Blair Hamrick is an active freelance musician in the greater NYC area. She is a founding member of Nu Quintet, a non-profit wind quintet dedicated to championing new music, as well as a member of the Rodney Marsalis Philadelphia Big Brass, New York Brass Arts Trio, and an associate horn in Calliope Brass.
As a freelance musician, Blair was the chair-holder of the Off-Broadway show “Three Houses” by Dave Malloy, performs on several Broadway shows, and has appeared with bands such as Sigur Rós, Little River Band, and Queens of the Stone Age.
Blair performs a wide variety of genres and festivals, including Big Ears, Bang on a Can, Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival, and the International Women’s Brass Conference. She is a member of Modus Operandi Orchestra and Chamber Orchestra of New York, and has made appearances with Santa Fe Symphony, Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic, and the Fort Greene Orchestra, among others.
Blair holds a Performance Certificate from Manhattan School of Music and a Doctorate from SUNY Stony Brook.
Award-winning Greek violinist, Rafailia Kapsokavadi is the recipient of several international awards such as the Alion Baltic International Festival, 1st Prize at the Prague Summer Nights International Young Artists Music Festival and Performance Excellence Award and 1st prize at the Pärnu International Music Festival in the summer of 2021, among others.
Rafailia has been performing with orchestras in both Europe and USA, including the MOUSA Greek orchestra, Western Piedmont Symphony, Johnson City Symphony, North Carolina Symphony, Tallinn Philharmonic in Estonia, Mannes Orchestra, New England Symphonic Ensemble, Brooklyn Chamber Orchestra, Chelsea Symphony and New Jersey Symphony, among others.
Very attached to chamber music, Rafailia has performed with Albert Markov, Sergei Stadler, Stanislav Pronin, Omiros Yavroumis, David Russell, Ivry Gitlis, Alissa Margulis, Leila Josefowicz, Stefan Jackiw and others. She has performed at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, David Geffen Hall, DiMenna Center, Megaron Mousikis Thessalonikis, and the Sibelius Academy.
Rafailia received her Bachelor of Music from the Hayes School of Music in North Carolina, being a prize-winning scholar of the ‘Adam P. Kephart Endowed Scholarship’ throughout her studies and her Master’s Degree from Mannes School of Music as the recipient of the Presidential Scholarship at the New School, studying with Daniel and Todd Phillips. She also received the Dean’s Award for outstanding achievements in classical music. Prior to that, she studied with Omiros Yavroumis at the Thessaloniki Conservatory of Music. Past summers have taken her to the Eastern Music Festival, Ravinia Steans Institute, Taos School of Music, the Meadowmount School of Music and Classical Bridge Music Festival.
Rafailia is currently performing on an Italian violin by Pietro Antonio Dalla Costa, generously on loan from a Charitable Trust.
Rafailia has been an Associate Artist Agent at Arts Management Group since May 2024, a classical music agency in Manhattan, preparing itineraries and extensive tours in the West Coast, East Coast and Canada for elite classical musicians.
Based in New York City, violist Qianru Elaine He has performed throughout the world. The Michigan Daily described her playing as “rich, robust, and personified the heightened emotional presence of a prima donna singing their heart out.” Hatton’s solos as Principal Viola of Experiential Orchestra can be heard on GRAMMY winning album “The Prison.” She is a member of A Far Cry and Co-Principal of Chamber Orchestra of New York. She has performed with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, and St. Paul Chamber Orchestra; and toured with ECCO, The Knights, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, and Sphinx Virtuosi. She has given the world premiere of string quartets by Colin Matthews, Derek Bermel, and Felix Jarrar. She has appeared with the Blair String Quartet, Harlem Quartet, Manhattan Chamber Players, and North Country Chamber Players, As an Honorary Ambassador, she has performed throughout South Korea with the New York in Chuncheon Festival. Outside of the classical vein, Hatton has performed at the Apollo Theatre, Jazz at Lincoln Center in collaboration with Paquito D’Rivera, Smalls Jazz Club, The Blue Note Jazz Club, and Birdland Jazz Club. She can be heard on Mark Gross’ jazz album “+ Strings,” BIGYUKI’s electronic album “Reaching for Chiron,” and Terry Slingbaum’s “Slingbaum One.” Collaborations with dancers have included performances at Jacob’s Pillow and Little Island’s Music and Dance Festival. Hatton can be heard on the movie scores of Joker (2019), Judas and the Black Messiah, I Tonya, The Greatest Showman, and West Side Story (2021), among others. An Adjunct Professor at Adelphi University, she has given masterclasses at Colburn Music Academy, New York University, and Vanderbilt University. Hatton earned her Bachelor’s Degree with Kim Kashkashian from New England Conservatory receiving a Presidential Distinction Award Scholarship. She obtained her Master’s Degree and Professional Studies Certificate from Manhattan School of Music where she studied with Karen Dreyfus as a recipient of a William Randolph Hearst Scholarship. http://www.celiahatton.com/
Hyerin Helen Kang is a versatile violinist with a passion for orchestral performance, chamber music and solo performance. With the solo violin performance at the Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall right after graduating from her doctoral degree, Helen started to actively participate in numerous performances in NYC. Helen has been performing with the Chamber Orchestra of New York since 2021. She is currently performing in the United States, Europe, and SouthKorea, bringing her music to audiences around the world.
As an Orchestra, Opera and chamber music performer, Helen has performed at Carnegie Hall’s Isaac Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage, Zankel Hall and Weill Recital Hall, New world Center, Seoul Arts Center, KBS Hall, Universal Arts Center in Seoul, Kodak Hall, Kilbourn Hall, Hatch Recital Hall, Studzinski Recital Hall and many more. She also participated in Wagner Opera with Antonine Wagner, and worked with Central Texas Philharmonic, Waco Symphony Orchestra, Concordia Symphony Orchestra, Opera Festival in Seoul as an Associate concertmaster and Miami Classical Music Festival as a principal second violinist. She also has experiences in Classical-Jazz contemporary chamber music as she had several concerts with Rob Van Bavel and his trio in the Netherlands.
Born in South Korea, Helen started playing violin at the age of seven. She was elected as the soloist violinist in the youth Orchestra at Sunhwa Arts Music school and debuted at the Universal Arts Center in Seoul. She received a Bachelor’s degree from Hanyang University in South Korea with a Magna Cum Laude and she was appointed as a concertmaster. Helen earned her Master’s degree from Eastman School of Music in University of Rochester where she studied under Oleh Krysa as a scholarship student. She graduated from University of Texas at Austin with a Doctoral degree and she widened her musical spectrum through composing a cadenza of Mozart concerto No.5 for her graduation thesis under the guidance of composer Donald Grantham. Furthermore, Helen had the honor of interacting with renowned musicians such as Mikhail Kopelman, Sun-ik Lee, Anton Nel, Sandy Yamamoto, Miro Quartet, Alan Harris, Ying Quartet, Jennifer koh, Bion Tsang, Athayde Juliana, and Cyrus Forough whom deeply influenced her musical performance.
Helen performed in various music festivals such as Bowdoin International Music Festival, New Mexico Chamber Music Festival, Miami Classical Music Festival, Music Festival by Kumho Cultural Foundation and many others. She attended numerous masterclasses with Charles Castleman, Nam Yun Kim, Emma Tachmizian, Laurie Smukler, and Sungsic Yang. Helen won multiple first prizes in diverse music competitions such as Chicago International Music, Manhattan International Music Competition Competition, George Gershwin International Music Competition, East Coast International Competition, Korea Music
Competition, and many more.
Andrew Funcheon is a versatile and experienced percussionist, timpanist, and educator. Since receiving both his Bachelor and Master of Music Degrees from The Juilliard School, he has performed at many of the world’s most prestigious venues with a broad range of orchestras and chamber music groups, including over 25 performances at Carnegie Hall. He regularly performs in both Los Angeles and New York, and has toured the US, Europe, and the Middle East. As an educator, he has held faculty positions at the LA Philharmonic’s YOLA program, the Musicians at Play Foundation, and the Luzerne Music Center.
Jillian Honn is a freelance oboist and arts administrator based in New York City. She holds principal positions with the Cape Symphony, Pegasus: the Orchestra, and the Lake Placid Sinfonietta. In addition to her previous role as Principal Oboe of the Syracuse Orchestra, Jillian has been a guest performer with the International Contemporary Ensemble, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, and the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, among others.
Jillian is an avid soloist and chamber musician with a passion for new music. As a member of Doubles Duo, she strives to broaden the repertoire of oboe and bass music and foster a curiosity in the wide-ranging abilities of the unique instrument combination through commissions and workshops. She is the Operations Manager for Contemporaneous, a New York based contemporary ensemble, and was formerly a co-founder and president of versicolor, a student-run contemporary ensemble at the Yale School of Music.In addition to maintaining a private oboe studio, Jillian was formerly an oboe instructor at Wharton School of the Arts in Berkeley Heights, NJ, a Visiting Lecturer in Music at Ithaca College and was on faculty at LeMoyne and Hamilton Colleges. A graduate of the Eastman School of Music (BM, PC, ALP), where she studied with Richard Killmer, Jillian also holds an MM-MMA from Yale University where she studied with Stephen Taylor.
French-American cellist Georgia Reine Bourderionnet has performed across North America and France as well as in Japan, South Korea, Germany, and the Caribbean. She made her solo debut at 15 with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, and she performed Dvořák’s cello concerto with the orchestra two years later. Now based in New York City, she performs full-time as a solo, chamber, and orchestral cellist. She also tours extensively as a member of crossover piano trio Take3, performing in concert halls across the USA and worldwide as a guest entertainer on luxury cruise lines.Ms. Bourderionnet has appeared in the cello sections of the New World Symphony, Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Princeton Symphony Orchestra. As an alumna of the National Youth Orchestra (NYO-USA), she performed in the NYO All-Stars Orchestra under the baton of Yannick Nézet-Séguin in March of this year. She is also a section cellist of Carnegie Hall’s Link Up Orchestra for the past two seasons. She has served as principal cellist of the Brooklyn Chamber Orchestra since 2023 and the Long Island Concert Orchestra since 2024.An enthusiastic performer of contemporary music, Ms. Bourderionnet was a Contemporary Ensemble Fellow of the Atlantic Music Festival and an Artist Fellow of the Louis Moreau Institute. She was also a featured soloist in the Tribeca New Music Festival.
She holds degrees in cello performance from the Eastman School of Music and the Manhattan School of Music, where she studied with David Ying and Philippe Muller, respectively. She has performed in masterclasses for distinguished artists including Ludwig Quandt, Yo Yo Ma, Tamás Varga, Jan Vogler, Yovan Markovitch, Edouard Sapey-Triomphe, Kazuhide Isomura, Daniel Phillips, Ani Aznavoorian, and Peter Wiley.
Originally from Italy, Chrystelle studied at the Walter Stuffer Academy in Cremona with Salvatore Accardo and graduated from the Conservatorium van Amsterdam (Netherlands) before moving to New York in 2021 to complete her Master’s degree at the Manhattan School of Music in Sylvia Rosenberg’s studio. She has attended numerous masterclasses and summer festivals focusing on the orchestral repertoire with members of the Wiener Philharmoniker and the Berliner Philharmoniker and studying the solo repertoire with Uto Ughi, Ilya Grubert, Philippe Graffin and Pavel Vernikov.
In 2023 Chrystelle joined the Palm Beach Opera in the first violin section and she regularly works with the New Haven Symphony Orchestra and the Long Island Concert Orchestra. Before moving to the United States she worked with the Orchestra di Padova e del Veneto, the Nederlands Philharmonisch Orkest, the LaFil Milano, the Appassionata chamber orchestra, the Virtuosi Italiani, the Solisti Veneti and the Orchestra da Camera Italiana where she held the position of principal second violin. Chrystelle was a founder member and second violin of the Bresler Quartet from 2018 to 2020.
With the Bresler Quartet she performed in Italy, Switzerland, Belgium and the Netherlands for prestigious festivals such as the Chigiana Festival, the EstOvest Festival, Vught Klassiek and Zeist Music Days festival. The Bresler Quartet premiered the Quartetto n.5 by Italian composer Fabio Vacchi at Giacosa Theater (Ivrea, Italy) and recorded for the RAI (the Italian radio television). The quartet was coached by the Jerusalem Quartet and the Quartetto di Cremona.
As a chamber musician she also performed with internationally acclaimed musicians such as Salvatore Accardo, Antonio Meneses, Bruno Giuranna, Ilya Grubert and Julius Berger. After her debut at 16 with the Tchaikovsky violin concerto, in the past years she has performed as a soloist with the Orchestra da Camera italiana, the Solisti Veneti and the Appassionata chamber orchestra focusing on the Venetian Baroque repertoire performing concertos by Tartini and Vivaldi.
Sandra Bouissou is a versatile and accomplished violinist and educator whose dedication spans solo, orchestral, and chamber music. Originally from California’s Bay Area, Sandra has been based in New York City for the past three years where she holds section violin positions in Brooklyn Chamber Orchestra, Fort Greene Orchestra, and is a regular substitute in the New Haven Symphony Orchestra. She recently graduated from the Manhattan School of Music with a Master’s Degree in Violin Performance in the studio of Nicholas Mann and Lucie Robert (2023) and a Professional Studies Certificate (2024) in the studio of Lucie Robert.
Sandra’s musical journey has taken stages across continents, with notable appearances at renowned festivals including the Aspen Music Festival, the International Summer Academy in Saltzburg’s Mozarteum, Fontainebleau’s School of the Arts Music Program, and Festival Napa Valley. Her Bachelor’s Degree in Violin Performance is from Chapman University where she was a Temianka Scholar and had the privilege of playing on the Temianka-Saparoff Violin. There, she studied with Bill Fitzpatrick and was the concertmaster of The Chapman Orchestra for her four years of undergraduate studies. Prior to that, Sandra studied with Claudia Bloom in Palo Alto before attending San Francisco Conservatory’s Pre-College to study with Bettina Mussumeli. Furthermore, Sandra has had the honor of playing for and with artists such as David Kim, Laurie Hamilton, Katherine Fong, Pierre Amoyal, Régis Pasquier, Gérard Poulet, Paul Kantor, Connie Heard, Robert Chen, Cho-Liang Lin, Pei-Ling Lin, Pinchas Zukerman, the Pacifica Quartet, the Telegraph Quartet, and the Juilliard String Quartet.
In New York City, Sandra pairs her teaching with performing at private events and weddings as a soloist and chamber musician. She has performed at eminent venues in New York City such as David Geffen Hall, Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall, and Merkin Hall. She subbed for off-Broadway’s Hunchback of Notre Dame in September of 2022 and recorded at Sear Sound in December of 2023.
Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Clarinetist Jackie Gillette’s journey is characterized by exceptional performance prowess and a steadfast commitment to music education. With a passion for both preserving the classical tradition and pushing the boundaries of musical expression, Jackie has become a captivating figure in the world of classical music.
Jackie has taken center stage in some of the world’s most famous theaters. This includes Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium and Zankel Hall, Lincoln Center’s Metropolitan Opera House and David Koch theater, Alice Tully Hall, the Adrienne Arsht Center, and the Orpheum Theater. Notably, she has performed with ensembles such as the American Ballet Theater Orchestra, New Jersey Symphony, Orchestra of St. Luke’s, Buffalo and Louisiana Philharmonics, American Symphony Orchestra, Symphoria, West Point Band, and Chamber Orchestra of New York. Her artistry is evident in her captivating recitals, like the one with the Lyric Chamber Music Society of NY, as well as notable appearances with the Endless Mountain Wind Quintet, and as part of a jazz duo for the Wellsboro Jazz festival.
In addition to her roles as a woodwind teaching artist at Midori and Friends and contributions as a music teacher with Education Through Music, she actively nurtures the next generation of musicians through her private studio of clarinet students. Beyond these endeavors, she passionately dedicates her time to teaching masterclasses, imparting her expertise and insights to aspiring clarinetists. She frequently engages in outreach concerts specially designed for schools and student audiences, captivating young minds with the beauty and magic of clarinet music. Furthermore, Jackie’s educational impact extends internationally through her association with Music Inspire Africa, where she shares her knowledge and passion with budding musicians across continents, fostering a global appreciation for the clarinet and classical music.
Jackie’s academic journey reflects her unwavering commitment to musical excellence. With a Bachelor of Music degree from the renowned Eastman School of Music and a Master’s in Clarinet Performance from the esteemed Lynn Conservatory of Music her training under the guidance of Jon Manasse has been formative.
Jackie’s influence expands digitally as well, with her Instagram (@jackiegilletteclarinet) amassing over 40k followers and TikTok (@jackiegilletteclarinet) drawing an impressive 68k audience.
Ryan Dresen is a horn player originally from the wide-open landscapes of Montana. Praised by the press as “particularly characterful,” and a player with “beauty and power throughout the range,” Ryan brings a vibrant, expressive energy to every performance, whether on stage as a soloist or as a collaborator.
He is an alum of Carnegie Hall’s Ensemble Connect, performing regularly in some of the world’s most renowned concert spaces. He holds a master’s degree from the Schwob School of Music at Columbus State University, where he studied with Dr. Anne-Marie Cherry.
A passionate chamber musician, Ryan is a founding member of the Callaway Chamber Players, who have been on faculty at the Antioquia Festival de Música in Medellín, Colombia. As a soloist, he has performed with the Spokane Symphony, Whitworth Symphony Orchestra, Schwob Contemporary Ensemble, and The Blue Morpho Orchestra.
Outside of music, Ryan finds joy in nature, a well-pulled espresso shot, and exploring new places around the world. Whether on stage or on the move, he brings curiosity, intention, and heart to everything he does.
Hailed for her “enchanting” performances (New York Classical Review), her “lambent tone and persuasive phrasing” (Oberon’s Grove), Swiss-French clarinetist Yasmina Spiegelberg is the laureate of several international and national competitions including the Rotary International Competition Madrid Velazquez, the Frances Walton Seattle Competition, and the USC Concerto Competition. Additionally, she was awarded the Special Prize at the 2nd Vienna International Music Competition, and the Golden Medal at the 4th Manhattan International Music Competition. Her clarinet trio, The Tandru Trio, was the winner at the Beverly Hills National Auditions in 2019. She is also a member of the preeminent woodwind quintet, ConnectFive, which has been heard across the Northeast, invited at the Avaloch Farm Music Institute, and was an Ensemble Forward Grantee through Chamber Music America.
Based in NYC, she is currently a fellow at Ensemble Connect, the resident ensemble of Carnegie Hall, which features extraordinary young musicians from around the globe who are committed to community engagement, teaching, entrepreneurship, and leadership. She has appeared in many renowned concert halls including the Oslo Concert Hall, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, and Carnegie Hall.
Yasmina is a guest soloist with the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra, the Nomad Symphony Orchestra (France) and the String Ensemble Rapsodia (Switzerland) and collaborates with conductors such as Stefan Asbury, Richard Egarr, Franck Ollu, Paul Watkins, and Xiao Zhang. She is guest clarinetist with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra. Her chamber music collaborations include Peter Frankl, Clive Greensmith, Thomas Guei, Peter Kolkay, Cynthia Phelps, Hila Plitmann, Mark Steinberg, and Roger Tapping, and she’s also a guest performer with the Grammy-nominated ensemble A Far Cry. A passionate advocate of contemporary classical music, she collaborates with composers Kalevi Aho, Reena Esmail, inti figgis-vizueta, Liza Lim, James MacMillan, and Steve Reich.
Yasmina appears as a recitalist at Core Memory Music and as a chamber musician at Philadelphia Chamber Music Society and Rocket City New Music in Huntsville, AL. She performs in some of the finest concert series in Los Angeles, including Dilijan, Classical Sundays at Six, LACMA Sunday’s Live, and Music In The Mansion. In recent years, she has performed at world-famous festivals such as Yellowbarn (USA), where she has also been a Residency Artist, Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festival (USA), Caramoor, Festival POTE (France), and the International Ensemble Modern Academy (Austria). Furthermore, she is broadcasted live as a soloist on KUSC (California) and KING-FM (Washington) and she recorded an album in Switzerland featuring concertos and other works for clarinet and orchestra.
As part of a cultural exchange between Norway and Côte d’Ivoire, Yasmina traveled with Barth Niava, director of Oslo’s African Culture Institute (CAK), to Addah, Côte d’Ivoire, to learn several traditional songs from the village. In celebration of the CAK’s 40th Anniversary, she premiered Pierre Thilloy’s Le Chant des Lagunes, a quadruple concerto for violin, clarinet, bassoon, djembe, and orchestra, which took inspiration from the same traditional songs.
An experienced educator, Yasmina has taught at Juilliard Pre-College, The Santa Monica Conservatory, Musique & Son in Switzerland, and is a faculty member for the Young Artist Program at Yellowbarn where she teaches chamber music and clarinet. She was recently appointed as clarinet faculty at Riverdale Country School. She has an experience encompassing more than fifteen years of teaching clarinet to students of all ages. As part of her Fellowship with Ensemble Connect, she was a teaching artist in residence at Robert F. Wagner Middle School in Manhattan, and now at Fort Hamilton High School in Brooklyn.
She holds a Bachelor’s from the Haute Ecole de Musique de Lausanne (Switzerland) and the Conservatorium van Amsterdam (The Netherlands), as well as a Master in Performance from the Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo with Björn Nyman. She also earned a Graduate Certificate and an Artist Diploma from the University of Southern California with world-famous Professor Yehuda Gilad.
Sahara von Hattenberger is a professional cellist from Vancouver, Canada. As a graduate of the Schulich School of Music at McGill University, (B.A. 2016 / M.M. 2018), she completed her primary studies with Matt Haimovitz, Brian Manker, Ariel Barnes, and Elizabeth Dolin with additional tutelage from Colin Carr, Johannes Moser, Phillipe Muller, and Truls Mork.
After completing her Master’s Degree she signed with a Tokyo-based music agency and lived in Japan under contract from 2019 to 2020. After working as a soloist and touring the country extensively, she returned to Canada during the pandemic during which time she founded “Duo Kogarashi”, an ensemble dedicated to promoting cultural exchange between Japan and Canada. Last year she was the recipient of a grant from the Canada Council of the Arts to commission two new works for cello and piano that promoted Japanese culture in Canada. The resulting filmed performance was almost an hour long and included works from both Japanese and Canadian composers.
Sahara currently works as substitute cellist in various Orchestras, including the Orchestre Metropolitain (directed by Maestro Yannick Nézet-Séguin).
In 2024 she will be releasing her first solo album through the label Odd Sounds with collaborative pianist Joanne Kang (from Carnegie Hall’s: “ensemble connect”) as well as acclaimed jazz performers Jim Doxas (drums) and Adrian Vedady (bass), and will feature repertoire by Claude Bolling alongside two new commissions by Grammy-winning composer Remi LeBoeuf and Malcolm Sailor. Her mission as a chamber musician is to bring engaging contemporary music to the forefront.
In 2025 she will be releasing her second album through the ATMA label with the group she founded with soprano Vanessa Croome, “Duo Étrange” (also featuring Joanne Kang on piano) with commissions by Nicole Lizée. The album launch will take place Fall of 2025 after a performance at the esteemed Salle Bourgie.
As an aspiring violinist, Elaine was invited to play in the New York String Orchestra of Carnegie Hall in 2021 and 2019. She was also selected as a violin fellow at Tanglewood Music Festival in 2019, where she served as Associate Concertmaster to perform Wagner’s Die Walküre under the baton of Andris Nelsons. She was honored to study chamber music with the Juilliard String Quartet and pianist Emanuel Ax at Tanglewood. In the summer of 2018, Elaine served as Concertmaster of the Festival Orchestra at Music Academy of the West to lead the GALA Concert under the baton of Nicholas McGegan and had the opportunity to work intensively with Glenn Dicterow, the former New York Philharmonic Concertmaster. In 2015 and 2016, Elaine received a full scholarship to spend her summers at Morningside Music Bridge, where she received guidance from Noah Bendix-Balgley and Bill Van der Sloot. Back in 2014, she had the opportunity to study with Ann Setzer and Joseph Silverstein at Meadowmount School of Music.
In addition, Elaine was awarded the 2nd Prize of the Ann & Charles Eisemann International Young Artists Competition, the first prize winner of the 2019 TMMC Young Artist Competition, and the third prize winner of the Pearl & Julius Young Musician Competition. She was sponsored to play on the Emilio Celani 1885 violin after winning the 2016 Doublestop Foundation Instrument Loan Competition.
Qianru Elaine He is currently a graduate student at the Juilliard School, and is studying Marketing at the Columbia University. She has been a section violinist at the Princeton Symphony Orchestra since 2019, and she performs regularly with the APEX Ensemble, Symphony in C and the New Haven Symphony Orchestra.
Paloma Ferrante is a Brooklyn based cellist who enjoys collaborating as a chamber and orchestral musician. Paloma received her bachelor and master’s degrees in Cello Performance at the Royal College of Music in London as a student of Leonid Gorokhov. She continued studies at Michigan State University, completing her Doctorate in Musical Arts degree as a full scholarship teaching assistant where she studied with Suren Bagratuni.
Paloma has benefited under the guidance of cellists in master class including Gary Hoffman, Natalie Clein, Steven Isserlis, Phillipe Müller, Jérôme Pernoo, and at the prestigious Piatigorsky Seminar with Erling Blöndal Bengtsson, Natalia Gutman, and Nathaniel Rosen.
As a chamber musician she received coaching from members of the Chilingirian and Emerson Quartets.
Paloma is cello faculty at Brooklyn Conservatory of Music and maintains a private studio.
Praised as an “exceptional talent” by the Frankfurter Neue Presse, violinist Jessica Park captivates audiences from New York to Seoul with a diverse and compelling array of solo and chamber music performances. Equally at home on both modern and baroque violins, Ms. Park has appeared internationally at such venues as the Cologne Philharmonie, Seoul Arts Center, Shanghai Grand Theatre, and the Vienna Konzerthaus; and stateside at Alice Tully Hall, Symphony Hall (Boston), and Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage and Weill Recital Hall.
A versatile and imaginative artist, Ms. Park is in high demand as an interpreter of baroque and classical repertoire. She can be heard frequently with the country’s premier period instrument ensembles, including the Handel and Haydn Society, Boston Baroque, Trinity Baroque Orchestra, The American Classical Orchestra, and New York Baroque Incorporated. Her duo with fortepianist Ji-Young Kim was recently featured at both the Bloomington and Boston Early Music Festivals, and in 2017 Ms. Park founded the Cramer Quartet, a period instrument string quartet whose upcoming season includes thematic concert programs centered around the lives of Haydn, Mozart, and Schubert.
Ms. Park’s commitment to the art of string quartet playing has resonated strongly throughout her career, resulting in performances at the Metropolitan Museum, the Morgan Library, the New York Historical Society, and WQXR. She has worked closely with members of the Brentano, Cleveland, Emerson, Juilliard, Mendelssohn, Orion, Tokyo, and Ying Quartets. In 2018, Ms. Park and the Cramer Quartet participated in an intensive residency program at the Avaloch Farm Music Institute. The Cramer Quartet is a recipient of a Chamber Music America Ensemble Forward Grant, made possible with the generous support from the New York Community Trust.
An adventurous advocate for contemporary music, Ms. Park is also a dedicated interpreter of 21st century music in both concert and cross-disciplinary settings. She performs regularly with the American Composers Orchestra, Ensemble LPR, and Ensemble Mise-En. Recent projects include the world premiere of Paolo Marchettini’s Quartet in one movement, the New York premiere of Wynton Marsalis’ Blues Symphony, and Ms. Park’s participation as the resident violinist in the Composers + Musicians Residency at I-Park Foundation.
A native of Cincinnati, Ms. Park moved to New York City to attend the Juilliard School. She holds Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from Juilliard, as well as a Professional Studies Diploma from the Mannes School of Music. Ms. Park was also a Fellow at the Yale School of Music, where she was a member of the Yale Baroque Ensemble. Ms. Park has attended the Aspen Music Festival, IMS Prussia Cove, the International Bowdoin Music Festival, Kneisel Hall, Music Academy of the West, Tafelmusik Baroque Summer Institute, American Bach Soloists Academy, the Baroque Performance Institute at Oberlin, and the International Baroque Institute at Longy. Her principal teachers include Mark Steinberg, Ronald Copes, Hyo Kang, and Robert Mealy.
Ms. Park resides in New York City, where she enjoys baking, reading fiction, and running in Central Park.
Carolina Díaz Chan is a Brooklyn based violist who enjoys performing a large variety of musical genres. She is currently the violist for the first National Tour of Broadway’s Jagged Little Pill. Carolina has performed in NYC venues such as Radio City Music Hall, Brooklyn Mirage, Carnegie Hall, and Rockwood Music Hall. She has performed with the American Symphony Orchestra, the Brooklyn Orchestra, and the Experiential Orchestra among others. Carolina is thrilled to be joining Chamber Orchestra of New York as Section Viola.
Carolina received her Bachelor of Music in Viola Performance from the Eastman School of Music where she studied with George Taylor. She also received a second degree in Music Education from Eastman with a minor in American Sign Language from the University of Rochester. She holds a Master of Music in Viola Performance from the Manhattan School of Music where she studied with Shmuel Katz.
In her free time Carolina is passionate about eating great vegan food, watching movies, arranging music and composting. She also has three cats named Mango, Mochi, and Meila that she adopted as kittens whom she loves very much.
Vlad Hontila was born in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, and began playing the violin at the age of seven. From an early age, he demonstrated exceptional talent, dedication, and ambition, participating in National Olympiads and the J.S. Bach National Violin Competition, where he won first and second prizes for five consecutive years. In 2015, Vlad received the President’s International String Quartet Scholarship, a full scholarship that brought him to the United States to pursue a Bachelor of Music in Performance at Western Illinois University, where he studied with Dr. Julieta Mihai. During his four years there, he served as Concertmaster of both the Chamber and Symphony Orchestras. In 2019, Vlad was awarded the prestigious Robert Mann Endowed Scholarship for Violin and Chamber Studies at Manhattan School of Music, where he studied with Lucie Robert. After completing his master’s degree, he continued his studies in the Professional Studies program for an additional year. During his three years at MSM, he was selected as Concertmaster for multiple orchestral cycles under maestro George Manahan. He also studied chamber music with Peter Winograd and Nicholas Mann and won the Lilian Fuchs Chamber Music Competition with two different ensembles. In 2022, he received the Kraeuter Musical Foundation Award for excellence in chamber music performance. That same year, Vlad joined the Chamber Orchestra of New York, becoming part of what he describes as both a team and a family. He began his journey with the orchestra as Assistant Principal Second Violin and has recently been appointed Principal Second Violin, a role that reflects his continued growth and commitment to the ensemble. 2025 was a big year for Vlad. He won his first professional orchestral audition with the Alabama Symphony Orchestra, where he continues to perform as a first violinist. That same year, he was appointed Principal Second Violin of the Lake Placid Sinfonietta, where he performs every summer for six weeks. He has also been invited to serve as Assistant Concertmaster with the Opera Company of Middlebury in Vermont. Now based in both Birmingham and New York City, Vlad performs actively as an orchestral violinist, chamber musician, and soloist. He has appeared at some of the most renowned venues in the United States, including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the DiMenna Center for Classical Music, BAM Howard Gilman Opera House, Madison Square Garden, and Radio City Music Hall. His lifelong passion for chamber music and solo repertoire continues to shape his artistic growth, curiosity, and exploration, both on and off the stage.
Hornist Cort Roberts enjoys a diverse life in music as a performer, educator, entrepreneur and academic. He is a fellow in Carnegie Hall’s Ensemble Connect, class of 2020-23, where he performs chamber music, curates interactive concert experiences, and works as a Teaching Artist in several NYC public schools. In recent summers, he has been heard at Skaneateles Festival, Bravo! Vail Music Festival, Rockport Music, Bang on a Can Summer Festival, and Bowdoin International Music Festival. An active freelance player in NYC, Cort has played with the Brooklyn Orchestra, Riverside Symphony, Montclair (APEX) Orchestra, New York Chamber Players, New England Symphonic Ensemble, Pegasus Orchestra, and a variety of other projects. A committed educator, Cort is on faculty at Mahanaim College as Professor of Horn, and he has also been a guest faculty artist at the Universidad de Antioquia in Medellín, Colombia. An avid chamber musician, Cort is a member and co-manager of The Brass Project, a sextet dedicated to commissioning new works for brass that represent diverse 21st-century musical perspectives. To date, the ensemble has commissioned more than 45 new works, and has shared this music through residencies in New York, Massachusetts, Texas, Colorado, and New Mexico. The group has been a 2-year recipient of Chamber Music America’s Ensemble Forward Grant. Committed to community engagement, the Brass Project has curated and presented educational programs for students and communities of all ages. Cort is currently pursuing his doctoral degree at Stony Brook University, and expects to finish in the spring of 2023. He completed his master’s degree at The Juilliard School in 2019, where he held two community engagement teaching fellowships. A native of Colorado, Cort completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Colorado Boulder, where he finished minors in Business and Leadership and worked for several years in office administration.
Based in New York City, violist Celia Hatton has performed throughout the world. The Michigan Daily described her playing as “rich, robust, and personified the heightened emotional presence of a prima donna singing their heart out.” Hatton’s solos as Principal Viola of Experiential Orchestra can be heard on GRAMMY winning album “The Prison.” She is a member of A Far Cry and Co-Principal of Chamber Orchestra of New York. She has performed with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, and St. Paul Chamber Orchestra; and toured with ECCO, The Knights, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, and Sphinx Virtuosi. She has given the world premiere of string quartets by Colin Matthews, Derek Bermel, and Felix Jarrar. She has appeared with the Blair String Quartet, Harlem Quartet, Manhattan Chamber Players, and North Country Chamber Players, As an Honorary Ambassador, she has performed throughout South Korea with the New York in Chuncheon Festival. Outside of the classical vein, Hatton has performed at the Apollo Theatre, Jazz at Lincoln Center in collaboration with Paquito D’Rivera, Smalls Jazz Club, The Blue Note Jazz Club, and Birdland Jazz Club. She can be heard on Mark Gross’ jazz album “+ Strings,” BIGYUKI’s electronic album “Reaching for Chiron,” and Terry Slingbaum’s “Slingbaum One.” Collaborations with dancers have included performances at Jacob’s Pillow and Little Island’s Music and Dance Festival. Hatton can be heard on the movie scores of Joker (2019), Judas and the Black Messiah, I Tonya, The Greatest Showman, and West Side Story (2021), among others. An Adjunct Professor at Adelphi University, she has given masterclasses at Colburn Music Academy, New York University, and Vanderbilt University. Hatton earned her Bachelor’s Degree with Kim Kashkashian from New England Conservatory receiving a Presidential Distinction Award Scholarship. She obtained her Master’s Degree and Professional Studies Certificate from Manhattan School of Music where she studied with Karen Dreyfus as a recipient of a William Randolph Hearst Scholarship. http://www.celiahatton.com/
A few Italian conductors of chamber orchestras noticed early on the neoclassical influence of Ottorino Respighi on Salvatore Di Vittorio’s early works, pairing them together in their programs. Music critics also made the connection, with some articles praising Di Vittorio and then described him as “following in the footsteps of Respighi”. In March of 2006, Di Vittorio founded the Chamber Orchestra of New York “Ottorino Respighi” to honor this bond and his commitment to the Italian repertoire. These developments caught the attention of certain Respighi scholars and the news eventually reached Respighi’s great-nieces, Elsa Pizzoli Mazzacane and Gloria Pizzoli Mangini.
Visit: Works – Respighi Editions
Dear Friends,
As we commence our 250 USA Anniversary Season 2026/2027, I am humbled by Chamber Orchestra of New York’s recent achievement with its extraordinarily successful Germany debut at Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie performing arts center this past June 25, 2026. On the heels of this milestone, we celebrate the American anniversary with our Friday, November 20, 2026 performance at Carnegie Hall’s Zankel Hall titled: Americus! Indiana Jones, Dvorak’s From the New World, and Barber with Aubree Oliverson.
I am forever grateful to the Board of Chamber Orchestra of New York which has entrusted me with a special commission and world premiere of my new Americus dedicated to the 250 USA Anniversary. It is my deepest hope that Americus will remain in the memory of our wonderful audience well after its premiere. As a work of program music, Americus depicts a variety of historical moments in American history through several memorable original melodies – from revolutionary period bands to a Sousa-like march, from a salute to discoveries and pioneers of the West, to an immigrant folk song and dance, culminating in a joyous finale echoing liberty through fanfares and church bells. Americus is a personal and meaningful musical expression of remembrance, love and gratitude from one hopeful immigrant during a milestone American anniversary.
We warmly invite our audience to attend our VIP post-concert champagne reception at Carnegie Hall for this special performance.
Your presence is also kindly requested at our Carnegie Hall Series Winter program – Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet, Rossini, and Chopin’s Piano Concerto with Lulwa Al Shamlan on Friday, March 12, 2027 – and Spring program – Carmen, Grieg’s Peer Gynt, and Cinema Paradiso with Rossana Bribò on Friday, May 28, 2027.
Please join our musical family by purchasing either Single or especially Subscription Tickets by visiting https://chamberorchestraofnewyork.org/concert-season/
With warmest wishes,
Salvatore Di Vittorio
Music Director & Composer
Chamber Orchestra of New York
Jonathan (Jon) Salamon is a harpsichordist, pianist, and composer based in New York, NY. He has performed at festivals in the U.S. and abroad including the International Baroque Institute at Longy, Cambridge, MA, and at the Virtuoso & Bel Canto Festival in Lucca, Italy, among others. Jonathan has performed in masterclasses for artists such as Jordi Savall, Pierre Hantaï, Luca Guglielmi, Peter Sykes, and Ketil Haugsand. While in-residence at Yale, he played continuo for the Yale Baroque Opera Project, assisted in tuning at Yale’s Collection of Musical Instruments, and was a frequent collaborator on chamber music concerts.
A passionate educator, Jonathan taught secondary harpsichord lessons at Yale and was a Teaching Assistant for a graduate course in the history of early music. He has presented lecture-recitals at the Yale Collection of Musical Instruments and at the Historical Keyboard Society of North America’s 2018 conference. He recently presented his DMA thesis, “The Leo: A Galant Schema and Its Affective Content,” at Temple University’s THEMUS Conference.
With his colleague Felice Doynov, flutist and arts advocate, he co-founded HEAR Classical. HEAR stands for History, Equality, and Artistic Representation, and it is a resource and concert platform for music by women and minority composers throughout western music history. After an inaugural concert at Yale in April 2018, HEAR Classical partnered with the United Nations Chamber Music Society and in May of 2018 presented a concert at All Saints Episcopal Church in New York, NY, with musicians from Yale and Juilliard, and featuring speakers from the United Nations.
Jonathan was born in New York City and grew up in Connecticut. He earned his Bachelor of Music degree cum laude from NYU, majoring in piano performance and minoring in law and society; his principal teachers included Seymour Bernstein (piano) and Dr. Morwaread Farbood (harpsichord). Jonathan holds a Master of Music degree in harpsichord from the Yale School of Music, where he studied with Arthur Haas, and is currently a Doctor of Musical Arts candidate at Yale.
Based in New York City, Kristi Shade began playing the harp at the age of two and has since become one of the preeminent emerging harpists in the industry. A diverse performer, Kristi performs in a variety of musical settings including classical, jazz, pop, Broadway and contemporary music. Kristi holds degrees from the University of Miami and the Manhattan School of Music.
Kristi is the Principal Harpist with the Chamber Orchestra of New York, with which she has recorded several albums on the Naxos record label. She is a member of the flute-viola-harp trio, Hat Trick, and the harp duo, Duo Scorpio. Duo Scorpio released their debut album, Scorpion Tales, in the fall of 2012 on the American Modern Recordings label and were featured performers at the 50th Anniversary American Harp Society Conference in New York City. Their album, Scorpion Tales, was included on the 2012 GRAMMY nomination ballot in three separate categories. Duo Scorpio were featured performers at the World Harp Congress in Sydney, Australia in July 2014, where they premiered their commissions by composers Nico Muhly and Andy Akiho. Duo Scorpio also performed at the World Harp Congress in Hong Kong in July 2017, where they premiered their commission by composer Paul Patterson. Duo Scorpio’s second album, Two Bridges, was released in the spring of 2017 and consists entirely of pieces commissioned by the duo.
Kristi has been a guest artist with the Baltimore Symphony, the Florida Philharmonic and the Albany Symphony Orchestra. Her solo engagements have included concerto performances with the Miami Symphony, the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas, Ensemble 212, and the Astoria Symphony. Kristi was the Principal Harpist for the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas, with which she toured Mexico and North America and recorded an album for Sony Classical.
Kristi has performed on Broadway for several shows, including Carousel, Hello Dolly, Dr. Zhivago, Cinderella, Wicked, A Little Night Music, Gypsy and The Apple Tree. She can also be heard on the Official Broadway recording of Anastasia.
Kristi currently resides in Manhattan where she maintains a vigorous performance and teaching schedule. She has been on faculty at the Manhattan School of Music Precollege Division since 2007.
Burt Mason currently serves as Principal Trombone of the Chamber Orchestra of New York. He performs frequently with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and New York Philharmonic, and has been featured as a guest artist of the New York Philharmonic Brass, the Metropolitan Opera Brass and Utah Symphony. Mr. Mason is on faculty at the Juilliard School serving as Trombone and Low Brass instructor for the Music Advancement Program.
He was formerly solo trombone for the Miami Music Project as well as Principal Trombone and soloist of the New York Staff Band of The Salvation Army. He has also appeared as soloist with numerous ensembles, performing throughout North America, the United Kingdom, Europe and Australia. Mr. Mason has performed under the baton of notable conductors such as James Levine, Alan Gilbert, Mstislav Rostropovich, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Skitch Henderson, Gustavo Dudamel, and Yannick Nézet-Séguin amongst others in world-renowned venues such as Royal Albert Hall, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center and the Apollo Theater.
NAfME/MENC All-Eastern Band, the NYSSMA All-State Band and Orchestra, as well as winning several local music contests during high school. While in college at the Crane School of Music, Mr. Mason won the school’s most prestigious performing contest, the annual Crane Concerto Competition, as a freshman.
As an advocate for diversity in the arts, Mr. Mason is founder and director of Ovation Concerts, an organization dedicated to balanced diversity in orchestral music. He appeared as a guest on WQXR’s “Conducting Business” with Naomi Lewin to discuss the history and future of classical music and diversity in symphony orchestras. In addition, he performs regularly with organizations and events that promote artistic diversity in classical music, including the Sphinx Competition and Symphony and the Gateways Music Festival.
As a recording artist, Mr. Mason has been featured as a soloist on a variety of recordings with the New York Staff Band on the Triumphonic label. He has also completed several recordings with the Chamber Orchestra of New York on the Naxos label.
Mr. Mason holds an MM in Orchestral Performance from the Manhattan School of Music studying with David Finlayson of the New York Philharmonic. He has had additional studies with Joseph Alessi of the New York Philharmonic, Weston Sprott of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and obtained his BA in Music as a student of Mark Hartman at the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam. He also holds an MBA in Arts Administration from SUNY Binghamton University. Mr. Mason is a Yamaha Performing Artist and Clinician.
Appearing extensively throughout New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, trumpeter Thomas Boulton has performed alongside members of the Canadian Brass, New York Philharmonic, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, and musicians on Broadway. Tom’s trumpet playing has been broadcasted live on television to over 200 million homes internationally, heard on numerous National Public Radio programs, and on live concert stages in front of crowds exceeding 25,000. As an educator, clinician, and recitalist, Tom appears at schools and universities across the country and is a published author in the International Trumpet Guild Journal. Tom holds degrees from Rutgers University (Doctor of Musical Arts), Manhattan School of Music (Master of Music), and Eastern Michigan University (Bachelor of Music). His principal teachers include Kevin Cobb, Thomas V. Smith, Carter Eggers, and Michael Bowman. He received additional individual instruction from trumpeting icons Håkan Hardenberger, Thomas Stevens, Gabriele Cassone, Stephen Burns, Edward Carroll, Jim Ross, Mark Gould, David Krauss, Peter Bond, Brian McWhorter, Ray Mase, and Robert Sullivan. Tom has performed under notable conductors such as Alan Gilbert, Marin Alsop, Lorin Maazel, and Kurt Masur and performs regularly in prestigious concert halls including New York City’s Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall. He has recorded on the Sony Classical, Mark Masters, and Naxos Classical labels.
More information can be found at thomasboulton.com
Natalie Pilla is quickly establishing herself as an active solo, chamber, and orchestral musician both in and around New York City. As a freelance bassoonist, Natalie has performed with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, American Symphony Orchestra, Brooklyn Philharmonic, Long Island Philharmonic, Albany Symphony, West Chester Philharmonic, and the Harrisburg Symphony.
In 2011, Ms. Pilla joined the Metropolitan Opera on tour in Japan performing La Boheme, Don Carlo and Lucia di Lammermoor. Under the direction of Fabio Luisi, she also performed with the Met Orchestra at Suntory Hall in Tokyo. While in NYC, Natalie performs regularly at Avery Fisher Hall, Alice Tully Hall and Carnegie Hall and has worked with such conductors as Gianandrea Noseda, Christoph Eschenbach and Alan Gilbert.
Natalie is co-founder of the Aeolian Collective, a chamber music ensemble that performs works written primarily for wind and brass instruments. She has performed chamber music throughout the country as well as in South America, Europe and Japan. Ms. Pilla collaborates with various emerging new music ensembles in New York City and was a featured soloist with The Chelsea Symphony performing the Mozart Bassoon Concerto.
As well as being a performer, Natalie is also an advocate for arts education. She is a teaching artist for the 92Y’s Musical Introduction Series where she brings music education to inner city schools in both the Bronx and Harlem. Ms. Pilla teaches bassoon at the Rudolf Steiner School and has taught at both Mannes and Juilliard precolleges.
Natalie received her Master of Music and Professional Studies Diploma from Mannes College of Music in NYC where she studied with Patricia Rogers. She received a Bachelor of Science in Music Therapy from Duquesne University Mary Pappert School of Music. Ms. Pilla’s principal teachers include Marc Goldberg, David Sogg and Shirley Curtiss.
Kara LaMoure is bassoonist and Artistic Director of WindSync, one of North America’s most active and acclaimed wind quintets. With WindSync, she has performed on stages including Ravinia, Strathmore, and Chamber Music Northwest and carried out residencies at New World Symphony, Eastman School of Music, University of Texas, and music festivals throughout the United States. Fascinated with the role of humor in music, LaMoure is a founding member of the Breaking Winds Bassoon Quartet, a comedic crossover group known for their online presence and their following among young musicians. She is a prolific arranger for chamber winds, and her transcriptions for bassoon quartet and wind quintet have been performed on five continents. A supporter of global youth orchestra movements, LaMoure has served as the bassoon coach for Verbier Festival Junior Orchestra (Switzerland), Esperanza Azteca (Mexico), and Bahia Orchestra Project (Brazil). At home in New York City, she performs as a guest musician with ensembles including American Symphony Orchestra and American Modern Opera Company. A lifelong “band kid,” LaMoure started bassoon through her public middle school band program near Dallas, Texas, and she earned degrees studying under John Hunt (Eastman School of Music) and Christopher Millard (Northwestern University).
Named a 2006-07 Fulbright Scholar, Merideth Hite studied Baroque and Modern oboe in the Musikhochschule in Trossingen, Germany. Upon completion of her Fulbright Grant, Merideth received her degree of Künstlerische Ausbildung (KA) under Martin Stadler and Nicholas Daniel. Also a graduate of the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, Ms. Hite received her Bachelor of Music degree summa cum laude in 2006 and she currently studies at Yale School of Music under oboist Steven Taylor in pursuit of a Masters degree.
Bringing a wide array of musical experience to her playing, Ms. Hite has performed orchestrally, as a chamber musician, and soloist. She was awarded first prize at the University of Cincinnati-College Conservatory of Music Oboe Concerto Competition in March 2005, and appeared as a soloist with the CCM Wind Symphony that same year. She also participated in the Barbirolli International Oboe Festival and Competition in the Isle of Man, British Isles in August 2005.
Orchestral experience, both on oboe and English horn, includes the Chamber Orchestra of New York, Kentucky Symphony Orchestra, Norwalk (CT) Symphony, Brevard Music Center Festival Orchestra, Opera and Chamber Music Festival of Lucca Orchestra, Cincinnati Choral Society, Yale and CCM Philharmonias, Yale Collegium Players, Nutmeg Symphony (CT), Waterbury Symphony (CT), and New Britain Sympony Orchestra (CT). Ms. Hite recently returned from an extensive tour of Asia with the Yale Philharmonia.
Notable chamber music performances include the Divisi Quintet of CCM and others at the Banff Arts Centre, South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities, and Sewanee Summer Music Festival. Most recently, during the summer 2008 performed in chamber, orchestral, and opera performances in the Spoleto USA Festival in her home state of South Carolina.
Merideth has continued her work on baroque oboe since returning from Germany under the tutelage of Marc Schachman. She performs on historical instruments with numerous Baroque ensembles at Yale and the New Haven area, including Yale’s Institute of Sacred Music and the Amherst Early Music Festival Academy. Ms. Hite is a native of Abbeville, SC.
Slava Znatchenii has been called “a beautifully crafted musician” by The Met Opera Guild and the New York Times has noted Mr. Znatchenii for his shapely sound and velocity. The Times Union has described his oboe solos in the Brahms Requiem as “exquisite” and TheaterScene.net praised his playing for being “notably strong and expressive”. He has appeared as guest Principal Oboist with such orchestras as the New England Symphonic Ensemble at Carnegie Hall, the American Ballet Orchestra and DiCapo Opera Orchestra. Slava Znatchenii has served as the Principal Oboe of Chamber Orchestra of New York since the fall of 2007.
Most recently, Mr. Znatchenii became the principal oboist with the Classical Concert Chamber orchestra and toured extensively throughout Spain, France and several other European countries. As a member of the Verbier Chamber Orchestra in 2007, Mr. Znatchenii has toured throughout North America and Europe under the direction of Maxim Vengerov as soloist and conductor. Slava has also performed with such conductors as Pierre Boulez, Kurt Mazur, Leonard Slatkin, David Robertson, Samuel Wang, John Mauceri and John Rutter.
A native of Moldova, Slava Znatchenii started his musical studies at the age of 10.He completed his Bachelor degree at the Mannes College of Music and holds a Masters and a Post Graduate Degree in Orchestral Performance from Manhattan School of Music, where he studied with Joseph Robinson, the principal oboist of the New York Philharmonic and Steven Taylor, the principal oboist of St.Lukes orchestra and the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. Slava also studied English Horn performance and chamber music with the renowned English Hornist Thomas Stacy, also of the New York Philharmonic. Currently, Slava Znatchenii resides in New York City where he also enjoys an active chamber music career and maintains a private teaching studio.
Hailed by the press as “one of the most interesting talents of her generation”, Ginevra Petrucci has performed at Carnegie Hall (New York), Kennedy Center (Washington D.C.), Salle Cortot (Paris), Teatro La Fenice (Venice), Villa Medici (Rome), Ohji Hall (Tokyo), as well as throughout China, South America and the Middle East.
As a soloist, she has appeared in concert with I Pomeriggi Musicali, I Virtuosi Italiani and the Chamber Orchestra of New York, and has released the first recordings of Edouard Dupuy and Ferdinand Buchner’s Concertos. Her chamber music experience has brought her to appear alongside pianists Bruno Canino and Boris Berman, and to a long-standing collaboration with the Kodály Quartet, with whom she has released the highly acclaimed recording of the complete Flute Quintets by Friedrich Kuhlau. Her recording of Robert Muczynski’s Sonata has been praised as “oozing with lifeblood and zest … enthralling and rousing”. In 2017 she has rediscovered and recorded Wilhelm Kempff’s Quartet for flute, strings and piano and toured Italy with its premiere performances.
She has been heard on RAI3 Italian National Radio, and her recital with Jory Vinikour at Myra Hess Memorial Concert Series in Chicago has been broadcast on WFMT. Her feature interviews on the conditions of the migrating artist have been published on the Huffington Post and La Voce di New York.
In 2018, she has promoted the 200th anniversary of flute virtuoso Giulio Briccialdi through the release of the first recording of his four Concertos, where she was described as having “a beautiful phrasing, brilliant virtuosity and a legato worthy of a great singer”. In the same occasion, she has founded the Giulio Briccialdi Online Catalogue, the only existing online platform with full downloadable catalogue dedicated to a flutist composer. Her lectures on Briccialdi and the Romantic Virtuoso Flute Concerto have been hosted by Columbia University, Eastman School, Stony Brook University, the Royal Academy in Dublin, the Chopin Academy in Warsaw, the Paderewsky Academy in Poznan, the Liszt Academy in Budapest, and the Hangzhou University in China.
Ginevra devotes much of her artistic endeavors to contemporary music. At Yale University she has collaborated with George Crumb, Steve Reich, Betsy Jolas and Kaija Saariaho, performing the American premiere of Terrestre. She commissioned Jean-Michel Damase’s last composition, 15 Rubayat d’Omar Khayyam for voice, flute and harp, and she has appeared at the Venice Biennale Contemporary Music Festival with a commissioning project dedicated to Witold Lutosławski. In 2018 she has founded the Flauto d’Amore Project, a large-spanning commission endeavor aimed to the creation of a new music repertoire for the modern flauto d’amore. After the premiere concert in New York City in May 2019, over twenty composers have written, or are in the process of writing new works for the instrument. The next premiere concerts, as well as one-off performances exploring the instrument in different musical styles, are planned for the next three years, as well as residencies, lecture-recitals, recordings, editions and outreach programs.
She has curated the edition of over twenty musical editions, including Briccialdi Concertos for Ricordi/Hal Leonard and first editions of works by Mercadante, Jommelli, Morlacchi, Busoni, De Lorenzo and Brescianello for Keiser/ Southern Music Company and other editors. Her book on the history and repertoire of the flute is adopted in several Italian Conservatories as reference text for the Masters programs. Her scholarly articles appear in the Flutist Quarterly, as well as in the leading flute magazines in Italy and France.
She holds a Doctorate of Musical Arts at Stony Brook University, and a Master of Music at Yale University. Her education include a Master at Santa Cecilia Conservatory in her native Rome under the guidance of her father, and a Diplome Superieur at the École Normale in Paris.
She is Principal Flute at Chamber Orchestra of New York.
ginevrapetrucci.com
Christopher Johnson won his first orchestral job in 2007 with the New Haven Symphony. He was the principal bass from 2008-2011 in the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas and co-principal of The New York Chamber Virtuosi in 2010. Chris has also filled in as a substitute bassist in Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, New World Symphony in Miami as well as the Verbier Festival Orchestra in Switzerland. The summer of 2010 Chris attended the Pacific Music Festival in Japan. In 2013 he won a position in the Allentown Symphony Orchestra in Pennsylvania and 1st place in the International Society of Bassist (ISB) Orchestral Competition. He has been playing with the Chamber Orchestra of New York since 2008.
A versatile bassist, composer, and educator, Sam Zagnit is a New-York-based musician who enjoys a multifaceted career. Performing and composing contemporary music make up a large part of Sam’s career, and he is dedicated to performing works by living composers and creating a more inclusive environment in every musical context. As a composer, his work focuses on self-reflection as a way to deepen connections and build intimacy with his audience and fellow musicians on stage. Sam has worked and studied with many exemplary musicians from many generations, including John Adams, Marin Alsop, Orin O’Brien, Sarah Kirkland Snider, Lucy Shelton, Jessie Montgomery, and Seth Parker Woods, and David Grossman. Sam is part of the duo confluss, with soprano Amber Evans, an up-and-coming chamber ensemble committed to the exploration of their unique timbre and sound through performing original compositions for their ensemble, some by Sam himself. Since 2019, Sam has served as Acting Associate Principal Bass with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, where he plays alongside his former teacher, David Grossman. In the fall, Sam will join the bass section in the Virginia Symphony Orchestra. As an educator, Sam is a teaching artist for the Harmony Program in NYC, and leads workshops and residencies with the arts education program, LEAP. Sam is a graduate of the Yale School of Music, where he studied with Don Palma, and a recent graduate of the Performer/Composer MM at the New School. Sam is co-founder and administrator for Bass Players for Black Composers, a collective of bassists, composers, and patrons devoted to expanding the solo bass repertoire with works by Black composers.
Leigh Stuart is a versatile cellist who thrives on performing music from a wide range of styles and genres. She has toured the U.S. extensively as a chamber musician, performing in venues such as Alice Tully Hall, Carnegie Hall, the Deer Valley Music Festival, the Library of Congress, the Lied Center of Kansas, the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, and countless others. She has recorded with Makoto Ozone and Paquito D’Rivera for the album Live and Let Live-Love for Japan, appeared with tap dancing virtuoso, Savion Glover, at the Spoleto Festival in Italy, songwriter, Sufjan Stevens, at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, and Jay-Z, Beyonce, and The Roots at Radio City Music Hall.
Leigh is a founding member of the boundary-breaking new music group, Fireworks Ensemble, described as “adventurous and ahead of the curve” by the Washington Post and “musically fearless” by Time-Out New York. With Fireworks Ensemble, Leigh has premiered over one hundred new works by emerging and established composers, including a recent commission by Pulitzer-prize winning composer, David Del Tredici. This season the ensemble will release an album of selected instrumental chamber rock pieces by Frank Zappa on E1 (formerly Koch Classics).
As a member of the Brooklyn-based, acoustic, ambient ensemble, Bing and Ruth, Leigh has recently performed for the Wordless Music Festival, the MATA Festival, and the Darmstadt “Classics of the Avante Garde” series. She has collaborated with numerous other artists from a vast range of media, including songwriters, Fran Healy (lead singer of Travis), Lia Ices, Marty Wilson Piper (lead singer of The Church), and Shara Worden (lead singer of My Brightest Diamond), progressive rock band, The Mahavishnu Project, Brooklyn-based indie band, Oneida, multi-media dance company, Troika Ranch, and choreographer, Yoshiko Chuma (The School of Hard Knocks).
Recently, Leigh has recorded for Cuneiform, E1, Rough Trade, and for the soundtracks of the PBS documentary, No Job for a Woman (2011), and feature films, Festival of Lights (2010) and Heterosexuals (2010). She also recorded Faure’s Elegy for an episode of the internationally broadcasted show, Law and Order: SVU and has since appeared as a cellist in dramas on CBS, NBC, in a music video for British pop star, Lucie Silvas, and in the Warner Brothers film August Rush.
Originally from Southwestern Connecticut, Leigh began her cello studies at the age of nine. She received her bachelor’s degree from the Hartt School as a student of Steven Thomas and David Wells and her master’s degree from the Manhattan School of Music as a student of David Geber. A dedicated teaching artist, Leigh is on the cello faculty of the Diller-Quaile School.
A native of St. Petersburg, Russia and now living in New York City, cellist Adrian Daurov is one of the most dazzling artists of his generation.
Highlights of Adrian Daurov’s current season include his debut with Colorado’s Longmont Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of Elliot Moore, and a return engagement with the Chamber Orchestra of New York at Carnegie Hall, as well as Northeast touring with the Indiana-based Euclid Quartet. Looking ahead to summer, 2020, he will make his debut at the famed New Hampshire Music Festival.
Adrian Daurov, at the age of 15, made his debut as soloist with the St. Petersburg State Symphony Orchestra. Subsequently, he earned top honors at three international competitions – Bulgaria’s 1st International Music Competition “Coast of Hope” (First Prize, 1996); The Netherlands’ Peter De Grote International Music Competition (Grand Prix, 2002); New York City’s L.I.S.M.A. International Music Competition (First Prize, 2004). In 2004, he toured as soloist with the St. Petersburg Chamber Orchestra, performing in St. Petersburg, Moscow, Warsaw and throughout Germany, and was appointed to the dual position of principal cellist and soloist with the Bayreuth Youth Festival Orchestra, under the baton of Peter Gulke. 2008 heard him as a featured participant in a gala Carnegie Hall concert celebrating Russia’s Independence Day, a program that included the distinguished Russian singers Yelena Obratztsova and Vladimir Galouzine.
After studying at the St. Petersburg Conservatory, Adrian Daurov was awarded the Jerome L. Greene Scholarship for advanced studies at The Juilliard School with the renowned cello pedagogue David Soyer (of the Guarneri Quartet). At Juilliard, he completed his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees, graduating in 2009. While still in school, he was appointed principal cellist of The Chamber Orchestra of New York. Mr. Daurov has also collaborated in chamber music programs with pianist Alexander Ghindin, violinist Mark Peskanov and flutist Eugenia Zukerman. Recent seasons have included debuts with the Dayton and Massapequa philharmonic orchestras as well as the symphony orchestras of Bozeman, Glacier, Kalamazoo, Longwood, Ridgefield, Westerville and Wyoming. In 2012, he Passionately devoted to the music of our own time, Adrian Daurov has already presented the world premieres of two important works – In 2008, Fountains of Fin for flute, violin and cello by the Persian composer Behzad Ranjbaran and, in 2009, The Epistle – Concerto for Cello & Chamber Choir by the Siberian composer Yuri Yukechev, written for Mr. Daurov and the Russian Chamber Chorus of New York, Nikolai Kachanov, Artistic Director.
Adrian Daurov’s artistry has been heard on several radio and television stations, including WNYC, WQXR and NTV-America. He is also featured on a recent album by the young New York City-based jazz star Romain Collin.
Adrian Daurov performs on a magnificent 1989 cello crafted by John Terry in Florence, Italy.
A native of San Diego, Santa Maria Pecoraro is Orchestra Manager of the Chamber Orchestra of New York, where she is also a member of the viola section. As an experienced grants and finance manager, she also holds the position of Administrative Manager in the Laboratory of Virology & Infectious Disease at The Rockefeller University.
Ms. Pecoraro has also performed with numerous orchestras in the U.S. and abroad, including Staten Island Philharmonic, Adelphi University Symphony, Brooklyn College-Conservatory Orchestra, San Diego Symphony, San Diego Chamber Orchestra, Chamber Ensemble of Rome and Opera Festival di Roma, Orvieto Festival Orchestra, Stuttgart Ballet Orchestra, Filarmónica Internacional de las Californias, Orquesta de Baja California and Tijuana Opera Orchestra. She has also performed for several films, including Legend of 1900 (under Ennio Morricone and Cinecitta Orchestra di Roma), Kate & Leopold, and several Hallmark Channel movies.
Ms. Pecoraro holds degrees from the University of San Diego and San Diego State University. Her principal teachers have been Evan N. Wilson (Los Angeles Philharmonic) and Mary Gerard (San Diego Symphony). Her orchestral experience began at the age of thirteen with the San Diego Youth Symphony.
Violist Maggie Snyder has performed as a soloist and in orchestras throughout the United States as principal violist, solo concerto player and under well-known conductors. She has performed at the Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, and the Seoul Arts Center, and has performed in Mexico, Greece, Korea, and Russia. She is currently the violist in the West Virginia Piano Quartet. She has performed under leading conductors, including James Levine, Yuri Temirkanov, David Zinman, Robert Spano, Leonard Slatkin, James dePriest, Julius Rudel, James Conlon, and Michael Tilson Thomas and at such festivals as the Brevard Music Festival, the Sewanee Summer Music Festival, and the Aspen Music Festival where she was a Time Warner Fellow. In the last 24 months, she has played more than 100 recitals and concerts in 15 states and abroad. She greatly anticipates upcoming performances with Duo Allamagnetti, her ensemble with harpsichordist sister, Alexandra Snyder Dunbar, including a debut recital in Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall. That recital will feature three world premiere works written for the ensemble by Thomas Pasatieri, Kamran Ince, and Garrett Byrnes.
Ms. Snyder has given master classes, clinics, and performances at universities and music schools throughout the country, including Interlochen Arts Academy, Eastman, The University of Rochester, The University of Georgia, The University of Tennessee, The University of Kentucky, and the University of South Carolina, among others. She earned the Masters and Graduate Performance Diploma from The Peabody Conservatory of Music, where she was the teaching assistant for Victoria Chiang. Her Bachelor’s degree is from the University of Memphis, where she was a Pressar Scholar. Her principal teachers have been Victoria Chiang, Heidi Castleman, and Lenny Schranze. She has been President of the Alabama Orchestra Association, and on the board of the Alabama Music Educator’s Association, the state chapter of Music Educator’s National Conference. She was born into a musical family and began her studies of music at the age of 3. She grew up giving concerts with her family both in the United States and abroad and continues to concertize with her family on the yearly New Years concert in Memphis. Ms. Snyder joined the faculty at West Virginia University in 2007, a post she took after teaching at Ohio University and the University of Alabama, where she was coordinator of the string area. She has also served on the faculties of the Brevard Music Festival, the Tennessee Valley Music Festival, and the Lutheran Summer Music Festival.
Caroline Drexler is a New York City based violinist. She is an enthusiastic orchestral musician and holds a tenured chair with the Chattanooga Symphony and Opera. In addition to Chamber Orchestra of New York, she can be seen performing with orchestras such as American Ballet Theater orchestra, Symphony in C, and the Savannah Philharmonic. Caroline’s NYC performances have taken her to venues including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and Merkin Hall.
As a recording artist, Caroline can be heard on projects for the Smithsonian Museum and Bungie Games. She has also appeared as a New York Fashion Week performer for designers such as Tory Burch and Dolce and Gabbana and as a guest performer on The Tonight Show.
Caroline performs often with the Desdemona Ensemble, an all female chamber ensemble dedicated to championing the works of contemporary composers. Performances with Desdemona include the Larsen Young Artist Spotlight chamber series with the Savannah Philharmonic.
She graduated with honors with a Masters in Music from the University of Tennessee.
Sarah Charness has captivated audiences with her vibrant sound and vivacious performances. Sarah is a versatile musician, at home in the worlds of classical, contemporary, and popular music. Her performances have taken her from Lincoln Center to the Today Show.
Sarah is a graduate of the New England Conservatory Preparatory School, where she studied violin with Marylou Churchill, voice, chamber music, and orchestral performance. She earned her Bachelor of Music degree in violin performance under the mentorship of Andrew Jennings at the University of Michigan. Sarah was awarded a Surdna Foundation Scholarship to attend the Young Artist Orchestra and String Quartet programs at the Boston University Tanglewood Institute. Sarah also attended the Encore School for Strings, the Mark O’Conner Fiddle Camp, and the Henry Mancini Institute.
Sarah appeared at Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, New York City Hall, and the Kennedy Center as a member of the Chamber Orchestra of New York and the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas. Sarah’s many chamber performances have taken her to Brandeis University, the Duxbury Art Complex Museum, the Noon Day Concert Series in Nantucket, the Newton Free Library, the Boston Public Library, the Boston Museum of Science, the Natick Center for the Arts, the DeCordova Museum, and the Museum of our National Heritage. Her performances have been broadcast on WCRB 102.5 FM in Boston, and she was featured on the National Public Radio. She was three times a finalist in the New England Conservatory concerto competition, a winner in the Brockton Symphony Concerto Competition, a semifinalist in the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, and a finalist in the University of Michigan concerto competition. Sarah has performed annually at the Nassau Coliseum and the Continental Airlines Arena with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. She has backed up top recording artists Roger Daltry of the Who, Sarah Brightman, and British pop singer Mika. Sarah is a widely-sought teacher whose experience includes the New England Conservatory Charter School, Greenwood Chamber Music Camp, and numerous private students.
Hungarian born violinist, Bela Horvath began to play the violin at age 3. Starting his violin studies with his grandfather, Bela immediately showed outstanding talent for the violin. Therefore he was taken to the famous Hungarian violin teacher, Valeria Baranyai, with whom he studied with for many years. During those years, Bela won a number of national violin competitions in Hungary, as well as a few international violin competitions in Prague and Vienna.
In 1996, Bela entered the Bela Bartok Conservatory, where he studied with former first violinist of the Festetics String Quartet, Istvan Kertesz. Bela won the National Janos Koncz violin competition in Hungary in 1997. The following year, he entered the 9th International Carl Flesch Violin Competition. As the youngest contestant, he won the 4th prize as well as a special prize for the best interpretation of Miklos Csemicky`s Solo Sonata for violin
In the year of 2000, Mr. Horvath entered the Franz Liszt University of Music, where he began his studies with Hungarian concert violinist, Miklos Szenthelyi. In 2002, the renowned violinist, violist, and conductor, Pinchas Zukerman invited Mr.Horvath to study with him and his associate, Patinka Kopec, at the Manhattan School of Music in New York City. During his studies in New York, Bela Horvath has worked with the world`s leading violinists and pedagogues such as, Zakhar Bron, Leonidas Kavakos, Jaime Laredo, Gyorgy Pauk, Ruggiero Ricci, Aaron Rosand, and Joseph Silverstein. Mr. Horvath has also played a great deal of chamber music and has been coached by chamber musicians and teachers like Daniel Avshalomov, Steven Dann, Eugene Drucker, Lawrence Dutton, Timothy Eddy, Joseph Kalichstein, RobertMann, Sylvia Rosenberg, David Soyer, and Michael Tree.
Bela Horvath made his debut recital at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Hall in 2003. The debut of his Piano Quartet, Amity Players, was at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Hall in October 2006. They have recently released a recording of two piano quartets by J. Brahms for the Canadian label, Marquis Music. As a soloist and recitalist, he has played many concerts around the world, including the Czech Republic, Austria, Germany, France, England, Slovakia, Hungary, the United States and Canada.
In February, 2008, he performed with Pinchas Zukerman at Carnegie Hall’s Zankel Hall. Mr. Horvath, has performed in Carnegie Hall`s Isaac Stern auditorium as a soloist in June 2008. Mr. Horvath completed his Bachelor’s and his Master’s of Music degrees at the Manhattan School of Music. He has been a faculty member at the Manhattan School of Music’s Pre-college division program since 2009.
Russell Kotcher is an avid chamber, solo, and orchestral musician. He has appeared as soloist several times in Germany with the Isny Festival Orchestra in both Isny and Munich, and was also a soloist at the Bodensee Festival in Bodensee, Germany.
A member of the prize winning Muhlenberg Piano Quartet, Russell was awarded several grants to commission and premiere Eric Sessler’s Piano Quartet which took place at The Curtis Institute and The Juilliard School. Past teachers include Hal Grossman, Andrew Jennings, Camilla Wicks, Ian Swensen, and William DePasquale.
He currently is a member of Symphony in C and the Chamber Orchestra of New York and serves as faculty at Temple University Preparatory School. Russell holds diplomas and degrees from the Interlochen Arts Academy, University of Michigan, and the San Francisco Conservatory.
Violinist Daniel Khalikov commands the world stages as a soloist, chamber and orchestral musician.
Born in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Khalikov is the third generation of a highly respected family of classical musicians. Khalikov was a founding member of Chamber Orchestra of New York and then, in 2008, became a member of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra.
At Lincoln Center, and with the Met Opera Orchestra on tour, Khalikov has collaborated with such illustrious conductors as Levine, Muti, Rattle, Gergiev, Barenboim, Luisi, and Gatti in productions ranging from John Adams to Giuseppe Verdi. As a member of the Met Orchestra, Khalikov is in part a recipient of the numerous Grammy Award recordings won by the Orchestra.Over the years Khalikov has performed with Chamber Orchestra of New York as visiting concertmaster for Carnegie Hall concerts and high profile productions such as the Dolce & Gabbana show at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. He was also featured as a soloist in violin concertos by Vivaldi and J.S. Bach.
As a chamber musician, Daniel Khalikov has performed alongside his mentor Pinchas Zukerman, Yefim Bronfman, and Emanuel Ax, at music festivals of Santa Fe, Tanglewood, Verbier, Norfolk, Music Mountain, the Perlman Music Program, the MET Chamber Players, and Lake Tahoe Summerfest.
Mr. Khalikov plays a J.B. Vuilliaume.
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