Lucas Cassagrande, cello
Italian-Brazilian cellist Lucas Casagrande is a graduate student at West Chester University, majoring in Cello Performance under the guidance of acclaimed international soloist Dr. Ovidiu Marinescu. He started playing at the age of 15 and achieved his Bachelor's degree at the University of São Paulo, Brazil in 2020, while studying with Dr. Andre Micheletti, and studied in Thibodaux, Louisiana, for one year with Dennis Parker at Nicholls State University. He's been working with chamber music and orchestra for the past years and also worked as a soloist.
Sofia Ramirez, violin
She began to study violin in her natal Coahuila, Mexico. She was a member of localand national youth orchestras before beginning her formal studies in Zacatecas, Mexico. She has participated in multiple festivals and forums and received masterclasses from Sergei Gorbenko, Natalia Gvosdetskaya, Cuauhtémoc Rivera, Jorge Risi, as well as the “Cuarteto White”, the “Cuarteto Larinoamericano”, "Amethyst Quartet", among others. She is now pursuing a master degree in West Chester.
Hannah Richards, viola
Hannah Richards studied the violin with Stanley Yoder and Carlos Rubio before making the transition to viola, studying with Shelley Beard and Adriana Linares. She took part in the Young Musicians Community Orchestra of Souderton PA and the Youth Orchestra of Bucks County and attended the Dali Quartet Camp and Festival through out middle and high school. She received a double Bachelors degree in Viola performance and Arts Management at the Hartt School of music in CT, studying under Steve Larson and performs with the Southeastern Pennsylvania Symphony Orchestra conducted by Allan R. Scott. She is currently obtaining her Masters degree in Viola performance under Adriana Linares.
Artem Tenkeli, piano
Pianist Artem Tenkeli is an award-winning musician with an international reputation. He's performed in various countries including Belarus, Ukraine, Russia, Central Asia and the United States. Artem graduated from the Ekaterinburg Conservatory in Russia in 2015, studying under the renowned Natalya Pankova. He has taken part in masterclasses with such pianists as Pavel Nersessian, Alexey Nabiylin, Irina Chukovskaya, Polina Fedotova, Mikhail Arkadiev, Igor Kotlyarevsky Artem has graced the stages of prestigious venues and collaborated with top artists from renowned theaters.
He performed with leading artists of the Bolshoi and Mariinsky theaters, with musicians from the Moscow Virtuosi under the direction of Spivakov and with musicians from the Bolshoi Theater, Orchestra and the Bolshoi Symphony Orchestra conducted by Fedoseev. He's worked with Gerard Vasiliev at the GITIS Theater Institute and as an accompanist at the Gorki Theater (MKHAT).
Recently, he won the first prize in the PHL LIVE competition (2022) and impressed audiences at the Academy of Music with his performance in the Triumph competition of Rachmaninov (2023) Nevada international competition (2024) - 1st prize.
Franz Liszt Center International Piano Competition - 1st prize.
He now resides in New Jersey, captivating audiences with his classical concerts in the New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware regions