Leadlights Ensemble

Music by Dvořák, Barber, Montgomery, and Shaw

Evelyn Petcher Brandes and Julie Lawrence, violins

Arthur Dibble, viola

Julia Henderson, cello

**PROGRAM**

“Valencia” – by Caroline Shaw (2012)

“Theme from Symphony No. 9 “New World” – by Antonin Dvořák, arr. Petcher

“Strum” – by Jessie Montgomery (2006, rev. 2012) 

“Adagio from String Quartet in B minor, Op. 11″ – by Samuel Barber

“Finale: vivace ma non troppo from String Quartet No. 12 in F major, Op. 96″ – by Antonin Dvořák

Violinist Dr. Julie Lawrence has performed on the stages of New York City’s Carnegie Hall, Symphony Space, and Steinway Hall. She is a founding member of the Leadlights Ensemble, whose mission is to connect people through music, bringing joy and vitality to communities. As an orchestral musician, she has performed alongside members of the New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, and Orchestra of St. Luke’s, and made her solo debut with the Ashland Symphony. She has performed under the batons of Leonard Slatkin, Kurt Masur, and Yoav Talmi. Her love for championing under-played works led Dr. Lawrence to present the music of Georg Muffat on her doctoral thesis. She frequently programs contemporary works alongside Bach and Brahms sonatas, and has premiered works by New York composers J. Mark Stambaugh, Michael Kosch, and Kyle Werner. Her playing can be heard on Juan Pablo Contreras’ album Silencio en Juárez (Albany Records) and David Chesky’s Joy and Sorrow (Chesky Records). A graduate of Manhattan School of Music and Rutgers University, Julie Lawrence received the Raphael Bronstein Award for Excellence in Performance and Pedagogy. Dr. Lawrence has held teaching positions at Rutgers University and the Geneva Conservatory of Music, where she was also director for six years. Ms. Lawrence plays a violin crafted in 2014 by Boston violin maker Benjamin Ruth.  

Violinist Evelyn Petcher Brandes brings a passion for innovation and community to both her performing and teaching. She is a founding member of Leadlights Ensemble and both performs and teaches at the Bronx Arts Ensemble. A champion of new music and a composer herself, Ms. Petcher frequently creates arrangements for Leadlights. She is also the co-founder of East Lake Expression Engine, an El Sistema inspired program in Chattanooga, TN. As a chamber musician, Ms. Petcher has performed all over NYC and abroad – highlights include the Youth Music Culture Guangdong in Guangzhou, China, the Heifetz International Music Festival, the Chelsea Music Festival, and An Die Musik Baltimore. She has also taught with organizations such as the New York Philharmonic’s Very Young Composers, the Little Orchestra Society, the Center for Arts Education, and Leap NYC. Ms. Petcher holds an M.M. degree from Peabody and a double bachelor’s degree in Music and English from Covenant College.

Violist, violinist, and conductor Arthur Dibble enjoys a wonderful free-lance musician’s life in New York City. Diverse styles of music have taken him all over the world, from touring with Barbra Streisand, Led Zeppelin, various string quartets and the St. Louis Symphony to right here at home on the major stages of New York City and the surrounding region with orchestras, chamber groups and Broadway stars. He is currently music director for his lovely wife, mezzo-soprano Sishel Claverie on theater/recitals projects. Seeking expression since his Juilliard days, Arthur collaborates regularly with living composers and participates in the Tonal Refraction Ensemble, exploring our “pre-conscious gut reactions to sounds themselves.” Arthur enjoys teaching and performing for the Midori Foundation in NYC public schools. You can also often find him in recording studios during the day, Broadway show pits in the evenings, feeding his espresso obsession in a café, or traveling to see his son and daughter in college.

Recent performances have found cellist Julia Henderson at Bargemusic, Carnegie Hall, the Joyce theater, HERE Arts Center and in other venues throughout New York City. A versatile performer, Julia is a member of New Haven Symphony and the Sarasota Opera Orchestra, and has appeared with the Rochester Philharmonic, New World Symphony, Britten-Pears Orchestra, Aspen Festival Orchestra, and others. She is the cellist of Desdemona Ensemble and she performs regularly throughout the US with chamber music theatre group Core Ensemble. Julia earned a Bachelor of Music degree at Oberlin Conservatory, studying with Darrett Adkins, and a Master of Music with Timothy Eddy at The Juilliard School. She has worked with members of the Shanghai, Juilliard, St. Lawrence, and Cavani string quartets, among others, as well as renowned chamber musicians such as Sylvia Rosenberg, Joseph Kalichstein, and Steven Doane. In addition to being an avid chamber musician, Julia is a dedicated teacher certified in the Suzuki method.