Duo From CSO Opens Counterpoint Season Sept. 8

  • Wednesday, August 22, 2018
Kristen and John Holritz
Kristen and John Holritz

A new season of Counterpoint concerts begins with guest artists Kristen and Josh Holritz, who perform under the moniker Schaafritz, on Saturday, Sept. 8, at 7:30 p.m. The concert will be held at St. Peter's Church, 848 Ashland Terr. Counterpoint concerts are made possible through a partnership with St. Peter's Episcopal Church and all performances are free and open to the public (donations gratefully accepted).

The duo Schaafritz will be joined by pianist and Counterpoint founder, Tim Hinck, in presenting music of Martinu, Muczynski, Rota, and Schickele.

Review for the performers: 

Dr. and Ms. Holritz Kristen and Josh are well traveled soloists and chamber musicians, and they currently hold positions as principal flutist and associate concertmaster, respectively, of the Chattanooga Symphony and Opera.

Noted for her “beautiful tone and vibrato,” Ms. Holritz makes her home on stage as a remarkably versatile flutist. Ms. Holritz made her solo debut with the United States Air Force Band in 2005 as winner of the Colonel George S. Howard Young Artist Competition. In the fall of 2013 she was pleased to accept the principal flute position with the Chattanooga Symphony and Opera. She has also appeared as guest principal flute with Memphis Symphony, and as a substitute flute with Alabama Symphony, Knoxville Symphony, Nashville Symphony, Huntsville Symphony, and Charleston Symphony. In between orchestral performances, Ms. Holritz can be seen on stage with her husband, violinist Josh Holritz, under their duo name Schaafritz. 

Equally invested as a teacher, Ms. Holritz serves as adjunct flute professor at Lee University, Southern Adventist University, and teaches privately out of her home in Chattanooga. She is presently the flute faculty artist for the Bay View Music Festival. 

Ms. Holritz holds a Bachelor Degree in Flute Performance from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and a Master Degree in Flute Performance from The Juilliard School. Her primary teachers include Tadeu Coelho, Robert Langevin and Angela Jones-Reus, with additional study with Gretchen Pusch and Carol Wincenc.  

In 2008 she soloed with the University of North Carolina School of the Arts Symphony Orchestra, and in spring of 2013 was featured as a concerto competition winner with the University of Georgia Symphony Orchestra, winner of the Atlanta Flute Club Young Artist Competition and received third prize in the MidSouth Flute Festival Young Artist Competition. Previous orchestral summer engagements have included the Festival Institute at Round Top, the MasterWorks Festival and National Music Festival.

Dr. Holritz is a violinist and violist who has performed as soloist, orchestral, and chamber musician in Europe, Asia, Africa, and in more than 20 states around the continental United States. 

He is currently the associate concertmaster of the Chattanooga Symphony and Opera. He has been a member of the Glens Falls Symphony, Greensboro Symphony, and served as concertmaster for the Buffalo Community Orchestra (MN). Dr. Holrtiz has performed with the Vienna Radio Orchestra and New World Symphony and regularly substitutes with the Charleston and Atlanta Symphony Orchestras. 

An avid chamber musician, Dr. Holritz was a founding member of the Emmaus Quartet which gave over 100 performances in the Southeast between 2004-2006. Dr. Holritz performs weekly with the CSO String Quintet in their effort to bring classical music to local schools and the greater Chattanooga community. He is currently collaborating with Lee University professor Dr. ChoEun Lee to perform the entire Beethoven Violin Sonata Cycle over four semesters between 2017-2019. 

Dr. Holritz is an advocate for newly composed music and improvisation. His doctoral dissertation, entitled “A Player’s Guide: Lera Auerbach’s 24 Preludes for Violin and Piano, Op. 46”, includes a complete recording of Auerbach’s Op. 46 preludes. His free improvisation work can be heard on Spotify under the album title Blow- Fi. In 2017 Dr. Holritz performed two world premiers of chamber works by Chattanooga composers Douglas Hedwig (Moveable Borders) and Jonathan McNair (All a-Cryin’). Josh is also an active studio musician in Nashville, TN and has played on multiple soundtracks for many of today’s popular film, television shows, and video games. 

Dedicated to training the next generation of musicians, Dr. Holritz currently serves as adjunct instructor of Violin for UTC and adjunct professor at Covenant College where he teaches violin, viola, and chamber music. He has also served on faculty for the Tennessee Governor’s School for the Arts and is currently a faculty artist for the Bay View Music Festival. 

Dr. Holritz holds a B.M. from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, a M.M. from the University of Minnesota, and a D.M.A. from the University of Georgia.

 

Entertainment
Bessie Smith’s Big 9 Music Fest Returns April 13-14
  • 3/22/2024

The Bessie Smith Cultural Center announces the return of the Bessie Smith’s Big 9 Music Fest, taking place on Saturday, April 13, and Sunday, April 14. The festival will be held along the 200 ... more

Kristy Cox, “Australian Queen” Of Bluegrass, To Perform At WoodSongs Dalton March 30
Kristy Cox, “Australian Queen” Of Bluegrass, To Perform At WoodSongs Dalton March 30
  • 3/22/2024

The WoodSongs Dalton March Concert on March 30 will feature Australian singer Kristy Cox and her band, Grasstime. This regionally acclaimed concert series features emerging and established ... more

The Mountain Opry Will Be Held Saturday At The Bachman Community Center
  • 3/22/2024

The Mountain Opry will be held at the Bachman Community Center, 2815 Anderson Pike in Signal Mountain, this Saturday, starting at 6 p.m. Open stage will be at 8 p.m. The venue features bluegrass, ... more