Arts Global is proud to be present Konstantin Soukhovetski as the Narrator for this performance of Stravinsky’s Soldier’s Tale.

Arts Global was founded in 1999 by its President, Heather de Haes. Originally the Anglo-Suisse Artistic Foundation, in 2006 it became the Swiss Global Artistic Foundation and, on 22 June 2012, Arts Global. The Foundation holds charitable status in the United States, the United Kingdom and Switzerland, and has Friends’ organizations in Russia, the Middle East and Asia.

Arts Global’s mission is empowering emerging artists and advancing social change.

Heather de Haes writes: “The core emphasis of Arts Global is classical music: our objectives are to support, foster and develop Emerging Artists of exceptional talent, offering them performance opportunities, career connections, professional guidance, artistic mentoring and international exposure. The Foundation selects these musicians through rigorous international auditions, judged by a prestigious, experienced panel of experts. In a recent development, we are now starting to work with emerging jazz, music theater and world music artists, primarily in New York City.

“To date, we have assisted over 80 artists from 20 countries. Our near-term goal is to expand these efforts, building on our strong track record and enlarging our impact.

“To achieve its goal, the Foundation organizes unforgettable musical Events in prestigious, culturally significant and unusual venues. We take the best opportunities to promote our musicians in a variety of forums, whether great symphonic concerts or intimate soirées, chamber music series or jazz performances, instrumental recitals or lyric shows.

“Arts Global, in collaboration with its highly esteemed Patrons and Advisory Board, works closely with embassies, renowned cultural figures and institutions—including orchestras and music festivals—and major corporations. Our laureates—Arts Global Fellows—are frequently successful in the world’s leading music competitions.

“As part of our broader community outreach, we actively seek out opportunities to support and advance social change through music and the arts.

“I am proud of the continuing development of our Foundation and of every member of our Arts Global family.”

Heather de Haes.

Born into a celebrated musical family in Moscow, Russia, Aleksandr Zhuk began studying violin at age six at the Gnessin Special School for Gifted Children. He has performed extensively throughout Europe and the United states as a soloist, chamber musician, and concertmaster of various orchestras. He has appeared at many major music festivals such as Spoleto, Schleswig-Holstein, Tuscan Sun and many others. During 2001-2004 seasons Mr. Zhuk has served as one of the concertmasters of the Miami’s New World Symphony, a unique orchestra led by Michael Tilson Thomas consolidating the most talented young musicians from all over the world. Currently he is a member of the Florida Grand Opera orchestra as well as several other groups throughout South Florida.

SInce 2010 as a member of Russian Virtuosi of Europe he has participated in acritically acclaimed toura of South America, Europe and Russia.

Mr. Zhuk holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees from the Utrecht Conservatory in the Netherlands and a Graduate Performance Diploma from the Peabody Institute in Baltimore, MD.

Cellist, ASHLEY GARRITSON, has a distinguished career as an international soloist, chamber and orchestral musician.  She has collaborated with the Chicago Symphony, the Boston Symphony, the Del Sol Quartet, members of the Juilliard String Quartet, ICE (International Contemporary Ensemble) of Chicago, and the Vols Quartet as well as with other chamber music groups internationally.  Recent solo engagements include appearances with the Indiana University Wind Ensemble this past February, performing the Aaron Travers Cello Concerto; Miami Symphony, where she performed the South Florida premiere of the Marc O’Connor Double Concerto with Daniel Andai, with the University of Miami’s Frost Symphony Wind Ensemble, the Kammergild Chamber Orchestra, the Jefferson Symphony, the St. Joseph Symphony Orchestra, and the Northwestern Symphony Orchestra. The Piedmont Post heralded her sound as “…exceptionally deep-toned, providing warmth…”

Ashley has served as principal cellist of the Chicago Civic Orchestra, Principal Cello of the Miami Symphony (2007-2011), and is currently Principal Cello of the Miami City Ballet.  She performs worldwide as a founding member of both the Agam String Quartet and Sapphire Piano Trio.

Ashley currently serves as Artistic Director of the Monteverdi Festival of the Arts in Tuscany, Italy.  She is also Adjunct Professor of Cello at Broward College in Davie, Florida.  In May 2010, she was granted the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Cello Performance by the University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida, where she performed the world premiere of Aaron Travers’ Cello Concerto, commissioned by the University for her and the Frost Wind Ensemble.  She was also the solo cellist in the world premiere of the Maslanka Trombone Concerto with wind ensemble. “Garritson plays with burnished tone and deep sensitivity.” -The Miami Herald

Ashley is a class-taught Christian Scientist and has been active in the Christian Science Organizations on the Northwestern University and University of Miami campuses.

Violist David Riker has performed with the orchestra of the Florida Grand Opera, Opus One (Miami City Ballet), Miami Symphony, Renaissance Chamber Orchestra, and South Florida Phil, as principal, assistant principal, section, and solo viola. He performed as a violinist with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, under the direction of Daniel Barenboim, at Carnegie Hall, and also the Milwaukee Ballet Orchestra. David’s primary violin teachers were Myron Kartman and Felicia Moye, while Richard Fleischman and Chauncey Patterson were his primary viola teachers. David received his bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University.  He has participated in several chamber music festivals, most recently the Festival Internazionale Quartetto d’Archi in Reggio Emilia, Italy, as interim violist in the Vinca String Quartet and the Zephyr International Chamber Music Course and Festival (Italy). David is also a National Board Certified Teacher.

The brilliant and gifted young cellist Patrice Jackson is carving a name for herself as a gifted and charismatic young soloist.  The Detroit News has described her as a “big-toned, boldly projected soloist” and the Hartford Courant stated that Ms. Jackson “wowed the audience with effortless facility, playful phrasing and a sense of spontaneity that one hears usually only from the highest caliber of musicians.”

A native of St. Louis, Ms. Jackson began piano lessons with her mother at the age of three and cello lessons with her father at the age of eight. At thirteen she made her debut with the Belleville Philharmonic Orchestra, performing the Elgar Cello Concerto.

In 2002 Ms. Jackson was awarded first place in the Senior Laureate Division of the nationally renowned Sphinx Competition, and was the recipient of the 2002 Yale University Aldo Parisot Prize awarded to a “gifted cellist who shows promise for a concert career.” Since then she has performed with the Atlanta, Detroit, Dallas, New Jersey, Milwaukee, Omaha, Cincinnati, St. Louis, Grand Rapids, Nashville, Hartford, Chautauqua, Colorado and Mississippi Symphonies, as well as with the Philadelphia Orchestra.  Ms. Jackson also made her international orchestral and recital debuts in South Africa in 2002.  Highlights of the 2010-2011 season included performances with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra and the Chicago Sinfonietta.

Ms. Jackson has won numerous competitions and awards throughout her career, including the Alton Symphony Orhcestra / Merie Stillwell Solo Competition, University City Symphony Orchestra Young Artist Competition, Laclede String Quartet Solo Competition, and Laclede String Quartet Chamber Music Competition. She has spent several summers studying chamber and solo repertoire at the prestigious Quartet Program, the Kneisel Hall Chamber Music Festival, and at the Banff Center for the Arts.

Ms. Jackson has taken master classes with world-renowned Brazilian cellist Aldo Parisot, and has studied chamber music with Claude Frank and the Tokyo String Quartet at the Yale School of Music, as well as with the Juilliard String Quartet at the Juilliard School. Ms. Jackson, who performs on an Alberto Blanchi cello generously donated by Franklin and Tresa McCallie of Kirkwood, Missouri and Doris Taylor Cope of Chattanooga, Tennessee, has been a student of Janos Starker, Aldo Parisot, Joel Krosnick, and Bonnie Hampton. She is a graduate of the Juilliard School in New York and the Yale School of Music in New Haven.