L'Ensemble's Artist Members

Charles Abromovic, Piano:  Has won critical acclaim for his international performances as a soloist, chamber musician, and collaborator with leading instrumentalists and singers. As a studio recitalist he has performed in major cities throughout America as well as in France and Yugoslavia. He has also performed at major international festivals in Berlin, Bermuda, Dubrovnik, Vancouver, Asolo (Italy) and Newport, RI.

Mr. Abramovic made his solo orchestral debut at the age of 14 with the Pittsburgh Symphony. Since then he has appeared as soloist with numerous orchestras including the Baltimore Symphony, the Colorado Philharmonic, the Florida Philharmonic, and the Nebraska Chamber Orchestra. Actively involved with contemporary music, Abramovic has recorded works of Milton Babbitt, Joseph Schwantner, Gerald Levinson, Tina Davidson, and other composers for the CRI, Bridge, and Koch International labels.

Mr. Abramovic is Associate Professor of Keyboard Studies at Temple University's Boyer College of Music in Philadelphia. He received the 1997 Career Development Award from the Philadelphia Musical Fund Society. He is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music and the Peabody Conservatory. Abramovic received his Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Temple University. His teachers have included Leon Fleischer, Natalie Phillips, Eleanor Sokoloff, and Harvey Weeden.

Ida Faiella, Executive Artistic Director, Soprano: is the founder and Executive Artistic Director of L'Ensemble which performs all facets of chamber music from unaccompanied sonatas to fully staged productions. While many artists are described as "versatile," Ida has enjoyed concurrent successes in the traditional concert world and in the field of popular music and jazz. Ms. Faiella's musical sympathies extend far and wide. Her childhood singing idols were Maria Callas and Billie Holiday. Singing at an early age, she had her own radio show when she was eleven. As a young singer, she performed with big bands including those of Larry Elgart until she confessed that she was not 21. As an opera major at the Hartt College of Music, she worked in well known jazz clubs with bassist Ron McClure (much to the dismay of her voice teacher). Upon moving to New York City her early musical collaborations were with jazz musicians such as drummer Paul "Motion" Motian and singer Sheila Jordan. She was recently invited to present a retrospective concert of American Popular Music in Tanglewood's Ozawa Hall.

While on the music faculty of Bennington College she tackled major works of 20th century classical music including Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire and the soprano solo of his second String Quartet.

She has performed from New York City's Lincoln Center to halls in rural areas, and from Moscow to Paris. Whatever genre of music she sings, Faiella applies the same exacting standards, and critics have applauded her efforts. The New York Times wrote that she "sings with considerable intelligence and an apt intimacy and warmth." The Albany Times Union stated "Faiella sang Schubert from the heart as well as the head. Her profound sense of the little dramas of each song made a powerful impact." In another Times Union review, Ron Emery wrote, "The score required Faiella to sing, speak, chant, shout, croon, and act! She was outrageously wonderful."

Besides being married to violinist Barry Finclair and the mother of Cristina, Ms. Faiella tends to the needs of her parrot Mongo Santamaria, cats Cosi and Emi and dogs Wolf (Wolfgang). Piano and Chili. She is pleased to report that no animals were harmed in the preparation of her high C.

Barry Finclair, Violin: A former member of the New York Philharmonic, Mr. Finclair has been a member of L'Ensemble since 1973. He attended New York City's School of performing Arts, the Juilliard School of Music, Mannes College of Music and the University of Southern California. At age 13 he was selected by Leonard Bernstein as soloist on the nationally televised New York Philharmonic Young People's Concerts. His awards and prizes include first place in the Merriweather Post Competition. He has appeared as soloist with the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington D.C. The personification of versatility, this year Finclair has toured with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and The New York Philharmonic Orchestra while also playing with them at their Lincoln Center homes. He performs chamber music concerts on a regular basis and recently as the soloist in the Beethoven Violin Concerto in New York City Parks Concerts.

At the same time he has played with such artists as Stevie Wonder and Aretha Franklin. He has played on literally hundreds of recordings including most of the music of Stephen Sondheim. Recently he was concertmaster of the new recording of Follies conducted by long time Sondheim collaborator Jonathan Tunick. Finclair appears regularly as concertmaster on nationally televised programs.

In New York City's theater world, he has performed in many of Julie Taymor's productions; "Juan Darien" at Lincoln Center (1996), "Lion King" at the New Amsterdam Theater (1998) and "The Green Bird" at the Cort Theater (2000). He also performs regularly with the Broadway production of "Chicago" at the Shubert Theater. In film, Bruce has been a featured soloist in many of Elliot Goldenthal's film scores; "Butcher Boy," "In Dreams," "Titus" and "Frida Kahlo". He was also featured with the American Ballet Theatre Orchestra in Goldenthal's 1997 ballet "Othello" (choreographed by Lar Lubovitch).

Semyon Fridman, Cello: Whose artistry was hailed by the New York Times as a "moving balance of delicacy and power," is recognized as one of today's premier cellists and chamber musicians. He has twice won first prize at the Concert Artists Guild International Competition in New York, once as a member of the Bowdoin Trio and the other as a soloist. Mr. Fridman was also selected by Musical America as "outstanding artist of the year." Fridman has appeared as concerto soloist with the Baltimore Symphony and Kiev State Philharmonic. In recital and chamber music concerts, he has performed in most major concert halls including Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, the Kennedy Center, the Library of Congress and many international halls.

Mr. Fridman made his critically acclaimed New York debut at Merkin Concert Hall, has been a frequent guest with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, and was featured with Leon Fleisher and the late Virgil Thomson in the PBS documentary, "Baton."

Lincoln Mayorga, Piano: Mr. Mayorga is an artist whose professional success transcends the varied worlds of concert, popular, jazz, studio work, and record production. For many years, Lincoln enjoyed one of the busiest studio careers in Hollywood. He was the staff pianist for Walt Disney Studios and contributed to the soundtracks of such motion pictures as 'Chinatown," "Pete's Dragon," "The Competition," "The Rose," and "Ragtime," to name a few. His television credits include "Little House on the Prairie," "Highway to Heaven," "Dallas," and original scores for "Fame." As accompanist, arranger, and conductor, Lincoln has recorded with such artists as Johnny Mathis, Barbra Streisand, Vikki Carr, Mel Torme, Phil Ochs, Andy Williams, Ernie Freeman, Frank Zappa, and Quincy Jones.

He is cofounder of the renowned audiophile record label Sheffield Lab, for which he produced recordings by a range of artists, from Harry James and his band to Erich Leinsdorf and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Lincoln is Executive Producer of TownHall Records.

Mayorga has performed his diverse 18th through 21st century repertoire to better than two-hundred cities across the United States, Canada, Europe and Russia. His performing collaborations have been with such musicians as Itzhak Perlman, Josef Suk, Arnold Steinhardt, Richard Stoltzman, Michael Tilson Thomas, Gerard Schwarz, and many distinguished American orchestras. Notably, he has become recognized as a champion of American music. The Moscow Philharmonic invited him to perform Gershwin's Rhapsody In Blue and "I Got Rhythm" Variations, in their first concert devoted to American music. The recordings derived from that concert have been widely praised in the music press and are often played on the radio.

Lincoln has been the featured guest on "Piano Jazz," Marion McPartland's popular program on National Public Radio. He recently completed the composition of a piano concerto, "Angels' Flight," a nostalgic tribute to the city of Los Angeles and the cinematic musical idiom. This work had its first performance with the composer as soloist, assisted by the Henry Mancini Institute Orchestra.