Jason Duckles

Cellist Jason Duckles has an active life as a soloist and chamber musician. This season, in addition to touring the United States as a member of the Amelia Piano Trio, Jason performed with Yo-Yo Ma in concerts throughout Central Asia.

In our area, the Amelia Piano Trio is about to be part of the Chamber Music Corvallis series, performing in November, 2003, in the LaSells Stewart Center.

Jason has received numerous awards for his chamber collaboration, such as grand prize in the Concert Artists Guild Competition and top prize in the Munich ARD International Competition. Jason is a founding member of the Amelia Piano Trio, the Milwaukee String Quartet, and East Meets West, a quintet that explores the cross-influence of Asian and Western music. He has also been a member of the Avalon String Quartet and the Aspen Contemporary Ensemble, and has appeared frequently as the cellist for the Mark Morris Dance Group which tours throughout the United States and Europe.

The Amelia Piano Trio has enjoyed a busy performance schedule since forming in 1997. One of the brightest young groups in America, the trio was honored as Grand Prize Winner in the 2001 Yellow Springs National Chamber Music Competition and as the 2003 recipient of Chamber Music America's ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming. The trio has performed over 100 concerts in North America and abroad, including Carnegie Hall (New York), Ravinia (Chicago), La Jolla (California), and every season for the St. Barthelemy International Music Festival in the French West Indies.

Dedicated to music of our time, Jason has commissioned works from many composers, including Pulitzer Prize Winner John Harbison (for his first full-length Piano Trio) and Augusta Read Thomas. He has collaborated with artists such as Ida Kavafian, Lucy Shelton, Gilbert Kalish, and Phil Setzer, and can be heard on the labels New Tangent, Channel Classics, Koch, Global Crossings, and Cedille Records.

While an Oregonian, Jason studied with cellist Hamilton Cheifetz and played in the Corvallis Youth Symphony. Last December, he returned to participate and to solo in CYS's gala 20th Reunion concert. He and Anthea also performed here in April 2002 with the Youth Symphony. Their Amelia Piano Trio performed the Beethoven Triple Concerto with the Symphony.

Jason enjoys living in Middletown, Connecticut, mostly because of the fantastic pub there, which offers as many as 75 beers on tap. The pub even lists the date of the opening of each keg, which Jason finds extremely relevant when choosing which brew to sample. Jason also enjoys the Oregon Coast, particularly the sand dunes outside of Florence, Oregon.

Chintimini Chamber Music Festival • (541) 753-2106

Site Sponsor: Peak       Site Design: Web Angel Designs