Zuill Bailey, cello; Lydia Artymiw, piano

ZUILL BAILEY is widely considered one of the premiere cellists in the world. His rare combination of celebrated artistry, technical wizardry as well as his engaging personality has secured his place as one of the most sought after and active cellists today.

A consummate concerto soloist, Bailey performs with the symphony orchestras of Chicago, San Francisco, Israel, Minnesota, Indianapolis, Dallas, Louisville, Honolulu, Milwaukee, Nashville, Toronto and Utah, among other leading orchestras around the world. He has collaborated with such conductors as Itzhak Perlman, Alan Gilbert, Andrew Litton, James DePriest, and Stanislav Skrowacezewski, and has been featured with musical luminaries Leon Fleisher, Jaime Laredo, the Juilliard String Quartet, Lynn Harrell and Janos Starker. Mr. Bailey has appeared at the Kennedy Center, Alice Tully Hall, the 92nd Street Y, and Carnegie Hall, where he made his debut performing the U.S. premiere of Miklos Theodorakis' Rhapsody for Cello and Orchestra.

His international appearances include celebrated performances with the Moscow Chamber Orchestra in its 50th anniversary tour of Russia, as well as concerts in Australia, the Dominican Republic, France, Israel, Spain, Hong Kong, Jordan, Mexico, South America and the United Kingdom. Festival appearances include Ravinia, the Interlochen Center for the Arts, Santa Fe , Caramoor, Chautauqua, Bravo!, Vail Valley, the Maverick Concert Series and the Music Academy of the West. In addition, he was the featured soloist performing the Elgar Cello Concerto at the Bard Festival in the World Premiere of the Doug Varrone Dance Company’s performance of “Victorious.”

An accomplished Chamber musician and recitalist, Zuill Bailey performs regularly with pianists Navah Perlman, Awadagin Pratt and Orion Weiss.
Zuill Bailey is an exclusive recording artist with Telarc International. The “Bach Cello Suites,” released on February 2, 2010, immediately soared to the top of the Classical Billboard Charts. His “Russian Masterpieces,” CD featuring the works of Tchaikovsky and Shostakovich, performed with the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra has received widespread critical acclaim. Bailey was awarded the Classical Recording Foundation Award for 2006 and 2007 for the recording of Beethoven’s complete works for Cello and Piano. This highly touted two disc set with pianist Simone Dinnerstein was released on Telarc worldwide.

Other recordings include a debut recital disc for Delos, Cello Quintets of Boccherini and Schubert with Janos Starker, Saint-Saëns’ Cello Concertos No. 1 and 2 "Live," and the Korngold Cello Concerto with Kaspar Richter and the Bruckner Orchestra Linz for ASV.

Network television appearances include a recurring role on the HBO series “Oz,” in addition to features on the NBC series” Homicide,” A&E, NHK TV in Japan, a live broadcast of the Beethoven Triple Concerto from Mexico City, and the televised production of the Cuban premiere of Victor Herbert's Cello Concerto No. 2 with the National Orchestra of Cuba. He is heard on NPR's "Performance Today," "Saint Paul Sunday," BBC's "In Tune," XM Radio's "Live from Studio II," Sirius Satellite Radio, Virtuoso Voices, the KDFC Concert Series, Minnesota Public Radio, WFMT and RTHK Radio Hong Kong.

Zuill Bailey performs on a 1693 Matteo Gofriller Cello, formerly owned by Mischa Schneider of the Budapest String Quartet. In addition to his extensive touring engagements, Bailey is the Artistic Director of El Paso Pro Musica, (Texas), Artistic Director designate of the Sitka Summer Music Festival and Series, (Alaska) and Professor of Cello at the University of Texas at El Paso.

“Lydia Artymiw has such a satisfying musical soul; she is a pleasure to hear” wrote Bernard Holland in a recent New York Times review. The recipient of both an Avery Fisher Career Grant and the Andrew Wolf Chamber Music Prize, Philadelphia-born Lydia Artymiw has emerged as one of the most compelling talents among pianists of her generation. She has performed with over one hundred orchestras world-wide, with many of the leading conductors of our time. American orchestral appearances include the Boston Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, National Symphony, and with such orchestras as Cincinnati, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Kansas City, Minnesota, St. Louis, San Francisco, Seattle, and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. Solo recital tours have taken her to all major American cities, and she has also performed in Ireland, England, France, Scotland, Finland, Germany, Estonia, Italy, Ukraine, Poland, Switzerland, Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, New Zealand, Manila, Philippines and Shanghai and Beijing, China. Critics have acclaimed her seven solo recordings for the Chandos label, and she has also recorded for Centaur, Pantheon, Bridge, and Artegra. Festival appearances include Aspen, Bay Chamber, Bravo! Vail Valley, Caramoor, Chamber Music Northwest, Chautauqua, Grand Canyon, Hollywood Bowl, Marlboro, Montreal, Mostly Mozart, Seattle, and Tucson. Artymiw has collaborated with such celebrated artists as Yo-Yo Ma, Richard Stoltzman, Arnold Steinhardt, Michael Tree, Kim Kashkashian, and John Aler, Benita Valente (with whom she has recorded for Centaur and Pantheon), the Guarneri, Tokyo, American, Borromeo, Miami, Orion, and Shanghai Quartets, and has toured nationally with Music from Marlboro groups. Along with Arnold Steinhardt (first violinist of the Guarneri Quartet) and Jules Eskin (principal cellist of the Boston Symphony), she is a member of the Steinhardt-Artymiw-Eskin Trio.

A recipient of top prizes in the 1976 Leventritt and the 1978 Leeds International Competitions, she graduated from Philadelphia’s University of the Arts and studied with Gary Graffman for twelve years.

Artymiw is the Distinguished McKnight Professor of Piano at the University of Minnesota where she has taught since 1989. She was also awarded the Dean’s Medal for Outstanding Professor in 2000.