Chamber Music Institute

Russian-born pianist Oksana Ezhokina appears frequently as guest recitalist and chamber musician on concert series across the United States and abroad. She has soloed with the Seattle Symphony, Tacoma Symphony and UW Symphony Orchestra, among others. Two of her long-term collaborations are with pianist Christina Dahl and Volta Piano Trio, whose recordings for the Con Brio label received accolades in international music magazines, such as The Strad, Gramophone and American Record Guide. A sought-after teacher, Ezhokina is Chair of Piano Studies and Associate Professor of Music at Pacific Lutheran University.

Applauded for her virtuosity in the standard repertoire, violinist Elisabeth Perry is an avid proponent of contemporary music, a committed chamber musician, and a dedicated pedagogue. She shared the stage with Yehudi Menuhin at Royal Albert Hall at age 14. A winner of New York’s Concert Artists Guild Competition, the list of her other awards includes the Greater London Arts Award and the ISM Award. She served as concertmaster of the Deutsche Kammerakademie and First Concertmaster of the Netherlands Radio Chamber Philharmonic with numerous recordings to her credit.

Violist Richard Wolfe pursued violin studies with Aaron Shapinsky, Dorothy Delay, and Walter Levin. A former member of the Israel Chamber Orchestra, in 1982 he settled in the Netherlands, and four years later became principal violist of the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra. He was a founding member of ‘Music in Context’ in Houston and is a member of Ensemble ‘Explorations’ in Belgium. Richard Wolfe is on viola faculty of the Utrecht Conservatory, Amsterdam Conservatory, and teaches and performs each summer at the L’Ecole Americain for Music and Fine Arts in Fontainebleau, France.

(Blaise Magniere and Marie Wang, violin; Anthony Devroye, viola; Cheng-Hou Lee, cello)

Described by the Chicago Tribune as “an ensemble that invites you-ears, mind, and spirit- into its music”, the Avalon String Quartet has established itself as one of the country’s leading chamber music ensembles. They have performed in many major venues including Alice Tully Hall, 92nd St Y, Carnegie Hall and Merkin Hall in New York; the Library of Congress in Washington DC; Wigmore Hall in London; and Herculessaal in Munich. The Avalon is quartet-in-residence at the Northern Illinois University School of Music.

Pianist Christina Dahl has established a reputation as one of the leading teachers of her generation. She has recently given masterclasses at New England Conservatory, Royal College of Music Stockholm and the Steinhardt series at NYU. Christina can be heard on the Bridge, Albany and Tzadik labels and has twice been a cultural ambassador for the US State Department. She has played at the Gilmore International Piano Festival, Aspen, the Banff Centre, the Steans Institute at Ravinia, and Tanglewood. She has been on faculty at Stony Brook University for nearly twenty years.

Recently appointed Artist-Teacher of Piano at Ohio University, pianist Emely Phelps enjoys a multifaceted career as a soloist, chamber musician and teacher. Praised by the Boston Globe for her “fleet, energetic, and bright-toned” playing, Emely made her solo orchestral debut with the National Symphony Orchestra as the grand prizewinner of their Young Soloists Competition, and has since been a featured soloist with the Las Colinas Symphony Orchestra, Washington Metropolitan Philharmonic, Little River Symphony, McLean Symphony, and the Montgomery Symphony Orchestra. She has presented solo recitals throughout North America and Europe, with annual appearances in New York and Boston beginning in 2016, and additional highlights including recitals at Slot Schagen and Muiderslot in the Netherlands, Strathmore Hall’s Music in the Mansion Series, Banff Centre for the Arts, the Alden Theater, Meredith College, and Glen Eyrie.

Violinist Jennifer Caine Provine was the first-prize winner of the Yamaha Music Foundation of Europe Competition in 2004 and the recipient of several other prestigious awards. She has performed throughout the U.S. and Europe in venues including the Phillips Collection and Weill Recital Hall, and at music festivals such as the Soesterberg International Music Festival and Music@Menlo. Caine is the violinist of the Volta Piano Trio, with whom she recorded two discs on the Con Brio label to critical acclaim. She holds Masters degrees from the Royal College of Music and Oxford University.

First Prize winner of the 2008 Naumburg International Violoncello Competition, David Requiro has emerged as one of today’s finest American cellists. Mr. Requiro has made concerto appearances with the National Symphony Orchestra, Seattle Symphony, Tokyo Philharmonic, and several orchestras from California and has performed at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center. Mr. Requiro is currently Assistant Professor at the University of Colorado Boulder. He previously served as Artist-in-Residence at the University of Puget Sound as well as Guest Lecturer at the University of Michigan.

American cellist META WEISS (pronounced MAY-ta) made her international debut at the age of seven in Utrecht, Holland, and has established herself as one of the leading artists of her generation. An acclaimed soloist and chamber musician, her performances have taken her to venues throughout the US and internationally, including Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, Boston Symphony Hall, The Kimmel Center, Royal Albert Hall, The Sydney Opera House, Melbourne Recital Centre, and Teatro Britanico (Peru). Weiss serves as Chamber Music Coordinator at the University of Colorado Boulder, and Artistic Director of the Boulder Cello Festival. Previous faculty appointments include the Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University and the University of Puget Sound. She received her Bachelor of Music from Rice University, and her Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees from The Juilliard School.