NYC’s Merkin Hall, Series Debuts, and “Live from Hochstein” all part of the Ekstasis Duo’s 2019-20 Season

Acclaimed soloists in their own right, Natasha Farny and Eliran Avni met as students years ago at Juilliard. Reconnected over a year ago, the two realized that their musical approaches suited each other, and they decided to collaborate as a professional duo. As Ekstasis Duo, they perform chamber music juxtaposing celebrated masterpieces against lesser-known works to tell stories or create an atmosphere through sound.

American cellist Natasha Farny has distinguished herself as a talented artist of significant versatility, sensitivity, and experience. An accomplished soloist, Ms. Farny has performed with such orchestras as the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Buffalo Philharmonic, and several local orchestras throughout the Western New York region. She has performed solo and chamber music tours across Germany, the Czech Republic, and Brazil, and has played at distinguished national venues throughout the United States, including Chicago’s Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concerts, Brooklyn’s Bargemusic “Here and Now” Series, Florida’s BIG ARTS Sanibel series, Maryland’s Resonance series, and the Camerata Musica series in Washington State. Among the festivals at which she has participated are the Czech Republic’s Dvorak Society American Spring Festival, Germany’s Kronberg Cello Festival, Piobbico, Italy’s Brancaleoni International Music Festival, Tennessee’s Sewanee Summer Music Festival, National Music Festival (MD), Colorado Music Festival, Michigan’s Bay View Music Festival, and the Bowdoin Summer Music Festival.

Ms. Farny can be heard on recordings of chamber music with the Centaur label. She will release her debut solo CD of French cello music in 2020. Nationally, Ms. Farny has performed live on radio programs including WFMT’s “Live from WFMT” in Chicago, Illinois, and WXXI’s “Live from Hochstein” series in Rochester, New York.

Praised as possessing both “ironclad technique” and “ample suppleness” by The New York Times, Eliran Avni is an emerging force in the contemporary classical music scene. Having made his debut with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Zubin Mehta at age 17, he has since appeared as a soloist and chamber music collaborator throughout Europe, North and South America, as well as in his native Israel, and has played for live broadcasts for the Israeli and German broadcasting systems.

As a soloist, Eliran is known as a preeminent interpreter of the music of composer Avner Dorman. Solo performance highlights include Dorman’s Azerbaijani Dance with the Israel Philharmonic and Zubin Mehta at Carnegie Hall, Rachmaninoff’s 3rd Piano Concerto with the Alabama Symphony, and the Grieg Concerto with the Oakland East Bay Symphony.

Having developed a strong affinity for chamber music after studying with world-renowned musicians Yo-Yo Ma and Isaac Stern, Mr. Avni has collaborated with numerous artists such as Yehonatan Berick, Daniel Muller-Schott, Sharon Kam, Terrence Wilson, Jennifer Aylmer, William Sharp, and the Chicago Chamber Music Players, as well as actors Sigourney Weaver and Richard Chamberlain. In 2010, Eliran co-founded SHUFFLE Concert, a mixed chamber ensemble. He served as Artistic Director of the ensemble from 2010-2018, performing throughout the US, Canada, and Israel.

On the recording front, Eliran Avni has recorded for the Naxos, Tzadik and SHUFFLE Concert labels. Of note are two CDs of composer Avner Dorman’s music: “The Piano Works of Avner Dorman,” recorded at Tanglewood’s Ozawa Hall and produced by Grammy winner David Frost, and a recording of Dorman’s Chamber Concerti with the Metropolis Ensemble and Maestro Andrew Cyr, both for Naxos.