Dr. Jihye Chang
Pianist Jihye Chang enjoys a diverse career as a soloist, collaborator, educator, scholar, and advocate for new music in the United States and abroad. Her performances focus on the creative process of collaborating with living composers, curating programs that can connect to various audiences, and giving context to contemporary works.
She is a recipient of the Henry Kohn Award from the Tanglewood Music Center, an Honorary Fellowship from the Montgomery Symphony Orchestra, the Aaron Copland Recording Grant, and first prize of the Mikhashoff International Pianist-Composer Competition. She has appeared as a soloist with the Brevard Music Center Sinfonietta, Charleston Symphony Orchestra, Fargo Moorhead Symphony Orchestra, Wonjoo Philhamronic Orchestra, Montgomery Symphony Orchestra, and Virtuosi of Festival Internacionale de Musica in Recife (Brazil), among others. In 2024 she will premiere a piano concerto written for her by Sungji Hong, as part of Hong’s Guggenheim fellowship, with Intersection Music in Nashville. Since 2016 she has led more than 20 performances of her solo project “Continuum 88” – a solo project in which she programs masterworks of piano literature, focusing on specific genres such as etudes and variations each season, alongside newly commissioned works in the same genres by younger composers – in venues across the United States, South Korea, and Taiwan.
As a chamber musician she has collaborated with musicians from across the states including Cheeyun, Jordan Bak, Frank Cohen, Bion Tsang, and Richard Young, among others and has appeared at the Chamber Music Society of Fort Worth, Blue Candlelight Music Series in Dallas, Artists Series of Tallahassee, Broman Series at Mary Baldwin University, and Brevard Monday Series. She also appeared at the Nuevo Mundo Festival y Academia in Aruba, Old First Church Concert Series of San Francisco, and Tuesday Concert Series at Seoul National University. Recently she led residencies both in person and online at Indiana University, UCLA, Tufts University, Rutgers University, University of North Texas, Texas Christian University, and Tulane University, working with young composers and composition faculty members.
Chang’s recordings can be found on Albany, Centaur, Parma, and Sony Korea. She has recently recorded “77 Canonic Variations on Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” by Nathan Lam and 8 Boston Etudes written for her by 8 Boston based composers during the COVID-19 lockdown. Her research interests are piano etudes, music by women composers, interdisciplinary outreach programs, and music by Korean composers, which she has presented in lectures and concerts in conferences, music festivals, and universities across the states.
Ms. Chang graduated from Seoul National University, and earned her Master’s and Doctorate degrees from the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University. Chang is a faculty member at the Brevard Music Center and a core member of the Intersection Music. She is also the director of Piano Intensive program in Bulgaria. She has been a lecturer at Florida State University since 2012 and served there as a Visiting Assistant Professor in 2014-15. You can visit https://instagram.com/jihyechangpiano to see her passion on espresso, and listen to her online premieres and other performances on https://www.youtube.com/jihyechangpiano.
Dr. Jihye Chang
Violinist Staff Sergeant Ryo Usami of Darien, Conn., joined “The President’s Own” United States Marine Chamber Orchestra in July 2020.
Staff Sgt. Usami began his musical instruction at age 5. After graduating Darien High School in 2013, he attended the Peabody Conservatory of The Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, where he studied with Violaine Melancon and earned a bachelor’s degree in music in 2017. In 2019 he earned a master’s of music from the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, where he studied with Ayano Ninomiya. Other mentors of his include Akiko Silver and Moni Simeonov.
Prior to joining “The President’s Own,” Staff Sgt. Usami substituted with the San Diego Symphony, Pacific Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, National Symphony and Boston Pops. He has also freelanced with the Santa Barbara and New West Symphonies, as well as Symphony New Hampshire. His festival appearances include The Orchestra of Americas, the Colorado Music Festival, Pacific Music Festival in Japan, and Aurora Chamber Music Festival in Sweden.
With the orchestra, Staff Sgt. Usami performs regularly at White House State Dinners, receptions, and other functions and appears with the Marine Chamber Orchestra in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area.
Sgt. Ryo Usami
Dr. Michael Kaufman
"A fine cellist with a well-developed sense of musical characterization, Michael Kaufman plays with intensity, commitment and deep understanding," says Robert Levin, internationally renowned Mozart scholar and piano virtuoso. An exciting cellist exploring the various facets of the classical music scene, Michael Kaufman was the soloist for the opening of the renovated Kodak Hall at Eastman Theater and has performed at prestigious venues such as Zankel and Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall. He has performed as soloist and chamber musician in the United States, Canada, England, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Belgium, and Switzerland. He recently joined the Los Angeles Opera and the faculty of the Colburn Community School of Performing Arts.
Concerto highlights include Michael’s performance of Wandering Viewpoint by Yuan-Chen Li with the Kaleidoscope Chamber Orchestra and the world premiere of Sean Friar's Dynamics for Cello and Chamber Winds with the Eastman Wind Ensemble. He also recently gave the west coast premiere of Dynamics with Thornton Edge.
"Helmut Lachenmann's solo, 'Pression,' played with rapt percussive presence by Michael Kaufman, explores sounds the cello isn't supposed to make, be they ethereal scraping of the strings or industrial level strumming and banging," said Mark Swed, LA Times. Passionately involved in contemporary music, Michael has premiered works written for him by composers such as BMI Competition winner Justin Hoke, Daniel Silliman, Jeffrey Parola and many others. He has worked with composers such as Thomas Adès, Jörg Widmann, John Adams, Donald Crockett and Stephen Hartke in interpreting their own music. After hearing Michael's performance of Lieux retrouvés, Thomas Adès (the composer) declared it to be "breathtakingly good." In April 2013, Michael participated in a Carnegie Hall professional training workshop with John Adams and David Robertson called American Soundscapes. In June 2014, he gave the west coast premiere of Sean Friar's piece Teaser. He has performed in the concert series Jacaranda, the Hear Now Festival, what's next? ensemble, and in the Callings out of Context series at RedCat.
Michael is a regular and avid chamber musician. He is a founding member of SAKURA, an ensemble of five cellists which has been described by the LA Times as "brilliant" and "superb." SAKURA has performed in Disney Hall as part of the Piatigorsky International Cello Festival and is currently Young Ensemble in Residence at the Da Camera Society. This season, it performs concerts in LA, Orange County, and the Bay Area.
In addition to regular chamber music groups, Michael has collaborated in concert with artists such as Leon Fleisher, Midori, Kim Kashkashian, Anthony Marwood, Donald Weilerstein, Steven Tenenbom, Roger Tapping, and the Calder Quartet. He has participated in music festivals such as Open Chamber Music at Prussia Cove, Yellow Barn, Music@Menlo, Verbier, Kneisel Hall, Norfolk and Sarasota. Michael is the founder and artistic director of Sunset ChamberFest, which looks forward to its sixth season in June 2019.
Michael loves teaching and is on the music faculty of Loyola Marymount University. He also recently started coaching chamber music at Colburn. Additionally, he teaches privately in LA and has taught masterclasses at schools such as Bowling Green, UC Irvine, Caltech, Texas Christian University, and Saddleback College. He served on the USC faculty of student instructors from 2011 to 2014.
In an orchestral setting, Michael is a member of the Los Angeles Opera and former Associate Principal Cello of the Redlands Symphony. He has also performed as guest Principal Cello of La Monnaie in Brussels. He was a founding member of the LA-based conductorless orchestra Kaleidoscope.
Michael is also passionate about baroque cello, for which he received a minor at USC, studying with William Skeen. He has frequently played principal cello with Musica Angelica Baroque Orchestra of Los Angeles and enjoys other small projects on period instruments.
Born in 1987 in New York City, Michael moved to Cleveland at the age of three. One year later, he began cello lessons with teacher Pamela Kelly, and continued with her into his teens. By the age of seventeen, he was already participating in music festivals in Sarasota and Norfolk. In 2004, he was the only cellist to be accepted to the Young Artist Program of the Cleveland Institute of Music, where he studied with Alison Wells. He then received a Bachelor of Music Degree with distinction and a Performer's Certificate from the Eastman School of Music, studying with Steven Doane. During this time, he had masterclasses with cellists such as Steven Isserlis, Frans Helmerson, Pieter Wispelwey and Miklós Perényi and chamber music coachings with Robert Levin, Pamela Frank, Daniel Hope and members of the Tokyo, Emerson and Orion String Quartets. Michael earned his Master’s Degree and Doctorate from the University of Southern California, studying with Ralph Kirshbaum.
Даниела Черпокова
Даниела Черпокова-Николаева завършва Държавна Музикална Академия "Панчо Владигеро", под ръководството на проподаватели проф. Стефан Попов и доц. Светослав Манолов.
Специализира в Берлин при проф. Йожен Амелн, а по-късно специализира при проф. Миклош Перени. През 1987 година завършва едногодишна специализация по камерна музика при проф. Димитър Козев.
Лауреат е на национални и международни конкурси, участва в редица международни фестивали: "Пражка пролет", "Бела Барток" - Сомбатхей, "Storia e Musica nel Campielli" - Венеция.
Активната й концертна дейност като солист, камерен изпълнител и солист на оркестри, включва редица изяви в Германия, Унгария, Италия, Испания, България. През 2005 година е удостоена с "Кристална Лира" в категория камерен изпълнител за концертния цикъл "Espressivo", съвместно с пианистката Весела Маринова.
От 1990 година е преподавател по специалностите камерна музика и виолончело в НМУ "Любомир Пипков" София, като в момента е ръководител на ансамблова група в същото училище.
Нейните възпитаници са носители на над 36 лауреатски звания и награди, сред които са две Гранд При и три първи награди от международния конкурс "Концертино Виртуози" - София; "Немска и австрийска музика" - Бургас; "Музиката и земята" - София; "Карл Давидов" - Латвия и редица други. Камерните й ансамбли участват от 2006 година до днес, в пресижния международен камерен фестивал "Musica Mundi" - Белгия. Нейните Ученици участват активно в концертния афиш, както в страната, така и в чужбина. Като педагог в НМУ е удостоявана многократно с награди за постижения в педагогиката и музикалното изкуство.
Ивайло Данаилов
Роден в град Враца в музикантско семейство, Ивайло завършва НМУ "Л.Пипков"- София с пиано. След това продължава обучението си в НМА "Панчо Владигеров", където изучава и виола. Магистърската си степен взима в НБУ със специялност цигулка в класа на професор Марио Хосен. Свири в съставите на трио "Артес", "Стрийт квартет" и струнен квартет "CREDO".
Има множество награди от конкурси и участия в майсторски класове на изтъкнати наши и чуждестранни музиканти. Свири като солист на "Нов симфоничен оркестър", Врачанска филхармония, "Орфеус", кам. оркестър "Орфей", "Кончерто антико", "Арс барока", КА "Софийски солисти". Концертира главно с камерна музика в България и чужбина. От 2012 г. е първи цигулар в състава на симфоничния оркестър на БНР, също така първи цигулар в съставите на оркестъра на Classic FM радио и Нов симфоничен оркестър.
От 2021г. е част от състава на КА "Софийски Солисти" и започва да преподава Камерна музика в НМУ "Любомир Пипков"
Dr. Moni Simeonov
A native of Bulgaria, Moni Simeonov began playing the violin at age 5, and ten years later, came to the United States on a full scholarship to the Idyllwild Arts Academy in California. He earned his DMA at USC’s Thornton School of Music where he studied with Midori. An active member of the IRIS Orchestra, Mr. Simeonov also performs with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and Opera, Ensemble San Francisco, and until recently, served as the Concertmaster for the Sacramento Philharmonic. He has also served as a guest concertmaster with Reno Philharmonic and the Pacific Symphony. His doctoral studies included minor fields in Viola Performance, Schenkerian Analysis, Japanese Language, as well as an emphasis on the interpretation of Balkan folk music. On tour and in Los Angeles, Mr. Simeonov dedicates considerable time and energy to community engagement work and to musical activities and presentations for young people. Moni has performed and coached alongside Midori for her Orchestra Residencies Program American and International tours. Until 2014, he served as a director for the program. Outreach activities have taken him to places as diverse as homeless shelters in Los Angeles and at-risk centers in Tennessee, to Syrian refugee camps in Lebanon, and hospitals for the terminally ill in Sri Lanka.
Moni’s first CD recording was a result of his winning the Idyllwild Arts Academy Concerto Competition. Upon graduation from Idyllwild, he was named Most Outstanding Musician of his class. He continued his education at the Eastman School of Music, where he studied with Zvi Zeitlin on full scholarship, earned first prize at the school’s concerto competition, and was awarded a Performer’s Certificate. While at Eastman, Moni regularly performed on the school’s Antonio Stradivari of 1714. He also served as concertmaster for the Eastman Symphony, Philharmonia, and Opera Orchestras. Having earned his Artist Diploma from Yale University studying under Ani Kavafian, Moni completed his master’s in music there as well. He was the concertmaster for the Yale Opera, and Philharmonia Orchestras, as well as the New Music Ensemble. Following Yale, he earned his Graduate Certificate Degree from USC’s Thornton School of Music, where he studied with Midori and received the Outstanding Student Award.
Mr. Simeonov has attended several performance festivals, including Tanglewood, the Music Academy of the West, Pacific Music Festival, the New York String Orchestra Seminar, and the Oregon Bach Festival.
In the summers, Moni Serves as a violin teacher at the Interlochen Summer Festival, the Singapore Violin Festival, and the Atlantic Music Festival. In 2021, he created Bulgaria’s first chamber music festival "Quartet Intensive" in Sofia.
Mr. Simeonov has concertized and taught around the United States, South America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. His recordings have been archived by PBS, NPR, KUSC, Bulgarian National Radio and TV, as well as Japanese Broadcasting Company—NHK. Upcoming tour destinations include Japan, England, China, Singapore, and Lebanon.
Past chamber music collaborations have involved members of the Berlin Philharmonic, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, and the Tokyo and Ying String Quartets, as well as Jerome Lowenthal, Giora Schmidt, Joseph Silverstein, Zvi Zeitlin and Midori.
Moni served as Adjunct Instructor of Violin and Chamber Music at USC’s Thornton School of Music until 2014. That year, he was appointed Director of String Studies and Violin Professor with the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music at California State University, Long Beach. Moni is also Director of Chamber Music with the Colburn School of Music and the creator of www.zenviolin.com.