Sponsored By Jim Johnson

Winner of the 2002 Orléans Concours International and Laureate of the 2003 Honens International Piano Competition, Canadian pianist Winston Choi is an inquisitive performer whose fresh approach to standard repertory, and masterful understanding, performance and commitment to works by living composers, make him one of today’s most dynamic young concert artists.

Violinist and violist Timothy Christie enjoys a multifaceted career as performer, teacher, public speaker and recording artist. He is the Founder and Artistic Director of the Walla Walla Chamber Music Festival (WWCMF), a nonprofit organization in southeastern Washington presenting more than 40 public chamber music events annually.

Cellist Meta Weiss and violinist Arianna Warsaw-Fan have teamed up to create duoW. “An edgy string combo, duoW blurs the lines between traditional classical music and current pop-culture.”

Soprano Jennifer Goltz-Taylor specializes in new chamber music, opera, and cabaret. Her reputation for interpretive sensitivity, vocal virtuosity, musical precision, and creativity as a performer has inspired Michael Daugherty, Robert Morris, Andrew Mead, Evan Chambers, Forrest Pierce, Stephen Rush, and many others to compose for her.

Naumburg-Award-winning violinist Andrew Jennings has achieved international acclaim as both a performer and a teacher.

As a classical recording engineer and producer, Jamey Lamar has worked with leading ensembles, soloists, and festivals across the country.

Sponsored by Edward & Karleen Heintzberger

Norbert Lewandowski was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and began cello studies at the age of 13. He holds a Master's degree in performance and literature from the Eastman School of Music and currently resides in Charleston, South Carolina, where he is the principal cellist of the Charleston Symphony Orchestra.

Transfixed at an early age by the harp's unique beauty, Amy Ley weaves together the many threads that connect her passion for music with her employment. She is the Principal Harpist, and often featured soloist, for the Symphonies in Flint, Michigan, and Windsor, Ontario.

Violinist Christina McGann has been a featured performer as soloist, recitalist and chamber musician at the Kennedy Center, the Tel Aviv Performing Arts Center, New York City’s Merkin Hall, Symphony Space, and Bargemusic, and at various venues throughout the US, Korea, El Salvador, and Europe.

Praised for his “sweet, luxurious” sound (Fanfare), and the “thoughtfulness and seriousness” (Nashville Scene) of his interpretations, violinist Stephen Miahky serves as the Joseph Joachim Professor of Violin and First Violin of the Blair String Quartet at Vanderbilt University.

Sponsored by Albert Marshall

Violinist/violist Philip Payton is a member of the American Symphony, American Modern Ensemble, Furiant Trio, and Vital String Quartet. He also performs in Alarm Will Sound, American Ballet Theater, Colour of Music, Harlem Chamber Players, New Jersey Symphony, Nu Deco Ensemble, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Santa Fe Opera, Sarasota Orchestra, and several others.

Laura Renz, violist, is a member of the Pacific Northwest Ballet orchestra in Seattle, Washington. She also performs regularly with the Seattle Symphony and Seattle Opera.

First Prize winner of the 2008 Naumburg International Violoncello Competition, David Requiro (pronounced re-KEER-oh) has emerged as one of today’s finest American cellists.

Maria Sampen, Professor of Violin at University of Puget Sound, enjoys a vibrant career as concerto soloist, recitalist, chamber musician, and teacher. Equally at home with repertoire ranging from classical to avant-garde to popular styles, Dr. Sampen has delighted audiences with her eclectic programs, her passionate performance style, and her highly expressive playing.

Sponsored by Elizabeth Carr

Kevin Schempf is Associate Professor of Clarinet at Bowling Green State University and is active as a soloist, chamber and symphony musician. After graduating from the Interlochen Arts Academy and the Eastman School of Music, he performed with the United States Coast Guard Band and toured with them throughout the United States and to St. Petersburg, Russia. A frequent soloist with the Band, he was featured on NPR broadcasts and on their 75th Anniversary CD recording.

Stephen Schermer, double bass, received his Bachelor of Arts with honors from Eastern Washington University, and his Master of Music with honors from the New England Conservatory. He also studied at the Tanglewood Music Center where he was the recipient of the Koussevitsky Fellowship. Mr. Schermer is currently assistant principal of the Pacific Northwest Ballet orchestra.

Chicago area composer James Stephenson’s works have been performed by leading American orchestras and around the world, and have been hailed by critics as having “straightforward, unabashedly beautiful sounds” and “Stephenson deserves to be heard again and again!” (Boston Herald). His music incorporates a fresh and energizing sound scape that engages the audience while maintaining integrity and worthwhile challenges for the performing musicians. This rare combination has rewarded Stephenson with a host of ongoing commissions and projects.

British-born cellist Sally Singer Tuttle, noted by The Strad Magazine for her “transforming sweep of gossamer beauty,” has performed as a soloist with the Pleven Philharmonic, Bulgaria, the Stony Brook Symphony Orchestra, New York, the Danbury Symphony, Connecticut, the Washington-Idaho Symphony Orchestra, Wenatchee Valley Symphony Orchestra, Walla Walla Symphony Orchestra and the St. Petersburg Chamber Philharmonic, Russia, amongst others.

Violinist Arianna Warsaw-Fan has established herself as one of the leading violinists of her generation. She has appeared as soloist with numerous orchestras, including the Juilliard Orchestra, the McGill Chamber Orchestra and the Orchestre Symphonique de Laval. She has performed at the Ravinia, Verbier, La Jolla Summerfest, Music@Menlo, and Aspen Music Festivals, and in New York's Carnegie and Alice Tully Halls, Montreal's Salle Bourgie and Maison Symphonique, Berlin's Philharmonie, and Tokyo's Suntory Hall.

American cellist Meta Weiss (pronounced MAY-ta) made her international debut at the age of seven in Utrecht, Holland, and has established herself as one of the leading cellists of her generation.