Chandor Gardens Foundation is excited to welcome Opus Nova Chamber Music Series back to the Great Room at Chandor Gardens on Tuesday, May 5th at 7:00 PM, for a high-energy celebration of the legendary “King of Swing,” Benny Goodman—just in time for Cinco de Mayo!
Featuring Stas Chernyshev and Ann Hung, clarinets • Daniel Anastasio, piano • Paul Unger, bass • Nick Sakakeeny, percussion
The evening begins with a complimentary pre-concert reception at 6:30 PM, featuring refreshments and hors d’oeuvres. Enjoy outstanding artists performing chamber music in an intimate, private atmosphere, and share the moment with fellow music lovers.
Get ready for a lively, toe-tapping evening filled with jazz, groove, and virtuosic flair. This program brings together some of the most exciting music inspired by Goodman’s unforgettable sound—music that swings, sparkles, and surprises at every turn. From smoky blues and playful rhythms to lush melodies and dazzling showpieces, every piece bursts with personality.
Featuring the dynamic combination of clarinet, piano, bass, and percussion, this concert moves effortlessly between soulful, intimate moments and full-on, foot-stomping fun. Come celebrate Cinco de Mayo with us—great music, great energy, and a little swing in the air!
Tickets - $60 (+fees)
CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE TICKETS
Musicians:
Stas Chernyshev, clarinet
An "eloquent" clarinetist with "incredible artistry” Russian-born Stas Chernyshev has established a versatile career as an orchestral musician, soloist, chamber musician, and educator (Dallas Morning News, Theater Jones). Principal clarinetist of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, Mr. Chernyshev has performed at such prestigious venues as Carnegie Hall in New York, Kimmel Center in Philadelphia, Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., as well as in Switzerland, Spain, Germany, Russia, South Korea and Japan. A devoted chamber musician, Mr. Chernyshev has collaborated with Grammy-winning ensembles Eighth Blackbird and Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, commissioned new works for his instrument. He has been featured on WQXR -New York’s classical music station and WHYY’s television program - On Stage at Curtis. He is the founder and artistic director of Fort Worth Performances for Autism, and a co-founder of Opus Nova Chamber Music Series. Mr. Chernyshev holds a Bachelor’s degree from the Curtis Institute of Music, and a Master’s degree from St. Petersburg Conservatory.
Ann Hung, clarinet
Ann Hung, born in Taipei, Taiwan, began her musical studies at a young age, starting with piano at age five and clarinet at age nine. Dr. Hung is an active performer in the Dallas and Fort Worth area who regularly performs in the realms of both the orchestral and chamber music. She has shared the stage with the Fort Worth Symphony, the Cleveland Orchestra, the members of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and the faculty of the Juilliard School. Dr. Hung is always pushing the boundaries of her repertoire and skills, such as collaborating with jazz musicians and commissioning new composers. As a proponent of new music, she has avidly commissioned new works including a wind quintet with her quintet Opus Now premiering in Symphony Space in NYC. One of the new works that Dr. Hung commissioned is included in a recently released album “Stained Glass Story” by Eldad Tarmu. Dr. Hung is currently teaching in Lewisville ISD, Burleson ISD as private lesson instructor and often plays with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra. She is the associate director of the Fort Worth Performances for Autism and co- founder of Opus Nova Chamber Music Series.
Daniel Anastasio, piano
Praised by the New York Times for his “crisp performance” of a “devilish showpiece” by Ukrainian composer Borys Liatoshynsky, Daniel Anastasio is a soloist and chamber musician based in San Antonio, Texas who combines an intellectual curiosity with “technical prowess and emotional sensitivity” (San Antonio Report). As Artistic Director of several organizations including Agarita and the San Antonio Chamber Music Society, his innovative programs have included collaborations with dancers, writers, museums, photographers, glass-blowers, and more. As a performer with a diverse skillset, he has performed Bach’s Goldberg Variations on harpsichord one week, and premiered a multimedia work by Rome Prize-winning contemporary composer Christopher Stark on MIDI keyboard the next. An active proponent of new music, he is the co-founder and pianist of Unheard-of Ensemble, a group that creates engaging interdisciplinary works in direct collaboration with emerging artists and composers across the United States, and tours actively. An Assistant Professor of Music and Director of Keyboard Studies at San Antonio College, Anastasio received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Music and Philosophy from Cornell University under Xak Bjerken, a Master of Music degree from Juilliard under Jerome Lowenthal, and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Stony Brook University, where he studied with Gilbert Kalish and Christina Dahl.
Nick Sakakeeny, percussion
Nick Sakakeeny joined the FWSO in 2018 as Assistant Principal Timpanist and Percussionist. He enjoys performing in a variety of settings, and has worked with ensembles including the International Contemporary Ensemble, Mark Morris Dance Group, the Dallas and Atlanta Symphonies, and the New York Philharmonic. In 2011 he won first prize in the Atlanta Modern Snare Drum Competition, and in 2015 won third prize in the PAS Solo Percussion Competition. Nick has attended the Round Top Festival Institute, the National Orchestral Institute, and has been a fellow at the Tanglewood Music Center.Born in Oberlin, OH, Nick attended the Manhattan School of Music for his undergraduate studies before completing his master’s degree at Northwestern University.
Paul Unger, bass
Paul Unger is currently the Assistant Principal Bass of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra and Professor of Double Bass at Texas Christian University.
An accomplished bassist and composer, Mr. Unger’s versatile abilities have allowed him to appear as a featured soloist with the Fort Worth/ Dallas Ballet, the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra and the Mimir and Mount Vernon Chamber Music Festivals. As an accomplished orchestral musician, he has performed with the Minnesota Orchestra, Oregon Symphony, Louisiana Philharmonic and New World Symphony. His diverse abilities have also allowed him to perform and record with such diverse artists as Bob Newhart, Bernadette Peters, Andrea Bocelli, Kevin Eubanks, The Who, Elle King and Weird Al Yankovic, as well as, the touring Broadway productions of Les Miserables, Beautiful and Jeckyll and Hyde.
Paul is an integral member of the critically acclaimed jazz group, “Flipside”. A group referred to in Cadence magazine as “contemporary jazz at its best”, “exhilarating and challenging music making that is rarely dull. A band not to be missed”. David Lewis at Cadence said, “not only is Unger a first rate rhythm player, there is no question of his ability to extend his technique well beyond mainstream expectations.” And the Louisville Observer said of Mr. Unger, “the somewhat unexpected gem in Flipside’s “Artificial Joy” is bassist Paul Unger. Like the better known Edgar Meyer, Unger has a strong background in classical music… his smooth bowing style gives an elegiac feel to his own compositions…”
In 2016 Mr. Unger was voted “Best Bassist” and “Best Jazz Group” by Fort Worth Weekly Magazine.
Paul is a native of Silverton, Oregon and graduated from Indiana University. In addition to his musical work, he wrote and directed the multiple award winning film, “The Last Supper” and the docu-series “Symphonic Shorts” which appeared in over a dozen festivals worldwide. He has also composed music for the feature film “Seventy-Eight”.
Thank You to our sponsors for this event:
