Karen Becker and Friends Concert to Feature Violinist Jonathan Storer from University of Trinidad and Tobago

Storer hails from London and received his musical education in Manchester and London in the United Kingdom; Utrecht, Netherlands; and Freiburg, Germany. He has performed as a soloist and director in more than 30 countries. Storer has held long-term posts in the Freiburg Opera orchestra; was co-leader of the Augsburg Symphony Orchestra (Germany) and the Northern Sinfonia (England); and has also worked in leading positions with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, the Heidelberg Chamber Orchestra, the London Concertante and the Solingen and Nürnberg Symphony orchestras. Storer was co-founder of the Glarean Ensemble, Swedenborg Quartet and the Ashton Trio and has enjoyed chamber music partnerships with such noted artists as Maurice Borgue, Simon Mulligan, Donald Runnicles and Thomas Zehetmair.

Before moving to Trinidad in 2009 to take up the position of concertmaster and principal violin tutor at the University of Trinidad and Tobago, Storer was on the teaching staff of Newcastle University and the Sage Gateshead and had coached players in the London Philharmonic, as well as Halle and BBC Philharmonic orchestras. He has recorded for Avie, Virgin, Naxos and Da Camera Magna.

Becker is an associate professor of music at SUNY Plattsburgh and a performing artist, appearing locally and in venues across the country. Recent performances include recital programs with the Frontier Saxophone Quartet and with soprano Jo Ellen Miano. Past highlights include a five-year celebration of her acclaimed local concert series, concerts in Minneapolis and St. Paul, as well as a series of lecture recitals on the 32 Beethoven Sonatas.

Becker has served as music director for numerous SUNY Plattsburgh musicals, as well as productions with the AuSable Valley Players. She was granted a Nuala McGann Drescher leave in the spring of 2010 to study the Beethoven cycle of 32 sonatas with her former teacher, Christopher Taylor. Becker currently serves as artistic director of Champlain Valley Voices and SUNY Plattsburgh Choral Union.

Becker holds degrees in Piano Performance from the Eastman School of Music and the Julliard School, as well as a Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Wisconsin. Her teachers include Christopher Taylor, Margo Garrett, Samuel Sanders, Robert Spillman and Ellsworth Snyder.