Jung Eun Kim, piano

A native of Seoul, Korea, pianist Jung Eun Kim has garnered much acclaim from international audience and critics alike for her powerful performances, often being praised for her impressive combination of virtuoso technique and colorful musicality. The Artists International Presentation, In C has hailed her as “imperiously romantic, on an impressively large scale.” She has appeared at several international festivals including the Juilliard Music Festival in New York, NY, Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria, and has performed in a festival in which she was one of few pianists in a presentation of Franz Liszt. Her solo and chamber engagements have presented her at such venues as Carnegie Hall and Merkin Hall across Europe, Korea, and the United States.

She has been the recipient of various prizes and awards including top prizes in the World Symphony Orchestra Competition, the Samik Piano Competition, and the Hankook Il Bo Annual Piano Competition. She has gained both her Master of Music and Professional Studies Degrees at the Manhattan School of Music where she studies with Dr. Marc Silverman. Jung Eun Kim is currently on the piano faculty of Amati Conservatory, and works as a collaborative pianist of the Holy Apostles Community Chorus, New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, Museovich Productions, and the Boys Choir of Harlem.

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Alvin Lee, piano

Alvin Lee grew up in the Los Angeles area and began his piano studies at the age of seven. He is a graduate of California State University at Long Beach and Manhattan School of Music. His teachers included Edith Hirshtal and Marc Silverman. He was active in school, playing with various ensembles, chamber groups, and orchestras. He enjoys playing and is an in-demand performer and accompanist. He lives in New York City.

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Alejandro Mendoza, violin

Violinist Alejandro Mendoza has toured North America, South America and Asia performing both as a recitalist and soloist with orchestras. He has been greeted with standing ovations from audiences around the world and has received critical acclaim from the press as well. The Press in New York has called him "an outstanding soloist" and the ANN ARBOR (MI) NEWS wrote, "Alejandro Mendoza's playing of the violin ... is enough to start the bravos pouring from the gallery". In South America, the Venezuelan media raved about his performances with such superlatives as "sweetest tone" and "impeccable technique". More recently, the El Paso Herald Post wrote Alejandro Mendoza "digs into a piece with maximum effect", "giving off light and airy insights and a downright robust and racy ending". "Mendoza maneuvered his violin through all the difficult plucks, chips and rolls with quick, abrupt movements and a soulful cry at the end".

Mr. Mendoza recently went on his first concert tour of China where he performed in several cities and gave master classes in the leading conservatories of major Chinese cities of Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Beijing. Alejandro Mendoza has performed in Japan as well where his sold out concerts in Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya led to return engagements to many Japanese cities.

Alejandro Mendoza has also obtained recognition as a violin instructor. He currently teaches at the Manhattan School of Music Preparatory Division in New York City, gives Master Classes, and is frequently asked to adjudicate violin competitions and auditions around the country and abroad. His teaching career began while he was still a student at the Juilliard School, when he was chosen by the renowned violin pedagogue Dorothy DeLay to work with her as a teaching fellow at Juilliard and as a faculty member at the Aspen Music Festival. Mr. Mendoza was also exposed to the great teaching tradition of the late Ivan Galamian when he attended the Meadowmount School of Music. Mr. Mendoza makes annual tours in South America where he appears as soloist in concerts and gives Master Classes at conservatories and universities.

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Eliana Mendoza, cello

Cellist Eliana Mendoza, a passionate and virtuosic performer, has concertized extensively throughout North and South America. Winner of the Artists International Competition, Ms. Mendoza was presented in her New York recital debut in 1991 at Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall. Her engagements have included recitals in Washington D.C., New Jersey and New York City, as well as performances as a soloist live on WGBH National Public Radio's Morning Pro Musica program.

Receiving much critical acclaim, reviews have read, "She is a total artist...with fluid touch, an impassioned mood, and a notable bearing" The Enterprise, Brockton, MA. "Fire and flash... rich pathos and refreshing singularity." The Washington Post.

An active chamber musician, her performances include appearances at Rutgers University Summers Fest, The Newark Museum, Ramapo College, Lehman College, Weill Recital Hall and Rockefeller Center Summer Concert Series. In addition to her activities as soloist and chamber musician, this versatile artist is a member of The American Symphony Orchestra and The American Composers Orchestra with whom she records and performs at Carnegie Hall and at Lincoln Center.

Eliana Mendoza studied on full merit scholarships at the Cleveland Institute of Music, Northwestern University and The University of Michigan where her teachers were renowned pedagogue Alan Harris and the former principal cellist of The Philadelphia Orchestra, Samuel Mayes. She also coached with Ronald Leonard, Robert Gardner, Timothy Eddy, Evangeline Benedetti, Andre Emelianoff and Lynn Harrel.

Born in Chile to a family of distinguished professional musicians, Eliana Mendoza began her musical training as a pianist at the early age of 2, guided by her mother. She subsequently gave her first public performance at age 4. Ms. Mendoza began studying cello at age 8 and made her solo recital debut as a cellist in Santiago, Chile at age 15, accompanied by her father at the piano. Throughout her youth, she frequently toured the country as a member of The Mendoza Chamber Ensemble. Ms. Mendoza has resided in the United States since 1980, and makes her home in New York City. She regularly returns to her homeland to concertize as a soloist where her performances are often featured on Chilean Radio.

Eliana Mendoza can be heard on CD on the New World Records label with The Bronx Arts Ensemble (chosen bests of 1993 by The New York Observer), and a Sound Spells Productions recording of music of Meyer Kupferman.

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Francisca Mendoza, violin

Selected by Musical America as Young Artist Of The Year 1990, Francisca Mendoza has distinguished herself internationally as a soloist, recitalist and chamber musician. She has performed in the U.S., Canada, Europe, Latin America, Israel and the Far East, receiving rave reviews such as: "...Musician of uncommon individuality and power...this was Brahms as it should be played, fervent and hot-blooded but always with the most unbearable tenderness just underneath." (The Washington Post) - "...spectacular aplomb, allure of a great concert artist...outstanding virtuosity. "(El Mercurio, Chile) - "...brilliant performance...accurate to the last detail..." (Haaretz Israel) - "...captivating musical expression...fiery and spectacular performance" (Avui, Barcelona). - "Mendoza was in full control. Surprisingly she has an inner electric power that she used to awaken the radiating expressions and colors. She creates intimate moments while at the same time invites us to journey along, the music full of energy flowing until the end" (Gatra Magazine).

Born in Chile, Francisca Mendoza begun her music studies at the age of four at the Conservatorio Nacional de Santiago. Later she won a scholarship to study in the United States where she received a Diploma in performance from the Cleveland institute of music, and a Master from The Eastman School of Music. Her teachers include Donald Weilerstein, Angel Reyes, Paul Statsky, David Cerone and Dorothy DeLay.

Winner of several competitions and awards, Ms. Mendoza has performed at Carnegie Hall as a soloist with orchestra in a special Gala Concert, her performances have been broadcasted on American radio and Television., she has been a guest with Robert Sherman in WQXR New York. She has recently recorded her first CD, playing sonatas by Debussy and Prokofieff, which is available in the United States and Europe.

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Svetlana Miasnikova, piano

Svetlana Miasnikova is a master teacher and quality educator with expertise, knowledge, creativity, and 28 years experience in teaching piano in the Ukraine and USA. she had studied with the best instructors knows in the country: Maslevich, Kopnina and Isakova.

Svetlana has been successfully teaching and preparing students to enter the Julliard school for almost seven years and has been recognized as a teacher with an outstanding moral and ethical qualities.

After getting a degree, her students took a 3rd place in a city competition. they also took part in a national competitions.

Svetlana Miasnikova was recognized with 14 awards for an outstanding success and fruitful work in the field of music art, and aesthetic education. In 1988-1992 she was selected as a chairman of Trade Union Committee of School #9. In 1988 her name had been entered into the Record Book of Honorable Citizens.

From 1999 Svetlana was giving open lessons for the school’s faculty members. she offers an individualized approach to every student, careful evaluation of his/her abilities and choosing the program and teaching method in accordance with evaluation. Svetlana’s ultimate goal is to find a way to develop an interest, self-confidence which leads to achievement of personal goals.

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Margarita Myasnykova, piano

In 1984, at the age of six, Margarita was admitted to a local music school in Vinnitsa, Ukraine to study piano. In 1993, she graduated as an outstanding student with the top scores in theory, music history, and piano.

After graduating from high school in 1994, she was admitted to the Leontovich Ychilische college in Vinnitsa to study piano. Throughout her studies Margarita was chosen seven times to perform in bi-annual final concerts designed to show the institution's achievements to the state and local governments, as well as the public. She performed in such cities as Kiev, Hmelnitskiy, and Vinnitsa.

In 1997 Margarita was chosen to take part in the Young Talents Festival of Podol. In 1998 she received her Bachelor's Degree with the highest scores and special recognition in two majors, piano and theory.

From 1997 to 1998 she worked as a piano teacher at the Vinnitsa Music school. In 1998 Margarita was admitted to Kiev's Tchaikovsky Conservatory to study for her Masters degree with the best scores among admitted students. She had been studying methodology, psychology, and piano pedagogy with such highly recognized Ukrainian pedagogues as M. Stepanenko, Ph.D., head of the Piano Department of Tchaikovsky Conservatory and head of the Union of Ukrainian composers; A. Kaschenko, Ph.D., professor and a performing musician honored by government of the Ukraine; and A. Korjunevsky, Ph.D., professor, methodologist and writer.

From 1998 to 2001 Margarita worked as a piano teacher at the Piano Centre in Kiev, teaching students ranging from the ages of five to 15.

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Kyung Mi Nam, piano

A native of South Korea, Kyung Mi Nam began her musical studies at the age of six, and started piano lessons with Sook-Hee Kim at the age of ten. While in her native country, she gave numerous solo and chamber concerts. At age eleven, she performed L. V. Beethoven’s First Piano Concerto as a soloist with the Seoul Art Orchestra. Ms. Nam was also awarded the First Prize in the National Young Artists Competition of Korea.

Soon after moving to the United States in 1993, Ms. Nam was accepted into Manhattan School of Music Preparatory Division as a scholarship student, where she began her studies with Zonon Fishbein. Ms. Nam extended her studies with Mr. Fishbein in 2000 by continuing her education at the College Division of Manhattan School of Music where she holds a B.M. Degree. She is currently a candidate for the M.M. at MSM.

Ms. Nam has presented various recitals in the New York City area, including solo performances at Weill Recital Hall of Carnegie Hall, Cami Hall and Steinway Hall. Ms. Nam has also played in various master classes with Valeri Grohovsky, Una Hwang and Luiz De Moura Castro. She also has studied and performed many chamber ensemble music under the instruction of distinguished artists such as isadore Cohen, Marc Silverman and Daniel Epstein. In addition, Ms. Nam was a winner of the New Jersey State Music Festival Competition. And, as a winner of the 2004 Artists international Competition, she was awarded the New York Debut Award which will present her in the 2004-2005 concert season at Weill Hall. Her debut recital is on June 4, 2005

Kyung Mi Nam also actively participates in National Music Festival and Competitions in Caprarola, Italy, and Arte Musica Festival in Tivoli.

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SooJi Oh, violin

Sooji Oh began her violin studies at the age of ten in 1987. in 1991, she entered Yewon School of Music, Dance and Fine Arts in Korea as a student of Nam Yoon Kim. Ms. Oh performed extensively in Korea, including appearances with the Seoul Symphony Orchestra and at Kae-Mong Art Hall as a result of capturing first place at the Monthly Music Times Competition in Seoul. In 1992, she began her studies in the US at the Pre-College Division of the Juilliard School under Dorothy DeLay, Hyo Kang, and Won-Bin Yim. As a soloist, she performed with the Los Angeles KTE Orchestra and the Los Angeles Youth Orchestra in California. Over a span of six consecutive years, Ms. Oh participated in the Aspen Music Festival and School every summer where she performed at the Music Hall and the Opera House, as well as at the Music Tent with the Young Artist Orchestra. In 1995, she also attended the Japan Aspen Music Festival where she gave a solo performance in Nagano.

In 1996, Ms. Oh began her Bachelor’s degree at the Juilliard School as a student of Dorothy DeLay and Hyo Kang. She had numerous concerts and recitals every year, mostly as a soloist but also as a member of a chamber music group, including those at Juilliard Theater, Michael Paul Hall, and Morse Hall in Lincoln Center, Weil Recital Hall in Carnegie Hall, and Merkin Concert Hall. With invaluable experiences gained from these performances, Ms. Oh was able to win the 5 Town Music Competition in 1999. In addition, she represented the Juilliard School as a Korean-American violinist and gave a solo performance on SBS (a Korean television broadcasting company), which was nationally televised in Korea. She was also interviewed by a local New York City radio station as a Christian violinist at the Juilliard School.

After Ms. Oh finished her undergraduate studies at the Juilliard School, she had the privilege of teaching a Scale Class at the Juilliard Pre-College Division as a teacher’s assistant to Dorothy DeLay. In 2002, Ms. Oh performed in several chamber music concerts while taking part in the Killington Music Festival. During the same summer, she participated in a performance in Salzburg, Austria at the Salzburg Festival as a member of Attergau International Music Festival. Ms. Oh is a proud recipient of the M.D. Douglas Memorial Scholarship and the A.H. Kuhn Memorial Scholarship awards at the Juilliard School, where she had received her Bachelors of Music in 2000 and her Master of Music degree in 2003.

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Anna Park, piano

Anna Sihyun Park received her Bachelor's degree in music from Han Yang University in Seoul, Korea. She then moved to Poland and entered The F. Chopin Academy of Music where she received her Post-graduate Diploma. Then she came to the United States to continue her musical studies. She entered The Manhattan School of Music where she received her Master's degree of music and the Professional Studies Diploma degree. She enrolled in the Doctor of Musical Arts program at Rutgers University (The state University of New Jersey). She also earned a master's degree in Oriental Medicine and was awarded a honorary doctorate in Oriental Medicine.

While studying in Poland and United States she had several recitals and concerts. Also she made several appearances in festivals and memorial concerts which aired nationwide via TV and radio. Also she was a 1st prize-winner of the F. Chopin Foundation Competition in New York in 1995, and a prize winner in the New York Debut Award.

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So Yeon Park, piano

So Yeon Park was born in Seoul, Korea. She started her musical education at the age of 4 and entered the Sun-Hwa Art School. She gave her first recital during her second year at the school. In 1998, she immigrated to the United States and got accepted to the Preparatory Division at the Manhattan School of Music. In the same year she was the First Prizewinner of the Annual Audition sponsored by the Professional Music Teachers Guild of New Jersey. The following year, she received honorable mention at the Manhattan School of Music Annual Concerto Competition (Prep Division) and gave her first recital in the U.S. When she entered high school she became a scholarship recipient of the Manhattan School of Music and the Children’s Foundation for the Arts. In 2000, she was selected to participate at the Governor’s School in the state of New Jersey. In the same year, she won several competitions such as the Great Neck Young Musicians Competition, Young Artists Audition by Associated Music Teachers League, Inc. in New York and Young Musicians Competition sponsored by the Five Towns Music and Arts Foundation. She was also a participant in the master class of Constance Keene sponsored by the Children’s Foundation for the Arts. In 2001, she was selected to compete at the Gina Bachauer International Young Artists Piano Competition at Salt Lake City, Utah. She also won awards from other auditions such as Manhattan School of Music Annual Competition (Prep Division) and Friday Woodmere Music Club’s Annual Young Musicians Audition. In 2001 and 2002 she was a participant at “Tivoliclassica” – Festival Internationale di Musica Classica. There, she participated in the master class of Luiz De Maura Castro. In 2002, she won the second prize at the Manhattan School of Music Concerto Competition and recently gave her graduation recital as a candidate of the Bachelor Degree. Ms. Park recently graduated from Manhattan School of Music.

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Si-Nae Shim, violin

Violinist Si-Nae Shim has performed in music capitals of North America, South America, Asia and Eastern Europe, being called "strictly world-class" by the press. She has appeared on stages in Chile, the Philippines, Korea, Russia as well as in the United States performing in such venues as the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in New York City, Abelardo Hall in Philippines, the Grand Hall at the Seoul Fine Arts Center and Suwon Municipal Theater in Korea, Rachmaninoff Hall in Russia, Killington Music Festival in Vermont, and at the Aspen Music Festival in Colorado among many others.

Recently she was invited by the Embassy of Chile and the University of the Philippines to perform at the Abelardo Hall Auditorium in the Philippines. The Manila Bulletin called her performance, "impressive interpretation of Beethoven's Sonata 'Kreutzer'…", "The soloist sparkled, glowed, shone, and impressed the audience while also winning the hearts." In 1996 she was the featured soloist for the New Year Gala Concert of the Seoul Royal Symphony Orchestra, performing the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto in E minor. She recently finished a successful concert tour of Chile performing in Santiago, Temuco, and Osorno. Her upcoming engagements include concerts in Busan and Ulsan in Korea, Guangzhou in China and four cities in Chile.

Si-Nae Shim studied at the Mannes College of Music and at the Seoul Yego (Seoul High School for the Arts) in Korea. Her teachers in the U.S. include Margaret Pardee, Almita and Roland Vamos and Hyo Kang. She currently holds teaching positions at the Manhattan School of Music, Amati Conservatory and Amati Music Festival. Si-Nae Shim plays on a Giacomo & Leandro Bisiach violin of 1957 made in Milano, Italy.

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Daniel Spitzer, clarinet

Daniel Spitzer recently completed his seventh season as Principal Clarinetist with the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra, and has returned to his native New York City. Since his return last Fall, Mr. Spitzer has performed with the New Jersey Symphony, the American Symphony Orchestra, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, the Riverside Symphony, the Princeton Symphony Orchestra, the Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic, the New York Grand Opera, and in the Broadway pit of the shows The Producers, The Music Man, and Beauty and the Beast. Mr. Spitzer has also been a performer at several music festivals, including the New Hampshire Music Festival, the Utah Music Festival, The Colorado Music Festival, Spoleto, Aspen, Bowden and Tanglewood Music Festivals. He has been on the faculties of The University of Mississippi in Oxford, Mississippi State University in Starkville and Millsaps College in Jackson, MS. Additionally Mr. Spitzer has taught extensively in the middle and high school levels both in Mississippi and in the TriState Area. Mr. Spitzer also has years of experience in teaching and performing on the saxophone professionally.

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Wei Tan, violin

Wei Tan began violin lessons at the age of three with her father Guo-Zhang Tan. At age sixteen she collaborated with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra performing the Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto. Miss Tan is a top prize winner in the Fifth National Violin Competition of China. In 1994, Miss Tan came to the United States to continue her studies at the Manhattan School of Music where she received her Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees as a full scholarship student under the tutelage of Stanley Bednar. She has also studied with Joey Corpus and Wen-Zhen Li. Miss Tan has participated in masterclasses with Yfrah Neaman, Arnold Steinhardt, Zvi Zeitlin and worked under the guidance of Ruth Laredo, Nathaniel Rosen, the American String Quartet and the Shanghai String Quartet. Miss Tan toured Scandinavia, Iceland, Austria and China as soloist and chamber musician. She has participated and performed in the Bowdoin Music Festival, the Manchester Music Festival, and the Kammermusic Festival in Austria. Miss Tan is a Special Award Winner of the 2001-2002 Artists International Presentation Series and has given her New York Debut at Weill Recital Hall, Carnegie Hall. Recently, she appeared as soloist performing Vivaldi Four Seasons with the Shanghai Chamber Orchestra, the Manhattan Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra, and as guest artist with the Olana Chamber Players.

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Laura Thompson, flute

Laura Thompson holds a M.M. and B.M. from the Aaron Copland School of Music, Queens College, CUNY. Her principal teachers include Samuel Baron and Keith Underwood, additional baroque flute studies with John Solum and Sandra Miler. Ms. Thompson has a Suzuki Teacher Training Institute certificate with Toshio Takahashi.

She's performed with Lyric Operal of New York, Opera Ozarks, Di Capo Opera, New Opera Festival de Roma, Amato Opera, the Greenwhich Village Orchestra, the South Shore Symphony and the New York Continuo Collective, among others.

She was the Young Artist Teacher and Assistant Mentor of Flute at the Manchester Music Festival and the Rockland Summer Institute. Ms. Thompson holds a position on the flute faculty at the Thurnauer School of Music in Tenafly and at the Hana Music School in Palisades Park, NJ. She is a founding member of The Zephyr Trio and Bacchanalia Baroque Ensemble.

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Jonathan Trotta, guitar

Jonathan Trotta is a faculty member at the American Institute of Guitar in New York City, and is Head of the Guitar Department at the Rockland Conservatory of Music in Spring Valley, NY. He has served on the faculty of the Guitar Study Center at New School University, Greenwich House Music School, Dwight-Englewood School, and Rockland Community College. Many of his students have been awarded top prizes in competitions and received scholarships to leading music schools and conservatories. He has given classical and flamenco guitar workshops and concerts at Summerkeys, a summer music program in Lubec, Maine. John MacCarthy, critic of the Lubec Light, offered the following praise after attending Jonathan's concert at Summerkeys: "The amazing virtuosity of Classical and Flamenco Guitarist Jonathan Trotta was absolutely captivating from start to finish. Judging from the thunderous applause which followed each selection, all present were equally awestruck by Trotta's mastery over those six strings. Lubec is fortunate to have musicians of such high caliber available to teach and entertain.”

Mr. Trotta received a B.P.A. from the Conservatory of Music at Purchase College, State University of New York. He has studied with Dennis Koster, Benjamin Verdery, Luis Heredia, and Basilio Georges, and performed in master classes with Christopher Parkening, Sharon lsbin, and Manuet Barrueco. He has been a featured guest on Maine Public Broadcasting's "Music du Jour" and TV 56 Boston's "De Todo Un Poco," and was a guest artist in a recital with Benjamin Verdery. Recently, Mr. Trotta played on the soundtrack for the PBS documentary, "The Crucible of Empire," and in the Dicapo Opera Theatre production of Manuel De Palta's "La Vida Breve." Jonathan has performed throughout the United States and extensively in the New York Metropolitan area as a soloist, as well as in several flamenco productions. He is currently a member of the chamber music ensemble "Musicora."

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Alejandro Mendoza, President
Si-Nae Shim, Director