Like the Kimono, Japanese music in the 20th century underwent a series of transformations and changes while still retaining a strong cultural identity. European composers, who had been inspired by exposure to Eastern music and philosophy, influenced the new generations of composers in Japan who responded in turn. “Weaving through Time” showcases the gorgeous and expansive works of Toru Takemitsu and Toshio Hosokawa and the playful Techno Etudes of Karen Tanaka alongside works of Maurice Ravel, Claude Debussy, and Olivier Messiaen.  

New World Piano Trio and The Florida Orchestra musicians Vivek Jayaraman, Victor Minke Huls, and Wesley Ducote will be joined by special guest Nicholas Davies (clarinetist of the Colorado Symphony) in a concert presentation of this crucial dialogue between Japan and the West: a conversation of aesthetics, poetry, texture, and the exploration of time in music. 

Marly Music presents Weaving through Time: Cross-Cultural Dialogues in Modern Japanese Music
Saturday, May 24, 2025
2:00 PM–3:00 PM
Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg
Marly Room
$15 for MFA Members; $30 for Not-Yet-Members

TICKETS

ABOUT THE MUSICIANS

Nicholas Davies 

Nick Davies is the Bass/Utility Clarinet of the Colorado Symphony. Previously, Nick was Principal Clarinet of the Great Falls Symphony and the Chinook Winds, in addition to holding positions as Bass/Utility Clarinet with the Santa Fe Opera, Sarasota Opera and Des Moines Metro Opera. He has performed with orchestras including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, the Louisville Orchestra and frequently performs as guest principal with the Bozeman Symphony. 

As a soloist, Nick has performed Frank Ticheli’s Clarinet Concerto alongside the composer, and has performed as a soloist with ensembles such as the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Antelope Valley Symphony, the Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra, and the USC Wind Ensemble. Other honors include taking First Place in the Pasadena Showcase Competition, and Third Place in Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition. Mr. Davies has a strong interest in contemporary music and has held past fellowships with Ensemble Modern’s Klangspuren Schwaz, Aspen Contemporary Ensemble, and Spoleto Festival USA. As a composer, his commissions include those from the Houston Grand Opera, Midic Winds, Webster Trio, and the Chicago Harp Quartet. Nick is the artistic director and founder of the Rossini Club, a chamber music organization based in Nantucket, Massachusetts, which is hosting its twelfth season this year. He holds degrees from Rice University and the University of Southern California.   

Wesley Ducote 

Noted for his “elegant and brilliant pianism” (South Florida Classical Review), Wesley Ducote is a pianist/arranger based in St. Petersburg, Florida who has led a diverse musical career pursuing an extensive range of interests. As a collaborator, Mr. Ducote has been featured with many of today’s brightest stars including composer/vocalist Kate Soper, Emmy Award-winning composer and Vietnamese folk musician Van Anh Vo, flutists Leone Buyse and Carol Wincenc, clarinetist Evan Ziporyn, soprano Ana Maria Martinez, and many others. He has served as principal\guest principal keyboardist with the Houston Grand Opera, Naples Philharmonic, and the Britt Festival Orchestra, and recently completed a piano fellowship at the New World Symphony. As a chamber musician he has been a featured artist with MUSIQA and the Nantucket Rossini Club, and in 2017 was selected by the Shepherd School of Music to perform with the Gyldfeldt quartet from Leipzig. Mr. Ducote has even worked as a keyboardist/composer in his own jazz-fusion sextet Steve Cox’s Beard. An enthusiastic performer of new and contemporary music, he has premiered over 40 new works and worked with faculty at institutions in China, South Korea, Canada and all over the United States. Wesley Ducote is the recently appointed Artistic Director of the Louis Moreau Institute, staff pianist at USF, rehearsal pianist with Opera Tampa, and a keyboardist with The Florida Orchestra. 

Vivek Jayaraman 

Vivek Jayaraman is a violinist with The Florida Orchestra and the Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra in Switzerland. He has performed in the string sections of several major U.S. orchestras, including The Cleveland Orchestra, Houston Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, and New York Philharmonic and served as Concertmaster for orchestras in Shreveport, Canton, Knoxville, Jacksonville, and Vancouver. During the summer, Vivek performs with the Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra in Switzerland and the Sun Valley Music Festival Orchestra in Idaho. 

A former Fellow of the New World Symphony in Miami, Vivek’s primary mentors include Charles Castleman, Glenn Dicterow, William Preucil, and Gabor Takács-Nagy. Originally from Lansing, Michigan, he holds degrees from the Eastman School of Music, Manhattan School of Music, and the Cleveland Institute of Music.  

Victor Minke Huls 

Victor Minke Huls is a cellist, conductor, and pianist. He joined the Florida Orchestra as associate principal cellist in 2023, and was a featured soloist in February 2025, playing the Saint-Saëns cello concerto. Previously, Dr. Huls served as the principal cellist of the Amarillo Symphony (2019-23), and was a cello fellow at the New World Symphony (2021-23). He has also performed with the Jacksonville Symphony, Aspen Chamber Symphony, Civic Orchestra of Chicago, Toledo Symphony, Saint Augustine Music Festival, Lincoln Center Stage, Nu Deco Ensemble, and in 2015 he was cello soloist in the NAXOS recording project at the National Orchestral Institute. 

Dr. Huls completed his doctorate of musical arts degree in orchestral conducting at Northwestern University with Victor Yampolsky in 2022, where he conducted many different ensembles, and premiered music by student composers. More recently, Dr. Huls was named the assistant conductor of the Tampa Bay Symphony, and has appeared as guest conductor with The Florida Orchestra, Suncoast Symphony Orchestra, Candlelight Concerts, and New World Symphony. He is also an active chamber musician and has given recitals for the Howie Mansion Music Series (Ocala), the Steinway Gallery of Tampa Bay, Classical Revolution at Webb’s City Cellar, and the Museum of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg. Dedicated to spreading the joy of classical music, Dr. Huls started a podcast through Radio St. Pete called “The Classical Scene” in which he discusses upcoming concerts with local classical musicians.