An Evening of Schubert
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Soldotna United Methodist Church
7:30 pm

Featuring the Alaska Trio: Eduard Zilberkant, piano; Karl Knapp, cello; Kathleen Butler-Hopkins, violin
Also guest artists: Vince Cee, bass and Gail Johannsen, viola


As if the Alaska Trio wouldn’t be enough to bring us all out for a concert, this time the Trio features two additional artists, Gail Johansen on the viola and Vincent Cee on the bass. Be ready for these five musicians to give you a fantastic evening of Schubert, including his “Trout” quintet.


Pianist Eduard Zilberkant, violinist Kathleen Butler-Hopkins and cellist Karl Knapp are the most recent incarnation of the Alaska Trio, a faculty ensemble formed more than thirty-five years ago at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. During its history, the Trio has played across Alaska, the Pacific Northwest, and Hawaii. It is particularly known for researching, performing, and even recording little known works by the masters.

• Artist in Residence & Professor of Piano at University of Alaska Fairbanks
• Music Director and Conductor of the Fairbanks Symphony Orchestra & Arctic Chamber Orchestra

When Conductor Charles Shiff of Orchestra Atlanta called Eduard Zilberkant “a powerful and exciting personality at the keyboard,” he added his voice to a long list of complimentary reviews. Russian-born Zilberkant, who has played with Atlanta’s orchestra more than twenty times, debuted with them at the age of twelve. Five years before that, he made his mark in Russia by appearing on Russian television.

Now an Artist in Residence and Professor of Piano at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, Zilberkant has established an impressive record of performance and teaching in the US and Europe. A Yamaha performing artist, he has won international piano competitions and has appeared as soloist, guest artist, and conductor at high profile music festivals here and abroad. He is on the faculty at the International Keyboard Institute and Festival in New York City.

As Music Director and Conductor, Zilberkant has toured North America with the Fairbanks Symphony Orchestra and Arctic Chamber Orchestra. Under his direction, the Fairbanks Symphony Orchestra recorded Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 2.

• Professor of Viola, Violin, & Chamber Music at University of Alaska Fairbanks
• Soloist, Concertmaster, String Teacher of the Year, Contributor to Strings magazine

Kathleen Butler-Hopkins, Alaska Trio Violinist, offers considerable experience as a soloist, chamber musician, and concertmaster. In addition to performances at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall and Merken concert Hall in New York, she is known for her work with the Tanglewood festival and the “Yale in Norfolk” summer music programs. She has been concertmaster for numerous East Coast regional orchestras and currently serves as concertmaster and soloist with the Fairbanks Symphony and the Arctic Chamber Orchestra. She has fulfilled the same roles with the Alaska Chamber Ensemble and the Alaska Chamber Players and has been a faculty member for the Fairbanks Suzuki Institute.

• Assistant Professor of Cello/Low Strings
• National tour of Bernstein’s Wonderful Town

A veteran of numerous Midwestern orchestras, Cellist Karl Knapp is now principal cello with the Fairbanks Symphony Orchestra and the Arctic Chamber Orchestra. Especially drawn to chamber music, he performs with both the Alaska Piano Trio and the Alaska Chamber Players.

• Recipient of prestigious CIM Alumni Achievement Award, 2009
• Associate concertmaster of Fairbanks Symphony and Arctic Chamber Orchestra

Violinist Gail Johansen has taught violin, viola and chamber music for 32 years as a private studio teacher in Fairbanks. The Artistic Director of the Fairbanks Suzuki Institute, she has received the Suzuki Association of the Americas 2008 “Creating Learning Community” award and is on the faculties of numerous summer institutes across North America. She helped found the Fairbanks School of Talent Education and directs the Heart of Alaska Strings, a touring ensemble that has performed in Hawaii, New Mexico, Nevada, and Alaska.

Dr. Johansen has performed with the Canton Symphony, the San Jose Symphony and numerous West Coast regional orchestras and has toured with them to Alaskan villages, Europe, China, and the Greek Islands. She is a founding member of the Alaska Chamber Players.

• Educator, clinician, adjudicator, presenter, and guest conductor
• Music innovator, especially with the KORG KP3 Kaoss Pad Dynamic Effect/Sampler

Dedicated to education and outreach, Dr. Cee offers numerous clinics and sessions in Alaska public schools every year. In addition, he has designed and developed online platforms for arts courses. In 2008, he received a University of Massachusetts Amherst Distinguished Teaching Award. In 2009, he joined the faculty of the UAF Alaska Summer Research Academy (ASRA) in the College of Natural Sciences and Math, where he co-taught a Sounds of Science module that included circuit bending, basic electronics, physics, and acoustics. ASRA students composed music using the KORG KP3 Kaoss Pad Dynamic Effect/Sampler and other innovative technologies.

In addition to research and teaching, Dr. Cee performs with the Fairbanks Symphony Orchestra, The Arctic Chamber Orchestra, and numerous local jazz groups.


The October 15th concert features two works of Franz Schubert, 1797-1828. Schubert's short life was grieved by many. His friend, poet Grillparzer wrote, "Music has here entombed a rich treasure but still fairer hopes," a beloved composer, whose life was cut short. In spite of the brevity of his life, Schubert created many lasting and beautiful works. He is particularly known for his Lieder, or art songs, of which he wrote approximately 600. Additionally, he wrote many works for solo piano, nine symphonies, and great works of chamber music. Two of his best-known chamber works are Piano Quintet in A major, also known as "The Trout" Quintet, and Piano Trio in B-flat Major.

The "Trout" Quintet is so-called because Schubert used one of his own Lieder, “Die Forelle,” or “The Trout,” as the basis for the music in this quintet. The quintet is unusual in several ways, one of which is that it is written for violin, viola, cello, bass and piano. Not many chamber works are written for that instrumentation. Another unusual feature is that it is made up of 5 movements, 3 or 4 being the norm. In the 4th movement, Schubert uses his art-song in a theme and variations format.  The variations reflect the storyline of the text, as well as the melody and accompaniment figures that Schubert wrote for voice and piano. The entire work presents a pastoral feel in the music that represents Schubert's love of the outdoors and the natural world.

The Piano Trio in B-flat Major was completed in 1828, the last year of Schubert's life. As a great deal of his music written late in life, it was not published until after his death, about 10 years later. Even though Schubert was ill and may have known he was dying, his music has a convivial quality that belies the poignancy of his life.