Lisa Byrnes has played Associate Principal Flute with the Utah Symphony since 2000 and played Principal Flute for the 2011-12 season. A native of Northern California, Ms. Byrnes studied flute at the Eastman School of Music and graduated with degrees from the Curtis Institute of Music and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Her primary teachers were Julius Baker, Jeffrey Khaner, Timothy Day and Bonita Boyd. Prior to playing with the Utah Symphony, Ms. Byrnes played with the New World Symphony under the direction of Michael Tilson-Thomas. She also served as Principal flute for 6 years with the San Francisco Opera’s Western Opera Theatre as well as the Sarasota Opera Company. She has performed in several music festivals including Tanglewood, the National Repertory Orchestra, the Chautauqua Festival, the International Music Festival at Evian, France and the Edinburgh International Music Festival. She has appeared as a concert soloist with many orchestras including the Utah Symphony. Ms. Byrnes currently serves on the faculty of the University of Utah and has also served at Brigham Young University. She has been a long time faculty member at the Humboldt State University Sequoia Chamber Music Workshop since 1994. She has enjoyed an active chamber music life performing with groups such as The Left Coast Ensemble, Alternate Currents, Nova Chamber Series, Intermezzo Chamber Series, Three Fish and a Scorpion and Sundays@7 at the University of Utah.

Carnes was born in North Carolina. The son of a piano teacher, he received his first formal musical training on trumpet in the public schools. He formed and played in several rock bands beginning in the late 1960s. While originally a performer of popular music and jazz, Carnes became interested in classical music and resumed his education.

He studied composition under John Bavicchi at Berklee College of Music where he received his BA in 1977, John Thow and Theodore Antoniou at Boston University where he received his Masters in Music in 1980 and later with Rudi Martinus van Dijkand Gunther Schuller. His early works were largely tonal and reflective of jazz. These include a number of guitar etudes. In the years that followed, his music became more strongly chromatic, without an obvious tonal center. Principal works from this period include Fantasy Music 1 (for flute and taped electronic sounds), Fantasy Music 2 (for harpsichord and taped electronic sounds), and Marimba Concerto.

An intermediate period included Brass Quintet #2, War Songs (for voice and taped electronic sounds), and Variations(computer). More recently, his style has moved into a more flexible variant of the 12-tone technique. Recent works include Brass Quintet #3, Symphony: Challenger and Proper Motion (trio for flute, clarinet, piano) which had its world premiere at the Park City and Salt Lake City International Music Festival in 2005.

During his years in Boston, Carnes was a member of the "Composers in Red Sneakers" collective. In 1985, the group inaugurated the 8th season of contemporary music at New York's Symphony Space.[3]Amongst the pieces on the program were two songs for mezzo-soprano and marimba by Carnes set to texts by e.e. cummings with Nancy Zeltsmanon the marimba.

Cellist John Eckstein joined the Utah Symphony in 1990 after previously serving as Associate Principal Cello of the New Orleans Symphony and Principal Cello of the Omaha Symphony. In 2004, he served as Principal Cellist with the Auckland Philharmonia in New Zealand. John has also served on the University of Utah music faculty since 1992.

After graduating from the Interlochen Arts Academy, John received his Bachelor of Music degree from the Eastman School of Music. His Master of Music was completed under the tutelage of famed cellist Raya Garbousova at Northern illinois University. Other teachers have included Steven Doane, Ralph Kishbaum, Richard Kapuschinski and Dennis Brott.

In 2016, Mr. Eckstein co-founded the Haitian Orchestra Institute, designed to give 100 of Haiti’s most advanced orchestral musicians and teachers the opportunity to work with professionals from the Utah Symphony. The annual weeklong workshop provides a training platform never before available in Haiti.

Jessica Danz, from Spanish Fort, Alabama, joined the Utah Symphony as Principal Horn in 2021. She received a Master of Music degree from The Juilliard School in 2020 studying with Jennifer Montone, and she holds a Bachelor of Music degree with a minor in Social and Emotional Development as well as a Performer’s Certificate from the Eastman School of Music. Jessica has held fellowships with the New World Symphony, National Repertory Orchestra, Music Academy of the West, Texas Music Festival, and Pacific Music Festival. Jessica was selected as a winner of the 2019 National Repertory Orchestra concerto competition, won first prize at the 2016 Northeast Horn Solo Competition, and was the recipient of the 2018 International Horn Society Jon Hawkins award.

Joel Gibbs has been a member of the Utah Symphony viola section since 2011. He appears regularly on Symphony salon concerts, and he coaches young musicians through the symphony’s education and outreach programs. He is also a frequent guest of the Intermezzo, NOVA and Westminster concert series. He is a former member of the Dallas Symphony, the Louisville Orchestra, and the Grant Park Orchestra in Chicago, where he served as a mentor in the orchestra’s Project Inclusion.

Originally from St. Louis, Missouri, Mr. Gibbs holds performance degrees from Northwestern University and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where he studied with Lewis Rosove, Myron Kartman and Yuan-Qing Yu. In his free time, he enjoys hiking and camping, and he hopes never to run out of new territory to explore in the Mountain West.

Dr. Laura D. Grantier earned a Bachelor of Music from the University of Alabama, an MBA from Averett University, and a Doctor of Musical Arts from the Catholic University of America. Her teachers are Scott Bridges, Ken Grant, and Eugene Mondie.

Dr. Grantier is the Assistant Professor of Clarinet at the University of Utah. She is the Secretary for the International Clarinet Association (ICA) Executive Board and is also the ICA Utah state chairperson.

From 2021-2022, she was the Director of Woodwinds and Assistant Professor of Clarinet at Southern Utah University. She served as guest at the 2022 SUU Honor Band. She formed the SUU faculty woodwind quintet and numerous woodwind ensembles. The SUU Clarinet Quartet performed at the 2022 ClarFest in Reno, NV and the Flute Choir performed at the 2022 NFA conference in Chicago, IL. She also founded SUU Woodwind Day, a one-day student-centered symposium, dedicated to music education through recitals, and masterclasses. Featured guest artists included Dr. Charles West and Dr. Jeremy Reynolds.

From 1995-2021 she was a member of the United States Navy Band in Washington, D.C. where she served as Principal Clarinet, Woodwind Leader, Clarinet Section Leader, and Harborwinds Clarinet Quartet Leader. She performed over 2,250 public concerts, military ceremonies, education workshops, and high-profile protocol engagements for high-ranking dignitaries, including the President of the United States, Vice President of the United States, and Secretary of the Navy.

Prior to her appointment with the United States Navy Band, she pursued a Master of Music at the Eastman School of Music. She has performed with the Rochester Chamber Orchestra, Annapolis, Arlington, McLean, New World, Tuscaloosa Symphonies, and the National Symphony Orchestra. She was principal clarinet of the American-Russian Youth Orchestra, the Capitol Wind Symphony, and is currently principal clarinet of the Virginia Grand Military Band.

Dr. Grantier has appeared as soloist on numerous occasions with the United States Navy Band, including national tours and the 2014 Midwest Orchestra and Band Clinic in Chicago. She was also a featured soloist at the 2013 CMEA conference, the 2012, 2014, 2016, and 2019 International Clarinet Association Conferences, 2017 Clarinetissimo in Seattle, the 2009 GMEA conference, the 23rd annual Alabama Honor Band Festival, and the 2022 Utah Clarinet Festival.

In 2012, Dr. Grantier founded Navy Band Clarinet Day, an annual education outreach symposium for clarinet students and enthusiasts. The event provided musical enrichment and interaction with Navy Band clarinetists and guest artists, representing the pinnacle of the profession from the orchestral, band, and academic arenas. For eight years, the symposium was presented in person to 125 participants annually and livestreamed to 23,000 online viewers globally. Past guest artists include Richie Hawley, Sean Osborn, Ricardo Morales, Jeremy Reynolds, Eugene Mondie, Larry Combs, Julie DeRoche, Mark Gallagher, Kathy Mulcahy, Robert DiLutis, and Mitch Estrin.

An active Chamber musician, Dr. Grantier is a member of Darkwood Duo with Dr. Lynn Vartan, Voix des Femmes Clarinet Quartet (IG @voixdesfemmes.quartet), and K2V Trumpet/Clarinet Duo (IG @k2v_duo_) with Dr. Michael Mergen of the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. New commissions for 2022 include works by Nadine Silverman, Todd Cochran, and Alex Freeman.

Dr. Grantier is a Buffet-Crampon performing artist.

Ha joined the Utah Symphony in 2018. She has performed as a soloist with the Pasadena POPS and the YMF Debut Orchestra. She is a member of the Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra in Switzerland during the summers. Previous mentors include David Chan, Ronald Copes, Linda Rose, and Joel Smirnof.

William Hagen has performed as soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician across the United States, Europe, and Asia. In 2021, William makes his debuts with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at the Ravinia Festival and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe at the Rheingau Music Festival, and appears at the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival. As soloist, William has appeared with the Detroit Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, Seattle Symphony, and regularly appears as soloist at the Aspen Music Festival. In Europe, he has soloed with the Frankfurt Radio Symphony (HR Sinfonieorchester), the Vienna Radio Symphony (ORF Radio Sinfonieorchester Wien), and the major orchestras of Belgium, including the Brussels Philharmonic, National Orchestra of Belgium, and the Orchestre Philharmonique Royal de Liège. William has also soloed in Japan with the Yokohama Sinfonietta and the Sendai Philharmonic.

Zachary Hammond joined the Utah Symphony as principal oboe in 2022. Prior to coming to Utah, Zac served as principal oboe of the Charleston Symphony in South Carolina for 7 years and he currently holds the position of assistant principal oboe and English horn with the Colorado Music Festival in Boulder, CO. He has been invited to perform as guest principal oboe with top orchestras across the country, including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Minnesota Orchestra, Charlotte Symphony and New World Symphony. He also has toured and recorded with the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa. Zac has been frequently featured as a soloist, including premiering a concerto written specifically for him by Yiorgos Vassilandonakis with the Charleston Symphony in 2019.

Originally from Naperville, IL, Zac studied with Robert Morgan of the Lyric Opera of Chicago and received his Bachelor of Music degree at the Eastman School of Music as a student of Richard Killmer. While still a student at Eastman in 2013, He was appointed to the position of principal oboe with Symphoria (formerly the Syracuse Symphony) and performed frequently with the Rochester Philharmonic. He has held fellowships with the Aspen Music Festival, the National Repertory Orchestra, the Sarasota Music Festival and the Youth Orchestra of the Americas.

Zac also enjoys teaching and has served as faculty at the College of Charleston and the University of South Carolina. He currently maintains a large studio of young oboists.

Andrew Larson joined the Utah Symphony in September 2015. Born into a musical family, his cello studies began at age 7. Formal training led him to performance degrees from the Eastman School of Music and New England Conservatory. As a student he participated in various festivals at Verbier, Schleswig-Holstein, Sapporo, Spoleto, etc. He was also a participant at the New York String Orchestra Seminar in ’05 and ’06. He studied chamber music with Andre Roy and Gerhard Schulz at the 2011 McGill International String Quartet Academy in Montreal. A member of the New World Symphony in 2014, he also performs with the Grand Teton Music Festival Orchestra. His primary teachers include David Ying, Paul Katz, and Natasha Brofsky. Other influential teachers include Dorothea Figueroa and Ronald Feldman.

Alexander Martin joined the Utah Symphony in February 2011. He came to Salt Lake City from Miami Beach, Florida, where he was a member of the New World Symphony and appeared as concertmaster under the batons of Michael Tilson-Thomas and other conductors. He also has served as concertmaster of the Indiana University Philharmonic Orchestra and of the Terre Haute (Indiana) Symphony Orchestra, and assistant concertmaster of the Columbus (Indiana) Philharmonic.

Mr. Martin holds both a Bachelors and Masters Degree from Indiana University, where he studied with Alexander Kerr, former concertmaster of the Royal Concertgebouw orchestra in Amsterdam, and with Paul Biss, the violinist, violist and conductor.

A chamber-music devotee and performer since grade school, Mr. Martin is a regularly featured artist in the Westminster Concert Series at Westminster College in Salt Lake City. Reviewer Edward Reichel called his 2015 performance of Cesar Franck’s Sonata for Violin and Piano, with pianist Karlyn Bond, “a magnificent presentation of one of the most technically challenging and significant violin works from the late 19th century.”

Mr. Martin has participated in many music festivals, including the Verbier Festival in Verbier, Switzerland; the Pacific Music Festival in Sapporo, Japan; and the Schleswig-Holstein festival in Germany, where he was concertmaster of the chamber orchestra. In the United States, he has played at the Grand Teton Music Festival in Jackson Hole, Wyoming and at the Spoleto USA festival in Charleston, South Carolina, where he was concertmaster of the festival orchestra under the baton of noted conductor Joseph Flummerfelt. Mr. Martin also served as principal second violin in the National Repertory Orchestra in Breckenridge, Colorado.

In his spare time Mr. Martin enjoys reading string quartets, following the Washington Nationals, and playing his guitar. A longtime lover of heavy metal, he was featured in a Salt Lake Underground (SLUG) Magazine article discussing the surprising parallels between metal and classical music.

Violinist Yuki MacQueen joined the Utah Symphony in June 2000. Previously a member of the Nashville Symphony, the San Antonio Symphony, and Associate Concertmaster of the Knoxville Symphony, she has also played with the National Symphony, and the Pittsburgh Symphony. A frequent substitute member of the Pittsburgh Symphony before her current position with the Utah Symphony, she participated in concert tours to Carnegie Hall, Tanglewood, Europe, Japan, Canada, and South America.

Ms. MacQueen holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, where she studied with Arnold Steinhardt of the Guarneri Quartet and Jascha Brodsky. She received her Master of Music degree from the Juilliard School in New York, studying with Robert Mann of the Juilliard Quartet, and chamber music with Jerome Lowenthal and Seymour Lipkin.

She has been a featured performer in the Nova Chamber Series, the Intermezzo Chamber Series, and the Westminster Chamber Series. She has been violin Adjunct Faculty at Westminster College since 2004.

In 2016, along with USUO cellist John Eckstein and BLUME Haiti President Janet Anthony, Ms. MacQueen cofounded the Haitian Orchestra Institute (HOI). This Institute gives the opportunity to 100 of the most advanced orchestral musicians from throughout Haiti to work with Musicians of the Utah Symphony. The intense week of lessons, sectionals and full orchestra rehearsals culminate in a concert with Maestro Fischer.

When she is not performing with the Utah Symphony, she enjoys playing chamber music, pampering her Cocker Spaniel, and traveling the world.

Caitlyn Valovick Moore joined the Utah Symphony as Piccolo/Utility Flute in 2008, and served as Acting Associate Principal Flute during the 2011-2012 and 2014-2015 seasons. She also performs with the Grand Teton Music Festival Orchestra, and is on the faculty at the University of Utah as an Adjunct Associate Professor of Flute. In addition, she performs chamber music with the Nova Chamber Music Series, the faculty recital series at the University of Utah, Sundays@7, and Intermezzo Chamber Music Series.

Prior to her Utah Symphony appointment, Caitlyn was a member of the Virginia Symphony Orchestra and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, and was a prizewinner in the National Flute Association’s Piccolo Artist Competition. A native of northern Michigan, Caitlyn attended her final two years of high school at Interlochen Arts Academy and went on to receive her Bachelor of Music degree from DePaul University, and her Master of Music degree from Northwestern University. Caitlyn’s primary teachers were Mary Stolper, Walfrid Kujala, and Stephanie Mortimore.

Caitlyn enjoys cooking and discovering new restaurants with her husband, and getting out to experience the beauty of Salt Lake City while hiking and cycling, or taking their Labrador Retriever, Heidi, for walks.

Dr. Lauren Posey is the Executive Director for the Intermountain Suzuki String Institute, performs as a principal cellist of the Ballet West Orchestra and is a member of the Rosco String Quartet in Salt Lake City, UT. She also directs a thriving private cello studio and is on faculty at Westminster College. She completed her Doctor of Musical Arts degree at Stony Brook University under the tutelage of Colin Carr in 2017, in addition to a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Southern California and a Master of Music degree from the University of Utah. In her free time, Lauren enjoys spending time with her five dogs Riggins, Taylor, Lyla, Garrity, and Kora

Yuan Qi joined the Utah Symphony | Utah Opera as Associate Principal Viola in September of 2020. Prior to joining the USUO, Ms. Qi was the Assistant Principal Viola of the Delaware Symphony and a fellow at the New World Symphony, serving as principal viola under the batons of Michael Tilson Thomas and others. She has also made regular appearance with the Philadelphia Orchestra and performed with the New York Philharmonic as a Global Academy Zarin Metha Fellow. As an orchestral musician, Ms. Qi is privileged to have performed with some world-renowned conductors include Alan Gilbert, Marin Alsop, Seiji Ozawa, Valery Gergiev, Yannick Nézet-Séguin and others.

With the passion of chamber music, Ms. Qi was a former founding member of JANA quartet under the tutelage of Tokyo String Quartet, who made frequent appearances throughout cities in China and Japan. The series of performances was recognized and highly praised by local TVs and newspapers. Yuan was selected to participate in the ARD International Music Competition Munich in 2012 with JANA quartet. Ms. Qi is also a founding member Duet Amici, a first prize winning string duo, and performed at Carnegie Hall as a prize winner.

As a soloist, Yuan is a 2nd prize winner of the Hugo Kauder Competition for Viola 2015. Ms. Qi is a dedicated performer whose passionate artistry has been heard and embraced by many music festivals including Seiji Ozawa Music Academy, serving as co-principal viola (Orchestra 2009, 2011, 2012), Seiji Ozawa International Chamber Music Festival in Okushiga Japan (2011, 2012), Kneisel Hall Chamber Music Festival (2013), Norfolk Chamber Music Chamber Music Festival (2014, 2015), Music Academy of the West, principal viola (2017).

Ms. Qi holds a graduate performance diploma from Peabody Institute where she studied with the Choong-Jin(C.J.)Chang , a master’s degree from Yale School of Music as a student of Ettore Causa and a Bachelor’s degree from Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing under the instruction of Changhai Wang. Yuan was a first prize winner for an amateur cooking competition, she enjoys spending her spare time cooking and reading.

Jennifer Rhodes was appointed to the position of Second Bassoon of the Utah Symphony | Utah Opera by Maestro Thierry Fischer in 2012. Previously she held the position of Principal Bassoon with the Memphis Symphony Orchestra and appeared as soloist with the group in 2007. Praised by the New York Times and Village Voice for her “vivid” and “soulful” musicianship, Ms. Rhodes has performed solo, chamber, and orchestral concerts around the world. Jennifer holds Doctor of Musical Arts and Master of Music degrees from The Juilliard School and a Bachelor of Music degree and Performer’s Certificate from the Eastman School of Music. Currently, she is Adjunct Assistant Professor of Bassoon at the University of Utah and has previously been on faculty at Rhodes College in Memphis, TN. She has recorded for the EMI, Furious Artisans, and Naxos labels.

Pianist Vedrana Subotic is an internationally acclaimed concert artist, chamber musician, and pedagogue. Lauded by critics and audiences for her fierce playing, beautifully phrased lines, and nuanced sound, Subotic, a Steinway Artist, enjoys a vibrant and multi-faceted musical career in North and South Americas, Europe, and Asia. Subotic's concert repertoire of over five hundred works in the solo, chamber, and concerto genres includes the complete piano sonatas and piano chamber music by Beethoven. She currently holds a position of Professor-Lecturer of Music at the University of Utah, and is a Visiting Professor of Piano at the University of Chile in Santiago. Subotic serves as the President of the World Piano Teachers Association USA, and as President of the American Liszt Society (Utah). She is the Artistic Director of the INTERMEZZO concert series based in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Pegsoon Whang, cello, is a graduate of the Curtis Institute and the Mannes College, where she graduated as “Most Outstanding Graduating Student.” She has performed with the Seoul Philharmonic, the Jacksonville Symphony, the Lawton Philharmonic, and the North Carolina School of the Arts Orchestra.

As a chamber musician, she concertized in France, Italy, Germany, and the US. She is a member of Quattro Amici and the Snake River Chamber Players in Colorado. Festival appearances have included the Grand Teton Music Festival, Kneisel Hall, the Roycroft Chamber Music Festival, and the Colorado Music Festival, where she was appointed principal cello.

McMillan teaches at Westminster College in Salt Lake city and recently accepted the position of assistant choral director. She holds a bachelor of Music from Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey and a Master of Music from the University of Utah.

Salt Lake City native Karlyn Bond has been an active performer in Utah for decades. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Walla Walla College (now University), and master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Southern California as a Jacob K. Javits fellow. After teaching full-time at Westminster College for twenty-one years, her position was terminated in 2020. Since then she has been a bookseller and book reviewer at The King’s English Bookshop, has taught piano and piano literature at Utah Valley University, and has created an online business—Portico MLA—which will be launched soon. Later this summer, she will be moving to Walla Walla, WA to assume the position of Music Department Chair at WWU, her alma mater.

Calcara has been principal clarinet of the Utah Symphony since 1999. He began piano at age five and studied clarinet at age 12. He then attended Manhattan School of Music.

Emily Day-Shumway, originally from Gresham, Oregon, is a graduate of The Manhattan School of Music where she studied with Oleh Krysa, Sylvia Rosenberg, and Ariana Bronne. She has participated in the music festivals of Aspen, Jerusalem, Schleswig-Holstein, and National Repertory Orchestra where she was Principal Second and also soloist. Currently, Emily is Associate Concertmaster for the Ballet West Orchestra. She is a busy freelancer as a substitute violinist with the Utah Symphony, long time member of Utah Chamber Artists, and active in the recording studios in SLC. Emily is married to Utah Symphony cellist, Kevin Shumway, and the proud mother of 3 sons.

Violinist Lun Jiang is a native of Beijing, China, and grew up in Westchester, New York. He has been a guest artist in concerts with Ruth Laredo, Isidore Cohen, Sergiu Luca, Michael Rudiakov, Glenn Dicterow, Ian Swenson and members of the Cleveland, American, Brentano, Pacifica, Miami and Ying String Quartets, to name but a few.

Lun was a prize winner of numerous competitions, he has performed on stages in New York, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, San Francesco, Detroit, Dallas/Fort Worth, Washington D.C., Beijing, Seoul, Hong Kong, Macau, as well as in Germany and Austria, among others. He has been invited to the Manchester, Ravinia, Great Lake, Round Top, Grand Teton and Martha's Vineyard music festivals.

From 2015-2017, Lun has performed the complete 10 Beethoven violin sonatas with pianist Vedrana Subotic, sponsored by the University of Utah School of Music.

Lun has recorded for Eroica Classical Records and Newport Classic, including the complete string quartets by Camille Saint-Saens and a solo album with twin brother Quan.

Lun was a founding member of the Equinox String Quartet, which was a resident quartet at the Midori Foundation and Gotham Quartet, a quartet in residence at Rice University from 1999-2001. Gotham Quartet was a top prize winner at 2000 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition.

Lun is a graduate of Rice University and Manhattan School of Music, he has studied with Stanley Bednar, Isidore Cohen, Sergiu Luca and Raphael Fliegel. He has also worked with Isaac Stern, Joseph Silverstein, William Preucil and Alexander Kerr. Lun is a member of the Utah Symphony and an adjunct assistant professor at University of Utah School of Music and Westminster College.

Lun plays on a Tommaso Balestrieri violin, crafted in Mantua, ca.1750 and a Dominique Peccatte bow, Paris, ca.1830

He is an official endorser/spokesman of Thomastik-Infeld Strings, Vienna

Bio forthcoming

Bio forthcoming

Cassie began her formal cello studies a bit later than most musicians - at the age of 16 - with the full intention of going into the sciences as her career. But not long after starting college at the University of Utah, she began to see cello performance as her true calling. She switched majors. Upon graduation, Cassie moved to New York City and continued her studies at the Manhattan School of Music. She earned a Masters Degree in Cello Performance as one of only a few cellists admitted into the Orchestral Performance Program that year. While there she studied with Alan Stepansky (former Assistant Principal Cello, New York Philharmonic) and Margo Tatgenhorst-Drakos (formerly with the American String Quartet and Pittsburgh Symphony), and chamber music with members of the Emerson and American String Quartets. Orchestral highlights include working with Kurt Masur and Pinchas Zukerman, and training with members of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra.

A native of Vernal, Utah, Leslie Richards started her viola studies at age 7. Soon after, she began regularly traveling to the Wasatch Front for further instruction and considers Salt Lake City to be her musical hometown. She holds degrees in viola performance from Brigham Young University and the University of Michigan, and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Utah. Leslie performed with several semi-professional orchestras while studying in Michigan and takes every opportunity to be involved with musical ensembles in Utah, including the Utah Symphony, Ballet West Orchestra, Utah Chamber Artists, Intermezzo Chamber Music Series, Salty Cricket Composers Collective, and Utopia Early Music. She is also in demand as a recording artist with several local studios. She began performing with the Utah Symphony in 2007 and is in her fifth season on a full-time substitute contract. She and her husband are parents to a charming two-year-old girl and a moody but loving Brittany spaniel.

Steve Roens holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in anthropology from Swarthmore College, a Master of Fine Arts degree in music theory and composition from Brandeis University, and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in composition from Columbia University.

Rosen began studies privately in Los Angeles, California with the prominent studio musician Joachim Chassman, and then went on to earn a Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance with Honors at Indiana University. Primary studies there were with Tadeusz Wronski, who was previously Dean of the Warsaw Conservatory of Music in Poland. Ms. Rosen later studied with Josef Gingold, and Joseph Silverstein. She has participated in seminars with Pinchas Zukerman, William Preucil and Malcolm Lowe.

Shumway grew up in Holladay, Utah. As a teenager, he studied with Stephen Emerson, Assistant Principal Cellist of the Utah Symphony. Kevin studied at Northwestern University and Cleveland Institute of Music.

Dr. Kasia Sokol-Borup is a native of Lublin, Poland. Having been born onto a musical family, she began playing the violin at age six. At age twelve she had won her first award at a national Polish competition and won a Scholarship for Gifted Children. Over the next few years, she competed in several Polish national competitions as well as international competitions, and received numerous awards. At age seventeen she travelled the US as a scholarship winner for the Interlochen Arts Camp, Interlochen, MI. Subsequently, she received a full scholarship to study at the Interlochen Arts Academy.

Raised in Japan, Yu is a soprano with roots from China, Japan, Korea, and Russia. After over a decade of studying, performing, and teaching languages and musical arts in New York City, she has recently decided to call Cottonwood Heights, Utah, her new home. In March, she will perform the opera monodrama Chhlong Tonle (Crossing the River) with the support of the Opera America IDEA Grant.