The Forge

Canadian flutist Conor Nelson gave his New York recital debut at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall and has appeared frequently as soloist and recitalist throughout the United States and abroad. Solo engagements include performances with the Minnesota Orchestra, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the Flint Symphony, and numerous other orchestras. Other recent highlights include performances at Carnegie Hall’s Zankel Hall, the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia, and a recital last season at the Tokyo Opera City Hall which received numerous broadcasts on NHK Television. The only wind player to win the Grand Prize at the WAMSO Young Artist Competition, he also won first prize at the William C. Byrd Young Artist Competition.

Conor is currently the Assistant Professor of Flute at Bowling Green State University. He previously taught at Oklahoma State University and has given master classes at over forty colleges and universities. He received degrees from the Manhattan School of Music, Yale University, and Stony Brook University where he was the winner of the school-wide concerto competitions at all three institutions. His principal teachers include Carol Wincenc, Ransom Wilson, Linda Chesis and Susan Hoeppner.

www.conornelson.com

Hailed by International Piano as “a major new talent”, English pianist Sam Armstrong performs across Europe, Asia and North America in venues such as the Royal Festival Hall and Wigmore Hall in London, the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, the Bridgewater Hall in Manchester, Kuhmo Art Hall in Seoul, Korea, Esplanade in Singapore, and Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall in New York. He has also appeared at festivals including Ravina, Banff, Prussia Cove, Mecklenburg-Vorpommen and Aldeburgh and made his South American debut with performances of the Schumann Concerto with the National Symphony of Ecuador conducted by Emmanuel Siffert.

He has been a top prizewinner in competitions including the Beethoven Society of Europe Competition in London (2003) and the Porto International Piano Competition in Portugal (2004). He was also laureate of the Epinal International Piano Competition in France (2001) and was in 2007 was among the last six pianists in the prestigious Concours Clara Haskil in Switzerland.

Sam studied with Helen Krizos at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, with John O’Conor in Dublin and for four years at Mannes College of Music in New York with Richard Goode. He is extremely grateful for invaluable support he has received from Aldeburgh Residencies, the Philharmonia Orchestra/ Martin Musical Scholarship Fund, MBF Music Education Fund, Mannes College, the Wingate Foundation, the Goldsmith Foundation and the Solti Foundation.

www.samarmstrongpianist.com