James Tocco, Artistic Director & piano
sponsored by Rayna & Natalio Kogan

In frequent demand worldwide as a recitalist, orchestral soloist, chamber music collaborator and pedagogue, Tocco is Eminent Scholar/Artist-in-Residence at the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. He has been Artistic Director of the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival since its birth.

Anton Nel, piano
sponsored by Gail & Ira Mondry

Winner of the 1987 Naumburg International Piano Competition, Nel enjoys a remarkable and versatile career that has taken him throughout the Americas, Europe, Asia and South Africa. Nel is Professor of Piano and Chamber Music at the University of Texas at Austin. For more information, visit antonnel.com.

Elisabeth Pridonoff, piano
Eugene Istomin Endowned Piano Chair

Elisabeth Pridonoff performs internationally, is co-artistic director of the CCM Prague Piano Institute, and teaches at the University of Cincinnati and at the Brevard Festival.

Sofja Gülbadamova, piano
Beverly Franzblau Baker Young Artist Chair

Sofja Gülbadamova, highly acclaimed by the press for her poetic interpretations, has been concertizing throughout Europe, Russia and the United States since she was very young. In addition, she has been the top prizewinner at numerous competitions in Russia, Germany, Spain, France, and the U.S.

Pei-Shan Lee, piano
Ruth Laredo Endowed Piano Chair

In high demand as a duo and chamber music partner, Lee has toured the world in recitals with international artists. Her hometown is Boston, where she teaches collaborative piano at the New England Conservatory. Lee is also on the faculty of the Perlman Music Program in Sarasota.

Tai Murray, violin
Henry Meyer Endowed Violin Chair

Acclaimed as “superb” by The New York Times, violinist Tai Murray is a rising star increasingly in demand for both recitals and orchestral engagements. She has performed on the stages of Berlin’s Konzerthaus, Chicago’s Orchestra Hall, Copenhagen’s Tivoli Gardens, Shanghai’s Concert Hall and New York’s Carnegie Hall, and collaborated with a wide range of conductors and instrumentalists.

Itamar Zorman, violin
sponsored by Beverly Baker

Winner of the 2011 International Tchaikovsky Competition in Russia, Violinist Itamar Zorman, has recently performed the winners’ concerts with Maestro Valery Gergiev and the Mariinsky Orchestra. He also won the first prize, and the special prize for a performance of a Mozart Concerto, in the 2010 International Violin Competition of Freiburg.

Kimberly Kaloyanides Kennedy, violin
sponsored by Kathleen Block

Acting Concertmaster of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Kennedy was the first prize winner of the National Round of the 1996 Music Teachers National Association Competition, 1998 University of Michigan Concerto Competition, and the 1996 Greek Women’s National Association Competition in Chicago.

Yehonatan Berick, violin/viola
sponsored by Mary Ann & Ted Simon and an anonymous donor

A prizewinner at the 1993 Naumburg International Violin Competition and a recipient of the 1996-97 Prix Opus, Berick is in high demand internationally as a soloist, recitalist, chamber musician (on violin as well as viola) and pedagogue. He is Associate Professor of Violin at the University of Michigan.

David Geringas, cello
sponsored by Nancy & William Duffy and Sandra & Claude Reitelman

Cellist and conductor David Geringas studied with Mstislav Rostropovich at the Moscow Conservatory and won the gold medal at the Tchaikovsky competition. His unusually broad repertoire from the early Baroque to the contemporary, his intellectual rigor, stylistic versatility, melodic feeling, and the sensuousness of his tone, have brought him praise the world over.

Andrés Díaz, cello
sponsored by Florence Brownfain

Winner of the First Prize in the 1986 Naumburg International Cello Competition, Díaz‘s numerous orchestral appearances include performances with the American Symphony at Carnegie Hall, the symphony orchestras of Milwaukee, Seattle, Rochester, the Boston Pops and Esplanade Orchestras, the Chicago Symphony at the Ravinia Festival and the National Symphony Orchestra.

Paul Katz, cello
Paul Katz Endowed Cello Chair, in memory of Morris D. Baker

Known to concertgoers around the world as cellist of the Cleveland Quartet, Katz is Professor of Cello and Chamber Music and Director of the Professional String Quartet Training Program at The New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, and creator of cellobello.com, a global community center for cellists worldwide. He is the Director of the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival’s Shouse Institute.

Laurence Liberson, clarinet

A Detroit native, Liberson was appointed Assistant Principal Clarinet and E-flat Clarinet of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra in 1981. A graduate of the University of Michigan, he was Principal Clarinet with the Grand Rapids Symphony for five years before coming to Detroit. Liberson has been a member of Detroit Chamber Winds & Strings since its inception in 1982.

Lauren Skuce, soprano

Dramatic soprano Lauren Skuce has been distinguished for her versatility on both the opera and concert stages. She was the United States representative in the 2003 Cardiff Singer of the World Competition and a National Semifinalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. Skuce has performed with many of the world’s top musical organizations, including the New York City Opera, Florida Grand Opera, Hong Kong Opera, and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, among many others.

Olga Orlovskaya, soprano

Russian born soprano Olga Orlovskaya inherited her talent from her great grandfather, famous Russian bass Fedor Shalyapin. In 2008 she was prize winner of the international competition Operetta Land in Moscow for best performance of Kalman Her career highlights includes singing the role of Katerina in Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, for which she won a Golden Mask nomination.

Ariel String Quartet
sponsored by HP

Characterized by its youth, brilliant playing, and soulful interpretations, the Ariel Quartet has earned a glowing international reputation. Previously the resident ensemble in the New England Conservatory’s prestigious Professional String Quartet Training Program, the Quartet recently celebrated its tenth anniversary. arielquartet.com

Percussion Group Cincinnati

Percussion Group Cincinnati was founded in 1979 and consists of members Allen Otte, James Culley, and Russell Burge, all of whom are faculty members and ensemble-in-residence at the College-Conservatory of Music of the University of Cincinnati. Recent performances include the Shanghai International Spring Music Festival, a tour of Japan, and the premiere of a new concerto in Singapore with the Singapore Chinese Instrument Orchestra.

Special guest artists at Seligman performances:

Eugene Pridonoff, piano
Eugene Istomin Endowned Piano Chair

Eugene Pridonoff has concertized throughout North America, Europe, and Asia, and is Artist-in-Residence at the University of Cincinnati and Co-Artistic Director of the CCM Prague International Piano Institute.

Panayis Lyras, piano

Panayis Lyras, professor of piano at the MSU College of Music, received degrees from the Juilliard School. Winner of the Silver Medal in the 1981 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, Lyras has appeared on PBS and the Arts and Entertainment Network.

Deborah Moriarty, piano

Pianist Deborah Moriarty, an active recitalist and soloist with orchestras throughout the eastern United States, has also performed in Belgium, Japan, Colombia, Mexico, and the Soviet Union. She is professor of piano at the MSU College of Music.

Molly Fillmore, soprano

Molly Fillmore she made her Metropolitan Opera debut in the new Ring Cycle and returned to The Met for Satyagraha by Phillip Glass, both in 2011. She was a principal soloist with the Cologne (Köln), Germany, appearing in over twenty-five roles. She made her San Francisco Opera debut in the title role of Salome. Additionally, she has sung with Seattle Opera, Spoleto Festival, Seattle Symphony, The Detroit Symphony, and at both Carnegie Hall and Avery Fisher Hall. Molly has been on the voice faculty at Michigan State University since 2004.

Jason Wickson, tenor

American Tenor, Jason Wickson, possesses a dramatic voice that is being recognized for its power and beauty. He is a graduate of both Oakland University and Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. Highlights of his operatic repertoire include Des Grieux in Manon Lescaut, Rodolfo in La bohème, Don José in Carmen, Tamino in Die Zauberflöte, Calàf in Turandot and Alfredo in La Traviata.

Daniel Gross, baritone

Currently the cantor at Adat Shalom Synagogue in Farmington Hills, Daniel Gross has performed with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Chamber Music Northwest, the Pittsburgh Opera, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the National Symphony Orchestra, among others. The New York Times has described his lyric baritone voice as “fine and creamy.”

H. Robert Reynolds, conductor

Reynolds is the Conductor and Musical Advisor of the Detroit Chamber Winds & Strings, a position he has held since the inception of the ensemble almost 30 years ago. In addition, he is currently Principal Conductor of the Wind Ensemble at the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California where he holds the H. Robert Reynolds Professorship in Wind Conducting. This appointment followed his retirement, after 26 years, from the School of Music of the University of Michigan.

David Rayl, conductor

David Rayl is Director of Choral Programs at Michigan State University where he directs the graduate program in choral conducting and serves as Associate Dean for Graduate Studies and Research. Under his baton the MSU University Chorale has appeared at the national conference of the American Choral Directors Association (2007), the Central Division conference of ACDA (2006), and the national meeting of the College Music Society (2002).

Detroit Symphony Orchestra

The internationally acclaimed Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the fourth-oldest symphony orchestra in the United States, is known for trailblazing performances, visionary maestros, collaborations with the world’s foremost musical artists, and an unwavering commitment to Detroit. The DSO offers a performance schedule that includes Classical, Pops, Jazz, Young People’s, Neighborhood concerts and festivals.

Detroit Chamber Winds & Strings

Now in its 30^th year, Detroit Chamber Winds & Strings presents an annual six-concert subscription series as well as the Nightnotes concert series. DCWS musicians are drawn primarily from the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and Michigan Opera Theatre. To find out more, please visit detroitchamberwinds.org.

Eisenhower Dance Ensemble

Now in its 21^st season, Eisenhower Dance Ensemble is a professional contemporary dance company based in metro Detroit. Long considered one of the Midwest’s leading contemporary dance companies, EDE performs an annual subscription series, provides masters classes, holds residencies and is invited to perform at venues throughout the country. For more information, please visit ede-dance.org.

Michigan State University Chorale

In the past decade, the University Chorale, MSU’s premier choral ensemble, has appeared with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and at national conferences of the American Choral Directors Association and the College Music Society.

Michigan State University Percussion Ensemble

The MSU Percussion Ensemble is one of Michigan State University’s premier chamber music groups made up of talented performers including undergraduates, masters and doctoral students. The group regularly performs both new music and classic percussion repertoire. One of the missions of the ensemble is to promote new percussion chamber music.