2018 Festival Artists
Katherine Arndt, Violin
Violinist Katherine Arndt, from Boston, Massachusetts is a full-time student at Yale School of Music, where she is pursuing her Masters of Music, studying with Ani Kavafian. She recently graduated from New England Conservatory of Music under teacher Miriam Fried. Kate has performed as a featured soloist with several orchestras, at venues such as Boston’s Symphony Hall and New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall. [read more]
Eunghee Cho, Artistic Director/Cello
Born in Davis, California, American cellist Eunghee Cho was recently awarded Second Prize and the special award for Outstanding Chinese New Piece Performance at the Alice & Eleonore Schoenfeld International String Competition in Harbin, China. He graduated magna cum laude and as a Steven & Kathryn Sample Renaissance Scholar from the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California with a Bachelor of Music in Cello Performance and a Minor in Natural Science. [read more]
Daniel Hsu, Piano
Characterized by the Philadelphia Inquirer as a “poet…[with] an expressive edge to his playing that charms, questions, and coaxes,” 20-year-old American pianist Daniel Hsu captured the bronze medal and prizes for best performance of both the commissioned work and chamber music at the Fifteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. [read more]
Ieseul Kim, Flute
A native of South Korea, flutist Ieseul Kim studied at the prestigious Yewon Arts School in South Korea and subsequently graduated from the Sungshin Women’s University with highest honors. Immediately following further training at Yonsei University for her M.M. she moved to Los Angeles and completed her Graduate Certificate under the tutelage of Jim Walker at the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music. [read more]
Hayaka Komatsu, Viola
Hayaka Komatsu began playing the viola at age sixteen. Formerly, she studied violin with Li Lin and viola with Jodi Levits in the San Francisco Conservatory Preparatory Division. Under the tutelage of Masao Kawasaki, she received her BM in 2017 from The Juilliard School. In the fall, she began her M.M. at Yale with Steven Tenenbom. Recently she has participated in masterclasses with Helen Callus, Samuel Rhodes, and Paul Neubauer. [read more]
Kenneth Liao, Violin
Kenneth Liao is currently a violin fellow with the New World Symphony. Born in Maryland, Mr. Liao began playing the violin at the age of 8. He received his bachelor of music degree from the University of Southern California, where he studied with Midori Goto, and recently completed his master of music degree at The Juilliard School under the tutelage of David Chan. He made his solo debut with the National Philharmonic Orchestra at the Music Center at Strathmore, and subsequently appeared as a soloist with orchestras including the National Orchestral Institute, Diamond Bar Symphony and Landon Symphonette. [read more]
Charlotte Malin, Viola
Charlotte Malin has recently completed a master's degree at New England Conservatory as a student of Kim Kashkashian. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree in violin performance from Northwestern University. In 2013, during the final year of her undergraduate study with Almita Vamos, she fell in love with the viola. As a violist, she recently became Principal Viola of the Hudson Valley Philharmonic and also plays with the Hartford Symphony Orchestra. [read more]
Tatjana Roos, Violin
The fourth generation of a musical family, Tatjana was born in London in 1997 and began playing the violin when she was three. She was admitted to London's Royal Academy of Music (Junior Department) and, at age seven, she recorded Massenet’s "Meditation" for an installation art exhibition by Turner Prize-winner, Gillian Wearing. Aged 10, Tatjana enjoyed her first solo opportunity with orchestra at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory, Singapore where she played Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto. [read more]
Tomomi Sato, Piano
Japanese pianist Tomomi Sato enjoys her diverse career as a highly sought-after solo and collaborative pianist of various genres, ranging from classical to jazz and global popular music.
A prizewinner of 2013 Seattle International Piano Competition, Tomomi has performed in the US, as well as in Europe, Asia, and South America. Her recent engagements as a classical pianist include a performance in Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, a broadcasted solo recital at LACMA’s Bing Theater as a part of their Sunday’s Live Series. [read more]
Joy Yanai, Cello
Joy Yanai was born in Quebec, Canada and was raised in Sendai, Japan. She began taking cello lessons at the age of five in Japan before attending Walnut Hill School for the Arts in Natick, MA in 2006. She completed her B.M. and M.M. degrees with Laurence Lesser and Paul Katz, and she is currently finishing her Graduate Diploma with Lluis Claret at New England Conservatory in Boston, MA. [read more]