Born in 1979 in Iran, Ehsan Matoori began learning Santoor (Persian-dulcimer) based on Maestro Faramarz Payvar’s method at age 9. He studied instrumental and vocal Radif (Persian musical repertory) with Parviz Meshkatian and Pashang Kamkar and later started teaching Santoor. Ehsan took lessons from Ardavan Kamkar, one of the greatest contemporary Santoor players of Iran known for his distinct playing style and tuning techniques. In addition to playing Santoor, Ehsan has studied music composition and harmony with Farhad Fakhroaldini and children’s music with Soudabeh Salem. After moving to the United States in 2013, Ehsan performed with world music masters such as Sandeep Das (tabla), Jamal Mohamed (percussionist), Paul Sriji (mridangam), Maeve Gilchrist (jazz harp), Matthew Coley (marimba), Mike Block (cello), Bassam Saba (oud), Sybarite5 (string quintet) and Greg Ellis (percussionist). He has also been a member of SMU world music ensemble since 2013 and a member of the Silk Road Global Musicians Workshop as a faculty assistant and performer since 2016. His first album “Phantasm” in collaboration with Mohsen Namjoo was published in 2019 and streamed more than 4,000,000 times and downloaded on all digital platforms. His love of learning about cultures and feeling their melodies, has inspired his musical compositions which represent these cultures and bring new words to the world. Exploring diverse musical and poetic traditions around the world, Matoori has recently been working on a multilingual project called “The Voices and Bridges” which was announced by the BBC world, BBC Persian and the Silk Road Project in July 2019 and July 2020. Ehsan believes that his music “should bring happiness to people and bring people together.”
Richard Belcher
New Zealand cellist Richard Belcher joined the SPCO in 2019 after a twenty year career as founding cellist of the Grammy-nominated Enso String Quartet. With the quartet he earned highly critical accolades from recording and concertizing in many of the world’s major concert halls such as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and Kennedy Center in the United States, as well as abroad in Europe, South America, Australia and New Zealand.
Richard is the Artistic Director of Music on the Hill in Mankato, Minnesota, and since 2008 has been Principal Cellist of River Oaks Chamber Orchestra in Houston, Texas. He has taught and performed at many festivals including St. Bart’s, Festival d’Aix en Provence, Prussia Cove, Madeline Island, Campos do Jordao International Winter Festival, SummerFest La Jolla, and the San Miguel de Allende International Chamber Music Festival.
In demand as a teacher and chamber music coach, Richard has previously served as Adjunct Faculty at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music and has given numerous masterclasses around the world.
Richard moved to the United States in 1998 to study with Aldo Parisot at Yale University, and it was while there that he founded the Enso String Quartet. Richard’s other principal teachers include Norman Fischer, Marc Johnson, and Alexander Ivashkin. He plays an N.F. Vuillaume cello made in 1856, and is married to Cecilia Belcher, Assistant Principal 2nd Violin of the Minnesota Orchestra.
10th Wave Chamber Music Collective
10th Wave Chamber Music Collective is a Twin Cities-based music ensemble that brings engaging and interdisciplinary classical new music to performance spaces both inside and out of the normative setting. We believe music has the ability to create a shared experience; therefore, we are always searching for new opportunities to present programmatic concerts and perform in casual public spaces where high quality art music is welcome. Through our concerts, we strive to build a community within our audiences that breaks down the barriers of social class, race, and ethnicity to be accessible for all who come to listen.
Formed in December 2017, 10th Wave is a collective instrumental music ensemble of conservatory-trained professional musicians including but not limited to: flute, clarinet, violin, viola, cello, piano, percussion, and voice. Pieces performed by 10th Wave are all composed within the last century in the classical music genre and can be categorized as modern, postmodern, electronic, indie-classical, and contemporary. 10th Wave also performs commissions and pieces written by living & local composers in Minnesota.
10th Wave has been featured in performance spaces ranging from concert halls to breweries such as: MacPhail Center for Music, Gustavus Adolphus College, St. Olaf College, Schmitt Music in Brooklyn Center, Studio Z, Boom Island Brewing Co, The Red Sea Minneapolis, Black Dog Cafe, and Underground Music Cafe. 10th Wave has also been awarded grants from the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council and the Minnesota State Arts Board. Most recently, 10th Wave was selected to be MPR Class Notes Artists with Classical MPR for their 2021-2022 season.
Jane Cords O'Hara
Based in Minneapolis, MN, cellist Jane Cords-O’Hara is a busy freelance cellist. She is a member of The Knights, Iris Orchestra, Jamison Ensemble and Ladyslipper Ensemble. She has performed, toured and recorded with many other ensembles including St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, MN Opera, Orchestra of St Luke’s, Yo Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble, Da Capo Chamber Players, SONYC and A Far Cry. She plays regularly at the LOFt Recital series in Minneapolis. Equally comfortable in many styles, Jane has played a large amount of new and spectral music, as well as baroque cello, and has played with Lyra Baroque, Bach Society of MInnesota and WolfGang ensemble. As a longtime member of the Grammy nominated chamber orchestra The Knights, Jane has played at festivals such as Tanglewood, Ravinia, Ojai, Stillwater and Caramoor, as well as internationally in Germany, Austria, Poland, Ireland and at the Canary Islands Music Festival. Jane studied at the RNCM with Hannah Roberts and at Mannes College with Tim Eddy. She is a devoted teacher and has a private studio as well as being on faculty at Augsburg University and UW River Falls.
Anne Ainomäe
Anne Ainomäe (viola) was born and raised in Estonia. She is an avid chamber musician. Before moving to USA, Anne was a member of Tallinn Chamber Orchestra and founding member of Prezioso String Quartet, which has won numerous prizes in Europe, and recorded works of Schulhoff, Vasks, Webern and Rääts. Anne has worked with Estonian National Symphony, Nordic Symphony Orchestra, Colorado Symphony, St Paul Chamber Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra; and is a regular performer with Minnesota Opera Orchestra and Englewood Arts Chamber music series in Colorado. Ms. Ainomäe has studied at the Sibelius Academy, the Tallinn Academy of Music and the University of Denver Lamont School of Music.
Elise Meichels Parker
Violinist Elise Meichels Parker is assistant principal second violin of the Minnesota Opera Orchestra, and is an active part of the Twin Cities music scene. The Star Tribune has described her playing as “soulful,” while the Pioneer Press wrote “Elise Parker wrings pure beauty from her violin.”
Elise received a Bachelor’s degree from University of Wisconsin-Madison. From there she attended Rice University, earning a Master’s degree. Since 2010, Elise has been a teacher for the Augsburg University Suzuki Talent Education Program, a nationally and internationally recognized program, as well as adjunct faculty at Augsburg University since 2019.
She plays on a Gasparo da Salò composite violin, whose back and ribs were made in 1580 in Brescia, Italy. Da Salò is sometimes credited as the co-inventor of the modern violin.
Gabriel Campos Zamora
Gabriel Campos Zamora, a native of San José, Costa Rica was appointed principal clarinet of the Minnesota Orchestra in June 2016. Campos was most recently the associate principal clarinet of the Kansas City Symphony and has appeared as guest principal clarinet with the Cleveland Orchestra, Seattle and Houston Symphonies in addition to serving as the Virginia Symphony's principal clarinet.
Campos has been a participant at the Marlboro Music Festival and frequently performed in the Kansas City Symphony "Happy Hour" chamber music concerts. He was a fellow of Ensemble ACJW, a program of Carnegie Hall, The Juilliard School, and the Weill Music Institute in partnership with the New York City Department of Education. A laureate of several competitions, he received first prize at the 2008 Pasadena Showcase House Instrumental Competition, in addition to winning concerto competitions at the 2009 Aspen Music Festival, 2010 Music Academy of the West, and 2011 National Repertory Orchestra.
Campos began his musical training at the Instituto Nacional de Musica as a student of Jose Manuel "cheche" Ugalde. He then came to the United States to study at the Interlochen Arts Academy with Nathan Williams and later received his bachelor's degree in music from the Colburn Conservatory in Los Angeles, where he studied with renowned professor Yehuda Gilad. He has been a participant of the Aspen, Music Academy of the West, National Repertory Orchestra, Spoleto and the Tanglewood Music Center festivals.
Sandeep Das and Mike Block
Sandeep Das (tabla) & Mike Block (cello/vocals) are a dynamic, cross-genre duo that originally met as members of Yo-Yo Ma’s Grammy Award-winning Silkroad Ensemble. Featuring a combination of the Tabla: a pair of Indian drums used in Hindustani Classical Music, Cello: a bowed string instrument used in European Classical Music, as well as Vocals: both rhythmic and melodic, this energetic duo has been performing since 2013, sharing their music throughout America and India via tours and residencies, and even on the stage of Carnegie Hall. Their debut album includes compositions from Western Classical and North Indian Hindustani traditions, adaptations of music from around the world, and several of their own original compositions.
Sandeep Das is one of the leading Tabla virtuosos in the world today. Having established himself as India’s top Tabla maestro, he is one of the few Indian classical musicians to actively explore new contexts for his instrument beyond the music of his home country. Since his debut concert with Ravi Shankar at the age of 17, Mr. Das has gone on to perform with iconic artists such as Yo-Yo Ma and Paquito D’River at prestigious venues ranging from Carnegie Hall to the Royal Albert Hall. Performances for significant events such as the opening ceremony of the Special Olympics and the World Economic Forum, in addition to audiences such as the United Nations and the Queen of England, have established as a highly sought-after performer all over the globe. Mr. Das is also a prolific composer, and his compositions have been showcased all over the world–- his most recent piece, Vaishnavi, is currently on display alongside a statue of the Goddess Parvati at Freer|Sackler in Washington D.C. As an educator, he is the founder of Das Tabla School and is frequently requested as an artist in residence at institutions such as Harvard and the Juilliard School of Music.
Mike Block is a pioneering cello player, singer, composer, and educator, hailed by Yo- Yo Ma as the "ideal musician of the 21st-Century". Mike is a member of Yo-Yo Ma's Silk Road Ensemble (SRE), having joined in 2005 while a student at The Juilliard School. Touring extensively throughout the world with SRE, he has been featured as cello and vocal soloist, contributed arrangements and compositions, and earned a Grammy Award in 2017 for their album, Sing Me Home. As an innovator, Mike is among the first wave of cellists to adopt a strap in order to stand and move while playing. With The Block Strap, Mike was the first standing cellist to perform at Carnegie Hall. The NY Times characterized the performance as, "Breathless ... Half dance, half dare." As an educator, Mike is passionate about creativity and collaboration, and is the founding director of Silkroad’s Global Musician Workshop, and the Mike Block String Camp.
Sarah Lewis
Cellist Sarah Lewis has been a member of The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra since 1998. A Saint Paul native, she started piano lessons at the MacPhail Center for the Arts at the age of three. She holds degrees from Southern Methodist University and the Juilliard School, where she studied with Lev Aronson and Channing Robbins, respectively. Prior to joining the SPCO, Sarah was a member of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra (1994-1996), and performed as a substitute musician with the Minnesota Orchestra and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. She has appeared as soloist with the SPCO and gave the U.S. premiere of Malcolm Forsyth’s Eclectic Suite for Cello and Piano with Lydia Artymiw. An avid chamber musician, she has performed solo and chamber recitals in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and the Twin Cities. Sarah has been a featured chamber musician at the Alexandria Festival of the Lakes in Minnesota, and her recent summer activities have included Music in the Vineyards in Napa Valley, and Music in the Mountains in Durango, CO. She is very active in teaching and coaching the students from the Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies. Sarah makes her home in Edina with her husband and two children. Her other interests include, mountain climbing, gardening and yoga.
Erika Ribeiro
Renowned for her remarkable musicality, transparency, and the spontaneity of her interpretations, Brazilian pianist Erika Ribeiro is a truly 21st-century artist always on the search for new performance approaches, and combining diverse styles in her playing and programming.
Winner of 10 piano competitions in Brazil - including the III Nelson Freire Competition, and awarded in more than 20, Erika has performed extensively in her native Brazil, as well as in Poland, Germany, Portugal, France and the United States. She has played at prestigious venues such as Sala São Paulo, Theatro Municipal (Rio de Janeiro), and Cecilia Meireles Hall and has been a frequent guest soloist of several Brazilian orchestras, including the Brazilian Symphony Orchestra, Minas Gerais Philharmonic, Bahia Symphony Orchestra, Orquestra Experimental de Repertório, Orchestra of the Radio and TV Cultura, among others; in Europe, she performed with the Kalisz Philharmonic (Poland) and the Gaia Philharmonic Orchestra (Portugal). As a chamber player, Erika is a passionate musician, frequently collaborating with diverse singers and instrumentalists, such as Francesca Anderegg and the Villa-Lobos Quintet.
Her first album "Images of Brazil" was released internationally by Naxos Latin American Series with violinist Francesca Anderegg, where they recorded jewels from Brazilian repertoire for violin and piano. In 2021, she released her first solo album by Rocinante Records, nominated for 2021 "Concerto Prize" as best album of the year. In this work, Erika transcribed pieces by Igor Stravinsky and Hermeto Pascoal for the piano, including rare pieces written by the Russian composer Sofia Gubaidulina. Ms. Ribeiro holds a B.A and M.A in Music (University of São Paulo). Recently, she finished her PhD where she studied the concept of pianism and its relationship in Brazilian piano music. She also studied Piano at the prestigious Hochschule für Musik "Hanns Eisler" Berlin, Germany (2003-05), chamber music at Écoles d 'Art de Fontainebleau, France (2008). She has attended music festivals in the U.S., Switzerland and France, where she received the highest honors in performance at the Fontainebleau Academy. Ms. Ribeiro is currently Piano and Chamber Music Professor at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UNIRIO).
Gao Hong
Gao Hong, a renowned Chinese pipa player, composer, improviser and educator graduated from the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing where she studied with pipa master Lin Shicheng. She has received numerous awards and honors at home and abroad. In 2005, Gao Hong became the first traditional musician to be awarded the prestigious Bush Artist Fellowship, and in 2019 she became the only musician in any genre to win five McKnight Artist Fellowships for Performing Musicians. She has also been awarded Gold Medals by the Global Music Awards for her CDs and compositions. In 2018, she was awarded a Sally Award from the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts. She has received numerous commissions and has performed countless U.S. and world premieres of pipa concerti with organizations such as the Minnesota Orchestra, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Heidelberg Philharmonic, Buenos Aires Philharmonic, China National Orchestra, and many others. In 2016, Gao Hong completed the first pipa method book ever written in English and had it published by Hal Leonard. She is Guest Professor at the Central Conservatory of Music and China Conservatory of Music in Beijing, and the Tianjing Conservatory of Music. In 2022, Mayor Melvin Carter of St. Paul proclaimed April 3, 2022 to be “Gao Hong Day in the City of St. Paul” in honor of Gao Hong’s milestone concert at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts - “50 YEARS OF MAKING MUSIC WITH FRIENDS”. She is a Board member for the American Composers Forum and Minnesota Citizens for the Arts, and is a Recording Academy Voting Member for the Grammys and an Advisor to the Board for the Recording Academy’s Chicago Chapter. (www.chinesepipa.com)
Nikki Chooi
Praised for his passionate and poetic performances, internationally-acclaimed violinist Nikki Chooi has established himself as an artist of rare versatility. Described as “expressive, enchanting, and transcendent,” Nikki is a recipient of prizes at the Queen Elizabeth and Tchaikovsky Competitions, and was awarded 1st Prize Winner of the Montreal Symphony's ManuLife Competition, the Klein International Strings Competition, and the Michael Hill International Violin Competition. Nikki has received critical acclaim in recent engagements at the Harris Theater in Chicago, Kimmel Center in Philadelphia, Carnegie Hall and Kauffman Center in New York, Koerner Hall in Toronto, Place des Arts in Montreal, as well as appearing as soloist with orchestras across Canada and internationally with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, National Arts Centre Orchestra, Louisiana Philharmonic, St. Petersburg State Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of Wallonie, National Orchestra of Belgium, Auckland Philharmonia, Malaysian Philharmonic, and Hong Kong Philharmonic. Nikki has been featured at many international festivals with performances at the Marlboro Festival, Ravinia Festival, Rockport Chamber Music Festival, La Jolla Summerfest, Vancouver Recital Series, Moritzburg Festival, Kammermusik Utrecht, Dresden Music Festival, Olympus Festival in Russia, Chamber Music New Zealand, and Fundación Beethoven in Chile. His many collaborators have included Jan Vogler, Inon Barnatan, Desmond Hoebig, Kim Kashkashian, David Shifrin, Anthony Marwood, and members of the Guarneri and Juilliard String Quartets. Previously a member of the multi-genre ensemble, Time for Three, the group collaborated with From the Top and Universal Music releasing an arrangement of Taylor Swift’s “Shake it Off” to record-breaking views on YouTube. As Concertmaster of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra in 2016-2017, Nikki worked closely with singers and conductors including Renee Fleming, Susanna Phillips, Elīna Garanča, Eric Owens, Fabio Luisi, and Esa-Pekka Salonen. His solos can be heard through The Met: Live in HD broadcasts in productions of Verdi’s La Traviata, Janacek’s Jenufa, and the Grammy-nominated recording of Strauss’ Rosenkavalier released on the Decca Label. Nikki has appeared as guest concertmaster with the Pittsburgh Symphony, Houston Symphony, Sydney Symphony, and is currently Concertmaster of the Grammy-award winning Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra. A passionate educator, Nikki is currently on the violin faculty at University of Ottawa and has presented masterclasses at the San Francisco Conservatory, Morningside Music Program at the New England Conservatory, Orchestra of the Americas Academy, Sphinx Academy at the Curtis Institute of Music, Hong Kong Cultural Center, and the University of Auckland. Nikki began his studies at the Victoria Conservatory, Mount Royal Conservatory, and at the National Arts Centre Young Artist Programme. He completed his formal studies at the Curtis Institute and the Juilliard School under the mentorship of Joseph Silverstein, Ida Kavafian, and Donald Weilerstein. He released his debut album of works by Prokofiev, Ravel, and Gershwin on the Atoll Label.
Nicola Melville
Nicola Melville has been described as “a marvelous pianist who plays with splashy color but also exquisite tone and nuance” (American Record Guide). Interdisciplinary projects include performances at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center; recent collaborations involve members of the Kronos and JACK quartets, pipa virtuoso Gao Hong, and veena master, Nirmala Rajasekar. Nicola won the New Zealand National Concerto Competition, and the prize for Outstanding Graduate Pianist and the Performer’s Certificate from the Eastman School of Music. She has recorded for the Innova and Equilibrium labels. Nicola is pianist for the Zeitgeist ensemble, is Professor of Music at Carleton College, and is co-chair of the Piano Program at the Chautauqua Music Festival, NY.
Alexandra Early
Violinist Alexandra Early has performed in orchestras including the Minnesota Orchestra, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, New World Symphony, Alabama Symphony, Cleveland Pops Orchestra, and Charleston Symphony. She was also a member of the inaugural YouTube Symphony in 2009.
Alex has received fellowships from the New World Symphony, the Tanglewood Music Center and the Aspen Music Festival. She has performed with and/or recorded for pop musicians including Prince, Stevie Wonder, Rod Stewart, Michael Buble, and Idina Menzel.
In addition to her experience onstage, Alex has appeared in interviews and performances on the BBC, NPR, and PBS.
Alex holds degrees from the Cleveland Institute of Music and the Manhattan School of Music. Her primary teachers include Charles Gray, Burton Kaplan and Paul Kantor.
In addition to her life as a violinist, Alex is a certified yoga teacher. She loves being outdoors, particularly up north in Minnesota!
Justin Knoepfel
Dr. Justin Knoepfel joined Gustavus in 2009, and currently teaches viola, violin, and is the chair of the Department of Music. He graduated from Luther College (B.A.), received his Master of Music degree in viola from the University of Minnesota, and Doctorate of Musical Arts degree in viola performance and a secondary emphasis in music theory at the University of Minnesota's School of Music.
Dr. Knoepfel has performed with the Minnesota Orchestra, Minnesota Opera, South Dakota Symphony, Mankato Symphony, LaCrosse Symphony, and others.
Recent performances have included solo, orchestral, and chamber music engagements -- most notably with the Bridge Chamber Music Festival, South Dakota Symphony, Ballet West, Minnesota Opera, Joffrey Ballet, Opera at Mill City, Gustavus Wind Orchestra, Oratorio Society of Minnesota, World Piano e-Competition, and more. He has also had the pleasure of playing with Idina Menzel, Michael W. Smith, Amy Grant, and Their Majesties King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden. His performing career is varied and exciting. Dr. Knoepfel is married to Elisa and they have five children: Sieara, Micah, Levi, Lauryn, and Emilia.
Scott Anderson
Scott Anderson is Associate Professor of Clarinet and Chamber Music at St. Olaf. He was for over two decades the Principal Clarinetist of the Honolulu (now Hawaii) Symphony, a position he held previously with the Grand Rapids (Michigan) and Oakland (California) symphonies, among others. During his tenure as a member of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra he was also active as a recording studio musician. He performed as Principal Clarinet at many summer festivals, including Glimmerglass Opera, the Carmel Bach Festival and Colorado Music Festival, and has appeared as concerto soloist with several orchestras. He has been a member of several contemporary music groups and recorded solo and chamber music on the Albany, CRI and Well-Tempered labels.
Before coming to St. Olaf, he taught at California State University Sacramento, the University of California Berkeley and Davis, and Grand Valley State University in Michigan. For 10 years he was on the faculty at Interlochen Fine Arts Camp, and more recently has led a summer seminar with one of his mentors, violinist Burton Kaplan, with whom he is working on a book about methods of musical interpretation and a theory of musical performance.
Scott studied at the Cleveland Institute of Music and the Eastman School under Stanley Hasty, and with Robert Marcellus at Northwestern University. Other teachers include Leon Russianoff, Mitchell Lurie, Franklin Cohen, Larry Combs, Rosario Mazzeo, and Keith Underwood. His chamber music coaches included Jan DeGaetani, Robert Bloom, Joseph Silverstein, Ray Still, and John Mack.
Nicholas Tavani
Violinist Nicholas Tavani was born in Arlington, VA, and debuted in Washington, D.C.’s Gaston Hall at the age of eight. The Cleveland Plain Dealer recently praised him as “ an alert and sensitive artist, with beautiful tone and exquisite phrasing,” and the Washington Post has hailed his “brilliant musicianship.” As a chamber musician, recitalist, and concerto soloist, Mr. Tavani has performed extensively to critical acclaim in major halls across the United States and around the world. As first violinist of the Aeolus Quartet, he was a winner of the Plowman International Chamber Music Competition, the Yellow Springs Chamber Music competition, and the Coleman International Chamber Music Competition. He is also a laureate of the Postacchini and Kingsville International Violin Competitions. Mr. Tavani currently serves as first violinist in the Aeolus Quartet, who are currently Artists in Residence at Musica Viva New York. His discography includes four albums with the Aeolus Quartet in wide release on the Azica, Naxos, and Innova labels. Performances with orchestra include the St Paul Chamber Orchestra, Alexandria Symphony, Aspen Festival Orchestra, Prince William Symphony, New Orchestra of Washington, and many others. Collaborations include Renee Fleming, Peter Wiley, Jon Kimura Parker, Paul Neubauer, and Michael Tree. As part of the Quartet, he was recently featured performing in an episode of the hit Marvel Netflix show The Defenders.
Sarah Lewis
Cellist Sarah Lewis has been a member of The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra since 1998. A Saint Paul native, she started piano lessons at the MacPhail Center for the Arts at the age of three. She holds degrees from Southern Methodist University and the Juilliard School, where she studied with Lev Aronson and Channing Robbins, respectively. Prior to joining the SPCO, Sarah was a member of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra (1994-1996), and performed as a substitute musician with the Minnesota Orchestra and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. She has appeared as soloist with the SPCO and gave the U.S. premiere of Malcolm Forsyth’s Eclectic Suite for Cello and Piano with Lydia Artymiw. An avid chamber musician, she has performed solo and chamber recitals in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and the Twin Cities. Sarah has been a featured chamber musician at the Alexandria Festival of the Lakes in Minnesota, and her recent summer activities have included Music in the Vineyards in Napa Valley, and Music in the Mountains in Durango, CO. She is very active in teaching and coaching the students from the Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies. Sarah makes her home in Edina with her husband and two children. Her other interests include, mountain climbing, gardening and yoga.
Teresa Richardson
Teresa Richardson, cellist, is Assistant Principal of the Minnesota Opera. Teresa has performed in many orchestras, including the Minnesota Orchestra, Mill City Summer Opera, Evansville Philharmonic, and Fort Wayne Philharmonic. She has performed with Bakken Trio, The Musical Offering, Zeitgeist, VocalEssence, and onstage as soloist with the St. Paul Ballet. Teresa appeared as soloist with orchestra performing concertos by Elgar, Haydn, Saint-Saens, and Boccherini. Fulfilling a strong passion for teaching, Teresa is on the faculty at North Star Cello Academy and has taught at MacPhail Center for Music and University of Wisconsin- Eau Claire. Teresa earned Master of Music and Bachelor of Music degrees in cello performance from Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, where she graduated with high distinction.
Yi-Chun Lin
A native of Taipei, Taiwan, violinist and violist Yi-Chun Lin has served as concertmaster of orchestras in New York, Taiwan, and music festivals worldwide. She has performed as soloist with the Texas Music Festival Orchestra, the National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra in Taiwan, and the Akademische Orchester at the Gewanhaus concert hall in Leipzig. Dr. Lin is a violin professor at Augustana University and the Principal Viola at the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra. With a lifelong passion towards chamber music, she founded the Sioux Falls Chamber Music Collective in 2018 in hope of creating a platform to encourage more collaborations between artists, to merge different artistic fields, and to make high quality performances more accessible in all corners of the community. She has performed on WQXR radio station in New York and SDPB in Rapid City, won the bronze medal at Fischoff competition, and received chamber music residency from various festivals, such as the Banff Music Festival. With a curious mind, Dr. Lin constantly looks for new dimensions in music through different types of musical and art collaborations.