ABOUT
“Lamentatio certainly holds the ear spellbound.”
- Beyond Criticism
“Delicate as they are colorful, the duo delivers polished and haunting performances.”
-Performing Arts Monterey Bay
Racing along with our new global society, duoJalal surprises the music world with their diverse and stunning artistry. duoJalal “are fearless seekers and synthesizers of disparate instruments and cultures” raves the Toronto Star. Like the marriage between Kathryn Lockwood and Yousif Sheronick, their music represents an organic amalgam of cultural traditions and musical styles. Audiences are enthralled as a classically trained violist from Australia ignites her instrument with passion - one minute embodying a medieval rebec, the next a Shakuhachi (Japanese flute). Yousif, of Lebanese descent, dazzles as he manipulates sound by snapping his fingers at the edge of an Egyptian frame drum or dragging his foot across the Peruvian cajon. From their chamber music foundation, duoJalal moves from Classical to Klezmer, Middle Eastern to Jazz, with a skillful confluence that is natural, exploratory and passionate. Inspired by their namesake, 13th century poet Jalal a din Rumi, whose visions and words brought together people of different religions, cultures and races, duoJalal opens their doors to all communities for a diverse and stimulating inter-cultural experience.
For the past eleven years duoJalal has performed throughout the United States, Australia and Brazil regularly performing world premiers of works composed or arranged for the group by Philip Glass, Eve Beglarian, Andrew Waggoner, Derek Bermel, Allison Loggins-Hull, Kenji Bunch, Evan Ziporyn, Kurt Rohde and Giovanni Sollima. Their newest commission comes from GRAMMY-winning Cuban-born composer and MacArthur “Genius” Fellow, Dafnis Prieto. The new work titled Caprichos Cubanos will premiered in the fall of 2022.
Kathryn and Yousif are proud to be music directors of Telluride MusicFest, a 2-week chamber music festival in Telluride Colorado. The concerts are held in a gorgeous barn situated at nearly 10,000 feet overlooking Mt. Wilson and Sunshine. Each program features traditional classical, modern and world-influenced chamber music. And, with the addition of dance in the first and second performances, people will literally be climbing the rafters.
In 2019 the duo embarked on a new venture as the ensemble in residence for the "Four Seasons in Music Chamber Music Series” at Sands Point on Long Island. With Kathryn Lockwood as Artistic Director, the duo has curated and presented four unique concerts annually, even through the pandemic. The innovative programming for the series has brought together string players, vocalists, clarinetists, accordionists and dancers.
With a love for dance collaborations, duoJalal was awarded a Fellowship at Center For Ballet and the Arts at New York University in the fall of 2020. Through this fellowship duoJalal worked closely with PILOBOLUS Dance Company directors and dancers to create a new work titled We Were Apart. As of date, performances have been held in NY, NC and CO.
Their project “The Rumi Experience'' premiered at the Williams Center in Easton PA and continues to intrigue audiences with the coupling of poetry, multimedia and music. duoJalal released their first CD on Innova Recordings titled “A Different World”. Critics hail the CD as an “exhilarating sonic and somewhat mystical experience” (Jordon Times). And their second CD on Bridge Records titled "Shadow & Light". The Toronto Star exclaims "If this is what the world music's future holds, bring on the party."
Also known for their outstanding teaching skills, duoJalal offers masterclasses and clinics for string soloists and ensembles as well as world drumming to both children and adults. Masterclasses have been held at prestigious institutions including Manhattan School of Music, New York University, International Viola Congress (Australia and US) and the Percussive Arts Society’s International Convention.
Kathryn Lockwood, Viola
Australian violist Kathryn Lockwood leads an active and varied career as performer, teacher, and artistic director. Since moving to the United States in 1991 Kathryn has played with a virtual who’s-who in the chamber music world and captured sought-after awards in the country including the Naumburg Chamber Music Award.
Kathryn’s career launched straight out of graduate school at USC (CA) where she, along with three friends, formed the Pacifica Quartet. As a member of PQ she traveled the world concertizing and recording. After moving to New York in 2001 Kathryn soon claimed the viola chair of the internationally renowned Lark Quartet. Always evolving and thinking out of the box, Kathryn formed the innovative group duoJalal with percussionist and husband Yousif Sheronick.
The accolades speak volumes to Kathryn’s virtuosic ability. The Cleveland Plain Dealer proclaimed Kathryn as a “violist of exceptional talents, "...Lockwood played the vociferous viola cadenza with mahogany beauty and vivid character" and the Toronto Star wrote: "Lockwood is all slow, sensuous allure with her bowing arm one moment, a tempest of notes the next”. A violist in high demand, Kathryn has played with Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Music from Copland House, members of the Emerson Quartet and jazz legend John Patitucci.
Kathryn’s creative mind led her to be appointed Artistic Director, a position she still holds, of the innovative series Four Seasons in Music at the Sands Point Preserve Conservancy. This very special series presents four magical concerts annually in the stunning location of the former Guggenheim Estate with historic mansions and waterfront grounds. Each concert is a unique program of chamber music and poetry, inspired by themes throughout the year. The repertoire chosen for each concert ranges from Bach and Mozart to today’s culturally diverse composers. Each concert is roughly divided into equal thirds representing classical repertoire, new music including commissions, and world influenced music. The concert series website can be found HERE and since all concerts during COVID were recorded without an audience, can be found HERE
Kathryn is also the Artistic Director for the "Music@MoMA" Series. This series which has been running since 2017 is an intimate salon style chamber music series. It is hosted by a philanthropic couple in their gorgeous apartment at the Museum Tower at the MoMA on 53rd Street. Each concert is followed by a dinner party and takes the guests back to a time when chamber music was enjoyed in a chamber.
Kathryn is proud to announce a new position as co-artistic director where duoJalal is ensemble in residence, for the Telluride MusicFest. A festival housed in a gorgeous mountain home situated at 10,000 feet! Click HERE
With duoJalal, Kathryn has recorded two albums. The first in 2010 "A different world" on Innova Records with music of Philip Glass (who extracted a viola solo from his opera “Madrigal” and adapted it for duoJalal), and commissions from Kenji Bunch, Derek Bermel and John Patitucci. In 2016, “Shadow & Light” on Bridge Records with commissions by Evan Ziporyn and Ljova.
As a member of Lark Quartet, she concertized regularly including a tour of Sweden and with a focus on new music released three CD's on Bridge records. An "All Jennifer Higdon" CD featuring Gary Graffman, "Composing America" featuring a commission by Paul Moravec and pianist Jeremy Denk; and “A Farewell Celebration” featuring all new commissions by John Harbison, Kenji Bunch, Andrew Waggoner and Anna Weesner. Kathryn also recorded with Lark, “Klap Ur Handz” on Endeavor Records with a new commission by Daniel Bernard Roumain “DBR”. In 2005 Kathryn released a solo recital CD of Viola Music by Inessa Zaretsky, "Fireoptics", about which Strad declared "Lockwood is absolutely inside the music's idiom finding appropriate tonal shadings".
As an original member of Pacifica Quartet, Kathryn performed at Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Ravinia's Bennett Gordon Hall, Corcoran Gallery, St. Lawrence Center, and University of Thessaloniki / Greece. She was heard live on NPR’s Performance Today during a two week residency of daily broadcasts and collaborated with violist Michael Tree on an all Dvorak CD released by Cedille Records.
Kathryn is currently tenured faculty at and at the John Cali School of Music at Montclair State University, previously serving on the faculty at University of Massachusetts/Amherst, Rutgers University in NJ, Northwestern University, University of Chicago, Music Institute of Chicago, and National Music Camp in Australia. Recently appointed Curator of the Immersive Residency Program at Montclair State University, she oversees weeklong residency visits of internationally renowned artists and groups.
She earned her Master's Degree with Donald McInnes at the University of Southern California, and her Bachelor of Music Degree from the Queensland Conservatorium of Music with Elizabeth Morgan. Kathryn plays on an unknown Italian viola from the 18th Century Brescian School and performs during the summer for the Broyhill Chamber Ensemble in NC, Elm City ChamberFest in CT and at the Telluride ChamberFest in CO.
Yousif Sheronick, Percussion
Hailed by the New York Times for his “dazzling improvisations” and his “wizardry on a range of humble frame drums” Yousif Sheronick enjoys an active career as percussionist, composer, producer and educator. Having studied classical percussion through a Masters degree at Yale, Yousif went on to study music from Brazil, India, Africa and the Middle East which he seamlessly incorporates into his playing.
Yousif’s unique skills in both World and Classical music have led him to perform with a diverse range of ensembles and musicians including Philip Glass, Yo-Yo Ma, Laurie Anderson, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Ethos Percussion Group, Lark Quartet, Silk Road Ensemble, Branford Marsalis, Sonny Fortune, Cindy Blackman Santana, Glen Velez and Paul Winter. His many musical influences are highlighted in duoJalal, his venture with violist and wife Kathryn Lockwood. A feature article in Drum! Magazine highlighted Yousif’s versatility in an article titled “At The Corner Of The World”.
Always wanting to build bridges through music, Yousif has become a major force in bringing world percussion into contemporary/classical music. He has had the luxury of in-depth work with composers Evan Ziporyn, Derek Bermel, Kenji Bunch, Eve Beglarian and John Patitucci, all of whom were eager to compose for his exotic instruments.
As a composer himself, Yousif’s compositions have been premiered and performed around the world at both the collegiate and professional level. All released under his own publishing company Bribie Recordings. He has arranged several parts for his collaboration with the Lark Quartet including John Adams’ Book of Alleged Dances which was released on Bridge Records.
Producing credits include a solo CD and two instructional DVDs. “A testimony to his genius” raves Modern Drummer Magazine about Yousif’s CD Silk Thread, and Rhythm Magazine (UK) says Yousif’s Riq Instructional DVD “is a must to uncover the mysteries of this ancient instrument.”
In demand as an educator, Yousif has conducted residencies and master classes at top universities including Juilliard, Manhattan School of Music, University of Michigan, University of Kentucky, the Queensland Conservatorium and National University in Australia. A whirlwind trip to Taiwan was filled with 10 solo workshops in 4 cities in 5 days. With increasing demand from drummers around the world, Yousif established his online frame drum school www.framedrumschool.org in 2019. The school now has over 1000 enrolled students from 68 countries .
Yousif has performed throughout North and South America, Europe, Middle East, Asia and Australia with festival appearances including the JVC and Newport Jazz Festivals, Jazztel (Madrid), Renaissance Festival (Rethymno, Greece) Early Music Festival (Regensburg, Germany) and Jerusalem Festival (Palestine). Prestigious venue performances include Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Hollywood Bowl, Royal Festival Hall (London) and Wigmore Hall (London). He has performed live on NPR’s “Performance Today” and John Schaffer’s “New Sounds.” Yousif holds degrees from Yale University and the University of Iowa.
Of Lebanese descent, Mr. Sheronick was born and raised in Cedar Rapids, IA. His first exposure to music came from his mother singing Lebanese folk songs over the drone of the vacuum cleaner. As with many first generation Americans there was a separation between the house (Arab) and the outside (American) world.
Yousif grew up on the “outside” playing with his neighbors’ rock band and the local drum corp. His high school band director and student teacher (who happened to be a percussionist) convinced him to audition for the University of Iowa. The audition resulted in a full scholarship to UI where he studied with Tom Davis. In his four years at Iowa Yousif concentrated on contemporary music and jazz. He went on to get his masters at Yale University where he studied with Gordon Gottlieb. Mr. Gottlieb had a unique teaching method of combining Western and Eastern musical practices. Through Mr. Gottlieb, Yousif was introduced to instruments from around the world he never knew existed.
In 1990 Yousif traveled to musically rich Brazil. This was an enlightening trip for Yousif and at that point he moved his focus towards world music. After moving to New York in 1991 Yousif connected with master frame drummer Glen Velez. For the past thirty years Yousif has been a member of Glen Velez and Handance. Glen’s music and playing techniques have been a major influence on Yousif's work.
Yousif gratefully endorses products from Cooperman Drums, Sabian Cymbals, Innovative Mallets and Pearl/Adams. Check out Yousif’s new signature series drum from Cooperman!
duoJalal's History
Kathryn and Yousif first met in 1997 at APAP, a music conference in New York. At that time Kathryn was a full time member touring with Pacifica Quartet based out of Chicago, and Yousif was on the road with Ethos Percussion Group based out of NY. With their musical careers so separated, they never imagined playing together. Eager to learn more about each other’s music, they traded mix cassettes, Kathryn sending her favorite string quartet pieces while Yousif would send back various music from around the globe. Early on, Pacifica Quartet was doing a residency at National Public Radio in DC and one of their live broadcasts included William Grant Still’s Danzas de Panama. The quartet invited Yousif (who was a bit skittish) to perform with them playing cajon (Peruvian Box Drum). This was Yousif’s first experience playing with Kathryn. The collaboration was so much fun Pacifca Quartet commissioned Ricardo Lorenz to write a new work for string quartet and percussion titled Puente Trans-Arabico. After several years of long distance dating, Kathryn left Pacifica and moved to New York to be with Yousif. On one of her first gigs in NY, Kathryn met and collaborated with composer and pianist Inessa Zaretsky. She later recorded a CD of Inessa’s viola compositions but the CD was short one piece. Inessa offered to write a new work for Kathryn and Yousif - this was really the beginning of duoJalal. The new work titled Dervishes was such a hit at every performance that Kathryn and Yousif decided to continue playing together under the moniker Lockwood Sheronick Project. Several commissions and performances later, they emerged as duoJalal and have been performing, commissioning, collaborating, and raising a child side by side ever since. People often ask the duo “How do you work with your spouse?” To which they answer, “In our pjs in the drum studio in the basement of our house”.