The American Double

Philip Ficsor, Violin
Constantine Finehouse, Piano
125 Eliot St. #3
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467 USA
+1 617-784-4281

The American Double has performed concerts in the U.S. and Europe, including recitals at Yale University’s Sprague Memorial Hall, the New England Conservatory and Boston University’s College of Fine Arts. In the Spring of 2004, the ensemble completed a highly successful tour of Hungary where their well-received performances of Bolcom’s Graceful Ghost, Fourth Sonata and Duo Fantasy were Hungarian premieres. The Kiskunhalas Mirror praised their musicianship as “collaboration of an unbelievably high degree.” This year also saw them present concerts in New Hampshire at the Mt. Washington Hotel and Resort, as well as appearances in Michigan, Connecticut, New York, and Massachusetts. Since its formation in 2001, the American Double has endeavored to bring fresh interpretive insights to the traditional repertoire, as well as performing works by established composers from the United States and Europe whose works for violin and piano have fallen into obscurity. In the summer of 2003, they presented a performance of the complete sonatas for violin and piano by William Bolcom, with the composer in attendance. Their current CD features sonatas by Brahms, Ravel and Beethoven. An upcoming CD consists of the complete works for violin and piano by Pulitzer-Prize winning composer William Bolcom.

Constantine Finehouse, piano, was recently praised by Rhein Main Presse Allgemeine Zeitung, for his “interpretations of depth and maturity.” Since receiving his Masters in Piano Performance from Yale University as a student of Boris Berman, he has performed extensively in the US and abroad. Mr. Finehouse has played with numerous orchestras in the Boston area, where he recently gave acclaimed performances of Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy and Appassionata Sonata. As an undergraduate, Mr. Finehouse attended The Juilliard School under the guidance of Herbert Stessin and Jerome Lowenthal. His awards include the Vladimir Horowitz Scholarship from Juilliard and a 2004 St. Botolph Club Foundation Grant. He regularly attends masterclasses and festivals in Europe, including Meisterkurse für Musik Zurich with Rudolf Buchbinder, Berliner Sommerkurs with Klaus Hellwig, and Mattheiser Sommerakademie with Bernard Roberts. Mr. Finehouse received his early training in St. Petersburg, Russia as a student of Rena Gorkovenko. Upon immigrating to the US at the age of thirteen, he continued his studies in Boston with Fredrik Wanger, and later as a full-scholarship student at NEC Preparatory Division with Natalia Harlap. He currently resides in Wellesley, Massachusetts.

Philip Ficsor, violin, is currently working on a dissertation concerning the complete works for violin and piano by William Bolcom under the auspices of Boston University. While at Boston University, Mr. Ficsor studied with Lynn Chang and was named Dean’s Scholar, an award recognizing “the most outstanding talent in the College of Fine Arts.” An avid chamber musician, his participation in a recent performance of Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time was praised by critic C.J. Gianakaris as “splendid...Ficsor marvelously rendered the ultimate design of Messiaen’s work…he effectively created the sense of aurally lifting toward the heavens, step by step.” Mr. Ficsor received his Masters of Music from Yale University, where he studied with renowned violinist Erick Friedman and received the George Wellington Miles Scholarship recognizing “outstanding majors in performance.” He earned his BA and an additional MM in Violin Performance from The University of Michigan, where he studied with Stephen Shipps. He has attended numerous festivals across Europe and the U.S., studying at the Meadowmount School of Music with Stephen Shipps, the Holland Music Festival (Netherlands) with Erick Friedman and Eduard Schmieder, as well as the Semmering Festival, with Václav Snitíl. Mr. Ficsor received three years of pre-college violin training in Hungary while attending the Hans Richter Conservatory of Music in Gyor, Hungary. Originally from Kalamazoo, Michigan, he now resides in Brookline, Massachusetts.