SUMMERFEST 2026
DESTINED
DESTINED
Serendipity or fate? We ask the question over and over. Either way, there is a natural rhythm and arc that cannot be diverted.
“Destined” is a conversation of callings past and present, humanity’s enduring dialogue with the sacred, and the enigma of grace. Let the music and stories bring us closer to inner harmony, embracing the path forward regardless of the answer.
Serendipity or fate? We ask the question over and over. Either way, there is a natural rhythm and arc that cannot be diverted.
“Destined” is a conversation of callings past and present, humanity’s enduring dialogue with the sacred, and the enigma of grace. Let the music and stories bring us closer to inner harmony, embracing the path forward regardless of the answer.
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.
OWEN DALBY, VIOLIN
Praised as “dazzling” (The New York Times), “expert and versatile” (The New Yorker), and “a fearless and inquisitive violinist” (San Francisco Classical Voice), Owen Dalby leads a multifaceted musical life as a soloist, chamber musician, new and early music specialist, orchestral leader, and educator. He is Artist-in-Residence at Stanford University and lives in San Francisco.
From 2015 until the ensemble’s retirement in 2024, Owen was a member of the St Lawrence String Quartet (SLSQ), touring all the major chamber music series throughout North America and Europe. During this period he appeared as soloist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, and NHK Philharmonic (Tokyo) among others. Acclaimed recordings include Haydn’s Op. 20 and Op. 76 string quartets and Korngold’s Piano Quintet Op. 15 with Stephen Prutsman. SLSQ was a particularly beloved ensemble in the world of contemporary string quartets, performing many dozens of concerts each season, nurturing communities of chamber music enthusiasts around the world, and inspiring multiple generations of young artists.
Previously based in New York City, Owen co-founded Decoda, Carnegie Hall’s affiliate ensemble, and served as concertmaster of Novus NY, Trinity Wall Street’s contemporary music orchestra. He was also a core member of the Trinity Baroque Orchestra, performing the complete Bach cantatas and passions. Owen is a former fellow of Ensemble Connect (Carnegie Hall/Juilliard) and has taught widely at leading conservatories and universities internationally. With his wife, violist Meena Bhasin, he is Artistic and Executive Director of Noe Music, an acclaimed concert series in San Francisco. He performs on the 2015 Samuel Zygmuntowicz violin that belonged to his friend and colleague, the late Geoff Nuttall.
OWEN DALBY, VIOLIN
Praised as “dazzling” (The New York Times), “expert and versatile” (The New Yorker), and “a fearless and inquisitive violinist” (San Francisco Classical Voice), Owen Dalby leads a multifaceted musical life as a soloist, chamber musician, new and early music specialist, orchestral leader, and educator. He is Artist-in-Residence at Stanford University and lives in San Francisco.
From 2015 until the ensemble’s retirement in 2024, Owen was a member of the St Lawrence String Quartet (SLSQ), touring all the major chamber music series throughout North America and Europe. During this period he appeared as soloist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, and NHK Philharmonic (Tokyo) among others. Acclaimed recordings include Haydn’s Op. 20 and Op. 76 string quartets and Korngold’s Piano Quintet Op. 15 with Stephen Prutsman. SLSQ was a particularly beloved ensemble in the world of contemporary string quartets, performing many dozens of concerts each season, nurturing communities of chamber music enthusiasts around the world, and inspiring multiple generations of young artists.
Previously based in New York City, Owen co-founded Decoda, Carnegie Hall’s affiliate ensemble, and served as concertmaster of Novus NY, Trinity Wall Street’s contemporary music orchestra. He was also a core member of the Trinity Baroque Orchestra, performing the complete Bach cantatas and passions. Owen is a former fellow of Ensemble Connect (Carnegie Hall/Juilliard) and has taught widely at leading conservatories and universities internationally. With his wife, violist Meena Bhasin, he is Artistic and Executive Director of Noe Music, an acclaimed concert series in San Francisco. He performs on the 2015 Samuel Zygmuntowicz violin that belonged to his friend and colleague, the late Geoff Nuttall.
LAURA LIU, VIOLA
Laura Liu, a native of Miami, Florida, currently lives in New York City and studies with Cynthia Phelps and Misha Amory at The Juilliard School. For her recent performance at the Olympic Music Festival, Liu was hailed by Classical Voice America as a “standout” with “sound deep, warm, and consistently musical.” Liu’s ardent love of musical collaboration and conversation has led her to pursue a rich life in chamber music. In the summer of 2025, Liu appeared as a Rising Star at Sunkiss’d Mozart Summerfest and a Junior Artist at Marlboro Music Festival. In previous years she collaborated with musicians Gidon Kremer, Antje Weithaas, and Gary Hoffman as a Junior Artist at Kronberg Academy’s “Chamber Music Connects the World” and participated in the Chamber Music Society of Palm Beach’s “Rising Artist” Program, the Olympic Music Festival Fellowship, Music@Menlo’s International Performer Program, the Perlman Music Program’s Chamber Music Workshop, the Taos School of Music, Kneisel Hall, Music Academy of the West, and the Heifetz International Music Institute.
Highlights from past seasons include performing with her quartet, Quatuor Cael, in Alice Tully Hall and Peter Jay Sharp as a member of The Juilliard Honors Chamber Music program, collaborating alongside the Frisson Ensemble, appearing at Santa Fe ProMusica, and making her Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center debut in both their “Meet the Music!” and “Inside Chamber Music” series. This fall she returned to CMS for another “Meet the Music!” concert, revisited Music@Menlo for an alumni concert, and appeared again with Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players. In the spring of 2026, she will collaborate with Macondo Chamber Players, Mystic Chamber Music Series, and Kallos Chamber Music Series as well as perform and teach with CMS for their “Chamber Music Beginnings.”
LAURA LIU, VIOLA
Laura Liu, a native of Miami, Florida, currently lives in New York City and studies with Cynthia Phelps and Misha Amory at The Juilliard School. For her recent performance at the Olympic Music Festival, Liu was hailed by Classical Voice America as a “standout” with “sound deep, warm, and consistently musical.” Liu’s ardent love of musical collaboration and conversation has led her to pursue a rich life in chamber music. In the summer of 2025, Liu appeared as a Rising Star at Sunkiss’d Mozart Summerfest and a Junior Artist at Marlboro Music Festival. In previous years she collaborated with musicians Gidon Kremer, Antje Weithaas, and Gary Hoffman as a Junior Artist at Kronberg Academy’s “Chamber Music Connects the World” and participated in the Chamber Music Society of Palm Beach’s “Rising Artist” Program, the Olympic Music Festival Fellowship, Music@Menlo’s International Performer Program, the Perlman Music Program’s Chamber Music Workshop, the Taos School of Music, Kneisel Hall, Music Academy of the West, and the Heifetz International Music Institute.
Highlights from past seasons include performing with her quartet, Quatuor Cael, in Alice Tully Hall and Peter Jay Sharp as a member of The Juilliard Honors Chamber Music program, collaborating alongside the Frisson Ensemble, appearing at Santa Fe ProMusica, and making her Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center debut in both their “Meet the Music!” and “Inside Chamber Music” series. This fall she returned to CMS for another “Meet the Music!” concert, revisited Music@Menlo for an alumni concert, and appeared again with Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players. In the spring of 2026, she will collaborate with Macondo Chamber Players, Mystic Chamber Music Series, and Kallos Chamber Music Series as well as perform and teach with CMS for their “Chamber Music Beginnings.”
TANYA TOMKINS, CELLO
Cellist and co-Founder and Director of the Valley of the Moon Music Festival, Tanya Tomkins is equally at home on historical and modern instruments. Passionate about chamber music, Tanya has been featured in recitals and at chamber music festivals across the United States, Canada, and Europe, and is a member of the Left Coast Chamber Ensemble. Tanya is particularly renowned for her interpretation of the complete Bach Cello Suites, which she recorded for the Avie label and has performed many times at venues including New York’s Le Poisson Rouge, Seattle’s Early Music Guild, Vancouver’s Early Music Society, Santa Fe’s Pro Musica, and the Library of Congress. For many years, Tanya was principal cellist and a frequent soloist for both San Francisco’s Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra and the Portland Baroque Orchestra. She has recorded the complete piano trios by Robert Schumann and Felix Mendelssohn with the Benvenue Fortepiano Trio (with Monica Huggett, violin and Eric Zivian, fortepiano) for the Avie label.
A strong believer in the positive impact of music on society, Tanya is now devoting more time to mentoring the next generation of musicians. She learned the importance of mentorship from the great cellist Anner Bijlsma, with whom she studied in the Netherlands. As Bijlsma’s student, she was welcomed into his family’s household, which was the center of rehearsals, lessons, and the musical lifestyle he shared with his wife, violinist Vera Beths. These experiences of musical friendship and mentoring are what inspired Tanya, together with VMMF co-Director Eric Zivian, to create the Apprenticeship, Laureate and Emerging Artists Programs at the Valley of the Moon Music Festival, where young musicians are absorbed into an intergenerational musical community and are exposed to the non-hierarchical, collaborative values of chamber music. Tanya has mentored young musicians in master classes at Yale, the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and the Cleveland Institute of Music, and through her frequent appearances as a guest teacher at Juilliard’s Historical Performance Department.
TANYA TOMKINS, CELLO
Cellist and co-Founder and Director of the Valley of the Moon Music Festival, Tanya Tomkins is equally at home on historical and modern instruments. Passionate about chamber music, Tanya has been featured in recitals and at chamber music festivals across the United States, Canada, and Europe, and is a member of the Left Coast Chamber Ensemble. Tanya is particularly renowned for her interpretation of the complete Bach Cello Suites, which she recorded for the Avie label and has performed many times at venues including New York’s Le Poisson Rouge, Seattle’s Early Music Guild, Vancouver’s Early Music Society, Santa Fe’s Pro Musica, and the Library of Congress. For many years, Tanya was principal cellist and a frequent soloist for both San Francisco’s Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra and the Portland Baroque Orchestra. She has recorded the complete piano trios by Robert Schumann and Felix Mendelssohn with the Benvenue Fortepiano Trio (with Monica Huggett, violin and Eric Zivian, fortepiano) for the Avie label.
A strong believer in the positive impact of music on society, Tanya is now devoting more time to mentoring the next generation of musicians. She learned the importance of mentorship from the great cellist Anner Bijlsma, with whom she studied in the Netherlands. As Bijlsma’s student, she was welcomed into his family’s household, which was the center of rehearsals, lessons, and the musical lifestyle he shared with his wife, violinist Vera Beths. These experiences of musical friendship and mentoring are what inspired Tanya, together with VMMF co-Director Eric Zivian, to create the Apprenticeship, Laureate and Emerging Artists Programs at the Valley of the Moon Music Festival, where young musicians are absorbed into an intergenerational musical community and are exposed to the non-hierarchical, collaborative values of chamber music. Tanya has mentored young musicians in master classes at Yale, the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and the Cleveland Institute of Music, and through her frequent appearances as a guest teacher at Juilliard’s Historical Performance Department.
FELIX FAN, CELLO
Felix Fan's versatility has made him one of the most sought after cellists of his generation. As a chamber musician, he has performed with Yo-Yo Ma, Gil Shaham and Janos Starker, in venues such as Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, Musikverein and Royal Festival Hall. Fan's recent solo engagements include the San Diego and Pacific Symphonies, Hong Kong Philharmonic, Macau Symphony Orchestra and the Munich Chamber Orchestra. In 2006, Fan and violinist Cho-Liang Lin recorded Gordon Chin's Double Concerto with Michael Stern and the Kansas City Symphony (Naxos).
Fan's interest in contemporary music has led to collaborations with today's leading composers including George Crumb, Tan Dun, Hans Werner Henze, Oliver Knussen, Kaija Saariaho and Charles Wuorinen. Appearances with the Bang on a Can All-Stars has allowed Fan to work with artists as diverse as Philip Glass, Meredith Monk, Terry Riley and Lee Ranaldo of Sonic Youth. In 2008, Fan joined the Flux Quartet.
In 1998, Fan founded Muzik3, a performance series and commissioning foundation dedicated to the advancement of modern music with an emphasis on integrating theater, dance and video. Muzik3 led to the formation of Real Quiet, a trio consisting of Fan, David Cossin (percussion) and Andrew Russo (piano). Since its inception in 2004, Real Quiet has premiered over 20 works and recorded music by Marc Mellits (Endeavour Records) and David Lang (Naxos). In 2005, Fan performed a series of radio plays written by acclaimed screenwriters Charlie Kaufman and the Coen Brothers, starring actors Steve Buscemi, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Meryl Streep. Fan has also worked with innovative choreographers Karole Armitage, Shen Wei and Christopher Wheeldon.
Fan studied cello with Eleanore Schoenfeld (University of Southern California), Janos Starker (Indiana University), Aldo Parisot (Yale University) and Boris Pergamenschikow (Hochschule fur Musik, Cologne, Germany). In 1994, he was honored by Bill Clinton as a Presidential Scholar. Fan plays the 'Haussman' Stradivarius of 1724.
FELIX FAN, CELLO
Felix Fan's versatility has made him one of the most sought after cellists of his generation. As a chamber musician, he has performed with Yo-Yo Ma, Gil Shaham and Janos Starker, in venues such as Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, Musikverein and Royal Festival Hall. Fan's recent solo engagements include the San Diego and Pacific Symphonies, Hong Kong Philharmonic, Macau Symphony Orchestra and the Munich Chamber Orchestra. In 2006, Fan and violinist Cho-Liang Lin recorded Gordon Chin's Double Concerto with Michael Stern and the Kansas City Symphony (Naxos).
Fan's interest in contemporary music has led to collaborations with today's leading composers including George Crumb, Tan Dun, Hans Werner Henze, Oliver Knussen, Kaija Saariaho and Charles Wuorinen. Appearances with the Bang on a Can All-Stars has allowed Fan to work with artists as diverse as Philip Glass, Meredith Monk, Terry Riley and Lee Ranaldo of Sonic Youth. In 2008, Fan joined the Flux Quartet.
In 1998, Fan founded Muzik3, a performance series and commissioning foundation dedicated to the advancement of modern music with an emphasis on integrating theater, dance and video. Muzik3 led to the formation of Real Quiet, a trio consisting of Fan, David Cossin (percussion) and Andrew Russo (piano). Since its inception in 2004, Real Quiet has premiered over 20 works and recorded music by Marc Mellits (Endeavour Records) and David Lang (Naxos). In 2005, Fan performed a series of radio plays written by acclaimed screenwriters Charlie Kaufman and the Coen Brothers, starring actors Steve Buscemi, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Meryl Streep. Fan has also worked with innovative choreographers Karole Armitage, Shen Wei and Christopher Wheeldon.
Fan studied cello with Eleanore Schoenfeld (University of Southern California), Janos Starker (Indiana University), Aldo Parisot (Yale University) and Boris Pergamenschikow (Hochschule fur Musik, Cologne, Germany). In 1994, he was honored by Bill Clinton as a Presidential Scholar. Fan plays the 'Haussman' Stradivarius of 1724.
MIHAI MARICA, CELLO
Romanian-born cellist Mihai Marica is a first-prize winner of the Dr. Luis Sigall International Competition in Viña del Mar, Chile, as well as the Irving M. Klein International Competition, and is a recipient of Charlotte White’s Salon de Virtuosi Fellowship Grant. He has performed with orchestras such as the Symphony Orchestra of Chile, Xalapa Symphony in Mexico, the Hermitage State Orchestra of St. Petersburg in Russia, the Jardins Musicaux Festival Orchestra in Switzerland, the Louisville Orchestra, and the Santa Cruz Symphony in the US. He has also appeared in recital performances in Austria, Hungary, Germany, Spain, Holland, South Korea, Japan, Chile, the United States, and Canada. A dedicated chamber musician, he has performed at the Chamber Music Northwest, Norfolk, and Aspen music festivals where he has collaborated with such artists as Ani Kavafian, Ida Kavafian, David Shifrin, André Watts, and Edgar Meyer. He is a founding member of the award-winning Amphion String Quartet. A recent collaboration with dancer Lil Buck brought forth new pieces for solo cello written by Yevgeniy Sharlat and Patrick Castillo. He recently joined the acclaimed Apollo Trio. Marica studied with Gabriela Todor in his native Romania and with Aldo Parisot at the Yale School of Music, where he was awarded master's and artist diploma degrees. He is an alum of CMS's Bowers Program.
MIHAI MARICA, CELLO
Romanian-born cellist Mihai Marica is a first-prize winner of the Dr. Luis Sigall International Competition in Viña del Mar, Chile, as well as the Irving M. Klein International Competition, and is a recipient of Charlotte White’s Salon de Virtuosi Fellowship Grant. He has performed with orchestras such as the Symphony Orchestra of Chile, Xalapa Symphony in Mexico, the Hermitage State Orchestra of St. Petersburg in Russia, the Jardins Musicaux Festival Orchestra in Switzerland, the Louisville Orchestra, and the Santa Cruz Symphony in the US. He has also appeared in recital performances in Austria, Hungary, Germany, Spain, Holland, South Korea, Japan, Chile, the United States, and Canada. A dedicated chamber musician, he has performed at the Chamber Music Northwest, Norfolk, and Aspen music festivals where he has collaborated with such artists as Ani Kavafian, Ida Kavafian, David Shifrin, André Watts, and Edgar Meyer. He is a founding member of the award-winning Amphion String Quartet. A recent collaboration with dancer Lil Buck brought forth new pieces for solo cello written by Yevgeniy Sharlat and Patrick Castillo. He recently joined the acclaimed Apollo Trio. Marica studied with Gabriela Todor in his native Romania and with Aldo Parisot at the Yale School of Music, where he was awarded master's and artist diploma degrees. He is an alum of CMS's Bowers Program.
ALEXANDER FITERSTEIN, CLARINET
Alexander Fiterstein is recognized as one of today’s most exceptional clarinetists. He has performed in recital, with distinguished orchestras, and with chamber music ensembles throughout the world. He won first prize at the Carl Nielsen International Clarinet Competition and received the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant Award. The Washington Post has described his playing as “dazzling in its spectrum of colors, agility, and range. Every sound he makes is finely measured without inhibiting expressiveness” and The New York Times described him as “a clarinetist with a warm tone and powerful technique.”
As soloist he has appeared with the Czech, Israel, Vienna, and St. Paul Chamber Orchestras, Belgrade Philharmonic, Danish National Radio Symphony, Tokyo Philharmonic, China National Symphony Orchestra, KBS Orchestra of South Korea, Jerusalem Symphony, Orchestra of St. Luke’s at Lincoln Center, Kansas City Symphony, and the Simon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela. He has performed in recital on the Music at the Supreme Court Series, the Celebrity Series in Boston, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, the Kennedy Center, the Louvre in Paris, Suntory Hall in Tokyo, Tel Aviv Museum, and NYC’s 92d Street Y.
A dedicated performer of chamber music, Fiterstein collaborates with distinguished artists and ensembles and often performs with the prestigious Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. Among the highly regarded artists he has performed with are Daniel Barenboim, Yefim Bronfman, Mitsuko Uchida, Richard Goode, Emanuel Ax, Marc-Andre Hamelin, Pinchas Zukerman, and Steven Isserlis. Fiterstein performed with the Brentano, Dover, New York Philharmonic, Jerusalem, Pacifica and Shanghai String Quartets as well as with Ensemble Wien-Berlin. He spent six summers at the Marlboro Music Festival and appeared at the Caramoor, Moab, Music@Menlo, Montreal, Toronto, Jerusalem, and Storioni Chamber Music Festivals. He is co-artistic director of the Friends of Chamber Music of Miami.
Performances in the 2025-26 season include concerts with the New York Philharmonic String Quartet, Alaria Chamber Ensemble at Weill Hall in Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center Chamber Music Society, Palm Beach Chamber Music Society, a solo recital in Beijing, and performances as soloist in the string orchestra version of Osvaldo Golijov’s “The Dreams and Prayers of Isaac the Blind” with the Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle (NC).
Fiterstein is a founder of the Zimro Project, a unique ensemble dedicated to incorporating Jewish art music into chamber music programs. He performed as principal clarinet of the West-East Divan Orchestra at the invitation of Daniel Barenboim and has appeared as guest principal clarinet with the Israel Philharmonic with Zubin Mehta, KBS Orchestra with Yoel Levi, and with the St. Paul and Orpheus Chamber Orchestras.
Fiterstein has a prolific recording career and has worked with composers John Corigliano and Osvaldo Golijov and had pieces written for him by Samuel Adler, Mason Bates, Paul Schoenfield, and Chris Brubeck, among others. Fiterstein was born in Belarus, immigrated to Israel at the age of 2 with his family and later studied at the Interlochen Arts Academy. A Juilliard graduate, he won first prize at the Young Concert Artists International Auditions and received awards from the America-Israel Cultural Foundation. He is currently Professor of Clarinet and Chair of Winds at the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University. Fiterstein is a Buffet Crampon and Vandoren Performing Artist.
JACQUES FORESTIER, VIOLIN - RISING STAR
Hailed by The Violin Channel as “a real poet with emotional maturity far beyond his young years”, Canadian violinist Jacques Forestier has quickly garnered international attention after winning the 2024 Joseph Joachim International Violin Competition in Hannover, Germany at age 19. A CBC Music “Top 30 Under 30” and “Violin Channel Artist”, Forestier has performed with orchestras including the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, NDR Radiophilharmonie, Munich Chamber Orchestra, Western Michigan Symphony, among others.
In 2026/2027 he looks forward to his first full season which includes débuts with the philharmonics of Calgary, Bremen, Dresden, and Duisburg. Potsdam, Neuss & Württembergisches Heilbronn chamber orchestras, NFM Leopoldinum Orchestra (Wrocław,), Münchner Symphoniker at Munich’s Isarphilharmonie, Staatskapelle Badisches Karlsruhe, a number of reappearances with the NDR Radiophilharmonie as well as opening the 2025/26 season with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra and their new music director. Forestier will make débuts at important venues and festivals such as the Cologne Philharmonie, Heidelberg Fruhling, The Library of Congress (DC), the Musicus Society Hong Kong, Festspiel Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Flagey (Brussels), Ottawa Chamberfest, among others to be announced. He has appeared recently at important festivals including Chamberfest Cleveland and West, the Perlman, Gstaad Menuhin, and Victoria Summer festivals, Edmonton Chamber Music Society, Music Toronto, and Music From Angel Fire.
The Warner Classics label will be releasing Forestier’s début album "Song and Dance" in summer 2026 with pianist Boris Kusnezow, recorded at the Teldex Studio in Berlin.
An Efrem Zimbalist Fellow at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, Forestier is a student of Shmuel Ashkenasi and Pamela Frank. He has won top prizes at a number of important international competitions including the Stulberg, Klein, Johansen, OSM Manulife, and Shean. Forestier is grateful for the support of the Edmonton Community Foundation and the Anne Burrows Foundation for their generosity in supporting his growth as a musician.
Forestier plays on a G.B. Guadagnini (c. 1765 Parma) violin on generous loan from the Fritz Behrens Foundation and currently mentored by renowned artist manager Sonia Simmenauer under her Zukunfts.musik initiative of Impressariat Simmenauer.
JACQUES FORESTIER, VIOLIN - RISING STAR
Hailed by The Violin Channel as “a real poet with emotional maturity far beyond his young years”, Canadian violinist Jacques Forestier has quickly garnered international attention after winning the 2024 Joseph Joachim International Violin Competition in Hannover, Germany at age 19. A CBC Music “Top 30 Under 30” and “Violin Channel Artist”, Forestier has performed with orchestras including the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, NDR Radiophilharmonie, Munich Chamber Orchestra, Western Michigan Symphony, among others.
In 2026/2027 he looks forward to his first full season which includes débuts with the philharmonics of Calgary, Bremen, Dresden, and Duisburg. Potsdam, Neuss & Württembergisches Heilbronn chamber orchestras, NFM Leopoldinum Orchestra (Wrocław,), Münchner Symphoniker at Munich’s Isarphilharmonie, Staatskapelle Badisches Karlsruhe, a number of reappearances with the NDR Radiophilharmonie as well as opening the 2025/26 season with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra and their new music director. Forestier will make débuts at important venues and festivals such as the Cologne Philharmonie, Heidelberg Fruhling, The Library of Congress (DC), the Musicus Society Hong Kong, Festspiel Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Flagey (Brussels), Ottawa Chamberfest, among others to be announced. He has appeared recently at important festivals including Chamberfest Cleveland and West, the Perlman, Gstaad Menuhin, and Victoria Summer festivals, Edmonton Chamber Music Society, Music Toronto, and Music From Angel Fire.
The Warner Classics label will be releasing Forestier’s début album "Song and Dance" in summer 2026 with pianist Boris Kusnezow, recorded at the Teldex Studio in Berlin.
An Efrem Zimbalist Fellow at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, Forestier is a student of Shmuel Ashkenasi and Pamela Frank. He has won top prizes at a number of important international competitions including the Stulberg, Klein, Johansen, OSM Manulife, and Shean. Forestier is grateful for the support of the Edmonton Community Foundation and the Anne Burrows Foundation for their generosity in supporting his growth as a musician.
Forestier plays on a G.B. Guadagnini (c. 1765 Parma) violin on generous loan from the Fritz Behrens Foundation and currently mentored by renowned artist manager Sonia Simmenauer under her Zukunfts.musik initiative of Impressariat Simmenauer.
SAMUEL ROSENTHAL, VIOLA - RISING STAR
Internationally acclaimed for his generous musical spirit, violist Samuel Rosenthal delights in sharing music with audiences of all ages and collaborating with some of today’s preeminent artists. His performances are recognized for their “intimate, personal approach” (Journal of the American Viola Society) and communicative style “clearly conveying the range of human emotions” (ClevelandClassical.com).
First Prize winner at the 2025 Lionel Tertis International Viola Competition, Sam was also recipient of the silver medal at the 2021 Primrose International Viola Competition. Other awards and recognitions include major prizes at the Johansen International Competition and, as a member of the Razumovsky String Quartet, at the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition.
Sam began his musical studies in Cleveland, and continued his viola studies with Jeffrey Irvine as a member of the Young Artist Program at the Cleveland Institute of Music. His passion for chamber music was ignited by formative work with the Cavani String Quartet and Cleveland Quartet violinist Peter Salaff. Since 2016, he has been a member of the Perlman Music Program community as a student at both the Summer Music School and the Chamber Music Workshop. His time at PMP involved transformative travel residencies to Sarasota, Palm Beach, and Tel Aviv, Israel.
Chamber music plays a central part in Sam’s musical life. Since 2023, he has attended the Marlboro Music Festival in Vermont, where he had the opportunity to perform and collaborate with its legendary roster of extraordinary artists. Sam has been invited to perform at a variety of celebrated chamber music festivals across the United States and abroad including Chamberfest Cleveland, Musique de Chambre en Normandie, Lake Champlain Chamber Music Festival, Music from Angel Fire, and Ravinia’s Steans Music Institute. In March 2024, he performed at the Schiermonnikoog Festival in the Netherlands, where he received the Audience Prize. He is grateful to have performed with some of the preeminent artists of our time including Itzhak Perlman, Miriam Fried, Joseph Lin, and Anthony McGill.
Sam is a graduate of the Juilliard School where he had the honor of studying with Heidi Castleman, Misha Amory, and Hsin-Yun Huang and was a proud recipient of a Kovner Fellowship. He is currently studying at the Kronberg Academy under the tutelage of Nobuko Imai. These studies are funded by the Annika and Wolfgang Fink Patronage. His studies of viola and chamber music have also included work with esteemed artists such as Tabea Zimmermann, Kim Kashkashian, Donald Weilerstein, Roger Tapping, Yura Lee, Merry Peckham, and Joel Krosnick.
SAMUEL ROSENTHAL, VIOLA - RISING STAR
Internationally acclaimed for his generous musical spirit, violist Samuel Rosenthal delights in sharing music with audiences of all ages and collaborating with some of today’s preeminent artists. His performances are recognized for their “intimate, personal approach” (Journal of the American Viola Society) and communicative style “clearly conveying the range of human emotions” (ClevelandClassical.com).
First Prize winner at the 2025 Lionel Tertis International Viola Competition, Sam was also recipient of the silver medal at the 2021 Primrose International Viola Competition. Other awards and recognitions include major prizes at the Johansen International Competition and, as a member of the Razumovsky String Quartet, at the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition.
Sam began his musical studies in Cleveland, and continued his viola studies with Jeffrey Irvine as a member of the Young Artist Program at the Cleveland Institute of Music. His passion for chamber music was ignited by formative work with the Cavani String Quartet and Cleveland Quartet violinist Peter Salaff. Since 2016, he has been a member of the Perlman Music Program community as a student at both the Summer Music School and the Chamber Music Workshop. His time at PMP involved transformative travel residencies to Sarasota, Palm Beach, and Tel Aviv, Israel.
Chamber music plays a central part in Sam’s musical life. Since 2023, he has attended the Marlboro Music Festival in Vermont, where he had the opportunity to perform and collaborate with its legendary roster of extraordinary artists. Sam has been invited to perform at a variety of celebrated chamber music festivals across the United States and abroad including Chamberfest Cleveland, Musique de Chambre en Normandie, Lake Champlain Chamber Music Festival, Music from Angel Fire, and Ravinia’s Steans Music Institute. In March 2024, he performed at the Schiermonnikoog Festival in the Netherlands, where he received the Audience Prize. He is grateful to have performed with some of the preeminent artists of our time including Itzhak Perlman, Miriam Fried, Joseph Lin, and Anthony McGill.
Sam is a graduate of the Juilliard School where he had the honor of studying with Heidi Castleman, Misha Amory, and Hsin-Yun Huang and was a proud recipient of a Kovner Fellowship. He is currently studying at the Kronberg Academy under the tutelage of Nobuko Imai. These studies are funded by the Annika and Wolfgang Fink Patronage. His studies of viola and chamber music have also included work with esteemed artists such as Tabea Zimmermann, Kim Kashkashian, Donald Weilerstein, Roger Tapping, Yura Lee, Merry Peckham, and Joel Krosnick.
ANDRES SANCHEZ, CELLO - RISING STAR
Honduran-Venezuelan cellist Andres Sanchez, born in Allentown, PA, began his cello studies at the age of eight under the wing of current Puerto Rico symphony cello principle Miguel Rojas. After two years, he moved his studies to the cello studio of Jesus Morales, cellist of the Dali Quartet and past principle of the Puerto Rico Symphony. At age 10, Andres made his first solo debuts with the Midwest Clinic of Chicago and the Ocean City Pops Orchestra, which was followed by his Carnegie Hall debut alongside the Arconet Chamber Orchestra three years later. Andres has also appeared as a soloist with the Kutztown Univeristy Chamber Orchestra, Kennet Square Symphony, Central Jersey Symphony, and the Summit Symphony. This year Andres will appear as a soloist with the PA Sinfonia and with the Waterbury Symphony as part of the AYA Trio Beethoven Triple Concerto. Andres is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music where he studied with cellist Peter Wiley and Carter Brey.
Andres served as the associate principal cellist of the Curtis Symphony Orchestra and as principle of the Curtis Opera Orchestra during the 2016-17 season, and during Curtis on Tour, Andres played at Berlin’s Konzerthaus, Helsinki’s Musiikkitalo, Dresdner Philarmonie, and Weiner Concert Hall.
Also an avid chamber musician, Andres has performed in over 30 chamber music concerts in the Curtis Student Recital Series. As cellist of the AYA trio, he will be performing chamber across the country in locations such as Memphis, TN; New York, NY; Waterbury, CT; and Washington, DC. The trio recently performed in Concerts International Series and Schneider Concert Series. In April they attended the the Chesapeake chamber music competition. The AYA trio is represented by Jean Schreiber Deutsch of Jean Schreiber Management.
Andres has appeared in Curtis master classes with cellists Marcy Rosen, Colin Carr, Timothy Eddy. At the 2015 Banff Center Master Class Program, he studied with Andres Díaz, Raphael Walfisch, and Denis Brott, and at the 2016 Music From Angel Fire Festival he performed alongside Ida Kavafian, Peter Wiley, Steven Tenenbom, and Ani Kavafian. In 2018 Andres attended the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival where he played with and was coached by the esteemed artists of the Emerson Quartet including Philip Setzer and Paul Watkins. Andres has also participated in the Hefietz Institute, where he took part in master classes with cellists Franz Helmerson and Yeesun Kim.
Andres has participated in several competitions including Fischoff, M-Prize, Hudson Valley, Greenfield, and the Carlos Prieto International Cello competition. In 2018, the AYA piano trio won 1st prize in the WDAV competition, and the trio also won joint first prize in the 2020 Yellow Springs Competition.
ANDRES SANCHEZ, CELLO - RISING STAR
Honduran-Venezuelan cellist Andres Sanchez, born in Allentown, PA, began his cello studies at the age of eight under the wing of current Puerto Rico symphony cello principle Miguel Rojas. After two years, he moved his studies to the cello studio of Jesus Morales, cellist of the Dali Quartet and past principle of the Puerto Rico Symphony. At age 10, Andres made his first solo debuts with the Midwest Clinic of Chicago and the Ocean City Pops Orchestra, which was followed by his Carnegie Hall debut alongside the Arconet Chamber Orchestra three years later. Andres has also appeared as a soloist with the Kutztown Univeristy Chamber Orchestra, Kennet Square Symphony, Central Jersey Symphony, and the Summit Symphony. This year Andres will appear as a soloist with the PA Sinfonia and with the Waterbury Symphony as part of the AYA Trio Beethoven Triple Concerto. Andres is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music where he studied with cellist Peter Wiley and Carter Brey.
Andres served as the associate principal cellist of the Curtis Symphony Orchestra and as principle of the Curtis Opera Orchestra during the 2016-17 season, and during Curtis on Tour, Andres played at Berlin’s Konzerthaus, Helsinki’s Musiikkitalo, Dresdner Philarmonie, and Weiner Concert Hall.
Also an avid chamber musician, Andres has performed in over 30 chamber music concerts in the Curtis Student Recital Series. As cellist of the AYA trio, he will be performing chamber across the country in locations such as Memphis, TN; New York, NY; Waterbury, CT; and Washington, DC. The trio recently performed in Concerts International Series and Schneider Concert Series. In April they attended the the Chesapeake chamber music competition. The AYA trio is represented by Jean Schreiber Deutsch of Jean Schreiber Management.
Andres has appeared in Curtis master classes with cellists Marcy Rosen, Colin Carr, Timothy Eddy. At the 2015 Banff Center Master Class Program, he studied with Andres Díaz, Raphael Walfisch, and Denis Brott, and at the 2016 Music From Angel Fire Festival he performed alongside Ida Kavafian, Peter Wiley, Steven Tenenbom, and Ani Kavafian. In 2018 Andres attended the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival where he played with and was coached by the esteemed artists of the Emerson Quartet including Philip Setzer and Paul Watkins. Andres has also participated in the Hefietz Institute, where he took part in master classes with cellists Franz Helmerson and Yeesun Kim.
Andres has participated in several competitions including Fischoff, M-Prize, Hudson Valley, Greenfield, and the Carlos Prieto International Cello competition. In 2018, the AYA piano trio won 1st prize in the WDAV competition, and the trio also won joint first prize in the 2020 Yellow Springs Competition.
