2026 Faculty Cohorts
Rising Artists will have the opportunity to work with all professors in the Cohort they are accepted into including weekly performance class. (subject to change)
Rising Artists will have the opportunity to work with all professors in the Cohort they are accepted into including weekly performance class. (subject to change)
Praised for her “silken grace” and “brilliant command” (The Strad), American violinist Stella Chen first gained international recognition as the winner of the 2019 Queen Elizabeth International Violin Competition.
View BioCelebrated for “sincerity, intensity, and individual voice” (Philadelphia Inquirer) and “immaculate and discreet phrasing” (Strad Magazine), violinist Francesca dePasquale is the First Prize winner of the 2010 Irving M. Klein
View BioRictor Noren teaches violin, viola, chamber music, string fundamentals, and string pedagogy at the Boston Conservatory. He also teaches at New England Conservatory’s Preparatory School, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard University, the Prelude Music Academy, and the New World Symphony.
View BioViolinist Hannah Ji has been touring the world as a soloist, chamber and orchestral musician, appearing at some of the world’s most prestigious venues. Ji's playing has been hailed by critics as "engaging, mature, well thought-out, and honed down to the finest details"
View BioHailed by critics as a “superior poet” (Vancouver Sun) and praised for his “heart and indomitable will” (Gramophone), Grigory Kalinovsky has performed at some of the world’s major venues, from all three stages of Carnegie Hall in New York to Musikhalle Grosser Saal in Hamburg.
View BioPraised by critics for her "deep, soulful sound" and "powerful, enchanting renditions," Olga Dubossarskaya Kaler has toured three continents as a soloist, chamber musician, and artist-teacher, balancing her performing and teaching careers with equal success.
View BioDescribed by the Gramophone as a “magician, bewitching our ears” for his hauntingly beautiful sound, flawless command of the instrument and mesmerizing phrasing, Ilya Kaler is the only violinist to win the Gold Medal at the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow (1986), the Sibelius Competition in Helsinki (1985), and the Paganini Competition in Genoa (1981).
View BioAdmired for her “luscious melodies” (New York Concert Review) and enlightened programming, violinist Karla Donehew Perez is a founding member of the GRAMMY-winning Catalyst Quartet as well as an acclaimed soloist, educator, and creative collaborator with numerous world-class artists and ensembles.
View BioAdmired for her “luscious melodies” (New York Concert Review) and enlightened programming, violinist Karla Donehew Perez is a founding member of the GRAMMY-winning Catalyst Quartet as well as an acclaimed soloist, educator, and creative collaborator with numerous world-class artists and ensembles.
View BioSince her debut at age 12 with Lukas Foss and the Milwaukee Symphony, Ms. Ruhstrat has appeared as a soloist with orchestras throughout the world, including the Berlin Radio Symphony, Radio Suisse Romande, Gottingen Symphony, Philharmonia Da Camera, Symphonica Auguescalientes Mexico, Colorado Symphony, Oregon Symphony, Concerto Soloists Of Philadelphia, Utah Symphony, Debut Orchestra of Los Angeles, National Repertory Orchestra and by special invitation of Sir George Solti in Chicago’s Orchestra Hall.
View BioViolinist Amy Lee enjoys a varied performing and teaching career, equally at home in both orchestral and chamber music settings. Currently, Ms. Lee is the associate concertmaster of The Cleveland Orchestra,
View BioRictor Noren teaches violin, viola, chamber music, string fundamentals, and string pedagogy at the Boston Conservatory. He also teaches at New England Conservatory’s Preparatory School, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard University, the Prelude Music Academy, and the New World Symphony.
View BioStephen Rose is Principal Second Violin of The Cleveland Orchestra, a position he has held since 2001. He joined the Orchestra in 1997 as a member of the first violin section and made his solo debut with the Orchestra in 2011.
View Bio1st Prize winner of the 13th Lionel Tertis International Viola Competition, 1st Prize winner of the 14th National Sphinx Competition, and Gold Medalist with High Distinction at the 5th Manhattan International Music Competition, violist Paul Laraia has established an international career performing as soloist and chamber musician.
View BioRictor Noren teaches violin, viola, chamber music, string fundamentals, and string pedagogy at the Boston Conservatory. He also teaches at New England Conservatory’s Preparatory School, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard University, the Prelude Music Academy, and the New World Symphony.
View BioPraised for his “burnished sound” (The New York Times) and described as an “electrifying, poetic, and sensitive musician,” the Grammy Award-winning, Japanese-Norwegian violist Masumi Per Rostad hails from the gritty East Village of 1980s New York.
View BioSarah Kim, D.M.A. leads a vibrant and diverse career as a cellist, professor, and arts leader.
View BioDr. Melissa Kraut is recognized as one of the leading pedagogues of her generation. Having developed and trained some of the outstanding young musicians of today,
View BioInternationally recognized as a cellist, educator, and arts leader, Alan Rafferty enjoys a multifaceted career that spans performance, teaching, and artistic leadership.
View BioHailed by the New York Times at its Carnegie Hall debut as “invariably energetic and finely burnished... playing with earthy vigor,” the Grammy Award-winning Catalyst Quartet believes in the unity that can be achieved through music and imagine their programs and projects with this in mind, redefining and reimagining the classical music experience.
View BioAn advocate for multifaceted musical diversity in the 21st century and a founding member of the GRAMMY award winning Catalyst Quartet, Cuban-American cellist Karlos Rodriguez is an avid soloist, recitalist, chamber musician, clinician, recording artist, writer, and administrator.
View BioPeter Salaff was a founding member of the Cleveland Quartet, with whom he has received seven GRAMMY Award nominations, a GRAMMY award, and "Best of the Year" awards from Time and Stereo Review for recordings of more than 50 chamber works on major labels.
View BioViolinist Mari Sato has enjoyed a rich and varied career as a solo, orchestra and chamber musician based in Cleveland.
View BioAs a native of Taipei, Taiwan, Ying-Ho Joanna Huang began her musical journey by studying the piano at 5 and the french horn at 9. She is a recent graduate of Doctor of Musical Arts in Collaborative Piano from the prestigious Cleveland Institute of Music (CIM)
View BioTaiwanese pianist Chiaoyu Lin has been recognized both in Asia and the United States for her musical achievements. She is a prize-winner of the International Steinway Piano Competition (Taiwan), the Yamaha Piano Competition, the Kawai Piano Competition,
View BioTaiwanese pianist Ming-Li Liu has been praised for her charismatic and passionate performances across the United States and Taiwan. In 2023, she won the concerto competition at the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) and subsequently performed Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4 with the CCM Orchestra.
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