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Lyric engages musicians for recitals, master-classes, residencies, music workshops and community-based performances at many venues across the country.
We partner with concert presenters, musicians and educators who share our mission of making classical music accessible to all, no matter what background or zip code. Please contact Reggie Bahl at 212.496.9927 to work with our current roster of musicians:
Seraph Brass
(All-Female Brass Quintet)
Seraph Brass was founded by trumpet soloist Mary Elizabeth Bowden with the mission of elevating and showcasing the excellence of female brass players and highlighting musicians from marginalized groups both in personnel and in programming. Winners of the American Prize in Chamber Music, the group has been praised for their “beautiful sounds" (American Record Guide), "fine playing” (Gramophone), and “staggeringly high caliber of performance” (Textura).
Now in its ninth touring season, Seraph primarily performs as a quintet, with a dynamic roster drawing from America’s top brass musicians. The group is currently in residency at the Walton Art Center’ s Artosphere Festival, alongside the Dover Quartet. Seraph Brass is a Yamaha Performing Group and performs exclusively on Yamaha instruments. The ensemble has toured around the world, including performances at the Tafalla Brass Week in Spain, Lieksa Brass Week in Finland, the Busan Maru International Music Festival in South Korea, the Forum Cultural Guanajuato in Mexico, the International Women’s Brass Conference, the International Trumpet Guild Conference, and a two-week tour across China.
2022-23 performance highlights include Anthony DiLorenzo’ s Chimera for brass quintet and orchestra with the Florence Symphony in November, and performances at Chamber Music Raleigh, Chautauqua Institution, University of Toronto, Asheville Chamber Music Series, National Gallery of Art in D.C., Diehn Concert Series in Norfolk, UNC Greensboro, and extensive touring around the United States through Live On Stage. Seraph performs a diverse body of repertoire, ranging from original transcriptions to newly commissioned works and core classics. The group has commissioned new pieces by Catherine McMichael and Rene Orth; both featured on the Silver Medal Global Music Award-winning debut album Asteria. The group regularly participates in commissioning consortiums, recently supporting works by Kevin Day, Mischa Zupko, and Lillian Yee. In 2023, Seraph will premiere and perform a new concerto commission from Jennifer Jolley at the 2023 American Trombone Workshop with the United States Army Band “Pershing’s Own.” The group will return to Lieksa Brass week in Finland in Summer 2023.
Website: www.seraphbrass.com
Seraph Brass was founded by trumpet soloist Mary Elizabeth Bowden with the mission of elevating and showcasing the excellence of female brass players and highlighting musicians from marginalized groups both in personnel and in programming. Winners of the American Prize in Chamber Music, the group has been praised for their “beautiful sounds" (American Record Guide), "fine playing” (Gramophone), and “staggeringly high caliber of performance” (Textura).
Now in its ninth touring season, Seraph primarily performs as a quintet, with a dynamic roster drawing from America’s top brass musicians. The group is currently in residency at the Walton Art Center’ s Artosphere Festival, alongside the Dover Quartet. Seraph Brass is a Yamaha Performing Group and performs exclusively on Yamaha instruments. The ensemble has toured around the world, including performances at the Tafalla Brass Week in Spain, Lieksa Brass Week in Finland, the Busan Maru International Music Festival in South Korea, the Forum Cultural Guanajuato in Mexico, the International Women’s Brass Conference, the International Trumpet Guild Conference, and a two-week tour across China.
2022-23 performance highlights include Anthony DiLorenzo’ s Chimera for brass quintet and orchestra with the Florence Symphony in November, and performances at Chamber Music Raleigh, Chautauqua Institution, University of Toronto, Asheville Chamber Music Series, National Gallery of Art in D.C., Diehn Concert Series in Norfolk, UNC Greensboro, and extensive touring around the United States through Live On Stage. Seraph performs a diverse body of repertoire, ranging from original transcriptions to newly commissioned works and core classics. The group has commissioned new pieces by Catherine McMichael and Rene Orth; both featured on the Silver Medal Global Music Award-winning debut album Asteria. The group regularly participates in commissioning consortiums, recently supporting works by Kevin Day, Mischa Zupko, and Lillian Yee. In 2023, Seraph will premiere and perform a new concerto commission from Jennifer Jolley at the 2023 American Trombone Workshop with the United States Army Band “Pershing’s Own.” The group will return to Lieksa Brass week in Finland in Summer 2023.
Website: www.seraphbrass.com
Konrad Paszkudzki Trio
(Bass, Guitar & Piano)
Sharing a love of classic jazz and the great standards of the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s, all members of the trio tip the hat to those that have influenced them—Oscar Peterson, Erroll Garner, Art Tatum, Charlie Parker, Israel Crosby, Ahmad Jamal, and Joe Pass, to name a few. The trio has a sound steeped in tradition, but always remains creative and inventive. They are the ultimate modern day swingin’ unit.
The three artists, also known for their nimbleness on their respective instruments, pride themselves on clean, graceful, toe-tapping execution. Listening to the trio play is a swingin’ party of sophisticated, melodic warfare, with Paszkudzki and Grasso constantly bouncing lines back and forth over the immovable bass lines of Dylan Shamat. The result is fiery straight-ahead jazz with melodic elegance and nonchalant grace and a worthy homage to the jazz greats.
Website: www.kpjazztrio.com
Sharing a love of classic jazz and the great standards of the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s, all members of the trio tip the hat to those that have influenced them—Oscar Peterson, Erroll Garner, Art Tatum, Charlie Parker, Israel Crosby, Ahmad Jamal, and Joe Pass, to name a few. The trio has a sound steeped in tradition, but always remains creative and inventive. They are the ultimate modern day swingin’ unit.
The three artists, also known for their nimbleness on their respective instruments, pride themselves on clean, graceful, toe-tapping execution. Listening to the trio play is a swingin’ party of sophisticated, melodic warfare, with Paszkudzki and Grasso constantly bouncing lines back and forth over the immovable bass lines of Dylan Shamat. The result is fiery straight-ahead jazz with melodic elegance and nonchalant grace and a worthy homage to the jazz greats.
Website: www.kpjazztrio.com
Davin-Levin Duo
(Harp & Guitar)
A “clearly felicitous combination of two plucked string instruments,” (Cleveland Classical), the Davin-Levin Duo is comprised of Emily Levin, Principal Harp of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, and Colin Davin, Associate Professor of Guitar at Shenandoah University. Since their first performance together in 2015 at The Juilliard School, the Davin-Levin Duo has revolutionized the genre, expanding the repertoire through commissions and arrangements and establishing their instrument combination as a dynamic chamber music experience.
The Davin-Levin Duo has appeared around the country, performing concert experiences ranging from (Le) Poisson Rouge in New York City to intimate wine cellars in Boulder, CO. They have been featured at the Cleveland International Classical Guitar Festival, Lyric Chamber Music Society, University of Cincinnati College- Conservatory of Music, and others. In February 2019, Colin and Emily recorded the Duo’s first album in a live concert, featuring their arrangements of de Falla, Ravel, and Philip Glass, alongside two commissions by Dylan Mattingly and Will Stackpole. Banter was released to critical acclaim in April 2020.
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Praised for her “communicative, emotionally intense expression” (Jerusalem Post) and for “playing exquisitely” (Dallas Morning News), Emily Levin is the Principal Harpist with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and Bronze Medal Winner of the 9th USA International Harp Competition.
Emily has performed as Guest Principal Harp with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Houston Symphony, and regularly appears with the New York Philharmonic. As a soloist, she has performed throughout North America and Europe, including appearances with the Ojai Music Festival, the Dallas Symphony, and the Jerusalem, Colorado and West Virginia Symphony Orchestras, among others. She is a laureate of Astral Artists. For her debut album, Something Borrowed, the Classical Recording Foundation named her their 2017 Young Artist of the Year.
In 2022 Emily launched GroundWork(s), a project commissioning American composers from each state for harp-centric works. Each piece premieres in the composer’s hometown, celebrating the communities that first supported them. Current projects include a solo harp piece by Michael Ippolito, and chamber works by Reena Esmail, Aaron Holloway Nahum, Angélica Negrón, Sarah Kirkland Snider, and Jerod Impichchaachaaha Tate. In Dallas, Emily is Artistic Director of Fine Arts Chamber Players, and harp faculty at Southern Methodist University. In summer 2022 she was harp faculty at the Aspen Music Festival.
Emily received her Master of Music degree in 2015 at the Juilliard School under the tutelage of Nancy Allen and she completed undergraduate degrees in Music and History at Indiana University with Susann McDonald. Her honors history thesis discussed the impact of war songs on the French Revolution.
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Hailed as “the real thing, a player with a virtuoso’s technique, a deeply expressive musicianship, and a probing imagination” (American Record Guide) who “has the distinct ability to wring the depths of expressiveness from all that he plays” (Classical Guitar Magazine), and for his “precision, musical intelligence and passion” (Cleveland Classical), guitarist Colin Davin has emerged as one of today’s most dynamic artists.
Recent highlights include concertos with the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, Aiken Symphony Orchestra, New Mexico Philharmonic, Lake Placid Sinfonietta, and Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra; collaborations with Sharon Isbin at the 92nd Street Y, Chautauqua Institution, and Baltimore Classical Guitar Society; and performances with violinist Tessa Lark and cellist Edward Arron. In 2015, Colin appeared as a featured musical guest on the final season of The Late Show with David Letterman alongside the late Jessye Norman. He has performed at Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, the Metropolitan Museum of Art (on historic instruments from the museum's collection), the Alhambra Palace in Granada, the Paris Conservatoire, the Fridge Fringe in Dubai, and venues throughout the United States and Canada. His collaborators include GRAMMY Award winning soprano Estelí Gomez and Dallas Symphony Orchestra principal harpist Emily Levin. He has been a regular guest artist at the Aspen Music Festival, and has four times been a guest teacher at the Afghanistan National Institute of Music in Kabul, Afghanistan.
Colin Davin is co-head of the guitar department at the Cleveland Institute of Music. In demand for his insights in masterclasses and lectures, he has been invited to teach in a guest capacity at institutions including The Juilliard School, Peabody Institute, Oberlin Conservatory, University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and the Aspen Music Festival and School. He holds a Master of Music from The Juilliard School, where he studied with Sharon Isbin; a Bachelor of Music from the University of Southern California with William Kanengiser; and underwent preparatory studies at the Cleveland Institute of Music with Jason Vieaux.
A “clearly felicitous combination of two plucked string instruments,” (Cleveland Classical), the Davin-Levin Duo is comprised of Emily Levin, Principal Harp of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, and Colin Davin, Associate Professor of Guitar at Shenandoah University. Since their first performance together in 2015 at The Juilliard School, the Davin-Levin Duo has revolutionized the genre, expanding the repertoire through commissions and arrangements and establishing their instrument combination as a dynamic chamber music experience.
The Davin-Levin Duo has appeared around the country, performing concert experiences ranging from (Le) Poisson Rouge in New York City to intimate wine cellars in Boulder, CO. They have been featured at the Cleveland International Classical Guitar Festival, Lyric Chamber Music Society, University of Cincinnati College- Conservatory of Music, and others. In February 2019, Colin and Emily recorded the Duo’s first album in a live concert, featuring their arrangements of de Falla, Ravel, and Philip Glass, alongside two commissions by Dylan Mattingly and Will Stackpole. Banter was released to critical acclaim in April 2020.
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Praised for her “communicative, emotionally intense expression” (Jerusalem Post) and for “playing exquisitely” (Dallas Morning News), Emily Levin is the Principal Harpist with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and Bronze Medal Winner of the 9th USA International Harp Competition.
Emily has performed as Guest Principal Harp with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Houston Symphony, and regularly appears with the New York Philharmonic. As a soloist, she has performed throughout North America and Europe, including appearances with the Ojai Music Festival, the Dallas Symphony, and the Jerusalem, Colorado and West Virginia Symphony Orchestras, among others. She is a laureate of Astral Artists. For her debut album, Something Borrowed, the Classical Recording Foundation named her their 2017 Young Artist of the Year.
In 2022 Emily launched GroundWork(s), a project commissioning American composers from each state for harp-centric works. Each piece premieres in the composer’s hometown, celebrating the communities that first supported them. Current projects include a solo harp piece by Michael Ippolito, and chamber works by Reena Esmail, Aaron Holloway Nahum, Angélica Negrón, Sarah Kirkland Snider, and Jerod Impichchaachaaha Tate. In Dallas, Emily is Artistic Director of Fine Arts Chamber Players, and harp faculty at Southern Methodist University. In summer 2022 she was harp faculty at the Aspen Music Festival.
Emily received her Master of Music degree in 2015 at the Juilliard School under the tutelage of Nancy Allen and she completed undergraduate degrees in Music and History at Indiana University with Susann McDonald. Her honors history thesis discussed the impact of war songs on the French Revolution.
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Hailed as “the real thing, a player with a virtuoso’s technique, a deeply expressive musicianship, and a probing imagination” (American Record Guide) who “has the distinct ability to wring the depths of expressiveness from all that he plays” (Classical Guitar Magazine), and for his “precision, musical intelligence and passion” (Cleveland Classical), guitarist Colin Davin has emerged as one of today’s most dynamic artists.
Recent highlights include concertos with the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, Aiken Symphony Orchestra, New Mexico Philharmonic, Lake Placid Sinfonietta, and Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra; collaborations with Sharon Isbin at the 92nd Street Y, Chautauqua Institution, and Baltimore Classical Guitar Society; and performances with violinist Tessa Lark and cellist Edward Arron. In 2015, Colin appeared as a featured musical guest on the final season of The Late Show with David Letterman alongside the late Jessye Norman. He has performed at Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, the Metropolitan Museum of Art (on historic instruments from the museum's collection), the Alhambra Palace in Granada, the Paris Conservatoire, the Fridge Fringe in Dubai, and venues throughout the United States and Canada. His collaborators include GRAMMY Award winning soprano Estelí Gomez and Dallas Symphony Orchestra principal harpist Emily Levin. He has been a regular guest artist at the Aspen Music Festival, and has four times been a guest teacher at the Afghanistan National Institute of Music in Kabul, Afghanistan.
Colin Davin is co-head of the guitar department at the Cleveland Institute of Music. In demand for his insights in masterclasses and lectures, he has been invited to teach in a guest capacity at institutions including The Juilliard School, Peabody Institute, Oberlin Conservatory, University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and the Aspen Music Festival and School. He holds a Master of Music from The Juilliard School, where he studied with Sharon Isbin; a Bachelor of Music from the University of Southern California with William Kanengiser; and underwent preparatory studies at the Cleveland Institute of Music with Jason Vieaux.
Project Trio
(Bass, Flute & Saxaphone)
Blending their classical training with an eclectic taste in musical styles, PROJECT Trio has made an impact on audiences of all ages. Bursting onto the scene with their landmark videos, right out of the internet generation, PROJECT Trio is a musical experience defining a new level of entertainment! PROJECT Trio is a musical experience not to be missed...
Gramophone Magazine singled out the group as “an ensemble willing and able to touch on the gamut of musical bases ranging from Baroque to nu-Metal and taking in pretty much every stylism in between,” while The Wall Street Journal hailed the Trio for their “wide appeal, subversive humor and first-rate playing.” The New York Times has called beatboxing flutist Greg Pattillo “the best in the world at what he does.”
The Trio was forged out of a collective desire to draw new and diverse audiences by performing high energy, top quality music. Using social media to broaden their reach beyond the concert stage and classroom, the Trio has its own YouTube channel, which has over 85 million views and 100,000 subscribers, making PROJECT Trio one of the most watched instrumental ensembles on the internet.
Combining the virtuosity of world-class artists with the energy of rock stars, PROJECT Trio is breaking down traditional ideas of chamber music. The genre-defying Trio is acclaimed by the press as “packed with musicianship, joy and surprise” and “exciting a new generation of listeners about the joys of classical and jazz music.”
Website: www.projecttrio.com
Blending their classical training with an eclectic taste in musical styles, PROJECT Trio has made an impact on audiences of all ages. Bursting onto the scene with their landmark videos, right out of the internet generation, PROJECT Trio is a musical experience defining a new level of entertainment! PROJECT Trio is a musical experience not to be missed...
Gramophone Magazine singled out the group as “an ensemble willing and able to touch on the gamut of musical bases ranging from Baroque to nu-Metal and taking in pretty much every stylism in between,” while The Wall Street Journal hailed the Trio for their “wide appeal, subversive humor and first-rate playing.” The New York Times has called beatboxing flutist Greg Pattillo “the best in the world at what he does.”
The Trio was forged out of a collective desire to draw new and diverse audiences by performing high energy, top quality music. Using social media to broaden their reach beyond the concert stage and classroom, the Trio has its own YouTube channel, which has over 85 million views and 100,000 subscribers, making PROJECT Trio one of the most watched instrumental ensembles on the internet.
Combining the virtuosity of world-class artists with the energy of rock stars, PROJECT Trio is breaking down traditional ideas of chamber music. The genre-defying Trio is acclaimed by the press as “packed with musicianship, joy and surprise” and “exciting a new generation of listeners about the joys of classical and jazz music.”
Website: www.projecttrio.com
Aimee & Mia
(Flute & Harp)
Mia Venezia is a professional harpist based in the New Haven and Philadelphia areas. She began studying music at the age of five and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in harp performance from Yale University under June Han’s tutelage. Previously, she studied at Northwestern University with the Lyric Opera of Chicago principal harpist Lynn Williams and Carnegie Mellon University with Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra principal harpist Gretchen Van Hoesen. She has performed with the New Haven Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of Pittsburgh, Northwest Indiana Symphony Orchestra and Lansdale Symphony Orchestra. A passionate educator, Mia has a private studio in which she hopes to inspire and foster the next generation of harpists.
Flutist Aimee Toner performs and teaches throughout the Northeast, including performing in orchestral settings with the Enigma Chamber Opera Orchestra, the Norwalk Symphony, the Du Bois Symphony, and the Glens Falls Symphony, and collaborating in chamber groups that have ranged from jazz trios in Italian restaurants to wind quintets on stage at Carnegie Hall. Aimee is a recent graduate with a Master’s of Music from the New England Conservatory, where she studied with Cynthia Meyers of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Toner is also a graduate of Barnard College where she majored in Ethnomusicology and Economics. Aimee is dedicated to the accessibility of classical music and has expressed this passion through her work as faculty at the Rhode Island Philharmonic Music School, as founder of the “Virtual School Song” project, and as the Manager of the Brockton Symphony Orchestra’s Marketing and Fundraising initiatives.
Mia Venezia is a professional harpist based in the New Haven and Philadelphia areas. She began studying music at the age of five and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in harp performance from Yale University under June Han’s tutelage. Previously, she studied at Northwestern University with the Lyric Opera of Chicago principal harpist Lynn Williams and Carnegie Mellon University with Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra principal harpist Gretchen Van Hoesen. She has performed with the New Haven Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of Pittsburgh, Northwest Indiana Symphony Orchestra and Lansdale Symphony Orchestra. A passionate educator, Mia has a private studio in which she hopes to inspire and foster the next generation of harpists.
Flutist Aimee Toner performs and teaches throughout the Northeast, including performing in orchestral settings with the Enigma Chamber Opera Orchestra, the Norwalk Symphony, the Du Bois Symphony, and the Glens Falls Symphony, and collaborating in chamber groups that have ranged from jazz trios in Italian restaurants to wind quintets on stage at Carnegie Hall. Aimee is a recent graduate with a Master’s of Music from the New England Conservatory, where she studied with Cynthia Meyers of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Toner is also a graduate of Barnard College where she majored in Ethnomusicology and Economics. Aimee is dedicated to the accessibility of classical music and has expressed this passion through her work as faculty at the Rhode Island Philharmonic Music School, as founder of the “Virtual School Song” project, and as the Manager of the Brockton Symphony Orchestra’s Marketing and Fundraising initiatives.
Kayla Williams
(Viola)
Violist Kayla Williams is an advocate for music, who hopes to diversify music through her own experiences as a Black woman.
Originally from Florida, Kayla began playing the violin at age four then at age ten she discovered her true passion, the viola. As a winner of the 2018 Lynn Concerto Competition, she made her concerto debut performing Bartok’s Viola Concerto.
Williams has been the guest of music festivals across a range of music including the Grand Teton Music Festival, the Florida Folk Festival, and will perform at the upcoming Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival during Fall of 2022. Williams has both live and recorded performances with Grammy Award winner Jon Batiste.
Williams earned a Bachelor of Music degree in Viola Performance from the Lynn Conservatory of Music in Boca Raton, Florida and a Master of Music degree in Viola performance from The Juilliard School. She is also the recipient of the 2021 Juilliard Career Advancement Fellowship.
Kayla believes music should be accessible to students of all backgrounds. She aspires to create a foundation of her own that will provide access and funding needed to support music programs in under-represented communities.
Violist Kayla Williams is an advocate for music, who hopes to diversify music through her own experiences as a Black woman.
Originally from Florida, Kayla began playing the violin at age four then at age ten she discovered her true passion, the viola. As a winner of the 2018 Lynn Concerto Competition, she made her concerto debut performing Bartok’s Viola Concerto.
Williams has been the guest of music festivals across a range of music including the Grand Teton Music Festival, the Florida Folk Festival, and will perform at the upcoming Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival during Fall of 2022. Williams has both live and recorded performances with Grammy Award winner Jon Batiste.
Williams earned a Bachelor of Music degree in Viola Performance from the Lynn Conservatory of Music in Boca Raton, Florida and a Master of Music degree in Viola performance from The Juilliard School. She is also the recipient of the 2021 Juilliard Career Advancement Fellowship.
Kayla believes music should be accessible to students of all backgrounds. She aspires to create a foundation of her own that will provide access and funding needed to support music programs in under-represented communities.
Anna Bogolubova
(Concert Pianist)
Anna Bogolubova is one of Ukraine's leading pianists and composers. In addition to her many television and radio performances, she was featured on a National TV Ukraine documentary – “Anna Bogolubova – Composer and Pianist.” She has performed solo recitals in the USA, Canada, Mexico, Austria, Germany, Andorra, Italy, Poland, Russia, and the Ukraine. First prize competition wins include: XX Incontro Internazionale Giovani Pianisti Citta Di Senegalis, Italy; Concurso Internacional de Piano, Andorra; The Music and Art Foundation Young Musicians Piano Competition, NY; New York Chopin Competition; BC Pops Competition; Richard Youth Concerto Competition in Binghamton, NY, and most recently Concurso Internacional de Piano Parnassos in Mexico.
After her highly successful solo debut at the age of 8 in the Odessa Philharmonic Hall, Anna was admitted to the Stolyarsky Music School where she was under the patronage of Anatoly Kardashef. At the age of 10 Anna was selected to perform Beethoven’s 2 nd Piano Concerto under the direction of Garry Oganezov, launching her in a performing career through her native country. She holds both Bachelor and Master’s Degrees from The Juilliard School for the Performing Arts and studied with Oxana Yablonskaya.
In August 2007, Naxos released a CD of her performing two concertos by H. K. Hedley with Russia Philharmonic Orchestra, conductor Dmitry Yablonsky. She has over twenty years of pedagogic experience teaching privately and in schools such as The Lycee Francais de New York and the Hovnanian School. She has been invited to give Master Classes in several countries and has been a judge of international piano competitions. In 2010, she co-founded BOMAA (Beauty of Music and Art) in NYC.
Website: www.annapiano.com
Anna Bogolubova is one of Ukraine's leading pianists and composers. In addition to her many television and radio performances, she was featured on a National TV Ukraine documentary – “Anna Bogolubova – Composer and Pianist.” She has performed solo recitals in the USA, Canada, Mexico, Austria, Germany, Andorra, Italy, Poland, Russia, and the Ukraine. First prize competition wins include: XX Incontro Internazionale Giovani Pianisti Citta Di Senegalis, Italy; Concurso Internacional de Piano, Andorra; The Music and Art Foundation Young Musicians Piano Competition, NY; New York Chopin Competition; BC Pops Competition; Richard Youth Concerto Competition in Binghamton, NY, and most recently Concurso Internacional de Piano Parnassos in Mexico.
After her highly successful solo debut at the age of 8 in the Odessa Philharmonic Hall, Anna was admitted to the Stolyarsky Music School where she was under the patronage of Anatoly Kardashef. At the age of 10 Anna was selected to perform Beethoven’s 2 nd Piano Concerto under the direction of Garry Oganezov, launching her in a performing career through her native country. She holds both Bachelor and Master’s Degrees from The Juilliard School for the Performing Arts and studied with Oxana Yablonskaya.
In August 2007, Naxos released a CD of her performing two concertos by H. K. Hedley with Russia Philharmonic Orchestra, conductor Dmitry Yablonsky. She has over twenty years of pedagogic experience teaching privately and in schools such as The Lycee Francais de New York and the Hovnanian School. She has been invited to give Master Classes in several countries and has been a judge of international piano competitions. In 2010, she co-founded BOMAA (Beauty of Music and Art) in NYC.
Website: www.annapiano.com
Trio Lucente
(Piano, Violin & Cello)
Trio Lucente shares gems of the piano-violin-cello trio repertoire with listeners near and far, offering delightful programming coupled with superb artistry. A special spark inhabits their collaborative synergy: a shared interpretive vision, and an excellent sense of humor, inspiring the best and more in this delightful trio.
Based in New York City, pianist Olga Gurevich, violinist Claudia Schaer, and cellist Jisoo Ok each bring remarkable individual accomplishments to the trio. They have played in venues such as Carnegie Hall, Weill Recital Hall, and Symphony Space in NYC, and in concert halls around the world, from Azerbaijan to Brazil to Canada, China, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Korea, Mexico, New Zealand, Switzerland, Taiwan, and counting. Each has earned prestigious degrees, from the Juilliard School, from the Maimonides State Academy, from Stony Brook University, and all three are currently training a next generation of aspiring musicians at various schools and festivals. Their experience, creativity, and studies reflect in Trio Lucente's interpretive finesse, wit, and unified citizen-of-the-world attitude.
A few more interesting details:
Ms. Ok is a Latin GRAMMY nominee, having co–produced and released two critically acclaimed albums, Eternal Piazzolla and Eternal Tango,which were also featured on BBC News and Public Radio International’s The World. She is deeply committed to exploring connections with musicians of many backgrounds, having collaborated with distinguished artists such as latin jazz clarinetist/composer Paquito D'Rivera, tango pianist/composer Pablo Ziegler, bandoneonist Hector Del Curto, jazz violinist Regina Carter and bassist Ron Carter. She brings her extensive experience to Trio Lucente, which performs Paquito D'Rivera's Afro, among other gems, thanks to her suggestion.
Dr. Gurevich is a winner of international competitions, including in solo and piano-four-hands divisions in Salerno and Ragusa, Italy. Her solo piano recordings of Chopin as a part of Musopen project are featured at https://musopen.org/music/performer/olga-gurevich. Recently, she has appeared as soloist with the Manhattan Symphonie Orchestra, the Richmond County Orchestra and others. She also collaborates with many singers, including Met Opera bass singer Mikhail Svetlov, and sopranos Cheryl Warfield and Anna Tonna.
Dr. Schaer recorded the six Bach Sonatas and Partias for solo violin to critical acclaim: "elegant, light touch and lucid timber ... a wonderful performance" (Japan Bach Review) and “unique small softness at the beginning of the bowstroke" (American Record Guide). She has given many all-solo-violin concerts, as well as performing as soloist with numerous orchestras and new music groups. She is an avid chamber musician, and has performed in England's prestigious Prussia Cove festival, in the Danish "Thy" Festival, and with Berlin Philharmonic members in Italy's "Barga Festival", in addition to her commitment to Trio Lucente.
More at: www.claudiaschaer.com/triolucente
Trio Lucente shares gems of the piano-violin-cello trio repertoire with listeners near and far, offering delightful programming coupled with superb artistry. A special spark inhabits their collaborative synergy: a shared interpretive vision, and an excellent sense of humor, inspiring the best and more in this delightful trio.
Based in New York City, pianist Olga Gurevich, violinist Claudia Schaer, and cellist Jisoo Ok each bring remarkable individual accomplishments to the trio. They have played in venues such as Carnegie Hall, Weill Recital Hall, and Symphony Space in NYC, and in concert halls around the world, from Azerbaijan to Brazil to Canada, China, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Korea, Mexico, New Zealand, Switzerland, Taiwan, and counting. Each has earned prestigious degrees, from the Juilliard School, from the Maimonides State Academy, from Stony Brook University, and all three are currently training a next generation of aspiring musicians at various schools and festivals. Their experience, creativity, and studies reflect in Trio Lucente's interpretive finesse, wit, and unified citizen-of-the-world attitude.
A few more interesting details:
Ms. Ok is a Latin GRAMMY nominee, having co–produced and released two critically acclaimed albums, Eternal Piazzolla and Eternal Tango,which were also featured on BBC News and Public Radio International’s The World. She is deeply committed to exploring connections with musicians of many backgrounds, having collaborated with distinguished artists such as latin jazz clarinetist/composer Paquito D'Rivera, tango pianist/composer Pablo Ziegler, bandoneonist Hector Del Curto, jazz violinist Regina Carter and bassist Ron Carter. She brings her extensive experience to Trio Lucente, which performs Paquito D'Rivera's Afro, among other gems, thanks to her suggestion.
Dr. Gurevich is a winner of international competitions, including in solo and piano-four-hands divisions in Salerno and Ragusa, Italy. Her solo piano recordings of Chopin as a part of Musopen project are featured at https://musopen.org/music/performer/olga-gurevich. Recently, she has appeared as soloist with the Manhattan Symphonie Orchestra, the Richmond County Orchestra and others. She also collaborates with many singers, including Met Opera bass singer Mikhail Svetlov, and sopranos Cheryl Warfield and Anna Tonna.
Dr. Schaer recorded the six Bach Sonatas and Partias for solo violin to critical acclaim: "elegant, light touch and lucid timber ... a wonderful performance" (Japan Bach Review) and “unique small softness at the beginning of the bowstroke" (American Record Guide). She has given many all-solo-violin concerts, as well as performing as soloist with numerous orchestras and new music groups. She is an avid chamber musician, and has performed in England's prestigious Prussia Cove festival, in the Danish "Thy" Festival, and with Berlin Philharmonic members in Italy's "Barga Festival", in addition to her commitment to Trio Lucente.
More at: www.claudiaschaer.com/triolucente
Bare Opera
(Opera Singers)
Bare Opera reimagines opera for today’s audience by producing immersive and online performances that challenge old stereotypes, cultivate the next generation of opera singers, and inspire love for the art form. Bare Opera is an alternative opera company reinventing the opera experience.
Founded in 2014 by three women—Min Lew, Laetitia Ruccolo, and Kirsten Scott—the company has only evolved its mission and broadened its artistic base. With minimalist, modern aesthetics, Bare Opera’s exceptional emerging and established artists bring you the bare essentials of opera—a candid, innovative and immersive theatrical experience with breathtakingly beautiful music at its core. Taking place in unconventional spaces like galleries and warehouses, we strive to strip opera of its clichés and create a visceral and intimate experience for audiences, experienced and new alike. Bare Opera is keeping opera alive in the 21st century, one fresh production at a time.
Bare Opera reimagines opera for today’s audience by producing immersive and online performances that challenge old stereotypes, cultivate the next generation of opera singers, and inspire love for the art form. Bare Opera is an alternative opera company reinventing the opera experience.
Founded in 2014 by three women—Min Lew, Laetitia Ruccolo, and Kirsten Scott—the company has only evolved its mission and broadened its artistic base. With minimalist, modern aesthetics, Bare Opera’s exceptional emerging and established artists bring you the bare essentials of opera—a candid, innovative and immersive theatrical experience with breathtakingly beautiful music at its core. Taking place in unconventional spaces like galleries and warehouses, we strive to strip opera of its clichés and create a visceral and intimate experience for audiences, experienced and new alike. Bare Opera is keeping opera alive in the 21st century, one fresh production at a time.
Dash Duo
(Trumpet Duo + Piano/Organ)
Yamaha Artists Mary Elizabeth Bowden and David Dash perform as the Dash Duo in virtuoso concerts around the world. They have performed as soloists with the Richmond Philharmonic, Naples Concert Band, and Naples Symphony Orchestra. They have toured with the Kassia Ensemble, were the featured artists at the University of British Columbia’s Brassfest, and have given dozens of recitals including the Lyric Chamber Music Society of New York, Saint Simons Island Concert Association, Müzewest Concerts, Arts at the Abbey, and many universities. They commissioned James Stephenson’s Awakenings for two trumpets and organ and are commissioning a piece from Tyson Davis for two trumpets and string quartet/string orchestra. David and Mary are members of Watson Brass, the faculty brass quintet of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts.
Website: www.dashduo.com
Yamaha Artists Mary Elizabeth Bowden and David Dash perform as the Dash Duo in virtuoso concerts around the world. They have performed as soloists with the Richmond Philharmonic, Naples Concert Band, and Naples Symphony Orchestra. They have toured with the Kassia Ensemble, were the featured artists at the University of British Columbia’s Brassfest, and have given dozens of recitals including the Lyric Chamber Music Society of New York, Saint Simons Island Concert Association, Müzewest Concerts, Arts at the Abbey, and many universities. They commissioned James Stephenson’s Awakenings for two trumpets and organ and are commissioning a piece from Tyson Davis for two trumpets and string quartet/string orchestra. David and Mary are members of Watson Brass, the faculty brass quintet of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts.
Website: www.dashduo.com
Dana & Kyle
(Fiddle & Guitar)
Dana Lyn & Kyle Sanna present stories of environmental fragility through Irish music and evocative imagery.
Hailed as “ground-breaking” by noted folklorist and NEA Award-recipient Mick Moloney and “bursting with creativity” by renowned fiddler Kevin Burke, Dana Lyn and Kyle Sanna connect the dots between their experience as composers and improvisers in New York City’s rich musical community and their deep admiration for traditional Irish music. The duo has collaborated with some of the greatest living interpreters of Irish music, including Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill, Cillian Vallely, Kevin Burke, and Mick McAuley, and has received commissions from Palaver Strings and New York’s Irish Arts Center.
Since 2015, Lyn and Sanna’s work has been engaged in environmental themes. Their projects “The Great Arc” and “The Coral Suite” celebrate biodiversity through Lyn’s artwork, while also highlighting pressing environmental issues, and their work for string orchestra, “Under the Sea-Wind”, amplifies Rachel Carson’s message that the health of the planet rests on the balance of relationships between life and the cycles of nature.
Dana Lyn & Kyle Sanna present stories of environmental fragility through Irish music and evocative imagery.
Hailed as “ground-breaking” by noted folklorist and NEA Award-recipient Mick Moloney and “bursting with creativity” by renowned fiddler Kevin Burke, Dana Lyn and Kyle Sanna connect the dots between their experience as composers and improvisers in New York City’s rich musical community and their deep admiration for traditional Irish music. The duo has collaborated with some of the greatest living interpreters of Irish music, including Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill, Cillian Vallely, Kevin Burke, and Mick McAuley, and has received commissions from Palaver Strings and New York’s Irish Arts Center.
Since 2015, Lyn and Sanna’s work has been engaged in environmental themes. Their projects “The Great Arc” and “The Coral Suite” celebrate biodiversity through Lyn’s artwork, while also highlighting pressing environmental issues, and their work for string orchestra, “Under the Sea-Wind”, amplifies Rachel Carson’s message that the health of the planet rests on the balance of relationships between life and the cycles of nature.
Gloriosa Piano Trio
(Piano, Violin & Cello)
“Driven by lush violin-and-cello unison melodies” and a timbre that is “fuller than the brain imagines three musicians can sound” (Jon Sobel, BlogCritics), the Gloriosa Piano Trio burst onto the music scene in January 2014 as brightly as the flame lily for which the group is named. The trio’s carefully-crafted thematic programs delivered in exuberant performance have appealed to diverse audiences around the country, with critics hailing the Gloriosa Piano Trio’s debut concerts in Palm Beach and New York City as “...a special, aesthetic experience not to be ignored” (Allen Rosenberg, the Daily News).
All experienced chamber musicians with a passion for collaboration, pianist Yoonie Han, a Steinway Artist, violinist Eric Silberger, a prize-winner of Tchaikovsky International Violin Competition, and cellist Kevin Bate, the Principal Cellist at the Nashville Symphony Orchestra, looked to the beauty of nature to inspire them with a name for their group, finding in the Gloriosa lily flower a fitting symbol to describe their fervent desire to share the music they love. The trio has performed at the Flagler Museum, the Morgan Library, the Parrish Arts Museum, Harvard Club of New York City, Island Concert Series in St. Simons, the Friends of Music in Stamford, the Boulder Chamber Orchestra Music Series, New Jersey City University, Emory University, and University of North Florida. The trio’s Saint-Saens’ album was released on the Centaur Records in 2019, the album was praised as “Gloriosa Trio carries off this large undertaking with impressive virtuosity and mature emotional depth” (Paul Burwasser, Fanfare Magazine).
Gloriosa Piano Trio enthusiastically work with living composers, and has commissioned new pieces from composer Theodore Wiprud and Karen LeFrak.
Website: www.gloriosatrio.com
“Driven by lush violin-and-cello unison melodies” and a timbre that is “fuller than the brain imagines three musicians can sound” (Jon Sobel, BlogCritics), the Gloriosa Piano Trio burst onto the music scene in January 2014 as brightly as the flame lily for which the group is named. The trio’s carefully-crafted thematic programs delivered in exuberant performance have appealed to diverse audiences around the country, with critics hailing the Gloriosa Piano Trio’s debut concerts in Palm Beach and New York City as “...a special, aesthetic experience not to be ignored” (Allen Rosenberg, the Daily News).
All experienced chamber musicians with a passion for collaboration, pianist Yoonie Han, a Steinway Artist, violinist Eric Silberger, a prize-winner of Tchaikovsky International Violin Competition, and cellist Kevin Bate, the Principal Cellist at the Nashville Symphony Orchestra, looked to the beauty of nature to inspire them with a name for their group, finding in the Gloriosa lily flower a fitting symbol to describe their fervent desire to share the music they love. The trio has performed at the Flagler Museum, the Morgan Library, the Parrish Arts Museum, Harvard Club of New York City, Island Concert Series in St. Simons, the Friends of Music in Stamford, the Boulder Chamber Orchestra Music Series, New Jersey City University, Emory University, and University of North Florida. The trio’s Saint-Saens’ album was released on the Centaur Records in 2019, the album was praised as “Gloriosa Trio carries off this large undertaking with impressive virtuosity and mature emotional depth” (Paul Burwasser, Fanfare Magazine).
Gloriosa Piano Trio enthusiastically work with living composers, and has commissioned new pieces from composer Theodore Wiprud and Karen LeFrak.
Website: www.gloriosatrio.com
Kinan Azmeh's CityBand
(Middle Eastern Quartet)
Formed in 2006 in New York City, the Kinan Azmeh CityBand immediately gained recognition for their virtuosic and high energy performance, receiving praise from critics and audiences alike.
With this New York ensemble, Azmeh strives to reach a balance between classical music, jazz, and the music of his homeland, Syria. Azmeh’s expressive clarinet meets Kyle Sanna’s rustic guitar, soaring at times over the dynamic and volatile backdrop of John Hadfield’s percussion and Josh Myers’ double bass. Each band member has come from varied backgrounds to add their personal flair to this ensemble, resulting in a thoroughly exciting and rewarding listening experience.
The quartet has toured the US, France, England, Germany, Holland, Egypt, Lebanon, and Turkey.
Formed in 2006 in New York City, the Kinan Azmeh CityBand immediately gained recognition for their virtuosic and high energy performance, receiving praise from critics and audiences alike.
With this New York ensemble, Azmeh strives to reach a balance between classical music, jazz, and the music of his homeland, Syria. Azmeh’s expressive clarinet meets Kyle Sanna’s rustic guitar, soaring at times over the dynamic and volatile backdrop of John Hadfield’s percussion and Josh Myers’ double bass. Each band member has come from varied backgrounds to add their personal flair to this ensemble, resulting in a thoroughly exciting and rewarding listening experience.
The quartet has toured the US, France, England, Germany, Holland, Egypt, Lebanon, and Turkey.
Yoonie Han
(Concert Pianist)
Praised for her "flowing tones, poetic phrasing and heavenly singing melodies" (Cincinnati Inquirer), and “musical imagination and feel for complex textures that drew vivid images” (Washington Post), South Korean pianist Yoonie Han has won top prizes in distinguished international competitions and the highest accolades for her poetic performances in major concert halls in the U.S. and around the world.
In 2009, Yoonie Han was honored with the Gawon Music Award as the “most brilliant pianist aged 17 to 31 of any nationality who possesses the most promising potential for global prominence.” She is the first-prize winner of the Washington International Piano Competition, Fulbright Concerto Competition, World Piano Competition, Kosciuszko Chopin Competition, Juilliard’s Gina Bachauer Piano Competition, Juilliard’s Frederich Nordmann Piano Competition, Juilliard’s Chopin Piano Competition, Music Teachers’ National Association Piano Competition, and has garnered major prizes at the Helsinki Maj Lind International Piano Competition, Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli Prize, Concorso Pianistico Ettore Pozzoli Internaziole, and Valencia International Piano Competitions.
Following her 2001 grand-prize award in the Korea National Music Competition, the Korean Ministry of Culture named her its “Most Promising Young Artist.” She is the recipient of “Brava!” award given by the Italian Academy Foundation, and London Keyboard Trust. Having made her solo debut with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra at Seoul Arts Center at age 13, Ms. Han has since performed with the Berliner Symphoniker, Buffalo Philharmonic, Helsinki Philharmonic, Houston Symphony, Banff Festival Orchestra, Santa Cruz Symphony, Artosphere Festival Orchestra, I Pomeriggi Musicali di Milan, Miami Symphony Orchestra, Gangnam Symphony Orchestra of Korea, Presidential Symphony Orchestra of Turkey, Hong Kong City Chamber Orchestra, and Juilliard Symphony Orchestra. With the supports from Fulbright Foundation, she has toured major Steinway Halls in the U.S. and Europe. Her debut album was released on Concert Artists label, and She has released three albums with Steinway Records; “Love and Longing”, “Goyescas”, and “Le Rossignol Éperdu”. Her “Hollywood Romance” on Universal Records label was released in 2020.
Ms. Han received her Bachelor’s degree from the Curtis Institute of Music, her Master of Music degree from the Juilliard School, and her Doctorate from Stony Brook University. She is an Assistant Professor of Piano at Hong Kong Baptist University.
Yoonie Han is a Steinway Artist.
Praised for her "flowing tones, poetic phrasing and heavenly singing melodies" (Cincinnati Inquirer), and “musical imagination and feel for complex textures that drew vivid images” (Washington Post), South Korean pianist Yoonie Han has won top prizes in distinguished international competitions and the highest accolades for her poetic performances in major concert halls in the U.S. and around the world.
In 2009, Yoonie Han was honored with the Gawon Music Award as the “most brilliant pianist aged 17 to 31 of any nationality who possesses the most promising potential for global prominence.” She is the first-prize winner of the Washington International Piano Competition, Fulbright Concerto Competition, World Piano Competition, Kosciuszko Chopin Competition, Juilliard’s Gina Bachauer Piano Competition, Juilliard’s Frederich Nordmann Piano Competition, Juilliard’s Chopin Piano Competition, Music Teachers’ National Association Piano Competition, and has garnered major prizes at the Helsinki Maj Lind International Piano Competition, Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli Prize, Concorso Pianistico Ettore Pozzoli Internaziole, and Valencia International Piano Competitions.
Following her 2001 grand-prize award in the Korea National Music Competition, the Korean Ministry of Culture named her its “Most Promising Young Artist.” She is the recipient of “Brava!” award given by the Italian Academy Foundation, and London Keyboard Trust. Having made her solo debut with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra at Seoul Arts Center at age 13, Ms. Han has since performed with the Berliner Symphoniker, Buffalo Philharmonic, Helsinki Philharmonic, Houston Symphony, Banff Festival Orchestra, Santa Cruz Symphony, Artosphere Festival Orchestra, I Pomeriggi Musicali di Milan, Miami Symphony Orchestra, Gangnam Symphony Orchestra of Korea, Presidential Symphony Orchestra of Turkey, Hong Kong City Chamber Orchestra, and Juilliard Symphony Orchestra. With the supports from Fulbright Foundation, she has toured major Steinway Halls in the U.S. and Europe. Her debut album was released on Concert Artists label, and She has released three albums with Steinway Records; “Love and Longing”, “Goyescas”, and “Le Rossignol Éperdu”. Her “Hollywood Romance” on Universal Records label was released in 2020.
Ms. Han received her Bachelor’s degree from the Curtis Institute of Music, her Master of Music degree from the Juilliard School, and her Doctorate from Stony Brook University. She is an Assistant Professor of Piano at Hong Kong Baptist University.
Yoonie Han is a Steinway Artist.
Akshara
(Indian Classical Inspired)
Building new forms on the foundations of Indian classical music, Carnatic musician, composer, and educator Bala Skandan formed Akshara Music Ensemble in 2008, assembling New York’s strongest voices in Indian classical music to explore the crossroads of the traditional and the contemporary. Skandan’s original music expresses classical Carnatic (South Indian) ragas and talas through the forms of world music, jazz improvisation, and modern composition, creating a music as dynamic and diverse as New York City itself.
With an instrumentation ranging from hammered dulcimer, violins, and cello to mridangam, kanjira, and bansuri, Akshara’s music utilizes a broad sonic palette that highlights its members’ backgrounds in Carnatic, Hindustani, Western Classical, and Folk music. Through agile melody, propulsive percussion, and energetic ensemble interplay, they craft a hybrid music of uncommon beauty and rigor.
Akshara has presented work sponsored by some of New York’s leading arts institutions and music venues, including The Rubin Museum of Art, Lyric Chamber Music Society, Cornelia St. Café and Rockwood Music Hall. In addition to their musical performances, Akshara is active in composing and performing new music to accompany classical dance productions, teaching workshops and masterclasses to music students, and bringing the richness of Indian classical traditions to audiences of initiates and neophytes alike.
Website: www.aksharamusic.com
Building new forms on the foundations of Indian classical music, Carnatic musician, composer, and educator Bala Skandan formed Akshara Music Ensemble in 2008, assembling New York’s strongest voices in Indian classical music to explore the crossroads of the traditional and the contemporary. Skandan’s original music expresses classical Carnatic (South Indian) ragas and talas through the forms of world music, jazz improvisation, and modern composition, creating a music as dynamic and diverse as New York City itself.
With an instrumentation ranging from hammered dulcimer, violins, and cello to mridangam, kanjira, and bansuri, Akshara’s music utilizes a broad sonic palette that highlights its members’ backgrounds in Carnatic, Hindustani, Western Classical, and Folk music. Through agile melody, propulsive percussion, and energetic ensemble interplay, they craft a hybrid music of uncommon beauty and rigor.
Akshara has presented work sponsored by some of New York’s leading arts institutions and music venues, including The Rubin Museum of Art, Lyric Chamber Music Society, Cornelia St. Café and Rockwood Music Hall. In addition to their musical performances, Akshara is active in composing and performing new music to accompany classical dance productions, teaching workshops and masterclasses to music students, and bringing the richness of Indian classical traditions to audiences of initiates and neophytes alike.
Website: www.aksharamusic.com
Matt Herskowitz
(Jazzical & Classical Pianist)
Uniquely combining the superlative technique of a classical virtuoso with his prowess in jazz, world music and free improvisation, pianist, composer and arranger Matt Herskowitz has carved out a unique and personal voice in music.
A graduate of The Juilliard School and the Curtis Institute of Music, Matt is originally from Rensselaerville, New York, and has made Montreal his home since 1999. A classical pianist for over 20 years, Matt’s interest in jazz began while studying at the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia, where he ‘apprenticed’ with seasoned jazz musicians performing in bars and jazz clubs.
At age 30, Matt moved to Montreal and decided to focus on jazz, with a detour into pop music along the way with the celebrated pop diva Lara Fabian. His focus soon shifted to his own compositions, combining his experience in Jazz, Pop, Middle Eastern, Mediterranean and Latin American music with his skills in contemporary classical composition and performance. This new synthesis culminated in the creation of his Juno-nominated album Jerusalem Trilogy (Justin Time Records, 2010). Among the albums fans was the late great Dave Brubeck, who commended Matt on the recording, saying: Congratulations! You have transformed the concept of ‘World’ music as I conceived of it half a century ago. You have carried it further than I could imagine.”
Uniquely combining the superlative technique of a classical virtuoso with his prowess in jazz, world music and free improvisation, pianist, composer and arranger Matt Herskowitz has carved out a unique and personal voice in music.
A graduate of The Juilliard School and the Curtis Institute of Music, Matt is originally from Rensselaerville, New York, and has made Montreal his home since 1999. A classical pianist for over 20 years, Matt’s interest in jazz began while studying at the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia, where he ‘apprenticed’ with seasoned jazz musicians performing in bars and jazz clubs.
At age 30, Matt moved to Montreal and decided to focus on jazz, with a detour into pop music along the way with the celebrated pop diva Lara Fabian. His focus soon shifted to his own compositions, combining his experience in Jazz, Pop, Middle Eastern, Mediterranean and Latin American music with his skills in contemporary classical composition and performance. This new synthesis culminated in the creation of his Juno-nominated album Jerusalem Trilogy (Justin Time Records, 2010). Among the albums fans was the late great Dave Brubeck, who commended Matt on the recording, saying: Congratulations! You have transformed the concept of ‘World’ music as I conceived of it half a century ago. You have carried it further than I could imagine.”
Hassan Anderson
(Oboist)
Named the Yale School of Music 2019 Distinguished Teaching Artist of the Year, American oboist Hassan Anderson is a soloist, chamber musician, conductor, and teacher.
A popular collaborator, amongst his numerous guest appearances with distinguished ensembles, are performances with the New York Philharmonic, American Ballet Theater, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra, the Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players, East Coast Contemporary Ensemble (ecce), and The Harlem Chamber Players.
Equally adept in the classical and jazz genres, and dedicated to the next generation of musicians, Mr. Anderson regularly schedules teaching opportunities around his performances. He has served as a teaching artist for Carnegie Hall (Weill Music Institute), The Little Orchestra Society in New York City and Jazz House Kids, the only community arts organization in New Jersey exclusively dedicated to educating children through jazz. Mr. Anderson has also served on the faculties of The Juilliard School, Manhattan School of Music, and the Harlem School of the Arts.
Currently, Mr. Anderson is the Co-Artistic Director of The East Coast Contemporary Ensemble (ecce) and was recently named (Spring 2021) Assistant Professor of Oboe and Coordinator of Teaching Artistry at the University of South Carolina.
Website: www.hassananderson.com
Named the Yale School of Music 2019 Distinguished Teaching Artist of the Year, American oboist Hassan Anderson is a soloist, chamber musician, conductor, and teacher.
A popular collaborator, amongst his numerous guest appearances with distinguished ensembles, are performances with the New York Philharmonic, American Ballet Theater, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra, the Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players, East Coast Contemporary Ensemble (ecce), and The Harlem Chamber Players.
Equally adept in the classical and jazz genres, and dedicated to the next generation of musicians, Mr. Anderson regularly schedules teaching opportunities around his performances. He has served as a teaching artist for Carnegie Hall (Weill Music Institute), The Little Orchestra Society in New York City and Jazz House Kids, the only community arts organization in New Jersey exclusively dedicated to educating children through jazz. Mr. Anderson has also served on the faculties of The Juilliard School, Manhattan School of Music, and the Harlem School of the Arts.
Currently, Mr. Anderson is the Co-Artistic Director of The East Coast Contemporary Ensemble (ecce) and was recently named (Spring 2021) Assistant Professor of Oboe and Coordinator of Teaching Artistry at the University of South Carolina.
Website: www.hassananderson.com
Sophie Shao
(Cellist)
Cellist Sophie Shao, winner of the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant and top prizes at the Rostropovich and Tchaikovsky competitions, is a versatile and passionate artist whose performances the New York Times has noted as “eloquent, powerful” and the Washington Post called “deeply satisfying.”
Shao has appeared as soloist to critical acclaim throughout the United States: the Smith Center in Las Vegas, Lied Center in Lincoln, Segerstrom Hall in Costa Mesa, California, the Palladium in Carmel, Indiana, and the Bard Music Festival. She has premiered Howard Shore’s cello concerto “Mythic Gardens” with Leon Botstein and the American Symphony Orchestra, the UK premiere with Keith Lockhart and the BBC Concert Orchestra, and European premiere with Ludwig Wicki and the 21st Century Orchestra at the KKL in Lucerne. Other past concerto performances include Haydn and Elgar Concerti with Lockhart and the BBC Concert Orchestra, Beethoven’s Triple Concerto with Hans Graf and the Houston Symphony, and the premiere of Richard Wilson’s “The Cello Has Many Secrets” with the American Symphony Orchestra.
Ms. Shao has given recitals in Suntory Hall in Tokyo, the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, Middlebury College, Phillips Collection, Walter Reade Theater and Rose Studio in Lincoln Center, the complete Bach Suites at Union College and in New York City. Her dedication to chamber music has conceived her popular “Sophie Shao and Friends” groups which have toured from Brattleboro, VT to Sedona, AZ, while other exciting collaborations include Tan Dun’s Ghost Opera with Cho-Liang Lin, performances with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Chamber Music Northwest, and Festival Mosaic, among many other presenters across the country. She has been a frequent guest at many leading festivals around the country including Caramoor, Chamber Music Northwest, Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival, Music from Angel Fire, the Bard Festival, and Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, and was a member of Chamber Music Society Two/Bowers Program, a young artist residency of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center.
Ms. Shao’s recordings include the Complete Bach Suites, Andre Previn’s Reflections for Cello and English Horn and Orchestra on EMI Classics, Richard Wilson’s Diablerie and Brash Attacks and Barbara White’s My Barn Having Burned to the Ground, I Can Now See the Moon on Albany Records, Howard Shore’s original score for the movie The Betrayal on Howe Records, Marlboro Music Festival’s 50th Anniversary on Bridge Records, the music of George Tsontakis on Koch Records, and Howard Shore’s “Mythic Gardens” on Sony Classical.
A native of Houston, Texas, Ms. Shao began playing the cello at age six, and was a student of Shirley Trepel, the former principal cellist of the Houston Symphony. At age thirteen she enrolled at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, studying cello with David Soyer and chamber music with Felix Galimir. After graduating from the Curtis Institute, she continued her cello studies with Aldo Parisot at Yale University, receiving a B.A. in Religious Studies from Yale College and an M.M. from the Yale School of Music, where she was enrolled as a Paul and Daisy Soros Fellow. She is on the faculty of University of Connecticut and plays on a cello made by Honore Derazey from 1855 once owned by Pablo Casals.
Website: www.sophieshao.com
Cellist Sophie Shao, winner of the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant and top prizes at the Rostropovich and Tchaikovsky competitions, is a versatile and passionate artist whose performances the New York Times has noted as “eloquent, powerful” and the Washington Post called “deeply satisfying.”
Shao has appeared as soloist to critical acclaim throughout the United States: the Smith Center in Las Vegas, Lied Center in Lincoln, Segerstrom Hall in Costa Mesa, California, the Palladium in Carmel, Indiana, and the Bard Music Festival. She has premiered Howard Shore’s cello concerto “Mythic Gardens” with Leon Botstein and the American Symphony Orchestra, the UK premiere with Keith Lockhart and the BBC Concert Orchestra, and European premiere with Ludwig Wicki and the 21st Century Orchestra at the KKL in Lucerne. Other past concerto performances include Haydn and Elgar Concerti with Lockhart and the BBC Concert Orchestra, Beethoven’s Triple Concerto with Hans Graf and the Houston Symphony, and the premiere of Richard Wilson’s “The Cello Has Many Secrets” with the American Symphony Orchestra.
Ms. Shao has given recitals in Suntory Hall in Tokyo, the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, Middlebury College, Phillips Collection, Walter Reade Theater and Rose Studio in Lincoln Center, the complete Bach Suites at Union College and in New York City. Her dedication to chamber music has conceived her popular “Sophie Shao and Friends” groups which have toured from Brattleboro, VT to Sedona, AZ, while other exciting collaborations include Tan Dun’s Ghost Opera with Cho-Liang Lin, performances with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Chamber Music Northwest, and Festival Mosaic, among many other presenters across the country. She has been a frequent guest at many leading festivals around the country including Caramoor, Chamber Music Northwest, Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival, Music from Angel Fire, the Bard Festival, and Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, and was a member of Chamber Music Society Two/Bowers Program, a young artist residency of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center.
Ms. Shao’s recordings include the Complete Bach Suites, Andre Previn’s Reflections for Cello and English Horn and Orchestra on EMI Classics, Richard Wilson’s Diablerie and Brash Attacks and Barbara White’s My Barn Having Burned to the Ground, I Can Now See the Moon on Albany Records, Howard Shore’s original score for the movie The Betrayal on Howe Records, Marlboro Music Festival’s 50th Anniversary on Bridge Records, the music of George Tsontakis on Koch Records, and Howard Shore’s “Mythic Gardens” on Sony Classical.
A native of Houston, Texas, Ms. Shao began playing the cello at age six, and was a student of Shirley Trepel, the former principal cellist of the Houston Symphony. At age thirteen she enrolled at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, studying cello with David Soyer and chamber music with Felix Galimir. After graduating from the Curtis Institute, she continued her cello studies with Aldo Parisot at Yale University, receiving a B.A. in Religious Studies from Yale College and an M.M. from the Yale School of Music, where she was enrolled as a Paul and Daisy Soros Fellow. She is on the faculty of University of Connecticut and plays on a cello made by Honore Derazey from 1855 once owned by Pablo Casals.
Website: www.sophieshao.com
Chelsea Knox
(Flutist)
Chelsea Knox is the Principal flutist of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. A sought-after performer, Ms. Knox has held positions as assistant principal flute of the Baltimore Symphony and principal Flute of the New Haven and Princeton Symphonies. She has been hailed by the New York Times for her warmth, precision, and clarity, as well as by the New York Classical Review for her “expressive life and full tone.”
An active orchestral and chamber musician, Ms. Knox has appeared with numerous orchestras including the Seattle Symphony, Vancouver Symphony, San Diego Symphony, and IRIS Orchestra. As a soloist, Ms. Knox has performed concertos with the Baltimore Symphony, Princeton Symphony, Hartford Symphony, Manchester Symphony, Juilliard Lab Orchestra, and Connecticut Youth Symphony. She has won competitions including the New York Flute Club Young Artists Competition and the Hartford Symphony Young Artists Competition.
Ms. Knox earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the Juilliard School in New York City as a student of Jeffrey Khaner. A native of Litchfield, CT, she received her early training at the Hartt School of Music, where she studied with Greig Shearer. In her spare time she is an active visual artist and her work has been displayed in galleries in New York and Connecticut.
Chelsea Knox is the Principal flutist of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. A sought-after performer, Ms. Knox has held positions as assistant principal flute of the Baltimore Symphony and principal Flute of the New Haven and Princeton Symphonies. She has been hailed by the New York Times for her warmth, precision, and clarity, as well as by the New York Classical Review for her “expressive life and full tone.”
An active orchestral and chamber musician, Ms. Knox has appeared with numerous orchestras including the Seattle Symphony, Vancouver Symphony, San Diego Symphony, and IRIS Orchestra. As a soloist, Ms. Knox has performed concertos with the Baltimore Symphony, Princeton Symphony, Hartford Symphony, Manchester Symphony, Juilliard Lab Orchestra, and Connecticut Youth Symphony. She has won competitions including the New York Flute Club Young Artists Competition and the Hartford Symphony Young Artists Competition.
Ms. Knox earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the Juilliard School in New York City as a student of Jeffrey Khaner. A native of Litchfield, CT, she received her early training at the Hartt School of Music, where she studied with Greig Shearer. In her spare time she is an active visual artist and her work has been displayed in galleries in New York and Connecticut.
Konstantin Soukhovetski
(Concert Pianist)
Konstantin Soukhovetski is a recipient of over 15 awards, including: Second Prize, 2011 Iowa International Piano Competition; Third Prize, 2011 Bosendorfer International Piano Competition; Second Prize and Audience Prize, 2010 Ima Hogg International Competition; First Prize and Audience Prize, 2007 New Orleans International Piano Competition; William Petschek Debut Recital Award; Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans; Second Prize, 2004 UNISA International Piano Competition in Pretoria, South Africa; Third Prize, 2003 Cleveland International Piano Competition; The Juilliard School’s Arthur Rubinstein Award; The Juilliard School’s 2003 Gina Bachauer Competition; First Prize, 2002 Hilton Head International Piano Competition; Second Prize, 2002 Walter W. Naumburg International Piano Competition.
Konstantin is an alumnus of The Juilliard School where he earned a BM, MM and AD degrees under the tutelage of Jerome Lowenthal. Born in Moscow to a family of artists, Mr Soukhovetski studied at the Moscow Central Special Music School, under the auspices of the Moscow State Conservatory, with Anatoly Ryabov.
Konstantin Soukhovetski is a recipient of over 15 awards, including: Second Prize, 2011 Iowa International Piano Competition; Third Prize, 2011 Bosendorfer International Piano Competition; Second Prize and Audience Prize, 2010 Ima Hogg International Competition; First Prize and Audience Prize, 2007 New Orleans International Piano Competition; William Petschek Debut Recital Award; Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans; Second Prize, 2004 UNISA International Piano Competition in Pretoria, South Africa; Third Prize, 2003 Cleveland International Piano Competition; The Juilliard School’s Arthur Rubinstein Award; The Juilliard School’s 2003 Gina Bachauer Competition; First Prize, 2002 Hilton Head International Piano Competition; Second Prize, 2002 Walter W. Naumburg International Piano Competition.
Konstantin is an alumnus of The Juilliard School where he earned a BM, MM and AD degrees under the tutelage of Jerome Lowenthal. Born in Moscow to a family of artists, Mr Soukhovetski studied at the Moscow Central Special Music School, under the auspices of the Moscow State Conservatory, with Anatoly Ryabov.
Konrad Paszkudzki
(Jazz Pianist)
Although raised in Western Australia by Polish parents, Konrad’s musical affinity and passion for swingin' American jazz revealed itself early on. He was accepted into university at the West Australian Academy of Performing Arts in Perth at the tender age of 15, studying jazz piano and finishing his undergraduate degree a few weeks after turning 19. The precocious instrumentalist swiftly established a reputation as a leading jazzman in Australia, touring for the next two years and playing with his mentor, jazz trumpeter James Morrison.
After being offered a scholarship to the University of Miami, he relocated to the United States in 2009, receiving his master’s degree in 2011 at the age of 22. Upon graduation, he spent a year in Los Angeles playing piano with the likes of the Clayton/Hamilton Jazz Orchestra and the Jeff Hamilton Trio. Konrad returned to the East Coast in 2012 after being offered a position to lead the house trio at the coveted New York venue, 54 Below.
Although raised in Western Australia by Polish parents, Konrad’s musical affinity and passion for swingin' American jazz revealed itself early on. He was accepted into university at the West Australian Academy of Performing Arts in Perth at the tender age of 15, studying jazz piano and finishing his undergraduate degree a few weeks after turning 19. The precocious instrumentalist swiftly established a reputation as a leading jazzman in Australia, touring for the next two years and playing with his mentor, jazz trumpeter James Morrison.
After being offered a scholarship to the University of Miami, he relocated to the United States in 2009, receiving his master’s degree in 2011 at the age of 22. Upon graduation, he spent a year in Los Angeles playing piano with the likes of the Clayton/Hamilton Jazz Orchestra and the Jeff Hamilton Trio. Konrad returned to the East Coast in 2012 after being offered a position to lead the house trio at the coveted New York venue, 54 Below.
Claudia Schaer
(Violinist)
With beautiful and intelligent interpretations, alongside intriguing programming, the versatile recitalist, chamber musician and soloist Claudia Schaer meets with accolades from audiences and musicians alike. Her recent recording of the Bach Sonatas and Partias for solo violin is hailed for its "elegant, light touch and lucid timber ... a wonderful performance" (Japan Bach Review) and unique "small softness at the beginning of the bowstroke" (American Record Guide).
Native of Calgary, Canada, Claudia Schaer was 11 when she received the "Most Promising Violinist" medal at the Canadian "Kiwanis Music Festival", and she won prizes in international competitions thereafter. A graduate of the Juilliard School's Accelerated Bachelor/Master program, she served as concertmaster of the Juilliard Symphony, and as teaching assistant to her mentor, Sally Thomas, as well as receiving the "Sasakawa Young Leaders' Fellowship".
Ms. Schaer has toured Germany, Switzerland, and Denmark, giving many solo violin concerts, which included all six Bach Sonatas and Partitas, the Bartók Solo Sonata, and Boulez's Anthèmes. She gave her Carnegie Hall Weill Recital Debut (which included collaboration with the Echo-prizewinning David Orlowsky Trio). Other recent highlights included performances at the Banff Cetnre for the Arts, at Columbia University, and at Glencairn Cathedral in Pennsylvania (which featured a programme of violin and harp.)
An avid chamber musician, she has performed in England's prestigious Prussia Cove festival, in the Danish "Thy" Festival, and with Berlin Philharmonic members in Italy's "Barga Festival", among others. Her international commitment extends further to China, where she has given masterclasses in Guangzhou, Nanning, and Guilin, and is a Guest Professor of the Guangxi Arts College.
Claudia Schaer is currently a soloist and concertmaster of New York's North/South Consonance Ensemble, with which she premièred the Lifchitz Violin Concerto, among many other works. She completed a Doctorate of Musical Arts at Stony Brook University in 2011, mentoring with Phillip Setzer, Ani Kavafian, Pamela Frank, Philippe Graffin, and Soovin Kim, and writing about Varèse, Boulez, and the intersection of mathematics, philosophy, and music.
Website: www.claudiaschaer.com
With beautiful and intelligent interpretations, alongside intriguing programming, the versatile recitalist, chamber musician and soloist Claudia Schaer meets with accolades from audiences and musicians alike. Her recent recording of the Bach Sonatas and Partias for solo violin is hailed for its "elegant, light touch and lucid timber ... a wonderful performance" (Japan Bach Review) and unique "small softness at the beginning of the bowstroke" (American Record Guide).
Native of Calgary, Canada, Claudia Schaer was 11 when she received the "Most Promising Violinist" medal at the Canadian "Kiwanis Music Festival", and she won prizes in international competitions thereafter. A graduate of the Juilliard School's Accelerated Bachelor/Master program, she served as concertmaster of the Juilliard Symphony, and as teaching assistant to her mentor, Sally Thomas, as well as receiving the "Sasakawa Young Leaders' Fellowship".
Ms. Schaer has toured Germany, Switzerland, and Denmark, giving many solo violin concerts, which included all six Bach Sonatas and Partitas, the Bartók Solo Sonata, and Boulez's Anthèmes. She gave her Carnegie Hall Weill Recital Debut (which included collaboration with the Echo-prizewinning David Orlowsky Trio). Other recent highlights included performances at the Banff Cetnre for the Arts, at Columbia University, and at Glencairn Cathedral in Pennsylvania (which featured a programme of violin and harp.)
An avid chamber musician, she has performed in England's prestigious Prussia Cove festival, in the Danish "Thy" Festival, and with Berlin Philharmonic members in Italy's "Barga Festival", among others. Her international commitment extends further to China, where she has given masterclasses in Guangzhou, Nanning, and Guilin, and is a Guest Professor of the Guangxi Arts College.
Claudia Schaer is currently a soloist and concertmaster of New York's North/South Consonance Ensemble, with which she premièred the Lifchitz Violin Concerto, among many other works. She completed a Doctorate of Musical Arts at Stony Brook University in 2011, mentoring with Phillip Setzer, Ani Kavafian, Pamela Frank, Philippe Graffin, and Soovin Kim, and writing about Varèse, Boulez, and the intersection of mathematics, philosophy, and music.
Website: www.claudiaschaer.com
Olga Gurevich
(Concert Pianist)
Pianist Olga Gurevich’s career spans the disciplines of concert artist, chamber musician, accompanist, and pedagogue. Her concert appearances include Carnegie Hall, Weill Recital Hall, 92nd Street Y, the Symphony Space in NYC, Smirna Opera Theatre in Delaware, Westport Concert Series in Connecticut, Scuola Civica in Cagliari, Italy, and many others. Her performances were broadcasted by National Television in Azerbaijan, First TV Channel in Russia and RAI Tre in Italy.
Olga has been the principal accompanist for the Riverside Opera Company since 2010, and collaborated with many singers, including Met Opera bass singer Mikhail Svetlov. Olga Gurevich earned her Master's degree in Piano Performance, Piano Accompanying and Piano Pedagogy at Gnesin Academy of Music, and then finished her post graduate studies at Maimonides State Academy in Moscow, Russia with DMA in Piano Performance. Olga is a winner of international piano competitions both in solo and piano four-hands divisions (XIII Piano International competition in Salerno, Italy, and Ragusa Ibla Foundation International Piano competition in Ragusa, Italy).
Besides being an active solo and chamber music performer, Olga has been a devoted educator for over two decades. Ms Gurevich is on the piano faculties of Bloomingdale School of Music, 92Y School of Music in NYC and Suzuki Virtuoso Academy in Mineola, NY.
Pianist Olga Gurevich’s career spans the disciplines of concert artist, chamber musician, accompanist, and pedagogue. Her concert appearances include Carnegie Hall, Weill Recital Hall, 92nd Street Y, the Symphony Space in NYC, Smirna Opera Theatre in Delaware, Westport Concert Series in Connecticut, Scuola Civica in Cagliari, Italy, and many others. Her performances were broadcasted by National Television in Azerbaijan, First TV Channel in Russia and RAI Tre in Italy.
Olga has been the principal accompanist for the Riverside Opera Company since 2010, and collaborated with many singers, including Met Opera bass singer Mikhail Svetlov. Olga Gurevich earned her Master's degree in Piano Performance, Piano Accompanying and Piano Pedagogy at Gnesin Academy of Music, and then finished her post graduate studies at Maimonides State Academy in Moscow, Russia with DMA in Piano Performance. Olga is a winner of international piano competitions both in solo and piano four-hands divisions (XIII Piano International competition in Salerno, Italy, and Ragusa Ibla Foundation International Piano competition in Ragusa, Italy).
Besides being an active solo and chamber music performer, Olga has been a devoted educator for over two decades. Ms Gurevich is on the piano faculties of Bloomingdale School of Music, 92Y School of Music in NYC and Suzuki Virtuoso Academy in Mineola, NY.
Ben Thomas
(Tenor)
Ben Thomas, a native of Auburn, Alabama, is renowned for his operatic career in the Southeast. He holds a Bachelors degree in Music Education from Auburn University and was awarded a full scholarship to receive a Master of Music degree with a concentration in Vocal Performance from Georgia State University in Atlanta. While in Atlanta, he performed many operatic roles including Kaspar in Amahl and the Night Visitors, Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni, Don Basilio in Le Nozze di Figaro, Tamino in Die Zauberflöte, Laurie in Little Women, and Peter Quint in Turn of the Screw, and made his international debut in Beijing, China in October 2012.
Upon completing his masters degree, Ben moved to New York City and is actively performing across the five boroughs and beyond. Most recently, he made his Carnegie Hall debut last summer with the Manhattan Opera Studio summer series.
Ben Thomas, a native of Auburn, Alabama, is renowned for his operatic career in the Southeast. He holds a Bachelors degree in Music Education from Auburn University and was awarded a full scholarship to receive a Master of Music degree with a concentration in Vocal Performance from Georgia State University in Atlanta. While in Atlanta, he performed many operatic roles including Kaspar in Amahl and the Night Visitors, Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni, Don Basilio in Le Nozze di Figaro, Tamino in Die Zauberflöte, Laurie in Little Women, and Peter Quint in Turn of the Screw, and made his international debut in Beijing, China in October 2012.
Upon completing his masters degree, Ben moved to New York City and is actively performing across the five boroughs and beyond. Most recently, he made his Carnegie Hall debut last summer with the Manhattan Opera Studio summer series.
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