Violinist Erika Venable is the assistant concertmaster of the Miami City Ballet Orchestra as well as a Principal Second Violin of the Symphonia of Boca Raton. She has appeared on stage and in recordings/ videos with a wide variety of artists including Luciano Pavarotti, Itzhak Perlman, Michael Jackson, Bernadette Peters, Jon Secada, and in an MTV Unplugged video featuring Mana. Venable started violin at age 6 and at age 11, she flourished in the local music scene, winning first prize in the Alberta Bair concerto competition and performing as a member of the Bozeman Symphony, the MSU Chamber Orchestra, and the Intermountain Opera company, all before graduating from high school. She moved to Oberlin, Ohio, to pursue a double degree in Violin Performance and Math and later received her Master's degree from Juilliard where she studied with Joseph Fuchs. She has appeared on stage and in recordings/ videos with a wide variety of artists including Luciano Pavarotti, Itzhak Perlman, Michael Jackson, Bernadette Peters, Jon Secada, and in an MTV Unplugged video featuring Mana.

 

Hailed by The New York Times as “an elegant and accomplished artist” of “taste, technique, musicianship, and a contagious youthful enthusiasm”, cellist Claudio Jaffé fascinates his audiences with his colorful and passionate virtuosity. As a recitalist and chamber musician, Jaffé has performed in prestigious concert halls around the world, including the Weill Recital Hall, Town Hall, and Merkin Concert Hall, the Kennedy Center, the Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires, Sala Cecilia Meireles in Rio de Janeiro, Sociedade Cultura Artistica in São Paulo, Wigmore Hall in London, Suntory Hall in Tokyo, and the National Arts Centre in Ottawa. A winner of the International Villa-Lobos Cello Competition, Jaffé has performed with international orchestras such as the Slovak Philharmonic, the Calgary Symphony, and the Brazilian orchestras of Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Paraíba, and Goiânia. He has also performed throughout the United States with the Delaware, Lexington, Elgin, Greenville, Augusta, Rockford, Missouri, Olympia, Bridgeport, Pensacola, Jackson, Owensboro, Paducah, and Columbus symphony orchestras to name just a few.  

 

 

Described by critics as possessing “Keen musical intelligence and excellent facility” (Miami Herald), “opulent and romantic tone” (Fanfare), as well as “Joyful virtuosity and stylish musicianship” (Gramophone Magazine).  Steinway Artist Tao Lin performs in Asia, North America, and Europe with orchestras such as Moscow Chamber, Winnipeg Symphony, Miami Chamber, Atlantic Classical, and Knoxville Civic at venues including Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center, National Gallery of Art, 92nd Street Y, Rockefeller University, Chautauqua Institute, Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, Minnesota Orchestra Hall, Izumi Hall, and Edvard Grieg Museum in Norway. A frequent pianist and lecturer at the Music Festival of the Hamptons, Mainly Mozart Festival, Music Mountain Chamber Music Festival, Arts Rolla Festival, Highlands-Cashiers Chamber Music Festival, Romanza Festivale, and Festival Miami, Lin is currently a visiting professor of Shanghai Normal University and a piano faculty at Bowdoin International Music Festival. Lin also performs as Duo Beaux Arts – a Steinway Ensemble. Lin records for Centaur Records, Naxos, and Artek labels. www.taolinpianist.com