which will last approximately 45 minutes, is free of charge, and
concertgoers are invited to bring a bag lunch for consumption during the event.

The program on April 4 comprises the Rondo in B minor op. 70, D. 895 for violin and piano by Franz Schubert, Gioachino Rossini's Introduction, Theme, and Variations for clarinet and piano, and the Trio for Clarinet, Violin, and Piano by Gian Carlo Menotti.

Clarinetist Kenneth Ellison has performed internationally with ensembles including the Manhattan Chamber Orchestra, the Riverside Symphonia, the Greenville Symphony, and the American Fine Arts Festival. He has performed under conductors such as Andrea Quinn, John Rutter, Frederick Fennell, and Rossen Milanov at venues including Avery Fisher Hall, Carnegie Hall, Merkin Hall, NJPAC, and the Liszt School of Music. Kenneth has performed with Tony nominee Veanne Cox and on the “Food for Thought” programs, starring Drama Desk nominee Michael Winther.

Kenneth's recorded work includes the soundtrack of the documentary “Bad Hair Life” (Darren Gage, composer), as well as Grammy nominee Laurie Altman’s CD “On Course”. He performs regularly with the Chelsea Opera Company, New Jersey Arts Collective, The Danzon Trio, and Tripleplay Winds, and is a founding member of trio@play . He is a member of the teaching faculties of Westminster Conservatory and Kean University. Ken neth holds degrees from Furman University and Arizona State University.

Dezheng Ping received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Beijing Central Conservatory of Music in China and Master of Arts degree from Minnesota State University, Moorhead. He has
been a member of the Syracuse Symphony, the assistant concertmaster of the Augusta Symphony, the concertmaster of the Greater Grand Forks Symphony, and the concertmaster of
the Manalapan Battleground Symphony Orchestra. As a soloist he has performed Mozart’s Concerto in A Major with the China Central Philharmonic in Beijing Concert Hall, the Chinese
violin concerto Butterfly Lover with the Hunan Symphony Orchestra of China, and the Concerto in G minor for violin and orchestra by Max Bruch with the Manalapan Symphony Orchestra. He was invited by the Northern California Chinese Music Teachers Association to give violin
master classes, has served as a judge for the International Music Competition at Stanford University Music Centre, gave a violin master class at the International String Festival in
Yunnan China, and has lectured at Baruch College, City University of New York, to introduce Chinese music.

Moscow native Larissa Korkina received a Master of Music Degree from the State Academy of Music, where she later joined the teaching faculty. At the Academy she studied
with Valery Minenkov and Grigory Shershevsky. While in Russia she also received awards as the best accompanist in regional competitions.

Since moving to Princeton in 1990 Ms. Korkina has pursued a successful career as a solo recitalist, chamber musician, and coach/accompanist. She has performed in venues such as the Garden State Center, McCarter Theater, and Richardson Auditorium, and on series including the
Matinee Musical Club at the Philadelphia Academy of Music, Westminster Conservatory Faculty Series, the Friends of Music in Princeton University's Taplin Hall, and Longwood Gardens Concert Series. She has collaborated with many opera singers in recitals and opera productions, including Perry Ward, Marina Guleghina of the Metropolitan Opera, Hanli Stapela, and Karen Clark.

Ms. Korkina is on the piano faculties of Westminster Conservatory and the Lawrenceville School and maintains a private studio in Princeton. Ms. Korkina is a recipient of the Genia Robinor Pedagogy Award and the Distinguished Pedagogy Award from the Cecilian Music Club. Her students have received awards from the Piano Teachers Society of America, the Music Teachers National Association, the Steinway Society, Cecilian Competition, the Westminster Concerto Competition, and the Fine Arts Festival, among others.

In 2007 Ms. Korkina established the Dr. Hannah Korkina Memorial Scholarship Fund in memory of her mother. Winners of Korkina Scholarships are selected for performances displaying exceptional imagination, personality, and having the greatest emotional impact on the audience.

The next Music at St. Michael's recital will take place at 12:15 p.m. on Thursday, June 6, and will feature the Loeffler Trio – Melissa Bohl, oboe; Marjorie Selden, viola; and Christopher
McWilliams, piano.