Duo Sorolla
After meeting in graduate school at the Peabody Conservatory, Ismar and Wan-Chi began a collaborative relationship that evolved into Duo Sorolla, which celebrates its tenth season this year. Throughout their career together, they have performed dozens of recitals on important series throughout the USA, often collaborating with other renowned musicians. The Duo has performed a wide range of music including most of the standard repertoire for cello and piano, as well as lesser known music. Over the past several seasons, Duo Sorolla has commissioned and premiered works from William Weigel and Aaron Malone. Apart from these special projects, they have also championed the works of Lera Auerbach, George Walker, and Aaron Jay Kernis, and are keen to work with and promote the works of other living composers. Mr. Gomes and Ms. Su studied much of the duo repertoire under the tutelage of Colin Carr, Tom Sauer, Michael Kannen and other distinguished artists.
Ismar Gomes, cello
Wan-Chi Su, piano
Award-winning cellist, Ismar Gomes, has performed internationally as a chamber musician, and soloist. Hailed for his “impressive virtuosity, energy, and a handsome tonal range” (Berkshire Review), he has established himself as a captivating young artist, delivering exciting and innovative performances.
Recent appearances have taken Dr. Gomes to four continents including performances at the Walla Walla Chamber Music Festival, Evolution Contemporary Music Series, Le Petit Salon, Luan Huan Shan Glades Music Festival, Early Music at St. Mark’s, and many more. His recent collaborators include members of the Pittsburgh and Baltimore Symphonies, the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, as well as members of the Johannes, and Brentano Quartets. Also in demand as an orchestral player, Mr. Gomes was the Baltimore Symphony’s Fellow for the 2015 – 2016 season, and is a member of both the Virginia and Richmond Symphonies.
In 2013, Dr. Gomes and pianist Wan-Chi Su founded Duo Sorolla, which has appeared on distinguished series across the US. Besides their focus on the rich, historic repertoire for cello and piano, the Duo has worked with many outstanding composers – including Aaron Malone, William H. Weigel, George Walker, Ying-Chen Kao and Aaron Jay Kernis – to produce and perform their works. Ismar is also a respected baroque cellist, a capacity in which he has performed for over a decade. In 2012 Mr. Gomes co-founded Arioso Furioso, a baroque ensemble based in New York and later in 2018, Ismar joined Mélomanie, an ensemble based in Delaware that pairs early music and contemporary works on period instruments. An album of newly recorded works written especially for Mélomanie by Richard Belcastro, Larry Nelson, Robert Maggio, and Suzanne Sorkin will be released in 2020.
Always engaged in performing and commissioning new works, Dr. Gomes has presented 50+ world premiere performances. In 2014 Mr. Gomes made the premiere recording of a chamber opera by Pulitzer Prize winner, David Lang performing with the Harlem Quartet and guest artists; the recording was a Grammy nomination finalist. Next season, Ismar will give the premiere of a new concerto written for him, by James Lee III, in Philadelphia.
Teaching is a central component in Mr. Gomes’ musical life. He recently served as Visiting Assistant Professor of Cello at Luther College in Iowa, and is presently on faculty at Gettysburg College. He was formerly faculty and guest artist for StringFest at Merkin Hall, Performing Arts Institute at Wyoming Seminary, CIM Summer Chamber Music, and Young Artist at the Three Bridges International Music Festival – he is currently a Faculty Artist at the Rushmore Music Festival, the Baltimore International Piano Festival, and CelloSpeak. Dr. Gomes has recently been invited to present masterclasses at several universities including Georgetown, Towson, Ball State, and Duke.
Ismar attended the Peabody Conservatory, studying with Alison Wells and Amit Peled. Previous teachers include Marc Johnson and Clive Greensmith of the Vermeer and Tokyo Quartets. He earned his Doctor of Musical Arts Degree from Stony Brook University, under the tutelage of Colin Carr. Mr. Gomes has appeared in Masterclasses for eminent cellists including Steven Doane, Janos Starker and Steven Isserlis, and was mentored in chamber music by the Vermeer, Jerusalem, Juilliard, and Emerson String Quartets.
Please visit www.IsmarGomes.com for up to date information about Mr. Gomes’ projects.
Praised by The American Scholar for her "sensitivity and imagination," pianist Wan-Chi Su has captivated audiences as a soloist and chamber musician across Asia, Europe, and the United States. She has performed in prestigious venues such as Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in New York, Salle Cortot in Paris, and Taiwan National Concert Hall.
As a founding member of Duo Sorolla and an artist with the Piatigorsky Foundation, Dr. Su tours extensively across the United States, performing in both traditional concert series and unconventional venues throughout Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Ohio, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Vermont, Florida, Idaho, Louisiana, Georgia, Minnesota, and Alaska. She frequently collaborates with esteemed musicians, including members of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, violinist Herbert Greenberg, cellist Michael Kannen, baritone William Sharp, and trumpeter Joe Burgstaller, among others.
Dr. Su’s repertoire spans the full range of classical music, and she is a passionate advocate for contemporary composers. She has premiered works by Jordan Chase, William Weigel, and Aaron Malone, and has collaborated with renowned composers like George Walker, Curt Cacioppo, and Ying-Chen Kao. In addition to her work as a pianist, Dr. Su has served as the organist at Memorial Episcopal Church in Baltimore since 2022. She is also a faculty member at Georgetown University and Loyola University Maryland, while maintaining a private studio.
Dr. Su has won first prizes in the Taiwan Cultural Cup Invitational Piano Competition and the Taiwan National Student Music Competition in Piano. She has also been a semi-finalist in the San Jose International Piano Competition, the Art of Duo Competition, and the Liszt-Garrison Duo Competition, and a finalist in the Harrison L. Winter Piano Concerto Competition. Her festival appearances include the Taos School of Music, the Beethoven Institute, and the Paris Piano Program.
Born in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, Dr. Su began her musical journey at the age of four. She earned her bachelor’s degree in piano, with a minor in French horn, from the National Kaohsiung Normal University. She holds a Master of Music, a Graduate Performance Diploma, and a Doctor of Musical Arts from the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University, where she studied with Seth Knopp and Benjamin Pasternack. Dr. Su currently resides in Baltimore, Maryland, with her husband, also a musician, and their beloved cat, Sanji.