FACULTY: VIOLIN

Cyrus Forough: Professor, Carnegie Mellon; Artist Teacher, Roosevelt University
and Faculty, Music Institute of Chicago. Laureate of the Tchaikovsky International Competition, first prize winner of the Milwaukee Symphony Violin Competition and winner of the USIA's National violin/piano Duo Competition with his wife, pianist Carolyn McCracken. Mr. Forough has performed with the Milwaukee Symphony, Alabama Symphony, Belgian National Radio Orchestra, Moscow State Radio Orchestra and numerous others. Teachers include David Oistrakh, Arthur Grumiaux, and Josef Gingold. Students include first prize winners at the International Johansen Competition, the Illinois Young Performer's Competition, and the Fischoff Chamber Music Competition among others.  Past students are members of major orchestras throughout the U.S.  Adjudicator for international competitions. Representing the United States as Artistic Ambassador, Mr. Forough has concertized and given master classes in the Far East and throughout South America under the auspices of the US State Department. In residence for the first three-week session.

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Renee Jolles: Faculty, The Juilliard School Pre-College Program since 1988 and Mannes Preparatory Division since 2003.   B.M., M.M., The Juilliard School. Violin and chamber music studies with Lewis Kaplan, Felix Galimir, Szymon Goldberg, and Juilliard, Tokyo, and American String Quartets. Master classes with Itzhak Perlman. Solo performances with orchestras in the U.S. and Europe. American premiere of Schnittke's Violin Concerto No. 2.  Concertmaster of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. Member of the Jolles Duo, Continuum, Chamber Music Plus, Musical Chairs. Performances at Marlboro, Bard, Bowdoin, Taos music festivals. Faculty, Chamber Music Conference and Composers' Forum of the East. Teaching fellowships with the Juilliard String Quartet and at The Juilliard School. In residence second three-week session.

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Lewis Kaplan: Co-founder of the Bowdoin International Music Festival; founder, Aeolian Chamber Players. Violin and chamber music faculty, The Juilliard School, The Mannes College of Music, and the Summer Academy at the Mozarteum, Salzburg, Austria. This year Mr. Kaplan was appointed Visiting Professor of Violin at the Royal College of Music in London and was also named among the Top 100 Musicians of the Year by the International Biographical Centre in Cambridge, England.  Former students include world renowned soloists and chamber musicians. He has toured throughout the U.S., Europe, and the Far East both as a soloist and in chamber concerts. Joint solo and chamber performances with Michael Rabin, Jaime Laredo, Emanuel Ax, Szymon Goldberg, Julius Baker. Premieres of numerous works for solo violin by major American, European, and Asian composers. Conductor, Bowdoin Festival Orchestra. Juror of numerous international competitions. Recordings for Columbia, CRI, Folkways, and Odyssey Records. In residence for full six-week session.

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Dennis Kim: First concertmaster of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra. Faculty, Yonsei University, Korea National University of Arts.  Holds a Bachelors degree from the Curtis Institute of Music, and a masters degree from the Yale School of Music.  Studied with Victor Danchenko, Aaron Rosand, Yumi Ninomiya Scott, Peter Oundjian and Paul Kantor.   Performed with the Toronto Philharmonic, the Curtis Chamber Orchestra, Yale Symphony, KBS Orchestra, Korean Symphony Orchestra, Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, Ulsan Philharmonic, Sungnam Philharmonic, and the Busan Philharmonic. Mr. Kim was an active member of the chamber music scene in Hong Kong. Now, in Korea, he is a member of the Koreana Chamber Music Society and guest principal of the Hwaeum Chamber Orchestra. Also a dedicated teacher, Mr. Kim was an honorary advisor for the Yew Chung Education Foundation. His students have been accepted to the Curtis Institute of Music, Juilliard School, Cleveland Institute of Music, Peabody Conservatory, and the Yale School of Music. He has given masterclasses throughout Korea, and has been on the jury for national competitions. In residence second three-week session.

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Mikhail Kopelman, faculty, Eastman. Studied with Maya Glezarova and Yuri Yankelevich at the Moscow Conservatory. Former member, Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra and concertmaster, Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra. Former first violinist, Borodin String Quartet and Tokyo String Quartet. Former faculty member, Moscow Conservatory and Yale School of Music. He has given master classes at major conservatories across Europe. Prize-winner, Jacques Thibaud International Competition. Recipient, Royal Philharmonic Society Award and the Concertgebouw Silver Medal of Honour. For over 15 years he performed and recorded with Sviatoslav Richter. He has also collaborated with Mstislav Rostropovich, Gideon Kremer, Natalia Gutman, Elisabeth Leonskaja, Alicia de Larrocha, Christoph Eschenbach, Yuri Bashmet, Victor Tretyakov, Eliso Virsaladze, Peter Donohoe, Boris Berman, and Emanuel Ax. Kopelman has made about thirty recordings for the Melodia, EMI, Virgin Classics, Teldec, and Philips labels. In residence for the second three-week session.

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Joan Kwuon : Faculty, The Juilliard School.  Joan Kwuon, hailed for her “impassioned and poised” playing, makes her debut with the Seattle Symphony this season, and tours as a soloist with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales with Thierry Fischer, the Bulgarian Academic Orchestra and the State Symphony Orchestra of Mexico with Enrique Batize, as well as performing recitals at the University of Georgia, Jacksonville's Cummer Gallery, The Carver in San Antonio, and St. Petersburg Conservatory in Russia.   Next season, she appears in Recital with Sir André Previn at the piano, performing Sonatas at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia. Ms. Kwuon has soloed with the London Symphony Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, NHK Symphony of Tokyo, and Moscow State Symphony, among others, under such conductors as Sir André Previn, Charles Dutoit, Matthias Bamert, Heinz Wallberg and Sergei Kondrashev. She has been presented in recital by Lincoln Center, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Krannert Center, George Mason University, and Rockefeller University, among others, and collaborated with such artists as Tony Bennett, Vladimir Feltsman, the Juilliard String Quartet, Gilbert Kalish, Jaime Laredo, Sharon Robinson, and Bright Sheng. Joan Kwuon plays the “Mary Portman” Guarneri del Gesu , 1735, on generous extended loan from Karen and Clement Arrison through The Stradivari Society of Chicago. In residence for first three-week session.

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Muneko Otani: Columbia University, Mannes College of Music. First violinist of the Cassatt String Quartet, which was awarded an ASCAP - CIVIA Adventuresome Programming Award in 1996, a grant from the Mary Flagler Cary Trust in 1997, and a residency award from Chamber Music America for a residency at Syracuse University. Since 1998 they have been in residence at the University of Buffalo were they perform the Beethoven cycle every year. As a member of the Cassatts, she has performed in major venues throughout the world, and recorded on the New World and CRI labels. Ms. Otani holds degrees in both performance and education from Tokyos Toho-Gakuen School of Mtisic and did graduate work with Masuko Ushioda at the New England Conservatory, and at Yale University as assistant to the Tokyo String Quartet. In residence for second three-week session.

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Itzhak Rashkovsky: Faculty, Royal College of Music, London. He has appeared as a soloist and a chamber music player in live concerts and radio broadcasts in many countries. One of the leading andsought-after teachers in England, his students have won prizes at national and international competitions. Masterclasses in Europe, Israel, and the U.S. Founder and Music Director of Keshet Eilon Mastercourse. In 1998 was awarded a Fellowship by the Royal College of Music, London. In residence for first three-week session.

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Jacqueline Ross: Faculty, Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London. Jacqueline was born in New York and studied at the Juilliard School with Joseph Fuchs. She then moved to Europe, studying in Cologne with Saschko Gawriloff, and in Amsterdam with baroque specialist Lucy van Dael. She appeared as soloist at the Venice Biennale and Darmstadt Festival where she won the Kranichsteiner Prize, later performing on radio stations throughout Europe. Jacqueline now performs on both modern and baroque violin. Her research into performance and practice has been supported by the Dutch Humanities Board, and the British Council. Highly acclaimed recent recordings include the Complete Sonatas and Partitas of JS Bach. Also a dedicated teacher, Jacqueline attracts an international following of advanced students. She teaches at the Guildhall School in London, where she has recently been appointed Head of Department. She adjudicates at major competitions and gives masterclasses internationally, which include visits to Juilliard, Curtis Institute, and conservatories throughout Europe. In residence for the second three-week session.

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Maria Schleuning: Dallas Symphony since 1994. Soloist with Dallas Symphony, Seattle Symphony, Oregon Symphony, Long Bay Symphony, Columbia Symphony, and alumni soloist for the 75 th Anniversary of the Portland Youth Philharmonic. In 2004 she performed the Barber Violin Concerto with the Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra on a tour of Eastern Europe. As a chamber musician, Ms. Schleuning has performed at Avery Fisher Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Carnegie Recital Hall, the Museum of Modern Art, Merkin Hall, and concerts with Villa Musica in Germany. She is a member of the Grammy-nominated Voices of Change and the Walden Piano Quartet, and has recorded with both ensembles. BIMF faculty since 1993 and has also performed at Music in the Mountains, Idyllwild Arts, and the Skaneateles Festival. Studied with Josef Gingold at Indiana University where she was awarded the prestigious Performer's Certificate; with Yfrah Neaman in London as a recipient of the Dame Myra Hess Foundation Trust; and with Joel Smirnoff at the Juilliard School where she received her Master's degree.  In residence for first three-week session.

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Ani Schnarch: Romanian- Israeli- British violinist. Winner, Francois Shapira and Mozart Memorial Prizes. Studied with Felix Andrievsky at the Samuel Rubin Music Academy, Tel Aviv University, and at the Royal College of Music. Recitals include Bartok and Ysaye at the Purcell Room and Wigmore Hall. Broadcast for radio, television and on the web in Austria, France, Germany, Israel, Norway, Romania, USA and the U.K. In concerto, appearances with the Israeli Philharmonic, Jerusalem Symphony, Jerusalem Chamber, Haifa Symphony, Israel Simfonietta, Oslo Philharmonic, London Mozart Players, Malaga Symphony, Seville Symphony, Cameratta Strumentale di Milan, London Bach, Covent Garden Chamber and Moscovia Chamber. She has played at the Bath, Bergen, Bowdoin, Lake District, Moscow and Windsor Festivals, to mention a few. Faculty, Royal College of Music, London. Masterclasses in Europe, USA, Canada and Israel, and Juror of numerous International Violin Competitions. Founder, Keshet Eilon Violin Mastercourse, Israel.  Ms. Schnarch plays a violin by JB Guadagnini c.1745, on generous loan from the Royal College of Music Instrument Collection. In residence for first three-week session.

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Sergiu Schwartz: The Turner Distinguished Faculty Endowed Chair in Violin, Schwob School of Music, Columbus State University (GA). Students have been prizewinners in national and international competitions. Juror at major international violin competitions, including Tchaikovsky, Sarasate, Wieniawski, Oistrakh, Szeryng, Sphinx, Blount, Stulberg, and others. “ Schwartz's CD should provide a great sense of optimism that a younger violinist still commands such assured rhetoric and expressive resources. Heifetz, Milstein, Oistrakh, Isaac Stern, Francescatti – they all come to mind ” (Fanfare). Hailed as " one of the best violinists of his generation" ( Le Soleil , Canada ), he has performed as a soloist on three continents including collaborations with preeminent conductors, including Sergiu Comissiona, James Judd, Peter Maag, Giuseppe Sinopoli, and Bruno Weil. Performances in major concert halls including Lincoln Center, Carnegie Recital Hall, and 92nd Street Y, Kennedy Center, Barbican Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, and Wigmore Hall. Broadcasts for major radio and TV stations. Recordings for Vox, Gega, Naxos , Arcobaleno, Romeo Records, Nonesuch. Frequently conducts master classes in Europe, Israel, Russia, Canada, Asia, and the US . In residence for full six-week session.

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Joel Smirnoff : 1 st Violinist, the Juilliard String Quartet; Chair, Violin Department at The Juilliard School.   A native of New York City, he has been a member of the Juilliard Quartet since 1986, and the ensemble's leader since 1997. Mr. Smirnoff attended the University of Chicago and the Juilliard School and was a member of the Boston Symphony Orchestra for six years. Second Prize-winner in the International American Music Competition in 1983, he made his New York recital debut in 1985 at Carnegie's Weill Recital Hall. Mr. Smirnoff has participated in the world premiere of numerous contemporary works, many of which were composed for him. He pursues an active career as a conductor, both in the U.S. and abroad.   In residence for first three-week session.

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Krzysztof Wegrzyn: Initiator and Artistic Director of the Hannover International Violin Competition. He studied with Zenon Brzewski in Warsaw, Wolfgang Marschner in Freiburg and Yfrah Neaman in London. He was a laureate at renowned international competitions (Spohr, Montreal) and has won the Szymanowski and Lipizer Competitions.   In residence for second three-week session.

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