A native of Central Virginia, cellist Emma Hays Johnson is a performing artist, private instructor, and co-founder of the original concert series, Empath Concerts. Currently residing near the D.C. and Baltimore areas, she performs chamber concerts regularly with Washington Musica Viva and has worked alongside artists such as two time grammy winning violinist from the Attacca Quartet, Domenic Salerni as well as Michael Buble, Il Divo, and the Transiberian Orchestra. During her Quartet Fellowship at UMass Amherst she had the opportunity to be coached by members of world renowned ensembles including the Ying Quartet, the Dover Quartet, and the Juilliard Quartet. Through her invitations to be a Next Generation Alumni Artist at East Carolina University, she has worked alongside Xiao-Dong Wang, Hye-Jin Kim, Ara Gregorian, Colin Carr, Emanuel Gruber, and Raman Ramakrishnan. She has been a member and sub of several notable orchestras including the Richmond Symphony Orchestra, the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra, the Apollo Orchestra, and the American Festival Pops Orchestra.
Prior to receiving her second Masters in Music Performance at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst under the tutelage of Edward Arron, she held the position of adjunct professor at Beaufort County Community College in North Carolina. Emma Hays studied at Converse College and George Mason University under the tutelage of Kenneth Law where she received her Bachelor's Degree, and she graduated with her first Master’s Degree from East Carolina University under the instruction of Emanuel Gruber. Emma Hays likes to spend her free time outdoors rock climbing, backpacking and backcountry camping. |
Armenian- American violinist Hoorig Taline Poochikian has performed at a number of prestigious venues across North America including Carnegie Hall, Merkin Hall, the Kennedy Center, and the National Arts Center in Canada. She received her doctoral degree in violin performance in May 2020 from Stony Brook University studying with Hagai Shaham. She also earned degrees from University of Maryland studying with Dr. James Stern, and the University of Ottawa studying with Yehonatan Berick. An avid chamber musician, Hoorig has collaborated with members of the Emerson String Quartet, Avalon String Quartet, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, pianist Christina Dahl and composer Vache Sharafyan. She made her live radio broadcast debut on Classical KING FM in Seattle, performing with pianist Oksana Ejokina. With a special passion for education, Hoorig currently teaches privately and at several music schools in the DC metro area. She also maintains an active career as a freelance chamber musician performing at various concert series around the country.
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A native of Hickory, North Carolina, violist Santiago Vazquez-Loredo has appeared at festivals such as the Four Season Chamber Music Festival, Bowdoin International Music Festival, Winter Workshop – in June!, the Apple Hill Center for Chamber Music, and the Potomac Chamber Music Lab. Named as the “Tavola Quartet”, his group was selected as an NEC Honors Ensemble in 2021. In recent events, Santiago has performed at Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage with the 6821 Quintet as part of the National Cherry Blossom Festival. Santiago graduated from East Carolina University where he studied with Ara Gregorian and Hye-Jin Kim and from The New England Conservatory where he studied with Kim Kashkashian
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Originally from Virginia Beach, VA, Jeff Phelps has performed locally with the Virginia Symphony, Virginia Musical Theater, Norfolk Chamber Consort, Stephen Coxe and Friends, and many others. Jeff studied cello and orchestral conducting at the Cleveland Institute of Music and recently shifted to professional arts management working with the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland. He recently completed postgraduate study in cultural policy and arts management in Dublin, Ireland. Jeff's research involves the blurry intersection of law, morality, intolerance, religion, and ethics for constructive and empathetic application to complex dark-history elements across arts disciplines.
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Praised by the Strad Magazine for “warm sound [and] much joy”, violist Ivan Mendoza began his musical studies at the age of ten in his hometown of Baltimore, Maryland. He received his degree from John J. Cali School of Music under the tutelage of Honggang Li and Kathryn Lockwood. Recent notable engagements include a recital at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, Felix Mendelssohn’s Octet with the Shanghai Quartet, the music of Charles Loeer with soprano Barbara Dever and pianist Ron Levy, and performances at Encore Chamber Music Festival, Intersections Festival, and Bargemusic. A recipient of the Oscar Ravina Talent Grant, Ivan has held chamber music residencies at Montclair State University, Lunenburg Academy of Music Performance, and Shenandoah Conservatory. Ivan is a founding member of the Continuum Chamber Collective—an ensemble dedicated to performing new works from underrepresented groups in classical music. The group has performed and presented recitals extensively throughout the United States and regularly commissioned works from composers belonging in traditionally marginalized populations. In addition to being an avid chamber musician, Ivan regularly appears with the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra, New Orchestra of Washington, and the Montclair Orchestra. Ivan is currently based in the Greater Washington DC/Baltimore area and is on the viola faculty of the Artsahimsa Chamber Music Festival in Lenox, Massachusetts.
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Oswald P. Backus is an accomplished double bassist with an extensive musical background. He graduated with a BA in Classical Bass Performance from the New England Conservatory of Music in 2008 and completed the Double Bass Performance Program at Boston University Tanglewood Institute in 2004. Oswald also holds an MA in Music from the University of Kansas, earned in 2016.
He is an integral part of the Virginia Symphony Orchestra, since 2021. With exceptional precision and musicality, he contributes to creating captivating performances, collaborating with fellow musicians during rehearsals and concerts. Oswald actively engages in workshops focused on team-building and leadership, showcasing his abilities in collaboration and inspiring others. Aside from his role in the Virginia Symphony Orchestra, Oswald has held various positions in several other prestigious orchestras, including the Richmond Symphony Orchestra, Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, Wichita Grand Opera, and more, showcasing his versatility and expertise as a double bassist. Throughout his musical journey, Oswald P. Backus has demonstrated a commitment to excellence in his craft, leaving a lasting impact on the world of classical music. |
Taiwanese-American cellist, Alex Wu, is a recitalist, educator, chamber, and orchestral musician from Philadelphia. A recipient of the Penn State University Brewster Music Grant, Alex debuted with the Warminster Symphony in 2010 and has since performed as a soloist with the Lansdowne, Old York, Penn State, and Southeastern Pennsylvania symphony orchestras among others. He has been selected as a National YoungArts Foundation merit scholar in classical music and has also been invited as a professional performance artist at the Boston Music Institute's masterclass program, working closely with members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Berlin Philharmonic. In the fall of 2021, he became one of two American semi-finalists to compete in the IXth Annarosa Taddei International Music Competition in Rome, Italy.
As a chamber musician, Alex has performed across the United States, South America, Europe, and Asia with various ensembles. In recent years, he has been invited to perform at the Music Academy of the West, Caramoor International Music Festival, Mount Gretna Music Festival, Harpa International Music Academy, Saint Paul Chamber Music Institute, Penn’s Woods Music Festival, and the Greenlake Chamber Music Festival. Alex has also been invited as a Manchester Music Festival Young Artist, performing celebrated chamber works across the southern Vermont region. As an orchestral musician, Alex currently serves as a cellist in Symphony in C and the Peabody Symphony. Previously the associate principal for the Penn State Philharmonic and the Philadelphia Sinfonia, he has also performed as principal for the 2017 National Youth Orchestra of the USA under the baton of Marin Alsop. Returning for their 2018 season, Alex again traveled with the National Youth Orchestra under the direction of Michael Tilson-Thomas. In their 2019 and 2020 season, Alex attended the York String Orchestra Seminar and performed with the ensemble under the direction of Jaime Laredo. Alex is a current master’s student at the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University under the tutelage of Alan Stepansky. As a graduate of the Schreyer Honors College at the Pennsylvania State University in political science and music performance, he has also studied extensively with Kim Cook and Jon Dexter. He is also an alumni of the Temple University Boyer College of Music Preparatory program, studying with Jeffrey Solow. Alex plays on a 1997 Goffriller inspired cello by William Harris Lee & Company located in Chicago. Outside of music, Alex is an avid outdoorsman and hobbyist. As an Eagle Scout, he enjoys hiking, camping, canoeing, and archery in his spare time. Alex is also a brother of the Lambda Phi Epsilon International Fraternity Inc. and remains active in the Greek life community. |
Violinist Ava Figliuzzi is a Minnesota native based in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia, where she enjoys regular performances with Galatea Chamber Music and the Virginia and Williamsburg Symphony Orchestras. She was previously a member of the Palm Beach Symphony for their 2022-23 season.
In recent summers, Figliuzzi has received fellowships from Eastern Music Festival, Texas Music Festival, the Monteux School, Round Top Festival Institute, and Garth Newel Music Center. She spent formative summers assisting and eventually coordinating Lakes Area Music Festival’s community engagement program — striving to make professional, live classical music accessible to audiences in her northern Minnesota hometown. Figliuzzi completed her master’s degree with Carol Cole at the Lynn Conservatory in Boca Raton, Florida, and her undergraduate work with Bayla Keyes at Boston University, serving in concertmaster and principal positions at both. She has had the opportunity to perform in several masterclasses with renowned artists such as Ida Kavafian, Elmar Oliveira, Kathleen Winkler, Judith Ingolfsson, Peter Wiley, Joshua Bell, and the Muir, Calidore, and Daedalus String Quartets. During her graduate studies, Figliuzzi served as a violist in Lynn Conservatory’s Philharmonia and chamber ensembles and worked as a journalist for Palm Beach Arts Paper. She was recognized with the conservatory’s 2023 M. Elizabeth “Maddy” Cumpton Endowed Memorial Award. |
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