Jazz Meets Classics

The enchanting premises of Mansion Pohansko interwove classical music represented by Aaron Copland’s Quiet City, and jazz music in the form of two George Gershwin compositions and a selection of jazz standards. Renowned American performers Brandon Ridenour, Mark Dover and Ahmed Alom will lead you through the concert.

Brandon Ridenour (trumpet)

It all started when his father gave five-year-old Brandon his first piano lesson. Brandon longed to play the drums, but his parents and teachers talked him out of it. Later, he took up an old trumpet that was also lying around in the basement. To his surprise, he eventually made it to Juilliard, where he discovered a desire to compose and arrange music for himself and his colleagues.

In the middle of his undergraduate studies, he had the opportunity to play with the Canadian Brass, with whom he performed on prestigious stages, appeared on television and radio programs, and recorded ten albums. He also created a catalogue of new arrangements for the ensemble, some of which became viral hits. After seven years with Canadian Brass, he decided to leave the band and embark on his own creative projects, including Founders, usefulCHAMBER and solo work.

He has always had a strong desire to bring new, unconventional musical concepts, using the best of classical music – its composers and works. Through arrangements, he wanted to show classical music in a more modern light and bring it to audiences outside the traditional classical audience. He also began to pursue songwriting, and mixing different genres and styles became an obsession.

And in 2019, he launched the “Come Together” project – an album of rearranged Beatles songs to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Lennon/McCartney classic. This collaboration gradually became a broader project focused on social impact and ecology. It aims to use music as a message about the importance of humanity coming together to take better care of our planet and each other.

Mark Dover (clarinet)

Clarinettist Mark Dover is a musician of many faces – firmly rooted in classical music, but constantly delving into the world of improvisation.
Since 2016, he has been the clarinettist of the Imani Winds ensemble, with which he won a Grammy last year for his latest album “Passion for Bach and Coltrane”. Also, he has performed as a soloist with the Atlanta, Baltimore, and Albany Symphony Orchestras, as well as the American Composers Orchestra. In 2023, he also became a member of the chamber ensemble yMusic. Mark has performed throughout the United States and elsewhere, collaborating with numerous orchestras and performing at festivals and many other chamber music events around the world.
He joined the chamber music faculty at the Curtis Institute of Music in 2021, has served as clarinet faculty at the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University and Queens College, and has taught master classes at many prestigious schools.
In addition to classical music, Mark has extensive experience in jazz and improvised music. In 2017, he formed the multi-genre duo Port Mande with pianist and producer Jeremy Jordan. Their debut EP “Is This Loss?” will be released in July 2020. Mark is a frequent collaborator with American funk band Vulfpeck and has worked and/or recorded with musicians across genres.
Mark graduated from Interlochen Arts Academy, received his bachelor degree from the University of Michigan and his masters from the Manhattan School of Music.

Ahmed Alom (piano)

Pianist, conductor and composer Ahmed Alom is “one of the most versatile artists in the Western Hemisphere” (Diario de Mallorca). His musical voice and vision, combining his classical training with the popular music of his native Cuba, allow him to constantly push the boundaries and find new connections between the music of the past and the present.

As a pianist, New York Music Daily describes him as “unapologetically spectacular to behold.” He has appeared as soloist with many American orchestras, collaborated with many major artists, and has worked extensively on new music and studio projects. His debut studio album “Exilio” includes works by six Hispanic composers who composed in exile.

As an avid chamber musician, he founded the duo CrossCurrents, which explores the intersection between the European classical tradition and rhythmically rich Afro-Cuban music, and the Triple Cortado trio, which focuses on contemporary music. Alom has also partnered with The Pedrito Martinez Group, with whom he has performed at jazz festivals.

He made his conducting debut as music director of the Washington Square Music Festival, where he proved to be a promoter of inclusive and creative programming with an emphasis on Latin American music and its premieres.
Ahmed Alom conducts master classes and lectures for Berklee College of Music, Afro-Latin Jazz Alliance, National Jazz Museum in Harlem, and the New York Arts Program. He has also lectured at several universities.