Yibin Li

Yibin Li was born in Jiuquan, China, a small city near the Gobi Desert. When she was just 4 1/2, she began playing the violin under the guidance of her father. Just 7 years later, she left home to study at Xi’an Conservatory, where she remained until moving on to Shanghai Conservatory. Upon her graduation, she was appointed to the violin faculty, and taught in Shanghai for six years as a young member of the tenured faculty. At 26, she felt the need to continue her studies in the US and moved to New York, where she went on to earn two additional graduate degrees at The Juilliard School and Mannes School of Music. Her teachers have included Lewis Kaplan, Seymour Lipkin, Earl Carlyss, Peiwen Yuan and Xiaolong Liu.

Ms. Li has performed as a soloist with major symphonies in China and the US, including the Beijing National Symphony Orchestra, Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, Taipei Symphony Orchestra, Gaoxiong Symphony Orchestra, San Diego Symphony, Hunter Symphony and Syracuse Symphony Orchestra. She was the first violinist and founder of the Iris String Quartet, and the founder of French-American Ensemble, and has directed and played chamber music concerts in many New York City venues including Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Merkin Hall and Scandinavia House. In China, she traveled to over 20 cities performing both solo and chamber concerts in major performing arts centers.

Ms. Li performs and teaches regularly at summer music festivals including the Bowdoin International Music Festival and Bach Virtuoso Festival in Maine., the LaSalle Music Festival in France, Sesto Rocchi Chamber Music Festiva in Italy and the Lake Lugano Chamber Music Festival in Switzerland.

Yibin Li is currently on the faculties of Mannes School of Music and The Juilliard School Pre-College Division, and is a visiting professor in China at the Xi’an Conservatory of Music and Beijing Central University for Normal Studies.

Ms. Li has performed as a soloist with major orchestras in China and the USA including the Beijing National Symphony Orchestra, the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, Taipei Symphony, the Gaoxiong Symphony Orchestra, and the San Diego and Syracuse Symphonies. Her New York recital debut at Weill Recital Hall took place in 2001, and she performed solo recitals, in various chamber music ensembles, and as first violinist of the Iris Quartet at venues throughout the world including at Alice Tully, Carnegie and Merkin Halls and in more than 20 cities in China, France, Italy and the USA.

Ms. Li performs and teaches regularly at summer music festivals including the Bowdoin International Music Festival and Bach Virtuoso Festival in Maine., the LaSalle Music Festival in France, Sesto Rocchi Chamber Music Festiva in Italy and the Lake Lugano Chamber Music Festival in Switzerland.

Yibin Li is currently on the faculties of the Mannes School of Music, Juilliard’s Pre-college Division and as visiting professor in China at the Xian Conservatory and Beijing Central University for Normal Studies.

Philippe Muller

Born in Alsace, Philippe Muller was raised in both the French and German musical traditions that characterize that province. His early experiences opened his mind to varying cultures and lead him to a multi-faceted career. He performs and has recorded a wide range of repertoire, from the Bach Suites, through the music of living composers.

In 1970, Mr. Muller founded a Piano Trio with pianist Jacques Rouvier and Jean- Jacques Kantorow, violin, which was widely known to be one of Europe’s most venerated chamber music ensembles. He worked closely with Pierre Boulez’ Ensemble Intercontemporain, for seven years, giving him an understanding of and an affinity for the music of our time. He continues to be active in commissioning new cello works and premiers of new music and performs frequently as soloist and in various chamber music ensembles at festivals in Europe, the United States, Canada, Latin America, Japan, Korea, Australia and New Zealand.

Philippe Muller’s teaching career is legendary. He succeeded his mentor André Navarra as cello teacher at the Conservatoire de Paris in 1979, continues his teaching legacy today here in New York, at the Manhattan School of Music. Many cellists from his studio have gone on to major careers as soloists including Xavier Phillips and Gautier Capuçon. He travels often giving master-classes in the top conservatories across the globe and has spent twenty years teaching at the Academy of French Music in Kyoto, Japan.

Philippe Muller frequently serves on the juries of the major international cello competitions such as the Tchaikovsky in Moscow, Paulo in Helsinki and Rostropovitch in Paris.

Alexandre Moutouzkine

Russian-American pianist Alexandre Moutouzkine has toured as a soloist with over 60 orchestras across Europe, North and South America, and Asia. Highlights of those performances include appearances with Cleveland Orchestra, Berliner Philharmoniker, uIsrael Philharmonic and Israel Camerata, Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, Philharmonic Orchestras of Moscow and Kiev and Radiotelevision Orchestra of Spain.

As a recitalist and chamber musician, Alexandre has performed at Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium and Zankel Hall, The Lincoln Center, The Kennedy Center, The Kimmel Center, Mann Auditorium in Tel Aviv, Royal Hall in London, The Great Hall of the Berlin Philharmonic, Palau de la Musica in Barcelona, National Centers of Toronto and Montreal, Yokohama Minato Mirai Hall in Japan.

Alexandre’s recital at Wigmore Hall was described by International Piano magazine as “grandly organic, with many personal and pertinent insights, offering a thoughtful balance between rhetoric and fantasy…technically dazzling.” Alexandre’s recital of Frédéric Chopin’s Études at the Great Hall of Moscow Conservatory was recorded live and released on the Classical Music Archives label in Russia.

Alexandre has claimed top prizes at more than 20 international competitions, including Naumburg, Cleveland, Montreal, New Orleans, Shanghai, Iturbi in Valencia, Maria Canals in Barcelona, and Arthur Rubinstein in Tel Aviv. At age 19, he won the Special Award for Artistic Potential for his performance of Brahms’ Op. 117 Intermezzi. A Dallas Morning News critic described it as being played “more beautifully, more movingly, than I’ve ever heard them. At once sad, tender and noble, this was playing of heart-stopping intimacy and elegance.”

Other career highlights include a performance of Rachmaninoff’s complete works in a six-part recital series with the Carnegie Concert Series in Nyack and the reception of the “Artist of the Season” award from Chamber Music International in Dallas.

His record of Cuban piano music released through Steinway & Sons was recognized by WRTI as one of the top 10 classical music recordings picks for 2017. It also won the Cubadisco award for the best classical music recording in Cuba. Alexandre most recently released a Steinway and Sons recording, “Ravel & Stravinsky” with violinist Chloé Kiffer. This album features his solo piano transcription of Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite, which debuted at Philadelphia’s Kimmel Center and New York’s 92Y.

Alexandre has served as an adjudicator for the Concours International Genève Musicale, Bartok Competition in Budapest, Maria Canals in Barcelona, Santa Cecilia in Porto, Panama International Piano Competition, New Orleans International Piano Competition, and Vladimir Krainev Competition in Moscow.

Alexandre is co-head of the piano department at Manhattan School of Music. His students have won top prizes in numerous competitions throughout North and South America, Europe, and Asia. He is a sought-after teacher and guest artist at music festivals around the world including Beijing International Piano Festival, Paris International Music Academy and MusicAlp Festival in France, Music Fest Perugia, Forum Musicae in Madrid, and the International Piano Festival Genève Musicale.

Carmit Zori

Violinist Carmit Zori came to the United States to study with Ivan Galamian, Jaime Laredo and Arnold Steinhardt at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia.

Ms. Zori is the recipient of a Leventritt Foundation Award, a Pro Musicis International

Award, top prize in the Walter W. Naumburg International Violin Competition. She has appeared as a soloist with the New York Philharmonic, Rochester Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, among many others. She has given solo recitals at Lincoln Center NY, Los Angeles, Boston, Washington D.C., Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Latin America and Europe, Japan, Taiwan and Australia.

Ms. Zori is an avid chamber music player. Ms. Zori appeared with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Festival Casals in Puerto Rico, the Bard Music Festival, Chamber Music Northwest, the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, and many more. Carmit has an ongoing relationship with the Marlboro Music Festival in Vermont and has toured with Musicians from Marlboro. She is a member of Israeli chamber music project.

Ms. Zori is artistic director of the Brooklyn Chamber Music Society, which she founded in 2002. BCMS presents concerts, in Brooklyn Heights.

Ms. Zori is professor of violin at Bard college, Rutgers U. and Purchase College.

Chung-Hsi Hsieh

Pianist Chung-Hsi Hsieh is from Taiwan. He won top prizes in the Nena Wideman International Piano Competition, Taipei International Chopin Competition, Taiwan Concerto Competition, Corpus Christi Young Artists Competition, and Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition. He has appeared in renowned recital halls such as Carnegie Weill Recital Hall, Merkin Hall, Klavierhaus, and Steinway Hall, in New York City, as well as the National Recital Hall in Taiwan. As a chamber musician he often collaborates with the principles of Boston Symphony Orchestra, Berlin Deutsches Symphonie Orchester, San Diego Symphony Orchestra, and A Far Cry Chamber Orchestra. Mr. Hsieh has performed recitals in Boston, Los Angeles, Beijing, Shanghai and Shenyang.  He was a young artist at the Irving Gilmore International Keyboard Festival in Kalamazoo, MI, as well as Kneisel Hall Chamber Music Festival.  

After winning the top prize from Taiwan National Music Competition in 1991, he was awarded the opportunity to continue his musical studies in USA where he obtained his high school diploma from Interlochen Arts Academy, BM and MM from The Juilliard School, and DMA from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. His principle teachers were Victoria Mushkatkol, Seymour Lipkin, and Susan Starr.  During this time he also worked with Lynn Harrell, Lewis Kaplan, Arnold Steinhardt, Jane Coop, and Douglas Lundeen.  

Mr. Hsieh started his musical training on the piano at age 4. He also learned violin, and Erhu, a traditional Chinese instrument when he entered the music training class at age 9. At a young age he already showed his musical talent, as he frequently won competitions on piano and violin, and he started performing as soloist and conductor, leading the school symphony orchestra, Chinese instrument orchestra and school choir to public performances. 

Currently he is a piano and music faculty at the Diller-Quaile School of Music.  Besides honing his craft and working with aspiring talents, Chung-Hsi also enjoys exploring culinary arts and fine wine around the world.

David Cerutti

David Cerutti is co-principal solo violist of the Orchestra of St. Luke’s and core member of its chamber ensemble, and performs regularly with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. He has toured and collaborated extensively with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, and has been a guest soloist on the Lincoln Center Chamber Music Society’s Double Exposure series, and is a regular participant in the Helicon Concert Series, founded by the late Albert Fuller

A former member of the Smithson String Quartet, he collaborated with members of ensemble Archibudelli on a recording of the Mendelsohn and Gade string octets, performed on Stradivarius instruments for the Sony Classical Label. He is principal violist of the American Classical Orchestra, and was featured viola d’amore soloist in the Metropolitan Opera’s production of Leoš Janáček’s Makropoulos Case.

Collaborating recently with pianist Molly Morkoski, David has created an audiovisual production of Bohuslav Martinu’s Sonata for viola and piano, at the behest of the Czech Center of New York.

David plays on a Brescian instrument from the late 1500s by Pellegrino Micheli da Montichiari.

Kaitlyn Schirard

Kaitlyn Schirard is a theater creator and arts administrator based here in NYC. She has graced stages regionally and internationally and has an avid love for the classics. Some of her favorite credits include As You Like It (Ophelia Theater Group), Your Alice (BAM, Edinburgh Fringe, Arcola Theater), and Romeo and Juliet (Sheen Center). When she's not on stage or in the rehearsal room, Kaitlyn works as an educator and arts administrator developing and producing new works with companies like Thistle Dance, the NYPL, the NYBG, Pinkhouse Productions, and Scranton Shakespeare Festival, as well as with many other talented individual creatives.

She is so pleased to be joining the OneMusic Project's artists and audience for an evening of chamber music and Shakespeare.