Monte Belknap has enjoyed teaching at Brigham Young University–School of Music for seventeen years and previously taught at Brigham Young University–Idaho and Western Illinois University. At a young age Monte won several prizes across the country including the Starling International Violin Competition at the Aspen Music Festival in 1989. He then studied with Kurt Sassmannshaus and the world-renowned pedagogue Dorothy DeLay at the University of Cincinnati, College–Conservatory of Music, and was also a faculty member of the prestigious Starling Preparatory String Project and as an assistant of Mr. Sassmannshaus.

Of Belknap’s performance of the Barber Violin Concerto in 2013 with the BYU Philharmonic, the critic Ed Reichel stated:

“Belknap captured the eloquence of the music with his luxurious playing that embraced the lyricism fully…. Belknap’s fingers certainly flew up and down the fingerboard. And his dexterity was paired with a lightness that brought a shimmering quality to the music. It was a tour de force performance.”

He has performed as a guest artist at the International Music Festival of the Adriatic in Italy, The George Enescu International Violin Competition in Romanica, The Barge Music Series in NYC, and served as concertmaster of the Illinois Symphony and Chamber Orchestras. Professor Belknap also performed and recorded the complete Beethoven Piano and Violin Sonatas soon to be released on the Tantara Label. Mr. Belknap also serves as the concertmaster and soloist with the LA East recording studio and has been the featured violin soloist on many sound tracks including “The Work and the Glory” movies, the “The Iceland Saints”, the online video games “Lord of the Rings” and “Dungeons and Dragons”. In recent years he has performed chamber music with international artists, Jeffrey Solow, Scott Ballentyne, Steve Balderston, Mark Kosower, John Novacek, Denise Djokic, Menahim Pressler, Miriam Fried and many others.

Every Summer Professor Belknap teaches at BYU's Summerfest and at the International Music Festival of the Adriatic in Duino, Italy. He also is a featured artist every year with the Park City International Music Festival in Utah. This past year he performed several concerts as soloist with the American Fork Symphony Orchestra, the BYU Symphony Orchestra, the BYU Philharmonic and the Orchestra at the Cathedral of the Madeline. In the Fall 2012 the Deseret Piano Trio premiered the Barlow Endowment commissioned piece, “Lonesome Roads”, a piano trio by Dan Visconti, composition faculty from the Eastman School of Music.

In 2010 Professor Belknap was awarded the “Studio Teacher of the Year” by the Utah State Chapter, of the American String Teachers Association (ASTA). He has presented six times at the national convention of ASTA. In 2013-2015 his students have performed three times in Carnegie Hall winning several competitions in New York City. This year alone his students are soloing with the BYU–Symphony, the BYU–Philharmonic, the American Fork Symphony, the Oquire Mountain Symphony, the Timpanogos Symphony among others. His students consistently win local and national awards.

Tad Calcara has been principal clarinet of the Utah Symphony since 1999. He began piano at age five and studied clarinet at age 12 with his father. He then attended Manhattan School of Music where his teachers included Leon Russianoff. He completed his undergraduate at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and then continued his studies with a Master Degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music. His summers were spent at the music festivals of Tanglewood, Aspen, and Music Academy of the West. In addition Mr Calcara was grand prize winner of the San Diego Musical Merit Competition as well as finalist in the both the Buffet International Clarinet and Ima Hogg Competitions. Prior to his appointment with the Utah Symphony he performed with the New World Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, and the Grand Teton Music Festival Orchestra.

On several occasions Mr. Calcara has appeared as soloist with various orchestras including, the Cleveland Orchestra, New World Symphony, the Texas Festival Orchestra at Round Top and the Big Band Jazz Hall of Fame Orchestra. Mr. Calcara’s performance of Bernstein’s Prelude Fugue & Riffs with Michael Tilson Thomas and the New World Symphony was recorded on the RCA Red Seal CD New World Jazz (1998). His solo appearances with the Utah Symphony include the clarinet concertos of Mozart (2002, 2011) , Copland (2000, 2001, 2017) , Artie Shaw (1999, 2000, 2001, 2005) and Lutoslawki (2003). His performance of the Artie Shaw Clarinet Concerto was featured on KSL’s annual Salute to the Utah Symphony television special in 2001. Mr Calcara’s New Deal Swing show, a musical tribute to the Big Bands of the 1930s & 40s was featured several times on the Utah Symphony Pops series at Abravenel Hall and Deer Valley. In recital he has performed for Radio France in Montpellier, NPR and in the spring of 1999, the first ever New World Symphony Honors Concert.

In addition to his work in classical music, Mr Calcara continues performing in the world of Jazz. His interest in early Jazz and Swing music was encouraged by weekend “jam sessions” with his grandfather who was a former band leader. As a specialist in the music of the Swing Era of the 1930s & 40s, his New Deal Swing Orchestra (NDS) has been a local favorite since the group was established in 2003. NDS was featured with the Utah Symphony, Salt Lake Jazz Festival, and centennial tributes to Benny Goodman and Artie Shaw. Mr Calcara is also music director of the Big Band Jazz Hall of Fame Orchestra in San Diego. His work with this ensemble over the past ten years has produced several CDs/DVDs and collaborations with many surviving Big Band artists most notably Ellington vocalist Herb Jeffries.

Mr Calcara resides in Salt Lake City with his family; wife Lynn Rosen (Utah Symphony violinist) and their three kids; Sabrina, Benny & Jasmine.

Joel Gibbs has been a member of the Utah Symphony viola section since 2011. He appears regularly on Symphony salon concerts, and he coaches young musicians through the symphony’s education and outreach programs. He is also a frequent guest of the Intermezzo, NOVA and Westminster concert series. He is a former member of the Dallas Symphony, the Louisville Orchestra, and the Grant Park Orchestra in Chicago, where he served as a mentor in the orchestra’s Project Inclusion.

Originally from St. Louis, Missouri, Mr. Gibbs holds performance degrees from Northwestern University and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where he studied with Lewis Rosove, Myron Kartman and Yuan-Qing Yu. In his free time, he enjoys hiking and camping, and he hopes never to run out of new territory to explore in the Mountain West.

William Hagen has performed as soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician across the United States, Europe, and Asia. In 2021, William makes his debuts with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at the Ravinia Festival and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe at the Rheingau Music Festival, and appears at the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival. As soloist, William has appeared with the Detroit Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, Seattle Symphony, and regularly appears as soloist at the Aspen Music Festival. In Europe, he has soloed with the Frankfurt Radio Symphony (HR Sinfonieorchester), the Vienna Radio Symphony (ORF Radio Sinfonieorchester Wien), and the major orchestras of Belgium, including the Brussels Philharmonic, National Orchestra of Belgium, and the Orchestre Philharmonique Royal de Liège. William has also soloed in Japan with the Yokohama Sinfonietta and the Sendai Philharmonic.

James Hall is currently Associate Principal Oboe of the Utah Symphony, having previously performed as a member of the Erie Philharmonic, Ohio Chamber Orchestra, and Mexico City Philharmonic.

He has spent summers participating the Grand Teton Music Festival, Park City Chamber Music Festival, Deer Valley Music Festival, and Waterloo Music Festival and has been featured as Oboe soloist with the Utah Symphony, the Juilliard Orchestra, Arlington (VA) Symphony, and Interlochen Arts Academy Orchestra. James has also given recitals in New York, Boston, Cleveland, and throughout the Wasatch Front, and was a featured performer at the International Double Reed Society Conferences held in Banff, Canada in 2002 and Provo, Utah in 2008.

An alumnus of The Juilliard School, James studied Oboe with Elaine Douvas, Principal Oboe of the Metropolitan Opera, chamber music with flutist Julius Baker, oboist Ronald Roseman, and violinist Dorothy DeLay, and was featured Oboe soloist with the Juilliard Orchestra on that orchestraÕs tour of Asia. He subsequently attended the Cleveland Institute of Music, where he continued his studies with the legendary John Mack, former Principal Oboist of the Cleveland Orchestra. He has also participated in masterclasses and seminars given by such artists as John De Lancie, Robert Marcellus, Georg Solti and Leonard Bernstein.

A native of Corpus Christi, Texas, James is the son of a naval officer, and grew up in such diverse locales as Iceland, Spain, and Greece, as well as the U.S.. An ardent traveler, he recently accomplished his goal of visiting all the permanently populated continents.

When he’s not making reeds, James enjoys trying new Mexican food recipes and hiking in the foothills above his home in the Avenues with his Lab/Pointer mix Bruno.

Violinist Lun Jiang is a native of Beijing, China, and grew up in Westchester, New York. He has been a guest artist in concerts with Ruth Laredo, Isidore Cohen, Sergiu Luca, Michael Rudiakov, Glenn Dicterow, Ian Swenson and members of the Cleveland, American, Brentano, Pacifica, Miami and Ying String Quartets, to name but a few.

Lun was a prize winner of numerous competitions, he has performed on stages in New York, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, San Francesco, Detroit, Dallas/Fort Worth, Washington D.C., Beijing, Seoul, Hong Kong, Macau, as well as in Germany and Austria, among others. He has been invited to the Manchester, Ravinia, Great Lake, Round Top, Grand Teton and Martha's Vineyard music festivals.

From 2015-2017, Lun has performed the complete 10 Beethoven violin sonatas with pianist Vedrana Subotic, sponsored by the University of Utah School of Music.

Lun has recorded for Eroica Classical Records and Newport Classic, including the complete string quartets by Camille Saint-Saens and a solo album with twin brother Quan.

Lun was a founding member of the Equinox String Quartet, which was a resident quartet at the Midori Foundation and Gotham Quartet, a quartet in residence at Rice University from 1999-2001. Gotham Quartet was a top prize winner at 2000 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition.

Lun is a graduate of Rice University and Manhattan School of Music, he has studied with Stanley Bednar, Isidore Cohen, Sergiu Luca and Raphael Fliegel. He has also worked with Isaac Stern, Joseph Silverstein, William Preucil and Alexander Kerr. Lun is a member of the Utah Symphony and an adjunct assistant professor at University of Utah School of Music and Westminster College.

Lun plays on a Tommaso Balestrieri violin, crafted in Mantua, ca.1750 and a Dominique Peccatte bow, Paris, ca.1830

He is an official endorser/spokesman of Thomastik-Infeld Strings, Vienna

Andrew Keller joined the double bass section of the Utah Symphony in September 2020. Prior to his time in Utah, he performed with the Lyric Opera of Chicago for two seasons and was Assistant Principal bass of the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra. Originally from Plymouth, Minnesota, Andrew began playing both bass and piano at a young age and studied with members of the Minnesota Orchestra. He completed his Bachelor’s degree at Indiana University under the instruction of Lawrence Hurst and Kurt Muroki, and obtained his Master’s degree from Rice University where he studied with Timothy Pitts.

Andrew has performed with the Milwaukee Symphony, the Midsummers’ Music Festival in Door County, WI, the Lakes Area Music Festival of Brainerd, MN, and on various other projects in Salt Lake City and the Chicago area. In May 2018 he was selected as a Global Academy fellow with the New York Philharmonic, and subsequently performed with the orchestra in subscription concerts that month. While at Rice, he was active as a performer with various groups in Houston, such as the KINETIC conductorless ensemble and the Hear and Now contemporary ensemble. Additionally, he has performed on multiple occasions with the New World Symphony in Miami Beach, FL.

A member of the Verbier Festival Orchestra for 2 summers, Andrew is also a 3-time fellowship recipient of the Aspen Music Festival. During his studies at Indiana he participated in a tour to Seoul, South Korea with the IU Chamber Orchestra. A few of his additional influences and teachers include Paul Ellison, Bruce Bransby, Leigh Mesh, and Al Laszlo.

In his free time Andrew enjoys tennis, mountain climbing, cycling, listening to audiobooks, collecting rare bourbons, and visiting Salt Lake City’s many restaurants and breweries whenever time allows.

Clara Hurtado Lee is a highly acclaimed soprano who mesmerizes audiences with her warm and brilliant voice and enchanting performances. Reichel Recommends described her as . . ."vocally stunning. [Her] singing was fluid, lyrical and emotionally charged. . .nothing less than poetic."

Clara crosses many genres and feels equally at home on the stage and in the recording studio as shown by her collaborations with Leo Z, Jenny Oaks Baker, Nathan Pacheco, Emmet Cahill, Nicole Pinnell, and GENTRI.

Recently Clara's musicality was put to the test when she was asked to sing much of the role of Susanna in The Marriage of Figaro with mere hours of notice.

Clara performs with prestigious organizations such as Utah Opera & Utah Symphony, The Orchestra at Temple Square, Salt Lake Choral Artists, Choral Arts Society of Utah, Oratorio Society of Utah, Intermezzo Concert Series, Mask Fest (International New Music Festival, Republic of San Marino), The World Symposium on Choral Music (Barcelona), La Musica Lirica (Italy), Lyceum Philharmonic, Ballet West Guild, Utah Lyric Opera, Lyrical Opera Theater, Utah Valley Symphony, Utah Metropolitan Ballet, BalletNext, The Southwest Symphony, and the American West Symphony.

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The first-generation American son of Brazilian immigrants, Michael Mardson McQuay is a native of Provo, Utah, although his performance career and music education have taken him to multiple locations around the globe. An active soloist, chamber musician, and accompanist, Michael has appeared in recital on three continents, including solo performances in France, Austria, Brazil, and throughout the United States. He has participated in extensive private study with the most world-renowned and distinguished artists and pedagogues including Angela Chang (Oberlin), Jeff Cohen (Manhattan), Alain Planes (Paris Conservatory), Alan Chow (Northwestern), Alvin Chow (Oberlin), Asaf Zohar (Tel Aviv University) and chamber music studies under prominent musicians including Janos Starker, Myron Bloom, Gary Arvin and Robert Harrison.

Michael was a prize winner in both national and international piano competitions including prizes at the Jefferson Symphony National Piano Competition and 1st prize at the 2004 Gina Bachauer International Piano Ensemble Competition.

A Phi Kappa Phi graduate from Brigham Young University, Michael graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Music degree in Piano Performance under the direction of Irene Peery-Fox, a mentor who has been involved in his musical training from a very young age. While at BYU he held the most prestigious of awards and scholarships including both a full-tuition academic scholarship and the C.H. Nye Piano Performance Scholarship and worked as part of the adjunct piano faculty.

Michael is a graduate of the world-renowned Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University where he earned the degree Doctor of Music in Piano Performance & Literature. He was offered both the prestigious Dean's Scholarship and an Associate Instructorship, the highest financial award offered to piano performance graduate students, which includes an appointment to the piano faculty. Since his arrival at Indiana, Michael was a student of Distinguished Professor Menahem Pressler, founder of the legendary Beaux Arts Trio and revered pianist and pedagogue.

For 5 years Michael served as Mr. Pressler's studio and teaching assistant and enjoys an extensive and active teaching career--carrying on the great Pressler pedagogical legacy--teaching both privately and at the university level. His students have been admitted to both undergraduate and graduate music performance programs throughout the United States and are frequent prize-winners in music competitions. Michael is currently Professor of Piano at Brigham Young University - Idaho where he is an active pedagogue and performer. His wife, Dr. Alicia Duncan McQuay, is Professor of Harp at BYUI and is the coordinator of the harp performance program.

Hugh Palmer joined the Utah Symphony as a member of the first violin section in Janurary 2016. Previously he was a fellow with the New World Symphony, serving as concertmaster under the batons of Michael Tilson-Thomas, Roberto Abbado and others. He has also appeared as guest concertmaster with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, and formerly served as concertmaster of the Colburn Orchestra, National Repertory Orchestra and the Young Musician’s Foundation Debut Orchestra.

Originally from Minnesota, Hugh began his violin studies at the age of 5, studying with Mary West and then Sally O’Reilly. He received his Bachelor’s Degree from Northwestern University, studying with Almita Vamos, and was a prize winner in the Thaviu Endowed Scholarship competition. He subsequently received his Artist’s Diploma from the Colburn Conservatory under the tutelage of Robert Lipsett.

Solo engagements include apperances with the Minnesota Orchestra, Colburn Orchestra and the National Repertory Orchestra. Chamber collaborations include performances with Menahem Pressler, Lera Auerbach, Ronald Leonard and members of the Vienna Philharmonic. Hugh is currently a member of the first violin section in the Breckenridge Music Festival, and has additionally participated in many summer festivals over the years. These include the Bowdoin, Aspen, and Margess International festivals, as well as the Chautauqua and Pacific Music Festivals, where he appeared as concertmaster.

Hugh was elected by his musician colleagues to represent them on the USUO Board of Trustees and Executive Committee for a two-year term beginning September 2021.

Julia Pilant has been the acting 3rd horn for the Utah Symphony Utah Opera since 2021. Previously, she was the assistant principal horn for the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra for 14 years and, prior to that position, was the principal horn of the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra for 10 years. Ms. Pilant has also performed with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, the New York City Ballet, various Broadway shows, and has played guest principal horn for the Saito Kinen/Ozawa and Tokyo Opera Nomori music festivals, the Mito Chamber Orchestra in Japan, and is a guest artist with The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. She has participated in the Santa Fe Chamber, Affinis (Nagaoka, Japan), Strings, Festival Napa Valley, Classical Tahoe, Mainly Mozart, and La Jolla Music Society Summerfest music festivals. In addition, she was a horn instructor at Bard College Conservatory of Music for 16 years, and has taught lessons and masterclasses for summer music festivals and music schools throughout the U.S. Ms. Pilant received her Bachelor’s degree from Eastman School of Music (student of Verne Reynolds), and her Master’s and Doctoral degrees from The Juilliard School (student of Julie Landsman).

Nicole Pinnell is in demand worldwide as a recording artist, performer, and educator. Nicole's cello solos are featured on four projects nominated for a Grammy award and dozens of Billboard charting albums. Nicole's own solo album, which she arranged and produced, reached #2 on the Traditional Classical Billboard Chart, only being topped by cello phenom Yo-Yo Ma.

Nicole began her international career at age 19. She has performed with many of the world's most renowned artists including Yo-Yo Ma, Joshua Bell, Andrea Bocelli, Aerosmith, and The Eagles. Heard by billions worldwide as the solo cellist for the Hogwarts Legacy video game, and millions more as the solo cellist for the Book of Mormon videos at lds.org, Nicole is one of the most listened-to cellists in the world. Nicole is also a fan favorite in the Lamb of God Concert Film by Rob Gardner. She is in great demand as a collaborator and is a soloist on over one hundred YouTube videos for other artists.

As an educator, Nicole is exceptional. She specializes in helping students find technical virtuosity while unleashing emotional expression. She was awarded Educator of the Year (ASTA Utah, 2012) and her students have gone on to attend the Julliard School, the Cleveland Institute of Music, Rice University, Harvard University, and the Royal Conservatory of Scotland, among others.

Nicole has a Master of Music from the London College of Music under the tutelage of Creative Cellist Eugene Friesen. She also spent time in studies with soloist Yo-Yo Ma and Principal Cellist Peter Howard. Please email nicolepinnellmusic@gmail.com to find out more about her teaching programs, or to book a cello strategy session with Nicole.

John T. Posadas enjoys an active career as a performer and educator. Recitals have taken him across the country and abroad with appearances at the Kennedy Center, Tanglewood Music Festival, Aspen Music Festival, Santa Fe Opera, Grand Teton Music Festival, Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music, Forth Worth Chamber Music Society, and the Chautauqua Institute. His performances have been heard on NPR stations across the country. As a chamber musician, he has won top prizes at the Fischoff Chamber Music Competition and is a founding member and the violist for the Baumer String Quartet. Orchestrally, he has performed with the Boston Symphony, Houston Symphony, Santa Fe Opera, the Mainly Mozart Festival Orchestra, the Naples Philharmonic, and the Chautauqua Symphony, among many others. JT joined the Utah Symphony as a member of the viola section in September 2020.

Before joining the Utah Symphony, he had been a resident artist and adjunct professor of viola and chamber music at the University of South Florida School of Music. A sought-after guest teacher and clinician, Posadas has taught masterclasses and lessons at institutions across America and abroad. Recent highlights include master classes and performances at the Boston University Tanglewood Institute, Utah State University, the University of Toronto, University of North Texas, Southern Methodist University, University of South Dakota, Concordia College, University of Florida, and the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. For his extraordinary service in the arts, John was named an official Kentucky Colonel at the age of 13.

Dr. Lauren Posey is the Executive Director for the Intermountain Suzuki String Institute, performs as a principal cellist of the Ballet West Orchestra and is a member of the Rosco String Quartet in Salt Lake City, UT. She also directs a thriving private cello studio and is on faculty at Westminster College. She completed her Doctor of Musical Arts degree at Stony Brook University under the tutelage of Colin Carr in 2017, in addition to a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Southern California and a Master of Music degree from the University of Utah. In her free time, Lauren enjoys spending time with her five dogs Riggins, Taylor, Lyla, Garrity, and Kora

Yuan Qi joined the Utah Symphony | Utah Opera as Associate Principal Viola in September of 2020. Prior to joining the USUO, Ms. Qi was the Assistant Principal Viola of the Delaware Symphony and a fellow at the New World Symphony, serving as principal viola under the batons of Michael Tilson Thomas and others. She has also made regular appearance with the Philadelphia Orchestra and performed with the New York Philharmonic as a Global Academy Zarin Metha Fellow. As an orchestral musician, Ms. Qi is privileged to have performed with some world-renowned conductors include Alan Gilbert, Marin Alsop, Seiji Ozawa, Valery Gergiev, Yannick Nézet-Séguin and others.

With the passion of chamber music, Ms. Qi was a former founding member of JANA quartet under the tutelage of Tokyo String Quartet, who made frequent appearances throughout cities in China and Japan. The series of performances was recognized and highly praised by local TVs and newspapers. Yuan was selected to participate in the ARD International Music Competition Munich in 2012 with JANA quartet. Ms. Qi is also a founding member Duet Amici, a first prize winning string duo, and performed at Carnegie Hall as a prize winner.

As a soloist, Yuan is a 2nd prize winner of the Hugo Kauder Competition for Viola 2015. Ms. Qi is a dedicated performer whose passionate artistry has been heard and embraced by many music festivals including Seiji Ozawa Music Academy, serving as co-principal viola (Orchestra 2009, 2011, 2012), Seiji Ozawa International Chamber Music Festival in Okushiga Japan (2011, 2012), Kneisel Hall Chamber Music Festival (2013), Norfolk Chamber Music Chamber Music Festival (2014, 2015), Music Academy of the West, principal viola (2017).

Ms. Qi holds a graduate performance diploma from Peabody Institute where she studied with the Choong-Jin(C.J.)Chang , a master’s degree from Yale School of Music as a student of Ettore Causa and a Bachelor’s degree from Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing under the instruction of Changhai Wang. Yuan was a first prize winner for an amateur cooking competition, she enjoys spending her spare time cooking and reading.

Born in Montreal, Canada, cellist Louis-Philippe Robillard first came to the United States in 2003 with a performance scholarship to study with Timothy Eddy at the Mannes College of Music in New York City . Graduated with the highest honors and awarded the Prix de conservatoire from Montreal Conservatory, Mr. Robillard has previously studied with Carole Sirois and Dorothy Bégin, and has worked with Mstislav Rostropovich, Lynn Harrell, David Soyer, Desmond Hoebig, Hans Jorgen Jensen, and Philippe Muller in masterclasses and private lessons. Mr. Robillard has won competitions such as the Canadian Music Competition, the Montreal Conservatory Concerto Competition, and the New World Symphony Concerto Competition. He has been performing as a solo, chamber, and orchestral musician, giving recitals in New York and Montreal, and participating in international festivals such as the Domaine Forget International Music Festival, Kneisel Hall Chamber Music Festival, Verbier Festival (Switzerland), Pacific Music Festival (Japan), Sun Valley Summer Symphony and the Canadian National Art Center’s Young Artists Programme. Louis-Philippe Robillard has been a member of the New World Symphony and the Fort Worth Symphony before joining the Utah Symphony in 2016.

More commonly known as Louis in the United States, Louis-Philippe enjoys spending his spare time hiking, swimming, cooking and drinking too much coffee.

Brian Stucki is both an accomplished cellist and vocalist. He received his Bachelor of Music from Brigham Young University in both Vocal Performance and Cello Performance and his Master of Music from Indiana University. Currently, Stucki is a professor of voice at Snow College in Ephraim, Utah. He has experience in oratorio, opera, and symphony and has performed with the Phoenix Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, and several other prestigious ensembles. Brian Stucki has won several awards and been recognized by critics many times throughout his performing career and continues to share his love of music through teaching and continued performance.

Pianist Vedrana Subotic is an internationally acclaimed concert artist, chamber musician, and pedagogue. Lauded by critics and audiences for her fierce playing, beautifully phrased lines, and nuanced sound, Subotic, a Steinway Artist, enjoys a vibrant and multi-faceted musical career in North and South Americas, Europe, and Asia. Subotic's concert repertoire of over five hundred works in the solo, chamber, and concerto genres includes the complete piano sonatas and piano chamber music by Beethoven. She currently holds a position of Professor-Lecturer of Music at the University of Utah, and is a Visiting Professor of Piano at the University of Chile in Santiago. Subotic serves as the President of the World Piano Teachers Association USA, and as President of the American Liszt Society (Utah). She is the Artistic Director of the INTERMEZZO concert series based in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The Uinta Trio—Michael McQuay, Piano, Monte Belknap, Violin and Nicole Pinnell, Cello—has captivated audiences with imaginative performances that have garnered high critical acclaim. All three members have been actively concertizing and teaching, both nationally and internationally, and this concert season includes recording and performing engagements in Europe and South America as well as throughout the United States. In addition to the standard repertoire, the trio has championed new chamber music, including premieres of living composers’ works—most recently, Argentinian composer Julián Masilla’s “RecoNocer” (prize-winner in the Barlow Endowment competition), and this evening’s commissioned work “Aria” by Joe Osterstock. Founded in 2018, The Uinta Trio began their inaugural season in Bloomington, Indiana with extensive chamber music studies and lessons with the late Menahem Pressler—founder of the legendary Beaux Arts Trio. As their time in Bloomington came to an end, he commented: “I find this trio to be a remarkable coming together of three strong and capable talents, who came from different walks and paths in life but eventually found themselves together in the Mountain West. I believe that they will produce great art in their chamber music performance and will not only be successful and admired in the West, but eventually throughout the world.”

Lori Wike joined the Utah Symphony as Principal Bassoon in 2005. Originally from North Carolina, she holds a Bachelor of Music degree and Performer’s Certificate from the Eastman School of Music and a Master of Arts degree from the University of California, Irvine. Her principal teachers were John Hunt, Nancy Goeres, Mark Popkin, and Michele Grego.

A former member of the Louisville Orchestra, Ms. Wike has also performed with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, the Cayuga Chamber Orchestra, the Utah Festival Opera, the San Bernardino Symphony, the Redlands Symphony, the Moscow Chamber Orchestra, and the Aspen Festival Orchestra. Prior to joining the Utah Symphony, she performed for three seasons with the New World Symphony under the direction of Michael Tilson Thomas.

Her solo appearances include performances with the Utah Symphony, the Eastman Musica Nova Ensemble, the Aspen Contemporary Ensemble, the University of California-Irvine Symphony and the Salt Lake Arts Festival. She is a frequent performer on both the Nova and Intermezzo Chamber Music series in Salt Lake and is also a member of the Three Fish and a Scorpion woodwind quartet. Ms. Wike is currently Adjunct Associate Professor of Bassoon at the University of Utah and Lecturer at Westminster College.

Evgenia Zharzhavskaya was born in St.Petersburg, Russia and began to play violin at the age of 6. She entered the Rimsky-Korsakov School of music the same year. She later continued her studies at the St.Petersburg state conservatory. While still at the conservatory she won a position with the Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra under Valery Gergiev. Ms. Zharzhavskaya participated in a number of prestigious music festivals, such as Schleswig-Holstein (Germany), Gustav Mahler Academy (Italy), Verbier (Switzerland) and Miyazaki (Japan), where she performed with some of the world’s leading conductors such as James Levine, Yury Temirkanov, Mstislav Rostropovitch, Charles Dutoit and Christoph Eschenbach among others, as well as famous soloists including Martha Argerich, Lang Lang, Andrea Bocelli, Vadim Repin, Itzhak Perlman and Mischa Maisky. In 2010 Ms. Zharzhavskaya moved to Florida where she received her Professional Performance Certificate and Masters Degree under Elmar Oliveira at Lynn University Conservatory in Boca Raton, Florida. During this time she has been actively performing with orchestras and chamber groups in South Florida, such as Florida Grand Opera, Palm Beach Opera, Palm Beach Symphony and Boca Symphony. In the Fall of 2014 Ms. Zharzhavskaya won full time contracted substitute position with Houston Symphony where she performed for 3 seasons. Since 2017 Ms. Zharzhavskaya is holding a position of Assistant Principal Second Violin at the Utah Symphony.

Lisa Byrnes has played Associate Principal Flute with the Utah Symphony since 2000 and played Principal Flute for the 2011-12 season. A native of Northern California, Ms. Byrnes studied flute at the Eastman School of Music and graduated with degrees from the Curtis Institute of Music and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Her primary teachers were Julius Baker, Jeffrey Khaner, Timothy Day and Bonita Boyd. Prior to playing with the Utah Symphony, Ms. Byrnes played with the New World Symphony under the direction of Michael Tilson-Thomas. She also served as Principal flute for 6 years with the San Francisco Opera’s Western Opera Theatre as well as the Sarasota Opera Company. She has performed in several music festivals including Tanglewood, the National Repertory Orchestra, the Chautauqua Festival, the International Music Festival at Evian, France and the Edinburgh International Music Festival. She has appeared as a concert soloist with many orchestras including the Utah Symphony. Ms. Byrnes currently serves on the faculty of the University of Utah and has also served at Brigham Young University. She has been a long time faculty member at the Humboldt State University Sequoia Chamber Music Workshop since 1994. She has enjoyed an active chamber music life performing with groups such as The Left Coast Ensemble, Alternate Currents, Nova Chamber Series, Intermezzo Chamber Series, Three Fish and a Scorpion and Sundays@7 at the University of Utah.

Carnes was born in North Carolina. The son of a piano teacher, he received his first formal musical training on trumpet in the public schools. He formed and played in several rock bands beginning in the late 1960s. While originally a performer of popular music and jazz, Carnes became interested in classical music and resumed his education.

He studied composition under John Bavicchi at Berklee College of Music where he received his BA in 1977, John Thow and Theodore Antoniou at Boston University where he received his Masters in Music in 1980 and later with Rudi Martinus van Dijkand Gunther Schuller. His early works were largely tonal and reflective of jazz. These include a number of guitar etudes. In the years that followed, his music became more strongly chromatic, without an obvious tonal center. Principal works from this period include Fantasy Music 1 (for flute and taped electronic sounds), Fantasy Music 2 (for harpsichord and taped electronic sounds), and Marimba Concerto.

An intermediate period included Brass Quintet #2, War Songs (for voice and taped electronic sounds), and Variations(computer). More recently, his style has moved into a more flexible variant of the 12-tone technique. Recent works include Brass Quintet #3, Symphony: Challenger and Proper Motion (trio for flute, clarinet, piano) which had its world premiere at the Park City and Salt Lake City International Music Festival in 2005.

During his years in Boston, Carnes was a member of the "Composers in Red Sneakers" collective. In 1985, the group inaugurated the 8th season of contemporary music at New York's Symphony Space.[3]Amongst the pieces on the program were two songs for mezzo-soprano and marimba by Carnes set to texts by e.e. cummings with Nancy Zeltsmanon the marimba.

Cellist John Eckstein joined the Utah Symphony in 1990 after previously serving as Associate Principal Cello of the New Orleans Symphony and Principal Cello of the Omaha Symphony. In 2004, he served as Principal Cellist with the Auckland Philharmonia in New Zealand. John has also served on the University of Utah music faculty since 1992.

After graduating from the Interlochen Arts Academy, John received his Bachelor of Music degree from the Eastman School of Music. His Master of Music was completed under the tutelage of famed cellist Raya Garbousova at Northern illinois University. Other teachers have included Steven Doane, Ralph Kishbaum, Richard Kapuschinski and Dennis Brott.

In 2016, Mr. Eckstein co-founded the Haitian Orchestra Institute, designed to give 100 of Haiti’s most advanced orchestral musicians and teachers the opportunity to work with professionals from the Utah Symphony. The annual weeklong workshop provides a training platform never before available in Haiti.

Jessica Danz, from Spanish Fort, Alabama, joined the Utah Symphony as Principal Horn in 2021. She received a Master of Music degree from The Juilliard School in 2020 studying with Jennifer Montone, and she holds a Bachelor of Music degree with a minor in Social and Emotional Development as well as a Performer’s Certificate from the Eastman School of Music. Jessica has held fellowships with the New World Symphony, National Repertory Orchestra, Music Academy of the West, Texas Music Festival, and Pacific Music Festival. Jessica was selected as a winner of the 2019 National Repertory Orchestra concerto competition, won first prize at the 2016 Northeast Horn Solo Competition, and was the recipient of the 2018 International Horn Society Jon Hawkins award.

Joel Gibbs has been a member of the Utah Symphony viola section since 2011. He appears regularly on Symphony salon concerts, and he coaches young musicians through the symphony’s education and outreach programs. He is also a frequent guest of the Intermezzo, NOVA and Westminster concert series. He is a former member of the Dallas Symphony, the Louisville Orchestra, and the Grant Park Orchestra in Chicago, where he served as a mentor in the orchestra’s Project Inclusion.

Originally from St. Louis, Missouri, Mr. Gibbs holds performance degrees from Northwestern University and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where he studied with Lewis Rosove, Myron Kartman and Yuan-Qing Yu. In his free time, he enjoys hiking and camping, and he hopes never to run out of new territory to explore in the Mountain West.

Dr. Laura D. Grantier earned a Bachelor of Music from the University of Alabama, an MBA from Averett University, and a Doctor of Musical Arts from the Catholic University of America. Her teachers are Scott Bridges, Ken Grant, and Eugene Mondie.

Dr. Grantier is the Assistant Professor of Clarinet at the University of Utah. She is the Secretary for the International Clarinet Association (ICA) Executive Board and is also the ICA Utah state chairperson.

From 2021-2022, she was the Director of Woodwinds and Assistant Professor of Clarinet at Southern Utah University. She served as guest at the 2022 SUU Honor Band. She formed the SUU faculty woodwind quintet and numerous woodwind ensembles. The SUU Clarinet Quartet performed at the 2022 ClarFest in Reno, NV and the Flute Choir performed at the 2022 NFA conference in Chicago, IL. She also founded SUU Woodwind Day, a one-day student-centered symposium, dedicated to music education through recitals, and masterclasses. Featured guest artists included Dr. Charles West and Dr. Jeremy Reynolds.

From 1995-2021 she was a member of the United States Navy Band in Washington, D.C. where she served as Principal Clarinet, Woodwind Leader, Clarinet Section Leader, and Harborwinds Clarinet Quartet Leader. She performed over 2,250 public concerts, military ceremonies, education workshops, and high-profile protocol engagements for high-ranking dignitaries, including the President of the United States, Vice President of the United States, and Secretary of the Navy.

Prior to her appointment with the United States Navy Band, she pursued a Master of Music at the Eastman School of Music. She has performed with the Rochester Chamber Orchestra, Annapolis, Arlington, McLean, New World, Tuscaloosa Symphonies, and the National Symphony Orchestra. She was principal clarinet of the American-Russian Youth Orchestra, the Capitol Wind Symphony, and is currently principal clarinet of the Virginia Grand Military Band.

Dr. Grantier has appeared as soloist on numerous occasions with the United States Navy Band, including national tours and the 2014 Midwest Orchestra and Band Clinic in Chicago. She was also a featured soloist at the 2013 CMEA conference, the 2012, 2014, 2016, and 2019 International Clarinet Association Conferences, 2017 Clarinetissimo in Seattle, the 2009 GMEA conference, the 23rd annual Alabama Honor Band Festival, and the 2022 Utah Clarinet Festival.

In 2012, Dr. Grantier founded Navy Band Clarinet Day, an annual education outreach symposium for clarinet students and enthusiasts. The event provided musical enrichment and interaction with Navy Band clarinetists and guest artists, representing the pinnacle of the profession from the orchestral, band, and academic arenas. For eight years, the symposium was presented in person to 125 participants annually and livestreamed to 23,000 online viewers globally. Past guest artists include Richie Hawley, Sean Osborn, Ricardo Morales, Jeremy Reynolds, Eugene Mondie, Larry Combs, Julie DeRoche, Mark Gallagher, Kathy Mulcahy, Robert DiLutis, and Mitch Estrin.

An active Chamber musician, Dr. Grantier is a member of Darkwood Duo with Dr. Lynn Vartan, Voix des Femmes Clarinet Quartet (IG @voixdesfemmes.quartet), and K2V Trumpet/Clarinet Duo (IG @k2v_duo_) with Dr. Michael Mergen of the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. New commissions for 2022 include works by Nadine Silverman, Todd Cochran, and Alex Freeman.

Dr. Grantier is a Buffet-Crampon performing artist.

Ha joined the Utah Symphony in 2018. She has performed as a soloist with the Pasadena POPS and the YMF Debut Orchestra. She is a member of the Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra in Switzerland during the summers. Previous mentors include David Chan, Ronald Copes, Linda Rose, and Joel Smirnof.

William Hagen has performed as soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician across the United States, Europe, and Asia. In 2021, William makes his debuts with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at the Ravinia Festival and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe at the Rheingau Music Festival, and appears at the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival. As soloist, William has appeared with the Detroit Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, Seattle Symphony, and regularly appears as soloist at the Aspen Music Festival. In Europe, he has soloed with the Frankfurt Radio Symphony (HR Sinfonieorchester), the Vienna Radio Symphony (ORF Radio Sinfonieorchester Wien), and the major orchestras of Belgium, including the Brussels Philharmonic, National Orchestra of Belgium, and the Orchestre Philharmonique Royal de Liège. William has also soloed in Japan with the Yokohama Sinfonietta and the Sendai Philharmonic.

Zachary Hammond joined the Utah Symphony as principal oboe in 2022. Prior to coming to Utah, Zac served as principal oboe of the Charleston Symphony in South Carolina for 7 years and he currently holds the position of assistant principal oboe and English horn with the Colorado Music Festival in Boulder, CO. He has been invited to perform as guest principal oboe with top orchestras across the country, including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Minnesota Orchestra, Charlotte Symphony and New World Symphony. He also has toured and recorded with the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa. Zac has been frequently featured as a soloist, including premiering a concerto written specifically for him by Yiorgos Vassilandonakis with the Charleston Symphony in 2019.

Originally from Naperville, IL, Zac studied with Robert Morgan of the Lyric Opera of Chicago and received his Bachelor of Music degree at the Eastman School of Music as a student of Richard Killmer. While still a student at Eastman in 2013, He was appointed to the position of principal oboe with Symphoria (formerly the Syracuse Symphony) and performed frequently with the Rochester Philharmonic. He has held fellowships with the Aspen Music Festival, the National Repertory Orchestra, the Sarasota Music Festival and the Youth Orchestra of the Americas.

Zac also enjoys teaching and has served as faculty at the College of Charleston and the University of South Carolina. He currently maintains a large studio of young oboists.

Andrew Larson joined the Utah Symphony in September 2015. Born into a musical family, his cello studies began at age 7. Formal training led him to performance degrees from the Eastman School of Music and New England Conservatory. As a student he participated in various festivals at Verbier, Schleswig-Holstein, Sapporo, Spoleto, etc. He was also a participant at the New York String Orchestra Seminar in ’05 and ’06. He studied chamber music with Andre Roy and Gerhard Schulz at the 2011 McGill International String Quartet Academy in Montreal. A member of the New World Symphony in 2014, he also performs with the Grand Teton Music Festival Orchestra. His primary teachers include David Ying, Paul Katz, and Natasha Brofsky. Other influential teachers include Dorothea Figueroa and Ronald Feldman.

Alexander Martin joined the Utah Symphony in February 2011. He came to Salt Lake City from Miami Beach, Florida, where he was a member of the New World Symphony and appeared as concertmaster under the batons of Michael Tilson-Thomas and other conductors. He also has served as concertmaster of the Indiana University Philharmonic Orchestra and of the Terre Haute (Indiana) Symphony Orchestra, and assistant concertmaster of the Columbus (Indiana) Philharmonic.

Mr. Martin holds both a Bachelors and Masters Degree from Indiana University, where he studied with Alexander Kerr, former concertmaster of the Royal Concertgebouw orchestra in Amsterdam, and with Paul Biss, the violinist, violist and conductor.

A chamber-music devotee and performer since grade school, Mr. Martin is a regularly featured artist in the Westminster Concert Series at Westminster College in Salt Lake City. Reviewer Edward Reichel called his 2015 performance of Cesar Franck’s Sonata for Violin and Piano, with pianist Karlyn Bond, “a magnificent presentation of one of the most technically challenging and significant violin works from the late 19th century.”

Mr. Martin has participated in many music festivals, including the Verbier Festival in Verbier, Switzerland; the Pacific Music Festival in Sapporo, Japan; and the Schleswig-Holstein festival in Germany, where he was concertmaster of the chamber orchestra. In the United States, he has played at the Grand Teton Music Festival in Jackson Hole, Wyoming and at the Spoleto USA festival in Charleston, South Carolina, where he was concertmaster of the festival orchestra under the baton of noted conductor Joseph Flummerfelt. Mr. Martin also served as principal second violin in the National Repertory Orchestra in Breckenridge, Colorado.

In his spare time Mr. Martin enjoys reading string quartets, following the Washington Nationals, and playing his guitar. A longtime lover of heavy metal, he was featured in a Salt Lake Underground (SLUG) Magazine article discussing the surprising parallels between metal and classical music.

Violinist Yuki MacQueen joined the Utah Symphony in June 2000. Previously a member of the Nashville Symphony, the San Antonio Symphony, and Associate Concertmaster of the Knoxville Symphony, she has also played with the National Symphony, and the Pittsburgh Symphony. A frequent substitute member of the Pittsburgh Symphony before her current position with the Utah Symphony, she participated in concert tours to Carnegie Hall, Tanglewood, Europe, Japan, Canada, and South America.

Ms. MacQueen holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, where she studied with Arnold Steinhardt of the Guarneri Quartet and Jascha Brodsky. She received her Master of Music degree from the Juilliard School in New York, studying with Robert Mann of the Juilliard Quartet, and chamber music with Jerome Lowenthal and Seymour Lipkin.

She has been a featured performer in the Nova Chamber Series, the Intermezzo Chamber Series, and the Westminster Chamber Series. She has been violin Adjunct Faculty at Westminster College since 2004.

In 2016, along with USUO cellist John Eckstein and BLUME Haiti President Janet Anthony, Ms. MacQueen cofounded the Haitian Orchestra Institute (HOI). This Institute gives the opportunity to 100 of the most advanced orchestral musicians from throughout Haiti to work with Musicians of the Utah Symphony. The intense week of lessons, sectionals and full orchestra rehearsals culminate in a concert with Maestro Fischer.

When she is not performing with the Utah Symphony, she enjoys playing chamber music, pampering her Cocker Spaniel, and traveling the world.

Caitlyn Valovick Moore joined the Utah Symphony as Piccolo/Utility Flute in 2008, and served as Acting Associate Principal Flute during the 2011-2012 and 2014-2015 seasons. She also performs with the Grand Teton Music Festival Orchestra, and is on the faculty at the University of Utah as an Adjunct Associate Professor of Flute. In addition, she performs chamber music with the Nova Chamber Music Series, the faculty recital series at the University of Utah, Sundays@7, and Intermezzo Chamber Music Series.

Prior to her Utah Symphony appointment, Caitlyn was a member of the Virginia Symphony Orchestra and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, and was a prizewinner in the National Flute Association’s Piccolo Artist Competition. A native of northern Michigan, Caitlyn attended her final two years of high school at Interlochen Arts Academy and went on to receive her Bachelor of Music degree from DePaul University, and her Master of Music degree from Northwestern University. Caitlyn’s primary teachers were Mary Stolper, Walfrid Kujala, and Stephanie Mortimore.

Caitlyn enjoys cooking and discovering new restaurants with her husband, and getting out to experience the beauty of Salt Lake City while hiking and cycling, or taking their Labrador Retriever, Heidi, for walks.

Dr. Lauren Posey is the Executive Director for the Intermountain Suzuki String Institute, performs as a principal cellist of the Ballet West Orchestra and is a member of the Rosco String Quartet in Salt Lake City, UT. She also directs a thriving private cello studio and is on faculty at Westminster College. She completed her Doctor of Musical Arts degree at Stony Brook University under the tutelage of Colin Carr in 2017, in addition to a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Southern California and a Master of Music degree from the University of Utah. In her free time, Lauren enjoys spending time with her five dogs Riggins, Taylor, Lyla, Garrity, and Kora

Yuan Qi joined the Utah Symphony | Utah Opera as Associate Principal Viola in September of 2020. Prior to joining the USUO, Ms. Qi was the Assistant Principal Viola of the Delaware Symphony and a fellow at the New World Symphony, serving as principal viola under the batons of Michael Tilson Thomas and others. She has also made regular appearance with the Philadelphia Orchestra and performed with the New York Philharmonic as a Global Academy Zarin Metha Fellow. As an orchestral musician, Ms. Qi is privileged to have performed with some world-renowned conductors include Alan Gilbert, Marin Alsop, Seiji Ozawa, Valery Gergiev, Yannick Nézet-Séguin and others.

With the passion of chamber music, Ms. Qi was a former founding member of JANA quartet under the tutelage of Tokyo String Quartet, who made frequent appearances throughout cities in China and Japan. The series of performances was recognized and highly praised by local TVs and newspapers. Yuan was selected to participate in the ARD International Music Competition Munich in 2012 with JANA quartet. Ms. Qi is also a founding member Duet Amici, a first prize winning string duo, and performed at Carnegie Hall as a prize winner.

As a soloist, Yuan is a 2nd prize winner of the Hugo Kauder Competition for Viola 2015. Ms. Qi is a dedicated performer whose passionate artistry has been heard and embraced by many music festivals including Seiji Ozawa Music Academy, serving as co-principal viola (Orchestra 2009, 2011, 2012), Seiji Ozawa International Chamber Music Festival in Okushiga Japan (2011, 2012), Kneisel Hall Chamber Music Festival (2013), Norfolk Chamber Music Chamber Music Festival (2014, 2015), Music Academy of the West, principal viola (2017).

Ms. Qi holds a graduate performance diploma from Peabody Institute where she studied with the Choong-Jin(C.J.)Chang , a master’s degree from Yale School of Music as a student of Ettore Causa and a Bachelor’s degree from Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing under the instruction of Changhai Wang. Yuan was a first prize winner for an amateur cooking competition, she enjoys spending her spare time cooking and reading.

Jennifer Rhodes was appointed to the position of Second Bassoon of the Utah Symphony | Utah Opera by Maestro Thierry Fischer in 2012. Previously she held the position of Principal Bassoon with the Memphis Symphony Orchestra and appeared as soloist with the group in 2007. Praised by the New York Times and Village Voice for her “vivid” and “soulful” musicianship, Ms. Rhodes has performed solo, chamber, and orchestral concerts around the world. Jennifer holds Doctor of Musical Arts and Master of Music degrees from The Juilliard School and a Bachelor of Music degree and Performer’s Certificate from the Eastman School of Music. Currently, she is Adjunct Assistant Professor of Bassoon at the University of Utah and has previously been on faculty at Rhodes College in Memphis, TN. She has recorded for the EMI, Furious Artisans, and Naxos labels.

Pianist Vedrana Subotic is an internationally acclaimed concert artist, chamber musician, and pedagogue. Lauded by critics and audiences for her fierce playing, beautifully phrased lines, and nuanced sound, Subotic, a Steinway Artist, enjoys a vibrant and multi-faceted musical career in North and South Americas, Europe, and Asia. Subotic's concert repertoire of over five hundred works in the solo, chamber, and concerto genres includes the complete piano sonatas and piano chamber music by Beethoven. She currently holds a position of Professor-Lecturer of Music at the University of Utah, and is a Visiting Professor of Piano at the University of Chile in Santiago. Subotic serves as the President of the World Piano Teachers Association USA, and as President of the American Liszt Society (Utah). She is the Artistic Director of the INTERMEZZO concert series based in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Pegsoon Whang, cello, is a graduate of the Curtis Institute and the Mannes College, where she graduated as “Most Outstanding Graduating Student.” She has performed with the Seoul Philharmonic, the Jacksonville Symphony, the Lawton Philharmonic, and the North Carolina School of the Arts Orchestra.

As a chamber musician, she concertized in France, Italy, Germany, and the US. She is a member of Quattro Amici and the Snake River Chamber Players in Colorado. Festival appearances have included the Grand Teton Music Festival, Kneisel Hall, the Roycroft Chamber Music Festival, and the Colorado Music Festival, where she was appointed principal cello.

McMillan teaches at Westminster College in Salt Lake city and recently accepted the position of assistant choral director. She holds a bachelor of Music from Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey and a Master of Music from the University of Utah.

Salt Lake City native Karlyn Bond has been an active performer in Utah for decades. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Walla Walla College (now University), and master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Southern California as a Jacob K. Javits fellow. After teaching full-time at Westminster College for twenty-one years, her position was terminated in 2020. Since then she has been a bookseller and book reviewer at The King’s English Bookshop, has taught piano and piano literature at Utah Valley University, and has created an online business—Portico MLA—which will be launched soon. Later this summer, she will be moving to Walla Walla, WA to assume the position of Music Department Chair at WWU, her alma mater.

Calcara has been principal clarinet of the Utah Symphony since 1999. He began piano at age five and studied clarinet at age 12. He then attended Manhattan School of Music.

Emily Day-Shumway, originally from Gresham, Oregon, is a graduate of The Manhattan School of Music where she studied with Oleh Krysa, Sylvia Rosenberg, and Ariana Bronne. She has participated in the music festivals of Aspen, Jerusalem, Schleswig-Holstein, and National Repertory Orchestra where she was Principal Second and also soloist. Currently, Emily is Associate Concertmaster for the Ballet West Orchestra. She is a busy freelancer as a substitute violinist with the Utah Symphony, long time member of Utah Chamber Artists, and active in the recording studios in SLC. Emily is married to Utah Symphony cellist, Kevin Shumway, and the proud mother of 3 sons.

Violinist Lun Jiang is a native of Beijing, China, and grew up in Westchester, New York. He has been a guest artist in concerts with Ruth Laredo, Isidore Cohen, Sergiu Luca, Michael Rudiakov, Glenn Dicterow, Ian Swenson and members of the Cleveland, American, Brentano, Pacifica, Miami and Ying String Quartets, to name but a few.

Lun was a prize winner of numerous competitions, he has performed on stages in New York, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, San Francesco, Detroit, Dallas/Fort Worth, Washington D.C., Beijing, Seoul, Hong Kong, Macau, as well as in Germany and Austria, among others. He has been invited to the Manchester, Ravinia, Great Lake, Round Top, Grand Teton and Martha's Vineyard music festivals.

From 2015-2017, Lun has performed the complete 10 Beethoven violin sonatas with pianist Vedrana Subotic, sponsored by the University of Utah School of Music.

Lun has recorded for Eroica Classical Records and Newport Classic, including the complete string quartets by Camille Saint-Saens and a solo album with twin brother Quan.

Lun was a founding member of the Equinox String Quartet, which was a resident quartet at the Midori Foundation and Gotham Quartet, a quartet in residence at Rice University from 1999-2001. Gotham Quartet was a top prize winner at 2000 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition.

Lun is a graduate of Rice University and Manhattan School of Music, he has studied with Stanley Bednar, Isidore Cohen, Sergiu Luca and Raphael Fliegel. He has also worked with Isaac Stern, Joseph Silverstein, William Preucil and Alexander Kerr. Lun is a member of the Utah Symphony and an adjunct assistant professor at University of Utah School of Music and Westminster College.

Lun plays on a Tommaso Balestrieri violin, crafted in Mantua, ca.1750 and a Dominique Peccatte bow, Paris, ca.1830

He is an official endorser/spokesman of Thomastik-Infeld Strings, Vienna

Bio forthcoming

Bio forthcoming

Cassie began her formal cello studies a bit later than most musicians - at the age of 16 - with the full intention of going into the sciences as her career. But not long after starting college at the University of Utah, she began to see cello performance as her true calling. She switched majors. Upon graduation, Cassie moved to New York City and continued her studies at the Manhattan School of Music. She earned a Masters Degree in Cello Performance as one of only a few cellists admitted into the Orchestral Performance Program that year. While there she studied with Alan Stepansky (former Assistant Principal Cello, New York Philharmonic) and Margo Tatgenhorst-Drakos (formerly with the American String Quartet and Pittsburgh Symphony), and chamber music with members of the Emerson and American String Quartets. Orchestral highlights include working with Kurt Masur and Pinchas Zukerman, and training with members of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra.

A native of Vernal, Utah, Leslie Richards started her viola studies at age 7. Soon after, she began regularly traveling to the Wasatch Front for further instruction and considers Salt Lake City to be her musical hometown. She holds degrees in viola performance from Brigham Young University and the University of Michigan, and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Utah. Leslie performed with several semi-professional orchestras while studying in Michigan and takes every opportunity to be involved with musical ensembles in Utah, including the Utah Symphony, Ballet West Orchestra, Utah Chamber Artists, Intermezzo Chamber Music Series, Salty Cricket Composers Collective, and Utopia Early Music. She is also in demand as a recording artist with several local studios. She began performing with the Utah Symphony in 2007 and is in her fifth season on a full-time substitute contract. She and her husband are parents to a charming two-year-old girl and a moody but loving Brittany spaniel.

Steve Roens holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in anthropology from Swarthmore College, a Master of Fine Arts degree in music theory and composition from Brandeis University, and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in composition from Columbia University.

Rosen began studies privately in Los Angeles, California with the prominent studio musician Joachim Chassman, and then went on to earn a Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance with Honors at Indiana University. Primary studies there were with Tadeusz Wronski, who was previously Dean of the Warsaw Conservatory of Music in Poland. Ms. Rosen later studied with Josef Gingold, and Joseph Silverstein. She has participated in seminars with Pinchas Zukerman, William Preucil and Malcolm Lowe.

Shumway grew up in Holladay, Utah. As a teenager, he studied with Stephen Emerson, Assistant Principal Cellist of the Utah Symphony. Kevin studied at Northwestern University and Cleveland Institute of Music.

Dr. Kasia Sokol-Borup is a native of Lublin, Poland. Having been born onto a musical family, she began playing the violin at age six. At age twelve she had won her first award at a national Polish competition and won a Scholarship for Gifted Children. Over the next few years, she competed in several Polish national competitions as well as international competitions, and received numerous awards. At age seventeen she travelled the US as a scholarship winner for the Interlochen Arts Camp, Interlochen, MI. Subsequently, she received a full scholarship to study at the Interlochen Arts Academy.

Raised in Japan, Yu is a soprano with roots from China, Japan, Korea, and Russia. After over a decade of studying, performing, and teaching languages and musical arts in New York City, she has recently decided to call Cottonwood Heights, Utah, her new home. In March, she will perform the opera monodrama Chhlong Tonle (Crossing the River) with the support of the Opera America IDEA Grant.