Jassen Todorov, violin, and Michael Smith, piano

Jassen Todorov

Jassen Todorov has distinguished himself as one of the most prominent violinists of his generation. Dubbed “an outstanding violinist … a player to watch” by the British music journal The Strad, Todorov has given numerous performances throughout Europe, Asia, Australia, North America and South America, including New York’s Weill Recital Hall and Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw. With a repertoire including works from all styles and epochs, Todorov has recorded the complete sonatas of Bach, Beethoven, Brahms and Ysaye.

Michael Smith

Born in Davis, Michael Smith is a former pianist at Ensemble Connect, Carnegie Hall and Juilliard’s chamber music fellowship. He has performed throughout the U.S. and Europe at a variety of venues, including Carnegie’s Weill Hall, Steinway Hall, Bernard Haitink Hall, Merkin Hall, Seiji Ozawa Hall and the Mondavi Center. He has appeared at festivals including Music@Menlo, Tanglewood and Norfolk and holds a doctorate from Stony Brook University, where he studied under Gilbert Kalish. An advocate of contemporary music, Smith has worked with Kaija Saariaho, Marc Neikurg, Steven Mackey and Martin Bresnick and has premiered works by major American composers such as Meredith Monk and Stacy Garrup.

Photo of Michael Smith by Pierre Lidar