Concert Artists of Kean University

The Concert Artists of Kean University

Anthony Scelba, Professor and Chair of the Department of Music at Kean University, is founder and Director of its acclaimed Concert Artist Program. He was the first person to receive a Doctor of Musical Arts Degree in double bass performance from the Juilliard School. He has a Bachelor's and two Master's degrees from the Manhattan School of Music. As a recitalist and a chamber musician, he performs and lectures internationally. He was for five years a member of the Orquesta del Festival Casals in San Juan, Puerto Rico. For 10 years he served as Principal Double Bassist of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra. The founder of the Yardarm Trio, he is unusual among double bassists in specializing in chamber music, and he has greatly expanded his instrument's chamber-music repertoire. His writing, arrangements, and compositions are published widely. He was a Fulbright Fellow, having won a 1983-1984 Performing-Artist Award for Seoul, Korea. He has given masterclasses in Beijing and Shanghai at the request of the Chinese Musicians' Association; he judged Brazil’s first National Double Bass Competition; he has been invited to perform and give masterclasses in Scotland, Spain, Brazil, and throughout the U.S. He has taught on the faculties of Baylor University; the Hartt School, University of Hartford; and the Manhattan School of Music. The Washington Post called his chamber-music performance at the Kennedy Center "inspiring". Classical New Jersey said he is a player of "top caliber...Scelba's tone was vibrant and his technique formidable".

Christopher Kenniff, Concert Artist in Guitar, holds BM and MM degrees Magna cum Laude from Southern Methodist University and an Artist Diploma from Indiana University. He was awarded first prize at the 2001 Councour de Guitarre (Quebec, Canada), the 1996 Music Teachers National Association Competition and the 1993 National Federation of Music Clubs Biannual Competition. He was also the winner of the Dallas Classical Guitar Society’s Young Artist Auditions in 1995 and a prizewinner in the 1996 American String Teacher’s Competition. Upon his graduation from SMU, he was awarded the Dallas Music Teacher’s Award presented to an outstanding undergraduate or graduate performer SMU. Classical New Jersey has noted his playing for its “elegance, accuracy and impeccable technique,” while the Newark Star Ledger has described him as “a young player with a lush, liquid tone, remarkably clean fingering and a nicely varied touch.” He is featured in the NJN cable network’s documentary “Morris at the Millenium” and was appointed to the 1998-2001 New Jersey State Council on the Arts’ Artist in Residence Roster. His debut CD was recorded in August of 2002 and features works by Dowland, Scarlatti, Mertz, Tedesco, Roussell, Ponce and Turina. Mr. Kenniff directs the guitar program at the Suburban Community Music Center in Murray Hill, New Jersey. In 2004, he joined the Concert Artist faculty; in addition to teaching guitar, he directs the Kean University Guitar Ensemble.

Katherine Harris, soprano and Concert Artist in Voice, received a BM degree in Voice and a MM degree in Opera from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. She pursued additional graduate studies at Yale University and completed her training in the Young Artist programs of the San Francisco Opera Company. Ms. Harris has been heard in opera and concert throughout the United States, performing to critical acclaim with organizations including Western Opera Theater, the Brooklyn Philharmonic, New York Grand Opera, New Haven Symphony, the Oratorio Society of New York, Connecticut Concert Opera and the Westchester Choral Society. She has also toured to China, Italy, Germany and eastern Europe. Her operatic roles include Cio-cio San in Madame Butterfly, Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, Amelia in Un Ballo in Maschera, and Mimi in La Boheme. Ms. Harris made her Carnegie Hall solo debut in March 2004 in Mozart's Requiem and Haydn's Mass in Time of War. Her recording of Wagonner's Song of Solomon with I Cantori di NY is available on the CD Echoes and Shadows. Having taught previously at Yale University, Ms. Harris is on the faculty of the Music Conservatory of Westchester in White Plains, NY. She was first appointed to the Kean faculty in 1994, became an Concert Artist in 1998, and after leaving to pursue performances in Europe, she returned to the Concert Artist roster in 2004.

Alexander Fiterstein, Concert Artist in Clarinet, is the First Prize winner of the 2001 Carl Nielsen International Clarinet Competition, and the First Prize winner of the 2001 Young Concert Artists International Auditions (YCA). He is a recipient of the Bunkamura Orchard Hall award in Tokyo, and a first prizewinner of the "Aviv" competitions in Israel. He has received awards from the America-Israel cultural foundation since 1991. Mr. Fiterstein has performed as soloist with the Vienna Chamber Orchestra, the Orchestra of St. Luke's, the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, the Israel Chamber Orchestra, the Danish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Jerusalem Symphony, and the China National Symphony Orchestra in Beijing. He has appeared in recital on the "Music at the Supreme Court" Series, at the National Gallery of Art, the Kennedy Center, the 92nd Street Y, Carnegie's Weill Hall, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, the Louvre in Paris, Suntory Hall in Tokyo, and the Tel-Aviv mu seum. He was chosen as a member of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center's Chamber Music Society II for the seasons 2004-2006. He has participated in the Marlboro Music Festival since 2001, and has toured with Musicians from Marlboro, and has performed chamber music with Daniel Barenboim, Richard Goode, Emanuel Ax, and the Avalon, Borromeo, Colorado, Daedalus and Jerusalem string quartets. He has worked with composers John Corigliano and Osvaldo Golijov, and has had pieces written for him by Samuel Adler, Mason Bates, Betti Olivero and others. The Washington Post has said of him" Fiterstein treats his instrument as his own personal voice, dazzling in it's spectrum of colors, agility and range." Professor Fiterstein was appointed to the Kean University faculty in 2005.

Brett Deubner, Concert Artist in Viola, has Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the Eastman School of Music. He has been a member of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra since 1992, and is a founding member of the Elements Quartet, the Halcyon Trio, and Duo Fresco. He has performed internationally as soloist and chamber musician, including as guest with the Tokyo, Vermeer, Chicago, and Colorado quartets. As concerto soloist, he has appeared with orchestras throughout the country. A dedicated pedagogue, he has taught at a number of universities and has participated as a clinician in All-State and Regional workshops and music festivals. The Star-Ledger said, “There is a burning intensity to Deubner’s playing, and a refreshing variation in the color of his viola tone,” and he has been hailed for being “extremely sensitive and expressive” by Classical New Jersey.

Julie Albers, Concert Artist in Cello, made her major orchestral debut with the Cleveland Orchestra in 1998, and thereafter has performed in recital and with orchestras in the U.S., Europe, Korea, Taiwan, New Zealand and Australia. In 2001 she won Second Prize in Munich’s Internationaler Musikwettbewerbes der ARD, at which time she was also awarded the Wilhelm-Weichsler-Musikpreis der Stadt Osnabrueck 2001. While in Germany, she recorded solo and chamber music of Kodaly for the Bavarian Radio, performances that have been heard throughout Europe. In November, 2003, Miss Albers was named the first Gold Medal Laureate of South Korea’s Gyeongnam International Music Competition. In America, she has performed with the orchestras of Indianapolis, Seattle, Colorado, Syracuse, San Antonio, Dayton, and San Diego among others. In addition to solo performances she regularly appears at chamber music festivals around the world. She is an active member of the Albers Trio, a string trio with her two sisters, and of the Kim/Albers cello piano duo. She is currently a member of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center Two. October of 2005 marked the release of her solo debut recording on the Artek Label featuring works by Rachmaninoff, Beethoven, Schumann, and Piatagorsky. Miss Albers performs on a N.F. Vuillaume made in 1872.

Richard Hobson, baritone and Concert Artist in Voice, earned a bachelor's degree from Hamline University, a master's degree from The University of Michigan and has completed the course work for a doctorate in vocal performance at North Texas State University. Mr. Hobson has taught applied voice, class voice, opera voice, opera choir, and German, French, Italian, Latin, and English diction for singers on the university level for the past sixteen years. He has taught at The Peabody Preparatory School, Morgan State University, The University of Central Arkansas, Ann Arundel Community College, and Westminster Choir College. As a performer Mr. Hobson has performed throughout Europe and the United States with various symphonies and companies that include the Dallas Opera, Washington Opera, New York City Opera, and the Metropolitan Opera Company. His roles have included Escamillo in Carmen, Rigoletto, Scarpia in Tosca, Enrico I Lucia di Lammermoore, and Porgy in Porgy and Bess. His awards include the Sullivan Foundation Career Grant, Metropolitan Guild National Council Auditions, Caruso Competition, Pavarotti Competition Dallas Opera Guild Career Grant, and the American Traditions Competition. He became an Concert Artist in 1998.

Andy Fusco, Concert Artist in Saxophone and Jazz, has a B.A. degree from Syracuse and Kean Universities. Awarded 4 1/2 Stars by Down Beat Magazine, he is a world renowned jazz performer who, from 1978-1983, was the lead alto saxophonist of the Buddy Rich Band. Professor Fusco has toured with a number of esteemed jazz performers including, Gerry Mulligan, Mel Lewis, Frank Sinatra, and John Pizzarelli. He is widely recorded both as a sideman and the leader of his own ensemble. Professor Fusco was appointed to the Kean University faculty in 1988. He teaches saxophone, jazz, improvisation, and woodwind methods, and he directs the Kean Jazz Ensemble. He became a Concert Artist in 1998.

James Musto, James Musto is in his tenth year as the percussion instructor of the Concert Artist program at Kean University in Union, New Jersey. He inherits a position that was established by Paul Price, one of America’s greatest percussion pioneers. Professor Musto is committed to bringing that same level of excellence to the university. He has re-established The Kean University Percussion Ensemble, and has performed with the group in exciting concerts both on and off campus. The group performs material from the traditional repertoire as well as exploring percussion music from around the world. The Kean percussion students perform not only in ensemble at these concerts, but also as soloists. Currently, he is the percussion section coach of the New Jersey Symphony sponsored, Greater Newark Youth Orchestra. He has been an active clinician and adjudicator at percussion ensemble festivals in New Jersey. Mr. Musto has been the featured percussionist and drummer in the Broadway productions of Saturday Night Fever, and A Tale of Two Cities. He has performed in over 20 other musicals on Broadway. He has done recordings for RCA, Varese-Sarabande, Polygram, Disney, Newport Classics and others. He has most recently recorded Sketches of Spain, with Lew Soloff, The Mark of Zorro, with the Paragon Ragtime Orchestra, and a scheduled release with The Gotham City Winds. He performs with the New York Philharmonic at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall and on tour, and has performed under the batons of conducting greats; Sir Colin Davis, Kurt Mazur, Mistislav Rostropovich, Donald Robertson, James Conlon, and Lorin Maazel. He is a frequent guest performer with the New Jersey Symphony, and can be seen in the PBS production of Andrea Bocceli from Liberty State Park with the New Jersey Symphony. He is a frequent performer with area orchestras such as The American Symphony Orchestra, The New York Pops, Orchestra of St. Lukes, New York Chamber Symphony, New York City Opera, and L’Opera Francais. James has held the position of Timpanist in The Bridgeport Symphony under Gustav Meier, The Westfield Symphony, The Westchester Symphony, The New York Grand Opera, The American Classical Orchestra, and The Connecticut Orchestra Summer Music Festival at Harkness Park. Professor Musto received a MM in music from the Juilliard School, where he studied with Elden Bailey and Roland Kohloff. He received a BA from Rhode Island College. Mr. Musto has had additional studies with a diverse roster of artists such as Fred Buda, Chris Lamb, Duncan Patton, Robbie Ameen and Frank Malabe.

Charles Bumcrot, Concert Artist in Trumpet, did graduate study at the Manhattan School of Music, and holds a BM degree in Music Education and Trumpet Performance from San Francisco State University. He performs regularly on Broadway, with the American Symphony Orchestra, and with Orchestra New England. His recordings with the latter include the CBS release of Villa Lobos' Magdalena, Cole Porter's Fifty Million Frenchmen, and the Grammy nominated Works of Charles Ives. Professor Bumcrot has been a faculty member at Concordia College in White Plains, New York, and the Thurnauer School of Music at the Jewish Community Center in Tenafly. He has also given master classes at Yale University and Tokyo University, and was appointed to the Concert Artist faculty in 2001.

Allison Brewster Franzetti, Concert Artist in Piano, received a BM degree from the Manhattan School of Music and an MM degree from the Juilliard School. A multiple Grammy® Nominee, she has received international acclaim for her virtuosity, musicality, and versatility. She won a First Prize from the Paderewski Foundation, and awards from the Kosciuszko Foundation and the Denver Symphony. She has appeared as guest artist with the Denver Symphony, the Brooklyn Philharmonic, the Long Island Philharmonic, the Colonial Symphony, the English Sinfonia, the European Women’s Orchestra, the Buenos Aires Philharmonic, the Janacek Philharmonic, and the City of Prague Philharmonic. As an accompanist and chamber musician, she has collaborated with James Galway, Ransom Wilson, Eugenia Zukerman, Julius Baker, and Robert White. She has premiered works by composers John Corigliano, Carlos Franzetti, Robert Aldridge, Herschel Garfein, Lowell Liebermann, Matthew Halper, Alan Rawsthorne and Frank Ezra Levy, amongst others. Among her many CDs are “20^th Century Piano Sonatas” on Naxos for which she received a 2008 Grammy® Nomination for Best Instrumental Soloist Without Orchestra; “Reflexiones,” a double concerto album, released on Amapola Records; “Tango Bar,” a Latin Grammy® Nominee for Best Tango Album released on Chesky Records; and “Poeta de Arrabal,” a Grammy® Nominee for Best Classical Crossover Album. She is a featured soloist on the 2001 Latin Grammy® Award Winner, “Tango Fatal,” and has recorded Latin American and English chamber music for the Musical Heritage Society. She is also the featured piano soloist for music in the 2003 French-Spanish film, “Dans le rouge du couchant,” the 2005 Argentine film, “Ronda Nocturna,” and the 2006 Argentine film, “Tango Fatal.” Ms. Brewster Franzetti is the author of synopses for 101 Opera Librettos, published by Black Dog & Leventhal in New York. An edition of Ecuadorian Mestizo Music done in collaboration with flutist and former faculty member Sharon Levin was published in 2006. She joined the Concert Artist faculty in 2001.

Sharon Roffman, Concert Artist in Violin and Chamber Music and a prize winner at the 2003 Naumburg Foundation International Violin Competition, graduated from the Juilliard School and the Cleveland Institute of Music, as a student of Donald Weilerstein and Itzhak Perlman. Having made her solo debut with the New Jersey Symphony in 1997, Ms. Roffman has now embarked on a diverse career that includes performances as soloist with orchestra, in recital, as chamber music collaborator and in educational outreach presentations. Ms. Roffman made her Carnegie Hall debut as a featured soloist in Vivaldi’s Concerto for Four Violins with Itzhak Perlman playing and conducting; Ms Roffman performed the same piece in a “Live from Lincoln Center” broadcast showcasing the Perlman Music Program in 2003. Ms. Roffman has been a frequent guest performer in the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln's Center "Meet the Music" and “Inside Chamber Music” series; she has spent several summers performing at the Marlboro Music Festival, and as a child spent many years performing on Sesame Street. Ms. Roffman is the newest member of Counter Induction, a critically acclaimed chamber music group devoted to performing works of contemporary composers. Her former teachers include Peter Winograd, Robert Lipsett, Patinka Kopec and Nicole DiCecco. Ms. Roffman is the founder and director of ClassNotes, Inc., a non-profit organization devoted to introducing public school students to classical music. She is on the faculty of the Thurnauer School of Music in Tenafly, NJ, the Bard Conservatory Preparatory Division, and was appointed professor of violin and a Concert Artist at Kean University in 2002.

Victoria Stewart, Concert Artist in Violin and Chamber Music, has degrees from the University of Houston and Baylor University, and did graduate work at the Juilliard School. Her major teachers were Oscar Shumsky, Joseph Fuchs, and Fredell Lack. She is founder and Executive Director of the newly formed Arco Ensemble, a New Jersey based string chamber orchestra. Ms Stewart is Assistant Concertmaster of the New Jersey State Opera, Principal Second Violinist of the Teatro Grattacielo, and Principal Second Violinist of the Colonial Symphony, where she has appeared as concerto soloist. She is a member of the Westfield Symphony and of the Glimmerglass Opera Orchestra and performs regularly with many musical organizations in New York and New Jersey, including the Long Island Philharmonic and the Long Island Masterwork Chorus. She has made premiere recordings with the Bronx Arts Ensemble and with the Glimmerglass Opera. Former positions include Principal Second Violin of the New Jersey Symphony, Concertmaster of Carolina Opera, Assistant Concertmaster of the Texas Opera Theater, Houston Grand Opera, and New York City Opera. As recipient of a Fulbright Performing Artist Award, she performed as Co-concertmaster of the Seoul Philharmonic and appeared as soloist with that orchestra and the Pusan Symphony. Her varied chamber music performances include appearances in major venues and summer festivals, including the Sejong Cultural Center in Seoul, the Kennedy Center, Carnegie Recital Hall, the Grand Teton Festival, and the Glimmerglass Opera Festival. She is Violinist of the Yardarm Trio and was appointed to the Kean University Faculty in 2002.

Caroline Stinson, concert artist in cello, has a B.M. with honors from the Cleveland Institute and a Performance Diploma with distinction from the Hochschule für Musik Köln, where she lived for three years, performing across the continent, and where she was awarded first prize in the Hohnen Foundation Cello Competition. Winner of the 2007 J.B Watkins Prize from the Canada Council for the Arts, she appears in Canada, the United States and Europe each season as a soloist and chamber artist. From 2000-3, she was a member of the Cassatt String Quartet, with whom she performed and taught extensively, and premiered some two dozen new works. Through solo and ensemble work, Caroline has worked closely with composers George Crumb, Peter Eötvös, John Harbison, Aaron Jay Kernis, George Rochberg, Steven Stucky, Joan Tower and Anna Weesner. She is a member of the original cello quartet CELLO, the Athabasca String Trio, the Contrasts Quartet, and the new music and improvisation ensemble Open End, which she founded with her husband and composer Andrew Waggoner. Professor Stinson is crafting programs for virtuoso cello, the first of which she presented at the 2006 Winnipeg New Music Festival. She has recorded for Albany, Bridge, Koch, and Naxos, as well as CBC Radio Canada, Radio France and WAMC New York, and is on the affiliate artist faculties of Syracuse University (NY); she joined the Kean faculty as a concert artist in 2006.

Brennan Sweet, concert artist in violin, was born in New York City but began violin studies at two years of age in Edmonton, Alberta. In 1977 he studied at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest, Hungary. Beginning his college education as an engineering student, he earned a Bachelor of Music degree from Indiana University, where he served for three years as teaching assistant to the eminent Josef Gingold. He then joined the Indiana faculty for two years as Lecturer in Violin. Concertmaster of several orchestras including the Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra and Owensboro Symphony Orchestra, Professor Sweet was also a founding member of the Evansville String Quartet. He performed two seasons as Assistant Concertmaster of the Colorado Music Festival in Boulder. He joined the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra in 1994 as Associate Concertmaster and subsequently led the orchestra as Acting Concertmaster for three seasons under Zdenek Macal. In 2003 he was named Concertmaster of the Brooklyn Philharmonic Orchestra, a position he currently holds in conjunction with the Associate Concertmaster position of the NJSO. Professor Sweet performs on the 1713 Antonio Stradivarius ex “Prince Ferdinand of Bavaria” violin from the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra Golden Age Collection. He joined the Concert Artist Faculty of Kean University in 2007.

Gabriela Martinez is Concert Artist in Piano. Originally from Venezuela, she has performed internationally as orchestral soloist, chamber musician, and recitalist at renowned venues including Carnegie, Avery Fisher and Alice Tully Hall, Grosses Festspielhaus in Salzburg; Semperoper in Dresden, Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen, the Verbier Festival, Snow and Symphony Festival in St. Moritz, Festival de Radio France et Montpellier, Festival dei Due Mondi, and the Mostly Mozart and Tokyo International Music Festivals. She has appeared as soloist with the New Jersey, Fort Worth, Pacific and San Francisco symphonies; Stuttgarter Philharmoniker; Symphonisches Staatsorchester Halle; Tivoli Philharmonic; and regularly performs with the Simón Bolívar Youth Symphony Orchestra with Gustavo Dudamel. Gabriela won first prize at the 2003 Anton Rubinstein International Piano Competition in Dresden and was a semifinalist at the 12th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, where she also received a Jury Discretionary Award. She earned her Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from The Juilliard School as a full scholarship student of Yoheved Kaplinsky. Ms. Martinez is currently pursuing her doctorate in Halle, Germany with Professor Marco Antonio de Almeida. Form 2007-2009, Ms. Martinez was a Fellow of "The Academy- a Program of Carnegie Hall, the Juilliard School, and the Weill Music Institute." She joined the Concert Artist Faculty of Kean in 2008.

Susannah Chapman, Concert Artist in Cello, is well established as a chamber musician, soloist, teacher, and performer in leading chamber orchestras. She has performed as Principal Cellist of Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra and in both Principal and section positions in the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra; currently she performs regularly with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and serves as Principal Cello of Helmuth Rilling's Oregon Bach Festival. Ms. Chapman has appeared at Jacob's Pillow as a soloist with the Mark Morris Dance Company in works designed for and premiered by Yo-Yo Ma. She is a member of the Cygnus Ensemble, a contemporary music sextet with a concert series New York and residencies at both Sarah Lawrence College and City University of New York. She has traveled to Australia with Bang-on-a-Can All-Stars to perform contemporary concertos in the Sydney Opera House as part of the Olympic Arts Festival. She has spent several summers at the Marlboro Music Festival and has toured with Musician From Marlboro. Her chamber music performances with other New York groups have been heard at the 92nd Street Y, Weill Recital Hall, Merkin Hall, Miller Theatre, the Metropolitan Museum, on NHK Television, and on WNYC. Ms. Chapman holds a Doctorate of Music from SUNY Stony Brook and is a cello instructor at Sarah Lawrence College and at Princeton University. She has taught masterclasses at Manhattan School of Music, Mannes College of Music, Stony Brook University, and University of Florida. She joined the Concert Artist Faculty of Kean University in 2008.

Lisa Hansen, Concert Artist in flute, is a graduate of The Juilliard School, and was featured in the EMMY award winning CBS TV documentary: “Juilliard & Beyond - A Life In Music.” Formerly principal flutist of the Mexico City Philharmonic, Ms. Hansen won acclaim for her EMI-Angel recording of Rodrigo's Concierto Pastoral with the London Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Ms. Hansen has concertized extensively in the United States, Latin America, and Europe. Her recording on the Centaur label of Carl Niëlsen's Flute Concerto was selected by Fanfare as one of the best recordings of the year 2000 and they describe her performance as “brilliant…vital, idiomatic, vigorous, exciting, propulsive, gorgeous… This is the most enjoyable performance of the work known to me, either live or recorded.” Later it was featured on National Public Radio on a special program highlighting Scandinavian music. Ms. Hansen is a founding member of the chamber music ensemble, Serenata, and can be heard on the Newport Classic recording I Remember. Ms. Hansen has performed and recorded extensively since 1988 with the Grammy-nominated ensemble, North/South Consonance. In 2006, her article, Once on this Island, was published in Lexus Magazine about concerts she performed at the Iboamericano Festival in Puerto Rico. The critic Colin Clarke described her recording of Harry Bulow's Syntax I for solo flute in the January/February 2007 issue of Fanfare: "highly evocative, essentially lonely music -- superbly played." In December 2007, her recording of Harold Schiffman’s Concertino for Flute and String Orchestra was released on North/South Recordings. The New York Times described Lisa Hansen's flute playing as "Irresistibly lyrical"; while Fanfare wrote, "One might well prefer Hansen to Galway." Ms. Hansen joined the Kean faculty in 2003 and was appointed to the Concert Artist Faculty in 2008.

Joanna Marie Frandel, Concert Artist of Violin and Viola, has been praised for "aesthetic intelligence" (The New York Sun), and for "powerhouse performances" (The Post and Courier, Charleston). She received the 2007 Career Grant from the Rachel Elizabeth Barton Foundation, and The Juilliard School's 2007 William Schuman Prize for outstanding artistic excellence and leadership. Ms. Frankel was named a 2008 La Gesse Foundation Young Artist Fellow, personally selected by the foundation's director, The Princess Cecilia de Medici. Performance highlights of Ms. Frankel's include solo recitals in Malta, Toulouse, Triberg, Budapest, Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, and Washington D.C., and concerto appearances in Tennessee, Michigan, and New Jersey. On her debut recital tour Ms. Frankel performed solo engagements at Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Glazunov Hall (St. Petersburg), Suk Hall, Rudolfinum (Prague), and at various distinguished concert halls across Eastern Europe. As a chamber musician proficient on the violin and viola, she has been invited as guest artist at festivals including The International String Orchestra Festival, Santa Fe New Music, The International Holland Music Sessions, Spoleto Festival USA, and The Aspen Music Festival's summer and winter seasons. Ms. Frankel performed her Carnegie Hall recital debut in January of 2007. During the 2007-2009 seasons, she served as part of the inaugural fellowship class of "The Academy," an initiative that combines music pedagogy and a full series of chamber music engagements at Carnegie Hall. A 2007 scholarship graduate of the Juilliard School, Ms. Frankel has worked closely with mentors Jascha Brodsky, CJ Chang, Robert Chen, Masao Kawasaki, Joseph Kalichstein, and Cho-Liang Lin. She performs on a Gaetano Vinaccia violin, crafted in Naples in 1819, and on Robert Brode viola, custom-made for her in 2001. She was appointed to the Concert Artist Faculty in 2008.

Romie de Guise-Langloisl, Concert Artist of Clarinet, has appeared as soloist and chamber musician on major concert stages throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, and Asia. Praised as “…extraordinary...” and “…a formidable clarinetist...” by the New York Times, Ms. de Guise-Langlois performed as soloist with the Houston Symphony, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Ensemble ACJW, the Yale Philharmonia, McGill University Symphony Orchestra, at Music@Menlo and at Banff Center for the Arts. She was recently awarded the First Prize in the 2009 Houston Symphony Ima Hogg Competition; she was additionally a First Prize winner of the Woolsey Hall Competition at Yale University, the McGill University Classical Concerto Competition, the Canadian Music Competition, and was the recipient of the Canadian Broadcasting Company award. Her performances have been broadcast on WNYC, Houston Public Radio, Vermont Public Radio and on Radio-Canada. An avid chamber musician, Ms. de Guise-Langlois spent her recent summers at Marlboro Music. She has toured with Musicians from Marlboro, and has appeared at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Concerts, the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, Chamber Music Northwest, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum’s Concert Series, the Lake Champlain, Ottawa, and Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festivals, The Brooklyn Museum Series and the Salt Bay Chamberfest. Ms. de Guise-Langlois has performed as principal clarinetist for the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, The Knights, the Sinfonietta of Riverdale, as well as the New Haven and Stamford Symphony Orchestras. A native of Montreal, Ms. de Guise-Langlois received her Bachelor of Music degree from McGill University. Her Master of Music degree, supported by the Canada Council of Arts, and Artist Diploma are from the Yale School of Music, where she studied under David Shifrin. In 2009, Ms. de Guise-Langlois completed her fellowship at The Academy-A Program of Carnegie Hall, The Juilliard School, and The Weill Music Institute.