In 2007, Keith Lockhart succeeded David Effron as Artistic Director of the Brevard Music Center Summer Institute and Festival. Lockhart’s appointment solidified an already special relationship with BMC; having attended as a teenager for two summers (1974, 1975), Lockhart was first featured as a guest conductor in 1996 and had since returned numerous times. He continues to serve as the Conductor of The Boston Pops Orchestra, and is Chief Guest Conductor of the BBC Concert Orchestra in London, having served for eight years as its Principal Conductor.

Keith Lockhart has conducted nearly every major orchestra in North America, as well as the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, the NHK Symphony in Tokyo, and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. In October 2012, he made his London Philharmonic debut in Royal Albert Hall. In the opera pit, Maestro Lockhart has conducted productions with the Atlanta Opera, Washington Opera, Boston Lyric Opera, and Utah Opera. Recent highlights included debut appearances with the Czech Philharmonic, the Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome, the Vienna Radio Symphony, and the Hong Kong Philharmonic. The 2017-2018 season saw Lockhart make his French debut with the Orchestre Nationale de Lille, and his Norwegian debut with the Stavanger Symphony Orchestra. Upcoming engagements include an ongoing relationship with the Czech Philharmonic, and returns to orchestras in Japan, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, as well as a debut with the Tonkuenstler Orchestra of Vienna. He also recently completed a recording of the Bernstein Serenade with violinist Anne Akiko Meyers and the London Symphony Orchestra.

In February 1995, Lockhart was named the 20th conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra since its founding in 1885, succeeding John Williams and Arthur Fiedler. Now in his 24th season, he has conducted over 2000 concerts and made 80 television shows, including 38 new programs for PBS’s Evening at Pops, and the annual July Fourth spectacular, broadcast nationally for many years. The Boston Pops’ 2002 July Fourth broadcast was Emmy-nominated, and the Evening at Pops telecast of “Fiddlers Three” won the 2002 ASCAP-Deems Taylor Award. He has led the orchestra on four overseas tours of Japan and Korea, and 45 national tours in the US, reaching more than 150 cities in 38 states (including performances at Carnegie Hall, Radio City Music Hall, and sports arenas across the country) and extending to the pre-game show of Super Bowl XXXVI at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans. Since November 2004, he and the Boston Pops have released six self-produced recordings: 2017’s Lights, Camera…Music! Six Decades of John Williams, A Boston Pops Christmas – Live from Symphony Hall, Sleigh Ride, America, Oscar & Tony, and The Red Sox Album. Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops Orchestra have also recorded eight albums with RCA Victor – Runnin’ Wild: Keith Lockhart and The Boston Pops Orchestra Play Glenn Miller, American Visions, the Grammy-nominated The Celtic Album, Holiday Pops, A Splash of Pops, Encore!, the Latin Grammy-nominated The Latin Album, and My Favorite Things: A Richard Rodgers Celebration.

Highlights of his tenure as the seventh Principal Conductor of the BBC Concert Orchestra (2010-2017) include critically acclaimed North American tours (2010/2011 and 2012/2013, and 2014/2015), conducting annual performances at The Proms, and celebrating the orchestra’s 60th year in 2012. In June of that same year, Keith Lockhart conducted the orchestra during Queen Elizabeth II’s gala Diamond Jubilee Concert, which was broadcast around the world.

In 2009, Keith Lockhart concluded eleven seasons as Music Director of the Utah Symphony. He led that orchestra through the complete symphonic works of Gustav Mahler, brought them to Europe on tour for the first time in two decades, and directed multiple appearances at the 2002 Olympic Winter Games. He stood at the front of that organization’s historic merger with the Utah Opera to create the first-ever joint administrative arts entity of the Utah Symphony and Opera. Under his baton, the Utah Symphony released its first recording in two decades, Symphonic Dances, in April 2006, garnered an Emmy award for a “Salute to Symphony” regional broadcast, and performed in a national PBS broadcast of Vaughn Williams’ oratorio Hodie.

Keith Lockhart served as Music Director of the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra for seven years, completing his tenure in 1999. During his leadership, the orchestra doubled its number of performances, released recordings, and developed a reputation for innovative and accessible programming. Maestro Lockhart also served as Associate Conductor of both the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra from 1990 to 1995.

Born in Poughkeepsie, NY, Maestro Lockhart began his musical studies on piano at the age of 7, and holds degrees from Furman University and Carnegie Mellon University, and also holds honorary doctorates from the Boston Conservatory, Boston University, Northeastern University, Furman University, and Carnegie Mellon University, among others. He was the 2006 recipient of the Bob Hope Patriot Award from the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, and was a recipient of the 2017 Commonwealth Award, Massachusetts highest cultural honor.

More information is available at KeithLockhart.com.

Multiple Grammy Award-winning conductor JoAnn Falletta serves as Music Director of the Buffalo Philharmonic, and the Connie and Marc Jacobson Music Director Laureate of the Virginia Symphony, Principal Guest Conductor of the Brevard Music Center and Artistic Adviser to the Hawaii Symphony. She was recently named one of the “Fifty Great Conductors,” past and present, by Gramophone Magazine, and is hailed for her work as a conductor, recording artist, audience builder and champion of American composers.

Upon her appointment as Music Director of the Buffalo Philharmonic, Falletta became the first woman to lead a major American ensemble and has been credited with bringing the Philharmonic to an unprecedented level of national and international prominence. The Buffalo Philharmonic will celebrate many living American composers this coming year including Adolphus Hailstork, Gabriela Lena Frank, Kenneth Fuchs, David Ludwig, Carlos Simon, Jonathan Bailey Holland, Russell Platt, Daron Hagen, Jessie Montgomery, Michael Tilson Thomas, and Wang Jie.

Her recent and upcoming North American guest conducting includes the National Symphony, and the orchestras of Detroit, Nashville, Indianapolis, Houston, Toronto, Milwaukee, and Orchestre metropolitain. Internationally, she has conducted many of the most prominent orchestras in Europe, Asia, and South America. This season she is looking forward to guest conducting appearances in Canada, Poland, Sweden, and across the US.

With a discography of over 120 titles, Falletta is a leading recording artist for Naxos. She has won two individual Grammy Awards, including the 2021 Grammy Award for Best Choral Performance as Conductor of the world premiere Naxos recording, Richard Danielpour’s The Passion of Yeshua. In 2019, she won her first individual Grammy Award as conductor of the London Symphony in the Best Classical Compendium category for Spiritualist, her fifth world premiere recording of the music of Kenneth Fuchs. Her Naxos recording of John Corigliano’s Mr. Tambourine Man: Seven Poems of Bob Dylan received two Grammys in 2008. Her 2020 Naxos recording of orchestral music of Florent Schmitt with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra recently received the Diapason d’Or Award. Her upcoming releases for Naxos include the complete William Walton Façade, with narrators Kevin Deas, Hila Plitmann and Minnesota Public Radio Host Fred Child, and the Virginia Arts Festival Chamber Players. The recording released in the spring of 2022, will introduce material never heard before, and mark the 100th anniversary of William Walton’s youthful masterpiece. 2022 also saw the Naxos release by the BPO of Poem of Ecstasy by Scriabin.

Falletta is a member of the esteemed American Academy of Arts and Sciences, has served by presidential appointment as a Member of the National Council on the Arts during the Bush and Obama administrations and is the recipient of many of the most prestigious conducting awards. She has introduced over 600 works by American composers, including well over 150 world premieres. In 2019, JoAnn was named Performance Today’s Classical Woman of The Year, calling her a “tireless champion, and lauding her “unique combination of artistic authority and compassion, compelling musicianship and humanity.”

Falletta is a strong advocate and mentor for young professional and student musicians. She has led seminars for women conductors for the League of American Orchestras and established a unique collaboration between the Buffalo Philharmonic and the Mannes College of Music to give up-and-coming conductors professional experience with a leading American orchestra. In 2018, she served on the jury of the Malko Competition in Denmark. She has had great success working with young musicians, guest conducting orchestras at top conservatories and summer programs such as the National Repertory Orchestra, National Orchestral Institute, Interlochen, and Brevard Music Center, and as Artistic Advisor at CIM.

Falletta has held the positions of Principal Conductor of the Ulster Orchestra, Principal Guest Conductor of the Phoenix Symphony, Music Director of the Long Beach Symphony Orchestra, Associate Conductor of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, and Music Director of the Denver Chamber Orchestra and The Women’s Philharmonic.

After earning her bachelor’s degree at Mannes, Falletta received master’s and doctoral degrees from the Juilliard School. When not on the podium, JoAnn enjoys playing classical guitar, writing, cycling, yoga and is an avid reader.

Ken Lam is director of orchestral studies at The Tianjin Juilliard School and resident conductor of the Tianjin Juilliard Orchestra. He is artistic adviser to the Illinois Symphony Orchestra, resident conductor of the Brevard Music Center in North Carolina and serves as artistic director of Hong Kong Voices.

Lam was music director of the Charleston Symphony Orchestra from 2015 to 2022 and music director of Illinois Symphony Orchestra from 2017 to 2022. Previously, Lam also held positions as associate conductor for education of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, assistant conductor of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, and principal conductor of the Hong Kong Chamber Orchestra.

In 2011, Lam won the Memphis Symphony Orchestra International Conducting Competition and was a featured conductor in the League of American Orchestra’s 2009 Bruno Walter National Conductors Preview with the Nashville Symphony. He made his US professional debut with the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center in June 2008, as one of four conductors selected by Leonard Slatkin. In recent seasons, he led performances with the symphony orchestras of Cincinnati and Cincinnati Pops, Baltimore, Detroit, Buffalo, Memphis, Hawaii, Brevard and Meridian, as well as the Hong Kong Sinfonietta, Hong Kong Philharmonic, Seungnam Philharmonic, Guiyang Symphony, and the Taipei Symphony Orchestra.

In opera, he directed numerous productions of the Janiec Opera Company at Brevard and was assistant conductor at Cincinnati Opera, Baltimore Lyric Opera and at the Castleton Festival. In recent seasons, Lam led critically acclaimed productions at the Spoleto Festival USA, Lincoln Center Festival and at the Luminato Festival in Canada. His run of Massenet’s Manon at Peabody Conservatory was hailed by the Baltimore Sun as a top ten classical event in the Washington D.C/Baltimore area in 2010.

Lam studied conducting with Gustav Meier and Markand Thakar at Peabody Conservatory, David Zinman and Murry Sidlin at the American Academy of Conducting at Aspen, and Leonard Slatkin at the National Conducting Institute. He read economics at St. John’s College, Cambridge University and was an attorney specializing in international finance for ten years before becoming a conductor.

Lam is the 2015 recipient of the Johns Hopkins University Alumni Association’s Global Achievement Award, given to individuals who exemplify the Johns Hopkins tradition of excellence and have brought credit to the University and their profession in the international arena.

Dr. Kraig Alan Williams is currently the Director of Bands, Associate Professor of Music and Director of the Wind Studies Program at the Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University. His duties include the artistic guidance of the Grammy-nominated Rutgers Wind Ensemble and administration of all aspects of a large, dynamic and comprehensive university band program. Other responsibilities include teaching graduate and undergraduate conducting and the mentoring of Master’s and Doctoral students in Wind Studies.

Maintaining an active schedule as a guest conductor, clinician and lecturer, Williams has appeared in those capacities in more than 15 states and with such prominent ensembles as the Dallas Wind Symphony and The United States Air Force Band. Williams has led highly acclaimed concerts before the College Band Director’s National Association Southern Regional Conference (2006, 2010), Tennessee All-West Concert Band Festival (2005), the Mid-South Low Brass Conference (2007) and the Mid-South Horn Conference (2009). His wind ensemble was featured in several Mid-South Imagine Contemporary Music Festivals featuring the works of such noted composers as Joseph Schwantner, George Crumb, JamesMobberley, Armando Luna, Hasan Ucarusu, Eric Whitacre, Michael Daugherty and David Maslanka.

Prior to arriving at Rutgers, Williams served as the Director of Bands at University of Memphis (2003-2011); conductor of the Duke University Wind Symphony and director of the Duke in Vienna program (1997-2000); director of bands and chamber ensembles at California State University, Los Angeles (1993-1996); assistant conductor of Southern California Inland Empire Symphony and Los Angeles Solo Repertoire Orchestra in Burbank, and music director of the Lake Elsinore Civic Light Opera (1990-1993).

Williams has conducted performances in Graz, Budapest, Malta,Marktoberdorf, and Prague. He has performed in Carnegie Hall, conducted live radio broadcasts on National Public Radio and has recorded for Mark Records and ADK in Prague, Czech Republic. A project featuring the wind music of Eric Ewazen will be released on Albany records in 2011.

Williams received his doctorate from The University of Texas at Austin, where he studied with Jerry F. Junkin. He received a Master’s of Music degree in performance from California State University, Northridge. Williams is a member of CBDNA, TMEA, and is a sponsor and honorary member of the Memphis chapters of Kappa Kappa Psi and Tau Beta Sigma.

Williams joined the conducting faculty at the Brevard Music Center in 2001 and was named Director of Band Activities in 2008. He has regularly achieved critical acclaim for his work with the Symphonic Band and Chamber Winds.

Norwegian conductor Rune Bergmann is currently Music Director of Canada’s Calgary Philharmonic, Artistic Director & Chief Conductor of Poland’s Szczecin Philharmonic, and Chief Conductor of Switzerland’s Argovia Philharmonic, positions he has held since the 2017/18, 2016/17, and 2020/21 seasons, respectively. 

Guest engagements in the 2022/23 season bring Bergmann once again to the podiums of the Baltimore, North Carolina and Malaga Symphony Orchestras. He will also make his debut with the recently formed ADDA Simfonica in Spain. 

Bergmann’s recent guest engagements include concert weeks with the Baltimore, Colorado Detroit, Edmonton, Houston, New Jersey and Pacific Symphony Orchestras in North America, and the Bergen Philharmonic, Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana, Orquesta Sinfonica Portuguesa, Norwegian National Opera Orchestra, Orquesta de Valencia, Staatskapelle Halle, Wrocław Philharmonic, and the Risør Festival in Europe, to name a few. Bergmann has also led performances of Il barbiere di Siviglia and La traviata at the Norwegian National Opera, and he made his US operatic debut in Yale Opera’s production of Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, as staged by Claudia Solti, while previous guest engagements have led him to such auspices as the Oslo Philharmonic, New Mexico Philharmonic, Münchner Symphoniker, Mainfranken Theater Würzburg, Philharmonie Südwestfalen, as well as the symphony orchestras of Malmö, Helsingborg, Kristiansand, Stavanger, Trondheim, Karlskrona, and Odense.

2018 saw the release of Bergmann’s first recording with the Szczecin Philharmonic, which featured the „Resurrection“ Symphony in E-minor by Mieczyław Karłowicz, a piece which has since become a major focus of Bergmann’s repertoire. He has also released recordings with the Argovia Philharmonic, including Ravel’s G-Major Piano Concerto and Mozart’s Bb-Major Bassoon concerto.

Earlier in his career, Rune Bergmann served as First Kapellmeister and deputy-Music Director of the Theater Augsburg, where he led performances of numerous operas, including such titles as La Traviata, Der fliegende Holländer, and Die Fledermaus. He has also served as Principal Guest Conductor of the Kaunas City Symphony, and has been Artistic Director of Norway’s innovative Fjord Cadenza Festival since its inception in 2010.

Winner of the 2022 Sir Georg Solti Conducting Award, Earl Lee is a renowned Korean-Canadian conductor who has captivated audiences worldwide. Music Director of the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra since 2022, he recently finished a successful three-year tenure as Assistant Conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

In addition to a full season of concerts with the Ann Arbor Symphony, Lee’s 2025/26 season includes his subscription debut with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and several return engagements with teg Boston Symphony. Further guest conducting includes returns to the Calgary Philharmonic, the Colburn Orchestra at Walt Disney Concert Hall, and the orchestras of the Royal Conservatory Toronto and the San Francisco Conservatory, as well as debuts with the Omaha Symphony and Rhode Island Philharmonic. Lee starts his season in his native Korea with appearances at the Seoul Arts Center and the Tongyeong International Music Festival (TIMF) with the TIMF Festival Orchestra.

Previous seasons included subscription concerts with the Boston Symphony in Boston and at Tanglewood and guest conducting engagements with the Atlanta, San Francisco, Colorado, Saratoga, and Vancouver Symphonies, Seoul Philharmonic, Mostly Mozart Orchestra, and the Sejong Soloists at Carnegie Hall and in Seoul.

Lee previously held positions as Associate Conductor of the Pittsburgh Symphony and as the Resident Conductor of the Toronto Symphony. In 2022, he appeared with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra Amsterdam as a participant in the Ammodo masterclasses led by Fabio Luisi.  He studied cello at the Curtis Institute of Music and the Juilliard School and conducting at Manhattan School of Music and the New England Conservatory. He lives in New York City with his wife and their daughter.

Anna Rakitina has firmly established herself as one of the most exciting and sought-after conductors of her generation following a series of highly acclaimed appearances with Chicago, Boston, and San Francisco Symphony Orchestras as well as the New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Tonkünstler-Orchester, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, and Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra.
The 2024-25 season sees Rakitina make debuts with City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, Sønderjyllands Symfoniorkester, Norrköping Symphony Orchestra, Ulster Orchestra, and North Carolina Symphony. In May 2025, as part of the Leipzig Shostakovich Festival, she will conduct a specially assembled festival orchestra consisting of young musicians from the Gewandhaus Orchestra’s Mendelssohn Orchestra Academy, the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra and students from the Leipzig University of Music and Theatre Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy. Throughout the season, she will will also appear with Malmö Symphony Orchestra, Dresdner Philharmonie, Staatskapelle Dresden, Stuttgarter Philharmoniker, Düsseldorfer Symphoniker, Orquestra Sinfónica do Porto Casa da Música, and Orquestra Sinfónica de Galicia.

In recent seasons, Anna Rakitina has worked with orchestras such as BBC Symphony Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Nürnberger Symphoniker, NDR Radiophilharmonie, Orchestre philharmonique du Luxembourg, Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Orchestre National de Lille, and Norwegian National Opera Orchestra. In North America, she has appeared with notable orchestras such as the Baltimore, Cincinnati, Houston, Utah, Quebec, and Vancouver Symphony Orchestras.

Anna Rakitina regularly collaborates with soloists including Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Inon Barnatan, Joshua Bell, Renaud Capuçon, Augustin Hadelich, Lucas and Arthur Jussen, Daniel Hope, Gil Shaham, Christian Tetzlaff, Jan Vogler, and Alisa Weilerstein. She continues to champion music by today’s composers including Anna Clyne, Elena Langer, and Ellen Reid.

Rakitina was Assistant Conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra from 2019 to 2023, where she was only the second woman in the orchestra’s history to hold the position. She concluded her tenure with a highly acclaimed performance at the Tanglewood Music Festival with Joshua Bell in August 2023. Previously, she was a Dudamel Fellow at the Los Angeles Philharmonic (2019/20 season). Rakitina’s talents have been recognised through multiple awards, including second prize at the Malko Competition 2018, and further prizes at the Deutscher Dirigentenpreis’ 2017 and the TCO International Conducting Competition Taipei 2015.

Born in Moscow to a Ukrainian father and a Russian mother, Rakitina grew up in a musical family and began her education as a violinist before studying conducting at the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory with Stanislav Dyachenko and later in Hamburg with Prof. Ulrich Windfuhr. She wasfinalist of ‘Das kritische Orchester’ in Berlin in 2018, participated in the Lucerne Festival Academy’s conducting fellowship scheme led by Alan Gilbert and Bernard Haitink. She has attended masterclasses with Gennady Rozhdestvensky, Vladimir Jurowski, Johannes Schlaefli, and the 2022 Ammodo Masterclass conducting the Concertgebouworkest led by Fabio Luisi.

Canadian conductor Naomi Woo is gaining worldwide attention for her spirited dynamism and infectious musicality both on and off the podium. A widely sought-after symphonic and operatic conductor, Woo is currently in her second season as Assistant Conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra.    

​In the 2025/26 season, Woo makes debuts with the New York Philharmonic, National Symphony Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic, Royal Northern Sinfonia and the Royal Ballet and Opera, Covent Garden. She also returns to Montreal’s Orchestre Métropolitain, where she was artistic partner from 2023 to 2025, as well as to the Vancouver Symphony, Calgary Philharmonic and City of London Sinfonia. A renowned advocate for contemporary music she conducts the world premiere of Oliver Leith’s Garland at Bold Tendencies in London and leads a workshop for Huang Ruo’s upcoming opera The Wedding Banquet at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. 

In previous seasons, Woo has appeared with Toronto Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, Montreal Symphony, and National Arts Centre Orchestra in North America and elsewhere with London’s Philharmonia, Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana, Orchestre de Chambre de Luxembourg,  and at LSO St. Luke’s in London with the ensemble Tangram Sound, an ensemble devoted to celebrating the vitality of Chinese cultures, and creating new music by transnational Chinese creators.  

 On the opera stage, she has conducted the Canadian premiere of Du Yun’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Angel’s Bone in Vancouver, Puccini Edgar at Opera Holland Park, Rossini La Cenerentola with English Touring Opera, and the world premiere of Ellis Ludwig-Leone The Night Falls in New York City. Recognised for her collaborative approach and natural command for storytelling and language, Woo has conducted more than a dozen operas with students and young professionals in US and the UK, and collaboratively created new, genre-bending operatic works with Sasha Amaya and Catherine Kontz (A Certain Sense of Order), Sophie Seita (Beethoven Was a Lesbian), and Alex Ho/Julia Cheng. 

A passionate educator, Woo was the music director of the National Youth Orchestra of Canada for their 2024 and 2025 seasons and is the former music director of El Sistema Winnipeg. As a pianist, she has led performances from the piano with the Philadelphia Orchestra, Winnipeg Symphony, and others.  ​

 Woo holds a PhD from the University of Cambridge, where she was a Gates Cambridge Scholar. She has also studied mathematics, philosophy, and music at Yale College, the Yale School of Music, and Université de Montréal. The 2022 winner of the Canada Council’s prestigious Virginia Parker Prize, Woo is a member of Tapestry Opera’s Women in Musical Leadership programme and was chosen by her mentor Yannick Nézet-Séguin as a member of the Orchestre Métropolitain’s inaugural orchestral conducting academy. She acknowledges generous support over the years from the Manitoba Arts Council, Canada Council for the Arts, Help Musicians UK, and the BC Arts Council.

Shih-Hung Young, Chinese conductor and violinist from Taiwan, was born in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and later came to the United States. He received his Bachelor’s and Master’s of Music degrees from The Juilliard School and a Doctorate of Music from State University of New York at Stony Brook. Dr. Young taught at The Juilliard School Pre-College Division from 1995 to 2016.

Dr. Young is an active conductor of symphonic, film scores, Broadway musicals and operas, and a performer of solo and chamber music recitals. He conducted many global film concerts including Howard Shore’s Academy Award-winning The Lord of the Rings: Live to Projection Trilogy & Symphony, collaborating with Golden Globe winner Lisa Gerrard in Hans Zimmer’s Gladiator: Live, Nina Rota’s The Godfather, DreamWorks Animations, Harry Potter Film Concert Series, John Corigliano’s Oscar Winning The Red Violin, La La Land in Concert and many Disney’s Live-in-Concert productions including collaboration with Lebo M. in Disney’s The Lion King Live, The Little Mermaid, Frozen, Beauty and the Beast, Star Wars and Asia premiere of Disney Pixar’s Toy Story.

Dr. Young has toured in the United States and internationally, collaborating with orchestras from Australia, Barcelona, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Iceland, Italy, South Korea, Luxembourg, Macau, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Russia, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden, Taiwan and Turkey.

Praised by the Washington Post for her “temperament and clear musical purpose” and “great technical maturity,” Stefani Matsuo has emerged as one of today’s great talents. She was appointed by Maestro Louis Langrée as Concertmaster of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra in September 2019.

As Concertmaster of the CSO, which also performs and records as the Cincinnati Pops, Matsuo led the orchestra under Maestro Langrée for the Grammy nominated album, Transatlantic. She also had the honor of premiering Missy Mazzoli’s Fanfare for the Unimpressed for solo violin as part of the CSO’s Fanfare Project. In 2019, Matsuo made her solo debut with the CSO, performing Mozart Violin Concerto No. 4, where she was applauded by the Cincinnati Business Courier for her “effortless technique,” “old world sound,” and “irresistible freshness of spirit.”

Prior to joining the CSO, Matsuo made her New York City debut in Alice Tully Hall performing the Britten Violin Concerto with the Juilliard Orchestra under the baton of Jeffrey Kahane. She made her solo recital debut at the Phillips Collection in Washington D.C. as the winner of the 2012 Washington International Competition. Matsuo was also the winner of the 2012 Juilliard Concerto Competition and a laureate of the 2011 Michael Hill International Competition.

As a dedicated chamber musician, Matsuo has collaborated with many distinguished artists such as Itzhak Perlman and Gil Shaham, among others. In Cincinnati, she serves as a co-artistic director of the innovative chamber ensemble concert:nova, and is a regular performer on the

CSO Chamber Players Series and Linton Chamber Music Series. She is also a member of Matsuo Duo with her husband and CSO cellist, Hiro Matsuo. Together, they have co-commissioned and premiered Strange Loops by Michael Ippolito, and have performed in North America, Japan, and Taiwan. In New York City, she performed regularly with Jupiter Chamber Players and Salomé Chamber Orchestra. She also served as concertmaster of Symphony in C and as a member of the first violin section of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra.

Matsuo currently serves on the violin faculty of the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati. In addition, she has also served as a teaching assistant to Paul Kantor at Aspen Music Festival and has given guest teacher appearances at Boston University Tanglewood Institute, New World Symphony, Ball State University, and National Taiwan Normal University.

She completed her Master’s Degree in Music at The Juilliard School under the tutelage of Sylvia Rosenberg, and has a Bachelor’s degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music where she studied with Paul Kantor. Matsuo originally hails from North Carolina.

Learn more about BMC’s Concertmaster Studio

Charles Mutter was born in Sussex, England. After winning numerous prizes as a Junior Exhibitioner at the Royal College of Music, Charles read Music and English Literature at Jesus College, Cambridge. He made his London debut playing Giacinto Scelsi’s Anahit at St John’s, Smith Square while still a student.

As a member of the Smith Quartet for ten years, Charles toured the world and made numerous broadcasts and recordings; the quartet’s contribution to the 2005 BBC film, “Holocaust: a Musical Memorial Film from Auschwitz” won an Emmy Award. Charles then led the Edinburgh Quartet, Scotland’s only full-time string quartet, for four years before moving back to London in 2007 to take up the position of Associate Leader (co-concertmaster) of the BBC Concert Orchestra, which he still holds.

As soloist with the BBCCO, Charles has performed works by composers from Bach to Muhly, notably including Guy Barker’s violin concerto which was written for him and premiered in Bucharest in 2016. He is also in great demand as a guest concertmaster (Philharmonia, CBSO, Bournemouth SO, Ulster Orchestra), session musician, West End concertmaster and chamber musician.

Charles also loves playing the piano and the viola, and is an avid arranger and orchestrator – his work in this field has been broadcast on all the main BBC radio channels.

German-born violinist Peter Otto enjoys a multi-faceted career as a soloist, chamber musician,  orchestral musician, and teacher. He is the newly appointed concertmaster of the Nashville  Symphony, beginning in January 2024.

Previous to his engagement in Nashville he served as First Associate Concertmaster of The Cleveland Orchestra, where he was appointed by Franz Welser-Möst in 2007. He has regularly appeared as concerto soloist with The Cleveland Orchestra, including performances of Leonard Bernstein’s Serenade, Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, Mozart’s “Haffner” Serenade, and most recently William Walton’s Violin Concerto under the baton of Franz Welser-Möst. Mr. Otto has also performed as a soloist with The Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, Czech Philharmonic,  Heidelberg Chamber Orchestra, Camarata Rostockiensis, National Youth Orchestra of Germany, and the Cleveland Philharmonic. He has appeared as guest concertmaster with the Nashville Symphony and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.

Mr. Otto served as Acting Concertmaster of The Cleveland Orchestra from 2018 until 2022, including numerous national and international tours. Previous to his engagement in Cleveland,  he served as Assistant Concertmaster of the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra. Recital and chamber music performances have included engagements with the Heidelberger Frühling Festival, the Schleswig-Holstein Festival, Kultur unter alten Dächern in northeast Germany, MOCA Miami as part of Art Basel Miami, the Pulitzer Festival in Saint Louis, and the Cactus Pear Music Festival in San Antonio. Chamber music partners have included Orli Shaham, Yehonatan Berick, Jennifer Montone, Andre Emilianoff, Judith Gordon, Peter  Henderson, and Grammy-winning pianist Angelin Chang.

Peter Otto is a graduate of the Juilliard School and the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in  Rostock, Germany. His honors include top prizes in the Max Rostal Competition in Berlin and the Kingsville Young Performers Competition in Texas. Teachers have included Christiane Hutcap, Vera Kramarova, and Lewis Kaplan. Other significant musical influences were Roman Nodel, Igor Ozim, and Felix Galimir.

Mr. Otto has served as a faculty member of the Bowdoin Summer Music Festival and the Kent/Blossom Festival. He is a frequent guest teacher at the New World Symphony, leading masterclasses and coaching sessions for aspiring orchestral musicians. Peter Otto currently teaches violin at Cleveland State University.

Hailed by the New York Times for her “rich tone” and “virtuosic panache,” violinist Francesca Anderegg delivers insightful accounts of contemporary and classical music. Through her inventive programming, active composer collaborations, and precise yet impassioned interpretations, Anderegg has earned renown as a musical explorer of the first order.

Since her Carnegie Hall debut performance in 2008, Ms. Anderegg has given solo recitals in national and international venues, including Brooklyn’s National Sawdust, The Arts Club of Washington, the National Museum of Colombia in Bógota, and many others across the world. As a concerto soloist, she has performed with orchestras across South America and the United States. Her three solo albums have been featured on radio programs throughout the country and noted for their “stunning virtuosity” (Fanfare Magazine), “lustrous tone” (The Strad Magazine), and “riveting listening experience” (Second Inversion). Her album “Wild Cities” was selected as a favorite of 2016 by New Music Box, and her most recent release, “Images of Brazil,” was praised as “the most delightful disc of Brazilian chamber music to come along in years” (Fanfare Magazine). Ms. Anderegg’s appearances include concerts at Chicago’s Symphony Center and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York with Itzhak Perlman and members of the Perlman Music Program.  

Ms. Anderegg’s career is characterized by remarkable versatility. In addition to her accomplishments as a soloist, she is also a skilled orchestral musician, chamber musician and administrator. She frequently performs with the Minnesota Orchestra, and played full-time as a member of the first violin section from 2014-2015. As a chamber musician, she has performed with many of the leading artists of today, including Brad Gemeinhart (Principal Horn of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra), Astrid Schween (cellist of the Juilliard String Quartet) and Lawrence Hurst (Professor Emeritus at Indiana University), and many others. She is the artistic director of the Bridge Chamber Music Festival, which brings internationally renowned musicians to perform in Minnesota.

The search for unusual repertoire has made Ms. Anderegg a fierce advocate for new music. Since she made her New York concerto debut performing Ligeti’s Violin Concerto with the Juilliard Orchestra, she has championed the artistic and emotional expression of works by 20th century and living composers. As concertmaster of the contemporary music ensemble AXIOM, she led Miller Theatre’s production of Elliott Carter’s opera What Next?, in a performance that was rated one of classical music’s top 10 events of the year by Time Out magazine. She performed Daniel Schnyder’s jazz-influenced Violin Concerto with Orchestra for the Next Century, and performed Pierre Boulez’s orchestral and solo compositions under the direction of the composer at the Lucerne Festival in Switzerland. With her husband, the Venezuelan-American composer Reinaldo Moya, Anderegg has performed a series of original works exploring magical realism and other elements of Latin American literature and imagination. In 2019, she gave the world premiere of Moya’s violin concerto at the Lakes Area Music Festival with celebrated conductor Gemma New, and has since performed the piece with the South Dakota Symphony and the Berkshire Symphony.

Anderegg holds an undergraduate degree from Harvard University and masters’ and doctoral degrees from The Juilliard School, where her teachers included Robert Mann, Ronald Copes, and Naoko Tanaka. She is a laureate of the Corpus Christi Competition and winner of fellowships from both the McKnight Foundation and the Leonore Annenberg Fund.  Her festival appearances include the Tanglewood Music Center, the National Music Festival, Music in the Vineyards, and Yellow Barn. An enthusiastic educator and mentor of young musicians, Anderegg is Associate Professor of Violin at St. Olaf College and has taught at many summer programs, including Interlochen Center for the Arts and the Sarasota Music Festival.

Described by Time Out New York as “Incisive, industrious, and creatively restless…” Caroline Eva Chin has concertized throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia in concert halls including the John F. Kennedy Center, the White House, New York’s Carnegie and Weill Halls, and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. She gave her solo debut at age 12 and has since performed with several orchestras throughout the United States.

An avid chamber musician, Ms. Chin has been a member of the Hudson Piano Trio, Ensemble Epomeo, and collaborated with members of the Takács Quartet, Vermeer Quartet, the Juilliard Quartet as well as with artists Gary Hoffman, Raphael Wallfisch, Colin Carr, Nobuko Imai, Charles Neidich, and Piers Lane. She has been featured as a guest artist at the Consonances Festival in France, Schiermonnikoog Chamber Music Festival in Holland, the 2 Rivers Chamber Music Festival in the UK, the Scotia Festival in Canada, and the Newburyport Chamber Music Festival in Massachusetts.

A promoter of new music, she has performed works of composers Jennifer Higdon, Samuel Adler, Aaron Jay Kernis, Mikel Kuehns, David T. Little, Paul Moravec, and the world premiere of Triple Concerto: Da Camara by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer, George Walker. Recordings include the world premiere Elliott Carter’s Tre Duetti for Violin and Cello on Centaur Records as well as recordings on Avie Records, Somm Records, and New World Records.

While on tour, she has given masterclasses at universities and colleges throughout the U.S. including Oberlin Conservatory, University of North Texas, University of Colorado Boulder, Michigan State University, University of South Carolina, and Florida State University. Ms. Chin has toured the US and Japan with tap dancer Savion Glover and performed and recorded as leader of SONYC and concertmaster of the Paragon Ragtime Orchestra. As the Artistic Director of Musica Reginae from 2007-2011, she worked to bring high-quality music performances to the ethnically diverse communities of Queens.

Ms. Chin is Associate Professor of Violin at Bowling Green State University’s College of Musical Arts and on the violin faculty of the Brevard Music Center Festival. She received her Bachelor of Music Degree from Indiana University’s School of Music as a student of Miriam Fried and has received her Master of Music Degree from the Juilliard School as a student of Robert Mann.

www.carolineevachin.com

Violinist Margaret Karp is a full time Lecturer in Violin and Viola at the University of Kentucky School of Music. She is Assistant Concertmaster of the Lexington Philharmonic Orchestra, and was previously principal second violin of the Florida Orchestra and the Sarasota Opera, and a member of the Philharmonia da Camera in Dortmund, Germany. Ms. Karp has performed in chamber music festivals throughout the United States, and was a student of James Buswell at Indiana University. The Kentucky chapter of the American String Teachers Association named Ms. Karp Outstanding Educator of 2015.

Timothy Lees, violinist, enjoys an exciting and eclectic career as both performer and educator. Before his appointment as Assistant Professor of Violin at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM), Mr. Lees served as Concertmaster of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra from 1998 to 2018 during which time he appeared regularly as soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician.  Prior to his arrival in Cincinnati, his extensive orchestral resume includes serving as the Concertmaster of the Charleston (SC) Symphony Orchestra and Spoleto Festival Orchestra and as a member of the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, the Santa Fe Opera Orchestra, the Philly Opera and the Rochester Philharmonic.  In addition, Mr. Lees has also appeared as Concertmaster of the Pittsburgh and New Jersey Symphony Orchestras.  During his tenure, Mr. Lees led the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra in 10 international and domestic tours in which the orchestra performed in the most prestigious venues in the countries of Germany, Spain, Poland, France, China, Japan and Taiwan.  In addition, the prolific discography of the Cincinnati Symphony and Pops Orchestras includes over 60 recordings on the Telarc and Fanfare Cincinnati labels in which Mr. Lees led the orchestra.  In his Carnegie Hall, New York debut with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra his performance of Strauss’ Ein Heldenleben was hailed by Strings Magazine: “the display of egotism is almost redeemed by the soaring melodies and the famous bravura violin solo, played with spectacular virtuosity by concertmaster Timothy Lees.” From Bach to Bartok, Mr. Lees’ flexibility and command of the solo violin repertoire is evident through his numerous solo appearances with the Cincinnati Symphony as well as on many other stages throughout North America.  As a recitalist, he has been featured in solo recitals in cities throughout the United States such as Cincinnati, Philadelphia, San Diego and at festivals including Sarasota, Spoleto, Sebago-Long Lake, Mainly Mozart Festivals, and in Europe at the Recontres Musicales Internationales des Graves in Bordeaux, France.

As an educator, Mr. Lees serves in a vital, dual role at CCM as private teacher and orchestral coach in preparing students as they hone their orchestral audition skills. Mr. Lees’ versatility in teaching effectiveness is evidenced by a consistent and strong track record of students claiming competition prizes as well as winning full-time positions in orchestras such as the National Symphony, Buffalo Philharmonic, Columbus Symphony, and the Oregon Symphony, among others.  A member of the Sarasota Festival faculty since 2004, and the Recontres Musicales Internationales des Graves in Bordeaux, France, Mr. Lees has also served on the faculty of the Aspen Music Festival and School where he performed as Concertmaster of both the Aspen Chamber Symphony and the Aspen Festival Orchestra.  The expertise he has cultivated in his own command of solo, chamber music,  and orchestral literature is shared, not only by his appointment to the violin faculty of CCM, but also through master classes presented nationally and internationally at Universities, Conservatories, and festivals including CCM, Indiana University, Aspen Music Festival, Sarasota Music Festival, Beijing Central Conservatory, Sookmyung Women’s University, Yeungnam University, Korea National University of Arts, Carnegie Mellon University, College of Charleston, University of Kentucky, Northern Kentucky University, Ohio University, Biola University, Ascent Festival, and many others. 

An avid and highly sought-after chamber musician, Mr. Lees frequently has collaborated with the world’s most prominent artists including Maxim Vangerov, Jaime Laredo, Joseph Silverstein, Yefim Bronfman, Ida Kavafian, Peter Wiley, among many others.  Additionally, he has appeared in performances as guest artist with members of the St. Lawrence, Pacifica, and Jupiter Quartets.  Mr. Lees has also been featured regularly in chamber music on well-established series including the Linton Music Series, CCM Faculty Artist Series, Oberlin Conservatory Series, Concert Nova, Sebago-Long Lake as well as appearances on Aspen Music Festival Faculty Artists Series, and Spoleto Festival Series. His performances have been broadcast on NPR Performance Today, WFMT (Chicago Public Radio), NHK Radio (Japan), WGUC (Cincinnati Public Radio), KAJX (Aspen Public Radio), (WMEA) Maine Public Radio, and WFSU (Florida Public Radio). 

A native of Philadelphia, Mr. Lees received the coveted Performer’s Certificate from the Eastman School of Music where he studied with Charles Castleman.  When not playing or teaching, Mr. Lees is an avid road cyclist who enjoys spending time with his wife and fellow musician, Catharine, spoiling their two border terriers Hazel and Indy, and repairing and rehairing violin, viola, cello and double bass bows.

Mr. Lees performs on a J. B. Vuillaume violin c. 1845

Philip Marten will join The Cleveland Orchestra in August 2026 as Associate Concertmaster, appointed to the position by Maestro Franz Welser-Möst. Previously, Marten served as 1st Assistant Concertmaster of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Acting Associate Concertmaster of the Kansas City Symphony, and a section member of the Kansas City Symphony. He has also appeared as guest concertmaster of the Kansas City Symphony and the Kentucky Symphony Orchestra, and has been on faculty at the Brevard Music Center Summer Festival since 2025.

An active chamber musician, he is a founding member of Red Door Quartet, which works to bring classical music and creative programming to various communities and schools in the Cincinnati, Ohio area. He also firmly believes in the importance of community engagement. During his time in Cincinnati, he has been active with local organizations such as Concert:Nova, The Response Project, Ascent Festival, and is the founder and curator for the Red Door Chamber Music Series. He has participated in many other collaborative projects in concert with David Chan, Cho-Liang Lin, Anthony McGill, Desmond Hoebig, Benny Kim, Scott Lee, Masumi Rostad, and Jon Kimura Parker. As a soloist, he has performed with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Opera, the Kaleidoscope ensemble, and the San Diego Youth Symphony.

Earlier in his career, Marten was Concertmaster of the American Youth Symphony, the USC Thornton Symphony, and the Shepherd School Symphony Orchestra. He was a founding member of several notable chamber ensembles, including Rodin Trio, which earned a fellowship residency at La Jolla Music Society’s Summerfest, and Fairway Quartet, which won fellowships to the Juilliard String Quartet Program, Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, and the McGill International String Quartet Academy. Other festivals attended include Music Academy of the West, Kneisel Hall, Aspen Music Festival, Meadowmount School of Music and the Brevard Music Center. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music under the tutelage of Cho-Liang Lin and spent a year at the University of Southern California studying with Glenn Dicterow.

In his spare time, Philip enjoys a keen interest in the sociology of music, composing his own music, occasionally playing video games, and family life with his wife and two children.

Gabriel Pegis joined the Cincinnati Symphony as a member of the second violin section in June of 1999, and in September of 2000 he was appointed to the Principal Second Violin Chair. Previously, Pegis was Assistant Principal Second Violin with the North Carolina Symphony. Other past positions include a violin faculty position at Western Illinois University and the Concertmaster position with the Illinois Symphony Orchestra in Springfield, IL. In addition, Pegis has taught at numerous summer music festivals including the Sewanee Summer Music Center, The Music Festival of Arkansas and The Young Musical Artists Association in Lawrence, Kansas. Pegis has also spent many summers performing at the Chautauqua Institution in Western NY state as well as coaching chamber music in Spoleto, Italy with the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. He is a regular coach with the New World Symphony in Miami Beach, Florida.  Pegis has also appeared as soloist with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, the Rochester Philharmonic, the North Carolina Symphony and the Illinois Symphony among others. As a violist, Pegis has appeared on both the Cincinnati Chamber Music series and the Linton Chamber Series, with members of the North Carolina Symphony and as a faculty member at Western Illinois University. In 1994 he was awarded a Doctoral Fellowship at the University of Illinois where he studied with Emmanuel Vardi.

Violinist Wendy Rawls is an active performer and teacher. She is presently assistant concertmaster of the Greensboro Symphony and current concertmaster of the Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle. She has also performed with the North Carolina Symphony, Charlotte Symphony and Eastern Music Festival Orchestra. For many summers, she performed in Italy at the Spoleto Festival, in the American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, Austria, and at the American School at Fontainbleau, France. As chamber artist, she has recently performed at the Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival in Harrisonburg, Virginia and at Summer Music in Blowing Rock, North Carolina.

Ms. Rawls is founder and director of the Gate City Suzuki School in Greensboro, N.C. She was formerly on the faculty at Moravian College in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, where she created the Moravian College Music Institute Suzuki Program. Ms. Rawls has also been on the faculties of C.W. Post University and the Gulf Coast Music Suzuki Program.

Ms. Rawls has received degrees from Ithaca College, New England Conservatory, and Mannes College of Music. Her major teachers include Linda Case, Paul Kantor and Hiroko Yajima.

Karen Strittmatter Galvin is the Assistant Concertmaster of the North Carolina Symphony, which she joined in 2007. She has been featured numerous times as soloist with the NC Symphony, notably showcasing contemporary solo violin repertoire including Nico Muhly’s Seeing is Believing, Prince of Clouds by Anna Clyne, and Echorus by Phillip Glass. Ms. Galvin has also performed with The Cleveland Orchestra and performed and toured internationally with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.

Ms. Galvin is the founder and curator of New Music Raleigh, a cutting-edge ensemble dedicated to performing the works of living composers. In 2019, Ms. Galvin became a member of the Artist Faculty of Brevard Music Center where she teaches talented high school and college students, specializing in orchestral literature and audition preparation.

Committed to the arts in her community, Ms. Galvin has taught at the University of North Carolina and maintains an active private teaching studio. She is sought out as a collaborator and studio musician, performing and recording with groups including Broken Social Scene and The Mountain Goats. Ms. Galvin has performed during past summers with the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra, served as Associate Concertmaster of the Colorado Music Festival, and was a featured musician with Jackson Hole Chamber Music.

A native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Ms. Galvin began her musical training at the age of five after seeing the violin for the first time while watching Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood. She received a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from Carnegie Mellon University where she studied with Carolyn Huebl and Cyrus Forough, and a Masters Degree from the University of Maryland where she studied with Elisabeth Adkins and the members of the Guarneri String Quartet.

Associate Professor of Violin at Florida State University, violinist Benjamin Sung is also a Faculty Artist and violin coordinator at the Brevard Music Center, and principal second violin of the Brevard Music Center Orchestra. Recent concert highlights include the 2019 Brevard Music Festival; a complete Beethoven cycle with pianist David Kalhous; an appearance with the FSU University Symphony Orchestra in Piazzolla’s Estaciones Portenas for the 2016 ASTA National Conference; and a TED talk for TEDx Fargo. Mr. Sung has an upcoming new solo album featuring works by Sciarrino, Berio, Maderna, and Schnittke; in the 2019-2020 season, he has engagements to play the 24 Caprices by Paganini in Canada, Taiwan, Brazil, and throughout the United States.

Sung has performed as a soloist with numerous orchestras, including the Camerata Romeu of Havana (Cuba), the Virtuosi of Festival Internacionale de Musica in Recife (Brazil), and the National Repertory Orchestra. He is equally in demand as a chamber musician, having shared the stage with great performers including pianist Monique Duphil, and cellists Antonio Meneses and Marcio Carneiro. He is a past winner of the Starling Award of the Eastman School of Music and the Violin Fellowship of the Montgomery Symphony, and an Aaron Copland Fund Recording Grant.

An enthusiastic advocate of contemporary music, Sung has recorded the music of composers Steve Rouse and Marc Satterwhite for Centaur Records, has performed and taught for Studio 2021 at Seoul National University, and has worked with many of the greatest composers of this generation, including John Adams, Pierre Boulez, George Crumb, and Helmut Lachenmann. In 2012, he released an album of new American works entitled FluxFlummoxed on Albany Records, a recording hailed by Fanfare Magazine as “a brilliant performance of four superb works” with “impeccable intonation and tone production.”

Sung holds a Bachelor’s degree from the Eastman School of Music, where he studied with Oleh Krysa, and Master’s and Doctorate degrees from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, from the studio of Nelli Shkolnikova. Sung also studied at the Professional Training Program at Carnegie Hall, the Lucerne Festival Academy, the New York String Seminar, and the Chamber Music Residency at The Banff Centre. Benjamin lives with his wife Jihye and son Aiden in Tallahassee, Florida, where he enjoys running, watching Aiden climb through the Suzuki sequence, and everything that comes out of Jihye’s kitchen.

Byron Tauchi is currently the principal second violin in the Louisiana Philharmonic. He has served as concertmaster of the National Orchestral Association, the New Philharmonic of New Jersey, the Manhattan Chamber Orchestra, and as associate concertmaster of the San Jose Symphony. He has been a faculty member at the Brevard Music Festival since 1992 and has served as the chair of the string area. He has also been a member of the faculty at the University of Santa Clara and the University of Nevada Las Vegas.

Mr. Tauchi has performed as a recitalist, soloist and chamber musician throughout the United States, Spain, Denmark, Italy and the Ukraine. Recent performances have been in Nevada, California, Washington, Oklahoma and North Carolina. He made his first concerto appearance with orchestra at the age of thirteen.

Mr. Tauchi attended the Manhattan School of Music studying with Raphael Bronstein and Ariana Bronne. He also holds a degree in Computer Science from the University of California at Berkeley.

Violist Scott Rawls has appeared as soloist and chamber musician in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Japan, and Europe. Recent chamber music endeavors include performances with Dmitry Sitkovetsky, Ray Chen, Gary Hoffman, Lynn Harrell, Bella Davidovich, Vladmir Feltsman, Garrick Ohlsson, and the Diaz Trio. His solo and chamber music recordings can be heard on the Centaur, CRI, Nonesuch, Capstone, and Philips labels.

A strong proponent of new music, Rawls has premiered dozens of new works by prominent composers. Most notably, he has toured extensively as a member of Steve Reich and Musicians since 1991. As the violist in this ensemble, he has performed the numerous premieres of Daniel Variations, The Cave and Three Tales by Steve Reich and Beryl Korot, videographer. And under the auspices of presenting organizations such as the Wiener Festwochen, Festival d’Automne a Paris, Holland Festival, Berlin Festival, Spoleto Festival USA and the Lincoln Center Festival, he has performed in major music centers around the world including London, Vienna, Rome, Milan, Tokyo, Prague, Amsterdam, Brussels, Los Angeles, Chicago and New York. Under the baton of maestro Dmitry Sitkovetsky, he plays principal viola in the Greensboro Symphony Orchestra. During the summers, Rawls plays principal viola in the festival orchestra at the Brevard Music Center where he also coordinates the viola program.

Dr. Rawls currently serves as Associate Professor of Viola at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He is active as guest clinician, adjudicator, and masterclass teacher at universities and festivals in America and Europe. He holds a BM degree from Indiana University and a MM and DMA from State University of New York at Stony Brook. His major mentors include Abraham Skernick, Georges Janzer, and John Graham.

Catharine Carroll Lees is Professor of Viola and Geraldine B. Gee Chair of Viola at the University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music. An active recitalist, chamber musician, and pedagogue, Dr.Lees has received nominations for various excellence in teaching awards, was recipient of the American Viola Society Founders Award, and awarded the Certificate of Appreciation by the International Viola Society. She also served as Host Chair of the 2010 International Viola Congress, Founder and Coordinator of the 2017-2020 International Event Exchange between Sookmyung Women’s University (Seoul, Korea) and CCM, and initiated a partnership between CCM and the Royal Conservatoire of Birmingham.

As soloist, Dr. Lees has appeared with the Aspen Chamber Symphony, CCM Chamber Players, “Wired”, the Cincinnati Philharmonia Orchestra, and recently performed the Cincinnati premier of Tania Leon’s Para Viola y Orkesta. As a chamber musician, she has collaborated with prominent artists including, Timothy Lees, Maxim Vengerov, Gil Shaham, Adele Anthony, Jaime Laredo, Sarah Chang, Alisa Weilerstein, Don Weilerstein, Vivian Weilerstein, Ida Kavafian, Peter Wiley, Steve Tenenbom, Joseph Swensen, Nadja Solerno-Sonnenberg, Koichiro Harada, Paul Kanter, David Perry, Ilya Kahler, Kurt Nikkanen, Sylvia Rosenberg, James Tocco, Anton Nel, John O’Conner, members of the Tokyo, Cleveland, American, Fine Arts, LaSalle, Pacifica, and Amernet Quartets, the Beaux Arts Trio, and has been featured on chamber music series including the Linton Music, 801 Plum, Chamber Music in Dublin, Aspen Winter, and Aspen Music Festival Faculty Artist Series, Sabago Long Lake Festival, Musique en Graves (France) as well as at the United Nations Italian Consulate. In addition, she has been featured in broadcasts on WGUC, WFMT, NHK Radio, CBS Sunday Morning, NPR, and WOSU.

Principal Violist for 25 seasons of the Aspen Chamber Symphony at the Aspen Music Festival, where she was a member of the Artist/Faculty from 1994 – 2016, Dr. Lees has also served as Principal Viola of the Cincinnati Ballet Orchestra, and guest Principal on numerous occasions of the Cincinnati Chamber and Aspen Festival Orchestras. Dr. Lees presented annual master classes at the Aspen Music Festival and School (1994-2016) and at numerous universities domestically and abroad, including Eastman School of Music, University of Michigan, University of Texas at Austin, Carnegie-Mellon, University of Memphis, Ohio State University, Florida State University, Penn State University, New World Symphony, Interlochen Summer Arts Camp, Cincinnati Young Artists, Fine Arts String Academy, Beijing Central Conservatory (China), Sookmyung Women’s University (Seoul, South Korea),Yeungnam University (Daegu, South Korea), and in Tainan, Taiwan. In addition, she was featured by presenting the collegiate viola master class at the 2014 American String Teachers Association Convention as well as featured presenter the 2011 International Viola Congress in Wurzburg, Germany.

Dr. Lees’ passion for teaching and the advancement of pedagogy began with her collaboration with Dorothy DeLay resulting in a basic technique regimen, Essentials for Viola. This collection exercises are widely used by Dr. Lees’ students, many of whom have claimed top prizes in international competitions (such as Tertis, Sphinx, Markneuenkirche, Aspen Music Festival), won positions in many major symphony orchestras (such as Cincinnati Symphony, Seattle Symphony, St. Louis Symphony, and many more), as well as winning teaching positions in universities in the United States, Asia, and Europe. Other scholarly publications include A Comprehensive Overview of Left-Hand Technique for Violin and Viola; most recent scholarly works that are currently available only for Dr. Lees’ students include GPS: Grounded Practice Strategies, Volume I; GPS: Volume II (Grounding Perfect Intonation/Scales); In addition to her scholarly works, Dr. Lees’ has a background in Alexander technique, Performance Anxiety Psychology, and is currently pursuing her Feldenkrais Practitioner License.

Dr. Lees earned her Bachelor of Music, Master of Music, and Doctor of Musical Arts Degrees at the University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory and was a fellowship student of the Aspen Music Festival (1986-1993).

Fort Wayne Philharmonic Principal Violist Derek Reeves began his musical studies at the age of 2 1/2.  A graduate of Indiana University, he was the recipient of the prestigious Performer’s Certificate, as well as having earned Bachelor and Master of Music degrees. Prior to coming to Fort Wayne, he held the positions of Associate Concertmaster of the Charleston Symphony Orchestra, Concertmaster of the Columbus Indiana Philharmonic, and Associate Concertmaster of the Evansville Philharmonic. He has also performed with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra.

Mr. Reeves has performed as soloist with The Erie Chamber Orchestra, The Niagara Symphony Orchestra, The Fort Wayne Philharmonic, The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, The Columbus Indiana Philharmonic, The Indianapolis Philharmonic Orchestra, The Carmel Symphony Orchestra and The Gateways Festival Orchestra.

As a chamber musician, Mr. Reeves has been the violist of the Philharmonic’s own Freimann Quartet since 2003.  He has participated in the Spoleto, Aspen, Gateways, and Prizm International Music Festivals and is also in demand as a recitalist, guest artist, recording studio musician, and arranger.

Mr. Reeves also maintains a robust teaching schedule, teaching viola at The Purdue University Fort Wayne School of Music, designing curriculum and teaching for the Phil’s “Club O” program, and keeping a private studio of violin and viola students as well.  He performs on a viola made by Jon Kouwenhoven and lives in Fort Wayne with his wife Patricia and son, Preston.

Equally skilled as a soloist, chamber and orchestral violist, Kimberly Sparr has garnered praise for her versatility and virtuosity across the United States and beyond. She has performed with numerous orchestras and festivals on three continents, and currently serves as associate professor of viola at Louisiana State University, assistant principal viola of the Colorado Music Festival Orchestra, principal viola of the Lubbock Symphony, violist of the Atlantic Chamber Ensemble, and violist with the trio, Scabaret.

As an orchestral violist, Sparr was the assistant principal violist of Virginia’s Richmond Symphony from 2008-13 and has performed with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra, and the Washington National Opera, among others. Her festival participation includes Jackson Hole Chamber Music; New Hampshire Music Festival; Tanglewood Music Center; the Verbier Festival Orchestra in Switzerland; Festival Mozaic and Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music in California; Sarasota Music Festival; and the Lake George Music Festival in New York. Recently, she has been an invited guest artist with Agarita and the Harrington String Quartet.

Sparr has appeared as a concerto soloist with the Amarillo Virtuosi, the Pittsburgh Civic Orchestra, the Texas Tech University Symphony Orchestra, Colorado Music Festival Orchestra, and the Lubbock Symphony Orchestra. An enthusiastic educator, Dr. Sparr has previously served on the faculties of Texas Tech University, The College of William and Mary, and University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). She has also been on faculty at the National Music Festival and Summer Strings Academy for Girls. 

Maggie Snyder is Associate Professor of Viola at the Hugh Hodgson School of Music at the University of Georgia. She has performed solo recitals, chamber music, concertos, and as an orchestral musician throughout the United States and abroad. She has appeared at the Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, the Kaufmann Center, the Seoul Arts Center, and in Mexico, Greece, Korea, and Russia. She has performed under the batons of James Levine, Yuri Temirkanov, David Zinman, Robert Spano, Leonard Slatkin, James dePriest, Julius Rudel, James Conlon, Keith Lockhart, and Michael Tilson Thomas, and at such festivals as the Brevard Music Festival, the Sewanee Summer Music Festival, and the Aspen Music Festival where she was a Time Warner Fellow. In May, 2009, she made her debut recital in Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall as part of her sister duo, Allemagnetti, as an award winner with Artists International Inc. That recital featured three world premiere works which she commissioned by Thomas Pasatieri, Kamran Ince, and Garrett Byrnes, and the group was noted as a “winning pair,” with a “highly promising debut,” by the New York Concert Review. In 2001, Ms. Snyder was a semi-finalist at the 8th Primrose International Viola Competition. She is the principal violist of the Chamber Orchestra of New York, which is featured on the Naxos recording label, and is on the artist faculty of the Brevard Music Festival. She has performed chamber music with members of the Cleveland and Tokyo Quartets, and the Aspen String Trio. Her solo recordings, “Modern American Viola Music” and “Allemagnetti – Music for Viola and Harpsichord” are represented exclusively through Arabesque Recordings and available through iTunes.

Ms. Snyder has given master classes, clinics, and recitals at universities and music schools throughout the country, including The University of Michigan, Interlochen Arts Academy, Hartt, The University of Rochester, The University of Tennessee, The University of Kentucky, the University of South Carolina, and Converse College, among others. Her pedagogical style is influenced by her studies with internationally renowned viola teachers Victoria Chiang and Heidi Castleman, and by her early childhood influences of her father’s close work with his teacher Paul Rolland as he developed his Action in String Playing method. Ms. Snyder earned the Masters and Graduate Performance Diploma from The Peabody Conservatory of Music, where she was the teaching assistant for Victoria Chiang. Her Bachelor’s degree is from the University of Memphis, where she was a Pressar Scholar. She has been President of the Alabama Orchestra Association and on the board of the Alabama Music Educator’s Association. Aside from leading the large, thriving viola studio at the University of Georgia, Ms. Snyder has also served on the faculties of West Virginia University, Ohio University, and the University of Alabama. For more information feel free to visit maggiesnyder.com.

Benjamin Hughes – Cellist, Educator, Innovator

Benjamin is internationally recognized as one of the UK’s most dynamic and versatile cellists. He served for over 18 years as Principal Cellist of the BBC Concert Orchestra, appearing frequently on BBC radio and television as both soloist and collaborator in repertoire ranging from core classical works to contemporary and cross-genre projects. His solo performances include Tchaikovsky’s Rococo Variations and Friedrich Gulda’s Cello Concerto, both broadcast on BBC Radio 3, as well as appearances as a soloist at the BBC Proms. His international career has taken him throughout Europe, Asia, Australia, South America, and North America, including a guest appearance and masterclass at the Tianjin Juilliard School.

In demand as a Guest Principal, Benjamin has performed with many of the UK’s leading orchestras, including the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Royal Opera House Orchestra, and Royal Ballet Sinfonia, and internationally with the Sydney and Vancouver Symphony Orchestras. He has toured extensively across the United States and abroad.

A dedicated chamber musician, Benjamin has been a member of the Fibonacci Sequence and the London Mozart Trio, performing at major venues such as Wigmore Hall, King’s Place, Conway Hall, and the Australian Festival of Chamber Music. His chamber recordings, featuring works by Messiaen, Schubert, Elgar, and Brahms, are available on the Deux-Elles and Dutton/Epoch labels. Recent international highlights include appearances at the Busan Chamber Music Festival and the Parker Concert Hall International Series at Brevard Music Center.

A strong advocate for new and newly rediscovered music, Benjamin has premiered works by composers including John Foulds, Jonny Greenwood, Nigel Hess, and Roxanna Panufnik. His collaborations with the BBC Singers have included major contemporary works by Knut Nystedt, Roxanna Panufnik, Sven-David Sandström, and Eric Whitacre. His versatility extends into film and media, with performances on numerous film and television scores, including Jonny Greenwood’s Norwegian Wood, and appearances in Planet Earth II Live at the Royal Albert Hall alongside conductor Jessica Cottis and Academy Award–winning composer Hans Zimmer.

An innovator as well as a performer, Benjamin has designed and built two distinctive instruments—an award-winning reimagined acoustic instrument and a semi-acoustic electric model—both of which feature in live performance and broadcast. His interest in electronic music has been showcased in a dedicated BBC Radio 3 program.

An active educator, Benjamin has taught at the Royal Academy of Music since 2016 and is also on the faculty of Brevard Music Center. In Fall 2025 he took up the position of Associate Professor of Cello at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.

Pei-An Chao has been a full-time member of the Columbus Symphony (CSO) since 2000. She was appointed Assistant Principal Cello for the 2009-2010 season and was featured as a soloist in 2011. Since 2008, she has led the cello section as principal on several occasions. Prior to joining the CSO, Ms. Chao spent two years with the New World Symphony, a training orchestra in Miami, FL designed to help young musicians pursue orchestral careers. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the Manhattan School of Music in New York City and a master’s degree from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where she was the concerto competition winner and graduated with distinction. Her major teachers were Marion Feldman and Bonnie Hampton.

Ms. Chao spent her childhood in Taipei, Taiwan and later moved to New York City. She began playing piano at age 4 and cello at age 9. Equally talented on both instruments throughout her musical training, she gained a broadened perspective of musical understanding beyond the limitations of each instrument. 

Ms. Chao has appeared in prestigious festivals such as Tanglewood, Kent Blossom, Sarasota, Pacific, Spoleto, and Colorado. In addition to her CSO commitments, Ms. Chao is an active chamber musician and a dedicated teacher. She is a member of UCelli: The Columbus Cello Quartet and Cygnus String Quartet, and she can be seen in performance with her groups locally throughout the year. Her passion for new music started early in life, and she performs regularly with the Columbus Ohio Discovery Ensemble [CODE]. 

As a coach, Ms. Chao has worked with students of the Columbus Symphony Youth Orchestra (CSYO) and the Youth Philharmonic of Central Ohio as well as with local chamber music groups. She previously was a mentor for the New Albany Symphony. Each summer, she and her colleagues of UCelli host a popular week-long cello camp. Aside from keeping a busy private teaching studio, she has held teaching positions at Otterbein University, Ohio Wesleyan University, and Ohio University. Ms. Chao resides in Upper Arlington with her husband and two children.

Benjamin Karp is Professor of Music and Director of Chamber Music at the University of Kentucky School of Music, as well as principal cellist with the Lexington Philharmonic Orchestra. From 2009-2013, he served as Adjunct Associate Professor at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University. For the 2022 and 2023 seasons Mr. Karp was a full time member of the CIncinnati Symphony Orchestra.

Mr. Karp has concertized on four continents, including appearances as soloist with the Tianjin Symphony Orchestra in China and the Espirito Santo Philharmonic in Brazil. Benjamin frequently joins the cello section of the Cincinnati Symphony and has played in Carnegie Hall five times with the orchestra. As well, Mr. Karp has performed with the CSO on tours of the United States, Europe, Japan, China, Singapore, and Puerto Rico. He was a member of the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra for ten years, serving as principal cellist for five.

Benjamin Karp received the Master of Music degree from Indiana University, where he was a student of Janos Starker and Gary Hoffman, and a Bachelors of Arts in Philosophy from Yale University.

Benjamin Karp is a widely known chamber musician, appearing at festivals throughout the United States. For six years, he was the cellist of the New College String Quartet and principal cellist of the Florida West Coast Symphony. He has recorded for the Telarc, Gasparo, Arabesque, CRI, BMG, Centaur and Sony Legacy labels, where he can be heard on the CD The Bright Lights of America with the punk band Anti-Flag.

Benjamin Karp is a Larsen Performing Artist.

Cellist Alistair MacRae has appeared as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral principal throughout North America and in Europe, Asia, South America, and the Middle East. His playing has been praised for its “rich sound and lyrical phrasing” (Palm Beach Daily News) and his performances have been featured in radio broadcasts across the United States on WQXR, WWFM, WDAV, WCQS, KING FM, and Vermont Public Radio.

Mr. MacRae is the Cordelia Wikarski-Miedel Artist in Residence at University of Puget Sound, the cellist of the Puget Sound Piano Trio, principal cello of the Princeton Symphony Orchestra, and principal cello of Symphony Tacoma.  He also performs with his wife, soprano Allison Pohl, in the voice and cello duo Soprello.

As a chamber musician and recitalist, he has performed in Carnegie Hall’s Zankel and Weill Halls; at Palm Beach’s Kravis Center for the Performing Arts; in New York City chamber music venues such as BargeMusic, Merkin Hall, the 92nd St Y, and Miller Theatre at Columbia University; at numerous colleges and universities; and on concert series throughout the United States. He has appeared on several series presented by Carnegie Hall; as a member of groups such as the Richardson Chamber Players, Berkshire Bach Ensemble, and Fountain Ensemble; and at festivals such as the Walla Walla Chamber Music Festival, Central Vermont Chamber Music Festival, Monadnock Music, and Music Festival of the Hamptons.

His past projects include recordings of chamber music by Kodaly, Telemann, and Laurie Altman; music for The Discovery Channel; and ensemble albums of music by Mozart and Scott Joplin. His eclectic collaborations have found him on stage with Paul Taylor Dance Company, the Westminster Choir, tap dancer Savion Glover, jazz bassist Ben Wolfe, the Paragon Ragtime Orchestra, and the rock band Scorpions.

A passionate advocate for new music, Mr. MacRae has commissioned and premiered new works for both solo cello and chamber ensembles, collaborating closely with numerous composers. He has given premiere performances of 21st-century pieces at Princeton, Yale, Columbia, and Harvard Universities; and has performed his own compositions and arrangements in the United States and Canada.

He is also a devoted teacher and has served on the faculties of the University of Puget Sound, Princeton University, The College of New Jersey, and the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College – CUNY. Since 2009, he has spent his summers performing and teaching at the Brevard Music Center.

Cellist Brian Snow is Associate Professor of Cello at Bowling Green State University. Praised by the Boston Globe for his “…pugnacious, eloquent, self-assurance…”, Dr. Snow has performed and recorded with a variety of artists, including Meredith Monk, The National, Max Richter, Björk, and the Emerson String Quartet and has worked closely with composers including Nico Muhly, David T. Little, and Martin Bresnick. In 2013, he and violinist Caroline Chin released a critically acclaimed CD of violin and cello music by Elliott Carter on Centaur Records. This will be followed by a 2024 release of violin/cello duos by Samuel Adler, Christopher Dietz, and Jessie Montgomery on the Toccata label. He has also appeared on New Amsterdam, Innova, Deutsche Grammophon, Cantaloupe, and Naxos labels.

He has performed at venues including Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Bargemusic, 92nd St. Y, Muziekgebouw in Amsterdam, and Suntory Hall in Tokyo, Japan, and has performed regularly with many prominent contemporary music ensembles, including ACME, Alarm Will Sound, Da Capo Chamber Players, and Talea Ensemble. As principal cellist of New York Symphonic Ensemble, Dr. Snow performed in halls throughout Japan on that ensemble’s annual tours and has appeared as soloist at halls in Fukuoka and Sendai. Other concerto appearances include Riverside Orchestra in New York, Longy Chamber Orchestra in Boston as winner of the Longy Concerto Soloists Competition, Crescent City Symphony in New Orleans, the Hartt Symphony as first prize winner of the Paranov Competition, and the BGSU Philharmonia. Dr. Snow has presented recitals and masterclasses nationally and internationally at institutions including Oberlin Conservatory, University of Missouri, Sam Houston State University, and Sichuan Conservatory in Chengdu, China. Highlights of the 2023-24 season included recital appearances at Michigan State University, Baldwin Wallace University, the University of Manitoba, and performances in Vienna, Linz, Carnegie Hall, and Miami as a guest member of the Cleveland Orchestra cello section. 

Dr. Snow received a DMA from Stony Brook University, a MM from Yale, and holds degrees from Hartt and Longy Schools of Music. His teachers have included Aldo Parisot, David Finckel, and Colin Carr. Dr. Snow has previously served in faculty positions at Sarah Lawrence College, Western Connecticut State University, and Brooklyn Conservatory. He performs on a cello made by master American luthier Jon van Kouwenhowen.

Blake Hinson is a New York based performer and teacher. Assistant Principal Bass of the New York Philharmonic since 2016 and section member since 2012, Mr. Hinson enjoys a dynamic career balanced between performing and teaching. In addition to his work with the Philharmonic, Mr. Hinson joined the Festival Orchestra of Lincoln Center (formerly known as Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra) in 2023 and was a member of the Gerard Schwartz’s All Stars Orchestra for their 2022 and 2023 seasons. Mr. Hinson has recorded on numerous movie soundtracks, including movies such as West Side Story (2021), In the Heights, and Don’t Worry Darling. Prior to his arrival in New York, Mr. Hinson served as Principal Bass of the Grand Rapids Symphony.

As a chamber musician, Mr. Hinson performs regularly with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and has performed with the Chamber Music Society of Palm Beach. He also performs regularly for the Philharmonic’s Merkin Hall Chamber Music series.

In spring of 2024, Mr. Hinson joined the Manhattan School of Music college and precollege faculty. From 2016 through 2023 Mr. Hinson served as Double-Bass faculty for Stony Brook University. He has taught for the Shanghai Orchestra Academy, and has given masterclasses at Curtis Institute of Music, the Juilliard School, Manhattan School of Music, and NYU. He also serves as a regular coach for New York Youth Symphony.

Mr. Hinson received a Bachelor of Music degree from the Curtis Institute of Music where he studied with Edgar Meyer and Hal Robinson.

In Mr. Hinson’s free time he enjoys spending time with his wife and daughter, is an avid reader, and loves to spend time out in nature.

Bassist George Speed enjoys a career that combines teaching with solo, chamber, and orchestral performing. He is Assistant Professor of Bass at Florida State University and Principal Bass of the Tallahassee Symphony. 2024 marks his 8th summer on the artist faculty of the Brevard Music Center.

From 2005-2019, Mr. Speed served as Professor of Double Bass at Oklahoma State University and Principal Bass of the Oklahoma City Philharmonic. Prior to his appointment with the OKC Philharmonic, Mr. Speed held a tenured position with the Florida Philharmonic Orchestra. He has also performed with the Boston Pops, Boston Symphony, Dallas Symphony, Fort Worth Symphony, and Handel and Haydn Society.

Mr. Speed is passionate about both chamber music and solo performance. From 2005-2019 he performed with the Oklahoma City-based chamber ensemble Brightmusic. In 2018, Centaur Records released Mr. Speed’s recording of his Vivaldi cello sonata 1-6 transcriptions. He is currently working with pianist Heidi Louise Williams on an album of classical era works for double bass and piano, also to be released by Centaur.

A devoted educator, Mr. Speed received the 2009 Wise-Diggs-Berry Award for Teaching Excellence in the Arts at Oklahoma State University. In 2005, he was a co-founder of the Oklahoma Bass Bash, a summer clinic for Oklahoma pre-college bassists, and he currently coordinates the Double Bass Workshop for the Summer Music Camps at FSU.

A native of Spartanburg, South Carolina, Mr. Speed earned his Bachelor of Music degree, summa cum laude, from Vanderbilt University’s Blair School of Music, and his Master of Music degree from Boston University. Additional studies include summers at the Aspen Music Festival and the Tanglewood Music Center. His principal teachers have been Edwin Barker, Edgar Meyer, and Bill Scott.

Double bassist Daniel Tosky joined the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra during the 2015/16 season. Tosky came to Atlanta from Miami Beach, where he was a member of the New World Symphony. He has also performed frequently with the New York Philharmonic and Philadelphia Orchestra as guest musician.

Holding the title of Distinguished Artist at the Robert McDuffie Center for Strings at Mercer University, Tosky maintains a small teaching studio and coaches chamber music. He also instructs individually through the ASO’s Talent Development Program and has traveled to Colombia, South America on the invitation of La Academia Filarmónica de Medellín to offer lessons and masterclasses.

As a chamber artist, Tosky has performed in Europe and Asia; and as a soloist, he recently presented Nino Rota’s Divertimento Concertante with the Western Piedmont Symphony. Orchestral festival fellowships include the Aspen Music Festival, Music Academy of the West, and the New York String Orchestra Seminar. He has also participated in Le Domaine Forget, the Aldeburgh Festival, the Brevard Music Center, and the Wabass Institute.

A native of North Carolina, Tosky began his musical education in the public school system and would later go on to attend the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, where he had the opportunity to study under renowned pedagogue Lawrence Hurst. After completing his studies at IU, he would gain a master’s degree as a member of the Manhattan School of Music’s Orchestral Performance program, working with Timothy Cobb. Other influential teachers include Peter Lloyd, Jeffrey Turner, Hal Robinson, and Orin O’Brien. He performs on an instrument made in Genoa by Ludovico Rastelli, ca. 1835.

Nathaniel West joined The Philadelphia Orchestra bass section in September 2017. He is a recent graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, where he studied with Philadelphia Orchestra Principal Bass Harold Robinson and Edgar Meyer. Mr. West is a former member of the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra, and he has performed in the bass sections of the Atlanta Symphony, the East Coast Chamber Orchestra, the San Antonio Symphony, and the National Symphony. He has also performed as guest principal with the Atlanta and Toronto symphonies and the Festival Teatro del Lago Orchestra in Frutillar, Chile.

As a chamber musician, Mr. West has performed regularly with the quintet Ensemble39 in Philadelphia and the Jupiter Chamber Players in New York, and he spent three summers at the Marlboro Music Festival in Vermont. He has also performed chamber music at summer festivals such as Twickenham Fest in Huntsville, AL; the Vivo Music Festival in his hometown of Columbus, OH; and most recently at the Luzerne Music Festival in Lake Luzerne, NY, and with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center in its annual residency in Saratoga Springs, NY.

Flutist Amy Porter has been praised by critics both for her exceptional musical talent and her passion for scholarship. Through a versatile and distinguished career as a concert performer, she has become one of the most skillful and creative muses for composers of our time. From her prolific performances of Michael Daugherty’s Trail of Tears to her October 2022 performance at Carnegie Hall celebrating Lukas Foss’s centennial with the Buffalo Philharmonic, Porter’s accomplishments speak for themselves. The multifaceted Porter is also an acclaimed professor of music at the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance. Recipient of the Henry Russel Award in 2006, Amy has served as a mentor to developing musicians at the University of Michigan. Amy’s popular workshop Anatomy of Sound, is now the AOS-Wellness.com website and offers courses in peaceful breathing, yoga and meditation, along with channels on movement, meditation, wisdom, practice, and breathing.

Winner of the 3rd Kobe International Flute Competition and the Paris/Ville d’Avray International Flute Competition, Ms. Porter has served on international juries around the world, including the 6th Kobe competition. She has been heard in recital on National Public Radio; on PBS’s Live From Lincoln Center; and featured on the covers and as a writer for the magazines Flute Talk in the USA and The Flute in Japan. She has won praise both as a recording artist and as a chamber musician. As a member of Trio Virado, with violist Jaime Amador and guitarist João Luiz, she performs and records new works for flute, viola and guitar. Formerly a member of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra,  Ms. Porter graduated from The Juilliard School. She plays a 14K white gold flute with rose gold engraved keys made for her by the William S. Haynes Co.

Originally from Mumbai, India, flutist Dilshad Posnock has appeared in concerts and festivals across the United States, England, Puerto Rico and India, and has been featured on BBC TV and BBC World Service Radio.

Ms. Posnock’s performance experience is wide and varied. She has been featured as a concerto and recital soloist, as well as a chamber musician, collaborating with musicians from the New York Chamber Ensemble, the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, as well as her hometown ensemble – the Bombay Chamber Orchestra. She has also participated in such international music festivals as the Brevard Music Center, the Casals Festival in Puerto Rico, the Cape May Music Festival, Musica Viva, and was a founding member of the Sangat Music Festival in Mumbai, India.

Ms. Posnock completed her undergraduate studies with Honors at the Royal College of Music, London, and her Master’s Degree at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, where she studied with renowned flutist and pedagogue Jeanne Baxtresser, former Principal Flute of the New York Philharmonic. While in Pittsburgh, she performed regularly with ensembles including the Pittsburgh Symphony, the Pittsburgh Ballet, and Pittsburgh Opera, and was Director of the Artist Diploma Program at the Carnegie Mellon School of Music.

Ms. Posnock has a deep passion for teaching. She has served as Artist Lecturer in Flute at CMU, is currently Artist Faculty at the Brevard Music Center and Brevard College, and woodwind coach for the Asheville Symphony Youth Orchestra. She lives in Brevard, NC with her husband Jason, and two children. She is solo piccolo of the Asheville Symphony Orchestra, and travels back to India to perform as Principal Flute with the South Asian Symphony Orchestra.

Emily Brebach joined the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (ASO) as English horn and Oboe in the fall of 2012.

Ms. Brebach, a Philadelphia native, has performed with several orchestras throughout the United States, including the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Minnesota Orchestra, the Kansas City Symphony, and the Houston Symphony.  Prior to joining the ASO, Ms. Brebach held the position of English horn and oboe with the Sarasota Orchestra.

Ms. Brebach holds degrees from Oberlin Conservatory and Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music and studied with Louis Rosenblatt, James Caldwell, Robert Atherholt, and Robert Walters.

She is a founding member of The Merian Ensemble, a quintet of Atlanta Symphony women musicians whose mission is to perform and commission works by women composers.  Both with the Merian Ensemble and as a soloist, Ms. Brebach has been featured multiple times on the NPR program Performance Today.

She is an Artist Affiliate Instructor of Oboe and Emory University, a faculty member of the Atlanta Symphony’s Talent Development Program and maintains an active private studio in her home. Ms. Brebach has also given masterclasses and reed-making seminars at schools such as the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, Florida State University, the North Carolina School for the Arts, and Columbus State University.

She spends her summers in residence at the Brevard Music Center in Brevard, NC, as English horn and oboe as well as artist faculty, and as English horn at the Grand Teton Music Festival in Jackson Hole, WY.

Eric Ohlsson is the Charles O. DeLaney Professor of Music in Oboe at the Florida State University (1986- ), and was previously Assistant Professor of Oboe and Assistant Director of the School of Music at the University of South Carolina (1980-86). His performing positions include those as co-principal oboist of the Columbus Symphony (1978-80), and principal positions with the Naples Philharmonic (1986-96), the Palm Beach Opera Orchestra (2002-), and the Tallahassee Symphony (1986- ).

He has been a guest principal of the Florida Orchestra and the Charlotte Symphony. He was appointed to the Artist Faculty of the Brevard Music Center as principal oboist of the BMC Orchestra in 1994. As a soloist and chamber musician, Ohlsson has performed throughout the US and in Europe, South America, and Canada. His teachers include John Mack, William Baker, James Caldwell, Ben Wright, and Travis Cox.

Clarinetist Daniel Gilbert joined the faculty at the University of Michigan in 2007 where he holds the position of Professor of Clarinet. Previously, he held the position of Second Clarinet in the Cleveland Orchestra from 1995 to 2007. Concurrently with his position in the Cleveland Orchestra, he served on the faculty of the State University of New York at Stony Brook and at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. Mr. Gilbert also serves as Principal Clarinet of the CityMusic Cleveland Chamber Orchestra, a group that brings free concerts to underserved areas of Cleveland, OH.

A native of New York City, Gilbert received a BA from Yale University and both an MM degree and a Professional Studies Certificate from The Juilliard School. Before joining the Cleveland Orchestra, Gilbert was active as a freelancer in New York City, appearing regularly with groups including The Metropolitan Opera, American Ballet Theater, New Jersey Symphony, Solisti New York, the Stamford Symphony, and the New Haven Symphony, where he played principal clarinet from 1992 to 1995. Mr. Gilbert was a member of the Quintet of the Americas in1994-1995. The group toured throughout the United States and was in residence at Northwestern University. During the summer months, Mr. Gilbert is a faculty member and Principal Clarinet at the Brevard Music Center and at the Classical Tahoe Music Festival.

Mr. Gilbert is an artist and clinician for the Vandoren and Buffet Crampon corporations and plays exclusively on Vandoren reeds and mouthpieces on Buffet clarinets. Gilbert’s master classes and recitals have received critical acclaim throughout the world.

Mark Nuccio is currently the Principal Clarinetist of the Houston Symphony since 2016.  Prior to that, he was a member of the New York Philharmonic having joined in 1999 as Associate Principal and Solo E-flat Clarinetist. During Nuccio’s 17 years in the NYP, he served as Acting Principal Clarinet for four years from 2009-2013. Prior to his service with the Philharmonic, he held positions with orchestras in Pittsburgh, Denver, Savannah, and Florida working with distinguished conductors such as Lorin Maazel, Kurt Masur, Mariss Jansons, Riccardo Muti, Zubin Mehta, Erich Leinsdorf, Claudio Abbado, Riccardo Chailly, André Previn, Christoph von Dohnányi, Valero Gergiev, Charles Dutoit, Gustavo Dudamel, Esa Pekka Salonen, Michael Tilson Thomas, Alan Gilbert, Andres Orozco Estrada, and Juraj Valcuha. Additionally, Mr. Nuccio has toured extensively with the Houston Symphony, the New York Philharmonic, and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and in numerous countries, recorded with all three orchestras, and performed regularly with the Philharmonic on the award-winning series, Live from Lincoln Center, broadcast on PBS. Some highlights include the Philharmonic’s historic and newsworthy visits to North Korea and Vietnam.

An active solo and chamber musician, Mr. Nuccio has been featured with various orchestras in the United States and made multiple appearances as a featured performer at the International Clarinet Association conventions. He made his subscription solo debut with the Houston Symphony in 2018 with several other appearances since then including his most recent March 2022 concerto.  Nuccio’s subscription solo debut with the New York Philharmonic was Feb. 10, 2010 and then returned to perform the Copland Concerto with the NY Philharmonic under the baton of Alan Gilbert in June of 2013. Other highlights include a New York recital debut at Carnegie Hall in 2001 and his Japanese recital debut in 2002. He continues to regularly perform recitals in Asia and Europe as well as across the United States and in New York, at Merkin Concert Hall, 92nd Street Y, Carnegie Hall, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Mr. Nuccio is on the faculty at Brevard Music Center and also participates in the chamber music series at the Strings Music Festival in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, performs at Festival Napa Valley, and recently helped to create and became the Artistic Director at the newly formed music festival called the Lake Lure Music Festival in Lake Lure, NC.  In 2024, will again perform and teach at the Sarasota Music Festival.

As a studio musician, Mr. Nuccio is featured on numerous movie soundtracks, including Failure To Launch, The Last Holiday, The Rookie, The Score, Intolerable Cruelty, Alamo, Pooh’s Heffalump, Hitch, The Manchurian Candidate, as well as various television commercials, Super Bowl music, and the Master’s Golf Tournament. He has also performed on the Late Show with David Letterman and on the 2003 Grammy Awards. His own debut album featuring the clarinet quintets of Mozart and Brahms, Opening Night, was released in November 2006.

A Colorado native, Mr. Nuccio was awarded the “Distinguished Alumni Award” from his alma mater, the University of Northern Colorado. He also holds a master’s degree from Northwestern University where he studied with renowned pedagogue Robert Marcellus.

Beyond his active performing schedule, Mr. Nuccio is committed to training the next generation of musicians and currently serves as clarinet faculty for the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music in Coral Gables, FL.  He also teaches masterclasses in the U.S. and abroad.  His focus as a teacher and pedagogue was further illustrated in his published books called The Audition Method with the most recent addition of Volume Two having been released in December of 2023.  The series is an in-depth study of some of the most visible excerpts in the repertoire used in winning an orchestral position. The Audition Method series has also recently added a violin book written by David Kim, Concertmaster of the Philadelphia Orchestra, and in the near future, will include additional books for Flute and French Horn.  These are all a part of Nuccio’s creation with partner and former student, Benjamin Baron. The other instruments will be authored by leading performing and teaching orchestral artists on the applicable instrument around the United States, each within the same style of in-depth presentation. This will help the young student better understand each excerpt and with exercises included for each!

Mark Nuccio is a performing artist/clinician for Buffet Music Group and a D’Addario Advising Artist & Clinician.

Tzuying Huang, a native of Taipei, Taiwan, presently serves as the Bass Clarinetist for the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, a position she has held since her appointment in 2015 under the direction of music director David Robertson. Prior to her role with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Ms. Huang held the Clarinet/Bass Clarinet position with the Kansas City Symphony. She has performed as a guest bass clarinetist with the Cleveland Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and Dallas Symphony Orchestra. In addition, Ms. Huang has participated in various summer music festivals, including the Lakes Area Music Festival, the Britt Music Festival, and the Colorado Music Festival.

As an active soloist and chamber musician, Ms. Huang made her debut appearances at the Clarinet Association Convention as a featured performer in the summer of 2023 in Denver, Colorado. Beyond her orchestral commitments, she is the founder and artistic director of the Ariel Concert Series, a chamber music series based in St. Louis that stages monthly concerts. Ms. Huang also collaborates regularly with the Chamber Music Society of St. Louis, Chamber Projects St. Louis, the World Chess Hall of Fame Concert Series, and the Missouri Chamber Music Festival. In February 2023, Ms. Huang co-founded the Meridian Clarinet Quartet with three other professional clarinetists, a group committed to commissioning compositions for the Clarinet Quartet and conducting master classes and concerts throughout the United States.

In addition to her performance career, Ms. Huang is a dedicated educator with two decades of teaching experience. She finds joy in working with the St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra and the St. Louis Symphony Education and Community Program. Furthermore, she has conducted master classes in Taiwan and various locations across the United States.

Ms. Huang earned her bachelor’s degree from the National Taipei University of Education. In 2007, Huang relocated to the United States to study with James Campbell at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University-Bloomington, where she earned her master’s degree and performance diploma. Her primary teachers include James Campbell, Joaquin Valdepeñas, Burt Hara, Nathan Williams, Wei-Ling Bill Chen, and Pei-Lin Lee.

As a Buffet Crampon performing artist and D’Addario Woodwinds Artist, Ms. Huang exclusively plays on D’Addario Reserve Bass Clarinet reeds, Buffet Crampon clarinets, and bass clarinets.

Heralded a “bold, emergent, personality” by the Philadelphia Inquirer, Harrison Hollingsworth is widely regarded as one of the premier wind players of his generation. In addition, he is Principal Bassoon of the New York City Ballet Orchestra at Lincoln Center, and is much in demand as a principal bassoonist, chamber musician, soloist, and pedagogue. Harrison has performed concertos with the Philadelphia Orchestra and Symphony in C, among others, and plays recitals everywhere from the Kennedy Center to La Mortella in Ischia, Italy. He has also played with the Metropolitan Opera, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, and the Orchestras of St. Luke’s, Mostly Mozart, and the Chautauqua Symphony, among others. Harrison also plays fiddle and writes original music with his Downtown Folk Band.

An enthusiastic chamber musician, Harrison has toured across the country as a founding member of the eclectic Sixth Floor Trio, directing Miami’s GardenMusic Festival, performing with the orchestras of Detroit and Louisville, and presenting more than a hundred Random Acts of Culture™. He has also performed with Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players, and the Kingston, Olympic, Bay Chamber, Chesapeake, and Twickenham Music Festivals, among many others. He was also a founding member of the seminal Reed5, the first professional reed quintet in the Western hemisphere. As a pedagogue, Harrison has taught classes at the Manhattan School for Music, Mannes College, and the Chautauqua Music Festival, and he has adjudicated competitions and auditions at the Juilliard School.

Harrison is also a conductor of “polish, vigor, and energy” (New York Times), and serves as a Music Director at Redeemer Downtown, as occasional guest conductor for the New York City Ballet, and as Assistant Conductor of the New York Choral Society. Formerly, he served as Music Director of the Columbia Bach Society and as Assistant Conductor and Conducting Fellow of the New York Youth Symphony.

Harrison lives in New York City with his wife Leah, a violist and writer, and their three children.

Professor of Bassoon at James Madison University, member of the Bluestone Winds, and a founding member of the Friendly City Chamber Players.  Sue is an active performer and clinician who has presented in the United States, China, South America, and Europe.  She performs with City Music Cleveland, the Roanoke Symphony, Richmond Symphony, North Charleston Pops!, Opera Roanoke, and Opera on The James. She has also performed at the International Double Reed Society International Conventions, National Flute Association Annual Conventions, and the Midwest Band and Orchestra Conference. Former positions include the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra, Natchez Opera, The Hartford Symphony, Connecticut Opera, Sarasota Opera, Orquesta Sinfonica de Galicia (Spain), Acadiana Symphony, and the Soni Fidelis Woodwind Quintet. Additional orchestral performances include Santa Fe Pro Musica, The New Haven Symphony, Rhode Island Philharmonic, National Repertory Orchestra, New World Symphony, and has participated in the Banff and Sarasota Chamber Music Festivals.

In addition to her teaching at James Madison University, she has taught at The Hartt School, served as a visiting professor at Indiana University, and is an advocate for music outreach and providing music educational access and opportunities access for all.

Hailed by Montréal’s La Presse as “nuanced and singing,” Ryan Little was appointed as Principal Horn of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra in 2023 by Music Director Nathalie Stutzmann. Born in Burke, Virginia to a musical family, he began studying piano at age 3 before switching to viola, trumpet, and eventually to horn at the age of 10. Ryan received his Bachelor of Music degree from the Northwestern University Bienen School of Music in 2015, where he studied with Gail Williams and Jonathan Boen. In 2017 he received his Master of Music degree from the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University where he studied with William VerMeulen of the Houston Symphony.

In addition to his responsibilities in Atlanta, Ryan has performed as Guest Principal Horn with the orchestras of Cincinnati, Frankfurt Radio, Minnesota, National Arts Centre, Orlando, Palm Beach, San Francisco, Sarasota, Vancouver, and WDR Cologne, and has also performed with the Chicago Arts Orchestra, Civic Orchestra of Chicago, Florida Grand Opera, Florida Orchestra, Houston Ballet, Houston Grand Opera, Houston Symphony, Illinois Symphony Orchestra, New World Symphony, Nu Deco Ensemble, Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Utah Symphony. He won Second Prize and the Gretchen Snedeker Prize at the 2013 International Horn Competition of America. In 2014, he was selected as a finalist for the International Horn Society’s Premier Soloist Competition in London, England and at the Aeolus International Competition for Wind Instruments in Düsseldorf, Germany. As a concert soloist, he has performed with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, FGCU Symphony Orchestra, Naples Philharmonic, Northwestern University’s Baroque Music Ensemble and Symphonic Wind Ensemble, l’Orchestre de la Francophonie (Montréal), and the Skokie Valley Symphony.

During the summers Ryan has performed at the Britt Music & Arts Festival, Eastern Music Festival, Grant Park Music Festival, Lakes Area Music Festival, and Sun Valley Music Festival. He also participated as a fellow in the Castleton Festival, Lucerne Festival Academy, National Orchestral Institute + Festival, l’Orchestre de la Francophonie, Spoleto Festival USA, Tanglewood Music Center, Verbier Festival, and YOA Orchestra of the Americas. Ryan performs on instruments made in 2012 and 2022 by Karl Hill of Rockford, Michigan.

Geoffrey Pilkington was appointed Principal Horn of the Washington National Opera at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in 2014, after ten years of holding the Fourth Horn position. In 2011, he also joined the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra as Associate Principal/Third Horn and was featured as a soloist, performing Schumann’s Konzertstück for four horns and orchestra. Geoffrey completed his undergraduate degree at The Juilliard School studying with Julie Landsman, and spent a year abroad at the Royal Academy of Music in London studying with Michael Thompson and Richard Watkins. Additionally, in 2021, Geoffrey joined the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra as Guest Principal for six months. 

Geoffrey has been awarded grand prizes at the International Horn Competition of America, the Royal Academy of Music in London, and The Florida Orchestra Young Artist Concerto Competition. Additionally, he has performed with the Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, National Symphony Orchestra, Seattle Symphony Orchestra, and as Guest Principal Horn with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, The New York Philharmonic, The Philadelphia Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, and The Florida Orchestra. Geoffrey was featured as a soloist in the 2016 Wagner Ring Cycles at the Kennedy Center, and has joined the San Francisco Opera for six complete Ring Cycles in 2011 and 2018. 

Geoffrey has participated in the Stellenbosch International Chamber Music Festival in South Africa, Spoleto Festival- Italy, Eastern Music Festival, Artosphere Festival Orchestra, and performs chamber music with The Van Buren Winds, Market Square Concert Series and Kingston Chamber Music Festival. Mr. Pilkington is also on faculty at Shenandoah Conservatory in Winchester, VA. He and his wife, Kathryn, met while they were studying at Juilliard. She is a founding member and Co-Artistic Director of Washington DC’s modern dance troupe, “Company E”, as well as a modern dance instructor at George Mason University. They live in Fairfax, VA with their sons Gavin and Colin.

Adam Unsworth began as Professor of Horn at Northwestern University in September 2025. He left a similar post at the University of Michigan’s School of Music, Theatre and Dance, where he taught since 2007.  Prior to his time at Michigan Adam was a member of The Philadelphia Orchestra and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. He is currently Principal Horn of the Ann Arbor Symphony. 

As a soloist Adam is featured on the Boston Modern Orchestra Project’s 2024 release Masks and Machines, performing Mondrian’s Studio by Paul Dooley. He has five recordings as a leader to his credit: Snapshots, a recording of contemporary classical music with composer/pianist Catherine Likhuta; Balance for jazz sextet and chamber orchestra; Just Follow Instructions: the chamber music of composer Daniel Schnyder; Next Step; and Excerpt This!, jazz recordings which received critical acclaim from jazz and classical reviewers alike. He appeared as soloist with the University of Michigan Symphony Band on the premiere performance of Mondrian’s Studio and the first studio recording of Dana Wilson’s Concerto for Horn and Wind Ensemble.

Mr. Unsworth is a member of the New York-based Gil Evans Project big band, which received two Grammy nominations for its recordings Centennialand Lines of Color and won the 2013 Jazz Journalist Association Award for Large Jazz Ensemble of the Year. He is also part of Miho Hazama’s M-Unit band and appears on her 2023 release Beyond Orbits, and her Grammy-nominated recordings Dancer in Nowhere and Time River.  He has been a guest musician with new music ensembles Alarm Will Sound, Meridian Arts Ensemble, and Ensemble Signal.

Adam received his formal training at Northwestern University (B.M. class of 1991) and the University of Wisconsin-Madison.  He has toured Asia and Europe with the San Francisco Symphony and performs as a guest with the Detroit Symphony. For the past five years he has performed with the Grand Tetons Music Festival Orchestra and will serve as a faculty member at the Brevard Music Festival this summer.  

Hazel Dean Davis is Lecturer of Horn at Boston University and an in-demand orchestral and Broadway hornist living in Arlington, Massachusetts. She played the solo horn chair in the revival of 1776 on Broadway in New York City in 2022-2023 and on the national tour in 2023, and is a longtime member of the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra in Boston. From 2004-2015 Hazel was a tenured member of the Virginia Symphony and Opera. Now she freelances throughout New England and beyond, performing frequently with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Pops, Portland Symphony, the Boston Ballet, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, and the conductor-less chamber orchestra A Far Cry. In 2018 she made her Boston solo debut in Britten’s Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings with tenor Nicholas Phan and A Far Cry, for which The Boston Musical Intelligencer celebrated her “masterful colorings and sensitivity to text”.Recent highlights include a 2023 Japan tour with Boston Pops Esplanade, playing Wagner’s Ring Without Words with Cincinnati Symphony, a 2022 solo and chamber recital series exploring how the concept of “space” shifted during the COVID 19 pandemic; 2021-2023 chamber recitals with Chamber Music Boston and the Chameleon Chamber Ensemble; Boston Pops tours of the East Coast, California, Texas, and Florida; a 2017 tour of China and Taiwan with the Cincinnati Symphony and Pops; a 2016 double-horn recital with Cincinnati Symphony principal hornist Elizabeth Freimuth; and ten weeks of the 2015-16 season with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, including their Carnegie Hall Tour. She can be heard on numerous BSO recordings, including the 2016 Grammy-winning Shostakovich Symphony 5, Strauss’ Alpine Symphony (2017), and Strauss’ Sinfonia Domestica (2019).

A passionate chamber musician, Hazel has played numerous chamber recitals across the Eastern Seaboard. She plays regularly with Chameleon Arts Ensemble and Chamber Music Boston and has been featured in the Virginia Arts Festival Chamber Series, where critics called her “the star of the show…she played with complete security and authority…whether asked for leaps, trills, or long beautiful sustained notes” (Virginian Pilot).

A dedicated teacher, Hazel is on faculty at Boston University School of Music and Longy School of Music, and spends her summers as a faculty artist and teacher at the Brevard Music Center in North Carolina. She also maintains a private horn studio in Arlington, MA.

Originally from St. Paul, Minnesota, Hazel graduated from Harvard University in 2003 with a BA in Biological and Social Anthropology. At Harvard, she studied horn with James Sommerville and was active in the chamber and orchestral music scene, receiving both the David McCord Prize for Music and the Louis Sudler Top Senior Prize in the Arts. Hazel studied with Caroline Lemen and Kendall Betts in St. Paul, and with Julie Landsman at The Juilliard School, where she received a Graduate Performance Diploma in 2004. She spent two summers as a Tanglewood fellow, and also enjoyed summers at the Marlboro Chamber Music Festival, the Pacific Music Festival, and the Aspen Music Festival.

When the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the music industry in 2020, Hazel helped to cofound the New England Musicians Relief Fund, which is dedicated to helping musicians in crisis during the pandemic and beyond. Now a 501(c)(3) non-profit, NEMRF has raised over a half million dollars in and helped hundreds of New England freelance musicians with direct relief checks. To learn more about Hazel’s work at NEMRF, check out the website she created, nemrf.org.

Hazel lives with her husband Steve, children Moon, Nadia, and Kalle, a cat, a dog, and a tortoise. When not playing horn, you will find Hazel running around the Arlington reservoir, sipping coffee at her favorite coffee shops, making granola, marching for minority and women’s rights, reading up on the latest discoveries in human evolution, and playing board games or crafting with her kids. She enjoys traveling and immersing herself in the “local” food, culture, and neighborhoods of wherever she is. She has spent time living in Norway, Sweden, and France, and has traveled extensively throughout the USA, Europe, Asia, and South America.

David Smith is the Principal Horn of The Florida Orchestra. He was appointed to the position by the Music Director, Michael Francis, in January 2017. David, a South Carolina native, started playing horn in Middle School band before attending the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities in 2001. In 2005 he moved to Baltimore to study Horn Performance and Recording Engineering at the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University. After graduating, David moved to Scotland to further hone his musical training at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow.

In 2011 David moved back to the United States and began freelancing and auditioning for orchestral positions. Before moving to Tampa, he regularly performed with orchestras such as the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the Richmond Symphony, and the National Philharmonic.

Since The Florida Orchestra does not have a Summer season, David usually spends those months playing music festivals like Mainly Mozart in San Diego and Verbier in Switzerland. He still regularly tours with the Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra. When David is not working, you might find him building computers, playing disc golf, or playing with his two Australian Shepherds, Sofie and Cora.

“A trumpet player’s trumpet player,” in the words of one of his frequent collaborators, Terry Everson has performed at well over a dozen International Trumpet Guild Conferences since 1980. His first international acclaim occurred in 1988, when the ITG sponsored two major competitions on consecutive days: one specializing in Baroque/Classical, the other in Twentieth Century literature. Everson shocked the Guild by entering and winning both by unanimous juries, performing seven major concerti and sonatas from memory within 30 hours. Everson followed this up just over a year later as First Prize laureate of the 1990 Louise D. McMahon International Music Competition, again performing from memory a full recital and a concerto with orchestra.

Hailed by the Boston Globe for his “dazzling, clarion brightness with elegant edges” and in the Boston Musical Intelligencer for “virtuosity and musicality that was simply stunning”, Terry Everson has performed and given masterclasses throughout the United States, as well as in Central America, Europe and Asia. He has premiered major solo works by composers Martin Amlin, Richard Cornell, John Davison, Stanley Friedman, Jan Krzywicki, Elena Roussanova Lucas, and Gary Ziek. He has released three complete recordings of numerous notable modern works for trumpet and piano, as well as single entries on discs devoted to the works of Davison, Krzywicki and Lisa Bielawa; he has also recorded as soloist with the New England Brass Band, the Lexington Brass Band and the Eastern Wind Symphony, and is featured in over six dozen CD releases as Principal Trumpet of the Boston Modern Orchestra Project. Boston University produced a CD of live performances with the BU Wind Ensemble in 2015 of works by Bruce Broughton, James Stephenson, Bernhard Heiden, and Robert Russell Bennett.

Mr. Everson is Professor of Trumpet at Boston University, appointed to the faculty in 1999; a master pedagogue, his work at BU was recognized with the University’s 2014 Metcalf Award for Excellence in Teaching. Under his guidance, the Boston University Trumpet Ensemble has received enthusiastic acclaim at multiple ITG Conference performances, including a raucous standing ovation in Minneapolis in 2023. His masterclasses have met with acclaim in schools such as Northwestern University, Rice University, Yale University, the University of North Texas, the University of Michigan, Florida State University, the New England Conservatory, the Royal College of Music (London), and music conservatories in Xi’an and Shenyang, China and Tokyo, Japan. He served on the adjudication panel of the 4 th International Trumpet Competition “Théo Charlier” in Namur, Belgium, and at the Ellsworth Smith International Trumpet Competition at Western Michigan University in 2024.

Terry Everson’s annual Fourth of July performances as Principal Trumpet of the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra are viewed by millions worldwide via broadcast and online, and he has been a featured soloist with the orchestra on multiple tours. In 2022 he performed as Guest Principal Trumpet in Gershwin’s Concerto in F and Ellington’s Harlem with the Czech Philharmonic in Prague under the baton of Keith Lockhart. Equally at home in any musical style in front of any ensemble, he has also performed as a soloist with the Costa Rica National Symphony Brass & Percussion, the U.S. Army Band (“Pershing’s Own”), the Boston Modern Orchestra Project, the Peninsula Music Festival, the Rodney Marsalis Philadelphia Big Brass, the Lexington Philharmonic, the Lawton Philharmonic, the Tanglewood Young Artists Wind Ensemble, the Triangle Brass Band and Youth Brass Band, the Brass Band of Columbus, the New England Brass Band, the Lexington Brass Band, and numerous college and high school wind ensembles.

In 2023, Mr. Everson retired from three diverse roles, completing 2 years as Music Director of the New England Brass Band, 16 years on the Executive Board of the (USA) National Trumpet Competition, and 25 seasons as Principal Trumpet of the Peninsula Music Festival.

Terry Everson is an Artist/Clinician for S.E. Shires Trumpets of Holliston, MA, USA, and performs on mouthpieces designed by Pickett Brass.

Michael Tiscione, originally of Monroe, NY, joined the trumpet section of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra during the 2002-2003 season. He left the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra to join the San Francisco Symphony as second trumpet for the 2010-2011 season and has since returned to the Orchestra, where he is currently Acting/Associate Principal Trumpet.

Tiscione has traveled across the US to perform with many notable ensembles, including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, Toronto Symphony, Utah Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony, and IRIS Chamber Orchestra.  During the summer months, he serves as second trumpet with both the Sun Valley Summer Symphony and the Bellingham Music Festival Orchestra.  In 2015, he began performing as principal trumpet with Festival Mozaic in San Luis Obispo, CA, and in the section at the Strings Festival in Steamboat Springs, CO.

Recent solo engagements have included appearances with the United States Military Academy at West Point, the Georgia Philharmonic, and with the Georgia Brass Band at the 2012 International Trumpet Guild Conference.  An avid chamber musician, Tiscione has been a member of the Atlanta Symphony Brass Quintet since 2005.  He performs and records with the Burning River Brass, has recently toured China with the Chicago Symphony Brass Quintet, and performs regularly with the Atlanta Chamber Players as well as at the Amelia Island Chamber Music Festival. He is currently an adjunct faculty member at Kennesaw State University following temporary appointments at the University of Georgia and Georgia State University. Tiscione is married to the Principal Oboe of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Elizabeth Koch Tiscione.

Tiscione holds degrees from Indiana University (BM) and Northwestern University (MM). His teachers have included John Rommel, Charles Geyer, Barbara Butler, and John Charles Thomas.

Michael Dobrinski joined the New England Conservatory trumpet faculty in the fall of 2018, and began as Chair of Brass and Percussion in 2023. Michael performs regularly with the Boston Symphony and Boston Pops, including performances at Tanglewood, Carnegie Hall, and the 2015 European tour. He also appears on the Boston Symphony recording of Shostakovich Symphony no. 7, Shostakovich Symphony no. 12, John Williams Violin Concerto, and Strauss “An Alpine Symphony.”

Michael is 2nd Trumpet in the Rhode Island Philharmonic, and was previously the Principal Trumpet of the Sarasota Orchestra and a member of the Sarasota Brass Quintet. He has also performed with the Naples Philharmonic, Florida Orchestra, New World Symphony for the grand opening of the New World Center in Miami, Florida, and has appeared as guest Principal Trumpet with the Fort Worth Symphony, Boston Modern Orchestra Project, and Boston Pops Orchestra.

Michael holds degrees from the New England Conservatory, Boston University, and Manhattan School of Music. His awards include first prizes in the National Trumpet Competition and the National Brass Symposium Orchestral Excerpt Competition, a Williamson Foundation Festival Grant, and the Voisin Trumpet Award from the Tanglewood Music Center.

David Jackson, Professor of Trombone at the University of Michigan School of Music, enjoys an active career as a performer and teacher. He is a recognized and ardent supporter of new music who has commissioned and premiered numerous compositions for the trombone. His most recently premiered The Slide Shows for Jazz Trombone, Classical Trombone, and Orchestra by Vincent Gardner, and Monuments for Trombone and Strings by Adolphus Hailstork.

Mr. Jackson has been a guest performer with numerous orchestras, including the Detroit Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, Dallas Symphony, Chicago Symphony, Fort Worth Symphony, Grand Rapids Symphony, as well as the Michigan Opera Theatre and the Cabrillo Music Festival. He is a member of the Detroit Chamber Winds.

In demand as a guest clinician and performer, Mr. Jackson has presented numerous guest recitals and masterclasses at institutions including the Juilliard School, Yale University, UCLA, University of Minnesota, the Cincinnati College-Conservatory as well as the conservatories of Shanghai and Beijing. His former students occupy performing and teaching positions around the world.

Mr. Jackson is a recipient of the 2022 Sphinx MPower Grant and has been on the faculties of Baylor University, Eastern Michigan University, the University of Toledo, the Interlochen Arts Camp and the Idyllwild ChamberFest. He spends his summers teaching and performing at the  Brevard Music Festival.

David Jackson is an S.E. Shires Artist and Clinician.

Orlando, Florida native Scott Hartman joined the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra as Principal Bass Trombone in September 2014. In demand throughout the country, Scott has performed in the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Grant Park Music Festival Orchestra, Naples Philharmonic, Alabama Symphony Orchestra, Arizona MusicFest Orchestra, Charleston Symphony, West Virginia Symphony Orchestra, and Richmond Symphony, as well as contemporary music group Ensemble Dal Niente. He is the bass trombone faculty at Brevard Music Center and the low brass instructor at Davidson College.

Prior to joining the CSO, Scott was the Bass Trombonist of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. He studied with Charles Vernon and Mark Fisher at DePaul University and he is an alumnus of the Tanglewood Music Center, Music Academy of the West, National Repertory Orchestra, Brevard Music Center, and Bar Harbor Brass. Hartman won both International Trombone Association Bass Trombone Competitions – the Edward Kleinhammer Orchestral Bass Trombone Competition and the Donald Yaxley Solo Bass Trombone Competition. He is also a medal winner at the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition as a member of the brass quintet Lincoln Chamber Brass. Scott was guest faculty at Eastern Music Festival and has presented recitals and masterclasses throughout the country.

Aubrey Foard is the principal tubist of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, a position he has held since 2018. He also serves as Lecturer of Tuba and Euphonium at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and as Artist Faculty at the Brevard Music Center. Mr. Foard was most recently principal tubist of the Charlotte Symphony, serving in that position from 2012 until 2018. He has previously held principal tuba positions in the Santa Barbara, West Virginia, Canton, Youngstown and Albany Symphonies, as well as with the Britt Festival Orchestra. He has performed as a guest musician with several other orchestras, including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, The Cleveland Orchestra, the Utah Symphony, the Houston Symphony, the North Carolina Symphony, the Seattle Symphony, the Minnesota Orchestra, the Louisville Orchestra, Arizona MusicFest and as Acting Principal Tubist with the San Diego Symphony.

Mr. Foard’s solo performances have been broadcast on National Public Radio’s “Performance Today,” and on WQXR New York, KUHF Houston and KDB Santa Barbara. As a soloist, he has performed with the West Virginia Symphony, the Spoleto Festival USA Orchestra, the Music Academy of the West Orchestra and on multiple occasions with the Charlotte Symphony. He is a past multiple prizewinner of the Minnesota Orchestra’s WAMSO solo competition. An avid proponent of new music for the tuba, Mr. Foard has commissioned a Tuba Concerto by American composer Mark Petering; the solo part is available for free download on IMSLP. The first movement was premiered by the Charlotte Symphony in 2018 and the full work was premiered in February, 2020 with the The US Army Orchestra and Mr. Foard as soloist.
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Mr. Foard’s students at UCLA have achieved numerous accomplishments, including winning fellowships to music festivals, performing with professional orchestras, performing on major motion picture soundtracks and winning concerto competitions. He previously taught at the University of North Carolina Charlotte and at West Virginia State University. Mr. Foard has presented master classes and recitals worldwide, most recently at the International Women’s Brass Conference, Florida State University, the US Army Tuba Euphonium Workshop, and Taiwan TubaMania. He is a founding faculty member and Executive Director of Back to School Tune-Up with the Pros, an online summer boot camp for tuba students that allows for continuing education during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mr. Foard is a graduate of The Colburn School’s Conservatory of Music, Rice University and the Cleveland Institute of Music. His teachers include Norman Pearson, Fritz Kaenzig, Mark Lawrence, David Kirk, Ron Bishop, and Alan Baer.

Aubrey Foard is a Buffet Crampon performing artist, representing the Melton Meinl Weston line of instruments.

Dave Kirk is Principal Tubist of the Houston Symphony and Associate Professor at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music, positions held since 1982.

Following his freshman year of high school, Dave attended the 1975 Brevard Music Center. Dave acknowledges his attendance of BMC concerts and tuba studies under Jamie Hafner as invaluable lifelong influences.

Mr. Kirk was selected for his teaching and playing positions during his final year of undergraduate studies at the Juilliard School. While at Juilliard, he studied with Don Harry. Kirk’s other teachers include David Waters, Chester Schmitz, Warren Deck, and Neal Tidwell.

As a teacher, Mr. Kirk enjoys an international reputation for effective teaching of musicianship and the physical aspects of wind playing.

His orchestral playing is heard on Houston Symphony recordings under conductors Sergiu Comissiona, Newton Wayland, Christoph Eschenbach, Michael Krajewski, Hans Graf, and Andrés Orozco-Estrada. Kirk’s solo playing is featured on Mark Custom Recordings’ The Music of Leroy Osmon, Volume 1.

Gwendolyn Dease is professor of percussion at the Michigan State University College of Music. Dease is passionate about educating the next generation of young musicians. She regularly gives master classes at universities throughout the US and abroad and is currently on the faculty at the Brevard Music Center. She has served on the faculty for the Filarmonica Joven de Colombia and the Interlochen Arts Camp.

Dease began her musical career very early, studying piano and violin at the age of two. As a percussionist, she has maintained a career as an active solo, chamber, and orchestral musician. She has performed solo and chamber recitals throughout the United States, Asia and South America. Dease is passionate about new music and has participated in consortium’s to commission new works from composers such as Rufus Reid, Alejandro Vinao, Peter Klatzow, Paul Lansky, Martin Bresnick, John Serry and Roshanne Etezady. She is currently principal percussionist with the Brevard Music Center Orchestra. She has also performed with the Detroit Symphony, Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, the Moscow Chamber Orchestra, the Solisti New York Orchestra, the Grand Rapids Symphony, Lansing Symphony and the Traverse Symphony Orchestra.

In January of 2012, Dease was a recipient of the Michigan State University Teacher Scholar Award. She was the winner of the Keiko Abe Prize at the second World Marimba competition in Okaya, Japan, and the top prize winner at the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts’ ARTS competition. She was awarded the performer’s certificate from the Eastman School of Music and has also been the recipient of the Outstanding Young Musician award from the Peabody Conservatory and the Yale Alumni Award.

Dease’s impressive discography includes four solo CDs: “Marimba Suites” released in October of 2007 on the Blue Griffin label; “Boomslang: New Works for Marimba” released on the Blue Griffin label in October 2012; “Idle Fancies” released on the Bridge Records label in December of 2015 and “Beguiled” released on the Origin Classical Label in October 2016. Her collaborative projects include “Textures” (Percussion Chamber Music by Paul Lansky) released on the Bridge Records Label in August 2014 and “In the Shadow of No Towers” (The Phillip Glass Double Timpani Concerto) released on the Naxos Label in November 2013.

Dease has studied with world-renowned professors Robert van Sice, Keiko Abe, and John Beck. She holds degrees from the Interlochen Arts Academy, Eastman School of Music, Peabody Conservatory, and the Yale School of Music.

Leonardo R. Soto, Jr. was appointed Principal Timpanist of the Houston Symphony in 2018. Before arriving to Houston, Leo served as Principal Timpanist of the Charlotte Symphony from 2009 to 2018, and the Michigan Opera Theatre-Detroit Opera House from 2003 to 2009. He was also an active member of Miami’s Nu-Deco ensemble.

Leo has the unique distinction of being the first native Hispanic Timpanist to play in a major orchestra in the United States.

As an educator, Leonardo was faculty at Queens University of Charlotte as well as Artist in residence at Central Piedmont College, and an instructor for the Charlotte Youth Symphony program. As a clinician, he has taught master classes including PASIC’s Pennsylvania day of percussion, the University of North Carolina, Eastern Michigan University, Filarmónica Joven de Colombia, University of Georgia, Rice University, University of Houston, Universidad de Antioquia de Colombia and schools throughout South America. Leo often travels back to his native Chile to perform recitals, master classes and clinics at the National University of Chile, the Youth Symphony Foundation and the National Symphony.

Leonardo has appeared as a soloist with the Charlotte Symphony, Amarillo Symphony and the Houston Symphony. In January 2017 he performed the world premiere of “Evolution Percussion Concerto,” written for him by composer Leonard Mark Lewis.

He began his musical education at the University of Chile and was the recipient of the Teatro Municipal of Santiago National Scholarship. Concurrently, he was trained as a Latin percussionist by his father, Mr. Leonardo Soto, Sr., one of Chile’s most prominent musicians in the field. Leo embarked on his professional career with the Santiago Philharmonic Orchestra and the National Symphony Orchestra of Chile, where he gained experience in orchestral, opera and ballet repertoire. In 1997, he received the Fundación Andes International Scholarship, which brought him to the US and Carnegie Mellon University, where he studied with Timpanist Timothy Adams from the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. He was made an honorary student at Cleveland State University by Tom Freer of the Cleveland Orchestra.

Leonardo has worked with ensembles such as the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, New World Symphony, City Music Cleveland, Fort Wayne Philharmonic, Toledo Symphony, Grand Rapids Symphony, among others. As a Latin percussionist, he has recorded and toured with a number of artists from the Pennsylvania, Southern Michigan and New York areas.

James Wyman is Principal Timpanist of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, a post he has held since September 2013. Prior to his appointment with the BSO, Wyman held principal timpani positions with the Erie Philharmonic, the Reading Symphony, and the Fort Wayne Philharmonic.

He has also performed with the Cleveland Orchestra, the National Symphony, the Pittsburgh Symphony, the Detroit Symphony, the Indianapolis Symphony, the Brevard Festival Orchestra and spent two summers as guest principal timpanist with the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music. In January of 2018, Wyman made his solo debut with the Baltimore Symphony, performing Philip Glass’s “Concerto Fantasy for Two Timpanists and Orchestra” with NSO timpanist Jauvon Gilliam.

Wyman is an active educator, teaching clinics and masterclasses throughout the Midwest. He has served on the faculty of the University of Maryland in College Park and at the University of Maryland – Baltimore County (UMBC). He earned his Bachelor of Music from Baldwin Wallace University and his Master of Music from Carnegie Mellon University. His teachers have included Josh Ryan, Paul Yancich, Timothy K. Adams, Paul Evans, Jeremy Branson and Christopher Allen.

Wyman proudly endorses Yamaha instruments, Evans drumheads, and JG percussion.

Steve Merrill has held the position of Principal Percussionist with the Jacksonville Symphony since 2011. Steve has also performed as a percussionist and timpanist with other ensembles across the country such as the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Naples Philharmonic, Boston Symphony Orchestra, and the National Symphony Orchestra among others. Additionally, during the summer months he has performed at festivals such as Festival Mozaic in San Luis Obispo, California, the Lyrique-en mer Opera Festival in Belle-Île, France, the Tanglewood Music Festival in Massachusetts, and the St. Augustine Music Festival in Florida. 

A native of Dallas, Texas, Steve began his musical education studying piano at age 5 and later started percussion when joining the school band program in sixth grade. He earned degrees from Southern Methodist University (B.M.) and the New England Conservatory of Music (M.M.) where his teachers included Doug Howard, Drew Lang, and Will Hudgins. Steve also studied percussion and timpani privately with Ed Stephan while performing and teaching in the Dallas/Fort Worth area before moving to Jacksonville. 

Steve enjoys the versatility of percussion and spends time studying and performing music of many different styles and genres. As a tabla player, he has performed North Indian classical music and studies with Nikhil Pandya of the Lucknow gharana. Steve has traveled to Indonesia to study gamelan music and has performed at the Payangan Festival in Bali. While living in Boston, he and his wife Michelle were members of Gamelan Galak Tika, a Balinese gamelan which performs traditional gamelan music as well as music by contemporary composers (sometimes in collaboration with musical robots). Steve has also performed as a vibraphonist and drum set player in various jazz groups. 

When not working, Steve spends his time at home or traveling with his wife Michelle and their two sons, Davis and Emmett.

Elliot Cole (*1984) is a composer, performer and “charismatic contemporary bard” (NY Times), whose music evokes “sparkling icicles of sound” (Rolling Stone). Working with GRAMMY winning vocal ensemble Roomful of Teeth, he scored the breakthrough VR experience Evolver Prologue (dir. Terrence Malick), alongside Jonny Greenwood (Radiohead), which previewed at Cannes in 2021. He has also written for and performed with GRAMMY nominees A Far Cry and Metropolis Ensemble, cellist Gabriel Cabezas (Paul Simon), acclaimed pianists Conor Hanick and David Kaplan, FLUX Quartet, Projeto Arcomusical, and many other groups.

His compositions have been particularly embraced by percussionists. His Postludes for bowed vibraphone quartet has become a new classic, having been performed by over 250 ensembles, including leading professional groups Amadinda, So Percussion, and Blow Up Roma, as well as student ensembles at nearly all US conservatories. His series of pieces for flowerpots has turned into another international tradition: every June 21st, people organize community performances of Flowerpot Music (Make Music Day Book). In 2021, over 450 people performed the work in parks in over 30 cities.

Cole also has a deep interest in early music. He reads and teaches 14th century mensural notation, and led a weekly singing study group of that music in Brooklyn for several years. He has frequently collaborated with the medieval ensemble Alkemie, and composed for them an evening-length Death of Arthur. He has written motets for Gallicantus, one of Britain’s leading Renaissance ensembles, and the viol consort Sonnambula. He has performed the 13th century Galician Cantigas de amigo, singing and playing guitar, bass and harmonium, and regularly joins the medieval-synth group Freelance Nun.

Creative technology is another major area of interest.  His Princeton PhD dissertation Composing with Blooms explores a blended serial/aleatoric approach to computer aided composition. In 2017 he was invited to give a Google Talk about his work in coding and music. He designed and coded Movements, a VR gestural instrument, for the Currents new media festival in Santa Fe in 2018. He produces electronic music with analog and modular synthesizers, and has worked variously as a producer, mixing engineer, video editor, and animator. He runs the publishing house and record label Long Echo Music.

Dr. Cole is also a devoted teacher. He is on faculty at Juilliard Extension, where he teaches advanced composition and music production, and at The New School, where he has taught Ableton, SuperCollider, and mentors graduate students in the Performer-Composer program. Previously, he taught graduate-level 20th century music history at the Manhattan School of Music, theory at Ramapo College, and ear training and counterpoint at Princeton. He also helped found Musicambia, a non-profit organization that creates music education opportunities for incarcerated people. He has been Musicambia’s Program Director at Sing Sing Correctional Facility since 2016, and has led songwriting workshops at facilities in South Carolina, Indiana, and Kansas.

He grew up in Austin, Texas, and now lives in Queens, New York.

Dr. Kenneth Eggert began his performing career as early as age 9, with acting and singing in community theatre productions, and formed his first band at age 12. After high school he went on to study composition at Carnegie-Mellon University, and later film scoring at Berklee College of Music. He left school to pursue a career in performance, and toured nationally and internationally with various ensembles over the years before resuming his academic pursuits. He received his BA in Music through Thomas Edison State University, and went on to get his MA in Music Theory/Composition at Montclair State University. In 2017 he earned his DMA at the University of Georgia in Music Composition.

Dr. Eggert has done award-winning scholarship on Just Intonation and the Pythagorean Table, and spent years in study of traditional Native American music and the work of American microtonal composer/theorist Harry Partch. His full range of styles includes classical, pop, rock, jazz, folk, country, gospel, music theatre, experimental electronic, New Age, avant garde, world music, and microtonal. He has composed for film, theatre, chamber ensemble, and chorus; he has recorded two CDs of original world music, and has founded both a theatre company and a “green” charter school. His piece Ondine’s Flute was released in 2019 by Navona Records on a compilation CD of modern flute music (AERO: Contemporary Music for Flute). His most recent composition, Moonstone, was premiered at Brevard College in February. He currently plays keyboard and bass guitar with several local bands (Tuxedo Junction, Gotcha Groove, and The Fine Colombians) and is the Instructor of Theory and Composition at Brevard College.

Ms. Williams is director of choral activities at Bolton High School in Arlington, Tennessee, where she is the artistic director and conductor of six choirs. Ms. Williams also serves on the faculty of the University of Memphis Community Music School where she is the director of the Memphis Area Childrens Choir.

Before coming to Tennessee, Ms. Williams taught K-12 choral music and music theory in Texas, California and North Carolina. While in California she served on the executive committee of the Inland Master Chorale and was associate director of music for the First United Methodist Church in Redlands.

Ms. Williams has made presentations for the Texas Music Educators Association, the Choirsters Guild, and the Southern California Vocal Association, and has published in “Texas Music Education Research.”

Pianist Michael Chertock has fashioned a successful career as an orchestral soloist, collaborating with conductors such as James Conlon, Jaime Laredo, Keith Lockhart, Erich Kunzel and Andrew Litton. His many orchestral appearances include solo performances with the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Atlanta Symphony, the Dallas Symphony, l’Orchestre Symphonique du Montreal, the Toronto Symphony, the Baltimore Symphony, the Detroit Symphony, the Chattanooga Symphony, the Indianapolis Symphony and the Cincinnati Symphony. He recently completed a Florida tour with the Boston Pops Orchestra.

Chertock performs frequently overseas, most recently playing and conducting a Gershwin program with the State Symphony Orchestra of Russia. In 2014, Chertock recorded a concerto by John Alden Carpenter with Keith Lockhart and the BBC Orchestra at the famed Dutton Epoch recording studio in London, England.

Claude Gingras of La Presse, Montreal, said of pianist Michael Chertock: “Chertock revealed himself as a first-rate pianist and an interpreter of noticeable interest through the freshness that he brought to these familiar scores….(he) displayed the sensitivity of a Chopin interpreter.” The Boston Globe has called his playing “unmannered, zestful, and lovely.” The Cincinnati Enquirer has described the Virginia native as “intelligent and disciplined…noble…finely finished…expressive and well-controlled.” The Salt Lake City Deseret News said “Chertock… is a musical performer with an immense technical command of the piano.” His 2003 performance on the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra’s recording of Petrouchka with Paavo Järvi turned in rave reviews in Gramophone and American Record Guide.

Chertock made his debut at the age of 17, performing the Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 3 with Andrew Litton conducting. In 1994, Chertock released his first CD on the Telarc label, a collection of his original arrangements of music from movies entitled Cinematic Piano. American Record Guide said “(Chertock) plays beautifully, and Telarc’s lush sonics bathe the listener in an intoxicating wash of piano sonorities.” Cincinnati Enquirer critic Janelle Gelfand cited his “elegant techniques…just the right poetic tone.” Since then, he has recorded three more discs with Telarc: Palace of the Winds, Christmas at the Movies and Love At the Movies, which have been praised for their lush, original arrangements and exquisite technical facility.

Chertock began conducting in 2001 when he stepped in for Maestro Carmon De Leone in performances of Cincinnati Ballet’s The Nutcracker. Chertock is the conductor of the Blue Ash-Montgomery Symphony, located in suburban Cincinnati, Ohio, and he frequently composes and arranges music for the orchestra’s concerts. In 2008, he conducted the Columbus Symphony (Ohio) in performances of The Nutcracker with Ballet Met Columbus. In 2012, Michael conducted the Cincinnati Symphony and Cincinnati Pops.

Chertock serves as chair of the keyboard division at the University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music, where he received his Master’s Degree. He has garnered numerous awards at major competitions, among them the top prize in the 1989 Joanna Hodges International Piano Competition (Brahms Division,) and the grand prize in the 1993 St. Charles International Piano Competition. He also shared the silver medal in the 1991 World Piano Competition of the American Music Scholarship Association. He received the Rildia B. O’Bryon Cliburn Scholarship in 1986.

Chertock makes his home in Cincinnati with his wife Maaike, son Joshua and daughters Maria and Janneke. Most Sundays you can find him playing piano and organ for services at St. Barnabas Episcopal Church.

Dr. Jihye Chang Sung enjoys a diverse career as a soloist, collaborator, educator, scholar, and advocate for new music in the United States and abroad. Her performances focus on the creative process of collaborating with living composers, curating programs that connect to various audiences, and giving context to contemporary works.

She is a recipient of the first prize of the Mikhashoff International Pianist-Composer Competition, the Henry Kohn Award from the Tanglewood Music Center, an Honorary Fellowship from the Montgomery Symphony Orchestra, and the Aaron Copland Recording Grant. She has appeared as a soloist with the Brevard Music Center Sinfonietta, Charleston Symphony Orchestra, Fargo Moorhead Symphony Orchestra, Wonjoo Philharmonic Orchestra (South Korea), Montgomery Symphony Orchestra, and Virtuosi of Festival Internacionale de Musica in Recife (Brazil), among others. She recently premiered Igerthi, a piano concerto written for her by Sungji Hong, with Intersection Music in Nashville.

Since 2016 she has led a collaborative project called “Continuum 88,” in which she focuses each concert season on a different genre of the piano repertoire such as sonatas, etudes, and variations, programming masterworks of the literature alongside newly commissioned works by younger composers in the same genres. 9 new works have been created by composers of diverse backgrounds and styles, and she has led more than 20 performances in venues across the United States, South Korea, and Taiwan. 2023 was a replay season of miniatures, etudes, variations, and fantasies and 2024 – 2025 will be the final year focusing on sonatas.

Piano etudes have been an important part of her projects, and she has given recitals and lectures on this topic at various institutions and festivals. She launched a hugely successful collaboration with the Brevard composition area in 2016 called “BMC Etude Project.” Her most recent etude-related project is “Boston Etudes,” which started during the pandemic year in 2020 with 8 composers based in Boston. 8 new etudes were written for Dr. Sung and she premiered them in live stream performances on her YouTube Channel throughout 2021. She went on to record them in 2022 and they will be released in 2024 on New Focus Recordings.

Other research interests include music by living women composers and Korean composers, which she has brought to venues at UC Berkeley, Boston Conservatory, and C4NM San Francisco. Since 2022, Dr. Sung has presented several lectures focusing on music as means to understand Korean culture at Seoul National University Alumni Association’s 2022 Summit, University of Cincinnati College of Music, University of North Texas, and University of East Maine.

As a chamber musician, she has collaborated with musicians from across the states including Cheeyun, Jordan Bak, Frank Cohen, Andrés Diaz, Inbal Segev, and Richard Young, and has appeared at the Chamber Music Society of Fort Worth, Blue Candlelight Music Series in Dallas, Broman Series at Mary Baldwin University, Parker Concert Series in Brevard, and Artists Series of Tallahassee. She also specializes in working with young composers in academic settings and has recently led residencies both in person and online at Indiana University, UCLA, Tufts University, Rutgers University, Seoul National University, Texas Christian University, and Tulane University.

Dr. Sung graduated summa cum laude from Seoul National University and earned her Master’s and Doctorate degrees from the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, under the tutelage of the late György Sebök, Edward Auer, and Reiko Neriki. She is thrilled to join the piano faculty at Boston University as a Senior Lecturer, after serving as a Visiting Assistant Professor at Florida State University. Dr. Sung is also a faculty member at the Brevard Music Center and the director of Piano Intensive Bulgaria. You can visit https://instagram.com/jihyechangpiano to see her passion for espresso and listen to her online premieres and other performances at https://www.youtube.com/jihyechangpiano. Dr. Sung’s recordings can be found on Albany, Centaur, Parma, and Sony Korea. 

Pianist Jihea Hong-Park enjoys a versatile and vibrant career as a soloist, chamber musician, and collaborative pianist. She has performed at major venues such as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Merkin Hall, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Steinway Hall, The Kosciusko Foundation, the Bar Harbor Music Festival, and the Caramoor Summer Music Festival. She has appeared on concert stages internationally, including performances at the International Symposium and Festival of the Centre for Intercultural Music Arts at the University of Cambridge (England), Seoul Arts Center (South Korea), Yun I-Sang Concert Hall (North Korea), Komae Ecorma Hall and Niigata Performing Arts Center (Japan), Stockholm Cathedral (Sweden), Maarja-Magdaleena Lutheran Church (Estonia), and Riga Dome Cathedral (Latvia). Most recently, her solo and chamber performances were broadcast on Orfeo TV, Korea’s premier classical music channel. Moreover, Ms. Hong-Park has performed at notable academic institutions such as Tokyo College of Music, Seoul National University, Yonsei University, University of North Texas, UCLA, University of Southern California, College of William and Mary, and Rutgers University. Enthusiastic about contemporary music, she has premiered works by internationally acclaimed composers, including Sophia Serghi, Jean Ahn, Steven Ricks, Gui Sook Lee, and Eric Sessler. In 2019, Ms. Hong-Park co-hosted a series of five New York Philharmonic Young People’s Concerts alongside Omaha Symphony’s Music Director, Thomas Wilkins, at David Geffen Hall, Lincoln Center.

Ms. Hong-Park currently holds the position of Associate Professor of Piano at Brigham Young University. Her students have won numerous awards in international, national, and regional competitions, including first-place prizes at the Emory Young Artist Piano Competition, Walgreens National Concerto Competition, International Keyboard Odyssiad & Festival Competition, Medici International Music Competition, Radda Rise International Piano Competition, Utah Symphony’s Salute to Youth Concerto Competition, Utah Music Teachers Association (UMTA) Concerto Competition, BYU Concerto Competition, BYU Piano Competition in Collaboration with Classical 89.1 FM, and the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) Piano Competition at the Southwest Division, progressing to the National Finals. Many of these awards resulted in student performances with the Utah Symphony, BYU Philharmonic Orchestra, BYU Symphony Orchestra, Timpanogos Symphony Orchestra, Utah Philharmonic Orchestra, American Fork Symphony, and American West Symphony. Furthermore, Ms. Hong-Park’s dedicated mentorship has led students to present academic research at the MTNA National Conference, National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy, MTNA National Collegiate Symposium, and the College Music Society Regional Conference. Her strong commitment to teaching is also reflected by her previous faculty appointment at The Juilliard School, where she served for fourteen years.

Through guest masterclasses and workshops, Ms. Hong-Park has worked with students from around the world, including Showa University, Kobe College, Osaka University of the Arts, Wuhan Conservatory of Music, Missouri State University, Grand Valley State University, Loyola University New Orleans, Weber State University, Eastern Mennonite University, Ohio University, Wharton Institute for the Performing Arts, the Gifted Music School, pianoSonoma Music Festival, Ernest So Masterclass Series (Hong Kong), and Gitameit Music Institute (Myanmar). During the summers, she serves on the artist-faculty at Brevard Music Center in North Carolina, one of the country’s elite summer festivals for gifted music students.

An avid researcher, Ms. Hong-Park has presented at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)’s UNITWIN International Arts Symposium, the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy, the College Music Society National Conferences, the MTNA National Conference, and the International Teaching Artist Conference. She has also appeared as a frequent guest speaker at prestigious institutions including the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, the Palmetto International Piano Festival, the Peace & Life Zone (PLZ) Music Festival @ DMZ Korea, the Socially Engaged Musicians Network Forum of Korea, the Youth Orchestra of St. Luke’s, and the New York City Department of Education. In November 2023, she delivered the keynote address at the UMTA Annual State Conference. Her scholarly interests include career development for musicians, entrepreneurship and leadership in the performing arts, interdisciplinary arts collaboration, Asian American studies in classical music, the music of women and composers of color, and social consciousness, activism, and advocacy for the arts.

Ms. Hong-Park received her B.M. and M.M. degrees from The Juilliard School and pursued five years of postgraduate studies at Teachers College, Columbia University. Upon her graduation from Juilliard, she received the school’s highest award, the William Schuman Commencement Prize, for her exceptional achievement, leadership, and service in music.

Ms. Hong-Park has served as a juror for the MTNA Eastern Division Competition, the UMTA Piano Concerto Competition, the Weber State University Piano Festival and Competition, the University of Utah’s SummerArts Piano Competition, the International Virtuoso Competition, the Encore Keyboard Competition, and the MEANJ Piano Competition. Additionally, she has served as the chair of the MTNA/UMTA Piano Performance Competition for the past three years. She currently serves on the Gina Bachauer International Piano Foundation’s University Advisory Board, the 2025 National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy International Committee, and the Socially Engaged Musicians Network of Korea Advisory Board.

Norman Krieger is professor of piano at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music.

A native of Los Angeles, he is one of the most acclaimed pianists of his generation and is highly regarded as an artist of depth, sensitivity, and virtuosic flair. He previously served as professor of keyboard studies at the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music since 1997.

Zubin Mehta, Marin Alsop, Myung-Whun Chung, Miguel Harth-Bedoya, JoAnn Falletta, Jeffrey Kahane, Donald Runnicles, Leonard Slatkin, Michael Tilson Thomas, Keith Lockhart, Jaap van Zweden, and Carl St. Clair are just a few of the conductors with whom Krieger has collaborated.

Krieger regularly appears with the major orchestras of North America, among them the New York, Los Angeles, Buffalo, Dayton and Rochester philharmonics, the Minnesota Orchestra, Boston Pops Orchestra, National Symphony, Pacific Symphony, and the symphony orchestras of Austin, Baltimore, California, Chicago, Cincinnati, Columbus, El Paso, Florida, Grand Rapids, Hartford, Honolulu, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Kansas City, Long Beach, Milwaukee, New Haven, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Richmond, Saint Louis, San Antonio, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa Fe, Santa Rosa, Spokane, Stockton, Syracuse, and Virginia, among others, as well as Mexico’s Orquesta Filarmónica de la Ciudad de México and Orquesta Sinfónica de Xalapa.

Abroad, he has been guest soloist with Germany’s Philharmonisches Orchester Augsburg, Holland’s Orkest van het Oosten, Prague’s Czech National Symphony Orchestra, Turkey’s Presidential Symphony Orchestra, New Zealand’s Auckland Philharmonia, Taiwan’s National Symphony Orchestra, the Shanghai Symphony, and the Hong Kong Philharmonic. In September 2014, he recorded the Brahms Piano Concerto No. 2 with the London Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Philip Ryan Mann.

In recital, Krieger has appeared throughout the United States, Europe, Mexico, and Asia, while chamber music collaborations have included appearances with sopranos Beverly Hoch and Sheri Greenawald, cellists Jian Wang and Zuill Bailey, and the Tokyo and Manhattan string quartets. His debut at New York City’s prestigious Carnegie Hall and Mostly Mozart Festival earned him an immediate invitation to Lincoln Center’s 2005-06 Great Performers Series.

In 1987, Krieger made headlines by being named the Gold Medal Winner of the first Palm Beach Invitational Piano Competition. Earlier, in 1984, he earned selection to the distinguished roster of Affiliate Artists, where he participated in the Xerox Pianists Program from 1984 to 1986. He is also the recipient of the Paderewski Foundation Award, Bruce Hungerford Memorial Prize, Victor Herbert Memorial Prize, Buffalo Philharmonic Young Artists Competition Prize, and Saint Louis Symphony Prize.

Krieger’s first piano teacher was his uncle, Rudy Hadda. Later training began in Los Angeles under the tutelage of Esther Lipton. At age 15, he became a full-scholarship student of Adele Marcus at The Juilliard School, at which he earned both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. Subsequently, he studied with Alfred Brendel and Maria Curcio in London and earned an Artist Diploma from the New England Conservatory, where he worked with Russell Sherman.

A champion of contemporary music, he features the music of John Adams, Leonard Bernstein, John Corigliano, Daniel Brewbaker, Donald Crockett, Judith St. Croix, Lukas Foss, and Lowell Liebermann among his active repertoire.

Krieger’s solo recordings include five albums available on the Artisie 4 label: Norman Krieger: Transformations, comprised of Liszt’s two piano concertos and his Totentanz, with the Prague Radio Orchestra; Gershwin in Prague, including “Rhapsody in Blue” and Concerto in F, with the Prague National Symphony Orchestra, and Tomas Svoboda: Piano Concertos with the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra, both under the baton of Neal Gittleman; Norman Krieger: Piano Recital, with music by Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, and Chopin; and American Piano Concertos, featuring works by MacDowell and David Wiley with the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra conducted by Wiley.

Krieger’s chamber music collaborations include Raising the Roof, an album of chamber music by Haydn, Bloch, Bruch, and Martin&#367 (Artisie 4); The Prince Albert Chamber Music Festival, including works by Barber, Beethoven, Bizet, Chopin, Schubert, and Tchaikovsky (Artisie 4); Voices Through Time, works of Brahms and Schubert with flutist Emily Skala (Summit); and Summerdays, music of Barber, Berg, Bernstein, Gershwin, Glazunov, Lehár, and Mozart, from the Musical Masterworks Festival at Old Lyme (Well-Tempered).

In 2013, he performed Gershwin’s Piano Concerto with the New West Symphony, Beethoven’s Concertos Nos. 4 and 5 with the Dayton Philharmonic and Ravel’s Concerto for the Left Hand with the Brevard Music Center Orchestra. He regularly gives master classes around the world.

Krieger is the founding artistic director of The Prince Albert Music Festival in Hawaii. Since 2008, he has served on the summer faculty at the Brevard music festival in North Carolina.

Steinway artist Donna Lee made her solo debut in 1990 with the National Symphony Orchestra.  She has since appeared as a soloist and collaborative artist at Kennedy Center’s Concert Hall and Terrace Theater in Washington, DC and Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall in New York City.  She has concertized in Asia, Europe and throughout the US, with performances in Shenyang, China, Brno, Czech Republic and Maui, Hawaii.  Donna made her solo recording debut on the Azica label, with a program entitled Scenes from Childhood with works by Schumann, del Tredici, Medtner, and Prokofieff.  In 2011, she released a recording on the Blue Griffin label of Felix Mendelssohn’s Complete works for cello and piano with cellist Keith Robinson.  Fanfare Magazine called the disc,” …quite simply, amazing”.

Critics have described Donna Lee’s performances as elegant and refined (Il Fronimo, Italy), engaging (WCLV-Cleveland) and brilliant (Iwate Daily News, Japan).  As a soloist and chamber musician, she has performed at the Ameri-China Festival in China, Gotland Chamber Music Festival in Sweden, Brevard Music Center in North Carolina, Interlochen Arts Center in Michigan, Kent Blossom Music Festival in Ohio, Maui Classical Music in Hawaii, Music-on-the-Hill in Rhode Island and Classical Tahoe in Nevada.  A frequent collaborator with clarinetist Daniel Gilbert, the husband-wife duo has performed in recital throughout the United States, including recent performances in Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Michigan, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Nevada, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, South Carolina and Washington as well as in Chengdu, China.

A highly respected pedagogue, Donna Lee has received accolades for her teaching.  In October of 2021, she was inducted into the Steinway & Sons Teacher Hall of Fame, a prestigious designation recognizing the work of North America’s most committed and passionate piano teachers.  In the same year, she received a Distinguished Teaching Award from Kent State University, the institution’s highest honor, where she serves on the faculty as Professor and Coordinator of Piano.  During the summers, Donna is also artist-faculty at Brevard Music Center in North Carolina.

A native of Silver Spring, Maryland, Donna Lee earned her doctorate from Peabody Conservatory of The Johns Hopkins University, Masters from The Juilliard School, and Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Maryland, College Park, where she studied with prominent artist-teachers Julian Martin, the late Rudolf Firkušný, and Thomas Schumacher, respectively.

Deloise Chagas Lima, collaborative pianist, was born in Curitiba, Brazil. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Piano, Organ, and Music Education at the School of Music and Fine Arts of Parana.

A sought-after accompanist and chamber musician, she has performed extensively throughout Brazil with many recognized singers and instrumentalists. She was also the pianist of the Minas Gerais Symphony for two seasons, and was a soloist with that orchestra and the Curitiba Chamber Orchestra. Her performances as an accompanist have taken her to Europe, the United States, and South America.

She has a Performance Certificate in piano from Trinity College of Music, London, and is also an Associate of the Royal College of Music in organ performance.
She received her Master of Music degree in piano performance and Literature at the University of Notre Dame, and the Doctor of Music degree in Piano Accompanying from the Florida State University.

In Brazil, Dr. Lima was on the faculty of the School of Music and Fine Arts of Parana for over twenty years. She has been on the faculty at Florida State University since 2005 and was appointed principal keyboard with the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra in 2015. Lima has been a member of the faculty at the Brevard Music Center since the summer of 2008 and in 2013 she implemented the new collaborative piano program at BMC.

Venezuelan pianist Gabriela Martinez has a reputation for the lyricism of her playing, her compelling interpretations, and her elegant stage presence.  Her playing has been described as “magical… a remarkable pianist, with a cool determination, a tone full of glowing color and a seemingly effortless technique” (LA Times) and “…versatile, daring and insightful” (New York Times).

Gabriela made her orchestral debut at age 6, and since then has performed with over 100 orchestras including the San Francisco, Chicago, Houston, San Diego, Grand Rapids, New Jersey, Tucson, Pacific, and Fort Worth symphonies, Buffalo Philharmonic; Germany’s Stuttgarter Philharmoniker, MDR Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra, Nurnberger Philharmoniker; Canada’s Victoria Symphony Orchestra; the Costa Rica National Symphony, and the Simon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra in Venezuela. She has performed with Gustavo Dudamel, James Gaffigan, James Conlon, JoAnn Falleta, Michael Francis, Marcelo Lehninger, and Guillermo Figueroa, among many others.

Gabriela is passionate about new music, and has premiered works by many composers including Mason Bates, Sarah Kirkland Snider, Paola Prestini, Jessica Meyer, and Dan Visconti.  Gabriela’s debut album, Amplified Soul, was released on the Delos label, and was recognized with a GRAMMY Award for Producer of the Year, David Frost.

She has performed at such venues as Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, Merkin Hall, and Alice Tully Hall in New York City; San Diego’s The Rady Shell, Canada’s Glenn Gould Studio; Salzburg’s Grosses Festspielhaus; Dresden’s Semperoper; Copenhagen’s Tivoli Gardens; and Paris’s Palace of Versailles.  She has performed at festivals such as the Ravinia, Mostly Mozart, Colorado, and Rockport festivals in the United States; Germany’s Dresden Music Festival; Italy’s Festival dei Due Mondi (Spoleto); Switzerland’s Verbier Festival and Snow and Symphony Festival; the Festival de Radio France et Montpellier; and Japan’s Tokyo International Music Festival.   Her performances have been featured on National Public Radio, CNN, PBS, 60 Minutes, ABC, From the Top, Radio France, WQXR and WNYC (New York), MDR Kultur and Deutsche Welle (Germany), NHK (Japan), RAI (Italy), and on numerous television and radio stations in Venezuela.

Gabriela was the First Prize winner of the Anton G. Rubinstein International Piano Competition in Dresden, and a semifinalist at the 12th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, where she also received the Jury Discretionary Award.  She is a 5th generation female pianist, and began her piano studies in Caracas with her mother, Alicia Gaggioni.  She then attended The Juilliard School, where she earned her Bachelor and Master of Music degrees as a full scholarship student of Yoheved Kaplinsky. Ms. Martinez was a fellow of Carnegie Hall’s The Academy, and a member of Ensemble Connect, concurrently working on her doctoral studies with Marco Antonio de Almeida in Halle, Germany.

Praised by The New York Times for her “thoughtful musicality” and “fleet-fingered panache,” Liza Stepanova is in demand as a soloist, collaborator, and educator. In the fall of 2020, she was named Musical America Worldwide’s “New Artist of the Month,” a rare distinction celebrating her work and particularly the impact of her recent CD “E Pluribus Unum.”  In addition to joining the Brevard faculty, other 2022-23 season highlights include a return to the Bowdoin and Songfest music festivals, solo performances as an invited headliner at the TMTA State Conference, at the American Liszt Society Festival and across the Southeast, and chamber music tours with the Lysander Piano Trio at Dumbarton Oaks in Washington, in New York City, Arizona, Florida, Mississippi, Wyoming, and in Canada. 

In August 2020, Stepanova released her second solo album “E Pluribus Unum” (Navona Records) celebrating contemporary American composers with an immigrant background. The CD, which features a commission and three world-premiere recordings, received universal acclaim with reviews in the top three British classical music journals: Gramophone, BBC Music Magazine, and International Piano, as well as The Whole Note in Canada and Piano Magazine in the US. The disc was broadcast widely on national and international radio including “Album of the Week” on Canada’s public radio, several plays in Australia, and across the US. Stepanova’s debut solo album “Tones & Colors: Music and Visual Art” (CAG Records, 2018), recorded in New York City with Grammy-winning producer Adam Abeshouse, brought together music from Bach to Ligeti that was inspired by visual art. This record was also praised in international media and continues to be regularly played on American Public Media’s Performance Today, the most listened-to daily classical music program in the United States, including multiple features as a headliner.

Stepanova has performed extensively in Europe, most recently, as a soloist with the Southwest-German Philharmonic and in chamber music performances at the Berlin Museum of Musical Instruments, at the Copenhagen Music Festival, and in Belgrade’s Kolarac Hall. In the United States, she has appeared in Weill and Zankel Recital Halls at Carnegie; Alice Tully Hall, Merkin and Steinway halls in New York City; at the Kennedy Center and The Smithsonian in Washington, DC; and live on WQXR New York, WFMT Chicago, and WETA Washington. Stepanova has twice been a soloist with the Juilliard Orchestra led by James DePreist and Nicholas McGegan and was a top prizewinner at the Liszt-Garrison, Juilliard Concerto, Steinway, and Ettlingen competitions. As a soloist and chamber musician, she has been invited to international festivals at Castleton, La Jolla, Music@Menlo, Mostly Mozart, Copenhagen (Denmark), and Davos (Switzerland), where she had opportunities to collaborate with leading artists including violinist Cho-Liang Lin, violist James Dunham, clarinetist Charles Neidich, soprano Lucy Shelton, mezzo-soprano Susanne Mentzer and members of the Berlin Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic, and the Atlanta Symphony. Deeply committed to new music, she has premiered works by Jennifer Higdon and Libby Larsen and worked with composers William Bolcom, Gabriela Lena Frank, and John Harbison.

As a member of the Lysander Piano Trio, Stepanova won the Concert Artists Guild International Competition and received top prizes a the Coleman and Fischoff Chamber Music Competitions. The ensemble recently celebrated its tenth anniversary with a new album “Mirrors” (First Hand Records, UK) dedicated to works the group either commissioned or premiered, including a world-premiere recording of a work by Jennifer Higdon. Lysander has performed at all major venues in New York City including Carnegie Hall and David Geffen Hall as part of the Mostly Mozart Festival to enthusiastic reviews in The New York Times and The Washington Post. Highlights of Lysander’s recent tours include the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts; Purdue University’s Convocations Series, Los Angeles’ Clark Memorial Library at UCLA and the Da Camera Society; Chicago’s Dame Myra Hess Concert series and Rockford Coronado Concerts; San Francisco’s Music at Kohl Mansion; and Juneau Jazz and Classics (AK). Liza Stepanova studied art song collaboration with Wolfram Rieger in Berlin and was invited by the late Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau to perform in several of his master classes including the Hugo-Wolf-Tage festival in Austria. Since 2010, Stepanova has been on the faculty at SongFest at The Colburn School in Los Angeles and also served as the festival’s Associate Artistic Director and Piano Program Director for two years.

Stepanova received her DMA from The Juilliard School with a Richard F. French Award for outstanding doctoral work. Previously a graduate of the Hanns Eisler Academy in Berlin, Germany, she studied with Joseph Kalichstein, Seymour Lipkin, Jerome Lowenthal, and George Sava, and performed in master classes for Alfred Brendel, Daniel Barenboim, and András Schiff. Following teaching positions at The Juilliard School and Smith College, she is currently an associate professor of piano and piano area chair at the University of Georgia, Hugh Hodgson School of Music, where she also co-directs the biannual Chamber Music Athens festival featuring acclaimed artists performing and teaching alongside UGA faculty and students. Her UGA students have been invited to the Aspen, Bowdoin, Brevard, Chautauqua, and Salzburg Mozarteum summer programs and received scholarships to elite graduate programs. Recent student successes include top prizes at the Liszt-Ohio International Competition, GMTA, MTNA, Atlanta Music Club, and Atlanta Mozart Society competitions, and a finalist award at the Wideman International Piano Competition.

For more information, visit liza-stepanova.com.

Yu-Lien The has appeared throughout the US, Europe, and Southeast-Asia, as a soloist with the Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie, the Kammerorchester Hannover, and the Baroque Orchestra L’Arco. As a recitalist and chamber musician, she has performed at the Gilmore Keyboard Festival and venues such as Detroit Symphony Hall and Carnegie Hall. A prizewinner of the 12th International Piano Competition Viotti-Valsesia (Italy) and the Deutsche Musikwettbewerb, she was admitted to the National Concert Podium for Young Artists (Germany), which led to several concert tours with violinist Tomo Keller. Dr. The has been involved in many commissions and world premieres. She frequently collaborates with saxophonist Joe Lulloff and champions new works by composers such as Dorothy Chang, Stacy Garrop, and Carter Pann. 

Born in the Netherlands, Yu-Lien The received most of her musical training in Germany, where she obtained degrees in both piano and recorder performance and pedagogy from the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hannover. She has earned an Artist Diploma from the Hochschule für Musik Detmold as well as a D.M.A. in piano performance from Michigan State University. Her principal piano teachers were Arie Vardi, Anatol Ugorski, and Deborah Moriarty. 

A dedicated piano pedagogue and sought-after clinician, Yu-Lien The also engages in discourse of diversity, equity, and inclusion and has given talks on racial and cultural biases in today’s classical music world. She currently is an Assistant Professor of Keyboard Studies at Western Michigan University and has previously served on the faculties at Bowling Green State University and Valparaiso University.

Acclaimed by the Baltimore Sun as “one of the biggest pianistic talents to have emerged in this country in the last 25 years” pianist Terrence Wilson has appeared as soloist with the symphony orchestras of Atlanta, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Dallas, Detroit, Houston, Washington, DC (National Symphony), San Francisco, St. Louis, and with the orchestras of Cleveland, Minnesota, and Philadelphia and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. Conductors with whom he has worked include Christoph Eschenbach, Alan Gilbert, Neeme Järvi, Jesús López-Cobos, Lawrence Renes, Robert Spano, Yuri Temirkanov, Stanislaw Skrowaczewski and Gunther Herbig.

Abroad, Terrence Wilson has played concerti with such ensembles as the Lausanne Chamber Orchestra in Switzerland, the Malaysian Philharmonic, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, and the Orquestra Sinfonica do Estado de Minas Gerais in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. He has toured with orchestras in the US and abroad, including a tour of the US with the Sofia Festival Orchestra (Bulgaria) and in Europe with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra conducted by Yuri Temirkanov.

An active recitalist, Terrence Wilson made his New York City recital debut at the 92nd Street Y, and his Washington, DC recital debut at the Kennedy Center. In Europe he has given recitals at the Verbier Festival in Switzerland, the Lourvre in Paris, and countless other major venues. In the US he has given recitals at Lincoln Center in New York City (both Alice Tully Hall and Avery Fisher Hall), the Ravinia Festival in Chicago, the Caramoor Festival in Katonah, NY, San Francisco’s Herbst Theatre, and for the La Jolla Chamber Music Society. An avid chamber musician, he performs regularly with the Ritz Chamber Players. Festival appearances include the Blossom Festival, Tanglewood, Wolf Trap, with the San Francisco Symphony at Stern Grove Park, and an appearance with the Grant Park Symphony Orchestra on July 4, 2015 before an audience of over fifteen thousand.

During the 2017-2018 season, Terrence Wilson appeared as guest soloist with the Alabama Symphony and made his debut with the Portland Symphony Orchestra. He also made his debut with the Richmond Symphony in performances of Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy. Other highlights of the season included a return appearance with the New Jersey Symphony, and chamber music performances with the Ritz Chamber Players in Jacksonville, Florida.

In the 2018-2019 season, Wilson returns as guest soloist with the Omaha Symphony, gives his debut performance with the Hilton Head Symphony, and performs recitals of the complete sets of Rachmaninoff’s Études Tableaux Op. 33 and Op. 39 in advance of a recording of both sets. He will also appear with the Chamber Music Society of Central Virginia.

Also on the horizon for the coming seasons is the commission, premiere performance and recording of a new solo piano work by American composer Michael Daugherty.

Terrence Wilson has received numerous awards and prizes, including the SONY ES Award for Musical Excellence, an Avery Fisher Career Grant, and the Juilliard Petschek Award. He has also been featured on several radio and television broadcasts, including NPR’s “Performance Today,” WQXR radio in New York, and programs on the BRAVO Network, the Arts & Entertainment Network, public television, and as a guest on late night network television. In 2011, Wilson was nominated for a Grammy in the category of “Best Instrumental Soloist With an Orchestra” for his (world premiere) recording with the Nashville Symphony conducted by Giancarlo Guerrero of Michael Daugherty’s Deus ex Machina for piano and orchestra – written for Wilson in 2007.

Terrence Wilson is a graduate of The Juilliard School, where he studied with Yoheved Kaplinsky. He has also enjoyed the invaluable mentorship of the Romanian pianist and teacher Zitta Zohar. A native of the Bronx, he resides in Montclair, New Jersey.

Pianist Michael Chertock has fashioned a successful career as an orchestral soloist, collaborating with conductors such as James Conlon, Jaime Laredo, Keith Lockhart, Erich Kunzel and Andrew Litton. His many orchestral appearances include solo performances with the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Atlanta Symphony, the Dallas Symphony, l’Orchestre Symphonique du Montreal, the Toronto Symphony, the Baltimore Symphony, the Detroit Symphony, the Chattanooga Symphony, the Indianapolis Symphony and the Cincinnati Symphony. He recently completed a Florida tour with the Boston Pops Orchestra.

Chertock performs frequently overseas, most recently playing and conducting a Gershwin program with the State Symphony Orchestra of Russia. In 2014, Chertock recorded a concerto by John Alden Carpenter with Keith Lockhart and the BBC Orchestra at the famed Dutton Epoch recording studio in London, England.

Claude Gingras of La Presse, Montreal, said of pianist Michael Chertock: “Chertock revealed himself as a first-rate pianist and an interpreter of noticeable interest through the freshness that he brought to these familiar scores….(he) displayed the sensitivity of a Chopin interpreter.” The Boston Globe has called his playing “unmannered, zestful, and lovely.” The Cincinnati Enquirer has described the Virginia native as “intelligent and disciplined…noble…finely finished…expressive and well-controlled.” The Salt Lake City Deseret News said “Chertock… is a musical performer with an immense technical command of the piano.” His 2003 performance on the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra’s recording of Petrouchka with Paavo Järvi turned in rave reviews in Gramophone and American Record Guide.

Chertock made his debut at the age of 17, performing the Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 3 with Andrew Litton conducting. In 1994, Chertock released his first CD on the Telarc label, a collection of his original arrangements of music from movies entitled Cinematic Piano. American Record Guide said “(Chertock) plays beautifully, and Telarc’s lush sonics bathe the listener in an intoxicating wash of piano sonorities.” Cincinnati Enquirer critic Janelle Gelfand cited his “elegant techniques…just the right poetic tone.” Since then, he has recorded three more discs with Telarc: Palace of the Winds, Christmas at the Movies and Love At the Movies, which have been praised for their lush, original arrangements and exquisite technical facility.

Chertock began conducting in 2001 when he stepped in for Maestro Carmon De Leone in performances of Cincinnati Ballet’s The Nutcracker. Chertock is the conductor of the Blue Ash-Montgomery Symphony, located in suburban Cincinnati, Ohio, and he frequently composes and arranges music for the orchestra’s concerts. In 2008, he conducted the Columbus Symphony (Ohio) in performances of The Nutcracker with Ballet Met Columbus. In 2012, Michael conducted the Cincinnati Symphony and Cincinnati Pops.

Chertock serves as chair of the keyboard division at the University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music, where he received his Master’s Degree. He has garnered numerous awards at major competitions, among them the top prize in the 1989 Joanna Hodges International Piano Competition (Brahms Division,) and the grand prize in the 1993 St. Charles International Piano Competition. He also shared the silver medal in the 1991 World Piano Competition of the American Music Scholarship Association. He received the Rildia B. O’Bryon Cliburn Scholarship in 1986.

Chertock makes his home in Cincinnati with his wife Maaike, son Joshua and daughters Maria and Janneke. Most Sundays you can find him playing piano and organ for services at St. Barnabas Episcopal Church.

Steinway artist Donna Lee made her solo debut in 1990 with the National Symphony Orchestra.  She has since appeared as a soloist and collaborative artist at Kennedy Center’s Concert Hall and Terrace Theater in Washington, DC and Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall in New York City.  She has concertized in Asia, Europe and throughout the US, with performances in Shenyang, China, Brno, Czech Republic and Maui, Hawaii.  Donna made her solo recording debut on the Azica label, with a program entitled Scenes from Childhood with works by Schumann, del Tredici, Medtner, and Prokofieff.  In 2011, she released a recording on the Blue Griffin label of Felix Mendelssohn’s Complete works for cello and piano with cellist Keith Robinson.  Fanfare Magazine called the disc,” …quite simply, amazing”.

Critics have described Donna Lee’s performances as elegant and refined (Il Fronimo, Italy), engaging (WCLV-Cleveland) and brilliant (Iwate Daily News, Japan).  As a soloist and chamber musician, she has performed at the Ameri-China Festival in China, Gotland Chamber Music Festival in Sweden, Brevard Music Center in North Carolina, Interlochen Arts Center in Michigan, Kent Blossom Music Festival in Ohio, Maui Classical Music in Hawaii, Music-on-the-Hill in Rhode Island and Classical Tahoe in Nevada.  A frequent collaborator with clarinetist Daniel Gilbert, the husband-wife duo has performed in recital throughout the United States, including recent performances in Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Michigan, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Nevada, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, South Carolina and Washington as well as in Chengdu, China.

A highly respected pedagogue, Donna Lee has received accolades for her teaching.  In October of 2021, she was inducted into the Steinway & Sons Teacher Hall of Fame, a prestigious designation recognizing the work of North America’s most committed and passionate piano teachers.  In the same year, she received a Distinguished Teaching Award from Kent State University, the institution’s highest honor, where she serves on the faculty as Professor and Coordinator of Piano.  During the summers, Donna is also artist-faculty at Brevard Music Center in North Carolina.

A native of Silver Spring, Maryland, Donna Lee earned her doctorate from Peabody Conservatory of The Johns Hopkins University, Masters from The Juilliard School, and Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Maryland, College Park, where she studied with prominent artist-teachers Julian Martin, the late Rudolf Firkušný, and Thomas Schumacher, respectively.

Praised by Fanfare as “a first-rate pianist who isn’t afraid of challenges,” Chinese-American Pianist Clara Yang has performed in notable venues such as Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall (New York), Auditorio Nacional de Musica (Madrid), Forbidden City Concert Hall (Beijing), Chiesa dell’Addolorata (Italy), the Seymour Centre (Sydney), the Barclay Theater (Irvine, CA), Kodak Hall at the Eastman Theater (Rochester), the Sunset Center (Carmel, CA), Memorial Hall (Chapel Hill), Meymandi Concert Hall (Raleigh), and on series such as Carolina Performing Arts, Dame Myra Hess (Chicago Cultural Center), and Museu d’Història de Barcelona. She is currently Associate Professor of Music and Head of Piano Studies at UNC-Chapel Hill.

Besides performing the traditional repertoire, Yang is also an innovative contemporary and new music interpreter. She was awarded the prestigious Baryshnikov Arts Residency for her interdisciplinary project Ex Machina. The distinguished composer Chen Yi composed the piano concerto Four Spirits for her. Yang performed the U.S. premiere of the concerto with the distinguished conductor Maestro Long Yu (余隆) leading the China Philharmonic Orchestra (中国爱乐乐团) on the Carolina Performing Arts series. She performed the world premiere of this work with the China Philharmonic in the Forbidden City Concert Hall in Beijing. In addition, she performed Philip Glass’s etudes alongside the composer himself and other renowned artists in the Glass at 80 Festival. She recorded Lee Weisert’s Érard, which was written for her, for Weisert’s album Wild Arc on the New Focus label. Yang served on the Artist Panel for New Music USA. In addition, she has designed innovative interdisciplinary and cross-genre projects, collaborating with celebrated artists such as pianist Aaron Diehl, new media artist Xuan, rock guitarist Yvette Young, and hip hop artist Suzi Analogue. 

Concert highlights as a concerto soloist include performances with renowned conductors such as Vladimir Ashkenazy, Long Yu, Huang Yi, Josep Caballe Domenech, Jeff Tyzik, Carl St. Clair, Tonu Kalam, Grant Llewelyn, George Jackson, and Laura Jackson. She has soloed with the European Union Youth Orchestra, the China Philharmonic Orchestra, the Sichuan Symphony Orchestra, Banda Sinfonica Municipal de Madrid, the Eastman Philharmonia, the Pacific Symphony Orchestra, the North Carolina Symphony, and the Charlottesville Symphony Orchestra, among others. In addition, she has performed with acclaimed artists such Joélle Harvey and Lucia Lucas in recital and as soloists with orchestra. 

Her solo album Folding Time (Albany Records) won a Global Music Awards Gold Medal and received rave reviews from Fanfare, New York Arts, and American Record Guide. It was chosen as one of the Best of 2016 by American Record Guide. Her recently released violin-piano album Mother Tales (Navona Records) with violinist Sunmi Chang has received great reviews from the String Magazine and Pizzicato (Luxembourg). Her cello-piano duo album titled Grieg and Prokofiev (Albany Records) with Los Angeles Opera cellist Helen Zheng Altenbach was well received. Her albums and performances have been aired on ABC Classic FM in Australia and New Zealand, 98.7 WFMT Chicago, and many other major radio stations across the United States.

Yang received her D.M.A. in piano performance at the Eastman School of Music, where she was a student of Nelita True. She studied with Claude Frank at the Yale School of Music (M.M., Artist Diploma) and graduated magna cum laude from the University of Southern California as a student of John Perry. For more information, please visit: https://www.clarayangpiano.com

David Jackson, Professor of Trombone at the University of Michigan School of Music, enjoys an active career as a performer and teacher. He is a recognized and ardent supporter of new music who has commissioned and premiered numerous compositions for the trombone. His most recently premiered The Slide Shows for Jazz Trombone, Classical Trombone, and Orchestra by Vincent Gardner, and Monuments for Trombone and Strings by Adolphus Hailstork.

Mr. Jackson has been a guest performer with numerous orchestras, including the Detroit Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, Dallas Symphony, Chicago Symphony, Fort Worth Symphony, Grand Rapids Symphony, as well as the Michigan Opera Theatre and the Cabrillo Music Festival. He is a member of the Detroit Chamber Winds.

In demand as a guest clinician and performer, Mr. Jackson has presented numerous guest recitals and masterclasses at institutions including the Juilliard School, Yale University, UCLA, University of Minnesota, the Cincinnati College-Conservatory as well as the conservatories of Shanghai and Beijing. His former students occupy performing and teaching positions around the world.

Mr. Jackson is a recipient of the 2022 Sphinx MPower Grant and has been on the faculties of Baylor University, Eastern Michigan University, the University of Toledo, the Interlochen Arts Camp and the Idyllwild ChamberFest. He spends his summers teaching and performing at the  Brevard Music Festival.

David Jackson is an S.E. Shires Artist and Clinician.

Orlando, Florida native Scott Hartman joined the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra as Principal Bass Trombone in September 2014. In demand throughout the country, Scott has performed in the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Grant Park Music Festival Orchestra, Naples Philharmonic, Alabama Symphony Orchestra, Arizona MusicFest Orchestra, Charleston Symphony, West Virginia Symphony Orchestra, and Richmond Symphony, as well as contemporary music group Ensemble Dal Niente. He is the bass trombone faculty at Brevard Music Center and the low brass instructor at Davidson College.

Prior to joining the CSO, Scott was the Bass Trombonist of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. He studied with Charles Vernon and Mark Fisher at DePaul University and he is an alumnus of the Tanglewood Music Center, Music Academy of the West, National Repertory Orchestra, Brevard Music Center, and Bar Harbor Brass. Hartman won both International Trombone Association Bass Trombone Competitions – the Edward Kleinhammer Orchestral Bass Trombone Competition and the Donald Yaxley Solo Bass Trombone Competition. He is also a medal winner at the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition as a member of the brass quintet Lincoln Chamber Brass. Scott was guest faculty at Eastern Music Festival and has presented recitals and masterclasses throughout the country.

Cale Self is Professor of Music, Director of Athletic Bands, and Instructor of Euphonium & Tuba at the University of West Georgia in beautiful Carrollton, GA. Dr. Self directs the Marching Wolves of West Georgia and the Wolf Gang Basketball Pep Band, and conducts the Symphonic Band, Brass Ensemble, and Tuba Ensemble.  He also currently serves as Music’s Program Coordinator at UWG.

Holding degrees in music education and instrumental conducting from West Texas A&M University, Dr. Self also holds a doctorate in euphonium performance from the University of Georgia. His teachers include David Zerkel, John Lynch, Allen Crowell, Patrick Sheridan, Sam Pilafian, Gary Garner, Joe Nelson, and Joseph Cox. He began his career by teaching high school band in his hometown of Midland, TX.

Dr. Self has performed at state, regional, national, and international conferences and festivals in Alabama, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. He has performed under conductors Keith Lockhart, JoAnn Falletta, Thomas Wilkins, Robert Moody, Ken Lam, Steven Smith, Kraig Williams, and Fred Mills.  He is currently on faculty at the Brevard Music Center’s Low Brass Seminar as BMC’s euphonium instructor.

Dr. Self has participated in commissioning consortiums that have resulted in over thirty new works for euphonium, tuba, or concert band over the past fifteen years, and has performed or conducted premiere performances of twenty of those pieces. Recent commission projects include several works by UWG alumnus Katahj Copley, including Limitless for tuba, euphonium, and piano, and a concerto for euphonium and band entitled Canvases.

Dr. Self is an artist affiliate with Eastman Winds and Parker Mouthpieces. He is active in the state of Georgia and throughout the Southeast as a soloist, ensemble musician, conductor, clinician, and adjudicator.

Leading a multi-faceted career as a performer and teacher, Beth Wiese is Associate Professor of Tuba and Euphonium at Vanderbilt University, Principal Tuba of the Asheville Symphony Orchestra, and Acting Principal Tuba of the Nashville Symphony Orchestra. As a soloist, she is a laureate of numerous competitions, including the International ‘Citta di Porcia Brass Competition (Italy), Musician’s Club of Women, Union League Civic and Arts Foundation, and Leonard Falcone International Tuba and Euphonium Competition. She has been invited to present recitals in a variety of venues, including multiple International Tuba and Euphonium conferences, the United States Army Band Tuba-Euphonium Conference, Amiata Piano Festival (Italy), Chicago Cultural Center, and numerous universities throughout the country. 

Enjoying a diverse career performing in orchestras and other large ensembles, Dr. Wiese spent two years as a fellow of the New World Symphony in Miami Beach, Florida. She is also a past fellow of summer programs including the Tanglewood Music Center, Aspen Music Festival and School, National Repertory Orchestra, and National Orchestral Institute, and spent one summer touring the United States with the American Wind Symphony Orchestra. She has performed with orchestras throughout the country and abroad including the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra, Charleston Symphony, Aarhus Symphony Orchestra (Denmark), Macao Orchestra, and Korean Broadcasting Symphony Orchestra. Additionally, Beth has previously served as Principal E-flat Tuba in the North Carolina Brass Band (the only professional brass band in North Carolina) and has enjoyed performing with Monarch Brass, an all-female brass ensemble, at the International Womens’ Brass Conference and International Trumpet Guild. 

At Vanderbilt, Beth teaches courses in Brass Pedagogy, Orchestral Repertoire and Chamber Music in addition to teaching applied lessons in both tuba and euphonium. She received a Doctor of Music degree from Northwestern University as a student of Rex Martin. Additionally, she completed a Master of Music degree from Yale University and Bachelor of Music degree from Lawrence University, studying with Mike Roylance and Marty Erickson respectively.

Molly Barth is constantly in motion. This Grammy Award-winning flutist, professor and clinician moves effortlessly from concert hall to teaching studio to rehearsal room to orchestral section. Molly needs fuel for this fire.

Molly is fueled by visceral communication with listeners. This “ferociously talented” performer (The Oregonian) crosses from VA to CA, the UK to Korea. The halls may be large or small, the music may be old or new, but the performances are always concentrated, and intense.

Molly is fueled by the smell of wet ink. Molly has premiered hundreds of pieces, finding the creation of new music uplifting and miraculous. As co-founder and former member of the ensembles Eighth Blackbird and Beta Collide, Molly toured the world, recorded a dozen albums, and—with Eighth Blackbird—won a Grammy Award.

Molly is fueled by the spark and closeness of chamber music. Molly is a co-founder of the Zohn Collective, a group of curious musicians who share a love of risk and exploration. They have collaborated with a puppet company and a cartoonist, and have toured the world and record extensively.

Molly is fueled by her work as a teacher. Molly is Associate Flute Professor at the Blair School of Music, Vanderbilt University, and Molly guides her students to become comprehensive flutists. They leave Molly as skilled, flexible, bold musicians, able to think critically and speak to audiences. Molly took her inspiration primarily from her stellar teachers at Oberlin, the Cincinnati Conservatory, and Northwestern.

Molly is fueled by involvement in community. Molly is the Associate Director of the Curb Center for Art, Enterprise, and Public Policy, where she curates connections among people.

Molly is fueled by the natural world. Molly runs or bikes daily, and friends say that if she sees a mountain, she wants to climb it. Molly is driven to play in unconventional locations such as a lava field, a lighthouse, a gold-mining dredge, Crater Lake National Park, and a well-traveled pedestrian bridge in downtown Nashville.

Molly is fueled by her desire to document her adventures as a performer. You can hear Molly’s blend of control and ferocity on these featured albums: Vento Appassionato, digging into 20th-century solo flute repertoire; Thorn, focusing on the chamber music of David Lang; and Castillos de Viento, performing intimate music with guitar. Then see where it all began on her YouTube page: at her first solo public performance, in fifth grade, of “Memory” from the musical Cats.

Molly grew up in a small town north of New York City, the daughter of a librarian and a nurse. Molly now lives in Nashville with her wine-industry-professional husband and their cello-playing son. They keep Molly’s feet firmly planted on the ground.

To help fuel Molly, contact Molly via her website: mollybarth.com

Flutist Amy Porter has been praised by critics both for her exceptional musical talent and her passion for scholarship. Through a versatile and distinguished career as a concert performer, she has become one of the most skillful and creative muses for composers of our time. From her prolific performances of Michael Daugherty’s Trail of Tears to her October 2022 performance at Carnegie Hall celebrating Lukas Foss’s centennial with the Buffalo Philharmonic, Porter’s accomplishments speak for themselves. The multifaceted Porter is also an acclaimed professor of music at the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance. Recipient of the Henry Russel Award in 2006, Amy has served as a mentor to developing musicians at the University of Michigan. Amy’s popular workshop Anatomy of Sound, is now the AOS-Wellness.com website and offers courses in peaceful breathing, yoga and meditation, along with channels on movement, meditation, wisdom, practice, and breathing.

Winner of the 3rd Kobe International Flute Competition and the Paris/Ville d’Avray International Flute Competition, Ms. Porter has served on international juries around the world, including the 6th Kobe competition. She has been heard in recital on National Public Radio; on PBS’s Live From Lincoln Center; and featured on the covers and as a writer for the magazines Flute Talk in the USA and The Flute in Japan. She has won praise both as a recording artist and as a chamber musician. As a member of Trio Virado, with violist Jaime Amador and guitarist João Luiz, she performs and records new works for flute, viola and guitar. Formerly a member of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra,  Ms. Porter graduated from The Juilliard School. She plays a 14K white gold flute with rose gold engraved keys made for her by the William S. Haynes Co.

Flutist, musicologist and entrepreneur Maria Fernanda Castillo has been offering intentional and meaningful performances that can contribute to the search for balance in the music world. Assistant Professor of Flute at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, and co-founder of the Latin American Music Initiative, Maria has found approaches to teaching, research, and performances that not only highlight the importance of standard works in the flute canon but also help the inclusion, awareness and accessibility of works by underrepresented composers.

Hailed by the New York Times as a flutist who performs with “…virtuoso panache,” Maria debuted in New York City with the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas in 2008, under Alondra de la Parra. Additionally, in 2009 she had her professional debut as a soloist in Venezuela with the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra under Mtro. Carlos Riazuelo. She has also performed as a soloist with the Caracas Municipal Symphony under Mtros. Rodolfo Saglimbeni and her husband, Régulo Stabilito. Her latest collaboration include the performance of Shadow of Sirius for flute and wind ensemble by Joel Puckett with the University of Tennessee Wind Ensemble conducted by John Zastoupil.

Co-founder of the Latin American Music Initiative (LAMI) with her husband, orchestra conductor Régulo Stabilito, they are committed to advocating for raising awareness of Latin American repertoire. LAMI has allowed them to reach a large community by performing, recording, lecturing and editing Latin American works. Her work with LAMI has allowed her to be part of the 2020-2021 Mellon Public Engagement in the Humanities Fellow. As a musicologist, Maria has created an online flute catalogue with 143 flute works by Venezuelan composers, helping the repertoire be known and accessible for performers all over the world and develop a new approach to flute etude study by contextualizing etudes based on their historical context. In addition, she is part of a group of 9 Latin American female flutists to create the largest catalogue of flute works by Latin American composers. Maria also maintains an active service life within University of Tennessee-Knoxville and other flute organizations, such as serving as coordinator of the NFA Young Artist Competition (2023-2026), as exhibitor’s coordinator for the Mid-South Flute Association and as judge for national and regional auditions/competitions. Lastly, Maria believes in the importance of developing a strong and supporting community which led her to found and direct the Vols Flute Fest, a 2-day festival that takes place at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville every Fall.

As an orchestral musician, Maria frequently performs with the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra. She has served as principal flute in orchestras in Venezuela, México and the United States. She was the Associate Principal of the Caracas Municipal Symphony Orchestra, and has performed with the Venezuelan Symphony, the Venezuela National Philharmonic, the Miami City Ballet, the New World Symphony, the Sphinx Symphony, the Mazatlán Sinfonietta, the “Sinaloa de las Artes” Symphony, the Louisiana Philharmonic, the Baton Rouge Symphony, the Acadiana Symphony and the Lake Charles Symphony.

A native of Caracas, Venezuela, Maria began her flute studies at the age of nine with Venezuelan flutist Luis Julio Toro. She holds a Bachelors, Specialist and Doctorate of Music degrees from the University of Michigan as a student of Amy Porter; a Masters of Music from the University of Miami under Christine Nield-Capotee; and a Masters in Latin American Musicology from the Unversidad Central de Venezuela.

Maria currently resides in Knoxville Tennessee, where she divides her time between her work as an educator, performer and activist; and practicing Ashtanga Yoga or playing golf.

Originally from Mumbai, India, flutist Dilshad Posnock has appeared in concerts and festivals across the United States, England, Puerto Rico and India, and has been featured on BBC TV and BBC World Service Radio.

Ms. Posnock’s performance experience is wide and varied. She has been featured as a concerto and recital soloist, as well as a chamber musician, collaborating with musicians from the New York Chamber Ensemble, the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, as well as her hometown ensemble – the Bombay Chamber Orchestra. She has also participated in such international music festivals as the Brevard Music Center, the Casals Festival in Puerto Rico, the Cape May Music Festival, Musica Viva, and was a founding member of the Sangat Music Festival in Mumbai, India.

Ms. Posnock completed her undergraduate studies with Honors at the Royal College of Music, London, and her Master’s Degree at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, where she studied with renowned flutist and pedagogue Jeanne Baxtresser, former Principal Flute of the New York Philharmonic. While in Pittsburgh, she performed regularly with ensembles including the Pittsburgh Symphony, the Pittsburgh Ballet, and Pittsburgh Opera, and was Director of the Artist Diploma Program at the Carnegie Mellon School of Music.

Ms. Posnock has a deep passion for teaching. She has served as Artist Lecturer in Flute at CMU, is currently Artist Faculty at the Brevard Music Center and Brevard College, and woodwind coach for the Asheville Symphony Youth Orchestra. She lives in Brevard, NC with her husband Jason, and two children. She is solo piccolo of the Asheville Symphony Orchestra, and travels back to India to perform as Principal Flute with the South Asian Symphony Orchestra.

Clarinetist Daniel Gilbert joined the faculty at the University of Michigan in 2007 where he holds the position of Professor of Clarinet. Previously, he held the position of Second Clarinet in the Cleveland Orchestra from 1995 to 2007. Concurrently with his position in the Cleveland Orchestra, he served on the faculty of the State University of New York at Stony Brook and at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. Mr. Gilbert also serves as Principal Clarinet of the CityMusic Cleveland Chamber Orchestra, a group that brings free concerts to underserved areas of Cleveland, OH.

A native of New York City, Gilbert received a BA from Yale University and both an MM degree and a Professional Studies Certificate from The Juilliard School. Before joining the Cleveland Orchestra, Gilbert was active as a freelancer in New York City, appearing regularly with groups including The Metropolitan Opera, American Ballet Theater, New Jersey Symphony, Solisti New York, the Stamford Symphony, and the New Haven Symphony, where he played principal clarinet from 1992 to 1995. Mr. Gilbert was a member of the Quintet of the Americas in1994-1995. The group toured throughout the United States and was in residence at Northwestern University. During the summer months, Mr. Gilbert is a faculty member and Principal Clarinet at the Brevard Music Center and at the Classical Tahoe Music Festival.

Mr. Gilbert is an artist and clinician for the Vandoren and Buffet Crampon corporations and plays exclusively on Vandoren reeds and mouthpieces on Buffet clarinets. Gilbert’s master classes and recitals have received critical acclaim throughout the world.

Praised for her “skill and poise” and “lovely” playing (Cleveland Plain Dealer), clarinetist Ellen Breakfield-Glick maintains a versatile career as an educator, orchestral clarinetist and chamber musician. She joined the faculty of the Irving S. Gilmore School of Music at Western Michigan University in 2019, where she holds the position of Associate Professor of Clarinet. Prior to her appointment at WMU, Dr. Breakfield-Glick served on the faculty at Cleveland State University from 2013-2019. During the summer, in addition to the Brevard Clarinet Seminar, she serves on the faculty of the University of Michigan MPulse Clarinet Institute, the Hawaii Symphony’s Pacific Music Institute and is in residence at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory Composer’s Seminar. She is a sought after soloist, recitalist and clinician, most recently serving as Guest Faculty at University of Michigan in the fall 2025 semester.

An active orchestral musician, Ellen is Associate Principal Clarinet with CityMusic Cleveland Chamber Orchestra, a position she has held since 2012. A performer interested in inclusive and innovative programming, she is a founding member of the American Wild Ensemble (AWE), a chamber ensemble formed to commission and engage in context-driven programming. The ensemble has commissioned over 50 works and toured extensively throughout the country, beginning with their inaugural partnership with the US National Park Service. AWE has received awards and grants from organizations including the National Endowment for the Arts, New Music USA and was a 2020 winner of a Chamber Music America Classical Commissioning Grant, which led to a residency at the University of Hawaii and a tour of the Hawaiian Islands. They have released albums with ArtistShare and New Focus Records and have been featured on composers Yotam Haber and Margaret Brouwer’s recent albums.

Ellen received a Bachelor of Music Degree and Arts Leadership Program Certificate from the Eastman School of Music and Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts Degrees from the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre and Dance.

Acclaimed for “a remarkable technique, tone and lyricism”, D. Ray McClellan is Professor of Clarinet at the University of Georgia, and a member of the Georgia Woodwind Quintet. Prior to his appointment at University of Georgia he held professorships at James Madison University and Henderson State University. Mr. McClellan is a former clarinetist and soloist with “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band, he has appeared internationally in recitals and as concerto soloist in Canada, Taiwan, Japan, Italy, Brazil, Kenya, Tanzania and the Czech Republic.

Mr. McClellan has been principal clarinetist of The Savannah Orchestra, guest principal clarinetist with the Augusta Symphony, Charleston Symphony, Alexandria Symphony, and the Garden State Philharmonic and has performed with The Ying Quartet, the Nostich Quartet in the Czech Republic. Mr. McClellan performed recitals at the International Clarinet Convention in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2010 and in 2014. He has recorded chamber music discs with ACA Digital and the Clarinet Concerto by Gerald Finzi with Phoenix USA. Many of his students occupy clarinet positions in orchestras, military bands and universities.

Mr. McClellan holds three degrees from The Juilliard School where he studied with world-renowned pedagogue David Weber. Formerly the Co-Artistic Director and Host of ClarinetFest® 2006 in Atlanta, McClellan is an Artist/Clinician for Buffet Crampon clarinets. He resides in Athens, Georgia with his wife and four children.

Acclaimed internationally for his innovative style and musical virtuosity, Yamaha and Vandoren Performing Artist Joseph Lulloff has been described by Branford Marsalis as “a marvelous musician” whose “knowledge of music, along with his ability to embrace music normally considered outside the sphere, makes him a joy to listen to.” Mr. Lulloff enjoys a prolific career as both a performing saxophone artist and teacher. A recipient of the Concert Artists Guild Award, the Pro Musicis International Soloist Award, the Michigan State University Distinguished Faculty Award, and the Dortha J. and John D. Withrow Award for Excellence in Teaching from the MSU College of Music, Mr. Lulloff has been featured as guest soloist with the Cleveland, Minnesota, Grand Rapids, and Brevard Music Center Orchestras amongst others. He has concertized extensively throughout North and South America, Europe, and Asia, performing at music festivals and notable venues such as the Ojai Festival, the Lucerne Festival, the Moscow Autumn Festival, the Brevard Music Center Festival, Carnegie Hall, Disney Hall, Weill Recital Hall, Jordan Hall, and the Smithsonian Institute. Mr. Lulloff has also served as principal saxophonist with the Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Minnesota, and St. Louis Symphony Orchestras.

Energy, intensity, and artistry characterize all of Mr. Lulloff’s performances in both classical and jazz settings. Commenting on his concerto performance with the Cleveland Orchestra of the Ingolf Dahl Concerto for Alto Saxophone, music critic Dan Rosenberg wrote, “Lulloff was amazing. He traversed the instrument with seamless agility, filled out phrases for all their expressive worth and achieved dynamics from inaudible purrs to penetrating howls.” The Akron Beacon Journal wrote “Joseph Lulloff played with all the finesse of a top-notch concert violinist.” Further, the New York Times commented on this performance, stating that “…Mr. Lulloff demonstrated considerable virtuosity as a soloist.”

Mr. Lulloff holds a strong interest in collaborations with many notable composers to enhance the contemporary saxophone canon. The Bryant Concerto was commissioned as a gift to him and the MSU Wind Symphony, and has received rave reviews from his performances both in the United States and abroad.

He currently serves as Professor of Saxophone at Michigan State University where his students have won multiple prestigious national competitions.

Equally at home in the realms of classical and jazz performance, Mr. Lulloff holds the alto saxophone chair with the Capitol Quartet and the soprano saxophone chair with the J4 Saxophone Quartet. During summers, he teaches at the Brevard Music Center Summer Music Institute in North Carolina, along with other music festivals throughout the United States and Europe.

joelulloff.com

German saxophonist Henning Schröder has concertized at major venues throughout Europe, Asia and North America, both as a soloist and in groups as diverse as the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and Max Raabe & Das Palast Orchester. Dr. Schröder holds the baritone saxophone chair in the Capitol Quartet. Together with his longtime duo partner, pianist Yu-Lien The, Dr. Schröder explores both the standard and contemporary repertoire of his instrument. He frequently collaborates with composers and has performed world premieres of solo or chamber compositions by Frederic Rzewski, Anna Clyne, Carter Pann, and Branford Marsalis, to name just a few.

A Yamaha Performing Artist, he has been featured in performances, lectures, clinics and as a composer at international conferences and festivals in Europe and North America, including the Midwest Clinic, SEAMUS, World Saxophone Congresses, Biennial Conferences of the North American Saxophone Alliance as well as the Schleswig Holstein Musikfestival. Dr. Schröder holds degrees in saxophone performance and saxophone pedagogy from the University of Arts Berlin, Western Michigan University and the University of Illinois. He studied with Debra Richtmeyer, Johannes Ernst, Trent Kynaston and Chip McNeill. Dr. Schröder teaches at Western Michigan University and he spends his summers in North Carolina as a member of the Brevard Summer Music Festival Artist Faculty.

Adam Holzman, international performer, recording artist and teacher is hailed as “…polished and quite dazzling,” by The New York Times, “…brilliant!,” by De Gelderlander, Holland, and “…masterful!,” by The Toronto Star.

Five times a winner in major international competitions including: First Prize at the 1983 Guitar Foundation of America Competition held in Quebec, Canada and Top Prize at the Ninth Concorso Internazionale di  Interpretazione di Gargnano, Italy. Mr. Holzman has performed at the prestigious Concertgebouw in Amsterdam and distinguished New York venues such The 92nd St. Y, Merkin Hall, and Carnegie Recital Hall. He is also a frequent guest in music festivals and series around the globe. His extensive international performances have taken him throughout Europe, Canada, Mexico, Central and Latin America. Recent seasons performances had him appearing in New York, Toronto, Los Angeles, Montreal, Mexico, Boston, Houston, Dallas and Milwaukee. He was also chosen by the 92nd street Y as one of 5 American artists to appear in a concert honoring Andres Segovia in fall 2013.

Mr. Holzman’s recordings for the Naxos label have been critically acclaimed. The first two are discs of the music of Fernando Sor and have been called “…irresistible” by Gramophone Magazine. Discs three and four contain the music of Manuel Ponce. Of the Sonata for Guitar and Harpsichord on Ponce Volume II Classical Guitar Magazine (England) says “It’s a fine and substantial work and here it receives the finest recording yet…” Of his Naxos release, The Venezuelan Waltzes of Antonio Lauro, the American Record Guide had this to say: “The landmark recording was David Russell’s 1980 LP.  Now, 20 years later, comes another masterly recording by Adam Holzman: in many ways it raises the benchmark still further.” His Naxos release Bardenklange, Opus 13, of Johann Kaspar Mertz is considered a seminal recording and has been praised by critics around the world. His recording debut, on HRH Records, was a collection of rarely or never before recorded selections. According to The American Record Guide this performance is “…so flawless he makes it all sound easy.” His recordings are all featured on the Adam Holzman channel on Pandora.

Mr. Holzman’s commitment to new music led him to co-commission Samuel Adler’s first Concerto for Guitar and Orchestra. He has also premiered works by composers Robert Helps, Roland Dyens, and Stephen Funk Pearson among others. In 2018 he was part of a Consortium Grant to commission the new concerto for Guitar and Orchestra Colours by Stephen Goss.

Adam Holzman, founder of the Guitar Department at the University of Texas at Austin’s Butler School of Music and the Austin Guitar Society, is considered one of America’s leading guitar pedagogues. He heads a thriving guitar studio and his students have won an astounding array of international prizes. He is also Program Director for Classical Guitar Studies at the Brevard Music Festival where he runs a four-week summer session (two, two-week sessions) focused on intensive study of all aspects of solo and chamber playing for students 14-29 years of age. He also directs the Adult Guitar Workshop for students 30 years of age and older.

From 1992-1994 Mr. Holzman held the title of “Maestro Extraordinario” given by the Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon, Monterrey, Mexico, where he served as artist-in-residence. He was awarded the Ernst von Dohnanyi Prize for Outstanding Achievement from Florida State University and has been named The Parker C. Fielder Regents Fellow in Music at the University of Texas at Austin. Mr. Holzman has been featured on the covers of both Classical Guitar Magazine and GuitArt Magazine.

Mr. Holzman’s performance studies were with Bruce Holzman, Albert Valdes Blain, Eliot Fisk, and Oscar Ghiglia. He was chosen twice to perform in the historic Master classes of the legendary Andrés Segovia.

You can learn more about Adam Holzman at: https://www.adamholzman.net

Adam Holzman, international performer, recording artist and teacher is hailed as “…polished and quite dazzling,” by The New York Times, “…brilliant!,” by De Gelderlander, Holland, and “…masterful!,” by The Toronto Star.

Five times a winner in major international competitions including: First Prize at the 1983 Guitar Foundation of America Competition held in Quebec, Canada and Top Prize at the Ninth Concorso Internazionale di  Interpretazione di Gargnano, Italy. Mr. Holzman has performed at the prestigious Concertgebouw in Amsterdam and distinguished New York venues such The 92nd St. Y, Merkin Hall, and Carnegie Recital Hall. He is also a frequent guest in music festivals and series around the globe. His extensive international performances have taken him throughout Europe, Canada, Mexico, Central and Latin America. Recent seasons performances had him appearing in New York, Toronto, Los Angeles, Montreal, Mexico, Boston, Houston, Dallas and Milwaukee. He was also chosen by the 92nd street Y as one of 5 American artists to appear in a concert honoring Andres Segovia in fall 2013.

Mr. Holzman’s recordings for the Naxos label have been critically acclaimed. The first two are discs of the music of Fernando Sor and have been called “…irresistible” by Gramophone Magazine. Discs three and four contain the music of Manuel Ponce. Of the Sonata for Guitar and Harpsichord on Ponce Volume II Classical Guitar Magazine (England) says “It’s a fine and substantial work and here it receives the finest recording yet…” Of his Naxos release, The Venezuelan Waltzes of Antonio Lauro, the American Record Guide had this to say: “The landmark recording was David Russell’s 1980 LP.  Now, 20 years later, comes another masterly recording by Adam Holzman: in many ways it raises the benchmark still further.” His Naxos release Bardenklange, Opus 13, of Johann Kaspar Mertz is considered a seminal recording and has been praised by critics around the world. His recording debut, on HRH Records, was a collection of rarely or never before recorded selections. According to The American Record Guide this performance is “…so flawless he makes it all sound easy.” His recordings are all featured on the Adam Holzman channel on Pandora.

Mr. Holzman’s commitment to new music led him to co-commission Samuel Adler’s first Concerto for Guitar and Orchestra. He has also premiered works by composers Robert Helps, Roland Dyens, and Stephen Funk Pearson among others. In 2018 he was part of a Consortium Grant to commission the new concerto for Guitar and Orchestra Colours by Stephen Goss.

Adam Holzman, founder of the Guitar Department at the University of Texas at Austin’s Butler School of Music and the Austin Guitar Society, is considered one of America’s leading guitar pedagogues. He heads a thriving guitar studio and his students have won an astounding array of international prizes. He is also Program Director for Classical Guitar Studies at the Brevard Music Festival where he runs a four-week summer session (two, two-week sessions) focused on intensive study of all aspects of solo and chamber playing for students 14-29 years of age. He also directs the Adult Guitar Workshop for students 30 years of age and older.

From 1992-1994 Mr. Holzman held the title of “Maestro Extraordinario” given by the Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon, Monterrey, Mexico, where he served as artist-in-residence. He was awarded the Ernst von Dohnanyi Prize for Outstanding Achievement from Florida State University and has been named The Parker C. Fielder Regents Fellow in Music at the University of Texas at Austin. Mr. Holzman has been featured on the covers of both Classical Guitar Magazine and GuitArt Magazine.

Mr. Holzman’s performance studies were with Bruce Holzman, Albert Valdes Blain, Eliot Fisk, and Oscar Ghiglia. He was chosen twice to perform in the historic Master classes of the legendary Andrés Segovia.

You can learn more about Adam Holzman at: https://www.adamholzman.net

Cuban-born René Izquierdo is a unique artist and passionate educator whose career has been dedicated to inspiring individuals and connecting communities. Whether passionately performing on stage, devotedly mentoring his students, fundraising, or leading community outreach, René’s multi-faceted approach endeavors to continue creating experiences that enrich people’s lives and add beauty to our world.

Through his “unforgettable versatility, sensitivity and sublime musicianship” (Classical Guitar Magazine), René has firmly established himself as one of the world’s classical guitar virtuosos. He is celebrated for his ability to weave an unparalleled technical command of his instrument with his gift of storytelling, accomplishing an intimate musical experience with his audience. 

With over seventy engagements per year, whether as a solo performer, chamber musician, or as a guest soloist with orchestras, he has performed to critical acclaim touring extensively throughout the Americas, Europe, and Asia. He is frequently invited by renowned festivals and institutions, having played at stages such as Carnegie Hall in New York, Manaus Opera House in Brazil, and National Recital Hall in Taiwan. 

Self-described as a lifelong learner and explorer, his recording projects reflect his wide-ranging interests. Through his discography, René seeks to expand the guitar repertoire frequently performing new arrangements, lesser-known music of the 20th century as well as world premieres of concertos and new compositions.

As an educator, René is passionate about engaging the mind and the heart. Through his teachings all around the world, he shares his belief that the greatest musicians not only have the technical mastery to communicate effectively but also are deeply curious, and equally adept at analytical and emotional modes of thought.

American guitarist Andrew Zohn is recognized internationally for his work as a performer, instructor, and composer. He has performed concerts on five continents as a soloist and chamber musician. In addition to extensive touring throughout the United States, recent performances include venues in China, Argentina, Italy, Egypt, Malaysia, Germany, and the Netherlands. A recent critic has said, “Zohn…easily demonstrated how he is one of the most sought after performers on the classical guitar as his fingers deftly plucked some of the most subtle of tones on the instrument.”

Since 1999, Dr. Zohn has served on the faculty of the Schwob School of Music (Columbus State University) in Georgia, where he directs the annual CSU Guitar Symposium. He has performed and taught at many of the world’s most prestigious music festivals including the Festival of New Music (Central Conservatory of Music, China) the Guitar on the Mediterranean Guitar Festival (Italy), Sevilla Guitar Festival (Spain), Guitar Festival Changsha and Shenyang Festival (China), the Iserlohn Guitar Symposium (Germany), Borguitar Festival (Italy), the Guitar Foundation of America (USA), Festivale Emilia Romagna and Musica Ravenna (Italy), and GuitareMontreal (Canada). Students of Andrew Zohn have won prizes in dozens of international competitions including, among others, The Parkening International, The Guitar Foundation of America, The World Guitar Competition (Serbia), and The Asia International (Bangkok). Many of his students have been also been featured on the American National Public Radio program highlighting outstanding young musical talent From the Top.

Original compositions and transcriptions by Andrew Zohn are published through Les Productions d’Oz, Canada, Tuscany publications (Theodore Presser), and FJH Publications. His recordings for Clear Note and Centaur Records have received wide acclaim from American Record Guide, Classical Guitar Magazine, GuitArt Magazine, Soundboard, Guitarra Magazine, and Rosewood Review.

Described as “a virtuoso by any measure” (The Berkshire Review), violinist Katie Hyun enjoys a varied performance schedule that includes solo and chamber music performances as well as prinicpal positions in orchestras, both on Baroque and modern violin. Festival appearances include Chamber Music Northwest in Portland, Bravo! Vail in Colorado, Tippet Rise Arts Center in Montana, Mostly Mozart in New York, OBX Chamber Music Series in North Carolina, Crescent City Chamber Music Festival in New Orleans, New York in Chuncheon in South Korea, and NEXUS Chamber Music in Chicago. Katie currently serves as the concertmaster of NOVUS Trinity Wall Street and associate concertmaster of American Ballet Theatre, and performs frequently with the Lenape Chamber Players and Manhattan Chamber Players. On Baroque violin, she regularly appears with the Trinity Baroque Orchestra and Seraphic Fire.  Katie also serves as faculty for Musicambia and teaches at Sing Sing Correctional Facility.

Katie is also the founder and director of Quodlibet Ensemble, a collective of string players and creators dedicated to creating musical experiences that engage, entertain, and invite people to invest in their communities.  Quodlibet has performed at the Shepherd Music Series in Collinsville, Yale British Arts Center, Drew University in Madison, NJ, Rockefeller University in NYC, and most recently the Baryshnikov Arts Center in NYC.  In October 2020, Quodlibet partnered with VOTESart to produce a video performance aimed at raising awareness of voters’ rights which premiered at the Five Boroughs Music Festival.  

Katie was a founding member of the award winning Amphion String Quartet, which won the Concert Artists’ Guild Management in 2011 and a spot on the roster of The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s CMS Two Program.  The Amphion String Quartet’s debut CD was also featured on the New York Times’ ‘Best of 2015.’  Additionally, the quartet has performed in Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Chamber Music Northwest in Portland, La Jolla Music Festival, the Phillips Collection in Washington DC, OK Mozart, the Chautauqua Institution, and Caramoor Music Festival.  

Katie received her Artist Diploma at the Yale School of Music, studying Baroque violin with Robert Mealy and modern violin with Ani Kavafian, and her Masters Degree at the State University of New York in Stony Brook, where she studied with Pamela Frank, Ani Kavafian, and Philip Setzer.  She also studied with Aaron Rosand and Pamela Frank at the Curtis Institute of Music where she received her Bachelor of Music degree.

Maureen Nelson, violin, became a full-time member of The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra in 2016. As former founding member and first violinist, she led the Grammy-nominated Enso String Quartet for nearly two decades, captivating audiences from major concert stages of the world, regularly concertizing throughout North America and abroad. Founded at Yale University in 1999, the quartet has been described by The Strad magazine as “thrilling” and praised by the Washington Post for its “glorious sonorities … half honey, half molten lava.” The quartet quickly went on to win top prizes at the Concert Artists Guild competition and the Banff International String Quartet Competition. Classical Voice praised the ensemble as “one of the eminent string quartets of our era.” Along with a busy touring and teaching schedule, Maureen made numerous critically acclaimed recordings on the Naxos label with the Enso.

A native of Pennsylvania, Maureen was enrolled in Temple University’s Center for Gifted Young Musicians at the age of 12, and began attending the Curtis Institute of Music shortly thereafter. As a winner of the Greenfield Competition, Maureen appeared as soloist with the Philadelphia Orchestra when she was 16. While studying in Germany, she was concertmaster of the Detmolder Kammerochester and has been a member of the Houston-based River Oaks Chamber Orchestra since 2010. During summers, Maureen spends her time away from SPCO visiting family, performing at chamber festivals and is a member of Lincoln Center’s Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra. She is married to percussionist Matthew McClung and together they enjoy a daily coffee & crosswords ritual.

Why have you chosen a career in classical music? “My mother was determined that I would become the next greatest female classical guitarist. Much to her dismay, I turned her gift of a little toy guitar around, tucked it under my chin and started making ‘air bows’. I feel so fortunate that my mother had an intensely strong love of music and kept encouraging me, even in times when things seemed too difficult. Every day I remember what a gift it is to play and share music with others.”

Born in 1978 in Rochester, NY, Michael Klotz has established an international reputation as a performer and pedagogue of the viola. Klotz made his solo debut with the Rochester Philharmonic at the age of 17 and has since then appeared worldwide as soloist with orchestra, recitalist, chamber musician, and orchestral principal. After a performance of the Brandenburg Concerto No. 6 with violist Roberto Diaz, the Portland Press-Herald proclaimed, “this concert squelched all viola jokes, now and forever, due to the talents of Diaz and Klotz”. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram recently proclaimed Michael Klotz to be “a superb violist, impressive, with an exceptionally attractive sound,” and the Miami Herald has consistently lauded his “burnished, glowing tone and nuanced presence.”

Michael Klotz joined the Amernet String Quartet in 2002 and has toured and recorded commercially with the ensemble throughout the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Israel, Japan, South Ko-rea, Romania, Colombia, Belgium, and Spain. His festival appearances have included Seattle, Newport, Caramoor, ChamberFest Cleveland, Festival Mozaic, Great Lakes, Mediterranean Notes Festival (Montenegro), Cervantino, Festival Baltimore, Festival Mozaic, Piccolo Spoleto, Sunflower, Martha’s Vineyard, Skaneateles, Virginia Tech Vocal Arts and Music Festival, San Miguel de Allende, Beverly Hills, Music Mountain, Bowdoin, Madeline Island, and Miami Mainly Mozart.

Passionately dedicated to chamber music, Klotz regularly performs with many of today’s most esteemed artists. He has appeared as guest violist with the Borromeo, Shanghai and Ying Quartets, the Manhattan Piano Trio, and has performed with artists such as Shmuel Ashkenasi, Arnold Steinhardt, Cho-Liang Lin, James Ehnes, Augustin Hadelich, Andrés Cárdenes, Paul Neubauer, Vadim Gluzman, Gary Hoffman, Clive Greensmith, Michael Tree, Andres Diaz, Cynthia Phelps, Roberto Diaz, Chauncey Patterson, Joseph Kalichstein, Angela Cheng, Jon Nakamatsu, Anthony McGill, Franklin Cohen, and Alexander Fiterstein, as well as with many principal players from major U.S. and European orchestras. In 2015 he was named a Char-ter Member of the Ensemble with the Chamber Music Society of Fort Worth and regularly appears on this series. In 2002 and 2009, he was was invited by Maestro Jaime Laredo to perform with distinguished alumni at anniversary concerts of the New York String Orchestra Seminar in Carnegie Hall.

Michael Klotz is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music, where he was awarded the Performer’s Certificate. In 2002 he became one of the few individuals to be awarded a double Master’s Degree in violin and viola from the Juilliard School. At Juilliard, he was the recipient of the Tokyo Foundation and Gluck Fellowships. His principal teachers and influences include Zvi Zeitlin, Lynn Blakeslee, Lewis Kaplan, Toby Appel, Peter Kamnitzer, and Shmuel Ashkenasi.

Michael Klotz is a dedicated teacher and serves as Teaching Professor and Artist-in-Residence at Florida International University in Miami, where he teaches viola and chamber music. Additionally, he mentors a select number of highly gifted pre-college students. Klotz has presented masterclasses at many of the leading institutions of music in the US. He is currently a member of the faculty of The Heifetz International Music Institute, an Artistic Advisor and viola faculty of The Josef Gingold Festival of Miami, and a viola coach at the New World Symphony. His former students currently attend and are graduates of prestigious conservatories, including the Curtis Institute of Music, the Juilliard School, Indiana University, and the Cleveland Institute of Music and are already achieving leading roles in the music world.

During the isolation period of the coronavirus pandemic, Michael presented a series of video interviews called “Teacher Talks with Michael Klotz” which can be found on his YouTube channel. Michael was recently featured in the “Mind Over Finger” podcast series, the November 2013 issue of the “Alumni Spotlight” in the Juilliard Journal and as the subject of Strad Magazine’s “Ask the Teacher” column in the November 2013 issue. Michael Klotz resides in Hallandale Beach, FL with his wife Kelly and sons Jacob and Natan, as well as two dachshunds named Noodle and Strudel, and a Great Dane named Auggi/Cow.

A native of East Harlem, cellist Nicholas Tzavaras has enjoyed a distinguished career as a chamber musician, soloist, and educator for nearly three decades. From 2000 to 2024, he served as the cellist of the internationally acclaimed Shanghai Quartet, with whom he performed in more than 35 countries and at major venues including Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, Wigmore Hall, and the Seoul Arts Center. Under his tenure, the quartet held long-standing residencies at Montclair State University and The Tianjin Juilliard School, and became known for championing both classical masterworks and contemporary commissions. Tzavaras has recorded more than 28 albums on the Naxos, Delos, Decca, BIS, Centaur, Camerata, and New Albion labels. He also served as guest principal cellist with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra from 2009 to 2024.

Tzavaras began his musical studies at age two on the violin with his mother, Roberta Guaspari—the pioneering educator whose work was chronicled in the Academy Award–nominated documentary Small Wonders and portrayed by Meryl Streep in the film Music of the Heart. He switched to the cello at age seven and later attended the Bronx High School of Science before earning degrees from the New England Conservatory and SUNY Stony Brook. Tzavaras also holds an MBA from Montclair State University.

A passionate and sought-after educator, Tzavaras has held faculty appointments and leadership positions at The Tianjin Juilliard School, Montclair State University, the Longy School of Music, and the University of Richmond. He currently serves as Senior Director of Artistic Planning & Educational Programs at the Brevard Music Center and joined the faculty of Brevard College in the fall of 2025. Tzavaras makes his home in Asheville, North Carolina, with his wife, Sophia, and their three children.

Dean Anthony draws inspiration and expertise from a comprehensive career spanning over 40 years and innumerable turns as performer, director, educator, producer and administrator. Most recently, Mr. Anthony was named as Producing Director of Knoxville Opera along with his position as Director of Opera, at the Janiec Opera Company of the Brevard Music Center.

Frequently engaged as a stage director, Mr. Anthony’s artistic process is hallmarked by an energetic, gritty, and physical style. His portfolio stretches across the repertoire from Le Nozze di Figaro to Dead Man Walking and includes regular engagements at regional houses across the United States. In 2020, he received the Charles Nelson Reilly American Prize Stage Director Award for his work on Tom Cipullo’s world premiere opera, Mayo. Mr. Anthony’s upcoming and projects include Into the Woods with Annapolis Opera, Gianni Schicchi & Cavalleria Rusticana with Opera Tampa, Le Nozze di Figaro with Omaha Opera & Opera Delaware, Sweeney Todd with Opera Tampa, Glory Denied & The Merry Widow with Knoxville Opera, and HMS Pinafore with Pensacola Opera.

A major producer and promoter of new opera works, Mr. Anthony has helped facilitate, create, and develop numerous projects including Glory Denied, Mayo, The Calling, Supper’s Ready, Falling Angel, Zoom “Stop” Bully, Sister Carrie, The Leesburg 15, Homeless, Fleecing the Flock, and Change the World, It Needs It!, a new cabaret with the Kurt Weill Foundation. In collaboration with composer Michael Ching, Mr. Anthony conceived and created the opera Speed Dating Tonight!, which garnered nationwide attention and has been booked for over 120 different productions to date. In 2020, he recreated, produced, and directed, Zoom Speed Dating Tonight!, an online version of the original production presented livestream and produced by multiple Opera Companies and Universities. 

Mr. Anthony is currently in his 11th season as Director of Opera with the Janiec Opera Company of the Brevard Music Center. In his time at Brevard, he has produced and directed over 40 productions. Some of the highlights include, Street Scene, Falstaff, Threepenny Opera, Midsummer Night’s Dream, Candide, Madama Butterfly, Sweeney Todd, Turn of the Screw, The Ballad of Baby Doe, Into the Woods, and The Bernstein Mass with Keith Lockhart. A passionate educator, he has shared his insights through a unique movement and acting masterclass series at opera companies, universities, and music festivals the world over.

As a character tenor, Mr. Anthony performed over 100 roles on the operatic stage and garnered acclaim for his keen vocal, dramatic, physical, and acrobatic abilities, earning him the nickname “The Tumbling Tenor.” Some of his most praised portrayals include the roles of Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Little Bat in Susannah, Bardolfo in Falstaff, Beppe in I Pagliacci, Alfred in Die Fledermaus, and Njegus in The Merry Widow. He has graced the stages of companies across the globe from Vancouver Opera to Theater des Westens in Berlin, while frequenting North American venues including L’Opera de Montreal, San Francisco Opera, and New York City Opera, among others. Although retired from the stage, comic acting and narration opportunities have drawn him back once in a while for Frosh in Die Fledermaus and Benoit in La Boheme, Spinelloccio in Gianni Schicchi and Ambrogio in Barber of Seville. Narration’s include Peter and the Wolf, Peer Gynt, Sonnet Number 128 by Kenji Bunch, When Instruments Roam the Earth, and Into the Woods.

Mr. Anthony is also esteemed for numerous television appearances from his celebrated turn as Daniel Buchanan in Francesca Zambello’s Street Scene, to the world premiere of Robert Greenleaf’s Under the Arbor and An Evening of Gilbert and Sullivan with The Boston Pops on PBS. He is featured in the Grammy-nominated recording of Amahl and the Night Visitors, produced under the NAXOS label.

Emily Jarrell Urbanek has been Opera Carolina’s Director of Music Preparation since 2007, serving as chief coach, pianist and chorus director, and she has performed with the company since 2003. During Opera Carolina’s 2019-2020 season, Emily conducted a joint production of Derrick Wang’s Scalia/Ginsburg for Opera Carolina and Opera Grand Rapids, as well as Opera Carolina’s March 2022 performances of Zach Redler and Jerre Dye’s opera, The Falling and the Rising, and their 2023 performances of La Traviata. Emily is also an extra keyboardist with the Charlotte Symphony and frequently performs chamber music with area musicians. Recent performances include Shostakovich’s Seven Romances on Poems of Alexander Blok with Opera Carolina and Chamber Music 4 All, music for piano and strings by women composers with the Bechtler Ensemble, and Dvorak’s Piano Quintet in A Major, Op. 81, with the principal strings of the Charlotte Symphony in a collaboration with the Charlotte Ballet entitled Ibsen’s House. From 2007 to 2023 Emily was part of the musical staff of the Chautauqua Opera, and she has also served as repetiteur for a variety of companies, including New York City Opera, San Diego Opera, Austin Opera, Fort Worth Opera Festival, New Orleans Opera, Kentucky Opera, and Cincinnati Opera. 

Conductor Joseph Mechavich’s passion and commitment to excellence in the art form has helped to forge lasting and career-defining relationships with numerous opera companies, composers and orchestras in the United States and abroad. Maestro Mechavich has presided over productions of Porgy and Bess for Deutsche Oper Berlin, Nixon in China for Auckland Philharmonia/New Zealand Opera, Il barbiere di Siviglia for The Washington National Opera, Madama Butterfly for New York City Opera, and Dead Man Walking for Atlanta Opera. The Miami Herald lauded Mechavich’s artistry in a recent production of Werther at Florida Grand Opera: “An astute conductor realizes that Massenet’s music must be as emotive and expressive as the action on stage. Joseph Mechavich brings out the French Romantic’s lilting emphasis on strings and woodwinds in the opening strains and throughout the first act, and pushes his orchestra to full throttle for the tumultuous, dark, and dissonant third and fourth acts. Onstage the tug of war between duty and desire continues to build, while in the orchestra pit, the music heightens the tension.” His 2019-2020 season includes Il barbiere di Siviglia for Minnesota Opera, Everest for Austin Opera, Macbeth for Florentine Opera, Die Zauberflöte for North Carolina Opera, Riders of the Purple Sage for Arizona Opera, and Carmen for Kentucky Opera.

In addition to his impressive command of the standard operatic repertoire, Maestro Mechavich is also known for his deep commitment to American opera. Of his Nixon in China at San Diego Opera, Broadway World extolled “The expertise in 21st century operatic repertoire that conductor Joseph Mechavich demonstrated in 2012’s Moby-Dick has surely increased exponentially as portrayed in his rendering of John Adam’s complex score. Mechavich showed great command and sensitivity throughout, both controlling and supporting the orchestra in their task of performing parts that were most difficult and intricate.” Mo. Mechavich is a champion of the music of Carlisle Floyd and Jake Heggie. He has conducted productions of Floyd’s Susannah, Of Mice and Men, and Cold Sassy Tree and recorded Wuthering Heights. Mo. Mechavich has conducted highly acclaimed productions by Jake Heggie such as Moby-Dick, Great Scott, Out of Darkness: Two Remain, and Dead Man Walking.

Mr. Nomura has earned a prominent place on the opera, musical theatre, concert and recital stages, appearing with many of the leading North American orchestras, in wide-ranging repertoire under internationally renowned conductors such as Leonard Bernstein, Seiji Ozawa, James Conlon, Sergiu Comissiona, Christof Perick, Roger Norrington, Christopher Hogwood, Ton Koopman, Bruno Weil, Paul Goodman, Jane Glover, Andrew Parrott, and Nicholas McGegan. 2015-16 brought his first Musical Theater performances in the role of Tatsuo Kimura in Allegiance, which ran on Broadway with George Takei, Lea Salonga and Telly Leung. A noted Bach and early music specialist, Mr. Nomura has been a frequent performer with the Bach Choir of Bethlehem, Oregon Bach Festival, Carmel Bach Festival, Music of the Baroque, Baldwin-Wallace Bach Festival, Handel & Haydn Society, Boston Early Music Festival, Boston Baroque and the Berkshire Choral Festival.

He has performed with Apollo’s Fire, Tafelmusik and the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra. His collaborations with such ensembles as the S’Kampa, Boromeo, Brentano and St. Lawrence String Quartets and pianists Martin Katz, Dalton Baldwin, Charles Wadsworth, Jean-Yves Thibaudet and William Bolcom have brought him to the leading American Chamber Music Festivals across the United States. In the realm of opera, Mr. Nomura is a noted Mozartean, known for his portrayals of Don Giovanni, Count Almaviva and Guglielmo. He has likewise had a strong association with Puccini’s Madama Butterfly. He was Prince Yamadori in the SONY film codirected by Martin Scorsese and Frédéric Mitterand, conducted by James Conlon and appeared in Butterfly for his debuts with the Boston Symphony under Seiji Ozawa, Dallas Opera and Cincinnati Opera.

Known for his deep commitment to the art of the recital, he has given more than 250 recitals throughout North America, Europe, Asia, South America and Africa. He has appeared at Lincoln Center, the “Making Music” series at Carnegie Hall, the Celebrity Series in Boston, Ravinia, the John F. Kennedy Center and the Vancouver Recital Society. He was Artist-In-Residence with San Francisco Performances for four seasons. Mr. Nomura was invited to sing Bernstein’s Mass at the Vatican for the “Jubilee Year,” in 2000 performing before an audience of 15,000 in the Salla Nervi, simulcast to some 200,000 people in Vatican Square.

His discography includes recordings on the Sony, Dorian, Teldec, London, Denon, TDK and L’oiseau Lyre labels. His recording of the Monteverdi Vespers of 1610 on Telarc was nominated for a Grammy (Best Classical Ensemble Recording). ​Mr. Nomura has been the recipient of numerous awards and distinctions including a four-year Fulbright Grant to study with Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Hermann Prey and Gérard Souzay. He was winner of the Young Concert Artists International Auditions as well as the Naumburg, United States Information Agency Music Ambassadors and the Marilyn Horne Foundation competitions.

Besides his private studio for vocal instruction, Mr. Nomura has been on faculties at Boston University and Stony Brook University and currently teaches at the Manhattan School of Music and Seton Hall University. With his recent experiences on Broadway, he now works extensively with students in non-Classical genres including musical theatre, jazz, gospel and pop as well.

Mezzo-soprano Phyllis Pancella is a veteran of international opera and concert stages, in music extending from the baroque to six months ago. Her opera roles have ranged from Carmen and Adalgisa to Lizzie Borden and Nero, with companies from Chicago to Paris, Tel Aviv to Hong Kong.

A highly regarded interpreter of both concert repertoire and chamber music, Ms. Pancella has collaborated with folks from Jane Glover and Daniel Barenboim to Paul Neubauer and Margo Garrett. She has worked with composers on many premieres, including Dominick Argento’s Miss Manners on Music, and has recorded with the Naxos, Erato, Neos, and Navona labels.

A dedicated advocate for student artists, Ms. Pancella currently serves on the voice faculty at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts.

Lauded by The New York Times as a “terrific singer” with a “deep, rich timbre” and the San Francisco Chronicle as an “opera powerhouse” with a “weighty and forthright” sound, Sidney Outlaw was the Grand Prize winner of the Concurso Internacional de Canto Montserrat Caballe in 2010 who delights audiences in the U.S. and abroad with his rich and versatile baritone and engaging stage presence. A graduate of the Merola Opera Program and the Gerdine Young Artist Program at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, this rising American baritone from Brevard, North Carolina recently added a GRAMMY nomination to his list of accomplishments for the Naxos Records recording of Darius Milhaud’s 1922 opera trilogy, L’Orestie d’Eschyle in which he sang the role of Apollo.

In the 2018-2019 season, Mr. Outlaw sang Dizzy Gillespie in Charlie Parker’s Yardbird with both Atlanta Opera and Arizona Opera, returned to the Baltimore Symphony as a soloist in Handel’s Messiah and Minnesota Opera for the world premiere of The Fix, sang Fauré’s Requiem at Augustana College, Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem at Cornell University, and made his debut with Mill City Summer Opera as Guglielmo in Così fan tutte. The 2019-2020 season includes his San Francisco Opera debut as the First Mate in Billy Budd, Messiah with the National Symphony Orchestra, Tommy McIntyre in Fellow Travelers with Madison Opera, Dizzy Gillespie in Yardbird with New Orleans Opera, Beethoven’s Missa solemnis with the Colorado Symphony, and Mahler’s Songs of a Wayfarer with the Toledo Symphony.

Mr. Outlaw has been a featured recitalist with Warren Jones at Carnegie Hall and performed Elijah with the New York Choral Society. He traveled to Guinea as an Arts Envoy with the U.S. State Department, where he performed a program of American music in honor of Black History Month and in remembrance of Dr. Martin Luther King. Mr. Outlaw made his English National Opera debut in the 2011-12 season as Rambo in The Death of Klinghoffer and joined the Metropolitan Opera roster in 2014- 2015 also for The Death of Klinghoffer. Recent engagements include Tommy in Fellow Travelers with Minnesota Opera, Frank Lloyd Wright in Shining Brow with UrbanArias, Mercutio in Roméo et Juliette with Madison Opera, Dandini inLa Cenerentola with Greensboro Opera, Vaugh Williams’ Dona nobis pacem with the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, Fauré’s Requiem and Mechem’s Songs of the Slave with Manhattan Concert Productions at Carnegie Hall, Bach’s B Minor Mass with the Oratorio Society of New York, his Spoleto Festival debut as Jake in Porgy and Bess, Dallapiccola’s Il Prigioniero with the New York Philharmonic, Schaunard in La bohème with the Ash Lawn Festival, and Guglielmo in Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte with North Carolina Opera. Other roles include Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia with Atlanta Opera, the title role in Moses with the American Symphony Orchestra, Malcolm X at New York City Opera, Prince Yamadori in Madame Butterfly at Opera on the James, Ariodante in Handel’s Xerxes and Demetrius in Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream for the International Vocal Arts Institute, Papageno in Die Zauberflöte and his international debut as Guglielmo in Così fan tutte, in both Germany and Israel.

A sought-after concert singer and recitalist, Mr. Outlaw made his Schwabacher Recital debut at the San Francisco Opera center with pianist John Churchwell and collaborates regularly with renowned pianists Warren Jones, Carol Wong, Steven Blier, and Michael Barrett. His concert and recital appearances include debuts of renowned works at major concert halls: Haydn’s The Creation and Handel’s Messiah at Carnegie Hall, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 at Avery Fisher Hall, Mahler’s Lieder eines Fahrenden Gesellen with Music Academy of the West and “Wednesday At One” at Alice Tully Hall, John Stevens in the world premiere concert of H. Leslie Adam’s opera Blake at the prestigious Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem, and the world premiere of Wayne Oquin’s A Time to Break Silence: Songs inspired by the Words and Writings of Martin Luther King, Jr., commissioned by The Juilliard School.

Mr. Outlaw won 2nd Prize in the Walter W. Naumburg Foundation’s International Competition, 2nd Prize in the 2011 Gerda Lissner Foundation Awards, National semi-finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, semi-finalist in the Francisco Viñas International Singing Competition, finalist in both Concours International Musical de Montreal and George London Foundation, and grand prize in the Florida Grand Opera/YPO Vocal Competition. He holds a Bachelor’s in music performance from the University of North Carolina and a Master of Vocal Performance from The Juilliard School. Mr. Outlaw holds voice faculty positions at Ithaca College and Queens College in NY.

Mezzo-Soprano noted for her “commanding and dramatic presence” (Opera News), mezzo-soprano Renée Tatum continues to garner recognition in the most demanding of operatic repertoire. In the 2022-23 season, Ms. Tatum returned to the Metropolitan Opera for Rigoletto, sang Suzuki in Madama Butterfly with Palm Beach Opera, debuted her first Verdi Requiem with the Harvard Radcliffe Orchestra and MIT, sang a recital with pianist Eileen Downey and the Needham Concert Society, Mozart’s Missa Brevis and Vesperae solennes de confessore with the Masterworks Chorale, Maddalena in Rigoletto with The Rochester Philharmonic and ended the season as the soloist in a world premiere with the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra.

Future seasons include Flosshilde and Waltraute in Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen in concert with The Dallas Symphony, Verdi’s Requiem, Dame Quickly in Verdi’s Falstaff and engagements with the Metropolitan Opera. Recently, Ms. Tatum made her Atlanta Opera debut as Cornelia in Giulio Cesare, followed by a recital with the Boston Artists Ensemble. Later in that season, she debuted Fricka in Das Rheingold with Nashville Opera and Margret in Wozzeck with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. She also continued her long relationship with The Metropolitan Opera in their new production of Rigoletto and Ariadne auf Naxos. Ms. Tatum’s relationship with The Met spans 11 years and has included nearly 100 performances including Fenena in Nabucco, 3rd Lady and 2nd Lady in The Magic Flute, Emilia in Otello, Inez in Il Trovatore, Adonella in Francesca da Rimini, and Waltraute and Flosshilde in Robert LePage’s Der Ring des Nibelungen.

Caroline Worra has been hailed by Opera News as “one of the finest singing actresses around.” She has sung over 75 different operatic roles including more than 20 World, American, and Regional Premieres. She was internationally acclaimed for her performances of Jenny in The Mines of Sulphur, Grammy nominated CD for Best Opera Recording, and as the title role for The Greater Good; Passion of Boule de Suif, Opera News and New York Times pick for one of the top classical CDs of the year.

Ms. Worra has worked at over 30 opera companies across the United States including The Metropolitan Opera, The Lyric Opera of Chicago, Boston Lyric Opera, Pittsburgh Opera, Fort Worth Opera, Dallas Opera, Long Beach Opera, Opera Santa Barbara, Madison Opera, Cedar Rapids Opera, Opera Memphis, Fargo-Moorhead Opera, Gotham Chamber Opera, Urban Arias, American Lyric Theatre, American Opera Projects, Tanglewood, Opera Saratoga, Berkshire Opera Festival, The Princeton Festival, and six seasons at both Glimmerglass Opera and New York City Opera. Caroline performed on two U.S. National Tours with San Francisco’s Merola/Western Opera Theatre singing Violetta in LaTraviata and Rosalinda in DieFledermaus. She gave a debut recital at Carnegie Hall (Weill Hall) and performed on the main stage of Carnegie Hall as the soprano soloist in Beethoven’s Mass in C, Britten’s Spring Symphony, Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass and Orff’s Carmina Burana.

Caroline is a recipient of the Shoshana Foundation/Richard F. Gold Career Grant. She grew up in Wisconsin and graduated from Onalaska High School where she also received the 2015 Wall of Excellence Award. She has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Piano and Vocal Performance from Luther College where she received the Distinguished Service Award in 2016. She has a Master of Music Degree in Vocal Performance from The University of Missouri in Columbia where she received a 2014 Distinguished Alumni Award from the College of Arts and Science. Caroline also has a Doctor of Music degree in Vocal Performance from Indiana University with minors in Music Education and Choral Conducting.

Dale is an award winning Fight Director, Choreographer and author of the stage combat manual Actors On Guard. He is a third degree Black Belt (Sam Dan, 1st level) in Taekwondo/Hopkido and Hydong Gumdo, a founding member of the North Carolina Stuntmen’s Association and one of only sixteen recognized Fight Masters in the United States by the Society of American Fight Directors. His breadth of work and contribution to the art of staged violence has also earned him recognition in the Canadian guild, Fight Directors Canada, and The Russian Guild of Stage Movement Directors and Teachers. His work has been featured in professional theatres and opera houses throughout North America and in numerous motion pictures. Credits include the Metropolitan Opera, The Folger Theatre, Signature Theatre, Arden Theater, San Diego Opera, Opera Carolina, Piedmont Opera, Pioneer Theatre, Studio Arena Theatre, Triad Stage, and the Chautauqua Opera. Film credits include “Eyeborgs,” “The Key Man,” “The Trial,” “10 Rules for Sleeping Around” and the critically acclaimed “Junebug.”

As a master teacher, Mr. Girard has instructed classes and seminars in stage combat, acting, and dramatic movement at colleges and universities throughout North America. Based in North Carolina, he is a full Professor on faculty for the School of Drama at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts where he serves as Director of Stage Combat Studies and the Assistant Dean of Academics and Administation. Previous teaching experience includes Yale’s Schools of Drama and Music, the National Theatre Conservatory and the Hartt School.

Dale Girard IMDb Page

American mezzo-soprano Janine Hawley has achieved accolades for her critically acclaimed performances of roles ranging from Carmen to Cherubino in opera houses throughout the United States. Ms. Hawley has distinguished herself in several productions of Carmen, where Opera News noted that “she placed her stamp on Bizet’s Gypsy at her first entrance, a tough provocative Carmen providing the sensual centerpiece for the evening, negotiating all the arias with lithe grace, her portrayal gaining in tragic stature as the opera reached its climax.” She has worked with the Washington Opera, Opera Company of Philadelphia, New Orleans Opera, New York City Opera, Florida Grand Opera, Utah Opera, Opera Festival of New Jersey, Boston Lyric Opera, Tulsa Opera, Connecticut Opera, Fort Worth Opera, Charlotte Opera, Chicago Opera Theater, Sacramento Opera, Chautauqua Opera, among others. Other roles performed have been Elizabeth in The Crucible, Dorabella in Così fan tutte, Hänsel in Hänsel und Gretel, Komponiste in Ariadne auf Naxos, Nicklausse in Offenbach’s Les Contes d’Hoffmann, Stèphano in Romèo et Juliette, Siebel in Faust, Isabella in L’Italiana in Algeri, Angelina in La Cenerentola, and Suzuki in Madame Butterfly, receiving great critiques that praise her lush quality, dark timbre, technical facility and charming stage presence.

Beginning her career in Musical Theatre, Ms. Hawley performed in regional theaters across the country in Candide, Naughty Marietta (Paper Mill Playhouse), Sweeney Todd (Paul Gemignani conducting, NYCO), Music Man (with Bob Gunton, NYCO), Carousel (Augusta Opera, Monomoy Theater, Cape Cod), Quilters (Monomoy Theater, Cape Cod), A Little Night Music (Piedmont Opera), Desert Song, Guys and Dolls, The Sound of Music, and Hello Dolly! Concert performances are an equally important aspect of Ms. Hawley’s art and conductors are drawn to her impressive musicianship, mastery of styles and sensitive interpretations. She has worked with the famed Detroit Symphony, Vancouver, Colorado, North Carolina, Omaha, Winston-Salem Symphonies and in such concert venues as Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall, Carnegie Hall, and Weill Recital Hall. Ms. Hawley made her international debut with the Jerusalem International Symphony singing Mahler’s famed Second Symphony in both Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Distinguishing herself in the repertoire of Mahler, in the last few seasons she added the Kindertotenlieder and Rückert Lieder to her symphonic work, which includes Mahler’s 2nd Symphony with the Valdosta (GA), Fargo-Moorhead and Fairfax (VA) Symphonies and the Third Symphony with the Hartford and Chautauqua Symphonies (NY) and Louisville Orchestra. The Louisville Courier-Journal stated “Hawley proved an astute interpreter, not giving too much voice too soon yet eliciting a dark, potent vocal color. In a single song, she provided a miniature dissertation of how to rip open one’s heart, filling the void with sounds of desolate, unforgettable beauty.” Other notable engagements include the New York premiere of Gian Carlo Menotti’s autobiographical cantata, Landscapes and Remembrances, in celebration of the composer’s birthday with the Little Orchestra Society. Her Carnegie Hall debut was as soloist in Vivaldi’s Gloria, and she returned to sing Handel’s Messiah, both with John Rutter conducting.

Ms. Hawley is currently Professor of Voice and Assistant Dean for Academics and Administration at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts.

Anna McRay is a pianist, teacher, and collaborator with a vibrant accompanying schedule of both classical and musical theater repertoire. Along with her work as a collaborative pianist, Anna fosters a deeply rooted passion for the intersection of arts and well-being, both relating to injury-prevention and the health of performing artists as well as the leveraging and uplifting of the arts in community and public health spaces.

Anna currently serves as an adjunct lecturer of piano at Wake Forest University and as a staff pianist at Wake Forest, at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, and at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Winston-Salem, NC.

Soprano Allison Pohl’s vivacious stage presence and spirited singing have inspired enthusiastic responses across three continents.  Her work has received positive reviews for her “sparkling voice” (outerstage.com) and “exuberant” performances (Opera News).  Of her performance in L’elisir d’amore at Virginia Opera, The Washington Post wrote: “Allison Pohl stood out with a ripe, flavorful soprano and ample character.”

Her 2023-2024 season includes Violetta in La Traviata at Opera Bend, Social Worker/Reporter in X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X at Seattle Opera, Stella in A Streetcar Named Desire at Tacoma Opera, Tatyana in highlights from Eugene Onegin with SkyOpera, Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro at Vashon Opera, a solo recital in Freeport, New York, Handel’s Messiah with Symphony Tacoma, a concert series of Ukrainian and Polish music, and several concerts curated by Maestro Keith Lockhart.

Allison has appeared with opera companies and orchestras throughout the United States, including Boston Lyric Opera, New York City Opera, Virginia Opera, Opera Saratoga, Tacoma Opera, Vashon Opera, Opera in the Heights, Opera Providence, Opera on the James, Seattle Symphony, Canton Symphony, Symphony Tacoma, Bremerton Symphony, Seattle Philharmonic, Garden State Philharmonic, Harmonia Seattle, and SkyOpera, and has been a soloist for orchestral tours in both Italy and China.  As a member of Soprello, Allison has performed chamber music across North America with cellist Alistair MacRae.

Recently performed roles include both Countess and Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro, Tatyana in Eugene Onegin, Pamina in Die Zauberflöte, Adina in L’elisir d’amore, Blanche de la Force in Dialogues des Carmélites, Nannetta in Falstaff, Norina in Don Pasquale, Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Gretel in Hänsel und Gretel, Musetta in La Bohème, and Yum-Yum in The Mikado.

In 2023, Allison was appointed Artistic Director of Vashon Opera,  building on a history of leading roles at the company. She is a Seattle Opera Career Grant recipient, winner of the Seattle Philharmonic Concerto Competition, is on faculty at Brevard Music Center, and holds degrees from SUNY Purchase Conservatory of Music and Boston University.

P.G. Hazard is a vocal coach and pianist living in Winston-Salem, NC. Her most recent collaborations have been with Piedmont Opera and the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, her alma mater. In the 2019-2020 season Ms. Hazard was an apprentice with Palm Beach Opera and a staff pianist for the A.J. Fletcher Opera Institute at UNCSA.

During her employment at UNCSA she prepared Werther with Maestro Antony Walker, Rodelinda with Grammy-award winning conductor Stephen Stubbs, and was assistant conductor for Piedmont Opera’s production of La Bohème with Maestro James Allbritten.

While pursuing her masters degree (M.M. ’18), Ms. Hazard held the inaugural Fletcher Fellowship in Collaborative Piano. P.G. has had the privilege to attend summer festivals such as Music Academy of the West, Si Parla Si Canta, SongFest, and the Miami Music Festival. She has appeared in masterclasses with Marilyn Horne, Speranza Scappucci, William Bolcom, Libby Larsen, Jake Heggie, Warren Jones, Wu Han, Jeanne-Michelle Charbonnet, Harolyn Blackwell, and Renée Fleming.

P.G. is a graduate of Florida State University (B.A. ’13) where she accompanied The University Singers choir in recital and on tour. Her first music director positions were with FSU’s Student Opera Society’s productions of A Little Night Music and FSU Opera Outreach’s production of The Magic Flute.

Assistant Professor and Co-Coordinator of the BFA in Acting at the University of North Carolina in Greensboro. Mya also serves as Assistant Faculty with Theatrical Intimacy Education, one of the nation’s leading organizations in theatrical intimacy practices. She teaches acting, directing, voice, movement, and Shakespeare. She is inspired to cultivate brave & consent-based acting spaces that celebrate a diversity of cultures and thoughts.

Recently, Mya performed the role of Detective Poole in Triad Stage’s (Greensboro, NC) staged reading of the new play Jekyll. Some of her favorite roles include Marcus Lycus in WV Public Theatre’s (Morgantown, WV), A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum & Nurse in Romeo & Juliet, and in the main cast of the NuBlack Arts West Theatre’s (Seattle, WA), The Colored Museum. You can follow her on Instagram and TikTok @myasturnnow.

Christina Lindhout is an Assistant Professor of Dance in the Baldwin Wallace University Conservatory of Performing Arts. She has been teaching at BW since 2019, and joined the full-time faculty in 2024. Christina is the director of all Dance Series performances at Baldwin Wallace University. Outside of BW, Christina is a professional dancer, choreographer, and director based in Cleveland, Ohio. With over 26 years of training in classical ballet, contemporary, modern, jazz, and tap, she has danced professionally since she was 17 years old and has performed many principal roles both locally and internationally to critical acclaim. Before coming to BW, Christina performed as a Company Member with BalletMet and Ohio Contemporary Ballet, and served as the Director of Community Engagement at the Ohio Contemporary Ballet Center for Dance. In 2020, Christina premiered a full-length choreographic and directorial dance for film titled FEAST: a ballet, for which she and the creative team were awarded a Satellite Fund grant from the Andy Warhol Foundation through SPACES gallery. To date, FEAST has been the recipient of awards all over the world, including Best Documentary at the Virgin Spring film festival in Kolkata, India. Christina has also had choreography selected to be performed at Playhouse Square, Cleveland Public Theatre, Ohio Contemporary Ballet, Baldwin Wallace University, Cuyahoga County Community College, for the Brain Injury Association of Ohio, and as an official selection of the CAN Triennial. Christina is the recipient of a 2020 Akron Soul Train Fellowship, a 2022 Ohio Arts Council Individual Excellence Award for Choreography, as well as the Summit Artspace Arts Alive Award as the 2023 Outstanding Artist in Dance. 

Dale is an award winning Fight Director, Choreographer and author of the stage combat manual Actors On Guard. He is a third degree Black Belt (Sam Dan, 1st level) in Taekwondo/Hopkido and Hydong Gumdo, a founding member of the North Carolina Stuntmen’s Association and one of only sixteen recognized Fight Masters in the United States by the Society of American Fight Directors. His breadth of work and contribution to the art of staged violence has also earned him recognition in the Canadian guild, Fight Directors Canada, and The Russian Guild of Stage Movement Directors and Teachers. His work has been featured in professional theatres and opera houses throughout North America and in numerous motion pictures. Credits include the Metropolitan Opera, The Folger Theatre, Signature Theatre, Arden Theater, San Diego Opera, Opera Carolina, Piedmont Opera, Pioneer Theatre, Studio Arena Theatre, Triad Stage, and the Chautauqua Opera. Film credits include “Eyeborgs,” “The Key Man,” “The Trial,” “10 Rules for Sleeping Around” and the critically acclaimed “Junebug.”

As a master teacher, Mr. Girard has instructed classes and seminars in stage combat, acting, and dramatic movement at colleges and universities throughout North America. Based in North Carolina, he is a full Professor on faculty for the School of Drama at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts where he serves as Director of Stage Combat Studies and the Assistant Dean of Academics and Administation. Previous teaching experience includes Yale’s Schools of Drama and Music, the National Theatre Conservatory and the Hartt School.

Dale Girard IMDb Page

Grammy-winning composer Robert Livingston Aldridge (born:1954, Richmond,VA) has written over
eighty works for orchestra, opera, music-theater, voice, dance, string quartet, solo and chamber
ensembles. His music has been performed throughout the world. He has received numerous fellowships
and awards for his music from the Guggenheim Foundation, the American Academy of Arts and Letters,
National Endowment for the Arts, the New York Foundation for the Arts, the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, the Massachusetts Artist’s Foundation, the Lila Wallace Reader’s Digest Fund, Meet the Composer,
The American Symphony Orchestra League, the New Jersey Council on the Arts and the Dodge
Foundation.

Robert Aldridge’s opera, Elmer Gantry, based on the novel by Sinclair Lewis, with a libretto by
Herschel Garfein, was given its fully-staged world premiere by Nashville Opera in November, 2007, and
received unanimous praise from the New York Times (‘Behold! An Operatic Miracle’), The Wall St.
Journal and Opera News. Excerpts from Elmer Gantry were performed by New York City Opera on
their 2007 VOX Festival. He was commissioned by Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and the Los Angeles
Chamber Orchestra to compose a clarinet concerto for David Singer, which was premiered in April and
May, 2005, and was released on compact disc by Naxos International in 2010. It was hailed as ‘a brilliant
new concerto’ by Gramophone Magazine. His tone poem, Leda and the Swan, a commission from
the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, The Nashville Symphony Orchestra, and the Louisiana
Philharmonic Orchestra, was premiered in January, 2003 at the New Jersey Performing Center for the
Arts. His forty-five minute symphonic oratorio, Parables (written with librettist Herschel Garfein)
was commissioned and premiered by the Topeka Symphony for their 2010 season finale. Other 2010
season highlights include both professional and university performances of Elmer Gantry in
Milwaukee, Houston and Minnesota. A CD recording of Elmer Gantry (Florentine Opera/
Milwaukee Symphony) was released by Naxos International in 2011 and was ranked the #1 CD of the
year by Opera News Magazine. The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra commissioned him to write an
Elmer Gantry Suite for orchestra, which was given its world premiere at the opening gala for their
2010-2011 season. His music has recently been conducted by Keith Lockhart, Jacques Lacombe and
performed by Gidon Kremer and Martha Argerich. Robert Aldridge and Herschel Garfein received a 2012
Grammy for Best Contemporary Classical Composition, only the third opera ever to receive this
distinction. In addition, the Naxos CD of Elmer Gantry received a Grammy for Best Engineered
Classical Album of 2012.

Robert Livingston Aldridge has been Composer-in-Residence at the Brevard Music Festival since 2006.
He has been a Meet the Composer/Music Alive Composer in Residence, and was 2010 Composer in
Residence at CU NOW in Boulder, Colorado. In April, 2012, he will be a composer-in-residence at the
University of Minnesota. He has been a fellow at the MacDowell Colony on five occasions since 1987.
In 1989, he was chosen to represent the New York Foundation for the Arts in a solo concert of his music
at Lincoln Center. He was a founder of the Composers in Red Sneakers, a composer consortium which
achieved international recognition in 1980’s. In 1991 he received a National Endowment Recording
Grant for a compact-disc of his chamber music for saxophone. His compositions are exclusively
published by Edition Peters (CF Peters Corporation).

Robert Livingston Aldridge received a Doctorate in Composition from the Yale School of Music, a Master’s Degree in Composition from the New England Conservatory of Music, and a Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature from the University of Wisconsin at Madison. Currently, he is a Professor of Music Composition and Theory at the John J. Cali School at Montclair State University. He was Founding Director of the John J. Cali School from 2006-2009, and Chair of the Music Department from 2005-2011. Most recently, he has been appointed Director/Chair of the Music Department at Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University (July, 2012).

Professor Dzubay’s music has been performed in the U.S., Europe, Canada, Mexico, and Asia by the symphony orchestras of Aspen, Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Cincinnati, Detroit, Fort Wayne, Guangxi, Guiyang, Honolulu, Kansas City, Louisville, Memphis, Minnesota, Oregon, Oakland, St. Louis and Vancouver; the American Composers Orchestra, National Symphonies of Ireland and Mexico, New World Symphony, National Repertory Orchestra, and New York Youth Symphony; and ensembles including the Grossman Ensemble, Le Nouvel Ensemble Moderne, Onix, Manhattan and St. Louis Brass Quintets, Voices of Change, the Alexander, Orion and Pacifica String Quartets, the League/ISCM, Earplay, and the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players.

His music has been championed by conductors including James DePreist, George Hanson, Keith Lockhart, David Loebel, Michael Morgan, Eiji Oue, Richard Pittman, Iván del Prado, Mark Russell Smith, Lawrence Leighton Smith, Michael Stern, Carl Topilow, David Wiley, Kirk Trevor, Thomas Wilkins, and David Zinman.

Honors include two Fromm Music Foundation commissions; Guggenheim, MacDowell, Yaddo, Copland House, and Djerassi fellowships; the Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival Composition Competition, Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra Composition Competition, Utah Arts Festival Commission, William Revelli and Walter Beeler Memorial Prizes, Wayne Peterson Prize; and grants from the Aaron Copland Fund for Music for two portrait CDs.

Currently professor of music and director of the New Music Ensemble at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music in Bloomington, Dzubay was previously on the faculty of the University of North Texas in Denton. Since 2011, he has taught composition for three weeks each summer at the Brevard Music Center. From 1995 to 1998, he served as composer-consultant to the Minnesota Orchestra and during 2005-06, he was Meet the Composer/American Symphony Orchestra League Music Alive Composer-in-Residence with the Green Bay Symphony Orchestra.

Dzubay has conducted at the Tanglewood, Aspen, and June in Buffalo festivals as well as the National Symphony of Columbia, Grossman Ensemble, League of Composers Orchestra, Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble, Music from China, and Voices of Change. 

Greg Simon (b. 1985) is a composer and jazz trumpeter hailing from California, by way of Oregon and Colorado. Greg’s music has been praised for its “high energy, lovely solo turns, and upbeat personality” (Fanfare Magazine) and called “thoughtful composition, full of beauty that satisfies audiences of all experience levels” (Saxophonist Magazine). Drawing its inspiration from jazz, funk, Balinese gamelan, Chilean folk song, and street art (among many other sources), his music explores heritage and intersection, aiming to create a common space between the myriad communities it reflects.

Greg is currently Associate Professor of Composition and Jazz Studies at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where he also directs the Flyover New Music Series. During the summer, he serves on the composition artist-faculty at the Brevard Music Center. He also currently serves as co-chair of Region VI for the Society of Composers, Inc.

Greg’s works have been performed by ensembles and performers around the world, including the Ju Percussion Group, Alarm Will Sound, the Moanin’ Frogs, and the Nu Deco Ensemble. He has presented work at conferences for the Percussive Arts Society, the College Band Directors’ National Association, the World Saxophone Congress, and the North American Saxophone Alliance, and been commissioned for new works by organizations including the Nebraska Music Teachers’ Association; and faculty at Hope College, the University of Arizona, Midwestern State University, and Florida State University.

Radio and digital broadcasts of Greg’s music or interviews have included features on NET Radio’s “The Verge,” the “Relevant Tones” program from WFMT, and podcasts “Adagio for Things” and “We Are Not Beethoven.” His collaborations with violinist Hyeyung Yoon and dancer Hye-won Hwang became the subject of the documentary Madang – A Creative Journey, recorded with 360-degree cameras and produced by Nebraska Educational Television. Greg’s compositions have been recorded on labels including 4Tay, MSR Classics, Blue Griffin, Equilibrium, Open G, SMS Classical, and Terpsichore.

Greg is the recipient of awards for achievement in composition from the Zodiac International Music Festival, the Moscow Conservatory, National Association of Composers/USA, the Esoterics, and others. He has also received recognition for his work from Phantom Brass, the Kaleidoscope Chamber Orchestra, and CBDNA, among others. Greg was a featured composer at the 2013 Mizzou International Composers’ Festival and was the 2013-14 young composer-in-residence for the Detroit Chamber Winds and Strings.

A passionate educator, Greg regularly writes on pedagogy and his practice of teaching compositional concepts through literary narrative designs. His pedagogical writings are published by the College Music Symposium and the Oxford Online Handbook on Music Assessment, and he has presented it at national conferences for the College Music Society and the Society of Composers, Inc. In 2020 he was announced the winner of the Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts Award for Curriculum Development.

As a jazz musician, Greg has studied with Bill Lucas, Ellen Rowe, and Brad Goode. He’s performed with the Marcus Lewis Big Band, the Shawn Bell Quartet, the Rhythm Society Orchestra, the Jodi-Renee Band, and many others, at venues ranging from Dazzle Jazz Club to the Jewell of Omaha; and played in the bands of The Temptations, Hannah Huston, and Andrew Dost of fun. As part of his ongoing efforts to bridge the classical and jazz worlds, he’s premiered and presented works for improvising musicians by a variety of composers, including Stephen Rush, Hunter Ewen, Michael Theodore, and himself. Currently, Greg plays trumpet/flugelhorn alongside his colleagues in the UNL Faculty Jazz Ensemble and serves as the director of the UNL Jazz Orchestra. Greg has taught jazz with the Detroit Symphony Civic Jazz Orchestra and Omaha Performing Arts Academy, and served as guest clinician at the Westside Jazz Festival and the Nebraska State Band Association’s Jazz Festival.

Greg is a fluent performer in the Balinese gamelan tradition, having spent five years with Denver’s Gamelan Tunas Mekar. In 2020, alongside colleagues Dave Hall and Lynne Elkins, he directed the world premiere of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s gamelan angklung ensemble.

Greg studied composition with Evan Chambers, Michael Daugherty, Kristin Kuster, Carter Pann, Daniel Kellogg, and Robert Hutchinson. He holds a D.M.A. from the University of Michigan, an M.M. from the University of Colorado, and a B.A. from the University of Puget Sound. Prior to his appointment at UNL, he taught at Concordia University Ann Arbor, the Metropolitan State University of Denver, and the University of Colorado. When he’s not composing or playing, Greg enjoys hockey, bourbon, and short stories.

Michael Dease is one of the world’s eminent trombonists, lending his versatile sound and signature improvisations to over 200 recordings and artists as diverse as David Sanborn, Christian McBride, Michel Camilo, and Alicia Keys. Born in Augusta, GA, he played the saxophone and trumpet before choosing the trombone at age 17. In 2001, Dease moved to New York City to become part of the historic first class of jazz students at The Juilliard School, earning both Bachelors and Masters degrees, and quickly established a reputation as a brilliant soloist, side musician, and bandleader.

Best Next Thing (Posi-Tone, 2022), Dease’s newest release, his ninth on Posi-Tone, gathers together an assemblage of exceptional musicians to help him interactively explore the essence of the blues and reframe the abstract truths of jazz as the “Best Next Thing” for today’s audience of listeners.  Critical listeners agree that this is possibly Dease’s most excited recording to date, and awarded a coveted 4 star review in the featured HotBox in DownBeat Magazine.
Dease, the winner of the 69th and 70th Annual DownBeat Poll for Trombonist of the Year and multi-Grammy award winner as a member of the Christian McBride Big Band, is also a sought-after lead and ensemble trombonist with today’s leading jazz orchestras. His experiences include bands led by Christian McBride, the late Roy Hargrove, Nicholas Payton, Charles Tolliver, Rufus Reid, Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Rodney Whitaker, and the Dizzy Gillespie All-Star Big Band. However, it is on the frontline of quintets and sextets led by master musicians like The Heath Brothers, Winard Harper, Renee Rosnes, Bill Charlap, Claudio Roditi, and Lewis Nash, where Dease has revitalized the trombone’s image. Not content to simply improvise, Dease arranges and composes for many different bands, constantly adjusting his tone and timbre to add just the right flavor to the music.

Dease’s unique blend of curiosity, hard work and optimism has helped him earn worldwide recognition, including awards from JazzTimes Magazine, ASCAP, The International Trombone Association, Yamaha, Eastern Trombone Workshop, New York Youth Symphony, Hot House Magazine and The Airmen of Note, among others. Dease was profiled in Cicily Janus’ book, The New Face of Jazz: An Intimate Look at Today’s Living Legends (Random House). His experience in the studio has led him to produce several recording sessions for emerging artists, often creating original compositions and writing liner notes for the releases on his D Clef Records label.  

Dease’s singular talent has made him an effective and prolific teacher, resulting in invitations, master classes and residencies at institutions such as the University of North Texas, San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Brevard Music Center, CSUN Northridge & Fullerton, Temple University, Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, UNC- Boulder and many schools abroad. He serves as Professor of Jazz Trombone at the renowned Michigan State University jazz program, where he has been awarded the MASU Distinguished Professor of the Year and the MSU Teacher-Scholar Award.  He has also been on faculty at Queens College – CUNY, The New School and Northeastern University. Many of Dease’s current and former students have released acclaimed recordings,  received international recognition and are enjoying successful careers in the music world with artists like Michael Buble’, Bruno Mars, Revive Da Live Big Band, The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, and the Downbeat award-winning Ulysses Owen’s Big Band.

Always an informed, but forward-thinking musician, Dease learned the craft from trombone legends Wycliffe Gordon and Joseph Alessi. His associations have run the entire spectrum of musical experience: Alicia Keys, Paul Simon, Paul Schaffer and the CBS Orchestra, Elton John, Neal Diamond, Illinois Jacquet, Slide Hampton & The World Of Trombones, Fred Wesley, Maceo Parker, WDR Big Band, George Gruntz, Billy Harper, Andy James and numerous others.  Dease channels this experience into his love for Jazz Education, serving as Artistic Director of the Jazz Institute of Brevard Music Center (North Carolina) and Faculty Leader at the Seiko Summer Jazz Camp (Tokyo). Michael Dease also teaches at the Skidmore Jazz Institute and the JALC Summer Jazz Academy.

Dease enjoys spending time with his extraordinary wife and Professor of Percussion at MSU, Gwendolyn Dease, and their daughters Brooklyn & Charly. Michael Dease is a Yamaha Performing Artist and plays Yamaha trombones exclusively.  Dease also plays Vandoren Reeds and Mouthpieces, Pickett Brass Mouthpieces, and uses Gard Bags for his many instruments.  

Gwendolyn Dease is professor of percussion at the Michigan State University College of Music. Dease is passionate about educating the next generation of young musicians. She regularly gives master classes at universities throughout the US and abroad and is currently on the faculty at the Brevard Music Center. She has served on the faculty for the Filarmonica Joven de Colombia and the Interlochen Arts Camp.

Dease began her musical career very early, studying piano and violin at the age of two. As a percussionist, she has maintained a career as an active solo, chamber, and orchestral musician. She has performed solo and chamber recitals throughout the United States, Asia and South America. Dease is passionate about new music and has participated in consortium’s to commission new works from composers such as Rufus Reid, Alejandro Vinao, Peter Klatzow, Paul Lansky, Martin Bresnick, John Serry and Roshanne Etezady. She is currently principal percussionist with the Brevard Music Center Orchestra. She has also performed with the Detroit Symphony, Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, the Moscow Chamber Orchestra, the Solisti New York Orchestra, the Grand Rapids Symphony, Lansing Symphony and the Traverse Symphony Orchestra.

In January of 2012, Dease was a recipient of the Michigan State University Teacher Scholar Award. She was the winner of the Keiko Abe Prize at the second World Marimba competition in Okaya, Japan, and the top prize winner at the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts’ ARTS competition. She was awarded the performer’s certificate from the Eastman School of Music and has also been the recipient of the Outstanding Young Musician award from the Peabody Conservatory and the Yale Alumni Award.

Dease’s impressive discography includes four solo CDs: “Marimba Suites” released in October of 2007 on the Blue Griffin label; “Boomslang: New Works for Marimba” released on the Blue Griffin label in October 2012; “Idle Fancies” released on the Bridge Records label in December of 2015 and “Beguiled” released on the Origin Classical Label in October 2016. Her collaborative projects include “Textures” (Percussion Chamber Music by Paul Lansky) released on the Bridge Records Label in August 2014 and “In the Shadow of No Towers” (The Phillip Glass Double Timpani Concerto) released on the Naxos Label in November 2013.

Dease has studied with world-renowned professors Robert van Sice, Keiko Abe, and John Beck. She holds degrees from the Interlochen Arts Academy, Eastman School of Music, Peabody Conservatory, and the Yale School of Music.

“He’s reamplifying the tradition of jazz piano and he’s lifting up a legacy that’s the foundation for many people” –New York Times. Accomplished multi-instrumentalist Luther S. Allison has set himself apart as one of the most in-demand artists in jazz today. Forging a path on both piano and drum set, Allison cemented himself as one of the leading voices of his generation. The Charlotte, North Carolina native is recognized for his blues-based, gospel inspired playing with deep roots in the tradition of bebop and soul music.

Upon completing his B.A. in Studio Music and Jazz from the University of Tennessee and M.M. in Jazz Studies from Michigan State University (both degrees with focuses in drum set and piano) Allison began a consistent touring career on both instruments supporting the likes of Jazzmeia Horn, Helen Sung, Samara Joy, Rodney Whitaker, Etienne Charles, The Baylor Project, and Ulysses Owens Jr.

Allison’s debut album, I Owe It All To You, was released on Posi-Tone Records, highlighting his noteworthy arrangements, compositional prowess, and exceptional skill as a pianist. Rated 4.5 stars by Downbeat, the album was described as “a portrait of a straight-ahead pianist who seems to have no weak points in his arsenal” –Downbeat. Allison is also featured as a sideman on numerous projects – notably the GRAMMY Award Winning single, Tight, supporting vocalist Samara Joy.

Allison is a distinguished touring artist who has taken the stage at notable venues such as Village Vanguard, Dizzy’s Club, Birdland, Kennedy Center, and Blue Note Milano. He has also been featured at renowned jazz festivals including Newport, Monterey, Detroit, Washington DC, North Sea, Umbria, Marciac, and Jazz A Vienne.

In addition to his work as a bandleader and sideman, Allison is a consummate educator and curator – having operated as Adjunct Jazz Faculty (4 years) and Chair of the Percussion Department (2 years) at The Calhoun School in New York City. He has also served on faculty for numerous summer intensives, particularly the Brevard Jazz Institute and the Stanford Jazz Workshop. Allison has worked in conjunction with the National Jazz Museum in Harlem as a Curatorial Fellow where he assisted the organization by programming and curating events in the museum for an entire calendar year. Moreover, Allison has curated and music directed performances for the Louis Armstrong Museum in Queens, New York.

As a composer, Allison has already begun to leave an indelible mark, leading to him being commissioned by Wynton Marsalis to compose an original work for the esteemed Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. Allison was also commissioned by Jazz at Lincoln Center to music direct and arrange the Sacred Works of Duke Ellington – initially featured in Dizzy’s Club and later expanded for the Appel Room. Alongside his achievements as a musician/composer/music director, Allison is featured as both an actor and recorded musician on Maggie Gylenhaal’s upcoming film The Bride, contributing on screen along with several recorded tracks for the film score.

Luther Allison is a proud YAMAHA artist.

Nathan Borton is a Colorado-based jazz guitarist rooted in the rich traditions of Midwestern bebop and blues, with origins tracing back to Wichita, Kansas. A dynamic performer and recording artist, Borton has shared stages and studios with luminaries like Rodney Whitaker, Michael Dease, Janis Siegel, and Diego Rivera, and has graced prestigious festivals nationwide, including the Detroit Jazz Festival, Five-Points Jazz Festival, and Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival.

In 2022, he released his critically acclaimed debut album, Each Step (OA2 Records), produced by Randy Napoleon. Praised by icons like Michael Dease and Howard Paul, the album soared into JazzWeek’s Top 100 radio charts, cementing his place among jazz’s rising stars. Some of Borton’s accolades include three DownBeat Awards (Best Engineering/Production, 2023; Best Graduate Jazz Soloist and Live Engineering/Production, 2019), the 2020 Paul Carr Discovery Act Award with the Sencalar/Glassman Quintet, and back-to-back honors at the Wilson Center International Guitar Competition (2018 Finalist, 2019 Top 3 Winner).

An impassioned educator, Borton is pursuing his Doctorate at the University of Northern Colorado. He has taught at Aquinas College, Hope College, and Michigan State’s Community Music School, while mentoring at renowned programs like the Brevard Jazz Institute and Spectrum Music Camp. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he launched a YouTube channel that blossomed into a global jazz education hub with over 30K subscribers and 2.5 million channel views, collaborating with elite educators such as Jens Larson and Christiaan Van Hemert to inspire students worldwide.

Nathan is a proud endorser of Benedetto Guitars and Stringjoy Strings.

Lisa Burn is a music educator based in Raleigh, North Carolina. Ms. Burn, originally from Wilmington, North Carolina, studied Trumpet Performance at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, PA. Upon graduation she joined the Winnipeg Symphony in Canada as Utility Trumpet. While there, she developed a private trumpet studio and began working as a brass clinician for music educators. In 2003, she accepted a position as Director of Bands at Franklin Academy in Wake Forest, North Carolina (teaching elementary, middle and high school band) where she developed both the concert and jazz band to levels of distinction; the Franklin Academy Jazz Band was recognized as the most Outstanding Band of the 2009 High School Essentially Ellington Regional Competition at UNC Chapel Hill.

Since 2012, Ms. Burn has helped build the Triangle Youth Philharmonic Jazz Program and is currently the Director of the Triangle Youth Jazz Orchestra. Alumni of the Triangle Youth Jazz program have continued to pursue their jazz studies at Juilliard, New England Conservatory, Michigan State University, William Paterson University, UNC- Greensboro, and the Peabody Conservatory. In 2019, Ms Burn was honored to participate as a guest director with Ligon Jazz Ensemble’s performance at the International Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic; Ligon Jazz Ensemble is the first jazz ensemble to represent North Carolina at the Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic. Most recently, Ms. Burn served as the clinician for the 2021 North Carolina All State Middle School Jazz Band.

Currently, Ms. Burn maintains a successful private brass studio, with students placed in district, all state, all national ensembles as well as continuing their music education at Arizona State University, Indiana University, Peabody Conservatory, UNC Greensboro and UNC Chapel Hill. Lisa Burn serves as a music education clinician for the Triangle area and engages as a freelance trumpeter, performing as Principal Cornet of The Triangle Brass Band. Ms. Burn is excited to begin her new journey as Director of the Wiley Elementary Band and looks forward to the opportunity to maintain the Wiley Band tradition.

“By age 32, Emmy-nominated trumpeter and singer Benny Benack III has proven to be that rarest of talents: not only a fiery trumpet player with a stirring command of the postbop trumpet vernacular in the vein of Kenny Dorham and Freddie Hubbard, but also a singer with a sly, mature, naturally expressive delivery in the post-Sinatra mold, performing standards and his own astute songs with a thrilling sense of showmanship. This duel-threat ability was recognized by the 2023 Downbeat Critics Poll where he appeared as not only the #2 Rising Star Male Vocalist, but a top Rising Star Trumpeter as well. His superb intonation and bracing virtuosity enable him to handle astounding feats of originally composed vocalese (complex solos with written lyrics). On top of it all, he’s a highly capable pianist as well.

Benny has performed internationally as an Emcee/Host for the Youtube sensation Postmodern Jukebox, and achieved his own viral success amassing millions of views for his crooning alongside the Grammy-award winning “8-Bit Big Band”. In early 2020 he released A Lot of Livin’ to Do, the follow-up to his well-received 2017 debut One of a Kind. This sophomore effort, richly varied in mood and brimming with bop inflection, features bassist extraordinaire and Jazz ambassador Christian McBride (whose Grammy-award winning Big Band frequently calls upon Benny in the trumpet section) and drummer/producer Ulysses Owens, Jr., as well as the radiant Takeshi Ohbayashi on piano and Rhodes. His vocalese duet on “Social Call” from this album alongside fellow young star vocalist Veronica Swift became an instant smash hit single, being transcribed and learned by Jazz vocalists around the world. His latest album “Third Time’s the Charm” features many stars including Peter Bernstein, Emmet Cohen & Bria Skonberg and was just released in June 2023 to critical acclaim and chart-topping success.”

Saxophonist, Multi-Reedist, Composer, Recording Artist, Bandleader and Educator Sharel Cassity (pron.”Sha-Relle”) is a musician well established on the New York and Chicago jazz scenes. Listed as “Rising Star Alto Saxophone” in Downbeat Magazine for the past 9 consecutive years, Sharel has appeared on the Today Show, won the 2007 ASCAP Young Jazz Composers Award & has been inducted into the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame. Her four albums released as a leader have received top rated reviews in publications like JazzTimes, Jazziz, Downbeat, and American Indian News and earned her a cover story in Saxophone Journal. Cassity’s latest album “Evolve” was recorded with her new band ELEKTRA and appears on her record label, Relsha Music.

Selected to attend The Juilliard School Jazz program under full scholarship in 2007 for her Masters in Music & holding a BFA from The New School for Jazz & Contemporary Music, Cassity is a skilled and versatile sideman who is a regular member of the Dizzy Gillespie Afro Cuban Experience, Nicholas Payton’s TSO, Cyrus Chestnut’s Brubeck Quartet and the Jimmy Heath Big Band. She also performs regularly alongside renowned Grammy winning artists Roy Hargrove, Lewis Nash, Joe Chambers & Darcy James Argue. Sharel has toured 24 countries and performed at leading venues like the Newport Jazz Festival, Monterey Jazz Festival & the North Sea Jazz Festival. Additionally, she has shared the stage with Herbie Hancock, Wynton Marsalis & the Jazz @ Lincoln Center Orchestra, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Christian McBride, Natalie Cole, Rufus Reid, Gregory Porter, Slide Hampton, Maceo Parker and Terrence Blanchard. She was lead alto in the Diva Jazz Orchestra from 2007-2014 and performed in the Broadway musical After Midnight.

In mainstream genres Sharel joined Top 40 hit singer-songwriter Natalie Merchant on her 2015 CD/ DVD recording & has also performed with are Aretha Franklin, Vanessa Williams, K.D. Lang, Fantasia, Trisha Yearwood, Seth MacFarland (Family Guy), Ruben Blades & DJ Logic. Cassity performed in a 2013 ESPN Super Bowl commercial and can be seen in the PBS Television Broadcast “Juilliard Centennial Celebration”. Honored to be included in three books, Sharel appears in “I Walked with Giants” by Jimmy Heath, “AM Jazz: Three Generations under the Lens” by Adrianna Mateo and “Freedom of Expression: Interviews with Women in Jazz” by Chris Becker. While in college she was chosen to attend IAJE Sisters in Jazz, Betty Carter’s Jazz Ahead, Ravinia at Steans Institute & was the recipient of numerous Downbeat Student Music Awards.

In addition to performing Sharel is a devoted educator. Currently Professor of Saxophone and Piano at Elgin Community College in Elgin, Illinois, Sharel served internationally as the Woodwind Professor at Qatar Music Academy in Doha, Qatar from 2016-17. She has taught students abroad in Japan, Costa Rica, Mexico, China and Qatar and has given numerous clinics addressing saxophone techniques, jazz language, rhythm, harmony and music business.

Moving frequently throughout her childhood, Sharel’s family settled in Yukon, Oklahoma where she graduated high school. In 2000 she moved to New York City where she resided for 16 years, earning her degrees and playing on the NYC jazz scene. In 2017 she relocated to the Chicago area with her husband and son. Sharel is proud to be a Vandoren Performing Artist, RS Berkeley Virtuoso Saxophone Artist and AMT Microphone Artist.

Jordyn Davis is redefining the landscape of contemporary music with her extraordinary talent and groundbreaking achievements. A Detroit native, Davis stands out not only for her musicianship as a bassist, vocalist, and multi-instrumentalist but also for her trailblazing role as the first African-American woman to earn a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Composition from Michigan State University. In an unprecedented feat, she became the first student at Michigan State to receive simultaneous degrees in Music Composition and Jazz Studies. After completing a Master’s Degree in Jazz Studies at Michigan State, where she served as a graduate teaching assistant under the mentorship of Rodney Whitaker, she relocated to Brooklyn, NY. In 2021, she was named one of two recipients of the inaugural Jazz Leader Fellowship at the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music. In 2024, she was named one of three inaugural New York Community Trust Van Lier Fellowship recipients with the American Composers Orchestra. 

Davis’s artistry defies categorization, effortlessly traversing genres from Jazz, Folk, Indie Rock, Musical Theater & Contemporary Classical to music for film and television. Her compositions, which embody a profound sense of empathy &  social consciousness, have been featured on PBS’s “Music for Social Justice” and commissioned by prestigious institutions such as the Kennedy Center, the New York Philharmonic, the Juilliard School Preparatory Division, the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Michigan State University Bands, and Detroit Chamber Strings. Her impressive roster of collaborators & mentors in the music industry includes luminaries like Micheal Dease, Craig Harris, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Maria Schneider, Jerome Jennings, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Lin Manuel-Miranda, John Kander, Jaime Lozano, Shirazette Tinnin,  and L Morgan Lee.

Beyond the stage and studio, Davis is deeply committed to education and mentorship. She has inspired countless young musicians through her work with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Girls Rock Detroit, and Science Gallery. Her teaching philosophy emphasizes the importance of music, individuality, empowerment, and community. Her dedication to nurturing the next generation of artists is as profound as her contributions to the music industry. With such accomplishments, Jordyn Davis is undoubtedly a name to watch in music.

Chris Glassman is a bass trombonist from Littleton, Colorado. He has performed with legendary acts such as Michael Bublé, The Temptations, The Four Tops, Diane Schuur, Kurt Elling, Danilo Perez, and many others on coveted stages such as Madison Square Garden and Dizzy’s Club Coca Cola. An avid improviser on bass trombone, Glassman joins the newest generation of jazz bass trombonists with three small-group jazz bandleader recordings on which he improvises on bass trombone. In addition, he has been commissioned to write arrangements for the Airmen of Note, Michael Bublé, and many jazz artists (Rodney Whitaker, David Sanborn, and many others). 

Passionate about mentorship, Glassman has been on the faculty at Brevard Music Center and has taught jazz and led ensembles at multiple universities, including Michigan State University and Saginaw Valley State University. He aims to help create resources through social media for aspiring trombonists. Among other things, he leads a podcast, has worked in arts entrepreneurship, and has a deep love for metal music, board games, his wife, Christine, and two cats, Muffin and Dobby.

Jocelyn Gould is an accomplished guitarist, vocalist and bandleader. From Winnipeg, Canada, she grew up singing every chance she got, and became enthralled with the guitar as a teenager. She cites Grant Green, Kenny Burrell, Wes Montgomery and Joe Pass as primary influences of the instrument. After completing her Masters Degree in Jazz Studies at Michigan State University in 2018 and shortly after winning 1st place in the Wilson Centre International Guitar Competition, Jocelyn relocated to New York City.

Jocelyn maintains an active international performance career, including performances at the St. Lucia Jazz Festival, the Detroit Jazz Festival and the TD Toronto Jazz Festival. She has performed with Grammy nominated vocalist Freddy Cole, Trumpeter Etienne Charles and DownBeat Rising Star trombonist Michael Dease. She is featured on Michael Dease’s record “Never More Here”, Diego Rivera’s album “Connections” and Randy Napoleon’s album “Common Tones”. Jocelyn’s debut recording, ‘Elegant Traveler’, was released in March 2020.

In fall 2019, Jocelyn relocated back to Canada and began a position as professor and “Head of Guitar Department” at Humber College in Toronto, where she teaches courses, private lessons and manages the guitar department.

Step into the vibrant world of Dr. Lenora Helm Hammonds, globally celebrated in the music industry as Lenora Zenzalai (Zen-ZAY-Lay) Helm – a true force of nature whose passion ignites every space she enters! This award-winning vocal jazz musician, prolific composer, inspiring conductor, and captivating TEDx speaker isn’t just an artist; she’s a beacon for creatives everywhere. With the prestigious titles of a two-time Fulbright Music Specialist and U.S. Jazz Ambassador, coupled with her innovative leadership as an independent record label CEO, Lenora epitomizes what it means to craft a life of purpose through artistic dedication. But her influence doesn’t stop there. Driven by a desire to empower her fellow artists, Lenora has masterfully developed digital courses (at LenoraHelm.online) designed to transform the journey for Creatives who have tasted moderate success but grapple with inconsistent income, stress, and the looming threat of burnout, or artists who use her membership program to keep their skills current.

Lenora, a Chicago native, is a vocal jazz musician, composer, arranger, teaching artist and educator who currently serves as Dean of the Professional Education Division at Berklee College of Music. From 2005 to 2024, she has held various positions at North Carolina Central University (NCCU), including tenured Full Professor in the Department of Music and Jazz Studies Program, and Chair of the Department of Music and Director of Graduate Programs, Jazz Studies. Distinctions include awards as a GRAMMY Music Educator of the Year quarterfinalist, and Jazz Educator of Distinction award recipient from Jazz Music Awards foundation, as well as   being a Berklee College of Music Gospel Hall of Fame Inductee. She continues to serve on the Jazz Vocal Advisory Board at Juilliard Jazz. Her academic leadership is conjoined to four decades as a jazz recording and performing artist p/k/a Lenora Zenzalai Helm with eight solo albums (with a ninth collaborative album with The Sistering, slated for Spring 2026), and appearances on over a dozen jazz and contemporary music albums. Composer career highlights include being a MacDowell composer fellow, Chamber Music America/Doris Duke’s New Jazz Works composer award recipient.

She made her Carnegie Hall debut as conductor in the 2024 MidAmerica Productions season culminating over twenty years conducting vocal and instrumental jazz bands and ensembles. Her conducting accolades include directing international and national high school and collegiate all-state jazz competitions, including Jack Rudin Collegiate Jazz Championships, and Jazz at Lincoln Center. In 2020, she founded her own big band, Tribe Jazz Orchestra, boasting about half of the members being iconic women in jazz. As a busy recording artist, she has eight acclaimed jazz recordings as a leader,  and appears on dozens of CDs with the biggest names in Jazz, including Ron Carter, Dave Liebman, Donald Brown, Andrew Hill, Stanley Cowell and Branford Marsalis. She holds a Bachelor of Music in Film Scoring/Voice from Berklee College of Music, a Master of Music, Jazz Performance/East Carolina University and Doctor of Musical Arts in Music Education from Boston University. As a published author her work is at the intersection of jazz, intercultural maturity, and digital humanities. Look for her vocal jazz performance pedagogy textbook Sing Vocal Jazz, Teach Vocal Jazz slated for early 2026 on Routledge/Taylor-Francis. Catch her TEDxBerklee Boston talk What Jazz Improvisation Can Teach You About Communication.. She makes her home between Durham, NC and Boston, MA with her husband Fred Hammonds.  www.LenoraHelm.com

Geoffrey Keezer is a GRAMMY®-winning pianist, composer, arranger and producer based inNew York City. A native of Eau Claire, Wisconsin, he began playing piano and composing at an early age. After briefly attending the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Keezer moved to New York in 1989, becoming the last pianist with the legendary Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers. Keezer has toured and recorded with Ray Brown, Roy Hargrove, Joshua Redman, Diana Krall, Art Farmer, Benny Golson, Barbara Hendricks, Wayne Shorter, Dianne Reeves, David Sanborn, Chris Botti, Sting, Joe Locke and Christian McBride.

Keezer’s 2009 album Áurea (ArtistShare) was nominated for a Best Latin Jazz Album GRAMMY® award. Geoffrey’s 2013 solo piano release, Heart of the Piano (Motema Records), seeks to redefine solo jazz piano as a personal and interactive showcase of melody, energy and groove, while his 2018 album On My Way to You (MarKeez Records) is a stunning set of music featuring his trio with the addition of guest vocalist Gillian Margot. Keezer’s album Playdate (MarKeez) earned a 2023 GRAMMY® in the Best Instrumental Composition category for his song “Refuge”.

2024 saw the release of two recordings, Live at Birdland (MarKeez) by the Geoffrey Keezer Trio and Open During Construction, an innovative hybrid of an album and online composition course created in partnership with openstudiojazz.com. Keezer and Margot joined forces again in 2025 for an album of duets, Gillian Margot and Geoffrey Keezer (MarKeez). This sublime duo recital by Margot and Keezer is the fourth release on their eponymous imprint label, and marks a felicitous inflection point in the discographies of both musicians, each an erudite master of their instrument. Keezer has also produced and arranged three GRAMMY®-nominated recordings with vocalist Denise Donatelli, and released a series of collaborative albums drawing influences from Hawaiian, Okinawan and Afro-Peruvian folk traditions.

Geoffrey’s compositions have been commissioned by the Mainly Mozart Festival, Art of Elánensemble, Saint Joseph Ballet, Zeltsman Marimba Festival, Carnegie Hall Jazz Orchestra and Scottish National Jazz Orchestra. His music can be heard in the films What Happens in Vegas, The Wedding Year, and Inhale, and in numerous TV shows including The Young and the Restless, Parks and Recreation, Casual, House of Lies, Call Me Kat, American Crime Story, Clarice, and The Originals.

Time Magazine wrote, “Geoffrey has more than enough virtuosity and sheer musical wit andintelligence to weave all of his apparently disparate strands of influence into an original and compelling whole”, and pop icon Sting said “In the universe of piano players that I have been exposed to over the years, Geoffrey has proved himself to be not only a superb technician andimproviser, but also above and beyond this, a composer and conceptualist who can maintain the overall line and the DNA of the song in everything he plays. A musician’s musician.”

Geoffrey Keezer is a faculty member of The Juilliard School and is a Yamaha artist.

Award winning New York City based bassist and composer Mark Lewandowski originally hails from Nottingham, England. A graduate of the Guildhall School of Music in London and New York’s prestigious Juilliard School, he has earned the respect of his peers and elders alike as a creative, supportive and individual sideman and bandleader. After graduating with a first class honors degree from the Guildhall School, Mark had the great honor of being awarded the Yamaha Jazz Award, which was presented to him by the UK Government at the Houses of Parliament.

Since relocating to New York City, Lewandowski’s performance credits include such luminaries as Joe Chambers, David Liebman, George Cables, Lew Tabackin, Cyrus Chestnut, Steve Wilson, Buddy Greco, The Mingus Big Band, Peter Bernstein, The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, Jeremy Pelt, Billy Drummond, Javon Jackson, Kirk MacDonald, Mark Whitfield, Ed Cherry, Jon Faddis, Willie Jones III, Sullivan Fortner, Freddie Hendrix, Joe Magnarelli, Stacy Dillard, Josh Evans, Philip Harper, Nasheet Waits, Dayna Stephens, Mike Ledonne, Vic Juris, Frank Lacy, Rick Germanson, Wayne Escoffery Sherman Irby, Joe Cohn, Joseph Farnsworth, David Hazeltine, Johnny O’Neal, Wayne Escoffery, Eric Alexander, Steve Nelson, Warren Wolf, Philip Harper, Sheila Jordan, JD Allen, Jeb Patton, Grant Stewart, Bruce Harris, Benny Green, Aaron Goldberg, Dave Kikoski and Jerry Weldon.

Lewandowski has also performed frequently as a member of Pulitzer Prize winning trumpeter Wynton Marsalis’ quartet including performances in such esteemed venues and festivals as London’s Barbican Hall, Cheltenham Festival and The Institute of Peace, Washington D.C.

He has toured internationally in Europe, Asia, Africa, North America and South America and is frequently found on many of New York City’s famed stages including Blue Note, Jazz at Lincoln Center, The Village Vanguard, Birdland, The Jazz Standard, 55 Bar, Smalls, Mezzrow, Smoke and Minton’s Playhouse.

Mark’s work as a bandleader include three releases – 2017 saw the release of Mark’s debut release ‘Waller’ on the Whirlwind Recordings label. This debut album solidified his reputation as a stellar bandleader and received rave reviews internationally. Featuring two of the most respected musicians on the European jazz circuit, pianist Liam Noble and drummer Paul Clarvis, Waller is an exploration of the music of one of the early innovators of the jazz genre, Thomas ‘Fats’ Waller. The album featured highly in critical polls ranking at Number 3 in Chris Phillips’ Jazz FM Charts.

2021 saw the highly successful release of Lewandowski’s second record as band leader, ‘Under One Sky’ which has attracted press attention and airplay internationally. Comprised of exclusively original material, the album features two of the young stars of the New York City jazz scene – award winning pianist, Addison Frei and Washington D.C born drummer Kush Abadey. Lewandowski’s unique and personal compositional style is at the foreground of this album which was described by the UK’s renowned critic, John Fordham (The Guardian, Jazzwise Magazine) as ‘a sublime confection on compositional class and individual improv skill’.

A highly anticipated duo recording (the third under Lewandowski’s own name) featuring ‘Waller’ collaborator, Liam Noble was released in 2023. An imaginative reimagining of music associated with Billie Holiday, featuring U.K vocalist Heidi Vogel, the album ‘A Bouquet (For Lady Day)’ was celebrated widely by the international jazz community and received much critical interest from press both sides of the Atlantic.

2022 Saw Lewandowski again on the international stage, as 1st prize winner of the prestigious UNISA International Jazz Strings Competition held in Pretoria, South Africa. In this 40th year of the competition’s existence, he was awarded the prize by South Africa’s former president, Thabo Mbeki. The Jury also awarded Mark 2 out of 3 of the competition’s special prizes – ‘Best Performance of a Ballad’ and ‘Best Performance of a Rhythm Changes’ respectively.

Other career highlights include his 2015 commission by the EFG London Jazz Festival, reimagining the music of one of his great influences, Charles Mingus; performing as special guest soloist in Moscow’s Tchaikovsky Hall as part of Igor Butman’s Future of Jazz Festival; leading his trio at the 2018 Rochester International Jazz Festival as part of the ‘Made in the UK series; work for the British Arts Council in the Middle East, and two successful trips to Shanghai, China as a ‘Cultural Ambassador’ for Jazz at Lincoln Center.

Mark Lewandowski’s multiple recording credits occupy a diverse range of the jazz genre, ranging from such major artists as Joe Chambers (who Mark is featured on his 2023 Blue Note Records release ‘Dance Kobina’) to American cult composer and saxophonist John Zorn (with whom Mark is featured on his Tzadik release ‘The Book of Beriah’). Also closer to home in the U.K with the Leo Richardson Quartet, who’s record ‘The Chase’ was selected as one of the Sunday Times ‘Best 100 Albums of the Year’ in all genres.

2025 signaled Mark’s debut on Broadway as he performed at the legendary Winter Garden Theater in New York City as part of George Clooney’s Tony nominated play ‘Good Night and Good Luck’. Box office records were broken by this production which became the highest grossing show in Broadway History. Following a successful run of 99 shows, the play again made history as the first of its kind, streaming live on CNN to 7.34 million around the world.

As an educator, Lewandowski is on the faculty of the renowned Jackie McLean Institute of Jazz Studies at the University of Hartford, Connecticut. He has also had experience teaching in a number of major institutions including Torino Conservatory (Italy), Birmingham Conservatoire (U.K) and his position as ‘Professor of Bass Studies’ at the prestigious Hampton School. Mark has lead workshops in cultural exchange visits to China in-front of 2000 elementary school children. He also has worked for Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Jazz for Young People and Essentially Ellington programs in and around New York City.

Known for her lyrical and soulful playing, Juno Award-winning clarinetist Virginia MacDonald has established herself as a rising star of her generation. As a highly in-demand bandleader, sidewoman, and composer, Virginia keeps a regular performance schedule across Canada, the United States, and Europe. Virginia has performed at jazz festivals globally including performances at Detroit Jazz Festival, Festival de Jazz Primavera, Rochester Jazz Festival, Toronto Jazz Festival, and Montreal Jazz Festival, to name a few. Virginia has had the pleasure of performing abroad extensively in India, Germany, Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain, France, Italy, and the UK, and has performed at historic and prestigious venues including Koerner Hall, Ronnie Scott’s, Birdland, Bimhuis, Dizzy’s Club, Le Duc Des Lombards, Jazzclub Unterfahrt, and Smalls.

In 2020, Virginia was selected as the first-prize winner of the International Clarinetist Corona Competition; judges included Anat Cohen, Victor Goines, Ken Peplowski, and Doreen Ketchens. Virginia was recently chosen as one of three finalists for the Toronto Art Foundation’s 2024 Breakthrough Jazz Artist Award. In 2023, Virginia was selected to headline the International Clarinet Association’s 50th anniversary celebration at ClarinetFest in Denver, Colorado.

Virginia has recorded and performed with esteemed artists including Kirk Lightsey, Michael Dease, Ira Coleman, Dick Oatts, Harold Mabern, Geoffrey Keezer, Joe Magnarelli, Derrick Gardner, Bruce Barth, Rodney Whitaker, Xavier Davis, Quincy Davis, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Bill Cunliffe, Randy Napoleon, Jon Gordon, Kirk MacDonald, Pat Labarbera, Neil Swainson, and Terry Clarke. Virginia is a member of the Canadian Jazz Collective, a seven-piece ensemble comprised of award-winning and established Canadian jazz musicians. Virginia was featured on the Canadian Jazz Collective’s debut album “Septology”, which was nominated for a Juno Award for Jazz Album of the Year in 2024.

Virginia was featured on Caity Gyorgy’s 2022 Juno Award-winning album “Now Pronouncing” and her 2023 Juno Award-winning follow-up “Featuring”. Virginia has been a recent and frequent collaborator of Grammy Award-winning trombonist Michael Dease, and appeared on his 2023 album “The Other Shoe: The Music of Gregg Hill” and his 2024 release “Found in Space: The Music of Gregg Hill”. Virginia’s composition “Up High, Down Low” was featured on Michael Dease’s 2023 release “Swing Low”. Virginia has appeared on twenty-plus albums as a sidewoman.

Virginia’s debut album as a bandleader is set to be released in 2025 on Cellar Live, and features luminaries Geoffrey Keezer on piano and Ira Coleman on bass.

In addition to her busy performance schedule, Virginia is an in-demand educator and has led classes and workshops as a visiting artist at universities and post-secondary music programs internationally. She has given masterclasses at SF Conservatory of Music, Laval University, Université de Sherbrooke, McGill University, University of Manitoba, St. FX University, University of Toronto, VSO School of Music, the Global Music Institute, and the True School of Music.

Virginia is an endorsed artist for Buffet Crampon, Rovner Products, and D’addario Woodwinds.

Maria Marmarou is a graduate of Temple University, where she studied with Justin Faulkner and Steve Fidyk, earning both her undergraduate and graduate degrees. Maria has shared the stage with notable artists such as Joey DeFrancesco, Dick Oatts, Tim Warfield, Kurt Elling, Catharine Russell, Orrin Evans, Terell Stafford, Carmen Bradford and the Count Basie Orchestra, and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, among others. Her performances have taken her to prestigious venues including Dizzy’s Club Coca Cola, Jazz at Lincoln Center, and the Kimmel Center.

In 2023, Maria was honored with the Earl Hines Outstanding Musician Award at the Jack Rudin Collegiate Competition at JALC. In January 2024, she was selected to perform with the Sisters in Jazz Collegiate Jazz Combo at the 15th Annual JEN Conference in New Orleans, under the direction of Bria Skonberg. Maria is endorsed by Sabian Cymbals.

The recipient of five individual GRAMMY nominations and a prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship, Chuck Owen’s compositions have been performed widely; by the Netherlands’ Metropole Orch., WDR Big Band, Brussels Jazz Orch., Aarhus Big Band, Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orch. and numerous others. Chuck’s evocative and intensely personal work is steeped in the jazz tradition but draws liberally and playfully from a diverse array of influences.

Since 1995, Owen’s primary creative outlet has been his own 19-piece Jazz Surge. Conductor as well as primary composer/arranger, he has produced each of the Surge’s 7 highly feted CDs. Whispers On the Wind, released in 2017, was recognized with 4 GRAMMY Nominations while named #1 Big Band Album in the annual Jazz Station Awards. River Runs (2013), a stunning 5-movement genre-bending orchestral/big band hybrid and The Comet’s Tail (2009) also received GRAMMY nominations. Their most recent recording Within Us (2021) was celebrated with a sold-out performance at NY’s Birdland while multiple critics acclaimed it one of the year’s best jazz releases.

Retired from the University of South Florida where he taught for 40 years, Chuck was accorded the title of “Distinguished Professor Emeritus”. He continues to serve as President of ISJAC (International Society of Jazz Arrangers & Composers), an organization he helped found having formerly served as President of IAJE and panelist for the Pulitzer Prize in Music, the NEA, ASCAP, the Recording Academy, and numerous others.

Renderings, Chuck’s 2023 album project in collaboration with the renown WDR Big Band, received rave reviews worldwide, making the lists of several annual top 10 releases. Meanwhile, ReSurgence, his new septet featuring several members from the Jazz Surge along with the luminescent vocalist, Kate McGarry, have their first album, Magic Light, set to debut in Spring 2024 amidst a flurry of performances & tours.

As a trumpet player, composer and educator, Anthony Stanco is a rising talent in today’s music scene. Anthony’s brilliant trumpet style is exciting and demonstrates his understanding of the jazz tradition. Anthony is equally passionate as an educator and composer.

Anthony Stanco started playing trumpet in the fifth grade in the Fraser Public School System. His musical education was elevated when he joined the Detroit Symphony Civic Orchestra and Civic Jazz Orchestra under the direction of Marcus Belgrave and Rodney Whitaker. When Anthony was in high school, he established himself as a professional musician in the Detroit area. He performed as a leader at the 2006 Birmingham Jazz Festival with his quintet, as well as the 2007 Detroit Jazz Festival. Anthony was also selected as the top high school soloist during the 2007 Detroit Jazz Festival for his performance with the Fraser Jazz Ensemble.

After graduating from high school in 2007, Anthony was accepted at the prestigious Manhattan School of Music to pursue his bachelors in jazz performance and also studied privately with trumpet technician Laurie Frink. In 2014, he finished his graduate degree at Michigan State University where he had the chance to learn from jazz greats including Rodney Whitaker, Reginald Thomas, Michael Dease, and Etienne Charles.

Anthony’s professional work has consisted of concerts, workshops, and studio sessions. In 2008 Anthony recorded a live album with Manhattan School of Music Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra under the direction of Bobby Sanabria called Kenya Revisited LIVE! This record was nominated for a Latin Grammy. He has also recorded with renowned trombone player Michael Dease and has been featured on his latest CD entitled “Relentless”. Anthony has performed with world class musicians such as Winard Harper, Michael Feinstein, Tye Tribbett, and Aretha Franklin to name a few. In June 2013 Anthony took the 1st place prize in the International Trumpet Guild, Jazz soloist division. Anthony is also an established composer and has recently premiered his five-movement suite entitled Look up Hannah: A Suite for the Protester.

As an Educator, Anthony was privileged to start at a young age. He had his first private student when he was only twelve years old and continues to teach privately to students of all ages. At Manhattan School of Music, he was part of their outreach program, Music Arts-In-Education, and taught at various public schools in New York City. In 2011 he returned to the Civic Jazz Orchestra as a mentor and director of Civic Jazz Combo B. Anthony was also a graduate assistant in Jazz Studies at Michigan State University and also teaches at the MSU, Community Music School in Lansing, MI. He has also had the opportunity to teach at Ohio State University, Birch Creek Music Performance Center, Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, and many other music programs.

Currently, Anthony is proud to represent the government’s Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs. Anthony Stanco and The Crucial Elements have done two international tours with American Music Abroad. On tour they partake in cultural exchange, masterclasses, and live concerts.

Anthony has recently released his first record entitled The Crucial Elements. He produced the record himself and released it on his record label, AJS Records.

Hailed by major publications such as Stereophile Magazine as “Sencalar and Glassman sound like 21st century grandchildren of JJ Johnson and Kai Winding” and the International Trombone Associations Journal as “…In addition to both trombonists’ virtuosity, they perform with convincing melodic and harmonic mastery, meriting their solo work several listens.” Altin Sencalar remains in high demand across the country as a performer, educator, and composer.

Altin attended Texas State University where he studied with one of his first mentors, Freddie Mendoza. While attending Texas State University he was able to gain entrance in the thriving Austin music scene and began to emerge as a new talent. Altin then moved to Austin, TX where he attended the Butler School of Music at the University of Texas at Austin where he studied under the tutelage of Andre Hayward. He became a fixture to the Austin music scene after being named a “2017 top 10 Austin Music Awards horn player,” recording his debut album “Introducing Altin Sencalar” in Austin, TX, and becoming known as a top call trombonist in the area. After graduating from the Butler School of Music he was given the opportunity to travel with the University of Texas Jazz Orchestra as a soloist to the Montreaux Jazz Festival, North Sea Jazz festival, and Luxembourg Gardens in Paris, France. After graduation Altin, gained admittance to Michigan State University as the Graduate Assistant to Michael Dease and Rodney Whitaker in pursuit of his Master of Music degree in Jazz Studies. While at Michigan State University, Altin co-founded “The Sencalar/Glassman Quintet” who have been the recipients of over 3,000 dollars in funding from the East Lansing Cultural Arts FY19 Grant and the MSU Running Start grant. This grant gave the quintet the opportunity to tour all East Lansing elementary schools and use their knowledge of jazz to educate the younger generation in hopes for the students to have an artistic and creative outlet for students who may not be exposed to jazz music.

While pursuing higher education Altin also gained international and national recognition being granted honors and prizes for the American Trombone Workshop jazz solo divisions, International Trombone Association’s jazz solo Carl Fontana competition and J.J. Johnson competition, the Kai Winding trombone ensemble competition, Texas State Trombone Symposium Michael Rath jazz solo competition, Yamaha Young Performing Artist, Downbeat Student Music Awards, and International Tuba-Euphonium Association Rich Matteson Jazz Euphonium competition

Altin has performed, toured, and/or recorded with DeeDee Bridgewater, Rodney Whitaker, Xaiver Davis, Teri Lynn Carrington, Christian McBride, The Temptations, The Four Tops, The Velvalletes, Ne-Yo, Big Sean, Martha Reeves, Savion Glover, Ali Jackson, Steve Wilson, Rene Marie, Joe Jonas, Wayne Bergeron, Rick Margitza, Michael Dease, Hector Tricoche, Steve Davis, Conrad Herwig, Dave Taylor, Randy Napoleon, Andre Hayward, Diego Rivera, Etienne Charles, MSU Professors of Jazz, Brandee Younger, the Gathering Orchestra, Walter White, and many others

Altin holds a Bachelors in Music Performance from the University of Texas at Austin and a Masters in Music Performance in Jazz Studies from Michigan State University. He has held teaching positions at Michigan State University, Brevard Jazz Institute, The Dr.Phillips Center for the Performing Arts Summer Jazz Intensive, Jazz & Creative Institute, Central Texas College, and the University of Mary Hardin Baylor. Altin is a performing artist for Earasers Earplugs, Robinson’s Remedies, and was named a 2017 Yamaha Young Performing Artist. Altin is currently on the music faculty at the University of Mary Hardin Baylor as Adjunct Professor of Music where he is the Director of Jazz Ensembles and the Applied Trombone Instructor.

“Music is an expression of the soul and I always try to speak through my horn,” says Gregory Tardy. “I once heard an older musician say ‘it is better to be felt than to be heard’. I never forgot that. That is my approach to playing any style of music.”

Born into a musical family, Gregory Tardy began his musical career studying classical clarinet. In high school, Gregory excelled in music, winning many awards and scholarships offers. While studying with renowned clarinetists Russell Dagon and Jack Snavely, Tardy began preparing for a symphony career. Over time, he began to be asked to play saxophone, to fill in missing gaps in various ensembles. Although he never practiced the saxophone seriously, Tardy began getting calls to play local funk gigs in the Milwaukee area. At the prodding of his older brother, Tardy finally listened to the duo recording of John Coltrane and Thelonious Monk playing “Monk’s Mood”, and then immediately determined to be a jazz musician.

His passion for the saxophone took over his studies and soon his clarinet was gathering dust. At this time, he moved to St. Louis and after a year of performing on the jazz and blues scene, he decided to move back to his birthplace, New Orleans, in order to focus his jazz studies even further. “This proved to be great move”, Tardy says. “ There were all of these outstanding players down there-many of which went on to be well known, like Nicholas Payton, Brian Blade, Victor Goines, Mark Turner, Delfeayo and Jason Marsalis and far too many others to mention. Many, like I, came to study with Ellis Marsalis; some were just hanging out. It was there that I really started to get my playing together.” While in New Orleans, Tardy also played with some of the local brass bands, did some gigging with the Neville Brothers, Allen Toussaint, and groups of all styles. But he never stopped pursuing jazz.

In 1992, Tardy recorded his first solo project, Crazy Love. 1992 is also the year that he was picked up by Elvin Jones Jazz Machine, a relationship that lasted several years. During the time with the legendary Elvin Jones, Tardy felt that it was finally time to move to the Big Apple. In New York, he went on to perform and record with an extremely large array of prominent artists including: Tom Harrell, Dave Douglas, Wynton Marsalis, Jay McShann, Steve Coleman, Betty Carter, James Moody, Bill Frisell, Rashied Ali, John Patitucci, and many more. In 1999, Tardy began to play in various bands led by the great Andrew Hill; a relationship that lasted many years and produced several highly acclaimed recordings. He has also performed and/or recorded alongside many other notable saxophonists, such as Joe Lovano, Mark Turner, Chris Potter, Dewey Redman, Ravi Coltrane, and many others. In more recent years, Tardy has gone full circle, bringing his clarinet out of retirement, using it on recordings by Tom Harrell, Ohad Talmor/Steve Swallow, Stefon Harris, Chris Potter, and Andrew Hill.

“In my band, I try to explore new things, although I usually keep the tradition in the back of my head, as well. I really respect the tradition…but I try not to let it stop me from going for stuff that I hear. I also respect what’s going on now, in jazz-and it influences me.” In March 1998, Tardy’s first major label project as a leader, Serendipity, was released on Impulse Records. He received great critical acclaim for this record and was nominated as Best Debut Artist for the New York Jazz Awards. In the fall he toured Europe on the Rising Stars Tour and when he returned he began to plan his next record. A casualty of the merger of Verve and GRP, he decided to record for a smaller label, J Curve Records. His third album, The Hidden Light, was released in April 2000 to rave reviews. In 2001, Tardy explored freer elements of jazz on a CD entitled, Abundance. Recorded on the Palmetto label, this CD also received much critical acclaim. Four years later, Tardy began recording for the Steeplechase label. His releases to date are: The Truth, Steps of Faith, He Knows My Name, The Strongest Love, Monuments, Standards & More, Hope, With Songs of Joy, and Chasing After the Wind. He recently recorded a duo project with BIll Frisell which will be released in 2019 on vinyl for the Newvelle Records Label. Tardy continues to perform internationally as well as teach at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville.

“When I listened to jazz over 20 years ago, it put me on a journey to learn, explore and create in the style. And the beauty of the genre is that you can spend a lifetime learning, growing and exploring and it never gets boring.” All About Jazz sums up Tardy’s career so far by writing, “Tardy already has his own voice and is on track to help write the next chapter in jazz history. This is exactly what more and more potential jazz listeners should be hearing.”

Internationally renowned bassist and Mack Avenue recording artist, Rodney Whitaker, currently holds the titles of Professor of Jazz Bass and Director of Jazz Studies at Michigan State University where he has built one of the leading jazz degree programs and performing faculty in the United States of America. He is also the Artistic Director of the Michigan State University Professors of Jazz, former Artistic Advisor of Jazz @ Wharton Center, Director of Detroit Symphony Orchestra’s Civic Jazz Orchestra and a member of the Jazz @ Lincoln Center Orchestra. Whitaker received his first national recognition performing with the Harrison/Blanchard Quintet.

Building on his Detroit roots and enormous talent, Whitaker went on to earn an international reputation as one of the world’s finest jazz double bass performer. He completed a seven-year tenure as bassist with Wynton Marsalis’ Septet and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra. He has toured the world over the last twenty-five years, collaborating and performing with legendary jazz artists such as Jimmy Heath, Eric Reed, Cyrus Chestnut, Vanessa Rubin, Kathleen Battle, Dianne Reeves, Cassandra Wilson, Diana Krall, Jon Faddis, Donald Harrison, Terence Blanchard, Rodney Jones, Wycliffe Gordon, Kenny Burrell, Bob James, Benny Golson, Regina Carter, Pat Matheny, Nicholas Payton, Jimmy Cobb, Joshua Redman, Stephon Harris, Johnny O’Neal, Marcus Belgrave, James Carter, Steve Turre, Claudio Roditi, Junko Onishi, Harry Allen, Ronnie Matthews, Chick Corea, Kenny Garrett, Kevin Mahogany, Ingrid Jensen, Barry Harris, Ron Blake, Jeff Clayton, Dana Hall, Gerald Wilson, Sean Jones, Niki Harris, Wessell Anderson, Don Vappie, Johnny O’Neal, Cedar Walton, Renee Rosnes, Randy Brecker, Rickey Woodard, Bobby Shew, Gary Smulyan, Joe LaBarbera, Randy Napolean, Peter Martin, Nnenna Freelon, Donald Byrd, Branford Marsalis, Greg Hutchinson, Carl Allen, Herlin Riley, Jeff “Tain” Watts, Terrell Stafford, Tim Warfield, Bruce Barth, Jon Carl Hendricks, Roy Hargrove, the late greats: Dizzy Gelispie, Mulgrew Miller, Tommy Flanagan, John Lewis, Marian McPartland, Donald Walden, Joe Henderson, Hank Jones, Frank Morgan and Betty ‘Bebop’ Carter as well as performing with leading symphony orchestras world-wide.

A proven and committed jazz educator, Whitaker has presented numerous master classes across the nation at locations such as Duke University, Howard University, University of Iowa, University of Michigan, Barbican in London, the New School (NY), Lincoln Center, and the Detroit International Jazz Festival. In addition, he is a consultant with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra in the development of the jazz education department, and has served on the faculties of University of Michigan and Juilliard Institute of Jazz.

New York–based drummer and Grammy nominee Matt Wilson is one of today’s most celebrated jazz artists. He is universally recognized for his musical and melodic drumming style as well as being a gifted composer, bandleader, producer, and teaching artist. His positive energy, sense of humor, and ability to explore a broad range of musical settings keeps him in constant demand. In addition, Wilson’s dedication to jazz has helped establish him as a beloved world ambassador for the music, on and off the bandstand.

Wilson leads the Matt Wilson Quartet, Arts and Crafts, Christmas Tree-O, and the Carl Sandburg Project. He is an integral part of bands led by Joe Lovano, John Scofield, Charlie Haden, Lee Konitz, Bob Stewart, Denny Zeitlin, Ron Miles, Marty Ehrlich, Ted Nash, Jane Ira Bloom, and Dena DeRose, among others. He has performed with many legends of music, including Herbie Hancock, Dewey Redman, Andrew Hill, Bobby Hutcherson, Elvis Costello, Cedar Walton, Kenny Barron, John Zorn, Marshall Allen, Wynton Marsalis, Michael Brecker, Pat Metheny, Bill Frisell, and Hank Jones. Wilson has appeared on 250 CDs as a sideman, released nine as a leader for Palmetto Records, and been co-lead on five additional releases.

Driessen has never taken the standard path in his music career. Described by Zac Brown as “a mad scientist with a five-string fiddle,” the GRAMMY-nominated fiddle player loves to experiment, collaborate, teach, travel, and expand boundaries.

Currently, that means pouring himself into Otherlands: A Global Music Exploration. Produced, performed, recorded and filmed by Driessen, Otherlands is a travelogue of on-location recordings, short films, and essays documenting musical collaborations through Spain, Ireland, Scotland, India, Japan, Finland, Italy, Slovakia, and Czechia. Driessen undertook this nearly year-long journey with his family, and the results are a 27-episode video series, a 13-song recording of collaborations titled Otherlands:ONE, stories from each encounter, and hundreds of photos.

In the fall of 2024, Driessen will launch the Blue Ridge Fiddle Camp at the Brevard Music Center in Brevard, North Carolina. For fiddlers & violinists of all styles, this immersive four-day experience celebrates the crafting of one’s musical voice through the exploration of style, rhythm, and technology under the guidance of a world-class faculty. Embracing both tradition and innovation, the camp invites all adventurous and open-minded players of the instrument to come together and shape the future of bowed string playing.

Before setting off on his Otherlands adventure, Driessen spent four years as Program Director of the Contemporary Performance (Production Concentration) master’s degree at Berklee College of Music’s first international campus in Valencia, Spain. While working in Valencia, Casey released The Chop Notation Project. Created in partnership with Spanish violinist Oriol Saña, this free resource creates standardized music notation to read and write the percussive bowed string technique known as chopping.

Over the past 15 years, Driessen has released four solo records and toured as a one-man live looping show called The Singularity; collaborated with Béla Fleck, Bassekou Kouyate, Abigail Washburn, Raghu Dixit, Jerry Douglas, Steve Earle and others; produced and engineered records; teched, managed stages, tours, and merch; and travelled the world playing music in 22 countries on four continents and counting…all while wearing red shoes.

Just in case you aren’t familiar with Béla Fleck, there are some who say he’s the world’s premier banjo player.  Others claim that Béla has virtually reinvented the image and the sound of the banjo through a remarkable performing and recording career that has taken him all over the musical map and on a range of solo projects and collaborations.  If you are familiar with Béla, you know that he just loves to play the banjo, and put it into unique settings.

The 15-time Grammy Award winner has been nominated in more categories than any other instrumentalist in Grammy history, and remains a powerfully creative force globally in bluegrass, jazz, classical pop, rock and world beat.  Most recently, Béla and his wife Abigail Washburn took home the 2016 Grammy for Best Folk Album. Echo In The Valley is their newest release.

These days, Fleck bounces between various intriguing touring situations:  he performs his banjo concertos with symphony orchestras worldwide, collaborates in a duo with Chick Coreaand a trio with Zakir Hussain and Edgar Meyer.  He performs in concert with the Brooklyn Rider string quartet, in banjo duet with Abigail Washburn, banjo and mandolin duet with Chris Thile, and occasionally back to bluegrass with his old friends Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, Stuart Duncan, Bryan Sutton and others.  He has collaborated with African artists such as Oumou Sangare and Toumani Diabate, in a jazz setting with The Marcus Roberts Trio, and don’t forget – with Béla Fleck and the Flecktones, who continue to perform together 25 years after the band’s inception.   Béla has recently accepted a commission to create his third concerto, which will premiere in 2018.

In the mid 1980’s Béla released Banjo Picking Styles, a series of 6 tapes and a video which contained the essential building blocks of his style up to that date. Since then, he’s been very busy learning, composing and performing; he had literally has had no time to build a teaching component into his career.

With Blue Ridge Banjo Camp, his intention is to address that, and begin to teach the things that he has learned, while also creating a meeting place for banjoists to share ideas, and their love of the banjo.

Bryan Sutton is the most accomplished and awarded acoustic guitarist of his generation, an innovator who bridges the bluegrass flatpicking traditions of the 20th century with the dynamic roots music scene of the 21st. His rise from buzzed-about young sideman to first-call Nashville session musician to membership in one of history’s greatest bluegrass bands has been grounded in quiet professionalism and ever-expanding musicianship.

Sutton is a Grammy Award winner and a nine-time International Bluegrass Music Association Guitar Player of the Year. But these are only the most visible signs of Sutton’s accomplishments. He inherited and internalized a technically demanding instrumental style and become for young musicians of today the same kind of model and hero that Tony Rice and Clarence White were for him. And supplementing his instrumental work, he’s now a band leader, record producer, mentor, educator and leader in online music instruction.

Sutton was born in 1973 in Asheville, NC, an area rich in bluegrass and mountain music that he’s called an ideal environment to develop as a musician. His grandfather and father played together in a band, modeling a life in music for Bryan, who picked up the guitar at age eight. He participated in community and family jams and was encouraged but never pressured to practice. He just did. His self motivation helped him get familiar with a range of styles, and he studied some jazz guitar in North Carolina. His plans to attend the Berklee College of Music were however set aside by invitations to record as a sideman.

Sutton relocated to Nashville in 1994 to play sessions and over a year and a half built his resume and relationships. Then a studio-born friendship with bass player Mark Fain led to the job that would thrust him to prominence – playing guitar for star artist and musician Ricky Skaggs just as he reconfigured his band and his musical orientation from country to bluegrass. Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder was one of the very top bands of the 1990s resurgence of bluegrass music, and even in a large, loud band with three guitarists, Sutton’s punctuated, dynamic and whip-fast lead playing stood out. He was called a phenomenon and a virtuoso and the future of bluegrass guitar, something Sutton took in quiet stride.

After about three years with Skaggs, Sutton started a family and refocused on Nashville’s studios, where he rather quickly became the most called-upon acoustic guitarist in town. Today his discography reads like a roll call of Nashville’s last two decades, with credits on albums by Garth Brooks, Taylor Swift, Blake Shelton, Eric Church, Brad Paisley, Carrie Underwood and many more. Major commercial country sessions can leave a virtuoso in the background, but Sutton was also called on to play a prominent role in some of the most significant recording projects in modern day bluegrass and acoustic music, including Dolly Parton’s Grammy-winning The Grass Is Blue, Dierks Bentley’s Up On The Ridge, Charlie Haden’s Rambling Boy and The Dixie Chicks’ groundbreaking Home album. During these years, he also supported numerous recordings by leading traditional and Americana artists, including The Chieftains, Patty Loveless, Rhonda Vincent, Mindy Smith, Jim Lauderdale, Adam Steffey and Dailey & Vincent.

Sutton took selective advantage of invitations to play live in the 2000s, the most meaningful being a tour supporting banjo player Béla Fleck’s Tales From The Acoustic Planet album. It was a last minute call to replace an injured Tony Rice – a chance to perform with the most elite group of progressive bluegrass musicians in the world, instrumentalists whom Sutton had idolized for years: mandolinist Sam Bush, dobro player Jerry Douglas and fiddler Stuart Duncan. That group has solidified over the years into a glorified “house band” and arguably the biggest annual draw at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival.

Starting just before 2000, Sutton kicked off his career as a solo recording artist, assembling a star-studded band for his debut Ready To Go on Sugar Hill Records. Besides some original bluegrass instrumentals and some guest vocal tunes by the likes of Rhonda Vincent, the album featured two hot swing numbers, some lyrical pieces and even a U2 cover, showing sides of his playing and personality that were in the background during his tenure with Ricky Skaggs. On his second solo disc, Sutton turned back to his upbringing and his heart’s core for Bluegrass Guitar, featuring nine traditional standards, one original and an instrumental take on a Tim O’Brien song. Here, Sutton’s debts to his idols – Rice, Watson, White – were clear, but his own voice and style was fully realized. And then in 2006, he took his admiration for his fellow pickers to its logical conclusion, arranging duo sessions with favorites and friends for Not Too Far From The Tree. He was joined on a range of styles and tunes by David Grier, Norman Blake, Ricky Skaggs, Tony Rice, Earl Scruggs, Dan Crary and Doc Watson.

The latter’s track, a take on the venerable “Whiskey Before Breakfast,” won the Grammy Award of 2007 for Best Country Instrumental Performance. Every bluegrass guitarist reveres Doc Watson, but for Sutton, their shared North Carolina roots made the validation that much deeper. Even coming amid a string of nine IBMA awards, this was a career highlight that cemented Sutton’s name next to Doc’s, and in his field there’s no higher honor.

The most recent major chapter of Sutton’s career had its seeds planted more than a decade ago when a call came from banjo star Peter Wernick. The legendary Colorado bluegrass band Hot Rize was taking on infrequent reunion shows. Wernick, Tim O’Brien and Nick Forster asked Sutton to fill the guitar chair of the late Charles Sawtelle. Then about 2012 they decided to release a new album, tour harder and make Sutton a formal member of the group. In 2015 Hot Rize was nominated for two IBMA Awards including album and entertainers of the year. Fans from coast to coast and especially Colorado were thrilled to have this favorite 1980s era band back with the best guitarist in the business tossing out well wrought solos, as well as playing the deadpan role of Slade in Hot Rize’s alter ego band, Red Knuckles and the Trailblazers.

In recent years, Sutton has broadened his musical and professional reach. He has at last formed his own Bryan Sutton Band with wider ambitions to tour and record albums with live performance more centrally in mind. He’s produced several artists, notably the upstart all-female bluegrass band from Boston Della Mae. And he’s become the guitar instructor at the innovative ArtistWorks.com video exchange learning site. Here Sutton is not only recording lessons for one-way instruction; he receives and critiques videos from students, engaging them individually from hundreds or thousands of miles away.

Accepting his most recent IBMA Award in 2015, Sutton focused his speech not on the people who’d helped him along the way (he’d done so amply in prior years) but rather on alerting the audience to a dozen or more young and emerging bluegrass guitar players who were worthy of attention. It was a gesture of magnanimity and humility that only bolstered the central role Sutton has secured in the history of the bluegrass guitar.