“A refined fire, glowing, perfectly formed.” – DER SPIEGEL Florian Donderer, violinAnnette Walther, violinXandi van Dijk, violaThomas Schmitz, violoncello Energetic and lively, the Signum Quartet has made its mark on the international quartet scene and has been called “an exhilarating cocktail” (der Spiegel). It has enjoyed support from Bayer Kultur as part of its stART cultural programme and as ensemble of the BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artists scheme. The quartet has performed throughout their native Germany, at Wigmore Hall and Cadogan Hall London, the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, as well as venues across Finland, Norway, Switzerland and France. It has toured extensivly in Asia, Africa, and Central and South America, and has appeared at numerous iternational festivals. The Signum Quartet has been lauded at the German Music Competition, Premio Paolo Borciani, ICMC Hamburg and the London International String Quartet Competition.

Highly lauded for his irreverent portrayals of the Roasting Swan in Carmina Burana, tenor Christopher Pfund has made the role a pillar of his career, performing it with countless orchestras across North America. In recent seasons he has performed Carmina Burana with the symphony orchestras of Alabama, Des Moines, Cleveland, Colorado, Fort Wayne, Hartford, Houston, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Nashville, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Reading, and San Diego.  

Pianist Katherine Chi, firmly established as one of Canada’s fastest rising stars, has performed throughout Europe and North America to great acclaim. As noted by the New York Times, “Ms. Chi display[s] a keen musical intelligence and a powerful arsenal of technique.” While hailed for her interpretations of Mozart, she is also acclaimed for performances of major romantic and twentieth century concertos. The Globe and Mail described Chi’s performance as “… the most sensational but, better, the most unfailingly cogent and compelling Prokofiev’s Third I have heard in years.” With her energy, character, and spunk, Chi has been described as a “shining star” (Lake Superior News) known to “bring the house down” (The Chronicle Journal), performing concerto repertoire ranging from Bach to Bartók to Liszt to Schoenberg.

Lauded by the New York Times for his “strong appealing bass-baritone,” American Michael Dean has been hailed by the San Jose Mercury News as “the standout, his voice a penetrating wake-up call." 2018-19 season highlights include performances of Mozart’s Great Mass in C Minor and Bach’s St. John Passion at the Bach Festival Society of Winter Park, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the Fort Wayne Philharmonic, Haydn’s The Creation with the Florida Orchestra, and Verdi’s Requiem with Eugene Symphony.

David Jolley has thrilled audiences throughout the world with his “remarkable virtuosity” (New York Times), and has been hailed as “a soloist second to none” by Gramophone Magazine. He has traveled extensively in North and South America, Europe, East Asia, and Japan, sustaining an active performance career. A chamber artist of unusual sensitivity and range, Mr. Jolley has frequently collaborated with such groups as the Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio, the Guarneri Quartet, the American String Quartet, the Beaux Arts Trio, Musicians from Marlboro, and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. Mr. Jolley is currently a member of the virtuoso wind quintet Windscape; Trio Valtorna, with violinist Ida Kavafian and pianist Gilles Vonsattel; and The New York Brass Arts Trio (BAT), with trumpeter Joe Burgstaller and trombonist Haim Avitsur. Mr. Jolley was for five years a member of the Fleisher-Jolley-Tree-O, with violinist Michael Tree and pianist Leon Fleisher. He was also a founding member, now Emeritus, of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, with whom he toured widely and made over two-dozen recordings for the Deutsche Grammophon label.