Emilie-Anne Gendron, violin
Violinist Emilie-Anne Gendron, lauded as a “brilliant soloist” by the New York Times, is rapidly garnering acclaim for her perceptive and elegant interpretations as a soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician. She gave this season’s opening recital at the Louvre in Paris, where she was praised by critics for her “excellent technical mastery” and “undeniable sensitivity” (ClassiqueInfo); other recent highlights include an appearance in Avery Fisher Hall with the Juilliard Orchestra, a concert devoted to chamber work world premieres on MoMA’s acclaimed Summergarden series, and a recording of the Mendelssohn Octet for Canary Classics with violinist Gil Shaham. Based in New York, Ms. Gendron is a core member of the acclaimed conductor-less Sejong Soloists and is also a member of the Momenta Quartet, recent recipients of the prestigious Koussevitzky Music Foundation commission grant. A passionate advocate for new music, she has worked with such eminent living composers as Gordon Beeferman, Roger Reynolds, Matthew Greenbaum, Behzad Ranjbaran, Hiroya Miura, Aaron Jay Kernis, Samuel Adler, Elliott Sharp, and Philip Lasser. She has also enjoyed success in several major competitions: she is a past winner of the Stulberg String Competition, and most recently took 2nd Prize and the Audience Prize at the 2009 Sion-Valais (formerly Tibor Varga) International Violin Competition. Ms. Gendron was trained at the Juilliard School where her principal teachers were Won-Bin Yim, Dorothy DeLay, David Chan, and Hyo Kang. She holds the distinction of being the first person in Juilliard’s history to be accepted simultaneously to its two most selective courses of study, both the Doctor of Musical Arts and the Artist Diploma. She holds a B.A. in Classics from Columbia University as a graduate of the Columbia-Juilliard joint-degree program, and a Master of Music degree and an Artist Diploma from Juilliard.
Ko Sugiyama, violin
Violinist Ko Sugiyama is currently a fellow with the New World Symphony. He received his MM from the Juilliard School undert the tutelage of Masao Kawasaki while receiving coachings from Darett Adkins, Sylvia Rosenberg, and Fred Sherry. Also, he received his BM from the Cleveland Institute of Music where he studied with Paul Kantor and was enrolled in the CIM Intensive Quartet Seminar receiving coachings from Peter Salaf and the Cavani String Quartet. He has performed as soloist with orchestras such as the New World Symphony, the CIM Orchestra, the Colburn School of Performing Arts’ Orchestra Da Camera, Young Musicians Foundation Debut Orchestra, the Cleveland Pops, and with the Burbank Philharmonic. He has performed as a soloist or chamber musician in halls such as Alice Tully, 92nd Street Y’s Kaufmann Concert Hall, and Severance Hall.
Erin Wight, viola
Violist Erin Wight, a Midwestern transplant to New York City, is an active chamber musician and avid performer of new music. She performs frequently as a member of the Red Light New Music Ensemble, Talea Ensemble, and Future In Reverse (FIRE), all ensembles with a dedication to exploring contemporary repertoire. Ms. Wight has also played with the New Juilliard Ensemble, Axiom, the Juilliard Electric Ensemble, and worked closely with members of Ensemble Modern. In addition, Ms. Wight is a founding member of the Toomai String Quintet, 2007 winners of the 92nd St. Y’s Music Unlocked! competition for emerging ensembles dedicated to educational outreach. Ms. Wight is deeply committed to community engagement and is on the teaching artist faculty of the New York Philharmonic’s School Partnership Program, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, and the Weill Institute at Carnegie Hall. Ms. Wight completed her Master of Music degree at The Juilliard School where she studied with Paul Neubauer.
John Popham, cello
Cellist John Patrick Popham was born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky. The New York Times has described his playing as “warm but variegated” and “finely polished”. John holds a BM from the Manhattan School of Music where he was a student of David Geber, founding cellist of the American String Quartet. He recently completed his MM also at the Manhattan School of Music where he was the recipient of a full scholarship and studied with David Soyer, founding cellist of the Guarneri String Quartet. John has performed as a soloist with the Louisville Orchestra and the Starling Chamber Orchestra on numerous occasions. In the summer of 2000, he and his sister, violinist Emily Popham Gillins, were featured soloists with Louisville Orchestra performing throughout the Midwest. As a chamber musician, John has performed throughout North America, South America, and Europe in such venues as Carnegie Hall, Zankel Hall, The Great Hall of Cooper Union, The Kennedy Center, The Hanns Eisler Hochschule fur Musik, and at Yale, Princeton, and Columbia Universities. John is currently a member of the Toomai String Quintet, the Red Light Ensemble, and the Eupraxia Music and Arts Collective. John has served as principal cellist of the 2000 National Festival Orchestra, the Louisville Youth Orchestra, and orchestras at Indiana University School of Music and the Manhattan School of Music. He has participated in various festivals including the Music Academy of the West, the Aspen Music Festival, Spoleto USA, Musicorda, and the Darmstadt Internationalen Ferienkurs fur Neue Musik. John currently resides in the Washington Heights neighborhood in upper Manhattan. He teaches in the Pre-College Division of Rutgers University.
Andrew Roitstein, bass
A native of Valencia, California, bassist Andrew Roitstein has been featured in chamber music concerts in New York’s Zankel Hall and Washington DC’s Kennedy Center and has performed with the New York and Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestras. He is a founding member of the award-winning Toomai String Quintet, an ensemble that currently holds a position on the roster of Carnegie Hall’s “Musical Connections” series. Mr. Roitstein has recorded for artists such as Joanna Newsom (Drag City) and Jessica Pavone (Tzadik Records), and has premiered “Anna Maria Suite” for double bass and piano, written by his father David Roitstein. In 2007, he won second prize in Juilliard’s Double Bass Concerto Competition. In addition to performing, Mr. Roitstein is dedicated to community engagement and serves as faculty of the New York Philharmonic’s School Partnership Program. As an arranger, his works have been performed by the Toomai String Quintet and members of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. Mr. Roitstein received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees at the Juilliard School, where he was a student of Eugene Levinson.