Keynote Address by the Honorable Dr. Condoleezza Rice

Dr. Condoleezza Rice is a professor of Political Economy in the Graduate School of Business, the Thomas and Barbara Stephenson Senior Fellow on Public Policy at the Hoover Institution, and a professor of Political Science at Stanford University. From January 2005-2009, Dr. Rice served as the 66th Secretary of State of the United States. Prior to serving as America’s chief diplomat, she also served as President George W. Bush’s Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs (National Security Advisor) from January 2001-2005.

Dr. Rice began formal music lessons at three when her Grandmother Ray noticed her granddaughter’s keen interest in music. In Dr. Rice’s book, Extraordinary, Ordinary People, she recounts: “I don’t remember learning to read music, so today it is like a native language for me. This made it much easier to master sight-reading, something that I do well to this day.” Dr. Rice continued to take piano lessons through childhood and perform at various school, church, and community events. At age fifteen, she performed Mozart’s Piano Concerto in D minor with the Denver Symphony Orchestra, her prize for winning a student competition. The same year, Rice entered the University of Denver as a music major though she soon switched to political science, a move that drastically changed the course of Rice’s life.

In 1993, while provost at Stanford University, she turned her attention again to the piano and started lessons with faculty member, George Barth. Musical highlights include a 2002 performance with Yo-Yo Ma at Constitution Hall, a 2008 recital for the Queen of England at Buckingham Palace, and a 2010 fundraiser with Aretha Franklin in Philadelphia’s Mann Music Centre.

The Ahn Trio

Born in Seoul, Korea, and educated at The Juilliard School, the Ahn Trio—sisters Maria, Lucia, and Angella — is redefining chamber music, breathing new life into the standard piano trio literature with commissioned works from visionary composers like Pat Metheny, Kenji Bunch, Maurice Jarre, Nikolai Kapustin, Michael Nyman, and Mark O’Connor. Their pop-up concerts to celebrate their latest CD, Blue, took them to Europe with sell-out performances in Madrid, Florence, Hamburg, and Prague and then back to New York with concerts at Joe’s Pub, Helsinki-Hudson and New Jersey’s Weehawken Hudson Riverfront. An earlier CD, Lullaby for My Favorite Insomniac, made No.8 on the Billboard charts in the U.S. The Ahns thrive on dissolving the barriers between art forms. They have collaborated with visual artists and dancers, most recently with Nai-Ni Chen Dance in A Quest for Freedom, and James Sewell Ballet. In 2011, President Obama invited the Ahn Trio to perform at the White House for a State Dinner honoring South Korea. Hailed as “exacting and exciting musicians” by the LA Times, the Ahn Trio is in high demand across the US and around the world. Wherever the Ahns go, they share their innovative spirit and ever-evolving vision of music.

Lynette Tapia

Lynette Tapia, Bolivian-American soprano, is acclaimed for her “crystalline coloratura” passages, her heartfelt artistry, and her flawless technique by journalists worldwide. She is a Winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. After winning First Place in the Operalia International Vocal Competition Placido Domingo, Ms. Tapia made her European debut singing the title role in Léo Delibes’ LAKMÉ at Grand Théâtre de Bordeaux. She has performed in several of the most important American theaters including The Los Angeles Opera, The Washington Opera, Atlanta Opera, Portland Opera, Carnegie Hall, Weill Recital Hall, and Lyric Opera of Chicago. Other awards include First prize in the George London Foundation and Licia Albanese-Puccini Foundation vocal competitions, an Opera Index Award, The Spotlight Award, and Winner of the MacAllister competition. Ms. Tapia received her Bachelor of Music degree from The Cleveland Institute of Music.

Keith Porter-Snell

Keith Porter-Snell is a pianist, piano teacher, and writer of educational music for piano students. As a performer, he specializes in piano music written for the left hand alone. Keith teaches beginning through advanced students, and has given over 400 workshops to piano teachers throughout the US and abroad. He has also taught at the Boston University Tanglewood Institute, where he was the Assistant Director of the Young Artist Piano Program. He currently teaches piano at Bath Spa University, and is Visiting Artist Faculty at the New Mexico School of Music. He has more than 150 titles published by the Kjos Music Company. Keith won the Joanna Hodges International Piano Competition, which provided his London debut. He subsequently signed with Columbia Artist Management and recorded for Virgin Records.

Mark Teplitsky

Principal flute of the San Antonio Symphony, Mark Teplitsky has been introduced with shining reviews by the San Antonio Express News. In the last year Mark’s orchestral appearances have included concerts with the New York Philharmonic, Fort Worth Symphony, Mercury Baroque Ensemble, and South Dakota Symphony. As a winner of multiple concerto competitions he has performed as soloist with a number of orchestras. Also, Mark has appeared in recitals across the country sponsored by the National Foundation for the Advancement of the Arts, Music Teachers’ National Association, Los Angeles Music Center Spotlight Awards, and Orange County’s Stars of Tomorrow. A graduate of the Colburn Conservatory and Rice University, Mark received his BM and MM under the guidance of Jim Walker and Leone Buyse. In his early years he studied the flute with Jane Masur and Brian Gordon.

Jeremy Siskind

Pianist Jeremy Siskind is the winner of the 2012 Nottingham International Jazz Piano Competition and the second-place winner of the 2011 Montreux Solo Piano Competition. A two-time finalist for the American Pianist Association Cole Porter Fellowship, Siskind has performed jazz and classical music at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center. Siskind serves on the keyboard faculty of Fullerton College in Southern California, and taught at Western Michigan University. As a pedagogue, Siskind boasts eleven publications with Hal Leonard, including the landmark book, Jazz Band Pianist. Siskind is a leader of the house concert movement, having performed in over 100 houses in 24 states around the U.S. A proud Yamaha Artist since 2013, Siskind holds degrees from the Eastman School of Music (Jazz Performance and Music Theory) and Columbia University (English and Comparative Literature). His teachers include Tamir Hendelman, Tony Carmaia, Harold Danko, Rose Grace, Sophia Rosoff, and Fred Hersch.

Following its highly acclaimed 2004 debut in Boston, the Manasse/Nakamatsu Duo began extensive tours featuring appearances on chamber music’s most prestigious stages, including Lincoln Center’s Mostly Mozart Festival and Washington DC’s National Gallery of Art. The Duo’s first harmonia mundi recording of Brahms’ Clarinet Sonatas was selected by the New York Times as among its top classical releases for 2008. Subsequent recordings include premières of John Novacek’s Four Rags for Two Jons, Paquito D’Rivera’s The Cape Cod Files, and chamber music of Weber, Beethoven and Brahms. In 2011, the Duo recorded both Brahms’ Clarinet and Piano Quintets, issued in 2012 as the Tokyo Quartet’s final CD.  Jon Manasse has served as principal clarinetist of The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, American Ballet Theater, Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra and the Orchestra of St. Luke’s. He is currently on the faculty at the Juilliard School, Mannes Conservatory, the Eastman School and Lynn University.  Jon Nakamatsu, Gold Medalist of the Tenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, is an adjunct faculty member of the San Francisco Conservatory. Together, the Duo serves as Artistic Directors of the internationally renowned Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival.