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| Strings
International Music Festival Teaching Faculty: |
 Mei-Chen
Liao
Violinist
Concerto Soloists of Philadelphia
Ms. Liao is a violinist with the Concerto Soloists Chamber Orchestra
in Philadelphia. As the Concertmaster of the Taipei Symphony,
Ms. Liao has toured extensively throughout Japan, Korea, and the
United States and has appeared with the Philadelphia Orchestra
and the Hartford Symphony. Ms. Liao, a winner of the Washington
International Violin Competition and Juilliard Concerto Competition,
has also toured with "Music from Marlboro." She holds
a Bachelor of Music from Philadelphia's Curtis Institute, where
she studied with Yumi Ninomiya-Scott, Ivan Galamian and Arnold
Steinhardt. Ms. Liao also studied with Dorothy Delay at the Juilliard
School where she received her Master of Music. |
Charles
Parker
Violinist
Esther Boyer College of Music, Temple University
Charles
Parker, violinist, is a Lecturer in Violin at Temple University's
Esther Boyer College of Music, and is the Director of Chamber
Music forTemple Prep's Center for Gifted Young Musicians. Having
begun his performing career at age 15 with a concert tour of
Europe, Mr. Parker has since performed throughout the United
States and around the world. A noted chamber musician, he is
the Artistic Director of the Davidsbund Chamber Players, and
performs frequently with the New York Chamber Soloists. A member
of the Opera Company of Philadelphia, he also teaches violin
and chamber music at Haverford College and Bryn Mawr College.
Mr. Parker's teachers have included Ivan Galamian, Helen Kwalwasser,
and Paul Zukofsky |
 Choong-Jin
Chang
Principal Violist
Philadelphia Orchestra
Mr. Chang previously served as Principal Violist of the 1993 Grand
Teton Festival Orchestra and of The Symphony Orchestra of the
Curtis Institute of Music. His solo appearances have included
the KBS Symphony Orchestra at the Seoul (Korea) Arts Center, the
Curtis Symphony and others. A graduate of the Curtis Institute
of Music, Mr. Chang also studied at the Juilliard School and the
Esther Boyer College of Music at Temple University. His teachers
have included Joseph de Pasquale, Jascha Brodsky and Margaret
Pardee. Mr. Chang has participated in the festivals of Caramoor,
Evian, Las Vegas, Marlboro, Moritzburg (Germany), Mostly Mozart,
and the Alexander Schneider String Seminar and has toured the
United States with a chamber ensemble from The Philadelphia Orchestra.
Mr. Chang currently serves on the faculty of Temple Prep and Temple
University's Esther Boyer College of Music, teaching viola, violin
and chamber music. |
Kirsten
Johnson
Associate Principal Violist
Philadelphia
Orchestra
Kirsten Johnson joined The Philadelphia Orchestra as associate
principal viola at the start of the 2007-08 season. Ms. Johnson
made her solo debut with the Chicago Symphony at the age of 17,
and she since has performed with many orchestras, including the
Oberlin Chamber Orchestra, the Concertante Chamber Ensemble, and
the Juilliard, Jackson, Kalamazoo, and Peninsula symphonies. Ms.
Johnson has participated in chamber music festivals nationwide,
performing at Bargemusic, the Caramoor International Music Festival,
the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the Santa Fe Chamber
Music Festival, Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festival, the Cape
& Islands Chamber Music Festival, Pensacola Chamber Music
Festival, the Spoleto Festival, and Bay Chamber concerts. She
participated at the Marlboro Music Festival for three summers
and continues to perform on Music from Marlboro tours. As a chamber
musician, she has appeared in performances with the Orion, Vermeer,
St. Lawrence, and Colorado quartets. A
first-prize winner of the 1997 Washington International Competition,
Ms. Johnson’s recent recital engagements include performances
at the Kohl Mansion Chamber Music Series near San Francisco, the
concert series at the Phillips Collection in Washington D.C.,
the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concerts series in Chicago, and the
St. Croix Concert Series in Stillwater, Minnesota. Ms.
Johnson received her Bachelor of Music degree from the Curtis
Institute of Music, where she studied with Michael Tree. She pursued
further studies with Samuel Rhodes at the Juilliard School. Her
other teachers include Almita and Roland Vamos and James Dunham. |
Kerri
Ryan
Assistant Principal Violist
Philadelphia
Orchestra
Assistant Principal Viola Kerri Ryan joined The Philadelphia Orchestra
at the beginning of the 2007-08 season. She comes to Philadelphia
from the Minnesota Orchestra, where she was assistant principal
viola for seven seasons. Following her graduation from the Curtis
Institute of Music in 1998, she served as associate concertmaster
of the Charleston Symphony. Ms. Ryan and her husband, violinist
William Polk, are founding members of the award-winning Minneapolis
Quartet. In Philadelphia, while pursuing a violin performance
degree at Curtis, Ms. Ryan began studying viola with Karen Tuttle.
Ms. Ryan also studied at the Cleveland Institute of Music as a
member of its Young Artist Program. Her violin teachers include
Lee Snyder, Jascha Brodsky, Rafael Druian, and Arnold Steinhardt.
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 Sidney
Curtiss
Former Assistant Principal Violist
Philadelphia Orchestra
Sidney Curtiss attended the Philadelphia Conservatory of Music,
where he studied with the famed pedagogue Leonard Mogill. Mr.
Curtiss is a former member of the New Orleans Symphony and the
Washington, D.C. National Symphony. He has participated in the
Marlboro Music Festival and performed on recordings made at the
Festival with Pablo Casals. He was appointed to the Philadelphia
Orchestra in 1960 by Eugene Ormandy. Mr. Curtiss has been a member
of the Philarte Quartet (made up of Philadelphia Orchestra members
who have done extensive world touring and recording for over fifteen
years) as well as the New Philadelphia Quartet. He is currently
a member of the Philadelphia Chamber Ensemble, and is a frequent
performer on the Philadelphia Orchestra's chamber music series.
Mr. Curtiss currently serves on the faculty of both the Settlement
Music School and Temple University. |
 Burchard
Tang
Violist
Philadelphia Orchestra A
native of Maryland, Burchard Tang joined The Philadelphia Orchestra
in September 1999. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in
May 1999 from the Curtis Institute of Music, where he studied
with Joseph de Pasquale and Choong-Jin Chang. Mr. Tang has served
as Principal Viola with the Curtis Symphony Orchestra and the
New York String Seminar, and has performed with the Brandenburg
Ensemble. A winner of the Philadelphia Orchestra Albert M. Greenfield
Student Competition, Mr. Tang performed with The Philadelphia
Orchestra as a soloist in a Student Concert in November 1993.
Other honors have included the Temple University Preparatory
Division Concerto Competition and second prize in the Senior
Division of the Fischoff Competition in 1996. |
 David
Nicastro
Violist
Philadelphia Orchestra
A member of The Philadelphia Orchestra since 1995, David Nicastro
is an active recitalist and member of numerous chamber music ensembles.
Prior to 1995, Mr. Nicastro served as Associate Principal Violist
of the San Francisco Opera Orchestra. Born in New York, Mr. Nicastro
grew up in The Hague, Netherlands, where he began violin studies
at the age of six. Returning to the U.S. he received a BA in English
literature and a Bachelor of Music in violin performance from
Boston Univer-sity while studying with Yuri Mazurkevich. Continuing
his musical studies, Mr. Nicastro received a University Fellowship
and an Artist Diploma from Indiana University where he studied
viola with Abraham Skernick, Atar Arad, and Joseph de Pasquale. |
 Che-Hung
Chen
Violist
Philadelphia Orchestra
Violist Che-Hung Chen joined The Philadelphia Orchestra in the
spring of 2001. A three-time top prize-winner at the Taiwan National
Instrumental Competition, Mr. Chen began his studies at the age
of six with Ben Lin in Taipei. He entered The Curtis Institute
of Music at age 14, where he studied with Joseph de Pasquale and
served as principal violist of the Curtis Symphony Orchestra.
Mr. Chen was the first prize winner at the seventh Banff International
String Quartet Competition as a member of the Daedalus Quartet.
He was also awarded the Pièce de Concert Prize for the
best performance of the commission work and the Székely
Prize for the best performance of a Beethoven quartet. As a participant
in the Marlboro Festival, Mr. Chen has toured with “Musicians
from Marlboro,” and performed on their fiftieth anniversary
concerts in Boston and New York's Carnegie Hall. He has collaborated
with members of the Guarneri, Orion, Mendelssohn and Tokyo quartets,
and with artists such as Martha Argerich, Yefim Bronfman, Jean-Yves
Thibaudet, Lang Lang, and Hilary Hahn. |
 Rachel
Ku
Violist
Philadelphia Orchestra
Twenty one-year-old violist Wei-chun Rachel Ku joined The Philadelphia
Orchestra as its youngest member in September, 2004. She has made
solo appearances with the Witherspoon Chamber Orchestra, the Dwun-Hwa
Orchestra, and the Curtis Chamber Ensemble. In January, 2005 Rachel
performed Hindemith’s “Der Schwanendreher” as
soloist with the Delaware Symphony Orchestra. Ms. Ku has received
numerous awards and honors, including first prize in the 2004
Delaware Symphony Orchestra Young Soloist Competition, second
prize in the 2002 Riverside Symphonia Caprio Young Artists Competition
and Honorable Mention in the 2001 Philadelphia Orchestra Albert
M. Greenfield Competition. She was a semi-finalist in the 2001Young
Concert Artists International Auditions, received first prize
at the 1997 Taiwan National Viola Competition, and took second
and fifth prize,respectively, in the 1996 Taiwan National Viola
and Piano competitions. Ms. Ku graduated from the Curtis Institute
of Music, where she studied viola with Joseph dePasquale, former
principal viola of The Philadelphia Orchestra. |
 Hai-Ye
Ni
Principal Cellist
Philadelphia Orchestra
Hai-Ye Ni joined The Philadelphia Orchestra as principal cello
at the beginning of the 2006-07 season after having served as
associate principal cello of the New York Philharmonic since 1999.
Ms. Ni first came into prominence after her critically praised
New York debut at Alice Tully Hall in 1991. This performance came
as a result of her winning first prize at the Naumburg International
Cello Competition. She has since won first prize in the 1996 International
Paulo Cello Competition in Finland, and became a recipient of
the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant in 2001. Hai-Ye Ni made
her debut with the Chicago Symphony in 1997 under the baton of
Christoph Eschenbach at the Ravinia Festival. At Yo-Yo Ma’s
recommendation, she made a 14-city United States tour to introduce
Bright Sheng’s cello concerto Two Poems. During her tenure
at the New York Philharmonic, Ms. Ni collaborated with Bobby McFerrin
in the Vivaldi Concerto for Two Cellos, and made her solo debut
in 2003. In 2004 Ms. Ni performed a solo recital of works by contemporary
female composers Ellen Taaffe Zwilich and Chen Yi in Carnegie
Hall’s Weill Recital Hall. Born in Shanghai, China, in 1972,
Hai-Ye Ni began her cello studies with her mother and later studied
at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. Ms. Ni continued her musical
education with Irene Sharp at the San Francisco Conservatory of
Music, Joel Krosnick at the Juilliard School of Music, and William
Pleeth in London. |
 John
Koen
Cellist
Philadelphia Orchestra
John Koen has been a member of The Philadel-phia Orchestra since
1990. He appears regularly on the Chamber Music series of The
Philadelphia Orchestra, including performances in May, 2004, with
Maestro Christoph Eschenbach in Messiaen’s Quartet for the
End of Time and during the Open-ing Week Festival of 1993 and
subsequent NPR broadcasts of Schumann’s Piano Quintet with
Maestro Wolfgang Sawallisch. He has appeared with the Philadelphia
Chamber Ensemble since 1993 and is a member of the Mondrian Ensemble
and Network for New Music. Mr. Koen also appears frequently with
the New Symphony Orchestra of Sofia, Bulgaria, with Philadelphia
Orchestra Associate Conductor Rossen Milanov, and performs regularly
as a soloist with the Lansdowne Symphony Orchestra (Pennsylvania),
of which he has been Principal Cellist since 1992. Mr. Koen studied
at The Curtis Institute of Music with David Soyer and Peter Wiley,
graduating from Curtis with a Bachelor of Music Performance. He
also studied at the New School of Music with Orlando Cole. Mr.
Koen performed in the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival Orchestra
as Solo Cellist on European Tours with Maestros Christoph Eschenbach,
Leonard Bernstein, and Sergiu Celibidache. |
Derek
S. Barnes
Cellist
Philadelphia Orchestra
Derek S. Barnes is a cellist with the Philadelphia Orchestra.
Formerly, Mr. Barnes has appeared as soloist with the Curtis Symphony
Orchestra, the Tanglewood Music Center Symphony and the Indianapolis,
Anderson and Muncie Symphony Orchestras. He was previously a member
of the Concerto Soloists of Philadelphia, the Santa Fe Opera Orchestra,
the New York String Orchestra and the South Jersey Symphony. Mr.
Barnes has participated in the Tanglewood Fellowship program and
the summer music festivals of the Taos School of Music, Encore
School for Strings, and Congress of Strings. A graduate of The
Curtis Institute of Music, his teachers have included Orlando
Cole, David Soyer, and William Stokking. |
 Alex
Veltman
Cellist
Philadelphia Orchestra
Prior to joining The Philadelphia Orchestra in June 1996, cellist
Alex Veltman worked with several orchestras in the northeastern
United States. He was a regular substitute cellist for the New
York Philharmonic, assistant principal cello of the Hudson Valley
Philharmonic in Poughkeepsie, New York, and a member of the New
York Symphonic Ensemble, the New Jersey Symphony, and the New
Haven Symphony. Born in Moscow, Mr. Veltman earned his bachelor's
degree studying with Harvey Shapiro at the Juilliard School, and
his master’s degree from the Yale University School of Music,
where he studied with Aldo Parisot. Mr. Veltman has participated
in the Bedford Springs Festival in Bedford, Pennsylvania - where
he performed as soloist with the festival orchestra - and the
Saratoga Springs Summer Festival in upstate New York, and has
attended the Kneisel Hall Chamber Music Festival in Blue Hill,
Maine. He has collaborated with such artists are Chantal Juillet,
Roberto Díaz, Nikolaj Znaider, and Elmar Oliveira, and
has given recitals at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall
and C. Michael Paul Hall, as well as at St. John’s, Princeton,
and Yale universities, among others. Mr. Veltman has also made
several radio and television appearances, including WQXR’s
Young Artists Showcase in New York. |
 Ulrich
Boeckheler
Cello Soloist
Uli Boeckheler, a prizewinner in the 1982 Gaspar Cassado International
Cello Competition, performs regularly as a soloist in the United
States and Europe. Former principal cellist of the Royal Philharmonic
Orchestra of Flanders, Belgium and Helmuth Rillings Bach Collegium
Stuttgart, Mr. Boeckheler was invited to be a part of the distinguished
jury for the XXIII International Cello Competition "Dr.
Luis Sigall," in Chile. He recently premiered and recorded
cello concertos by David Crumb and Jay Reise with Orchestra
2001. As a chamber musician, Mr. Boeckheler has participated
in the Marlboro, Saratoga, and Grand Teton Music Festivals.
His collaboration with pianist Susan Starr has been successful
both in concert and in the recording studio. Mr. Boeckheler,
Principal Cellist with Peter Nero and the Philly Pops, performs
frequently with the Philadelphia Orchestra.
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 Harold
Robinson
Principal Bassist
Philadelphia Orchestra
An internationally acclaimed artist, Harold Robinson is currently
the Principal Bass of the Philadelphia Orchestra. Mr. Robinson
previously served as Principal Bass with the National Symphony
and New Mexico Symphony Orchestras and as Assistant Principal
Bass of the Houston Symphony Orchestra. A prize winner at the
1982 Isle of Man Solo Competition, Mr. Robinson has performed
concertos with The Philadelphia Orchestra, the National Symphony,
Houston Symphony, New York Philharmonic, Houston Pops, American
Chamber Orchestra, and the Greenville, South Carolina Orchestra.
In addition, Mr. Robinson is known for his outstanding recitals
and master classes throughout the United States. Mr. Robinson
is currently on the faculties of Curtis Institute and Peabody
Conservatory. He has made substantial contributions to double
bass education through his previous ownership of the "Bass
Project" and continues to promote new compositions and publications
through his new company, "Bass-Is." |
Robert
Kesselman
Bass
Philadelphia Orchestra
Robert
Kesselman, a native Philadelphian, attended Temple University
and the Curtis Institute of Music. In 1980 he won a section
bass position with the Pittsburgh Symphony, where he remained
until 1987. Mr. Kesselman had always dreamed of playing in The
Philadelphia Orchestra, and in 1987 he was accepted into the
bass section. When he is not playing in the Orchestra, he enjoys
teaching, solo playing, and performing chamber music. He was
formerly on the faculty of the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore
and currently teaches at Temple University. |
 Ranaran
Meyer
Double Bassist and Composer
Ranaan Meyer,
double bassist and composer, attended the Manhattan School of
Music and The Curtis Institute of Music, from which he graduated
in 2003. In addition to performing regularly with such orchestras
as the Minnesota Symphony, Baltimore Symphony and The Philadelphia
Orchestra, Mr. Meyer has composed new works for his trio Time
for Three - which recently completed a 12-day residency at
the University of Michigan - as well as for solo bass and other
ensembles. Most recently, Mr. Meyer completed a commission for
the Kingston Chamber Music Festival in Rhode Island. Other recently
completed commissions include a work for the Network for New Music,
a set of Time for Three pieces for Astral Artistic Services,
and a Time for Three composition "Of Time and Three
Rivers," for the City of Pittsburgh and the Pittsburgh Symphony.
All commissions have been expedited through the American Composer’s
forum.
Mr. Meyer, also an accomplished jazz musician, has performed with
Jane Monheight, Victor Lewis, Jason Moran, Mark O’Connor,
Ari Hoenig, Duane Eubanks, Mickey Roker and many more. Mr. Meyer,
an avid teacher, has held adjunct Double Bass Professorships at
both Princeton University and the University of Delaware. |
 Mary
Wheelock Javian
Double Bassist
Philadelphia Orchestra
Mary Wheelock
Javian (double bass) is an active performing and teaching artist.
She performs frequently with the Philadelphia Orchestra as well
as the Iris Chamber Orchestra in Germantown, Tennessee, the
Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, the Philly Pops, the Pennsylvania
Ballet and the Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic. As a
chamber musician, Ms. Javian has performed and recorded with
Network for New Music, is Co-Director and resident bass player
with the 9th Street Chamber Project and is a regular guest performer
with the Apple Hill Chamber Players. A Maryland Distinguished
Scholar, Ms. Javian has won fellowships with the Tanglewood
Music Center, the National Repertory Orchestra, the Verbier
Festival and the National Symphony. A passionate advocate for
music education, Ms. Javian has worked as an education consultant
for musical groups throughout the country and is currently the
Program Coordinator for the School Partnership Program at the
Philadelphia Orchestra. A graduate of the Curtis Institute,
Ms. Javian studied with Harold Robinson, principal bassist of
the Philadelphia Orchestra. |
Ellen Hannigan - Youssefian
Piano Lessons
Ellen Hannigan-Youssefian received her Bachelor of Music in performance and
Bachelor of Music Education from Shenandoah College and Conservatory of Music.
Ms. Youssefian received an International Rotary Foundation Scholarship for advanced studies in Würzburg, West Germany, completing her diploma at the Hochschule für Musik, Würzburg. After three additional years of study in Vienna, Austria at the Hochschule für Musik and the Konservatorium der Stadt Wien, Ms. Youssefian made her way to Philadelphia. Ellen completed her Master’s Degree in Piano Performance and Piano Pedagogy at Temple University. Ms. Youssefian has performed as a soloist, chamber musician, and accompanist throughout the region. Performances include the premier of a Piano Suite dedicated to her by composer Paul Miller. Ellen has performed at the Academy of Music Ballroom, Laurel Hill Mansion, Settlement Music School, and Rutger’s University. Ms. Youssefian is currently Adjunct Faculty at Temple University and teaches privately. |
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