WFM Artistic Director MICHAEL VOLPERT has extensive experience as Artistic Director. He is also Artistic Director of the critically acclaimed Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players in New York City which produces over 23 unique programs a year.
Michael joined Orpheus Chamber Orchestra in New York as its Director of Artistic Planning and Orpheus Institute in 2013 after having served as the Vice President of Artistic Operations at Symphony in C, Camden, NJ. Michael oversees Orpheus’ artistic planning process and facilitates its personnel hiring and tour planning.
His past positions include Artistic Coordinator with the Detroit Symphony; Associate for the Jonathan Wentworth Associates, Ltd., an artist management, as well as Nancy Shear Arts Services, a public relations firm. Personnel Manager for the Princeton Symphony Orchestra in NJ, and Music Advisor to the North Shore Chamber Music Festival in Northbrook, IL.
In 2025 Michael Volpert is joining Music in the Mountains festival in Durango, CO as Artistic Advisor.
Mr. Volpert received Bachelor’s degree in Bassoon Performance from the Manhattan School of Music, and Master’s degree in Arts Administration at Teachers College of Columbia University.
Shanghainese violinist LUN LI has been described as having an “admirable command of all the possibilities of the bow, and uses it with delightful musical sense” by the Ludwig van Montréal. Committed to creating thought-provoking, boundary-pushing concert experiences for contemporary audiences around the world, he won First Prize at the 2021 Young Concert Artists International Auditions, as well as the Paul Fish Memorial Prize and Buffalo Chamber Music Society Prize, and was named the John French Violin Chair at YCA. He is also the joint First Prize winner at the 2021 Lillian and Maurice Barbash J. S. Bach Competition, and was named a resident artist at the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center for their 2024–27 seasons. In 2023 he made his solo recital debut at Kennedy Center and his concerto debut in Lincoln Center. Lun’s earlier travels between Shanghai and Philadelphia also brought him experience and honor. In 2012, as a result of winning second place at the 2nd Haydn Chamber Music Competition in Shanghai, his quartet was invited to perform at the Helsinki Music Centre Festival. And in 2017, he served as concertmaster of the Pacific Festival Orchestra under conductor Valery Gergiev. An avid chamber musician, his festival appearances include Marlboro Music Festival, Music@Menlo, Music from Angel Fire, and Verbier Festival Academy; and he has collaborated with musicians such as Kim Kashkashian, Midori, and members of the Calidore, Doric, and Miro Quartets. Lun holds degrees from Curtis and Juilliard, and is currently pursuing an artist diploma at Juilliard under the tutelage of Catherine Cho. He plays on the Stradivarius “Samazeuilh” violin made in 1735, on generous loan from the Nippon Music Foundation.
Venezuelan violinist RUBÉN RENGEL, a remarkably gifted artist, has been described as an “excellent soloist” of “great virtuosity” (New York Concert Review), delivering “thrilling” performances (Boston Globe). His honors include the Robert Smith Prize at the 2018 Sphinx Competition, Cleveland Institute of Music Concerto Competition in 2014, and 2011 Juan Bautista Plaza National Violin Competition of Venezuela. When he was a member of the Autana Trio, it won a Bronze medal at the 2015 Fischoff Chamber Music Competition. As a soloist Rubén has appeared with the Philadelphia Orchestra, Dallas Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Houston Symphony, New Jersey Symphony, and Venezuela Symphony, among others. Until recently, Rubén was an Ensemble Connect Fellow at Carnegie Hall. An avid chamber musician, he has collaborated with such artists as Joseph Silverstein, Pamela Frank, and Peter Wiley. His festival participation includes Music@Menlo, Ravinia, Perlman Music Program, Aspen, Meadowmount, and New York String Orchestra Seminar. In addition to classical music, Rubén has extensive experience performing Venezuelan folk music and jazz, which led him to develop important abilities in improvisation. He has also recorded and toured with distinguished Venezuelan ensembles. Interest in conducting is strong as well, and he enjoys performing as a violist. Community engagement and education are important to Rubén; he has taught master classes and was a teaching assistant at Meadowmount School of Music, Upstate New York, whose distinguished alumni include Yo-Yo Ma, Joshua Bell, Itzhak Perlman, and Pinchas Zuckerman. Rubén earned an MM at Rice University and BM at the Cleveland Iinstitute of Music; his teachers were Paul Kantor, Jaime Laredo, and Mark Steinberg. Rubén is a Kun Shoulder Rest Featured Artist.
Violinist OLIVER NEUBAUER, praised for his uniquely beautiful playing and mature artistry, currently studies at Juilliard with Itzhak Perlman and Li Lin on a Kovner Fellowship. He had previously attended the Perlman Music Program, Juilliard Pre-College Division, and Dalton School. A winner of the 2023 Young Concert Artists Auditions, 2020 Adelphi Competition, and 2017 Young Musicians Competition at the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, he is also a recipient of the Gold Award at the 2018 National YoungArts Competition. As a soloist, Oliver has appeared with the National Repertory Orchestra and Sound Symphony, to name but two of many. This season, he makes recital debuts at the Kennedy Center and Merkin Hall in NY, a concerto debut with the Delaware Symphony, and performances at London’s Wigmore Hall collaborating with Sir András Schiff and members of the Kronberg Academy. He has also performed and worked with artists such as Itzhak Perlman, Carter Brey, and Ani Kavafian. His festival participation includes Four Seasons, Bravo! Vail, La Jolla, Music@Menlo, Lake Champlain, Chamber Music Northwest, Music in the Vineyards, Angel Fire, Verbier, and Art in Avila in Curaçao. In 2013, Oliver made his debuts with the New York Philharmonic as the narrator for Britten’s Young Persons Guide to the Orchestra, and at Lincoln Center with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s Young Ensembles Concert. He also performed with his sister Clara at the Waldorf Astoria for a 9/11 Memorial and Museum Benefit Dinner, where they shared the stage with Robert De Niro and Bernadette Peters. Oliver plays on the c1725 “Milstein” Guarneri Del Gesù violin, generously on loan from the Ryuji Ueno Foundation and Rare Violins in Consortium. Outside of music, he has competed in dozens of national chess tournaments, plays ping pong, and likes to discuss philosophy.
Violinist CLARA NEUBAUER won a Silver Medal at the 2020 National YoungArts competition, and first prize at the 2019 Symphony of Westchester and 2017 Adelphi Young Artist competitions. She also was a winner of the 2017 Young Musicians Competition at the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, and was recently featured on the WQXR Young Musicians Showcase. Clara made her concerto debut with the National Repertory Orchestra at the age of 10 and her Lincoln Center debut at the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s Young Ensembles Concert in 2013. An avid chamber musician, she was a Young Performer at the Music@Menlo for 5 years, and has participated at Ravinia, Taos, Perlman Music Program, Bravo! Vail, Four Seasons, Angel Fire, and La Jolla festivals. She has also collaborated with artists such as Shai Wosner, Frans Helmerson, Anne-Marie McDermott, Robert McDonald, and Carter Brey. Born on 9/11/2001, Clara and her brother Oliver shared the stage with Bernadette Peters and Robert DeNiro hosting a 9/11 Memorial benefit, and can be heard leading the audio tour guide “for children and families” at the 9/11 Memorial Museum, available as a free app at the App Store. She studies at Juilliard on a Kovner Fellowship under Itzhak Perlman and Li Lin. Clara is the daughter of Paul Neubauer and Oliver’s sister.
Violinist EMMA RICHMAN is a member of the Marian String Quartet, which she cofounded while studying at Juilliard. The Quartet won First Prize at the 2022 Saint Paul String Quartet Competition in Minnesota, and made its recital debut at Alice Tully Hall. It has collaborated with violists Masumi Rostad, Misha Amory, and Hsin-Yun Huang, as well as with pippa virtuoso Wu Man and the folk musician and composer Rhiannon Giddens. Most recently, the Quartet worked with Indian-American composer Reena Esmail for Juilliard’s “The New Series.” A Minneapolis native, Emma began studying the violin at age 5. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Juilliard, under the tutelage of Areta Zhulla, and received the Juilliard Career Advancement. She developed a passion for chamber music from an early age, studying at the Artaria Chamber Music School. Both individually and through the endeavors of the Marian Quartet, Emma is a passionate advocate of education and community engagement, and strives to share her love for classical music. She performs on an 1805 Vincenzo Turisano Panormo violin.
Violist MAURYCY BANASZEK, from Warsaw, Poland, is a founding member of ECCO, the conductorless chamber orchestra, and was Principal Viola of the Metamorphosen Chamber Orchestra. His festival participation includes Marlboro, Seattle, Santa Fe, Aldeburgh, Moritzburg, Mozart, Kingston, Martha’s Vineyard, and Warsaw Autumn. He toured with Musicians from Marlboro and appears at Bargemusic. As a founding member of the Elsner String Quartet he has played in such venues as Carnegie Hall, Wigmore Hall in London, and the Gewandhaus in Leipzig, among others. In 1998 he was invited by the Amadeus String Quartet to perform at its 50th Anniversary Gala Concert in London, and he has played with Mitsuko Uchida and Richard Goode at Marlboro. Maurycy recently performed as soloist with the National Symphony Orchestra of Mexico, and with the New Jersey Lyric Orchestra at their Carnegie Hall debut. He was also chosen by Gidon Kremer to participate in “Chamber Music Connects the World Festival” in Kronberg, Germany, where he performed with the Guarneri String Quartet. Maurycy began his violin lessons at age 6, and is a graduate of the Manhattan School of Music, where he studied with Michael Tree. He plays a viola made by Hiroshi Iizuka in Philadelphia in 1997.
Violist KEVONNA SHUFORD is passionate about collaborative projects and teaching. A vibrant musician, she has played with ensembles such as the Boston Philharmonic, Erie Philharmonic, Atlantic Symphony, and Palaver Strings; and she has appeared as an artist at the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival, St. Lawrence String Quartet Seminar, Encore Chamber Music Program, and Meadowmount School of Music, Upstate New York, whose distinguished alumni include Yo-Yo Ma, Joshua Bell, Itzhak Perlman, and Pinchas Zuckerman. She has also performed with artists such as Clive Greensmith, Janine Jansen, Yura Lee, Tai Murray, Anton Nel, Philip Setzer, and Paul Watkins. Her accomplishments include helping to establish a youth string program at Faith’s Place Center for Arts Education in West Palm Beach, and teaching as a Resident Musician at Musiconnects. In 2016 she greatly enjoyed traveling to new places as a member the National Youth Orchestra, performing at major concert halls across Europe and the U.S., such as the Concertgebouw and Carnegie Hall. A native of Florida, Kevonna earned her bachelor's degree from the New England Conservatory, where she studied with Martha Katz, and is currently studying at Stony Brook University under the mentorship of Lawrence Dutton and Matthew Lipman.
Colombian-American cellist CHRISTINE LAMPREA is a dynamic artist—a firebrand with a “commitment to the highest standards” (Palm Beach Daily News); the Boston Musical Intelligencer also noted her “supreme panache.” She won the 2013 Astral Artists’ Auditions, First Prize at the 2013 Sphinx and Schadt competitions, and is a recipient of an award from the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts. As soloist, she has appeared with the Detroit, Houston, and San Antonio Symphonies, among others. An avid chamber musician, she has performed in the U.S., Canada, and Europe, in such venues as Tully Hall, Beethovenhaus, the Kennedy Center, and Metropolitan Museum; and has participated at the Kneisel Hall, Banff Centre, and Yellow Barn festivals, performing with such artists as Itzhak Perlman and Carol Wincenc. Career highlights include a recital (and premiere) of her own arrangements of Colombian music for Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor and the Colombian Ambassador to the U.S.; a performance of the Schumann concerto at Carnegie Hall; and replacing Lynn Harrell at the last minute for a performance with Symphony Silicon Valley. Christine has also played with members of the Baroque group Les Arts Florissants, studied sonatas on fortepiano, premiered several new pieces, and worked with jazz musician Anthony Coleman on John Zorn’s game piece Cobra for musical improvisers and prompter. A passionate teacher, she has worked with Ecuadorian youth in Quito and Guayaquil. Christine studied with Bonnie Hampton at Juilliard and holds an M.A. from the New England Conservatory, under Natasha Brofsky.
Cellist ROBIN PARK is pursuing dual careers in music and medieval Asian history. A graduate of Princeton cum laude with a B.A. in history, he currently studies at the Yale School of Music under Paul Watkins. Among his winnings are First Prize at the Mozart (Vienna), 5th Mahler Cello, and 2023 Princeton University Concerto competitions, and Grand Prize at the 2018 Caprio competition. An avid chamber musician, Robin performs in New Jersey and New York, as well as internationally in Sweden, Japan, and China; and formerly served as music director of Opus Chamber Music Princeton. He has also been active as an orchestral musician, having held leadership positions in numerous orchestras, including Principal Cellist of both the 2022 Pacific Music Festival Orchestra and the 2019 National Youth Orchestra of the USA, as well as Associate Principal Cellist of Symphony in C. Robin also enjoys playing the alto saxophone, learning languages, translating, writing creative nonfiction, and arranging music.
Double bassist SAMUEL ZAGNIT enjoys a multifaceted career, as he is also a composer and educator. He is dedicated to performing works by living composers and creating a more inclusive environment in every musical context. As a composer, his work focuses on self-reflection as a way to deepen connections and build intimacy with his audience and fellow musicians on stage. He has worked and studied with many noted musicians, including John Adams and Lucy Shelton. His duo confluss, with soprano Amber Evans, is committed to the exploration of its unique timbre and sound through performing original compositions, some by Sam himself. Since 2019, he has served as Acting Associate Principal Bass with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, and is a member of the Virginia Symphony Orchestra. As an educator, he is a teaching artist for the Harmony Program in New York City, and leads workshops and residencies with the arts education program, LEAP. Sam is a graduate of the Manhattan School of Music and Yale School of Music, and received his master’s degree from the New School; his teachers include David Grossman, Orin O’Brien, and Donald Palma.
Peruvian lutenist DUŠAN BALARIN is a versatile soloist and accompanist recognized for his eclectic artistry and vibrant interpretations in a range of historical lutes and guitars. His curiosity has led him to collaborate with leading artists and ensembles in genres from early music to jazz and the contemporary arts. Notably, he has worked with Cécile McLorin Salvant, Les Arts Florissants, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Emerson Quartet, Rachel Podger, Bruce Dickey, Lionel Meunier, Stephan MacLeod, Tessa Lark, and Reginald Mobley. Dušan regularly performs with leading early music ensembles, including the Washington Bach Consort, ARTEK, TENET, Chatham Baroque, Harmonia Stellarum, and EMNY. A Juilliard graduate and recipient of the prestigious Historical Performance Scholarship, Dušan performed widely with Juilliard 415 in North America and Europe. Prior to establishing himself in New York, he apprenticed with renowned British lute virtuoso Nigel North, earning his Master of Music in Historical Performance with highest honors from Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music.
Flutist SOOYUN KIM, winner of the Georg Solti Foundation Career Grant and a top prize at the ARD flute competition, has been praised for her “vivid tone colors” by the Oregonian and as a “rare virtuoso of the flute” by Libération. Since her concerto debut with the Seoul Philharmonic at age ten, she has enjoyed a flourishing career performing worldwide with the Bavarian Radio Symphony, Munich Philharmonic, and Boston Pops, among other orchestras. She has been presented in recital at Kennedy Center, Budapest’s Liszt Hall, Helsinki’s Sibelius Academy, Carl Nielsen Hall in Odense, and Kobe’s Bunka Hall. Her recital at the Louvre was streamed live on medici.tv, followed by an encore recital with Sejong Soloists in Seoul. An avid chamber musician, she is an artist member of Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, and was part of its CMS Two. Her festival appearances include Music@Menlo, Spoleto USA, Yellow Barn, Newport, and Chamber Music Northwest; and the Havana Contemporary Music Festival (as a member of Third Sound). Born in Seoul and raised in the U.S., Sooyun is a graduate of the New England Conservatory, where she studied with Paula Robison. She also studied baroque dance with Melinda Sullivan. Her recordings are on the ArtistLed label.
Israeli oboist RONI GAL-ED was described as an “Expressive, wonderful player” by the German SZ Magazine and “Outstanding” and “the star soloist of the evening” by the New York Times. She won first prize at the Lauschmann Oboe Competition in Mannheim, and is a recipient of grants from the America-Israel Cultural Foundation. Roni has worked with such conductors as Zubin Mehta, Valery Gergiev, and Christian Thielemann, and as a chamber musician she collaborated with Daniel Barenboim and the Jerusalem String Quartet. A recording of a concert with the Carmel String Quartet was broadcast live on the Voice of Music in Israel, and twice on WQXR. Roni has also recorded premieres of new works as well as the Hindemith Oboe Sonata and Serenade for Hessischer Rundfunk in Frankfurt, celebrating the composer’s 100th birthday. Her festival participation includes the Jerusalem, Rolandseck in Germany, Verbier, and Edinburgh. As an orchestral musician, she was a member of the Munich Philharmonic under James Levine; she was Principal Oboe with the Bavarian Chamber Orchestra and Israeli Opera; she was guest Principal Oboe with the Budapest Festival Orchestra under Ivan Fischer for eight years. She is currently Principal Oboe of the American Ballet Theatre Orchestra. In 2018, she performed the U.S. premiere of Matthew Greenbaum's oboe concerto “the jig is up” at Lincoln Center. Roni studied with Paul Dombrecht at the Royal Conservatory in Brussels and earned a master’s degree at the Musik Hochschule in Munich, under the late Günther Passin.