Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players

It's Out of This World
Jupiter Players 2023-2024
VIOLIN
	Claire Bourg, a laureate of many competitions, has been a featured soloist with several orchestras performing in such venues as Chicago’s Orchestra Hall and the Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park, as well as recently making her solo debut in Boston’s Jordan Hall. She has appeared on NPR’s From the Top and Chicago’s WFMT Introductions radio programs. An avid chamber musician, she has participated at Ravinia, where she collaborated with Kim Kashkashian and Frans Helmerson. Claire began her violin studies at age 5 in the Chicago area. After receiving her bachelor’s degree from the New England Conservatory where she studied with Miriam Fried, she is currently at Curtis under the tutelage of Pamela Frank and Arnold Steinhardt. ~ www.clairebourg.com Photo by Todd Rosenberg
	Tiani Butts is a passionate solo and chamber musician striving to use the arts to encourage and inspire young students from all backgrounds. She made her solo debut in 2015 as the Bay Youth Symphony concerto competition winner; and has performed in numerous venues throughout the U.S. as well as in Germany, Austria, Iceland, and Italy as a violinist in the Rome Chamber Music Festival. Tiani was a solo fellow at the Aspen, Wintergreen, and Philadelphia festivals, as well as a quartet fellow at the Colorado, Vineyards, Madeline Island, Walla Walla, and Great Lakes chamber music festivals. In addition to performing, she is dedicated to teaching and engaging with the community through the arts. From Chesapeake, Virginia, Tiani began playing the violin at age 11. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the Robert McDuffie Center for Strings, and a dual master’s degree from the University of Michigan. She is currently a Lisa Arnhold Fellow studying under the Juilliard String Quartet.
	Isabelle Ai Durrenberger, born in Taipei of Japanese, Taiwanese, and American descent, has been praised for her vivid musicality, ability to touch audiences, and communicative strength as a chamber musician. She was named a Fellow of Ensemble Connect’s 2023–2025 seasons, was a semifinalist at the 2022 Indianapolis Competition, and won 3rd Prize at the 2018 Irving Klein String Competition. Recent concerts include performances with the Boston Chamber Music Society, Orpheus in Carnegie Hall, and A Far Cry in Jordan Hall. She spent the summer of 2023 at the Four Seasons, Marlboro, and Lake Champlain music festivals. The daughter of two pianists, Isabelle grew up in Columbus, Ohio and began violin lessons at age 7. She was mentored by Jaime Laredo throughout her high school and undergraduate studies at the Cleveland Institute of Music, and completed her graduate studies at the New England Conservatory under Soovin Kim and Don Weilerstein. She currently serves on the faculty at the New England Conservatory Preparatory School. Isabelle performs on a 2020 Sam Zygmuntowicz violin generously loaned to her by a private patron in New York City. ~ www.isabelledurrenberger.com
	Njioma Grevious, described by the Chicago Classical Review as “a superb” talent, is grand prizewinner of the 2023 Concert Artists Guild and Young Classical Artists Trust auditions, first prize at the 2023 Sphinx and 2018 Prix Ravel (France) competitions, and a fellowship from the Music Academy of the West to study with the London Symphony Orchestra in 2022. As founding member of the Abeo Quartet, she won silver and gold medals at the 2022 Chesapeake and Yellow Springs chamber music competitions, respectively. Abeo has appeared at the Kennedy Center and Alice Tully Hall, and on the Schneider Concert Series, WQXR Midday Masterpieces, and WETA Classical Radio. Her festival participation includes Music@Menlo, Montreal, Perlman Chamber Music Workshop, Norfolk, Meadowmount, and Tanglewood Institute. A graduate of Juilliard, Njioma was a student of Ronald Copes. With Abeo, she completed graduate studies with the Calidore String Quartet at the University of Delaware. Among her many treasured memories was the opportunity to perform in a quartet during a White House State Dinner hosted by President and Mrs. Obama. ~ www.njiomagrevious.com
	Qianru Elaine He won First Prize at the 2023 Naftzger Young Artists Auditions, and Second Prize and the Stephen and Linda Paganini-Brite Award at the 2023 Hellam Young Artists Competition. Her festival participation includes Verbier, the DeLay-Starling Violin Symposium, Perlman Music Program, PMP Suncoast, IMS Prussia Cove, and Tanglewood. She has also served in leadership positions in orchestras under the batons of Zubin Mehta, Gustavo Dudamel, Andris Nelsons, and Daniele Gatti. Recently, she toured with Orpheus and performed with the New York Philharmonic as a substitute violinist. Born in Guangzhou, China, Elaine received her B.M. and M.M. from Juilliard, mentored by Catherine Cho and Lewis Kaplan; and is currently pursuing a doctorate at the Manhattan School of Music under Todd Phillips and Sheryl Staples.
	Ariel Horowitz, hailed by the Washington Post as “Sweetly Lyrical,” has performed as a soloist with orchestras such as the Baltimore Symphony, Kammerphilharmonie Hamburg, and Santa Fe ProMusica; and in recitals across the U.S., Europe, Israel, and South America. She has also premiered her original pieces for violin and voice at Carnegie’s Weill Hall and the Kennedy Center’s Terrace Theater. An avid teacher, she serves on the faculty of Mount Holyoke College and is the founder and director of Heartbeat Music Project, a tuition-free program that provides instruments, music, and Navajo (Diné) cultural knowledge for K–12 in the Navajo Nation. At home in a variety of musical genres and disciplines including improvisation, Ariel has performed a work for violin, bass, and spoken word in Auschwitz for Holocaust survivor Eva Kor; with artist-activists such Pete Seeger, and with the band Empire Wild in the song “Winter Wonderland.” Ariel’s numerous prizes include the 2020 Concert Artists Guild Ambassador Prize, and winnings at the Grumiaux, Stulberg, and Klein competitions, and the Salon De Virtuosi Career Grant. She is a recent graduate of Yale under Ani Kavafian. ~ www.arielhorowitz.com
	Violinist and pianist Valerie Kim leads a colorful solo and collaborative career. She has participated at Yellow Barn the past 2 summers, and performed at the 2023 Kyoto Music Students Festival. In the summer of 2022, she was invited back to the Perlman Chamber Music Workshop, where she premiered Michelle Ross’s String Quartet written in memory of Roger Tapping. She recently appeared with Nathalie Joachim and Chanel DaSilva for a live performance series of Ki moun ou ye. Together with her flutist-pianist sister, Dominique, they have performed extensively from a young age and recently embarked on commission and recording projects as the Dal Duo. Valerie has performed across Asia, Europe, and the Americas, taught in Brazil and Florida, and is Li Lin’s teaching assistant at Juilliard. She is currently pursuing her D.M.A. at Juilliard, where she also earned her B.M. and M.M. on a Kovner Fellowship. Her studies at Juilliard began at age 12 in the Pre-College Division on both violin and piano. Among her teachers are Catherine Cho, Li Lin, Itzhak Perlman, and Donald Weilerstein.
	Clara Neubauer won a Silver Medal at the 2020 National YoungArts Competition, and first prize at the 2019 Symphony of Westchester and 2017 Adelphi Young Artist competitions. She also was a winner of the 2017 Young Musicians Competition at the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, and was recently featured on the WQXR Young Musicians Showcase. Clara made her concerto debut with the National Repertory Orchestra at the age of 10 and her Lincoln Center debut at the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s Young Ensembles Concert in 2013. An avid chamber musician, she was a Young Performer at Music@Menlo for 5 years, and has participated at Ravinia, Taos, Perlman Music Program, Bravo! Vail, Four Seasons, Angel Fire, and La Jolla festivals. Born on 9/11/2001, Clara shared the stage with Bernadette Peters and Robert DeNiro hosting a 9/11 Memorial benefit and can be heard leading the audio tour guide “for children and families” at the 9/11 Memorial Museum, available as a free app at the App Store. She studies at Juilliard on a Kovner Fellowship under Itzhak Perlman and Li Lin.
	Stephanie Zyzak has been praised for her sensitive musicianship and heartfelt, soulful playing. At the age of 7, she made her first solo debut with the Starling Chamber Orchestra at the Aspen Music School and became the youngest recipient ever to be awarded the School’s New Horizon Fellowship. Since her debut in 2004 with the Louisville Orchestra, she has performed as soloist with orchestras in Europe and the U.S. Other highlights include performances at Caramoor, Carnegie Hall, the Dame Myra Hess series, Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, and Phillips Collection. A deeply passionate chamber musician, Stephanie has collaborated with the likes of Jonathan Biss Kim and Mitsuko Uchida. And she has participated at the Marlboro, Ravinia, Caramoor, and Four Seasons festivals, as well as toured with Musicians From Marlboro. Born in South Carolina, Stephanie is a graduate of the New England Conservatory under Miriam Fried., and now studies at CUNY Graduate Center with Mark Steinberg. She is also a founding member of ensemble132 and was a 2020–22 Ensemble Connect fellow. Stephanie performs on a 1778 Joseph and Antonio Gagliano violin, generously on loan from Ravinia’s Steans Music Institute, and a bow by François-Nicolas Voirin. ~ stephaniezyzak.com
VIOLA
	Maurycy Banaszek, from Warsaw, Poland, joined the Concert Artist Faculty at Kean University in 2011. His festival appearances include Marlboro, Kronberg, Seattle, Santa Fe, Aldeburgh, and Moritzburg, among others. Founding member of the conductorless chamber orchestra, ECCO, he has also toured with the Musicians from Marlboro, performed with the Guarneri String Quartet, and frequently appeared at Bargemusic in New York. He was recently featured as a soloist with the National Symphony Orchestra of Mexico. As violist of the Elsner String Quartet he was invited by members of the Amadeus String Quartet to perform at their 50th Anniversary Gala Concert in London’s Wigmore Hall. Maurycy is a graduate of the Manhattan School of Music, where he studied with Michael Tree. Photo by Christian Steiner
	Rebecca Benjamin, an engaging violinist and violist, has an active career performing on both instruments across the U.S. and abroad. As a soloist she has appeared with the Fort Wayne Philharmonic and Cleveland Pops Orchestra. An avid chamber musician, Rebecca is a member of the Abeo Quartet, prizewinner of the 2022 Yellow Springs and Chesapeake Chamber Music Competitions, and a recipient of the inaugural Graduate String Quartet Fellowship at the University of Delaware, studying under the Calidore String Quartet. Her festival participation includes Music@Menlo, MISQA (at McGill), Perlman Music Workshop, Aspen, Norfolk, Kneisel Hall, and St. Lawrence String Quartet Seminar. She has also collaborated with members of the Brentano, Cleveland, Emerson, Juilliard, Orion, and Pacifica String Quartets; and attended Prussia Cove in Cornwall, England. From Warsaw, Indiana, Rebecca is a graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Music with a B.A. (summa cum laude) and M.A.; and holds a Master of Musical Arts from Yale where she was awarded the Broadus Erle Prize. She was recently appointed to the faculty at Kneisel Hall. ~ www.rebecca-benjamin.com
	Ramón Carrero-Martínez, born in Venezuela, won the Grand Prize at the 2022 Fischoff Competition as a member of the Terra String Quartet, and has won other competitions in the U.S., Italy, and Venezuela. He has toured the U.S. with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and Branford Marsalis, performed as guest violist with the American String Quartet, and made his American debut as a soloist with the New York Classical Players in the world premiere of James Ra’s Triple Viola Concerto. Ramón has performed at Carnegie Hall, the Berlin Philharmonie, Chicago Symphony Hall, and Esterhazy Palace, among other venues. He was a member of the celebrated Venezuelan National System of Youth Orchestras “El Sistema” and holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the Manhattan School of Music where he studied with Daniel Avshalomov. ~ ramoncarreromartinez.com
	Katie Liu is an accomplished musician, with working experience in FinTech as well. Her winnings include the 2019 Princeton University Concerto Competition and 2015 National YoungArts Foundation Award. As a soloist she has performed with Fondation du Verbier Festival, Princeton University Orchestra, and Bravura Philharmonic. In 2019, she toured with Swedish pianist Per Tengstrand on his Beethoven Safari tour, and has participated in the New York String Orchestra Seminar and Gstaad Menuhin Festival String Academy. As an orchestral musician, she has played as substitute violist with the New York Philharmonic, held principal positions on both violin and viola in the Princeton University Orchestra, and is currently a member of the New Haven Symphony. In addition to her musical pursuits, Katie has had corporate working experiences in asset management and fintech consulting. Born in New Jersey, Katie began playing the violin at age 5, and is an alumna of Juilliard Pre-College. She earned her B.A. in Operations Research and Financial Engineering at Princeton, with minors in Computer Science and Musical Performance; and a master’s at Colburn in the studio of Paul Coletti. She is currently a pupil of Ettore Causa at Yale, pursuing a Master of Musical Arts.
	Natalie Loughran won First Prize at the 2021 Primrose International Viola Competition, along with the Audience Prize, as well as an award for her performance of William Grant Still’s “Mother and Child.” She was a finalist at the 2020 Young Concert Artist Auditions, and was awarded a special prize for her performance of the Bowen Viola Sonata in C minor at the Tertis Viola Competition, where she was a semifinalist. Natalie is a member of the Kila Quartet, which has appeared on WQXR’s ‘Midday Masterpieces,’ and has participated in the Perlman Music Program Chamber Workshop and Robert Mann String Quartet Institute. In the summer of 2021 she attended the Yellowbarn and Marlboro Music Festivals, and will do so again in this summer. Natalie has performed with the Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra under Gábor Takács-Nagy, toured internationally with the Budapest Festival Orchestra directed by Ivan Fischer, and is a member of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra for the 2021–22 Season. ~ www.natalieloughran.com
	Milena Pajaro-van de Stadt has been praised by Strad Magazine as having “lyricism that stood out...a silky tone and beautiful, supple lines.” Among her winnings are First Prize and every special award at the 2013 Banff String Quartet Competition, the Gold Medal and Grand Prize in the 2010 Fischoff Competition, First Prize at the Lionel Tertis Viola Competition and top prizes at the Tokyo and Sphinx competitions. She has appeared as soloist with the Tokyo Philharmonic, Jacksonville Symphony and Sphinx Chamber Orchestra, and performed in recitals and chamber music concerts throughout the U.S., Latin America and Europe, including an acclaimed 2011 debut recital at London’s Wigmore Hall. Her festival participation includes Marlboro, Bowdoin, Bravo and Italy’s Emilia Romagna Festival. Milena is also the founding violist of the Dover String Quartet, the resident quartet at Northwestern University.
	Kevonna Shuford is passionate about collaborative projects and teaching. A vibrant musician, she has performed with ensembles such as the Boston Philharmonic, Atlantic Symphony, and Palaver Strings; and she has appeared as an artist at the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival, St. Lawrence String Quartet Seminar, Encore Chamber Music Program, and Meadowmount School of Music. She has also played with artists such as Clive Greensmith, Janine Jansen, Yura Lee, Tai Murray, Anton Nel, Philip Setzer, and Paul Watkins. Her accomplishments include helping to establish a youth string program at Faith’s Place Center for Arts Education in West Palm Beach, and teaching as a Resident Musician at Musiconnects. In 2016 she toured with the National Youth Orchestra. A native of Florida, Kevonna earned her bachelor's degree from the New England Conservatory, where she studied with Martha Katz, and is currently studying at Stony Brook University under Lawrence Dutton and Matthew Lipman.~ kevonnashuford.com
	Cameren Anai Williams is an enterprising violist of the Marian String Quartet, winner of the 2022 St. Paul String Quartet Competition. An avid chamber musician, her goal is to perform with a quartet while teaching at a university or conservatory. She made her solo debut at Carnegie Hall at the age of 13 playing J.C. Bach’s Concerto in C minor, as a winner of the American Protégé Competition. She has been a “Young Artist” of the Center for Musical Excellence since 2021. And she teaches violin and viola privately in Florida and at the Spence School in New York. Cameron is founder of CamAnaiStrings, a foundation which seeks to acquire and repair instruments for gifted students without the financial resources to purchase their own instruments. Its most recent project is the children’s book, Kinderlute: A Young Musician’s Guide to Taking Care of String Instruments, available at the Juilliard Store and on Amazon in 6 languages. Born in West Palm Beach to a family of musicians and educators, Cameron is pursuing her master’s degree at Juilliard on a Jerome Greene fellowship, under Samuel Rhodes and Carol Rodland; and she holds a MAP (Music Advancement Program) Fellowship as well. She plays on a “Kinu Inge” viola made by Hiroshi Iizuka in 1980. Photo by Shaleah Feinstein
	Cong Wu has been appointed Assistant Principal Violist of the New York Philharmonic as of 2018. He won Third Prize in the 14th Primrose Viola Competition and a Special Prize in the 12th Tertis Competition. He performs in North America and Europe, and has collaborated with musicians such as Shmuel Ashkenasi, Christoph Eschenbach, David Finckel, Paul Neubauer, Itzhak Perlman, and Cynthia Phelps. He was Principal Violist of the Juilliard Orchestra and the Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orchestra in Germany, under the batons of Christoph von Dohnányi, Christoph Eschenbach, and James Levine. His festival participation includes Marlboro, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center Chamber Encounters, Music@Menlo, Perlman Music Program, and Schleswig-Holstein. Born in Jinan, China, Cong had his first violin lesson at the age of four and began his viola studies in 2004. ~ www.congwuviola.com
	Zhanbo Zheng was the first Chinese violist to win the Primrose Viola Competition in 2014. Other honors include top prizes at the Irving Klein and Washington String competitions, and the 2021 Emerging Artist Award from the Saint Botolph Club Foundation. As a soloist, Zhanbo has appeared with the Santa Barbara Chamber Orchestra, Calgary Philharmonic, and China Broadcasting Performing Arts Orchestra. An avid chamber musician, he has performed at the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society as a guest artist, and collaborated with artists such as Jonathan Biss, Pamela Frank, and Donald Weilerstein. His festival participation includes Marlboro, Ravinia, Verbier, Caramoor Evnin Rising Stars, and Cleveland ChamberFest. And he has toured the U.S. several times with Ravinia and Musicians from Marlboro. In 2014, Zhanbo represented the Ministry of Culture in an exchange activity between China and Germany, hosted by China Education Association for International Exchange. He has also participated in the recording project “My Concert Hall—Classical Music Appreciation,” sponsored by Li Lanqing, the former Premier of the State Council of China. Zhanbo took his first violin lesson at the age of 5; he decided to become a violist at 11, drawn to the viola’s warm and beautiful sound. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees with Academic Honors on a Presidential Scholarship at the New England Conservatory. Currently, he is pursuing an Artist Diploma at Juilliard under Paul Neubauer. ~ www.zhanbozheng.com
CELLO
	Laura Andrade, born and raised in Austin, Texas, enjoys a thriving career in diverse musical settings, and is equally dedicated to beloved masterworks and contemporary music. The Latina cellist is a prize-winning laureate of the 2019 Sphinx Competition and has been featured as a soloist with the Austin Civic and San Antonio orchestras. Passionate about chamber music, she has played with members of the Juilliard, Borromeo, and Miró string quartets; and she has participated at IMS Prussia Cove, Verbier, Taos, and Nume festivals. She has also performed on tour with A Far Cry, Sphinx Virtuosi, and Sybarite5; and is currently a cellist of Ensemble Connect. Laura holds a bachelor’s degree from Eastman, and a master’s degree from Juilliard. She plays a cello made in 2011 by Wayne Burak, modeled after the instruments of Antonio Stradivari.
	Ani Aznavoorian is one of the premier cellists of her generation. Among her winnings are prizes from the Julius Stulberg, Paolo (Finland) and Bunkamura competitions, and she was also named a Presidential Scholar of the Arts. In 2001 she substituted (to critical acclaim) for Natalia Gutman on 12 hours notice in 3 performances of the first Shostakovich Cello Concerto. Her playing is indeed “breathtakingly lovely” Naples Daily News. Ani is a member of the Corinthian Trio, and she plays a cello made by her father Peter Aznavoorian. Chicago is her hometown. ~ www.aniaznavoorian.com
	Bethany Bobbs, the youngest of 8 musical Bobbs children, has won numerous prizes, including the grand prize at the Houston Symphony of the North Young Artist competition, first prizes in the Houston MTA Concerto Competition, New Jersey MTNA Senior String Competition, and Georgia Philharmonic Concerto Competition, and an award at the National YoungArts Competition. She made her cello solo debut at the age of 9 performing with the Cleveland Institute Chamber Orchestra, and has subsequently gone on to solo with many orchestras; among them, the Houston Symphony, Georgia Philharmonic, and Delaware Symphony. Besides performing, Bethany enjoys using her musical talent to help others. Last year, Bethany and her twin sister, Susanna, put on a virtual fundraising concert—Harmony for Healing—to raise funds for the Artist Relief Project for unemployed artists during COVID-19. Bethany is currently a scholarship student at Juilliard under the tutelage of Joel Krosnick and Astrid Schween. She is also a recipient of the Arkady Fomin Scholarship Fund. ~ www.bethanybobbscello.com
	Audrey Chen, from Washington, has been praised by the Boston Musical Intelligencer for her “longevity of phrasing.” A passionate solo and chamber musician, she has appeared on NPR’s “From the Top,” concertized with the Seattle Symphony, and has been featured as a guest artist with the Boston Chamber Music Society, Silk Road Ensemble, Parker Quartet, Borromeo Quartet, and A Far Cry. As an orchestral musician, she was principal cellist of the inaugural National Youth Orchestra of the USA, New York String Orchestra Seminar, and Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival Orchestra; and has played at major venues in the U.S. and abroad. As a chamber musician, Audrey co-founded the Ravos Quartet at the New England Conservatory, and she was also the cellist of the Argus Quartet in 2020–21. Her festival appearances include Ravinia, Perlman Music Program, Tanglewood, Taos, and Sarasota. A graduate of the Harvard/NEC dual degree program, she is currently pursuing a doctorate at CUNY Graduate Center, and is on faculty at CUNY Hunter College. ~ www.audreychencello.com Photo by Rachel Rodgers Photography
	Brannon Cho won first prize at the 6th Paulo (Finland) competition and top prizes at the Queen Elisabeth, Naumburg, and Cassadó competitions. He was also honored with the 2020 Janos Starker Foundation Award, Landgraf von Hessen Prize from Kronberg Academy, 2019 Ivan Galamian Award previously held by James Ehnes, and a scholarship from the Anne-Sophie Mutter Foundation. He has performed as a soloist with several orchestras including the Helsinki Philharmonic, Minnesota Orchestra, Tokyo Philharmonic, Brussels Philharmonic, and Orchestre Philharmonique Royale Liège. As an avid chamber musician, Brannon has shared the stage with Anne-Sophie Mutter, Christian Tetzlaff, and Gidon Kremer, and went on a tour with Joshua Bell. His festival appearances include Verbier, Music@Menlo, Gstaad Menuhin, Rheingau, Prussia Cove, and Musikakademie Liechtenstein. Born in New Jersey, Brannon received his B.A. from Northwestern University under Hans Jørgen Jensen, an Artist Diploma from New England Conservatory under Laurence Lesser, and is now in the Professional Studies program at the Kronberg Academy under the tutelage of Frans Helmerson. Brannon performs on a rare cello made by Antonio Casini in 1668 in Modena, Italy. ~ brannoncho.com Photo by Grittani Creative LTD
	Zlatomir Fung, the first American in four decades and the youngest musician ever to win First Prize at the International Tchaikovsky Competition, Cello Division—is poised to become one of the preeminent cellists of our time. Astounding audiences with his boundless virtuosity and exquisite sensitivity, he has already proven himself, at age 23, to be a star among the next generation of world-class musicians. A recipient of the 2022 Borletti-Buitoni Trust Fellowship and a 2020 Avery Fisher Career Grant, Zlatomir’s impeccable technique demonstrates mastery of the canon and exceptional insight into the depths of contemporary repertoire. This season is chock full with concerto and recital performances in all corners of the world, including tours of Europe and Asia, and appearances at Wigmore Hall and Cello Biënnale Amsterdam. Recent festival appearances include Aspen, Bravo! Vail with the New York Philharmonic, and Verbier. Zlatomir also won the 2017 Young Concert Artists and 2017 Astral Auditions, 2018 Schoenfeld, 2016 Enescu, 2015 Johansen, 2014 Stulberg, and 2014 Irving Klein competitions. He has been featured on NPR’s Performance Today and has appeared on From the Top 6 times. Of Bulgarian-Chinese heritage, Zlatomir began playing cello at age 3, and studied at Juilliard under Richard Aaron and Timothy Eddy. In addition to music, he enjoys cinema, reading, and blitz chess. ~ www.zlatomirfung.com Photo Matt Dine
	Oliver Herbert, who “makes his cello sing,” is winner of a top and special prizes in the 2018 Lutoslawski competition, the first and Casals prizes in the 2015 Irving Klein competition, and a top prize in the 2015 Stulberg competition. The San Franciscan with a distinct voice and individual style has performed as soloist with the Chicago Symphony, Warsaw Philharmonic, and San Francisco Symphony; and on the SoundBox and Dame Myra Hess series as a recitalist. He has worked with conductors such as Michael Tilson Thomas, and as a chamber musician, he has performed with Shmuel Ashkenasi and Pamela Frank, among others. His festival participation includes Caramoor, ChamberFest Cleveland, Krzyzowa Music, Prussia Cove, Ravinia, and Verbier. He has also performed on a tour with violinist Miriam Fried, Ravinia’s director; and at the 2017 Verbier festival he was awarded the Prix Jean-Nicolas Firmenich. Oliver plays on a 1769 Guadagnini cello that belonged to Antonio Janigro, on generous loan from the Janigro family. ~ www.oliverherbertcello.com
	Gaeun Kim, at age 20, is already an outstanding virtuoso performer and winner of numerous competitions. Among her honors are the 2023 New York Young Artist Award, first prize and Pablo Casals special award at the 2022 Irving Klein competition, first and audience prizes at the 2022 Washington competition, first prize at the 2015 David Popper and 2014 Liezen competitions, and first prize and special award at the 2012 Antonio Janigro Competition. She also was a “Samsung Rising Star” and Louis Vuitton Fondation Artist. Highlights include her performances in the Special Concert for Her Majesty the Queen of the Belgians and the First Lady of the Republic of Korea. As a soloist, Gaeun has played with the Zagreb Soloists, Euro-Asian Philharmonic, New World Philharmonic, and orchestras in Korea. Her festival participation includes Seoul Spring, Music in the Vineyards, Water Island, and Moritzburg. In addition, Gaeun has played on From the Top and KBS radio; and feature articles on her have appeared in the Strad, New York Concert Review, and Music Journal. Born in Seoul, Gaeun began to play the cello at age 4 and is currently studying on scholarship at Juilliard under Richard Aaron. ~ www.cellistgaeunkim.com
	Colombian-American cellist Christine Lamprea is a dynamic artist—a firebrand with a “commitment to the highest standards” (Palm Beach Daily News); the Boston Musical Intelligencer also noted her “supreme panache.” She won the 2013 Astral Artists’ Auditions, First Prize at the 2013 Sphinx and Schadt competitions, [and is a recipient of an award from the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts]. As soloist, she has appeared with the Detroit, Houston, and San Antonio Symphonies, among others. An avid chamber musician, she has performed in the U.S., Canada, and Europe, in such venues as Tully Hall, Beethovenhaus, the Kennedy Center, and Metropolitan Museum; and has participated at the Kneisel Hall, Banff Centre, and Yellow Barn festivals, performing with such artists as Itzhak Perlman and Carol Wincenc. Recent highlights include a recital (and premiere) of her own arrangements of Colombian music for Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor and the Colombian Ambassador to the U.S; a performance of the Schumann concerto at Carnegie Hall; and replacing Lynn Harrell at the last minute for a performance with Symphony Silicon Valley. Christine also strives to expand her musical boundaries: she has played with members of the Baroque group Les Arts Florissants, studied sonatas on fortepiano with Audrey Axinn, premiered several new pieces, and worked with jazz musician Anthony Coleman on John Zorn’s game piece Cobra for musical improvisers and prompter. A passionate teacher, she has worked with Ecuadorian youth in Quito and Guayaquil, as part of a program between Juilliard and “Sinfonia Por La Vida.” Christine studied with Bonnie Hampton at Juilliard and holds an M.A. from the New England Conservatory, under Natasha Brofsky. ~ www.christinelamprea.com Photo by Kate L Photography
	Cellist Christine Lee, born in South Korea, is winner of the Isang Yun competition as well as a laureate of the Queen Elizabeth first cello competition in 2017. She aims to cross cultural boundaries and connect people around the world through music as a soloist and chamber musician. Her appearances include playing with the Philadelphia Orchestra, Houston Symphony, Brussels Philharmonic, National Orchestra of Belgium, and Berlin Philharmonie lunch series in venues such as Tully Hall, Carnegie Hall, Musée du Louvre, and Victoria Hall. Her festival participation includes La Musica, Music@Menlo, La Jolla Summerfest, Caramoor, Angelfire, and Marlboro. She has also worked with contemporary ensembles like eighth blackbird and Juilliard AXIOM. And she enjoys playing Baroque music, especially the Bach Cantatas. In addition, she is an original member of “CelloPointe,” a group that combines ballet and music in intimate settings, from the Baroque to the contemporary. Christine began playing the cello at age 7, making her debut with the Seoul Philharmonic 2 years later. At age 10, she continued her studies at Curtis under the tutelage of Orlando Cole, Peter Wiley, and Carter Brey; then at Juilliard where she earned her M.A. under Joel Krosnick. She is an artist-in-residence at Chapelle Musicale Reine Elisabeth, working with Gary Hoffman and Jeroen Reuling, and she is also pursuing an Advanced Performance Diploma with Christoph Richter at the Royal Academy of Music in London. Charitable and philanthropic causes are also in her realm of work—for refugee children and the homeless in Brussels. Christine plays on a Francesco Stradivarius on generous loan from an anonymous sponsor. ~ www.christine-j-lee.com
	Ania Lewis made her solo debut with the Cleveland Institute of Music Orchestra in 2017 and has won several awards and competitions throughout the Cleveland area. As a chamber musician, she was a founding member of the Lumiére String Quartet, prizewinners at the Fischoff and Rembrandt competitions. She has performed with artists such as Steven Tenenbom, Roberto Díaz, the Rosamunde Quartet, and members of the Philadelphia and Cleveland Orchestras. Ania is currently the principal cellist of the Curtis Symphony and associate principal cellist of Symphony in C. And she has performed as a guest with the Boston Symphony as a part of the Tanglewood Music Center. Her other festival participation includes Aspen, Sarasota, Bowdoin, and Domaine Forget. Ania, age 20, is currently studying at Curtis with Peter Wiley and Gary Hoffman.
	Mihai Marica, winner of the Irving Klein, Vina del Mar, and Salon de Virtuosi competitions, made his debut recitals at Weill and Zankel Halls with Tchaikovsky’s Rococo Variations. He has performed as soloist with orchestras, in recitals, and at festivals; and is a member of the award-winning Amphion String Quartet. He began his cello studies at the age of seven at the Music High School in Cluj, Romania. Upon winning the Klein competition, its director Mitchell Sardou Klein exclaimed, “We just witnessed a future superstar. Mihai is a brilliant cellist and interpreter of music. His playing is spellbinding.” ~ www.mihaimarica.com
	Thomas Mesa is one of the most charismatic and versatile performers of his generation. The Cuban-American is a winner of the 2017 Astral Artists Auditions, the 2016 Sphinx Competition, 2013 Thaviu Competition, and the 2006 Alhambra Orchestra Concerto Competition. As a soloist he has performed with such orchestras as the Cleveland Orchestra and Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl. As a recitalist he has appeared at Mainly Mozart, Bargemusic, the Dame Myra Hess series, and Nantucket Musical Arts Society, among others. An enthusiastic interpreter of music for choir and cello, Thomas was a featured instrumentalist with the Crossing Choir’s American premiere of Wolfgang Rihm’s Astralis and its 2017 Grammy-nominated album, Bonhoeffer. He has also appeared with them at the Metropolitan Museum, Longwood Gardens, and the Winter Garden (broadcast on WNYC). As a chamber musician, he has toured with Itzhak Perlman, both nationally and internationally, and is a member of the St. Petersburg Piano Quartet. Thomas plays on a Richard Tobin cello made in 1820. ~ www.thomasmesacello.com
	Robin Park is pursuing dual careers in music and premodern Asian history. A graduate of Princeton with a B.A. in history, he currently studies at the Yale School of Music. Among his winnings are First Prize at the 5th Mahler Cello Competition and 2023 Princeton University Concerto Competition, and Grand Prize at the 2018 Caprio and Sinfonietta Nova competitions. Passionate about chamber music, Robin was Music Director of Opus Chamber Music Princeton. He has also frequently played on Swedish pianist Per Tengstrand’s Music on Park Avenue series as well as Symphony in C’s Virtuosi Series. From an early age, he attended Boston University Tanglewood Institute’s String Quartet Workshop. In his free time, Robin enjoys playing janggi (Korean chess), learning languages, and arranging songs and movie soundtracks for cello ensemble and string quartet.
	Sara Scanlon, age 23, made her solo debut in 2016, performing the Elgar Cello Concerto with the Charleston Symphony. She has been featured as a soloist on NPR’s “From the Top” and her many prize winnings include concerto competitions of the Chappaqua Orchestra, Hamden Symphony, and Greater New Haven Orchestra. As a chamber musician she was a featured performer in the Finckel-Wu Han Chamber Music Program at the Aspen Festival, and has participated at the Orford Musique’s Gala du Prix, Toronto Summer Music Festival, Kneisel Hall, Fabian Concert Series, and the 2022 and 2023 Rome Chamber Music Festival. She was the principal cellist for “A Night of Georgia Music,” a concert featuring violinist Robert McDuffie and Chuck Leavell (the Rolling Stones keyboardist). Sara also is a member of the Blue Hill Trio, adding her unique musical voice and resonant sound to this dynamic ensemble. She earned her B.A. on full scholarship at the Robert McDuffie Center for Strings; and is currently completing a master’s degree at Juilliard, studying with Richard Aaron and Joel Krosnick. ~ www.sarascanlonmusic.com
DOUBLE BASS
	Nina Bernat, acclaimed for her interpretive maturity, expressive depth, and technical clarity, emerges onto the world stage with awards and accolades, thrilling audiences everywhere. Her honors include the 2023 Avery Fisher Career Grant and winning the CAG Elmaleh Competition, as well as First Prize at the Barbash J.S. Bach, Minnesota Orchestra Young Artist, Juilliard Double Bass, and International Society of Bassists Solo competitions. In 2019, she was invited to perform as guest principal bassist with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra under András Schiff and Osmo Vänskä. Among her notable chamber performances are appearances with Bridgehampton Chamber Music Series and Mostly Music. Her festival participation includes Marlboro and Lake Champlain, as well as Grace Note Farm as both performer and coorganizer. Nina performs on an instrument from her father, Mark Bernat, attributed to Guadagnini. ~ www.ninabernat.com
	Marguerite Cox, a graduate of Rice University, is currently pursuing a master’s degree at Curtis under Hal Robinson and Edgar Meyer. The Ohioan has appeared as soloist on Illuminate Women’s Music, New Music Festival, Bass Players for Black Composers, and Sound Off: Music for Bail. As guest principal bass, she has played with the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia and Charleston Symphony. Her festival participation includes Spoleto USA as a fellow, Aspen, Tanglewood, Music Academy of the West, Domaine Forget in Quebec, and Avaloch Farms, where she recorded a new work by Ted Babcock. While at Rice, Marguerite earned a minor in Poverty, Justice, and Human Capabilities and organized a series of benefits called Artists for Action, bringing together musicians of all genres and backgrounds for musical and community engagement. As a cofounder of PAGE (Project for All Gender Equity) she led the first ever panel discussion on gender and double bass at the 2018 Bassists Society convention at Indiana University. ~ margueritecox.com
FLUTE
	Amir Hoshang Farsi’s playing has been described as “virtuosic and birdlike” by I Care if You Listen and having a “beautiful sound and personal sense of expression” by New York Classical Review. Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay area of Iranian and Pakistani parents, Amir has appeared at Carnegie Hall, the Banff Centre, MASS MoCA, Guggenheim Museum, Lincoln Center, and New World Center. And his festival participation includes Music@Menlo, Norfolk, Bang on a Can, and St. Lawrence String Quartet Chamber Music Seminar, to name a few. Other highlights include performances at TIME:SPANS, Dame Myra Hess Series, Copland House, and Philadelphia Chamber Music Society. Amir is an alumnus of Ensemble Connect (2020–2023). A graduate of Yale and Peabody, he is currently an inaugural Density Fellow mentored by Claire Chase as part of her Density 2036 Project. ~ www.amirfarsi.com
	Sooyun Kim, winner of the Georg Solti Foundation Career Grant and a top prize at the ARD flute competition, has been praised for her “vivid tone colors” by the Oregonian and as a “rare virtuoso of the flute” by Libération. Since her concerto debut with the Seoul Philharmonic at age ten, she has performed with the Bavarian Radio, Munich Philharmonic, and Boston Pops, among other orchestras. As a recitalist she has played at Kennedy Center, Budapest’s Liszt Hall, Helsinki’s Sibelius Academy, Kobe’s Bunka Hall, with Sejong in Seoul, and at the Louvre (streamed live on medici.tv). An avid chamber musician, she is an Artist member of Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and a member of Third Sound. Her festival appearances include Music@Menlo, Spoleto USA, Yellow Barn, Newport, Chamber Music Northwest, and Havana (Cuba). ~ www.sooyunkim.com
	Anthony Trionfo has been praised for his “spellbinding” performances with “authoritative intellect” by the Santa Barbara Voice. He has performed concertos with the Las Vegas Philharmonic (his hometown orchestra), the “President’s Own” Marine Band, and the Music Academy of the West Festival Orchestra, among others. Anthony was a recipient of the 2012 Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award, a first prize winner of the 2013 Alexander & Buono competition, a winner of the National YoungArts Foundation competition, and a winner of the Young Concert Artists 2016 Auditions. He is also the first YCA artist to win the inaugural LP Classics Debut Recording Prize, granting him a commercial recording. At age 21, he will make his YCA recital debuts at the Kennedy Center and at Merkin Hall. Anthony has also appeared on From the Top, and was Principal Flute of the American Youth Symphony for its 2015-2016 season. ~ trionfoflute.com Photo by Matt Dine
	Annie Wu, “it seems, can do anything” wrote the Mercury News. She is a first prizewinner of the 2015 Astral Artists Auditions; the James Pappoutsakis Flute, Yamaha Young Performing Artist, and YoungArts National competitions; and was named a Presidential Scholar in the Arts. As a concerto soloist, Annie has performed with many orchestras, including the San Francisco Symphony and Vienna International Orchestra; and recitals have taken her to such venues as Boston’s Jordan Hall and D.C.’s Phillips Collection. Personal projects have included a solo flute commission titled Hopscotch from Grammy-nominated composer Anna Clyne, a prizewinning narrative album titled “They Call Me Mignon,” and a beatbox flute YouTube video with over 2 million views. Her multifaceted career has extended to teaching—as guest faculty at Juilliard and various master classes—and managing events and director roles at the James Beard Foundation and a hydroponic farm in Brooklyn, where she designed and produced dozens of interdisciplinary culinary experiences with award-winning chefs. She maintains a personal blog, loosely inspired by food, and her work has been published in Peripheries Journal and profiled by PBS Nova. She holds a B.A. magna cum laude in comparative literature from Harvard and an M.M. from New England Conservatory as a part of the Harvard-NEC dual degree program where she studied with Paula Robison. ~ www.anniewuflute.com Photo by Rachel Rodgers Photography
OBOE
	Israeli oboist Roni Gal-Ed has been described as an “Expressive, wonderful player” by the German SZ Magazine and “Outstanding” by the New York Times. She won first prize at the Lauschmann Oboe Competition in Mannheim, and is a recipient of grants from the America-Israel Cultural Foundation. Roni has worked with such conductors as Zubin Mehta, Valery Gergiev, and Christian Thielemann, and as a chamber musician she has collaborated with Daniel Barenboim and the Jerusalem String Quartet, among others. She has also recorded premieres of new works as well as the Hindemith Oboe Sonata and Serenade for Hessischer Rundfunk in Frankfurt, celebrating the composer’s 100th birthday. Her festival participation includes the Jerusalem, PRO Festival Rolandseck in Germany, Verbier, Edinburgh, and Crested Butte in Colorado. As an orchestral musician, she was a member of the Munich Philharmonic under James Levine; she was Principal Oboe with the Bavarian Chamber Orchestra and Israeli Opera; and she was guest Principal Oboe with the Budapest Festival Orchestra under Ivan Fischer for 8 years. Since 2009 Roni plays with Orpheus and the American Ballet Theatre Orchestra. In 2018, she performed the U.S. premiere of Matthew Greenbaum’s oboe concerto, “the jig is up,” at Lincoln Center. ~ www.ronigaled.com
CLARINET
	Clarinetist Vadim Lando has been praised by the New York Times for his “consistently distinguished” and “vibrant, precise, virtuosic playing.” He won a Gold Medal at the National Festival of Music Competition in Canada, as well as prizes at the Yale and Stony Brook competitions. As soloist, he has performed with numerous orchestras in the U.S., Europe, and Canada. His recitals and chamber music concerts include performances at the Tel Aviv Museum’s Chamber Music Series, Talalyan Brothers Festival in Yerevan, Armenia; Martha’s Vineyard Summer Festival; Forte Music Fest in Almaty, Kazakhstan; Music Festival of the Hamptons directed by Lucas Foss; and on the Dame Myra Hess Series in Chicago. His concerts are often broadcast on radio stations such as WQXR, WFMT Chicago, and National Public Radio. Vadim received his master’s degree at Yale and a doctorate at Stony Brook University; he was a student of Charles Neidich. He also runs his own school, the Great Neck Music Center. Vadim was principal clarinet of the Jupiter Symphony. ~ www.greatneckmusicconservatory.com
	Yoonah Kim, an artist of uncommon musical depth and versatility, has been hailed by the New York Times for her “inexhaustible virtuosity.” She is a winner of the 2016 Concert Artists Guild Competition and first prizewinner of the Vandoren Emerging Artist Competition. Active as a soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician, she recently performed Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto with the Maui Chamber Orchestra, a world premiere of a concerto by Eric Nathan for Violin and Clarinet with Stefan Jackiw and the New York Classical Players, Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time (again with Jackiw), and debut recitals at Weill Hall and Chicago’s Dame Myra Hess series. Her festival participation includes Marlboro, Chautauqua, and Banff. She also tours with Founders and Frisson, and is an alumna of Ensemble Connect. Born in Seoul and raised in British Columbia, Yoonah is a graduate of Juilliard and Mannes, where she studied with Charles Neidich. ~ www.yoonahkim.com
BASSOON
	Joshua Butcher is an active freelance chamber and orchestral bassoonist in the New York City area. Currently, he is the acting Assistant Principal with the Albany Symphony, a position he has held since January 2021. Other groups he has played with include the Atlanta Symphony, Ureuk Symphony, and the Exponential Ensemble. He has also performed as a soloist. Joshua received his Master’s in Music Performance from New York University after attending Curtis and CUNY Brooklyn College. Notable teachers include Leonard Hindell, Daniel Matsukawa, and Adrien Morejon.
	Gina Cuffari, praised by the Palm Beach Daily News for her “sound that is by turns sensuous, lyric, and fast moving,” is an active orchestral and chamber musician in the New York City area. Co-principal bassoonist of Orpheus, she is also a member of the Riverside Symphony, and often performs with the Knights, American Composers Orchestra, and Orchestra of St. Luke’s. In addition, she is the bassoonist of Sylvan Winds, performs and records with Alarm Will Sound, and appears with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. Gina is on the faculty of New York University. ~ www.scarboroughtrio.com
	Daniel McCarty is passionate about chamber music and has performed a vast array of contemporary and standard woodwind quintet repertoire ranging from Reicha to Harbison. In 2023, his woodwind quintet Essengi was invited to perform at Juilliard’s newly-opened campus in Tianjin, China, where they played a concert and took part in the Tianjin Juilliard Orchestra Symposium. As an orchestral musician, he has played with the Juilliard Orchestra and New England Conservatory’s orchestras. His summer festival participation includes the Hidden Valley Festival of Winds, where he performed with principals of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Baltimore Symphony, Bowdoin (as a fellow), Sarasota, and PRISMA in British Columbia. A graduate of the New England Conservatory in 2022, Dan is currently completing his master’s degree at Juilliard under Kim Laskowski.
HORN
	Karl Kramer, from Norway, was principal horn of the Jupiter Symphony. His winnings include top prizes from the American Horn and Nordic Horn competitions. He is a member of the Dorian Quintet, a founding member of Concerts in the Heights, and a faculty member at Rowan University in New Jersey. He also performs as artist-member and guest artist at festivals. ~ www.karlkramerjohansen.com
Please also read about our Guest Artists.