Young Artists

Daniel Arocha, viola

Caracas, Venezuela. Currently attending Juilliard, 19-year old Daniel has studied viola for 12 years. He performed at the Great Mountains Music Festival in South Korea, has been part of the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra in Venezuela, and took top honors in the Houston Young Artist Competition. A fan of salsa dancing and an accomplished audio engineer, Daniel seeks a successful chamber music career while sharing his musical knowledge with younger generations.

Jonathan Den Herder, cello

Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Twenty-five year old Jonathan has studied cello since he was six, and is currently in the Doctor of Musical Arts program at Stony Brook University, where he also received a Master of Music Performance. He took second place at the Dutch National Cello Competition and was principle cellist with the Dutch National Youth Orchestra and the Symphony Orchestra Academy of the Pacific. Jonathan wants to develop his skills as a baroque cellist and he also enjoys hiking and reading.

Alexander Fortes, violin

San Diego, California. Having studied violin for 19 years, 22-year old Alexander has a bachelor's degree from Harvard. He won first place in the American String Teachers' Association 2003 competition in San Diego and has participated in a number of music programs, including the Heifetz International Music Institute and the St. Lawrence String Quartet Chamber Music Seminar. Alexander was concertmaster of the Lowell House Orchestra and a member of Harvard's Brattle Street Chamber Players.

Ying Fu, violin

Shanghai, China. With a bachelor's degree from Shanghai Conservatory of Music, 24-year old Ying is in the master's program at Shepherd School of Music at Rice University. He has studied violin since he was three and has served as concertmaster of the Shanghai Youth Symphony Orchestra and the Orchestra of the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival in Germany. Presently he is concertmaster of the Chamber Orchestra and the Symphony Orchestra of Shepherd School of Music. Ying's goal is to be a good chamber musician, which he describes as "the hardest job in the world."

Quan Ge, violin

Huai Nan, An Hui, China. Currently studying at Juilliard, 24-year old Quan has studied violin for 17 years and has degrees from Shanghai Conservatory Pre-College and The Curtis Institute of Music. Her teachers include Lei Fang, Yumi Scott, Jaime Laredo, and Ida Kavafian. In addition to chamber music, she likes sports, travel, cooking, and reading.

Geoffrey Hamlyn, viola

El Paso, Texas. Having recently earned a Master of Music degree from Juilliard, 23-year old Geoffrey also has a Bachelor of Music from the University of Texas at Austin. He has studied viola for 12 years, performed on "Live from Lincoln Center," and took part in a chamber music recital in Shanghai as part of the Juilliard Orchestra's 2008 China tour. He hopes to pursue a life in which he can balance performance, outreach, and arts administration. An Eagle Scout, Geoffrey plans to someday pursue a second career in design.

Natalie Helm, cello

Louisville, Kentucky. Currently studying at Curtis Institute, 20-year old Natalie has studied cello for nine years. She has appeared on the radio program "From the Top" and given solo performances with the Richardson Symphony, Louisville Orchestra, and World Youth Symphony Orchestra. Natalie won first place at the Lennox International Competition and took top prizes at the Kingsville Competition, Blount-Slawson Competition, and from the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts.

Miao Hou, piano

Shen Yang, China. With a bachelor's degree from Curtis Institute and a master's from Juilliard, 25-year old Miao (pronounced like a cat's "meow") has studied piano for 21 years. Since moving to the United States in 2000 she has won numerous prizes, including a gold medal at the Rolf and Brigitte Gardey International Piano Competition. Miao made her Carnegie Hall debut at the age of 19, playing Mozart's Piano Concerto #19 with the Curtis Symphony Orchestra, which the New York Times called "a commanding, imaginative, and impish performance." She also plays tennis and enjoys exploring the food, films, and concerts of New York.

Edward Klorman, viola

New York, New York. Currently pursuing a Ph.D at City University of New York, 26-year old Edward has degrees from Juilliard, where he received the William Schuman Award and the John Erskine Graduation Prize. He participated in Taos School of Music's 2005 program and has performed throughout North America and Europe, including Lincoln Center's "Wednesdays at One" and "Oberstdorfer Musiksommer" in Germany. As founder of the Canandaigua Lake Music Festival he started Classical Blue Jeans, a series of interactive concerts. Edward has a website - www.edwardklorman.com - and has given lectures integrating music performance, analysis, and historical imagination at the Salzburg Mozarteum, Montreal University, and Juilliard.

Wei-Ting Kuo, viola

Taiwan. With a Bachelor of Music from National Taiwan Normal University, 26-year old Wei-Ting is pursuing his Master of Music from Mannes College. He has studied viola for 18 years, and his performance of a Bartok piece won first place in the Young Artist Showcase String Competition. The Taiwan National Symphony Orchestra named Wei-Ting "Young Musician with the Most Potential," and he was chosen to play in a piano quartet tour with violinist Nai-Yuang Hu. His goals include performing and teaching, and he also enjoys playing basketball and thinks he may want to coach basketball.

Yevgeny Kutik, violin

Boston, Massachusetts. A native of Minsk, Belorussia, Yevgeny, 23, has studied violin for 17 years. Currently working on a Master's at New England Conservatory, Yevgeny has a Bachelor of Music cum laude from Boston University. He won first place in Boston Symphony's Young Artist Competition, received a Salon de Virtuosi grant, presented the world premiere of "Versus" with the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra, and performed as a soloist with the Boston Pops. He likes running, films, and Ping-Pong. A member of the United Jewish Communities Speaker's Bureau, Yevgeny speaks to and performs for refugees worldwide, an activity he hopes to continue to help people who live in poverty and face pressures because of cultural and/or religious differences.

Sun Jung Lee, violin

Seoul, South Korea. Sun Jung, 27, has studied violin for 17 years. She has a bachelor's degree from Seoul National University, a Master of Music and Graduate Diploma in Violin Performance from New England Conservancy, and is studying for a Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the University of California's Thornton School. She took third place in the International Chamber Music Ensemble Competition, and also won first place in the Seoul National Competition and Grand Prize in the Han-kook Ilbo Competition. Sun Jung's goals include being a happy and well-balanced musician and sharing that with others through her music. She also enjoys drawing.

Audrey Nadeau, cello

Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada. Currently at Juilliard, 20-year old Audrey is a graduate of the Conservatory of Music of Montreal. She has studied cello for 15 years and participated in programs at the Meadowmount School of Music, Orford Art Center, and the Toronto Summer Music Academy. Audrey was a member of the New York String Orchestra Seminar and took top honors in the Canadian Music Competition. She gave a recital at the National Art Gallery of Canada, and since 2002 instrument maker Masa et Miki Inokushi has loaned Audrey a cello.

Jenna Sherry, violin

New Orleans, Louisiana. A Wells Scholar at Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music, 22-year old Jenna recently earned a Bachelor of Music degree with a French minor. She has studied violin for 16 years, and was guest soloist with the Temple Symphony in Temple, Texas, and a member of the Kuttner Quartet at Indiana University. Next year she will study at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London as a Marshall Scholar. Jenna's primary goal is to be a member of a string quartet. She also enjoys swing dancing and wants to help rebuild the New Orleans community, especially the music scene.

Elly Suh, violin

Fort Lee, New Jersey. Currently an undergraduate at Juilliard, 19-year old Elly has studied violin for 14 years, including at Meadowmount School of Music, the Music Academy of the West, and Juilliard's Pre-College Division. Elly received the 2007 YoungARTS Award, a Society for Strings Award, and a silver medal in the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition. In addition to music she enjoys drawing.

Andrew Tyson, piano

Durham, North Carolina. A student of piano since he was eight, 21-year old Andrew is studying at Curtis Institute. Honors include a silver award at Arts Week 2006 from the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts. Andrew's musical goals include assimilating as many influences as possible without losing his individuality, and he is particularly interested in the composers and pianists of the first half of the twentieth century. In addition to music, his interests include drawing, reading, and movies.

Caleb van der Swaagh, cello

New York, New York. Caleb, 21, is majoring in classics at Columbia University while studying music through the Columbia University - Juilliard School Joint Program. He has studied cello since he was four, including in the Mannes School of Music Preparatory Division and Juilliard's Pre-College Division where he graduated with distinction and received the Senior Achievement Award. Caleb is the recipient of an instrument loan from the Virtu Foundation. His interests also include baseball - he's a New York Yankees fan - plus Latin, reading, and cooking.

Lisa Werhahn, violin

Berlin, Germany. With degrees from the University of Arts in Berlin and the Academy of Art in Bern, Switzerland, 26-year old Lisa has studied violin for twenty-one years. She performed at the Huddlesfield Contemporary Music Festival in England with composer HD Gruber. Her goals include playing in chamber groups and orchestras, and she is interested in performing with period instruments as well as contemporary music. Lisa also enjoys Oriental dance and puppet theater.

Kristen Wojcik, cello

Leverett, Massachusetts. Twenty-year old Kristen is an undergraduate at Juilliard who has studied cello for 12 years. This year Kristen performed in the Juilliard Orchestra's China tour, and she participated in Juilliard's first William Christie Residency. Her goals include playing in a chamber orchestra and possibly the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra.