NSMS Faculty members Derek Hartman and Alexa Stier will be joined by their Yale School of Music colleagues, percussionists Makana Medeiros and Russell Fisher, to lead a workshop for NSMS students. The four musicians will perform the Quartet for Two Vibraphones and Two Pianos and lead a series of fun activities revolving around rhythm and ensemble-playing. Two sessions are offered, one designed for Elementary students and the other for Intermediate to Advanced students.
This event will be held in the New School for Music Study Classroom.
Saturday, April 27, 6pm (Elementary)
Saturday, April 27, 7pm (Intermediate/Advanced/Adult)
Space is limited. RSVP by April 22:
Performer Biographies
Derek Hartman
Derek Hartman joined the New School for Music Study in 2023. He is currently a Doctor of Musical Arts candidate at the Yale School of Music, at which he also received his Masters of Music in 2021 under the instruction of Boris Slutsky. He completed his undergraduate studies in piano performance and music theory at Northwestern University in 2019, whilst studying with James Giles.
Mr. Hartman has appeared as a soloist with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, and he was awarded top prizes in the Music Teachers’ National Association Young Artist Piano Competition, the PianoArts North American Competition, and the Thaviu-Isaak Endowed Piano Competition. His performance engagements have taken him to such diverse venues as the Bowdoin International Music Festival, the Kravis Center of the Performing Arts in West Palm Beach, Florida, and the Ruïnekerk in Bergen, The Netherlands. He is a recipient of numerous scholarships, including the 2023 Evelyn Bonar Storrs Scholarship, and he was awarded the 2023 Yale School of Music Alumni Prize and the 2020 Elizabeth Parisot Prize in recognition of his contributions to the Yale community.
As a dedicated music educator, he has maintained a private teaching studio and served as a teaching assistant in the Analysis and Musicianship curriculum at Yale. Since 2018, Mr. Hartman has partnered with PianoArts of Wisconsin to design and present dozens of music educational programs across Milwaukee. Mr. Hartman is also an avid chamber musician, a harpsichordist and continuo player, and a music theory and analysis aficionado. In his free time, he enjoys watching Minnesota sports, and playing jazz.
Alexa Stier
Alexa Stier joined the New School for Music Study in 2023. Ms. Stier earned her Bachelor of Music degree at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, where she studied with Fali Pavri. She completed her Master of Music degree at the Yale School of Music, where she is currently a candidate of the Doctorate of Musical Arts program, studying with Professor Boris Berman and Professor Wei-Yi Yang. Ms. Stier is also the founder and artistic director of the ContemporArt Association based in Romania, which aims to contribute towards the cultivation of chamber music in her hometown through a concert series and a workshop program designed for local music students.
Described as “simply phenomenal” (New Britain Herald), Romanian-Hungarian pianist Alexa Stier has performed extensively in the United States and across Europe. She appeared as a soloist with orchestras such as the Royal Scottish National Orchestra (UK), the New Britain Symphony Orchestra (USA), and Transylvania State Philharmonic Orchestra (Romania). Ms. Stier received first prizes in many international competitions, such as the Sheepdrove Piano Competition (UK) and the Virtuoso & Belcanto Concerto Competition (Italy). She was the recipient of the “Maurice Ohana” Special Prize at the Orléans International Piano Competition (France), and in 2021, she was a Fellow at the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival.
Russell Fisher
Russell Fisher is a percussionist and educator. Currently, he is a Doctorate of Musical Arts Candidate at the Yale School of Music, and serves as Assistant Professor of Music, Director of Ensembles at the University of Bridgeport. As a soloist, Russell has performed with the NYU Symphony Orchestra, Greater Bridgeport Youth Symphony, and NYU Chamber Music Ensemble. As a chamber musician, Russell has been featured in the Yale Percussion Group, Yale In New York Concert Series at Carnegie Hall, on the Brooklyn Bound Series, and Sō Percussion Summer Institute.
Makana Medeiros
Makana Medeiros is a percussionist participating in many genres ranging from jazz, classical, and contemporary music. As a chamber musician, Makana has performed with ensembles and festivals such as the Yale Percussion Group, New Music New Haven, Eastman Percussion Ensemble, Eastman Jazz Combos, Nief-Norf Summer Festival, and Chautauqua Festival Orchestra. Makana has performed with established artists in the contemporary music genre such as Pamela Z, Caroline Shaw, and Eighth Blackbird. Currently, Makana is pursuing a Master of Music degree at the Yale School of Music under the tutelage of Robert Van Sice.