Roosevelt University

String Faculty

Violin

Viola

Cello

Double Bass

 

Vadim GluzmanVadim Gluzman is among the most dynamic and thrilling violinists of his generation having established himself as an international artist of great depth and brilliance. He is consistently lauded for performing with "a commanding technique, spontaneity, and visionary breadth . . . capable of both delicate nuances and incendiary passion" (The Washington Post). He has performed throughout the United States, Europe, Russia, Japan, and Canada, as a soloist, chamber musician, and in a duo setting with his wife, pianist Angela Yoffe.

In 1991, 16-year-old Vadim Gluzman was granted five minutes to play for the great Isaac Stern. Five minutes later, a wonderful friendship was born. Through Mr. Stern’s recommendation, a year later the America-Israel Cultural Foundation loaned Vadim Gluzman the Pietro Guarneri violin. Since then, Mr. Gluzman was named recipient of the prestigious Henryk Szeryng Foundation 1994 Career Award. In 1996, he became the owner of a bow from the Szeryng collection. He now plays the outstanding 1690 ex-Leopold Auer Stradivari on extended loan to him through the generous efforts of the Stradivari Society of Chicago. Gluzman joined the faculty at CCPA in 2002. http://vadimgluzman.com

Stefan HershViolinist Stefan Hersh enjoys a varied career, equally at home as a chamber musician, soloist, orchestral musician and pedagogue. He performs nationally as a guest artist, teacher and lecturer both as a guest performer, and as a member of the Rembrandt Chamber Players. Mr. Hersh moved to Chicago in 1995 from Minneapolis where he was Principal Second Violin with the Minnesota Orchestra. He was the Second Violinist of the Chicago String Quartet, and a member of the Chicago Chamber Musicians until 2000.

Mr. Hersh began his career in his native San Francisco Bay Area where he studied at the San Francisco Conservatory with Isidore Tinkleman, David Abel and Camilla Wicks. As a student Hersh attended the Aspen and Tanglewood festivals. After completing his training, Mr. Hersh became Concertmaster of the San Francisco Chamber Orchestra and Sinfonia San Francisco, and founded several chamber music series’ in the San Francisco area. In 1989 Mr. Hersh joined the Vancouver Symphony as Assistant Concertmaster where he remained until joining the Minnesota Orchestra in 1991.

Mr. Hersh has been heard as a chamber musician nationwide in venues including the Bard, Ravinia, Olympic, Skaneatles, Moab, Taos, Colorado College, Roycroft and Chamber Music West festivals. In 1993 Mr. Hersh performed Mozart’s Concertone for Two Violins with Violinist Joseph Silverstein and the Minnesota Orchestra. Hersh’s 1995 solo performance of Max Bruch’s Scottish Fantasy with the Minnesota Orchestra drew critical praise from the press and was featured on national radio broadcasts through Public Radio International.

Mr. Hersh comes from a musical family. Hersh’s paternal grandparents were both professional musicians. Recital collaborations between Hersh and his father, pianist Paul Hersh have included complete Beethoven and Brahms Sonata Cycles across the U.S. and lecture/performance residencies at a number of American Universities. In 2002 Stefan and Paul Hersh released a set of recordings of the complete Beethoven Sonatas for Violin and Piano.

Jasmine LinJasmine Lin began violin studies at age four.  She has since appeared as soloist with orchestras including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Singapore Symphony Orchestra, Symphony Orchestra of Brazil, and National Symphony Orchestra of Taiwan.  She was a prizewinner in both the International Paganini and Naumburg Competitions.  The New York Times describes her as an "unusually individualistic player" with "electrifying assertiveness" and "virtuosic abandon".  

As a chamber musician Ms. Lin has been a participant of the Marlboro Music Festival and toured extensively with the Chicago String Quartet, the Overseas Musicians, and Taiwan Connection Festival.  She was an adjunct faculty member at Northwestern and DePaul Universities and a faculty member of the Taos School of Music. Ms. Lin is a founding and current member of the Formosa Quartet, which won first prize in the 10th London International String Quartet Competition.  The Formosa's recording on the EMI Debut Series won critical acclaim, and the quartet has performed in venues around the world including the Chicago Cultural Center, Caramoor, Taipei's Novel Hall, BBC In Tune, and Wigmore Hall.    

A graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music, Ms. Lin gave her New York debut in Merkin Hall, where the program included her poetry set to music.  Her poem "The night of h's" received Editor's Choice Award from the International Poetry Foundation, and her poetry/music presentations have resulted in collaborations with Dana Wilson, David Loeb, and Thomas Oboe Lee. In the 1999-2000 season Ms. Lin was Assistant Concertmaster of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.  She is a member of Trio Voce, which has recorded CDs on the Con Brio label, and the Chicago Chamber Musicians, whose Composer Perspectives series won the ASCAP award for adventuresome programming.  She received a Grammy nomination for her performance in CCM's CD of works by Mozart.

Mark LakirovichMark Lakirovich is one of the most sought-after violin and viola teachers today. Mr. Lakirovich travels extensively giving master-classes, coaching chamber ensembles and conducting symphony and chamber orchestras in the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, Mexico, and the Ukraine. He frequently serves as an adjudicator at various national and international competitions.

As a soloist, conductor, chamber and orchestral musician, Mr. Lakirovich has performed in major concert halls in Europe, Israel, former Soviet Union, Australia, and the U.S., including music festivals in Salzburg, Vienna, Bregenz, Paris, Zurich, Geneva, Madrid and Amsterdam. He served as Associate Concertmaster with Queensland Theatre Orchestra and as Concertmaster with Queensland Pops Orchestra (Australia) and was a member of the Beer Sheva Chamber Orchestra (Israel) and thr Stuttgart Philharmonic Orchestra and Stuttgart Philharmonic Trio (Germany).

Mr. Lakirovich was the co-founder and principal of the Stoliarsky School of Music in Brisbane and Sydney, Australia, and has served as a string and chamber music faculty member  at the Sydney Conservatory of Music, Stuttgart School of Music, Ann Arbor School for the Performing Arts, Special Music School, and Lucy Moses School at Kaufman Center in New York City. Professor Lakirovich has also served as Associate Director for Education Programs and Director of the Special Music School at the Kaufman Center in New York City, and as an Executive Director of Ann Arbor School for the Performing Arts, Michigan.

Mark Lakirovich is a graduate of Azerbaijan State College of Music and Azerbaijan State Conservatory of Music, Music Academies of Tel-Aviv and Jerusalem (Israel), and Lucerne Conservatory of Music (Switzerland).

Yang LiuYang Liu combines outstanding technical command and sublime musicality in performances that have earned him numerous accolades in Asia, the United States and Europe. Mr. Liu is a former first prize winner of China’s national violin competition and a prize winner of the Twelfth International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow. He has already established himself as one of the most important Chinese violinist of his generation. Beijing Tonight names Yang “one of the best of the billion!”

Born in Tsingtao, China, Yang Liu made his concert debut at age 10 performing Sarasate’s Zigeunerweisen with the NHK Orchestra in Tokyo. At a young age he also performed the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto in a nationally televised live concert with the Central Philharmonic Orchestra in Beijing. Mr. Liu’s concert tours have led him to Hong Kong, Taiwan, Germany, France, Switzerland, Austria, Russia, Greece, China, Egypt and America. In 2002 Mr. Liu made his North American debut with the Atlanta Symphony, earning three nights of standing ovations for his performance of Paganini’s First Violin Concerto. Recently he performed the Nielsen Violin Concerto with the St. Louis Symphony conducted by Robert Spano. Mr. Liu has been a frequent soloist at the Aspen Music Festival and with the Cincinnati-based Starling Chamber Orchestra, with which he toured China twice. He also was a featured performer in Starling’s Emmy Award-winning educational video, Classical Quest. His debut recording, “Song of Nostalgia,” was recently released to critical acclaim. The disc represents his broad interest, including some of the most difficult repertoire written for the violin and traditional Chinese music.

Yang Liu studied with the renowned violin pedagogue Yao-Ji Lin at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing and continued his studies as a scholarship student of Dorothy DeLay and Kurt Sassmannshaus at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.

David Taylor, known to Chicago audiences as a versatile soloist, chamber player, and orchestral musician, joined the Chicago Symphony Orchestra as Assistant Concertmaster in 1979.

Born in Canton, Ohio in 1949, Mr. Taylor first studied with his father at the age of four.  Later teachers included Margaret Randall and Rafael Druian at the Cleveland Institute of Music, and Ivan Galamian and Dorothy DeLay at the Juilliard School, where Mr. Taylor earned Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. In 1974 Mr. Taylor joined the Cleveland Orchestra, where he was a first violinist before coming to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 1979.  Mr. Taylor has made fourteen appearances with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra with conductors Sir Georg Solti and  Kenneth Jean. Critics praised his “well-focused tone, poised line, and aristocratic phrasing” (John von Rhein, Chicago Tribune), calling him “a splendid soloist” (Robert Marsh, Chicago Sun-Times). Mr. Taylor has been the Acting-Concertmaster of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and Concertmaster of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. He has for many years been the Concertmaster of the ArsViva Chamber Orchestra.

A lover of Chamber music, Mr. Taylor is the violinist of the Pressenda Piano Trio. Mr. Taylor gives recitals throughout the Chicagoland area,  performs  on WFMT, at the Ravinia Festival and solos with many orchestras in the Chicagoland area. Mr. Taylor teaches privately, at the Moody Bible Institute and at Roosevelt University and has students in orchestras across the United States and Japan.

Mr. Taylor plays on a J.B. Guadagnini violin made in 1744.

MingHuan Xu has performed extensively as a concerto soloist, duo-recitalist and chamber musician throughout five continents. Her latest recital and chamber music performances have brought her to prominent American venues including Carnegie-Weill Recital Hall, Merkin Hall, Symphony Space, and the Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C. In 2010 she performed recitals and taught master classes in China at the Shenyang Conservatory of Music, the Sichuan Conservatory of Music, and the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing. Her South American debut in 2006 brought her to the Festival Musica Nova in Brazil and the Festival Encuentros in Argentina. Her numerous performances have included live radio broadcasts on National Public Radio (NPR), WFMT (Chicago) and CBC Radio.

Recent festival and concert series appearances include Chamber Music North, the Colours of Music Festival, Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concerts, Hawaii’s Ebb & Flow Arts Concert Series, the Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Music Society, the Mammoth Lakes Music Festival (CA), the SoundaXis Festival, the X-Avant Festival, and the Walla Walla Chamber Music Festival. She has performed with such chamber musicians as Colin Carr, Eugene Drucker, Ilya Kaler, Ani Kavafian, and the St. Petersburg String Quartet. She also tours extensively and internationally as a part of Duo Diorama (with her husband, pianist Winston Choi) and as a member of Pivot Chamber Soloists.  

As a dedicated champion of contemporary music, Ms. Xu has closely collaborated with William Bolcom, John Corigliano, Gunther Schuller and Bright Sheng on performances of their music. She has commissioned and premiered over 40 works, and was recently awarded a Classical Commissioning Grant from Chamber Music America for a new work by Huang Ruo for her to premiere in late 2012 and beyond. She is a member of Chicago-based Ensemble Dal Niente, one of the most original and important new music groups active today. Other new music groups she has performed with include the CUBE Ensemble and the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble.

Ms. Xu has soloed with orchestras such as the Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, the Cathedral Bluffs Symphony Orchestra, the Cheyenne Symphony Orchestra, the Manchester Symphony Orchestra, the Midland-Odessa Symphony Orchestra, the Northwestern University Symphony Orchestra, the Kamloops Symphony Orchestra, the Oak Ridge Symphony Orchestra, and the Peninsula Music Festival Orchestra. Her recent guest concertmaster stints include the Elmhurst Symphony Orchestra, the Richmond Symphony in Virginia and the Peninsula Music Festival Orchestra in Wisconsin.

Ms. Xu studied at the Curtis Institute of Music, the Interlochen Arts Academy, Northwestern University, and Stony Brook University. Now an accomplished and devoted teacher, Ms. Xu taught at Grand Valley State University before moving to Chicago. Ms. Xu plays on a 1758 Nicolas Gagliano violin. www.minghuan.net

Yuan-Qing Yu is the winner of many international competitions, including Yehudi Menuhin and Marguerite Long -Jacque Thibaud International Violin competitions. She joined the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) in 1995; a year later, Daniel Barenboim appointed her Assistant Concertmaster. Yuan-Qing has given numerous critically acclaimed performances as featured soloist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Monte Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra, and many other orchestras.  Yuan-Qing has appeared in recitals throughout the U.S. and Europe. Locally, she leads an active life as a soloist, chamber musician, teacher and advocate of the CSO. She is a regular guest soloist in many local venues, including WFMT "Live from WFMT" and Norton Concert Series. Yuan-Qing Yu has great enthusiasm for contemporary music - she gave the Chicago premier of Pierre Boulez’s Anthèmes 2 for violin solo – an extremely challenging piece.  Her performance won such high praise from both Maestro Boulez and the critics in Chicago that Boulez and Barneboim invited Yuan-Qing to perform this work in Berlin as part of the grand celebration concert for Maestro Boulez’s 80th birthday. She also performs regularly on MusicNow - CSO's new music series.

In chamber music, she collaborates with Daniel Barenboim, Pinchas Zukerman, Lang Lang, Menahem Pressler, and Yo-Yo Ma.  Her upcoming performances include a chamber concert with Yo-Yo Ma on CSO Symphony Center Presents. Yuan-Qing is a founding member of the Civitas Ensemble, a nonprofit chamber ensemble that performs more than 15 concerts a year, including outreach concerts for children at hospitals and schools. Yuan-Qing Yu also appears regularly as public speaker on topics related to "arts and community".  Her recent appearances include Chicago Humanities Festival and Aspen Arts Strategy Conference in NYC.  Prior to joining the CSO, Yuan-Qing earned an Artist Certificate and a Master of Music degree from Southern Methodist University.  You can visit her website at www.yuanqingyu.com.

Roger ChaseBorn in London, Roger Chase studied at the Royal College of Music with Bernard Shore and in Canada with Steven Staryk, also working for a short time with the legendary Lionel Tertis, whose famed Montagnana viola he now plays. He made his debut with the English Chamber Orchestra in 1979, and in 1987 appeared as a soloist at a Promenade Concert at The Royal Albert Hall in London. He has since played as a soloist or chamber musician in major cities throughout the UK, USA, Canada, Australia, Japan, the Middle East, India, most of Eastern and all of Western Europe, and Scandinavia.

Mr. Chase has been a member of many ensembles including the Nash Ensemble, the London Sinfonietta, the Esterhazy Baryton Trio, the Quartet of London, Hausmusik of London, and the London Chamber Orchestra. He has been invited to play as principal violist with every major British orchestra and many others in North America and Europe, including the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. He has recorded for EMI, CRD, Hyperion, Cala, Virgin, and Floating Earth Records, demonstrating his diverse interests by playing with a folk group on an amplified viola, as a soloist on an authentic instrument, and as an exponent of the avant-garde. Mr. Chase has taught at the Royal College of Music, the Guildhall School, and the Royal Northern College of Music. From 2001 to 2005 he was a professor at Oberlin College, and as of September, 2005, he teaches at Roosevelt University's Chicago College of Performing Arts. www.rogerchase.com

To contact Prof. Chase directly, please email him at roger.chase@rcn.com. 

Lawrence NeumanLawrence Neuman studied with Heidi Castleman, Donald McInnes, and Robert Vernon. He is a member of the Chicago Symphony and also served as Acting Principal Viola of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. As a chamber musician he has performed at festivals in Marlboro, LaJolla, Portland, Madison, and Davenport, among others, and has collaborated with such artists as Pinchas Zukerman, Gil Shaham, and Daniel Barenboim.

Prior to joining the CSO, Mr. Neuman was violist with the Miami String Quartet and taught at the New World School of the Arts in Miami. He has been heard as soloist with the National Orchestra of Costa Rica, the National Repertory Orchestra, and the Kammergild Chamber Orchestra in St. Louis.

 

Michael Isaac StraussMichael Isaac Strauss has served as principal violist of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra since 1994. He has performed around the world as a soloist, chamber, and symphonic musician, and has been engaged as a soloist with the Minnesota Orchestra, the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, the Charleston Symphony, and Camerata Chicago.

Formerly a member of the distinguished Fine Arts Quartet, Strauss has performed at the Schleswig-Holstein and Montpellier festivals in Europe. In North America he has performed at the LaJolla, Caramoor, and Banff festivals among others.

Strauss has made several recordings found on the labels of I Virtuosi (Jennifer Higdon’s Viola Sonata), CRI (David Finko’s Viola Concerto and 20th century chamber music works with the Philadelphia--‐based Orchestra 2001), Lyrinx (Mozart’s complete viola quintets with the Fine Arts Quartet), and Centaur (Stamitz’s works for solo viola with orchestra). Strauss is also the featured recording artist on the official CD for the Suzuki Association of the Americas Viola School Volume 8.

A sought-out teacher, Strauss has held faculty positions at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Swarthmore College, DePauw University, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and Butler University. He currently teaches privately, presents master classes, and coaches advanced students in orchestral audition preparation.

Strauss’ work has been honored with the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts Cinnamon Award, First Prize of the WAMSO Competition of the Minnesota Orchestra, and the Ealing prize at the Tertis International Viola Competition, Artist Fellowship Awards from South Carolina and Indiana, and a Creative Renewal Fellowship Award from the Arts Council of Indianapolis. He is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music and performs on a viola made by Matteo Albani from Bolzano, Italy in 1704. 

Karen BasrakKaren Basrak joined the Chicago Symphony Orchestra cello section in 2012.

A native of Arlington Heights, Illinois, Basrak began her studies with Adele O'Dwyer, Gilda Barston and Richard Hirschl. She received her Bachelor of Music in cello performance at the University of Southern California (USC), where she studied with Eleonore Schoenfeld. While studying at USC she received numerous awards, most notably the Gregor Piatigorsky Award.

Before moving back to Illinois, Basrak was a member of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra as associate principal cello beginning in 2001, served as acting principal cello from 2002-05, and was principal cello from 2005-12.

Basrak has performed extensively throughout the U.S. and Europe. She has appeared with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Northwest Symphony Orchestra, Harper Symphony Orchestra, Kishwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Winnetka Chamber Orchestra, Elmhurst Symphony Orchestra, Skokie Valley Symphony Orchestra, Greenville Symphony Orchestra, Westchester/Marin Del Ray Orchestra and American Youth Symphony. As an advocate of music education, she has performed in schools throughout the country; in recognition for her efforts she was awarded the key to the City of Greenville, South Carolina. Basrak is on the faculty of the Chicago Conservatory of the Performing Arts at Roosevelt University.

Tanya CareyTanya Carey, has presented masterclasses and concerts in over thirty states, Canada, Europe, England, Australia, China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, New Zealand, and South America. Her orchestral experiences include the post of assistant principal of the Milwaukee Symphony, associate principal of the Quad City Symphony, and prizewinning recordings with the Rochester Philharmonic. As a recitalist and chamber musician, she has presented concerts in Tully and Carnegie Halls, performed concertos with orchestra, and recorded two records with the Lydian Trio including a commissioned trio by Pulitzer Prize winning composer Ellen Taaffe Zwilich, the Trio by Heitor Villa-Lobos, and Faure and Dvorak Piano Quartets.

She has earned Faculty Excellence, Faculty Merit, and Outstanding Teacher Awards from Western Illinois University, and the Suzuki Chair Award from the American Suzuki Institute. The ASTA-Illinois Unit named her Outstanding Studio Teacher of the Year in 1992. Her students have won prizes in major contests in the United States including Aspen Festival, St. Louis Symphony, Chicago Symphony, and Music Teachers National Association (MTNA). She has taught at Western Illinois University, the DePaul University Community Music School, and Wheaton College. She maintains a studio in Glen Ellyn, and is frequently sought after as a clinician.

Carey holds a BM and MM from Eastman and a DMA from the University of Iowa. She has served on the American String Teachers Association (ASTA) National Board, ASTA National Solo Contest Commission, the ASTA Syllabus Revision Committee, and Chair of the Studio Committee that produced the Studio Teachers Forum in 2002. In the Suzuki Association of the Americas (SAA) she served as President in 1990-1992, on the Board of Directors, chaired the Teacher Training Task Force which established guidelines for Teacher Training, was editor of the Cello Column, was chairman of the Cello Committee creating the Suzuki Cello School, on the International Cello Committee and represented the SAA on the ISA Board and the Music Educators National Conference (MENC) Task Force on String Education. She taught for 14 years at the Meadowmount School of Music.

Tanya Lesinsky Carey plays a Joseph Filias Andreas Guarnarius made in 1704.

Richard HirschlRichard Hirschl joined the Chicago Symphony Orchestra's cello section in 1989. A native of Washington, Missouri, he began cello lessons with his father, an amateur cellist. His intermediate studies were with Savely Schuster, associate principal cellist of the St. Louis Symphony. He was accepted into the class of Leonard Rose and Channing Robbins at the Juilliard School, where he earned a bachelor's degree in 1987 and a master's degree in 1988. Hirschl was an associate teacher at Juilliard before moving to Chicago. He was the winner of the 1988 Juilliard Concerto Competition, the 1988 Irving M. Klein International String Competition, and the 1980 St. Louis Symphony Scholarship Competition.

In addition to his New York debut with the Juilliard Orchestra at Avery Fisher Hall, Hirschl has given concerto performances with the Jupiter Symphony, the St. Louis Philharmonic, the Maracaibo Symphony (Venezuela), the National Repertory Orchestra, and the Philharmonia Virtuosi of New York. He has appeared in chamber music performances with celebrated pianists Daniel Barenboim, Andras Schiff and Ursula Oppens, cellist Lynn Harrell, and violinist Vadim Repin. He performs regularly with the Meridian String Quartet and the Piacenza Chamber Players. In addition to teaching at Roosevelt University, he enjoys teaching a large class of private students. He plays a cello made in Venice by Matteo Goffriller, c1700.

Patrick Jee was praised as “spectacular” (American Record Guide) and a “virtuosic tour-de-force” (New York Concert Review) and has earned international acclaim for his bold musicality, rich sound, and passionate performances. 

Mr. Jee has made appearances at Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Kennedy Center, and Wigmore Hall as well as special performances at the United Nations and on CNN, American Morning.  Mr. Jee has given extensive tours of the United States, Europe, and Asia and as a member of Ensemble Ditto he helped introduce over 15,000 people to chamber music as Korea’s most popular classical musical presentation of 2008.  Solo engagements with orchestras include Buffalo Philharmonic, Rochester Philharmonic, Moscow Chamber Orchestra, National Orchestra of Toulouse, Edmonton Symphony, and the Chambre Orchestra Ile’de France. 

Mr. Jee was the Grand Prize winner of the 5th Carlos Prieto International Cello Competition. Other accolades include top prizes at the Andre Navarra, Holland-America Music Society, and Irving Klein International String competitions.  He is a member of the New Piano Trio whose prizes include the 2008 Fischoff, 2007 Coleman, and the 2007 Plowman Chamber Music Competitions. Most recently, the Trio was named the winner of the Harvard Musical Association’s 2010 Arthur W. Foote Prize for promising young musicians and chamber ensembles.

In 2006 Mr. Jee was appointed the Assistant Principal Cellist of the Lyric Opera of Chicago and currently serves as Acting Principal. His transcription of the Glazunov Meditation, published by International Music Company, recently won the Music Publisher's Association's Paul Revere Award and his transcription of Corelli’s “La Folia” Variations is set to be released in 2013.

Mr. Jee holds a B.M. from the Juilliard School and a M.M. from Yale University where he studied with Aldo Parisot.  He can be heard on the Albany, Urtext, and HM record labels.  www.PatrickJee.com

John SharpAppointed as one of the youngest principal cellists in the history of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and a top prize winner of the 1986 Tchaikovsky Competition, John Sharp is one of today’s leading cellists. He was Principal Cellist of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra for three years before his appointment in Chicago. Mr. Sharp has performed as a soloist in Boston, Los Angeles, Dallas, New York, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, and Chicago.

An active chamber musician, he has appeared with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the Marlboro Music Festival, the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, Richard Stoltzman, Misha Dichter, the Vermeer Quartet, Itzhak Perlman, Pinchas Zukerman, and Gilbert Kalish. Recent performances include the Beethoven Triple Concerto with Maestro Barenboim, Itzhak Perlman, and the CSO.

Mr. Sharp plays a rare cello made by Joseph Guarnerius in 1694.

Andrew Anderson enjoys an active career as both a performer and educator in Chicago performing over 130 concerts per year. He is a member of the Lyric Opera of Chicago Orchestra and the Grant Park Orchestra. He has held positions in twelve different orchestras across seven states, serving as principal bass in four of them. Mr. Anderson performs with a wide range of ensembles including; Music of the Baroque, the Chicago Philharmonic, and the Ravinia Festival Orchestra. In these ensembles Mr. Anderson performs music from every conceivable style, era, and genre with musicians of the highest quality.

In addition to holding bass faculty positions at CCPA and the Wheaton Conservatory at Wheaton College, Mr. Anderson run a thriving private studio that expands every summer with students returning home to Chicago from some of the top college studios in the country. Mr. Anderson has been pleased to work with students from Indiana University, New England Conservatory, Rice University, Colburn, and the University of Michigan in his private studio. The syllabi and other materials for his studios can be viewed at andersonbassworks.com. A four hour extemporaneous video session of Mr. Anderson was made into a ten part YouTube series on bass technique produced by contrabassconversations.com. These videos have collectively been viewed over 322,200 times from around the globe.

Mr. Anderson works as a sectional coach at DePaul University, the Chicago Youth Symphony, and the Elgin Youth Symphony.  Since 2008, Mr. Anderson has been involved with the Elgin Youth Symphony’s Chamber Music Institute as an ensemble coach. He has been a clinician at the annual Chicago Bass Festival since its inception in 2010.  Mr. Anderson also volunteers as director of a string ensemble at Westminster Christian School in Elgin, Illinois. Mr. Anderson studied under Stuart Sankey, Lawrence Hurst, Jeff Bradetich, and Dr. Larry Zgonc. dblbassist@gmail.com

John Floeter is currently Principal Bass of the Chicago Sinfonietta and the Lake Forest Symphony and is a member of the Grant Park Orchestra and the Elgin Symphony Orchestra.  He has performed, toured, and recorded with the Chicago Symphony and played several productions with the Lyric Opera of Chicago, including several cycles of Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen.  In addition, Mr. Floeter enjoys playing with the Milwaukee Symphony, the Ravinia Festival orchestra, Fulcrum Point, Ars Viva, and Chicago Opera Theatre.   He has had a decades-long association with the Joffrey Ballet Orchestra and the Chicago Philharmonic/Symphony II.  Mr. Floeter is also the Instructor of Double Bass at Northern Illinois University.

Mr. Floeter began studies with Jeff Bradetich, Lawence Hurst and Peter Spring until he graduated high school from the Interlochen Arts Academy.  He attended DePaul University where he studied with Warren Benfield and received a degree of Bachelor of Music in Double Bass performance in 1982.  In 1984 he was a fellowship recipient to the Aspen Music festival where he studied with Eugene Levinson and Stuart Sankey. He continued his studies with Mr. Sankey with Joseph Guastefeste.

Mr. Floeter is a co-founder of the Chicago Bass Ensemble and has been a guest lecturer and performer for area universities and the Chicago Bass Festival.  He has been an active bassist in the Chicago area since 1979, covering multiple genres of music, including classical, jazz, folk, and musical theater.

facebookflickrLinkedInEmergency Info
Careers at Roosevelt

Chicago 430 S. Michigan Ave.Chicago, IL 60605(312) 341-3500 Directions & Maps

Schaumburg 1400 N. Roosevelt Blvd.Schaumburg, IL 60173(847) 619-7300 Directions & Maps

Roosevelt Online http://www.roosevelt.edu/ruonline/

© 2013, Roosevelt University, All Rights Reserved.