Ilya Kaler, Robert Waters and Stephen Balderston Join Faculty, Perform Recitals This Fall

As DePaul’s School of Music continues to gain national prominence as a top-flight institution, this momentum is mirrored in the outstanding faculty that the school has attracted in recent years. This year DePaul is pleased to announce the addition of three prominent string players to its ranks: violinists Ilya Kaler and Robert Waters and cellist Stephen Balderston.

Donald Casey, dean of the School of Music, believes the success of every music school rests on the faculty members who teach string players. “Distinguished string musicians attract the most talented students, and for a performance enterprise to prosper, a school must maintain a credible orchestra,” he said. “The addition of these musicians to the DePaul faculty is a significant step for us because it further bolsters our reputation as a repository for professional music talent, with a cadre of string specialists virtually without peer.” He noted that the 115-member faculty includes many musicians from the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO), Lyric Opera of Chicago and prominent classical and jazz ensembles.

Ilya Kaler comes to DePaul with degrees from the Moscow Conservatory, where he studied with the legendary Leonid Kogan. Gold medalist in several prestigious European competitions including the Tchaikovsky (1986), Sibelius (1985) and Paganini (1981), Kaler has since performed to critical acclaim in major music centers throughout Europe and beyond. He was the concertmaster of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra from 1996 to 2001.

Robert Waters was the associate concertmaster of the San Francisco Opera Orchestra before joining the DePaul faculty this year. A founding member of the award-winning Jupiter Trio, Waters is a tireless advocate for contemporary music and has worked closely with composers Penderecki, Kurtag, Berio and Leon Kirchner. He has presented concerts around the globe as a performer of solo, chamber and orchestral repertory. Waters’ wife, distinguished pianist and Jupiter Trio member Aglika Angelova, also has joined DePaul’s faculty.

Stephen Balderston, assistant principal cello of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, moved from adjunct to full-time faculty member, accepting positions as associate professor of cello and strings coordinator. His appointment brings the number of CSO members on the faculty to 15. An active participant in Chicago’s musical life, Balderston is a much sought-after soloist, chamber player and coach, who has collaborated with Daniel Barenboim, Christoph Eschenbach, Yo-Yo Ma and Pinchas Zukerman, among others. During the summers in particular, he has devoted much of his time to working with students in venues including Daniel Barenboim’s West-Eastern Divan workshops, the Shanghai International Music Festival and the Marrowstone Music Festival. He earned his music degrees from the Juilliard School, where he studied with Lynn Harrell.

All three of these new faculty members will give public recitals at DePaul over the coming months. Ilya Kaler’s performance is scheduled for 8 p.m. Oct. 29; Balderston will play at 8 p.m. Nov. 8; and Waters’ recital is slated for 7:30 p.m. Nov. 16. All performances will be in the DePaul Concert Hall, 800 W. Belden Ave. There is no admission charge. For more information, call (773) 325-7664.

The appointments of Kaler, Waters and Balderston are part of a series of moves the school has made to hire acclaimed faculty and present innovative performances during the last five years. Cliff Colnot, resident conductor of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and principal conductor of the CSO’s contemporary MusicNOW series, joined the faculty in 1997 to lead the DePaul Symphony Orchestra. The opera faculty includes internationally acclaimed sopranos Catherine Malfitano and Susanne Mentzer, as well as DePaul Opera Theatre director Harry Silverstein, who attracted the American premiere of a Philip Glass opera – and several Glass visits to DePaul – in 2001. Renowned pianist Eteri Andjaparidze joined the faculty in 2001 and organized last season’s well-received United Sounds of America music festival celebrating American music. Meanwhile, the DePaul Jazz Ensemble, under the steady leadership of trumpeter Bob Lark, continues to perform and make CDs with headliners at the Jazz Showcase, receiving rave reviews.

The dates and programs are as follows:

Oct. 29, 8 p.m. : Ilya Kaler, violin, and fellow DePaul School of Music faculty member Eteri Andjaparidze, piano, will perform Sonata No. 6 in A Major, Op. 30, No. 1, by Beethoven; Sonata in E flat Major, Op. 18, by Strauss; Sonata in E by Hindemith; Five Melodies, Op. 35, by Prokofiev; and Study in a Form of Waltz by Saint-Saens For more information about School of Music performances, call (773) 325-7664.

Nov. 8, 8 p.m. : DePaul School of Music Professor Stephen Balderston, who is assistant principal cello of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and Daniel Paul Horn, piano, perform Sonata for Cello and Piano in E major by Valentini, Solo Cello Suite No. 6 in D Major by J.S. Bach and Sonata for Cello and Piano in A Major by Franck. For more information about DePaul School of Music performances, call (773) 325-7664.

Nov. 16, 7:30 p.m.: The Callisto Ensemble Presents: The Jupiter Trio, featuring DePaul faculty members Robert Waters, violin, and Aglika Angelova, piano, as well as Julian Hersh, cello. The program will be Piano Trio by Ives; Piano Trio by Bresnick and Piano Trio in E minor, Op. 90, “Dumky,” by Dvorák. Composer Martin Bresnick’s pre-concert lecture begins at 6:30 p.m. For tickets and information about the Callisto Ensemble’s five-concert season, call (312) 566-9318.