Guest Artists

American cellist IFETAYO ALI-LANDING is quickly establishing herself as one of today’s leading young artists, earning praise for her “charismatic” playing (Chicago Tribune) and being described as a “powerhouse” by Classical MPR.
In 2017, Ali-Landing won the First Place Laureate of the Sphinx Competition’s Junior Division and has since gone on to perform with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at Ravinia (under Marin Alsop), Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony, New World Symphony, Chicago Sinfonietta, Wilmington (NC), South Bend, Southwest Michigan and Elgin Symphonies, Buffalo Philharmonic, Vermont Symphony Orchestra on a state-wide tour, Music of the Baroque, and Austin Symphony Orchestra; recitals include the Kansas City Harriman-Jewell Series and The National Arts Club, among many others.
Ali-Landing features frequently in the media, with notable appearances on NPR’s From The Top (where she performed Vivaldi with Kevin Olusola beatboxing), a solo performance on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts with From the Top, a residency as Young Artist with APM’s Performance Today, and a TED talk at TEDxYouth@BeaconStreet.
Her musical studies began on the violin before switching to cello at the age of four. Previous teachers and coaches include Lucinda Ali-Landing, Megan Lauterbach, and Martine Benmann at the Hyde Park Suzuki Institute in Chicago, as well as Tahirah Whittington, Oleksa Mycyk, Clive Greensmith, and Hans Jørgen Jensen.
In 2017, Ali-Landing won the First Place Laureate of the Sphinx Competition’s Junior Division and has since gone on to perform with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at Ravinia (under Marin Alsop), Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony, New World Symphony, Chicago Sinfonietta, Wilmington (NC), South Bend, Southwest Michigan and Elgin Symphonies, Buffalo Philharmonic, Vermont Symphony Orchestra on a state-wide tour, Music of the Baroque, and Austin Symphony Orchestra; recitals include the Kansas City Harriman-Jewell Series and The National Arts Club, among many others.
Ali-Landing features frequently in the media, with notable appearances on NPR’s From The Top (where she performed Vivaldi with Kevin Olusola beatboxing), a solo performance on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts with From the Top, a residency as Young Artist with APM’s Performance Today, and a TED talk at TEDxYouth@BeaconStreet.
Her musical studies began on the violin before switching to cello at the age of four. Previous teachers and coaches include Lucinda Ali-Landing, Megan Lauterbach, and Martine Benmann at the Hyde Park Suzuki Institute in Chicago, as well as Tahirah Whittington, Oleksa Mycyk, Clive Greensmith, and Hans Jørgen Jensen.

Praised as "passionate and elegant" by The New York Times, AMY SUE BARSTON, has performed as a soloist and chamber musician on stages all over the world, including Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Ravinia, Bargemusic, Caramoor, Haan Hall (Jerusalem), The Banff Centre (Canada), The International Musicians Seminar (England), The Power House (Australia), and Chicago's Symphony Center.
At age seventeen, she appeared as soloist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra on live television, was the Grand Prize winner in the Society of American Musicians' Competition, and won First Place and the Audience Prize in the Fischoff International Chamber Music Competition.
Beginning at age three, Amy studied with Nell Novak at the Music Institute of Chicago, Eleonore Schoenfeld at USC, and Joel Krosnick at Juilliard, where she earned her Masters degree. She also worked with Yo Yo Ma, Gary Hoffman, Ralph Kirshbaum, Tim Eddy, David Geringas, and Pinchas Zukerman.
Amy has performed as soloist with the Chicago Symphony, the Chicago Chamber Orchestra, the Prometheus Chamber Orchestra, the Rockford Symphony, the USC Symphony, the Westchester Symphony, and the University of Michigan Symphony Orchestra, among many others. She made her first solo appearance with an orchestra in Guelph, Canada when she was twelve.
Amy is artistic director of the Canandaigua Lake Music Festival in New York, and the cellist of The Corigliano Quartet, which has been hailed by Strad Magazine as having "abundant commitment and mastery," and whose recent Naxos CD was named one of the top two recordings of the year by both the New Yorker and Gramophone Magazine. Her piano trio, Trio Vela, performs regularly at Bargemusic in New York City. She also performs regularly in duos, trios, and quartets with the world's most celebrated fiddler, Mark O'Connor. Amy has performed sonatas and chamber music with many of the world's leading musicians, including Leon Fleisher, Jon Kimura Parker, Arnold Steinhardt, Bernard Greenhouse, and Ani Kavafian.
Amy is also a devoted teacher: in her home, at the New York School for Strings, as a guest teacher at Juilliard, and at numerous summer music festivals. Several of her students commute for lessons from hundreds of miles away, some from as far away as Alaska and Japan. Amy's upcoming schedule includes solo and chamber music performances in England, Sydney, New Zealand, Tokyo, New York, Los Angeles, Salt Lake, Wisconsin, Rochester, Denver, Chicago, and Germany. Amy also has a brand new CD out and available, which she had the honor to record with Grammy Award winning contemporary classical music producer, Judith Sherman.
At age seventeen, she appeared as soloist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra on live television, was the Grand Prize winner in the Society of American Musicians' Competition, and won First Place and the Audience Prize in the Fischoff International Chamber Music Competition.
Beginning at age three, Amy studied with Nell Novak at the Music Institute of Chicago, Eleonore Schoenfeld at USC, and Joel Krosnick at Juilliard, where she earned her Masters degree. She also worked with Yo Yo Ma, Gary Hoffman, Ralph Kirshbaum, Tim Eddy, David Geringas, and Pinchas Zukerman.
Amy has performed as soloist with the Chicago Symphony, the Chicago Chamber Orchestra, the Prometheus Chamber Orchestra, the Rockford Symphony, the USC Symphony, the Westchester Symphony, and the University of Michigan Symphony Orchestra, among many others. She made her first solo appearance with an orchestra in Guelph, Canada when she was twelve.
Amy is artistic director of the Canandaigua Lake Music Festival in New York, and the cellist of The Corigliano Quartet, which has been hailed by Strad Magazine as having "abundant commitment and mastery," and whose recent Naxos CD was named one of the top two recordings of the year by both the New Yorker and Gramophone Magazine. Her piano trio, Trio Vela, performs regularly at Bargemusic in New York City. She also performs regularly in duos, trios, and quartets with the world's most celebrated fiddler, Mark O'Connor. Amy has performed sonatas and chamber music with many of the world's leading musicians, including Leon Fleisher, Jon Kimura Parker, Arnold Steinhardt, Bernard Greenhouse, and Ani Kavafian.
Amy is also a devoted teacher: in her home, at the New York School for Strings, as a guest teacher at Juilliard, and at numerous summer music festivals. Several of her students commute for lessons from hundreds of miles away, some from as far away as Alaska and Japan. Amy's upcoming schedule includes solo and chamber music performances in England, Sydney, New Zealand, Tokyo, New York, Los Angeles, Salt Lake, Wisconsin, Rochester, Denver, Chicago, and Germany. Amy also has a brand new CD out and available, which she had the honor to record with Grammy Award winning contemporary classical music producer, Judith Sherman.

ELISA BARSTON is currently the Seattle Symphony’s Principal Second Violinist and previously served as the Associate Concertmaster of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. She was also a member of the first violin sections of the Cleveland Orchestra and St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. As a soloist and chamber musician, Barston has performed extensively throughout the U.S., Europe and Asia, appearing with the Chicago Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic and Taipei Symphony Orchestra, among many others. In 1986, she made her European debut with the English Chamber Orchestra at the request of Sir Yehudi Menuhin. During her tenure as associate concertmaster, Barston made yearly appearances as featured soloist with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, performing a diverse concerto repertoire ranging from Mozart and Beethoven to Shostakovich and Schnittke.
Among her awards are the Jascha Heifetz Scholarship, the Starling Foundation Grant, top prizes at the Yehudi Menuhin International Competition (including the Audience Prize), First Prize at the Julius Stulberg Auditions, Grand Prize at the International Kingsville Young Performers' Competition and First Prize in the Seventeen-General Motors National Music Competition. Barston has been awarded first prizes in the Fischoff National Chamber Music, Kuttner Quartet and Indiana University competitions. Barston studied violin performance at the University of Southern California with Robert Lipsett and Indiana University with Josef Gingold.
Among her awards are the Jascha Heifetz Scholarship, the Starling Foundation Grant, top prizes at the Yehudi Menuhin International Competition (including the Audience Prize), First Prize at the Julius Stulberg Auditions, Grand Prize at the International Kingsville Young Performers' Competition and First Prize in the Seventeen-General Motors National Music Competition. Barston has been awarded first prizes in the Fischoff National Chamber Music, Kuttner Quartet and Indiana University competitions. Barston studied violin performance at the University of Southern California with Robert Lipsett and Indiana University with Josef Gingold.

Korean American pianist JESSICA CHOE began her musical studies at the age of three in Seoul, Korea, where she was a winner of several national youth piano competitions including Samick Piano Competition and Korea Daily Times Music Competition. Since immigrating to the US in 1988, she has performed in many American concert halls including The Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, Seiji Ozawa Hall at Tanglewood and The Wolf Trap.
In 2003, Jessica made her European debut at Fondation Bemberg in Toulouse, France and her New York recital debut at Carnegie Hall, both under the auspices of La Gesse Foundation. She was also awarded The Presser Award during that year.
As a soloist, she has most recently appeared with Seattle Symphony, Bellingham Symphony, Juneau Symphony, Cascade Symphony, Pennsylvania Chamber Orchestra and Northwest Sinfonietta.
As an avid chamber musician, she has collaborated with Avi Avital, Marc-Andre Hamelin, Philippe Quint, Alexei Lubimov, Joseph Swenson on such series as Mostly Nordic Series, Chamber Music Series and Untitled of Seattle Symphony, and Lee University Presidential Series. Jessica also regularly performs for Music of Remembrance with whom she has premiered and recorded works by Jake Heggie and Tom Cipullo. Her upcoming concerts include performances with Reno Chamber Orchestra, Bellingham Symphony, Skagit Symphony and Sammamish Symphony.
Jessica studied at The Juilliard School and Peabody Conservatory of Music with Herbert Stessin, Benjamin Pasternack and Eleanor Sokoloff.
In 2003, Jessica made her European debut at Fondation Bemberg in Toulouse, France and her New York recital debut at Carnegie Hall, both under the auspices of La Gesse Foundation. She was also awarded The Presser Award during that year.
As a soloist, she has most recently appeared with Seattle Symphony, Bellingham Symphony, Juneau Symphony, Cascade Symphony, Pennsylvania Chamber Orchestra and Northwest Sinfonietta.
As an avid chamber musician, she has collaborated with Avi Avital, Marc-Andre Hamelin, Philippe Quint, Alexei Lubimov, Joseph Swenson on such series as Mostly Nordic Series, Chamber Music Series and Untitled of Seattle Symphony, and Lee University Presidential Series. Jessica also regularly performs for Music of Remembrance with whom she has premiered and recorded works by Jake Heggie and Tom Cipullo. Her upcoming concerts include performances with Reno Chamber Orchestra, Bellingham Symphony, Skagit Symphony and Sammamish Symphony.
Jessica studied at The Juilliard School and Peabody Conservatory of Music with Herbert Stessin, Benjamin Pasternack and Eleanor Sokoloff.

Pianist MATTHEW HAGLE'S performances are often noted for their musical understanding, imaginative programming, and beauty of sound. The New York Times has described him as “a sensitive pianist,” Clavier Magazine has praised the “rare clarity and sweetness” of his playing, and the Springfield (MA) Republican remarked he “played with unaffected brilliance and profound understanding.”
Hagle lives in the Chicago area, where he has performed at local venues including the Ravinia Festival’s Martin Theatre, Symphony Center, and the Chicago Cultural Center. He has also been heard in halls throughout the United States, including at the National Gallery of Art, Symphony Space in New York, and the United States Supreme Court, and, internationally, in England, Australia, and Japan. Hagle performs frequently on radio station WFMT in Chicago, and has been heard on NPR’s Performance Today and Minnesota Public Radio’s St. Paul Sunday Morning. A valued collaborator, he has been the principal recital partner of violinist Rachel Barton Pine since 1999. He has also performed with members of the Chicago Symphony and as a piano duo with his wife, Mio Isoda-Hagle.
Matthew Hagle is a graduate of the Peabody Conservatory (BM) and Yale University (MM, DMA), receiving faculty prizes in piano, accompanying, and music theory as well as a Fulbright Scholarship to study privately in London. He has studied with Claude Frank, Robert Weirich, Donald Currier, and Maria Curcio Diamand. A dedicated teacher of piano, music theory, and composition, Hagle’s students have won prizes in local and national competitions. He is currently on the faculty of the Music Institute of Chicago serving as the director of the Musicianship program in addition to his teaching duties.
Hagle lives in the Chicago area, where he has performed at local venues including the Ravinia Festival’s Martin Theatre, Symphony Center, and the Chicago Cultural Center. He has also been heard in halls throughout the United States, including at the National Gallery of Art, Symphony Space in New York, and the United States Supreme Court, and, internationally, in England, Australia, and Japan. Hagle performs frequently on radio station WFMT in Chicago, and has been heard on NPR’s Performance Today and Minnesota Public Radio’s St. Paul Sunday Morning. A valued collaborator, he has been the principal recital partner of violinist Rachel Barton Pine since 1999. He has also performed with members of the Chicago Symphony and as a piano duo with his wife, Mio Isoda-Hagle.
Matthew Hagle is a graduate of the Peabody Conservatory (BM) and Yale University (MM, DMA), receiving faculty prizes in piano, accompanying, and music theory as well as a Fulbright Scholarship to study privately in London. He has studied with Claude Frank, Robert Weirich, Donald Currier, and Maria Curcio Diamand. A dedicated teacher of piano, music theory, and composition, Hagle’s students have won prizes in local and national competitions. He is currently on the faculty of the Music Institute of Chicago serving as the director of the Musicianship program in addition to his teaching duties.