APRIL 11, 2026
ARTIST BIOS
TIEN-HSIN CINDY WU, VIOLIN & ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Featured as the cover story of Monterey County Weekly's 2023 September 7th issue, violinist Tien-Hsin Cindy Wu has been praised by the Seattle Times as “Simply marvelous” and Taiwan’s Liberty Times for “astonishingly capturing the spirit of the music.” With an infectious charm and blistering dedication towards chamber music, Cindy is a beloved performer, artistic director and educator throughout America, Europe and Asia.
Cindy has collaborated in concerts with renowned artists such as Yefim Bronfman, James Ehnes, Lynn Harrell, Leila Josefowicz, Cho-Liang Lin, Midori, Thomas Quasthoff, Yuja Wang, and members of the Alban Berg, Emerson, Guarneri, Miró, and Tokyo string quartets at prominent venues such as the Kennedy Center, Library of Congress, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and festivals such as Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festival, Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival, La Jolla Summerfest, Marlboro Music Festival, Music@Menlo, and Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival. She has also collaborated as a guest violist with the Dover, Orion, and Shanghai quartets.
Cindy is a recipient of many awards including the Milka Violin Artist Prize from the Curtis Institute of Music, and third prize at the International Violin Competition of David Oistrakh. She has taught at the Thornton School of Music of the University of Southern California, as well as the summer programs of the Curtis Institute of Music and Yale School of Music. As a passionate concert programmer, she has curated concerts for the Da Camera Society in Los Angeles as the Artistic Partner, Hidden Valley Music Seminars as the Director of Chamber Music. She is currently the Music Director of New Asia Chamber Music Society, and founded her omakase-style concert series, Sunkiss’d Mozart in Salinas where she resides with her family.
Cindy performs on a 2021 and 2025 Samuel Zygmuntowicz violins made for her, a 1918 Stefano Scarampella and a 1734 Domenico Montagnana.
INES IRAWATI, PIANO
Known for her expressivity, virtuosity, and versatility, Ines Irawati is in demand both as a solo recitalist and a collaborative pianist. Born in Jakarta, Indonesia, she began piano and composition instruction at age six at the Yamaha Music School in Indonesia. At age 12, she made her official debut playing the third Beethoven Piano Concerto and Chopin's first concerto with the Indonesian Youth Symphony.
Irawati is currently enjoying a richly varied performance career, excelling in solo performance, chamber music, collaborative piano, and operatic vocal coaching. Her recent engagements include performances for TEDxSan Diego at Copley Symphony Hall, the Art of Élan, Musikamar chamber concerts, concerts in Centro Cultural Tijuana, and performances all over Southern California. She is a member of the piano trio, Aviara Trio, and the Hidden Valley Virtuosi, the resident chamber music group of Hidden Valley Music Seminars in Monterey. She has collaborated with many other esteemed chamber musicians such as violinist Cindy Wu, cellist Sophie Webber, double-bassist Jeremy Kurtz-Harris, Strings of the West, the Hyperion String Quartet, and members of the San Diego Symphony Orchestra. Most recently, with singers Josh Arky and Alex Rodrick, Ms. Irawati is involved in La Cena è Pronta, a project which explores the nourishing ways of food and music enrich our lives through intimate vocal performances. Ms. Irawati recently served as the musical and artistic director of San Diego Opera Young Artist Training Program, where she directed the company’s outreach concert series, Opera Exposed!, and its production of Little Red Riding Hood, a children's opera by Seymour Barab. Since the summer of 2008, Ms. Irawati has been invited by renowned dramatic mezzo-soprano Dolora Zajick to serve as a coach and vocal pianist at the prestigious Institute for Young Dramatic Voices. She was the vocal coach and collaborative piano faculty at Point Loma Nazarene University from 2004-2017. She is the founder of Musikamar, a music series which brings exquisite chamber music performances into smaller and intimate spaces.
