Ensemble for the Romantic Century

Since it was founded in 2001, the Ensemble for the Romantic Century has collaborated with a host of excellent musicians and actors from all over the United States and from abroad, who have contributed immeasurably to the success of our productions. We continue to expand our roster, enriching our experience through many wonderful artists who bring their insights and special talents to the group.

Ole Akahoshi began studying cello at the age of four in Berlin, and at eleven he was the youngest pupil ever to be accepted by the late Pierre Fournier. He holds a B.A. from Juilliard School, and a Master of Music from Yale School of Music. He has been a soloist with the Orchestra of Saint Luke's, the Symphonisches Orchester Berlin, the Czechoslovakian Radio Orchestra, and the International Sejong Soloists, among others. He has performed at major concert halls in Germany, Japan, Israel, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Brazil, Korea, Canada, and the United States. He was top prize winner in numerous national and international competitions, including Concertino Praga, Wettbewerb Jugend Musiziert, and the Luis Sigall International Cello Competition. He joined the faculty of the Yale University School of Music in 1997 and is the principal cellist of the International Sejong Soloists in New York. Since 1998 he has been also a member of Seiji Ozawa's Saito Kinen Festival Orchestra. His collaborations with ERC include The Singing Flame: The Soul of Spanish Music (2002), The Young Arthur Rubinstein (2003), The Vibrant Palette: Van Gogh and Music (2004)

Arash Amini has performed as soloist, chamber, and orchestral musician in Carnegie Hall, Weil Recital Hall, Alice Tully Hall, and Merkin Concert Hall in New York, throughout the U. S. and Switzerland, and in Japan, Canada, France, Germany and Botswana. He has performed chamber music with artists such as Andre Watts, Barbara Hendricks, Kennedy, Cho-Liang Lin, Mischa Maisky, Julian Lloyd Webber, and David Geringas. He is a winner of the ALEX Award of the National Alliance for Excellence, their highest award in the performing arts. Amini is a graduate of The Curtis Institute of Music, where he studied with David Soyer and received his Master of Music degree at The Juilliard School, where studied with Aldo Parisot. Arash Amini has performed countless world and U.S. premieres of solo and chamber music works. His performances have been heard on radio broadcasts throughout the U.S. and he has been featured in The New York Times, Le Nouveau Quotidien (France), and Zurichsee Zeitung (Switzerland), and on Voice of America. Mr. Amini has performed in the ERC productions Fanny Mendelssohn: Out of Her Brother’s Shadow (2005) and From New York to Le Chat Noir (2006).

Jennifer Aylmer (soprano) saw debuts at the Metropolitan Opera: Bella in the Tobias Picker opera An American Tragedy; Utah Opera: Pamina in Die Zauberflöte; as Rose Maurrant in Street Scene with Opera Theater of St. Louis; with the New York Festival of Song in their “Fats and Fields” program, and in Fauré’s Requiem with Utah Symphony. Her 2006-2007 season began with her return to New York City Opera as Gretel in Hansel and Gretel, and the Metropolitan Opera as Papagena in Die Zauberflöte. Other season engagements include a return to Utah Opera as Rosasharn in The Grapes of Wrath and debuts with the Phoenix Symphony as Gretel in Hansel und Gretel and with San Diego Symphony in Mozart’s Exultate, Jubilate, Villa-Lobos’ Bachianas Brasileiras, and Mahler’s Symphony No. 4. Additional upcoming engagements include the title role in Rodelinda with Portland Opera and her Atlanta Opera debut as Gretel in Hansel und Gretel.

Max Barros, co-artistic director of both the Ensemble for the Romantic Century and NEXT CENTURY, has won wide acclaim as one of South America’s foremost pianists. Born in California and raised in Brazil, Mr. Barros was presented with the "Soloist of the Year" Award by the Sao Paulo Music Critics Association. He is also a dedicated champion of Brazilian music, having premiered and recorded several works by the nation’s foremost composers. He is the president of Ponteio Publishing, Inc., a company devoted to the publication and promotion of Brazilian music. He just recorded Amaral Vieira’s Piano Quintet with the Ensemble Capriccio and is recording for Naxos the complete piano concertos by Camargo Guarnieri with conductor Thomas Conlin and the Warsaw Philharmonic. Mr. Barros has recently toured South America with the Virtuosi di Praga and has been a guest artist with the American String Quartet and the St. Luke’s Chamber Ensemble.

Igor Begelman has earned an impressive list of awards and honors. An Avery Fisher Career Grant recipient for the year 2000, Mr. Begelman has appeared as soloist with the Houston Symphony, L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, the Bienne Symphony Orchestra and the Odense Symfoniorkester, among others. As an accomplished chamber musician, he has performed with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and has appeared at the festivals of Marlboro, Ravinia, and Caramoor. He has also been presented in recitals in Western and Eastern Europe, Canada, Mexico, Japan, and Israel. Raised in Kiev, Ukraine, Mr. Begelman came to the U.S. in 1989. Mr. Begelman performed in the ERC production The World of Yesterday: The Life and Loves of Alma Mahler (2003).

The Biava Quartet, winner of the 2003 Naumburg Chamber Music Award, is recognized as one of today’s top young American quartets. Having established an enthusiastic following in the United States and abroad, the Quartet captured top prizes at the 2005 Premio Paolo Borciani and 2003 London International String Quartet Competitions, impressing audiences with its sensitive artistry and communicative powers. The members of the Biava Quartet—violinists Austin Hartman and Hyunsu Ko, violist Mary Persin and cellist Jacob Braun, are recent recipients of Artist Diplomas from the Yale University School of Music. Highlights of the Quartet’s 2005-2006 season included performances at the 25th Anniversary Rockport Chamber Music Festival, Chautauqua Institute, New York’s Look and Listen Festival, Dumbarton Oaks in Washington D.C and the Swannanoa Chamber Music Festival as ensemble in residence. This season will include the Chicago debut of Stacy Garrop’s Second String Quartet “Demons and Angels” with upcoming CD release in the spring of 2007. Return engagements include Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles and New York.

Ariel Bock is a principal actress and Artistic Associate with Shakespeare & Company. Her many credits with that troupe include Goneril in King Lear, Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing, Paulina in The Winter's Tale, Mistress Quickly in Merry Wives of Windsor, the Woman in Laughing Wild and Lisa in Private Eyes. She is a Designated Linklater Voice teacher, and has taught acting and voice for actors at Dartmouth College, Smith College, M.I.T. and at many of the workshops for professional actors at Shakespeare & Company. She is one of the co-founders of the company's renowned education program, and recently directed productions of Romeo and Juliet with 200 Berkshire County 4th and 6th grade students. Ms. Bock’s collaborations with ERC include None but the Lonely Heart: The Story of Tchaikovsky and Nadezhda von Meck (2004), Emily Dickinson: Herself to Her a Music (2004), Fanny Mendelssohn: Out of Her Brother’s Shadow (2005), and Tolstoy’s Last Days (2005).

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Davide Borella has most recently translated, adapted and the performed the one-man show Mistero Buffo by Nobel Prize winner Dario Fo. Other New York theater credits include The Italians of NY (The New York Historical Society), Idiots Delight (The Actors Company Theater), The Ghost Composer (The Neighborhood Playhouse), Ouroboros (The Century Center), All Nudity Shall be Punished (The NY Theater Workshop), The Passion, Romeo's Dream, The Idylls of the King, Light and The Golden Slipper, and Pushkin (Gad's Hill). Film Credits include The Pink Panther (with Steve Martin and Kevin Kline), Life is Beautiful (Roberto Benigni), The Fallen (Ari Taub), Luc's Run (Julie Delpy), and The Scratch (Vitor Amati). He is a member of the Actor's Equity Association and the Screen Actor's Guild. Mr. Borella portrayed Gabriele D’Annunzio in the ERC production L’Innocente (2006).

Denis Brott, founder and Artistic Director of the prize-winning Montreal Chamber Music Festival and Professor of Cello and Chamber Music at the Conservatoire de Musique de Montréal, is one of Canada’s finest performing musicians. His career has taken him to four continents, as soloist, chamber musician and as a member of Canada’s renowned Orford String Quartet. He has appeared as soloist with every major Canadian orchestra and performed under the batons of many prominent conductors. Mr. Brott played a pivotal role in the creation of the Instrument Bank of the Canada Council, which gave him a magnificent 1706 Tecchler cello for his lifetime use. The Montreal Board of Trade paid homage to Mr. Brott in October 2004 by naming him a “Great Montrealer”, an award given to four individuals each year who have made their mark on the history of Montreal, one each in the cultural, economic, scientific and social spheres. He has collaborated with ERC in the production Van Gogh’s Ear (2006).

Christine Marie Brown is a professional actor living in New York City. She has worked at many Regional Theatres including The Guthrie Theater (Minneapolis), Old Globe Theatre (San Diego), Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Shakespeare & Company (Lenox, MA), the Buffalo Studio Arena Theatre and Shenandoah Shakespeare. She was last seen on the New York stage in Henry IV at Lincoln Center. Christine holds a BA in Theatre from the University of Maryland and an MFA from the Old Globe Theatre. She has collaborated with ERC in the production Dora: A Case of Hysteria (2005).

Ted Caine is a senior at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. As a recent graduate of the Atlantic Theater Company Acting School, Ted performed in Too Clever By Half and Our Country’s Good. While studying drama in Dublin, Ireland, this past fall he performed The Oresteia in the Samuel Beckett Theater. He is winner of the 2006 Fresh Fruit Festival’s Distinguished Actor Award for his performance in the new play Too Whom It May Concern.

C.J. Camerieri received his bachelor’s degree in trumpet performance in 2004 from Juilliard, where he studied with Mark Gould. In his first year at Juilliard he gave a “brilliant performance” (NYTimes) of a concerto with the Juilliard Orchestra and placed first in the National Trumpet Competition’s Jazz division. At Juilliard C.J. performed with faculty members including Mark Gould, Ray Mace, Fred Sherry, Joel Sachs and attended festivals including The Spoleto Festival (Italy) and the Music Academy of the West. Since graduation C.J. has joined The Burning River Brass and the New York Trumpet Ensemble. He also plays regularly with the Argento New Music Project, Paragon Ragtime Orchestra, The Orchestra of St. Lukes, The Riverside Symphony, Brooklyn Philharmonic, Long Island Philharmonic, Lincoln Center Festival, American Composer’s Orchestra, The Absolute Ensemble, The Manhattan Brass, and on broadway shows. He has appeared with the artists Dave Douglas, Diana Ross, Dave Taylor, and Bernadette Peters, and he has recently begun touring and recording with singer/songwriter Sufjan Stevens. He is presently touring with Rufus Wainwright for his 2007-2008 World Tour.

Christopher Cartmill received a B.A. in Chinese at Washington and Lee University and an M.F.A. from the University of Virginia. He also did graduate work at Fu Ren University in Taipei and the Royal Scottish Academy for Dramatic Arts in Glasgow. He is a member of the Dramatists Guild, Actors Equity Association, and the Screen Actor's Guild. His plays include Incorruptible, which received Chicago's Joseph Jefferson Award; La Chasse (a Los Angeles Drama-Logue Award for Outstanding New Play); and Romeo’s Dream (a Roger L. Stevens Award from the Kennedy Center Fund for New American Plays). His acting credits include Barney/Max in the long Off-Broadway run of The Director with John Shea. Christopher also appeared as Ganya in the recent Off-Broadway production of Dostoyevsky's The Idiot. His other credits include Edmond Dantes in The Count of Monte Cristo, Garry in Noises Off, Oberon in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, King Arthur in Idylls of the King and Stephen in The Lisbon Traviata. He continues to write and perform special programs for the Art Institute of Chicago, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Yale Center for British Art. Mr. Cartmill has appeared in numerous television and print ads. He has collaborated with ERC in the productions Tolstoy’s Last Days (2005), My Heart, My Serpent: Thus Spoke Zarathustra (2006), and From New York to Le Chat Noir (2006).

Stephanie Chase received the Bronze Medal from the 1982 Tchaikovsky Competition and an Avery Fisher Career Grant. She has performed with numerous symphony orchestras including those of Chicago, New York, San Francisco, London, Vienna, Mexico City and Israel. A remarkably versatile artist, Stephanie Chase is equally in demand as a recitalist, chamber musician and period-instrument performer. She made musical history as soloist in the first recording of Beethoven's Violin Concerto and Romances performed on Classical-era instruments with the Hanover Band. She has recorded for Harmonia Mundi, CALA and Northeastern. Ms. Chase collaborated with ERC in the production The Other Chopin: The Chamber Music (2002).

Vanessa Conlin debuted with Toledo Opera as Miss Jessel in Benjamin Britten's The Turn of the Screw, and with Opera Tampa in Basically Bernstein, repeating the role of The Girl in Trouble in Tahiti which she sang last season in Boston. She has been cast in a new production of Puccini's opera La Bohème directed by Baz Luhrman (director of the Academy Award-nominated Moulin Rouge), for Broadway. Ms. Conlin has appeared in productions of Metro Lyric Opera of New Jersey, Boston Fringe Festival, West Virginia Opera and the Charleston Light Opera Guild. At a ceremony honoring George Crumb with a Lifetime Achievement Award, Ms. Conlin was invited to perform a set of the composer's songs. Ms. Conlin’s performances with ERC include The Other Chopin: The Chamber Music (2002) and Emily Dickinson: Herself to Her a Music (2004).

Jonathan Crow earned his Bachelor of Music in Honours Performance from McGill University, studying with Yehonatan Berick. Upon graduation, Mr. Crow joined the Montreal Symphony at age nineteen. He was appointed Concertmaster in 2002, a position he held until 2006. Mr. Crow is currently Assistant Professor of Violin at McGill University. Mr. Crow has performed as a soloist with most major Canadian orchestras and is heard frequently on Chaîne Culturelle of Radio-Canada, CBC Radio Two, and National Public Radio. An avid chamber musician, Jonathan has performed at chamber music festivals throughout North America, South America and Europe. Recently, Jonathan became the new violinist of the Canadian string trio Triskelion. As an advocate of contemporary music he has premiered works by Michael Conway Baker, Eldon Rathburn, and others, and includes in his repertoire major concertos by such composers as Ligeti, Schnittke, and Bernstein. Mr. Crow has recorded for CBC, Oxingale, and Atma labels. He has collaborated with ERC in the production Van Gogh’s Ear (2006).

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Matt D'Amico is a graduate of The Juilliard School. His credits include Caucasian Chalk Circle (South Coast Rep); Richard II (Shakespeare Theatre of NJ); Death of a Salesman (Geva Theatre); As You Like It (Indiana Rep); Dive, Thief of Man, and Zealot (Guthrie Theater); Othello (Actors Theatre of Louisville); and staged readings at The Public Theater, Classic Stage, Signature Theater, MTC, and NY Stage and Film. In 2003, Matt was picked by ShowBusiness Weekly as one of the 10 NYC Talents Worth Investigating. He collaborated with ERC in the production My Heart, My Serpent: Thus Spoke Zarathustra (2006).

Rosa D’Imperio’s “beautifully dark and sensual voice” (El Nuevo Dia), “tall, handsome and dramatic presence” (The News-Times) and “technical mastery” (La Nuova) have allowed her to distinguish herself in a variety of operatic roles. She began her professional career singing Mimì in La Bohème for the New York Grand Opera and for Opera de Puerto Rico. Since then she has sung Musetta, Rosalinde and Desdemona for the Palm Beach Opera and Marguerite in Faust for the Cleveland Opera, of which Opera News said: “…D’Imperio’s clear voice and sure dramatic sense were just right for Marguerite.” Ms. D’Imperio quickly developed into a spinto soprano and her fascinating portrayals of Tosca and of Santuzza in Cavalleria Rusticana for Opera de Puerto Rico were telecast on National TV. She has also sung Tosca for the New York Grand Opera and Santuzza for the Opera of New Rochelle. Ms. D’Imperio has traveled around the world as a concert soloist, appearing at the Theater An Der Wien, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Richard Tucker Foundation, George Jellinek Show and for the symphony orchestras of Krakow, Prague, Sofia, Shanghai (Beethoven 9th), Fuxjo, Danbury and Puerto Rico (Bach’s Magnificat). She is a winner of the 2006 Joyce Dutka Arts Foundation Awards. She collaborated with ERC in the production L’Innocente (2006).

Judith Donham earned a B.F.A. in acting from United States International University School of Performing Arts in San Diego. She performed with the Montana Repertory Theater; The International Company in San Diego, where she won a Best Actress Award for Kate/Lilli in Kiss Me Kate; and The Old Globe Theater of San Diego where she won an Atlas Award for Best Supporting Actress as Mae (Sister Woman) in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Recently she portrayed Lady Shane in a production of Bitter Sweet directed by Donald Sanders. Ms. Donham is also an operatic soprano. She studied at Boston Conservatory and has performed with Central City Opera, Texas Opera Theater, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, and Hawaii Opera Theater. She recently sang Leonora in the New Jersey Association of Verismo Opera's production of Il Trovatore. Ms. Donham collaborated in the ERC production Secret Messages and Dedications: Music from the Circle of Brahms and the Schumanns (2002).

The Enso String Quartet is quickly becoming one of America's leading young ensembles. The group won the 2003 CAG International Competition as well as top prizes at the Chamber Music Yellowsprings and Fichoff National Chamber Music Competitions. Additional performance prizes awarded at the CAG Competition include the group's New York debut on the CAG series at the Weill Recital Hall and recital engagements at the Krannert Center at the University of Illinois, Chautauqua Institution, Saint Vincent College, Merkin Concert Hall, Newtown Friends of Music and Brooklyn Friends of Chamber Music. Recently featured in Chamber Music magazine's "American Ensemble" column, the multi-national Enso String Quartet began in 1999 and has worked under the mentorship of the Tokyo and Vermeer String Quartets. The group has performed throughout the US and abroad and currently holds the position of Graduate Quartet-in-Residence at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University. Demonstrating a strong commitment to education, the ensemble has performed extensively in Texas schools in collaboration with the Houston Friends of Music. Additionally, during the ensemble's prior residency at Northern Illinois University, these four talented young artists brought programs to thousands of children and teachers across Illinois through the auspices of the Chicago-based International Music Foundation. The name Enso is derived from the Japanese zen painting of the circle which represents many things: perfection and imperfection, the moment of chaos that is creation, the endless circle of life and the fullness of the spirit. The Enso String Quartet performed at the ERC production Emily Dickinson: Herself to Her a Music (2004).

Jonathan Epstein is a principal actor and director with Shakespeare & Company of Lenox, Massachusetts. Since 1990 he has also been responsible for the Sonnet work at the Company's month-long workshops for professional actors. As an actor, his roles with that company have included Benedick and Dogberry in Much Ado About Nothing, Brutus in Julius Caesar, both Puck and Bottom in A Midsummer Night's Dream, Shylock in The Merchant of Venice, and the title roles in Macbeth, Richard III and, most recently, in Tina Packer's production of King Lear. He has performed on and off-Broadway, in London's West End (as Goethe's Faust) and at many regional theaters, including the Intiman, American Repertory Theater, The Shakespeare Theater, and Actor's Theater of Louisville. Musical credits include a variety of roles in the Boston Pops/Shakespeare & Company co-production Brush Up Your Shakespeare, several national tours of Man of La Mancha, and most recently Frosch in the Boston Lyric Opera production of Die Fledermaus. He has twice been honored with Boston's Elliot Norton Award for outstanding actor. Mr. Epstein’s collaborations with ERC include Schubert’s Dream (2004), None but the Lonely Heart: The Story of Tchaikovsky and Nadezhda von Meck (2004), Dora: A Case of Hysteria (2005), and Tolstoy’s Last Days (2005).

Ronald Feldman has a double career as cellist and conductor. He was active as a cellist with the Boston Symphony Orchestra from 1967 to 2001, and appeared as soloist with several ensembles, including the Boston Pops, Symphony by the Sea, and the Berkshire Symphony Orchestra. As a conductor, Mr. Feldman was appointed assistant to Boston Pops's conductor John Williams in 1989, a position he held until 1993. Twice winner of the American Symphony League's ASCAP Award for adventuresome progamming of contemporary music, Mr. Feldman has appeared as guest conductor with the Rochester Philharmonic, the Québec Symphony, the St. Louis Symphony, the George Enescu Chamber Orchestra, and most recently with the London Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Feldman has performed in several ERC productions, including Secret Messages and Dedications: Music from the Circle of Brahms and the Schumanns (2002), Robert and Clara Schumann: A Love Story in Music (2002), Sublime Sorcery: Music and the Supernatural (2002), The World of Yesterday: The Life and Loves of Alma Mahler (2003), Schubert’s Dream (2004), and Dora: A Case of Hysteria (2005).

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Maria Ferrante, winner of the Mario Lanza Competition, has appeared as Desdemona in Verdi's Otello, Mimi in Puccini's La Bohème, and Pamina in Mozart's Magic Flute. She collaborates with pianist Lincoln Mayora, and recorded in Prague works of Joseph Summer with members of the Prague Symphony. In 2002, she performed the role of Madama Butterfly in Boston, and toured the American Virgin Islands in recitals. Ms. Ferrante performed in the ERC production The Singing Flame: The Soul of Spanish Music (2002).

Simon Fortin, Son and grandson of actors, Mr. Fortin was born in Canada where he trained as an actor at the Conservatoire d’Art Dramatique du Québec and then in England, at Drama Studio London. In the last twenty years, Simon has acted and sung in Canada and the U.S. in nearly sixty productions of, among others, Shakespeare, Tremblay, Chekhov, Offenbach, Stoppard and Rogers & Hammerstein. His interpretations have garnered him many awards and artist grants. A seasoned cabaret performer, he has presented his one-man-shows (Lost & Found in Translation and Of Frogs and Princes) in Canada, the U.S. and South Africa. A playwright and translator, Fortin has to this day written eight plays and translated four. Some Exhibition, his latest work, is in pre-production for a New York opening next season. He recently received a Masters’ degree from NYU in Shakespeare Studies (2005) and is currently pursuing his doctoral studies in the same discipline. He has collaborated with ERC in the production Van Gogh’s Ear (2006).

Semyon Fridman, whose artistry was hailed by the New York Times as a "moving balance of delicacy and power," is recognized as one of today's premier cellists and chamber musicians. He has twice won first prize at the Concert Artists Guild International Competition in New York, once as a member of the Bowdoin Trio and the other as a soloist. Fridman was also selected by Musical America as "outstanding artist of the year." He has appeared as concerto soloist with the Baltimore Symphony and Kiev State Philharmonic. In recital and chamber music concerts, he has performed in most major concert halls including Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, the Kennedy Center, the Library of Congress, and many international halls. Fridman has been a frequent guest with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, and was featured with Leon Fleisher and the late Virgil Thomson in the PBS documentary, Baton. Mr. Fridman has performed in the ERC production Tolstoy’s Last Days (2005).

Vesselin Gellev Praised by the New York Times for his “warmth and virtuosic brilliance”, Bulgarian-born violinist Vesselin Gellev has performed throughout Europe, Asia, Australia, South America and the US. Since his concerto debut at age 9, Mr. Gellev has been a featured soloist with the Spoleto Festival Orchestra, New Haven Symphony Orchestra, Juilliard Orchestra, Plovdiv Philharmonic, Manhattan Virtuosi, and the Idyllwild International Chamber Orchestra, a.o. Mr. Gellev is a member of Antares, a piano-clarinet quartet, winner of the Grand Prize at the 2002 Concert Artists Guild competition in New York. Antares' debut CD entitled "Eclipse" was released in 2005 on the Innova label. As concertmaster of Kristjan Jarvi's Absolute Ensemble, a Grammy-nominated, genre-blending "classical band" dedicated to the breakdown of musical barriers and categorisation, Mr. Gellev has recorded numerous CD's and performed worldwide to audience and critical acclaim. Mr. Gellev has also been concertmaster of the Spoleto Festival Orchestra in Italy and The Juilliard Orchestra, guest concertmaster of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, and since 2002 serves as concertmaster of the New Haven Symphony Orchestra. His performances have been broadcast live on WNYC, NPR's Performance Today series and MPR's St. Paul Sunday. Mr. Gellev holds Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from The Juilliard School in New York, and has served on the violin faculty at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY. Mr. Gellev has been a core member of ERC since 2003, when he performed in the production The Young Arthur Rubinstein in São Paulo, Brazil.

Michael Goldstrom’s work in theater and TV includes: Porn 'N Chicken for Comedy Central, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) Off-Broadway, Law and Order: SVU, and The Lost Battalion for A&E, nominated for 3 Emmy Awards. He has performed in Avery Fisher Hall with the New York Philharmonic, in Alice Tully Hall in The Soldier's Tale, and this November with the Greenwich Symphony Orchestra. He received diplomas from The Juilliard School Actor Training Program, The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, and a B.A. from Columbia University, where he majored in Art History. A recipient of the Steven Spielberg Fellowship in Theater Arts, he directed Except Nights, an interdisciplinary production of work by new composers in the Master's Program at Juilliard. He has collaborated with ERC in the productions The Symbol in Image, Word and Sound: Musical Symbolism in France (2001), A Singing Flame: The Soul of Spanish Music (2002), and Sublime Sorcery: Music and the Supernatural (2002).

April-Joy Gutierrez has been praised by her nimble, milky soprano and her caresses of sound in the soft high notes. Theatrically enterprising and vocally radiant, she has sung many of the most demanding roles in the lyric repertoire, including such notable heroines as Lucia in Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor, Violetta in Verdi's La Traviata, Mimi in Puccini's La Boheme, Konstanze in Mozart's Abduction from the Seraglio, Gilda in Rigoletto, Micaela in Carmen, and Lauretta in Gianni Schiccht with companies in the US and abroad. These companies include New York City Opera, Dayton Opera, New Jersey Opera Festival, Opera Colorado, Caramoor Festival, Gold Coast Opera and 1 Cantori of New York. In addition to her operatic engagements, Ms. Gutierrez is equally at home on the concert stage. She performed the world premiere of Bruckner's Psalms with the American Symphony Orchestra in Avery Fisher Hall. A graduate of the Juilliard School of Music and the University of Northern Colorado, Ms. Gutierrez is the recipient of many distinguished awards. She is the winner of a Sullivan Foundation Career Grant, The Liederkranz Foundation Competition, and the Jenny Lind Competition. As a winner in the New York Regional Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions she was named Outstanding Mozart Singer. Mr. Gutierrez has performed in the ERC production Fanny Mendelssohn: Out of Her Brother’s Shadow (2005).

Beth Guterman is one of the most sought-after young violists of her generation. This past summer she became a member of the prestigious Chamber Music Society Two of Lincoln Center program and will start there in the 06-07 season playing in Alice Tully Hall with performers Ida Kavafian, Ani Kavafian, Joseph Silverstein, Paul Neubauer, David Finckel and Wu Han, among others. She received her Masters degree in May from Juilliard studying with Masao Kawasaki. Ms. Guterman received top prize in the Juilliard Viola Competition and in the first ever Aspen Nakamichi Lower Strings Competition. She made her New York debut in Avery Fisher Hall performing a concerto under the baton of James DePreist. She collaborated with ERC in the production Van Gogh’s Ear (2006).

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Désirée Halac, mezzo-soprano, is originally from Argentina. In the New York area she has performed as soloist with the American Symphony Orchestra at Avery Fisher Hall, the America Composers Orchestra, the Jupiter Symphony, the Westchester Choral, the Stamford Symphony, as well as the Chamber Ensemble of St. Luke’s Orchestra. As a song recitalist, she made her New York Recital debut in 2000 as the winner of the Joy in Singing Award, is a regular with the Jupiter Chamber Music Series, and has performed in recital extensively throughout North America, Argentina and Europe. A CD in collaboration with pianist Dalton Baldwin of songs by Argentinean composer Carlos Guastavino is scheduled for this fall. Ms. Halac made her Teatro Colon debut in the title role of Dido and Aeneas in 2003. Other roles include, Cherubino, Idamante, Annio, and Carmen. She has sung in festivals such as the Aspen Festival, the Steans Institue for the Ravina Festival, and Kloster Festival in Germany among others. Ms. Halac has collaborated with ERC in the productions Van Gogh’s Ear (2006), From New York to Le Chat Noir (2006), and The Vibrant Palette: Van Gogh and Music (2004).

Tom Hammond has appeared in several Shakespearean productions in New York and abroad, including Troilus and Cressida directed by Sir Peter Hall, Macbeth and Richard III directed by Ron Daniels, and Cymbeline with the Royal Shakespeare Company. Mr. Hammond has also appeared in several film and TV productions, including None Without Sin and The Great Gatsby in the PBS American Masters series. He received his training from the Cicely Berry Shakespeare Workshops, the Royal National Theatre in London, and holds a B.A. with honors in English Literature from Harvard. In addition to being an actor, Mr. Hammond worked as a lead singer, writer, and bassist-guitarist of the rock band Man of Clay. He collaborated with ERC in the production The Sorrows of Young Werther: A Romantic Liederabend (2003).

John Hellweg is a professor of theatre at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. He has performed in principal roles in over thirty productions, most recently as Sy Turner in Delicious Rivers (Ellen Maddow), directed by Paul Zimet; as Jabber/Chilli in a reading of In the Blood (Suzan-Lori Parks), directed by Suzan-Lori Parks; as well as in traditional Javanese performances: as Menak Jingga in The Death of Menak Jingga, as Garuda in the Ramayana, and as the prince in Gambir Anom. John has directed over forty productions, including plays by Ionesco, Bruno, Shawn, Shakespeare, Vogel, Ende, Lucas, Jarry, Kobo Abe, Mrozek, Chekhov, Molière, Bidart, Ayckbourn, Churchill, Euripides, Coward, Calderón de la Barca, Arrabal, Ghelderode, and O’Casey. His productions have been at the Galaxy Theatre in Los Angeles, The Magic Theatre in San Francisco, the Santa Cruz Art Center, and A.P.E. Theater Center, Northampton, MA. Recent work includes two one-woman performances: Mother Maroon (Hart), presented in Cairo, Copenhagen, and Poland; and I Used to be One Hot Number (Blair), presented at the Big D Festival of the Unexpected at the Dallas Theatre Center.

Nai-Yuan Hu won the First Prize in the prestigious Queen Elisabeth International Competition in Belgium in 1985. He has appeared with the Toronto Symphony, Seattle Symphony, the Netherland and Rotterdam Philharmonics, the Belgian National Orchestra, the Liege Philharmonic and Orchestre National de Lille. Mr. Hu has collaborated with the conductors George Cleve, Adam Fischer, Leon Fleisher, Gunther Herbig, Jahja Ling, Gerard Schwarz, and Maxim Shostakovich, among others. In summer seasons, Mr. Hu has appeared in such festivals as Mostly Mozart, Marlboro, Grand Teton, Waterloo, Seattle, and Newport. A chamber music enthusiast, he has collaborated with such musicians as Martha Argerich, Fou Ts'ong, Misha Maisky, Yo-Yo Ma, and Emanuel Ax. His recording of Goldmark's Concerto and Bruch's Concerto No. 2 with Gerard Schwarz and the Seattle Symphony was selected as Critics' Choice by Gramophone. Mr. Hu performed in the ERC production The Young Arthur Rubinstein (2003).

Christina Jennings is praised for virtuoso technique, rich tone and command of a wide range of literature featuring works from Bach to Zwilich. The Houston Press declared: “Jennings has got what it takes; a distinctive voice, charisma and a pyrotechnic style that works magic on the ears.” Winner of numerous competitions including the Concert Artists Guild Competition, Ms. Jennings has performed as soloist with the Houston and Utah Symphonies, the Avalon String Quartet, the Zephyros Winds, So Percussion, and soprano Lucy Shelton. Cross disciplinary performances include collaborations with the David Parson Dance Company, choreographer Austin Hartel and Actress Jennifer Timm. Her recordings include several solo CDs as well as discs for Albany Records alongside jazz great Marian McPartland and Shulamit Ran’s flute concerto Voices. Based in Boulder, Colorado Ms. Jennings is Assistant Professor of Flute at the University of Colorado.

Kate Konigisor has performed on stages in New York City and in theatres across the country. Favorite roles include Emilia in Othello (opposite Austin Pendleton, West End Theatre), Shirley Valentine (Gretna Theatre), Bella in Lost in Yonkers (Theatre Virginia), Kate in The Taming of the Shrew (Shakespeare in Delaware Park), Eleanor in The Lion in Winter, Kate in Brighton Beach Memoirs and Broadway Bound (Surflight Theatre), Gorgeous in The Sisters Rosensweig (Labyrinth Theatre, Dallas). Kate’s featured role in the movie Medium, will soon be seen in film festivals around the world. She is also an Associate Producer of Algonquin Productions in New York City.

Katie Kreisler has appeared on Broadway in Noises Off (directed by Jeremy Sams), on an Off-Broadway production of PSYCH (directed by Jim Simpson), and on ABC's The Job and Fox's Urban Anxiety. She studied at Juilliard School and has also appeared at The Public Theater in a workshop directed by George C. Wolfe as well as The New Dramatists' Theater. Ms. Kreisler has performed the role of George Sand in the ERC production The Other Chopin: The Chamber Music (2002).

Christopher Collins Lee holds a B.F.A. and M.M. degrees from The Juilliard School of Music, a Doctorate from SUNY, Stony Brook, and Honorary Doctoral Degrees from Taipei University and the Shanghai and Beijing Conservatories of Music. He was a protégé of Zino Francescatti and Henryk Szeryng, and Nathan Milstein called his tone the most beautiful sound of his generation. He has performed as a soloist under Leopold Stokowski, Sergiu Commissiona, Lucas Foss, Jose Serebrier, Hugh Wolff, and many others. He has premiered numerous contemporary works for solo violin, including Copland's Ballades for Violin and Piano with Leonard Bernstein on the piano, and the Concertino for Violin and Orchestra by Xavier Montsalvadge televised, with the composer and the King of Spain in attendance. Mr. Lee has extensive experience in chamber music, having performed with some of the most prominent ensembles in America and abroad. Mr. Lee has performed at Carnegie Hall, Boston's Symphony Hall and Covent Garden, and has recorded on the CBS, Desto, Everest, Delos, Arista and Quattro Corde labels. Mr. Lee collaborated in the ERC productions Paderewski in Paris (2001), The Singing Flame: The Soul of Spanish Music (2002), and Robert and Clara Schumann: A Love Story in Music (2003).

Lester Lynch has received critical acclaim for performances at major opera houses throughout the United States and Europe, including the Houston Grand Opera, Deutsche Oper am Rhein, Seattle Opera, and Cincinnati Opera. Mr. Lynch's portrayal of Crown in Porgy and Bess with Houston Grand Opera's International Tour brought him to audiences worldwide, including celebrated performances at Teatro alla Scala and L'Opéra Bastille in Paris. He has performed a wide repertoire with many important orchestras, including New York Philharmonic, National Symphony Orchestra, and St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, among others. Mr. Lynch is also a seasoned recitalist and has performed in classic song recitals nationwide under the auspices of the Marilyn Horne Foundation. He has been a winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, the George London Vocal Competition, and the Sullivan Awards. In the 2002-2003 season, Mr. Lynch joined the roster of The Lyric Opera of Chicago and Metropolitan Opera. Mr. Lynch has performed in the ERC productions Sublime Sorcery: Music and the Supernatural (2002), The Sorrows of Young Werther: A Romantic Liederabend (2003), None but the Lonely Heart: The Story of Tchaikovsky and Nedezhda von Meck (2004), and Fanny Mendelssohn: Out of Her Brother’s Shadow (2005).

Curtis Macomber has for many years been recognized as a leading advocate of the music of our time. He has performed in hundreds of premieres, commissions, and first recordings of solo violin and chamber works by, among others, Carter, Davidovsky, Perle, Wuorinen, and Mackey. As first violinist of the award-winning New World String Quartet for 11 years (1982 – 1993), he has recorded 14 discs and performed numerous times on public radio and television in this country and the BBC in Great Britain. A founding member of the Apollo Piano Trio and a member of the 20th-century music ensemble Speculum Musicae since 1991,. He is a regular participant at La Musica in Sarasota and at the Monadnock Music Festival. He has also recorded for Nonesuch, Koch, Vanguard, Pickwick, and Musical Heritage; and CRI has just released his third solo recording, Casting Ecstatic. A CD of sonatas of Amy Beach and John Corigliano is available on Koch. Mr. Macomber is a member of the chamber music faculty of Juilliard and the violin faculty of Manhattan School of Music and has also taught at the Tanglewood Music Center, the Taos School of Music, and the Yellow Barn Music School. He holds his B.M., M.M., and D.M.A. degrees from Juilliard, where he was a scholarship student of Joseph Fuchs and winner of the Morris Loeb and Walter Naumburg prizes. Mr. Macomber has performed in the ERC production Dora: A Case of Hysteria (2005).

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MaryAnn McCormick, mezzo-soprano, has distinguished herself for her artistic diversity upon the operatic, concert, and recital stages. She has performed at Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Metropolitan Opera, Boston Lyric Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Pittsburgh Opera, and Minnesota Opera, among others. Recent appearances include the BBC Symphony Orchestra under Leonard Slatkin, Dutch Radio Philharmonic and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra under Edo De Waart, and the New York Philharmonic under Kurt Masur. She has recorded with the Emerson String Quartet in the Grammy-nominated world premiere recording of Anton Webern's Three Pieces for String Quartet, op. 3 no. 3, for Deutsche Grammophon and was awarded a special prize in the 1998 Tchaikovsky Competition for the best Tchaikovsky singing. In the spring of 2004, Ms. McCormick returns to the Metropolitan Opera in performances of Die Walküre conducted by James Levine. Ms. McCormick performed in the ERC productions The Sorrows of Young Werther: A Romantic Liederabend (2003), and Dora: A Case of Hysteria (2005).

Elizabeth McKinney is currently the Assistant Conductor of the Young People’s Chorus of New York City. Upon completing the degree of Bachelor of Music Education at Lee University, Ms. McKinney was awarded Music Education Graduate of the Year. At Lee University, she was Assistant Conductor of the Lee University Children’s Chorale and student conductor of both the Chorale and Choral Union. She received the degree of Master of Music Education from the University of Oklahoma, where she also completed Kodaly certification. Ms. McKinney studied conducting with Dennis Shrock and voice with Dolores Leffingwell. She was also the Associate Conductor of the Norman Children’s Chorus and frequently conducted choral ensembles at the University of Oklahoma including the Kodaly Workshop Chorus, University Choir, and University Chorale, and also taught courses in music appreciation. Ms. McKinney continues to sing professionally and most recently performed a series of songs for marimba and soprano at the University of Oklahoma. She made her debut with the Santa Fe Desert Chorale in 2002 and sang for the summer and winter seasons under the direction of Dennis Shrock. Other solo appearances include performances of Handel’s Messiah, Britten’s Rejoice in the Lamb, and the role of Filia in Carissimi’s Jephte. Ms. McKinney holds a Level One certificate in Doreen Rao’s Choral Music Experience. She is a member of the American Choral Director’s Association and the Organization for American Kodaly Educators. Ms. McKinney directed the Young People’s Chorus of New York City in the ERC production My Heart, My Serpent: Thus Spoke Zarathustra (2006).

James Melo has written extensively for scholarly journals and music magazines in Brazil, Uruguay, United States, and Austria, and has been invited to participate as a panel discussant in conferences in Indiana, New York, and Canada. He has written program notes for several concerts at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, and for over 60 recordings on the Chesky, Naxos, Paulus, and Musikus labels, among others. He is the New York correspondent for the magazine Sinfonica in Uruguay, reviewer of music iconography for the journal Music in Art, and senior editor at RILM (Répertoire Internationale de Litérature Musicale) at CUNY. In March 2005, he chaired a session in the conference Music and Intellectual History, organized by the Barry Brook Center for Music Research and Documentation (CUNY), and presented a paper on the history of musicological research in Brazil. He received a grant from the Paul Sacher Stiftung in Basel, Switzerland, where he conducted research on the manuscripts of Anton Webern. Mr. Melo is the program annotator for the recording on Villa-Lobos's complete piano music and Camargo Guarnieri's complete piano concertos on Naxos. Mr. Melo has written program notes for all of ERC’s original productions and authored several scripts, including The Sorrows of Young Werther: A Romantic Liederabend (2003), Schubert’s Dream (2004), Emily Dickinson: Herself to Her a Music (2004), and My Heart, My Serpent: Thus Spoke Zarathustra (2006), among others. In 2006, he began a collaboration with the Montréal Chamber Music Festival as musicologist and program notes writer.

Michael Milligan has performed Shakespeare around the country, most recently as Mark Anthony in Julius Ceasar in Milwaukee and as Orlando with Shakespeare and Company. Other Shakespeare: Hamlet, Romeo, Mercutio, Dromio, Cassio, Benedik, Edgar, and various spear carriers and shrub movers with the Cincinatti Playhouse, St. Louis Rep., the Alabama, Colorado, Utah, St. Louis, Illinois, and Sedona Shakespeare festivals. Non Shakespeare: Candida at the McCarter, Glass Menagerie with Penny Fuller at Charlotte Rep, The Golem with Robert Prosky at the Manhattan Ensemble Theater, and Murray in A Thousand Clowns at Buffalo's Studio Arena Theatre. Michael trained at Juilliard where he received the John Houseman Prize. Mr. Milligan has collaborated with ERC in the productions Fanny Mendelssohn: Out of Her Brother’s Shadow (2005) and George Sand: Letters from Majorca (2005).

Gil Morgenstern. Whether as soloist with orchestra, in recital or as a chamber musician, violinist Gil Morgenstern has performed to overwhelming critical acclaim ("beautifully played," The New York Times; "a remarkable violinist," The Washington Post; "a rare poet of the violin," The South China Morning Post). He has toured on five continents, playing in such musical centers as New York, London, Paris, Berlin, and Hong Kong, and has performed throughout the United States, appearing with many leading orchestras including the Baltimore, St. Louis, Indianapolis, Denver, Milwaukee, New Jersey, and North Carolina Symphonies. Morgenstern has been the subject of numerous television and radio shows and his performances can be regularly heard on National Public Radio broadcasts. He is the co-founder and co-artistic director of 9 Circles Chamber Theatre and of NCNY Dance; creative organizations dedicated to fully exploring and expanding the collaborative nature of inter-disciplinary performance. Morgenstern has been the recipient of many honors and awards including "Outstanding Young American" by the Jaycees of America and a Rockefeller grant. He has performed at the White House in honor of His Royal Majesty Juan Carlos, King of Spain and his wife, Queen Sofia, and at President Clintonís inaugural festivities. He has performed with ERC in the production The Vibrant Palette: Van Gogh and Music (2004).

Craig Mumm is associate principal violist with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. He began his career in the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and went on to become the assistant principal violist of the Lyric Opera Orchestra of Chicago and also the Grant Park Symphony Orchestra. He grew up in Chicago and Milwaukee, where his musical studies began with his father, Edward Mumm, retired concertmaster and assistant conductor of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Mumm earned his Bachelor degree in Music Performance from Northern Illinois University as a performance scholarship student of Shmuel Ashkenasi of the Vermeer Quartet. He furthered his studies in Switzerland with Zino Francescati, and while in Europe, played with the Folkwang Chamber Orchestra in Essen, Germany. Mr. Mumm is on the faculty of Hartwick College-Music Festival and Institute. He has performed in the ERC production Secret Messages and Dedications: Music from the Circle of Brahms and the Schumanns (2002).

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Mary Nessinger. In addition to performing works from the standard repertoire, Ms. Nessinger has devoted herself to the performance of new music. This season she will be touring internationally with Peter Serkin and members of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, performing Pierrot Lunaire and Ode to Napoleon Buonaparte by Schoenberg. She has performed at Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, Metropolitan Museum of Art, as well as in London, Berlin, Edinburgh and Glasgow. She was a soloist with the Baltimore, Grand Rapids, Jacksonville, and London Symphonies, and has toured under the auspices of Musicians from Marlboro and the International Musicians' Seminar in England. Ms. Nessinger has recorded for Deutsche Grammophon, CRI, New World, Naxos, and Koch International labels. Ms. Nessinger collaborated with ERC in Robert and Clara Schumann: A Love Story in Music (2002), and The World of Yesterday: The Life and Loves of Alma Mahler (2003).

Michael Nicolas Canadian cellist Michael Nicolas has performed as chamber musician and soloist in cities across Canada and the United States, in collaboration with many renowned musicians, including Mitsuko Uchida, Richard Goode, Kim Kashkashian, Charles Neidich, Fred Sherry, and members of the Guarneri, Juilliard, Muir, and St. Lawrence string quartets. Born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba, he made his concerto debut in 1999 with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, and returns regularly to perform recitals and concerts. He is a prizewinner in the Canadian Music Competitions, and has received a grant from the Canada Council for the Arts. He has been heard on CBC Radio Two, and has recorded the music of Schoenberg for Naxos. He also plays regularly with the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal. Also an advocate for new music, Michael has worked closely with many distinguished composers, including Charles Wuorinen, John Harbison, and Mario Davidovsky, in the latter case giving the world premiere of Mr. Davidovsky’s Quartet No. 4. Upcoming highlights for Mr. Nicolas include the New Paths Festival in New York in June, the Ravinia Festival in July, as well as a recording for Espace Musique, the classical music branch of French-language broadcaster Radio-Canada.

Richard O'Neill has performed as chamber musician and soloist throughout the United States, France, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. An accomplished chamber musician, he has collaborated with members of the Juilliard, Guarneri, and Mendelssohn String Quartets, and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. Mr. O'Neill made his Los Angeles Philharmonic solo debut in 2000, and has appeared with the American Youth, Young Musician's Foundation, USC, and Richardson Symphonies. He has recorded for Centaur and Koch International Classics. His collaborations with ERC include The Young Arthur Rubinstein (2003), The Vibrant Palette: Van Gogh and Music (2004), and Dora: A Case of Hysteria (2005).

Dennis Parker (Professor of Cello and Coordinator of String Chamber Music). Inspired by a variety of musical activity, Parker appears frequently as soloist, recitalist, collaborator and guest professor at numerous universities and festivals. Parker has been on the LSU faculty since 1988. He was principal cellist of the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra from 1988 to 1998. Parker is a former member of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and served as Principal Cellist of the Porto Alegre Symphony Orchestra in Porto Alegre, Brazil. Mr. Parker received his early training with Channing Robbins of the Juilliard School in New York City. He later was a pupil of Janos Starker at Indiana University (BM; Performers Certificates 1982) and Aldo Parisot at Yale (MM 1986) where he served as Mr. Parisot's teaching assistant. In recent years, Parker has researched, performed and recorded works of composers who perished in the Holocaust. He is always involved with the expansion of the existing cello repertoire, and has many transcribed many works for his instrument. He is presently working on a first recording of David Popper's Studies for Cello, as well as recordings of a selection of his sonata transcriptions. During the past two seasons, Parker has been guest professor at universities in Santiago, Chile, Mexico City, San Jose, Costa Rica, Istanbul and Izmir, Turkey. He lives in Baton Rouge, Louisiana with his wife, Jacqueline, a writer and painter and their two children, Roland and Zoe.

Michael Parloff has been Principal Flutist of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra since 1977 and a member of the flute faculty of Manhattan School of Music since 1985. A 1974 graduate of the Juilliard School, Mr. Parloff appears regularly as recitalist and concerto soloist throughout North America, Europe, and Japan and has participated in a variety of music festivals, including Marlboro, Grand Tetons, Chautauqua, Waterloo, Monadnock, and Crested Butte. His solo CD The Flute Album (ESS.A.Y CD1027) surveys 200 years of classic repertoire for the instrument. Mr. Parloff has collaborated with ERC in the production The Symbol in Image, Word and Sound: Musical Symbolism in France (2001).

Peggy Penn is an internationally recognized family therapist and poet. Her poetry is published in Paris Review, Beloit Journal, Western Humanities Review, and Southern Poetry Review. She has won a number of poetry prizes, and her work has been included in The Breath of Parted Lips and An Emily Dickinson Anthology in 2002. Her book of poetry, So Close, was published in 2001. Her readings have been enthusiastically received. She is also co-author of Milan Systemic Family Therapy: Conversations in Theory and Practice. Director of Clinical Training and Education at the Ackerman Institute for the Family from 1985 to 1993, she now directs a project there investigating the use of language and writing in family therapy. She performed the role of Alma Mahler in the ERC production The World of Yesterday: The Life and Loves of Alma Mahler (2003).

Karen Bentley Pollick pursues a unique career as a violinist, violist, conductor, and pianist. She attended Indiana University and graduated with a Masters of Music Degree in Violin Performance in 1987. She has concertized as soloist throughout the capitols of Europe, Asia, United States, Canada and Russia and has several recordings of original music, including Electric Diamond, Angel, Konzerto and Succubus, Ariel View, and Dancing Suite to Suite, which was awarded second place in the Just Plain Folks 2004 Record Awards Best Classical Soloist Album category. She collaborates with percussionist Ian Dogole of Global Fusion Music in a variety of musical styles merging violin, viola and Norwegian hardangerfele with percussion instruments from around the globe. Pollick has toured with the New York Philharmonic, Mikhail Baryshnikov’s White Oak Dance Project, the Bolshoi Ballet, Barbra Streisand, and recorded with the Dave Matthews Band and Evanescence, as well as numerous film scores at Skywalker Ranch. She is currently the violinist in Paul Dresher’s Electro-Acoustic Band, which performed at Carnegie’s Zankel Hall as part of the In Your Ear Festival, hosted by John Adams. She has also collaborated with the Seattle Chamber Players in their Icebreaker II: Baltic Voices Festival, which was featured on St. Paul Sunday. Pollick currently resides in Birmingham, Alabama, where she is First Lady of Birmingham Southern College. For more information: www.kbentley.com

Cristina Pronzati is originally from Torino, Italy. Theatre credits include Trapdoor Theatre in Chicago, the American Conservatory Theatre and the Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center. Film credits include Rendez-Vous, a short film she also wrote, produced and directed; The Fallen (“Audience Award” and “Best Director” at MIFF-Milan International Film Festival, 2005), Life Is Beautiful and The Age Of Innocence. She was recently seen on AMC in the show Into Character as Loretta Lynn. She portrayed Eleonora Duse in the ERC production L’Innocente (2006).

The Quartetto di Venezia delights audiences with its distinctively Italian playing style and sparkling repertoire. Founded more than a decade ago, when its members were students at the Venice Conservatory, the artists have studied with the Quartetto Italiano and Vegh Quartet, and have developed an exquisite quality of sound and a unique voice which emphasizes the characteristics of individual instruments. Through live performances around the globe, broadcasts on Italian State Television and radio stations including WQXR in New York City, and numerous recordings on the Dynamic, Koch, Ermitage, Musical Heritage Society, Fonit Centra, and CD Classic labels, the Quartetto di Venezia is continuing and revitalizing the extraordinary Italian tradition of string quartet playing. The Quartetto di Venezia performed in the ERC production L’Innocente (2006).

Judy Rosenblatt earned her BFA at Cornell University and went on to study acting at The Central School of Speech and Drama in London. Further training included work with Joseph Balfior, Sanford Meisner, Bill Esper, Uta Hagen and Austin Pendleton. NY credits include: The American Clock and The Dancers (HB Playwrights), Chaos Theroy (Greenwich Theatre), Black Sun (LaMaMa, E.T.C.), Fugumetunachai and Eveningsong (The Players Club), Word of God (NY Dramatists Guild), and The Man Who Loved Words (NYSF/Public Theatre). Regional credits here and in London: The Room, The Importance of Being Earnest, The Rose Tattoo, A Delicate Balance, Lovers and other Strangers, Plaza Suite and The Diary of Anne Frank. TV credits include several episodes on The Sopranos. Judy is a member of The Players Club and the HB Theatre Ensemble.

Kyoko Saito has gained international recognition through her performances in Zurich, Glasgow, Madrid, Lisbon, Vienna, Berlin, Tel Aviv and Tokyo. After winning the prestigious Young Concert Artists International Auditions, she toured extensively across the United States. Ms. Saito recorded her debut CD Jardim l'amour with pianist Dalton Baldwin and has studied with Elisabeth Schwarzkopf and Gerard Souza at the Salzburg Mozarteum and later at the Juilliard School. She currently works with Joan Dornemann, Lorraine Nubar and Pierre Valet in New York. She performed in the ERC production The Symbol in Image, Word and Sound: Musical Symbolism in France (2001).

Donald T. Sanders, a director, writer, and producer, graduated from the Yale School of Drama, where he was assistant to Nikos Psacharapoulos and drama master of Stiles College. He received a CID from the University of Bristol, England, and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania. Known for his stage adaptations from novels, his Naked Lunch by William S. Burroughs and Old New York by Edith Wharton were both presented by Joseph Papp at The New York Shakespeare Festival/Public Theatre. Mr. Sanders has been executive artistic director of MIFA/Massachusetts International Festival of the Arts since 1993. He is also the author of 33 Scenes on the Possibility of Human Happiness and Dubrovsky, the opera by jazz composer William Russo. In 2002 he was made a Chevalier dans l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres of the Republic of France.

Randall Scarlata, baritone, has won first prize at the 1999 YCA International Auditions, the 1997 Das Schubert Lied International Competition in Vienna, the 1997 Joy in Singing Competition in New York, and second prize at the 1999 Walter W. Naumburg Foundation International Vocal Competition. Last season, Mr. Scarlata debuted with the Philadelphia Orchestra, and has been heard in recitals in Vienna, Salzburg, Hamburg, Nice, and in Italy's Spoleto Festival. Mr. Scarlata performs with Lincoln Center's Chamber Music Society II, and has given world premieres of works by several contemporary composers. Mr. Scarlata has spent several summers under the tutelage of the great French baritone Gérard Souzay. He has recorded for the Albany, Gasparo, and CRI labels. Mr. Scarlata has performed with ERC in Secret Messages and Dedications: Music from the Circle of Brahms and the Schumanns (2002), Robert and Clara Schumann: A Love Story in Music (2002) Schubert’s Dream (2004), and My Heart, My Serpent: Thus Spoke Zarathustra (2006).

Andy Simionescu was born in Romania and is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music where he completed his studies with Szymon Goldberg. He was awarded the Silver Medal and the Prize for the Commissioned Work at the 1987 Montreal International Violin Competition and was a 1st prize winner in the Concert Artists Guild and the Washington International competitions. Andy’s solo appearances have taken him to the stages of Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Musikverein, Tokyo’s Casals Hall and throughout the US, Europe, and Asia. Recital highlights include performances at the White House, the Kennedy Center, Library of Congress, New York’s 92nd Street Y and Alice Tully Hall, as well as a six-recital series at the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts. A prolific chamber musician, he is a member of the Raphael Trio and Artistic Director of the Performers of Westchester. Mr. Simionescu performed in the ERC production Van Gogh’s Ear (2006).

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Benjamin Sosland. Recent engagements for tenor Benjamin Sosland include performances at the Spoleto (Italy) and Aldeburgh (England) Festivals, Bach’s B Minor Mass with the St. Bartholomew’s Orchestra, the title role in Britten’s St. Nicolas with the Choral Society of the Hamptons, the Evangelist in Bach’s Christmas Oratorio with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, and Brahms’s Liebeslieder Waltzes in Chicago and Los Angeles. In recital, he has appeared at the Morris Jumel House, the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, and Center City Concerts in Philadelphia. Mr. Sosland, a doctoral candidate at the Juilliard School, has been the guest of the Marlboro, Bowdoin, Aspen, and Ravinia music festivals. He won First Prize in the 2006 Joyce Dutka Arts Foundation Art Song Competition. Mr. Sosland has collaborated with ERC in the production Van Gogh’s Ear (2006).

Alan Stepansky became the principal cellist of the Boston Pops at age 24, and made his solo debut with the New York Philharmonic under Kurt Masur during the 1992-93 season. He also served as Acting Principal Cellist for the orchestra's 1994 and 1995 tours of Asia and Europe. Mr. Stepansky has been a guest artist with the Mostly Mozart Festival and has appeared with prestigious chamber music series around the country. His CD of the Korngold Trio was featured as Editor's Choice by Gramophone, and BBC Magazine awarded four stars to his performance of the Barber Sonata. He is currently on the faculty of the Manhattan School of Music and the Peabody Conservatory. Mr. Stepansky collaborated with ERC in the production The Other Chopin: The Chamber Music (2002).

Svet Stoyanov Recently praised by the New York Times for his “understated but unmistakable virtuosity” along with a “winning combination of gentleness and fluidity,” Bulgarian-born Svet Stoyanov, winner of the April 2003 Concert Artists Guild International Competition, made his New York City debut at Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall. As a co-soloist, he premiered the Phillip Glass Concerto Fantasy for Two Timpanists and Orchestra with The American Symphony Orchestra, led by Leon Botstein. Featured in Symphony Magazine’s annual “Emerging Artists” issue, Svet Stoyanov has performed solo recitals, concertos with orchestra, and ensemble concerts throughout the country, including numerous appearances in all of New York’s major concert halls. He has been a soloist with the Chicago, Seattle, and American Symphony orchestras to name a few.

Borislav Strulev is rapidly establishing a reputation as a cellist of exceptional temperament and technique. As a recitalist, Mr. Strulev had his Carnegie Hall debut in 1999 playing with legendary pianist Byron Janis. Since then, he has been heard at Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., Kravis Center, Van Wezel Hall, Auditorio de Madrid and Suntory Hall in Tokyo. This season will see the release of Mr. Strulev's debut solo recording on French label Lyrinx with sonatas of Shostakovich and Rachmaninov. The recording of concertos by Arvo Pärt, György Ligeti, and a world premiere recording of Daniel Schnyder's concerto will follow with NorrlandsOperan Symphony Orchestra conducted by Kristjan Järvi. Mr. Strulev has performed in the ERC production None but the Lonely Heart: The Story of Tchaikovsky and Nadezhda von Meck (2004).

Benjamin Verdery has performed and taught master classes throughout Europe, Mexico, Canada, Cuba, Japan and South America, and has recorded and performed with such diverse artists as Frederic Hand, Leo Kottke, Anthony Newman, Jessye Norman, Paco Peña, Hermann Prey and John Williams. In 1985, Mr. Verdery became the chair of the guitar department at the Yale University School of Music. Workshop Arts (distributed by Alfred Music) has released Mr. Verdery's book, Easy Classical Guitar Recital as well as his instructional video The Essentials of Classical Guitar. In addition, it published the solo works from Mr. Verdery's recording Some Towns and Cities, which includes 15 original compositions and won the 1992 Best Classical Guitar Recording in Guitar Player Magazine. Mr. Verdery collaborated with ERC in the production The Singing Flame: The Soul of Spanish Music (2002).

David Wakefield is a member of the American Brass Quintet and a faculty member at the Aspen Music Festival and at the Juiliard School. He has played thousands of concerts all over the world in a career notable for its depth and variety. He has performed as a member of the Quintet throughout North and South American, Europe, the Far East and at such distinguished international festivals as Shiraz in Iran, Edinburgh in Scotland, Casals in Puerto Rico and Nagoya in Japan. As a member of the American Brass Quintet, he was one of the first American brass players invited since the Cultural Revolution to teach and perform in the Peoples Republic of China. He has performed with the New York Philharmonic, the Vienna Philharmonic, the Boston Symphony, Houston Symphony, the Metropolitan Opera, and Orpheus Chamber Ensemble, St. Luke's Chamber Ensemble, New York City Ballet, Brooklyn Philharmonic, and Opera Orchestra of New York. He has also performed extensively on Broadway and in commercial recordings. As a member of The Music Project, Parnassus, the New Music Consort, and the Princeton Contemporary Players, he has recorded for Deutsche Gramophon, RCA, Columbia Records, Nonesuch, New World, Crystal, Japan Victor, Delos, CRI, and Opus One Records. Mr. Wakefield has collaborated with ERC in the production My Heart, My Serpent: Thus Spoke Zarathustra (2006).

Robert White is internationally recognized as one of the greatest tenors of his generation. He has brought his artistry to the most prestigious concert halls around the world, including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall, London's Wigmore Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall and Westminster Abbey. Mr. White has sung for five U.S. Presidents, England's and Monaco's Royal families, as well as for Pope Paul II. Mr. White has recorded more than a dozen solo albums for RCA and EMI/Angel and has had his own BBC series. His collaborations with ERC include The Young Arthur Rubinstein (2003), and The Vibrant Palette: Van Gogh and Music (2004).

Eve Wolf, pianist, founder, and co-artistic director of both the Ensemble for the Romantic Century and NEXT Century, has been acclaimed for her “highly dramatic and moving performances.” Ms. Wolf received her B.A. in Art History from Columbia University and a M.M. in Piano Performance from New York University. She has appeared in solo and chamber music recitals in the U.S. and Europe and has won numerous awards, including prizes in the V. Bellini Concorso Internazionale in Italy and the Houston Symphony’s Concerto Competition. For the past five seasons in New York, as Co-Artistic director of the Ensemble for the Romantic Century, Ms. Wolf has written scripts and performed in productions such as Paderewski in Paris (2001), The Young Arthur Rubinstein (2003), None but the Lonely Heart: The Story of Tchaikovsky and Nadezhda von Meck (2004), Dora: A Case of Hysteria (2005), Tolstoy’s Last Days (2005), and Van Gogh’s Ear (2006), among others, and was the scriptwriter for the Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel Salon in the exhibition The Power of Conversation: Jewish Women and their Salons at the Jewish Museum in New York City, an exhibit that received worldwide attention and acclaim. In 2006 Ms. Wolf was commissioned to write Cara, Cara, Compagna for the Italian Cultural Institute of New York.

Garrick Zoeter Garrick Zoeter’s passionate and exciting way with the clarinet has been acknowledged around the world. The Boston Globe has described him as an artist who “makes every note go through major life changes.” Mr. Zoeter has his Bachelors from Juilliard School under Charles Neidich and his Masters from Yale under David Shifrin. He made his solo debut at the age of seventeen in Weber’s Concerto #1 with the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center. He has won competitions including the International Clarinet Society International Clarinet Competition and the Yamaha Young Artist Competition. He has collaborated with artists such as clarinetist David Shifrin, violinist Juliette Kang, oboist Washington Barella, pianist Paulo Alveres, and Trio Solisti. Mr. Zoeter is a founding member of the award winning Antares quartet, which performs at venues such as The Kennedy Center, La Jolla Chamber Music Society, and Aspen Music Festival. Mr. Zoeter performs extensively with his wife, soprano Mariana Mihai-Zoeter, in concerts throughout South America, and he currently serves on the music faculty of Wesleyan University. Mr. Zoeter has recorded for the CRI, Newport Classics, Bridge, and Innova CD labels. [back to top]