BIOGRAPHIES

BIOGRAPHIES

SOPHIA BACELAR

Cuban-Chinese cellist and interdisciplinary artist Sophia Bacelar has been acclaimed for her expressive musicianship and disruptive, exploratory spirit. Her work has been featured in renowned venues ranging from Carnegie Hall, Le Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, and the Berliner Philharmonie to La Fondation Louis Vuitton, the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, and nightclubs and art galleries worldwide. As the awardee of the Juilliard School’s 9th Annual Leo B. Ruiz Recital, she will give her Carnegie Hall debut in 2021. Other accolades include second prize at the Berliner International Competition, second prize at the Janigro International Competition, and the Mondavi Center’s Career Development Award. Often recognized for her idiosyncratic and fluid style, she has been dressed for events and performances by various global luxury. As a GEWA Official Artist, she custom painted a cello case for her partnership. She and her Havashu, Cuba, split time between New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.

STEVEN BANKS

Steven Banks is the first saxophonist to earn a place on the Young Concert Artists roster in its 60-year history, capturing first prize at the 2019 Young Concert Artists International Auditions. Banks has performed as a soloist with the Durham and North Carolina Symphonies, and he regularly gives recitals at universities and on music series across the United States. In addition to solo work, Banks has an ongoing relationship with the Cleveland Orchestra, and he appears on a Naxos recording as baritone saxophonist of the award-winning Kenari Quartet. As a jazz performer, he has played alongside musicians affiliated with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Buddy Rich Big Band, and Vanguard Jazz Orchestra. Banks is an advocate for diversity and inclusion in music education, and as an assistant professor of saxophone at Ithaca College, he makes a concerted effort to ensure that all music students feel supported in their studies.

ARAN BELL

Aran Bell joined ABT Studio Company in September 2014, joined the main Company as an apprentice in May 2016, and became a member of the corps de ballet in March 2017. He was promoted to Soloist in September 2019 and to Principal Dancer in September 2020. Bell’s awards include the Hope Award at the Youth America Grand Prix Finals in New York City in 2009 and 2010, followed by the Junior Grand Prix in 2011, Grand Prix at the Milan International Ballet Competition in 2010, the Premio Positano in 2011, the Premio Amalfi Young Talent Award in 2012, Gold Medal at Tanzolymp Berlin in 2012, Gold Medal and Audience Choice Award at Rieti International Ballet Competition in 2012, the Premio Roma Jia Ruskaja in 2012, and the Premio Capri Danza

International Award in 2014. He has performed in galas throughout Europe and the United States and was featured in the 2011 film First Position: A Ballet Documentary.

MIKAELA BENNETT

Mikaela Bennett is celebrated as a singer and actress for her work onstage and in the concert hall. A graduate of the Juilliard School, Bennett was honored with a 2019 Lincoln Center Award for Emerging Artists. That year, she made critically acclaimed debuts at Lyric Opera of Chicago as “Maria” in West Side Story and at the MUNY in the title role of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella. Bennett has appeared as a soloist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, and San Francisco Symphony, as well as at the BBC Proms, the Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, Joe’s Pub, and Feinstein’s/54 Below. Bennett made her professional debut as “Penelope” in The Golden Apple at City Center Encores! and originated the role of “Norma” in Dick Scanlan and Carmel Dean’s Renascence, as well as the title role in Michael Gordon’s Acquanetta. Bennett is a native of Ottawa, Canada.

SHELLY BERG

Shelly Berg is a Steinway piano artist and multi-Grammy nominated arranger and producer. For 14 years, he has served as dean of the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami, where he is also the Patricia L. Frost Professor of Music. He previously held the McCoy/Sample endowed professorship of jazz studies in the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California, and he is a past president of the International Association for Jazz Education (IAJE). In addition to performing and recording with and arranging for some of the most renowned artists, Berg has written music and orchestrated for a great number of of films and television series. He has been the recipient of the IAJE Lawrence Berk Leadership Award and named Educator of the Year by the Los Angeles Jazz Society, as well as one of three Educators for the Millennium by the Los Angeles Times.

XAK BJERKEN

Pianist Xak Bjerken is a professor of music at Cornell University, where he also co-directs Mayfest, an international chamber music festival. For many years, he performed throughout the United States as a member of the Los Angeles Piano Quartet, and he regularly collaborates with renowned international ensembles. He has appeared with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Spoleto Festival Orchestra, Thailand Philharmonic Orchestra, the Schoenberg Ensemble, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, as well as at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Glinka Hall in St. Petersburg, and the Konzerthaus in Berlin. Bjerken has worked with composers Győrgy Kurtag, Sofia Gubaidulina, Steven Stucky, and George Benjamin and has premiered concertos by Stephen Hartke, Elizabeth Ogonek, and Jesse Jones, a recording of which will be released in September 2021. He is the director of Ensemble X and has

served on the faculty of Kneisel Hall, Eastern Music Festival, and the Chamber Music Conference at Bennington College.

ROBERTO BOLLE

Roberto Bolle trained at the ballet school of Teatro alla Scala, Milan, where he was promoted Étoile in 2004. He has regularly danced as a guest artist with the most prestigious companies worldwide. He was Principal Dancer with the American Ballet Theatre in New York from 2009 to 2019, and his own show Roberto Bolle and Friends Gala has experienced tremendous success. Bolle is also the creator and artistic director of the dance festival OnDance, which is now in its fourth iteration in Milan. Bolle is an experimenter and a popularizer of the art of terpsichore, and he has collaborated with artists such as Bob Wilson, Peter Greenway, Anne Leibovitz, and Bruce Weber. Bolle has also been awarded the highest honors, such as Unicef Ambassador and Grand Officer of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic for his contributions to the country in the fields of culture and art.

ANDREW BRADY

Andrew Brady joined the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra as principal bassoon in January 2016, having previously served in the same position with the Louisiana Philharmonic. He also appears regularly as principal bassoonist with the Grand Teton Music Festival and has been a guest principal with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, as well as on tours with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. Brady’s artistry is in high demand and has taken him to South Africa, Korea, London, and Mexico as well as to many destinations within the contiguous United States for both performances and teaching. The past several summers, Brady has been proud to be a member of the Chineke! Orchestra, including for a performance at the 2017 BBC Proms. Enthusiastically involved in music education, he has served as an artist-in-residence at Kennesaw State University, as well as on the faculties of Stellenbosch International Chamber Music Festival, National Orchestral Institute, and National Youth Orchestra/NYO2.

SKYLAR BRANDT

Skylar Brandt attended the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School at American Ballet Theatre from 2005-2009 and spent five summers at ABT’s New York Summer Intensive. She was a National Training Scholar from 2006-2009 and received a Bender Foundation Scholarship in 2009. Brandt was also a silver medalist at Youth America Grand Prix in 2004 and 2008. Brandt joined ABT II in 2009, became an apprentice with the main company in November 2010, and joined the corps de ballet in June 2011. She was appointed a Soloist in August 2015 and a Principal Dancer in September 2020. She has created a number of roles in her time with the company. In 2013, Brandt was awarded a Princess Grace Foundation-USA Dance Fellowship and was featured in the film Ballet’s Greatest Hits. In 2018, Brandt was the recipient of an unprecedented Special Jury Award for her performances on the TV show Big Ballet.

ROBERT BRITTON

Robert Britton graduated as an Alexander Technique teacher in 1978. In addition to his private practice in San Francisco, he has taught the Alexander Technique to musicians at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music since 1984. He served as chair of the American Society for the Alexander Technique from 1997 to 1999 and has helped train Alexander Technique teachers since 1989 in California and Germany. Britton currently serves on the Board of the Alexander Technique Congress Association and will be one of the directors of the Berlin AT Congress in 2022. He was awarded the George S. Sarlo Award for Excellence in Teaching in Colleges and Universities in Northern California in 2012 and has served as chair of "The Complete Musician" department at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.

DAVID BYRD-MARROW

Atlanta native, hornist David Byrd-Marrow is a member of the International Contemporary Ensemble and the Knights. Working with a uniquely wide range of performers, he has premiered works by artists ranging from George Lewis to Chick Corea. Byrd-Marrow has performed at festivals including the Ojai Music Festival, Bay Chamber Concerts, Mostly Mozart Festival, and Tanglewood Music Center, and he has served as a faculty member at the Banff Music Centre. Formerly a member of Carnegie Hall's Ensemble Connect, he has made appearances with the New York Philharmonic, Decoda, the Atlanta and Tokyo symphony orchestras, the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, the Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra, the Washington National Opera, and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. On Broadway, David most recently was in the orchestra for the musical Carousel. Byrd-Marrow is currently an assistant professor of horn at the Lamont School of Music at the University of Denver.

JAMES CONLON

James Conlon, one of today's most versatile and respected conductors, has cultivated a vast symphonic, operatic, and choral repertoire. He has conducted virtually every major American and European symphony orchestra since his debut with the New York Philharmonic in 1974. Since 2006, Conlon has served as Music Director of the Los Angeles Opera, and since 2016, he has served as Principal Conductor of the RAI National Symphony Orchestra in Torino, Italy. He has been Principal Conductor of the Paris Opera, General Music Director of the City of Cologne, Music Director of the Rotterdam Philharmonic, and Music Director of the Ravinia Festival. His extensive discography and videography can be found on the Bridge, Capriccio, Decca, EMI, Erato, and Sony Classical labels, and his numerous accolades include four honorary doctorates, Commendatore Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana, Commandeur de L’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, and France’s highest honor, the Legion d’Honneur.

CHRISTOPHER COSTANZA

For over three decades, cellist Christopher Costanza has enjoyed a varied and exciting career as a soloist, chamber musician, and teacher. A winner of the Young Concert Artists International Auditions and a recipient of a prestigious Solo Recitalists Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, Costanza has performed to international critical acclaim. Costanza joined the St. Lawrence String Quartet (SLSQ) in 2003, and he tours and records extensively with that ensemble, performing over 100 concerts annually throughout the world. As a member of the SLSQ, he is an Artist in Residence at Stanford University, where he teaches cello and chamber music and performs a wide variety of formal and informal concerts each season. He is privileged to perform on an early 18th century Venetian cello, part of the Harry R. Lange Collection of Instruments and Bows at Stanford.

DAVID COUCHERON

David Coucheron joined the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra as concertmaster in September 2010. At the time, he was the youngest concertmaster among all major orchestras in the United States. Throughout his career, Coucheron has performed as soloist with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Sendai Symphony Orchestra, Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra and the Trondheim Symphony Orchestra. Coucheron has also given solo recitals at Carnegie Hall, Wigmore Hall, the Kennedy Center, and the Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City, Utah, as well as in Beograd, Chile, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Serbia, Singapore, and Shanghai. Coucheron serves as the Artistic Director for the Kon Tiki Chamber Music Festival in his hometown of Oslo, Norway. He is also on the faculty for the Aspen Music Festival and Brevard Music Festival. Coucheron plays a 1725 Stradivarius, kindly on loan from Anders Sveaas Charitable Trust.

MARGARET DONAGHUE

Margaret Donaghue is an associate professor of clarinet and director of the woodwind program at the Frost School of Music. She has performed as a chamber musician and soloist in more than a dozen countries across three continents and at major venues around the world. Donaghue performs as clarinetist with PULSE Trio with Scott Flavin, violin and Naoko Takao, piano. She also plays recorders for the early music ensemble Impulso Barroco, which is committed to unique and engaging period performances, and she is a founding member of MiamiClarinet and Miami Chamber Ensemble. Additionally, Donaghue is the Executive Director and co-founder of the Blue Ridge Chamber Music Festival. Donaghue received a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Illinois, a Master of Music from the University of Michigan, and a Bachelor of Music from the University of New Hampshire.

JORDAN DONICA

Jordan Donica is currently starring as Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson in the national tour of Hamilton, and he recently completed a run starring as the leading man, Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny, in the historic Broadway production of The Phantom of the Opera. Donica graduated from Otterbein University with a BFA in Musical Theatre, Cum Laude. He was a featured artist in the 2017 Washington National Opera gala at the Kennedy Center, as well as at the American Songbook Hall of Fame celebration with Michael Feinstein. Donica’s directing credits include the play Little Prints, and his regional credits include those at the Weathervane Playhouse, Utah Shakespeare Festival, and Otterbein Summer Theatre. He won an Indianapolis Mitty Award for Most Impressive Actor in 2013 for his portrayal of Romeo in Romeo and Juliet at Noblesville Shakespeare in the Park. His film credits include Coda: An Independent Film by Abe Purvis.

JULIO ELIZALDE

American pianist Julio Elizalde is a multi-faceted artist who enjoys a versatile career as soloist, chamber musician, artistic administrator, educator, and curator. He has performed in many of the major music centers throughout the United States, Europe, Asia, and Latin America to popular and critical acclaim. Since 2014, he has served as the Artistic Director of the Olympic Music Festival near Seattle, Washington. Elizalde tours internationally with world-renowned violinists Sarah Chang and Ray Chen and has performed alongside Itzhak Perlman, Teddy Abrams, and Anne Manson. He has collaborated with artists such as violinist Pamela Frank, composers Osvaldo Golijov and Stephen Hough, baritone William Sharp, and members of the Juilliard, Cleveland, Takács, Kronos, and Brentano string quartets. Originally from the Bay Area, Elizalde received a bachelor of music degree with honors from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and master’s and doctor of musical arts degrees from the Juilliard School.

MICHAEL FABIANO

One of the greatest tenors in the world today, Michael Fabiano has sung in the world's most important opera houses and has graced concert stages with some of the world’s most acclaimed orchestras. Among his career highlights are his first Don José in Carmen at Festival Aixen-Provence, the title role in Donizetti’s Poliuto at the Glyndebourne Festival, Jacopo Foscari in I Due Foscari at the Teatro Real, and Alfredo in La Traviata at the Metropolitan Opera and Glyndebourne Festival. The recipient of numerous awards, Fabiano is the first person to win both the Beverly Sills Artist Award and the Richard Tucker Award in the same year. His first album of Donizetti and Verdi arias was released by Pentatone, and he can be seen on a number of video recordings from the Glyndebourne Festival, Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, and Royal Opera.

MICHAEL FEINSTEIN

Michael Feinstein has built a dazzling career over the last three decades bringing the music of the Great American songbook to the world. From recordings that have earned him five Grammy Award nominations to his Emmy-nominated PBS television specials to his acclaimed NPR series and concerts spanning the globe, his work as an educator and archivist define Feinstein as one of the most important musical forces of our time. After graduating from high school and moving to Los Angeles, Feinstein became Ira Gershwin’s assistant, earning him access to numerous unpublished Gershwin songs, many of which he has performed and recorded. Now, Feinstein’s venues, such as Feinstein’s at the Nikko and Feinstein’s/54 Below, regularly present the top music talents, and his American Songbook Foundation preserves the art form through educational programs and master classes, with alumni who have gone on to record acclaimed albums and appear on film and television.

FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA NAPA

Festival Orchestra Napa is an all-star ensemble that brings together principal players from major international orchestras and faculty from renowned colleges and conservatories. Centered around a core of Frost School of Music faculty, the orchestra also includes hand-picked musicians from the San Francisco Symphony, MET Opera Orchestra, Dallas Symphony, Houston Symphony, Atlanta Symphony, and Russian National Orchestra, among others.

GREGG FIELD

Multiple Grammy winner and 2010 “Producer of the Year,” Concord Records recording artist Gregg Field is one of the most versatile and highly sought-after producers, drummers, and educators in music. He has been voted into Modern Drummer magazine readers’ poll five times. His collaborators include a veritable who’s who of the music world, and Field has performed with numerous symphonies worldwide. Field has appeared on thirty-two Grammy-nominated recordings, seven of which have been awarded the coveted Grammy. Not only a highly respected musician, Field is a busy record and television producer and has served as a Recording Academy Governor and Trustee, as well as Chairman of the Grammy Producers Committee. Field currently serves as Chairman of the Board of the University of Southern CaliforniaThornton School of Music Board of Councilors and is a member of the prestigious Bohemian Club of San Francisco.

NIA IMANI FRANKLIN

As stated by Lindsay Bierman, former chancellor of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, Nia Imani Franklin is “a remarkable young woman who embodies the power of the arts to enrich and transform lives.” As a composer, Franklin has had her music performed by the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Friction Quartet, and Jonathan Levin, among others. In addition to creating new, compelling works of art, Franklin is dedicated to empowering women in music, a mission upheld by “Compose Her,” an organization that Franklin founded in 2019. Franklin was a recipient of the William R. Kenan, Jr. Fellowship at Lincoln Center Education, following which she earned the jobs of Miss New York 2018 and Miss America 2019. Franklin holds a bachelor’s degree in music composition and theory from East Carolina University and a master’s degree from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts.

FRICTION QUARTET

The Friction Quartet exists to modernize the chamber music experience and expand the string quartet repertoire. Since forming in 2011, Friction has commissioned 43 works for string quartet and given world premiere performances of more than 80 works. In 2016, Friction made their debut at Carnegie Hall as participants in the Kronos Quartet Fifty for the Future Workshop. They developed the Friction Commissioning Initiative in 2017 as a way to work together with their audience to fund specific commissions. They were awarded a 2019 Intermusic SF Musical Grant to develop a participatory educational program that is accessible and sensory-friendly. While Friction has garnered international attention as commissioners and interpreters of new music, they are also devoted to performing masterworks at the highest level. They won Second Prize in the 2016 Schoenfeld Competition, were quarter-finalists in the 2015 Fischoff Competition, and placed second at the 2015 Frances Walton Competition.

NICOLAS ALIAGA GARCIA

Nicolas Aliaga Garcia moved to the Bay Area eighteen years ago to begin his operatic career after graduating from Tufts University in Boston. Since then, he has performed roles with many companies including Opera San Jose, Pocket Opera, Festival Opera, Berkeley Opera, Oakland Lyric Opera, Oakland Opera Theater, Boston Publick Theater, The Jarvis Conservatory, The Lamplighters, Theatreworks, Golden Gate Opera, and San Francisco Lyric Opera. He also toured for six months in Switzerland singing with a classical/jazz quartet, and worked for three years as the Education Associate for the San Francisco Opera Guild. He began his directing career with one-act operas for Pocket Opera, and most recently, Aliaga worked as the Assistant Director at San Diego Opera on productions of Madama Butterfly, Great Scott, and La Cenerentola. He has been the Cantor at Old Saint Mary’s Cathedral, California’s first cathedral, since 1996.

GORDON GETTY

American composer Gordon Getty has made a lifetime of contributions to the world of classical music. He was awarded the prestigious European Culture Prize in 2019, recognizing his extraordinary legacy. Getty’s music has been performed in such prestigious venues as New York’s Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, London’s Royal Festival Hall, Vienna’s Brahmssaal, Moscow’s Tchaikovsky Hall and Bolshoi Theatre, and Beijing’s National Centre for the Performing Arts, as well as at the Aspen, Spoleto and Bad Kissingen Festivals and Festival Napa Valley. Ensembles and companies that have performed his work include the San Francisco Symphony, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic, London Philharmonia, Munich Radio Orchestra, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Welsh National Opera, Los Angeles Opera, Leipzig Opera, and Bolshoi Ballet. Getty’s life as a composer is the subject of the documentary film There Will Be Music. His music is published by Rork Music.

CHAD GOODMAN

With a flair for inventive programming and a bold presence on stage and in the community, Chad Goodman is the recipient of Festival Napa Valley's inaugural Joel Revzen Fellowship. Since 2018, Goodman has served as an Assistant Conductor to the San Francisco Symphony. He has also worked as the Conducting Fellow of the New World Symphony. As Founder and Artistic Director of Elevate Ensemble, Goodman’s ambitious vision for concert programming resulted in the pairing of music from Bay Area composers with underappreciated gems of the 20th and 21st centuries. Goodman has previously served as Music Director of the Contra Costa Chamber Orchestra, Conducting Fellow of the Atlantic Music Festival, and as a rehearsal and cover conductor for the San Francisco Ballet. In addition to his performing career, he teaches young musicians the business and entrepreneurial skills through his workshop “You Earned a Music Degree. Now What?”

ANGELO GRECO

Angelo Greco has danced major roles in Tomasson’s Nutcracker and the Sleeping Beauty, Scarlett’s Frankenstein, Wheeldon’s Cinderella, and Balanchine’s Prodigal Son. He created roles in Possokhov’s Optimistic Tragedy, Rhoden’s LET’S BEGIN AT THE END, Welch’s Bespoke, and Wheeldon’s Bound To. His repertory also includes principal and featured roles in Béjart’s Gaîté Parisienne, Duato’s Nutcracker, MacMillan’s Romeo and Juliet, Nureyev’s Don Quixote, and Ratmansky’s the Sleeping Beauty. Greco performs with Roberto Bolle and Friends on tour and was featured at the On Dance Gala in Milan, Italy in June 2018, as well as at the New Year’s Ballet Gala in Baden-Baden, Germany in December 2017. Greco won the award for best male dancer at the International Competition for the Erik Bruhn Prize in Toronto, Canada in November 2016, and he received the Outstanding Artistry Award presented by Dance Europe in 2011 and 2012.

RONNY MICHAEL GREENBERG

Pianist, opera coach, and producer, Ronny Michael Greenberg is a leading innovator in the world of performing arts. A native of Montreal, he has toured internationally, performing in opera houses and concert halls including the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco, the Vienna Konzerthaus, Carnegie Hall, Montreal’s Place des Arts Theater, and across Italy, New Zealand, and Hawaii. Greenberg is the CEO & Artistic Director of Taste of Talent, a San Francisco Bay Area nonprofit organization that showcases the connective power of music and art through sensational experiences and promotes entrepreneurial empowerment of emerging artists. A full-time member of San Francisco Opera’s music staff, Greenberg has worked as pianist, harpsichordist, and prompter for many of the company’s productions. He is also on faculty at the Hawaii Performing Arts Festival.

JENNIFER GRIM

Flutist Jennifer Grim's remarkable depth and breadth as a performer of solo and chamber repertoire has gained broad national acclaim. She has performed with such renowned ensembles as the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and St. Luke's Chamber Ensemble and is the flutist of the award-winning Zéphyros Winds and the New York Chamber Soloists. Grim is currently an associate professor at the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami. She previously served on the faculty of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and in 2017, she was honored with the Teacher of the Year Award from UNLV. A native of Berkeley, California, Grim holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Stanford University and master's and doctor of musical arts degrees from Yale University. Grim serves on the Board of Directors of Chamber Music America and is the Program Chair for the National Flute Association 2021 Annual Convention.

MATT HAIMOVITZ

Matt Haimovitz is acclaimed for his artistry and as a musical visionary who pushes the boundaries of classical music performance, championing new music and initiating groundbreaking collaborations, all while mentoring an award-winning studio of young cellists at McGill University’s Schulich School of Music in Montreal. Haimovitz made his debut at the age of 13 as a soloist with Zubin Mehta and the Israel Philharmonic; at 17, he made his first recording for Deutsche Grammophon. Haimovitz made his Carnegie Hall debut when he substituted for his teacher, the legendary cellist Leonard Rose, in Schubert’s String Quintet alongside Isaac Stern, Mstislav Rostropovich, Pinchas Zukerman and Shlomo Mintz. Haimovitz’s recording career now spans more than 20 years of award-winning work on Deutsche Grammophon and on his own Oxingale Records. His recent release Meeting of the Spirits with Uccello was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Classical Crossover Album.

LAURA HAMILTON

Laura Hamilton was Principal Associate Concertmaster for the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, where she led hundreds of performances over 33 years. Previously a member of the Chicago Symphony, she appeared with that orchestra as a concerto soloist with Maestro Georg Solti. In 2020, Hamilton was appointed Interim Artistic Director for Classical Tahoe, where she is also concertmaster. She has performed in the Marlboro, Manchester, and Bard Music Festivals, in summer festivals in Norway and Greece, and on the Met Chamber Ensemble series at Carnegie Hall. She appeared as guest concertmaster for the Seattle Symphony, the American Symphony Orchestra, the Welsh National Opera, and the Adelaide Symphony. In 2014, while on leave from the MET, Hamilton served for one season as concertmaster at the Sydney Opera House. Hamilton teaches violin and chamber music at New York University. Her instrument was made in Venice in 1732 by the golden-age luthier Carlo Tononi.

MELISSA HAMILTON

Melissa Hamilton is a First Soloist of the Royal Ballet in London, England. She joined the company in 2007 as an Artist and was promoted to First Artist in 2009, Soloist in 2010, and First Soloist in 2013. Hamilton was born in Belfast and grew up in Dromore, County Down. She began dancing at age four and trained at the Jennifer Bullick School of Ballet. From ages 16-18, she trained at the Elmhurst School of Dance, then studied privately with Masha Mukhamedov in Athens. She won the 2007 Youth American Grand Prix and entered the Royal Ballet that year. Hamilton’s accolades include Outstanding Female Performance at the 2009 Critics’ Circle National Dance Awards and a gold medal in the Eighth International Seoul Ballet Competition in 2011. In 2013, she was named an Allianz Arts and Cultural Brand Ambassador for Northern Ireland.

ERIN HANNIGAN

Erin Hannigan is the principal oboe of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and was previously a member of the Rochester Philharmonic. She has been guest principal oboist with the New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Atlanta Symphony and the St. Louis Symphony. She spends the summer months performing and teaching at festivals including the Strings Festival, Mainly Mozart, National Youth Orchestra, the Grand Teton Music Festival, National Repertory Orchestra, National Orchestral Institute, Round Top, and the Gstaad Menuhin Festival. Hannigan is currently an adjunct associate professor of oboe at Southern Methodist University and a graduate of Oberlin Conservatory. She received her master’s degree, the prestigious Performer’s Certificate, and the 2019 Distinguished Alumni Award from the Eastman School of Music. Hannigan is also the co-founder of the non-profit Artists for Animals.

JAKE HEGGIE

Jake Heggie is an American composer who has written eight full-length operas, several one-acts, and nearly 300 art songs, as well as concerti, chamber music, choral, and orchestral works. Heggie’s operas, most created with Gene Scheer or the late Terrence McNally, have been produced on five continents. A Guggenheim Fellow, Heggie has also served as a mentor for Washington National Opera’s American Opera Initiative and CU Boulder’s New Opera Workshop. In 2016, he was awarded the Eddie Medora King Prize by the UT Austin Butler School of Music. He was also the recipient of the Champion Award from the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus. Heggie was the keynote speaker for the 2016 meeting of the National Association of Schools of Music in Dallas, and he is a frequent guest artist and master teacher at universities and conservatories across the United States.

CHAD HOOPES

American violinist Chad Hoopes regularly appears as soloist with the world’s leading orchestras and in recital at renowned international venues. His debut recording with the MDR Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra under Kristjan Järvi was released in 2014 on the French label Naïve. His performances have also been featured in broadcasts on radio, streaming, and television. Hoopes was named the first Artist-inResidence with the Munich Symphony Orchestra, a position created specifically for him after his highly acclaimed debut with the orchestra. He also served as Artist-in-Residence for Classical Minnesota Public Radio. In 2017, Hoopes was a recipient of the Avery Fisher Career Grant, and in 2008, he won first prize at the Yehudi Menuhin International Violin Competition. Additionally, he was awarded the Cleveland Arts Prize and was featured in an Emmy Award-winning commercial for major league baseball. Hoopes plays the 1991 Samuel Zygmuntowicz, ex Isaac Stern violin.

JENNIFER HUDSON

Two-time Grammy Award-winning artist, Academy Award-winning actress, and best-selling author Jennifer Hudson is an extraordinary talent. In 2007, her breakout film performance in Dreamgirls garnered an Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, Screen Actors Guild Award, BAFTA, and NAACP Image Award. Hudson’s 2008 self-titled debut album won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Album, and her three critically-acclaimed albums have since received numerous NAACP awards, a Billboard Music Award nomination, and multiple Grammy nominations. In 2013, Hudson received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and in 2015, she made her Broadway debut in the Tony award-winning production of The Color Purple. Passionate about stability, support, and positive experiences for children of all backgrounds, Hudson, along with her sister Julia, founded the Julian D. King Gift Foundation, which has served as a catalyst for change in health, education, and welfare for tens of thousands of children in the Chicago area.

RHOSLYN JONES

Rhoslyn Jones has established herself as an important presence on the operatic and concert stages of the world. Equally passionate about her own singing and the future of singing, Jones is a champion of arts education and works to promote young singers through her work on voice faculty at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and as the co-founder of the Bay Area Vocal Academy. Jones is also on the voice faculty at the Chautauqua Institute and most recently, was invited to be on faculty of the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity: Opera in the 21st Century. Career highlights include multiple roles at San Francisco Opera, Vancouver Opera, Pacific Opera Victoria, Chicago Opera Theater, and Arizona Opera, as well as appearances with celebrated symphony orchestras. Jones is an alumna of the Curtis Institute of Music, for which she currently serves as a mentor.

EUNICE KEEM

Violinist Eunice Keem has established herself as a dynamic and engaging artist, equally compelling as both soloist and chamber musician. She joined the Dallas Symphony Orchestra in 2011 and became Associate Concertmaster in the 2014/15 season. A winner of numerous competitions, Keem received first and top prizes at the Irving M. Klein International Competition, Schadt International Competition, Corpus Christi International Competition, and Kingsville International Competition, as well as a Paganini Prize at the Seventh International Violin Competition of Indianapolis, among others. As a chamber musician, Keem was a member of the Fine Arts Trio, first place winners of the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition. Several years later, Keem received first prize at the Fischoff National Competition again, with the Orion Piano Trio. Keem has participated in the Grand Teton, Lake George, Colorado and Breckenridge Music Festivals. She currently serves as adjunct professor of violin at the University of North Texas.

ALEXANDER KERR

Alexander Kerr’s expressive and charismatic style has made him one of the most accomplished and versatile violinists on the international music scene today. In 1996, at the age of 26, Kerr was appointed to the prestigious position of Concertmaster of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. After nine successful years at that post, he left in 2006 to assume the endowed Linda and Jack Gill Chair in Music as Professor of Violin at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. In addition to his teaching responsibilities in Bloomington, he maintains a busy concert schedule appearing with orchestras and in recital and chamber music performances throughout the United States, Asia, and Europe. In 2008, he began his tenure as Principal Guest Concertmaster of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, and in 2011, he assumed his role as Concertmaster of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra.

FIONA KHUONG-HUU

Born in New York City, fourteen-year-old Fiona Khuong-Huu studies the violin with Professors Li Lin and Kenneth Renshaw at the Juilliard Pre-College division. She was recently awarded the prestigious career grant award from Salon de Virtuosi and was invited alongside her sister Hina to perform at Buckingham Palace, where they played Vivaldi’s Concerto for Four Violins with Maestros Maxim Vengerov and Marios Papadopoulos. Khuong-Huu won first prize at the 2017 Grumiaux Competition, as well as at the Juilliard Concerto Competition, where she played the Mendelssohn Concerto with the Pre-College Symphony Orchestra. She also won third prize and the Best Virtuoso Interpretation at the Louis Spohr Competition in 2019 and has had solo performances with the Mitteleuropa Orchestra at “Il Piccolo Violino Magico,” in San Vito al Tagliamento, Italy, where she won second prize. Khuong-Huu attends the Spence School in New York City.

MISA KURANAGA

One of the world’s foremost ballet artists, with an inspiring story of fearless strength and determination, irrefutable star Misa Kuranaga is much more than the Boston Ballet’s first-ever Principal Dancer from Asia. Trained at the Jinushi Kaoru Ballet School in her hometown of Osaka, Japan and later at the School of American Ballet, Kuranaga joined the Boston Ballet in 2003 and held the rank of Principal Dancer for many years before moving to San Francisco Ballet as a Principal Dancer in 2019. She is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including a gold medal in the junior division at the Moscow International Ballet Competition and the Professional Scholarship Award at the Prix de Lausanne Competition in 2001. Most notably, Kuranaga won the gold medal in the senior division of the 2006 USA International Ballet Competition. She is an annual guest artist at the Vail International Dance Festival.

MEREDITH KUFCHAK

Meredith Kufchak joined the Dallas Symphony Orchestra as principal viola in 2019. Prior to her move to Dallas, she spent one season as a member of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. She completed her undergraduate studies in viola performance at Rice University, where she studied with Ivo-Jan van der Werff at the Shepherd School of Music. Kufchak received her master’s degree in chamber music performance from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where she studied with Jodi Levitz. Kufchak also holds an artist diploma from the San Francisco Academy Orchestra, where she studied with San Francisco Symphony violist Matthew Young. While living in the Bay Area, she held positions with the Fresno Philharmonic as principal viola, the Santa Rosa Symphony, and performed frequently with the San Francisco Symphony. Kufchak has made appearances at festivals including Yellow Barn, the Sun Valley Music Festival, the Olympic Music Festival, and Tanglewood Music Center.

TESSA LARK

Violinist Tessa Lark is one of the most captivating artistic voices of our time, consistently praised by critics and audiences for her astounding range of sounds, technical agility, and musical elegance. In 2020, she was nominated for a Grammy in the Best Classical Instrumental Solo category and received one of Lincoln Center’s prestigious Emerging Artist Awards. Other recent honors include a 2018 Borletti-Buitoni Trust Fellowship, a 2016 Avery Fisher Career Grant, the Silver Medal in the 9th Quadrennial International Violin Competition of Indianapolis, and top prize in the 2012 Naumburg International Violin Competition. A rising star in the classical realm, she is also a highly acclaimed fiddler in the tradition of her native Kentucky, delighting audiences with programming that includes Appalachian and bluegrass music. Lark plays a c. 1600 G.P. Maggini violin on loan from an anonymous donor through the Stradivari Society of Chicago.

JODI LEVITZ

Jodi Levitz, professor of viola at the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami and Artistic Coordinator of Stamps Ensembles, boasts an international reputation as a consummate artist and a passionate advocate of exploring new musical possibilities for the viola. While a student at the Juilliard School, she won first-place at the D'Angelo and Hudson Valley competitions, as well as the position of principal viola soloist with the critically acclaimed Italian chamber group "I Solisti Veneti." Levitz serves as co-artistic director of the Zephyr International Chamber Music Festival in Courmayeur, Italy, and as professor of viola and chamber music at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, she served as both chair of strings and chair of chamber music. A recipient of the Sarlo Family Foundation Award for Excellence in Teaching, her students have claimed first prize awards from the Walter W. Naumburg and Fischoff chamber music competitions.

NOAH LINDQUIST

Pianist and vocal coach Noah Lindquist is assistant conductor at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. Lindquist is also in demand as a guest coach at Young Artist programs and has coached the young artists of the Ryan Opera Center, San Francisco Opera’s Adler Fellows, and Hawai’i Opera Theatre’s Orvis Studio. Active as a performer and recitalist, Lindquist has appeared at venues such as Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall, Alice Tully Hall and Merkin Hall, Ravinia’s Bennett Gordon Hall, and Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium. In the summer of 2016, Lindquist recorded with Ana Maria Martinez for Amazon’s Emmy-winning Mozart in the Jungle, and their collaboration is featured throughout the soundtrack to the third season. Lindquist earned his M.M. from Mannes College of Music. After participating in the Merola Opera Program, Lindquist continued his training through San Francisco Opera’s Adler Fellowship. He holds a B.A. from Williams College in Chemistry and Music.

ALDO LOPEZ-GAVILAN

Aldo López-Gavilán was born in Cuba to a family of internationally acclaimed classical musicians. His first international triumph was at the age of 11, when he won the Danny Kaye International Children’s Award, organized by UNICEF. He made his professional debut at the age of 12 with the Matanzas Symphony Orchestra. Parallel to his classical abilities, López-Gavilán developed remarkable improvisational skills. He was invited to perform in the world-famous Havana Jazz Festival with legend Chucho Valdés. In 1999, he recorded his first CD, En el ocaso de la hormiga y el elefante, which won the 2000 Grand Prix at Cubadisco. López-Gavilán’s remarkable professional career includes composing original music for award winning films, arranging his own compositions for international orchestras, and performing in some of the most prestigious music venues of the world such as Carnegie Hall.

MALCOLM MACKENZIE

With a voice described as having a “rich vocal range full of inviting nuance,” Malcolm MacKenzie continues to attract attention in the dramatic baritone repertoire. MacKenzie has been heard at leading opera houses throughout the United States and Europe, appearing at the Metropolitan Opera, New York City Opera, Paris Opera, Finland’s Savonlinna Festival, Washington National Opera, Los Angeles Opera, Glimmerglass Opera, San Diego Opera, Arizona Opera, Fort Worth Opera, and Pittsburgh Opera. On the concert stage, MacKenzie has performed frequently as the baritone soloist for Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana, most recently with the Alabama Symphony, Los Angeles’ New West Symphony, and the Savannah Symphony. He has also appeared with the Los Angeles Master Chorale, the Pacific Chorale, the Los Angeles Mozart Orchestra, and the Madison Symphony.

WÉ MCDONALD

Wé McDonald’s star-making turn on her show-stopping blind audition on the hit NBC TV show The Voice drew national attention in 2016, but it was the kind of momentous debut she had been preparing for her entire life. Blessed with a righteously robust voice, she’s been singing since the age of 12, attending the Harlem School for the Arts after school and on weekends, where she studied theater and piano. A thoughtful teenager who learned to respect and value difference at an early age, she has become an advocate for young people impacted by bullying behavior by their peers. She has published two books: Make It Happen! Wé McDonald: Singer, part of the Make It Happen! series of books that helps middle school students build skills to reach their own goals, and Little Girl with The Big Voice, written by McDonald for younger children about courageously embracing one’s uniqueness.

SIMONE MCINTOSH

Hailing from Vancouver, B.C., Simone McIntosh is a mezzo-soprano with “sheer vocal agility and lovely rich sound” (Vancouver Sun). Currently an Adler Fellow at the San Francisco Opera (SFO), she also graduated from the Canadian Opera Company’s Ensemble Studio. Over the years McIntosh has received several distinguished awards and acknowledgments such as the Wirth Vocal Prize 2016, COC Ensemble Studio Competition 2016, Ottawa Choral Society New Discoveries Competition 2018, and inclusion in the CBC’s 2016 “30 Hottest Classical Musicians Under 30.” An avid lover of Art Song and recital work, McIntosh is always looking for new challenges in repertoire and is dedicated to exposing audiences to music and experiences they may not have heard before. McIntosh has had Fellowships with the Merola Opera Program, Songfest, Toronto Summer Music Festival, and The Banff Centre of the Arts.

LUCAS MEACHEM

Grammy Award-winning baritone Lucas Meachem is one of the most accomplished, in-demand singers of the moment. Named the winner of San Francisco Opera’s inaugural “Emerging Star of the Year” Award, Meachem enjoys a busy career at the most important opera houses across the United States and Europe, such as the Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, San Francisco Opera, Santa Fe Opera, New Orleans Opera, Cincinnati Opera, Florida Grand Opera, Minnesota Opera, Houston Grand Opera, San Diego Opera, Opera Colorado, Los Angeles Opera, Vienna Staatsoper, Royal Opera House, Den Norske Opera, Semperoper Dresden, Opéra National de Paris, Glyndebourne Festival, Royal Opera House, and Teatro Real de Madrid, among others. Meachem made his Hollywood Bowl debut in 2014, and he has sung with the New York Philharmonic, Saint Louis Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, and Seattle Symphony, among others.

TERRY MILLER

Bassist, composer and educator Terry Miller’s musical credits reflect a long and diverse career. A Bay Area resident, Miller’s unique skills on both acoustic and electric basses have led him to collaborations with a wide range of artists, including jazz icons such as Stan Getz and Dave Grusin and rock legends like the Grateful Dead, Steve Miller, and the Doobie Brothers.

JANE MONHEIT

Jane Monheit studied voice at the Manhattan School of Music and spent twenty years continuing to learn while touring and on the bandstands of NYC. She recently released her eighth album, Come What May, which highlights her fresh takes on first-rate standards––timeless, yet still addressing the current moment. Of the album, Club 44 label co-owner Joel Lindsey says, “The trademark lyricism of her voice, the detail of her interpretations, the sheer joy of her creativity shines brightly here.” Monheit also enjoys cultivating the talents of other vocalists, with a unique teaching approach that focuses on lyrical interpretation, improvisation, leadership, and career building, with an emphasis on self-love and self-care.

CRAIG MORRIS

Grammy-nominated trumpet soloist Craig Morris is a versatile performer, comfortable in all genres of music from Baroque to Contemporary. Regarded as a leading proponent for new music and original programming, Morris received a 2019 Grammy Nomination in the Best Classical Instrumental Solo category for his album Three Pieces in the Shape of a Square. Prior to his work as a soloist, Morris gained an international reputation as principal trumpet of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and associate principal trumpet of the San Francisco Symphony. Morris has also served as guest principal trumpet with the St. Louis Symphony, Swedish Radio Orchestra, Jacksonville Symphony, San Diego Symphony, Sarasota Orchestra, and Mainly Mozart Festival Orchestra in San Diego. Since 2007, Morris has been the principal trumpet of the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music. Morris is a professor of trumpet at the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami.

BETTINA MUSSUMELI

Violin soloist, pedagogue, and clinician Bettina Mussumeli enjoys a storied and varied career as a concert artist on the great stages of the world. While completing her artist diploma at the Juilliard School, she was offered the position of co-concertmaster and violin soloist of the Italian chamber orchestra “I Solisti Veneti.” With this orchestra, she toured for nine years as featured soloist and recorded numerous discs. Mussumeli returned to the United States in 2001 to join the faculty of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. While in San Francisco, Mussumeli was the first violinist of the Ives Quartet for 10 years. Commuting between her homes in Miami and Northern Italy, Mussumeli currently serves on the faculty of the Frost School of Music and the Zephyr Chamber Music Festival, and she maintains a varied concert calendar as both a soloist and chamber musician.

KENT NAGANO

Kent Nagano is considered one of the outstanding conductors for both operatic and orchestral repertoire. He has been General Music Director of the Hamburg State Opera and Chief Conductor of the Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra since September 2015. From 2006 to 2020, he was Music Director of the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal. In 2006, he was appointed Honorary Conductor of the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin and in 2019 of Concerto Köln. At the Bayerische Staatsoper, where he was General Music Director from 2006 to 2013, Nagano commissioned a number of new operas. He also served as Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin from 2000-2006 and became the first Music Director of the Los Angeles Opera in 2003. Among his honors are a number of Grammy Awards, as well as honorary doctorates from McGill University, the Université de Montréal, and San Francisco State University.

MARK NUCCIO

Mark Nuccio is currently principal clarinet of the Houston Symphony. From 1999 to 2016, he was associate principal and solo E-flat clarinet of the New York Philharmonic, and from 2009-2013, he served as acting principal clarinet of the ensemble. Prior to 1999, he held positions with orchestras in Pittsburgh, Denver, Savannah, and Florida. An active solo and chamber musician, Nuccio has been featured with various orchestras in the United States and has made multiple appearances as a featured performer at the International Clarinet Association conventions. As a studio musician, Nuccio has been featured on numerous movie soundtracks and various television commercials. Additionally, he has performed on the Late Show with David Letterman and on the Grammy Awards. Beyond his active performing schedule, Nuccio serves on the faculty at both the Bienen School of Music at Northwestern University and the Moores School of Music at the University of Houston.

GEOFF NUTTALL

Geoff Nuttall began playing the violin at the age of eight after moving to London, Ontario from College Station, Texas. In 1989, Nuttall co-founded the St. Lawrence String Quartet. As first violinist of this world-renowned ensemble, he has performed well over 2000 concerts throughout North and South America, Europe, Australia, and Asia. The quartet's busy touring schedule has seen them in such venues as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Metropolitan Museum, the Kennedy Center, Wigmore Hall in London, Royal Concertgebouw Hall in Amsterdam, Theatre de Ville in Paris, and Suntory Hall in Tokyo, as well as at the White House for President Clinton and guests. With the St. Lawrence Quartet, Nuttall has served as an ensemble-in-residence at the Juilliard School, Yale University, and Hartt School of Music. Nuttall is now on faculty at Stanford University, where the St. Lawrence Quartet is the ensemble-in-residence.

LISETTE OROPESA

Lisette Oropesa is one of the most in-demand lyric coloraturas today. A bel canto singer of considerable acclaim, Oropesa recently had a major success at Covent Garden and the Teatro Real Madrid as Lucia di Lammermoor. This season she opens Teatro alla Scala in A Riveder le Stelle. Oropesa was born in New Orleans, Louisiana to Cuban parents and played the flute for 12 years before she began her studies in vocal performance at Louisiana State University. After winning the Met Opera National Council Auditions, she entered the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program. She sang her first major role, Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro, at the Met at the age of 22 and has since sung in the most important opera houses in Europe and the United States. Oropesa is also an advocate for health and fitness and a devoted runner who has completed six marathons.

CURT PAJER

Curt Pajer joined the faculty of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music in 2010, where he currently serves as Musical and Managing Director of Opera and Musical Theater. Previously, he was Head of Music Staff at both Opera Theatre of Saint Louis and the Wexford Festival Opera in Ireland. Before moving to the San Francisco Bay Area, Pajer was based in New York City, where he worked as an assistant conductor at New York City Opera and as a freelance opera coach and pianist. He has also served as an assistant conductor at San Francisco Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Dallas Opera, Boston Lyric Opera, San Diego Opera, Opera Colorado, Prague National Theater, the Nissei Theater, New York Philharmonic, Bard SummerScape, Palm Beach Opera, Toledo Opera, and Baltimore Opera. In addition to his operatic work, Pajer is an avid recitalist and art song interpreter.

DEAN PARKS

Dean Parks has enjoyed a legendary four-decade career as a session guitarist in Los Angeles. Known as a master of all styles of music, he has played on thousands of sessions. Producers, artists, and fellow musicians rely on Dean to bring something new, fresh, and unique to each project. His list of gold and platinum records spans rock, pop, R&B, country, jazz, and film. Credits include Bob Dylan, Celine Dion, Steely Dan, Stevie Wonder, Crusaders, Herbie Hancock, Mary J. Blige, Sting, Bette Midler, Paul Simon, Eric Clapton, Michael Jackson, Burt Bacharach, Billy Joel, Graham Nash, BB King, T-Bone Burnette, Andreas Bocelli, John Williams, and Randy Newman. Recent live/TV performances include shows with icons James Taylor, Gloria Estefan, David Foster, Carole King, Quincy Jones, The Oscars, Emmy Awards, Grammy Awards, Library of Congress, Kennedy Center Honors, and Austin City Limits.

SIENNA PECK

Sienna Peck is a violinist, violist, and music educator. She received her Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees from NYU Steinhardt under the tutelage of Cyrus Beroukhim, Naoko Tanaka, Karen Ritscher, and Giora Schmidt. An avid chamber musician, orchestral player, and session artist, she is dedicated to reinvigorating string playing with multi-disciplinary works and cross-genre performances. Now based in the Bay Area with a full in-home recording set-up, she enjoys remotely tracking string parts and building full section sounds. At NYU Steinhardt, she served as a graduate adjunct instructor, and she continues to teach students of all levels.

SCOTT PINGEL

Scott Pingel has been serving as the principal bass of the San Francisco Symphony since 2004, after having worked with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra, the Metropolitan Opera, and the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Canada. He has also served as principal bassist of Arizona MusicFest and the Bellingham festival orchestras, and he has served as principal bassist and co-Artistic Partner for the Mainly Mozart Festival. He has toured throughout the United States with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, and he regularly performs in the Music at Menlo and Music in the Vineyards festivals. Versatile in a variety of styles of music, Pingel has performed in jazz clubs from New York to Stockholm, and his solo performances with the iconic heavy metal band Metallica have been seen by millions worldwide. Pingel is currently a faculty member of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.

DONNA RACIK

Donna Racik is an assistant conductor, vocal coach, and prompter at the Metropolitan Opera. In her more than 30 years with the company, she has had the privilege of working with some of the world’s greatest singers. She has collaborated on more than 80 operas at the Met, including the 2020 Grammy award production of Porgy and Bess. Racik’s wealth of knowledge, heart-centered connection, and deep enthusiasm has sustained artists and motivated students whom she has coached in master classes at Juilliard, Manhattan School of Music, and the University of North Texas. Racik is a trail blazer in melding her understanding of human energy systems and musical coaching, and she brings these worlds together to address issues like performance anxiety, stress related habits and distraction/concentration. Racik trains performers on how to free their energy, guiding them to find their full musical expression.

CHRISTOPHER JAMES RAY

Christopher James Ray is a conductor with a diverse background in both traditional and contemporary operatic works. He is currently Resident Conductor at Opera San José and an assistant with the San Francisco Symphony. In 2017, Christopher joined the music staff of the renowned Bayreuth Festival. Ray made his professional conducting debut leading a double bill of Gianni Schicchi and Pagliacci with the Mississippi Opera in 2014. A protégé of American composer Carlisle Floyd, Ray is a sought-after interpreter of Floyd's works. In addition to serving as the assistant to the composer, Ray recorded an album of Floyd’s songs with the celebrated mezzo-soprano Susanne Mentzer, available through GPR Records on the Naxos label. Ray is native of Sumrall, Mississippi and is a graduate of Florida State University, where he studied with Douglas Fisher and Carlisle Floyd.

SAM REIDER

Sam Reider is a pianist, accordionist, composer, and educator from San Francisco, California. His work brings together various streams of American music, from jazz and folk tunes to popular song and contemporary composition. Representing the U.S. Department of State as a musical ambassador, Sam has travelled to China, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, Vietnam, Estonia, Turkey and Azerbaijan, carrying his accordion on his back and collaborating with international artists. A passionate educator, Reider has led performance-based workshops for thousands of students around the world. These programs use American traditional music as a lens to explore important topics in cultural history and social justice. A mainstay on the faculty of the Stanford Jazz Workshop, Reider develops and teaches courses every summer for middle and high school students about composition, theory, and American music. Reider is currently pursuing a master’s degree in composition at San Francisco State University.

MARIO ROJAS

Tenor Mario Rojas, originally from Torreón, Mexico, is an alumnus of the Ryan Opera Center of Lyric Opera of Chicago, as well as an alumnus of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Among the honors Rojas has received are a 2020 Luminarts Foundation Fellowship, a 2018 William M. Sullivan Foundation Award, third place in the 2018 Dallas Opera Vocal Competition, winner of the 2018 Metropolitan Opera National Council Illinois District Auditions, second place in the East Bay Opera League Competition, the Marta Eggerth Kiepura Award in the Licia Albanese-Puccini Foundation International Vocal Completion, third place in the Palm Springs Opera Guild Competition, and the Emerging Singers Award in the Opera Index Vocal Competition. He has been heard at the Harris Theater’s Beyond the Aria recital series and Kentucky Opera’s Sidecar cabaret series.

TOM SCOTT

Tom Scott is a renowned composer, arranger, producer, music director, saxophonist, and educator. His 33 solo recordings have earned him 13 Grammy nominations and 3 Grammy awards. In 2013 he produced a CD for young ukulele master Brittni Paiva, which won a Hawaiian Grammy for “Ukulele Album of the Year,” and in 2017, he received his first Emmy Award nomination for Musical Direction of the Tony Bennett 90th Birthday TV Special on NBC. Tom’s career as a guest artist spans more than 2000 recordings by diverse, world-renowned artists, and he has appeared on countless movie soundtracks. Other achievements include composing scores for film and television. He has served as Musical Director for the Academy Awards, the Emmy Awards, the People’s Choice Awards, Comic Relief, the Carol Burnett Show, the Pat Sajak Show, Joni Mitchell, George Harrison, Olivia Newton-John, and the GRP All-Star Big Band, among others.

MICHAEL SHEPPARD

Pianist Michael Sheppard studied with the legendary Leon Fleisher at the Peabody Conservatory. He was selected by the American Pianists Association as a Classical Fellow, which designation led to the recording of his Harmonia Mundi CD of 2007. Sheppard has performed solo recitals and concertos around the world, as well as across the United States, including several solo Weill Hall recitals and a solo Kennedy Center debut. As an improviser and composer, Sheppard has worked closely with fellow composers John Corigliano, Christopher Theofanidis, Michael Hersch, Robert Sirota and the late Nicholas Maw. He is a native of Philadelphia and resides in Baltimore, where he works at both the Peabody Conservatory and the Baltimore School for the Arts, sharing his love and understanding of music and the artistic process with future generations.

BRINTON AVERIL SMITH

Critics have described American cellist Brinton Averil Smith as a "virtuoso cellist with few equals." Smith’s debut recording of Miklós Rózsa’s Cello Concerto with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra received widespread international critical acclaim. The son of a mathematician and a pianist, Smith was admitted to Arizona State University at age 10, and he completed a B.A. in mathematics at age 17. He subsequently studied at the University of Southern California and the Juilliard School, from which he received a Doctor of Musical Arts. Smith has appeared regularly as a soloist with the Houston Symphony since joining the orchestra as principal cellist in 2005. Prior to this, he was the first musician chosen by Lorin Maazel to join the New York Philharmonic. Smith is currently an Associate Professor at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University and a faculty member of the Aspen and Sarasota Music Festivals.

WESTIN SPROTT

Weston Sprott enjoys an exciting career that includes orchestral, chamber, and solo performances, as well as numerous educational and outreach efforts. He is currently Dean of the Preparatory Division at the Juilliard School, leading the Juilliard Pre-College and Music Advancement Programs. Since 2005, he has also served as a trombonist in New York’s Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. He is a recipient of the Sphinx Medal of Excellence and the Atlanta Symphony Talent Development Program Aspire Award. Sprott has performed frequently with the Philadelphia Orchestra, held a position with the Zurich Opera/ Philharmonia, and has appeared with numerous other major orchestras. He is the Board Chair of the Friends of SICMF, a member of the Bronx Arts Ensemble’s Artistsic Advisory Board, and a member of the Avery Fisher Artist Program's Recommendation Board. Sprott is an active speaker, writer, and advisor for diversity and inclusion efforts in classical music.

SVET STOYANOV

Svet Stoyanov is a driving force in modern percussion. He has performed more than 1,000 recitals and has presented over 200 masterclasses worldwide. Winner of the prestigious Concert Artists Guild International Competition, Stoyanov has also been presented with the Johns Hopkins University Alumni Award. His career highlights feature solo concerto appearances with the Chicago, Seattle, and the American Symphony Orchestras, as well as solo performances at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and Taiwan National Concert Hall, among others. Alongside his diverse performance career, Stoyanov is an associate professor and Director of Percussion Studies at the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami, where he has collaboratively built a unique and innovative modern percussion program. Stoyanov endorses some of the finest percussion instruments and products today, namely Adams, Remo, Zildjian, Pearl, and Pro Mark. His artistic mission is committed to the purity, quality, and virtue of music.

JEAN-YVES THIBAUDET

For more than three decades, Jean-Yves Thibaudet has performed world-wide, recorded more than 50 albums, and built a reputation as one of today’s finest pianists. From the very start of his career, he delighted in music beyond the standard repertoire, from jazz to opera, and his profound professional friendships have led to spontaneous and fruitful collaborations in film, fashion, and visual art. He also expresses his passion for education as the first-ever Artist-in-Residence at the Colburn School in Los Angeles, which recently announced the Jean-Yves Thibaudet Scholarships. Thibaudet’s recording catalogue has received two Grammy nominations, the Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik, the Diapason d’Or, the Choc du Monde de la Musique, the Edison Prize, and Gramophone awards. Among Thibaudet’s numerous commendations is the Victoire d’Honneur, and in 2012, Thibaudet was awarded the title Officier by the French Ministry of Culture. Thibaudet’s concert wardrobe is designed by Dame Vivienne Westwood.

RICHARD TODD

Richard Todd's career has been unparalleled, with work as a concert artist, recording artist, orchestral artist, chamber music artist, jazz artist, studio artist, composer, arranger, master teacher, and published author. He has been featured as a soloist at Carnegie Hall, the Hollywood Bowl, the Sydney Opera House, and Walt Disney Concert Hall, among others. Todd's professional career began at age 21 as a member of the Utah Symphony. At age 22, he became principal horn of the New Orleans Symphony, and at age 24, he won the Medaille d’Or at the Toulon International Competition. Todd has served as principal horn of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra for 35 years, and he has recorded for over 2,000 film and television scores. Todd has served on the faculty at Cal Arts, UCLA, USC, and the University of Indiana, and in 2009, Todd joined the faculty of the Frost School of Music.

AUDREY VARDANEGA

Praised as a “musically eloquent” player (San Francisco Classical Voice) "with the kind of freedom, authority, and strength...that one expects from the world’s finest pianists” and a “bewitching musical presence” (The Piedmont Post), Audrey Vardanega has performed as a solo and collaborative pianist across Europe, China, and the United States. She has received instruction from notable artists including Leon Fleisher, Thomas Adés, Gidon Kremer, Robert Levin, Miriam Fried, and Jonathan Biss. She currently studies piano with Richard Goode. She is the Founder and Artistic Director of Musaics of the Bay, a nonprofit chamber music series dedicated to music mentorship in the Bay Area. 2019 highlights include her participation in Argentina’s New Docta Music Festival in August 2019, her two-part Beethoven Piano Sonata Project at the Berkeley Maybeck Studios, and the launch of Musaics of the Bay, a concert series and mentorship initiative founded by Audrey in the Bay Area.

JEAN-ROMAIN VESPERINI

Jean-Romain Vesperini studied acting at l’École du Théâtre National de Chaillot in Paris and singing at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, where he trained as a baritone. After graduation, Vesperini decided to pursue a career as a stage director and spent several years collaborating with Luc Bondy, Peter Stein and Georges Lavaudant from 2005 until 2017. As a result of these long-term partnerships, he built solid professional experience by managing and leading artistic ensembles, and planning and negotiating with major opera houses such as La Scala, Paris and Lyon Opera, Bolshoi Opera, as well as at the Opéra-Comique, Salzburg Festspiele, Verona Opera, Aix en Provence festival. Vesperini then founded his own company and became a producer of theatrical shows, responsible for fundraising and building the production budget. Among Vesperini's future projects are Mussorgsky’s Boris Godounov at Monte-Carlo Opera, and Sacha Guitry’s play Quadrille.

RANDY WALDMAN

Randy Waldman began playing piano at the age of five and was hired for his first gig at 12, demonstrating pianos at a music store. At age 21, Waldman was hired to go on tour as pianist for Frank Sinatra. Shortly after, he was hired to tour with other popular headliners. For the following ten years, Waldman worked as a session pianist for records, movies, TV, and jingles, and he also worked as a song writer and arranger. Waldman was nominated for Best Vocal Arrangement for a song that he co-wrote for the Manhattan Transfer, and he co-arranged and performed on the hit song “Somewhere” for Barbra Streisand, which won a Grammy for Best Arrangement. Recently, Waldman has moved into producing, including for Bobby Caldwell, Patti LaBelle, Kenny G, the Stylistics, and Mary Wilson. As a recording artist, he has released five CDs, including three with the Randy Waldman Trio.

MEGHAN TODT WILLIAMS

Meghan Todt Williams is a violinist, educator, and artistic producer. As a violinist, she has performed at nearly every major venue in New York City, with ensembles such as American Ballet Theatre, the American Symphony Orchestra, and the New York Pops. Outside of New York, her work has brought her to venues such as the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia and Royal Albert Hall in London, as well as to California and Florida for Festival Napa Valley and Festival of the Arts Boca. Williams has also performed with a number of popular artists and bands, including Glenn Frey and the Eagles, Roger Daltrey from the Who, Darlene Love and Steven Van Zandt, Andrea Bocelli, Sarah McLachlan, Cyndi Lauper, Terence Blanchard, and Trace Adkins. Williams teaches violin and chamber music at New York University, where she is also a PhD candidate in Music Education. Independently, she maintains a vibrant Suzuki-based studio.