In frequent demand worldwide as a recitalist, orchestral soloist, chamber music collaborator and pedagogue, he is Eminent Scholar/Artist-in-Residence at the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.
Jeremy Denk, piano Ruth Laredo Endowed Piano Chair
Known as one of today's most compelling young artists, he has appeared with the Philadelphia Orchestra and the San Francisco, Houston and St. Louis symphonies, among others. He is currently collaborating with violinist Joshua Bell.
Menahem Pressler, piano
Founding member and pianist of the Beaux Arts Trio, he has established himself among the world's most distinguished and honored musicians, with a career that spans over five decades.
Edward Auer, piano Eugene Istomin Endowed Piano Chair
A prize winner and later juror in the Tchaikovsky, Chopin, and Marguerite Long competitions, he has performed as a soloist with, the Detroit and Baltimore symphonies, NHK Tokyo, RIAS Orchestra Berlin, Orchestre National Paris, and many others.
Ursula Oppens, piano
Equally renowned as a persuasive interpreter of classical repertoire and a tireless champion of contemporary music, her performances are marked by a powerful grasp of the composer’s musical intentions and an equally sure command of the keyboard’s resources.
Ida Kavafian, violin
Artist-Member of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and former violinist of the renowned Beaux Arts Trio, her activities include performing as a soloist, as guest violist with ensembles such as the Guarneri and Orion string quartets, and as Artistic Director of the highly successful festival Music from Angel Fire.
Joseph Silverstein, violin Henry Meyer Endowed Violin Chair
A Detroit native, he is perhaps best known for his time with the Boston Symphony, becoming Concertmaster in 1962 and Assistant Conductor in 1971, and holding both positions until 1984. He is serving as the Portland Symphony’s Artistic Advisor for the 2007/2008 season.
Nicolas Kendall, violin Beverly Franzblau Baker Young Artist Chair
A graduate of the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, he is the recipient of numerous awards, including First Prize at the Young Concerts Artists (YCA) International Auditions.
Yehonatan Berick, violin
A prizewinner at the 1993 Naumburg competition and a recipient of the 1996-97 Prix Opus, he is in high demand internationally as soloist, recitalist, chamber musician (on violin as well as on viola) and pedagogue. He is Associate Professor of Violin at the University of Michigan.
Kim Kashkashian, viola
Established as one of the most accomplished artists of her generation, she has extensively enlarged the repertoire for the viola through her intense and continuous work with such composers as Gubaidulina, Kancheli, Kurtag, Mansurian and Penderecki.
James VanValkenburg, viola
Assistant Principal Viola of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and a member of Detroit Chamber Winds & Strings, he toured the world as a founding member of the International String Quartet.
Paul Katz, cello
Known around the globe as the exceptional cellist of the Cleveland Quartet, he is now the director of the Professional String Quartet Training Program at the New England Conservatory of Music and the director of the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival’s Shouse Institute.
Andrés Díaz, cello
Winner of the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant and the Naumburg International Cello Competition, he has earned exceptional reviews for his strongly personal interpretive vision and his bold and imaginative playing.
Sara Sant’Ambrogio, cello Paul Katz Cello Chair in Memory of Morris D. Baker
A Grammy Award-winner and founding member of the Eroica Trio, she first leapt to international attention as a winner at the Eighth International Tchaikovsky Violoncello Competition in Moscow, Russia.
Craig Rifel, double bass
A member of the bass section of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra since November 1980, he has performed with the DSO on piano, harpsichord, celeste and organ in both classical and pops concerts. He is a member of Detroit Chamber Winds & Strings.
Philip Dikeman, flute
Assistant Principal Flutist of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, he is a member of Detroit Chamber Winds & Strings, and he holds the distinction of having won first prize in both the National Flute Association’s Young Artist and Orchestral Competitions.
Anthony McGill, clarinet
Principal Clarinetist of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, he was a winner of the highly prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant, and he has performed with the Guarneri and Tokyo string quartets, among others.
Stephen Anderson, trumpet
Assistant Principal Trumpet of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and member of Detroit Chamber Winds & Strings, he received degrees from the University of Illinois and Arizona State University.
Joan Morris, mezzo-soprano
Since 1973, she has concertized with her husband and accompanist, William Bolcom, singing popular songs from the late 19th-century through the 1920s and ’30s, the latest songs by Leiber and Stoller, and cabaret songs by Bolcom and poet-lyricist Arnold Weinstein.
Linda Hohenfeld, soprano
She has appeared in opera, musical theatre, symphonic concerts, solo recitals, and chamber music performances and has sung with the Cleveland, Minnesota, Philadelphia, National, Saint Louis, San Francisco, Vienna, Pittsburgh, and BBC Symphonies, and the New York Philharmonic.
Rachel Gottlieb, soprano
Cantorial soloist at the historic Temple Beth El in Bloomfield Hills, she has 18 years of cantorial experience, serving congregations in New York, Illinois, and Michigan. She holds degrees from the University of Michigan and the Eastman School of Music.
Amernet String Quartet
Formed in 1991, this “accomplished and intelligent ensemble” has garnered worldwide praise and recognition as one of today’s exceptional string quartets. The quartet has been Ensemble-in-Residence at Florida International University since 2004.
Detroit Chamber Winds & Strings
Establishing an international reputation through performances, touring, and recording, the Festival's host ensemble is committed to bringing to life the wonderful body of repertoire that utilizes between 6 and 20 musicians.
Artists from the American Harp Society
Judy Loman, Yolanda Kondonassis, Bridget Kibbey, Jennifer Swartz, Lori Gemmell, Patricia Masri-Fletcher, Kerstin Allvin - Founded in 1962 to assist, encourage and unify harp performers, teachers and students, the Society strives to foster and cultivate the appreciation of the harp as an instrument and to encourage the highest quality of harp playing, harp composition and harp manufacturing.
