About

Described as an artist who "within one keystroke, creates gem tones, backlit primary colors, that can decay into pastel at his whim" (Sean MacLean, Classical KING FM 98.1), Michael Refvem enjoys a multifaceted career as recitalist, chamber musician and concerto soloist. Festival appearances include the Miami Music Festival, Prague Music Performance Institute and Festival, Icicle Creek Center for the Arts Winter Piano Institute, Marrowstone Music Festival, and Bellingham Festival of Music. Performances with the Bellingham Festival of Music have included solo recitals and collaborations with artists including saxophonist Jeffrey Siegfried and international violinist Stefan Jackiw. In Prague, he collaborated with members of the Prague Philharmonia in the Brahms Piano Quintet, and his gala performance of Ravel's infamous Gaspard de la nuit was even attended by the legendary Alfred Brendel. His performances have been heard on prominent stages in New York City (Lincoln Center Rose Studio, Manhattan School of Music's Greenfield Hall), Chicago (Chicago Cultural Center, PianoForte Foundation), Montréal (la cathédrale Christ Church), Seattle (Town Hall, Steinway Piano Gallery), and Prague (Martinu Hall, Convent of St. Agnes, National Gallery).

Mr. Refvem recently made his Chicago solo recital debut on the roster of artists in the prestigious Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concerts, which was also broadcasted live on 98.7 WFMT (Chicago). He also recently collaborated with Jeremy Berry, violist of the acclaimed Calidore String Quartet, in a series of duo recitals and on Classical KING FM 98.1 (Seattle). As a soloist, Michael has performed with orchestras at the Marrowstone Music Festival and Western Washington University. Notable upcoming performances include a 2017/18 season performance of Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 with Lake Union Civic Orchestra (Seattle) under the direction of Christophe Chagnard.

With a wide array of musical interests, Michael has performed repertoire ranging from Byrd and Rameau to Adams and Rzewski. He has made it his mission to increase the exposure of new music and is especially committed to spreading the music written by his colleagues. Recently, he gave the New York City premiere of Roger Briggs Impromptu at Manhattan School of Music's Lives of the Piano lecture/concert series. On the early end of the historical spectrum is Michael's additional passion for harpsichord performance, which has included solo recitals and a performance of J.S. Bach Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 at the Marrowstone Music Festival.

Mr. Refvem holds degrees from Western Washington University (Bachelor of Music) and Manhattan School of Music (Master of Music). Principal instructors have included Jeffrey Gilliam, Zenon Fishbein and André-Michel Schub and he has also received additional training with Heasook Rhee (instrumental collaboration), Jocelyn Stewart (harpsichord) and David Dubal (performance seminar). In addition, he has participated in master classes with Andrei Gavrilov, Paul-Badura Skoda, Stephen Hough, Gilbert Kalish, Jeremy Denk, Margo Garrett, Yoheved Kaplinsky, Anton Nel, Stephen Drury, Di Wu, Frederic Rzewski and Kurt Muroki.

Music

Solo Works

John Adams (b. 1947)
China Gates (1977)

Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714-1788)
Petites pièces pour le clavecin
- I. La Gause, Wq 117/37
- II. La Pott. Menuet, Wq 117/18
- IV. La Böhmer. Murky, Wq 117/26
- VII. La Caroline, Wq 117/39
- XI. L’Aly Rupalich, Wq 117/27

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Partita No. 2 in C minor, BWV 826
Ouverture nach Französischer Art (Overture in the French style), BWV 831
- I. Ouverture
Das wohltemperierte Klavier I (The Well-Tempered Clavier)
- Prelude and Fugue No. 2 in C minor, BWV 847
- Prelude and Fugue No. 6 in D minor, BWV 851
- Prelude and Fugue No. 9 in E major, BWV 854
- Prelude and Fugue No. 10 in E minor, BWV 855
Das wohltemperierte Klavier I (The Well-Tempered Clavier)
- Prelude and Fugue No. 6 in D minor, BWV 875
- Prelude and Fugue No. 12 in F minor, BWV 881
- Prelude and Fugue No. 24 in B minor, BWV 893
Fantasie und Fuge (Fantasia and Fugue) in A minor, BWV 904

Béla Bartók (1881-1945)
Sonata, Sz 80 (1926)

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Sonata No. 2 in A major, Op. 2, No. 2
Sonata No. 14 in C sharp minor, Op. 27, No. 2 (“Moonlight”) (in preparation)
15 Variations in E flat major, Op. 35 (“Eroica”) (in preparation)
Sonata No. 23 in F minor, Op. 57 (“Appassionata”)
Sonata No. 24 in F sharp major, Op. 78
Sonata No. 26 in E flat major, Op. 81a (“Les Adieux”)
Sonata No. 31 in A flat major, Op. 110 (in preparation)

Alban Berg (1885-1935)
Sonata, Op. 1

Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
Klavierstücke, Op. 119

Roger Briggs (b. 1952)
Impromptu (2007)

William Byrd (1543-1623)
Pavana and Galiardo: the Earle of Salisbury (1612)

John Cage (1912-1992)
Music for Marcel Duchamp (1947)
In a Landscape (1948)

Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849)
Etudes, Op. 10
- I. Allegro
- II. Allegro (“Chromatique”)
- III. Lento ma non troppo (“Tristesse”)
- IV. Presto
- V. Vivace (“Black Keys”)
- VIII. Allegro
- X. Vivace assai
- XI. Allegro con fuoco (“Revolutionary”)
Andante Spianato et Grande Polonaise Brilliante, Op. 22
Etudes, Op. 25
- I. Allegro moderato (“Aeolian Harp”)
- II. Presto
- III. Allegro
- VIII. Vivace (“Sixths”)
- IX. Assai Allegro (“Butterfly”)
- X. Allegro con fuoco (“Octave”)
- XI. Lento. Allegro con brio (“Winter Wind”)
- XII. Allegro molto con fuoco (“Ocean”)
Ballade in F minor, Op. 52
Polonaise in A flat major, Op. 53 (“Heroic”)
Barcarolle in F sharp minor, Op. 60

Aaron Copland (1900-1990)
Variations for Piano (1930)

John Corigliano (1938)
Etude-Fantasy (1976)

Claude-Achille Debussy (1862-1918)
Préludes, première livre (1910
- I. Danseuses de Delphes
Études pour le piano, première livre (1915) (complete) (in preparation)
Études pour le piano, deuxième livre (1915)
- XII. Pour les Accords

George Gershwin (1898-1937)
Preludes for Piano (1926)

George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)
Suite No. 5 in E major, HWV 430

Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)
Variations in F minor, Hob. XVII:6

Vladimir Horowitz (1903-1989)
Variations on a Theme from Bizet’s “Carmen” (1968)

Leoš Janáček (1854-1928)
1. X. 1905 (1905) (in preparation)

György Kurtág (b. 1926)
Selections from Játékok (in preparation)

Franz Liszt (1811-1886)
Ballade No. 2 in B minor, S. 171
Douze études d’exécution transcendante, S. 139
- I. Preludio
- III. Paysage
- IV. Mazeppa
- V. Feux Follets
- VI. Vision
- VIII. Wilde Jagd
- IX. Ricordanza
- X. Allegro agitato molto
- XI. Harmonies du Soir
- XII. Chasse-Neige
Grandes études de Paganini, S. 141
- III. La Campanella
Zwei Konzertetüden, S. 145
Hungarian Rhapsodies, S. 244
- No. 2 in C sharp minor
- No. 6 in D flat major
- No. 8 in F sharp minor
- No. 13 in A minor
- No. 15 in A minor (“Rácóczy-Marsch”)
Mephisto Waltz No. 1, S. 514
Widmung, No. 1 from Myrthen (Schumann), S. 566

Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)
Prelude and Fugue in E minor, Op. 35, No. 1

Moritz Moszkowski (1854-1925)
Etudes de Virtuosité, Op. 72
- No. 2 in G minor
- No. 6 in F major
- No. 11 in A flat major

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Sonata No. 3 in B flat major, KV 281
Sonata No. 11 in A major, KV 331
Sonata No. 12 in F major, KV 332
Sonata No. 13 in B flat major, KV 333
Ten Variations in G major on “Unser dummer Pöbel meint” (C.W. Gluck), KV 455
Sonata No. 16 in C major, KV 545

Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953)
Sonata No. 7 in B flat major, Op. 83

Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943)
Morceaux de fantaise, Op. 3
- II. Prelude in C sharp minor
Moments Musicaux, Op. 16
- VI. Maestoso
Études Tableaux, Op. 39
- I. Etude in F minor

Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683-1764)
Pièces de Clavecin (1724)
- VIII. Tambourine
- XVII. Les Cyclopes

Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)
Jeux d’eau (1901)
Gaspard de la nuit (1908)
Le tombeau de Couperin (1914-17)
La Valse (1919-1920)

Frederic Rzewski (b. 1938)
Four North American Ballades (1978-79)
- IV. Winnsboro cotton mill blues

Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
Impromptus, D 899
- No. 3 in G flat major
- No. 4 in A flat major
Impromptus, D 935
- No. 1 in F minor
- No. 3 in B flat major
Drei Klavierstücke, D 946
- No. 2 in E flat major
Sonata in A major, D 959
Sonata in B flat major, D 960

Robert Schumann (1810-1856)
Carnaval, Op. 9
Kreisleriana, Op. 16
- I. Äußerst bewegt
- II. Sehr innig und nicht zu rasch
Arabeske, Op. 18

Concertos

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D major, BWV 1050

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Concerto No. 4 in G major, Op. 58
Concerto No. 5 in E flat major, Op. 73 (“Emperor”)

George Gershwin (1898-1937)
Rhapsody in Blue (1924)

Edvard Greig (1843-1907)
Concerto in A minor, Op. 16

Franz Liszt (1811-1886)
Concerto No. 2 in A major, S. 125

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Concerto No. 22 in E flat major, KV 482

Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943)
Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)
Concerto No. 1 in B flat minor, Op. 23

Chamber Music and Instrumental Collaborative

William Albright (1944-1998)
Sonata for Alto Saxophone and Piano (1984)

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Sonata for Flute and Harpsichord in G minor, BWV 1020
Sonata for Viola da Gamba and Continuo No. 3 in G minor, BWV 1029
Sonata for Flute and Harpsichord in E minor, BWV 1035
Orchestra Suite No. 2 in B minor, BWV 1067 (Flute)

Arno Babadjanian (1921-1983)
Sonata for Violin and Piano in B flat minor (1959)

Béla Bartók (1881-1945)
Rhapsody No. 1 for Violin and Piano, Sz 86 (1928)

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Sonata for Cello and Piano No. 1 in F major, Op. 5, No. 1
Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 9 in A major, Op. 47 (“Kreutzer”)
Piano Trio No. 5 in D major, Op. 70, No. 1 (“Ghost”)

Ernest Bloch (1880-1959)
Suite for Viola and Piano (1919)
Suite hébraïque for Viola and Piano (1951)

William Bolcom (b. 1938)
Lilith for Alto Saxophone and Piano (1984)

Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
Piano Quartet in G minor, Op. 25
Piano Quintet in F minor, Op. 34
Trio in E flat major for Piano, Violin and French Horn (Waldhorn), Op. 40
Sonata for Clarinet and Piano in E flat major, Op. 120, No. 2

Alfredo Casella (1883-1947)
Sicilienne et Burlesque for Flute and Piano, Op. 23

Rebecca Clarke (1886-1979)
Morpheus for Viola and Piano (1917)
Sonata for Viola and Piano (1919)

Aaron Copland (1900-1990)
Duo for Flute and Piano (1971)

Claude-Achille Debussy (1862-1918)
Première rhapsodie for Clarinet and Piano (1910)

Fernande Decruck (1896-1954)
Sonata for Alto Saxophone and Piano in C sharp minor (1943)

David Diamond (1915-2005)
Sonata for Alto Saxophone and Piano (1984)

Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904)
Piano Quintet in A major, Op. 81

George Enescu (1881-1955)
Légende for Trumpet and Piano (1906

Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924)
Sonata for Violin and Piano in A major, Op. 13

Lukas Foss (1922-2009)
Three American Pieces for Violin (or Flute) and Piano (1944)

César Franck (1922-1890)
Sonata for Violin and Piano in A major (1883)

Alberto Ginastera (1916-1983)
Pampeana No. 1 for Violin and Piano (1947)

Paul Hindemith (1895-1963)
Sonata for Bassoon and Piano (1938)
Sonata for French Horn and Piano (1939)
Sonata for Trumpet and Piano (1939)
Sonata for Tuba and Piano (1955)
Sonata for Viola and Piano, Op. 11, No. 4
Trio for Piano, Heckelphone and Viola, Op. 47

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Sonata for Violin and Piano in B flat major, KV 378
Quintet for Piano and Winds in E flat major, KV 452
Piano Quartet in G minor, KV 478
Piano Quartet in E flat major, KV 493
Trio for Piano, Clarinet and Viola, KV 498 (“Kegelstatt”)

Astor Piazzolla (1921-1992)
Oblivion for Soprano Saxophone and Piano

Walter Piston (1894-1976)
Sonata for Flute and Piano (1930)

Francis Poulenc (1899-1963)
Sextet for Piano and Winds, FP 100 (1932)
Sonata for Clarinet and Piano in B flat, FP 184 (1963)

Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953)
Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 1 in F minor, Op. 80
Sonata for Flute (or Violin Sonata No. 2) and Piano in D major, Op. 94

Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943)
Trio élégiaque No. 1 in G minor (1892)

Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)
Tzigane for Violin and Piano (1924)
Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 2 in G major (1923-27)

Carl Reinecke (1824-1910)
Sonata for Flute and Piano, Op. 167 (“Undine”)

Albert Roussel (1869-1937)
Joueurs de flûte, Op. 27

Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921)
Sonata for Bassoon and Piano, Op. 168

Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951)
Pierrot Lunaire, Op. 21 (1912)

Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
Sonata for Arpeggione and Piano in A minor, D 821
Piano Quintet in A major, D 667 (“The Trout”)

Robert Schumann (1810-1856)
Piano Quintet in E flat major, Op. 44
Adagio and Allegro for Horn (or Cello) and Piano, Op. 70
Märchenbilder for Viola and Piano, Op. 113

Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975)
Piano Trio in E minor, Op. 67

Halsey Stevens (1908-1989)
Sonata for Trumpet and Piano (1956)

Otar Taktakishvili (1924-1989)
Sonata for Flute and Piano (1968)

Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767)
Trio Sonata in C minor for Flute, Oboe and Continuo

Vocal Collaborative

Claude-Achille Debussy (1862-1918)
Ariette oubliées (forgotten songs), L. 60 (1885-1887)
Chansons de Bilitis (songs of Bilitis) (1901)

Gustav Mahler (1860-1911)
Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen (songs of a Wayfarer) (1883-85)

Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)
Shéhérazade (1903)

Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
Die schöne Müllerin (The Lovely Maid of the Mill), D 795
Ganymed, D 544
Suleika, D 720
Auf dem Strom, D 943

Robert Schumann (1810-1856)
Dichterliebe (A Poets Love), Op. 48

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