SpringFest! 2026 Musicians
Ara Gregorian
Violinist/violist ARA GREGORIAN made his debut as soloist with the Boston Pops Orchestra in Symphony Hall and has appeared at Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall and the Kennedy Center, and in cities throughout the world including Boston, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Vancouver, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, Ulaanbaatar, Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Helsinki. Gregorian is the founder and artistic director of Four Seasons and has appeared at the SpringLight (Finland), Storioni (Holland), Casals (Puerto Rico), Intimacy of Creativity (Hong Kong), Voice of Music (Israel), Vail, Taos and Sante Fe festivals. He has performed extensively as a member of the Cooperstown and Daedalus quartets and the chamber music ensemble Concertante. Gregorian has served on the violin/viola/chamber music faculty at East Carolina University since 1998 and is the Chair of String and Piano Chamber Music at New England Conservatory.
Charles Berofsky
Equally at home as a solo pianist, collaborator, and composer, CHARLES BEROFSKY seeks to engage audiences through a myriad of styles and genres of music. Charles has been a prizewinner at the Campillos, New York, and Thousand Islands International Piano Competitions, along with winning concerto competitions at the Eastman School of Music and the New England Conservatory. He has participated in renowned festivals in the US and Europe, including the Music Academy of the West, Lieven Foundation, IMS Prussia Cove, and Taos School of Music. Charles has given recitals at Schloss Nymphenburg in Munich and Temple Emanu-El of New York, and has performed as a guest artist with the Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players. Charles is currently studying finishing studies at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater München, where he studies piano with Antti Siirala and harpsichord/fortepiano with Christine Schornsheim. Former mentors include HaeSun Paik, Alan Chow, and Logan Skelton.
Colin Carr
COLIN CARR appears throughout the world as a soloist, chamber musician, recording artist, and teacher. He has played with major orchestras worldwide, including the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, The Philharmonia, Royal Philharmonic, BBC Symphony, the orchestras of Chicago, Los Angeles, Washington, Philadelphia, Montréal and all the major orchestras of Australia and New Zealand. Conductors with whom he has worked include Rattle, Gergiev, Dutoit, Elder, Skrowasczewski and Marriner. Chamber music plays an important role in his musical life. He is a frequent visitor to international festivals and has appeared often as a guest with the Guarneri and Emerson string quartets and with New York’s Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. He has held teaching positions at the New England Conservatory and the Royal Academy of Music. St John’s College, Oxford created the post of “Musician in Residence” for him. Since 2002 he been a professor at Stony Brook University in New York.
Andrew Jun Chen
Inspired by the depth of relationships developed through collaboration, pianist ANDREW JUN CHEN has always been drawn to the ways in which chamber music closely mirrors human life. He began studying the piano at age 8 with Frederick Kuok and has performed at festivals including the Chautauqua Institution, Perlman Music Program, IMS Prussia Cove, the Young Artist Seminar at Kinhaven Music School, Four Seasons, and Olympic Music Festival. Andrew has been fortunate enough to collaborate with esteemed artists including Pei-Shan Lee and Itzhak Perlman. He has participated in masterclasses with renowned pedagogues including Peter Frankl, Gary Graffman, Boris Slutsky, Jon Nakamatsu, and Natalya Antonova. Andrew graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Piano Performance from the Eastman School of Music, where he studied under Alexander Kobrin. He holds a master’s degree from New England Conservatory, and is the pianist of Trio Eris under the guidance of Vivian Weilerstein and HaeSun Paik.
Catherine Cho
CATHERINE CHO draws upon her experiences as a soloist, chamber musician, pedagogue, and artistic director to support and mentor artists in their quests to engage and enrich their high values as future leaders. She is devoted to fostering the next generation of performers and teachers through the development of artistic excellence, inspired curiosity, and clarity of vision through a holistic view of the whole person. Her work as a teacher in the Juilliard Community Engagement Seminar highlights her passion for connection through art and communication. Cho has served on the Violin and Chamber Music Faculty of the Juilliard School since 1994. When away from her teaching and performing, you may find her tending her Zen garden, practicing yoga, or catching up with the Times. She lives in Brooklyn, NY with her husband, Todd Phillips, and son, Brandon.
Hun Choi
Praised for his “finesse and precision” [Concert Review (NYC)], cellist HUN CHOI made his United States debut as a soloist with the Penn Symphony Orchestra under Maestro Thomas Hong. Hun has given solo and chamber recitals at the 92nd Street Y (New York), Kimmel Center (Philadelphia), Bennett Gordon Hall (Chicago), Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts (West Palm Beach), and the Kumho Art Hall and Daejeon Arts Center (South Korea). As a substitute section cellist, he has performed with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Born in Seoul, South Korea, Hun received his Bachelor and Master of Music degrees, along with a Certificate of Musical Excellence, from the Curtis Institute of Music. He currently studies at the New England Conservatory of Music with Laurence Lesser, and is a teaching fellow at the NECMusic Preparatory School. His previous teachers include Peter Wiley, Gary Hoffman, Carter Brey, and Myung-Wha Chung.
Martina Consonni
Martina Consonni is recognized as one of the most compelling pianists of her generation, admired for her poetic sensitivity, musical insight, and refined virtuosity. Since her concerto debut at age ten, she has appeared at major venues including the Berlin Philharmonie, Wigmore Hall, Elbphilharmonie, Tonhalle Zürich, and Teatro alla Scala. A regular guest at leading festivals, she is equally distinguished as a soloist and chamber musician, collaborating with artists such as Gautier Capuçon, Steven Isserlis, and Tabea Zimmermann. She has performed with prominent orchestras under conductors including Louis Langrée and Anna Rakitina. A prizewinner of over 55 international competitions, she has received awards such as the Daniele Gay Prize and honors from Fondation Gautier Capuçon. Recent highlights include appearances across Europe through major artistic programs. Her recordings have been critically acclaimed, with BBC Music Magazine praising her “luminous piano playing.” Born in Como, she studied with Enrico Pace, Arie Vardi, and András Schiff.
Nicholas Hammel
Violinist NICHOLAS HAMMEL, known for his poetic phrasing and expressive depth, is currently pursuing his Doctorate in Violin Performance at the University of Texas at Austin under Sandy Yamamoto. He has also earned degrees from the Yale School of Music and the New England Conservatory, studying with Ani Kavafian and Don Weilerstein. He has soloed with orchestras such as the Eastern Connecticut Symphony Orchestra, Austin Civic Orchestra, and the Richardson Symphony Orchestra. Nicholas is also an active chamber music performer, and has had the pleasure of collaborating with artists such as Bion Tsang, Ara Gregorian, Anton Nel, and Robert McDonald, as well as members of the Miró, Borromeo, and Juilliard String Quartets. He also is the violinist of Trio Sponte, an up-and-coming piano trio founded at the New England Conservatory in 2023.
Sarah Jégou-Sageman
Violinist SARAH JÉGOU-SAGEMAN studied in Paris and Berlin with Boris Garlitsky, Philippe Graffin and Mihaela Martin, and now studies at the Kronberg Academy. An international competition winner, she has been advised by musicians such as Daniel Barenboim, Steven Isserlis, Janine Jansen, and András Schiff. Sarah performs around Europe as an active soloist and chamber musician alongside partners like pianist Rodolphe Menguy, Martina Consonni, and Jeein You, with whom she recorded for Warner in 2023. As first violin of Sonoro Quartet (honored in ECHO Rising Stars in 2023–24), she performed in Vienna’s Musikverein, Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie, and Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw. In 2024 she made her London debut in Wigmore Hall with Enrico Pace and Kronberg Academy peers, and her Dresden debut playing Beethoven Triple Concerto with Gautier Capuçon, Martina Consonni and the Dresden Philharmonic under Louis Langrée. Sarah founded the trio Clara, which won first prize in the Virtuoso & Bel Canto chamber music competition.
Yeyeong Jenny Jin
YEYEONG JENNY JIN was born in Seoul, Korea and began playing the violin at age two. She gave her first solo recital at eight after receiving the Kumho-Asiana Cultural Foundation Award. At nine, she began her formal studies at the Curtis Institute of Music with Ida Kavafian. She currently studies at the Juilliard School under Itzhak Perlman and Catherine Cho as a proud
recipient of the Kovner Fellowship. Jenny has received international prizes including silver medals at the Zhuhai and Stulberg International Violin Competitions, and First Prize at the 2023 Michael Hill International Violin Competition, where she was also awarded the Chamber Music Prize. She has taken part in summer programs such as the Perlman Music Program and Kronberg Academy’s Chamber Music Connects the World.
Michael Kannen
Cellist MICHAEL KANNEN was a founding member of the Brentano String Quartet and for seven years performed with that group on stages around the world. During those years, the Quartet was awarded the Cleveland Quartet Award, the Naumburg Award, and the Segal Award from Lincoln Center, and appeared in venues such as Alice Tully Hall, the Library of Congress, Wigmore Hall, the Concertgebouw, and the Sydney Opera House. Kannen has been a member of the Apollo Trio and the Meliora and Cooperstown string quartets, has appeared at the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, and has performed at Spoleto in Charleston, Italy, and Australia. Kannen has been faculty at Yellow Barn and Taos School of Music. For 22 years he was Director of Chamber Music at the Peabody Conservatory, where he still teaches, and in 2019 received the Johns Hopkins Excellence in Teaching Award.
Ani Kavafian
Violinist ANI KAVAFIAN has performed as soloist with virtually all of America’s leading orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and the Cleveland, Philadelphia, Detroit, San Francisco and Seattle symphony orchestras. She has appeared at the White House on three separate occasions for three different presidents. Kavafian has performed with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center since 1979, performs frequently with her sister, Ida Kavafian, and has appeared in solo recitals at New York’s Carnegie and Alice Tully halls. She has appeared at the Four Seasons, Music from Angel Fire, Bravo! Vail and Bridgehampton festivals, and recorded the Mozart violin concerti with the New Haven Symphony Orchestra. Kavafian has held teaching positions at Mannes College, Manhattan School of Music, McGill University in Montreal and Stony Brook University. She is currently full professor at the Yale University School of Music.
Ida Kavafian
The versatile violinist/violist IDA KAVAFIAN recently completed her 35th year and final year as Artistic Director of Music from Angel Fire. She is co-founder of Tashi, OPUS ONE, Trio Valtorna and Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival (running it for ten years), frequent artist at the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, former violinist of the Beaux Arts Trio and faculty member of The Curtis Institute (where she holds the Nina von Maltzahn Violin Chair). She has premiered numerous new works including concerti by Toru Takemitsu and Michael Daugherty, toured and recorded with jazz greats Chick Corea, Wynton Marsalis and Fiddler/Composer Mark O’Connor, appeared with the Guarneri, Orion, Shanghai and American String Quartets (as violist), and has had a solo feature on CBS Sunday Morning. A graduate of Juilliard studying with Oscar Shumsky, she made her NY debut under Young Concert Artists with the pianist Peter Serkin. Together with her husband, violist Steven Tenenbom, she breeds, trains and shows prize-winning Vizsla dogs, which presently include a Gold Grand Champion as well as a Master Hunter.
Hye-Jin Kim
Violinist HYE-JIN KIM was awarded first prize at the Yehudi Menuhin International Competition and the Concert Artists Guild Competition. She has performed as soloist with the Philadelphia Orchestra, the New Jersey Symphony, the BBC Concert Orchestra and the Seoul Philharmonic, and has been presented at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall and the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society. Kim has appeared at the Four Seasons, Marlboro, Ravinia, Music from Angel Fire, Prussia Cove and Music@Menlo festivals and was a member of the Cooperstown Quartet. She has toured as a member of Musicians from Marlboro and recently founded “Lullaby Dreams,” an initiative that brings beauty and humanity to babies and families in NICUs and children’s hospitals through music. Kim is associate professor of violin at East Carolina University.
Jiwon Grace Kim
Born in Seoul, South Korea, violist JIWON GRACE KIM is the second-prize winner of the 2022 Washington International Competition. Ms. Kim made her U.S. debut at the age of 16, performing as a soloist with the Richmond Symphony Orchestra. Since then, she has performed and collaborated with esteemed musicians, including the A Far Cry Chamber Orchestra, Nicholas Kitchen, Steven Tenenbom, and Itzhak Perlman. Ms. Kim has participated in prestigious festivals such as the Lake Champlain Chamber Music Festival, the Perlman Music Program Chamber Music Workshop, the Chamber Music Fellowship at the Heifetz International Music Festival, and the Fellowship at the Bowdoin International Music Festival. Ms. Kim is a Doctor of Musical Arts candidate at the New England Conservatory and is grateful to her mentors Mai Motobuchi, Jeffrey Irvine, Hsin-Yun Huang, Misha Amory, and Wenting Kang. Ms. Kim is deeply appreciative to play a Siegfried bow, generously loaned by The Maestro Foundation.
Yeesun Kim
Cellist YEESUN KIM has performed throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia as a founding member of the Borromeo String Quartet, in duo with violinist Nicholas Kitchen, and as a soloist, including engagements at the Philharmonie in Berlin, the Opera Bastille in Paris, Wigmore Hall in London, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Suntory Hall in Tokyo, the Sejong Cultural Center in Seoul, Carnegie Hall in New York, Jordan Hall in Boston, and the Library of Congress and Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. Kim has recorded and performed for NPR’s Performance Today and NHK Radio and Television in Japan, and appeared on Live from Lincoln Center. She currently serves on the faculty of the New England Conservatory in the cello and chamber music departments and teaches each summer at the Taos School of Music and at the Heifetz Institute.
Nicholas Kitchen
NICHOLAS KITCHEN has performed throughout the world both as soloist and chamber musician and as founding first violinist of the Borromeo String Quartet. He has done extensive projects with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the Library of Congress, and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. He has performed in some of the world’s great concert halls such as the Berlin Philharmonie, Wigmore Hall in London, the Opera Bastille in Paris, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, Suntory Hall in Tokyo, the Oriental Arts Center in Shanghai and the Seoul Arts Center in Korea. He is the Artistic Director of the Heifetz International Music Institute and Faculty member at the New England Conservatory of Music. Nicholas is winner of the Arion Award from the Cambridge Society for Early Music, the Evian International Quartet Competition, the Cleveland Quartet Award, the Martin E. Segal Award and the Avery Fisher Career Grant.
Julia Lee
Korean-American cellist JULIA LEE is passionate about creating authentic connections through music. A prize winner of the Antonio Janigro International Competition, she has performed at major venues across the U.S., Germany, Croatia, Canada, and Korea, and has appeared as a soloist with the Ocala Symphony, Alachua County Symphony, and the University of Florida Chamber Orchestra. An active chamber musician and recitalist, she has performed at Music in the Vineyards, La Jolla Music Society SummerFest, Dame Myra Hess, Four Seasons, Lunenburg Academy of Music and Performance, Perlman Music Program, and Santa Fe College of Fine Arts. She was a member of Juilliard’s Honors Chamber Music Program and served as principal cello of the Juilliard Orchestra. Julia is a performing artist with Project: Music Heals Us and is on faculty with the New York Youth Symphony Chamber Music Program. She earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Juilliard, studying with the late Joel Krosnick.
Thomas Lim
Applauded for his “warm tone and powerful musical interpretations,” cellist THOMAS LIM frequently performs across the world in venues including Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Jordan Hall, and has appeared at the Perlman Music Program, Music@Menlo, and Kneisel Hall, and many more. Currently under the tutelage of Laurence Lesser at the New England Conservatory, he is a recipient of the Dean’s Scholarship and has received the Borromeo String Quartet Guest Artist Award, the A Far Cry Fellowship Award, and an Honors Chamber designation by the school. He formerly studied with Natasha Brofsky, Darrett Adkins, Jonathan Koh, Minja Hyun, and has additional studies with Lynn Harrell, Mischa Maisky, Frans Helmerson, Joel Krosnick, and Hans Jorgen Jensen. He holds an MM from Juilliard and a BA and MS from Columbia University.
Yeh-Chun Lin
Taiwanese violist YEH-CHUN LIN has performed across the United States, Europe, Canada, and Taiwan as soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral player. A first-prize winner of the Les Violons du Roy Concerto Competition, Borromeo Quartet Guest Artist Award, and A Far Cry × NEC Collaborative Competition, she has appeared in First Monday and Harvard’s Signet Society and collaborated with Delirium Musicum. Yeh-Chun has participated in the Four Seasons Spring Workshop, Yellow Barn, Domaine Forget de Charlevoix, the Perlman Music Program, and the Heifetz Institute, where she has worked with Itzhak Perlman, Donald Weilerstein, Joel Krosnick, Colin Carr, Catherine Cho, and members of the Borromeo String Quartet. Committed to educational, community-based work, Yeh-Chun completed New England Conservatory’s Teaching Artistry Concentration Program. Having earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees at NEC studying with Mai Motobuchi and Beth Guterman Chu, Yeh-Chun currently pursues a Graduate Diploma at NEC under Wenting Kang.
KJ McDonald
KJ (Kenneth Joshua) MCDONALD began his musical journey listening to violin recordings of Itzhak Perlman alongside his father’s rock-and-roll albums. After an adventurous childhood in Southern California, he pursued studies in New York City, where he later worked with Perlman. KJ studied at The Juilliard School with Perlman and Catherine Cho, earning Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees as a full-scholarship Kovner Fellow. He continued at the New England Conservatory with Donald Weilerstein as a member of the Professional Piano Trio in Residence. A dedicated chamber musician, KJ is the founding violinist of Trio Eris, earning Second Prize at the Fischoff Competition and finalist recognition at Young Concert Artists and the Naumburg Competition. He has collaborated with leading artists and composers including Steve Reich, Thomas Adès, and Jörg Widmann. KJ has performed at major venues including Royal Albert Hall, Alice Tully Hall, and Jordan Hall, and recently appeared as soloist with the Miami Symphony Orchestra.
Robert McDonald
ROBERT MCDONALD has toured extensively as a soloist and chamber musician throughout the United States, Europe, Asia, and South America. He has performed with major orchestras in the United States and was the recital partner for many years to Isaac Stern and other distinguished instrumentalists. He has participated in the Marlboro, Casals, and Luzerne Festivals, the Chamber Music Society at Lincoln Center, and has broadcasted for BBC Television worldwide. He has appeared with the Takács, Vermeer, Juilliard, Brentano, Borromeo, American, Shanghai, and St. Lawrence string quartets as well as with Musicians from Marlboro. His discography includes recordings for Sony Classical, Bridge, Vox, Musical Heritage Society, ASV, and CRI. Mr. McDonald’s prizes include the Gold Medal at the Busoni International Piano Competition and the Deutsche Schallplatten Critics Award. A member of the piano faculty at the Juilliard School since 1999, Mr. McDonald joined the faculty of the Curtis Institute of Music in 2007, where he holds the Penelope P. Watkins Chair in Piano Studies. During the summer, he is the artistic director of the Taos School of Music and Chamber Music Festival in New Mexico.
Christina Nam
Praised for her “gleaming tone” (Gramophone), violinist CHRISTINA NAM has performed across international stages as a soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician. At age 14, she received Second Prize in the Cooper International Violin Competition where she appeared with the Cleveland Orchestra under Jahja Ling at Severance Hall. She has worked with conductors Louis Langrée, Robert Trevino, and Cristian Macelaru. Nam recently toured performing Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto with the Landesjugendorchester under Anna Handler in Germany, and the Sibelius Violin Concerto with the Jakarta Simfonia Orchestra under Rebecca Tong in Indonesia. Winner of the Juilliard Peter Mennin Prize and 2025 Verbier Festival Academy’s Prix Reyl Award, Christina is a founding member of the Amara Trio, which won the 2024 Chesapeake International Chamber Competition. Christina studies at the Juilliard School under Catherine Cho and Donald Weilerstein. She performs on a 1905 Stefano Scarampella violin, on loan from luthier and restorer Ronald Ji.
Bobby Boogyeom Park
BOBBY BOOGYEOM PARK, violinist, is a sophomore at The Juilliard School studying violin with Itzhak Perlman and Catherine Cho under the Kovner Fellowship. In the past, Bobby also studied with Donald Weilerstein and Li Lin. Bobby attended the Perlman Music Program during summers 2022~24. He was a 1st prize winner at the International Russian Rotary Music Competition in Moscow and winner of the 2019 Juilliard Pre-College Concerto Competition. In 2021, at the age of 15, Bobby was the bronze medalist at the Stulberg International String Competition. In 2022, Bobby performed with Maxim Vengerov and the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra in Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall. He has participated in festivals such as Four Seasons Chamber Music Festival and NUME Festival. In 2025 Bobby performed at Kronberg Academy Violin Masterclasses and worked with Mihaela Martin. Bobby was named one of four Rising Artists of the 2026 Rising Artists program at CMS Palm Beach.
Nicolas Perkins
Mexican-American violist NICOLAS PERKINS is a graduate of the Juilliard School and is pursuing his master’s degree at the Yale School of Music under Ettore Causa. He has participated in notable festivals including the Kronberg Academy Masterclasses, Gstaad Menuhin Academy, Perlman Music Program, Taos School of Music, and Kneisel Hall. He has performed in the “Juilliard Now” concert series at Lincoln Center. He has worked with esteemed artists such as Tabea Zimmermann, Antoine Tamestit, and Nobuko Imai, and studied with members of the Juilliard, Brentano, and Borromeo Quartets. He has collaborated with artists like Merry Peckham, Nina Lee, Molly Carr, and Rainer Schmidt. A Virtu Foundation Scholar, he plays on a viola by Joseph Grubaugh & Sigrun Seifert, generously loaned to him, as well as a bow from the Maestro Foundation. He is grateful to past teachers Hsin-Yun Huang and Mai Motobuchi.
Lourdes Pinney
Violist LOURDES PINNEY received her Bachelor’s degree under Jeffrey Irvine and Lynne Ramsey at the Cleveland Institute of Music and is currently pursuing her Master’s Degree as a student of Ettore Causa at the Yale School of Music. Lola balances her time by subbing with The Cleveland Orchestra and playing chamber music at esteemed festivals, including the Taos School of Music, Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, New York String Orchestra Seminar, Pacific Music Festival, and International Musicians Seminar Prussia Cove. Lourdes also holds first place prizes in the Darius Milhaud Competition, Ohio Viola Society Competition, and the Carol Jackson Concerto competition. When Lola is not playing viola, she enjoys rock climbing and yoga, both of which allow her to cultivate the focus, creativity, and mindfulness she brings to her daily life and music.
Marcy Rosen
MARCY ROSEN, cello, has established herself as one of the most important and respected artists of our day. The New Yorker magazine dubbed her “a New York legend of the cello,” and the Los Angeles Times has called her “one of the intimate art’s abiding treasures.” She has performed throughout the world and in all 50 of the United States. Sought after for her riveting and informative Master Classes, she has been a guest of the Curtis Institute of Music, the Juilliard School, the New England Conservatory, the San Francisco Conservatory, the Central Conservatory in Beijing, China, the Seoul Arts Center in Korea and the Cartagena International Music Festival in Colombia. She is a founding member of the Mendelssohn String Quartet and has been co-artistic director of the Chesapeake Chamber Music Festival in Maryland since 1986. Since first attending the Marlboro Music Festival in 1975, she has taken part in 25 Musicians from Marlboro tours and performed in concerts celebrating the 40th, 50th, and 60th anniversaries of the festival. A graduate of the Curtis Institute, Ms. Rosen is currently Professor of Cello at the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College, also serving as artistic director of the Chamber Music Live concert series. In 2024, she was appointed Artistic Director of the Evnin Rising Stars program at the Caramoor Center for the Arts.
Julia Schilz
JULIA SCHILZ is currently pursuing a graduate degree at The Juilliard School with Catherine Cho and Donald Weilerstein. She won Grand Prize at the 2025 Klein International String Competition. 2025-26 season highlights include festival appearances at Music@Menlo, ChamberFest Cleveland, Four Seasons Chamber Music Festival and Music in the Vineyards. Her 2025-26 season also includes concerto solos with the San Francisco Chamber Orchestra and Master Sinfonia Chamber Orchestra, solo and chamber music recitals presented by Musical Masterworks, as well as engagements with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, and Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players. Prior to attending Juilliard, Julia held a full-time contract with the Houston Symphony. This year, she performed with the Princeton Symphony Orchestra as a guest concertmaster, and frequently serves as concertmaster of the Juilliard Orchestra, appearing with the ensemble at Carnegie Hall, David Geffen Hall, and Alice Tully Hall.
Jake Dongyoung Shim
With a “pure, large, highly nuanced sound” (The Strad), violinist JAKE DONGYOUNG SHIM gained recognition as recipient of the IsangYun Prize at the ISANGYUN International Violin Competition. First Prize winner at the Stulberg International String Competition and Laureate of the J. S. Bach, Irving M. Klein, Zhuhai Mozart, and the F. Kreisler International Violin Competitions, Jake has received the Kronberg Academy’s Manfred Grommek-Preis and collaborated with SONY CLASSICAL Records. He has appeared as a soloist with the Tokyo Symphony, Baltimore Chamber Orchestra, Württemberg Chamber Orchestra, Sendai Phil, Kalamazoo Symphony, and Korea Chamber Orchestra, and as a chamber musician at Marlboro, Verbier Soloist Academy, La Jolla Society, and Chamber Music Society festivals. Currently pursuing his Master’s degree at Curtis under Ida Kavafian, Pamela Frank, and Shmuel Ashkenasi, he previously studied with Don Weilerstein at NEC and Itzhak Perlman at PMP. Jake performs on the 1700 “Dragonetti” Stradivarius, lended by the Nippon Music Foundation.
Macintyre Taback
MACINTYRE TABACK is the founder of the Bennetts Point Cello Seminar in Charleston, SC, which held its third festival in March 2026. Mac has recently performed at festivals such as Marlboro, Krzyżowa, IMS Prussia Cove, Kronberg CMCW, and Yellow Barn. In Fall 2025, he participated in IMS Prussia Cove’s Open Chamber Music Tour alongside his teacher, Steven Doane, culminating in a performance at Wigmore Hall. He counts among his mentors musicians such as Steven Isserlis, Gary Hoffman, and the Brentano Quartet, and has recently collaborated with Kim Kashkashian, Augustin Hadelich, Gidon Kremer, Lawrence Power, and Alasdair Beatson, as well as members of the Emerson, Borromeo, Elias, Doric, and Artemis String Quartets. Mac completed his undergraduate studies with Steven Doane and Rosemary Elliott at the Eastman School of Music, and is currently pursuing his Doctorate at New England Conservatory under Prof. Laurence Lesser. Mac plays on a cello made by David Tecchler in Rome, 1723.
Steven Tenenbom
STEVEN TENENBOM’S impeccable style and sumptuous tone have made him one of the most respected violists today. He has appeared with the Guarneri and Emerson String Quartets, the Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson, and Beaux Arts Trios. As soloist, he has appeared with the Utah Symphony, the Rochester Philharmonic, and the Brandenburg Ensemble. He was violist of the Orion String Quartet, and co-founder of the piano quartet, OPUS ONE. He has appeared at festivals including Santa Fe, Norfolk, and Music From Angel Fire. He is a member of the faculty at Juilliard. He also served at the Curtis Institute of Music and was a visiting professor at Yale. Tenenbom’s teachers include Max Mandel, Heidi Castleman, Milton Thomas, Michael Tree, and Karen Tuttle. Married to violinist Ida Kavafian, the Tenenboms live in Connecticut where they breed, raise, and show champion Vizsla purebred dogs.
Anatol Toth
ANATOL TOTH, born in Switzerland in 2003 to a German-Hungarian-Swiss family, began playing the violin at age three. His early years, spent traveling the world in a camper, exposed him to diverse cultures and unforgettable experiences, including surviving a shipwreck. These formative years instilled in him a deep appreciation for music’s emotional power. Since 2014, he has won numerous first prizes in Swiss and German National Youth Competitions and performed across Europe. At fifteen, he received the WDR Classic Prize, leading to live broadcasts. Anatol has performed at prestigious venues like the Beethoven-Haus in Bonn and is a prizewinner in major competitions such as the International Spohr Violin Competition. Now studying at the New England Conservatory under Miriam Fried, Anatol also enjoys swimming and chess, having competed in the Junior European Championship.
Manoush Ruken Toth
MANOUSH RUKEN TOTH is a Swiss-German pianist. In 2025 she graduated her Bachelor Diploma with distinction from the Hochschule für Musik Basel, where she studied with Claudio Martínez Mehner and Zoltán Fejérvári, receiving the Music Prize for the best Bachelor recital. In addition she completed a minor in Violin with Barbara Doll and the Corso di perfezionamento “conducting from the Piano” in Fiesole with Ricardo Castro. Manoush performs across Europe and Brazil as a soloist as well as a chamber musician. A prizewinner at numerous international competitions, she first gained attention as the winner of the Steinway Piano Competition and later received numerous awards including first prize at the Valiant Soloist Competition as well as the Beecham and Orbetello Competitions. 2024 she was invited as a Junior Juror to the Géza Anda Competition. In 2026 she will represent SRF Switzerland at Eurovision Young Musicians in Yerevan.
Sarah Tuan
SARAH TUAN is a pianist recognized for her expressive depth and lyrical sensitivity. She made her concerto debut in 2014 and has since performed at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, New York Steinway Hall, Klavierhaus, and the Warsaw Philharmonic Concert Hall. Her career highlights include first prizes at the San Jose and Philadelphia International Piano Competitions, and invitations to the Chopin International Piano Competition and the Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition. A returning fellow at Kneisel Hall, Tuan has also appeared on NPR’s From the Top and in the upcoming documentary Moonlight. She is currently a Teaching Fellow and Master of Music candidate at The Juilliard School, studying with Robert McDonald.
Claire Wells
Born in 2001, CLAIRE WELLS, has performed with orchestras including the Dallas Symphony, Konzerthausorchester Berlin, the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, and the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra. Claire appears at leading festivals such as Chamber Music Northwest, Chamber Music Connects the World, and has won top prizes at internationally renowned competitions including the Michael Hill, Sibelius, and Indianapolis international competitions. Claire is represented worldwide by Young Concert Artists. She currently resides in Berlin, and is studying at the Kronberg Academy under the tutelage of Mihaela Martin, made possible by the Opel/Dr. Schaefer patronage.
Yi-I Stephanie Yang
Europe-based Taiwanese cellist YI-I STEPHANIE YANG, recognized for her sensitive and refined artistry, has performed with Miriam Fried, Ida Kavafian, members of the Juilliard String Quartet, Jaime Laredo, and Hugh Wolff. She recently debuted with the Baden-Baden Philharmonie, performing Schumann’s Cello Concerto, and has appeared at the Berliner Philharmonie and Concertgebouw, at the First Monday Concert Series directed by Laurence Lesser, with A Far Cry, Borromeo Guest Artist Award, and at Carnegie Hall as a member of the New York String Orchestra Seminar. Stephanie’s Trio Sponte, winner of the 2024 Coltman Chamber Music Competition, has performed at NEC’s Jordan Hall, Rockport Music, and the Austin Chamber Music Center. A student of Paul Katz, Laurence Lesser, Michel Strauss, Jan-Ype Nota, Itzhak Perlman, Vivian Weilerstein, Robert McDonald, Mark Steinberg, and Kim Kashkashian, Stephanie has performed at the Four Seasons Chamber Music, Perlman Music Program, Carl Flesch Academy, Taos, and Kneisel Chamber festivals.