Biographies of musicians participating in the 2024-2025 concert season

Praised by critics for his passionate expression and dazzling technique, Andrew Armstrong (piano) has delighted audiences across Asia, Europe, Latin America, Canada, and the United States, including performances at Alice Tully Hall, Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, the Grand Hall of the Moscow Conservatory, and Warsaw’s National Philharmonic.  Andrew’s orchestral engagements across the globe have seen him perform a sprawling repertoire of more than 50 concertos with orchestras, and has additionally appeared in solo recitals in chamber music concerts with violinist James Ehnes; cellist Robert deMaine; the Elias, Alexander, American and Manhattan String Quartets; as a member of the Caramoor Virtuosi and the Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players.   Mr. Armstrong has released several award-winning recordings with his longtime recital partner James Ehnes.  Mr. Armstrong lives happily in Massachusetts, with his wife Esty, their four children, two dogs, two guinea pigs, and two fish.

Cellist Ani Aznavoorian is praised for her emotionally charged performances and remarkable technique. Described by The Strad as having “scorchingly committed performances,” she is a sought-after soloist and chamber musician. Aznavoorian has performed with major orchestras such as the Chicago Symphony, Boston Pops, and Tokyo Philharmonic. This season marks her 15th year as Principal Cellist of Camerata Pacifica.
A Juilliard alumna, she made history as the youngest cellist to win first prize in the school’s concerto competition, leading to performances at Avery Fisher Hall. Aznavoorian’s accolades include the Bunkamura Orchard Hall Award and prizes in prestigious competitions like the Illinois Young Performers Competition and the International Paulo Competition.
In addition to her performance career, Aznavoorian teaches at the University of Illinois and has served on the faculty of the Great Mountains Music Festival. She is passionate about new music and has premiered works by composers such as Ezra Laderman and Lera Auerbach. Aznavoorian records for Cedille Records and plays a cello handcrafted by her father, Peter Aznavoorian.

Philip Bush (piano) has established a performing career over the past three decades that is noted for its remarkable versatility and eclecticism, with a repertoire extending from the 16th century to the 21st. Since the launch of his career upon winning the American Pianists Association Fellowship Award and subsequent New York recital debut at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1984, Mr. Bush has appeared as recitalist throughout North America as well as in Europe, Asia and the Caribbean. His Carnegie Hall concerto debut with Oliver Knussen and the London Sinfonietta was hailed by the New York Times for its “impressive last-minute heroics,” as he substituted for an ailing Peter Serkin on short notice in concerti by Stravinsky and Alexander Goehr. Mr. Bush has also appeared as soloist with the Osaka Century Orchestra, Cincinnati Symphony, Houston Symphony and a number of other orchestras, in repertoire ranging from the Beethoven concerti to the American premiere of Michael Nyman’s Concerto for Harpsichord.
Mr. Bush is a graduate of the Peabody Conservatory, where he studied with Leon Fleisher. From 2000 to 2004, Mr. Bush taught piano and chamber music at the University of Michigan, and he has also served as Visiting Faculty at the University of North Carolina. Since 2012 Phillip Bush has been a member of the piano and chamber music faculty at the University of South Carolina School of Music.

Daniel Ching (violin) Daniel Ching, a founding member of the Miró Quartet, began his violin studies at the age of 3 under tutelage of his father. At age 5, he entered the San Francisco Conservatory Preparatory Division on a full twelve‐year scholarship, where he studied violin with Serban Rusu and Zaven Melikian, and chamber music with Susan Bates. At the age of 10, Daniel was first introduced to string quartets.A graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, Daniel studied violin with Kathleen Winkler, Roland and Almita Vamos, and conducting with Robert Spano and Peter Jaffe. He completed his Masters degree at the Cleveland Institute of Music, where he studied with former Cleveland Quartet violinist Donald Weilerstein. He also studied recording engineering and production with Thomas Knab of Telarc, and subsequently engineered the Miró Quartet’s first promotional disc. Daniel is on faculty at the Sarah and Ernest Butler School of Music at the University of Texas at Austin, where he teaches private violin students and coaches chamber music. He concurrently maintains an active international touring schedule as a member of the Miró Quartet.

Daniel is a discerning connoisseur of all things cinematic and electronic. Before he became a busy parent, Daniel was an avid skier and a dedicated reader of science fiction—he looks forward to returning to those passions, some day. In his free time, Daniel enjoys hosting happy hours with friends and lounging at home with his wife Sandy, their two sons, and two cats.

Praised for her “incredible flair, maturity, and insight,” violinist Diana Cohen leads a dynamic career as a concertmaster, chamber musician, and soloist. Appointed concertmaster of the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra in 2012, Cohen has previously held the same position with the Richmond Symphony, Kalamazoo Symphony, Charleston Symphony, and other orchestras. She has performed with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, The Knights, and the New York Philharmonic, and has been a soloist with various orchestras including the Rochester Philharmonic and Kalamazoo Symphony.
As a founding member of Trio Terzetto, Cohen has toured and recorded extensively across the U.S. and Canada. She has participated in renowned festivals such as Marlboro Music Festival, Ravinia, and the Chamber Music Festival of Giverny, and has collaborated with artists like Mitsuko Uchida and Garrick Ohlsson.
Cohen is the Executive and Co-Artistic Director of ChamberFest Cleveland. She lives in Calgary with her husband and baby, and they created the Garden Concerts YYC series during the pandemic..

Francisco Fullana (violin) Spanish violinist Francisco Fullana is acclaimed for his performances in both Europe and the U.S. Principal Violin of The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra since 2016, Fullana is praised as an “amazing talent” (Gustavo Dudamel) and “a paragon of delicacy” (San Francisco’s Classical Voice). Starting in 2018, Fullana has been invited to join the prestigious Lincoln Center Chamber Music Society Two.
Orchid Classics will release Fullana’s new recording in March 2018, which includes Max Richter’s “Four Seasons Recomposed” with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra under Carlos Izcaray, curated in conjunction with a series of contemporary solo works examining the tradition of baroque music. His ongoing collaboration with Argentinian bandoneonist J.P. Jofre will culminate with the 2018 premiere of Jofre’s Double Concerto for bandoneon and violin, a work commissioned by the Balearic Islands Symphony, San Antonio Chamber Orchestra and New York City’s Metropolis Ensemble to honor Leonard Bernstein’s Centennial.
An advocate of music education for young people, Fullana co-founded San Antonio’s Classical Music Institute, now in its third season. He also created the Fortissimo Youth Initiative, a series of baroque and classical music seminars with youth orchestras. Fullana currently performs on the 1735 “Mary Portman” ex-Kreisler Guarneri del Gesu violin, kindly on loan from Clement and Karen Arrison through the Stradivari Society of Chicago.

Christian Hale (Bass) moved to Charleston in 2022 to become Principal Bass with the Charleston Symphony and began teaching at the College of Charleston soon after. Initially drawn to jazz, his teacher, David Yavornitzky, Principal Bassist of the Utah Symphony, steered him toward classical fundamentals, and Christian has since focused on classical music.
He made his debut as a teenager, winning the Utah Symphony’s Salute to Youth competition. He later won concerto competitions at BYU and the San Francisco Conservatory, where he earned a Master’s Degree and Professional Studies Certificate under Scott Pingel. Christian has performed with the National Orchestral Institute, Music in the Vineyards, and as a fellow at the Aspen Music Festival.
In California, he regularly substituted with the San Francisco Symphony and Ballet Orchestra and performed with regional orchestras like the Santa Cruz and California Symphony. He has worked with renowned conductors such as Esa-Pekka Salonen and Maren Alsop. Christian enjoys cooking, writing program notes for the Charleston Symphony, and maintaining a weekly classical music newsletter, The Green Room Newsletter.

Raised in Chapel Hill, NC, Frances Hsieh (violin) began violin studies at age five with Dorothy Kitchen of the Duke University String School. An A.J. Fletcher scholar at Duke, she earned dual degrees in Music and Biology while studying under Eric Pritchard. Frances completed her Master’s in Violin Performance at the Eastman School of Music with Charles Castleman and performed with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra through a competitive internship. At Eastman, she received chamber music instruction from Mikail Kopelman, Zvi Zeitlin, George Taylor, and the Ying Quartet.Frances has attended prestigious summer music festivals, including Tanglewood Institute, Eastern Music Festival, and AIMS in Graz. She won the Benenson Award for Aspen Music Festival and Musicorda and toured Austria and Italy with the Eastman Quartet. Professionally, Frances has performed with the North Carolina and Phoenix Symphonies, and has held positions with the Colorado Music Festival, Richmond Symphony Orchestra, and as Assistant Concertmaster of the Asheville Symphony. She is currently Principal 2nd of the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra and plays with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra. As a dedicated teacher, Frances runs a private studio, teaches at Ashley Hall’s Carolina Strings Academy, and has been involved with Joyful Noise in Asheville and Luzerne Music Center in NY. She is also a core member of Chamber Music Charleston and has performed at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Hall.

Tomas Jakubek (violin) started his violin studies at the age of seven in his native country of Slovakia. He holds his Masters Degree in Violin Performance from the Janacek Academy of Music in Brno (Czech Republic). He also studied at the Lithuanian Academy of Music in Vilnius and has participated in master classes in Slovakia, Czech Republic, Austria and Germany. Mr. Jakubek regularly performs with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra, the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra, and Chamber Music Charleston. He has performed with Chamber Music Fest and was the concertmaster of the Summerville Symphony, the Saint James Orchestra and the CofC Orchestra.

Anthea Kreston (violin), former member of the internationally renowned Artemis String Quartet, has returned to the United States to continue her solo and chamber music career. As a member of the Artemis String Quartet, she enjoyed a robust concert schedule with regular appearances at major concert halls in Europe and the United States. She has received numerous awards for her chamber collaborations, including the grand prize at the Concert Artists Guild Competition and Europe’s Echo Award for recording. Ms. Kreston made her solo debut at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and continues to tour with the Amelia Piano Trio. She has toured with Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Project and has been recognized by Chamber Music America for her groundbreaking work with abuse survivors. Ms. Kreston holds a Bachelor of Arts in women’s studies from Cleveland State University and a performance degree from the Curtis Institute of Music.

Charles Messersmith (clarinet) began playing the clarinet in California at the age of 8. He received his Bachelor of Music degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music and his Master of Music degree from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. After graduation, he became the principal clarinet of the Augusta symphony currently holds the principal clarinet position with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra. He has also performed with the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra as co-principal clarinet since 2006. Along with regular performances with the Charleston Symphony and Chamber Music Charleston, he performs all around the Lowcountry with local, national, and internationally renowned chamber musicians as well as for Piccolo Spoleto programs in the spring. In the summers he performs in Virginia at the Wintergreen Music Festival in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Demarre McGill is an internationally acclaimed flutist celebrated for his lyrical expressiveness and technical mastery. A recipient of the Avery Fisher Career Grant and the Sphinx Medal of Excellence, he has performed as a soloist with major orchestras, including the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Chicago, Seattle, and San Francisco Symphony Orchestras. McGill currently serves as Principal Flute of the Seattle Symphony and has held similar positions with the Dallas, San Diego, and Florida Orchestras.
An active educator, McGill has taught and presented master classes worldwide, including in South Africa, Japan, and the U.S., and has served on the faculty of prestigious programs like the Aspen Music Festival and the National Youth Orchestra of the United States. He is a founding member of the Myriad Trio and co-founded the McGill/McHale Trio, whose recordings have received critical acclaim.
McGill champions accessibility in classical music, promoting diverse voices and underrepresented composers. His media appearances include PBS’s Live from Lincoln Center and NBC’s Today Show. A Chicago native, McGill holds degrees from The Curtis Institute of Music and The Juilliard School.

Recognized as a deeply expressive artist and known for her musical career of broad versatility, Amy Schwartz Moretti (violin) is Director of the McDuffie Center for Strings at the Mercer University Townsend School of Music and former Concertmaster of the Oregon Symphony and Florida Orchestra. She is a member of the internationally acclaimed Ehnes String Quartet and maintains an active performing schedule of solo, chamber, and concertmaster appearances. Recent projects include the CD release of Schubert and Sibelius quartets (Onyx Classics); performing Beethoven’s complete cycle of string quartets in Korea; and performing the international premiere in Japan, of “Three Shades of Blue,” GRAMMY® winner Matt Catingub’s concerto written for her. In addition to her recordings and international performances, she curates the Fabian Concert Series in Macon, Georgia, and holds the Caroline Paul King Chair in Strings. Through the generous efforts of the Stradivari Society of Chicago, she plays the 1744 G.B. Guadagnini violin and gratefully acknowledges its extended loan. Born in Wisconsin, raised in North Carolina and California, Amy lives in Georgia with her husband and two young sons enjoying all aspects of motherhood, especially Saturday morning soccer matches.

Born and raised in central Massachusetts, Sandra Nikolajevs (bassoon) began her formal musical education at the Oberlin College and Conservatory of Music in Ohio and received her Bachelor of Music degree from the Juilliard School in New York City. She furthered her education at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris, as the first American in the German Bassoon Studio of acclaimed solo bassoonist Pascal Gallois. An avid chamber musician, Ms. Nikolajevs has performed chamber music in Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall and with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. Ms. Nikolajevs is currently Principal Bassoonist of the Savannah Philharmonic and has held the same position with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra, South Carolina Philharmonic and Augusta Symphony. She is Founder, President and Artistic Director of Chamber Music Charleston.

Timothy O’Malley (cello) was first introduced to the cello at the age of nine when he participated in a strings program in Tucson, Arizona. Since then, his studies have brought him across the United States and to Europe. While in high school he studied under Angelika May at the Academy for Music and the Performing Arts in Vienna and he received his Bachelor’s degree in Cello Performance from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music with Norman Fischer and Catherina Meints and his Master’s degree in Orchestral Performance from the Manhattan School of Music. He is formerly co-principal cellist of the Hilton Head Orchestra, was a full time core cellist of the Charleston Symphony, and is a member of Chamber Music Charleston. His Chamber Music Charleston performances have brought him overseas to the US Virgin Islands as well as Carnegie Hall.

Dr. Irina Pevzner (piano) was born in Ukraine and raised in Latvia. She moved to the United States after graduating from the Riga Jazep Medins Music College. Dr. Pevzner holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of South Carolina, a Master of Music degree in piano performance from Carnegie Mellon University, Artist Certificate from the College of Charleston, and a Bachelor of Music degree from Mansfield University of Pennsylvania. Irina has performed in Latvia, Ukraine, Spain, Italy, Brazil, and throughout the U. S. Locally, she has performed at the International Piano Series, Monday Night Concert Series, and in numerous programs with Chamber Music Charleston. Passionate about the power of music education, Dr. Pevzner worked as a professor of music at the College of Charleston for 11 years and currently serves as the Executive Director of the Charleston Academy of Music where she continues to develop programs that inspire individuals through music-making. Her dissertation Forgotten Russian Piano Music has been published by Scholar’s Press and her recently developed program Power Keys© has been helping musicians all over the world to better understand and practice the music craft. More information about Dr. Pevzner’s journey is found at www.irinapevzner.com.

Praised by The New York Times for his “uncommon sensitivity and feeling,” pianist Roman Rabinovich is celebrated for his multifaceted artistry as a soloist, curator, and collaborator. Winner of the 2008 Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Master Competition, Rabinovich has performed with orchestras such as the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Orchestre de Chambre de Paris, Prague Symphony, and Seattle Symphony, under conductors like Sir Roger Norrington and Zubin Mehta.
As a recitalist, he has appeared at venues including the Queen Elizabeth Hall and the Liszt Academy and at festivals such as Marlboro and Lucerne. A composer and visual artist, Rabinovich is also acclaimed for his interpretations of Haydn, having performed and recorded the complete keyboard sonatas to critical praise.
Rabinovich made his Carnegie Hall Concerto debut on 24 hours’ notice with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and debuted with the Israel Philharmonic at age 10. He co-directs ChamberFest Cleveland and ChamberFest West in Calgary with his wife, violinist Diana Cohen. His diverse repertoire spans six centuries, showcasing his broad artistic reach.

Alan Rafferty (cello) has firmly established himself as a preeminent cellist, educator, arts leader, and entrepreneur. He currently holds the position of Associate Professor and educator of Cello at the University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music. In addition, he is a member of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and has been a regular performer on the CSO Chamber Players Series and narrator of the Education Concerts.  Mr. Rafferty made his solo debut with orchestra at the age of 16 and has been a featured soloist on numerous occasions since.  He can be heard on recordings for Telarc, Sono Luminus, C.R., and WGUC radio station. As a chamber musician, Mr. Rafferty regularly collaborates with the likes of Leon Fleisher, Cho-Liang Lin, Matt Haimovitz, and the Miró Quartet, to name a few.  In the summers, he is the Artistic Director of the Ascent International Chamber Music Festival.  Alan is on the faculty of the Sphinx Organization National Alliance for Audition Support Intensive at the New World Symphony, International Cello Institute, and a return to the Interlochen Arts Camp. Other summer festival engagements have included Meadowmount, Madeline Island, Green Mountain, Brancaleoni (Italy), Aria, the Aronson Cello Festival, and the Great Wall International Music Academy in Beijing. Each January, he goes to Brazil as a core artist-faculty member of the Festival de Music de Santa Catarina.   Mr. Rafferty holds degrees from the Cleveland Institute of Music and Northwestern University. His primary studies were with Hans Jorgen Jensen, Alan Harris, Merry Peckham, Richard Weiss, and Anne Cole. He and his wife, Dr. Sarah Kim, were recently named the 2016 Ohio String Teachers Association Studio Teachers of the Year. ascentmusic.org

Chee Hang See (piano) is a prize-winning Singaporean pianist and conductor who has been praised as “a cool and confident performer” and an “expert and sympathetic collaborator”. He has soloed with orchestras in Italy, Uruguay, Singapore, and the United States, and performed in festivals such as the Festival Internacional de Colonia, Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra Musicale, South Carolina Chamber Music Festival, Chicago Duo Piano Festival, Hawaii International Cultural Arts Festival, and Piccolo Spoleto Festival. Chee-Hang is music director of the Remington Series, and has served as Music Director of Midtown Theatre and Musical Theatre Center in Charleston, SC, and assistant conductor of Holy City Arts and Lyric Opera and The Opera People in Singapore.In 2022, his CD “Spanish Journey” with works for trumpet and piano was released on Centaur Records, and received the Silver Medal in the Global Music Awards. He has performed with the Charleston Symphony, Chamber Music Charleston, Astralis Chamber Ensemble, and has presented masterclasses in the US and Asia. He is a graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Music and College of Charleston where his teachers include Sandra Shapiro and Enrique Graf. He is currently faculty at United World College of South East Asia and Stamford American International School. http://cheehang.weebly.com

Alison Shearer is a versatile saxophonist and composer known for her style and intuition, performing worldwide with artists like Kurt Elling, Nate Smith, Josh Groban, and Charlie Hunter. A member of the acclaimed band Red Baraat, hailed by NPR as “the best party band in years,” she has toured Canada, Europe, and Pakistan and appeared at venues such as the Blue Note NYC, Radio City Music Hall, Lincoln Center, The Kennedy Center, and festivals like the Rochester Jazz Festival and Saratoga Jazz Festival.
A founding member of PitchBlak Brass Band, Alison gained critical acclaim fromDownBeat Magazine, NPR, and The Wall Street Journal. She performed with the group from 2010 to 2016 before forming her own quartet in 2016, focusing on genre-bending melodic music. Her debut album, View From Above, was released in February 2022.
Alison is also dedicated to arts education, teaching privately for 15 years and recently joining the faculty of Jazz House Kids, where she leads beginner flute and jazz classes, and directs the junior Big Band.

Soprano Indra Thomas is renowned for her warm, lush voice and artistry. In the 2023/24 season, she performed with the Rome Symphony Orchestra and Atlanta Opera, and will appear in Strauss’ Die Vier Letzte Lieder and Wagner’sWesendonck Lieder with the Decatur Symphony Orchestra. Notable past roles include starring in Spontini’s La Vestale and creating world premieres in Intimate Apparel at Lincoln Center and Fiercewith Cincinnati Opera.
Thomas’ extensive career highlights include performances of Verdi’s Requiem, Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, and the role of Serena in Porgy and Bess with Atlanta Opera. She has appeared with orchestras worldwide, including the Israel Philharmonic, London Symphony, and Cleveland Orchestra, and at venues like Carnegie Hall and the Royal Festival Hall. As a director, she has led productions of Ain’t Misbehavin’ and Così Fan Tutte. A passionate educator, Thomas has served as a guest clinician and recitalist at numerous institutions, sharing her expertise with the next generation of musicians.

Ben Weiss (viola) earned degrees in violin and viola performance from Indiana University’s Jacob School of Music. While in Bloomington, he was a member of the Columbus Indiana Philharmonic and the Carmel, Terre Haute and Richmond symphony orchestras. In addition to Chamber Music Charleston, he performs regularly with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra and teaches at the College of Charleston.

Jenny Blickensderfer Weiss (violin) completed her Bachelor’s degree and Performance Diploma at Indiana University. While living in Bloomington, she was a member of the Columbus Indiana Philharmonic and the Carmel, Terre Haute and Richmond symphony orchestras. She enjoys performing with her husband, Ben, and performs regularly with Chamber Music Charleston and the Charleston Symphony Orchestra.

Regina Helcher Yost (flute)plays Second flute/piccolo with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra, Assistant Principal flute/piccolo in the Colorado Music Festival in Boulder, core flutist with Chamber Music Charleston, and is an Adjunct Professor of Flute at Charleston Southern University. Previously, she was Associate Principal Flute/piccolo with the Honolulu Symphony, Second Flute/piccolo with the Knoxville Symphony, and Second Flute in the St. Louis Symphony. While in St. Louis, she soloed with the St. Louis Symphony in Brandenburg’s Concerto #4 in Powell Symphony Hall which received a standing ovation and rave reviews. Regina has played with the Minnesota Orchestra on their NYC/European tour, playing in Carnegie Hall and the finest halls in Europe, including the Musikverein and the Philharmonie. Regina performed with the Atlanta Chamber Players on their 20th Anniversary European tour, performing in Burgundy and Paris France, Lausaune, Switzerland and Rome, Italy. In 2010, Regina was one of two flutists selected to perform in the International Pacific Music Festival 20th Anniversary Alumni Orchestra in Sapporo, Japan conducted by Maestro Christoph Eschenbach. In 2013-2014, Regina was selected to perform piccolo in the Detroit Symphony Orchestra on several occasions, which included several live DSO broadcasts, a CD recording and performing on the DSO 2014 Florida tour. Regina was chosen as the feature article and cover photo of Flute Talk Magazine for the October 2015 issue. Regina has performed in many music festivals including Tanglewood, Pacific Music Festival (Japan), GRAZ (Austria), Sarasota Music Festival, Chautauqua, among many others. Regina received her B.M. in Flute Performance from the Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music, was an Associate Instructor of Flute while pursuing a M.M. in flute performance at Indiana University, has an MME from the University of Florida, and is currently finishing a Doctor of Music Education degree.