Pianist Kirill Gerstein’s heritage combines the traditions of Russian, American, and Central European music-making with an insatiable curiosity. These qualities and the relationships he’s developed with orchestras, conductors, instrumentalists, singers, and composers have led him to explore a huge spectrum of repertoire, both new and old. From Bach to Thomas Adès, Gerstein’s playing is distinguished by a ferocious technique and discerning intelligence matched by an energetic, imaginative musical presence that places him at the top of his profession.
Mr. Beaver was first violin of the world-renowned Tokyo String Quartet from June 2002 until its final concert in July 2013. As such, he appeared to critical and public acclaim on the major stages of the world, including Carnegie Hall, Wigmore Hall, the Berliner Philharmonie, Suntory Hall in Tokyo, and the Sydney Opera House.
The riveting American violinist William Hagen is a seasoned international performer who’s appeared as a soloist with many of the world’s great orchestras, including the Chamber Orchestra of Europe and the Chicago, Frankfurt Radio, and San Francisco symphony orchestras, among many others. He’s been hailed as a “brilliant virtuoso” and “a standout” by The Dallas Morning News, while the Chicago Classical Review has praised his “glowing tone,” “virtuosic pyrotechnics,” and “poise and maturity” as a player. In 2015, Hagan won third prize in the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels, making him one of the most successful Americans in that prestigious competition’s history.
Praised by The Strad magazine for having a “lyricism that stood out . . . a silky tone and beautiful, supple lines,” Milena Pajaro-van de Stadt has established herself as one of the most sought-after violists of her generation. In addition to appearances as a soloist with the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, Jacksonville Symphony, and Sphinx Chamber Orchestra, she’s performed in recitals and chamber music concerts throughout the United States, Latin America, Asia, and Europe, including an acclaimed 2011 debut recital at London’s Wigmore Hall, which The Strad described as “fleet and energetic . . . powerful and focused.”
Cellist Eric Kim enjoys a diverse career as a recitalist, a chamber musician, an orchestral soloist, and a teacher. He made his solo debut at age 15 with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra; since then, he’s been a featured soloist with the Cincinnati, Denver, and San Diego symphony orchestras, and he’s collaborated with conductors Alan Gilbert, Zubin Mehta, Paavo Järvi, Jesús López Cobos, Lawrence Foster, Sergiu Comissiona, Gianandrea Noseda, and Stanisław Skrowaczewski. He was also a featured soloist with the Juilliard Orchestra during the ensemble’s critically acclaimed tour of the Far East.
Stefan Dohr is blessed with both a “thundering tone that resounds valley-wide” (Berliner Zeitung) and a breathtakingly “delicate piano that sounds as if from afar” (Badische Zeitung). As an acclaimed soloist, chamber musician and principal horn of the Berliner Philharmoniker, he is a mainstay of the international horn scene. In the orchestra, he has a special task: on the one hand, the horn player is a “quasi mediator between the instrumental groups, on the other hand, a soloist in Mahler and Bruckner symphonies, for example”.
Colin Currie is a solo and chamber artist who champions new music at the highest level, hailed as being “at the summit of percussion performance today” (Gramophone). Currie is the soloist of choice for many of today’s foremost composers and conductors, performing with leading orchestras such as the New York Philharmonic, Royal Concertgebouw, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Philharmonia Orchestra, and London Philharmonic Orchestras.
Percussionist Daniel Druckman is active as a soloist, chamber and orchestral musician, and recording artist, concertizing throughout the United States, Europe, and Japan. He has appeared as soloist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the American Composer’s Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic’s Horizons concerts, the San Francisco Symphony’s “New and Unusual Music Series,” and in recital in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Tokyo. He has been a member of the New York Philharmonic since 1991, where he serves as Associate Principal Percussionist, and has made numerous guest appearances with The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the Da Capo Chamber Players, the American Brass Quintet, the Group for Contemporary Music, Orpheus, Steve Reich and Musicians, and the Philip Glass Ensemble. Druckman has also participated in chamber music festivals at Santa Fe, Ravinia, Saratoga, Caramoor, Bridgehampton, Tanglewood, and Aspen.
Doug Perkins is a GRAMMY-nominated percussionist, producer, and conductor who has been declared a “percussion virtuoso” by the New York Times. He has appeared at venues of all types including Carnegie Hall, the Barbican Center, and the Alaskan Tundra.
Gregory Zuber is the principal percussionist for the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, which he joined in 1986. He’s toured the United States, Europe, and Japan with the Met, and he’s been featured with the orchestra as a concerto soloist at Carnegie Hall. He can be heard regularly on the Met’s radio broadcasts, satellite radio broadcasts, and HD movie theater broadcasts.
