Swan Lake Suite + Duo Pianists Launey & Loparits
Steven Errante, conductor
Domonique Launey, piano Elizabeth Loparits, piano CONCERT PROGRAM
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Wilmington Symphony Orchestra’s 2022-2023 Season opens with Poulenc’s Concerto for Two Pianos performed by guest artists Domonique Launey and Elizabeth Loparits. Also featured on this program is a new work by UNCW Department of Music professor Dr. Sameer Ramchandran, Shostakovich’s Festive Overture, and Swan Lake Suite by Tchaikovsky.
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ERRANTE SHARES THE OCTOBER 1 CONCERT CONDUCTOR'S NOTES!
This concert is sponsored by:
Guest Artists

DOMONIQUE LAUNEY
Domonique Launey, a native of Baton Rouge, LA, began her piano studies with Phillip Martina, theory, composition studies with John Salinger, and Claire Topper in Jamaica. She has performed throughout the U.S., Europe, and Jamaica as soloist, chamber musician, and collaborator. As featured soloist, she has performed with orchestras including the Houston Chamber, San Antonio, Oklahoma, Tulare, L’Orchestra de Chapelle Minimes (Brussels). With great pleasure she collaborated with conductor Steven Errante and the Wilmington Symphony performing Rachmaninoff’s 3rd piano concerto in 2014 as well as the composer’s 2nd in 2006.
Domonique will be always grateful for the extensive study with David Renner, Nancy Garrett, and Anton Nel at the University of Texas where she received her BM and MM degrees in Piano Performance. Her studies with these mentors as well as Dr. Lethco and Dr. Hilley have inspired her to remain involved in helping pianists of all levels individually as well as master classes. Following a year of performing concert tours in Europe as a Rotary International Scholar and studying with Nadine Deletaille, she returned to Brussels where she was awarded the Gold Medallion for excellence in solo performance.
In addition to her solo, duo and chamber concerts, Ms. Launey also enjoys collaborating with one of her three daughters, Molly Hines, violinist, as well as her husband Dr. Jonathan Hines.
Domonique Launey, a native of Baton Rouge, LA, began her piano studies with Phillip Martina, theory, composition studies with John Salinger, and Claire Topper in Jamaica. She has performed throughout the U.S., Europe, and Jamaica as soloist, chamber musician, and collaborator. As featured soloist, she has performed with orchestras including the Houston Chamber, San Antonio, Oklahoma, Tulare, L’Orchestra de Chapelle Minimes (Brussels). With great pleasure she collaborated with conductor Steven Errante and the Wilmington Symphony performing Rachmaninoff’s 3rd piano concerto in 2014 as well as the composer’s 2nd in 2006.
Domonique will be always grateful for the extensive study with David Renner, Nancy Garrett, and Anton Nel at the University of Texas where she received her BM and MM degrees in Piano Performance. Her studies with these mentors as well as Dr. Lethco and Dr. Hilley have inspired her to remain involved in helping pianists of all levels individually as well as master classes. Following a year of performing concert tours in Europe as a Rotary International Scholar and studying with Nadine Deletaille, she returned to Brussels where she was awarded the Gold Medallion for excellence in solo performance.
In addition to her solo, duo and chamber concerts, Ms. Launey also enjoys collaborating with one of her three daughters, Molly Hines, violinist, as well as her husband Dr. Jonathan Hines.

ELIZABETH LOPARITS
Elizabeth Loparits is an active performer and educator, serving as vocal and instrumental collaborative pianist and as piano instructor at the University of North Carolina Wilmington.
Loparits has performed solo and duo-piano recitals in Hungary, Costa Rica, and the United States, including recent appearances at UNCW’s Piano Masterworks Series, Lumina Festival, New Music Festival, UNCW Presents, Opera Wilmington Symposium, UNCG's Focus on Piano Literature, and with the Wilmington Symphony. As instrumental collaborator, her guest appearances include Indiana University, Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, University of Miami, Chicago College of Performing Arts, the North American Saxophone Alliance Conference, and the Ronald Sachs International Music Competition. She performed the world premiere of Stacy Garrop’s Tantrum (2002); Meira Warshauer’s Ocean Calling III (2014), and the North Carolina premiere of Ocean Calling I-II (2013). Top prizes include the National Bartók Piano Competition in Hungary, the Kodaly-Bartók Chamber Music Competition, and the North Carolina Symphony/UNCG concerto competition.
Loparits has spent two summers as a young artist at Opera North, and currently is a coach/accompanist at Opera Wilmington, serving their outreach events, concerts, and summer productions.
Elizabeth Loparits is an active performer and educator, serving as vocal and instrumental collaborative pianist and as piano instructor at the University of North Carolina Wilmington.
Loparits has performed solo and duo-piano recitals in Hungary, Costa Rica, and the United States, including recent appearances at UNCW’s Piano Masterworks Series, Lumina Festival, New Music Festival, UNCW Presents, Opera Wilmington Symposium, UNCG's Focus on Piano Literature, and with the Wilmington Symphony. As instrumental collaborator, her guest appearances include Indiana University, Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, University of Miami, Chicago College of Performing Arts, the North American Saxophone Alliance Conference, and the Ronald Sachs International Music Competition. She performed the world premiere of Stacy Garrop’s Tantrum (2002); Meira Warshauer’s Ocean Calling III (2014), and the North Carolina premiere of Ocean Calling I-II (2013). Top prizes include the National Bartók Piano Competition in Hungary, the Kodaly-Bartók Chamber Music Competition, and the North Carolina Symphony/UNCG concerto competition.
Loparits has spent two summers as a young artist at Opera North, and currently is a coach/accompanist at Opera Wilmington, serving their outreach events, concerts, and summer productions.

SAMEER RAMCHANDRAN
Composer Sameer Ramchandran writes music inspired by the natural world. Collaborators include the Palisades Virtuosi, percussionist Cameron Leach, HUB New Music, the Albany Symphony, the Denison Symphony Orchestra, Slee Sinfonietta, Helix! New Music Ensemble, and Encompass New Opera Theatre, among others. His work has been performed at New York City venues such as (le) poisson rouge, the Abrons Art Center, the Frederick Loewe Theatre and the National Opera Center, as well as Houston’s MATCH theater and New Brunswick’s Richard H. Shindell Choral Hall. Ramchandran’s music has been heard at music festivals including the American Music Festival, June in Buffalo, the Space City Music Festival, the TUTTI Festival, the SPLICE Institute, the New York City Electroacoustic Music Festival (NYCEMF) and Santa Barbara’s Primavera Festival. Other notable performances include New York University’s Interactive Arts Performance Series and the New Jersey Digital Audio Concert (NJDAC). He is a two-time, consecutive winner of the Sherryll C. Corwin Metropolitan Theatres Awards in music composition.
Ramchandran has provided music for on-line video branding content for companies like Proofpoint and Communities in Schools. He has also provided musical scores for various independent and short films. Films that he has scored have been featured at numerous film festivals, including the New Filmmakers at Anthology Film Archives (NY), Domani Vision Film Society Visionfest (NY), Boulder Asian Film Festival (CO) and the San Diego Asian Film Festival (CA). An accomplished jazz pianist, he released the album Roundabout with his jazz piano trio to critical acclaim. About the CD, Jim Santella of Jazz Improv magazine proclaimed it a “stellar session” and that Ramchandran “delivers the music effortlessly.” Jerry D’Souza of All About Jazz wrote that “there are a lot of good things going on here” and that it was “time to sit up and take notice of this trio.” Jason Bivins of Cadence magazine described Ramchandran as a "player bubbling with energy, whose largely lyrical ideas seem perfectly suited to his colleagues’ freedoms.”
He received a BA from Colgate University in music and English literature, an MA in composition from the University of California at Santa Barbara and a Ph.D. in composition from Rutgers University. He is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Composition and Theory at the University of North Carolina Wilmington.
Composer Sameer Ramchandran writes music inspired by the natural world. Collaborators include the Palisades Virtuosi, percussionist Cameron Leach, HUB New Music, the Albany Symphony, the Denison Symphony Orchestra, Slee Sinfonietta, Helix! New Music Ensemble, and Encompass New Opera Theatre, among others. His work has been performed at New York City venues such as (le) poisson rouge, the Abrons Art Center, the Frederick Loewe Theatre and the National Opera Center, as well as Houston’s MATCH theater and New Brunswick’s Richard H. Shindell Choral Hall. Ramchandran’s music has been heard at music festivals including the American Music Festival, June in Buffalo, the Space City Music Festival, the TUTTI Festival, the SPLICE Institute, the New York City Electroacoustic Music Festival (NYCEMF) and Santa Barbara’s Primavera Festival. Other notable performances include New York University’s Interactive Arts Performance Series and the New Jersey Digital Audio Concert (NJDAC). He is a two-time, consecutive winner of the Sherryll C. Corwin Metropolitan Theatres Awards in music composition.
Ramchandran has provided music for on-line video branding content for companies like Proofpoint and Communities in Schools. He has also provided musical scores for various independent and short films. Films that he has scored have been featured at numerous film festivals, including the New Filmmakers at Anthology Film Archives (NY), Domani Vision Film Society Visionfest (NY), Boulder Asian Film Festival (CO) and the San Diego Asian Film Festival (CA). An accomplished jazz pianist, he released the album Roundabout with his jazz piano trio to critical acclaim. About the CD, Jim Santella of Jazz Improv magazine proclaimed it a “stellar session” and that Ramchandran “delivers the music effortlessly.” Jerry D’Souza of All About Jazz wrote that “there are a lot of good things going on here” and that it was “time to sit up and take notice of this trio.” Jason Bivins of Cadence magazine described Ramchandran as a "player bubbling with energy, whose largely lyrical ideas seem perfectly suited to his colleagues’ freedoms.”
He received a BA from Colgate University in music and English literature, an MA in composition from the University of California at Santa Barbara and a Ph.D. in composition from Rutgers University. He is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Composition and Theory at the University of North Carolina Wilmington.