Rebecca Hartka @cellomedicine

Rebecca Hartka, cello & Barbara Lysakowski, piano

Boston, MA

Rebecca Hartka @cellomedicine

Rebecca Hartka, cello & Barbara Lysakowski, piano

About

Boston based Duo Déjà vu has performed together since 2010 in a wide range of venues. They were praised by the Boston Musical Intelligencer for their " ...impressive lyrical talents" and that their performance "... provided a kind of magic". Hartka and Lysakowski are dedicated to passion and excellence in music, and offering a performance experience that connects us to our shared humanity.

Cellist Rebecca Hartka has concertized for over a decade in venues throughout the United States as well as making international appearances in Italy, Vietnam, and Thailand. Hartka's playing was described by the Hanoi Times as "... magical and eloquent." Committed to building bridges through performance and transcending classical music stereotypes, Hartka has performed in nontraditional venues such as Club Passim in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the Hampshire County Jail, numerous coffee houses and private homes, and such prestigious venues as the American Embassy in Hanoi. According to the Boston Musical Intelligencer her 2014 release Light & Shadow: Sonatas of Rachmaninov and Poulenc with pianist Alys Terrien-Queen “ take this rich Russian music to new heights”, stating that their performance “ranks comfortably alongside several impressive readings by other major cellists.” In 2013-14 Hartka was artist faculty in Arcidosso, Italy for the Interharmony International Music Festival. She has appeared recently as a solo recitalist in the Frederick Historical Piano Collection Concert Series, Boston French Cultural Center, Wistaria Chamber Music Society Concerts at 7, Classics in the Woods, North Quabbin Center for the Arts Series, Community Connections Concert Series, and Columbia Universities St Lukes Concert Series. Her debut CD Folkfire with pianist Azusa Komiyama, released in October 2010, received critical acclaim as well as National Public Radio play, including a feature on Paul Elisha's Performance Place. As a Deans Scholar, Hartka earned her Doctorate of Musical Arts and Masters in Music from Boston University College of Fine Arts, and her Bachelor of Arts in Music from Oberlin College and Conservatory. She has studied with Andor Toth, Michael Reynolds, Rhonda Rider, and Leslie Parnas.

http://www.rebeccahartka.com

Born in Poland, Barbara Lysakowski is an active solo and chamber music pianist in her native country and in the Boston area. Her musical interests stretch from Classical to 20th century music. Her repertoire among others includes Chopin's, Grieg's, and Debussy's Sonatas for Cello and Piano, Poulenc's Sonata for Flute and Piano and Beethoven's Appassionata Sonata. She is a current member of Reve d'Amour ensemble whose debut on November 2014 at the French Cultural Center was described in the Boston Musical Intelligencer as "strong" and "provided a kind of magic" with "impressive, lyrical talents". In Poland under the City Concert Series, Barbara has performed with cellist, Anna Sawicka, a concert master of the Baltic State Opera Orchestra.
Barbara started her collegiate studies at the Academy of Music in Gdansk. Under the supervision of the renowned pianist and chancellor, Waldemar Wojtal, she obtained Master of Arts in Piano Performance with Academic Honors. She was an instructor of chamber music at that institution for 3 years. After moving to the US, she enrolled at the New England Conservatory graduate program where she studied with Randall Hodgkinson and earned a Master of Music in Piano Performance with Academic Honors. Since then she taught at the South Shore Conservatory and Franklin School for the Performing Arts. Currently, she is a member of the piano faculty and a staff accompanist at All Newton Music School.

http://www.duodejavu2.com/about

Music

Suggested Programs

Voix de Paris
Claude Debussy: Cello Sonata in d (1915)
Nadia Boulanger: Trois pièces pour violoncelle & piano
Chopin: Sonata for Cello and Piano in g minor op. 65

Three B's
Johannes Brahms: Sonata for cello and piano in e minor,
Ludwig van Beethoven: Sonata for cello and piano No. 3 in A major, Op. 69
Samuel Barber: Sonata for cello and piano, Op. 6

Fantasy: Imagination and Improvisation
Ludwig van Beethoven: 7 Variations on Bei Mannern, welche Liebe fuhlen, WoO 46
Robert Schumann: Fantasy Pieces, op 73
Claude Debussy: Cello Sonata in d
César Franck: Sonata for violin and piano in A major

Videos

Ensemble profiles

Past groupmuses (1)

  • Music to Enjoy!!

    Friday, Oct 5, 2018 7:00 PM EDT

    • Neighborhood: Near Coolidge Corner
    • Composers: Beethoven, Faure, Rachmaninoff
    • Instruments: Cello and Piano
    • Price: $5 to reserve, $20+ at event

    Happened over 5 years ago