Yehuda Hanani (Artistic Director)
Named “one of the most polished performers of the post-Starker generation and a consistently expressive artist” by The New York Times, Yehuda Hanani’s charismatic playing and profound interpretations bring him acclaim and reengagements across the globe. He has won wide international acclaim as soloist, chamber musician and inspiring pedagogue, and serves on the faculty at the Mannes School in New York City. His concerto appearances have been with the Chicago Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Berlin Radio Symphony, Israel Philharmonic, BBC Welsh Symphony, Irish National Symphony, Buenos Aires Philharmonic, Jerusalem Symphony, Honolulu Symphony, Taipei and Seoul symphonies among many other orchestras, and he has toured with I Solisti de Zagreb, conducting from the cello. A frequent guest at Aspen, Bowdoin, Chautauqua, Yale at Norfolk, Great Lakes, Casals Prades, Finland Festival, Ottawa, Oslo, Round Top Institute, Manchester, and the Australia Chamber Music festivals, he has collaborated in performances with preeminent fellow musicians, including Leon Fleisher, Aaron Copland, Christoph Eschenbach, David Robertson, Vladimir Fedoseyev, Itzhak Perlman, Vadim Repin, Julian Rachlin, Dawn Upshaw, Yefim Bronfman, Eliot Fisk, the Tokyo, Vermeer, Escher, Dover, Ariel, Colorado, and Manhattan quartets. His recording of the monumental Alkan Cello Sonata received a Grand Prix du Disque nomination, and on CD and in live performances, he has given premières of works of Nikolai Miaskovsky, Lukas Foss, Leo Ornstein, Paul Schoenfield, Thea Musgrave, Joan Tower, Eduard Franck, Osvaldo Golijov, Lera Auerbach, Tamar Muskal, Virgil Thomson, William Perry and Pulitzer Prize winners Bernard Rands and Zhou Long. In New York City, he has appeared as soloist at Carnegie Hall, the 92nd Street Y, Alice Tully, and the Metropolitan Museum. Among the early designers and proponents of thematic programming, his engaging chamber music with commentary series, Close Encounters With Music, has captivated audiences from Miami to Kansas City, Omaha, Detroit, Calgary, Scottsdale, the Berkshires, and at the Frick Collection in New York City. A three-time recipient of the Martha Baird Rockefeller grant, Mr. Hanani’s studies were with Leonard Rose at Juilliard and with Pablo Casals. He has inspired scores of cellists as Professor of Cello at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and previously served on the faculty of the Peabody Conservatory. Artistic director of Berkshire High Peaks Festival, he presents master classes internationally at conservatories and for orchestras, including the Juilliard School, University of Indiana at Bloomington, New England Conservatory, McGill University, Paris Conservatoire, Berlin Hochschule für Music, Royal Academy of Music and Guildhall School in London, Tokyo National University, Jerusalem Academy of Music, the Central Conservatories in Beijing, Shanghai and Tianjin, and the New World Symphony in Miami. In recognition of his distinguished teaching, he was given the title of honorary professor of the Tianjin Conservatory, China. His objective is to instill a sense of wonder and adventure in young musicians, to lead them to technical mastery and bridge tradition with innovation.
Julia Bentley
Mezzo-soprano Julia Bentley’s apprenticeships with the Santa Fe Opera and the Chicago Lyric Opera led to appearances in leading operatic roles including Carmen, Rosina, Dorabella, Despina, and both Rossini and Massenet Cinderellas, from Anchorage to New York. Recognized by the New York Times for her “rich sound, deep expressivity and uncanny sense of pitch,” she has been featured as a soloist with orchestras led by George Manahan, Raymond Leppard, Oliver Knussen, Robert Shaw and Pierre Boulez. Ms. Bentley performs frequently with Chicago’s many fine ensembles, including the Ear Taxi Festival, Contempo, eighth blackbird, the Spektral Quartet, Fulcrum Point, the Chicago Chamber Musicians, Chicago Opera Theater, the Newberry Consort, the Chicago Civic Orchestra, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Lyric Opera and the MusicNOW series at Symphony Center with conductor Cliff Colnot. She has appeared to critical acclaim at Alice Tully Hall and Weill Hall with Pierre Boulez as the soloist in Le Marteau Sans Maître, and recorded on the Albany, Cedille and Tintagel labels. Recent engagements have included performances of La Damnation de Faust with the Eastern Connecticut Symphony Orchestra, Pierrot Lunaire with eighth blackbird, La Cenerentola with Sacramento Opera, Berg’s Lyric Suite with the Emerson String Quartet, and the Bach B Minor Mass with the Apollo Chorus as well as chamber music series in Chicago, Philadelphia, New York and the National Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. She is honored to have a 20-year affiliation with The New Budapest Orpheum Society and applauds its intrepid efforts to connect with audiences during the pandemic, featuring music from their Grammy-nominated CD As Dreams Fall Apart abroad and in the U.S as Artists in Residence at the University of Chicago. She served as an Associate Professor of Voice and Graduate Art Song Literature at the Jacobs School of Music in Bloomington, Indiana.
Anthony Devroye
Known for his gutsy, colorful and nuanced playing—and the communicative clarity of his performances—violist Anthony Devroye has helped people deepen their connection to great music for over twenty years. As violist of the Avalon String Quartet, Mr. Devroye has performed at Carnegie Hall in New York, the Auditorium du Louvre in Paris, Biblioteca Luis Ángel Arango in Bogotá, and the Shrine of St. Thérèse in Juneau, Alaska. The quartet’s diverse performance projects – and their recordings on the Cedille, Bridge, and Albany labels – have showcased a repertoire ranging from Beethoven, Bartok, Brahms and Berg to Stacy Garrop, Harold Meltzer, Leo Sowerby and Florence Price. Outside of the quartet, Mr. Devroye has frequently performed for Chicago’s beloved Rush Hour Concerts, a free summer chamber music festival for which he also served as Artistic Director for five years. In this capacity, he curated points of entry for listeners to explore programs ranging from Baroque performance practice to contemporary premieres and collaborations with poetry and dance. Mr. Devroye is also a regular substitute with the Chicago Symphony and has toured with the orchestra to New York, Vienna, Warsaw, and Mexico City. An innovative and inspiring educator, Mr. Devroye is Professor of Viola at the Northern Illinois University School of Music. He has also presented guest masterclasses at over a dozen universities including Northwestern and UCLA, and has spent summers teaching at Interlochen, Madeline Island, and the Icicle Creek Center for the Arts. He plays a 2001 viola made by Gabrielle Kundert in Olney, Maryland.
Mark Irchai
American pianist and conductor Mark Irchai’s concertizing has taken him across the United States and Europe, where he has become known for his diverse musical programming and multi-colored sound. His awards include 1st prizes at the XIV International Orfeo Music Competition, the George Mason University Concerto Competition, and the Golden Classical Awards International Music Competition. Most recently, he was awarded the Newton Swift Award in Collaborative Piano by the Mannes School of Music. As a pianist, he appears as soloist with ensembles such as the Piedmont Symphony Orchestra and the Mason Symphony Orchestra and frequently gives independently organized recitals as part of his “Mark Irchai Presents” concert series. Performance venues have included Carnegie Hall, the Lyceum in Alexandria, VA, the Embassy of Turkey to the United States in Washington, DC, the Musikschule Sterzing, Italy, two appearances at DOROT for their inaugural concert series for survivors of the Holocaust, and many others. He has collaborated with prominent artists such as John Aler, Marlisa Woods, Vasilisa Berzhanskaya, Jamie Reimer, and Janet Hopkins. Most recently, he performed alongside musicians from the National Philharmonic, the National Symphony, the US Army Orchestra, the US Army Chorus, the Singing Sergeants, the Peabody Institute, and other high-profile institutions of music. Mr. Irchai has also worked as an assistant conductor—from the podium as well as from the piano—for a number of ensembles, including the George Mason University Singers, Chorale, and Mason Opera. A performance with soloist Eddie Adams and the Mason Symphony Orchestra was featured on CBS News and Reuters. He holds a BM in piano performance from George Mason University, where he studied piano and chamber music with Anna Balakerskaia and orchestral, choral, and band conducting. Additionally, he studied orchestral conducting at the International Academy of Advanced Conducting. He received an MM in Piano Performance from the Mannes School of Music, studying under the direction of Simone Dinnerstein. He serves on the faculty at the Levine School of Music in Washington DC.
Ari Isaacman-Beck
Violinist Ari Isaacman-Beck, originally from Minneapolis, is the first violinist of the Philadelphia-based Dalí Quartet, in residence at West Chester University. His playing has been praised for its “impressive, masterful finesse” and “enormous soul and a big, vibrant sound.” Equally at home as a solo violinist and chamber musician, he has performed as a soloist or chamber musician across the North America, Europe, and Asia at venues such as the Concertgebouw (Amsterdam), Tonhalle (Zürich), Jordan Hall (Boston), the Kennedy Center (Washington DC), and Carnegie Hall (New York City). A passionate educator as well, Isaacman-Beck has served on the faculties of the Sunderman Conservatory at Gettysburg College, Yellow Barn Young Artists Program, New England Conservatory, and Junior Greenwood Music Camp; he has given masterclasses at the Eastman School of Music, Oberlin Conservatory of Music, University of Iowa, Miami University of Ohio, and the University of Hawaii, Manoa. When he’s not practicing, rehearsing, performing, or teaching(!), Isaacman-Beck loves to read, practice yoga, ride his bicycle, and cook, with a particular interest in traditional Italian dishes.
Dr. Sae Rom Kwon
Cellist Sae Rom Kwon has established herself as an active recitalist and chamber musician, with performances spanning Italy, Canada, South Korea, and the United States. She has appeared at prestigious venues including Carnegie Weill Recital Hall, the Coleman Chamber Music Competition Winner’s Concert, the Eastman Chamber Music Society Concert Series, Musica da Camera in Spoleto, Italy, and major recital halls in Seoul such as the Seoul Arts Center, Kumho Art Hall, and Sejong Arts Center. As a soloist, she has performed with orchestras including the Suwon Philharmonic, the Milleniem Sinfonietta, and the South Carolina Philharmonic. A distinguished prizewinner, Dr. Kwon has received honors from the Mendelssohn Fellowship, the American Protégé International Competition, and the Coleman Ensemble Competition. She has also been awarded John Celentano Award for Excellence in Chamber Music and fellowships to the Aspen Music Festival, Kneisel Hall Chamber Music Festival, and the Spoleto Music Festival in Italy. An experienced educator, Dr. Kwon has served on the faculties of Murray State University, the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music Preparatory Division, and the Starling Preparatory String Project. She has also been invited to teach at summer festivals including the High Peaks Music Festival, Bowdoin International Music Festival, and the Fine Arts Summer Academy in Tennessee. Dr. Kwon holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the Eastman School of Music and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. She is currently Associate Professor of Cello at Kangnam University in South Korea, where she serves as Director of the Music Department and the Pre-College Program, uniting her dedication to performance with her passion for mentoring the next generation of musicians.
Katie Lansdale
Violinist Katie Lansdale is widely acclaimed as soloist, chamber musician, and educator. She has performed as soloist and chamber artist in North/South America and Europe, and on numerous American concert series, including the Phillips Collection, the Caramoor Series, and Lincoln Center’s Rose Room. Winner of Grand Prizes at the Fischoff and Yellow Springs national chamber competitions, Lansdale has collaborated in chamber concerts with artists such as Yo Yo Ma, Felix Galimir, Donald Weilerstein, the Miami Quartet, Robert MacDonald, and Charles Neidich. For over 30 years she has been a member of the internationally acclaimed Lions Gate Trio, Hartt’s trio in residence, recording for Centaur and Triton records and performing across Europe and the Eastern US. Lansdale’s concerto appearances have included with the National Symphony, the Austin Mozart Orchestra, the Schroeder Classical Orchestra, the Cleveland Chamber Symphony, and the NY Spectrum Orchestra, the Baltimore Symphony and the New York Repertory Orchestra. In New York, where she founded the acclaimed Locrian new music group, Lansdale’s extensive chamber music concerts have ranged from Mostly Mozart at Lincoln Center with Yo Yo Ma to Merkin Hall with the Twentieth Centuryists; she now performs regularly in Carnegie Hall’s Weill Hall with the Festival Chamber Society. Particularly widely acclaimed for performances of solo Bach, Lansdale has performed the complete cycle over a dozen times in North and South America. “This is one of the best recordings of this music,” wrote the American Record Guide of her Bach CD (Amazon.com). Having presented solo Bach at Juilliard’s Delay Symposium, Lansdale directs the Promisek Bach+ Festival in Bridgewater, CT. A champion of musical connections to children and communities, Lansdale regularly joins with her students in community engagement campaigns called Music for 1000 Children. Lansdale studied with Ronda Cole, Josef Gingold, Felix Galimir, Donald Weilerstein and Mitchell Stern. She graduated cum laude from Yale, where she was awarded prizes in both the arts and humanities, and earned graduate music degrees (M.M., D.M.A.) at the Cleveland Institute of Music and Manhattan School of Music. She has served on numerous summer festival faculties, including Kneisel Hall Chamber Festival, the Amalfi Coast Chamber Festival (Italy) , the Kuhmo Festival (Finland), Aria International Music Festival, and Music from Salem. Having taught at Boston University and at State University of New York-Stony Brook, Lansdale now teaches at the Hartt School at the University of Hartford and Boston Conservatory at Berklee.
Max Levinson
Pianist Max Levinson’s career was launched when he won first prize at the Guardian Dublin International Piano Competition, the first American to achieve this distinction. He was awarded the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant and in 2005, the Andrew Wolf Award for his chamber music playing. The Boston Globe proclaimed: “The questioning, conviction, and feeling in his playing invariably remind us of the deep reasons why music is important to us, why we listen to it, why we care so much about it.” Levinson has performed as soloist with the San Francisco Symphony, St. Louis Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Detroit Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, New World Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony, Colorado Symphony, Oregon Symphony, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Utah Symphony, Boston Pops, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, and National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland among others. He has worked with such conductors as Robert Spano, Neemi Järvi, Uriel Segal, Joseph Swensen, Jeffrey Kahane and Alasdair Neale. Artistic Director of the San Juan Chamber Music Festival (Ouray, Colorado), he has appeared at major music festivals including Mostly Mozart, Santa Fe, Marlboro, Tanglewood, La Jolla, Bravo/Vail, Seattle, Killington, Vancouver, Cartagena, and Switzerland’s Davos Festival. Max Levinson garnered international accolades for his two recordings. Max Levinson, his debut recording, traces the musical lineage between Brahms, Schumann, Schönberg and Kirchner. American Record Guide declared Levinson’s second disc, Out of Doors: Piano Music of Béla Bartók “an important recording and a great one. The disc blew me out of my chair….Hearing performances as riveting as these produces a rare frisson; indeed, this is the most brilliant and exciting Bartók piano disc I have heard. On the basis of only two recordings, Mr. Levinson has created the myth of a pianist with everything.” He has experimented with internet broadcast, served as Artist-in-Residence at Harvard University’s Lowell House for four years, and has been featured on NPR’s “Performance Today” and “A Note to You.” He has also taught master classes at the Royal Irish Academy of Music, Harvard, MIT, Brigham Young University, Rutgers, the University of Washington, UCLA, the Colburn School, and Boston University. Mr. Levinson is chair of the Piano department at the Boston Conservatory, and is also a faculty member at the New England Conservatory.
Jay Lesenger
During Jay Lesenger’s more than 45-year career as stage director, administrator and teacher, he has become known for intelligent, honest productions which are dramatically compelling and musically knowledgeable. Mr. Lesenger has produced and directed more than two hundred opera productions for the New York City Opera, Chautauqua Opera Company, Atlanta, Hawaii, Milwaukee, New Orleans (the world premiere of Thea Musgrave’s “Pontalba”), Opera Carolina, Opera Grand Rapids, Opera Pacific, Palm Beach, Pittsburgh, San Diego, Virginia and many others. His European debut was with Opera Nordfjord, Norway, and he has directed for Volkstheater Rostockin Germany. His recent Glimmerglass Opera production of John Corigliano’s The Ghosts of Versailles was subsequently seen at the Royal Opera House at Versailles. For 21 years, from 1994 to 2015, he was the General/Artistic Director of the Chautauqua Opera Company, the longest serving general director in the company’s history. As a nationally recognized teacher of acting for singers, he has taught on the School of Music opera faculties at the University of Michigan and Northwestern University. He has staged productions for the Manhattan School of Music, Mannes/The New School, Juilliard, Indiana University and the Academy of Vocal Arts. A frequent adjudicator for the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, Opera Index and other vocal competitions, he holds a Masters degree from Indiana University and a Bachelors of Music & Theater from Hofstra University. His Acting Masterclasses for Singers are transformative.
Joel Noyes
Joel Noyes is Assistant Principal Cellist of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and is also very much in demand as chamber musician and recitalist, soloist, and teacher. He has appeared extensively on stages in North and South America, Europe, and Asia and has been featured many times on NPR’s Performance Today. He performed with Renee Fleming in the inaugural concert of Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall and has been seen there many times since as part of the Musicians from the Met chamber series. He has been featured at festivals including Marlboro Music, La Jolla Summerfest, Strings Music Festival of Steamboat Springs, and has served as principal cellist of the Grand Teton Music Festival Orchestra. Along with fulfilling the demanding schedule at the Met Opera, at various times in his orchestral career he has performed with the New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe and has also appeared on dozens of film and television soundtracks. Born into a musical family in the state of Maine, he began playing the cello at the age of three under the tutelage of his father. Mr. Noyes graduated from The Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia where he studied with David Soyer. He currently serves on the cello faculty of Mannes School of Music.
Alexander Shtarkman
Alexander Shtarkman’s debut recitals in Los Angeles, Chicago and New York City prompted strong words of praise from audiences and critics alike. Martin Bernheimer wrote in the Los Angeles Times: “Alexander Shtarkman. Remember the name… He plays the piano with all the strength, flash and eagerness that his age would suggest. He also plays with the sensitivity and mellow refinement one associates with certain grand old men of the keyboard, most of them Russian.” James Keller of The New Yorker staff wrote of Mr. Shtarkman’s 92nd Street Y appearance – “Shtarkman’s was a debut recital of importance. In fact, debuts just don’t come much better than this. Of the young pianists currently entering the international spotlight, Shtarkman is unquestionably among the most musicianly.” Recital appearances in the United States include the Ambassador Foundation, Tilles Center for the Performing Arts, Tisch Center for the Performing Arts, Ravinia Festival’s Rising Stars Series, San Francisco Performances, Regional Arts Foundation at the Kravis Center, The Peace Center and Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall. Orchestral appearances include the Dallas Symphony, Fort Worth Symphony, Fort Worth Chamber Orchestra, Chicago Sinfonietta at Orchestra Hall, Northwood Festival Orchestra, Marin Symphony and the Chamber Orchestra of Albuquerque. In August 1995, Mr. Shtarkman was awarded the First Prize of the Busoni International Piano Competition in Bolzano, Italy. As a result of this prize, he was offered over sixty recitals and orchestral engagements in Europe within the following seasons. Shtarkman is a major prizewinner of the 1989 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition and the 1994 Tchaikovsky Piano Competition. He won the First Prize of the First Taipei International Piano Competition and was engaged for numerous concerts throughout Asia. Mr. Shtarkman performs extensively in Europe and Asia, South and North America, Russia and the former Republics of the USSR. He is a frequent guest performer at the prestigious Great and Small Halls of the Moscow Conservatory. Since 2002 Mr. Shtarkman is a member of the Piano Faculty at the Peabody Conservatory of Music.
James Stern
James Stern is a multi-faceted musician whose violin playing has been heard worldwide and cited by the Washington Post for “virtuosity and penetrating intelligence.” He has performed at the Marlboro, Ravinia, Banff and Bowdoin festivals as well as at New York’s Alice Tully Hall and Carnegie Hall. He did all of his formal training at the Juilliard School where his teachers were Louise Behrend, Joseph Fuchs and Lewis Kaplan. Stern is a member of two critically acclaimed ensembles, the Stern/Andrist Duo with his wife, pianist Audrey Andrist, and Strata, a trio in which they are joined by clarinetist Nathan Williams. The duo has performed throughout the United States, Canada and China, with additional recitals in Munich and Paris. The trio has received enthusiastic repeat engagements at San Francisco Composers Inc, the Piccolo Spoleto Festival and New York’s historic Maverick Concerts. Strata has recently commissioned new works from Kenneth Frazelle and the late Stephen Paulus, giving the world premieres at, respectively, the Secrest Artist Series in Winston Salem, North Carolina, and New York’s Merkin Concert Hall. Well-known to Washington, DC audiences, Stern has performed as a member of VERGE ensemble, the 21st Century Consort, the Smithsonian Chamber Players and the Axelrod Quartet, at such venues as the Corcoran Gallery, the German and French Embassies, the Smithsonian Institution, the Library of Congress, the National Gallery, the Phillips Collection, Strathmore Mansion and the White House. In frequent appearances at The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center at the University of Maryland, he has brought innovative programming that includes performing in multiple capacities (as violist, pianist, conductor, reciter and arranger) and provided program annotations that are integral to the performance. His numerous chamber music and new music recordings can be heard on Albany, Bridge, Centaur, CRI, Dorian/Sono Luminus, Enharmonic, New Focus and New World. A passionately devoted teacher, Stern has served on the faculty of the Cleveland Institute of Music and the University of the Pacific Conservatory of Music. He is currently professor and coordinator of the String Division at the University of Maryland School of Music. In summers he has performed and taught at the National Orchestral Institute, the Orfeo International Festival, ASTA International Workshops, California Summer Music, the Brian Lewis Young Artists Program, the Master Players Festival and the Starling/Delay Violin Symposium at the Juilliard School. He performs on a violin by Vincenzo Panormo built in 1781.
Shiyu Wang, Collaborative Pianist
The exciting young pianist Shiyu Wang is increasingly recognized for her compelling and creative performances of a wide repertoire, gaining particular acclaim for her deeply musical performances of the music of J.S. Bach. Shiyu has given solo recitals and performances in the United States, China, Japan, and Europe. She has performed the Bach D minor Concerto with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra under Miguel Harth-Bedoya, and the Ravel Left-Hand Concerto with the University of Rochester Symphony Orchestra. In 2020 she performed the “Yellow River Concerto” in China on the televised Gala New Year’s Eve Concert, with the Changsha Symphony Orchestra under Xiao Ming. Shiyu has won First Prizes in the PianoTexas Young Artist Concerto Competition, Connecticut Bach Festival and Competition, University of Rochester Concerto Competition, and “IMKA” Internet Music Competition, Second Prize in the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music Concerto Competition, as well as the Silver Medal in the Manhattan International Music Competition. She is extremely active as a chamber musician and is a sought-after collaborative artist.
Shiyu received her Doctor of Music degree in 2023 at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music under the tutelage of Professor Arnaldo Cohen. Her previous teachers include Alexander Shtarkman at the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University and Enrico Elisi and Vincent Lenti at the Eastman School of Music. A native of China, she had early studies at the middle school affiliated with the Shanghai Conservatory. She has also performed in master classes taught by Yoheved Kaplinsky, Leon Fleisher, Fou Ts’ong, Dan Zhaoyi, and John Perry. Shiyu is currently a piano faculty member at Indiana University East and at Earlham College. She is also the principal keyboard of the Richmond Symphony Orchestra and the Director of Music Ministry at the Central United Methodist Church in Richmond, IN. Shiyu’s interests go beyond piano performance. She holds a double-major degree in music and business and a certificate of a one-year program in Renaissance art history from the University of Rochester. She published her first book Inside the Kaleidoscope on Amazon in 2020 and also published an article on Chopin’s E Minor Prelude in Music Space magazine in 2013. Her second book Interpreting and Performing Bach’s Goldberg Variations on the Modern Piano came out in June 2024. Notable recent performances include her New York recital debut on the Sunday Evenings from Klavierhaus Series (Bach’s “Goldberg Variations”), the world premiere of a new solo piano work by Michael Ippolito at Texas State University, solo concerts at Indiana University East and Earlham College, and many chamber music concerts.
Carolyn Regula
Carolyn Regula (Festival Coordinator) began cello at age 8, held a principal chair at age 11 and won her first concerto competition at age 15. She has soloed with the New England Repertory Orchestra, Nashua Chamber Orchestra and has appeared at Boston’s Symphony Hall, Tanglewood, and Carnegie Hall. She has earned both a Dual Bachelor’s in Cello Performance and Music Theory & Composition, as well as a Master’s in Cello Performance from Boston University. In 2021, Carolyn graduated with her Performance Diploma from the Mannes School in New York City, having studied with Yehuda Hanani. She is currently based in Las Vegas, where she appears frequently as both an acoustic and electric cellist. In addition to live performance and teaching, Carolyn has a virtual career where she is known as “The Cello Doll.” Through original arrangements, mash-ups, and compositions, she presents the cello in unique music videos that fuse genres and translate classical music for modern audiences. Her online presence has led to being named an NS Design artist, appearing on stage with Lindsey Stirling, and acting as a consultant for major music brands & products. In the Fall of 2022, Carolyn released her debut album as The Cello Doll, entitled “Escaping Darkness.” As a High Peaks Festival alumna (2018 & 2020), Carolyn is excited to share her unique career path and help support the education of the program’s summer participants.
Caitlin Marsden McNeill
Caitlin Marsden McNeill moves seamlessly between the worlds of logistics and inspiration, helping bring world-class chamber music to life in the Berkshires. As Director of Operations for Close Encounters With Music, she’s the behind-the-scenes force making sure every concert, festival, and community program runs with heart and purpose.
She’s a builder — of partnerships, of opportunities, of ideas — always finding ways to grow support for the arts and open doors for emerging talent. Whether she’s rallying sponsors, coordinating venues, or uplifting the artists who make CEWM shine, Caitlin leads with clarity, care, and just the right mix of grit and grace.