ANDRÉS CÁRDENES
Violin
Recognized worldwide as a musical phenomenon, Grammy-nominated Andrés Cárdenes parlays his talents into one of classical music’s most versatile careers. A passionate and charismatic artist, Cuban-born Cárdenes has garnered international acclaim from critics and audiences alike for his compelling solo violin, conducting, viola, chamber music, concertmaster and recorded performances.
Since winning second prize at the 1982 Tchaikovsky International Violin Competition in Moscow, Mr. Cárdenes has appeared as soloist with over one hundred orchestras on five continents, including those of Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Los Angeles, St. Louis, Detroit, Moscow, Bavarian Radio, Dallas, Helsinki, Shanghai, Caracas and Barcelona. He has collaborated with many of the world’s greatest conductors, including Lorin Maazel, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, Mariss Jansons, Charles Dutoit, Christoph Eschenbach, Sir André Previn, Leonard Slatkin, Jaap van Zweden, David Zinman and Manfred Honeck.
Cárdenes’ discography includes over three dozen recordings of concerti, sonatas, short works, orchestral and chamber music on the Ocean, Naxos, Sony, Arabesque, Albany, Delos, RCA, ProArte, Telarc, Artek, Melodya and Enharmonic labels. This year and next Mr. Cárdenes continues his project to record many standard and contemporary concerti.
Mr. Cardenes is Distinguished Artist-in-Residence at Lynn Conservatory and Distinguished Professor Emeritus at Carnegie Mellon University.
ISABEL CÁRDENES,
Harp
Harpist, Isabel Cardenes is known for her sensitive musicianship and unique self-expression. Passionate about using music for healing and social change, she frequently performs in non-traditional settings. Isabel began studying the harp with Gretchen Van Hoesen Gorton, Pittsburgh Symphony Principal Harpist. She is a senior at Manhattan School of Music studying with Metropolitan Opera Harpist, Mariko Anraku on a Presidential Scholarship. Isabel performed as a substitute harpist for the Harrisburg Symphony and Charleston Symphony. She played her debut with the Metropolitan Opera orchestra in Carnegie Hall in 2022. Isabel won First Prize in Pittsburgh’s Lois Streator/Smith Competition and Third Prize at the American Harp Society National Competition in 2019-2020. Isabel won merit scholarships to attend Interlochen Arts Camp, and various music festivals in Europe. In February of 2024 she performed her Gliére Concerto debut with the Butler Symphony Orchestra. As a member of the Trio con Brio with her family, they presented a Porch Concert Series during the warm months of 2020-2024, featuring over 80 regional musicians and raising over $15,000 for local causes.
RAFAEL FIGUEROA
Cello
Principal cellist with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra since 1995, Rafael Figueroa has appeared as a soloist and chamber musician throughout the US, Europe, South and Central Americas, Korea, and Japan. He is the winner of many distinguished competitions and awards including the First Prize at the Gregor Piatigorsky Competition in Boston, the Bronze Medal at the International Pablo Casals Competition in Budapest, and winner of the concerto competition at the Third American Cello Congress. Figueroa has been a frequent soloist with the Casals Festival in Puerto Rico as well as the Casals Festival in Tokyo, Aspen Music Festival, Marlboro Music Festival, the Musique et Vin au Clos Vougeot in Burgundy, the Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival, and the Pacific Music Festival. Figueroa made his Carnegie Hall solo debut together with concertmaster David Chan and the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra in the Brahms Double Concerto to critical acclaim. He completed his studies at Indiana University under Janos Starker and Gary Hoffman.
BROOKE GUNTER
Violin
Brooke Gunter from Hobe Sound, Florida, is a master’s student studying violin performance at Lynn University under Andrés Cárdenes. Brooke holds her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Violin Performance and Advanced Musical Studies degree from Carnegie Mellon University both under the direction of Andrés Cárdenes. In 2021, Brooke was invited to play with tenor Andrea Bocelli at the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, PA. In 2018 and 2019, Brooke was selected to perform with the New World Symphony Side-by-Side concerts under conductor Michael Tilson Thomas, serving as a concertmaster in 2019.
In the summer of 2023, Brooke was selected for a full scholarship to attend Eastern Music Festival under Avi Nagin, where she served as one of the festival’s concertmasters. Brooke was a member of the Young Artist Quartet in Residence at Rushmore Music Festival studying under Brett Wallfish and Katie Smirnova (2021). She attended the Meadowmount School of Music where she studied with Gerardo Riberio (2019), and Elmar Oliveria (2018). Previous teachers include Alexandr Zhuk, Stephen Majeske, and Cynthia Hinkleman.
IAN HOBSON
Piano
Pianist and conductor Ian Hobson is recognized internationally for his command of an extraordinarily comprehensive repertoire. Maestro Hobson currently serves as Guest Conductor of the Sinfonia Varsovia and Music Director of the Sinfonia da Camera, a professional chamber orchestra affiliated with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where Mr. Hobson is the Swanlund Emeritus Professor of Music.
Mr. Hobson’s vast and varied discography is comprised of more than 60 recordings. He has appeared as soloist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, the symphony orchestras of Baltimore, Florida, Houston, Indianapolis, Pittsburgh, St. Louis and the American Symphony Orchestra and Orquesta Sinfónica de Puerto Rico. Abroad, he has been heard with Great Britain’s Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, The London Philharmonic Orchestra, Scottish National Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, and Hallé Orchestra, ORF-Vienna, Orchester der Beethovenhalle, Moscow Chopin Orchestra, Israeli Sinfonietta, and New Zealand Symphony Orchestra.
A graduate of the Royal Academy of Music, Mr. Hobson won First Prize at the Leeds International Piano Competition in 1981. Born in Wolverhampton, England, he studied at Cambridge University as well as at Yale University.
GERALD KARNI
Viola
Gerald Karni (b. 1996) is a two-time recipient of the Georg Solti Career Assistance Award and Silver Medalist at the 3rd International Antál Dorati Conducting Competition. Recent highlights include performances with the Hamburger Camerata at the Elbphilharmonie, the Sibiu Philharmonic with Michael Barenboim, and the New York Philharmonic Ensembles in the world premiere of Melinda Wagner’s Elegy Flywheel. He has conducted the Orchestra Svizzera Italiana, Lucerne Symphony, Sønderjyllands Symfoniorkester, and Verbier Festival Orchestras. In May 2024, he made his Belgrade Philharmonic debut, stepping in last-minute for a program featuring Strauss’ Don Quixote.
A former Conducting Fellow at the Verbier Festival, he assisted Sir Simon Rattle, Gábor Takács-Nagy, Gianandrea Noseda, and Klaus Mäkelä. Alan Gilbert selected him for the 2024 NDR Elbphilharmonie masterclass, and he remains a mentor. Gerald founded Zurich’s Side-by-Side project, bridging students and professionals. A violist by training, he studied at ZHdK with Lawrence Power and at the Conservatorio della Svizzera Italiana. He has been a member of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra since 2015, mentored by Daniel Barenboim.
MICHAEL KLOTZ
Viola
Michael Klotz has established an international reputation as a performer and pedagogue of the viola. Klotz made his solo debut with the Rochester Philharmonic at the age of 17 and has since then appeared as soloist with orchestra, recitalist, and chamber musician worldwide. Michael Klotz joined the Amernet String Quartet in 2002 and has toured and recorded commercially worldwide. His festival appearances have included Seattle, Newport, Caramoor, ChamberFest Cleveland, Festival Mozaic, Great Lakes, Cervantino, Festival Baltimore, Festival Mozaic,Piccolo Spoleto, Sunflower, Martha’s Vineyard, Skaneateles, Virginia Tech Vocal Arts and Music Festival, San Miguel de Allende, Beverly Hills, Music Mountain, Bowdoin, Madeline Island, and Miami Mainly Mozart. Michael Klotz is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music, where he was awarded the Performer’s Certificate. In 2002 he became one of the few individuals to be awarded a double Master’s Degree in violin and viola from the Juilliard School. Michael Klotz serves as Teaching Professor of Viola and Chamber Music at Florida International University. He is currently a member of the artist faculty of the Heifetz Institute and a viola coach at New World Symphony.
SHENG-YUAN KUAN
Piano
Praised for her “admirable technical finesse and expressive flair” (Baltimore Sun), pianist Sheng-Yuan Kuan has garnered enthusiastic receptions for her solo and chamber music performances. Her collaborations with renowned musicians such as Chad Hoopes, Nobuko Imai, Stefan Jackiw, Espen Lilleslatten, Elmar Oliveira, Sir Angel Romero, Richard Stolzman, Stephen Taylor, Keng-Yuen Tseng, and Latin Grammy Award winner Nestor Torres, reflect her passion in making chamber music of eclectic styles.
Originally from Taiwan, Sheng-Yuan relocated to America to further her music education. She holds degrees from The Peabody Conservatory (DMA), Yale School of Music (MM), and the Manhattan School of Music (BM), studying with Boris Slutsky, Peter Frankl, Scott McCarrey and Constance Keene. She received accolades from the 13th Beethoven Piano Competition in Vienna, the 12th Taipei Chopin International Piano Competition, Corpus Christi International Competition in Texas, and New York Kosciuszko Chopin Piano Competition. Currently holding the positions of staff pianist and adjunct keyboard instructor at Lynn University Conservatory of Music in south Florida, Sheng-Yuan performs at the Heifetz International Music Institute in the summer.
GARY LEVINSON
Violin
Gary Levinson enjoys a multifaceted career as a soloist, chamber musician, and a pedagogue. Praised for his intense musicality and adroit technique by American and European critics, he has served as the Senior Principal Associate Concertmaster of the Dallas Symphony since 2001. In 2013, he accepted the prestigious post of Artistic Director of the Chamber Music Society of Fort Worth. Mr. Levinson then made his New York Philharmonic solo debut in 1991, under the baton of Erich Leinsdorf. In the same year, Mr. Levinson completed his Master of Music degree at The Juilliard School, where his teachers included Dorothy DeLay, Glenn Dicterow, and Felix Galimir.
As a soloist, Mr. Levinson has collaborated with top conductors including Erich Leinsdorf, Jaap van Zweden, Zubin Mehta and others. A champion of contemporary music, Mr. Levinson commissioned the Third Violin Concerto from Charles Ives Living Award winning composer George Tsontakis in 2019.
Mr. Levinson performs on a Lorenzo Storioni violin, the “ex-Ricci”, crafted in 1787.
CHO-LIANG LIN
Violin
Cho-Liang Lin was born in Taiwan. At twelve, he moved to Sydney to further his studies with Robert Pikler, student of the celebrated Hungarian violinist, Jenő Hubay. After playing for Itzhak Perlman in a master class, Lin decided that he must study with Mr. Perlman’s teacher, Dorothy DeLay. At fifteen, Lin traveled to New York and spent the next six years working with DeLay at Juilliard.
A concert career was launched in 1980 with Lin’s debut playing Mendelssohn Concerto with the New York Philharmonic and Zubin Mehta. He has since performed as soloist with major orchestras such as New York Philharmonic, Detroit Symphony, Munich Philharmonic, Toronto Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony, Nashville Symphony and Royal Philharmonic.
At the age of 31, Juilliard, invited Lin to become faculty and in 2006, he was appointed professor at Rice University. He was music director of La Jolla SummerFest for 18 years, and currently serves as artistic director of Beare's Premiere Music Festival in Hong Kong.
Cho-Liang Lin is the B. A. Shepherd Distinguished Professor of Violin at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University. His many students are soloists, concertmasters, and titled chair players in many orchestras
ELIZABETH LU
Flute
Flutist, Elizabeth Lu’s vibrant music career has spanned the globe. She has performed in notable venues such as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall and Peter Jay Sharp Theater, and the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. She has been invited to international festivals such as Académie Musicale de Villecroze in France, Le Domaine Forget and Orford Music Festivals in Canada, and Vianden Chamber Music Festival in Luxembourg. She has been the recipient of fellowships at several acclaimed music festivals including Boston Symphony Orchestra’s Tanglewood Music Festival, Aspen Music Festival, Music Academy of the West, Spoleto Festival USA, the National Repertory Orchestra, and National Festival Orchestra and Institute. Ms. Lu has played principal flute under the baton of esteemed conductors, such as Andris Nelsons, Michael Tilson Thomas, Marin Alsop, Stéphane Denève, Vladimir Jurowski, Sir Neville Marriner, Esa-Pekka Salonen, and Leonard Slatkin. She has also shared a stage with distinguished musicians, including Placido Domingo, Renee Fleming, Yo-Yo Ma, Yuja Wang, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Augustin Hadelich and Gil Shaham, among many others.
STOJO MISERLIOSKI
Clarinet
Stojo, a native Macedonian, first started playing the clarinet at the age of eleven. He has since won many national and international competitions.He is equally at home as a soloist, recitalist, in the orchestra or in a chamber setting. His performance engagements have taken him all over Europe and North America.
Currently working as a freelance musician and a clarinet teacher in South Florida he has collaborated with such conductors as: Gerard Schwarz, Gary Sheldon, Gunther Schuller, David Stern, Alastair Willis, Guillermo Figueroa, Constantine Kistopoulos, Nir Kabaretti, Greg Ritchey, Albert-George Schram, Jon Robertson.
Besides playing classical music, Stojo is also passionate about teaching, playing Klezmer, and practicing Yoga. In addition to his private studio teaching, he is also holding the clarinet position at the Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida.
Stojo is an Artist-Clinician for Buffet Crampon and Silverstein Works.
LANA SURAN
Piano
Lana Suran is a Swedish pianist known for her expressive artistry, refined technique, and compelling interpretations. She has performed at renowned venues across Europe and North America, captivating audiences with her depth and sensitivity.
Lana’s musical journey began in Stockholm, leading her to study at some of the world’s most prestigious institutions include the Walnut Hill School for the Arts. New England Conservatory of Music and the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel in Belgium. As a soloist and chamber musician, she collaborates with leading artists and ensembles, continuously exploring new artistic dimensions. Her repertoire spans from the Baroque to contemporary works, reflecting both deep tradition and a fresh interpretative approach.
Beyond her performance career, Lana is a dedicated educator with over a decade of teaching experience, inspiring the next generation of musicians. She is also engaged in interdisciplinary projects that connect classical music with other art forms.
WENDY SUTTER
Cello
Wendy Sutter is recognized as one of the leading cellists of her generation, praised for her compelling artistry and versatility. She has performed as a soloist with major orchestras worldwide, including The Dallas Symphony, The Seattle Symphony, The Colorado Symphony, The Hong Kong Philharmonic, The Brussels Philharmonic, The Shanghai Symphony, The Shenzhen Symphony, The Royal Residentie Orchestra of The Hague, The Tucson Symphony, The Northern Netherlands Orchestra, and The Juilliard Symphony.
A champion of contemporary music, Sutter has collaborated with renowned composers such as Philip Glass, Don Byron, and Martin Matalon, premiering nearly 20 solo works. Her recording of Songs and Poems for Solo Cello by Philip Glass was met with critical acclaim, earning NPR’s “Best New CD of the Year” and becoming one of the top-selling classical albums on iTunes.
She has performed as recitalist at the Barbican, Dallas Opera House, BargeMusic, to name a few and has performed at major festivals, including Marlboro, Mostly Mozart, Spoleto, Ravinia, Seattle and the Lincoln Center Chamber Music Society. A frequent presence at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, Sutter continues to captivate audiences worldwide with her artistry and depth of expression.
RICHARD YOUNG
Viola
At age 13, Richard Young was invited to perform for Queen Elisabeth of Belgium at the Royal Palace in Brussels. Since then he has performed throughout North and South America, Europe, the Far East, Africa, and Australia. He was a member of the New Hungarian Quartet as well as the violinist of the Rogeri Trio. From 1985 he was the violist of the renowned Vermeer Quartet.
Mr. Young has recorded over three dozen works for Teldec, Naxos, Orion, Cedille, Vox, Musical Heritage, Angelicum, and Alden Productions. He has received three Grammy nominations and is the author of a best-selling book on Haydn entitled Echoes from Calvary. He has taught at Northern Illinois University, the University of Michigan, Northwestern University, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana (Bogota, Colombia), Wichita State University, North Park University, and was chairman of the string faculty at Oberlin Conservatory. He has an honorary doctorate from Dominican University and is a Fellow of the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, England.