Nina Bernat & Eleni Katz: Basso Vox: How Low Can You Go?

7 PM Doors & Pre-Reception
8 PM Recital
9:30 PM Post-Reception

Nina Bernat & Eleni Katz: Basso Vox: How Low Can You Go?

Gotham Arts in collaboration with Groupmuse is delighted to host an intimate duo recital by bassoonist Eleni Katz and double bassist Nina Bernat featuring a wide range of repertoire from Bach, Mozart, and Rossini through to the 21st century.

Wine will be served.

Program

GIOACHINO ROSSINI Arias from Barber of Seville
Ecco ridente in cielo
Una voce poco fa
Largo al factorum

ALBERT ROUSSEL Duo for Bassoon and Double Bass

REENA ESMAIL Nadiya

MARC MELLITIS Black

Intermission

BACH Suite No. 5, BWV 1011

ADOLPHUS HAILSTORK Bassoon Set Selections

ASTOR PIAZZOLLA Tango Etude No. 3

W. A. MOZART Sonata for Bassoon and Cello in B-flat Major K. 292/196c
I. Allegro
II. Andante
III. Allegro

About the Artists

Watch Elena & Nina perform the slow movement from Mozart's Sonata for Bassoon and Cello in B-flat Major

About the Artists

About Eleni Katz

Hailed for her virtuosity and vibrant musical spirit, bassoonist Eleni Katz has established herself as a prominent soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral player. Her “thoughtful and expressive” approach to music making has led her to performances by the bright blue waters of Bermuda to the lights of Carnegie Hall (San Diego Union Tribune). Eleni is a winner of the 2022 Concert Artist Guild Victor Elmaleh Competition and has performed with the likes of Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, La Jolla Music Society’s SummerFest, and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. Starting in the 2025-26 academic year, Eleni will begin her role as bassoon teaching faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Mead Witter School of Music.

As a classically trained singer from Iowa City, Katz has always believed that the bassoon should emulate the organic nature of the human voice and her approach to playing the bassoon has been described as “uncannily human” (The Royal Gazette). In 2021, she commissioned and premiered “Sea Glass Partita for Singing Bassoonist” with composer Lila Meretzky. Drawing its lyrics from a poem that Eleni composed, the piece intersperses bassoon performance with singing and visual projections. Since the performance of this work, Eleni has commissioned several other works for bassoon that are multidisciplinary experiences by Tanner Porter, Harry Castle, and Richard Brasseale. In May 2024, Eleni Katz co-released an album featuring Richard Brasseale’s composition Enlaced Friendship, a work based on her original poetry that premiered at the New World Symphony in April 2023.

A few of Eleni’s 25-26 season highlights include performances with Camerata Pacifica, Charlottesville Chamber Music Festival, Artist Series Concerts of Sarasota, and a return to Phoenix Chamber Music Society. Other recent appearances include Tallgrass Chamber Music Festival, Highlands Cashiers Chamber Music Festival, Newport Classical, Ibagué Festival in Colombia, a California tour with the Concert Truck, Chamber Music Society of Fort Worth, and the Lake George Music Festival. As an orchestral performer, Eleni has appeared with several groups across the country, including the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, The Orchestra San Antonio, the Fort Worth Symphony, the Sarasota Orchestra, the Nu Deco Ensemble, and as a member of the New World Symphony.

Eleni received her B.M. at the University of Wisconsin’s Mead Witter School of Music under Marc Vallon. She earned her master’s degree at the Yale School of Music, studying with Frank Morelli, where she was the winner of the Yale Philharmonia’s 2019 Concerto Competition.

About Nina Bernat

American double bassist Nina Bernat, acclaimed for her interpretive maturity, expressive depth and technical clarity, has carved out a distinctive career as a soloist, redefining the role of her instrument on the world stage. She was hailed by the Star Tribune as a "standout" for her recent concerto debut with the Minnesota Orchestra, praising her performance as "exhilarating, lovely and lyrical... technically precise and impressively emotive."

In 2023, Nina was awarded both the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant and first prize at the Concert Artists Guild Elmaleh Competition. Her recent accolades also include top prizes at the Barbash J.S. Bach String Competition, Minnesota Orchestra Young Artist Competition, Juilliard Double Bass Competition, and the International Society of Bassists Solo Competition. She has given New York recital debuts at Weill Recital Hall and Merkin Hall, and has appeared as soloist with the Minnesota Orchestra and Brooklyn Symphony Orchestra.

Engaged in all aspects of double bass performance, she has been invited to perform as guest principal bassist with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and Oslo Philharmonic, serving under the batons of conductors such as András Schiff and Osmo Vänskä. She can also be heard performing with New York-based chamber orchestra Sejong Soloists.

Widely recognized for her compelling presence in chamber music settings, Nina is a member of the Bowers Program of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and has appeared at renowned festivals such as Marlboro Music Festival, Verbier Festival, Music@Menlo, Chamber Music Northwest, and the Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festival.

She is quickly becoming a sought-after pedagogue, having given masterclasses at the Colburn School, Boston University Tanglewood Institute, University of Texas at Austin among others. She currently serves on the faculty of Stony Brook University.

Nina performs on an instrument passed down from her father, Mark Bernat, attributed to Guadagnini.

What's the music?

Nina Bernat Double Bass

Eleni Katz Bassoon

Attendees

Francesco C. Groupmuse Superhost

Jeffery K.

Chen W.

+1

Cathy B.

+1

Alessandra Z.

Heather B.

+1

Fernando R.

Alexandre B.

Bob K.

+1

Emma B.

Claire I.

P. N.