Brandi Mora Main received her Master of Music in Performance at Bowling Green State University where she was a graduate assistant in the Graduate String Quartet and concertmaster of the Bowling Green Philharmonia.

I’m a violinist/violist/composer/arranger whose personal work stands at the somewhat unlikely crossroads of Western Classical music, Heavy Metal, and Hardcore Punk- but I’m also well versed in many different genres and styles and can generally play in whatever style is asked of me. I was born and raised in Queens, NYC and have a Bachelor of Music Degree from Queens College and a Master of Music Degree from the Mannes College of Music in New York City, where I studied with Daniel Phillips of the Orion String Quartet.

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.

Argentinian violinist Sami Merdinian has received worldwide recognition for his outstanding performances as a soloist and chamber musician. Sami has recently appeared as a soloist with the Montevideo Philharmonic, the Argentinian National Symphony, The Charlemagne Orchestre, Symphony Pro Musica, The Gagneung Philharmonic in South Korea, and Philharmonia of the Nations at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam.

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.

In the last decade, Rob Moose has emerged as one of the most sought after instrumentalists and arrangers of his generation. As violinist and guitarist, Moose has toured with Antony & the Johnsons, Sufjan Stevens, Glen Hansard, Blake Mills, and Beth Orton.

Vanessa Moss is a tenacious performer, educator, and orchestral leader who has built a diverse musical career. Born and raised in the Northwest, she holds leadership roles across Washington state. Ms. Moss serves as concertmaster of the Walla Walla and Mid-Columbia Symphony Orchestras and as violinist with the Yakima Symphony Orchestra. She is also the founder and Artistic Director of Sempre Chamber Music, a repertory ensemble of chamber musicians performing in the inland Northwest.

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.

Angela Pickett has performed as a violist, violinist, and fiddler throughout North America and Europe. A member of the Princeton Symphony, Angela has also performed with Wet Ink Music, Ne(x)tworks, Continuum, and recently premiered a new version of Helmut Lachenmann’s Mouvement with the Argento Chamber Ensemble.

Jennifer Caine Provine, violinist, was a first prize winner of the Yamaha Music Foundation of Europe Competition and recipient of several awards and grants including the Royal College of Music’s Isolde Menges Prize for solo Bach, Oxford University's Polonsky Foundation Grant and Joan Conway Scholarship in Performance, Harvard University's John Knowles Paine Traveling Fellowship, and the Frank Huntington Beebe Grant for Musicians.

Violinist J. Patrick Rafferty has been hailed for his “exciting performances,” his “subtle and imaginative ideas about the music,” and “a velvety, sweetly sonorous tone [that] captured the intellect and calmed the soul” (Milwaukee Sentinel).

Praised as an “excellent soloist” of “great virtuosity” (NY Concert Review), with performances depicted as “thrilling” (Boston Globe), violinist Rubén Rengel is quickly gaining recognition as a remarkably gifted artist. Rubén was the winner of the Robert F. Smith Prize at the 2018 Sphinx Competition, the Cleveland Institute of Music Concerto Competition (2014), recipient of the Sallie Shepherd Perkins Prize (2019) and the Anna Y. Tringas Award (2013), and winner of the Juan Bautista Plaza National Violin Competition of Venezuela (2011).

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.

A New York City native and Eastman School of Music graduate, Curtis Stewart has performed as a soloist with the National Repertory Orchestra at Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall. He has made chamber music appearances at Zankel Hall and the Rochester International Jazz Festival, holding his audiences “spellbound” with his “warm, clear sound…sparkling rhythmic energy” and “prodigious technique” (New Amsterdam Times, SoundWordSight).

“Their rock star status in the classical crossover world is well deserved. Their classically honed technique mixed with grit and all out passionate attack transfixes the audience...” That is how The Sarasota Herald Tribune described Sybarite5, the first string quintet ever selected as winners of Concert Artists Guild International Competition in its 60 year history. Sybarite5 has taken audiences by storm all across the US, forever changing the perception of chamber music performance.

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.

Mr. Wells attended the State University of New York at Purchase as a double major on violin and viola where his primary teachers were Yuval Waldman, and Emmanuel Vardi. He continued his studies at the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers in New Jersey in the studio of Michael Tree.

Violinist Melissa White is a founding member of the esteemed Harlem Quartet. She has performed around the workd on stages that range from Carnegie Hall and the White House for President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, to La Maison Symphonique de Montréal to the residence of the US Ambassador to the UK. In addition she won First Prize in the Fourth Annual Sphinx Competition.

Sarah Whitney, an active solo, and chamber musician, has been heard worldwide across stages in Europe, Asia, South America and the United States.

As a chamber musician, Ms. Whitney has performed as guest artist on the Cleveland Institute of Music Faculty Concert Series, the Cleveland Composer’s Guild and the Memphis Chamber Music Society Solo Concert Series.

Eunmin Woo, a student of Dr. Maria Sampen, is pursuing a Bachelor of Music in violin performance at the University of Puget Sound. She attended Interlochen Arts Academy from 2010-2012 as a music major and the Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music summer string program, where she studied with Erin Aldridge.