Kristin Loretta Barone-Samadi, a pianist and music instructor, was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1984. She was introduced to classical music and received her first piano lessons when she was 5, by her father, an amateur pianist. She started her formal training at Wagner College of New York City, at the age of 10. Kristin received her BA in Performance in 2006 from Adelphi University. Graduating cum laude, she was the recipient of the James Gould Award for Excellence in Music. While at Adelphi, Kristin was among the featured performers at the college’s chamber music ensemble—playing at graduation recitals, choral performances, and opera workshops. Kristin received her Master's Degree in 2008 at the Aaron Copland School of Music, Queens College CUNY, where she continued her studies in the Artist Diploma Program, in 2009. The Artist Diploma Program was designed for the advanced study of chamber music. Kristin has performed internationally as a soloist and chamber musician. Participating in a series of masterclasses overseen by cellist Kalin Ivanov and pianist Tamara Puddabnaya, Kristin then joined them in travels through Eastern Europe resulting in a final signature concert in Plovdiv, Bulgaria in 2008.

Kristin performed with the Adelphi Symphony Orchestra from 2005 to 2008 where she was a featured soloist. She also performed at the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in December of 2005. Among Kristin’s fondest recollections are three specific performances: Frank's Symphonic Variations, Rachmaninoff’s Suite No.2 for Two Pianos, and Bartok’s Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion. Most recently, she has been interviewed and featured, a few times, by WXEW104 FM Riverwest Radio.

In addition to her academic and performance career, Kristin has served as music director at various churches in the New York metropolitan area including Rutherford Congregational Church (2010-2015), St. John's Lutheran Church (2015-2020), and most recently St. Joseph's Episcopal Church during 2020 before relocating to England. Her first position in a church setting was at Christ's First Presbyterian Church where she studied with the late David Smith and took on his position after his passing. This led to an abiding interest in sacred music and from there Kristin went on to study the pipe organ with David Enlow of Juilliard as well as Peggy Hsiao of First Presbyterian Church.

In collaboration with flutist, Linda Wetherill, Kristin has unveiled new works by contemporary composers, recording and performing them at the “Counterpoint Italy Composition Competition”—an international music festival founded by Ms. Wetherill in 2007. Kristin was the staff accompanist of the Young People's Chorus of NYC in 2011. Having a deep enthusiasm for the music of the Renaissance, Kristin became a keen collaborator with guitarist/lutenist, Daniel Keene—the two of them perform regularly as the Samadi-Keene Duo (formerly, The Barone-Keene Duo).

Kristin and her husband, composer Saman Samadi, have created and organized an international composition competition known simply as “Samadis'.” This festival concluded with a successful winners' concert in March of 2016 and published a record album. The two also operated a record label known as Samadis', from 2014 to 2018.

Kristin enjoys a successful teaching career—she has been a faculty member of the Brooklyn Music House, The Piano School of NYC, Long Beach Music, Oceanside Music, and Adelphi University—she also manages her own private studio. Kristin taught as an adjunct professor at Adelphi University, teaching courses, there, in Basic Keyboard Skills as well as Form and Analysis. Kristin is a strong advocate of the training programs of Madeline Bruser (author of “The Art of Practicing”), applying this method in her teaching philosophy—having discovered its utility and value as a faculty member during the Sound of Manhattan Music Festival 2018—while teaching several masterclasses and judging the competition there—Kristin saw tangible results in this method and uses it today. 

During 2018-19, Kristin collaborated with Blanca Cecilia-Gonzalez (violin) and Asuka Elias (clarinet) and performed as Trio de Reínas, in New York. Kristin began collaborating with clarinetist Medina and violist Laura Thompson in late 2019 and had a few live performances before the pandemic. Since then, they have been collaborating at long distances. The trio published a recording of Schumann's Märchenerzählungen in the Spring of 2021. Persephone Trio collaborated in a remote recital at Wolfson College of Cambridge University in May 2021. During the covid-19 pandemic, Kristin has had a chance to record, so far, 56 piano pieces. American composer Edward Hines has also commissioned her to record Akask for Piano, a collection of compositions based on Turkish folkloric dances, which was released on October 1st, 2021.

Most recently, Kristin has been collaborating with pianists Flora Tzanetaki, and Marion Caldwell, and cellists Iris Azquinezer, and Veronica Henderson. Their performances were well received at the Buckingham Chamber Music Festival, King's Ely, Lee Hall of Wolfson College, Robinson College Chapel, Christ’s College, and Clare College, University of Cambridge, and in Madrid, Spain. 

Kristin is Director of Conservatoire One, teaching piano in Cambridge (UK) and online for students in New York and beyond. Kristin is a mother of two and currently lives in Cambridge, England.

Saman Samadi is a Persian-American composer, performer, musicologist, and philosopher whose work examines the ontological and aesthetic conditions of sound through composition, analysis, and listening. He holds a PhD from the University of Cambridge, where his research situated Persian musical practice within contemporary philosophical discourse. His career spans nearly two decades, encompassing over 130 works across acoustic, electroacoustic, and multimedia forms, alongside ensemble direction and performance in New York and Cambridge, and a growing body of scholarly publications that approach composition as a mode of philosophical inquiry.

His compositional practice draws on microtonal modal structures, prosodically derived rhythmic systems, and a notational approach that reconsiders the relationship between sound, time, and form. Engaging Persian classical music, poetic metrics, and calligraphic aesthetics, he has developed original methods such as Persian prosodic composition and modal-rhizomatic structuring, treating composition as a site of conceptual and philosophical investigation.

His doctoral dissertation, Becoming Persian Music: A Poststructuralist Approach to Composition, repositions Persian musical practices within contemporary philosophical discourse, proposing a model of compositional thought grounded in sonic differentiation, temporal multiplicity, and the materiality of language. This work establishes the foundation for his ongoing research at the intersection of philosophy and musicology, where composition functions as a means of interrogating the conceptual conditions of musical experience. His academic writing includes publications in journals such as Perspectives of New Music, with forthcoming work in the Journal of the Royal Musical Association. He has also presented invited lectures and research papers at the Royal Academy of Music, City University of London, the International Council for Traditional Music (ICTM) Study Group on Applied Ethnomusicology conference, University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna (MDW) and the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Manhattan School of Music, as well as multiple conferences hosted by the University of Cambridge. 

His compositions have been performed at institutions and festivals worldwide, including the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, New York University, Royal Academy of Music London, Lincoln Center New York, Janáček Academy (Brno), NeoArte Festival (Poland), Hanyang University (Seoul), Queen’s University Belfast, the Academy of Performing Arts (Prague), MuMa (France), the New York City Electroacoustic Music Festival, Cambridge Festival, and the Tehran Electroacoustic Music Festival. His music has been interpreted by performers including Jonathan Powell, Jared Redmond, Darragh Morgan, Miranda Cuckson, Linda Wetherill, Junya Makino, Mehrdad Gholami, Kristin Barone-Samadi, Anna Hashimoto, Austin Wulliman, Jaram Kim, Nicholas Swett, Samuel Stoll, and many others.

From 2013 to 2020, Samadi was an actively involved in New York’s experimental music scene, founding and directing the Saman Samadi Quintet, Apām Napāt Trio, and Aži Trio. He served as Assistant Director of The Firehouse Space, an influential venue for experimental music, contemporary classical performance, and multimedia work. In 2021, he founded and continues to direct the Cambridge University Experimental Music Ensemble (CueMe), which continues to serve as a platform for experimental performance and interdisciplinary artistic research.

Samadi currently teaches at Abbey College Cambridge and has served as an Academic Supervisor for the Music in Contemporary Societies course at the University of Cambridge. He has supervised undergraduate students across multiple colleges, guiding projects on composition, sound studies, musical aesthetics, ethnomusicology, and performance analysis. He is also President and Chair of Studies in Composition and Theory at Conservatoire One Cambridge, an independent conservatoire he co-founded in 2013.

He holds a BA in Music Performance and an MA in Composition from the University of Tehran, where he studied under Alireza Mashayekhi—himself a student of Hanns Jelinek, a pupil of Arnold Schoenberg and Alban Berg. He has undertaken further study in artistic research at the Orpheus Institute and KU Leuven, as well as in philosophy at the University of Queensland. His early studies in Mathematics and Physics at NODET (National Organization for Development of Exceptional Talents), a highly selective Iranian institution for students with advanced aptitude in mathematics and science, inform the structural and analytical dimensions of his compositional thinking.

His work have been recognised with awards and fellowships, including the Artist Diploma from the New York Foundation for the Arts (2015), First Prize at the Counterpoint-Italy International Composition Competition (2012), and selection for the NYCEMF (2012). He was the recipient of the prestigious Dr Grantham Scholarship at the University of Cambridge.

He continues to develop a body of work in which composition, performance, and philosophical inquiry converge, with a particular focus on the philosophical conditions of musical experience and understanding.

www.samansamadi.net

Emily Callow is a professional soprano, teacher, and music theory tutor with a BA in Music from University of Cambridge. She currently studies singing at the Royal Academy of Music in London and performs with professional choirs across the city, including at the London Oratory, Hampstead Parish Church, and Marylebone Parish Church.

As a teacher, she is friendly, patient, and enthusiastic. Emily tailors lessons to the interests of her pupils and focuses on developing a strong understanding of technique and musicality. She values a comprehensive musical education and incorporates both theory and aural training into her practical lessons.

Anne-Laure Latour is a native of Normandy (France) and has played music since an early age. She studied for more than 10 years in different Conservatoires in Paris and Rouen, Normandy. As well as playing and teaching piano, she loves composing, performing, singing, playing ukulele and handbells.

Sarah Henderson is a freelance cellist based in London. Her formal musical training began at the Junior Department of Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, where she studied with Vanessa Lucas-Smith and was principal cellist of the Symphony Orchestra. Sarah then pursued an undergraduate degree in Japanese Studies at Trinity College, Cambridge. During the third year of her course, she spent a year studying at Toho Gakuen School of Music in Tokyo, majoring in cello and taking lessons with Yoko Hasegawa. Sarah graduated from Cambridge in 2025 and currently learns with Andrew Skidmore.

Sarah was co-principal cellist of the Cambridge University Orchestra from 2021-23 and held an Instrumental Award throughout her time at university. She also gave frequent duo recitals with pianist Harrison Cole, specialising in 20th/21st century repertoire. Selected recital programmes include the complete works of Kenneth Leighton for cello and piano in October 2022, and Francis Pott’s Cello Sonata in May 2023. In March 2025, Sarah appeared as soloist in a performance of Shostakovich’s Cello Concerto no. 1 in E-flat major in Trinity College Chapel, conducted by Sam Gray.

Upcoming professional engagements for Sarah include performing as cello soloist with the Holst Singers in performances of Durufle’s Requiem conducted by Stephen Layton in November. She also leads a busy life as a soprano and a composer. Sarah was a choral scholar in The Choir of Trinity College, Cambridge, from 2020-2025 and is frequently engaged in work with a variety of professional church choirs in London. As a composer, earlier this year she was commissioned to write a set of canticles for The Choir of St. John’s College, Cambridge, and her works have been performed in high-profile venues in Cambridge and London as well as internationally.

Alexander Semple is a baritone based in Cambridge. He has studied with Alex Ashworth for the last two years and will continue his studies in 2024 for his Master of Performance at the Royal College of Music with Russell Smythe. Alexander's musical training began as a violinist, learning with Ruth Palmer and Dr. Felix Andrievsky. He studied at the Royal College of Music's Junior Department, co-leading their Symphony Orchestra and winning the Freda Dinn String Prize. He has since performed in some of Europe's most prestigious venues, including the Royal Albert Hall, Het Concertgebouw, the Queen Elizabeth Hall, the Purcell Room, and Cadogan Hall.

Alexander undertook his undergraduate degree in music at the University of Cambridge and has been singing as a Choral Scholar and Lay Clerk with the Choir of St John's College, Cambridge since 2019, recently appearing on the choir's album "New Millennium" (BBC Music Magazine) as both a violinist and singer. As an opera singer, Alexander's repertoire includes roles such as Papageno (Die Zauberflöte/Mozart), Cadmus (Semele/Handel), Ferryman (Curlew River/Britten), Tarquinius (Rape of Lucretia/Britten), and Count Almaviva (Le nozze di Figaro/Mozart).

This year, Alexander was admitted to the Cambridge University Lieder Scheme run by Joseph Middleton and now receives duo coaching from Joseph and masterclasses from visiting professionals such as James Gilchrist and Thomas Allen.

Dorothéa is a passionate singer/songwriter and vocal coach with over 7 years of professional experience in Cambridge and London. She holds a BA Hons in Popular Music from ARU, Cambridge, and an MMus in Popular Music Performance from ICMP, London. Over the past few years, she has been performing with her band, comprised of session musicians, at well-known festivals like the 'Big Weekend 2019' and 'Strawberry Fair', as well as prestigious venues including 'The Junction', 'Portland Arms', and 'The Six Six Bar' in Cambridge. Recently, she has ventured into releasing original music, including her album titled 'Is this love?'. Her original tracks have received airplay on various UK radios such as BBC Introducing and Cambridge 105 radio, as well as on radio shows across other EU countries. Alongside her performing career, she is actively involved in music teaching and vocal coaching in Cambridge, conducting sessions both in her home studio and within the community.

Lucas Sterioulas was born in Thessaloniki, Greece, in 1983. His studies in classical guitar began at the age of 8; in 2002, he received a diploma in Guitar Performance from the International Conservatory of Katerini. He subsequently attended and successfully completed postgraduate studies in Classical Guitar at the Thessaloniki Conservatory, in 2005. He received a Diploma in Electric Guitar from the University of West London, in 2016. He has been awarded in various guitar competitions -- the 2nd prize at the Guitar Festival of Volos 1996, and the 1st prize at the H.O.N competition in Athens, to name a few.

He has performed numerous individual recitals in Europe. He has extensively performed with local singers and bands on major stages in Greece. Lucas draws inspiration from performers of various genres such as Al di Meola, Vicente Amigo, Joe Satriani, Steve Lukather, and others.

He has been teaching guitar for 11 years at Karapanos music school and the International Conservatory of Katerini from total beginners to advanced players. He teaches classical, acoustic, and electric guitars as well as the ukulele.

Lucas plays on Admira and Godin guitars.

Zoë considers herself very fortunate to have been given the opportunity to begin learning the violin at the age of 3. This sparked the beginning of her lifelong love of music.

Lucky enough to live in England at a time when music in schools and local authority music centres was well-resourced, Zoë picked up the oboe, bassoon, tenor horn and a variety of recorders whilst still at school, but it was the violin, piano, voice and guitar with which she has always had the strongest affinity. She played violin in youth orchestras until the age of 18, which introduced her to the joy of ensemble music-making and the kinship to be found amongst musicians, and in amateur orchestras as an adult, including the Cambridge Symphony Orchestra and the Saffron Walden Symphony Orchestra.

Studying singing as part of her undergraduate degree at the University of Exeter, Zoë joined The Cantors – a sacred polyphony choir which performed in venues such as Truro and Bristol cathedrals. It was at this time that she also began her private music tuition practice, initially just with voice students, but this was extended to violin students upon her return home to the West Midlands in 2003.

Having always appreciated, first-hand, the power of music to help forge bonds between people and as a method of self-expression, Zoë began an MA in Music Therapy at Anglia Ruskin University in 2006. As a result of this, she went into music tuition in therapeutic settings, including mental health charities and special schools. She did this in conjunction with her formal music tuition practice, seeing many students through exams and beyond, as well as becoming the Music Director for the student choir of Lucy Cavendish College, University of Cambridge.

Zoë worked for Huntingdonshire Music School and Peterborough Music Hub for a number of years, providing individual, small-group and whole class tuition. After this, she trained as a teacher and had a Reception class for several years, whilst holding the role of school music lead. As part of this, she established and ran ukulele clubs, school choirs and directed whole-school music and drama productions.

All-told, Zoë has been providing music education in a range of community and education settings for over twenty years now and enjoys it as much today as when she first began her own violin lessons, nearly 40 years ago. Zoë has significant experience supporting learners with additional needs, notably autism and ADHD, and is skilled at adapting her practice to best support her students.

Emily Abbott is a violinist from Milton Keynes, England, currently reading music at King’s College, Cambridge. Emily was taught by violinist Ruth Gapp, after which she studied with Enrico Alvares, who currently teaches at Trinity Laban. At thirteen, Emily became the youngest member of the National Youth Chamber Orchestra of Great Britain of which she was a member for three years. After this period, she became the leader of Milton Keynes Youth Orchestra, leading them at the National Music for Youth competition. During this time, Emily also had the opportunity of co-leading the Milton Keynes City Orchestra in a side-by-side project run by the Milton Keynes Music Service. She was also leader of the Four Hubs Youth Orchestra in 2019 and has played with the Young Artists Symphony Orchestra. Emily is currently the co-leader of King’s College Symphony Orchestra and a member of the Cambridge University Symphony Orchestra. 

In her solo career, Emily has performed at multiple competitions and recitals across the country including Harpenden’s music festival in 2018. In 2019 she was a finalist in the Milton Keynes Young musician of the year and in 2022 was a recipient of the King’s College Derek Cornwell Scholarship. Emily also performs with multiple chamber groups, including the Queen’s College quartet and King’s College Quintet. Emily is a member of the Gaia Quartet, based in Yorkshire, performing at private events across the country. Earlier this year she performed in the European Premiere of ‘The Blue Hour’ in St John’s Chapel, Cambridge. This Summer, Emily looks forward to teaching the string section of the Antigua and Barbuda Youth Symphony Orchestra. 

Aside from violin playing, Emily, as President of the Kings College Music Society, enjoys managing and promoting orchestral concerts. Throughout this academic year (2022-2023), Emily has organised two concerts in King’s College Chapel and another in King’s Wilkin’s Hall with Judith Weir (Master of the King’s music) attending a rehearsal for the latter, as part of the 50 Year’s of Women at King’s celebrations.

Reuben Bance is a conductor, composer and pianist born in Stafford, England, currently reading music at King’s College, Cambridge. Reuben studied composition under Joseph Phibbs while attending the Purcell School for Young Musicians from 2019 to 2021. He has had pieces performed by the Tippett Quartet, beatboxer MaJiker, and soprano Sarah Dacey among others. In 2021, Reuben received an orchestral commission for Cadogan Hall, London. The resulting piece, titled Cloud Pillars, received positive reviews from critics including composer Julian Anderson.

While at the Purcell School, Reuben studied both classical and jazz piano under Gareth Hunt. Passionate about piano education, Reuben received extensive training from the ABRSM in August 2021 for both composing and teaching Grade 1 piano music. In November 2023, Reuben received the Derek Cornwell Scholarship for Piano from King’s College, given for the enhancement of musical life at King’s. Reuben regularly performs both jazz and classical piano repertoire in Cambridge, including in recitals held at King’s College Provost’s Lodge. 

Reuben studied conducting for several years under composer and conductor Jacques Cohen. He regularly conducts orchestras in Cambridge, most notably the King’s College Symphony Orchestra in King’s College Chapel.

Reuben also plays in a number of non-Western ensembles, including Samulnori and Javanese Gamelan. An enthusiastic Changgo player, Reuben recently performed with the Cambridge University Samulnori Society for Dr Chung Sye-kyun, former prime minister of South Korea.

Charlotte Wan is a pianist, organist, flautist and conductor born in London, England.  She is the Senior Organ Scholar at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, and is currently in her second year reading music. Charlotte started her piano and flute studies aged 7 and achieved ABRSM Grade 8 Distinctions for both instruments within four years, and holds ARSM Diplomas in both instruments. During her time at The Godolphin and Latymer School, she was awarded a music scholarship through to her A-levels.  As well as performing in chamber ensembles and orchestras, she has also led and conducted several choirs and orchestras during her time.  In her role as Music Captain, she guided and mentored younger students of different age and ability groups.

Charlotte has extensive performance experience as a soloist, accompanist, as well as in orchestras.  She is a passionate and committed teacher, with experience teaching children as young as 5.  She has previously taught piano privately but has also gained experience working with groups of young children. Charlotte is organised and structured in her teaching and is patient and capable of adapting to different learning styles.

Daniel Liu is currently reading Music at Clare College, Cambridge, after studying at Chetham’s School of Music in Manchester. While there, he took lessons with Murray McLachlan and won the school concerto prize following a performance of Britten’s Piano concerto. At Cambridge, he enjoys a busy and varied performing career, including a performance of a Mozart concerto alongside the Clare College Music Society orchestra at West Road Concert Hall. Also a passionate chamber musician, he receives funding and coaching as part of the University’s Instrumental Award Scheme. He currently takes lessons from Tessa Nicholson, professor of piano at RAM.

A composer too, he regularly has his works played by ensembles in Manchester and Cambridge. Winning 2019’s BBC Young Composer led to a commission by the BBC Concert Orchestra, and as a result, his piece Fanfares was premiered at Battersea Arts Centre in the summer of 2022. He has received mentorship from Errollyn Wallen and currently studies with Patrick Brennan.

Daniel is passionate about teaching and has experience working with young children and beginners.

Joanna Martino-Boulton is a pianist from North London. Joanna began her musical studies at the age of 6, taking ABRSM examinations. She received her Diploma in Classical Piano Performance at Leeds College of Music in 2017 and subsequently completed her BA in Classical Music at Cambridge University in 2021. 

Joanna’s studies at Leeds College of Music were heavily performance focused with numerous solo recitals, masterclasses and ensemble recitals, collaborating with string players, percussionists and singers. For her achievements during her BA in Classical Music studies, she was awarded the Myson Exhibition Prize by Lucy Cavendish College in 2022. 

Joanna began teaching the piano in 2014, giving private lessons to children of all ages and preparing them for ABRSM examinations.

She is currently residing in Cambridge and completing her Veterinary Medicine degree at Cambridge University. Joanna is a music scholar for Lucy Cavendish College, organising social musical events, concerts and occasionally performing.

Yi Tong is a pianist and piano teacher from Malaysia. He completed his undergraduates degree with first class honours studying with Graham Caskie at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in 2021. With an entrance scholarship, he recently graduated from the Royal Northern College of Music Master’s degree with a Distinction under the tutelage of Colin Stone. 

Yi Tong was the winner in the Eric Hodges Beethoven Prize in 2021. In the Appelbe Piano Prize in the North London Music Festival, he was highly commended by adjudicator James Kirby and Virginia Black in 2018 and 2019 respectively. He has also performed in several places including the Buxton United Reformed Church, Church of Saint Edwards and Newport Cathedral during his studies.

Whilst pursuing his degree in Cardiff, Yi Tong also started his teaching career in 2018.  He continued teaching as he moved to Manchester, as well as Malaysia whenever he returns. He especially enjoys working with students on deepening their musical understanding and appreciation. He is now based in Cambridge and has a busy teaching schedule.

Matthew Duxbury is an accomplished percussionist, currently studying Engineering at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge. He began playing the piano at the age of 8 and started on the drum kit at the age of 11, successfully achieving Grade 8 in both instruments.

Having a special fondness for jazz and big band music, Matthew has actively participated in various musical groups, notably including the Take Five Jazz Quintet and the Chiltern Music Academy Big Band and Concert Band. Currently, he serves as the drummer for the Cambridge pop cover band ‘Kitchen Sync’.

Matthew has also showcased his versatility as a musician by taking on the role of pit band drummer for productions of ‘In the Heights’ and ‘School of Rock’. Additionally, he demonstrates his skills in playing the timpani, xylophone, marimba, and auxiliary percussion.

Not limited to percussion alone, Matthew also enjoys singing as a member of the Fitzwilliam College Chapel Choir and holds the position of Junior Treasurer for the Fitzwilliam College Music Society.

His genuine passion lies in encouraging musicians of all ages to develop their percussion skills and to embrace the rewards of live performance.

Violinist/Violist Krasi Ivanov earned 1st Prize at the National Violin Competition in Bulgaria and 2nd Prize at the 14th Violin Competition in “D. Chintulov” Music School, also in Bulgaria. Her academic accomplishments include holding Bachelor and Master of Music Degrees in Violin Performance and Music Education from the Academy of Music and Dance Art in Bulgaria. In 2004, she completed her Master of Music in Violin Performance under the guidance of Prof. Masao Kawasaki at Brooklyn College Conservatory of Music.

Krasi has showcased her skills through broadcasts on various platforms, including Bulgarian National Television and Radio, Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, and WNYE Radio in New York. Additionally, she has performed in numerous countries such as Spain, Greece, Italy, Macedonia, Bulgaria, and the USA. Throughout her career, she has collaborated with esteemed musical institutions like Plovdiv State Philharmonic and Opera Theater, Stara Zagora State Opera, AMDA Chamber Orchestra, Symphonyeta Chamber Orchestra, and others. Notably, she has also performed with the Brooklyn College Orchestra, Manhattan Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra, Ensemble du Monde, The Forte String Quartet, Bulgarian Piano Quartet, and Trio “BG”.

Krasi's passion for music education has led her to teach young students at the Brooklyn College String Project and the Carroll School (P.S.58) String Program. Currently, Mrs. Ivanov imparts her knowledge and expertise to aspiring musicians as a violin and viola instructor at the Brooklyn College Prep Center for Music Theatre and Dance, Rondo Music Festival, VT, and through her private studio in Brooklyn.

Kalin Ivanov, a cellist, is a prominent soloist, recitalist, chamber musician, and recording artist. He has been compared by the press to Rostropovich, Yo-Yo Ma, Piatigorsky, and Jacqueline du Pré. He is quickly gaining recognition as an artist whose "dramatic urgency and expressive tone" (The STRAD, New York) is matched by "his deep, emotional, and poetic performing style" (Moscow North). The former music critic of the New York Times, Harris Goldsmith, states that "...Ivanov presents himself as a player with a fine-grained, luscious tone..." (New York Concert Review). The WORLD PANORAMA (Bulgaria) wrote: "...Kalin Ivanov is a phenomenon in the palette of the most talented musicians," and Musical Opinion (UK) confirmed: "One of the most celebrated cellists of his generation."

A native of Bulgaria, he began studying cello at the age of six with his father. Mr. Ivanov holds BM and MM degrees from the Academy of Music and Dance Arts, Bulgaria, State Academy of Music, Bulgaria, and Conservatory of Music at Brooklyn College, CUNY, where he studied cello with Marion Feldman. He has also studied and participated in master classes given by distinguished cellists such as David Soyer, Nathaniel Rosen, Steven Doane, Laurence Lesser, Andre Emelianoff, Anatoli Krastev, and others. In 1999, Mr. Ivanov won the C.W. Post Chamber Music Festival Concerto Competition.

Ivanov's young career of charismatic performances led him from the concert halls of Bulgaria to Greece, Austria, Switzerland, France, England, Italy, Russia, the Czech Republic, the Caribbean Islands, and, of course, the United States. He has made recent appearances as a soloist with various orchestras, including the Prague Sinfonietta, Sofia Philharmonic, Sinfonietta Sofia, Varna Philharmonic, Plovdiv Philharmonic, Bulgarian Virtuosi Orchestra, Sliven Symphony, Pazardjik Symphony, Vidin Philharmonic, Academy Chamber Orchestra, Moscow Chamber Orchestra "Cantus Firmus," New York Chamber Players Orchestra, Brooklyn Symphony Orchestra, Southern Arizona Symphony, North Shore Symphony, Manhattan Virtuosi Orchestra, and Ensemble Du Monde Orchestra, among others. Mr. Ivanov has performed over 20 times at Carnegie Hall, New York (Weill Hall and Stern Auditorium), as a soloist, principal cellist, and chamber musician.

His recordings include broadcasts for WNYC radio, New York, WWFM CLASSICAL Radio, NJ, Voice of America, Voice of Russia, Radio Free Europe, WNYE Radio, New York, WSTA Radio, WVWI AM 1000, CUNY TV, WNYE TV, NTD-TV, New York, Eurocom TV, Bulgarian National Radio, and TV. Mr. Ivanov is the subject of a one-hour film biography by Bulgarian National TV, broadcast in Bulgaria and internationally, and was the featured performer in an Emmy Award-nominated short film "Study with the Best" by CUNY TV. In July 2007, Mr. Ivanov recorded music for the Motion Picture Film: "LUST, CAUTION" (Oscar-winning Director Ang Lee). He has released three CDs, with the latest one available on MSR Classics.

In the spring of 2003, Mr. Ivanov, along with Natalia Gutman, Alexander Kniazev, Boris Pergamenstikov, Peter Bruns, Tomas Stral, and recent winners of the Tchaikovsky competition, was selected to perform in the International Music Festival in commemoration of Daniel Shafran, sponsored by Moscow State Philharmony and the State Institute of Arts. The Music Life magazine in Moscow called him: "...a recognized master of the cello."

Mr. Ivanov currently teaches cello and chamber music at Adelphi University, the Conservatory of Music at Brooklyn College, CUNY, and the Brooklyn College Preparatory Center for the Performing Arts. During the last few years, he has performed and given master classes at various prestigious music festivals and institutions, including the London Festival of Bulgarian Culture (UK), Festival of the Gulf (ITALY), Spring Music Academy (BULGARIA), International Music Festival, St. Petersburg (RUSSIA), Summit Music Festival (NY), Portland Conservatory International Music Festival (ME), Rondo Music Festival (VT), Long Island Conservatory International Music Festival (NY), Youngstown University (OH), and others. He has also taught at Long Island Conservatory, SUNY Empire State University, SUNY, Brooklyn-Queens Conservatory, Manhattan School of Music Summer Music Camp, Manchester Music Festival, and others. Mr. Ivanov is a founding member of The Forte String Quartet, New York Empire Trio, and Ivanov-Antimova Duo. He is a recipient of the Chancellor's Award and Cultural Achievement Award for teaching and performing in the U.S., as well as a career development grant by the Artist Fund of the New York Foundation for the Arts.