Karen Kevra, Flute
Karen Kevra has won attention as one of the country's outstanding flutists through her distinctive warm and extroverted performances as a soloist and chamber musician, and has been hailed as "having a musical focus and depth seen in few flutists anywhere." Kevra's commitment to expanding the modern flute repertoire includes the premier recording, Works for Flute and Piano of Louis Moyse-CRI which earned a 2003 Grammy nomination and accolades from numerous American reviewers. Romantic Music for Flute and Piano, her latest CD was praised by the Boston Musical Intelligencer for “sublimely satisfying flute-playing”, and by flutist Sir James Galway, who wrote "There are special moments which truly touched me. An outstanding performance.” Kevra has performed throughout the U.S., Canada, and Europe including performances at Carnegie Hall, the French Embassy in Washington D.C., and on French National Television, and has shared the stage with Jaime Laredo, the Paris Piano Trio, Borromeo String Quartet, Boston Chamber Music Society, members of the Emerson and Talich String Quartets, and Trey Anastasio of Phish. Kevra is founder and Artistic Director of Capital City Concerts in Montpelier, Vermont. When she's not playing the flute, you can find her at home preparing Middle Eastern feasts, digging in the garden, and listening to her beloved Red Sox on the radio. Visit www.karenkevra.com
Harpist Rebecca Kauffman (www.rebeccakuffman.com) has been the principal harpist of the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra in Harrisburg, PA, since 1979, and has performed with various orchestras throughout the northeast, including the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Reading Symphony Orchestra, Cayuga Chamber Orchestra in Ithaca NY, and the Vermont Symphony Orchestra. Ms. Kauffman has performed with various musical ensembles in the Northeast including The Handel Society of Dartmouth College, Burlington, VT choral group Bella Voce with whom she has recently recorded, and with world-renowned flutist Eugenia Zuckerman. She also performs regularly with Grammy-nominated flutist Karen Kevra. In 2012, she released her solo harp recording “Harp...On The Edge of Softness”.
Nathan Schram, Viola
Mary Jane Austin
Mary Jane Austin earned her bachelor's degree at the Cleveland Institute of Music, then pursued her graduate studies in vocal coaching and accompanying, studying both art song and opera at Duquesne University. Her opera studies have included working as an accompanist and coach for six summers at the EPCASO opera program in Oderzo, Italy. She is sought after as an accompanist for solo recitals across the country, and has performed as soloist with orchestra on numerous occasions. She currently teaches private piano lessons and music theory at the Monteverdi Music School in Montpelier and at Johnson State College, and is a regular pianist and vocal coach for the Vermont Opera Theater, and recent performances on Capitol City Concerts and Echo Valley Community Arts.
Russell Rolen, cello
Russell Rolen is the quartet-rehearsal equivalent of having Earl Warren whispering you answers during the LSAT. A music geek of the highest order, his understanding of music theory and cello techniques has landed him as a highly in-demand pedagogue in Chicago, as well as the go-to speaker for the Quartet’s presentations in universities. Having studied with teaching luminaries such as Hans Jørgen-Jensen, Uri Vardi, and Stephen Kates, Russell’s talents also have him performing as a member of Ensemble Dal Niente and appearing on programs alongside the likes of Rachel Barton-Pine, fiddler Mark O’Connor, Ilya Kaler, Christopher Taylor, composer Kaija Saariaho, and Anner Bylsma.
Truly an educator at heart, Russell enjoys teaching a wide range of musicians, from least experienced six-year-old to the extraordinarily talented graduate students in the chamber music program at Northwestern University. His recent doctoral dissertation project resulted in moderncellotechniques.com, an innovative web-based approach to teaching the cello techniques of contemporary music. Fully dedicated to ushering in the next generation of musicians, Russell spearheaded Northwestern’s 2009 “Music Marathon,” a 24-hour concert that raised more than $30,000 for The People’s Music School, a local institution providing music lessons to under-served communities. When he’s not identifying the third partial for a D-string harmonic to a grateful cello student, Russell can be found reading dry non-fiction books or camping in one of the area’s many state parks with his lovely wife, Sara.
Truly an educator at heart, Russell enjoys teaching a wide range of musicians, from least experienced six-year-old to the extraordinarily talented graduate students in the chamber music program at Northwestern University. His recent doctoral dissertation project resulted in moderncellotechniques.com, an innovative web-based approach to teaching the cello techniques of contemporary music. Fully dedicated to ushering in the next generation of musicians, Russell spearheaded Northwestern’s 2009 “Music Marathon,” a 24-hour concert that raised more than $30,000 for The People’s Music School, a local institution providing music lessons to under-served communities. When he’s not identifying the third partial for a D-string harmonic to a grateful cello student, Russell can be found reading dry non-fiction books or camping in one of the area’s many state parks with his lovely wife, Sara.
Doyle Armbrust, viola
Doyle Armbrust is one of three siblings, all of whom play the viola professionally. To answer the inevitable questions: (1) the violin slots at Wheaton College Suzuki Program were completely full and (2) there was and is no competitiveness between them…inexplicably. As the Spektral Quartet’s resident wordsmith, Doyle bisects Spektral rehearsals interviewing the likes of Mitsuko Uchida and David Lang among others for TimeOut Chicago and the Chicago Classical Review. Currently the principal violist of the Firebird Chamber Orchestra in Miami, FL, Doyle is also a core member of the Chicago Symphony’s MusicNow series, Ensemble Dal Niente and the New Millennium Orchestra. He’s also been seen onstage with Peter Gabriel, Eddie Vedder, The Beach Boys, Glen Hansard, Lupe Fiasco as well as occasionally dodging pyrotechnics with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. A frequent guest artist with the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE), Doyle has appeared as a guest artist with new music dynamos eighth blackbird and been featured on the University of Chicago Presents and CONTEMPO series. A full merit scholarship recipient Masters student at the University of Southern California where he studied with Donald McInnes, Doyle went on to a three-year fellowship under Michael Tilson Thomas at the New World Symphony. Having worked closely and performed with Pierre Boulez, Daniel Barenboim, Sir Neville Mariner, MTT, Robert Vernon, Charlie Pikler and Roberto Diaz, Doyle ultimately decided to eschew the orchestral path for a life in chamber music. When he’s not busy changing strings after yet another Berio Viola Sequenza practice session, Doyle can be found kayaking amidst the Apostle Islands and cooking in the cast iron with his wife, playwright Laura Schellhardt.
Austin Wulliman
violin
Chicago has gained a reputation for being one of the most dynamic new music scenes in the country, and if the program calls for preposterously demanding extended violin techniques, the smart money says the name “Austin Wulliman” is somewhere on the bill. One of the City’s most proficient new music performers, Austin is a centerpiece of the critically acclaimed contemporary outfit Ensemble Dal Niente. The past Violin Fellow with Aspen Music Festival’s Contemporary Ensemble, Austin has also appeared with the Chicago Symphony’s MusicNow series, the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE) and the Nouvel Ensemble Moderne of Montreal. Given that the vast majority of the composers whose works he performs are not in fact dead but very much alive, Austin has had the privilege of poring over scores with the likes of William Bolcom, Pierre Boulez, John Harbison, Lee Hyla, Shulamit Ran, Bernard Rands, Augusta Read Thomas, Kaija Saariaho, Gunther Schuller, Bright Sheng and Mark Anthony Turnage.
With degrees from Northwestern University and the University of Michigan, where he graduated summa cum laude, Austin only considered a career as a violinist in high school, when his teacher asked if he intended to pursue the instrument: “Of course, I didn’t know then exactly how much work I was getting into…good thing I was monumentally naive at the time!” When he’s not busy cursing the tempo markings of composer Brian Ferneyhough, Austin can be found working up a sweat on a long-distance run atop Chicago’s lakefront, listening to the latest podcast from Marc Maron or The Bugle.
With degrees from Northwestern University and the University of Michigan, where he graduated summa cum laude, Austin only considered a career as a violinist in high school, when his teacher asked if he intended to pursue the instrument: “Of course, I didn’t know then exactly how much work I was getting into…good thing I was monumentally naive at the time!” When he’s not busy cursing the tempo markings of composer Brian Ferneyhough, Austin can be found working up a sweat on a long-distance run atop Chicago’s lakefront, listening to the latest podcast from Marc Maron or The Bugle.
Aurelien Fort Pederzoli, violin
To peruse Aurelien Pederzoli’s Facebook wall is to enter a veritable archive of performance films. The Spektral Quartet’s primary recording and text excavator, it’s not uncommon for the French-born violinist to preface rehearsals with an untranslated treatise on Franco-Belgian bowing technique or a deep cut from the Amadeus Quartet vault he’s uncovered the previous evening. It should come as no surprise, then, that his earliest musical memory is of sitting cross-legged in front of the turntable at his childhood home in Nancy, enraptured by the voice of Yehudi Menuhin as the iconic violinist narrated an audio-book on the art of the luthier. Beginning an international career as a concert soloist at age 7, Aurelien eventually made his way to the Paris Conservatoire, where he studied with Jean Lenert. Having worked with luminaries such as Vadim Repin, Yuri Bashmet, Misha Maisky, Gidon Kremer, Ilya Kaler, Ruggiero Ricci, Daniel Barenboim and Menuhin himself, Aurelien arrived in the States to study with Vermeer Quartet first violinist Shmuel Ashkenasi, eventually graduating from DePaul University in 2006. As a highly sought-after performer in Chicago, Aurelien is currently concertmaster of the Highland Park Strings and Skokie Symphony Orchestra as well as a member of Corky Siegel’s Chamber Blues. Though his name has appeared on the programs of such esteemed ensembles as International Chamber Artists, CUBE, Ensemble Dal Niente, Accessible Contemporary Music, Atlantic Classical Orchestra Chamber Music Series, and The University of Chicago chamber music series, Aurelien’s true passion lies with the string quartet repertoire which he fostered as a co-founder of Anaphora before launching into a career with the Spektral Quartet. When he’s not tearing through the scores of Bartok and Beethoven in the practice room, Aurelien can be found composing short stories of dubious quality and in fierce chess battles with his wife, composer Sarah Ritch.
Lynnette Combs, harpsichord
Lynnette Combs grew up in Kentucky. She received a degree in music from Swarthmore College, where her main instrument was the pipe organ. She studied with Robert Smart, and, after graduation, with Nancy Shearer Ludwig. Since moving to Vermont, she has served as organist at three churches: the Methodist Church in Middlebury, the First Church, Universalist, in Barre, and currently at the First Baptist Church in Burlington.
In June 2013 Lynnette was a recitalist for the National Convention of the Organ Historical Society. In 2001 she was named Artist of the Year by the Vermont Chapter of the American Guild of Organists. She has given numerous solo organ recitals throughout the state.
Since an early age, Lynnette has been interested in Baroque music. She has been a member of two early music consorts, playing recorder, organ and harpsichord. She is a founding member or Arc'Angelo, an ensemble dedicated to performing Baroque music on period instruments. She has played harpsichord with the Vermont Symphony, the Vermont Philharmonic, Eleva Chamber Players, and other ensembles and choruses.
She lives in Montpelier with her daughter and enjoys gardening and weaving when she is not making music.
In June 2013 Lynnette was a recitalist for the National Convention of the Organ Historical Society. In 2001 she was named Artist of the Year by the Vermont Chapter of the American Guild of Organists. She has given numerous solo organ recitals throughout the state.
Since an early age, Lynnette has been interested in Baroque music. She has been a member of two early music consorts, playing recorder, organ and harpsichord. She is a founding member or Arc'Angelo, an ensemble dedicated to performing Baroque music on period instruments. She has played harpsichord with the Vermont Symphony, the Vermont Philharmonic, Eleva Chamber Players, and other ensembles and choruses.
She lives in Montpelier with her daughter and enjoys gardening and weaving when she is not making music.
Julie Leven, violin
Julie Leven is Founder, Executive and Artistic Director of Shelter Music Boston and the 2013 Classical Music Social Innovator for Root Cause/Social Innovation Forum. Julie was selected for this unique honor for her commitment to bringing monthly classical music concerts, of the highest artistic standards, to Boston homeless shelters. In addition to the more than fifty annual concerts she performs in shelters, Julie is concertmaster of the Bach and Beyond Festival and has performed as soloist, concertmaster, and principal second violin with Boston Baroque and the Handel and Haydn Society. A recent performance of the Vivaldi Four Seasons with the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra was deemed “sweet and full of fire.” As a member of the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra she has performed across the US, in Japan and Korea. Julie performs annually at the Aston Magna Festival and has appeared at the: BBC Proms, Cactus Pear Festival, Casals Festival, Edinburgh Festival, Esterhazy Haydn Festival, and Crakow Festival. Julie has been a member of the Jerusalem Symphony, and Aarhus (Denmark) Symfonieorkester. She is a soloist on the Boston Baroque recordings of Handel Opus 6 Concerti Grossi and the Grammy nominated Monteverdi Vespers.
Julia MacLaine, cello
Canadian-American cellist Julia MacLaine performs worldwide as a recitalist and chamber musician in music ranging from classical and contemporary to world and to her own compositions. She has been praised by The New York Times for her “rich tone”, “sweet, throbbing vibrato”, and “superb playing”. As well as being co-founder and director of The Ikarus Chamber Players, Julia is a member of Music For Farms and The Knights, with whom she has recorded two albums for SONY Classical. She has also performed with many other New York-based ensembles, including The Orchestra of St. Luke’s, Yo-Yo Ma’s The Silk Road Ensemble, The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, The International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE), and Ensemble ACJW. In 2009, with three other fellows of The Academy (a program of Carnegie Hall, The Juilliard School, and The Weill Music Institute), Julia created “Voice of the Whale”, a multimedia event inspired by George Crumb’s Vox balaenae. The program, specially crafted to be performed under the awe-inspiring blue whale in the Museum of Natural History’s Hall of Ocean Life, payed homage to Earth’s largest creatures and celebrated the intersection of contemporary American music, live visual art, and poetry. After receiving her early training as a cellist on Prince Edward Island and in neighbouring Nova Scotia, Julia went on to study with Antonio Lysy at McGill University, and with Timothy Eddy at The Juilliard School and the Mannes College of Music.
Emmanuel Vukovich, violin
Canadian violinist and composer Emmanuel Vukovich lives in Montreal and teaches at McGill University while also pursuing a graduate degree in music performance. He recently founded a conductor-less chamber orchestra called Parcival.
Having served as leader of the Lloyd Carr-Harris String Quartet which won several national and international awards, including the 2005 grand prize at the Fischoff International Chamber Music Competition, Emmanuel was awarded the Canada Council for the Arts Orford String Quartet Scholarship in 2005, and was the first recipient of McGill University's Schulich School of Music Golden Violin Award in 2006.
Emmanuel is a founding member of Music for Farms. Previously active as a biodynamic farmer, he is a passionate supporter of local sustainable agricultural.
Having served as leader of the Lloyd Carr-Harris String Quartet which won several national and international awards, including the 2005 grand prize at the Fischoff International Chamber Music Competition, Emmanuel was awarded the Canada Council for the Arts Orford String Quartet Scholarship in 2005, and was the first recipient of McGill University's Schulich School of Music Golden Violin Award in 2006.
Emmanuel is a founding member of Music for Farms. Previously active as a biodynamic farmer, he is a passionate supporter of local sustainable agricultural.
John McDowell, piano/percussion
Musician and film composer John McDowell achieved worldwide recognition with his soundtrack to the Academy Award winning documentary Born Into Brothels, winner of Best Musical Score at the Bend Film Festival, the score blends Western and Indian music in a mesmerizing mix. Known for much more than just his film scores, McDowell is also a highly gifted pianist, percussionist, producer, commissioned composer and conductor. His work over the past 25 years draws on classical, jazz, pop, and world music. After receiving music composition degrees from DePaul and Northwestern Universities, McDowell lived in Europe and Africa. His research took him to Senegal, Gambia, India, and to work with Native American drummers and singers from the Tuscarora and Oglala tribes. In Europe, his dance scores have been featured at the Brussels Dance Festival, the Holland Festival, and the Berlin-Amsterdam Festival. He has written over 100 pieces ranging from solo flute music to dance scores, a requiem, and works for a world music ensemble and orchestra. He has performed at major venues and festivals including the Montreal Jazz Festival, Lincoln Center Out-of-Doors, United Nations, and the 1999 Woodstock anniversary festival before 250,000 people.
Claire Bryant, cello
A native of South Carolina, cellist Claire Bryant enjoys an active and diverse career in New York City as a performer of chamber music, contemporary music, and solo cello repertoire. She is equally passionate and committed to her work as an educator and advocate for the inclusion of the arts in society. In 2009, Ms. Bryant founded a community residency project through Chamber Music in South Carolina called Claire Bryant and Friends. This new endeavor brings accomplished young artists to communities for weeklong residencies that include collaborative teaching and performing in the public schools, advocacy forums for arts education, and multiple performances in diverse and innovative venues. The 2010 recipient of the Robert Sherman McGraw Hill Companies award for excellence in community outreach and music education, she is a graduate of The Juilliard School and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where her primary teachers have been Bonnie Hampton and Joel Krosnick. Ms. Bryant currently serves as an assistant faculty member at The Juilliard School. Ms. Bryant is an alumna of The Academy.
Erin Lesser, flute
Erin Lesser has performed as a soloist and chamber musician throughout the world and her performances have been lauded as “superb” (New York Times) and “brilliant” (New York Concert Reivew). She is a member of Alarm Will Sound, Argento Chamber Ensemble, Due East, Scarborough Trio, and the Wet Ink Ensemble. Festival appearances include: Shanghai Electroacoustic Music Festival, Kilkenny Music Festival, Warsaw Crossdrumming Festival, Holland Festival, Ojai Music Festival, Istanbul International Spectral Music Festival, and Aldeburgh Festival. Lesser was a fellow of The Academy, a program run by Carnegie Hall, the Juilliard School and the Weill Music Institute. She is an Assistant Professor of Flute at the Lawrence University Conservatory of Music. Lesser is a Pearl Flute Performing Artist.
Greg Beyer, percussion
Hailed a “fine percussionist” in the New York Times, Greg Beyer won second-prize at the 2002 Geneva International Music Competition. Of primary importance to him is his project, ARCOMUSICAL – an endeavor that involves ethno-musicological research on the berimbau and other related musical bows, and the composition and commission of new works for this ancient instrument. Beyer has given solo performances and masterclasses throughout the United States, Europe, South America and in China. He is a member of Due East, Ensemble Dal Niente, and is an Associate Professor of Percussion at Northern Illinois University. Beyer endorses Pearl/Adams percussion instruments, Bosphorus cymbals, Innovative Percussion sticks and mallets, and Evans Drumheads.