January 27, 2006—For the second consecutive year, students from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music will perform at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., under the auspices of its prestigious Conservatory Project Series. Classical singers, early music performers, a horn instrumentalist, a chamber trio, and the Oberlin Jazz Septet will take the stage of the Terrace Theatre on Saturday, Feb. 18, at 6 p.m. for an hour of free performances.

The Conservatory Project is an initiative of Performing Arts for Everyone. The semi-annual event, which takes place in February and May, is designed to present Washington audiences with the best young musical artists in classical music, jazz, musical theater, and opera from the leading undergraduate and graduate conservatories, colleges, and universities in the United States.

Live audio and video of the performances will be streamed (and later archived) on the Kennedy Center's web site.

"We are honored to be invited back to the Kennedy Center," says Andrea Kalyn, associate dean of the Conservatory. "Last year our students received accolades from the Washington Post for performances that affirmed why, as the Post wrote, Oberlin is a 'national treasure.' This is another wonderful opportunity to demonstrate Oberlin's pursuit of excellence on a national level."

Oberlin's Saturday night performance is one of a series of seven nights of concerts, each presented by a different school. Five sets of musicians, each selected by different departments in the Conservatory, will represent Oberlin:

• Katherine Lerner '06, mezzo-soprano, Zoe Weiss '07, viola da gamba, and Benjamin Katz '08, harpsichord will perform two works by Henry Purcell: Lord what is man? (one of the Divine Hymns), and Hark! how all things with one sound rejoice from his semi-opera The Fairy Queen.
• Performance diploma candidate Jorge Mejia, horn, accompanied by Megan Glover '06 on piano, will perform the Adagio and Allegro, Op. 70, by Robert Schumann.
• Soprano Megan Marie Hart BMus '05, MM '06, accompanied by pianist Megan Glover, will sing two songs by Franz Liszt: his setting of Heinrich Heine's famous poem Die Loreley, and of Friedrich von Schiller's Der Fischerknabe.
• The Prima Trio (Boris Allakhverdyan '08, clarinet; Farhad Hudiyev '08, violin, and Anastasia Dedik AD '06, piano) will perform Aram Khachaturian's Trio in G minor.
• The Oberlin Jazz Septet (OJS) will perform works announced from the stage. The members of the OJS are: trombonist Allie Bosso '06, saxophonist Johnny Butler '06, guitarist Andrew Conklin '06, trumpeter Theodore Croker '07, drummer Charles Foldesh '07, pianist Sullivan Fortner '08, and double bassist Curtis Ostle '06. Professor of Jazz Studies and Double Bass Peter Dominguez is director of the OJS.

About the Oberlin Conservatory of Music
After Sir Simon Rattle conducted the Oberlin Conservatory of Music's Chamber Orchestra in December 2004, Plain Dealer music critic Donald Rosenberg wrote that the concert was "stamped by magnificence," and included the Oberlin-Rattle performance of Mahler's Symphony No. 4, which he described as "uncommonly rich in poetry and drama," in his list of top 10 memorable events from the 2004 concert season.

Magnificence has come to be synonymous with all aspects of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, from its exacting standards for incoming students to the excellence in teaching and performance expected of its faculty and the notable careers of its alumni, who can be found performing in every major orchestra and opera house and with many of today's acclaimed chamber ensembles.

Founded in 1865 and situated within the intellectual vitality of Oberlin College since 1867, Oberlin is the oldest continuously operating conservatory in the United States. An undergraduate institution, Oberlin is renowned internationally as a professional music school of the highest caliber and has been called a "national treasure" by the Washington Post .

Oberlin Conservatory of Music Student Performers at the Kennedy Center

Katherine Lerner (mezzo-soprano) studies with Daune Mahy at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, where she is a senior pursuing degrees in vocal performance and historical performance. Most recently, Ms. Lerner has performed with the Cleveland Orchestra, singing the roles of Mater Gloriosa, Maria Aegyptiaca, and Schuld in Schumann's Scenes from Faust. On the Oberlin stage, she has sung the roles of Madame de Croissy (Dialogues des Carmelites), Florence Pike (Albert Herring), and Apollo/Mystery/Juno (The Fairy Queen). Additional performances include those of the Second Witch (Dido and Aeneas) at the Teatro Colón, Buenos Aires, and of Mother Goose (The Rake's Progress) with the Chautauqua Opera. She has been a finalist in the Opera Columbus and Dayton competitions, and recently received an Encouragement Award at the Cleveland District Metropolitan Opera National Council auditions. Her upcoming performances include Mozart's Coronation Mass (alto soloist) with the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra and Chorus, the role of Frau Reich in Die Lustigen Weiber von Windsor with the Oberlin Opera Theatre, and a summer apprenticeship with the Opera Theatre of St. Louis, where she will cover the role of the Sandman (Hansel and Gretel).

A native of St. Louis, Missouri, Megan Glover (piano) studies with Alvin Chow at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. She has won numerous prizes from the Conservatory's piano department, including the Rudolf Serkin Piano Prize and the John Elvin Piano Prize. Ms. Glover took first place in the Arthur Dann Senior Piano Competition last spring, and won the Senior Concerto Competition this past fall. She has earned top prizes in national competitions, including the Fite Family Young Artist National Competition and the Cincinnati World Piano Competition (Junior Division), and has received honors and awards from the National Society of Arts and Letters and the National Alliance for Excellence. In 2002, Ms. Glover was one of four pianists chosen nationwide to participate in the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts annual ARTS Week in Miami, where she was awarded a scholarship. Most recently, she won the Raymond & Goldie Morris Award at the 2005 Nena Wideman Piano Competition in Shreveport, Louisiana. Ms. Glover will graduate this spring with a Bachelor of Music degree in piano performance and a minor in musicology.

Megan Hart (soprano), a native of Oregon, is currently pursuing her Master's degree in opera theater at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. Ms. Hart studied with Richard Miller until his recent retirement; she currently studies with Lorraine Manz. Her performances with the Oberlin Opera Theater include Fiordiligi in Cosi fan tutte (2006), Blanche in Les dialogues des Carmélites (2005), The Countess in Le Nozze di Figaro (2005), Venus in Orpheus in the Underworld (2004), Lady Billows in Albert Herring (2004), and The Witch and The Mother in Hänsel und Gretel (2003). This past summer she was a Gerdine Young Artist with the Opera Theatre St. Louis and covered the role of Juliet in Romeo and Juliet. She was also a Young Artist at Opera North and sang Gianetta in The Gondoliers and The Bat in L'enfant et les Sortilèges. Her upcoming engagements include Elle in La voix humaine.

Zoe Weiss (viola da gamba) grew up in Ithaca, New York, and is currently a senior at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, majoring in historical performance. She studies baroque cello and viola da gamba with Catharina Meints. Ms. Weiss has taught an introductory viola da gamba class at Oberlin for the past three years. She is a member of the Oberlin Baroque Orchestra, led by Jeanette Sorrell, the Oberlin Viol Consort, led by Catharina Meints, and sings in the Collegium Musicum, led by Steven Plank. She also enjoys playing continuo for many student recitals.

Ben Katz (harpsichord) is a performer of early and contemporary music for the harpsichord. Prior to coming to Oberlin, Katz studied with harpsichordist Arthur Haas. At Oberlin he has studied with Lisa Goode Crawford, and is currently a student of Webb Wiggins, the Conservatory's newly appointed professor of harpsichord. Mr. Katz's recent concert activity has included a solo recital at the Church of St. Francis of Assisi in New York City, an all-Bach program at a fundraiser for Classical Action: Performing Arts Against AIDS, and An Evening of Young Composers at The Project Room in New York City, a show which Mr. Katz curated, wrote, and performed. As a continuo player Mr. Katz has collaborated frequently with baroque violinist Evan Few.

Jorge Mejia (horn) began his musical studies in Cost Rica at the age of 10, first with his father, and soon thereafter with Luis Murillo at the National Institute of Music of Costa Rica, where he was awarded the Gold Medal for Young Soloists. He won the Maddy Award in 2001 at the Interlochen Arts Camp. Mr. Mejia has performed several times with the Youth Symphony Orchestra of the Americas, and is in his first year as a performance diploma candidate, studying with Roland Pandolfi at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music.

Farhad Hudiyev (violin) is originally from Ashgabad, Turkmenistan, where he studied violin and composition with Vera Abaeva at the Special Music School. He distinguished himself at the age of 10 as the youngest performer ever selected to play with the National Violin Ensemble of Turkmenistan, and at 12 he won a scholarship to attend the New Names Festival in Suzdahl Russia, which was sponsored by the Moscow Conservatory. He was named the most promising young musician at the festival, and earned the top award, the Golden Apple. Mr. Hudiyev has performed in Ashgabad, Suzdah, Moscow, and Odessa (Ukraine) as both a soloist and a member of the violin ensemble of Turkmenistan. He came to the United States in 2001 under a full scholarship with the Interlochen Arts Academy, where he studied with Paul Sonner and Michael Albaugh. He is currently in his second year of study with Milan Vitek at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music.

Clarinetist Boris Allakhverdyan began studying music at the age of nine with his father in Baku, Azerbaijan. Upon graduation from the Moscow Conservatory Pre-College Division in 2001, he entered the Moscow State Conservatory. He is currently enrolled at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, where he studies clarinet with Richard Hawkins. Mr. Allakhverdyan has won numerous competitions, including the Rozanov International Clarinet Competition (Moscow, 2000) and the Rimsky-Korsakov Clarinet Competition (St. Petersburg, 2000). He also has taken part in such festivals as the Musical Kremlin Festival, and has performed as a soloist and with orchestras in Russia, Germany, and the United States.

Anastasia Dedik (piano) was born into a family of musicians in St. Petersburg, Russia, and began lessons with her mother at the age of five. Upon her graduation from the pre-conservatory division of the St. Petersburg Conservatory, where she studied with Asya Rubina, Ms. Dedik entered the Conservatory division, where she earned both her Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees under Elena Shishko and Valery Vishnevsky. Ms. Dedik has won numerous competitions, including the 2004 Oberlin Concerto Competition, and has performed in Russia, Germany, Italy, Greece, Slovakia, Poland, Finland, Estonia, Holland, and the United States. She has participated in the master classes of Natalia Trull, Andrey Diev, Lev Naumov, Vladimir Krainev, Edith Fisher, Howard Aibel, Russell Sherman, Vladimir Viardo, and Mario Delli Ponti. This season, Ms. Dedik will perform with the Nova Vista Symphony Orchestra in California, and present recitals in Germany, Italy, and Russia. She is enrolled in the Artist Diploma program at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, where she studies with Sedmara Z. Rutstein.

The Oberlin Jazz Septet
The Oberlin Jazz Septet, an ensemble representing the most outstanding student performers, arrangers, and composers from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, is formed annually, its players selected by members of Oberlin's jazz studies faculty. Directed by Professor of Jazz Studies and Double Bass Peter Dominguez, the OJS has been featured at the Detroit, Elmhurst, and Notre Dame jazz festivals, at performance venues in Cleveland, Chicago, St. Louis, Kansas City, and Denver, and at Jazz Aspen Snowmass, as well as at many high schools and arts programs throughout the United States.

Allie Bosso (trombone), of Simsbury, Connecticut, is a senior jazz studies performance major, studying trombone with Robin Eubanks and improvisation with Connie Crothers. Ms. Basso's main musical influences include Billie Holiday, Slum Village, Lennie Tristano, and John Coltrane. She has performed at numerous venues including Lincoln Center, the Litchfield Jazz Festival, and the White House.

Johnny Butler (saxophone) is a senior majoring in jazz saxophone with Gary Bartz; he also studies classical composition with Randolph Coleman. Among his other noteworthy teachers are Mark Turner and Irv Kallenberger. Growing up in Seattle, Mr. Butler played with Trination, Pistol Star, and Bijou. His most notable musical influences in both playing and composition are John Coltrane, Mark Turner, and the now-defunct band, Soundgarden.

Andrew Conklin (guitar), of Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania, has been an active member of the Philadelphia music scene since 1996, when, at the age of 12, he formed the band Stratuss with Taylor Brown, Nathan Rouse, and Will Hayes. Mr. Conklin currently studies at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music with Bobby Ferrazza.

Theodore Croker (trumpet) was born in Leesburg, Florida, where he started playing the trumpet at age 11. With the influence of his late grandfather, legendary trumpeter Doc Cheatham, Theodore's talent was recognized early, and he was featured as a special guest with trombonist Al Grey at the New Orleans Jazz Festival. Mr. Croker has performed at Dizzy's Club Coca Cola and Cleopatra's Needle in New York City, at Snug Harbor, The Palm Court, and Cafe Brazil in New Orleans, and Murphy's, Nighttown, The Bop Stop, and Flow Cafe in Cleveland. He has performed with musicians Wynton Marsalis, Jimmy Heath, Wendell Logan, Donald Byrd, Gary Bartz, Nicholas Payton, Louis Hayes, Ellis Marsalis, Roy Hargrove, Eric Lewis, The Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, Clark Terry, Henry Butler, Marcus Belgrave, Wycleff Gordon, Roscoe Mitchell, and others. He is pursuing his Bachelor Music degree in jazz trumpet performance at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, where he studies with Marcus Belgrave.

A native of Prescott, Arizona, Charles Foldesh (drums) began playing drums at the age of 10. Most recent among his long list of accomplishments is the John Coltrane Scholarship. Mr. Foldesh has shared the stage with Marcus Belgrave, Gary Bartz, George Benson, John Clayton, Bryan Lynch, and Roscoe Mitchell. He performs in Toledo, Ohio with Claude Black, Clifford Murphy, and Alex Han, and has performed at such festivals as the Texas International Jazz Festival, the Art Tatum Jazz Heritage Festival, and the Sedona Jazz on the Rocks Festival. Mr. Foldesh has recorded with Marcus Belgrave and the John-Davis Quartet, and appears on Alex Han's debut album, Fourteen. He is pursuing his Bachelor of Music degree in jazz percussion at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music under jazz legend Billy Hart.

Sullivan Joseph Fortner Jr. (piano) is a native of New Orleans, where he graduated as class valedictorian from the New Orleans Center of Creative Arts. He has been awarded scholarships to the Skidmore Jazz Studies Summer Program and the Vail Jazz Institute. Mr. Sullivan has performed as a jazz and gospel musician throughout Louisiana, and has performed in Washington, D.C. with Clyde Kerr Jr., Kent Jordan, Donald Harrison, and Nicholas Payton. He is currently pursuing an undergraduate degree in jazz piano performance as a student of Dan Wall at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music.

Curtis Ostle (double bass) is a senior at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. His musical background includes classical training with George Vance and coaching in jazz bass from his father, who is also a professional jazz musician. While in high school, Mr. Ostle toured South African townships and cities with the Saint Andrew's jazz ensemble. At Oberlin, Mr. Ostle studies double bass with Peter Dominguez, and performs throughout Oberlin and Cleveland. When not in school, he resides in Washington D.C., where he regularly appears at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel and various clubs.