Projects

Terra String Quartet (Harriet Langley, Violin; Amelia Dietrich, Violin; Chih-Ta Chen, Viola; Audrey Chen, Cello) and Oskar Espina Ruiz, Clarinet

“The Terra… possessed the virtuosity and energy necessary to build emotion all the way to the end.”

—The Berkshire Eagle

“Mr. Espina Ruiz is a phenomenal clarinetist – a subtle and discreet virtuoso whose dynamic control matched that of the string quartet.”

—CVNC

The Terra String Quartet is a vibrant young ensemble based in New York City, winners of the 2025 Naumburg Chamber Music Competition (USA), Bordeaux (France) and Wigmore Hall (UK) International Quartet Competitions, and prizewinners at the Melbourne International Chamber Music Competition, Osaka International Chamber Music Competition, Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, and Banff International String Quartet Competition. They are composed of graduates of The Juilliard School, The New England Conservatory, Harvard University, and the Curtis Institute of Music. Known for their sincere storytelling, commitment to artistic excellence, and versatile approach to repertoire, Terra String Quartet strives to foster conversation and genuine human connection through their performances and pedagogy.

Oskar Espina Ruiz, a multifaceted clarinetist from Spain, praised for his “masterful virtuosity” (El Nuevo Día, Puerto Rico), “rhapsodic ease” and “generous, tender warmth” (The Millbrook Independent), artistic director of Music Mountain Festival and clarinet artist-faculty at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, has performed with the Terra String Quartet to high critical acclaim at Music Mountain Festival, Treetops Chamber Music Society, American Music Festival, and Chamber Music Wilmington.

Oskar Espina Ruiz, Clarinet
Victoria Schwartzman, Piano

“Mr. Espina Ruiz is a phenomenal clarinetist – a subtle and discreet virtuoso whose dynamic control matched that of the string quartet.”

—CVNC

Oskar Espina Ruiz a multifaceted clarinetist from Spain, praised for his “masterful virtuosity” (El Nuevo Día, Puerto Rico), “rhapsodic ease” and “generous, tender warmth” (The Millbrook Independent), artistic director of Music Mountain Festival and clarinet artist-faculty at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, presents his latest collaboration with pianist Victoria Schwartzman: Two Masterworks from 1945.

This program is centered around two sonatas for clarinet and piano written in 1945 by two composers who emigrated in opposite directions: Mieczysław Weinberg fled Poland for the Soviet Union, while Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco fled Italy for the United States. Both sonatas are large in scale, but completely different. While Weinberg writes in a poetic language that often becomes enigmatic as in the music of Dmitri Shostakovich, Castelnuovo-Tedesco, best known as the foremost guitar composer of the twentieth century, writes in a lyrical and virtuosic style. Both sonatas are relatively unknown because they were not published until the 1970s.

The second half of this program presents Prokofiev as possible context for Weinberg, and Pinto-Correia and Poulenc as possible descendants of Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s approach.

Andreia Pinto-Correia’s music has been described as “compellingly meditative” by The Boston Globe, an “aural fabric” by The New York Times and “fascinating” by the San Francisco Classical Voice. Following a family tradition of scholars and writers, her work often reflects the influence of literary sources from the Iberian Peninsula. Recent highlights include L.A. Philharmonic and NY Philharmonic premieres led by maestro Gustavo Dudamel.

Premiered at the Casals Festival of Puerto Rico in 2023 by Oskar Espina Ruiz and the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra, garnering with rave reviews, this Neo-Romantic work by maestro Alfonso Fuentes seeks new performance opportunities

Alfonso Fuentes and Oskar Espina Ruiz at their University of Virginia residency in 2019

“Masterful virtuosity”

—El Nuevo Día

Alfonso Fuentes writes:

“I gave my word to the trees of Puerto Rico downed by Hurricane Maria in 2017 that I would write a new work to thank them for facing the fury of the winds. This new work would be my loving embrace and a tribute to their vital presence in nature and the world. The first movement, Ode to the Fallen Trees, started to come together days after the hurricane, when our house, like thousands of others, had no power nor water. Not having access to the media for several days, I had no news about the devastation and painful human casualties in the country, but I could see many fallen trees around me, destroyed, broken in half, dying.”

Alfonso Fuentes Colón (born 1954) is a Puerto Rican composer, concert pianist, and educator. His music has been performed on three continents by prestigious ensembles and soloists, including the Sichuan Philharmonic Orchestra, Sinfonia Warsaw, American String Quartet, as well as members of the Chicago Symphony, LA Phil, Yo-Yo Ma’s Silkroad Ensemble, and others. These performances have sparked dissertations and other publications about his compositions in China, the United States, Spain, Turkey and Puerto Rico. In addition, he has been a visiting artist at universities in Beijing, Costa Rica, Princeton, Virginia and many others. Fuentes Colón was a presenter at various forums in countries such as Argentina, Brazil, Mexico and Israel. As a freelancing pianist, he has participated in hundreds of concerts and recordings worldwide.

Oskar Espina Ruiz is a multifaceted clarinetist from Spain, praised for his “masterful virtuosity” (El Nuevo Día, Puerto Rico), “rhapsodic ease” and “generous, tender warmth” (The Millbrook Independent). He is artistic director of Music Mountain Festival and clarinet artist-faculty at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. He has collaborated with Alfonso Fuentes on numerous occasions since 2009.