Joseph Vella (1942-2018)
Trio Concertante, Op. 7
Belvedere Chamber Music Festival
June 22, 2018
Listen to the recording HERE

Luna Nova Ensemble

Gregory Maytan, violin
Robert Patterson, horn
Perry Mears, piano

Gregory Maytan has been praised for his ‘infectious vitality’ and for his ‘lyrical freshness’ by The Strad, who also awarded his CD of Scandinvian music with the distinction of CD of the Month. The Nordsee Zeitung, Strings Magazine and the American Record Guide have also reviewed Maytan’s performances favorably. Maytan has performed virtually all the major violin concertos with orchestra, and regularly performs in recitals and concerts in Europe and the US. He has performed on the Dame Myra Hess series, and also at venues such as Ravinia and Tanglewood. He has also performed in Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan, Japan and China. Maytan has been nominated for a Grammis award (Swedish Grammy) and has had his CD receive the distinction of ‘Classical CD of the Year’ by Hifi Magazine. He has also completed a Fulbright Specialist Grant at the Norwegian Academy of Music. Maytan performs on a 1683 Giovanni Grancino violin, generously loaned to him by the Jarnaker foundation, administered by the Swedish Royal Academy of Music. He graduated from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music as a student of Miriam Fried, Alexander Kerr and Paul Biss.

Robert G. Patterson resides in Memphis, Tennessee. His music is infused with the popular rhythms and melodic fragments around him, and these provide source material for his personal voice. He is a resident composer with the Luna Nova Ensemble and recent accomplishments include commissions from Opera Memphis, the One Coin Concert series in Osaka, Japan, and First Prize in the NATS Art Song Composition Award. Patterson holds degrees from the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Memphis, and Oberlin College, having studied composition with George Crumb and Don Freund. His compositions have received numerous awards, including the University of Michigan Bands Commission, the International Composition Prize from the City of Tarragona in Spain, and the Distinguished Composer of the Year award from the Music Teachers National Association. He was a resident at the Visby Centre for Composers in Visby, Sweden. In addition to his musical activities, Patterson also has been a professional software developer, and his interest in computers led him to become an expert in musical engraving using a computer. His Patterson Plug-Ins Collection for Finale software is a staple of composers and copyists worldwide.

Pianist Perry Mears performs regularly throughout the Midsouth and across the country. Frequent collaborators include mezzo-soprano Loralee Songer, soprano Sabrina Warren, flutist John McMurtery, and the Memphis-based ensemble Luna Nova. Previously on the faculty at Lee University, he has also been on the musical staff of the Schumann Liederfest in Zwickau, Germany. Known for his commitment to new music, Dr. Mears has premiered many works by a host of exciting composers, including Robert Patterson, Armando Bayolo, and Dan Lazarescou.  He has collaborated with singers in master classes with renowned artists such as Thomas Hampson, Steven Blier, Jennifer Larmore, Renate Faltin, and Carol Kimball.  As an opera and musical theater coach, his credits include Carmen, Susannah, Patience, My Fair Lady, The Old Maid and the Thief, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, and the workshop premiere of Kirke Mechem’s The Newport Rivals.
Receiving his DMA from the Rudi E. Scheidt School of Music at the University of Memphis, Dr. Mears previously completed his M.M. in Collaborative Piano at the University of Maryland under the tutelage of Rita Sloan. His other primary teachers include Cathal Breslin, Michael Wittenburg, and Phillip Thomas. He is an alumnus of the Aspen Music Festival and School where he was part of the prestigious Collaborative Artist Program. He currently resides in Davenport, Iowa, where he maintains an active teaching and performing career, works with the Pleasant Valley Community School District, and teaches music history at St. Ambrose University. He also serves as the music director for St. Peter’s Episcopal Church and coordinates their performing arts series, Music@St Pete's.