Sohyun Anh, piano
Sohyun Ahn was named the Best Concert of the Year by
Eumak-Chunchu, South Korea’s leading classical music journal and has
been described as a “an absolute master“ by New York Concert Review.
In the States, her performance venues include Carnegie’s Weill Hall,
Alice Tully Hall, Merkin Hall, Steinway Hall, Klavierhaus, Dimenna
Center, Beethoven Haus, Bechstein Hall, Hubbard Recital Hall,
Juilliard School, Hunter College, Concordia College, Union
Theological Seminary, Trinity Church, Saint Paul’s Chapel, St.John’s
in the Village, InterChurch, Central Presbyterian Church and First
Baptist Church in New York City. She has also performed at Rutgers
University, St. Elizabeth College, All Saints Episcopal Church,
Madison Grace Church, Kirkpatrick Church, NV Hall, Nous Theater in
New Jersey, An Die Musik in Baltimore, Bates Recital Hall at the
University of Texas at Austin, Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert at
Chicago Cultural Center and Dallas Mu Phi Epsilon Public Library
Concert Series.
Her performances include appearances with the Queensboro Symphony
Orchestra, the New Jersey Baroque Orchestra, Royal Scottish Academy
Orchestra, the Korean Symphony Orchestra, the Seoul Tutti Orchestra
and the Daejeon Philharmonic Orchestra. She was also a guest soloist
at the concert honoring the 250th anniversary of Mozart’s birth at
the Sejong Art Center. Her performances and interviews have been
broadcast nationally in South Korea on EBS-TV and live broadcast on
Chicago’s classical station WFMT. She was invited to perform at the
W. Kempf Beethoven Course in Positano, Italy and the Ferrara
International Music Festival Concert Series.
Frequently collaborating with NYC based musicians, Sohyun enjoys
promoting the works of contemporary composers such as Alan
Hovhaness, Michael Kosch, Chanhae Lee, David Loeb, John Musto, Juri
Pang and Kyle Werner. Sohyun is also a chamber musician and has
performed with renowned instrumentalists such as violist Eunsik Choi
and cellist Marion Feldman among others. She worked closely with New
York Westside Opera, New Jersey Concert Opera and Pineda Lyric
Opera, and performed over twenty complete opera productions from
Mozart to Wagner.
Sohyun has taught at Rutgers, New Jersey State University, Concordia
College in New York and University of Texas at Austin. Currently
Sohyun is a Steinway Educational Partner and a director of Geneva
Conservatory of Music in New York City. Dr. Ahn received her Doctor
of Musical Arts Degree from Rutgers, the State University of New
Jersey, Masters degrees with distinction from the Royal Scottish
Conservatory and Tokyo Geidai Academy, and a Professional Studies
Degree from Manhattan School of Music.
Her performance credentials are further enhanced through prize
winnings in international and national piano competitions, including
the RSAMD Bach Competition, the Governor’s Recital Competition, the
Daejeon Philharmonic Concerto Competition, the Yongpyung Music
Festival Concerto Competition, the New York Trinity Church Concert
Audition, the International Asahi-Breweries Music Foundation
Competition and the Yewon Music Competition. She was a finalist for
the Dudley International Competition and received the semi-finalist
award from the Vianna da Motta International Competition. Her Mozart
Sonatas CD is released in Classic Art Label and reviewed by New York
Concert Review as “a perfectly balanced, crystalline performance.”
In 2019, Sohyun will be performing the complete Mozart Piano Sonata
Concerts at St. John’s in the Village, New York City.
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Carlos Audi, cello
Dr. Carlos Audi has performed numerous solo and chamber concerts in
the United States, Germany, Austria, Spain, Hungary, Slovakia,
Slovenia, Argentina, and Brazil. In addition, he has been a member
of several orchestras in Brazil and in the United States such as the
Orquestra Sinfônica de Santo André, the Orquestra Experimental de
Repertório, the Orquestra Sinfônica da Universidade de São Paulo,
the South Carolina Philharmonic Orchestra, the Tallahassee, Augusta
and Albany Symphony Orchestras, and the Opera Tampa Orchestra.
Dr. Audi was born in Brazil where he started his music studies at
the age of seven and currently holds a Doctor of Music degree from
the Florida State University. His main cello teachers were Maria
Cecília Brucoli, Zigmunt Kubala, Robert Suetholz, Robert Jesselson
and Lubomir Georgiev. He also has attended master classes with
renowned cellists such as Janos Starker, Alan Harris, Timothy Eddy,
Steven Doane, Peter Rejto, Sara Sant’Ambrogio, and Antonio Meneses.
Audi has performed in the Teatro Municipal de São Paulo as a
finalist of the Orquestra Experimental de Repertório’s Concerto
Competition.
Dr. Audi is on the faculty of Florida College, Hillsborough
Community College, and Hillsborough County Public Schools, and is a
sought-after master class presenter, adjudicator, and lecturer.
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John
Batchelder, viola
Violist John Batchelder has delighted audiences across North and
South America as a passionate chamber musician, recitalist and
soloist. He has performed as soloist with numerous ensembles
including the Hemenway Strings, Worcester Bach Consort and Plano
Senior High Symphony Orchestra, and participated in various summer
festivals and masterclasses such as the McGill International String
Quartet Academy, Banff Centre Masterclasses, St. Lawrence String
Quartet Seminar, Meadowmount School of Music, Apple Hill Center for
Chamber Music, and Music from Salem Viola Seminar in Salem, NY.
As a member of the award-winning Julius Quartet, formerly the Peak
Fellowship Ensemble-in-Residence at the Meadows School of Music at
Southern Methodist University, John has performed in such venerated
venues as Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, Bargemusic, Moss Arts
Center, Shalin Liu Performance Center, and Bing Concert Hall.
John has collaborated with such celebrated artists as Joseph
Silverstein, Aaron Boyd, Andrés Cárdenes and members of the St.
Lawrence, Shanghai, Baumer, Lydian and Escher Quartets. In 2011,
John was a winner of the Kathryn W. Davis Projects for Peace grant
for his program designed to help, encourage and teach music to the
young children of the favelas of Natal, Brazil. John is a graduate
of Boston Conservatory where he studied with Lila Brown, and of the
John J. Cali School of Music Graduate Quartet-in-Residence program
where he studied with Honggang Li of the Shanghai Quartet.
Previously, he served as Artistic Coordinator at the National Arts
and Humanities Youth Program Awards (NAHYP), and for the
award-winning music education nonprofit Project STEP. Most recently,
as part of the Peak Fellowship, John served as an Assistant Chamber
Music Coach at the Meadows School of the Arts at Southern Methodist
University.
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Karen
Baumgartner, flute
Award winning flutist Karen Baumgartner has given solo performances
all across the country from Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis to
Carnegie Hall in New York City. She has performed on National Public
Radio as well as numerous times on Minnesota Public Radio. Karen has
often performed in world premieres and has recently begun
commissioning new works for flute. Karen’s first commission was by
composer Grant Luhmann. She premiered his Flute Concerto with the
Bloomington Symphony Orchestra in Minnesota. The performance was
recorded by and aired on Minnesota Public Radio.
Karen was an award winner in Minnesota Orchestra's Young Artist
Competition and was previously awarded a $10,000 Jack Kent Cooke
Young Artist Award. She has soloed with the Saint Paul Civic
Symphony, Bloomington Symphony Orchestra, orchestras at the Eastern
Music Festival, and the Century College Orchestra. Karen has
performed with Minnesota Opera and has also performed with the
Minnesota State Dance Theater for their annual Nutcracker
production. Karen has been a finalist in the SVSO Young Artist
Competition and twice was a runner-up at Indiana University's
Woodwind Concerto Competition. Karen has won the Pellerite
Orchestral Excerpt Competition, Schubert Club Competition, and
Thursday Musical Competition. During the 25th year of the Laudie
Porter Flute Competition Karen became the first flutist to have won
each age division of the competition. Karen has been a finalist in
the YPSCA Competition and Minnesota Public Radio’s Varsity
Competition.
Karen has performed in the Schubert Club, Salon se Lève, and Music
at Trinity concert series as well as Thursday Musical's Recital
Series and Minnesota Public Radio's Varsity Tour Concert. Karen has
also been recorded by Baby Blue Arts and featured on their website.
Karen has Flute Performance degrees from Indiana University and The
University of Texas at Austin and her teachers include Michele
Frisch, Thomas Robertello, and Marianne Gedigian.
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Noah DeGarmo, piano
Noah C. DeGarmo works primarily as an Emergency Medicine Physician,
but his primary passion has always been piano. He has studied with
Iris Graffman Wenglin, Xak Bjerken, Alan Chow, and currently Matthew
Kline. He has played in master classes with Leon Fleischer and
Tong-Il Han. Concerto performances include Mozart No. 20, Beethoven
No. 3, and Rhapsody in Blue, most recently as finalist in the
Chicago Amateur Piano Competition in 2012. After moving to Dallas a
few years ago, he competed in the Cliburn Amateur competition as a
quarterfinalist in 2016 and received second place later that summer
at the Chicago Amateur Piano Competition. Outside of music he enjoys
his two golden retrievers, Mayzie and Ella, as well as travel and
cooking.
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Catalin
Dima, piano
Romanian pianist Catalin Dima performed in
many venues throughout the U.S., Europe, and Japan. Among his
previous engagements, Catalin has performed at the Weill Recital
Hall at Carnegie Hall, the Preston Bradley Hall (Chicago), the
Cosmos Club (Washington D.C.), the International House (D.C. and
NYC), the Romanian Cultural Institute (NYC), the Klavierhaus (NYC),
the Karura Hall (Tokyo) and the Romanian Athenaeum (Bucharest).
An active chamber musician and recitalist, Catalin participated in
international music festivals such as International Keyboard
Institute and Festival (NYC), Interharmony International Music
Festival (Germany), and International Summer Academy (Austria). His
solo appearances include concerts with the George Enescu
Philharmonic Orchestra (Bucharest), the Washington Sinfonietta
(Washington D.C.), the Shenandoah Conservatory Symphony Orchestra
(Winchester, VA), the Symphonic Winds (Durant, OK), and the Pitesti
Philharmonic Orchestra (Pitesti).
Catalin is a strong proponent of Romanian music, especially
classical with folk influences. Together with the Romanian violinist
Alex Malaimare, Catalin started a project that includes lectures and
promotes Romanian classical and folk music throughout the U.S. Their
previous engagements included tours in Indiana, Illinois, D.C.,
Virginia, Oklahoma, and Texas.
An enthusiast of contemporary music, especially by American
composers, Catalin collaborated with Pulitzer Prize-winning
composers such as David Lang, Jennifer Higdon, and John Corigliano,
and performed with distinguished music groups such as Edge Ensemble
(Shenandoah Conservatory) and Great Noise Ensemble (Washington
D.C.).
Catalin is a laureate and winner of top prizes in several
international piano competitions including the Fr. Chopin
International Piano Competition (CT), Shenandoah Concerto
Competition (VA), Yamaha Piano Competition (Romania), Karl Filtsch
International Piano Competition (Romania), and Pro Piano
International Competition (Romania).
Catalin Dima currently serves on the music faculty at the
Southeastern Oklahoma State University. He received a Doctor of
Musical Arts degree from Shenandoah Conservatory, a Master of Music
degree from Mannes School of Music in New York City, and a second
Master of Musical Arts degree from University of Music in Bucharest,
Romania.
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Alan Dyer,
piano
Alan Dyer is a widely respected choral
director, performer, and music educator with a passion for nurturing
the development of new works and creating engaging and collaborative
artistic performances. He is the founder and artistic director of
The Texas Voices and the associate director of music at First
Unitarian Church of Dallas. He is also a pianist for Texas
A&M—Commerce School of Music, where he accompanies choral ensembles
and voice students. He also accompanies instrumental soloists from
middle school to the professional level.
Throughout his career, Alan has worked with renowned choral
directors such as Dr. Lloyd Pfautsch and John Rutter. He has
performed with ensembles throughout Dallas, including the Dallas
Wind Symphony, Children’s Chorus of Greater Dallas, Orpheus Chamber
Singers, Plano Civic Chorus, and numerous church and school choirs.
He has served as an adjunct faculty member at area colleges,
including Texas Woman’s University, Richland College, and Collin
College. He earned his master’s degree from Southern Methodist
University and his bachelor’s degree from Dallas Baptist University.
Alan is active in the American Choral Directors Association
and the Texas Choral Directors Association. He has performed in the
U.S., Canada, and Europe, including a special organ performance at
the Vatican.
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Sing-Yi Feng, violin
Sing-Yi Feng is a pediatric emergency physician and medical
toxicologist on faculty at UT Southwestern who rediscovered her love
of the violin after a fifteen-year hiatus. She has studied with
Rochelle Walton, Carol Amado, and currently, Mark Miller. She was a
member of the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra and a previous winner of
the Lansdowne Symphony Orchestra Young Artist Competition and
performed Lalo’s Symphonie Espagnol with them. In 2014, she
participated in the Baltimore Symphony Academy, which resurrected
her violin career. Since then, she has been in the Curtis Institute
of Music Summerfest Chamber Music for Adults and the Manhattan
String Quartet workshops. Dr. Feng is currently a member of the
World Doctors Orchestra and has been part of the WDO’s
Munich/Salzburg and Dubai tours. She also participated in the WDO’s
tenth anniversary celebration in June 2018 with concerts at the
Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg and the Berliner Philharmonie in Berlin.
She also loves cooking and baking for friends and family, learning
about fine wines, knitting, traveling, and running.
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Angelica Hairston, harp
Harpist Angelica Hairston is known for her fiery
performances and passion for social change. Throughout her career,
she has made it a priority to create social impact through the power
of the arts. In 2016, she founded the organization Challenge the
Stats, a concert series dedicated to empowering artists of color,
and sparking dialogue about diversity, inclusion, and equity, both
on and off the concert stage.
In addition to her work with CTS, Angelica currently serves as the
Artistic Director of the Urban Youth Harp Ensemble where she
provides free harp instruction to over 90 students at Drew Charter
School in Atlanta, GA. She was recently celebrated as one of the
youngest recipients of the 2019 Governor’s Awards for the Arts &
Humanities, an award recognizing individual who have made
significant contributions to the state of Georgia’s civic and
cultural vitality through excellence and service.
Angelica is a current member of the Sphinx Organization's SphinxLEAD
cohort and serves as a Specialist in the area of Education and
Equity for NPR’s From the Top and Boston University Tanglewood
Institute. She was a keynote speaker at the Woodruff Arts Center
Educator Conference, was a member of the League of American
Orchestras’ Essentials of Orchestra Management, and a panel
moderator for SphinxConnect. Angelica holds a Master of Music
Industry Leadership from Northeastern University as a 2015 MLK
Fellow and a Bachelor of Music from The Glenn Gould School of The
Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, Canada where she studied
with world-renowned harpist Judy Loman.
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Gyuwan Kim, piano
Born in Seoul, South Korea, Dr. Gyuwan Kim began studying piano at
the age of seven. At 14, he was chosen as the youngest soloist for
the Korean-Canadian Symphony Orchestra’s concert tour in S. Korea
and made his debut playing Beethoven’s first piano concerto. He has
performed with many orchestras, including the Borodin Orchestra in
Moscow, Kyung Hee University Symphony Orchestra in Seoul, Gyeonggi
Youth Performing Arts Members, and Seongnam Youth Symphony
Orchestra. Additionally, he has been actively engaged in a variety
of musical roles as a soloist, chamber musician, and ensemble
pianist and has performed across Korea, the United Stated, Russia,
and Taiwan at major concert halls, such as Seoul Arts Center, Seoul
Sejong Center, and Dallas Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center.
Not only was Dr. Kim the first-prize winner at the Kyung Hee
University Concerto Competition and the gold-prize winner at the
Piano Society of Korea Competition, but also he was awarded the
prize of excellent academic achievement from Kyung Hee University,
an appreciation plaque from the Seongnam Youth Symphony Orchestra,
and a certificate of recognition for outstanding performance at the
Midwest Clinic in Chicago. As a full-time teaching assistant at the
University of North Texas, he served as the pianist of the UNT A
Capella Choir, Women’s Chorus, and Men’s Chorus. Also, he served as
the pianist of the North Texas Wind Symphony, Lone Star Wind
Orchestra, and Frisco ISD Elementary Honor Choir. He has performed
with the North Texas Wind Symphony on seven recording sessions for
the GIA Publications and Naxos label in 2012, 2013, 2016, 2017, and
2018.
Dr. Kim holds his Bachelor of Music (B.M.) degree in piano
performance with a minor in violin performance from Kyung Hee
University in Seoul, one of the most prestigious private
universities in Korea, where he studied piano with Dr. Yung Hae Chun
and violin with Professor Juwon Yuk. During his studies, he earned
the Music Teacher Certificate and received the Dean’s Award as the
valedictorian. After graduating with his Bachelor’s degree, he moved
to the United States to attend the University of North Texas where
he earned his Master of Music (M.M.) degree in piano performance
with a related field in orchestra conducting and his Doctor of
Musical Arts (D.M.A.) degree in piano performance with a related
field in wind conducting. While at the University of North Texas, he
studied piano with Dr. Pamela Mia Paul, wind conducting with
Professor Eugene Migliaro Corporon, and orchestra conducting with
Dr. Clay Couturiaux.
Dr. Kim is currently on the faculty of the Department of Music as a
collaborative pianist at Midwestern State University.
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Hamin
Kim, cello
Hamin Kim is an active cellist performing across the globe, has
featured on London’s Royal Albert Hall, Cadogan Hall, St James,
Piccadilly, BBC Radio 3 & 4, TBN, Prague’s Církev československá
husitská, Veneto’s Aula Magna del Seminario, Warsaw’s Chopin-Górecki
Festival, Daejeon’s Mokwon Chapel, Dallas's Meyerson Center, DC’s
Kennedy Center and recently held chamber recitals in Atlanta,
Agadir, Charlotte, Chicago, Dusseldorf, Houston, Los Angeles, New
Orleans, Paris, Rabat, Raleigh and Seattle.
Currently, Hamin resides in North Texas, he is an Adjunct Faculty at
Dallas College at Cedar Valley Campus and a String Teaching Artist
of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra's Young Musicians Program (El
Sistema USA). Also, Hamin is a section cellist of the Las Colinas
Symphony and a member of Kim Quartet, comprised of his three sisters
and himself that actively tours throughout the world when not in
town.
Born in Korea and raised in North Carolina, as a child of two
musicians, Hamin was immersed in music from his earliest childhood.
He began playing the cello at his age of nine and gave his very
first public recital in the same year. In his teenage years, he was
proud members of Eastern Music Festival Young Artist Orchestra,
North Carolina Honors All State Orchestra, Triangle Youth
Philharmonic in North Carolina and NAfME All National Honor
Orchestra at Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. Especially, Hamin
played in the Carolina Philharmonic frequently as its youngest
member and young artist soloist.
With the Minerva Scholarship from University of North Carolina at
Greensboro, Hamin had taken undergraduate coursework in various
subjects prior to pursing his intensive music studies in London. The
Royal Academy of Music, London awarded Hamin an entrance scholarship
to study cello performance and Music. He received his Bachelor's and
Master's in Performance degrees from the Academy under Professor Jo
Cole and frequent supervisions by Mario Brunello, Colin Carr and
Sungwon Yang.
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Kihwa
Kim, piano
Pianist Kihwa Kim is an active collaborative pianist. Kim held the
position of an orchestra pianist at the City of Mokpo Symphony
Orchestra in South Korea, and a staff pianist at Northern Kentucky
University. Apart from her numerous experiences as a chamber music
musician, Kim has worked as an opera coach for several opera
companies (Dayton Opera, First Coast Opera, Chonnam National
University, Knoxville Opera, Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, and
Kangsookja Opera Line) and celebrated music festivals (Music Academy
of the West and Opera NEO). In her capacity as a pianist and opera
coach, she has prepared and performed a wide range of operatic
repertoire, including Così fan tutte, Le nozze di Figaro, Don
Giovanni, Die Zauberflöte, L’elisir D’amore, Don Pasquale, L’Étoile,
Hansel and Gretel, Un ballo in Maschera, Il Trovatore, Falstaff,
Cavalleria Rusticana, La Bohème, The Medium, Amahl and the Night
Visitors, Little Women, and Trouble in Tahiti. She
also was invited as a vocal coach to work for music festivals in
Italy such as Lingua e Canto and Mantova National Music.
Kim completed her Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Collaborative
Piano at The University of Texas at Austin, Butler School of Music
with Colette Valentine and Tamara Sanikidze after earning Artist
Diploma and Master of Music degrees from the University of
Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music where she studied with
Marie-France Lefebvre and Kenneth Griffiths. Before Kim studied in
the United States, she received her Bachelor and Master of Music
degrees in Piano Performance at the Chonnam National University with
Hyunok Moon where she was appointed the Honorary Chancellor’s Award
as the top graduate of the college.
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Sebastian
Kozub, cello
Sebastian Kozub, a native of Lublin, Poland, comes from a musical
family. His father is a cellist and his mother a violinist.
Sebastian began playing the cello when he was five, studied in the
Purcell School of Music in London under Pal Banda and Sir Simon
Rattle, and is a current Performance Diploma student of Andres Diaz
at the SMU Meadows School of the Arts in Dallas. He is a prize
winner of over fifty national and international cello competitions,
including First Prize in the VIII. International Cello Competition
Antonio Janigro, Croatia; Second Prize in the V.J. Dotzauer
International Cello Competition, Germany; First Prize in the FLAME
International Cello Competition, Paris; Second Prize in the Liezen
International Cello Competition, Austria; Second Prize in the David
Popper International Cello Competition, Hungary; Grand Prize in the
International Strings Competition Bohdan Warchal, Slovakia.
Sebastian has performed in venues in the United Kingdom and around
the world, including Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elisabeth Hall,
Wigmore Hall, Goldsmiths Theatre, Royal Castle Hall in Warsaw, and
Forbidden City Concert Hall in Beijing. Orchestras he has performed
with include the BBC Symphony Orchestra, Amadeus Chamber Orchestra
of Europe, Sinfonia Varsovia, National Orchestra of China, Kaunas
Philharmonic Orchestra, National Chamber Orchestra of Slovakia,
Lublin Symphony Orchestra among others. Sebastian is an active
chamber musician having performed with artists such as Andrés
Cárdenes, Yuja Wang, Teng Li and Aaron Boyd, and is the newest
member of the Julius Quartet under the mentorship of Aaron Boyd and
the Escher String Quartet.
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Martina Kroll,
viola da gamba
Dr. Martina Kroll is a German native, who has been an avid musical
amateur since her first recorder lesson at age 6. Piano and violin
lessons followed these first steps. She added the treble viol to her
piano and violin playing at age 15, performing mostly renaissance
consort music such as Schuetz’ “Sieben Worte Jesu am Kreuz” and his
“Auferstehungshistorie” as well as mixed consort music with singers
and sackbuts touring the local castles and churches. She attended
workshops for consort playing as well as renaissance dance while at
medical school in Heidelberg, Germany. During her years as
practicing physician, she concentrated on the modern violin and the
organ, while attending courses for church music in the diocese of
Mainz. After a long hiatus she returned to the viola da gamba three
years ago and has had regular lessons with Christopher Philpott
since that time. Dr. Kroll is currently the science department head
at Cistercian Preparatory School in Irving and teaches chemistry and
physics.
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Mikyung Kim Kwon, violin
Violinist Mikyung Kim Kwon received her DMA at Rutgers University as
a recipient of full scholarship, Master’s Degree at the Juilliard
School and Bachelor’s Degree from Oberlin Conservatory of Music
under the tutelage of Robert Mann, Kyung Sun Lee, and Philipp Quint.
Ms. Kim Kwon has performed numerous recitals and concerts in the
past few years across the world, domestically in the New York City
metropolitan, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Cleveland, Sarasota and
New Brunswick, and internationally, in Austria, China and Korea. In
the States, her performances include high profile venues such as
Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Avery Fischer Hall, Peter Jay Sharp
Theatre, Paul Hall at Lincoln Center, Merkin Hall, Gordon
Auditorium, Severance Hall, Kimmel Center for Performing Arts, among
others. She has served as a concertmaster at the Juilliard Chamber
Orchestra and Rutgers Symphony Orchestra, and principal player at
Oberlin China tour Orchestra. In 2007, she has performed in
Liederkranze Hall in NYC as a prize winner of the Joyce Dutka
Competition.
Ms. Kim Kwon has served as a leader of New York Classical Symphony
Orchestra, section violinist at Symphony in C, Clarion Music
society, Ensemble 212, and New York Soloist Ensemble.
Alongside her solo and orchestra work, Ms. Kim has long been
interested in chamber music and selected to participate and perform
at Kneisel chamber music festival, Norfolk chamber music festival,
Sarasota music festival, and Aspen music festival. Furthermore, she
performed chamber works with Oberlin Conservatory faculty artists
including Kyung Sun Lee, Darret Adkins and Peter Takacs in Cleveland
area. Ms. Kim Kwon has also been invited to perform at Adonai
Concert Series at Christ St. Stephen Church and Lenox Hill
Neighborhood House in New York for 2016-2017 season, and Sonoma
County Library Concert Series and Old St. Hilary's Landmark Concert
in San Francisco area for 2018-2019 season.
As a dedicated educator, Ms. Kim Kwon has served as an adjunct
faculty at the Pre-college division of Brooklyn College and Lucy
Moses Music School at Kaufman Center for last 10 years.
Ms. Kim Kwon recently moved to Dallas area and started teaching at
Rock Hill High School in Prosper ISD as a violin instructor. Ms. Kim
Kwon currently resides in Frisco with her husband, two adorable
daughters, and a baby girl expecting in November.
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Min Kyung Kim, piano
Korean Pianist Min Kyung Kim serves on piano faculty at Grayson
College and doctoral candidate in Piano Performance and Music &
Medicine under Joseph Banowetz and Dr. Kris Chesky at the University
of North Texas. She completed her bachelor degree in Piano
Performance at the Myongji University in South Korea and Master’s
degree in Piano Performance with Joseph Banowetz at UNT. As a
pianist, she was recently awarded as a first-prize winner at the
2018 Golden Classical Music Awards International Music Competition
and first prize winner at the 2019 IMC International Piano and
String Competition. She performed in Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital
Hall in 2018 and 2019. Ms. Kim and her colleague, Jake Moon has
premiered and recorded a Complete Music for Piano Duo and Duet,
Volume two of Dmitry Shostakovich for Toccata Classics in London in
2016. Praised by critics as “skillful reading and energized
performances… clean articulation … they’re terrific together”, they
were described as being “powerful advocates of the music and clearly
had a ball…” by MusicWeb International. She is a Toccata Classics
Artist.
Ms. Kim has also appeared in performances in the International
Keyboard Institute & Festival in New York, United States
International Duo Piano Competition in Colorado, and the 250th
Anniversary of Mozart in Korea and numerous solo recitals and
chamber recitals. She has been the recipient of numerous awards and
prizes in Korea and the United States including those held by Music
Education News Competition, the Korea Philharmonic Orchestra
Competition, the Ye Won University Competition, Bradshaw & Buono
International Piano Competition. She was recognized as an
outstanding student in piano performance while at Myongji University
and received the outstanding student scholarships. Throughout her
master and doctoral studies, she has been the recipient of the James
T. Rhea Scholarship, College of Music/USC Scholarship, Academic
Achievement Scholarships and the Raupe Grant. Ms. Kim’s fascination
with performing health issues has led her to explore relationships
between musicians and their health problems. As a researcher, she is
a current student researcher at the Texas Center for Performing Arts
Health with Dr. Chesky. She presented a paper on memorizing problems
and performance anxiety among pianists at the 2014 Performing Arts
Medicine Association in Aspen, Colorado and the 2016 Federation of
North Texas Area Universities.
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Hyun
Jeong Helen Lee, violin
Hailed as being a "superior” and “excellent" violinist (Flint
Journal), Hyun Jeong Helen Lee has captivated audiences throughout
the United States, Canada and Asia. Leading into her conservatory
studies, she attended the Interlochen Center of Arts in the summer
of 2009. While there, she was concertmaster of the World Youth
Symphony Orchestra for two terms. As a soloist, she has performed
with the Chichibu Festival Orchestra, Royal Oak Symphony Orchestra,
and the Boston Conservatory String Ensemble as winner of the String
Ensemble Concerto Competition. Helen was also a winner of Boston
Conservatory's prestigious String Honors Competition.
Helen has performed in masterclasses for artists including Phillipe
Quint, Jorja Fleezanis and Joseph Silverstein. She is a graduate of
Boston Conservatory, where she studied with Markus Placci. Helen
received an Artist Diploma in the John J. Cali School of Music
Graduate Quartet-in-Residence program as a student of Weigang Li of
the celebrated Shanghai Quartet. Recently, as part of the Peak
Fellowship, she served as a Teaching Assistant and Assistant Chamber
Music Coach at the Meadows School of the Arts at Southern Methodist
University.
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Hyejin
Lee, violin
Violinist Hyejin Lee is dedicated to her career as both an active
performer and a passionate professor. She was born in Daegu, South
Korea where she began her musical studies at age eleven.
Hyejin Lee completed her doctoral degree in violin performance and
minor in music and medicine at the University of North Texas having
been awarded the University Graduate Scholarship, College of Music
Scholarship, Anshel Brusilow Scholarship in Orchestral Studies, and
The Lupe Murchison Foundation Scholarship. Ms. Lee received the
University Graduate Scholarship at the University of Cincinnati
where she completed her master’s degree in violin performance. She
also received the Suzuki Method Violin Teacher Training
Certification in Ohio.
Hyejin is a prize winner in numerous national and international
music competitions in the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe,
and South Korea, including the East Coast International Competition,
American Protégé International Music Competition, New York
International Competition, London Grand Prize Virtuoso International
Competition, IMKA Music International Competition, Golden Classical
Music Awards International Competition, Korea and Germany
Association Competition, Seoul Shinye New Musician Music
Competition, Korean Music Association Competition, Daegu
Philharmonic Orchestra Competition, Daegu Catholic University Music
Competition, and Daegu Music Association Competition.
She made a debut performance in Weill recital hall at Carnegie hall
in 2018. She also was invited to perform in Stern Auditorium and
Weill recital hall at Carnegie hall in 2019. Ms. Lee has attended
the France Courchevel Music Alp International Festival, Russia
Glinka Novosibirsk State Conservatory International Festival, and
Italy Spoleto Music International festival.
She was a Teaching Artist of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra’s Young
Musicians Program and served as the first violinist at Richardson
Symphony Orchestra and Sherman Symphony Orchestra. She also was a
violin & viola instructor at Carrollton ISD and Frisco ISD, and a
faculty at Music Institute of Texas and China Weihai Music
International camp.
Hyejin Lee is currently an Adjunct Professor at Tarrant County
College, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Southwestern
Music Academy, and a member of Texas Community College Teachers
Association, Texas Music Educators Association, and the American
String Teachers Association.
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Jieun Lee, piano
Jieun Lee was born in Seoul, South Korea and began piano studies at
the age of six. She entered Sunhwa Arts Middle and High School in
South Korea and made her orchestral debut at the age of 14 with the
Gangdong Symphony Orchestra in Seoul. During her undergraduate
studies at Chugye University for the Arts, she received an honors
scholarship for outstanding academic performance and has performed
at the Ewon
Cultural Center, the Seoul Economic Daily Cheju Winter Festival, the
J & R Music Festival, the 15th Annual Concert of Chugye University,
and the Concertos night of Chugye University.
After moving to the United States in 2013, she won first prize at
the Isabel Scionti competition, the Rose Petroff Foundation Piano
Competition. In summer 2019, she won first prize at the Golden
Classical International Music Competition and also won second prizes
and Granados special mention at the IBLA International Competition
and Bartok-Kabalevsky-Prokofiev International Competition in Ragusa,
Italy. She was a recipient of the Korean American Foundation
Scholarship, Academic Achievement scholarship, and
the Dean’s Camerata scholarship from the University of North Texas.
She has performed at the Carnegie Hall, the Dallas Public Library,
the PianoTexas International Piano Festival in Fort-Worth and
International Keyboard Institute and Festival in New York. She has
also participated in the master classes of Jerome Rose, Victor
Rosenbaum, Sean Chen, Tamás Ungár, Andrey Ponochevny, Billy Eidi,
Herve Billaut, Massimo Somenzi and the Baumer String Quartet.
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Matthew Lewis, cello
Matthew Allen Lewis, Ph.D. studied mathematical physics at Case
Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, where he was a member
of the University Circle Chamber Orchestra (for non-music majors)
and local rock band thieves like us. He received his Ph.D. in
Radiological Sciences in 2002 from UT Southwestern Medical Center,
where today he serves on the faculty of the Department of Radiology
as an image scientist working with emerging medical imaging
modalities such as spectral CT and ultrasound tomography. In 2018,
he enjoyed playing the liuto cantabile in the mandocello section of
the Classical Mandolin Society of America En Masse Orchestra in
Santa Rosa, California.
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Mallory McHenry, harp
Mallory McHenry is a Doctoral student at the University of Texas in
Austin where she also obtained her Master of Music degree with
concentration in Harp Performance in 2018. A member of the class of 2016,
Mallory also holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Oakwood University, an
HBCU located in Huntsville, Alabama.
Mallory has a love for premiering new works and has had the opportunity
to work with several composers in creating new works for the harp.
Offering masterclasses in harp composition, Mallory has appeared as a
lecturer and guest artist at Andrews University, The University of Texas
at Austin, Oakwood University, the University of Minnesota, The
University of Northwestern St. Paul and several academies across the
United States.
As an avid performer, Mallory has had the opportunity to be a member of
the Omaha Area Youth Symphony, the Eastern Music Festival Orchestras,
Oakwood University Symphony Orchestra, The University of Alabama Wind
Ensemble, The University of Texas at Austin Wind Ensemble, Symphony
Orchestra and Harp Ensemble, the Butler Opera Center, as well as the
Austin Civic Orchestra. She has made appearances with the Laredo
Philharmonic and the Valley Symphony Orchestra. Mallory was also afforded
the opportunity to perform on both ‘ABC’ and ‘NBC’ Television programs,
as well as teaching and performing at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp.
Mallory was named a Young Artist in Residence with American Public
Media’s program, Performance Today in 2019. She was the first harpist to
air on the show. The program was recorded at Minnesota Public Radio and
aired on local National Public Radio stations nation-wide. MPR has turned
into a second home for Mallory. She will be returning as a founding
member of the chamber group, e(L)ement for the academic school year
2020-2021 as a concert artist with their Class Notes series.
Being passionate about increasing diversity in the performing arts,
Mallory also had the privilege of being an artist at the non-profit
organization Challenge the Stats’ Atlanta Launch in February of 2018.
Along these lines, Mallory’s doctoral research is dedicated to the music
of African American female composers and their works. She is working to
transcribe these beautiful pieces from original form to accommodate harp.
She will then publish the transcriptions to be more accessible to the
public.
Mallory now operates out of Austin, Texas where she works for the Austin
District Music Teachers Association and runs the McHenry Suzuki Studio
where she offers both harp and piano lessons and maintains an active
performance schedule. She is forever grateful to her previous teachers
and mentors, who have shaped her into the musician she is today
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Mark Miller, violin
Concertmaster of the East Texas Symphony Orchestra, violinist Mark
Miller also performs with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra and
other area ensembles. He is a founder and president of Mount Vernon
Music Association, a membership-based nonprofit devoted to bringing
outstanding performances of classical, cultural and jazz chamber
music to underserved audiences in rural Northeast Texas. He also
co-directs the chamber series “The Color of Sound” at Texas A&M
University – Commerce, where for eleven years he taught and
performed as an Artist-in-Residence with his wife, violist Ute
Miller, and the ensemble Duo Renard. Following studies at SUNY
Purchase, Indiana University - Bloomington and Boston University, he
studied with Jürgen Kussmaul in Germany, where he was assistant
concertmaster in the Robert Schumann Kammerorchester of Düsseldorf
and a member of the Orchester der Beethovenhalle Bonn.
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Ute Miller, viola
Ute Miller is the principal violist of the East Texas Symphony,
performs frequently with the Dallas and Fort Worth Symphony
Orchestras and has appeared as a soloist with the East Texas
Symphony Orchestra. A founder and the Treasurer of Mount Vernon
Music Association, Ute performs with her husband Mark in the
violin-viola ensemble Duo Renard, which was brought to Texas with a
National Endowment for the Arts Rural Residencies chamber music
grant. She also produces the Color of Sound series at Texas A&M
Commerce, where she was Artist-in-Residence. Ute’s musical studies
include the prestigious Konzertexamen diploma from the Robert
Schumann Hochschule Düsseldorf, and a year at Boston University as a
student of Raphael Hillyer. In addition to playing with the
Frankfurt Radio Symphony, she served for seven years as assistant
principal violist of the Gürzenich Orchester/Cologne Philharmonic,
and for eight years as principal violist of the Dallas Opera
Orchestra.
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Evan Mitchell, piano
Pianist Evan Mitchell's recent highlights include debuts on the
prestigious Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concerts series (Chicago), at
Merkin Concert Hall (NYC), and at several major venues in Shanghai.
He has played concerti with the symphony orchestras of Dallas and
Fort Worth, among others, and collaborated in recital with such
major figures as double bassist Gary Karr and clarinetist Corrado
Giuffredi. In the 2016-17 season Evan soloing with the Sherman
Symphony Orchestra (Brahms -
Concerto No. 2), performing on Cliburn
at the Modern concerts in both fall and spring, returning to Mount
Vernon Music, and much more. Evan’s new recording with bassist
Szymon Marciniak is earning rave reviews; most recently, Bass World
called their performances “intoxicating,” deeming this “a seminal
recording.” Evan is also featured on the 2012 release “Piano de
Pampa y Jungla: A Collection of Latin American Piano Music.” Since
June 2014 Evan has been a TCA Texas Touring Roster Artist, and over
the past four years he has given more than 150 performances for
Cliburn in the Classroom. Evan is recently completed his doctorate
at Texas Christian University.
Visit his site:
www.evanmitchell.net.
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Mount Vernon Music
Mount Vernon Music is a charitable organization that provides
outstanding performances of live music to communities in northeast
Texas - traditional chamber music, jazz and other styles as well as
educational and family concerts.
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Yuri Noh, violin
As an active performer and thoughtful pedagogue, Dr. Yuri Noh has
obtained significant experience as a teaching artist, soloist, and
chamber and orchestra performer around the world, including Korea,
Italy, Germany, and the US. She was born in South Korea, where she
began her musical journey with the piano at the age of seven. After
playing for three years, she transitioned to the violin. She has
also played the viola and Baroque violin. Her first solo debut in
South Korea was with the Dae-jin orchestra, where she performed
Saint-Saëns's
Violin Concerto No. 3.
After moving to the United States in 2012, she expanded her
knowledge and artistic experience by participating in numerous music
festivals, performances, and competitions in Italy, Germany, and the
USA. Dr. Noh has performed at the Giardino del Teatro Olimpico and
Teatro Comunale in Italy, and the Charles W. Eisemann Center, Moody
Performance Hall, Meyerson Symphony Center, Murchison Performing
Arts Center, Murphey Performance Hall, and Paul Voertman Concert
Hall in the US. Recently, she performed as a winner of the Golden
Classical International Music Competition at Carnegie Hall in New
York.
As an orchestra performer, she has had a broad range of experiences.
In 2014 and 2018, she served as concert master with the Round Top
Festival Orchestra in the US and International Lyric Academy
Symphony Orchestra in Italy. Currently, she serves as a sectional
violin player with the Lewisville Lake Symphony and substitute
violin player for the Abilene Philharmonic, Richardson Symphony
Orchestra, Monroe Symphony Orchestra, and San Angelo Symphony
Orchestra.
As a dedicated educator, Dr. Noh is passionate about teaching and
working with students. She served as adjunct faculty at Dae-jin
University in 2010. Currently, she is an instructor and conductor at
the Wise Youth String Ensemble and string orchestra director at
Immaculate Conception Catholic School. She is also a violin and
viola instructor at Lewisville Independent School District in Texas.
Many of her students have been accepted to the All-Region Orchestra
or Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra and received Exemplary and
Superior ratings in the Solo and Ensemble Contest. Several students
in her studio have also received acceptance letters and scholarships
from music schools in Dallas and Iowa.
She has been the recipient of numerous awards and scholarships
throughout her violin career, including the College of Music Anshel
Brusilow Scholarship and Academic Achievement Scholarship from
Toulouse Graduate School at the University of North Texas (UNT). She
is also a member of Pi Kappa Lambda, an American National Music
Honor Society. Dr. Noh received a bachelor’s degree from Dae-jin
University in South Korea, and a master’s degree from UNT in Violin
Performance and Early Music. Recently, she earned a doctoral degree
from UNT in Violin Performance and Orchestra Conducting. Under the
tutelage of Bok-Hyun Kim, Felix Olschofka, Kyunghee Choi, Jeongkeuk
Maeng, Clay Couturiaux, and Cynthia Roberts, as well as in master
classes with Jan Dobrzelewski, Kirsten Yon, and Anton Miller, she
has molded herself to be an artist, performer, and pedagogue.
Dr. Noh believes in the power of the music. She regards music, both
performance and education, to be a worthwhile investment for all
people around the world. As a result, she constantly strives to
provide the opportunity to learn about and experience music to
people of all ages.
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Gwendoline
Pannetier, harp
Gwendoline Pannetier is a harpist and DMA student at the University
of Texas at Austin Butler School of Music. She received her
Post-graduate Diploma and Master’s Degree in Music Performance from
Université de Montréal. She has studied with numerous international
harpists and lecturers, including Heidi Awuy, Wei Lin Lin, Caroline
Lizotte and Delaine Leonard.
Born in Lyon, France and growing up overseas, she is frequently
involved in participating in various international concerts in
Canada, United States, France, Italy, Spain, China, Indonesia,
Malaysia, Egypt, Algeria, as a soloist, orchestra and chamber music
player. Gwendoline has a particular passion in promoting new music
and music from different cultures of the world.
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Sophia Jieun Park, violin
As an active solo violinist, Ms. Park has been awarded top prizes in
the “Ohrid Pearls” International Competition for Young Musicians,
Sun-Hwa National Competition and Nanpa Competition. She won a
concerto competition at the Sofia National Music School, and
performed with the Pazarjik Orchestra. As a soloist, she made
appearances with other orchestras, including the Vidin Philharmonic
Orchestra, Kenwood Symphony Orchestra and the Sofia Academic
Orchestra. Furthermore, her performance and interview was introduced
to MBC FM radio in Korea and Bearcast Media at the University of
Cincinnati.
As a soloist and chamber musician, she performed at Carnegie Hall,
Kilbourn Hall, Shanghai Conservatory Hall, Beijing University Hall,
Czech Art Center and more.
Ms. Park earned a Bachelor of Music with a prestigious Performer’s
Certificate at Eastman School of Music under Prof. Oleh Krysa. In
addition, she was the recipient of the Howard Hanson Scholarship and
Jemplis Scholarship. Ms. Park holds a Master of Music from the
University of Texas at Austin, and a Performance Diploma from
Indiana University, under Professor Grigory Kalinovsky. She was a
recipient of the Artistic Excellence Award.
Sophia Jieun Park is a doctoral candidate in violin performance as
her major and viola performance as a minor at University of
Cincinnati-College-Conservatory of Music. Also, she was a member of
Music Teachers National Association Collegiate Chapter at CCM.
As a contemporary musician, she participated performing in ensemble
“Ossia” which is founded in Eastman School of Music where she
performed for a recording of composer Michael Tenzer’s work.
She worked as a section violinist in numerous orchestras- Spoleto
Festival USA Orchestra, Terre Haute Symphony Orchestra, TIMF
Orchestra, Columbus Indiana Philharmonic Orchestras, a sublist
violinist at Cayuga Chamber Orchestra, Round Rock Symphony Orchestra
and more.
Currently, Sophia Jieun Park teaches at Tarleton State University as
an adjunct professor of violin.
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Christopher Phillpott, viola da gamba
Praised in the Dallas Morning News for both his solo and
accompanimental playing, Christopher Phillpott performs regularly on
cello, baroque cello, and viola da gamba while maintaining a
thriving studio in North Texas. He has performed with such ensembles
as Dallas Bach Society, Lumedia Musicworks, Denton Bach Players,
Orchestra of New Spain, Austin Baroque Orchestra, Tallahassee Bach
Parley, the Early Music America Young Performer’s Festival Ensemble
(Boston, MA), and for special events with the New England chapter of
the Viola da Gamba Society of America.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in cello performance and a master’s
degree in musicology from Texas Christian University, as well as an
Early Music Certificate from the Florida State University. During
his graduate studies at TCU and FSU, Mr. Phillpott researched and
presented extensively on the emerging French cello repertoire of the
early 18th century, having earned the Michael Winesanker Musicology
Grant which allowed him to travel to and consult the collections of
the Bibliothèque nationale de France. He has presented for the
Society for American Music and national and regional conferences for
the American Musicological Society.
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Vincent
Pierce, harp
Vincent Pierce teaches harp at the University of Texas - Permian
Basin, and Odessa College, and is principal harpist of the
Midland-Odessa Symphony & Chorale. Vincent was the director of the
harp program for Ector County ISD in Odessa, Texas from 2014-2019.
Vincent holds a BME degree from Baylor University and an MM degree
in harp performance from UT Austin, where he is currently pursuing a
DMA. He is president of the Austin Chapter of the American Harp
Society and is the South Central Regional Director and board member
for the AHS. He has been a clinician for the Texas Music Educators
Association and the American Harp Society.
Vincent has performed in several countries – first in China in 2012
as a member of the Austin based band The Noise Revival Orchestra,
and in 2014 throughout Asia and Europe as a member of the University
of Texas Wind Ensemble on their world tour, under the direction of
Jerry Junkin. He has also been an official South by Southwest
artist, performed with the Dallas Winds, and marched in the 2013
Presidential Inaugural Parade. In the summer of 2008, he studied
with Jeanne Chalifoux in Alexandria, Virginia, and in the summer of
2018, Vincent studied with Metropolitan Opera principal harpist
Emmanuel Ceysson at the Académie Internationale d’Été de Nice in the
south of France.
He is past-resident and a founding member of the West Texas Harp
Society, a chapter of the American Harp Society, Inc. While serving
as president of the WTHS he brought several guest artists to Odessa,
including Russian harpist Sasha Boldachev and past AHS Concert
Artist Abigail Kent, through grants from Odessa Arts and the AHS.
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Luis
Sanchez, piano
For over three decades, pianist Luis Sanchez has maintained an active career as soloist, collaborative artist, and teacher. He has appeared in
concerts in the United States, South America, Europe, and Asia. He is currently Professor of Piano and Director of Keyboard Studies at Texas A&M
University-Commerce. Dr. Sanchez joined the Steinway Artist Roster in 2012.
Praised for his artistry, dazzling technique, and inspiring performances, Luis Sanchez has presented recitals and master classes at Steinway Hall in
London, Birmingham Conservatoire (UK), Sala delle Muse at the Teatro Petruzzelli (Bari, Italy), Chiesa di Sant’Agnese in Agnone (Rome, Italy),
National Cheng Kung University (Taiwan), the Grieg Academy (Bergen, Norway), the Norwegian Academy of Music (Oslo, Norway), Hangyang
University (Seoul, South Korea), the Piano Concert Series International (Louisiana), and throughout the United States. He has also been featured
soloist with the Orchestra of New Spain (Dallas), The Texarkana Symphony, Fort Wayne Philharmonic Orchestra, the Ball State Symphony Orchestra,
and the Texas A&M University-Commerce Wind Ensemble.
Luis Sanchez enjoys a successful teaching career. Current and former students have been recipient of prizes at national and state competitions
including the Texas Music Teachers Association Performance Contest, the National Young Musicians Showcase Competition, the Muncie Symphony
Junior Concerto Competition, the Tuesday Musical Club Young Artist Competition in San Antonio, The UT Arlington Competition Festival, among
others. Additionally, his students have been accepted at numerous summer programs including Piano Texas, Chautauqua Piano Program, Rebecca
Penneys Piano Festival, International Masterclasses and Festival in Moulin d’Ande (France). He thoroughly enjoys teaching a diverse group of
students from different corners of the United States as well as from Venezuela, Colombia, China, Bulgaria, Russia, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Colombia, and
South Korea. Since 2014, he has frequently joined the faculty of InterHarmony International Music Festival in Germany and Italy.
He has been a frequent presenter at the Texas Music Teachers Association Convention, Music Teachers National Association, the Southeastern
Historical Keyboard Society Conclaves, the Hawaii International Conference on Arts and Humanities, and national and regional College Music Society
conferences. Dr. Sanchez has served as an adjudicator for numerous competitions and festivals, throughout the United States and internationally.
Equally at home with the fortepiano and the modern piano, Dr. Sanchez pursued further studies in fortepiano and XVIII century performance practice
with Malcolm Bilson, Andrew Willis, and Liv Glaser (Oslo, Norway). In 2012, he was commissioned to write an article on Phil Belt (American builder
of fortepianos) for the New Grove Dictionary of American Music and Early Music America.
Born in Argentina, Dr. Sanchez holds degrees from the National Conservatory of Music “Carlos López Buchardo” and Ball State University. His
teachers include Ana Litovsky-Grunwald, Graciela Beretervide, Robert Palmer, and Rebecca Penneys.
Top
Leslie Spotz, piano
Leslie Spotz, as Professor of Piano at Tarleton State University,
received the 2017 Texas Music Teachers Association “Outstanding
Collegiate Teaching Achievement” Award.
As winner of the 2017 TSU College of Liberal and Fine Arts Faculty
Excellence in Research and Creative Activities Award, Spotz enjoys an
international performing career that spans four continents and four
decades, and has included solo performances in Moscow at Tchaikovsky
Hall of Moscow University, South Bank Center of London, Kennedy Center
in Washington, D.C., the famed Academy of Music in Philadelphia, her
highly acclaimed tours of Germany, concerts in Italy at the Lorenzo
de’Medici Institute, solo recitals in Taiwan and Brazil, and her
performance at the inaugural opening of Philadelphia’s magnificent
performance venue, the Kimmel Center.
Recent seasons have included solo recitals throughout Texas, Rio de
Janeiro and Il Encontro Internacional de Pianistas de Brazil and
performances at the Music by Women Festival at Mississippi University
for Women. In 2015 she performed solo recitals in New York City’s Tenri
Cultural Institute, Indiana Wesleyan University, Dallas Public Library,
and chamber music concerts in Dallas, TX, Hardin-Simmons University in
Abilene, and Southern University in Baton Rouge, LA. She returned to New
York and the Tenri Cultural Institute with colleague, Heather Hawk,
soprano, for the Leschetizky Association Annual Living Composers Concert
May, 2016. She returned to Italy in June 2013 for performances at the
Conservatorio di Milano and the Ambrosianeum Foundation. Also, in June
2013 she performed in Buenes Aires, Argentina with soprano Marika
Kyriakos and returned to London in May 2011. February 2010 included an
all-Chopin Bicentennial recital in New York City. December 2010 she
returned to Germany in a solo recital at the Heilig–Kreuz–Kirche in
Berlin. Hailed by the prestigious Süddeutsche Zeitung of Munich, Spotz’
Beethoven was described thus: “Stripped of veneer, revealing all the
edges and corners, Spotz earnestly confronted Beethoven’s tempi and
dynamic indications, leaving mediocrity and shallow beauty behind and
bringing out truth. In all, a concert of the highest critical standard,
further proof of the high carat quality of this series.” Spotz has
performed extensively throughout the U.S. from coast to coast. Concert
highlights include her 2007 performance at Tarleton as soloist with the
Fort Worth Symphony, performances of twenty Beethoven Sonatas at Rutgers
University and her recitals for the Bach Festival of Philadelphia.
Receiving a full scholarship to the Curtis Institute of Music, Spotz
studied for five years with the legendary, Mieczyslaw Horszowski, part
of the heritage that is only three musicians-students-teachers away from
Beethoven. She completed her doctorate at Rutgers University in 2002.
Her appearances as soloist include the Mozart Society of Philadelphia,
South Jersey Symphony, Curtis Symphony, Kinhaven Symphony in Vermont,
the Piedmont Chamber Orchestra in North Carolina, the Old York Road
Symphony in Abington, PA, and the Clear Lake Symphony in Texas. March
2013 she was soloist with the University of Texas – San Antonio
Symphony.
Spotz has become an advocate for women musicians through her
performances, collaborating with flutist Adeline Tomasone on the
critically acclaimed CD Fantasias, and women composers are featured on
her solo CD, issued by Leonore Records in 1999. Published recordings
also include the three sets of 5 CDs each of solo piano literature,
representing the repertoire for 13 graded levels, 2019-2021, 2016-2018
and 2010-2012 for the International Piano Performance Examination
Committee (IPPEC) based in Taiwan and Southeast Asia. She has
collaborated with violinists: Maria Bachmann, Joseph Genualdi, and Mark
Steinberg; flutist Laurel Zucker; David Wetherill, former co-principal
horn of the Philadelphia Orchestra; Frank Kaderabek, former principal
trumpet of the Philadelphia Orchestra; and Joseph Depasquale, who was
longtime principal viola of the Philadelphia Orchestra. Among the
notable international singers for whom Spotz has accompanied are
sopranos Heather Hawk, Amanda Squitieri, Julianne Baird, Gwendolyn
Bradley, Judith Lovat and Donna Connolly, and tenors Martin Dillon and
Robert Guarino. According to the The Philadelphia Inquirer, "Miss Spotz
commands the resonant sound and the elegant gesture… playing of great
color, boldness, and suavity… most engaging…"
video links:
http://www.tarleton.edu/playpiano
http://www.tarleton.edu/singvoice
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Mu Phi Epsilon 
Lakshmi Ananthakrishnan, violin
Adam
Booher, piano
Boulanger
Quintet
The Texas Flute Society is a non-profit organization organized for the
purpose and objectives as follows: to further the activities and
education of flutists in North Central Texas, to sponsor concerts,
workshops, clinics, masterclasses, and festivals at which members and
guest artists can perform and disseminate information, and to direct our
efforts toward cultural and educational values in and for the general
community, striving for activities with a public interest wider than
that of members and contributors. The Texas Flute Society is organized
exclusively for charitable and educational purposes.
Julee
Kim Walker, flute
Caroline Wilkins, harp
Grace
Kang Wollett, violin
Jeongmi
Yoon, piano