Tallgrass @ Sinsinawa: Julia Henderson
Tallgrass Recital Series: Julia Henderson
December 5 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Join us for four beautiful afternoons of music at the Mound for the first-ever Tallgrass Recital Series! Each of these four intimate performances will showcase a Tallgrass musician alongside an accomplished pianist, performing on our 1898 Steinway piano and presenting a selection of beautiful classical works. Enjoy refreshments during the performance, followed by a Q&A with the musician after the show—a wonderful opportunity to learn more about the performer, the music, and their artistic journey.
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December 5, 2026
Julia Henderson, cello
Mikael Darmanie, piano
Cellist Julia Henderson performs cello recital repertoire from the turn of the 20th century to today, pairing turn-of-the-century gems by Janáček, Fauré, and Boulanger with bold voices in contemporary composition, including works Reena Esmail and Paul Wiancko.
PROGRAM:
Sandhiprakash, Reena Esmail, 10’
Sonata No. 1, “Shifting Baselines,” for Cello and Piano, Paul Wiancko, 24’
Part I. Steady stroll – Flowing
Part II. Free – Angular – Calm – Driving
Part III. Glacial – Moto – Unwavering, but not too fast – Steady stroll
Intermission
Pohádka, Leoš Janáček, 12’
Con moto – Andante
Con moto – Adagio
Allegro
Sonata No. 2 for Cello and Piano, Op. 117, Gabriel Fauré, 21’
Allegro
Andante
Allegro vivo
Nocturne, Lili Boulanger, 4’
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Recent performances have found cellist Julia Henderson at Bargemusic, Carnegie Hall, the Joyce theater, HERE Arts Center and in other venues throughout New York City. A versatile performer, Julia is a member of New Haven Symphony and the Sarasota Opera Orchestra, and has appeared with the Rochester Philharmonic, New World Symphony, Britten-Pears Orchestra, Aspen Festival Orchestra, and others. She is the cellist of Desdemona Ensemble, a chamber group that brings eclectic and exciting programming to intimate venues throughout New York City, most recently in the premiere of the chamber opera “Magdalene,” and she performs regularly throughout the US with chamber music theatre group Core Ensemble. Julia has spent three summers performing and teaching on the island of Montserrat, West Indies, as faculty with the Montserrat Music Festival.
Julia earned a Bachelor of Music degree at Oberlin Conservatory, studying with Darrett Adkins, and a Master of Music with Timothy Eddy at The Juilliard School. While at Oberlin, she was a member of a viola da gamba consort, took secondary lessons in baroque cello, and played in Oberlin Contemporary Ensemble. As a student at Juilliard, Julia played with AXIOM Ensemble and performed chamber works by Milton Babbitt and Gabriel Faure in the yearly Focus! Festival and Juilliard’s winter ChamberFest. She has worked with members of the Shanghai, Juilliard, St. Lawrence, and Cavani string quartets, among others, as well as renowned chamber musicians such as Sylvia Rosenberg, Joseph Kalichstein, and Steven Doane.
In addition to being an avid chamber musician, Julia is a dedicated teacher certified in the Suzuki method. She has taught with Juilliard’s Music Advancement Program and Sonic Explorations El Sistema program, and currently runs a private cello studio in NYC as well as teaching through The Trinity School. Julia plays weekly with Chamber Music Associates, an organization in New York City that gives adult amateur musicians the opportunity to play chamber music with professionals.
Pianist Mikael Darmanie has performed throughout the United States, Europe, and the Caribbean playing the role of soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral conductor. Festival appearances include Pianofest in the Hamptons, Art of Piano Festival, and L’Academie de Musique de Sion (Switzerland). As a chamber musician, he won First Prize in the North Carolina MTNA Chamber Music Competition (with the Transverse Trio), has performed at the Apple Hill Center for Chamber Music as part of the Apple Hill Fellowship Trio, and in 2010, he performed in programs of Brazilian and French music for violin and piano at Lincoln Center Institute’s Kenan Fellowship performance series. In 2012, he performed on the Taft Museum of Art Chamber Music Series (Cincinnati) with members of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. Since his conducting debut with the Carolina Chamber Symphony in 2008, he has conducted various piano concerti from the keyboard and symphonic works by Bach, Brahms, Beethoven, Haydn, and Liszt. An active composer, primarily for piano, he has performed his music throughout the United States, the Caribbean and Western Europe.
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Recital Series Lineup:
October 3, 2026
Alejandra Switala, violin
Daniel Szefer, piano
December 5, 2026
Julia Henderson, cello
Mikael Darmanie, piano
February 6, 2027
Joseph Skerik, viola
Umi Garrett, piano
April 3, 2027
Dragoș Cantea, piano
We invite you to experience the music, history, and intimate atmosphere of the Mound through this special new recital series.
Tickets are just $30 and can be bought online or by contacting the Mound Center.
www.sinsinawa.org/moundcenter/series/tallgrass-recital-series
The Tallgrass Recital Series is sponsored, in part, by the Sinsinawa Orchestra Fund in recognition of the leadership of David F. Kapp II M.D. and Francine Rosen O.P.
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Who is Tallgrass?
Tallgrass Chamber Music Festival brings world-renowned and critically acclaimed musicians to the tri-state region through intimate, engaging performances of classical masterworks and contemporary music.
Learn more: tallgrassfestival.org