Nathan Hillman Submitted photo
Violist Nathan Hillman will perform at the Oasis of Music at 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 20, at Trinity Commons in Lewiston. He will be accompanied on piano by Chiharu Naruse. Music for solo and accompanied viola by Bach and Reger are on their program.
Hillman, violist, composer, and arranger, has always been passionate about music, and is especially interested in performing music by underrepresented composers. He is currently pursuing a B.M. in Viola Performance at Peabody Conservatory under Choong-Jin Chang. Originally a violinist, it was Janet Ciano that drew him to the viola, and ultimately into the rich world of chamber music, attending Kneisel Hall and Next Generation chamber music camps for many years. Hillman is a three time winner of the Bagaduce Composer Competition in Blue Hill, and has premiered a number of original works at a concert in 2012. He has performed as principal violist in various orchestras in Maine and New York. Prior to attending Peabody, he taught chamber music at Bay Chamber Music School, often featuring under-played, yet wonderful, chamber works.
Naruse holds master’s degrees in Music Performance and Music Instruction from the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler in Berlin. She has participated in several international piano competitions, and won the silver prize in the Hyogo Piano Competition in Japan. In 2002, Naruse moved to the United States to study under Frank Glazer. She has since performed frequently in Maine, including solo recitals, concertos, and chamber music performances with such groups as the Portland String Quartet, Da Ponte String Quartet, and Venti Cordi. She was a featured artist at the Ocean Park Music Festival and the Franco-American Heritage Center, and has also toured in France and Japan. She is a well-respected music teacher, chamber music coach, music competition adjudicator, and accompanist, with many of her students receiving competition prizes.
The Oasis of Music is a weekly music series of performances of roughly thirty minutes, running from September to May. Admission is free, with donations accepted. The musical genres vary greatly, in largely, but not exclusively, acoustic formats. Trinity Commons is located at 247 Bates St., Lewiston.
For more information, call 207-344-3106.
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