Alejandro Valdepeñas, viola

Originally from Toronto, Alejandro Valdepeñas enjoys a multi-faceted career as a violinist and violist. He joined the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra as Associate Principal Viola at the start of the 2022/2023 season.

Valdepeñas made his solo debut on violin at the age of 9 with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and Sarah Chang. Recent engagements include performances and recordings with the Amici Chamber Ensemble and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra Chamber Soloists. He has spent
multiple summers as a violinist with the Santa Fe Opera and has also performed with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra.

In the summers, Valdepeñas has performed at the Aspen Music Festival and School and Norfolk Chamber Music Festival at Yale. His future summer engagements include performances at Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival.

Valdepeñas received his Bachelor of Music degree from the New England Conservatory studying with Paul Biss, and his Master of Music degree from Rice University studying with Paul Kantor.

Amanda Stewart, trombone

Amanda Stewartis currently the Associate Principal Trombonist of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, a position she began in the Fall of 2014. Born in Oakland, Maryland, she began playing the trombone at the age of six. Her studies started with Harold Hudnall and continued with Dr. H. Keith Jackson, current Dean of the College of Creative Arts of West Virginia University. She received her bachelor of music degree from The Juilliard School, studying with Joseph Alessi.

As an orchestral musician, Ms. Stewart has played with numerous orchestras. She was Principal trombonist of the San Antonio Symphony for eight seasons, Assistant Principal trombonist of the Lyric Opera of San Antonio for four seasons, and Associate Principal trombonist of the New York Philharmonic for two seasons. Ms. Stewart has also been a regular substitute and extra player with the Boston Symphony and has toured with them internationally. In other performing capacities, Ms. Stewart is a current member of the trombone ensemble, STL Trombones. She has also performed as a member of the Burning River Brass and the San Antonio Brass. As an educator, Ms. Stewart currently teaches at Washington University in St. Louis. For part of the 2025 Spring Semester, she served as an adjunct Assistant Professor of Music at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music. Also, Ms. Stewart has also given masterclasses at many national universities and conservatories, including the New England Conservatory, Rice University, and The Juilliard School. Ms. Stewart is an Edwards artist, performing on Edwards trombones and Griego Mouthpieces.

Andrea Jarrett, violin

Named a 2009 Presidential Scholar in the Arts by the U.S. Department of Education, violinist Andrea Jarrett received her Master of Music Degree from the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University in May 2015. While obtaining her degree, Jarrett was a student of Kathleen Winkler and served as concertmaster of both the chamber and symphony orchestras. She received her Bachelor of Music Degree from the Juilliard School in 2013, where she studied with David Chan. Jarrett joined the second violin section of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra in September 2015.

Prior to her appointment with the SLSO, Jarrett participated in the 2013 New York String Orchestra Seminar under the direction of Jaime Laredo. While attending Juilliard, Andrea gave the world premiere of composer Neil Rolnick’s concerto for violin and electronics in November 2012, Gardening at Gropius House. In the same year, Jarrett served as concertmaster of the Juilliard Chamber Orchestra. Another highlight during her undergraduate years was her performance of the Mendelssohn Octet in the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s Meet the Music! Concert Series. Jarrett was a member of the first YouTube Symphony Orchestra in 2009, with concerts in Carnegie Hall under the baton of Michael Tilson Thomas. A native midwesterner, Jarrett has performed as a soloist with the Dearborn, Birmingham-Bloomfield, Toledo, and Ann Arbor symphony orchestras.

During her high school years, Jarrett was a member of the Music Institute of Chicago’s Academy program, where she studied with Almita and Roland Vamos. Jarrett received the Silver Award in Music/Violin from the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts in January of 2009. Also an active chamber musician, Jarrett was a member of Quartet Polaris, Gold Medal Winners of the 2008 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, Junior Division. She performed with Quartet Polaris on NPR’s From the Top. The quartet also performed in The Kennedy Center and Carnegie Weill Hall as part of an East Coast tour through the Music Institute of Chicago.

Jarrett’s summer studies have brought her to many corners of the world. She attended the Taos School of Music in 2013, where she worked closely with the Borromeo and Brentano String Quartets to perform Beethoven’s entire quartet cycle. In 2012, Jarrett traveled to Japan to attend the Pacific Music Festival, where she served as concertmaster under Fabio Luisi. Other festivals attended include Music Academy of the West, Spoleto Festival, Astona International Academy (Switzerland), Heifetz International Music Institute, and Interlochen Arts Camp. Since beginning her position in the SLSO, Andrea has served as Concertmaster of the Lakes Area Music Festival and has performed several seasons with the Sun Valley Summer Symphony.

Beth Guterman Chu, viola

Beth Guterman Chu is one of the most sought after young violists of her generation. Before joining the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra in 2013 as principal, she was a member of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and enjoyed a varied career as a chamber musician and recitalist. Chu is still an avid chamber musician, and collaborates with many artists including Gil Shaham, Itzhak Perlman, Joseph Kalichstein, Menahem Pressler, Jaime Laredo, James Ehnes, and members of the Guarneri, Emerson, and Orion quartets. As a recording artist, she has recorded for Deutsche Grammophon, Tzadik, Naxos, and the CMS Studio Recordings. During the summer Chu performs and works with young musicians at the Aspen Music Festival and School, National Youth Orchestra-USA, and at the Marlboro Music Festival. In recent years, she has also performed at festivals in Seattle; Lake Champlain, Vermont; Portland, Maine; as well as Luzerne, Bridgehampton, and Skaneateles, New York. Chu has also performed as soloist with many distinguished conductors including Hannu Lintu, Bramwell Tovey, David Robertson, and James DePreist. Chu received her Artist Diploma at the New England Conservatory studying with Kim Kashkashian, and her Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees from the Juilliard School studying with Masao Kawasaki and Misha Amory. She lives in St. Louis with her husband Jonathan, another violist, and their three children.

Brendan Fitzgerald, bass

Brendan Fitzgeraldwas appointed to the St. Louis SymphonyOrchestra double bass section in 2019 by Music Director StéphaneDenève. Prior to this, he spent two seasons in the SeattleSymphony. From 2015 to 2017, he was a member of the CivicOrchestra of Chicago, during which time he was a regular substitutemusician with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. He is a frequentguest in Chicago, San Francisco, and Philadelphia, and summerengagements include the Sun Valley Music Festival, Lakes AreaMusic Festival, and Bellingham Music Festival where he served asPrincipal Bass. In St. Louis, he maintains a private teaching studio and is also Lecturer inString Bass at Southern Illinois University–Edwardsville.

Caroline Robinson, harp

Caroline has been sharing her passion and love for the harp since the start of her training in 2012. The unique sound and artistry has allowed her to actively perform for a variety of events and venues.

Caroline has built a strong classical background, base for her technique, and knowledge of repertoire for the harp. She was a student of Megan Stout, co-principal harpist of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. She is a graduate of the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University with a Bachelor’s degree in Harp Performance where she studied under the direction of Elżbieta Szmyt, Chairperson of the harp department. She is currently pursuing her Graduate degree at the University of Oklahoma under the direction of Gaye LeBlanc, principal harpist of the Oklahoma City Philharmonic.

Caroline is an active freelance harpist playing with orchestras, chamber ensembles, jazz bands, private events, and recording studios. She has played professionally as the principal harpist for Opera Edwardsville, Union Avenue Opera St. Louis, University of Oklahoma Orchestras, Norman Philharmonic, Tulsa Symphony, and the Oklahoma City Philharmonic.

Caroline is currently finishing her first year as a Graduate student at The University of Oklahoma and looks forward to coming back to St. Louis to play harp in the city and visit family.

Chloé Thominet, violin

French born violist Chloé Thominet has performed as soloist, chamber musician and orchestral player across the United States in major halls such as Alice Tully Hall, Carnegie Hall, and Symphony Center of Chicago, as well as in her native France. She has collaborated with renowned artists such as violists Victoria Chiang and Jeffrey Irvine, pianist Robert McDonald, and violinist Itzhak Perlman, Robert Walters. Her interest in new music and desire to explore new repertoire has led her to work with composers Sato Matsui, and Nokuthula Ngwenyama.

Some recent performance highlights include the recording of Tyshawn Sorrey’ “Sentimental Shard” as part of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago’s series released on CSO TV and the premiere of “Stardust” for English Horn and string quartet by Augusta Read Thomas in collaboration with Nexus Chamber Music.

As an orchestral player, she has appeared with prestigious ensembles such as the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the Lyric Opera Orchestra, and the Naples Philharmonic, and was the co-principal of the Chamber Orchestra of New York for several seasons. She currently holds a temporary position with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra.

She attended the Young Artist Program at the Cleveland Institute of Music where she subsequently earned a Bachelor of Music degree under the tutelage of Jeffrey Irvine. She went on to complete her Master of Music degree studying with Heidi Castleman and Misha Amory at The Juilliard School as a recipient of a Kovner Fellowship. She holds a doctoral degree from the Bienen School of Music at Northwestern University, where she studied with Helen Callus.

Chloé’s instrument was provided by a scholarship grant from the Virtu Foundation.

Eva Kozma, violin

A native of Romania, Eva Kozma began her tenure as the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra’s Assistant Principal Second Violin in September 2004.

Studying violin in Romania and at McGill University, Kozma has performed with the Targu Mures Philharmonic and the Societe Philharmonique de Montreal. Additionally, she received a Fellowship at the Tanglewood Music Center and performed with the New World Symphony in Miami before her appointment with the SLSO.

With the SLSO, she considers participating in community and education programs one of the most valuable roles. She enthusiastically participates in SLSO appearances at St. Louis-area schools, hospitals, and other community spaces. As a soloist, she performed Ravel’s Tzigane under David Robertson in 2015 and Hubay’s Hejre Kati at the 2018 New Year’s Eve concert.

Kozma is an enthusiastic chamber musician who performs with small ensembles around the St. Louis region. She is a member of the Chamber Music Society of St. Louis and has performed at the Missouri Chamber Music Festival and the Gesher Music Festival. She also enjoys performing at Westminster Presbyterian Church and teaching children in her neighborhood.

She lives in Olivette with her husband, a talented sculptor, and her three children, all of whom also play string instruments. She enjoys spending time with her family and staying active with outdoor activities, including hiking, biking, camping, and traveling to her native Romania.

Hannah Ji, violin

Violinist Hannah Ji joined the first violin section of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra in 2020 after spending two seasons as a one-year replacement member. Ji’s playing has been hailed by critics as “engaging, mature, well thought-out, and honed down to the finest details” (głos na Wieniawskiego, Polish Radio Journal). She holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Curtis Institute of Music, studying with the late Aaron Rosand, a Master of Music degree from The Juilliard School, studying with Ida Kavafian, and an Artist Diploma from The Colburn School, studying with Robert Lipsett. She began her musical studies at age seven in South Korea and previously attended Manhattan School of Music’s Precollege Division, studying with Grigory Kalinovsky.

Ji’s performances have been widely publicized as a soloist on NPR’s “From the Top,” Philadelphia’s WHYY, Taos’ KTAOS Solar Radio, and “Live from Lincoln Center” by PBS, which broadcast throughout North America. She performed in Canada Day concerts with Maestro Pinchas Zukerman in Centre National des Artes, with pianist Jeremy Denk for the non-profit organization “The Art of Giving Back,” and a gala concert with cellist Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble at Lincoln Center. Ji has also performed at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, David Geffen Hall, Carnegie Hall, Steinway Hall, Walt Disney Concert Hall, and A. Mickiewicz University Hall in Poland. She has also recently performed at the United States Embassy of Canada.

As a classical and contemporary chamber musician, Ji has collaborated with renowned groups and artists such as Jamie Laredo, Jennifer Koh, Roberto Díaz, The Borromeo String Quartet, The Calidore String Quartet, and Time for Three. She has worked with members of the Borromeo, Brentano, Shanghai, Emerson, Guarneri, and Orion String Quartets, respectively. Ji has actively participated in The Juilliard School’s ChamberFest and Focus! Festival, which features U.S. and world premieres of works by composers around the world. She was also a contemporary ensemble artist at Atlantic Music Festival. As an orchestra musician, she served as Concertmaster and Principal Second with Symphony in C, Spoleto Festival USA, YMF Debut Orchestra, The Colburn School, The Juilliard School Orchestra, and Curtis Symphony Orchestra. She has participated in the Sarasota Music Festival, Music Academy of the West, Artosphere Festival Orchestra, Taos School of Music Festival, Bowdoin International Music Festival, Summit Music Festival, and the National Arts Centre’s Young Artist Programme.

Additionally, Ji has held Artist Faculty positions at The Danbury Music Centre’s Chamber Music Intensive, The Bronx Conservatory of Music, Manhattan in the Mountains, and The Curtis Institute’s SummerFest Young Artists Program & Adult Chamber Music Program. She was a substitute faculty member at The Manhattan School of Music Precollege Division. Ji had a large studio in New York City, the students of which have been accepted to conservatories and summer festivals nationwide. She currently enjoys working as a mentor through the SLSO’s Mentoring the Music: Peer to Peer program.

James Sommerville, conductor

As a conductor, French Horn soloist, and orchestral musician, James Sommerville’s multi-faceted career has graced the greatest stages of Canada and the world. He led the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra to great critical acclaim in his seven seasons as Music Director, and conducts regularly around the globe. Recent appearances include the Okanagan, Fort Wayne, Toronto, London (Ontario) and Québec Symphony Orchestras. Internationally, Mr Sommerville has been conductor of the US National Brass Ensemble in concert and on their award-winning CD of music of Gabrieli and John Williams.

James Sommerville retired as Principal Horn of the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 2022, after a glittering 25 year tenure, capping an orchestral career that included seasons with the Toronto and Montreal Symphony Orchestras, the COC Orchestra, Symphony Nova Scotia, and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe. The winner of the highest prizes at the Munich, Toulon and CBC solo competitions, Mr. Sommerville also pursued a glittering career as a soloist, and has brought immensely successful appearances with major orchestras throughout the Americas, Europe, and Asia.  His disc of the Mozart Horn Concertos with the CBC Vancouver Orchestra won the JUNO Award for Best Classical Recording in Canada. He is heard regularly on the CBC network and has recorded all of the standard solo horn repertoire for broadcast. He has commissioned and premiered works from many young Canadian and international composers, including Kati Agócs, Vivian Fung, Nicole Lizée, Kelly-Marie Murphy, Abigail Richardson-Schulte, Christos Hatzis, and Eliott Carter.

Mr. Sommerville is currently Artistic Advisor to the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony and the Windsor Symphony Orchestra.

Jen Gartley, flute

Jennifer Gartley, flute, was born in Maine and grew up on the Isle of Palms, South Carolina along the barrier islands of the Carolina coast. She graduated with the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with research focusing on contemporary piccolo literature. She counts Jonathan Keeble, Mark Sparks, Katherine Kemler, and Tacy Edwards among her most influential teachers. As an orchestral musician, Jennifer has performed with St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Sinfonia da Camera, Colorado Music Festival, Bach Society of St. Louis, Fox Theater, Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra, Illinois Symphony, and the Owensboro Symphony and served as the principal flutist for Winter Opera Saint Louis and Associate Faculty at McKendree University for over a decade. As a concerto soloist, she has been featured with orchestras in Missouri, Illinois, and Louisiana. She has been grateful to perform in masterclasses for William Bennett, Emmanuel Pahud, and Carol Wincenc.

Jennifer is the Artistic Director and founding flutist of Chamber Project Saint Louis, an ensemble dedicated to the performance and commissioning of new and diverse voices in the chamber music field presenting full seasons of adventurous programming in the St. Louis region. As a member of Premier Duo, STL with harpist Megan Stout, she has been featured on concert series across the Midwest. Jennifer holds teaching appointments at Washington University in St. Louis and Webster University.

Jennifer Lucht, cello

Jennifer Lucht is a native of North Carolina. Praised for “superb” playing by the Boston Globe and “beautiful, finely detailed sound” by the Boston Herald, she has been a concert soloist with orchestras, including the Metamorphosen Chamber Orchestra and Vermont Symphony. As a chamber musician, she has been heard in chamber music performances at the Kennedy Center, Weill Recital Hall, Tanglewood, the Ravinia, and Bravo! Vail Festivals, and on the Greater Philadelphia Performing Artists Series and NPR’s live broadcast “Performance Today.”  

Ms. Lucht is currently a member of the Calyx Piano Trio and performs with the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra in Boston and on tours throughout the US, Canada, and Japan. She is a Co-Director and founded the Carolina Chamber Music Festival in New Bern, North Carolina. She can be heard in chamber music recordings on the New World, Albany, and Archetype labels. Ms. Lucht received her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees with a Performer’s Certificate from Indiana University and continued her education with post-graduate studies at the New England Conservatory of Music. Her prominent teachers include Janos Starker, Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi, Laurence Lesser, Colin Carr, and Carter Brey.

Julie Thayer, horn

Julie Thayer joined the St. Louis Symphony as 4th Horn in 2014.  Before that, she was acting 4th Horn with the Los Angeles Philharmonic for two years, and she began her career as 4th Horn of the Houston Symphony in 2009. 

Thayer studied at the Eastman School of Music and Rice University, where she dreamed of landing a job like the one she has today — playing in one of the world’s best horn sections, in an outstanding orchestra rich with history, in a beautiful city.  

When she’s not on stage, you can find Julie literally herding cats at Tenth Life Cat Rescue, where she serves passionately as a board member caring for the neediest cats in St Louis; or at her historic Soulard home with her own “4.75 cats” (Freddie, Fry, Robie, Jet, and three-legged Bubbino) and her partner Travis, who co-owns the nearby restaurants Polite Society and The Bellwether.

Kyle Lombard, violin

Kyle Andre Lombard is a native of Kansas City, Missouri. He graduated with honors from Indiana University and received his Masters’s Degree from Yale University. Mr. Lombard enjoys a variety of musical activities. As a chamber musician, Mr. Lombard has performed throughout Europe, the Middle East, and the U.S. He has recently performed on chamber music programs at Carnegie Hall and the Ravinia Festival’s “Rising Stars” series. As part of the Ritz Chamber Players, he featured in the University of Washington’s esteemed “World Series of Chamber Music, ” including a radio broadcast on Seattle’s KING FM classical music station. As a member of the Goffriller Piano Trio, Mr. Lombard’s performances were broadcast on Israeli Public Radio during Isaac Stern’s 3rd International Chamber Music Encounters in Jerusalem. He also performed, as a member of the Gateways Chamber Music Ensemble, in a weeklong residency with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

As a soloist, Mr. Lombard debuted with the Kansas City Symphony. At age sixteen, he was the first area musician ever invited to perform with the ensemble. He has also concertized with the Savannah Symphony and the Sphinx Symphony and recitals at MOJA Festival in Charleston, S.C., and Southern Illinois University. Lombard was also featured in “Young Heroes of Music,” a live radio broadcast from Classic 99 FM of Saint Louis.

Mr. Lombard completed a two-year fellowship with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra in 2001. He has been performing with the orchestra since the 1999 season. He proudly maintains a regular presence with the SLSO Community Partnership Program, which brings symphony musicians to many schools, churches, and community events around Saint Louis.

Megan Stout, harp

Megan appears regularly with the St. Louis Symphony and is passionate about chamber music, performing with the Chamber Music Society of St. Louis and Chamber Project St. Louis.  She also plays with the major opera companies in St. Louis, including Opera Theatre, St. Louis, Winter Opera, and Union Avenue Opera. Megan was named the harpist for the MUNY orchestra in 2018. She performs with many ensembles throughout St. Louis and the area including the Fox Theatre, Bach Society of St. Louis, Masterworks Chorale (IL), and Metropolitan Orchestra of St. Louis, to name a few.  She has also appeared with the Indianapolis Symphony and Philadelphia Orchestra.  

Megan is on faculty at the Department of Music at Washington University in St. Louis and Webster University.  In addition, she has a highly successful private teaching studio.  Her students have achieved honors including principal harpists of the St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra and All State Orchestra, National Youth Orchestra, finalist for the Fox Teen Talent Competition, winner of local concerto competitions, top awards at the Mid America Music Festival Solo Competition, scholarships to Brevard Music Festival (NC), Indiana University, and Northwestern, and they have attended the Young Artists Harp Seminar (GA), Curtis Institute of Music Young Artist Summer Program (PA), and Summer Harp Academy (NC). She is a graduate with both a Bachelor and Master’s Degree in Harp performance from the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University where she studied with Susann McDonald.

Nadine Hur, flute

Flutist Nadine Hur enjoys a remarkable career of great diversity and success as an orchestral performer, chamber musician, and soloist.

Ms. Hur is currently the Principal Flutist of the ProMusica Chamber Orchestra. As former Principal Flutist of the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, she has also appeared as guest Associate Principal Flutist with the Boston Symphony (Tanglewood Music Festival) and with the Minnesota Orchestra. Ms. Hur has performed in numerous prestigious festivals, such as the Mostly Mozart Festival at Lincoln Center, the Bard Music Festival, the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, the Lincoln Center Outdoors Concert Series, as well as the Embassy Series in Washington D.C., and the Chautauqua Institution.

Ms. Hur is a founding member of the Zephyros Woodwind Quintet, the first woodwind quintet to win both the First Prize and the Grand Prize of the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition. The Zephyros Quintet subsequently toured the United States extensively under MCM Artists Management.

Ms. Hur began her solo career as a prize winner of the First Japan Flute Convention Competition at the age of 9 and made her concert debut with the Honolulu Symphony at age 11. In addition to the Knoxville Symphony, she has also appeared as a soloist with the Korean Broadcast Symphony (National Symphony), Seoul Philharmonic, Knoxville Symphony and the ProMuscia Chamber Orchestra.

She is a graduate of the Curtis School of Music (Bachelor of Music) and The Juilliard School (Master of Music and Professional Studies), where she studied with Jeffrey Khaner, Julius Baker, and Jeanne Baxtresser. 

Ms. Hur enjoys teaching young students, and many have gone on to further their studies at leading universities and conservatories in the United States. Ms. Hur is in continued demand as a guest Masterclass Presenter and Lecturer.

Ms. Hur currently makes her home in St. Louis with her husband, David Kim (Assistant Principal Cellist, St. Louis Symphony), and her son, Alexander.

Nina Ferrigno, piano

Nina Ferrigno, described by the St. Louis Post Dispatch as “a magnificent pianist,” is a collaborative artist at home in a multitude of diverse musical settings.  Her playing is said to be, “…always precise with superb accentuation and warmth of feeling…”.  Nina is a founding member of the Boston-based Calyx Piano Trio which excites audiences throughout the United States with expressive ensemble playing and brilliant virtuosity. She has been a featured soloist with such ensembles as the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Boston Pops, and the Boston Modern Orchestra Project (BMOP). Recent orchestral keyboard appearances include those with the Chicago Symphony and St. Louis Symphony.

Her festival appearances include those at Tanglewood with members of the Boston Symphony, Banff, Norfolk, and the Skaneateles Festival.  She also appears regularly at the Carolina Chamber Music Festival and Missouri Chamber Music Festival where the Calyx Piano Trio holds residencies.  Ms. Ferrigno is a graduate of New England Conservatory of Music, where she received degrees with distinction.  She is especially committed to bringing classical music to new audiences and expanding the repertoire by working with organizations including Chamber Music America and the  Barlow Foundation to commission and perform new works in a variety of settings.  The New Music Connoisseur has said of her, “pianist Nina Ferrigno [brings] out the inherent horizontal logic…all the while imparting sonic beauty from end to end.” Nina is a Founder and Director of the Missouri Chamber Music Festival, now in its 13th Season, in St. Louis. She is on the teaching faculty of Washington University and Webster University in St. Louis.

Yin Xiong, cello

Music Director David Robertson appointed Cellist Yin Xiong to the cello section of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra at the start of the 2016/2017 season. Yin was awarded notable prestigious prizes from an early age, including the 4^th International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians and top prizes at the 4^th and 5^th National Cello Competition of China. She won the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts concerto competition for an unprecedented five consecutive years. Yin debuted with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra as a soloist at age 17 under conductor Edo de Waart. She has also collaborated with conductors János Fürst, François-Xavier Roth, and Alexander Shelley.

Her parents – both professional cellists – strongly influenced Yin. As a member of the Academy String Quartet, she represented the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts and regularly gave concerts in Asia and Europe.  As part of the Hong Kong-based cello ensemble, Cellistra Yin presented concerts and community engagement activities throughout Asia.  She was the founding cellist of the Hsin Trio, with whom she gave the American debut of the Toshio Hosokawa’s Piano Trio, was featured in the Juilliard Open Studio, and gave concerts across the United States and China.

As an orchestral musician, Yin received her first job at the age of 20, joining the Hong Kong Sinfonietta and performing regularly with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra. Yin has also served as the principal cellist of the Hong Kong Academy Orchestra, and the Oberlin Orchestra, and was co-principal of the Juilliard Orchestra. She was the principal cellist of the Pacific Music Festival from 2006 to 2009, where she had the privilege to work with conductors Valery Gergiev, Riccardo Muti, Christoph Eschenbach, and Michael Tilson Thomas.

Yin was a fellowship student at the Aspen Music Festival and School, where she was part of the Finckel–Wu Han Chamber Music Studio Program. Other festivals include the Kronberg Academy in Germany, Kneisel Hall, Banff Chamber Music Residency, and the Taos School of Music.

As a dedicated music educator and advocator, Yin was a faculty member of the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, Macau Youth Orchestra. She was also a teaching assistant for Professor Darrett Adkins at the Oberlin Conservatory.

Born in Shanghai, China, Yin attended the Shanghai Conservatory and the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts on a full scholarship to study with Professor Ray Wang. She holds a Professional Diploma With Distinction from the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts and an Artist Diploma from the Oberlin Conservatory. Yin recently graduated from the accelerated Bachelor’s and Master of Music program at the Juilliard School, where she studied with Darrett Adkins and Joel Krosnick. She took secondary lessons with Catharina Meints at the Oberlin Conservatory and Phoebe Carrai at the Juilliard School. Besides playing the cello, Yin also enjoys playing the baroque cello and viola da gamba.