Justin Bruns and Ruth Lenz, violin
Dustin Budish, viola
Eileen Brownell, cello
String Quartet No. 3 ‘Mishima” — Philip Glass (b. 1937)
I. 1957: Award Montag
II. November 25– Ichigaya
III. Grandmother and Kimitake
IV. 1962: Body Building
V. Blood Oath
VI. Mishima/Closing
String Quartet in E minor, Op. 44 No.2 — Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)
Allegro assai appassionato
Scherzo Allegro di molto
Andante
Presto agitato
About the Artists:
Justin Bruns is Associate Concertmaster of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, and Concertmaster of the Cabrillo (Santa Cruz, CA) Festival of Contemporary Music. Bruns maintains an active interest in bringing music to young and diverse audiences, assisting in the creation of Kids With Strings in Atlanta and as a featured collaborator in the ASO’s Artist-in-Residence Program. He teaches during the summers at Music In The Mountains Conservatory in Durango, CO. As a graduate student at Rice University Bruns co-founded the Hammond Outreach Program and participated frequently in the Up Close and Musical presentations in Denver, Co.
Bruns graduated summa cum laude from the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance, where he also received the Stanley Medal, the highest award given by the SMTD. He received his Master of Music degree from The Shepherd School of Music at Rice University. He has recorded with Pearl Jam, Faith Hill, and Bruce Springsteen.
Dustin Budish is a native of Reno, Nevada. Dustin began his musical training at the age of eight studying the piano, but soon after a suggestion by his middle school strings teacher he realized his true passion was for the viola. While in high school, Dustin received numerous honors including principal viola of the Nevada All-State Orchestra and a Command Performance. He went on to study at Oberlin College and the Cleveland Institute with Jeffrey Irvine for which he received his BM in viola performance and then received his MM with honors at the New England Conservatory with Martha Katz.
While in school, Dustin was a founding member of the Mephisto Quartet, which worked with and performed alongside members of the Cavani, Tokyo, Vermeer, and Cleveland Quartets, and received the Russell Award at the Coleman Chamber Music Competition in 2001. As a Chamber musician, Dustin has performed at the Ravinia and Norfolk Festivals, and in 2005 was invited to Israel to perform with Maxim Vengerov’s Mozart Project with the Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra. As a member of the New World Symphony in Miami Beach, Dustin was featured as soloist with the orchestra as a winner of the annual concerto competition under Maestro Alasdair Neale’s direction. Also while in Miami, he served as artistic advisor and electric violinist to the “Friends” of New World, catering custom innovative fusions of classical music with hip-hop, electronic, reggae and funk . Mr. Budish is currently Principal Viola of the Reno Philharmonic and Reno Chamber Orchestra, as well as conductor of the Youth Strings Symphonia. He also substitutes regularly with the San Francisco Symphony.
Ruth Lenz is concertmaster of the Nevada Opera and concertmaster of the Reno Philharmonic and Reno Chamber Orchestra. She performs as recitalist, chamber musician, soloist and concertmaster in venues throughout the western United States. She has shared the stage with such notable performers as Itzhak Perlman, Edgar Meyer, Luciano Pavarotti and Natalie Cole. Ruth is a violinist with the Telluride Chamber Music Festival in Colorado and with the Nevada Chamber Music Festival. She has also played in the Sunriver and Spoleto Festivals.
Ruth began her violin studies with her mother at age 2, earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the University of Nevada Reno studying with Phillip Ruder, and her Doctorate from the University of Illinois at Champaign/Urbana where she studied with Sherban Lupu and Danwen Jiang.
In addition to performing, Dr. Lenz has a passion for teaching and maintains a large studio of violin and chamber music students. In her free time, she is an avid equestrian and outdoor enthusiast. Ruth Lenz plays a Simone Fernando Sacconi violin.
Eileen Brownell is a native of Sparks, Nevada. Dr. Brownell has taught cello and chamber music for over a decade for various institutions, including Bowling Green State University, the Ann Arbor and Flint Schools of performing arts, The University of Michigan, and the Steiner Schools of Ann Arbor. Eileen has co-administrated the Black Glove Cello Festival, a week-long all-cello festival held each summer, since 1999. Ms.
Brownell is also active as a chamber musician and orchestral cellist, with experience playing in many diverse ensembles, including the Reno Philharmonic, the Ann Arbor Symphony, the West Shore Symphony Orchestra, and various chamber collaborations. Eileen holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Denver, and Masters and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.