Current Season Guests, Oboist, Performer
Hailed by the New York Times for her “magnificently sweet tone,” oboist Keve Wilson would skip music theory and history as a kid to practice Irish jigs and reels instead. She recently wrapped up production on Broadway as oboist for the celebrated revival of Stephen Sondheim’s Company. Other Broadway shows she’s held chairs in are Carousel with Renee Fleming as well as the 2014 Tony Winner A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder. Keve inspires visiting high school band and orchestra students from around the country with her original show Believe NYC — from the Band Room to Broadway. A winner of Concert Artists Guild and solo oboist with the Grammy nominated Absolute Ensemble, she has performed in Amsterdam, Argentina, Austria, Dubai, England, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Mexico, Panama, New Zealand, Sicily, and South Korea. She plays oboe for Encores! at City Center and recently recorded for Bruce Springsteen and Stone Temple Pilots. Keve spent 6 years in Los Angeles as 2nd oboist of Opera Pacific, recorded for TV commercials and films, and premiered After Hearing Bach by Peter Schickele for oboe and string quartet. During the pandemic, Keve performed numerous shows with her duo partner and childhood friend Rachel Handman along with their band. The group played at the Javits Center every Sunday for vaccinations as well as at Feinstein’s/54 Below, Chelsea Table & Stage, The Culinary Institute of America, and at Mt. Sinai in NYC.
From Hyde Park, NY and a graduate of Eastman School of Music, Keve studied oboe with Richard Killmer, piano with Judith Handman and dance with Elizabeth Clark. She lives in New York City with her husband Kerry and Portuguese water dog Bugsy.
Current Season Guests, Performer, Violinist
Ashley Horne, violinist and native of Los Angeles, has performed professionally around the world. A graduate of the Juilliard School, Ashley is known for his “bright tone and fine overall sense of style” (Dennis Rooney of Strad Magazine.) His artistic integrity and flexibility have placed him in a diverse range of musical experiences, from recitalist at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall to performances with Portishead, Whitney Houston, Natalie Cole, Tony Bennett, and Oliver Lake.
As principal violinist and soloist of The Harlem Chamber Players, performance highlights have included the Sibelius Violin Concerto at Columbia University’s Miller Theatre, the Bernstein Serenade at Merkin Hall, a Harlem walking tour video memoir of Coleridge Taylor-Perkinson, and performances at WQXR’s The Greene Space. He is also a founding member of the newly-formed Harlem Chamber Players String Quartet, which recently performed during the reading of names at the World Trade Center’s Ground Zero 20th year memorial tribute.
Mr. Horne is known for championing works by Black composers, such as Noel DaCosta, George Walker, Nkeiru Okoye, and Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson. In 2019, he was a featured soloist in Carnegie Hall’s sold-out event, Two Wings: The Music of Black America in Migration. He appeared in Le Mozart Noir, the PBS documentary about the life of violinist and composer Chevalier de Saint-Georges, and his recordings of Perkinson’s Louisiana Blues Strut (A Cakewalk), Henry Cowell’s Fiddler’s Jig and William Grant Still’s Mother and Child with the Manhattan Chamber Orchestra (Koch International) can be heard on WQXR. Mr. Horne is a member of the American Symphony, and has performed with Brooklyn Philharmonic, Dance Theatre of Harlem, and New York City Opera. He was recently appointed the new Music Director of the Antara Ensemble. Broadway credits include Carousel, Phantom of the Opera, Ragtime, Follies, Chicago, On the Town, and The Producers. Filmgoers can also see Mr. Horne in Eddie Murphy’s Coming to America.
Current Season Guests, Performer, Pianist
Nico Giacalone started his musical career under the direction of Ana Maria Trenchi Bottazzi and Bruno Bottazzi in Manhasset, New York. With the Bottazzi’s he debuted for the first time as a performer in Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall. He showed promise as a musician when he gave his first solo recital at the age of 10. Nicolas continued his studies at the Aaron Copland School of Music under Proffesor Jeffrey Biegel and Professor Nina Lelchuk where he completed his undergraduate degree in Piano Performance. Following this he studied in Italy with Massimiliano Ferrati and Alessandro Taverna.
He won the Aaron Copland School of Music Concerto Competition and performed Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini with the ACSM Orchestra the following year. He also performed Rhapsody in Blue with the ACSM Wind Ensemble and later, with the Conservatorio di Musica Agostino Stefani Orchestra under the direction of Dr. Ernest Hoetzl and Maestro Roberto Zarpellon in Castelfranco Veneto and Treviso. He has also performed with the Circle Symphony Orchestra.
Nico has performed many times in different halls in New York City, New England, and abroad. He has performed at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Cami Hall, Steinway Hall, the Goethe Institute, St. Peter’s Church, the National Arts Club, and the House of the Redeemer; in Ozawa Hall at Tanglewood in Lenox, Massachusetts; in Padua, Cittadella, Castelfranco, Treviso and Villa Contarini in Piazzola; in Kötschach-Mauthen, Austria; and Taipei, Taiwan.
From 2014-2019 and 2023, Nico studied at the International Keyboard Institute and Festival. He was awarded a scholarship and studied under pianists Jerome Rose, Jeffrey Swann, Ilya Yakushev, and Jean-Efflam Bavouzet.
Nico has been recording music for the past four years. His most notable releases include the minor Mozart Sonatas, Beethoven’s Sonata Op. 109, Liszt’s Funérailles, and coming soon the Four Ballades of Chopin. His recordings can be found on Spotify and YouTube.
Nico Giacalone has recently won second prize in the International Mozart Competition in Vienna. He also graduated this past year with a Master’s Degree from the Mannes Conservatory and was awarded the Steinway Award for outstanding work as a performer and supportive classmate.
Conductor, Current Season Guests, Performer
Conductor Audrey J. Edelstein brings sensitivity, power, and connection to the podium, championing a compassionate experience between herself, ensemble, and audience. Incorporating a background in classical dance in her conducting, Audrey shapes soundscapes with fluidity and grace in a variety of settings including the Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture with the Moscow Symphony Orchestra, a fully staged production of Stravinsky’s L’Histoire du soldat, and Musical Passport with the Arcadian Chorale featuring choral pieces in eleven languages and original orchestrations for string quartet. Actively engaged in programming women and underrepresented voices, Audrey blends the richness of the classical tradition with perspectives of the next generation of creators.
Previous positions include Assistant Conductor of the Oratorio Society of Queens and Northwinds Symphonic Band. Audrey is a founding member of the New Conductors Orchestra, a NYC-based civic orchestra committed to showcasing emerging conductors. Audrey earned a MM in Orchestral Conducting at the Aaron Copland School of Music, and a BA at Swarthmore College. Learn more at www.audreyjedelstein.com
Performer, Vocalist
Soprano Klaudia Morelowska originally from Słupsk, Poland, has recently graduated from Aaron Copland School of Music, where she earned both her B.M. and M.M. degrees in Vocal Performance.
Throughout her studies, she has had the opportunity to perform leading roles in several productions such as Le Nozze di Figaro (Susanna), Die Fledermaus (Adele), Die Zauberflöte (1st Lady), Don Pasquale (Norina) and Suor Angelica (Suor Angelica). This year was her debut with the Chicago Summer Opera Company, where she sang the role of Drusilla in L’incoronazione di Poppea.
In recital repertoire, Klaudia actively performs works by Polish composers such as Chopin, Karłowicz, and Moniuszko in the hopes of showcasing lesser known pieces from her home country. She currently resides in Northport, New York and regularly performs in the New York tri-state area.
Performer, Violinist
Sylvia D’Avanzo, violinist, has a varied NYC freelance career running the gamut from symphony and ballet to recordings, Broadway and touring.
She has played for over 30 Broadway shows including Sunset Boulevard, The Light in the Piazza, Sunday in the Park with George, She Loves Me, Kiss Me Kate and Sponge Bob Square Pants. Sylvia is currently the concertmaster for the upcoming 2023 Lincoln Center Theater revival of Camelot. She has also toured extensively with Barbra Streisand, Harry Connick Jr and Madeleine Peyroux. Highlights include a performance with Harry and the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl and a sold out week of shows with Madeleine at Ronnie Scott’s in London.
In addition to her Broadway and touring life, Sylvia has played with the symphonies of Phoenix and Baltimore as well as the Philharmonia Hungarica, American Ballet Orchestra, St. Lukes and the American Theater Orchestra. She holds degrees from Mannes College of Music and Yale University. Her major teachers were Sally Thomas, Paul Kantor and Joyce Robbins. Sylvia lives in Hell’s Kitchen and loves opera, theater, tennis, cooking and travel.
Performer, Violinist
Kiwon Nahm started studying violin at the age of four and was accepted into the Juilliard School, Pre-College Division when she was nine years old, under the tutelage of Naoko Tanaka and the late Dorothy DeLay. Ms. Nahm made her orchestral solo debut at the age of 12 with the Korean Symphony Orchestra at Lincoln Center.
She has performed throughout the U.S., Europe, and Asia. Kiwon Nahm has been a top prizewinner in the MTNA competition, the Washington Competition, and the Juilliard Concerto Competition. She currently is a very active chamber musician as well as an orchestral performer. Kiwon has collaborated with Philippe Entremont, Peter Frankl, and the late Claude Frank as well as members of the Emerson String Quartet, Tokyo String Quartet, and the St. Petersburg Quartet.
Kiwon Nahm holds a dual bachelors of music and arts degree from Oberlin College & Conservatory and a master’s degree from Yale University. She is a currently on faculty at The Calhoun School and Concordia College in Bronxville, NY.
Performer, Vocalist
Budding mezzo-soprano, Emily Gehman, is thrilled to be getting back to performing after the events of 2020. Miss Gehman is a recent graduate of the Manhattan School of Music, having received her master’s degree in classical voice after her bachelor’s degree in vocal performance at Colorado State University.
During her time at Colorado State, Miss Gehman was involved with many productions including: Sondheim’s A Little Night Music (Mrs. Anderssen), Handel’s Serse (Arsamene), and Ravel’s L’Enfant et les sortileges (Mother, Teacup, and Dragonfly). Miss Gehman was also a member of the CSU Chamber Choir and featured as the alto soloist in their performances of Bach’s Magnificat in D and Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Serenade to Music.
During her time at Manhattan School of Music, Miss Gehman has performed in the Opera Scenes program as Marcellina in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro and Armelinde in Pauline Viardot’s Cendrillon. In the spring of 2022, Miss Gehman performed the entire role of Marcellina in the Manhattan School of Music’s mainstage production of Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro.
Harpist, Performer
Kathryn Sloat, “whose harp playing evoked the angels (Brooklyn Discovery),” is known for her work in opera and contemporary chamber music in New York City and throughout the United States. She is a member of the contemporary harp duo Lilac 94 with whom she has had the honor of performing at the American Harp Society’s 2015 National Conference in Logan, Utah, the Fresh Inc Festival in Wisconsin and Chicago, as well as various chamber music series along the east coast. Kathryn has also worked with a number of composers in bringing their music alive through initial readings and concert performances for the New York Composers Circle and Secret Opera. As an orchestral harpist, Kathryn has performed in a variety of festivals with conductors such as Keith Lockhart, JoAnn Falletta, Leon Botstein, Larry Rachleff, and a notable performance with conductor Krešimir Batinić and the Zagreb Philharmonic in their Carnegie Hall debut for the premiere of Malek Jandali’s Luminosity, a four-movement sinfonietta for chamber orchestra inspired by and dedicated to the Syrian children.
— from http://www.kathrynsloatharp.com/
Performer, Violinist
Praised by The Strad as an “utterly dazzling” artist, with “a marvelous show of superb technique” and “mesmerizing grace” (New York Classical Review), violinist Danbi Um captivates audiences with her virtuosity, individual sound, and interpretive sensitivity. A Menuhin International Violin Competition Silver Medalist, winner of the prestigious 2018 Salon de Virtuosi Career Grant, and a recent top prizewinner of the Naumburg International Violin Competition, she showcases her artistry in concertos, solo recitals, and in collaboration with distinguished chamber musicians.
Her recent and forthcoming engagements include solo appearances with the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia (Kimmel Center), Brevard Philharmonic, and New York recital debut at Lincoln Center presented by the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Rockefeller University, San Francisco recital debut on Music@Menlo’s celebrated “Carte Blanche” series, Chicago recital debut on Dame Myra Hess Concert Series, and Philadelphia recital debut presented by Astral Artists. In addition, she will debut at the Wolf Trap in Washington D.C., and her return to the Parlance Chamber Music Series (NJ), Caramoor Festival as well as a national tour with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. During 2017-18 season, She also debuted for the Palm Beach Chamber Music Society with pianist Juho Pohjonen, the Philadelphia Orchestra’s “Morning Musicales”, and at the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, D.C., with pianist Orion Weiss.
After winning the 2014 Music Academy of the West Competition, Ms. Um made her concerto debut in the Walton Violin Concerto with the Festival Orchestra, conducted by Joshua Weilerstein. Recent concerto engagements include appearances with the Israel Symphony, Auckland Philharmonic, Vermont Symphony, and the Dartmouth Symphony. She also recently appeared in recital and in chamber music performances in such venues as the Kennedy Center, Philadelphia’s Kimmel Center, Boston’s Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, the Harris Theatre in Chicago, Wigmore Hall in London, and at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art.
An avid chamber musician, Ms. Um is a current artist member of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center (CMS) and will see her opening the CMS’s 50th anniversary season in fall 2019 at Alice Tully Hall. Festival appearances have included those at Marlboro, Ravinia, Yellow Barn, Moab, Seattle, Caramoor, and North Shore. This past summer, Ms. Um made critically acclaimed debut at the Moritzburg Festival in Dresden, Germany at the invitation of Jan Vogler. Her chamber music collaborators have included Anthony Marwood, Vadim Gluzman, Pamela Frank, Cho-Liang Lin, Paul Neubauer, Frans Helmerson, Jan Vogler, David Shifrin, and Gilbert Kalish.
Born in 1990 in Seoul, South Korea, Ms. Um began violin lessons at the age of three. In the year 2000, she moved to the United States to study at the Curtis Institute of Music, where she earned a Bachelor’s degree. She also holds an Artist Diploma from Indiana University. Her teachers have included Shmuel Ashkenasi, Joseph Silverstein, Jaime Laredo, and Hagai Shaham.
Ms. Um is a winner of Astral’s 2015 National Auditions. She plays a 1683 “ex-Petschek” Nicolo Amati violin, on loan from a private collection.
