MELISSA REARDON*

Artistic Director

Grammy-nominated violist Melissa Reardon is an internationally renowned performer whose solo and chamber playing spans all musical genres. In addition to serving as PCMF's Artistic Director, Melissa is a member of the Borromeo String Quartet, Artist in Residence at Bard College and Conservatory, and a founding member and former Executive Director of the East Coast Chamber Orchestra (ECCO). As a member of the Ensō String Quartet from 2006 until its final season in 2018, Melissa toured both nationally and internationally, with highlight performances in Sydney, Melbourne, Rio de Janeiro, New York’s Carnegie Hall, and Washington, DC’s Kennedy Center to name a few. Melissa is married to the cellist Raman Ramakrishnan and they live in New York with their son Linus.

STEVEN BANKS

Saxophone

Making his PCMF debut, saxophonist Steven Banks strives to bring his instrument to the heart of the classical music world, and is an active and intentional supporter of diverse voices in the future of concert music. in 2022, he was awarded the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant and was a chosen artist for WQXR’s Artist Propulsion Lab. He was the first saxophonist to be awarded First Prize at the Young Concert Artists Susan Wadsworth International Auditions. Banks serves as Saxophone and Chamber Music Faculty and Artist-in-Residence at the Cleveland Institute of Music.

DAVID BOWLIN

Violin

Violinist David Bowlin, making his PCMF debut this season, has led a wide-ranging career as a soloist and chamber musician performing an expansive repertoire. First prize winner of the Washington International Competition, he has performed across the Americas, Europe, and Asia. As a chamber musician, Bowlin has made many tours with Musicians from Marlboro, and performs regularly with the Oberlin Trio and the Bowlin-Cho Duo. Bowlin is an emeritus founding member of the acclaimed International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE) and a former member of the Naumburg Award-winning Da Capo Chamber Players. Bowlin is also a dedicated teacher and currently serves as Professor of Violin at the Eastman School of Music.

EAST COAST CHAMBER ORCHESTRA

Ensemble

The critically acclaimed East Coast Chamber Orchestra (ECCO) is a collective of dynamic like-minded artists who convene for select periods each year to explore musical works and perform concerts of the highest artistic quality. Drawing from some of the world's finest orchestras, chamber groups, and young soloists, ECCO strives for vitality and musical integrity; a self-governing organization, each member is equal and has a voice in every step of the artistic process, from programming to performance. ECCO believes that the best musical experience can speak to all audiences regardless of age or socioeconomic background and performs accordingly across a wide range of venues.

BENJAMIN HOCHMAN

Piano

In all his roles, from orchestral soloist, recitalist and chamber musician to conductor, Benjamin Hochman regards music as vital and essential. Composers, fellow musicians, orchestras and audiences recognize his deep commitment to insightful programming and performances of quality. A winner of Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Career Grant, Hochman performs at venues and festivals across the globe, including the Philharmonie in Berlin, Vienna Konzerthaus, the Kennedy Center in Washington, Suntory Hall in Tokyo, Germany’s Klavierfestival Ruhr, and Lucerne and Verbier festivals in Switzerland. Hochman is a Steinway Artist and a Lecturer at Bard College Berlin.

CHAD HOOPES

Violin

Acclaimed by critics worldwide for his exceptional talent and magnificent tone, American violinist Chad Hoopes has remained an impressive, consistent, and versatile performer with many of the world’s leading orchestras since winning First Prize at the Young Artists Division of the Yehudi Menuhin International Violin Competition. A 2017 recipient of Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Career Grant. Making his PCMF debut this season, Hoopes regularly performs with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and is a frequent guest artist at the Menuhin Festival, the Rheingau Festival, and at Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, where he was named the winner of the prestigious Audience Award.

REBECCA FISCHER*

Violin

Praised for her “beautiful tone and nuanced phrasing” (Boston Musical Intelligencer), violinist Rebecca Fischer is sought after as a highly expressive, intuitive performer of solo, chamber music and chamber orchestra repertoire. First-violinist of the Chiara String Quartet for eighteen years until the group’s final season in 2018, Ms. Fischer recorded and performed numerous works by heart, held residencies at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Harvard University, and premiered many major new works by composers such as Gabriela Lena Frank and Philip Glass. She is the concertmaster of Ensemble Baroklyn, a group run by pianist Simone Dinnerstein specializing in the music of Bach, and is also a member of The Afield, a multidisciplinary collaboration with visual artist/writer Anthony Hawley combining new and original compositions for violin, voice, and electronics with video and other media.

J FREIVOGEL*

Violin

J Freivogel is the founding and current first violinist of the Jasper String Quartet - winner of the prestigious CMA Cleveland Quartet Award, Professional Quartet in Residence at Temple University's Center for Gifted Young Musicians, Director of St. Paul Chamber Music Institute, and Artistic Director of Jasper Chamber Concerts. The Quartet released its 8th album this year and has upcoming and recent commissions from Lera Auerbach, Patrick Castillo, Vivian Fung, Brittany J. Green, Aaron Jay Kernis, Akira Nishimura, Reinaldo Moya, Michelle Ross, and Joan Tower. J is the co-Director of Chamber Music Society of the Carolinas with his wife, cellist Rachel Henderson Freivogel, and the co-Executive Director of the East Coast Chamber Orchestra. J has a thriving teaching studio in Philadelphia, PA, where he lives with Rachel and their two children, Leon and Evy.

RACHEL FREIVOGEL*

Violin

Cellist Rachel Henderson Freivogel is a founding and current member of the Jasper String Quartet. With the quartet, Ms. Freivogel has performed around the world and premiered and recorded many works. Her recordings include quartets by Ludwig van Beethoven, Claude Debussy, Vivian Fung, Annie Gosfield, Judd Greenstein, Aaron Jay Kernis, David Lang, Missy Mazzoli, Reinaldo Moya, Caroline Shaw and Franz Schubert among others. Ms. Freivogel is a faculty member at Temple University’s Center for Gifted Young Musicians, Affiliate Artist at Haverford College, and maintains a robust private cello studio in her home city of Philadelphia. Ms. Freivogel is also a founder and Co-Artistic Director of Jasper Chamber Concerts (Philadelphia, PA) and the Co-Director of the Chamber Music Society of the Carolinas (Asheville, NC). 

ANDREW GONZALEZ*

Viola

Hailed by the Strad Magazine for his "warm hearted playing and mellow tone," Philadelphia based violist Andrew Gonzalez lives a fulfilling career as both a soloist and chamber musician, performing in prestigious venues throughout the United States, as well as halls all over Asia and Europe. As a sought after chamber musician, his playing has allowed him to collaborate with respected ensembles such as the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, the Sejong Soloists, as well as members of the Guarneri, Juilliard, Tokyo, Orion, Borromeo, and Vermeer quartets. Also an accomplished teacher, Andrew served as a fellow of Carnegie Hall’s Ensemble Connect from 2016-2018 and teaches chamber music in the Heifetz Institute’s Program for the Exceptionally Gifted. In the fall of 2020, Andrew became the new violist of the Jasper String Quartet.

MICHAEL KATZ*

Cello

Hailed by the press for his “bold, rich sound” (Strad Magazine) and “nuanced musicianship,” (New York Times) Grammy-nominated cellist Michael Katz has appeared as a soloist and chamber musician across North and Central America, Europe, Asia, and Israel. As the cellist of the Lysander Piano Trio, Michael was a winner of the 2012 Concert Artists Guild Competition, and was awarded first prizes at the 2011 Coleman Competition and 2011 J.C. Arriaga Competition. Their first album “After a Dream” was released in 2014 on CAG Records and was praised by the New York Times for its “polished and spirited interpretations.” A second album “Mirrors”, featuring six world premiere recordings of commissioned works, was released on First Hand Records to critical acclaim in 2021. In April 2025, Michael joins the cello section of The Philadelphia Orchestra.

JIA KIM*

Cello

Korean-American cellist Jia Kim, recipient of the prestigious 2017 career award from the Leonore Annenberg Foundation for Performing and Visual Arts, leads a dynamic musical life as a performer, educator, and a passionate advocate for the arts. Cellist of the award-winning Aeolus Quartet, Jia is on faculty at Mannes College of Music, The Juilliard School Pre-College Division, The Perlman Music Program, and New York Youth Symphony’s Chamber Music Program. As Artistic Director of Central Chamber Series in NYC and Chamber Music Stowe in VT, she is committed to connecting with a wider audience through the powerful language of chamber music, both through education and performance.

MIN-YOUNG KIM*

Violin

Philadelphia violinist and violist Min-Young Kim is a founding member and first violinist of the Daedalus Quartet with whom she has been presented by many of the world’s leading musical venues including Lincoln Center, the Library of Congress, the Musikverein in Vienna, and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. Min is also the concertmaster of the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia and is a frequent guest with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. She has been featured as a soloist with the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, Apollo’s Fire, the Boston Pops in Symphony Hall and with the Bard Festival Orchestra. She performs on historical violin and viola with Apollo’s Fire and Tempesta di Mare and enjoys working closely with composers, commissioning and premiering new works. In her quest to play many strings, Min also plays a five string violoncello da spalla, a six string electric violin and the guitar. A graduate of Harvard and Juilliard, she currently teaches at the University of Pennsylvania.

HENRY KRAMER

Piano

Henry Kramer began playing piano at the relatively late age of 11 in his hometown of Cape Elizabeth, Maine. In 2016, he garnered international recognition with a Second Prize win in the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels, and was awarded a 2019 Avery Fisher Career Grant—one of the most coveted honors bestowed on young American soloists. A sought-after collaborator, he has appeared at the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the Mainly Mozart Festival, the Mostly Mozart Festival, and La Jolla Music Society’s Summerfest, in addition to regular appearances at PCMF. Part of a pedagogical lineage extending back to Beethoven, Chopin and Buson, Kramer serves on the music faculty of Université de Montréal.

NINA LEE

Cello

Through a public-school program, Nina Lee began learning cello in Chesterfield, Missouri, at age 10. Six years later, she left home to study at the Curtis Institute of Music and went on study at Juilliard, attend the Tanglewood Music Festival, and tour with the Marlboro Music Festival. In 1999, Lee joined the Brentano Quartet with which she has performed throughout North America, Europe Australia, New Zealand, China, and Japan. She has been on the faculty at Princeton and Columbia Universities and coaches chamber music at the Yale School of Music and New England Conservatory.

LI-MEI LIANG*

Violin

Praised for her “first rate and thoroughly engaging” playing, Taiwanese violinist Li-Mei Liang’s performance has been described as a “powerhouse” (Boston Musical Intelligencer). An active soloist and chamber musician, Li-Mei has performed across the United States, Belgium, China, Japan, the Netherlands, South Korea, and Taiwan in renowned concert venues. She has played with the East Coast Chamber Orchestra, the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, and is a core member of New York Classical Players. Recent highlights also include recording with the Evergreen Symphony Orchestra in Taiwan as a soloist. An educator in both music theory and violin practice, Li-Mei has served as a Violin Lecturer at the University of California, Irvine, and is currently a full-time music theory faculty and Coordinator for the ear-training curriculum at the New England Conservatory (NEC). She also teaches violin at NEC’s Preparatory School and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

KOBI MALKIN*

Violin

Praised by the New York Times for his "aptly traversed palette of emotions, from languid introspection to fevered intensity with gorgeous tone and an edge-of-seat intensity,” Israeli violinist Kobi Malkin is making his mark as an exciting soloist and a perceptive chamber musician. Concertmaster of the American Ballet Theatre Orchestra, he is the winner of the prestigious Ilona Kornhauser Prize and the Canetti International Violin Competition, and appears regularly in such venues as New York’s Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, Boston’s Jordan Hall, Vienna Konzerthaus, Mexico City’s Palacio de Bellas Artes, and the Tel Aviv Museum of Art. An avid chamber musician, Kobi has collaborated with Frans Helmerson, Kim Kashkashian, Mitsuko Uchida, and Peter Wiley, among others.

ANTHONY MANZO*

Double bass

Anthony Manzo enjoys performing in a broad variety of musical forums – despite the ever-present complications of travel with a double bass! His vibrantly interactive and highly communicative music making has made him a ubiquitous figure in the upper echelons of classical music, performing at noted venues including Lincoln Center in NYC, Boston’s Symphony Hall, and the Spoleto Festival in Charleston. He appears regularly with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, both in NY and across the country. He serves as the solo bassist of San Francisco’s New Century Chamber Orchestra and as a guest with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and A Far Cry. He is on the double bass and chamber music faculty of the University of Maryland. Tony performs on a double bass made around 1890 by Jerome Thibouville Lamy in Paris (which now has a removable neck for travel!).

ANTHONY MARWOOD

Violin

Anthony Marwood enjoys a wide-ranging international career as a soloist, director and chamber musician. As a chamber musician he has a wide circle of regular collaborators, many leading composers have written concertos for him, and he is a prolific recording artist, with close to forty albums on the Hyperion label alone. Anthony, who resides in Sussex and part-time in Koringberg, South Africa, is co-Artistic Director of the Peasmarsh Chamber Music Festival in East Sussex. He was appointed as a William Lawes Chair of Chamber Music at the Royal Academy of Music in London in 2022, awarded an MBE in the 2018 Queen’s New Year’s Honours List, and is a Fellow of the Guildhall School of Music.

AMY SCHWARTZ MORETTI

Violin

 With a distinguished career of broad versatility, violinist Amy Schwartz Moretti appears as soloist and chamber music artist at music festivals and concert series internationally, and makes her PCMF debut this season. She is a member of the Ehnes Quartet, touring and recording with violinist James Ehnes, violist Che-Yen Chen, and cellist Edward Arron. In 2007, she became the inaugural Director of the Robert McDuffie Center for Strings at Mercer University in Georgia, and has established and expanded the Fabian Concert Series bringing esteemed artists to campus for performances and classes. 

TAI MURRAY

Violin

A winner of the 2004 Avery Fisher Career Grant, Tai Murray has appeared in recital and with major ensembles around the world. She has been named a BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artist and has been a member of Chamber Music Society II at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. In addition to touring with Musicians from Marlboro, Murray has performed at the BBC Proms, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival, IMS Prussia Cove, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival, and West Cork Chamber Music Festival. In 2021 Tai joined the faculty at the Yale School of Music where she teaches applied violin and coaches chamber music.

CHARLES OVERTON

Harp

Equally at home in an orchestra, chamber music ensemble, or in a jazz club, Boston-based harpist Charles Overton creates musical environments that are accessible, exciting, and can resonate deeply with any audience. As an orchestral musician, he performs regularly with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Boston Pops, and has previously performed with such orchestras as the Portland Symphony and the New York Philharmonic.  A passionate chamber musician, Overton has also performed in more intimate settings with ensembles such as the Walden Chamber Players and Collage New Music, as well as at the Marlboro Music Festival. Overton’s pursuits in jazz and improvised music have taken him abroad to perform in festivals such as the Harpes au Max Festival and the Dutch Harp Festival. Overton joined the faculty of the Boston Conservatory at Berklee in 2019.

SUSIE PARK

Violin

Australian-born Susie Park, first associate concertmaster of the Minnesota Orchestra,  first picked up a violin at age three, made her solo debut at five, and, by fifteen, had performed with every major orchestra in her country. Park has grown into a musician distinguished by unusual passion and versatility, and today performs internationally as an orchestral, chamber, and solo artist. She is a founding member of the East Coast Chamber Orchestra, was violinist in the GRAMMY-nominated Eroica Trio from 2006 to 2012, was a member of Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center Two, and has toured multiple times with Musicians from Marlboro. Park's diverse musical interests have also led to collaborations with artists such as trumpeter Chris Botti, with whom she performed 41 consecutive shows at the Blue Note jazz club in New York.

KARLA DONEHEW PEREZ*

Violin

Admired 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. Since the 2010 founding of the Catalyst Quartet, Donehew Perez has dazzled audiences as a key contributor to the ensemble’s “intense vitality and finesse” (Gramophone). She has performed as a soloist with multiple major U.S. orchestras and chamber ensembles, earning honors including an MPOWER Grant from the Sphinx Organization, as well as grants from Chamber Music America and New Music USA. She is currently a professor of violin studies at the Longy School of Music of Bard College.

NICHOLAS PHAN

Tenor

Described by the Boston Globe as “one of the world’s most remarkable singers,” American tenor Nicholas Phan makes his PCMF debut with the 2025 Winter Warmer series. An avid recitalist, in 2010 he co-founded the Collaborative Arts Institute of Chicago (CAIC) to promote art song and vocal chamber music, where he serves as artistic director. He also has served as guest curator for projects with the Bravo! Vail Music Festival, Laguna Beach Music Festival, Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, Merola Opera program, WQXR, and San Francisco Performances. A celebrated recording artist, Phan is a recipient of the 2025 Grammy award for Best Opera Recording, and is a four-time nominee for Best Classical Solo Vocal Album.

CARA POGOSSIAN

Viola

PCMF is thrilled to welcome Armenian-American violist Cara Pogossian, Principal Violist of the Portland Symphony Orchestra, to the PCMF family of artists! Pogossian is an avid chamber musician and has attended numerous summer festivals, including the Marlboro Festival, Ravinia Steans Music Institute, and Taos School of Music. In 2022, Pogossian was the winner of the Borromeo String Quartet Guest Artist Award, and her quartet was selected as a 2022-23 Honors Ensemble at the New England Conservatory. She has also toured with the Curtis Institute, performing throughout the U.S. with Ida Kavafian and Peter Wiley. In addition to her role with the PSO, she has appeared as a guest artist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Boston Symphony Orchestra, and Boston Pops Orchestra. 

RAMAN RAMAKRISHNAN

Cello

Cellist Raman Ramakrishnan enjoys performing chamber music, old and new, around the world. For two decades, as a founding member of the Horszowski Trio and the Daedalus Quartet, he toured extensively through North and South America, Europe, and Asia, and recorded for Bridge Records and Avie Records, including, most recently, the complete piano trios of Robert Schumann. Mr. Ramakrishnan is currently an artist member of the Boston Chamber Music Society, and is on the faculty of the Bard College Conservatory of Music.

MIHO SAEGUSA*

Violin

Violinist Miho Saegusa enjoys a multifaceted career as a versatile chamber musician, orchestral leader, and soloist. She is a founding member of the Aizuri Quartet, the 2014-2016 Quartet-in-Residence at the Curtis Institute of Music and a Prizewinner at the 2015 Wigmore Hall International String Quartet Competition in London. The quartet has found joy in exploring many kinds of collaborations, from programs alongside art at the Barnes Foundation to commissions from composers Caroline Shaw, Yevgeniy Sharlat, and Paul Wiancko. Miho's passion for chamber music has also led to memorable summers at the Marlboro Music Festival, Ravinia Steans Institute, and Music@Menlo, as well as tours with Musicians from Marlboro.

BRANT TAYLOR

Cello

Brant Taylor’s varied career has included solo appearances and collaborations with leading artists in chamber music, orchestral, pedagogical and popular music settings on five continents. Before his appointment to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra by Daniel Barenboim, he was cellist of the Everest Quartet, prize winners at the Banff International String Quartet Competition and the Fischoff Chamber Music Competition, as well as a member of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. A dedicated teacher of both cello and chamber music, Taylor frequently combines performance and pedagogy, conducting master classes and writing articles on a wide variety of musical topics. He is a member of the faculty of DePaul University’s School of Music and serves on the board of cellobello.org.

JESSICA THOMPSON*

Viola

Violist Jessica Thompson is a passionate chamber musician who performs regularly throughout the United States and abroad as a member of the Daedalus Quartet. The quartet, Grand Prize winner of the 2001 Banff International String Quartet Competition and resident quartet at Lincoln Center’s Chamber Music Society Two from 2005-07, is currently in residence at the University of Pennsylvania. As a member of Daedalus, Ms Thompson has premiered works by such composers as Fred Lerdahl, Joan Tower, Richard Wernick, and Vivian Fung. Ms. Thompson has also toured with Musicians from Marlboro and has performed at numerous festivals, including the Halcyon Music Festival, the Newport Music Festival, and the Charlottesville Chamber Music Festival. 

MARCUS THOMPSON

Viola

Making his PCMF debut, Marcus Thompson has performed in chamber music series and recitals throughout the world. He appeared with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center at Alice Tully Hall, on tour, and in a Live from Lincoln Center broadcast, and as a guest of the Cleveland, Emerson, Jupiter, Miami, Orion, Shanghai, and Vermeer String Quartets. Mr. Thompson has been a member musician of the Boston Chamber Music Society since 1984, and in 2009 he was appointed its second artistic director. He has been a member of the viola faculty at New England Conservatory for more than three decades, and professor of music at MIT for more than four decades. In June 2015 he was appointed to MIT’s highest faculty honor, becoming one of its thirteen Institute Professors.

WALTER VAN DYK

Reciter

Walter van Dyk is an actor, singer and narrator. Born in Toronto, Ontario van Dyk studied acting with Uta Hagen at the Herbert Berghof Studios in New York and at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London. He later studied singing at Trinity College of Music in London. A frequent performer on London’s West End stage, Walter also appears on screen, recently performing in the series Steeltown Murders and The Gold (starring Hugh Bonneville) for BBC1, and opposite Jodie Foster in the feature film The Mauritanian. As well as being an actor and singer, van Dyk has forged a distinctive career as a narrator working with musicians in classical and contemporary chamber works.

YEZU WOO*

Violin

Praised for “ her technical quality, beauty of sound, and above all, the projection of an uncommon musical sensibility” (El Norte, Monterrey), violinist Yezu Elizabeth Woo made her debut at Carnegie Hall at age 16, where she became the youngest performer to play all 24 of Niccolo Paganini’s Caprices for solo violin. A winner of the Korean national award, “Outstanding International Musician of the Year” by the Arts Critics Association, as well as “Artist of the Year” by the Gangwon Foundation, Yezu was appointed as Honorary Ambassador of Chuncheon, where she is currently serving as the the Artistic Director of New York in Chuncheon Music Festival. Her commitment to Korean traditional and new music has led her to performances at the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) ‘ART FESTA’ as part of the ongoing peace process between the two Koreas, as well as seeing collaborations with the KBS Korean Traditional Orchestra.