Strings International Music Festival Faculty Listing |
| Cellists |
 Hai-Ye NiPrincipal Cellist Philadelphia Orchestra |
Hai-Ye Ni joined The Philadelphia Orchestra as principal cello at the beginning of the 2006-07 season, after having served as associate principal cello of the New York Philharmonic since 1999. Ms. Ni first came into prominence after her critically praised New York debut at Alice Tully Hall in 1991. This performance came as a result of her winning first prize at the Naumburg International Cello Competition. She has since won first prize in the 1996 International Paulo Cello Competition in Finland, and became a recipient of the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant in 2001. Hai-Ye Ni made her debut with the Chicago Symphony in 1997 under the baton of Christoph Eschenbach at the Ravinia Festival. At Yo-Yo Ma’s recommendation, she made a 14-city United States tour to introduce Bright Sheng’s cello concerto Two Poems. During her tenure at the New York Philharmonic, Ms. Ni collaborated with Bobby McFerrin in the Vivaldi Concerto for Two Cellos, and made her solo debut in 2003. In 2004 Ms. Ni performed a solo recital of works by contemporary female composers Ellen Taaffe Zwilich and Chen Yi in Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall. Born in Shanghai, China, in 1972, Hai-Ye Ni began her cello studies with her mother and later studied at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. Ms. Ni continued her musical education with Irene Sharp at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Joel Krosnick at the Juilliard School of Music, and William Pleeth in London. |
 Gloria de PasqualeCellist Philadelphia Orchestra |
| Gloria dePasquale joined the cello section of The Philadelphia Orchestra in 1977 at the invitation of Eugene Ormandy. Prior to joining The Philadelphia Orchestra, Mrs. dePasquale served as Associate Principal cello with The Buffalo, NY, Philharmonic and was a substitute for The Boston Symphony and The Boston Pops Orchestra.Born in Evansville, Indiana, Mrs. dePasquale credits the public school music program of her hometown for her introduction to the cello. Mrs. dePasquale holds a BM and a MM from The New England Conservatory of Music. She has peformed on numerous occasions with husband, William dePasquale, in The dePasqaule Duo. Currently, Mrs. dePasquale is the cellist in The dePasquale String Trio, with daughter, Francesca and husband, William. Mrs. dePasquale performed as cellist for 17 years with The dePasquale Quartet. Along with William, Mrs. dePasquale serves as co-artistic advisor for The Philadelphia Youth Orchestra organization. Mrs. dePasquale maintains a large private studio and her students are prize winners,annually achieving admission into the nation’s elite universities and conservatories. Her former students hold professional orchestral positions both in the US and abroad. In 2001, Mrs. dePasquale was the recipient of The Philadelphia Orchestra’s C. Hartman Kuhn Award, awarded annually to the member of The Philadelphia Orchestra who has “shown ability and enterprise of such character as to enhance the standards and reputation of The Philadelphia Orchestra.” Mrs. dePasquale is a member of the board of directors and the executive board of The Philadelphia Orchestra. |
 Udi Bar-DavidCellist Philadelphia Orchestra |
| Udi Bar-David began his cello studies at the age of seven with Uzi Wiesel in Tel-Aviv, Israel. He continued his studies at The Juilliard School with Leonard Rose, and later studied conducting at The Curtis Institute of Music with Max Rudolph. Mr. Bar-David is an acclaimed soloist in Israel, having performed with Israel's leading orchestras, recorded at the Jerusalem Music Center founded by Pablo Casals, and toured the county as a member of the Israeli Army Quartet. In 1976, he won the International Villa Lobos Competition in Brazil. Mr. Bar-David has been principal cellist in the International Youth Orchestra, at Juilliard, in the National Orchestra of New York, and with the American Ballet Theatre. Mr. Bar-David became a member of The Philadelphia Orchestra in 1987. He was featured in solo recitals of Spain and California, and is the founder of “Intercultural Journeys," a non-profit organization based in Philadelphia committed to producing performances, master classes, lectures, and other interactions that provide opportunities for musical dialogue and understanding among a variety of cultural traditions. As a chamber musician, Mr. Bar David has collaborated with Christoph Eschenbach, Leon Fleisher, Jaime Laredo, and Rudolph Buchbinder. |
 John Koen Cellist Philadelphia Orchestra |
| John Koen has been a member of The Philadelphia Orchestra since 1990. He frequently appears on the Chamber Music series of The Philadelphia Orchestra, including performances with Maestro Christoph Eschenbach in Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time in May 2004, and with Maestro Wolfgang Sawallisch in Schumann’s Piano Quintet. Mr. Koen has appeared frequently with the New Symphony Orchestra of Sofia, Bulgaria, and other European orchestras, as well as with orchestras across the United States. He has collaborated in chamber music with artists such as Emanuel Ax, Horacio Gutierrez, Stephen Hough, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Joshua Bell, Kimberly Fisher, Chantal Juillet, Juliette Kang, Leonidas Kavakos, Michael Ludwig, Julian Rachlin, Harold Robinson, Ricardo Morales and Jennifer Montone. He has appeared with the Philadelphia Chamber Ensemble since 1993 and is a member of the Mondrian Ensemble. Mr. Koen studied at The Curtis Institute of Music with David Soyer and currently teaches cello and chamber music at Temple University. Mr. Koen performed in the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival Orchestra as Solo Cellist on Europea Tours with Maestros Christoph Eschenbach, Leonard Bernstein, and Sergui Celibidache and is featured on the DVD “Bernstein n Rehearsal and Performance – Shostakovich: Symphony No.1.” |
 Derek S. BarnesCellist Philadelphia Orchestra |
| Derek S. Barnes is a cellist with The Philadelphia Orchestra. Formerly, Mr.Barnes has appeared as soloist with the Curtis Symphony Orchestra, the Tanglewood Music Center Symphony and the Indianapolis, Anderson and Muncie Symphony Orchestras. He was previously a member of the Concerto Soloists of Philadelphia, the Santa Fe Opera Orchestra, the New York String Orchestra and the South Jersey Symphony. Mr. Barnes has participated in the Tanglewood Fellowship program and the summer music festivals of the Taos School of Music, Encore School for Strings, and Congress of Strings. A graduate of The Curtis Institute of Music, his teachers have included Orlando Cole, David Soyer, and William Stokking. |
 Alex Veltman Cellist Philadelphia Orchestra |
| Prior to joining The Philadelphia Orchestra in June 1996, cellist Alex Veltman worked with several orchestras in the northeastern United States. He was a regular substitute cellist for the New York Philharmonic, assistant principal cello of the Hudson Valley Philharmonic in Poughkeepsie, New York, and a member of the New York Symphonic Ensemble, the New Jersey Symphony, and the New Haven Symphony. Born in Moscow, Mr. Veltman earned his bachelor's degree studying with Harvey Shapiro at The Juilliard School, and his master’s degree from the Yale University School of Music, where he studied with Aldo Parisot. Mr. Veltman has participated in the Bedford Springs Festival in Bedford, Pennsylvania - where he performed as soloist with the festival orchestra - and the Saratoga Springs Summer Festival in upstate New York, and has attended the Kneisel Hall Chamber Music Festival in Blue Hill, Maine. He has collaborated with such artists are Chantal Juillet, Roberto Díaz, Nikolaj Znaider, and Elmar Oliveira, and has given recitals at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall and C. Michael Paul Hall, as well as at St. John’s, Princeton, and Yale universities, among others. Mr. Veltman has also made several radio and television appearances, including WQXR’s Young Artists Showcase in New York. |
 Ulrich BoeckhelerCello Soloist |
| Uli Boeckheler, a prizewinner in the 1982 Gaspar Cassado International Cello Competition, performs regularly as a soloist in the United States and Europe. Former principal cellist of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra of Flanders, Belgium and Helmuth Rillings Bach Collegium Stuttgart, Mr. Boeckheler was invited to be a part of the distinguished jury for the XXIII International Cello Competition “Dr. Luis Sigall,” in Chile. He recently premiered and recorded cello concertos by David Crumb and Jay Reise with Orchestra 2001. As a chamber musician, Mr. Boeckheler has participated in the Marlboro, Saratoga, and Grand Teton Music Festivals. His collaboration with pianist Susan Starr has been successful both in concert and in the recording studio. Mr. Boeckheler, Principal Cellist with Peter Nero and the Philly Pops, performs frequently with The Philadelphia Orchestra. Mr. Boeckheler is performing in “Trio Excelsior” with Gabriel Gordon and Marja Kaisla, it has been successful and they have been signed on by "live on stage" for next season. |
| Bassists |
 Michael ShahanAssociate Principal Bassist Philadelphia Orchestra |
| Michael Shahan was born in Washington, D.C and came to Philadelphia to study at The Curtis Institute of Music with Roger Scott, then-principal bass of The Philadelphia Orchestra. Mr. Shahan also studied under Joseph Willens. Upon graduation from Curtis, Mr. Shahan joined the National Symphony in Washington, where he remained for two seasons before joining The Philadelphia Orchestra in 1964. He was named assistant principal bass of The Philadelphia Orchestra in 1970 and associate principal bass in 1987. Mr. Shahan serves as co-music director of the Amerita Chamber Players and plays bass in the Philadelphia Chamber Ensemble. He also plays viola da gamba with the American Society of Ancient Instruments and bass in the Philadelphia Jazz Quintet. He received The Philadelphia Orchestra’s C. Hartman Kuhn Award in 1987 for distinguished service to the Orchestra. In addition to teaching in his private studio, Mr. Shahan taught at the New School of Music (now Boyer School at Temple University) for 35 years. |
 Robert KesselmanBassist Philadelphia Orchestra |
| Robert Kesselman, a native Philadelphian, attended Temple University and The Curtis Institute of Music. In 1980, he won a section bass position with the Pittsburgh Symphony, where he remained until 1987. Mr. Kesselman had always dreamed of playing with The Philadelphia Orchestra, and in 1987 he was accepted into the bass section. When he is not playing in the Orchestra, he enjoys teaching, solo playing, and performing chamber music. He was formerly on the faculty of the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore and currently teaches at Temple University. Mr. Kesselman leads the bass students in the Strings International Music Festival's college and young professionals division in a program specially formatted to highlight the unique nature of bass study. The program includes individual and group instruction. Group instruction includes seven two-hour sessions with Mr. Kesselman that focus on the preparation and performance of orchestral excerpts from standard orchestral repertoire. A mock audition at the end of the festival provides bass students an excellent opportunity to experience a taste of "real-life" orchestral auditions and to receive constructive comments about their audition performances from peers and professional musicians. Click here for a listing of required bass repertoire. |
| Flute |
 Loren LindFlutist Philadelphia Orchestra |
| A member of The Philadelphia Orchestra since 1974, Loren N. Lind was born in Honolulu, where he attended the University of Hawaii. He studied with the principal flutists of the Honolulu Symphony, the Seattle Symphony, and the NHK Symphony of Tokyo. In Philadelphia, he studied with Murray Panitz, who was The Philadelphia Orchestra’s principal flute at the time. Mr. Lind has served in the flute sections of the Honolulu Symphony and the Philadelphia Lyric Opera Orchestra, and has appeared as soloist with the Honolulu Symphony and the Hawaii Youth Orchestra. In the Delaware Valley, he is a member of the Conwell Woodwind Quintet at Temple University. He has appeared on The Philadelphia Orchestra’s Chamber Music Series on numerous occasions, and has performed in many concerts, both orchestral and chamber, throughout the region. |
| Oboe |
 Peter SmithAssociate Principal Oboist Phialdelphia Orchestra |
| Peter Smith has been associate principal oboe of The Philadelphia Orchestra since 1991. Mr. Smith performed Mozart’s Sinfonia concertante for winds and orchestra with The Philadelphia Orchestra in June of 2004, was a soloist in The Philadelphia Orchestra’s Absolutely Mozart Festival in a performance of Mozart’s Piano Quintet with pianist Emanuel Ax in June of 2003, and was featured in The Philadelphia Orchestra’s performance of Martinu’s Sinfonia concertante for violin, oboe, cello, bassoon, and orchestra at The Mann Center for the Performing Arts in July of 1994. A graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music, Mr. Smith studied with Philadelphia Orchestra Principal Oboe Richard Woodhams; he has also studied with Louis Rosenblatt and Marc Lifschey. Mr. Smith has appeared as soloist with the Lower Merion Symphony, the Bucks County Symphony, the Newark Symphony (Delaware), the Colorado Festival Orchestra, the Curtis Symphony, the Camerata Classica, and the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia. He is currently on the faculty of Temple University, where he is a member of the Conwell Woodwind Quintet. |
| Clarinet |
 Ricardo MoralesPrincipal Clarinetist Philadelphia Orchestra |
| Ricardo Morales was appointed principal clarinet of The Philadelphia Orchestra, of which he has been a member since 2003, by Wolfgang Sawallisch. Prior to this, he was principal clarinet of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and the Florida Symphony. Mr. Morales received his Artist Diploma at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music and Indiana University. Mr. Morales has been a featured soloist with The Philadelphia Orchestra, the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, and the Chicago Symphony, the Cincinnati Symphony, the Indianapolis Symphony, the Flemish Radio Symphony, the North Carolina Symphony, and the Puerto Rico Symphony, among many others. He made his solo debut with The Philadelphia Orchestra in 2004 with Charles Dutoit at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, and performed as soloist in 2005 with Christoph Eschenbach in Verizon Hall. An active chamber musician, Mr. Morales has performed in the MET Chamber Ensemble series at Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall with James Levine at the piano, at the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, the Saratoga Chamber Music Festival, the Kennedy Center, on NBC’s The Today Show, and with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. He currently serves on the faculties of the Juilliard School and Temple University. |
| Bassoon |
 Angela AndersonBassoonist Philadelphia Orchestra |
| Angela Anderson has been a member of The Philadelphia Orchestra since 1997. Her previous orchestra memberships include the San Jose Symphony, where she served as second bassoon, and the San Antonio Symphony, where she was assistant principal/second bassoon. Ms. Anderson frequently performs in the Philadelphia Orchestra Chamber Music Series, and is a member of the Network for New Music and the Conwell Woodwind Quintet, an ensemble made up of Temple University faculty members. Ms. Anderson has won prizes at such competitions as the Carmel and Coleman chamber music competitions, and she has participated in the Yale Summer School of Music and Art, the Music Academy of the West Summer Festival, and the Midsummer Mozart Festival, where she was second bassoon in the Festival Orchestra for two seasons. Currently a faculty member of the Esther Boyer College of Music at Temple University, Ms. Anderson has previously taught at the University of Texas at Austin, the University of Santa Clara, and Southwest Texas State University. She graduated from the University of New Mexico with a Bachelor of Music in 1988 and received a Master of Music from the University of Southern California in 1991. Her teachers have included Artemus Edwards, Norman Herzberg, Dennis Michel, and Matthew Karr. |
| Horns |
Jeffrey Lang |
Jeffrey Lang performs and teaches French horn in the greater New York - Philadelphia area. He is currently Associate Principal horn of the Philadelphia Orchestra and Principal horn of the American Symphony Orchestra. Formerly Principal horn of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Jeff has been invited as guest principal horn of the Bavarian Radio Orchestra, the New York City Opera Orchestra, and the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. He has also performed with the New York Philharmonic and the Metropolitan Opera. Jeff has developed an active horn studio at Vassar College, and is currently on the faculty of Temple University and Bard College. He studied at the Juilliard School and Temple University. Jeff is a frequent soloist and has appeared with Zubin Mehta, Mung-Whun Chung, Kurt Masur and Leon Botstein conducting. Chamber music performances at home and abroad have included concerts with Bella Davidovitch, Diane Walsh, Simone Dinnerstein, The Israel Piano Trio, the Wister Quartet, Rolf Schulte, Melvin Chen, Richard Wilson, the Canadian Brass, and members of the Philadelphia Orchestra. He has participated in the Kingston Chamber Music Festival, Bard Rediscoveries, OK Mozart and the Spoleto Festivals. Jeff records for several TV, film, and commercial artists in the metropolitan area and was Principal horn of Disney's long running Broadway hit, Beauty and the Beast. He is an active member of the Recording Academy, the International Horn Society and the American Federation of Musicians. Jeff lives in New Jersey with his wife, Finnish cellist Elina Snellman-Lang, and their two sons, Johannes and Markus. |
| Piano |
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Pianist Hugh Sung has been an active soloist and chamber musician ever since his debut with The Philadelphia Orchestra at the age of 11. Two years later, he was accepted for studies at The Curtis Institute of Music, where his principal teachers included Eleanor Sokoloff, Jorge Bolet, and Seymour Lipkin, along with Karen Tuttle and Felix Galimir for chamber music. Throughout his studies and subsequent to graduating with a Bachelor of Music, Sung has performed in major cities throughout the Americas, England, Canada, South Africa, Japan, and Korea. Mr. Sung has been presented at some of the world's most prestigious venues, including Carnegie Hall, Weill Hall, Wigmore Hall, The National Gallery of Art, and The Ravinia Festival. He has made several guest appearances at radio stations throughout New York City, Rochester, Philadelphia, and New Zealand, and was featured on NPR's nationally syndicated "Performance Today" performing works by Clementi, Ravel, and Mussorgksy. His concerto engagements have included performances with the Concerto Soloists Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, annual appearances with the Masterworks Festival Orchestras since 1998, and extensive tours with the South Jersey Symphony Orchestra. Most recently, he was presented on Japanese National Television NHK in collaboration with violinist Aaron Rosand during a recital in the esteemed Ouji Hall in the Ginza district of Tokyo. |
| Harp |
 Kimberly Rowe International Harp Soloist Founder/Editor: Harp Column Magazine |
| One of Philadelphia's most active and versatile harpists, Kimberly Rowe has performed with the region's top ensembles including the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Baltimore Symphony, and the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia. She is well known among harpists as founder, editor, and designer of the internationally distributed Harp Column magazine. Rowe has been a featured performer at major harp events around the world including the American Harp Society National Conference, Lyon & Healy’s International Jazz and Pop Harpfest, and the World Harp Congress, in Geneva, Switzerland. She has given presentations for regional chapters of the American Harp Society and has been a guest speaker on business and the arts at institutions such as the University of Michigan. Rowe is co-founder and artist faculty of the Young Artist’s Harp Seminar and Competition as well as the Beginning in the Middle seminar for adult harp students; she is adjunct faculty in harp at Rowan University and also serves on the faculty of the Saratoga Harp Colony, founded by Philadelphia Orchestra Principal harpist Elizabeth Hainen. Kimberly Rowe attended the Cleveland Institute of Music where she received Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees studying with renowned harp pedagogue Alice Chalifoux. |
Accompanists |
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Koreen Kawalec has had an active career as a chamber musician and soloist across Europe and the USA. She earned a BM at the Eastman School of Music, where she studied with Barry Snyder. There she collaborated with many string players and performed 2 years in a row at the Isaac Stern Master classes. She went on to earn the Artist Diploma at the Amsterdam Conservatorium. While there she again collaborated frequently with string players and traveled to the Wieniawski International Violin Competition, where she was awarded the Beethoven Chamber Music Prize together with Barent Korfker. She performed in the Concertgebauw Kleine Zaal, as well as conducted Musical Theater in the famed Carre Theater. While in Amsterdam Ms. Kawalec performed on numerous occasions with members of the Concertgebauw Orchestra, as well as the Nederlands Philharmonic, Radio Philharmonic and other orchestras. She has been a collaborator at the Cours International de Musique, Morges, Switzerland, the Quartet Program in the USA, where she played for the Yo Yo Ma master classes. She regularly played at festivals in the Netherlands, Belgium, France and the US. She has collaborated with Erwin Schiffer, Charles Castleman, Jeffrey Solow, Maryellen Woodside of the Merel Quartet, Basil Vendryes of the Denver Philharmonic, Allyson Dawkins of the San Antonio Symphony, and members of the Tonhalle Orchestra, among countless others.While in Europe Ms. Kawalec performed in Rome for the World Food Program, participated in the International Chopin festival in Duszniki, Poland, and traveled to Budapest in collaboration with violist Erwin Schiffer. She has won numerous prizes and awards while still a student, and made her orchestral debut at 15 with the Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra, and was re-engaged by them the next year, in addition to soloing with the Minnesota Youth Orchestra. She won a debut recital in the Concertgebauw Kleine Zaal. And performed Tchaikovsky’s 1st piano concerto at the Eastman School of Music. Recently she has collaborated on numerous occasions in Florida, Colorado and New York with renowned violinist Charles Castleman, in addition to playing the Franck Sonata with him on a lecture recital, about which was written: “On 4th of July eve, things began heating up in Diers as Charles Castleman and Koreen Kawalec put new meaning into the phrase "fire in the belly" with their fiery rendition of the Franck Sonata. The temperaments were so hot that the fire alarm went off! This critic found the performance to be the most memorable in her experience. The sustaining power of both artists was held to a thrilling degree while the nostalgic poignancy of the last movement was effectively innocent in character.” The past two summers she has been collaborative pianist at the Quartet Program in New York and Colorado, as well as the Strings International Music Festival in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, last December. Ms. Kawalec is Co-Artistic director of the newly formed Friends of Beethoven Society, together with cellist Claudio Jaffe. |
 Anna Ouspenskaya |
Anna Ouspenskaya is one of Washington DC's most recognized performing artists. In 1991 she made her first trip to the United States, winning Second Prize in the Bach International Piano Competition in Washington, DC. Since that year Anna was coming to US every year to perform and give master classes which took her to 18 states. In 1993 Ms. Ouspenskaya was a finalist at the Bach International Piano Competition in Germany. She made her first CD in 1995 with Altarus records, and her second is on its way on Ramsey records due for release this summer. Both CDs represent Russian music: the 1st of Rodion Shchedrin and the 2nd of Rachmaninoff and Tchaikovsky. An established chamber musician, Ms. Ouspenskaya has performed with principal members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra and Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra. Native of Yaroslavl, Russia, Anna was born to a family of professional musicians. She started her piano study at the age of six. At the age of seven she made her debut with the Yaroslavl Philharmonic playing Haydn's Piano Concerto in D Major. Entering her 5th grade Anna was accepted to the Moscow Conservatory Central Music School for Gifted Children, where she started studying with Dr. Yuri Levin. She won several local competitions and honor scholarships as well as was for many years admitted into concertizing group of students who traveled throughout Russia playing solo and orchestral performances. She performed with such known conductors as Barsov, Ponkin, Golovchin, Niazy, and Yakovlev in both Russian capitals, Moscow and St. Petersburg, as well as many of former Soviet Republics. |
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Ellen Hannigan-Youssefian received her Bachelor of Music in performance and Bachelor of Music Education from Shenandoah College and Conservatory of Music. She received an International Rotary Foundation Scholarship for advanced studies in Würzburg, West Germany, completing her diploma at the Hochschule für Musik, Würzburg. After three additional years of study in Vienna, Austria at the Hochschule für Musik and the Konservatorium der Stadt Wien, she made her way to Philadelphia. She completed her Master’s Degree in Piano Performance and Piano Pedagogy at Temple University. Ms. Youssefian has performed as a soloist, chamber musician, and accompanist throughout the region. Performances include the premier of a Piano Suite dedicated to her by composer Paul Miller. She has performed at the Academy of Music Ballroom, Laurel Hill Mansion, Settlement Music School, and Rutger’s |
Hugh Sung 
Koreen Kawalec, pianist
Ellen Hannigan-Youssefian