A Mosaic of Music: Stereophile's Clarinet Quintet CD The Antony Michaelson Quintet

Sidebar 2: The Antony Michaelson Quintet

Clarinetist Antony Michaelson was educated at Trinity College of Music in London, where he studied with Keith Puddy and John McCaw. His love of music was the driving force behind his search for a "better stereo system": in the late 1970s, unable to find such a system, he founded his first hi-fi company, which made tube amplifiers. He then put his hi-fi knowledge to good use as founder and managing director of British company Musical Fidelity. Realizing that he missed the joy of making music, Michaelson resumed serious practice of the clarinet several years ago, and currently studies with Dame Thea King.

First violinist Adrian Levine has performed in more than 40 countries worldwide, and has appeared as Guest Concertmaster for many major London orchestras. In 1985, he became co-concertmaster of the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, where he often directed the orchestra and appeared as a soloist. He then moved to the Philharmonia Orchestra in 1990, and in 1992 was Concertmaster of the Opera House in Rome. Adrian was concertmaster on Antony Michaelson's CD of the Mozart Clarinet Concerto. He plays the "Wilmotte" Stradivarius, made in 1734.

Second violinist Kathy Andrew holds an M.M. in violin from the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University. She currently performs with the Springfield Symphony, the Berkshire Symphony, Opera North, the New England Bach Festival Orchestra, and the Bella Rosa String Quartet. She also teaches at Bennington College, the Putney School, and the Brattleboro Music Center.

Violist Stephen Tees studied with Cecil Arnowitz, Peter Schidlof, and Emanuel Hurwitz, and from 1971 to 1984 was a member of the highly successful Amphion String Quartet. In 1986, Stephen was appointed Principal Viola with the City of London Sinfonia, an ensemble with a strong reputation for pioneering education and community work. In 1988 he was invited to join the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields String Octet, with which he has traveled widely and recorded on the Chandos and Philips labels. Stephen's other performing activities have included tours with guitarist John Williams, a 26-country broadcast of Hindemith's Trauermusik, a solo recording for the BBC of Hedda Gabler, and studio work for films and television.

Cellist Judith Serkin began her studies with Marta Casals Istomin, and continued with David Soyer, of the Guarneri Quartet, at the Curtis Institute of Music. Ms. Serkin was a founding member of the Soldier Creek Music Festival in Nevada and of the Brattleboro Music School. She has been a member of the Iceland Symphony, of the Guilford and the Hebrew Arts (now the Mendelssohn) String Quartets, and a participant at the Marlboro Music and Yellow Barn schools and festivals. She was a member of the music faculty of American University in Washington, DC, has given a number of solo recitals in recent years, and currently plays with the Windham Ensemble. Judith has performed across the US and Canada, and has toured extensively throughout Japan.

X