welcome to chicago:
where chamber music meets the moment. 

A celebrated artist, arts administrator, educator, and visionary, Jennie Oh Brown serves as Executive Director of Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras. In addition to her role at CYSO, Brown is Artist in Residence at the Epiphany Center for the Arts (Chicago) and serves as flutist, Executive and Artistic Director of ensemble collective Picosa. Brown is an active performer throughout Chicago in many contexts, including performances with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and the Lyric Opera Orchestra. Brown is a graduate of Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music (Bachelor of Music degree in Flute Performance), the Eastman School of Music (Performers Certificate, Doctorate and Masters of Music Performance, Repertoire, and Literature), and the Interlochen Arts Academy. Recently, she served as Artistic Director of Epiphany Center for the Arts, Artistic and Executive Director of Ear Taxi Festival in 2021 and faculty at Wheaton College and Elmhurst University. Brown is a Board Member of CMA where she serves as Treasurer and the Conference Committee Chair.

Liza Malamut is Artistic Director of The Newberry Consort and a founding member of Incantare. A specialist in historical trombones, she has performed with premier period ensembles all over the world. Her scholarly work includes the co-edited volume Music and Jewish Culture in Early Modern Italy: New Perspectives, winner of the 2023 Ruth A. Solie Award with Rebecca Cypess and Lynette Bowring, and, most recently, the article “Europa Rossi: A Question of Identity,” published in Min-Ad: Israel Studies in Musicology. She currently teaches historical trombone at Indiana University and is Director of the University of Chicago Early Music Ensemble. 

Iryna Krechkovsky is an award-winning violinist, educator, and arts executive. She is Co-Founder and Executive Director of Chamber Music | OC, where she leads the nationally recognized Pre-College Program. A founding member of Trio Céleste, she has appeared on major broadcast platforms and serves on the summer faculty at the Montecito International Music Festival. 

Jennifer Elowitch is Director of Music at Walnut Hill School for the Arts, a three-time E.E. Ford Faculty Award recipient, and Founder and Artistic Director Emerita of the Portland Chamber Music Festival. She teaches and presents widely, and performs as Assistant Principal Second Violin with the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra. 

Deborah Barrett Price is a nationally recognized violist, pedagogue, and founder of the Chamber Music Connection, Inc., a leading program for chamber music education and performance. She is a recipient of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s Award for Extraordinary Service to Chamber Music and multiple major arts education honors.

Margaret Batjer, renowned violinist and Concertmaster of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, is Director of the Colburn School’s Music Academy and a member of its Conservatory faculty. A leading soloist, chamber musician, and educator, she shapes the Academy’s artistic vision and prepares exceptional pre-college musicians for top conservatory training.

Miriam Owens is the President and CEO of The People’s Music School, Chicago’s largest, 100-percent tuition-free after-school music program. Her career has spanned education, business, and arts. Miriam holds an AB from Harvard University, an MS in Education from Hunter College, and an MBA from the University of Chicago.

Devoted teacher, and generous citizen in the profession, Augusta Read Thomas is one of the most critically acclaimed and frequently performed composers working today. According to the American Academy of Arts and Letters, she “has become one of the most recognizable and widely loved figures in American Music.” The New Yorker Magazine called Augusta “a true virtuoso composer.”

Seth Boustead is a composer, broadcaster, and visionary arts leader redefining how classical music is perceived and produced. His chamber music is frequently performed in the U.S. and abroad. As founder of Access Contemporary Music, he created The CheckOut, the PBS series Songs About Buildings and Moods, Thirsty Ears Festival, Sound of Silent Film Festival, and the award-winning podcast Relevant Tones.

Nora Daley is Chair of the Illinois Arts Council Agency and Co-Chair of the Chicago Architecture Biennial. A cross-sector leaders and systems innovator, she advances bold cultural strategies that strengthen communities and institutions alike. With more than 25 years of experience, she champions collaborative models that expand the reach and impact of the arts. 

Kate Dumbleton is the Executive and Artistic Director of the Hyde Park Jazz Festival and a Professor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC). Kate’s work in jazz, improvised music, and performance spans nearly three decades.

Ernest Dawkins is one of the world’s leading saxophonists and composers, known for music that embodies the evolving cultural memory of the African American experience. His recent major works include Great Black Music (2025) dedicated to the 60th anniversary of the AACM. Paul Robeson: Man of the People (2024), Tim Black, Blacker Than Black (2022), Refound Connections (2021), and Redefining Frederick Douglass (2020). Dawkins has collaborated internationally, including the MacArthur-funded 2019 Englewood to Soweto project in South Africa, and is the creator of Quantum Englewood, recipient of the 2016 Joyce Award. He serves as Executive Director of Live the Spirit Residency, is a former Chairman of the AACM, performs globally, and hosts a longstanding weekly jam session at Norman’s Bistro in Chicago.

Geoffrey John Davies is an Australian-born and New York-based entrepreneur who founded The Violin Channel in 2009, which has since grown to become one of the most influential classical music media providers in the world with a combined reach in excess of two million viewers per month. 

The platform is an official global media partner of many of the top competitions, conservatories, and symphonies worldwide. The Violin Channel's clients and close collaborators include The Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Carnegie Hall, The Juilliard School, the New England Conservatory, the Curtis Institute of Music, The Colburn School, The New York Philharmonic, Warner Classic, and Wigmore Hall, among many others.

Monica Ellis — a 2024 Grammy Award winner and three-time nominee — is a bassoonist, entrepreneur, and founding member of the wind quintet Imani Winds, which for over a quarter-century has dazzled audiences with dynamic playing, adventurous programming, and a commitment to outreach, new works, and collaborations. She received her bachelor of music degree from Oberlin College Conservatory of Music and her master’s degree from The Juilliard School and her Professional Studies Certificate from Manhattan School of Music. She has appeared as solo bassoon with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, American Composers Orchestra, and Chineke! Orchestra in London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall. Recording credits include 10 studio albums with Imani Winds.

Ellis is on the faculty of Curtis Institute of Music and Manhattan School of Music and frequently presents master classes and solo recital performances across the country. She is a sought-after commentator on issues of race, gender, and entrepreneurship in classical music and is a board member of Concert Artists Guild and the International Double Reed Society. Ellis is a Fox Bassoon Artist and plays exclusively on a Model 201.

Jasmine Choi is an internationally acclaimed flutist based in Austria, known for virtuosity, recordings, and a social media audience exceeding one million. She serves as professor at Indiana University and is principal flute of the Festival Orchestra of Lincoln Center. A Curtis and Juilliard graduate, she previously held principal posts with the Cincinnati Symphony and the Vienna Symphony.

Composer Jonathan Bailey Holland has written music that has been performed across the country and around the world. He is currently the dean of the Henry and Leigh Bienen School of Music at Northwestern University, as well as the Kay Davis Professor of Music. He has served on the faculty of Berklee College of Music, Boston Conservatory, Curtis Institute of Music, and Vermont College of Fine Arts, and he has been a guest at numerous schools and festivals.  A recipient of a Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship, Holland has been awarded the Fromm Commission from the Fromm Foundation at Harvard University, a Massachusetts Cultural Council Artist Fellowship, a Brother Thomas Award and a Live Arts Boston grant from the Boston Foundation, amongst other honors and awards.  

A Chicago native, Carlton Ford has raised over $30 million for leading arts, culture, and social impact institutions. An advocate for rethinking philanthropy's language around marginalized communities, Carlton currently serves as Managing Director of national Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion strategy firm Diaz Inclusion Consulting, Chief Effective Philanthropy Officer for Taproot Foundation, and Board Chair of Nu Deco Ensemble. A retired international operatic baritone, he has performed at Carnegie Hall, Royal Albert Hall, Berlin Philharmonic, the Metropolitan Opera, and in both Emmy and Oscar-nominated productions. He is a Founding Member of Victory Hall Opera, YoungArts alumnus, and a graduate of Interlochen Arts Academy, Rice University, and The Juilliard School. Carlton is Chair-Elect of Chamber Music America's Board of Directors.

Executive Director Peter Bilotta has led Chamber Music Northwest since 2013 through significant artistic, program, and financial growth. During his tenure, CMNW has added year-round concerts, expanded its commitment to new music through extensive commissioning and the New@Night contemporary music series, set new records in education and community engagement activities, and launched of CMNW’s Young Artist Institute.

Before joining the CMNW staff, he served in various leadership roles with cultural organizations throughout the nation including Portland Opera, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, and the Children’s Theatre Company of Minneapolis, as well as a decade in executive positions with the Boy Scouts of America. A Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) with 30 years of experience in non-profit leadership and development, he currently serves in leadership roles with the Classical Music Festivals of the West, the Cultural Advocacy Coalition of Oregon, and Oya No Kai, the support organization for Portland Public Schools Japanese Language Immersion and exchange programs.

Benjamin Sosland leads the Kovner Foundation’s philanthropic efforts in classical music. Previously Provost and Dean of the Faculty at the New England Conservatory, he also founded the Historical Performance program Kovner Fellowship at Juilliard. A sought-after moderator and speaker, he explores issues at the intersection of music, education, and philanthropy.

Kate Sheeran is the Joan and Martin Messinger Dean of the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester. Since her appointment in 2024, she has advanced innovation and interdisciplinary collaboration. Previously, she served as Executive Director of Kaufman Music Center, where she led significant organizational growth, and as Provost and Dean of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.

Miriam Owens is the President and CEO of The People’s Music School, Chicago’s largest, 100-percent tuition-free after-school music program. Her career has spanned education, business, and arts. Miriam holds an AB from Harvard University, an MS in Education from Hunter College, and an MBA from the University of Chicago.

Kylie Peppler is a Professor at the University of California, Irvine, where she explores creativity, the arts, and learning. Dr. Peppler's Wallace Foundation-funded work includes the Connected Arts Learning Framework and Creative Expression, Caring Relationships, and Career Pathways: A Guide to Youth Outcomes in Community Arts Programs, introducing a new taxonomy of youth learning outcomes.

Nicholas Phan is a Grammy Award-winning lyric tenor, curator, and educator, celebrated for his expressive artistry and versatility across a repertoire spanning nearly 500 years. Described by the Boston Globe as “one of the world’s most remarkable singers,” he has earned international recognition for his captivating stage presence, keen intelligence, and natural musicianship. In 2010 he co-founded Art Song Chicago to promote art song and vocal chamber music, where he serves as artistic director. 

Committed to education of audiences and musicians alike, Nicholas Phan served on the voice faculty of the DePaul University School of Music from 2018-2020. In addition to his time at DePaul, he has guest taught (working as both a voice teacher and a coach) at the Eastman School of Music, San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Merola Opera Program, University of Michigan School of Music, Theater, and Dance, and the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program at the Metropolitan Opera. He currently serves as a coach on the faculty of the San Francisco Opera Center, where he works with the Adler Fellows. 

Phan is the President of Chamber Music America.

became the President of San Francisco Performances in 2016, where she serves as both executive and artistic director. Smith has more than 35 years of experience in management and administration both in San Francisco and New York. Her work in program development, change management, strategic planning, fundraising and marketing has benefitted organizations across the country. 

Executive Director Peter Bilotta has led Chamber Music Northwest since 2013 through significant artistic, program, and financial growth. During his tenure, CMNW has added year-round concerts, expanded its commitment to new music through extensive commissioning and the New@Night contemporary music series, set new records in education and community engagement activities, and launched of CMNW’s Young Artist Institute.

Before joining the CMNW staff, he served in various leadership roles with cultural organizations throughout the nation including Portland Opera, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, and the Children’s Theatre Company of Minneapolis, as well as a decade in executive positions with the Boy Scouts of America. A Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) with 30 years of experience in non-profit leadership and development, he currently serves in leadership roles with the Classical Music Festivals of the West, the Cultural Advocacy Coalition of Oregon, and Oya No Kai, the support organization for Portland Public Schools Japanese Language Immersion and exchange programs.

Pianist Shannon McGinnis has been recognized for her partnerships with some of the brightest stars in the classical vocal music world. Her playing has been described as “excellent” (Opera News), “strong and supportive” (Chicago Tribune), and “boldly projected, characterful, and delicately nuanced” (Chicago Classical Review). Recent season highlights include recitals with soprano Oliva Boen under the auspices of the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert Series; performances with Nicole Heaston and members of the Elgin Symphony Orchestra, recorded at the Ravinia Festival’s Bennett Gordon Hall and broadcast on WFMT; debuts with the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society and San Francisco Performances; and appearances with such notable artists as Joélle Harvey, Sarah Couden, Corinne Winters, Nicholas Phan, Douglas Williams, Karim Sulayman, and Roderick Williams. 

McGinnis holds an administrative appointment as Associate Dean of the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University, where she oversees curricular activities and student affairs across the College’s Music, Interdisciplinary, and Theatre Conservatories. 

Pamela Freund-Striplen is a visionary curator and violist known for innovative programming and community impact. As founder and Artistic Director of the Gold Coast Chamber Players for 35 years, she created over 150 original programs and pioneering educational initiatives, earning major regional arts awards and a mayoral proclamation in her honor.

Of Navajo-Ute heritage, R. Carlos Nakai is the world’s leading performer of the Native American flute. With more than 50 recordings—including two gold albums—he has earned 11 Grammy nominations and 10 NAMA awards. He tours widely, performing instrumental music that blends Native traditions with diverse contemporary influences. 

Lyric baritone Robert Sims, a Gold Medal winner of the American Traditions Competition, is acclaimed for his masterful interpretation of African American spirituals. His performances span Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and collaborations with leading artists. A dedicated advocate, he created the Lincoln Center production Majesty of the Spiritual. 

Brian Shepard is Chief Executive Officer for Music Teachers National Association. A graduate of Miami University of Ohio, he holds degrees in marketing and music education. In addition to his work at MTNA, Shepard serves on the boards of the National Music Council and the American Classical Music Hall of Fame.

Josh is Executive Director of the Fischoff National Chamber Music Association, cellist, and conductor. He is cellist in the Sylvan Trio, founded the Woodland Chamber Music Workshop, and has served in leadership roles with arts advocacy organizations, symphonies, and music faculties. He attended Oberlin and CU-Boulder with the Takács Quartet.

For more than 30 years, two-time Juno Award winning pianist/composer Andy Milne has demonstrated boundless versatility, collaborating with dancers, film makers, authors, visual artists, poets and musicians spanning multiple genres. With UNISON Milne returns to his first love, exploring the intimacy of the piano trio. The synchronistic relationship Milne enjoys with his bandmates represents the complimentary threads within the fabric of Milne’s piano trio philosophy -- the intersection of texture and groove. Unison’s 2024 Sunnyside Records release “Time Will Tell” was nominated for a 2025 Juno Award and was included on numerous “best of 2024” lists.

Huu Bac Quintet transcends borders with its unique fusion of East and West through, and beyond, the language of traditional music and contemporary jazz.
Born in Vietnam, Huu Bac not only mastered instruments of his homeland -the dan bau - but studied erhu at the Beijing Central Conservatory, and spent time in Peru where he picked up the quena and studied Afro-Peruvian music. Given Bac’s international musical journey, the Quintet’s sound is a vibrant tapestry woven from textures of traditional instruments blended seamlessly with the improvisational spirit and instrumentation of jazz, inviting listeners on a journey that traverses cultures.

Meagan O’Brien began her career as a mechanical engineer designing airplane cockpit controls. She took improv classes in the evenings, and after seven years of living a double life, she quit engineering to tour with The Second City National Touring Company. From there she began working for Second City Works and now brings improv skills to companies big and small.

The Takács Quartet was formed in 1975 at the Franz Liszt Academy in Budapest by Gabor Takács-Nagy, Károly Schranz, Gabor Ormai and András Fejér, while all four were students. The group received international attention in 1977, winning First Prize and the Critics’ Prize at the International String Quartet Competition in Evian, France. The Quartet also won the Gold Medal at the 1978 Portsmouth and Bordeaux Competitions and First Prizes at the Budapest International String Quartet Competition in 1978 and the Bratislava Competition in 1981. The Quartet made its North American debut tour in 1982.

Now in the Quartet’s 50th year, its members Edward Dusinberre, Harumi Rhodes (violins), Richard O’Neill (viola) and András Fejér (cello) are excited about upcoming projects including performances throughout the USA and on major international stages including London’s Wigmore Hall, Concertgebouw, and Konzerthaus Berline, among others.
In recognition of its 50th anniversary, the Takács Quartet was the subject of an in-depth New York Times profile and featured on the cover of Strad magazine. The Takács released two anniversary season albums in 2025 for Hyperion Records to glowing reviews. ‘Flow’ by Ngwenyama, composed for the ensemble, was followed by an album of piano quintets by Dvořák and Price with Marc André Hamelin.
The members of the Takács Quartet are Christoffersen Fellows and have been Artists in Residence at the University of Colorado, Boulder since 1986. During the summer months the Takács join the faculty at the Music Academy of the West, running an intensive quartet seminar. This season the ensemble begins a new relationship as Visiting Artists at the University of Maryland.

The Takács has recorded for Hyperion since 2005, with all other recordings available to stream at hyperion-streaming.co.uk. In 2021, the Takács won a Presto Music Recording of the Year Award for their recordings of string quartets by Fanny and Felix Mendelssohn, and a Gramophone Award with pianist Garrick Ohlsson for piano quintets by Beach and Elgar. For their CDs on the Decca/London label, the Quartet has won three Gramophone Awards, a Grammy Award, three Japanese Record Academy Awards, Disc of the Year at the inaugural BBC Music Magazine Awards, and Ensemble Album of the Year at the Classical Brits.

In 2014 the Takács became the first string quartet to be awarded the Wigmore Hall Medal. In 2012, Gramophone announced the Takács as the first string quartet inducted into its Hall of Fame. The ensemble also won the 2011 Award for Chamber Music and Song presented by the Royal Philharmonic Society in London.
Members of the Takács Quartet are the grateful beneficiaries of an instrument loan by the Drake Foundation. They are grateful to be Thomastik-Infeld Artists.

Kori Coleman is a Chicago-based arts executive, creative strategist, and entrepreneur who has built a career by leveraging the power of creativity and storytelling to encourage Black people to take up space in any place. She is the Founder, Executive, & Artistic Director of D-Composed, a Black chamber music collective and non-profit organization committed to uplifting and empowering society by providing a platform for the music of Black composers.

Renée Baker is founding music director and conductor of the internationally acclaimed Chicago Modern Orchestra Project (CMOP), a polystylistic orchestral organization that grew from the plums of classical music as well as jazz. 

A visual artist, film artist, composer and recontextualist, Ms. Baker is a true engineer of multidisciplines. Layering movement and film projections of real and imagined things, she creates exquisite film arenas of surrealistic activity within a sonic theatre.

Ms. Baker is a member of the world renowned collective Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM).

Chinese-American violinist Sarah Ying Ma is a founding member of the Poiesis Quartet, the First Prize and Canadian Commission Prize winners of the 2025 Banff International String Quartet Competition as the only North American participants. As lovers of new music, Poiesis is currently working on numerous commissions, and their recent projects include the release of their debut album featuring world premiere recordings of works by Rick Stout and Clint Needham, singer Nancy Maultsby, and multiple Grammy-winning producer Elaine Martone. The Poiesis Quartet is currently in residence at the University of Cincinnati's Graduate Quartet Program studying with the Ariel Quartet. Poiesis Quartet is the 2026 Cleveland Quartet Award recipient through Chamber Music America.

Juliana Han is a pianist, presenter, and educator. She has performed in venues including Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, and the National Taichung Theater, and co-directs the Piedmont Chamber Music Festival. Juliana has served on the faculties of The Juilliard School and Augustana College. She is currently in-house counsel at Amazon.

José R. Feliciano is a versatile nonprofit professional whose experience is balanced between nonprofit administration and strategy; education; and community development. His past work includes nonprofit administration and grant-making; public policy and civic engagement work; creating people-centered and place-based approaches; and leadership development for creative professionals. He has a background in movement-based arts and music. He holds a BS ED from Central Connecticut State University and an MA from Penn State. He joined CMA in 2022.

Cat Tager, Executive Director of 3Arts, is a multi-instrumentalist and vocalist, recording artist, and lifelong arts advocate. With more than two decades of experience in arts education, programming, and nonprofit leadership, she has championed equity and artist support throughout her career, including eight years as Chair of the 3Arts Board.

Bio Coming Soon.

Benjamin Sosland leads the Kovner Foundation’s philanthropic efforts in classical music. Previously Provost and Dean of the Faculty at the New England Conservatory, he also founded the Historical Performance program Kovner Fellowship at Juilliard. A sought-after moderator and speaker, he explores issues at the intersection of music, education, and philanthropy.

Clarinetist Seunghee Lee (Sunny) Kang is board chair of Concert Artists Guild and a Grammy-nominated artist. She is the founder of Musica Solis and holds degrees from the Eastman School of Music and Yale School of Music. She serves on the Recording Academy's Board of Governors (NY Chapter), the Global Council of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, and the Yale School of Music Board of Advisors. 

David Ying is cellist of the Grammy Award-winning Ying Quartet and on faculty of the Eastman School of Music where the quartet is ensemble-in-residence. The quartet performs widely and has engaged in significant community building activity since their earliest years in Jesup, Iowa, as recipients of an NEA grant. Ying is also co-artistic director of the Bowdoin International Music Festival.

David Samuel is Assistant Professor of Viola at Vanderbilt University’s Blair School of Music, where he champions the intersection of chamber music and education. A founding member of the Afiara String Quartet and former member of the Alexander String Quartet, Ensemble MidtVest, and the Auckland Philharmonia, he has lived and worked in five countries on three continents.

Hank Mou is Dean and Chief Artistic Officer at New England Conservatory, where he advances institutional strategy, artistic innovation, and student success. Previously Associate Vice President of Artistic Operations at San Francisco Conservatory of Music, he developed transformative artistic partnerships, performances, and educational initiatives that prepare musicians for impactful, sustainable professional careers.

Composer Jonathan Bailey Holland has written music that has been performed across the country and around the world. He is currently the dean of the Henry and Leigh Bienen School of Music at Northwestern University, as well as the Kay Davis Professor of Music. He has served on the faculty of Berklee College of Music, Boston Conservatory, Curtis Institute of Music, and Vermont College of Fine Arts, and he has been a guest at numerous schools and festivals.  A recipient of a Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship, Holland has been awarded the Fromm Commission from the Fromm Foundation at Harvard University, a Massachusetts Cultural Council Artist Fellowship, a Brother Thomas Award and a Live Arts Boston grant from the Boston Foundation, amongst other honors and awards.  

Seth Boustead is a composer, broadcaster, and visionary arts leader redefining how classical music is perceived and produced. His chamber music is frequently performed in the U.S. and abroad. As founder of Access Contemporary Music, he created The CheckOut, the PBS series Songs About Buildings and Moods, Thirsty Ears Festival, Sound of Silent Film Festival, and the award-winning podcast Relevant Tones.

Founded in 2011, Civitas Ensemble is one of the leading chamber music groups in Chicago. The Ensemble presents repertoire spanning four centuries of music history and numerous genres and styles. The musicians nurture relationships with living composers to commission new works. Over the past 14 years, Civitas has commissioned and premiered more than ten new works. The Ensemble is currently working on commissioning projects for future seasons.

Praised for its quality of performances as well as its community engagement efforts, Civitas members are passionate about working with artists from other creative disciplines, dancers, visual artists, poets, in projects that underscore the power of cross-disciplinary arts. Past such collaborations include Alla Zingarese, an international connections project supported by MacArthur Foundation. The namesake album Alla Zingarese showcases Civitas Ensemble with Prague-based Gipsy Way Ensemble in exhilarating music inspired by the Roma music tradition.

Other collaborative projects include performances with Yo-Yo Ma at the Chicago Humanities Festival that featured panel discussion on the topic of “Artist and Citizenship.”   Civitas was named the Artists in Residence for the Chinese Fine Arts Society and has been invited by the City of Chicago to perform at the Pritzker Pavilion at Millennium Park, as part of the City’s Loops and Variations series.

The Ensemble continues to receive rave reviews from the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Classical Review, and Chicago on the Aisle. Its albums were on the top of Classical Billboard. Currently, there are plans for three distinct projects and featured albums with composers Mischa Zupko, James Stephenson, and Clarice Assad & Sergio Assad.

Civitas Ensemble receives generous grants from various foundations and many individuals.

Francesca Neibel-Spruill (b. 2003) is a composer and multi-instrumentalist from Chicago. Her musical interests and influences include ideas of individual and collective memory, transformation, and the minutia of nature. She is currently pursuing a B.A. in Studio Art and a B.M. in Composition at Oberlin College and Conservatory.

Natasha Bogojevich is an award-winning composer and pianist renowned for her imaginative, expressive music. Her works for orchestra, chamber ensembles, voice, theater, ballet, and film are performed worldwide. A Fulbright Scholar and DePaul University faculty member, she has received numerous prestigious awards for her distinctive artistic voice and creative achievements.

Oscar Perez, a New York City native, has performed, traveled and recorded in the musical groups of Lakecia Benjamin, Wycliffe Gordon, Christian McBride, Rudresh Mahanthappa, and others. His critically acclaimed CD Afropean Affair, is the result of a New Works Grant by Chamber Music America. Perez earned a Doctorate from the Manhattan School of Music. He is the Jazz Studies Coordinator at the Cali School of Music at Montclair State University in New Jersey.

Emma Gonzalez is an emerging jazz vocalist and CMA Empowerment for Impact and Growth grant recipient whose forthcoming debut album honors the rich traditions of classic jazz and blues. At 23, she is passionate about preserving and sharing the music’s roots with a new generation of listeners. As a first-time recording artist, she is grateful for the mentorship that has shaped her artistic journey and is excited to share the mentee perspective on this panel.

Alyssa Allgood is a Chicago-based jazz vocalist, songwriter, bandleader, and three-time DownBeat Critics Poll Rising Star. Winner of the inaugural Ella Fitzgerald Competition, she is celebrated for her expressive artistry and improvisation. A prolific recording artist and educator, Allgood has earned acclaim for original music, mentorship, and performance.

Dr. Rahsaan Barber is a saxophonist, composer, educator, and entrepreneur whose career spans jazz, blues, Latin, soul, and world music. A professor at the University of North Carolina, he has performed with leading artists on renowned stages worldwide, leads multiple ensembles, and is dedicated to cultivating the next generation of musicians.

Dr. David Plylar, Concert Producer at the Library of Congress, develops and produces programs that celebrate the Library’s historic collections. He is an active writer, pianist, and composer, and is known for his large array of transcriptions for varied forces.

Melissa Smey is Associate Dean and Executive Director at Columbia University School of the Arts, where she leads Miller Theatre, an acclaimed music venue and concert producer. Co-creator and host of the acclaimed podcast Mission: Commission, she is passionate about chamber music, fostering audience development, and nurturing collaborative relationships with creative artists.

John Holloway is CEO of Seattle Chamber Music Society, where he advances strategic innovation, community engagement, and national reach. He founded Vivace Music Foundation and previously led the Four Seasons Chamber Music Festival. A 2025 PSBJ 40 Under 40 honoree and Musical America 2025 Top 30 Professional, he champions accessible, sustainable arts leadership.

Barrie Steinberg has over 3 decades of experience in artist management, production, artistic administration, and strategic consulting. As President of Frank Salomon Associates, she represents a roster of internationally renowned, classical and global musicians and special projects. Through her leadership roles in several not-for-profit organizations, she has facilitated the commissioning of nearly 40 new works and planned and implemented meaningful tours and residencies on both sides of the Atlantic. She is a graduate UCLA's Anderson School (MBA) and the University of Pennsylvania (BA). 

Miera Kim has been the Executive Director and core violinist of Red Cedar Chamber Music since 2016. Prior to that, she was a private teacher and titled player in Orchestra Iowa and the Quad Cities Symphony.

Carey Bostian has been the Artistic Director and core cellist of Red Cedar Chamber Music since 2016. As a conductor and cellist, he has commissioned and/or premiered over 200 works. He is also on the conducting faculty of the Preucil School of Music in Iowa City.

John Dowdall, the founding guitarist and Artistic Director of Red Cedar Chamber Music along with his partner, flutist Jan Boland, performed throughout the USA and in England, Europe and Japan. Dowdall and Boland recorded 13 compact discs, and were frequently featured on NPR, PBS and Iowa Public Radio and Television. 

Third Coast Percussion (TCP) is Chicago’sGRAMMY® Award-winning percussion quartet and GRAMMY®-nominated composer collective that made history as the first percussion ensemble to win the revered music award in the classical genre.To date, TCP has garnered seven totalGRAMMY® nominations.

The four members of Third Coast Percussion (SeanConnors, Robert Dillon, Peter Martin, and David Skidmore)met while studying percussion music at NorthwesternUniversity with Michael Burritt and James Ross, formingThird Coast Percussion in 2005. From their base in Chicago, the four friends carefully and thoughtfully built a thriving nonprofit organization — including full-time staff, office/studio space, and a board of directors — to support their vision and facilitate their efforts to bring new works to life.Members of Third Coast also hold degrees from theEastman School of Music, Rutgers University, the New England Conservatory, and the Yale School of Music.

Celebrating nearly three decades of transformative music-making, the Grammy-winning and four-time nominated Imani Winds has led both a revolution and an evolution of the wind quintet. Known for their dynamic playing, adventurous programming, imaginative collaborations, and impactful outreach, they have inspired audiences of all ages around the globe.

Imani Winds’ repertoire bridges the traditional and the contemporary, featuring core chamber works, reimagined arrangements, and newly commissioned pieces by both renowned and rising composers. Their programming reflects the urgency and diversity of our times, amplifying stories and voices too often left unheard.

Their 2024 release, BeLonging, a collaboration with composer Andy Akiho exploring the issue of mass incarceration, earned a 2025 Grammy nomination. Other recent highlights include a double quintet by Arturo Sandoval featuring Boston Brass; Jessie Montgomery’s work inspired by her great-grandfather’s migration north; and Carlos Simon’s tribute to African American icons. These works are part of the ensemble’s ongoing Legacy Commissioning Project, encompassing dozens of world premieres.

Since forming in 1997, Imani Winds has regularly appeared on major chamber music series and at leading performing arts centers and summer festivals, including Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, Chamber Music Northwest, Banff Centre, and Chautauqua Institution. Internationally, their reach extends across Asia, Europe, South America, Australia, and New Zealand.

Education is central to Imani Winds’ mission. Appointed in 2021 as the Curtis Institute of Music’s first ever Faculty Wind Quintet, they also lead residencies and masterclasses nationwide, reaching thousands of students annually at institutions such as the University of Chicago, Eastman School of Music, and Duke University. In 2010, they launched the Imani Winds Chamber Music Festival, an acclaimed summer program nurturing the next generation of professional musicians through mentorship, masterclasses, and entrepreneurial training. In 2019, they deepened their mission by founding the Imani Winds Foundation, followed by the creation of Imani Winds Media, a record label spotlighting artists of color. Its first release, Jeff Scott’s Passion for Bach and Coltrane, won a Grammy Award 2024.

Imani Winds’ deep connection to jazz is reflected in collaborations with legends such as Wayne Shorter, Paquito D’Rivera, and Jason Moran. Their multidisciplinary project Josephine Baker: A Life of Le Jazz Hot! featuring jazz vocalist René Marie earned rave reviews in cities across the U.S.

One of their most meaningful honors is a permanent installation in the classical music section of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, a fitting tribute to their enduring impact on the American musical landscape.

Nicholas Csicsko is fascinated by the connection between music, economics, and the world. After receiving a Doctorate of Music in composition from The Juilliard School, Nicholas has gone on to become an institutional investor, managing the endowments for multi-billion dollar non-profit organizations. He continues to lecture and write about the intersection between music and finance and loves to play the piano in his free time. He joined CMA's Board in 2023 and currently serves as Board Chair.

Dr. Andrea C. Baker serves as Assistant Professor of Bassoon at Western Illinois University and is a founding member of Camerata Nova. She works with composers to expand the contemporary woodwind quintet repertoire and has helped secure grant support for Camerata Nova’s commissioning projects, including an IDRS 50 for 50 grant.

Dr. Charlie Chadwell is a saxophonist, educator, and advocate for new music, serving as Assistant Professor at Western Illinois University and Director of Professional Activities for The College Music Society. A Camerata Nova founding member, he frequently premieres new works and presents nationwide. 

Julianna Eidle is a flutist, educator, and organizer based in Illinois. She teaches at Western Illinois University, performs with Opera in the Ozarks and Midwest ensembles, and collaborates with Linton Chamber Music and Concert:Nova. She directs Cincinnati New Music, supports community-centered projects, and regularly premieres new works.

Matt A. Mason is a composer, pianist, and educator whose work spans contemporary classical, electroacoustic, and music theater. An Assistant Professor of Musicianship at Roosevelt University, he teaches music theory, composition, and performance, with interests in post-tonal theory, electroacoustic music, hip hop musicology, and advanced composition. 

Chicago-based chamber ensemble Picosa holds ongoing concert series in Allen Recital Hall at DePaul University's Holtschneider Performance Center, at the Driehaus Museum, and at The Epiphany Center for the Arts. The ensemble also holds residencies at Elmhurst University and North Central Colleges.

Founded in 2014, the ensemble performs regularly throughout Chicago including concert series Live from WFMT, Frequency Series at Constellation Chicago, and The International Music Foundation’s Rush Hour Concert Series at St James Cathedral. They received CMA's 2022  Classical Commissioning Grant with acclaimed composer Shawn E. Okpebholo and guest percussionist Peter Ferry. 

Solidaire unites flutist Jennifer Grim and percussionist Svet Stoyanov in a genre-defying duo celebrated for fearless expression, technical brilliance, and immersive storytelling. Born from the upheaval of 2020, Solidaire creates transformative musical experiences that captivate audiences and spark meaningful connection. Recent highlights include performances at National Sawdust and Festival Napa Valley, featuring premieres and reimagined works by Paola Prestini and Philip Glass. As ensemble-in-residence at the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music and frequent visiting artists at university programs including Eastern Illinois University, they offer dynamic residencies—masterclasses, lectures, and performances that inspire communities and emerging artists.

Duo Chinoiserie—featuring guzheng virtuoso Xia Jing and classical guitarist Hu Bin—has become one of today’s most compelling intercultural chamber ensembles. Praised by Grammy-winning guitarist David Russell as “a moving and impressive combination,” the duo blends the guzheng’s shimmering resonance with the guitar’s expressive warmth to create a mesmerizing sound world. Their award-winning album Chinoiserie was hailed by critics as “an engaging anthology showcasing artistry at the highest level.” Their recent and upcoming highlights include debuts at Carnegie Hall, Guitar Foundation of America, Austin Classical Guitar, Omni Foundation for the Performing Arts, Arizona Friends of Chamber Music, and more.

Yang and Olivia are a storytelling-driven violin–piano duo known for refined musicianship, multicultural programming, and warm rapport with audiences. Their 2025 feature program, Music & Mental Health, explores how composers such as Schumann, Tchaikovsky, Bartók, Price, and Korngold transformed psychological struggles into powerful music. Highly praised by presenters and frequently rebooked, the duo is valued for professionalism, clear communication, and the ability to create close, engaging interactions with listeners of all ages. Their performances for concert series, libraries, senior communities, and educational settings combine artistic depth with accessible, human-centered narratives.

The Telegraph Quartet has been performing for 13 seasons with an equal passion for standard and modern chamber music. Described by the San Francisco Chronicle as "powerfully adept...with a combination of brilliance and subtlety," the Quartet was awarded the 2016 Naumburg Chamber Music Award and Grand Prize at the 2014 Fischoff Competition. The group is currently Quartet-in-Residence at the University of Michigan. 

Led by Matthew Baker, one of the world's few baryton performers, the Valencia Baryton Project has achieved international acclaim with sold-out concerts in the Americas and Europe. The VBP focuses on the baryton, a classical-era aristocratic instrument, featuring both bowed strings on the front and plucked harp-like strings on the back and has been featured in publications like The Strad and Gramophone amongst many others.
Beyond performing works by Haydn and his contemporaries, the VBP has always valued the educational aspect of the trio's work, bringing the instrument to institutions like the Royal Academy of Music and UCLA. They are also committed to commissioning new works, collaborating with international composers such as David Gorton, Ivan Moody, and José Zárate, to incorporate the baryton's unique sound into modern composition.

Renée Baker is founding music director and conductor of the internationally acclaimed Chicago Modern Orchestra Project (CMOP), a polystylistic orchestral organization that grew from the plums of classical music as well as jazz. 

A visual artist, film artist, composer and recontextualist, Ms. Baker is a true engineer of multidisciplines. Layering movement and film projections of real and imagined things, she creates exquisite film arenas of surrealistic activity within a sonic theatre.

Ms. Baker is a member of the world renowned collective Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM).

Larry Blumenfeld has written features, essays and interview pieces for Chamber Music since 2018, and previously served as a guest editor. He has written regularly about music, books and culture for The Wall Street Journal for the past 20 years, and writes often for Daily Beast. His work during the past 25 years has appeared in The Village Voice, The New York Times, New Orleans Times Picayune, Pitchfork and Salon, among others. His reporting often focuses on connections between the arts and social justice; as a critic, he specializes in jazz and Afro-Latin music. He was the 2019 Jeanette K. Watson Distinguished Visiting Professor in the Humanities at Syracuse University, and has received the Jazz Journalists Association’s Helen Dance-Robert Palmer Award for Writing, an Open Society Institute Katrina Media Fellowship and a National Arts Journalism Fellow at Columbia University. He programs and hosts the National Jazz Museum in Harlem’s “Jazz and Social Justice” series, and has lectured and presented at Harvard University, Yale University, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival and Lincoln Center, among others. He curates the jazz series of Spoleto Festival USA, in Charleston, S.C. and the Deer Isle Jazz Festival in Stonington, Maine. 

Garrett Mendez is a dynamic performer, educator, and arts leader with over 20 years of experience. He is the founding Artistic Director of Project Music and The Archipelago Project and was the former Music Department Chair at King School in Connecticut. A Bass Trombonist, Garrett has led workshops and residencies around the world. Currently, he serves as Director of Bands at Culver Academies.

A celebrated artist, arts administrator, educator, and visionary, Jennie Oh Brown serves as Executive Director of Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras. In addition to her role at CYSO, Brown is Artist in Residence at the Epiphany Center for the Arts (Chicago) and serves as flutist, Executive and Artistic Director of ensemble collective Picosa. Brown is an active performer throughout Chicago in many contexts, including performances with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and the Lyric Opera Orchestra. Brown is a graduate of Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music (Bachelor of Music degree in Flute Performance), the Eastman School of Music (Performers Certificate, Doctorate and Masters of Music Performance, Repertoire, and Literature), and the Interlochen Arts Academy. Recently, she served as Artistic Director of Epiphany Center for the Arts, Artistic and Executive Director of Ear Taxi Festival in 2021 and faculty at Wheaton College and Elmhurst University. Brown is a Board Member of CMA where she serves as Treasurer and the Conference Committee Chair.

Born in Mexico City, Dinorah Márquez Abadiano began her violin studies with James Angerstein and Abraham Chavez Jr., and completed her undergraduate studies in American Studies and International Relations at Northwestern University and the University of Florence, Italy. Upon graduation she worked as Assistant Press Secretary for Chicago’s Mayor, Harold Washington. Throughout college and during her time in City Hall, Dinorah continued to play with various ensembles and community orchestras. She also established a violin program to support the continuation of dance music traditions in Xico, Veracruz, which continues to this day. In 2001, she received Masters Degrees in Viola performance and String Pedagogy from UW Milwaukee. In 2002, she went on to establish and direct the national award winning, Latino Arts Strings Program at the United Community Center. In recognition for her work, she has been invited to the White House for the “Coming Up Taller Award,” and for a presidential event under the Obama administration. She was named “Milwaukee Artist and Milwaukee Music Teacher of the Year,” received the “National Afterschool Innovator” Award and Wisconsin’s “Martin Luther King Heritage Award.”

Scott Tegge, tuba, is co-founder of Gaudete Brass Quintet, a group dedicated to commissioning new brass music. Scott is also the Director of Chamber Music at the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras and teaches at the University of Illinois. He is a frequent guest lecturer on career development, entrepreneurship, and building successful teaching studios.

Throughout his critically acclaimed recordings as a leader and collaborator with numerous leading jazz figures and world-class ensembles, Ryan Cohan has masterfully walked the line of writer and player, proving himself time and again to be a composer of rare vision as well as a versatile, powerfully expressive pianist. 

Recognized for his “ingenuity and virtuosity” (Chicago Tribune), Cohan’s expansive body of work ranges from compositions for solo piano to symphony orchestra. His albums of original music include One Sky, 

Another Look, and The River, the latter featuring a sixty-minute suite inspired by his travels in Africa. His large-ensemble recording Originations (Origin Records) synthesizes Middle Eastern and other world music influences with classical compositional elements and improvisation, earning a DownBeat Editor’s Pick and recognition as one of the Chicago Tribune’s Best Jazz Recordings of 2020. His latest project, Prism, had its world premiere at the Hyde Park Jazz Festival in late 2025. 

Cohan has toured internationally as a cultural ambassador for the U.S. Department of State in partnership with Jazz at Lincoln Center, leading ensembles across Africa, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East. These tours emphasized collaboration with local musicians and the role of music in fostering empathy and connection across cultures. 

His career includes performances with jazz luminaries and elite large ensembles such as Freddie Hubbard, Randy Brecker, Joe Locke, Kurt Elling, Andy Narell, Paquito D’Rivera, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and Orbert Davis’s Chicago Jazz Philharmonic. Cohan worked closely with Ramsey Lewis for over seven years, contributing more than twenty compositions and arrangements to the late NEA Jazz 

Master’s recorded and live performance repertoire and writing the theme for Lewis’s nationally syndicated television series The Legends of Jazz. Additional projects include orchestral work for Joe Locke’s recording Wish Upon a Star and commissions for the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra. 

A Guggenheim Fellow and winner of the George Duke Commissioning Prize from the Symphonic Jazz Orchestra, Cohan has also received major awards and grants from Chamber Music America, New Music 

USA, the Sundance Institute, the Aaron Copland Fund, and the Illinois Arts Council. 

As an educator, he has served as artist-in-residence at international festivals and universities and on faculty at institutions including the University of Illinois at Chicago and the Skidmore Jazz Institute. He 

continues to work as a clinician at schools and music programs across the U.S. and abroad, maintaining a strong commitment to mentorship and musical exchange.

For more than 30 years, two-time Juno Award winning pianist/composer Andy Milne has demonstrated boundless versatility, collaborating with dancers, film makers, authors, visual artists, poets and musicians spanning multiple genres. With UNISON Milne returns to his first love, exploring the intimacy of the piano trio. The synchronistic relationship Milne enjoys with his bandmates represents the complimentary threads within the fabric of Milne’s piano trio philosophy -- the intersection of texture and groove. Unison’s 2024 Sunnyside Records release “Time Will Tell” was nominated for a 2025 Juno Award and was included on numerous “best of 2024” lists.

Deanna Witkowski is a pianist, composer, and scholar known for blending jazz, Brazilian, classical, and sacred music. Her book Mary Lou Williams: Music for the Soul won the 2022 Jazz Journalists Association Award for Biography of the Year. She holds a PhD in jazz studies from the University of Pittsburgh and is currently writing her second book, Jazz in the Pews: Experiments in Sunday Worship in the 1960s.

James Ginsburg founded Cedille Records in 1989 to promote the work, careers, and legacies of Chicago’s finest classical musicians. He has personally produced well over 150 recordings for Cedille, working closely with artists and engineers to maintain the label’s reputation for musical and sonic excellence, and has overseen the release of Cedille’s more than 240 albums. Cedille and its recordings have garnered eight Grammy Awards and 38 nominations, including two for Ginsburg as Producer of the Year, Classical. Thanks to Ginsburg’s leadership, the work of more than 180 classical musicians and ensembles from Chicago has been promoted to listeners worldwide and well over 400 works have received world-premiere recordings. 

Jeremy VanSlyke is founder of Leaf Music, an international classical label based in Nashville and Nova Scotia. Trained as a classical musician and recording producer at McGill University and the Banff Centre, he has produced over 100 chamber music recordings, guiding artists from concept through release.

Judith Sherman is an American audio engineer and producer. She has received 15 Grammy Awards for her achievements, including Producer of the Year, Classical. She has worked with countless contemporary composers and notable ensembles, including Calidore String Quartet, Kronos Quartet, Cleveland Quartet, and Pacifica Quartet. She is a former CMA Board Member and received CMA's highest honor, the Richard J. Bogomolny National Service Award, in 2009. 

Derived from ancient Greek (ποιεῖν), the word Poiesis means “to make;” specifically, to create something that has never existed before. With a focus on expanding the string quartet repertoire with vibrant new works by emerging composers, the Poiesis Quartet infuses each performance with unique moments of synchronicity and verve. The Poiesis Quartet is the First Prize and Commission Prize winners of the 2025 Banff International String Quartet Competition. In 2023, they were named the Grand Prize and Lift Every Voice Prize winners of the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, as well as Gold Medal and BIPOC Prize winners at the 2023 St. Paul String Quartet Competition.

Poiesis was selected as the 2025-26 Ernst Stiefl Quartet-in-Residence at the Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts, and as the 2025 St. Lawrence Emerging String Quartet in Residence at Stanford University. Their 2024 debut album, as we are, on the Bright Shiny Things label, featured world premiere recordings with mezzo-soprano Nancy Maultsby, and their commission of String Quartet No. 7 ‘Surfacing’ by Kevin Lau received its world premiere at the Chautauqua Institution in 2025. In March 2026 through their Oberlin Commission Project, Poiesis will present five world premieres of commissioned works by LGBTQ+ composers of color.

The Poiesis Quartet is currently the Graduate Quartet-in-Residence at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) studying under the Ariel Quartet. As graduates of Oberlin College & Conservatory, they were previously mentored by Sibbi Bernhardsson of the Pacifica Quartet and members of the Verona Quartet. As a multi-faceted ensemble, in addition to their performance degrees from Oberlin, members of the quartet also individually received formal education in disciplines such as chemistry, comparative American studies, feminist studies, baroque, and jazz. Members of the Poiesis Quartet play on instruments and bows generously loaned by Jonathan Solars Fine Violins.

Celebrating nearly three decades of transformative music-making, the Grammy-winning and four-time nominated Imani Winds has led both a revolution and an evolution of the wind quintet. Known for their dynamic playing, adventurous programming, imaginative collaborations, and impactful outreach, they have inspired audiences of all ages around the globe.

Imani Winds’ repertoire bridges the traditional and the contemporary, featuring core chamber works, reimagined arrangements, and newly commissioned pieces by both renowned and rising composers. Their programming reflects the urgency and diversity of our times, amplifying stories and voices too often left unheard.

Their 2024 release, BeLonging, a collaboration with composer Andy Akiho exploring the issue of mass incarceration, earned a 2025 Grammy nomination. Other recent highlights include a double quintet by Arturo Sandoval featuring Boston Brass; Jessie Montgomery’s work inspired by her great-grandfather’s migration north; and Carlos Simon’s tribute to African American icons. These works are part of the ensemble’s ongoing Legacy Commissioning Project, encompassing dozens of world premieres.

Since forming in 1997, Imani Winds has regularly appeared on major chamber music series and at leading performing arts centers and summer festivals, including Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, Chamber Music Northwest, Banff Centre, and Chautauqua Institution. Internationally, their reach extends across Asia, Europe, South America, Australia, and New Zealand.

Education is central to Imani Winds’ mission. Appointed in 2021 as the Curtis Institute of Music’s first ever Faculty Wind Quintet, they also lead residencies and masterclasses nationwide, reaching thousands of students annually at institutions such as the University of Chicago, Eastman School of Music, and Duke University. In 2010, they launched the Imani Winds Chamber Music Festival, an acclaimed summer program nurturing the next generation of professional musicians through mentorship, masterclasses, and entrepreneurial training. In 2019, they deepened their mission by founding the Imani Winds Foundation, followed by the creation of Imani Winds Media, a record label spotlighting artists of color. Its first release, Jeff Scott’s Passion for Bach and Coltrane, won a Grammy Award 2024.

Imani Winds’ deep connection to jazz is reflected in collaborations with legends such as Wayne Shorter, Paquito D’Rivera, and Jason Moran. Their multidisciplinary project Josephine Baker: A Life of Le Jazz Hot! featuring jazz vocalist René Marie earned rave reviews in cities across the U.S.

One of their most meaningful honors is a permanent installation in the classical music section of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, a fitting tribute to their enduring impact on the American musical landscape.

The Takács Quartet was formed in 1975 at the Franz Liszt Academy in Budapest by Gabor Takács-Nagy, Károly Schranz, Gabor Ormai and András Fejér, while all four were students. The group received international attention in 1977, winning First Prize and the Critics’ Prize at the International String Quartet Competition in Evian, France. The Quartet also won the Gold Medal at the 1978 Portsmouth and Bordeaux Competitions and First Prizes at the Budapest International String Quartet Competition in 1978 and the Bratislava Competition in 1981. The Quartet made its North American debut tour in 1982.

Now in the Quartet’s 50th year, its members Edward Dusinberre, Harumi Rhodes (violins), Richard O’Neill (viola) and András Fejér (cello) are excited about upcoming projects including performances throughout the USA and on major international stages including London’s Wigmore Hall, Concertgebouw, and Konzerthaus Berline, among others.
In recognition of its 50th anniversary, the Takács Quartet was the subject of an in-depth New York Times profile and featured on the cover of Strad magazine. The Takács released two anniversary season albums in 2025 for Hyperion Records to glowing reviews. ‘Flow’ by Ngwenyama, composed for the ensemble, was followed by an album of piano quintets by Dvořák and Price with Marc André Hamelin.
The members of the Takács Quartet are Christoffersen Fellows and have been Artists in Residence at the University of Colorado, Boulder since 1986. During the summer months the Takács join the faculty at the Music Academy of the West, running an intensive quartet seminar. This season the ensemble begins a new relationship as Visiting Artists at the University of Maryland.

The Takács has recorded for Hyperion since 2005, with all other recordings available to stream at hyperion-streaming.co.uk. In 2021, the Takács won a Presto Music Recording of the Year Award for their recordings of string quartets by Fanny and Felix Mendelssohn, and a Gramophone Award with pianist Garrick Ohlsson for piano quintets by Beach and Elgar. For their CDs on the Decca/London label, the Quartet has won three Gramophone Awards, a Grammy Award, three Japanese Record Academy Awards, Disc of the Year at the inaugural BBC Music Magazine Awards, and Ensemble Album of the Year at the Classical Brits.

In 2014 the Takács became the first string quartet to be awarded the Wigmore Hall Medal. In 2012, Gramophone announced the Takács as the first string quartet inducted into its Hall of Fame. The ensemble also won the 2011 Award for Chamber Music and Song presented by the Royal Philharmonic Society in London.
Members of the Takács Quartet are the grateful beneficiaries of an instrument loan by the Drake Foundation. They are grateful to be Thomastik-Infeld Artists.

Nicholas Phan is a Grammy Award-winning lyric tenor, curator, and educator, celebrated for his expressive artistry and versatility across a repertoire spanning nearly 500 years. Described by the Boston Globe as “one of the world’s most remarkable singers,” he has earned international recognition for his captivating stage presence, keen intelligence, and natural musicianship. In 2010 he co-founded Art Song Chicago to promote art song and vocal chamber music, where he serves as artistic director. 

Committed to education of audiences and musicians alike, Nicholas Phan served on the voice faculty of the DePaul University School of Music from 2018-2020. In addition to his time at DePaul, he has guest taught (working as both a voice teacher and a coach) at the Eastman School of Music, San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Merola Opera Program, University of Michigan School of Music, Theater, and Dance, and the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program at the Metropolitan Opera. He currently serves as a coach on the faculty of the San Francisco Opera Center, where he works with the Adler Fellows. 

Phan is the President of Chamber Music America.

Third Coast Percussion (TCP) is Chicago’sGRAMMY® Award-winning percussion quartet and GRAMMY®-nominated composer collective that made history as the first percussion ensemble to win the revered music award in the classical genre.To date, TCP has garnered seven totalGRAMMY® nominations.

The four members of Third Coast Percussion (SeanConnors, Robert Dillon, Peter Martin, and David Skidmore)met while studying percussion music at NorthwesternUniversity with Michael Burritt and James Ross, formingThird Coast Percussion in 2005. From their base in Chicago, the four friends carefully and thoughtfully built a thriving nonprofit organization — including full-time staff, office/studio space, and a board of directors — to support their vision and facilitate their efforts to bring new works to life.Members of Third Coast also hold degrees from theEastman School of Music, Rutgers University, the New England Conservatory, and the Yale School of Music.

Founded in 2011, Civitas Ensemble is one of the leading chamber music groups in Chicago. The Ensemble presents repertoire spanning four centuries of music history and numerous genres and styles. The musicians nurture relationships with living composers to commission new works. Over the past 14 years, Civitas has commissioned and premiered more than ten new works. The Ensemble is currently working on commissioning projects for future seasons.

Praised for its quality of performances as well as its community engagement efforts, Civitas members are passionate about working with artists from other creative disciplines, dancers, visual artists, poets, in projects that underscore the power of cross-disciplinary arts. Past such collaborations include Alla Zingarese, an international connections project supported by MacArthur Foundation. The namesake album Alla Zingarese showcases Civitas Ensemble with Prague-based Gipsy Way Ensemble in exhilarating music inspired by the Roma music tradition.

Other collaborative projects include performances with Yo-Yo Ma at the Chicago Humanities Festival that featured panel discussion on the topic of “Artist and Citizenship.”   Civitas was named the Artists in Residence for the Chinese Fine Arts Society and has been invited by the City of Chicago to perform at the Pritzker Pavilion at Millennium Park, as part of the City’s Loops and Variations series.

The Ensemble continues to receive rave reviews from the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Classical Review, and Chicago on the Aisle. Its albums were on the top of Classical Billboard. Currently, there are plans for three distinct projects and featured albums with composers Mischa Zupko, James Stephenson, and Clarice Assad & Sergio Assad.

Civitas Ensemble receives generous grants from various foundations and many individuals.

Throughout his critically acclaimed recordings as a leader and collaborator with numerous leading jazz figures and world-class ensembles, Ryan Cohan has masterfully walked the line of writer and player, proving himself time and again to be a composer of rare vision as well as a versatile, powerfully expressive pianist. 

Recognized for his “ingenuity and virtuosity” (Chicago Tribune), Cohan’s expansive body of work ranges from compositions for solo piano to symphony orchestra. His albums of original music include One Sky, 

Another Look, and The River, the latter featuring a sixty-minute suite inspired by his travels in Africa. His large-ensemble recording Originations (Origin Records) synthesizes Middle Eastern and other world music influences with classical compositional elements and improvisation, earning a DownBeat Editor’s Pick and recognition as one of the Chicago Tribune’s Best Jazz Recordings of 2020. His latest project, Prism, had its world premiere at the Hyde Park Jazz Festival in late 2025. 

Cohan has toured internationally as a cultural ambassador for the U.S. Department of State in partnership with Jazz at Lincoln Center, leading ensembles across Africa, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East. These tours emphasized collaboration with local musicians and the role of music in fostering empathy and connection across cultures. 

His career includes performances with jazz luminaries and elite large ensembles such as Freddie Hubbard, Randy Brecker, Joe Locke, Kurt Elling, Andy Narell, Paquito D’Rivera, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and Orbert Davis’s Chicago Jazz Philharmonic. Cohan worked closely with Ramsey Lewis for over seven years, contributing more than twenty compositions and arrangements to the late NEA Jazz 

Master’s recorded and live performance repertoire and writing the theme for Lewis’s nationally syndicated television series The Legends of Jazz. Additional projects include orchestral work for Joe Locke’s recording Wish Upon a Star and commissions for the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra. 

A Guggenheim Fellow and winner of the George Duke Commissioning Prize from the Symphonic Jazz Orchestra, Cohan has also received major awards and grants from Chamber Music America, New Music 

USA, the Sundance Institute, the Aaron Copland Fund, and the Illinois Arts Council. 

As an educator, he has served as artist-in-residence at international festivals and universities and on faculty at institutions including the University of Illinois at Chicago and the Skidmore Jazz Institute. He 

continues to work as a clinician at schools and music programs across the U.S. and abroad, maintaining a strong commitment to mentorship and musical exchange.