Who has Played at The Ballroom

Blanco Performing Arts strives to bring compelling, engaging performers to the hill country. There have been many wonderful performers over the years, some famous, some waiting to be discovered, all fabulous. 

​Internationally recognized as one of the world's finest quartets, the American String Quartet has spent decades honing the luxurious sound for which it is famous. The Quartet will celebrate its 45th anniversary in 2019, and, in its years of touring, has performed in all fifty states and has appeared in the most important concert halls worldwide.

The  group ’s presentations of the complete quartets of Beethoven, Schubert, Schoenberg, Bartók, and Mozart have won widespread critical acclaim, and their MusicMasters Complete Mozart String Quartets, performed on a matched quartet set of instruments by Stradivarius, are widely considered to  have set the standard for this repertoire. 

The Quartet’s 2018-19 season features additional performances of their major project together with the National Book Award-winning author Phil Klay and the poet Tom Sleigh, which offers a groundbreaking program combining music and readings that examines the effects of war on people, their hearts, and their minds. The Quartet will also collaborate again with the renowned author Salman Rushdie in a work for narrator and quartet by the film composer Paul Cantelon built around Rushdie’s novel The Enchantress of Florence. These tremendously imaginative projects cement the American String Quartet’s reputation as one of the most adventurous and fearless string quartets performing today, as comfortable with the groundbreaking as with the traditional.

The Quartet's diverse activities  have  also included numerous international radio and television broadcasts, including a recent recording for the BBC; tours of Asia; and performances with the  New  York City Ballet, the Montreal Symphony, and the Philadelphia Orchestra. Recent highlights include performances of an  all -sextet program with Roberto and Andrès  D íaz, many tours of South America, and performances of the complete Beethoven cycle of string quartets at the Cervantes Festival in Mexico and the Tel Aviv Museum in Israel. 

The American’s additional extensive discography can be heard on the Albany, CRI, MusicMasters, Musical Heritage Society, Nonesuch, and RCA labels. Most recently the  group  released "Schubert's Echo," which pairs Schubert's monumental  last  quartet with works bearing its influence by Second Viennese masters Alban Berg and Anton Webern. This repertoire posits that the creative line from the First to the Second Viennese Schools is continuous – and evident when these works are heard in the context of each other.  

As champions of  new  music, the American has given numerous premieres, including George Tsontakis’s 2015 Quartet No. 7.5, “Maverick,” Richard Danielpour's Quartet No. 4, and Curt Cacioppo's a distant voice calling. The premiere of Robert Sirota’s American Pilgrimage took place in September 2016, and will be performed around the U.S. in the cities the work celebrates. In January 2009 the Quartet premièred Tobias Picker’s String Quartet No. 2 in  New  York City in celebration of the 90th anniversary of the Manhattan School of Music. 

Formed when its original members were students at The Juilliard School, the American String Quartet’s career began with the  group  winning both the Coleman Competition and the Naumburg Award in the same year. Resident quartet at the Aspen Music Festival since 1974 and at the Manhattan School of Music in  New  York since 1984, the American has also served as resident quartet at the Taos School of Music, the Peabody Conservatory, and the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition.

The Argenta Trio is the world-class piano trio-in-residence at University of Nevada Reno. Depending on how you count, 2012 was the 25th anniversary of the Argenta Trio, acquiring its silvery moniker in 1987. Or we can go back to the trio’s inception as “The UNR Piano Trio” in 1962 and extol its 50-year heritage of exemplary music making.

The trio, like all great ensembles, has seen personnel changes over the intervening years. The current line up of violinist Stephanie Sant’Ambrogio, cellist Dmitri Atapine and pianist James Winn came together in 2009 with the addition of Mr. Atapine. Ms. Sant’Ambrogio joined the trio in 2007 when John Lenz was the cellist. Jim Winn is the anchor member having joined Argenta in 1997..... 

Elaine Barber began playing the harp at the age of ten, and began playing professionally in her native Mississippi four years later. She earned her MM in harp performance at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music, studying with Beatrice Rose. Ms. Barber is Principal Harpist for Austin Symphony, and a regular guest with San Antonio Symphony.​

Also an early music specialist, she plays renaisssance and early baroque music with Texas Early Music Project and Austin Baroque Orchestra. She has been a featured soloist at the American Harp Society National Conference, and with Mozart Festival Texas, Austin Symphony, Louisiana Philharmonic, Mississippi Symphony, Shepherd Symphony, and Metropolitan Chamber Orchestra. She performs regularly as harpist for the Allegro Chamber Trio along with flutist Megan Meisenbach and violist Bruce Williams. As an orchestral musician she has performed with Austin Opera, Spoleto USA, Houston Symphony, Memphis Symphony, Alabama Symphony, Mississippi Symphony and Mississippi Opera. 

She has performed with Ray Charles and Renee Fleming, for the King of Norway and the Governor of Mississippi, on movie and video game soundtracks and children’s TV shows. She plays chamber music in Central Texas for Mason Chamber Music Festival, Austin Chamber Music Center, REVEL, Musical Offerings, Cactus Pear Music Festival, and Trio Copine. She has recorded for the Naxos, Nonesuch and Matador labels, and has premiered solo and chamber works by Gordon Jones, James Sclater, Peter Stopschinski, P. Kellach Waddle and Charles Rochester Young.

Ms. Barber maintains a private teaching studio in Austin and has been on the faculty of Mississippi College, Sewanee Summer Music Festival, Austin Chamber Music Center, University of Texas Harp Camp, and Abilene Summer Music Festival.....

Martha Carapetyan grew up in a musical family. There were always rehearsals and concerts to attend and her love of music grew from those early years. In high school, she was accepted into the prestigious Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan and learned the art of practice and performance from many great musical masters. Her studies took her to North Texas State University and Indiana University to earn her Bachelor and Master of Music degrees, respectively. Her most significant passion, other than raising her children, has been to spend her life as a professional violist and teacher.

Martha’s symphonic career began after she won a position in the New World Symphony in Miami, the nation’s most distinguished training orchestra. Over the last three decades, Martha has had the good fortune to be able to perform with the Houston and San Antonio Symphonies, as well as the Austin Opera (formerly the Austin Lyric Opera). She is currently a tenured member of the Austin Symphony and spends the rest of her time engaging students in her viola studio.

Martha co-founded the Central Texas Viola Society, a chapter of the American Viola Society and has helped organize many events in the areas of both teaching and performing. Her extensive teaching background ranges from beginning level orchestral students at the Austin Waldorf School to adjunct lecturer in viola at Baylor University.

Eager to share her love of good viola playing with high school students, Martha co-founded the Austin Viola Workshop with Dr. Ames Asbell. The Workshop is a weekly class which explores fundamentals of viola playing, viola repertoire and the ever-expanding literature for viola ensembles, all in a collegial and supportive atmosphere.

It is important for Martha to impress upon her students the importance of mastering the viola repertoire and doing so in a way which promotes comfort and wellness for the whole musician. She is always seeking to deepen her knowledge of healthy movement and good physical habits, whether through Alexander Technique, The Feldenkrais Method, yoga, or any other disciplines which have as their basis good use and posture.

In reviewing pianist Scott Cuellar’s debut recital at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, David LaMarche of the New York Concert Review described Mr. Cuellar’s performance as “virtuosic in scope and expression, like a great man of the theater,” and praised his “ability to illuminate both the external structure and the emotional core of the work he plays.”

He has been described by Cleveland Classical as possessing “nerves of steel, a formidable technique, and an architect’s understanding of structure,” and the Lima News lauded his “poignant sensitivity to the expressive demands of the music that far surpasses his years."
Mr. Cuellar won the gold medal at the 2016 San Antonio International Piano Competition, where he also received prizes for the best performance of both a Romantic work (Schumann’s Humoreske), as well as of a Russian work (Prokofiev’s 4th Sonata). He was the 1st place winner in the solo division of the 2013 Virginia Waring International Piano Competition, where he also took 2nd place in the concerto division, and was the winner of the Krenek Prize for the best performance of a sonata by Ernst Krenek. Additionally, he was the 3rd place winner of the 2016  New  Orleans International Piano Competition, the winner of both the Rice and Oberlin concerto competitions, and was a semifinalist in the 2015 Honens Piano Competition.

He has given solo recitals at major venues around the world, including Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, Vienna’s Konzerthaus and Bösendorfersaal, the Newport Music Festival, the Shenyang Conservatory of Music in the People’s Republic of China and as a guest recitalist at Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music. He has performed in solo and collaborative settings at major venues including the Kennedy Center, the Sede Histórica of Peru’s Conservatorio Nacional de Música in Lima, Minneapolis’s Orchestra Hall,  New  York’s Merkin Hall, Calgary’s Jack Singer Concert Hall, and the Greene Space of WQXR  New  York. He has appeared as a soloist with the Louisiana Philharmonic, the Rochester Symphony Orchestra, the Shepherd School Symphony Orchestra, the Oberlin Orchestra, the Lima Symphony Orchestra, and several others.

Mr. Cuellar has performed with  artists  such as violinists Cho-Liang Lin, Aloysia Friedmann, and Stephanie Sant’Ambrogio, violist Hsin-Yun Huang, soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian, and clarinetist James Campbell. He has performed at the Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival, and this summer will perform at La Jolla’s Summerfest, as well as the Cactus Pear Chamber Music Festival. He has been heard on WQXR in  New  York, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Houston Public Media, and WGTE Toledo.
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Mr. Cuellar holds a Master of Music from the Juilliard School, where he studied with Julian Martin, and holds a Bachelor of Music from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, where he studied with Alvin Chow. During his time at Oberlin, he won three of the largest prizes offered to pianists: the Oberlin Concerto Competition, the Arthur Dann Competition, and the John Elvin Prize for Juniors. Mr. Cuellar is completing his Doctor of Musical Arts at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University, where he studies with Jon Kimura Parker.

Oboist Ian Davidson has appeared as soloist and chamber musician on five continents. His many international concerts have taken him to Italy, England, Russia, Brazil, Argentina, Scotland, Austria, Slovakia, Poland, The People’s Republic of China, Hungary, Czech Republic, and the Republic of South Africa. He is Associate Principal Oboe of the Austin Symphony Orchestra, Assistant Principal Oboe of the Austin Lyric Opera Orchestra and Solo English Horn of the Bear Valley Music Festival.

Other engagements include stints as Principal Oboe of the Dallas Bach Orchestra and the Austin Sinfonietta as well as Assistant Principal /Utility Oboe of the Santa Fe Opera Orchestra and Co-Principal Oboe of the Dallas Chamber Orchestra.

Concerto appearances include the Dallas Bach Orchestra, the Austin Chamber Orchestra, the Austin Sinfonietta, Dallas Chamber Orchestra, the Laredo Philharmonic, Chamber Soloists of Austin, Balcones Chamber Orchestra, and the Bear Valley Symphony Orchestra.

International recitals and residencies include the Moscow Conservatory of Music, Hong Kong Baptist University, the University of Silesia, Trinity College of Music in London, the Institute of Culture in St. Petersburg, the University of Piui in Brazil, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University in South Africa, and the State Conservatory of Music in Bratislava.

His festival appearances in the Aspen Music Festival, the Victoria Bach Festival, the Grand Teton Music Festival, Spoleto Festival USA, Bear Valley Music Festival, Mendocino Music Festival, Festivale da Musica Camera, and the Festivale dei due Mondi.

Dr. Davidson is a founding member of the Wild Basin Winds, an Austin-based national woodwind quintet that has performed in such locations as the Kennedy Center and the Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires, and has commissioned, recorded, and premiered dozens of new works.

His recordings include numerous television commercials, pop music recordings, the movie “Spy Kids II”, and four recordings with the Wild Basin Winds - “Christmas”, “High-Wood”, “Three for Three”, and “Ferdinand the Bull” - all available on iTunes.

Recognized for outstanding contributions in teaching, service and scholarly/creative activity, he has received twelve Presidential Award Nominations, been twice named “Favorite Professor” by the Alpha Chi Honor Society, was the first performer invited to present the Dean’s Seminar, the first faculty member from the School of Music elected to the TSU Faculty Senate, and in 2003 was nominated by the Austin Critics Round Table as “Best Instrumental Soloist” for his work with the Chamber Soloists of Austin, performing the Complete Brandenburg Concertos of J.S. Bach.

A two-time college nominee, Dr. Davidson was awarded the Presidential Award for Outstanding Scholarly / Creative Activities in 1999.

Dr. Davidson holds degrees from DePauw University and the University of Texas and is Professor of Music at Texas State University, where he teaches oboe and humanities.

Recognized as a truly important pianist of his generation who continues to captivate audiences at home and abroad, James Dick brings keyboard sonorities of mesmerizing brilliance to performances that radiate intellectual insight and emotional authenticity. 

A student of the renowned Dalies Frantz and Sir Clifford Curzon, Dick's early triumphs as top prizewinner in international competitions were a mere prelude to an eminent career highlighted by acclaimed performances in the world's premier concert halls. Dick performs nationally and internationally with major orchestras under the baton of distinguished conductors. He has been guest soloist with well-known chamber music ensembles. He has judged the international Tchaikovsky and Cliburn competitions. Dick has commissioned and premiered original compositions. A passionate supporter of arts education, in 1971 he established the Round Top Festival Institute, among the most distinguished educational projects in the United States, where young musicians develop skills in solo, chamber and orchestral repertoire. He received the honor of being named Officier des Arts et Lettres by the French Minister of Culture in 2012, and was named Texas State Musician in 2003. In 2009, Dick received the Texas Medal of Arts in Arts Education as well as the University of Texas Distinguished Alumnus Award.

Hailed by The Strad as “an impressive protagonist proclaiming a magnetic, outgoing personality, a lustrous, vibrant tone, and excellent intonation,” violist Susan Dubois is considered one of the leading young artist-teachers of viola today. From New York’s Carnegie Hall to Argentina’s Teatro Colón, Dubois has won the hearts of audiences worldwide with her commanding and persuasive performances.

Chosen as the sole viola winner of Artist International’s 23rd Annual Auditions, Dubois was presented in her solo New York Recital Debut at Carnegie Recital Hall. She also was selected as a prizewinner and recitalist at the Lionel Tertis International Viola Competition in the United Kingdom. As a member of the jury, Dubois has judged major competitions such as the Corpus Christi International Competition for Piano and Strings, and the Primrose International Viola Competition. 

Dubois holds a Bachelor of Music degree, magna cum laude, and Master of Music degree from the University of Southern California where she studied with Donald McInnes. A former teaching assistant of Karen Tuttle at The Juilliard School, Dubois earned the Doctor of Musical Arts degree and was awarded the William Schuman Prize for outstanding achievement and leadership in Music.

Acclaimed by the Salt Lake Tribune as, “marrying unimpeachable technical skill with a persuasive and perceptive voice,” violinist Kathryn Eberle is the Associate Concertmaster of the Utah Symphony. Ms. Eberle has also served as Guest Concertmaster with the Richmond and Omaha Symphonies in addition to performing frequently with the St. Louis Symphony.

Eberle performs annually as soloist with the Utah Symphony. She made her solo subscription series debut with the Utah Symphony in April 2014 performing Leonard Bernstein’s Serenade. During the 2018/19 season, Eberle performs Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 with flutist Mercedes Smith and harpsichordist Jeannette Sorrell, Schnittke’s Moz-Art a la Haydn with violinist Claude Halter as well as the Dvorak and Beethoven Romances. In the 2019/2020 season she will perform Edgar Meyer’s Violin Concerto with the USO. Other solo appearances include appearances with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Louisville Orchestra, the Nashville Symphony, the National Academy Orchestra of Canada, and the Bahia Symphony in Brazil.

An avid chamber musician, Ms. Eberle has collaborated with such artists as Edgar Meyer, Jaime Laredo, Arnold Steinhardt, Ricardo Morales, and members of the New York Philharmonic. Her festival appearances include Aspen, Banff, Yellow Barn, Encore School for Strings, Missillac, Sewanee, Laguna Beach, Fairbanks Summer Arts, Innsbrook and Festival Mozaic. She is a frequent performer on the Nova Chamber Music Series in Salt Lake City and recently presented a complete cycle of the Beethoven Violin Sonatas with pianist Jason Hardink on Nova’s inaugural Gallery Series. Hardink and Eberle were also featured in a critically acclaimed production of The Kreutzer Sonata, a unique collaboration with Plan B Theater Company.

A committed pedagogue, Ms. Eberle is on the faculty of Utah State University teaching the Orchestra Excerpts Seminar. She has given numerous master classes including guest appearances at Vanderbilt University, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Dixie State University, Brigham Young University and the Sewanee Summer Music Festival.

Ms. Eberle received a Master’s Degree from The Juilliard School studying with Sylvia Rosenberg. She previously studied with Robert Lipsett both at the Colburn School and the University of Southern California where she received the String Department and Symphony awards upon graduation. Ms. Eberle performs on a J.B. Vuillaume violin made in 1870.

Maimy Fong, pianist & vocal coach, has played everywhere from Weill Hall at Carnegie, to Dell Hall at the Long Center. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in piano with a concentration in vocal accompanying from the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California. She also completed Master’s and Doctoral degrees in piano performance at the University of Texas at Austin School of Music.

She has worked for the Des Moines Metro Opera, Austin Lyric Opera, and El Paso Opera. She has been with CYC since its inception in 2005. In Austin, she maintains an active schedule as a freelance pianist, teacher, and coach. In 2009, she helped co-found and is now artistic director of the “Feed Your Soul” Music Series at Dell Children’s Medical Center.

Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Laura Fraticelli studied with Walter Ujaldón and Eduardo Fernández. The love for music gave her the courage to emigrate to Europe where she continued her studies at the Royal College of Music in London and then later at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague where she was accepted in the class of the rename guitarist Zoran Dukic.

She has been praised for her beautiful tone and passionate interpretations. "When Laura plays the guitar it sounds as if the strings are made of velvet. Exquisite and sensitive, yet distinct" (Vimmerby Tidning, Sweden)

Ohio native Keira Fullerton began her musical training at age three. After moving to Toronto, Ontario in 1991, she continued her studies at the Royal Conservatory of Music and appeared as soloist with the Toronto Symphony in 2000 as winner of the TSYO concerto competition. Ms. Fullerton earned her Bachelor’s Degree in 2003 from Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music studying with Desmond Hoebig and in 2005 completed her Master of Music degree with Stephen Geber at the Cleveland Institute of Music.

She has attended many summer festivals, including the Tanglewood Music Center, Aspen and Sarasota Music Festivals, and Spoleto U.S.A., as well as performing in the Crested Butte Music Festival and the Colorado Music Festival. 

Before joining the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra cello section as Assistant Principal in 2008, Ms. Fullerton was Assistant Principal cellist of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra in Winnipeg, Manitoba for three seasons. From 2012-2014, she served as Acting Associate Principal of the FWSO. Ms. Fullerton has performed multiple times with the Houston Symphony, the Seattle Symphony, and the Pittsburgh Symphony, as well as performing as acting principal of the Canton Symphony in Ohio and as guest principal of both the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra and the Waco Symphony.  She has been featured in several chamber music series in Winnipeg, Fort Worth and Dallas, and also appeared as a collaborative guest artist in the International Clarinet Association’s Clarinetfest 2010 in Austin, Texas. While in Winnipeg, Ms. Fullerton taught through the University of Manitobas Preparatory Division.  She performs on a Prague cello circa 1820.

Ecuadorian-American pianist Washington García Eljuri began his musical studies at the age of 6. Among his teachers  have  been Genoveva Granja, Toshko Stoyanov, Ann Schein, Yoheved Kaplinsky, and Julian Martin. Dr. García holds a bachelor of music from the National Conservatory of Music in Ecuador, and master’s and doctoral degrees from the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University, where he graduated at the age of 25 as the youngest Latin American to have  received a doctoral degree in piano performance from that prestigious university.

He is the recipient of the “Condecoración Dr. Vicente Rocafuerte”, the highest Cultural Achievement Award given by the Ecuadorian National Assembly to individuals who have  demonstrated excellence in the arts. This award is equivalent to the Presidential Medal of Freedom or Congressional Gold Medal in the United States.

The success of his first public performance at the age of 6 led Dr. Garcia to perform at the most important cultural centers in Ecuador. He was awarded first prizes at the Guillermo Wright-Vallarino National Piano Competition held in Quito, the Elizabeth Davis Memorial Piano Competition and the 19th International Young  Artist  Piano Competition in Washington  D .C., the 2004 Baltimore Music Club Piano Competition, and the Harrison Winter Piano Competition. As the winner of the Harrison Winter at the Peabody Institute, Dr. García was selected to perform with the Peabody Concert Orchestra. He was also a top prizewinner at the Yale Gordon Piano Competition and the Russell Wonderlic Piano Competition.

From a very early age, Dr. García became a seasoned veteran of the concert platform, performing extensively throughout his native country. Since his debut with the Ecuadorian National Symphony Orchestra at the age of 15, he has been an active recitalist, soloist, and lecturer in prestigious venues in Italy, Switzerland, Austria, France, Spain, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia, Canada, Chile, Mexico, Ecuador, Colombia, Japan, China, Indonesia, Singapore, Taiwan, and the United States. In the United States, he has offered solo recitals and master classes in almost 30 states.

Dr. García’s international debut took place in Santiago, Chile, where he performed for former President Patricio Aylwin at the Claudio Arrau International Piano Seminar. Subsequently, he was chosen from a large field of contestants from 33 countries by the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington  D .C. to receive one of two $25,000 grants awarded to pianists in its Fellowships of the Americas Program. As a result, he came to the United States to begin intensive piano studies with Professor Julian Martin at the Peabody Institute. Under the auspices of the Fellowships of the Americas Program he was invited to play at the Kennedy Center Terrace Theater, the Organization of American States, the World Bank, the Inter-American Bank, the Corcoran Gallery of Art, the Department of State and the Mexican Cultural Center in Washington  D .C., among others. He was also invited to perform at the National Library and Archives in Ottawa, Canada, where he performed on Glenn Gould’s piano. Dr. Garcia has performed in Ecuador with the National Symphony Orchestra, the Cuenca Symphony Orchestra and the Loja Symphony Orchestra. Other engagements as guest soloist include concerto performances with the Green Valley Chamber Orchestra in Las Vegas and the Susquehanna Symphony Orchestra in Maryland. He also toured Italy with the Texas State University Chamber Orchestra, performing Beethoven’s Triple Concerto and most recently he was featured as guest soloist with the Austin Symphony in Texas, the Springfield Symphony in Massachusetts and the Omaha Symphony, under the batons of maestros Peter Bay, Kevin Rhodes and Thomas Wilkins, respectively. Garcia has performed and recorded for Radio Television Hong Kong, Opus Classical Radio in Mexico City, WFMT in Chicago, TV Spain, Rogers Broadcasting Company in Canada, and worldwide broadcasts through Univision. He has also been featured in several journals and magazines including the Austin and Texas Monthly, Time Out Jakarta, The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education, The Washington Post, and several others in Asia, North and South America, Europe, and the Middle East.

In addition to awards granted by the Peabody Institute and the Ecuadorian government, including the prize “Monseñor Leonidas Proaño” and the award “Al Mérito Laboral,” Dr. García received sponsorship by United Airlines. He was also named a Presser Scholar and grant recipient by the Presser Music Foundation. Additionally, he was awarded the Texas State Quarterly Team Award in recognition of outstanding service and the Friends of Fine Arts Awards for Scholarly/Creative Activities and Service. Dr. Garcia was a recipient of a full scholarship by the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University in addition to scholarships by The Lloyds Bank, The Zaldumbide Rosales Foundation and the British Embassy in Ecuador.

Dr. García served on the faculty of the Peabody Preparatory of the Johns Hopkins University and is a faculty member at the InterHarmony International Music Festival in Tuscany, Italy and the Peabody Piano Week in Baltimore, Maryland. He is currently the Director of the School of Music at the University of Nebraska at Omaha where he is also a full Professor of Piano. Previous to his appointment at UNO, Dr. Garcia was a Professor of Piano at Texas State University, where he was also the Assistant Director of the School of Music.

Washington García became a Steinway  Artist  on 2014 and a citizen of the United States on March 2013. He lives with his wife Valeria and sons Mateo and Nico in Omaha, Nebraska.

Celtic musician Abby Green released her first solo CD, Éíníní, in 2008. One reviewer remarked, "quite simply, gorgeous. Her voice is polished without ever sounding slick or generic." When Fig for a Kiss was released in 2011, another reviewer commented, "Her considerable talents with the language, and in music, are on ample display with the release of her excellent second album."

In early 2015, Abby's first book, a collection of songs was published. This work is born from the belief that traditional music is meant to be shared. She wrote and arranged harmonies for many of the choruses hoping to create a world where audiences and groups of people will sing some of this amazing music together. With the release of her third CD in 2015, Why Should I?, Abby continues performing Celtic festivals nationwide.

Whether the song calls for energetic rhythms or chord choices that echo the intensity of a broken heart, Abby plays her Irish bouzouki and shares her rich soaring voice to tell the tale in Irish, Scots Gaelic, and in English.  As a native Texan, her love of Celtic songs, languages, and tunes has been a true journey of discovery.  She enjoys unlocking the treasures of beautiful music often hidden behind the veil of languages unusual to our English speaking eyes and ears.  

As a full time musician, she performs with Istanpitta Early Music Ensemble as  lead and harmonizing vocalist, frame drum percussionist, and storyteller.  She can be heard on three Istanpitta CDs.  Abby has also enjoyed singing and recording with Texas Early Music Project and collaborating with other independent  artists .  Her work has been preserved in both live and studio performances.

Pianist Christopher Guzman continually performs for audiences throughout North America, Europe and Asia, while maintaining an active teaching schedule. He is a multiple prizewinner in many international competitions, including the Walter M. Naumburg Competition, the Seoul International Music Competition and the Isang Yun Competition of South Korea.

Recently, Mr. Guzman garnered the grand prize (Blanche Selva) and several special prizes at the 10th Concours International de Piano d ’Orléans in Orléans, France. This major European prize will allow him to record a CD of modern music in France, as well as tour the country giving masterclasses and performing recitals.

Mr. Guzman has performed as soloist with many large ensembles, including the San Antonio Symphony, the Fort Worth Symphony, the Corpus Christi Symphony and The EOS Orchestra of  New  York City. He has performed concerti with the Juilliard Orchestra in Alice Tully Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, and in Spoleto, Italy during the orchestra’s first summer residency at the 2003 Festival Dei Due Mondi. Mr. Guzman has appeared in recital in such varied venues as Carnegie’s Weill Hall, Boston’s Jordan Hall, and Spoleto’s Teatro Caio Melisso.  

An avid chamber musician, Mr. Guzman has performed in such venues as Tokyo’s Suntory Hall, Leipzig’s Gewandhaus, the Kennedy Center, San Francisco Performances, the Vancouver Recital Series and others. He performs regularly with some of the world’s most exciting soloist and with members of major symphony orchestras; his recital with violinist Ilya Gringolts on National Public Radio’s Saint Paul Sunday continues to broadcast across the United States and online. He continually performs with members of the world’s finest orchestras, including the Berlin Philharmonie, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the San Francisco Symphony, the  New  York Philharmonic, and the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, to  name  a few.

Of special interest to Mr. Guzman is music of our time. He has collaborated with one of the nation’s preeminent contemporary chamber ensembles, Speculum Musicae, and numerous times with the  New  Juilliard Ensemble, including tours of the U.S. and France. The New York Times hailed his “coiled, explosive playing” of works by Christopher Theofanidis and Joseph Pereira at New York’s Society for Ethical Culture in 2002. He is a member of Second Instrumental Unit, a provocative new music ensemble based in the Northeast, and has participated in world premieres by such composers as Donald Martino, Bernd Franke and Paul Schoenfield.  

Born in Texas, Christopher Guzman began studying piano at age nine and violoncello two years later. He has studied at the University of Texas at Austin, New England Conservatory, and at the Juilliard School. He has taught classes at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, State University of New York at Buffalo, and at Trinity University in San Antonio, TX. He is currently Associate Professor of Piano at The Pennsylvania State University.

Daris Hale, bassoon, is a musician with the Austin Symphony Orchestra, the Austin Lyric Opera, and is a founding member/bassoonist/choreographer with the Wild Basin Winds quintet. When she is not challenging classical music traditions and symphonic dress codes, she loves teaching music and humanities to students at Texas State University and performing/touring with the faculty ensemble, Trio 488.

Some of her other professional musical exploits include performing symphonies in Austria, quintets in Argentina, operas in Italy, trios in England, and, most rewardingly while on her Fulbright, African songs in Tanzania. Daris enjoys championing the new works of composers by producing concerts and albums featuring their compositions.

​In Tanzania, she was able to collaborate with East African composers from Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania to write the music of their ethnic traditions for American classical musicians in order to produce the world premieres in the composers’ homeland. Daris is also a music contractor for film and TV shows such as the nationally televised PBS music education series, The Biscuit Brothers. Her bassoon performances can be heard on numerous iTunes albums, soundtracks, commercials, television, and approximately 85+ live concerts per year. She has two insanely adorable kids and a loving husband—all of whom agreed to follow her to Africa as long as she promised to follow them home.

Based in the DFW area the group was most recently composed of cellist Karen and bassoonist Kevin Hall, violinist Jennifer Chang and violist Aleksandra Holowka, who have welcomed various guest musicians for concerts, many of whom also are in the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra. It has presented more than 60 concerts during its seven-season history. The Hall Ensemble has been unique among Fort Worth chamber music groups in that it has presented many of its concerts in homes rather than traditional concert venues.

Childhood fascination with the harp blossomed into an exciting and successful career as a professional harpist and recording artist for this Houston native. As a self-proclaimed “crusader for music of great heritage”, Therese Honey draws on her vast knowledge of early music history and her stunning virtuosity to bring alive for her audiences the incredibly beautiful music of the Middle Ages, Renaissance and Baroque eras.

Honey’s unique specialization keeps her in demand for lectures, concerts and festival engagements across the United States. With a vast and varied repertoire that includes familiar classical and popular favorites, she is a first choice for performances at social occasions as a soloist or with chamber groups.

Therese Honey delights and entertains her listeners when she performs on any one of her collection of harps, which range in size from the modern gold Concert Grand harp to the ancient Celtic harp.
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Therese Honey is a specialist in Celtic and Early harps, with a background in classical pedal harp. Therese tours throughout the United States and in 1997 she performed at the 20th Annual Carolan Festival in Keadue, Co. Roscommon, Ireland.

Therese performs early music in the Houston area as well as with the Texas Early Music Project (TEMP). She presents concerts of Medieval and Renaissance music on copies of historical harps and wire-strung and other folk harps of ancient design.

She performs traditional music solo and as a member of Wyndnwyre, with an emphasis on the traditional music of Ireland, Scotland and Wales and 13th-century Medieval music. Therese occasionally joins forces with Istanpitta for performances of Medieval music. She has an active teaching studio in the Houston area and tours throughout the US as a clinician and adjudicator. In addition to her private studio, Therese teaches workshops on Medieval, Renaissance and Celtic repertoire, arranging and style, and Harp Ensemble. She is a dynamic teacher who inspires and motivates her students to learn more about the harp: its technique, repertoire and history.

Sean Kennard has won top prizes in the Queen Elisabeth Competition (Belgium), the International Music Competition of Viña del Mar (Chile), the Vendome International Piano Competition (Portugal), the Sendai International Music Competition (Japan), the Hilton Head International Piano Competition (USA), the National Chopin Competition, the Iowa Piano Competition, the American Pianists Association, and the International Chopin Competition of the Pacific.

The Washington Post praised Kennard’s “powerful and involved music making,” describing him as “a strong luminous pianist.” His 2011 debut album received a rave review in American Record Guide, which pronounced it “a hidden gem,” attesting to its “perfect blend of lyricism and romantic passion,” “huge romantic sound, and bold melodic vision.” It proclaimed that he “plays the dickens out of the Stravinsky [Three Movements from Petrushka]” and “plays Chopin’s Preludes with more poise and vision than most pianists who  have  recorded them.” Fanfare affirmed the enthusiastic reception, naming the album “a very desirable disc” and citing “Kennard’s mastery of Chopin’s idiom,” its “impression of complete effortlessness” and “emotional responsiveness.” The review characterized his playing as “full of life and sparkle,” summing up: “while  I  wouldn't necessarily say that Kennard outclasses Ashkenazy, Rubinstein, Moravec, Ohlsson…in this repertoire, he surely equals them.”

Grammy winning artist Jonah Kim made his solo debut with Wolfgang Sawallisch and the Philadelphia Orchestra in 2003. The same year, he also appeared with the National Symphony Orchestra where the Washington Post music critic Joseph McLellan called him simply, “the next Yo-Yo Ma.”

Mr. Kim has soloed with the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Philadelphia Chamber Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra, Atlantic Classical Orchestra, New Philharmonia, Orquestra Sinfônica Nacional, Orchestra Filarmonica, Symphony of the Americas and many others. He has played in prestigious venues such as New York City’s Carnegie Hall and Merkin Hall, Wigmore Hall in London, California’s Montalvo Arts Center, the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia, the Kravis Center in Palm Beach, the Adrienne Arsht Center in Miami, the Phillips Collection and the John F. Kennedy Center in D .C. where Anne Midgette of the Washington Post praised, “he flirted with the line, shaped it, wrapped it around his fingers, pulled it out in a new dimension, all with practiced ease.”

Highly sought after internationally also as a chamber musician, Mr. Kim is a founding member of the “hip, unstuffy, and malleable  group ” Ensemble San Francisco. He frequents festivals  like  the Atlantic Music Festival, Bari International Music Festival, Cactus Pear Music Festival, Chamber Music Silicon Valley, Hong Kong Arts Festival, Music in May Santa Cruz, and San Luis Obispo’s Festival Mozaic. As a fellow at the Curtis Institute, he formed a piano trio with Joel Link, currently first violinist of the award-winning Dover Quartet, and international piano sensation Yuja Wang. Coached by some of the leading musicians of their day, they explored the piano trio literature extensively. Since then, Mr. Kim has collaborated with world class  artists  on four continents, sharing the stage with Cho-Liang Lin, Elmar Oliveira, Jon Nakamatsu, Martin Beaver, Chee-Yun Kim and Romie de Guise-Langlois in recent seasons. In a review of his performance at Alliance Français, San Francisco Classical Voice critic David Bratman exclaimed, "this was an excellent performance, the best  I ’ve heard of this piece."

Born in Seoul, Korea, Mr. Kim immigrated to the United States in 1995. His father possessed a keen ear for music despite no formal musical training and introduced him to the cello through VHS tapes of Pablo Casals playing the Bach’s Solo Cello Suites. Learning by imitation, the seven-year old was awarded a full scholarship to the Juilliard School within the year. So began his professional training at Juilliard, but it was not until he met world renowned soloist and pedagogue Janos Starker the following summer that he became certain music was his calling. Attending a  New  York City public school, learning to speak English, and adjusting to life in the United States was not always easy. Starker’s invitation to come study with him was pivotal, inspiring the young cellist to continue with renewed motivation. Starker later remarked, “Jonah is an exceptional talent. He is at the top of his generation.”

Mr. Kim was awarded full scholarships and graduated with top marks at only seventeen years of age from two of the most prestigious conservatories, The Juilliard School and the Curtis Institute of Music, regarded as two of the most exclusive educational institutions in the world. His biggest musical influences include Janos Starker, Mstislav Rostropovich and Yo-Yo Ma. He has also studied with cellists Peter Wiley, Orlando Cole, David Soyer, Joel Krosnick, Aldo Parisot, Lynn Harrell, violinists Jaime Laredo, Aaron Rosand, Joseph Silverstein, Arnold Steinhardt, and pianists Leon Fleisher, Gary Graffman, Seymour Lipkin, Claude Frank and Edward Aldwell

Mr. Kim is the recipient of two Grammy Awards and records across a spectrum of genres. He is also active in the community, dedicated to sharing music and reaching out in ways that positively impact and heal people in  need , bringing music to veterans, ailing patients and children of low income families. As a teacher, his students  have  been awarded scholarships to universities and conservatories in the U.S. and Europe. His masterclasses  have  been described as “captivating and hilarious… relevant to not only musicians, resonating with  all  walks of life.” Between performances, he shares his knowledge with young talent from over 30 countries at Interlochen Center for the Arts Summer Camp.

Mr. Kim plays a Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume cello made in 1845 generously on loan, as well as a 2016 Haide Lin, an award winning instrument at the Indianapolis Violin Society of America Competition. His bows are made by Jules Fétique and Émile Auguste Ouchard.

Pianist Robert Koenig has quickly established a reputation as a much sought-after collaborative pianist and chamber musician. He performs regularly in major centers throughout the world with many of this generation’s most renowned musicians. Recent engagements have included performances at Carnegie Hall in New York, The Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, Suntory Hall in Tokyo, The Concertgebuow in Amsterdam, and the Louvre Museum in Paris. He has performed with many of today’s leading artists including Sarah Chang, Hilary Hahn, Pamela Frank, Roberto Diaz, Elmar Oliveira, and Aaron Rosand.

Mr. Koenig has appeared at many festivals including Aspen, Ravinia, Banff, Saratoga, Caramoor, the Seattle Chamber Music Festival, the El Paso Pro Musica, Chamber Music Northwest, the Campos do Jordao Festival in Brazil, and the Mostly Mozart Festival in New York. He is frequently heard on radio and television including ABC’s “Good Morning America” and CBS “This Morning”. Mr. Koenig was staff pianist at both The Juilliard School and The Curtis Institute of Music, and from 2000-2007 he served as Professor of Piano and Piano Chamber Music at the University of Kansas in Lawrence. With the assistance of the University of Kansas Center for Research, Mr. Koenig commissioned renowned American Composer Lowell Liebermann to write a new trio for flute, cello and piano. Beginning in the fall of 2007, he will assume his new position as Professor and Head of The Collaborative Piano Program at The University of California in Santa Barbara.

Mr. Koenig has recorded for Artek, Ambassador, Biddulph, Cedille, CRI, Decca, Eroica, and Naxos. His most recent CD of transcriptions for viola and piano by William Primrose was released in July/2006 on Naxos with violist Roberto Diaz, and was nominated for “Best Instrumental Soloist Performance (without orchestra)” at the 49th annual Grammy Awards in 2007.

Born in Saskatchewan, Canada, Robert Koenig began his formal training at the Vancouver Academy of Music with Lee KumSing and Gwen Thompson and later studied at the Banff School of Fine Arts and the Academie Musicale di Chigiana in Siena, Italy. During this time he received several awards from the Canadian Government including a Canada Council Project Grant. He completed both his Bachelors and Masters degrees in Accompanying at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia where he studied with Dr. Vladimir Sokoloff and chamber music with Felix Galimir and Karen Tuttle.

Cellist Matthew Kufchak, a dedicated chamber musician from a young age, has performed for audiences all over the world, from Vienna’s iconic St. Stephen’s Cathedral to Carnegie Hall. He was a silver medalist in the Junior Division of the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition and has studied under many of the great quartet musicians of the 20th century, including members of the Guarneri, Emerson, Juilliard, and Cleveland Quartets. 

He was featured on NPR’s “From the Top” radio and television programs, and received the prestigious Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award in 2007. As cellist of the Cordova Quartet, Matthew performed across the United States and Canada, including a collaboration with Grammy-Award-winning jazz artists Billy Childs and Dianne Reeves, quintet performances with pianists Anton Nel and Robet McDonald, and a set at the 2015 SXSW Music Festival. The Cordova Quartet also completed a two-year residency at the University of Texas, where they studied with the Miró Quartet. Recent projects have included performances for the Austin Camerata chamber music festival and with KINETIC, a chamber orchestra based in Houston. 

Matthew is a committed educator. He maintains a private teaching studio and coaching schedule. He completed his Bachelor and Master degrees in Cello Performance at Rice University, where he studied with Desmond Hoebig and Lynn Harrell, and finished an Artist Diploma at the University of Texas at Austin with Joshua Gindele. In his Free time, he enjoys photography, drinking craft beer, and attempting to brew the perfect cup of coffee. He also loves cooking with his wife Bailey and playing with his dog Mikey. ​

Pianist Jason Kwak has already enjoyed a successful career, both as an artist and as a pedagogue.  Born in Seoul, South Korea, Dr. Kwak began his piano studies at the age of four.  He has earned his degrees in Piano Performance from Eastman School of Music and The University of Texas at Austin.  His principal piano teachers include David Watkins, Douglass Weeks, Maria Clodes-Jaguaribe, Barry Snyder, and Nancy Garrett. 

He has also coached with many renowned artists including Lev Naumov, Claude Frank, Emanuel Ax, Gary Graffman, Alexis Weissenberg, Warren Jones, and Leon Fleisher. Dr. Kwak is currently an Assistant Professor of Piano at Texas State University.  Previously, he has held teaching positions at Texas A&M University-Kingsville, The University of Texas at Austin, The University of Texas Extension Program, and the Austin Chamber Music Center. He is consistently in high demand for performances, masterclasses, lectures, and adjudications on a state, national, and international level.

Dr. Kwak has received top prize in many piano competitions including the Atlanta Steinway Society Competition, Handok Piano Competition, Southern Keyboard Competition, Atlanta Music Club, Peter Petroff Piano Competition, and the Clara Wells Piano Competition.  He has made numerous national and international appearances as a solo pianist including performances with the Victoria Symphony, Jeju Philharmonic Orchestra, The University of Texas Wind Ensemble, Texas A&M University-Kingsville Wind Symphony, The Busan Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Rocky Ridge Orchestra.  In Spring of 2010, Dr. Kwak was slated for many performances throughout the country and the world, including several performances in Turkey and Malaysia.

Dr. Kwak has also given solo performances in many notable venues and festivals, including performances at Tanglewood Music Festival, San Antonio Convention Center, Jeju National Museum, Bundy Arts Center in Waitsfield, Vermont, and Fox Theatre in Atlanta as well as solo performances at many National college campuses including North Texas University, Baylor University, Oklahoma University, Kennesaw State University, Souther Illinois University - Carbondale and the University of Texas at Austin and many International college campuses including Halla College (South Korea), Adnan Menderes University, Yasar University (Turkey), and University of Malay (Malaysia).  An avid chamber musician, Dr. Kwak has collaborated with many distinguished artists including performances with Mezzo-Soprano Shin Ja Kim, pianists Jose Feghali and Nikolai Petrov and violinist Vincent Fritelli.  In 2008, Dr. Kwak, along with Dr. Ian Davidson and Professor Daris Hale, formed 'Trio 488', a chamber group comprised of applied music faculty at Texas State University.  The chamber group has already performed at the Hawaii International Conference in Arts and Humanities, College Music Society Regional Conference, and at the Mysterium of Modern Music Concert.  In July of 2009, Trio '488' traveled to Birmingham, England to premiere the complete set of Russell Riepe's 'Five Rivers of Hades' at the Internationl Double Reed Society Conference.

​As an educator, Dr. Kwak has presented many lecture performances including lectures for Victoria Symphony, Jeju Philharmonic Orchestra, Corpus Christi Music Teachers Association, Kingsville Music Club, Jeju National Museum, Texas Music Educators Association Convention and The University of Texas at Austin.  Further, Dr. Kwak has presented master-classes throughout the US and around the world.  In June of 2009, Dr. Kwak was a clinician at the Texas Music Teachers Association Conference in Houston, Texas where he presented his research in implementing various etudes into the piano lesson curriculum.  In 2003, Dr. Kwak was awarded by Texas A&M University-Kingsville the Presidential Award for Excellence in Teaching.  Also, in 2007, Dr. Kwak was included in Who’s who among American teachers and educators.

Victoria Luperi was appointed associate principal clarinet with the Pittsburgh Symphony in June 2016. She previously served as principal clarinet with the Fort Worth and Winnipeg Symphony Orchestras, and has performed with the Grand Teton, Tanglewood, Verbier, and Mainly Mozart Festivals.

Ms. Luperi premiered “Fantasía sobre Yma Sumac,” a piece for solo clarinet and orchestra written for her by John B Hedges (Miguel Harth-Bedoya/Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra). She has appeared as a soloist with the Madison Symphony, Signature Symphony in Tulsa, Debut Orchestra (Los Angeles), Philharmonia of Kansas City, Córdoba Symphony, Córdoba Chamber Orchestra, and the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra.

A devoted chamber musician, Ms. Luperi has collaborated with members of the Emerson, Vermeer, and Guarneri Quartets, and performed at the Marlboro and Mimir Festivals, the Académie musicale de Villecroze in France, the Oregon Bach Festival, Chicago’s Latino Music Festival, and the Forth Worth Chamber Music Society.

Ms. Luperi has served as Lecturer at the University of Texas at Austin, Adjunct Faculty at Texas Christian University, and has been on faculty at Brandon University (Canada), the  New  York Summer Music Festival, the Filarmónica Jóven de Colombia, and the Buffet Academy in Jacksonville, Florida.

Victoria Luperi is a graduate of The Curtis Institute of Music, where she studied with Donald Montanaro. She began her music education in her native Argentina with Oscar Gieco, and later studied with Richard Hawkins and Yehuda Gilad. Distinctions include the First Prize in the Pasadena Instrumental Competition, the Interlochen Fine Arts Award, and the Banco Mayo Award of Buenos Aires. She has appeared in concert broadcasts on NPR’s Performance Today, WRR 101.1, WFMT, and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

Ms. Luperi is a Buffet  Group  USA Performing  Artist , and a Vandoren  Artist  and Clinician.

Jolente De Maeyer received the first violin lessons at the age of four. When she was 14 years old, Jolente was invited by Yehudi Menuhin to pursue her musical studies at the Yehudi Menuhin School near London. She continued her studies with Natasha Boyarsky at the Royal College of Music in London, Stephan Picard at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler in Berlin and Augustin Dumay at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel in Belgium.

At the age of 6, Jolente started participating in several national and international competitions. That year she became the youngest ever laureate of the Young Tenuto Competition and also received First Prizes in the Charles de Bériot Competition Brussels. Later on Jolente became a prizewinner in several international competitions  like  Cardona International Competition in Portugal, International Violin Competition Liana Issakadze in Russia (2004) and the Benjamin Britten International Violin Competition in London (2005). She also became a semi-finalist in the Queen Elisabeth Competition in 2009.
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Jolente performed as a soloist with the Brussels Philharmonic, the Royal Flemish Philharmonic, Flanders Symphony Orchestra, Orchester Royal de Chambre de Wallonnie, Orchester Philharmonique Royal de Liège, The Bruges Chamber Orchestra, Nuove Musiche, the Norfolk Symphony Orchestra, the St Petersburg State Academic Capella Chamber Orchestra and the St Petersburg State Academic Capella Symphony Orchestra. Conductors Jolente has worked with include Philippe Herreweghe, Patrick Davin, Etienne Siebens, Pascale Rophé, Silveer Van den Broeck, Dirk Brossé, James Stobart, Michel Tilkin, Stefaan Fraas, Alexander Chernushenko and Rudolf Werthen.

In 2013 Jolente made her debut in America (Texas) with the Waco Symphony Orchestra and Stephen Heyde, where she performed Tchaikovsky’s violin concerto. This was followed by a recital tour with Nikolaas Kende in Texas. In Belgium Jolente regularly performs in halls  like  Bozar, Flagey, the Elisabeth Hall, the Singel and the Roma and she participated in festivals such as the Festival of Flanders, Festival de Montpellier and Menton. Furthermore, she has performed in such countries as Russia, France, Italy, Portugal, Croatia, The Netherlands, Spain, as well as at London's Wigmore Hall, Royal Albert Hall and at the Gstaad Menuhin Festival in Switzerland.
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Since 2003, Jolente has formed a duo with her husband pianist Nikolaas Kende. Together they formed the Rubens ensemble in 2007. Jolente recorded the 6th Violin Concerto or Henri Vieuxtemps in 2010 with the Philharmonic Orchestra of Liège with Patrick Davin. This recording received the René Snepvangers prize from the Belgian Music Press in 2011. In 2013 Jolente recorded the 2nd Violin Concerto of Saint Saëns with the Philharmonic Orchestra of Liège with Christian Arming.

Pianist Melissa Marse performs extensively worldwide and in American venues including Alice Tully Hall, Merkin Hall, Pierpont Morgan Library, Carnegie Hall, Steinway Hall, and the Gardner Museum. Her Carnegie Weill debut recital (with the Lincoln Piano trio) was presented by the late Isaac Stern in 2001. 

Additionally, she has been returning guest artist for CarnegieKids, and was music director, coach, and pianist for the Metropolitan Opera’s Growing Up With Opera. She collaborates with members of the New York Philharmonic, Hong Kong Philharmonic, London Symphony, Berlin Philharmonic, and Boston Symphony, and for three years has played in the Mark O’Connor Piano Trio.

Pam Vliek Martchev served as principal flute with the Boulder Philharmonic in Colorado for 10 seasons, and has been a guest principal flutist of the Santa Barbara Symphony, Pasadena Symphony, San Diego Symphony, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Reno Chamber Orchestra, and Long Beach Opera.

For 2 seasons she subbed as 2nd flute with the LA Philharmonic. She has been featured on many chamber music series such as La Jolla Summerfest, Jacaranda, Dilijan, Le Salon de Musique, Luscious Noise, PIE, Bruman at UCLA, LACMA Sundays Live, Chamber Music Unbound in Mammoth, The Divan Consort, and Hear Now. You may have heard her on movie soundtracks such as Spiderman 3, CDs with grammy winner Billy Childs, television specials with Andrea Bocelli and Mariah Carey, and in the pit for broadway shows such as King and I, Phantom of the Opera, and Wicked. Ms. Vliek Martchev went to Manhattan School of Music for their pre-college program and her Bachelor of Music. She has been a guest teacher at the Universidad Autónoma de Baja California (UABC); University of Oregon, Eugene; and Manhattan School of Music. Her students have auditioned successfully for conservatory degrees across the country, and CA All-Southern and All-State ensembles. She is currently a Haynes Ambassador Clinician, and is the flute teacher at San Diego State University, Pt. Loma Nazarene University, SDSMI, and University of San Diego.

Demarre McGill is a leading soloist, recitalist, chamber and orchestral musician. Winner of an Avery Fisher Career Grant, he has appeared as soloist with the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Seattle, Pittsburgh, Dallas, San Diego and Baltimore symphony orchestras and, at age 15, the Chicago Symphony.

In 2018 he performed and presented master classes in South Africa, Korea and Japan, was soloist with the New York Youth Symphony at Carnegie Hall, and on May 20, 2018 performed with the Cathedral Choral Society at the National Cathedral in Washington DC in a program entitled "Bernstein the Humanitarian.”

Now principal flute of the Seattle Symphony, he previously served as principal flute of the Dallas Symphony, San Diego Symphony, Florida Orchestra, and Santa Fe Opera Orchestra. He recently served as acting principal flute of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and earlier with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.

A founding member of The Myriad Trio, and former member of Chamber Music Society Two, Demarre has participated in the Aspen, Santa Fe, Marlboro, Seattle and Stellenbosch chamber music festivals, to  name  a few.  He is the co-founder of The Art of Élan and, along with clarinetist Anthony McGill and pianist Michael McHale, founded the McGill/McHale Trio in 2014. Their first CD, "Portraits," released in August 2017, has received rave reviews. 

Media credits include appearances on PBS's Live from Lincoln Center, & Network's The Gifted Ones, NBC's Today Show, NBC Nightly News, and, with his brother Anthony when they were teenagers, on Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood.

A native of Chicago, Demarre McGill began studying the flute at age 7 and attended the Merit School of Music. In the years that followed, until he left Chicago, he studied with Susan Levitin. He received his Bachelor’s degree from The Curtis Institute of Music and a Master's degree at The Juilliard School. In September of 2017 he was named Visiting Assistant Professor of Flute at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.

The Miró Quartet is one of America’s most celebrated and dedicated string quartets, having been labeled by The New Yorker as “furiously committed” and noted by the Cleveland Plain-Dealer for their “exceptional tonal focus and interpretive intensity.” For the past twenty years the Quartet has performed throughout the world on the most prestigious concert stages, earning accolades from passionate critics and audiences alike.

Based in Austin, TX, and thriving on the area’s storied music scene, the Miró takes pride in finding new ways to communicate with audiences of  all  backgrounds while cultivating the longstanding tradition of chamber music. Highlights of recent seasons include a highly anticipated and sold-out return to Carnegie Hall; a performance at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center as part of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s inaugural residency; the world premiere of a  new  concerto for string quartet and orchestra by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Kevin Puts; performances of the complete Beethoven Cycle at the Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival and at Tokyo’s Suntory Hall; and debuts in Korea, Singapore, and at the Hong Kong International Chamber Music Festival. The Quartet’s 2018-19 season includes performances for the  New  York Philharmonic with Gabriel Kahane; collaborations with Anton Nel, Clive Greensmith, and Martin Beaver; and appearances at La Jolla’s  new  Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center, and for the Detroit Chamber Music Society and the LMMC in Montreal. Other recent highlights include performances at the Phillips Collection, Chamber Music Monterey Bay, the Green Music Center, Chamber Music Northwest, and Emerald City Music in Seattle, as well as collaborations with David Shifrin, Jeffrey Kahane, and Wu Han, and a performance of the complete Beethoven cycle in just nine days for Chamber Music Tulsa. Since 2003 the Miró has served as the quartet-in-residence at the University of Texas at Austin Sarah and Ernest Butler School of Music, and in 2005, the Quartet became the first ensemble ever to be awarded the coveted Avery Fisher Career Grant. The Miró Quartet took its  name  and its inspiration from the Spanish artist Joan Miró, whose Surrealist works — with subject matter drawn from the realm of memory, dreams, and imaginative fantasy — are some of the most groundbreaking, influential, and admired of the 20th century.

Lauded for his “impassioned and vigorous” playing (Pianomania), pianist Evan Mitchell has established himself as a bold and versatile artist. Evan’s richly varied schedule consistently includes solo recitals, concerti, chamber music, and performances as an orchestral keyboardist. His performances have been deemed “incredibly beautiful” (Fanfare), “amazing” (Fort Worth Weekly), and “no less than stunning” (Lima News). Evan’s new recording of world premieres with bassist Szymon Marciniak is earning rave reviews; most recently, Bass World called their performances “intoxicating,” calling this “a seminal recording.” He is also featured on the 2012 release “Piano de Pampa y Jungla: A Collection of Latin American Piano Music.”

Evan’s performances have been heard in New York’s Steinway Hall and Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, in ten countries on four continents, and broadcast on WFMT (Chicago), WFHB (Bloomington, IN), FM 91 (Northwest Ohio), Shanghai Classical FM Radio, and KXII-TV (Sherman, TX). His solo highlights include debuts for Cliburn at the Modern, the prestigious Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concerts (Chicago), and at several major venues in Shanghai. He has played concerti with such ensembles as the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, Lima Symphony Orchestra, and the Victoria Symphony; collaborated with conductors including Jaap van Zweden, Miguel Harth-Bedoya, Case Scaglione, Darryl One, Crafton Beck, and Richard McKay; and has performed chamber music with members of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the symphony orchestras of Cleveland, Dallas, and Rio de Janeiro (OSB). Recent engagements include concerti by Mozart, Beethoven, and Tchaikovsky, and a debut on the longstanding Basically Beethoven Festival (Dallas).

Equally in demand as a collaborative pianist, Evan has performed in recital with such major artists as double bassist Gary Karr, flutists Leone Buyse and Jim Walker, clarinetists Corrado Giuffredi and Michael Webster, and hornist Javier Bonet. He has been engaged for several seasons on the Mount Vernon Music and Color of Sound chamber series and served as a staff accompanist for conventions held by the International Society of Bassists and BassEuro; the Myrna Brown Flute Competition and Cliburn Junior International Piano Competition; and the TCU Flute and Double Bass Festivals. 

A passionate and articulate advocate for the arts, Evan looks constantly for ways to reach new audiences, and to inspire in others a love for music. The Texas Commission on the Arts has honored Evan as a Texas Touring Roster Artist since 2014, and this season, he returns for a ninth year as a featured artist for Cliburn in the Classroom®, the signature educational outreach program of the Cliburn. Other performance affiliations include Avant Chamber Ballet, Texas Winds Musical Outreach, Fort Worth Opera, and DFW-based Open Classical, whose motto – “Music that’s dressed down, not dumbed down” – summarizes a mission to present classical music in less formal, unconventional spaces. 

Evan has captured first prize in the Kingsville International Young Performers Competition, Five Towns Competition, and the PianoTexas International Festival Concerto Competition. Most recently, he gave a recital at Merkin Concert Hall in New York City as a quarterfinalist in the Honens International Piano Competition.

Evan holds degrees from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music (BM, MM) and Texas Christian University (DMA), where his principal teachers have included John Owings, Arnaldo Cohen and the late José Feghali, and he has worked with numerous renowned artist-teachers including Dr. Yoheved Kaplinsky, Barry Douglas, and Ann Schein. He has served on the faculty of Tarrant County College and has recently given guest masterclasses at the University of Florida, Santa Fe College, Texas Wesleyan University, Western Kentucky University, and Southwestern University. For more information, please visit www.evanmitchell.net.
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Johannes Moller is, since 2018, the Ambassador of ZhengAn Guitar in China, which is the largest investment of it's kind in Guitar history. ZhengAn is a city in Guizhou which  have  made guitar manufacturing and guitar culture its main priority. The city has encouraged hundreds of guitar manufacturing companies to set up their production there. Currently about five million guitars are produced there every year. Currently a concert hall dedicated to guitar as well as a guitar museum and a 99 meter guitar tower is under construction. 

In 2010 Johannes was awarded the first prize in the Concert Artist Competition Guitar Foundation of America (GFA), considered by many to be the most prestigious classical guitar competition in the world. Today Johannes performs close to a hundred concerts per year and have a large following in China, Europe, Australia, North & South America. An engraving of his name can be found on on the walls of the Concertgebouw concert hall in Amsterdam (as a recognition of excellence given by the Vriendenkrans Concours). All these things are indicative of the musical calibre we have come to expect from international concert players, yet Johannes is known primarily for things other than his performing excellence.

Acquiring his skills in both performance and composition at an early age and in a free setting provided Johannes with the highly characterised and idiosyncratic voice that many listeners around the world  have  come to admire. It seems clear that it was an instinctive urge to  create  that drove this course, and with these beginnings Johannes was set to become an icon of 21st century music-making.
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Johannes has earned a Bachelor of Music with Honors from the Royal College of Music in London and he has received two Masters degree from the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague and from the Amsterdam Conservatory.

Montopolis is an indie chamber music group from Austin, Texas that performs the works of composer Justin Sherburn.  Their music folds country and folk idioms into modern classical arrangements with inventive instrumentation to create "stunning and transcendent" (Austin Chronicle) concerts.  Their programs are audience-engaging, multi-media events that combine live music with video and interactive story telling. ​​

A native of Orlando, Florida, cellist Joanna Morrison completed her Bachelor of Music and Master of Music Degrees at Boston University studying under Leslie Parnas and George Neikrug. In 2007 Ms. Morrison won a position in the Honolulu Symphony and served as principal cello of the Hawaii Symphony from 2012 to 2015.

Concert tours have taken Ms. Morrison to Japan, Taiwan, Singapore and South Korea as well as much of Europe and the United States performing under conductors including Zubin Mehta, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Leonard Slatkin, David Zinman and Manfred Honeck. An avid chamber player, Ms. Morrison has collaborated with artists including Jon Kimura Parker, Chee-Yun Kim, Joyce Yang and Thomas Sauer and has studied under members of the Guarneri and Juilliard Quartets. While in Hawaii, Ms. Morrison was a member of Chamber Music Hawaii’s Galliard String Quartet and the Ebb and Flow Arts modern ensemble. She has received fellowships to summer festivals around the world including Aspen Music Festival, National Orchestral Institute, AIMS in Graz, Austria, International Festival Institute at Round Top, Blossom Music Festival, Cascade Music Festival and Verbier Festival where she served as principal cellist for the world tour with Charles Dutoit and Martha Argerich. In recent summers Ms. Morrison has been on faculty at the Hawaii Performing Arts Festival and participated in the Britt Festival in Oregon. Joanna Morrison resides in San Diego with her husband, violist Ethan Pernela, their daughters, Zoe and Madeleine, and two dogs, Mochi and Riley.