Maggie Niekamp, violinist, is a second-year graduate student at the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, where she studies with Timothy Lees, former Concertmaster of the Cincinnati Symphony. Maggie received her BM degree in Violin Performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music (May 2019), where she studied with Stephen Rose, principal second violinist of The Cleveland Orchestra, and Brian Lewis.

Maggie started playing the violin at the age of four. Her former teachers include Francesca Chase, Marlene Moses, and Amy Barlowe. Maggie has performed in solo masterclasses for Almita Vamos, Ilya Kaler, David Kim, and for various members of the Cleveland Orchestra, including Sonja Braaten-Molloy and Lembi Veskimets. She has also performed in chamber music masterclasses for former Cleveland Quartet member, Peter Salaff.

An avid orchestral musician, Maggie currently holds the position of section violin in the Kentucky Symphony Orchestra. Maggie also serves as a substitute violinist with the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra, Dayton Philharmonic, and with The Firelands Symphony in Sandusky, Ohio.

Maggie’s summer music experiences in the last five years include the Meadowmount School of Music (2016), the Chautauqua Music School Festival Orchestra (2017, 2018), and the National Repertory Orchestra (2019). At both Chautauqua and the National Repertory Orchestra,

Maggie was given the opportunity to perform in concerts as Principal Second Violin. This Summer, Maggie plans to return to Breckenridge, Colorado to perform in concerts as a Section Violin Member of the National Repertory Orchestra

Also passionate about teaching, Maggie has gained teaching experience through the Cleveland Institute of Music’s preparatory department, where she assisted with the preparatory orchestras for two years—leading sectionals and assisting the students with their music. Maggie is a registered Suzuki Teacher through Suzuki Violin Books one-four. She took two semesters of Suzuki Pedagogy at the Cleveland Institute of Music, under the tutelage of registered Suzuki Association of the Americas teacher trainer, Kimberly Meier-Sims. Maggie served as violin faculty at Miss Shannon’s music studio in Batesville, Indiana for her first semester at the Cincinnati—College Conservatory of Music in Fall 2019.

In her free time, Maggie enjoys practicing yoga, running, and cooking.

Carmen Granger is an orchestral musician and educator throughout the midwest and has been seen performing with many symphonies and opera companies in Ohio, Kentucky, Arkansas, Virginia, South Carolina and North Carolina. She is currently Principal Violist of the Lima Symphony Orchestra, and has sat as principal viola of Western Piedmont Symphony, Carolina Philharmonic, Fayetteville Symphony, and assistant principal of Greensboro Symphony and Durham Symphony.

Carmen graduated in 2017 with her Bachelor’s in Music Performance from The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG). During her time at UNCG, she was the principal viola of the Symphony Orchestra for two years and performed with different smaller ensembles within the school, including being the resident violinist/violist of the school’s contemporary music ensemble, Present~Continuous, the Gate City Camerata, Casella Sinfonietta and the UNCG Opera Orchestra. She has also had the pleasure of working with Lynn Harrell, Philip Glass, Molly Ringwald, and Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg. She has performed in masterclasses for Michael Strauss, Pamela Ryan, and Elias Goldstein as well as the Friction Quartet, Daedalus Quartet, and Decoda Quartet.

In 2020, Carmen graduated from The University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory (CCM) of Music with her Master’s degree in Viola Performance. While she was at CCM, she was principal for the Philharmonia Orchestra, Concert Orchestra, and Chamber Orchestra and has performed in masterclasses for Rictor Noren, Amadi Azikiwe, Scott Lee, and Wendy Richman.

In recent years, Carmen has played at the Durham Center for Performing Arts as a guest with the MGP Live tour of The Legend of Zelda Symphony of the Goddesses (2017) as well as Distant Worlds: The Music from Final Fantasy (2018). She has also been an orchestral fellow at National Music Festival (2019) and Sewanee Summer Music Festival (2018). She is currently studying to complete her D.M.A. in Viola from CCM. In her free time, Carmen enjoys playing disc golf, video games, baking, and entertaining her two cats, Yuffie and Clementine.

Benjamin Abel is a violinist from Indianapolis, IN. From 2012-2016, Benjamin attended Butler University’s Jordan College of the Arts on full scholarship. Benjamin studied with Larry Shapiro. While at Butler, Benjamin was Concertmaster of the Butler Symphony Orchestra and Winner of Butler’s Concerto Competition.  

In 2016 and 2017 Benjamin attended the prestigious Castleman Quartet program. In 2017 Benjamin suffered a serious injury to his left hand which forced him to teach himself to play again from scratch. In 2018, following a successful recovery, Benjamin was awarded a Graduate Orchestral Fellowship at Britt Festival and was offered a full scholarship and stipend at the Frost School of Music as a Henry Mancini Fellow. He studied with Charles Castleman and Scott Flavin. While at Frost, Benjamin was Concertmaster of the Henry Mancini Institute, Principal Second Violin of the Frost Symphony Orchestra, and was featured in masterclasses with Sylvia Marcovici and Gerard Schwarz. He graduated with his MM in violin performance in 2020. 

Benjamin is a dynamic chamber musician and has coached with Laurie Carney, Csaba Erdelyi, Jodie Levitz, Alan Harris, Terry King, and Laura Bossert. In New York Benjamin has performed concerts with Cosmopolitan Chamber Players and Vista Lyrica. He has performed chamber music works alongside Eric Grossman, Beth Levin, Eric Shumsky, and Richard Deane. His family quartet, the Abel Family Quartet, has appeared on various chamber music series around the country, including Sioux City Chamber Music, Tippecanoe Chamber Music Society, and Finger Lakes Chamber Music Festival.  

A dedicated orchestral musician, Benjamin has appeared as guest concertmaster with the Kokomo Symphony and Hendricks Symphony, and has played under the batons of Gerard Schwarz, Teddy Abrams, Richard Auldon Clark, Larry Rachleff, and Carl St. Clair. 

Benjamin is a passionate teacher. Since 2014 he has taught private lessons for Butler Community Art School, and also maintains a personal studio of private violin and viola students in Indianapolis.  He is currently a DMA student at the University of Cincinnati-CCM and studies with Timothy Lees.

Presenting masterpieces ranging from Bach to Tchaikovsky, violinist Jackie Tso has been heard as a soloist with orchestras around the world such as the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Santa Fe Concert Association Orchestra, and the Beijing Broadcasting Orchestra. Other past solo engagements include the Kentucky Symphony Orchestra, Blue Ash Montgomery Symphony Orchestra, Southwest Ohio Philharmonic, Wright State University, and the Seven Hills Sinfonietta.

Ms. Tso has played in many of the world’s most prestigious competitions including the Yehudi Menuhin, Shanghai Isaac Stern, Zhuhai Mozart, and Cooper. She was a semifinalist of the International Jascha Heifetz Competition as well as the Irving M. Klein. Jackie is currently studying with Li Lin at The Juilliard School, and has also studied with Glenn Dicterow, Kurt Sassmannshaus, and Almita and Roland Vamos.

Jackie is from Cincinnati, OH and began her violin studies at the age of four with the Suzuki method. She still remembers her early years in the Suzuki Program as being so influential in her musical development. Tso made her debut in Cincinnati’s beloved Music Hall when she was eight years old, and also performed at the Lensic Performing Arts Center when she was twelve. When Tso was fifteen, she had the pleasure of collaborating with acclaimed pianist Christopher O’Riley on National Public Radio’s From the Top. She was one of twenty individuals selected for the “Most Interesting People” issue of the 2009 Cincy Magazine, a much-loved local Cincinnati publication.

Jackie was a member of Cincinnati’s Starling String Program and enjoyed tours with them to Detroit as well as Salzburg, Austria. Jackie was also a member of the Music Institute of Chicago’s Academy Program. Prior to her transfer to Juilliard, Jackie spent her first two years of her undergraduate at sunny Los Angeles’ University of Southern California where she was very interested in law.

Tso has been heard as soloist in many of the world’s most-cherished violin concertos: Paganini Concerto with the Blue Ash Montgomery Symphony Orchestra, Tchaikovsky Concerto with the Cincinnati Symphony/Cincinnati Symphony Youth orchestra, and the Sibelius Concerto with the MasterWorks Festival Orchestra.

Jackie has spent summers at the Great Wall International Music Academy, National Arts Center Young Artists Program, Meadowmount School of Music, Bowdoin Music Festival, Salzburg’s Mozarteum Summer Academy, MasterWorks Christian Festival, and the Aspen Music Festival as an orchestral fellow. This past summer, Ms. Tso performed in Virginia at the Heifetz Institute of Music. At all of these music festivals, Jackie collaborated with many fellow musicians in chamber music playing celebrated composers such as Arensky, Beethoven, Brahms, Mozart, and Ravel.

Tso’s orchestra career began with service as concertmaster of the Cincinnati Symphony Youth Orchestra for three years, followed by being a member of the Aspen Conducting Academy Orchestra, University of Southern California’s Thornton Symphony, and the Juilliard Orchestra. She has played in master classes for Pinchas Zukerman, Ida Kavafian, James Ehnes, Vadim Repin, Joji Hattori, Tong Wei-Dong, Joel Smirnoff, Thomas Ades, and Martin Beaver.

Aside from music, Tso is active in the Juilliard community serving at the Christian Fellowship as a women’s Bible study leader. She also loves spending time with her family and friends, and being outdoors.

Pianist Yeon-Kyung Kim is from South Korea and has grown a passion for performing and teaching. She is now pursuing her final degree in piano performance at University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) under the tutelage of James Tocco. Her former teachers include Aviram Reichert, Christopher Harding, and Emile Naoumoff, who was the last student of Nadia Boulanger. She has been a scholarship recipient throughout her music education.

Ms. Kim regularly performs as a solo pianist and a chamber musician. She performed at multiple venues at CCM, in Northern and Southern Indiana, Detroit Metropolitan area including Ann Arbor, and in Seoul, South Korea. She is a 1st prize winner in Chamber music at Seoul Art Concours, where she played as an initial member of Quartet Y. She also presented at masterclasses for John O’Conor, André Watts, Peter Takács, and Norman Krieger. Ms. Kim has served as a rehearsal pianist at CCM Opera for two consecutive years. For the 2020-2021 season, she is presenting various works with the CCM Wind Symphony as a soloist and keyboardist.

She has taught various piano group classes and private lessons as a Graduate Assistant of Secondary Piano of CCM. On top of teaching, Ms. Kim presents her pedagogy research on teaching Leonard Bernstein’s Anniversaries at conferences, such as, National Conference of Keyboard Pedagogy and Music Teachers Association (Ohio & SouthWest Ohio). Her session “Talk to the Lens!: Recording Teaching Video” is selected for the 2021 Virtual Collegiate Chapter Symposium of MTNA, and she is also presenting at the 2021 MTNA National Conference with the CCM Collegiate Chapter in March.

Ms. Kim's private teaching ranges K-12, from beginner to early advanced, and online or in-person! From 2017, she has spent three summers at Indiana University Piano Academy (IUPA) as a Live-in Counselor, where she gained a new perspective on educating young advanced students and administrative skill.

Garrett Gillingham grew up in Michigan and now resides in Cincinnati, Ohio. He comes from a very musical family, with his parents and sister all being classically trained musicians. Garrett's musical training began at a young age starting on the piano, progressing to percussion in junior high/high school, and then studying voice and composition during his college and graduate studies. He holds a BIS in Music Composition from Central Michigan University where he studied with his father, Dr. David Gillingham. He continued his study in music composition at Michigan State University with Dr. Jere Hutcheson and Dr. Mark Sullivan, earning a Masters in Music Composition. While at MSU, he also studied voice under award-winning tenor, Johnathan Riesen. From 2010 to the present, Garrett has also sung lead in a barbershop quartet, Ebb N' Flow. The quartet won the Pioneer District (Michigan and Ontario) championship in 2011, and also went on to represent the district at the Barbershop Harmony Society International competition in 2011, 2012, and 2013. Garrett Gillingham is primarily a freelance composer, having written for many classical ensembles, as well as over ten film scores, many of which have been selected at film festivals such as the Los Angeles Cinema Festival of Hollywood, the Traverse City International Film Festival, and the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. His teaching experience includes Delta College (University Center, MI) where he taught Piano I and II, as well as Jazz History. Additionally, he taught music technology, theory, and film music for several years at Central Michigan University's Summer Music Camp. Garrett prides himself in teaching with a laid back style, with a caring attitude and an emphasis of love instead of fear. In his spare time, he enjoys running and spending time with his parents' pug, Lily.

Violinist Tiffany Steinweg is a passionate and compassionate performer, teacher, and arts advocate. Whether recording original string duo arrangements with her brother, helping a young violin student fix his bow hold, or leading her university’s music association in a discussion of potential outreach ideas, she strives to bring a sense of mission, service, and adventure into every aspect of her career.

As a soloist, she is celebrated for her silky tone and moving expression. Most recently, she had the honor of premiering her brother Grant Steinweg’s composition “Star Breather” in her senior violin recital. Previously, she was selected as a winner of the 2017 Andrews University Young Artist Competition and has performed in masterclasses with Janet Sung, Mitch Newman, and Victor Yampolsky.

Tiffany discovered her niche for teaching as a volunteer violin instructor at Peace Music Academy in Khon Kaen, Thailand where she spent 11 months working with over 30 students at Peace Music Academy. Since returning to the U.S., she has enjoyed investing in a small private studio and several Suzuki Teacher Training courses with Sherry Cadow and Joanne Melvin. Having begun her own violin journey as a Suzuki student, she now finds delight in facilitating this experience for others.

She is currently a Master of Music candidate at Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and a student of Kurt Sassmannsshaus. Prior to graduating from Andrews University as a Dare to Dream Scholarship recipient and J.N. Andrews Honors Scholar, she studied under Carla Trynchuk and completed a BMus degree in Violin Performance with a minor in Behavioral Sciences.

Originally from the beautiful Pacific Northwest, Tiffany may be found climbing mountains in the summers or busking at the International Rose Test Garden in Portland, OR.

Whitney Yiqian Wang is establishing herself as an insightful and sensitive pianist, currently signing with the KNS record label and receiving a performance invitation at the Carnegie Hall. She serves for CCM Preparatory as a Student Piano Instructor, also an MTNA Certified Teacher of Music and an MTNA Recreational Music Making Specialist.

Pianist Yiqian (Whitney) Wang was shortlisted for a wide range of influential awards throughout her music path. She was the First Prize Winner of the 2022 Golden Music Awards, International Competition, the 2022 London Young Musicians, the 2022 Toronto Rocky Mountain Music Competition, and the 2020 US International Music Open Competition (online edition). She was also a prizewinner of the Young Musician Competition “Citta di Barletta“, Markham Music Festival (Canada), Yangtze River Youth Piano Competition (China), Xi’an Conservatory of Music Piano Concerto Competition (China), Austria Lydia Liszt International Music Festival, and KAWAI Asia Piano Competition etc. In 2022, she participated in well-renowned music festivals includingTexas States International Piano Festival (Texas), Atlantic Music Festival (Maine), and Artciál International Piano Festival. Whitney has also been a beloved performer at many music venues. She was invited as a solo and chamber pianist for multiple concerts and workshops across Asia and North America. She made her debut at the Carnegie Hall for winning the 2022 "Golden Music Awards" International Competition. In 2019, she was invited as the gold medalist of Markham Music Festival to perform at Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts. Her other performance venues including Xi’an Conservatory of Music Art Centre, Qujiang Concert Hall , Edward Johnson Building (Toronto, CA), and Strathcona Music Building (Montreal, CA) and Lorimer Chapel(Waterville, USA) etc. Her solo debut album “Romantic Soul” has published under the publisher of Central Conservatory of China（北京环球音像） 

Whitney is currently pursuing her bachelor's degree in piano performance at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music under the tutelage of Professor Awadagin Pratt. She was awarded CCM Honors Scholarship for 4 years and CCM Dean’s List for high academic achievement. Whitney started the journey of piano since she was 4 years old and made her debut at Xi’an Concert Hall at the age of 11. At the same year, she went to the pre-college of Xi’an Conservatory of Music as an honor student. By 14, Whitney got accepted by the Walnut Hill school for the arts, and then, moved to Toronto, Canada to further pursue her musical path with Professor Enrico Elisi. During school time, she served for CCM keyboard studies as a vocal accompanist, CCM Wind Ensemble Pianist, and the Recording Secretary for CCM-MTNA board.

Shiyang Chen graduated from the Middle School Affiliated to Wuhan Conservatory of Music. Now studying at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music in the United States, majoring in piano performance, in the studio of Prof.Dror Biran. In 2016, she won the gold medal in the Jiangxi Division of the Steinberg Piano Competition. In 2017, she studied under Professor Jiang Liping, former director of the Piano Department of Wuhan Conservatory of Music. In July 2018, I participated in the Music of Summer Concert with professors from the Piano Department of Wuhan Conservatory of Music. In the same month, she went to the 4th International American Master Music Festival in the United States and won a scholarship. She won the third prize in the no-age group piano solo competition of the International Music Player Festival. In the 2018 school year, she won the professional outstanding individual scholarship of Wuhan Conservatory of Music for her outstanding professional performance, and won the Bronze Award in the professional group of the Shanghai International Youth Piano Competition. In 2019, the solo recital held at Jiangxi Teachers College of Art was well received. In 2021, she won the gold medal in the Jiangxi Division of the Pearl River Kaiserburg International Youth Piano Competition, was selected for the final round of the Golden Bell Award for Chinese Music, and won the first prize in the Asian Piano Competition of the Tchaikovsky Art Award. In 2022, she won the London Young Musician Gold Award and the 2022 European Music Competition as a Gold Award. She was chosen as the piano art director of chorus competitions for many times. During her studies, she was taught by many famous teachers, and participated in the chamber music quintet performance at the Art Center of the University of Delaware, which received unanimous praise.

David Myers, Cello

David Myers, cellist, is a versatile performer with a repertoire spanning over 500 years. He is a strong advocate of historically informed performance practice and performs on both baroque and modern cello. Recent chamber music performances include collaborations with musicians of Bourbon Baroque, the Louisville Orchestra and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Additionally, David holds a deep interest in pedagogy. Past festival appearances include the Chautauqua Institution, Prague Summer Night as principal cellist, Apple Hill Center for Chamber Music, and, as a conductor, the Oberlin Summer Conducting Institute. He has played in masterclasses for Amit Peled, Scott Kluksdahl, Hans Jorgen Jensen, and Pavlo Beznosiuk and his chamber music coaches include Lee Fiser, James Tocco, and Sandra Rivers. David has studied baroque cello and continuo playing extensively with Adriana Contino. He completed completed both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music as a student of Ilya Finkelshteyn. While in Cincinnati, David maintained an active freelance schedule teaching and performing, which he plans to continue since relocating to the Chicago area. Outside of music, he is a volunteer for AFS Intercultural Programs, an organization committed to working towards a more just and peaceful world through international and intercultural learning and exchange..

Dominic Mileti has played viola for the past 16 years, and violin for 6 years. Knowing from a young age his love for music, Dominic attended Interlochen Arts Academy high school where he studied with David Holland and Renee Skerik. After graduating, he pursued his music education at Cincinnati Conservatory of Music studying with Dr. Catherine Lees. During his undergraduate, Dominic was principal and co-principal of the conservatories Philharmonia Orchestra. Dominic attended the Chicago Suzuki Institute in 2016, receiving teacher training with Kathleen Spring. After which, he started his adult teaching career working with multiple studios through the tristate area. Currently, Dominic is finishing his master degree in viola performance from CCM, where he performs on a monthly basis with the Philharmonia, as well as chamber groups in the Cincinnati area and at school. He is currently studying under Denisse Rodriguez from the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, and has a studio of violin and viola students ranging from six years old to adults in Batesville Indiana that he has been cultivating for the past three years.

Hannah MacNeal began her musical studies at the age of 11 in her hometown, Louisville, Kentucky with Stacey Yates. In 2012, she began attending the Youth Performing Arts Program at DuPont Manual High School for Viola Performance, where she studied with Jason Seber, Daniel Whisler, and Jonathan Mueller, a member of the Louisville Orchestra. During the four years spent there, she performed in the American String Teacher’s Association (ASTA) conference, the Kentucky Music Educators Association (KMEA) conference, and the Indianapolis Music For All Festival. She was also a part of the Louisville Youth Orchestra from 2011 until 2016 and had many regional performance opportunities alongside the Louisville Orchestra. In 2015, she was the only violist in Kentucky selected to be a part of the Kentucky Center’s Governor’s School for the Arts (GSA). These opportunities inspired her to continue her viola performance studies at University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) with Dr. Catharine Lees. Throughout her time spent at CCM, she has been a part of countless solo, chamber, and orchestral performances. Hannah has recently performed with the Kentuckiana Philharmonic Orchestra and the Lima Symphony. Not only has she continued her passion for performance, but she has also fallen in love with teaching. She has several years of teaching experience with a variety of ages and skill level. She loves to share her experiences and hopes to spark the light of music in those around her. She is currently finishing her degree at CCM, teaching private viola and violin lessons, and a part of a touring band, Acarya, where she plays a five- stringed electric viola. They have just released their first album, “The Way Home,” which was produced by Turtle and the Stone Productions. Hannah plans on pursuing a career in violin and viola performance and teaching based on experience, adaptability, and passion for music.

Pianist Aidan Hedrick is a Cincinnati-based soloist and chamber musician. He holds a BM from Lee University and an MM from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. He has studied with Cahill Smith, Joong-Han Jung, and Émile Naoumoff. Aidan is currently pursuing a DMA at the University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music where he studies with Sara Daneshpour.

Aidan has received recognition in numerous solo and concerto competitions. These include awards in the Tri-State Piano Concerto Competition, Lee University International Piano Competition, and Music Teachers National Association Young Artist Competition. Aidan also received second prize in the George R. Johnson Concerto Competition and was selected as winner of the Lee University Concerto Competition performing Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 1.

Aidan has studied and performed at summer festivals like the Lee University International Festival and Competition and the Atlantic Music Festival. He has performed in masterclasses in both solo and collaborative settings. In solo masterclasses, Aidan has performed for Natalya Antonova, Ning An, Sun Min Kim, Scott Cuellar, and Renana Gutman. Collaborative Masterclass appearances include performances for Aram Arakelyan, Allen Perriello, and Youngmi Kim.

A native of Plainsboro, NJ, Hannah Lohr-Pearson is pursuing a Masters of Music from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM).  She began playing cello at the age of four, taking lessons at the Westminster Conservatory of Music in Princeton, NJ.  Hannah completed her undergraduate degrees in Music and English at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, where she was principal cellist of the UNC Symphony Orchestra and winner of the 2017 UNC Concerto Competition.  In the spring of 2016, she spent the semester in Vienna, Austria, studying chamber music and cello performance with Josef Luitz, former professor at Die Musik und Kunst Privatuniversität der Stadt Wien. 

 Hannah has performed in masterclasses for Johannes Moser, Anne Martindale Williams, The Pacifica Quartet, and Gil Shaham, among others.  Her summer festival experiences include Garth Newel’s Emerging Artist Fellowship Program, the National Orchestral Institute, and the Brevard Music Festival.  Hannah currently studies with Ilya Finkelshteyn, principal cellist of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. 

Jade Kurlas began studying cello at the age of three years old. By age seven, she enrolled in the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music preparatory program and began intensely studying music theory, ear training, chamber music, and chamber orchestra. Eventually by age eleven, Jade auditioned and was accepted into The Starling Chamber Orchestra under direction of Kurt Sassmannshaus. During her high school career, Jade performed throughout the United States, China, Australia and Europe.

Jade continued her undergraduate studies at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music where she studied with Dr. William Grubb. During her studies, she assisted in the preparatory department with Sassmannshaus Traditions, specifically assisting in chamber music coachings with young musicians. Recently graduating with her Bachelor of Music in 2017, Jade is now pursuing her Master of Music at Boston University studying with teacher, Rhonda Rider.

Hannah Schendel is a conductor, violinist and pianist. She began studying violin and piano at the age of 4, and has experience teaching students of all ages and abilities. Originally from Minneapolis, Hannah taught private lessons and coached chamber music ensembles in addition to her duties at Bethel University where she was Director of Orchestras and String Activities.

Hannah recently completed coursework for the Doctor of Musical Arts Degree in Orchestral Conducting at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) under the mentorship of Mark Gibson. She holds a Master’s Degree in Orchestral Conducting from the University of South Carolina, and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Music (Violin) from the University of Minnesota.

Mr. Bermudez has been passionate about classical music since he can remember. Although his undergraduate degree was in business, during his time at Southern Adventist University he remained highly active in music. He studied cello with the late Dr. James Stroud, played in the university and local orchestras, established the school’s official string quartet, and produced a daily classical music radio show. After graduation, he formed a chamber ensemble, Con Brio which performed yearly concerts in the Chattanooga, TN area. Mr. Bermudez completed a Master’s degree in Musicology at the University of Maryland with a thesis on the late works of Shostakovich. Most recently, he has completed a second Master’s degree in cello performance, studying with Benjamin Karp at the University of Kentucky. There he performed with the Niles String Quartet, was co-principal of the UK Symphony Orchestra, and is a substitute cellist in the Lexington Philharmonic. This fall he will begin work on his doctoral degree with Ilya Finkelshteyn at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music.

A native of Cincinnati, Natalie began her violin studies at the age of seven with Mrs. Jacquie Fennell. In middle school and high school, she was a member of Cincinnati Junior Strings and the Cincinnati Symphony Youth Orchestra Philharmonic Orchestra where she developed her passion for making music. Natalie is currently pursuing a Bachelor’s in Violin Performance at the College Conservatory of Music where she studies with Timothy Lees. During her freshman year, Natalie placed runner up in the College Conservatory of Music’s Undergraduate Scholarship Competition. Her sophomore year, she served as Principal Second Violin for the CCM Concert Orchestra. During May, 2018, she won third place in the Matinee Musicale Nancy F. Walker Memorial Scholarship Award.

Teaching is one of Natalie’s favorite aspects of playing the violin, so during August 2018, she traveled to Pittsburgh and completed Unit One of the Suzuki Violin Teacher Training program. Natalie plans on pursuing a master’s degree in Violin Performance and a career as a violin teacher and orchestral musician.

Elizabeth Lee began her cello studies with Metta Watts and Thomas Kraines when she was ten in Philadelphia. She has played in the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra, the Youth Chamber Orchestra of Temple University, and the Settlement Music School as an Advanced Study Scholarship recipient. In 2014, Elizabeth performed concertos with the Lansdowne Symphony and the Ambler Symphony as a recipient of the Elmer and Louise Menges Scholarship. From winning competitions to performing with orchestras, she has appeared in well-known venues including the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Verizon Hall at the Kimmel Center, the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, and the Seoul Arts Performing Center.

Elizabeth has collaborated onstage with distinguished artists such as Stephen Hough,Joshua Bell, Zuill Bailey, Luis Biava, David Noon, Eric Ewazen, and members of the Philadelphia Orchestra. Additionally, she has performed in masterclasses for Lynn Harrell, the Johannes Quartet, the Penderecki Quartet, and the Dali Quartet. A chamber music enthusiast, Elizabeth devotes her time to her quartet, the Mipmik Quartet, which won a top prize at the Lyric Music Society Chamber Competition and performed in the Mainly Mozart Festival in Miami. On behalf of Lynn Conservatory, she travelled to Jamaica with the Robertson Quartet to coach workshops, perform concerts, and teach masterclasses. She was accepted as a fellow at the Dali Quartet International Music Festival, won a top prize in the concerto competition at Music in the Mountains in Colorado, attended Chautauqua Music Festival as a scholarship recipient, and spent this past summer at Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival. She also performs regularly as a member of the Kentucky Symphony Orchestra and Southwest Florida Symphony Orchestra. Elizabeth graduated cum laude with a bachelor's degree in cello performance studying with David Cole at Lynn University. She is currently pursuing her master’s degree with Alan Rafferty at the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.

Shelby Thompson is in demand as a chamber and orchestral violist and as a teacher. She has performed with members of the Leipzig Radio Symphony in the Leipzig Gewandhaus and members of the Houston Symphony domestically. During her undergraduate degree at the University of Houston, Shelby was principal violist of the symphony, opera, and ballet orchestras at the Moores School of Music. She has been a frequent guest with the Tallahassee and Albany Symphonies and served as principal of the Florida State University Symphony Orchestra. During her master’s Shelby served as violist of the Eppes String Quartet at Florida State University. An avid proponent of new music, Shelby has appeared as soloist with the AURA New Music Ensemble and collaborates frequently with the Society of Composers, Inc. at FSU.

Shelby’s experience beginning viola in her elementary school orchestra in her native Alexandria, VA has driven her enthusiasm for teaching. She is a Suzuki-certified teacher and maintains a private studio of young viola and violin students. Shelby is currently pursuing a doctorate at Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music with Dr. Catharine Lees Previously, Shelby studied with Wayne Brooks at the University of Houston and Dr. Pamela Ryan at Florida State University.