Brunilda Myftaraj, violin
Blake Hansen, piano
Albanian-American violinist BRUNILDA MYFTARAJ has drawn enthusiastic accolades from audiences as well as critical acclaim for her masterful musicianship in Albania, Italy, Greece, France, Morocco, Austria, Switzerland, Poland, Israel, and in the United States. She has been praised by the New London Day critic as an “especially fine and beautiful player”. Although Myftaraj’s teachers are some of the world’s finest, her true inspiration comes from audiences and her students. Her recordings of“Naked Violin” and “The American Pie” received impeccable reviews from Fanfare magazine.
Blake Meyer Hansen graduated from the Hartt School, University of Hartford, in 2013 with a Master of Music in piano performance under the tutelage of Luiz de Moura Castro. He now performs frequently as an accompanist and soloist in the greater Hartford area. Although primarily a pianist, Blake has also pursued studies in violin, double majoring in both instruments in his undergraduate program at Principia College, where he studied piano with Dr. Marie Jureit-Beamish and violin with Laura Garritson Parker.
Blake has participated in numerous piano masterclasses in the United States and Europe. He has had the fortune of playing for great artists, including Kenneth Drake, Boris Berman, Florence Millet, and Simon Trpceski. He also frequently attends summer festivals, such as the Semana Internacional de Piano de Obidos (SIPO) in Portugal and the summer courses at the Conservatori Liceu in Barcelona, Spain.
A winner of numerous piano competitions, including the University of Redlands Merit Awards, the Inland Empire Piano Festival, both in California, and the Sigma Alpha Iota music competitions in St. Louis, Blake remains an active participant in concerto competitions. He has soloed on the piano and violin with the Principia College Orchestra and on piano with the Mt. San Jacinto College Orchestra.
An experienced chamber musician, Blake frequently collaborates in ensembles and as an accompanist. During his studies at Principia he was accompanist for the Principia College Choir and the vocal studios. As an orchestral violinist, he has served as concertmaster for the Youth Ensemble of Strings at the University of Redlands, CA, and the Principia College orchestra. Blake has had the opportunity to perform in notable venues such as Steinway Hall in New York City and the Illsley Ball Nordstram Hall in Seattle, WA.