Ben Solomonow and Christopher Goodpasture

August 18, 2021, 12:15 pm

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Ben Solomonow and Christopher Goodpasture

Bronze medal winner of the 2021 Fischoff National Chamber Competition, cellist Ben Solomonow is joined by pianist Christopher Goodpasture performing music of Beethoven, Kodály, Strohl, and Debussy for this Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert broadcast.



Described by the Toronto Concert Review as “exuding a depth of artistry and sublime musical sensitivity” and noted by the Dallas Morning News for his “rhetorical grandeur, romantic warmth, and surefire technique,” pianist Christopher Goodpasture has a growing reputation as a recitalist, chamber musician and orchestral soloist.

Christopher’s performances reflect an emphasis on the importance of programming, with an inclination towards repertoire that is unconventional and lesser-known, and narrative that is provocative. These programs often weave together short works of disparate styles and eras in non-linear fashion, drawing unusual connections between seemingly unrelated composers. The essence of his approach as a performer lies in the totality of the listening experience.

Winner of Astral Artists 2019 National Auditions in Philadelphia, Christopher regularly performs in concert venues internationally, including the Kennedy Center (Washington D.C.), Benaroya Hall (Seattle), Koerner Hall (Toronto), Alice Tully Hall, Merkin Hall, Weill Recital Hall (New York), Bing Concert Hall (San Francisco), and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. He is a top prize-winner of international competitions across the country including the Washington International Piano Competition, Seattle International Piano Competition, Iowa International Piano Competition, Dallas International Piano Competition, and Serge and Olga Koussevitzky Competition for Pianists in New York.

Recent and forthcoming orchestral performances include Saint-Saëns Concerto No. 2 with the Dallas Chamber Symphony, Rachmaninov Concerto No. 2 and Grieg Concerto with the Oakville Symphony in Toronto, concert works of Gershwin with the Riverside Symphonia, Mozart Concerto No. 23 with the Chamber Orchestra of New York and Beethoven Concerto No. 2 with the Joven Orquesta Leonesa in Léon, Spain, as well as appearances with the Sioux City, Northumberland, and Acadiana Symphony Orchestras.

From a young age, Christopher developed a keen interest in collaboration and is now a widely sought-after chamber musician. He has collaborated with members of the Takacs, Ysaye, Amenda, and Guarneri string quartets and appeared in performances at the Ravinia Steans Music Institute, Aspen Music Festival, Music Academy of the West, Kneisel Hall, Sarasota and Banff Festivals. Most recently, he was a member of the New York-based Ensemble Connect (formerly Ensemble ACJW), a fellowship program of Carnegie Hall, the Juilliard School and the Weill Institute, emphasizing audience engagement, teaching and performing chamber music.

Born in Los Angeles, California, Christopher’s education began at the Pasadena Conservatory, where he studied theory, chamber music, and for four years, composition with American composer, Andrew Norman. Christopher holds graduate degrees from the Yale School of Music and The Juilliard School, where his teachers included Hung-Kuan Chen, Peter Frankl, Jerome Lowenthal and Christopher Elton. He received his Bachelor of Music from the University of Southern California and an Artist Diploma from the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, studying with Stewart Gordon and John Perry.

Biography courtesy of the artist’s website.

  • Sonata No. 4 for Cello and Piano Op. 102, No. 1 in C Major, by Ludwig van Beethoven
    Andante – Allegro vivace
    Adagio – Tempo d’andante – Allegro vivace

  • Sonatina for Cello and Piano, by Zoltán Kodály

  • Solitude (Reverie), by Rita Strohl 

  • Sonata for Cello and Piano in D minor, by Claude Debussy
    Prologue (Lent)
    Sérénade (Modérément  animé)
    Finale (animé)