The Whole Note Podcast

Ying Li is the First Prize winner of the 2021 Young Concert Artists Susan Wadsworth International Auditions, as well as recipient of The Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festival Prize and the Tri-I Noon Recitals Prize. She has received top awards in numerous national and international competitions including the inaugural Antonio Mormone International Prize, Sarasota Artist Series Piano Competition, Brevard Music Festival, and was a finalist at Concours musical international de Montréal. Ms. Li has performed with many leading orchestras such as The Philadelphia Orchestra, New Jersey Symphony, Brevard Music Festival Orchestra, L'Accademia Orchestra del La Scala, NWD-Philharmoniker, and the Stuttgart Philharmonic with conductors such as Lina Gonzalez-Granados, Xian Zhang, Dan Ettinger, Eric Jacobsen, and Jonathon Heyward. This season she makes her debut with the Buffalo Philharmonic and embarks on a 8 city tour of Italy. Ms. Li made her New York City recital debut at Carnegie Hall's Zankel Hall and her Washington, DC debut at the Kennedy Center's Terrace Theater. Upcoming and recent recitals also include Sala Verdi in Milan, Hammerklavier International Piano Festival in Barcelona, Musica Insieme Bologna, Teatro Alighieri in Ravenna, Fazioli Pianoforti in Sacile, and the C. Bechstein Series at the Konzerthaus in Berlin. Ying was also featured on WQXR's “Eine-kleine Birthday-musik,” a free, all-Mozart live streamed concert from The Greene Space in New York City, to celebrate Mozart's 266th birthday. As an avid chamber musician, Ms. Li has appeared at prestigious festivals around the world including the Verbier Festival Academy, ClassicheFORME International Chamber Music festival in Lecce, Ravinia's Steans Institute, La Jolla Music Society and the Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festival. Ms. Li began piano lessons at age five in China and was a student at the Elementary School division of the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, then she moved to Philadelphia in 2012, at age fourteen, to study at the Curtis Institute of Music with Jonathan Biss and Seymour Lipkin. After receiving the Bachelor of Music degree at Curtis Institute in 2019, she received her Master of Music degree at The Juilliard School in New York with Robert McDonald and finished her studies with McDonald at the Juilliard School's Artist Diploma Program.

Jack Gao was named the winner of the Naumburg International Piano Competition in 2023. Most recently he was personally selected by Martha Argerich to be the second recipient of the Martha Argerich Piano Award which was presented in collaboration with Steinway Hamburg. This prize is awarded to a pianist under the age of 30, whom Argerich would like to draw the attention of the public and the music world. Part of the award includes a concerto performance with the Hamburg Symphony Orchestra. He began playing the piano at age four and studying composition at age nine. In 2016, he entered Middle School affiliated to the China Conservatory of Music to study piano with Tianhong Tan, and composition with Xin Xie. Additional studies have been with Huiqiao Bao, Xu Fei, and Elmar Gasanov. Currently he studies at Julliard with Jerome Lowenthal. Among his awards at Juilliard include: the Gina Bachauer Piano Competition and winner of the concerto competition. He was awarded second prize in the 9th Steinway National Competition and 83rd Steinway International Piano Competition. His performances include playing John Corigliano's Piano Concerto with the Juilliard Orchestra conducted by Simone Young, and performing Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3 with En Shao and the Orchestra Academy of China Conservatory of Music. As part of Jack's Naumburg prize, he will be performing his Naumburg commissioned work, Van Vechten Variations for solo piano (2025) on his second Naumburg concert to take place on September 29, 2025 in Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall.

https://www.timothychooi.com/ Instagram: @timmychooi Timmy was our first in-person guest on episode 15. Please consider watching that episode if you haven't already. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-WB2ZNJ3S8&t=1426s

Korean-American cellist Sydney Lee has established herself as an artist of refined elegance and profound sincerity. She garnered recognition when she claimed both 1st prize at the 2022 Washington International Competition and 2nd prize at the 2022 Classic Strings International Competition. Most recently, she was awarded the inaugural $50,000 Gurrena Fellowship from Meadowmount School of Music. Additional accolades include 1st prize at the International Antonio Janigro Cello Competition in Croatia, where she subsequently debuted with the Zagreb Soloists. Since her solo debut with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra at age 13, Sydney has continued to perform extensively throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia in many of the world's leading venues, including the Kennedy Center, Philadelphia's Kimmel Center, Carnegie Hall's Stern Auditorium, and Konzerthaus Berlin.Renowned cellist Julian Lloyd Webber praised her performance with the Armenian Symphony State Orchestra, “Sydney Lee's playing of Prokofiev's Sinfonia Concertante was mesmerizing. She surmounted all of its technical challenges with ease and gave us a joyous musical experience. It was a performance to treasure.”An ardent devotee of chamber music, Sydney is the founder of the Galvin Cello Quartet, which has rapidly been building an international profile following their silver medal win at the 2021 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition. Furthermore, they have earned the distinction of joining the Concert Artists Guild roster as winners of the esteemed 2022 Victor Elmaleh Competition. The quartet's upcoming 2023-24 season include performances at New York City's Merkin Hall, Newport Classical, and Ravinia Music Festival. Sydney's dedication to fostering arts education is evident through her active role as a Board of Director, Social Media Manager and Back to Bach Soloist at The Back to Bach Project Charitable Foundation. This global initiative, with over 70 regions and 800 members, seeks to inspire young children through arts education and community engagement, imparting the values of commitment, dedication, and passion. She spearheaded the establishment of the Calgary, Canada, and Delaware County, PA regional chapters. Additionally, one of her notable collaborative achievements at Back to Bach involved a three way collaboration between Play on philly, The Curtis Institute of Music, and The Back to Bach Project under the guidance of violinist Midori. Furthermore, as a Back to Bach Soloist, she has led numerous virtual music education seminars to young audiences all across the United States. Sydney's unwavering commitment to her philanthropic endeavors led to Back to Bach's receipt of funding in 2020 from the esteemed U.S. Presidential Scholars Foundation and Alumni Association Seed Grant Program. Born and raised in New York City, Sydney is an alumna of both The Curtis Institute of Music and Northwestern University, where she studied with Carter Brey, Peter Wiley, and Hans Jorgen Jensen. She is currently pursuing her Doctor of Musical Arts degree at Northwestern, continuing her studies under the tutelage of Hans Jorgen Jensen. Throughout her artistic journey, other past influential teachers include Richard Aaron, Jens Peter Maintz, Sophie Shao, Julie Albers, Minhye Clara Kim, Wendy Warner, and mentorship by acclaimed cellist Lynn Harrell. In her spare time, Sydney served as a Content Assistant for The Violin Channel. Sydney finds joy in the art of crafting captivating lifestyle content through her vlogs, where she unveils the tapestry of her journeys, offering glimpses into her life as a musician, surviving the Chicago winters, and even her exhilarating escapade of maneuvering a dune buggy through the vast expanse of the Dubai desert.

Motivated and hungry for new experiences, Korean-born, Philadelphia-made cellist and activist, Christine J. Lee, crosses cultural boundaries through music and aims to connect people around the world. She is the most recent winner of the Isang Yun international competition in Korea as well as a laureate of the first Queen Elisabeth International Cello Competition. Some of her highlights for this season includes the American premiere of Andrea Tarrodi's Concerto, as well as her debut at the Berlin Philharmonie lunch series. In her previous seasons, she successfully made her debut with the Brussels Philharmonic playing the Brahms Double Concerto with Augustin Dumay on violin and under the baton of Giancarlo Guerrero. She has appeared with the Philadelphia Orchestra, Monterey Symphony, Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra Symphony, Houston Symphony, as well as Young Belgian Strings, Orchestra of Mons, and the National Orchestra of Belgium as a soloist. Christine began playing the cello at the age of seven, and she made her debut with the Seoul Philharmonic only two years later. She was accepted to The Curtis Institute of Music at the age of ten. Since then, she has performed around the globe as a soloist and a chamber musician. She has appeared in many prestigious venues, such as the Alice Tully Hall, Carnegie Hall, Musée du Louvre, and the Victoria Hall. As a musician of versatility and diverse interest, she has worked with contemporary music ensembles like eighth blackbird and Juilliard AXIOM. Christine also enjoys playing Baroque, especially the Bach Cantatas, and has worked with Anner Bylsma and Roel Dieltiens. In addition to exploring and performing different styles of classical music, she is one of the original members of “CelloPointe”, whose performances combine classical ballet and music in an intimate setting with music encompassing from Baroque through contemporary works and genres. She is currently living her dream of traveling around the world educating and communicating through music. She especially loves working with other musicians from different backgrounds in a chamber music setting, and her passion has led to appearances in prestigious festivals such as La Musica Festival, Music@Menlo, La Jolla Summerfest, Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts, Music@Angelfire, and Marlboro Festival. Christine studied with Orlando Cole, Peter Wiley, and Carter Brey at the Curtis Institute of Music where she received a B.M. and with Joel Krosnick at The Juilliard School, where she completed her M.A. She is an artist-in-residence at Chapelle Musicale Reine Elisabeth where she works closely with Gary Hoffman and Jeroen Reuling. Furthermore, she is pursuing an Advanced Performance Diploma under the guidance of Christoph Richter at the Royal Academy of Music in London. In addition to her performances, Christine is an avid advocate for charitable and philanthropic causes. In January 2017, she organized a charity concert as well as coat & backpack drive for the refugee children in Brussels. This season, she will be participating in community projects with Chapelle Musicale Reine Elisabeth and Nativitas and organize concerts for homeless people in Brussels. She plays on a Francesco Stradivarius on a generous loan from an anonymous sponsor.

At age 20, virtuoso flutist Maron Anis Khoury became the youngest musician to join the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. Born in the village of Tarshiha, Galilee, to a musical family, Khoury started playing the flute at the age of 11. Three years later, he was admitted to the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia to study with renowned flutist Jeffrey Khaner. Prior to his enrollment at Curtis, Khoury studied with Eyal Ein-Habar and Uri Shoham (Israel Philharmonic), Sara Andon (Idyllwild Arts Academy), and David Shostak (Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra.) Khoury is a recipient of several grants from the Curtis Institute of Music and the Charles M. Kanev Memorial Fellowship. In addition, he is a winner of the America-Israel Cultural Foundation Scholarship and the Schoen Fellowship Grant in honor of Charlotte White. He performed under many notable conductors including James Levine, Riccardo Muti, Simon Rattle, Christoph Eschenbach and Daniel Barenboim. Khoury has performed numerous concerts and recitals throughout the U.S. and Europeand has a long list of invitations to lead workshops. He has performed with The West-Eastern Divan Orchestra under the direction of the renown conductor Daniel Barenboim. Maron has also participated in the New York Mostly Mozart festival, The Lake Tahoe summer festival, and has performed as soloist with iPalpiti Festival among others. Maron has a wide range of repertoire which includes operatic, symphonic, solo and chamber music repertoire. He has performed many of the most challenging flute pieces such as Rodrigo, Ibert, Jolivet concertos, In living memory by Ichyanagi. In addition he performed Daphnis and Chloe, afternoon of the faun with the Curtis institute orchestra. Maron can regularly be heard performing in operas at the Met, which include Bizet's Carmen, Rossini and Verdi operas among many others. Little known fact about Maron is that he can play the piano with as much passion, as he does playing the flute. Maron has developed the passion to play the flute at an early age after hearing Jean Pierre Rampal's recordings of J.S.Bach and Handel's Sonatas. Maron's older brother, Hanna Khoury, is a renown violinist and is currently the Artistic Director of the Arabesque Music Ensemble, as well as former Artist-in-Residence and Music Director with Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture in Philadelphia for many years. During the summer of 2016, Maron started to work on his album Showpieces with the talented pianist Patrick Kreeger and is anticipated to be released in the beginning of 2017.

American violinist Isabelle Ai Durrenberger is praised for her imaginative, striking performances and her ability to communicate with sincere artistry. Currently based in New York City, Isabelle is a 2023-25 fellow of Carnegie Hall's renowned Ensemble Connect program. An avid chamber musician, Isabelle is recognized nationally for her unique collaborative instincts. Her 2024-25 season features solo and collaborative invitations including performances with the Boston Chamber Music Society, Jupiter Chamber Players (NYC), Orpheus Chamber Orchestra in Carnegie Hall (NYC), THe Knights (NYC), and the Grammy-nominated conductorless chamber orchestra, A Far Cry (Boston). In 2022, she completed her graduate studies at the New England Conservatory in Boston with Soovin Kim and Don Weilerstein. Isabelle spent recent summers making chamber music at the Marlboro Music Festival, Lake Champlain Chamber Music Festival, and Four Seasons Spring Workshop. Isabelle also enjoys exploring music through teaching: she has a private violin studio in New York City and serves on the violin faculty at the New England Conservatory Preparatory School in Boston where she teaches violin lessons and coaches chamber music. More information on how to study with Isabelle can be found under lessons. Isabelle's musical life began at birth; both of her parents are pianists and music educators. She began playing piano at age 4, but her parents noticed that she loved singing and thought she might enjoy “singing” on the violin — she began lessons at age 7. Isabelle grew up in Columbus, Ohio, and was extremely lucky to be introduced to Jaime Laredo at age 13. She attended Meadowmount School of Music for four years, graduated high school a year early, and began her undergraduate program in Cleveland at age 16. She completed her B.M. at the Cleveland Institute of Music where she was mentored by Jaime Laredo for seven years. Her other mentors and influences include Jennifer Koh, Sharon Robinson, Joan Kwuon, Jinjoo Cho, Jan Mark Sloman, and Jun Kim. Isabelle was the Artist Fellow of the 2021 Alone Together educational project led by Jennifer Koh and ARCO Collaborative. This unique introduction to composers such as Tania León, Du Yun, and Missy Mazzoli has inspired her to prioritize programming living composers, especially highlighting female and multicultural composers. Isabelle has received many recognitions and awards for her musicianship. Isabelle was the winner of the 2021-22 Borromeo String Quartet Guest Award and performed alongside the quartet in Jordan Hall. In 2020, she was highlighted as the Featured Young Artist of the Music from the Western Reserve concert series. In 2019, Isabelle won the First Prize and Performance Prize from the Tuesday Musical Competition. She was awarded the Milton Preves Memorial 3rd Prize at the 2018 Irving M. Klein International String Competition in San Francisco, as well as the first prize in the 2017 Cleveland Institute of Music Concerto Competition. Isabelle has collaborated with the Columbus Symphony, Asheville Symphony, Cleveland Philharmonic Orchestra, Naples Philharmonic Orchestra, and Lakeside Symphony Orchestra amongst many others. Isabelle was a semifinalist in the 2022 International Violin Competition of Indianapolis, a semifinalist in the 2021 Young Concert Artists Audition, a candidate in the 2019 Sendai International Music Competition, 2017 Isang Yun Violin Competition, and 2017 Stulberg International String Competition. She has participated in masterclasses with Mihaela Martin, Olivier Charlier, David Chan, Noah Bendix-Balgley, and attended the IMS Prussia Cove in the class of Gerhard Schulz. Isabelle performed several times at Carnegie Hall as a member of the New York String Orchestra Seminar. Born in Taipei in 1998, Isabelle is of Japanese, Taiwanese, and American descent. She performs on a 2020 Zygmuntowicz violin generously loaned to her by a private patron in New York City.

Gaeun Kim, a 20-year-old cellist based in New York, has been spotlighted as an outstanding virtuosic performer and a winner of numerous competitions worldwide. Her journey began with winning both the first prize and the special award at the Antonio Janigro Competition in Zagreb, Croatia at her age of 10. She has also secured first prizes in the Liezen International Competition, David Popper International Cello Competition, East Coast International Competition. Gaeun is recognized as one of “26 Representative Stars in the Culture & Arts Industry of the Republic of Korea,” a “Samsung Foundation Rising Star,” and as one of the six winners of the ‘Classe d'Excellence de Violoncelle,' led by Gautier Capucon. She performed as a Louis Vuitton Foundation Artist until 2021. From 2023, she has been invited as a jury member at the “World's Biggest Stage International Competition.” Her most recent accolades include receiving the First Prize at the 2024 Schadt String Competition, First Prize and Honor Award at the 2024 France International Competition, First Prize at the 2023 New York Young Artist Award, First Prize and the Pablo Casals Special Award at the 2022 Irving M. Klein International Competition. She was one of the top prizewinners at the 2023 Paulo International Cello Competition and 2024 Koussevitzky Young Artist Awards, and is scheduled for numerous concerts around the world through the upcoming season. In the 2023-24 season, Gaeun will make concert appearances in major halls worldwide, including solo performances in Germany, Switzerland, Korea, New York, Boston, Michigan, San Francisco, Palo Alto, St. Thomas, Poland, and others. Her engagements include performances with the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Lahti Sinfonietta, Tapiola Sinfonietta, Santa Cruz Symphony Orchestra, Peninsula Symphony Orchestra, Master Sinfonia Chamber Orchestra, and Long Island Philharmonic Orchestra. She will also participate as a featured cellist and invited chamber musician at festivals such as “The Seoul Spring Music Festival,” “Music in the Vineyards,” “Water Island Music Festival,” “Moritzburg Festival,” and the “Jupiter Symphony Chamber Series.” Nationally, Gaeun has won first prizes in numerous competitions, including the Seoul Classic Music Competition, the Music & Chunchu Competition, the Little Mozart Competition, the Yewon Competition, the Youngsan Music Competition, the Sungjong Music Competition, and the Ehwa & Kyunghyang Competition. She has also received the Shinhan Music Award, the Yewon Music Award, and the Director Award from the Korean National Institute for Gifted in Arts. Her performance highlights include concerts for the Queen of the Belgians and the First Lady of the Republic of Korea, participation in the Antonio Janigro Cello Festival, and appearances at the Asian Forum of Legislative Information Affairs, CBS's 17th Anniversary Celebration Concert in Jeju Island, and various other prestigious events. As a soloist, she has played with ensembles like the Zagreb Soloists, the Euro-Asian Philharmonic Orchestra, the Long Island Philharmonic Orchestra, Master Sinfonia Chamber Orchestra, the Suwon Symphony Orchestra, and many more. Beyond the stage, Gaeun has been featured on radio programs and TV shows including From the Top, MBC, KBS Radio, C Channel, and others. She has also appeared in major music magazines such as The Strad, New York Concert Review INC, and Music Journal. A proponent of contemporary music, she has performed and recorded premiere pieces by composers such as Gloria Justen, Julian Gargiulo, Seounyun Kim, Jacky Liu, Nichagarn Chiracha-rasporn, Yuxuan Lin, and more. Currently studying at The Juilliard School under Richard Aaron as an honorary scholarship recipient since 2020, Gaeun is an ambassador for Jargar Strings. Her educational background includes studies at Yewon School, Seoul Arts High School, and Korea National University of Arts.

Sami Seif (b. 1998) is a Lebanese composer, music theorist and pianist. His music is inspired by the aesthetics, philosophies, paradigms and poetry of his Middle-Eastern heritage. His work has been described as “very tasteful and flavorful” with “beautiful, sensitive writing!” His latest musical concerns center around the phenomenology of time and of differing degrees of focus. Seif's music has been performed by such renowned artists as Mary Kay Fink and Stanley Konopka of The Cleveland Orchestra, and has been recognized internationally by a number of institutions. Originally from the small town of Ashkout in Mount Lebanon, he was in Abu Dhabi and started out at the age of twelve as a self-taught musician, composing and playing keyboard instruments. Seif studied composition and music theory at the Cleveland Institute of Music where he earned prizes in composition and in music theory. He is currently pursuing his doctoral studies as a fellow at the CUNY Graduate Center.

Internationally acclaimed violinist Timothy Chooi, (pronounced as “Chewy,”) has captivated audiences worldwide with his virtuosic and finely nuanced performances. He is highly sought after for his passionate renditions and extensive repertoire, as well as his exceptional ability to connect with a global audience, amassing a media following of millions of viewers who have tuned in to his music. Chooi gained international recognition by winning First Prize at the Joseph Joachim International Violin Competition in Hannover, Germany, and Second Prize at the Queen Elisabeth International Competition. He also received the prestigious classical music award, the “Yves Paternot Prize” at the Verbier Festival in Switzerland. He has performed with renowned orchestras such as the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Belgian National Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, and Wiener Concert-Verein, among others. His performances have garnered glowing reviews from venues such as Carnegie Hall, Musikverein Wien, Berlin Philharmonie, Amsterdam's Concertgebouw, and the Royal Albert Hall in London. Additionally, he has collaborated with esteemed artists including Anne-Sophie Mutter, Pinchas Zuckerman, Jukka Pekka Saraste, Lang Lang, and James Ehnes. This upcoming year marks an exciting touring year from Chooi, which includes collaborations with London's Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, featuring Emmy Award nominee composer Brian Tyler, a return to the Toronto Symphony, and debuts with the European Union Youth Orchestra, Brucknerhaus Orchester, and at the Wimbledon Music Festival. Chooi's music has been broadcasted on several prestigious stations worldwide. In 2023, he recorded with Anne-Sophie Mutter and Mutter's Virtuosi on Deutsche Grammophon, and his performance with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra was featured on Medici TV. His music has also been aired on NPO Radio Klassiek Amsterdam, WQXR New York, RTBF Belgium, Swiss Public Radio, CBC Radio Canada, Deutschlandfunk Kultur, and Danish Public Radio. Born in Canada and raised in the United States of America to Indonesian parents of Chinese ethnicity, Chooi embarked on his violin journey inspired by his older brother, Nikki Chooi. At the age of sixteen, his debut performance with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra (Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal) catapulted his career onto the global stage. Currently, Chooi serves as the Professor of Violin at the University of Ottawa in Canada. He performs on two exceptional rare violins: the Titan Guarneri Del Gesu violin from 1741, on loan from CANIMEX INC. in Drummondville, Quebec, Canada, and the Engleman Stradivarius violin from 1709, on loan from the Nippon Music Foundation in Japan.

Oliver Herbert is a concert cellist with a rapidly growing international presence. The recipient of a 2021 Avery Fisher Career Grant, Oliver's natural musicianship and connective performances are carving a unique path in the world of music. As a soloist, Oliver has appeared with world renowned orchestras including the San Francisco Symphony and Chicago Symphony Orchestra, working with conductors such as Michael Tilson Thomas, Juanjo Mena, and Alexander Shelley. His work is fueled by a passion for music ranging from past centuries to the present, with concerto performances spotlighting works from C.P.E. Bach to Haydn, Schumann, Tchaikovsky, Dvorak, Ibert, Elgar, Barber, Shostakovich, Schnittke, Lutoslawski, and Vasks, among others. Working closely with composers, Oliver has commissioned several works including a new solo cello piece by Chelsea Komschlies as well as Andrew Moses' Ecstatic Immanence for cello, percussion, and electronics which was recently premiered at the 2023 TICA Festival, Hong Kong. At the 2023 Kronberg Festival, Oliver gave the world premiere of Žibuoklė Martinaitytė's new solo cello work, Spiral Spins. In recent seasons, his projects have included performances of the complete Bach Cello Suites at Capital Region Classical and the complete Beethoven Cello Sonatas at Guarneri Hall in Chicago. Oliver's recital engagements have brought him across the United States to venues such as the Ravinia Festival and Kravis Center, as well as on tour to Greece, Germany, Switzerland, and Hong Kong. His programs are known for combining beloved with lesser known works, contextualizing them with equal advocacy and commitment. Oliver appears regularly at leading chamber music festivals and venues such as the Rheingau Festival, Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, Marlboro, La Jolla SummerFest, Verbier Festival, ChamberFest Cleveland, 92nd Street Y, and the Ravinia Festival. He has performed with luminaries such as Mitsuko Uchida and Tabea Zimmermann. Oliver's recordings include a release of Haydn's D Major Concerto with the San Francisco Symphony and Michael Tilson Thomas by Warner Classics as part of highlights of MTT's final season as music director. In June of 2020, Oliver released his debut album with pianist Xiaohui Yang, Frame of Mind: Fauré and Janáček, featuring the two cello and piano sonatas of Gabriel Fauré, as well as Leoš Janáček's Pohádka (Fairy Tale). Oliver is the recipient of the 2017 Verbier Festival's Jean-Nicolas Firmenich Prize, as well as top prizes in the Lutoslawski International Cello Competition, Klein Competition, and Stulberg Competition. He has been featured on PBS's Now Hear This, NPR's From the Top, the popular online interview series, Living the Classical Life, and more. Oliver is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music and the Colburn School, where he studied with Carter Brey, Pamela Frank, Clive Greensmith, and Peter Wiley. He is now a student of Frans Helmerson in the professional studies program at the Kronberg Academy, generously funded by the Nanno Lenz patronage. He plays on a Guadagnini cello that belonged to the great Italian cellist Antonio Janigro, on generous loan from the Janigro family.

Rising star of the cello Jonathan Swensen is the recipient of the 2022 Avery Fisher Career Grant and was recently featured as both Musical America's ‘New Artist of the Month' and ‘One to Watch' in Gramophone Magazine. Jonathan first fell in love with the cello upon hearing the Elgar Concerto at the age of six, and ultimately made his concerto debut performing that very piece with Portugal's Orquestra Sinfónica do Porto Casa da Música. September 2022 saw the release of Jonathan's debut recording ‘Fantasia', on Champs Hill Records, an album of works for solo cello which received rave reviews on its release, including from Gramophone, BBC Music, and The Strad which printed “An exciting young talent emerges. I would gladly buy a ticket to see Swensen on the strength of this appealing calling card.” Jonathan has performed with orchestras including the Philharmonia Orchestra, Orquesta Ciudad de Granada, Copenhagen Philharmonic, Aarhus Symphony Orchestra, Odense Symphony Orchestra, Iceland Symphony Orchestra, Mobile Symphony, and the Greenville Symphony. He made his critically acclaimed recital debuts at the Kennedy Center's Terrace Theater and New York's Merkin Concert Hall, with additional performances in Boston's Jordan Hall, the Morgan Library and Museum, and the Krannert Center's Foellinger Great Hall. In addition to his many solo appearances, Jonathan is a frequent performer of chamber music in the U.S. and Europe, appearing at the Tivoli Festival, Copenhagen Summer Festival, Chamberfest Cleveland, Krzyżowa-Music, San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Vancouver Recital Society, San Francisco Performances, and the Usedomer Musikfestival, among others. Jonathan will join the Bowers Program of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center in 2024. He has captured First Prizes at the 2019 Windsor International String Competition, 2018 Khachaturian International Cello Competition, and the 2018 Young Concert Artists International Auditions. ‍The 2022-23 season sees Jonathan Swensen returning to the Aarhus Symphony Orchestra under Hartmut Haenchen and the NFM Leopoldinum in a play-direct programme, as well as his debut with the Aalborg Symphony Orchestra under Douglas Boyd. He will also appear performing the Dvorak Concerto with the Slovak State Philharmonic Košice both in Košice and at the Festival Allegretto Žilina following his recital debut in 2022, where he was awarded the Festival Prize for the most distinguished performance. In the U.S., he performs Shostakovich's 2nd Concerto with the New England Conservatory Philharmonia and Hugh Wolff, Lalo Concerto with Aiken Symphony in South Carolina, give recitals at the Casals Festival and the Morgan Library and Museum, and performs chamber music at San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Chamberfest West, and Camerata Pacifica. ‍Jonathan has captured First Prizes at the 2019 Windsor International String Competition, 2018 Khachaturian International Cello Competition, a recipient of the Musikanmelderringens Artist Prize in 2020, and the Jacob Gades Scholarship in 2019 in Denmark. He made his critically acclaimed recital debuts at the Kennedy Center's Terrace Theater and New York's Merkin Concert Hall under the auspices of Young Concert Artists in 2020 after winning first prize in the YCA International Auditions in 2018. A graduate of the Royal Danish Academy of Music, Jonathan continued his studies with Torleif Thedéen at the Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo, and Laurence Lesser at the New England Conservatory, where he will complete his Artist Diploma in May 2023. Link to Shostakovich 2nd Cello Concerto https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgFM5KrCHjw Link to full performance of the Chopin Cello Sonata with Soyeon Kate Lee https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3-myxX2DKw

Violinist Stephen Tavani is Assistant Concertmaster of The Cleveland Orchestra and has appeared as guest concertmaster with many other orchestras including the Indianapolis, Houston and Kansas City Symphonies. The New York Times commented about his playing that “…Tavani sometimes cooled his tone to the smoothness of frosted glass, adding a soft-focus filter to the chiseled melodies…”. Mr. Tavani was featured playing Rismky Korsakov's Scheherazade with the Cleveland Orchestra at the 2022 summer Blossom season. He has collaborated as soloist with conductors Carlos Miguel Prieto, Andrew Litton, and Miriam Burns. Before joining The Cleveland Orchestra in 2018, he was concertmaster of the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia for one season. An avid chamber musician, Tavani has collaborated with many great musicians, such as Edgar Meyer, members of Quatuor Ébène, Roberto Díaz, Peter Wiley, Paul Katz, Shai Wosner, Meng-Chieh Liu, Jon Kimura Parker, Ronald Leonard, Clive Greensmith, Marcy Rosen, José Franch-Ballester, and Daniel Hope. He has appeared at the Dresden Music Festival, Music From Angel Fire, Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, Colburn Chamber Music Society, Curtis Recital Series, and at the Marlboro Music Festival as well as on tour with Musicians from Marlboro. He also has taught masterclasses at the Cleveland Institute of Music young artist program and at conservatories in Spain and Germany. Tavani has appeared at the Sibelius International Violin Competition in Helsinki, the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels, and the Michael Hill Violin Competition in New Zealand. Tavani holds an Artist Diploma from the Curtis Institute of Music, where he studied with Ida Kavafian and Arnold Steinhardt. While at Curtis, he held the Dorothy J. del Bueno Fellowship. He holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the Colburn Conservatory in Los Angeles, where he studied with Robert Lipsett. He also received an Artist Diploma from the Cleveland Institute of Music, where he worked with William Preucil in the Concertmaster Academy program. Other previous teachers include Aaron Rosand, Shirley Givens, and Ronda Cole. He plays on a W.E. Hill & Sons bow generously loaned by Tom Frisina. Tavani volunteers bringing string programs to Northeast Ohio inmates with the Cleveland based Renovare to help provide hope and healing through music. He is a member of Third Culture Ensemble, which serves diverse communities across Northeast Ohio through music. He also is involved with the MasterWorks Festival, which seeks to integrate Christian faith and life in the performing arts. Tavani resides on the East Side of Cleveland with his wife Amanda, a double bassist and music educator, and their son, Gabriel. He grew up in Northern Virginia in a musical family of six brothers. His mother is a voice teacher and lyric soprano, his father a family physician and pianist. Learn more about Mr. Tavani at his website: stephentavani.com, and visit his youtube page at youtube.com/stavani1 to see many of his performances.

Having been born into a musical family, Karisa began her studies at age two with her father, Cornelius Chiu, a violinist in the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. She also performs frequently with her mother, pianist Inah Chiu. The Chiu family has given annual concerts at the Festival of the Arts at Mohonk Mountain House where her immediate family is joined with her uncle, pianist Frederic Chiu. She has performed in many music festivals around the globe including Music@Menlo as an International Program Artist, Chigiana Summer Academy, Four Seasons Winter Workshop, Music from Angel Fire, Aspen Music Festival, and Sarasota Music Festival. In addition to her performance career, Karisa is co-director of the concert series, Plymouth Chamber Players, in Grand Rapids, Michigan. In 2018, Karisa won a Chicago Symphony Orchestra substitute violin position and has been performing with them regularly since. She was also invited to give a solo recital at the prestigious Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert Series in Chicago which was broadcasted live over WFMT radio. The same year, she was also selected to be a participant in the 2017 YoungArts Week where she was awarded the Bronze Medal and nominated to be a U.S. Presidential Scholar. Karisa has appeared on several broadcasts including the Korean Broadcasting System (KBS), WFMT, and NPR's From The Top. She has played in master classes given by renowned artists such as Augustin Hadelich, Leonidas Kavakos, Victor Danchenko, Pamela Frank, Mauricio Fuks, Ilya Kaler, Dora Schwarzberg, and Joel Smirnoff. An avid chamber music player, Karisa has performed with renowned musicians including Jaime Laredo, Sharon Robinson, Todd Phillips, Steven Tenenbom, and Paul Biss. She won first prize at the Rembrandt Chamber Music Competition and Silver Medal at the M-Prize International Chamber Music Competition as a member of the Vieira String Quartet. Her previous chamber group, the Calliope Trio, won first prize at the Discover Chamber Music Competition. As a member of the Atara String Quartet, she won the Gold Medal from the Saint Paul String Quartet Competition, Silver Medal from the Pearl G. Barnett Chamber Music Competition, and the Honorable Mention prize from the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition. This spring, Karisa will receive her Master's degree at the Cleveland Institute of Music under the tutelage of Jaime Laredo and Malcolm Lowe. She received her Bachelor's degree from the Curtis Institute of Music where she studied with Ida Kavafian and was a student of Almita Vamos at the Music Institute of Chicago Academy. In the fall, she will begin her studies in the Artist Diploma program at the Juilliard School with Catherine Cho and Donald Weilerstein.

The celebrated Balourdet Quartet produces both emotionally intense and intimate moments on international stages. Its unique closeness and willingness to take creative risks earned it the 2024 Avery Fisher Career Grant, as well as Chamber Music America's 2024 Cleveland Quartet Award. With more than 70 concerts per season, recent highlights include the Balourdet's debuts at Carnegie and Wigmore Halls, and new string quartets by composers Karim Al-Zand and Paul Novak through grants from Chamber Music America (2021) and the Barlow Foundation (2023). They are currently the Graduate Quartet in Residence at the prestigious Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University and are recent graduates of the New England Conservatory's Professional String Quartet Program. For the 2023-24 season, the Balourdet has a full year of concerts, residencies, and exciting projects scheduled. They will return to the La Jolla Music Society, Montgomery Chamber Music, Nevada Chamber Music Festival, and Schneider Concert Series and will make debuts in Atlanta, Memphis, Houston, and San Antonio. Collaborations include pianists Marc-André Hamelin, Simone Dinnerstein, Stewart Goodyear, and violist Jordan Bak. During this season, they also begin their position as String Quartet in Residence with the Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle in North Carolina. The Balourdet journey began in 2018 in the mountains of New Mexico at the Taos School of Music, where violinists Justin DeFilippis, Angela Bae, and cellist Russell Houston first bonded as friends over long evenings of chamber music, luxurious Peppermint Schnapps and extravagant meals created by chef extraordinaire Antoine Balourdet, a renaissance man with an exceptional love of life and music. It was the friendships, a shared passion for music and food, and gratitude for the role the festival played in the formation of the quartet, that inspired the members to name the ensemble in Chef Balourdet's honor. Soon thereafter, in the heat of a waning Texas summer, Justin, Angela, and Russell joined with violist Benjamin Zannoni at Rice University, and the Balourdet Quartet was formed. Inspired by their love for the repertoire and the excitement of having found each other, the four friends found themselves playing quartets late into the night for fun. After having been together for only one year at Rice University, and a summer at the Aspen Music Festival, they took second prize at the Nielsen International String Quartet Competition, and were selected as the only quartet admitted to Boston's historic New England Conservatory Professional String Quartet Program under the tutelage of Cleveland Quartet cellist Paul Katz. In 2021, the Quartet won the Grand Prize at New York's Concert Artists Guild Competition, which included joint management by Concert Artists Guild in the U.S., and Young Classical Artist's Trust (YCAT) in the UK and Europe. In addition, the Balourdet has been prizewinners in Canada's Banff International String Quartet Competition, the International Premio Paolo Borciani Competition in Italy, Gold Medal winners at the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, and Gold Medal and Audience Prizewinners at the Yellow Springs Competition.

Genevieve Smelser joined the violin section of The Cleveland Orchestra in August 2023. She comes from a family of musicians in Chicago, Illinois, and her primary teachers included Mathias Tacke of the Vermeer Quartet and Gerardo Ribeiro. Smelser received her bachelor's degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music in 2017 as a student of Stephen Rose. During her studies at CIM, she won the 2015 Concerto Competition — performing Brahms's Violin Concerto with the CIM Orchestra as a result — and received the 2017 Award of Violin Excellence upon graduating. In 2019, Smelser received her master's degree from Rice University's Shepherd School of Music as a student of Paul Kantor. She performed Shostakovich's First Violin Concerto with the Shepherd Symphony after winning the school's 2019 Concerto Competition. From 2019 to 2021, Smelser was a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, where she served as concertmaster under the direction of Ken-David Masur. Smelser has performed in music festivals across the world including the Grant Park Music Festival, Verbier, Spoleto, Fontainebleau, The Perlman Music Program, and Music Academy of the West. She has also performed extensively with many orchestras including the Cleveland and Philadelphia orchestras, as well as the Chicago, Houston, and Milwaukee symphonies. Outside of orchestral playing, Smelser enjoys reading, chamber music with friends, and gardening.

A native of Manchester, N.H., Roric Cunningham joined the Boston Symphony Orchestra cello section in August 2023 at Tanglewood. He began cello studies at age 12 and two years later started taking lessons at the Manchester Community Music with Harel Gietheim. In 2017, he won the Portsmouth Symphony Orchestra and Lakes Region Symphony Orchestra competitions and subsequently performed with those orchestras. He has also appeared as soloist with the New Hampshire Philharmonic. Cunningham attended the National Youth Orchestra in 2018 and 2019, touring with the ensemble to London, Amsterdam, Berlin, Hamburg, Beijing, Shanghai, Seoul, and other cities around the world, playing at such venues as London's Royal Albert Hall, Amsterdam's Concertgebouw, Hamburg's Elbphilharmonie, Konzerthaus Berlin, LOTTE Concert Hall in Seoul, and the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing. In 2020 and 2021, Roric attended the Heifetz Institute and in 2022 was a member of the Verbier Festival Orchestra, playing under the batons of Gianandrea Noseda, Klaus Mäkelä, and Charles Dutoit. Cunningham received his bachelor's degree from the Juilliard School under the tutelage of Natasha Brofsky and Clara Kim.

Originally from the greater New York area, violinist Kevin Lin has received international recognition for his musicianship and “soulful” playing (The Arts Desk). Lin currently serves as Concertmaster of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. Lin is a highly sought after Concertmaster, previously holding the position of Co-Leader in the London Philharmonic Orchestra. His Guest Concertmaster appearances have included the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Houston Symphony, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London, Singapore Symphony Orchestra, and the Taiwan Philharmonic. In addition to his Concertmaster duties, Lin has appeared as soloist with major orchestras throughout the United States, Asia and United Kingdom, having worked with renowned conductors such as Vladimir Jurowski, Peter Oundjian, Matthias Pintscher, JoAnn Falletta, and Michael Francis. An equally active chamber Musician, Lin has collaborated with Martin Beaver, Clive Greensmith, Cho Liang Lin, Mathieu Herzog, Edgar Meyer, Orion Weiss, Meng-Chieh Liu, Andrew Bain, and Roberto Diaz. Lin spent his early years studying with Patinka Kopeck the Manhattan School of Music. He went on to study with Robert Lipsett at the Colburn School and Aaron Rosand at the Curtis Institute of Music. Lin is currently Artist-in-Residence at Butler University, Jordan College of the Arts and spends his summers at the Mainly Mozart Festival in San Diego and the Colorado Music Festival. Kevin performs on the 1683 Ex-Gingold Stradivari on loan to him from the International Violin Competition of Indianapolis.

Nathan Chan's multifaceted career exemplifies his dedication to exploring the diverse dimensions of the cello, sharing his musical vision across solo, chamber music, and orchestral realms. His unwavering belief in music's power to bridge gaps and create connections drives him to engage audiences and foster a sense of community through his artistry. Embracing technology and social media, Nathan has managed to invite others into the world of classical music, encouraging camaraderie among musicians and patrons alike Named a local Forbes 30 Under 30 for Seattle, Nathan has harnessed the power of technology and social media to draw new audiences to classical music. With over 35 million views across YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok, he has made a significant impact on the online classical community. His efforts, such as the "Nathan Chan Chats for Change" campaign during the COVID pandemic, demonstrate his commitment to using music as an instrument for positive change. Additionally, Nathan released his first NFT, collaborating with AI Artist Lia Coleman, combining classical music with machine learning art. Throughout his career, Nathan has collaborated with esteemed musicians and institutions, constantly pushing the boundaries of cello repertoire and performance. He has performed as a soloist with the San Francisco Symphony, Royal Philharmonic, Albany Symphony, Reno Philharmonic, and Hong Kong Chamber Orchestra, working with distinguished conductors like Leonard Slatkin, James Gaffigan, Donato Cabrera, Alexander Prior, Alasdair Neale, and Laura Jackson, among others. Chan was a chosen artist for Fondation Louis Vuitton's Classe d'Excellence du Violoncelle with renowned cellist Gautier Capuçon. Nathan's 2023-2024 season includes a performance of Tan Dun's Cello Concerto with the Olympia Symphony as well as Gulda's Cello Concerto with the Lake Washington Symphony Orchestra, and a solo tour with Night of the Proms in Germany and his Belgian debut. “Chan revealed both a profound technical gift and an expressive directness that many a better-known virtuoso could only envy. His string tone is rich and dark-hued, his intonation is fearlessly precise, and his mastery of musical narrative unfolds with unerring clarity.” — San Francisco Chronicle Nathan's musical journey began at a tender age with conducting imitations using a chopstick as a baton, emulating the styles of legendary conductors like Seiji Ozawa, Herbert von Karajan, and Leonard Bernstein. He caught the attention of San Francisco Opera Assistant Conductor Sara Jobin and made his debut as a conductor at age three. Under the guidance of renowned cellists Irene Sharp, Sieun Lin, and Richard Aaron at The Juilliard School, Nathan honed his craft, leading him to perform on prestigious stages around the world. Born into a family with a deep appreciation for music, Nathan received his Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Columbia University before pursuing his Masters of Music at The Juilliard School, where he studied with esteemed cellist Richard Aaron. He has participated in several renowned music festivals, such as Marlboro Music Festival, Taos Music Festival, and Caramoor's Evnin Rising Stars, performing with musicians Mitsuko Uchida, Anthony McGill, Joseph Lin, and Nobuko Imai. He currently serves as the Assistant Principal Cello of the Seattle Symphony, captivating audiences with his artistry. ...more

Austin Huntington was appointed principal cellist of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra in June 2015 at the age of 20, currently making him one of the youngest principal musicians in a major American orchestra. He was recently the runner-up for the San Francisco Symphony's principal cello position in March 2022 as well as a finalist for the Boston Symphony Orchestra's principal cello position in March 2018. Du … ...more