Praised by the Baltimore Sun for combining “smoothly meshed technique with a sense of spontaneity and discovery,” the Aeolus Quartet is committed to presenting time-seasoned masterworks and new cutting-edge works to widely diverse audiences with equal freshness, dedication, and fervor. Violinists Nicholas Tavani and Rachel Shapiro, violist Gregory Luce, and cellist Alan Richardson formed the Aeolus Quartet in 2008 at the Cleveland Institute of Music. Since its inception, the all-American quartet has been awarded prizes at nearly every major competition in the United States and performed across the globe with showings “worthy of a major-league quartet” (Scott Cantrell, Dallas Morning News). Mark Satola of the Cleveland Plain Dealer writes, “A rich and warm tone combined with precise ensemble playing (that managed also to come across as fluid and natural), and an impressive musical intelligence guided every technical and dramatic turn.” They were the 2013-2015 Graduate Resident String Quartet at the Juilliard School, and they currently make their home in New York City.

Japanese violinist Mayuko Kamio*, the gold medalist of the 2007 International Tchaikovsky Competition, is widely praised for her luxurious silken tone, long expressive phrasing and virtuoso techniques. The New York Times has called Ms. Kamio an "exciting young musician" and "a radiant talent." Ms. Kamio made her concerto debut in Tokyo at the age of ten under the baton of Charles Dutoit, in a concert broadcast on NHK television. Since then, she has appeared as soloist with the Boston Pops conducted by Keith Lockhart, the Tonhalle Orchestra in Zurich with Mstislav Rostropovich, and the Israel Philharmonic under Zubin Mehta.  *[pronounced My-YOU-ko KA-me-o]

American soprano Christina Pier has been hailed by Opera News for her “big, gleaming soprano and impressive coloratura,” and has received great critical and audience acclaim for her work on opera and concert stages. Upcoming engagements in the 2015-16 season include Senta in Der fliegende Holländer with Virginia Opera, Poulenc’s Gloria and Barber’s Prayers of Kierkegaard with the Charlottesville Symphony Orchestra, Brahms' Ein Deutches Requiem with the Missoula Symphony Orchestra, and Fauré’s Requiem with the Charlotte Symphony.    

American bass-baritone Michael Dean has appeared with leading opera houses and orchestras of the U.S. and Europe. The New York Times lauded his “strong appealing bass-baritone,” while the San Jose Mercury News considered him “the standout, his voice a penetrating wake-up call." During 2014-15 season his appearances included debuts with the Utah Symphony Orchestra performing Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, the Boulder Bach Festival performing Bach’s Mass in B-minor, and a return to the Winter Park Bach Festival for performances and a new recording of Mozart’s Requiem. His 2015-16 season engagements include the Messiah with the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra.  

Calefax Reed Quintet, established thirty years ago, is now in great demand worldwide, not least because of their unique instrumentation. The five musicians arrange, recompose and interpret music from eight centuries to suit their unique constellation. From early music to classical and jazz to world premières, in the hands of Calefax it all sounds fresh and new. The Amsterdam-based ensemble has won a number of prestigious prizes, and can be heard frequently throughout Europe as well as in Russia, China, India, Turkey, Japan and the USA. The Times (UK) has called them “five extremely gifted Dutch gents who almost made the reed quintet seem the best musical format on the planet.”