ABOUT MARKO TOPCHII

Marko Topchii, a renowned classical guitarist born into a musical family in Ukraine in 1991, has garnered widespread acclaim for his exceptional talent and numerous competition victories. With over 100 awards in international classical guitar competitions, including First Prizes in prestigious events such as the International Guitar Competition Francisco Tarrega and the Guitar Foundation of America International Concert Artist Competition in New York, Marko has established himself as a one of a kind musician in the classical guitar world.

Marko’s performances have graced some of the most esteemed venues worldwide including Carnegie Hall (New York), the Salle Cortot (Paris) and Yamaha Ginza Hall (Tokyo). His collaborations with orchestras, spanning more than 15 concertos for guitar and orchestra, showcase his depth and flexibility as a guitarist.

Beginning his guitar studies at the age of four under Volodymyr Homenyuk, Marko went on to graduate from the Kharkiv Conservatory and pursue advanced studies under notable mentors like Volodymyr Dotsenko and Yuri Aleksik. In 2018, he joined the professional studies programme of the San Francisco Conservatory in the class of Judicaël Perroy, with whom he continued his studies at Haute Ecole de Musique de Geneve as part of the Master Soloiste programme.

Common hour performance featuring saxophone quartet ~Nois. Q&A to follow the performance.

ABOUT ~NOIS

Take your preconceived notions of ‘noise’ and toss them out the window. Equal parts “fiendishly good and fiendishly goofy” (Chicago Tribune), ~Nois is a Chicago-based saxophone quartet dedicated to connecting with diverse audiences through the creation of new work. Since its founding in 2016, “~Nois continues to legitimize the saxophone quartet as a premiere ensemble formation for classical music” (Brutal New Music) through commissioning repertoire that is thought-provoking, engaging, and honestly just really good, by some of today's most inspiring compositional voices. 

Hailed as “technically superb and musically brilliant” (Cleveland Classical) the ensemble has been awarded top prizes at numerous prestigious chamber music competitions including the M-Prize International Arts Competition, the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition and have presented over 130 performances spanning 24 states. With more than 100 world premieres to date, the members of ~Nois have had the privilege of working closely with some of the world’s leading voices in composition including Nico Muhly, Augusta Read Thomas, Shelley Washington, among others.

~Nois’ recorded output boasts a wide variety of genres and styles, including their debut album “Is This ~Nois”, which was heralded as “fresh and intense” (The Whole Note) The group’s highly anticipated sophomore album, “Kinds of ~Nois”, will be releasing in March of 2024 on the label Bright Shiny Things, in collaboration with the composer collective Kinds of Kings. 

~Nois is János Csontos (he/him), Julian Velasco (he/him), Jordan Lulloff (he/him), and Hunter Bockes (he/him). For more information, visit www.noissaxophone.com

ABOUT ~NOIS

Take your preconceived notions of ‘noise’ and toss them out the window. Equal parts “fiendishly good and fiendishly goofy” (Chicago Tribune), ~Nois is a Chicago-based saxophone quartet dedicated to connecting with diverse audiences through the creation of new work. Since its founding in 2016, “~Nois continues to legitimize the saxophone quartet as a premiere ensemble formation for classical music” (Brutal New Music) through commissioning repertoire that is thought-provoking, engaging, and honestly just really good, by some of today's most inspiring compositional voices. 

Hailed as “technically superb and musically brilliant” (Cleveland Classical) the ensemble has been awarded top prizes at numerous prestigious chamber music competitions including the M-Prize International Arts Competition, the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition and have presented over 130 performances spanning 24 states. With more than 100 world premieres to date, the members of ~Nois have had the privilege of working closely with some of the world’s leading voices in composition including Nico Muhly, Augusta Read Thomas, Shelley Washington, among others.

~Nois’ recorded output boasts a wide variety of genres and styles, including their debut album “Is This ~Nois”, which was heralded as “fresh and intense” (The Whole Note) The group’s highly anticipated sophomore album, “Kinds of ~Nois”, will be releasing in March of 2024 on the label Bright Shiny Things, in collaboration with the composer collective Kinds of Kings. 

~Nois is János Csontos (he/him), Julian Velasco (he/him), Jordan Lulloff (he/him), and Hunter Bockes (he/him). For more information, visit www.noissaxophone.com

Danielle Vergara is a third-year vocalist from Augusta, GA pursuing a degree in music therapy. She has been in Women’s Glee Club, Repertory Singers, and is currently in the Hodgson Singers and Dr. Petrongelli's voice studio. She is a part of Sigma Alpha Iota and serves as Co-Music-Chair and is in the Music Therapy Student Association. Outside the music school, she is an avid thrift shopper and works at a sushi restaurant in Five Points! Danielle is so eager to welcome new faces to the Hugh Hodgson School of Music!

Shelby (she/her) is a 2nd year Music Therapy major from Dallas, Ga. She is studying voice under Michael Hadary and is an active member of Sigma Alpha Iota and MTSA. Outside of the music school, she is heavily involved with Athens church as a volunteer small group leader for 6th grade girls and student ministry worship leader. Shelby hopes to be a welcoming, comforting, and encouraging face for those applying to HHSOM who may come from various musical backgrounds.

Jorjana is a second year Music Education major here at the Hugh Hodgson School of Music. She is a member of the Percussion Studio, and you can find her playing in multiple ensembles across the SOM, including the UGA Percussion Ensemble and Symphonic Band. She is a member of the Athens Percussion Outreach Program where she volunteers her time to teach basic percussion to students in the Athens-Clarke County Area. Outside of music, Jorjana serves as a Dawg Camp counselor assisting first year students in their transition into college.