MIRANDA CUCKSON

Miranda Cuckson has delighted audiences with her playing of a wide range of music and styles, from older eras to the newest creations. A distinctive and greatly acclaimed soloist and collaborator, she performs at venues large and small, from casual spaces to concert halls. These have included the Berlin Philharmonie, Suntory Hall, Casa da Musica Porto, Teatro Colón, Cleveland Museum, Art Institute of Chicago, Strathmore, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra’s Liquid Music series, 92nd St Y, National Sawdust, and the Ojai, Bard, Marlboro, Portland, Music Mountain, West Cork, Grafenegg, Wien Modern, and LeGuessWho festivals. Miranda made her Carnegie Hall debut playing Piston’s Concerto No. 1 with the American Symphony Orchestra. She recently premiered Georg Friedrich Haas’ Violin Concerto No. 2 with four orchestras in Japan and Europe, and Violin Concerto by Marcela Rodriguez with the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de México. Upcoming concerts include recitals at San Francisco Performances and on tour in Germany, and a performance of the Haas concerto in Vienna.

Reflecting her deeply felt perspective as a multiethnic American, Miranda works with an array of artists from many backgrounds. She has given innumerable premieres, had many substantial works written for her, and works with promising young artists and the most renowned composers of our era. She is a member of interdisciplinary collective AMOC* and founder/director of non-profit Nunc. She has guest curated at National Sawdust and done programming of chamber concerts at the Contempo series in Chicago and Miller Theater in New York, among others.

Miranda’s many lauded albums include Világ featuring the Bartok Solo Sonata along with new works; a live recording of the Ligeti Violin Concerto; the Korngold and Ponce concertos; several albums of music by major American composers; Bartók, Schnittke and Lutoslawski on ECM; Melting the Darkness, an album of microtonal and electronic music; and Nono’s La lontananza nostalgica utopica futura, which was named a Best Recording of the Year by The New York Times.

Miranda is an alumna of The Juilliard School, having studied there from Pre-College through her doctorate, and she was awarded the school’s Presser Award. She teaches at the Mannes School of Music at New School University.

Eric Huebner

Since his debut with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at age 17, pianist Eric Huebner has won worldwide acclaim for his performances of new and traditional music.

In January 2012, he was appointed pianist of the New York Philharmonic where he currently holds the Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Piano Chair. A passionate devotée of twentieth and twenty-first century music, his artistic touchstones include György Ligeti, whose études and Trio for Violin, Horn and Piano he recorded on the album Désordre. A devoted teacher as well as performer, he is an Associate Professor of Music at the University at Buffalo (SUNY), where he mentors undergraduate and graduate pianists and teaches courses in twentieth- and twenty-first  century piano music and literature.

Leelanee Sterrett

Leelanee Sterrett joined the New York Philharmonic in 2013 and is the orchestra’s Acting Associate Principal Horn.

In recent seasons, she has made solo appearances at Carnegie Hall, in recitals and master classes throughout the US and at numerous  International Horn Symposia, and has presented recitals and masterclasses around the country. She has performed as guest principal horn with the London Symphony Orchestra, appears frequently at the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, and was a member of the 2022 National Brass Ensemble. A passionate advocate for women composers, her world-premiere recordings of their works include Fernande Breihl-Decruck’s Poëme Héroïque for trumpet, horn, and orchestra.

Brandon Ilaw

Brandon Ilaw, versatile multi-instrumentalist, recently toured North America as percussionist in Les Misérables. After winning 2nd prize in the 2014 TROMP International Percussion Competition, he completed a two-year fellowship with Carnegie Hall’s Ensemble Connect.

His band, Empire Wild, which plays everything from classical music to folk, pop, jazz, and beyond, won the Ambassador Prize at the 2020 Concert Artist Guild Competition. Empire Wild frequently tours throughout the US, with concerts scheduled this summer at Mannes School of Music (July 13), the Sembrich Museum (July 16), and the Arkell Museum (July 17). Apart from his musical endeavors, Brandon is also an internationally published photographer specializing in portraits and live concerts.

Support for the House Blend Concerts is provided by Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation, the Aaron Copland Fund for Music, and the Alice M. Ditson Fund.