Born in Ekaterinburg, Russia, Natasha Bazhanov began playing violin at the age of five. After winning several regional youth competitions, she made her solo debut with Ural State Philhar- monic Orchestra at the age of nine and later was invited to Moscow Central Music School to join the class of professor Belenky.

Tiani Butts is an Ensemble Member of the Ivalas Quartet. Tiani is a passionate solo and chamber musician that strives to use the arts to encourage and inspire young students from all backgrounds.

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.

Sean Connors is an Ensemble Member and Technical Director of Third Coast Percussion. He has performed with Amphion Percussion, the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble, eighth blackbird, the International Contemporary Ensemble, Signal, and Metropolis Ensemble.

Robert Dillon is an Ensemble Member and Development Director of Third Coast Percussion. He has also performed as a substitute with the Chicago, Boston, and San Diego Symphony Orchestras, and served as principal percussionist in the Madison Symphony Orchestra from 2007-2008.

Finnish-born cellist Katri Ervamaa, DMA, is a versatile performer, who specializes in chamber music, new music and creative improvisation. She has performed and given master classes throughout North America, Europe and Taiwan.

Born in Riga, Latvia, into a family of violinists, Artur Girsky began playing violin at age five. He studied with Maya Glezarova at the Moscow Central Music School and with Felix Andrievsky at the Royal College of Music in London.

Rowena Hammill is Associate Principal Cello of the Los Angeles Opera Orchestra. She divides her time between Los Angeles and Vashon Island, Washington.

Composed of violinists Reuben Kebede and Tiani Butts, violist Aimée McAnulty and cellist Pedro Sánchez, the Ivalas Quartet has been changing the face of classical music since their inception at the University of Michigan in 2016.

Violinist Reuben Kebede is an Ensemble Member of the Ivalas Quartet. Kebede has been heard in recital across the US, Europe, and in China.

Linda Kline is the Professor of Viola at Boise State University, where she also serves as Department Chair for Music. In the summer, she teaches and performs at the Interlochen Summer Arts Camp in Michigan.

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.

Peter Martin is an Ensemble Member and Finance Director of Third Coast Percussion. As a chamber musician, Peter has performed with many leading new music ensembles including the International Contemporary Ensemble, Eighth Blackbird, the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble, the Atlantic Chamber Ensemble, Opera Moda, Tomorrow Music Orchestra, and Ensemble Signal.

Argentine-American violist Aimée McAnulty is an Ensemble Member of the Ivalas Quartet. Aimée is a recent graduate of the University of Michigan, having studied with Yizhak Schotten and has recently been accepted to the University of Colorado-Boulder, to study under the world-renowned violist Geraldine Walther.

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.

Andre Myers (b. 1973) is an artist and instructor of piano, composition, and theory. He serves on the University of Redlands School of Music faculty, teaching composition, music theory, and electronic music.

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.

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.