PIACLAVA - Biographies

About Piaclava

Piaclava welcomes new works written for their combination and has given the U.S. première of Daniel Godfrey’s Serenata Ariosa, and the world premières of Eli Yamin’s Rickshaw in the Rain and “....merely circulating,” written by Douglas Boyce. Since 1994, clarinetist Benjamin Fingland and his wife Jessica Meyer have partnered with several pianists to perform both in the New York Metropolitan area and eastern Long Island. For the past several years, pianist and composer Beata Moon has added a new voice to the ensemble.

Venues have included the Aeolian Concert Series in London, Canada, Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, The Juilliard School and The Landon Gallery in Lincoln Center, the Continental Center and The Church for All Nations in Manhattan, and a highly-acclaimed three-week tour of over 20 public schools in the New York City area for the Lincoln Center Institute for the Arts in Education. Currently, they are in residence at PS 153Q as part of Little Orchestra Society’s “Musical Connections: The School Partnership Program,” which inspired members of Piaclava to create their own version called "Tales and Tunes." (Click here for more information)

About the Artists

BENJAMIN FINGLAND
Photo: Andrew Fingland

With performances capturing “spiritedness and humor,” “unflagging precision and energy” (The New York Times) and playing described as “something magical” (The Boston Globe), Benjamin Fingland interprets many styles of music on a variety of clarinets. An avid proponent of new music, he works closely with many of today’s composers, and has premiered numerous works in recital at such New York City institutions as Merkin Concert Hall and the Museum of Modern Art, and internationally at Japan’s Kyoto Music Festival and festivals in the Ukraine, Russia and South America. A founding member of the critically-acclaimed new music collective counter)induction, he also performs frequently with contemporary music groups Continuum and Ensemble 21, and has appeared with the New York New Music Ensemble, ICE, the Locrian Chamber players, Sequitur and the Argento ensemble. He has also collaborated, recorded, and toured with a wide variety of other artists – ranging in scope from Pierre Boulez and the Ensemble Intercontemporain to jazz legend Ornette Coleman. Mr. Fingland is a former principal clarinet of the New Haven Symphony. He is also a founding member of Piaclava, a touring clarinet, viola, and piano trio dedicated to educational outreach. He holds Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from The Juilliard School.

JESSICA MEYER
Photo: Ulla Suokko

Acclaimed for her “polish, focus, and excitement” (Allan Kozinn, the New York Times), violist Jessica Meyer is a versatile performer who has been featured as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral player throughout the world. As a committed advocate of new music, Ms. Meyer is the co-founder of the critically-acclaimed contemporary music collective counter)induction, which performs regularly in NYC and around the country. Jessica has premiered pieces for solo viola at Merkin Concert Hall and the MATA Festival, and has played with ensembles such as Continuum, the Argento Chamber Ensemble, the Glass Farm Ensemble, and SONYC (the String Orchestra of New York City). Equally at home with many other styles of music, she has also appeared with tap dancer Savion Glover and his jazz band at venues such as the Joyce Theater and B.B. King’s Blues Club. Passionate about education, Jessica also conducts many workshops for hundreds of public school students and adults throughout the area for the Lincoln Center Institute, the Little Orchestra Society, and the Hudson Valley Philharmonic. Ms. Meyer earned her Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from The Juilliard School.

BEATA MOON
Photo: Tess Steinkolk

Korean-American pianist Beata Moon leads an active life as a performer, composer and educator. She is an ardent ambassador for new music and has enjoyed working as a host of her own music television series and as an Impresario in her efforts to reach out to broader audiences. Since graduating from Juilliard with a degree in piano performance in 1990, Moon has spent the last 15 years composing works in a variety of genres. Her CDs of original music, Perigee & Apogee, (Albany Records) Earthshine (BiBimBop Music) and Piano Works (Naxos) were enthusiastically received by press and public alike and continue to be broadcast on radio stations around the world. Reviewer Andrew Druckenbrod of Gramophone magazine writes, “Moon writes compelling music that is utterly sincere - this disc is exhibit A in the continuing court-of-public-opinion case on the accessibility of quality new music." An interest in aesthetic education led Moon to become a teaching artist for Lincoln Center Institute and for The Academy - a program of Carnegie Hall, The Juilliard School and The Weill Music Institute. She also collaborates with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra in their “Composition in the Classroom” program.