https://www.soundingpointacademy.com/jimmy-lennon-jr daily 0.75 2020-05-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec0c5cc51d51a5b53e71d3d/1589767749306-4P5W1MFIUSJTZEBSWEZS/Jimmy+Lennon+Jr_.jpg Jimmy Lennon Jr. - Jimmy Lennon Jr. Jimmy Lennon Jr. is an American boxing ring announcer who is employed primarily by Showtime and Fox Sports as ring announcer for their Showtime Championship Boxing and Premier Boxing Champions, also by Bob Arum's Top Rank on ESPN events. Lennon was also employed by Fox Sports when it previously had rights to professional boxing and was the ring announcer for Don King Promotions' fights that aired on various networks (He is best known for his catchphrase, "It's show time!” Lennon has been a ring announcer for over 25 years, during which he has been at the microphone for some historic fights, including Mike Tyson vs. Evander Holyfield, Winky Wright vs. Félix Trinidad and Floyd Mayweather, Jr. vs. Manny Pacquiao.[2] He followed in the footsteps of his father Jimmy Lennon who was a ring announcer as well. He also announced MMA fight cards for Strikeforce, both the regular MMA shows which aired on CBS and Showtime and Strikeforce's SHO XC shows which aired on Showtime. He formerly announced fights for the now-defunct Elite XC mixed martial artspromotion, and also for the K-1 fight promotion in Japan. https://www.soundingpointacademy.com/debbie-devine daily 0.75 2020-05-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec0c5cc51d51a5b53e71d3d/1589767859831-Y52YPYEN42BT07NAWU49/Debbie+Devine+Headshot.jpg Debbie Devine - Debby Devine Debbie Devine has been an award-winning theatre director and a respected leader in the field of arts education for over three decades. She has been the Chair of the Drama Dept. of The Colburn School of Performing arts for over 30 years. She is also a theatrical director with the LA Philharmonic and is thrilled to have directed pieces in the gorgeous spaces that are Disney Hall and the Hollywood Bowl. Debbie is the co-founder and Artistic Director of L.A.’s 24th STreet Theatre, which has created award-winning professional theatre and model arts education programs for thousands of students and teachers since 1997. Debbie’s work with musicians has been a big part of her growing resume. Her Presentational Speaking Skills class has been utilized by The LA Philharmonic, the Seattle Symphony, the Pacific Symphony, the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, ICadenza, and numerous individual artists. Her emphasis is on personal connection to the audience, and the power of the voice as an instrument of communication, which includes vocal health and the regimen and strategies that are important to a successful performer. Debbie’s work as an actor has earned her three Drama-Logue Critics’ Awards, a Robby Award, an L.A. Weekly Award, LA Parent Magazine’s Best Westside Children’s Theatre Award, and the Women In Theatre Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Los Angeles Theatre. She recently earned LA County Arts Commission’s Professional Designation in Arts Education, and is the recipient of the USC Rossier School of Education’s Innovation and Leadership Award, and won LA’s County Music Center’s 2001 Bravo Special Mention for her work in Arts Education. She is also the proud recipient of the 2011 Inspiring Women Award, presented by the LA Sparks and Farmers Insurance. Debbie was awarded the 2013 LA Weekly Award for Best Direction, for 24th STreet's Theatre for Young Audiences piece, Walking the Tightrope, which toured nationally in the 2014-2015 season, concluding at the Kirk Douglas Theatre. https://www.soundingpointacademy.com/nathan-cole daily 0.75 2020-05-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec0c5cc51d51a5b53e71d3d/1589766660366-7GNR64AU81ZO95U8V119/Nathan+Cole.JPG Nathan Cole - Nathan Cole Nathan Cole, First Associate Concertmaster of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, is at the forefront of online music education. He has worked with thousands of violinists of all levels, through his website natesviolin.com. Nathan has appeared as guest concertmaster with the orchestras of Cincinnati, Houston, Minnesota, Oregon, Ottawa, Pittsburgh, and Seattle. He was previously a member of the Chicago Symphony and Principal Second Violin of the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. A native of Lexington, KY, he made his debut with the Louisville Orchestra at the age of ten while studying with Donna Wiehe. After eight years working with Daniel Mason, Nathan enrolled at the Curtis Institute of Music. In addition to his studies there with Pamela Frank, Felix Galimir, Ida Kavafian, and Jaime Laredo, Cole formed the Grancino String Quartet, debuting in New York’s Weill Hall. Several summers at Marlboro enriched his love of chamber music. Nathan is currently on the faculty of the Colburn Conservatory. His articles and photographs have appeared in numerous online publications, and in Strings, Symphony, and Chamber Music magazines. https://www.soundingpointacademy.com/simon-james daily 0.75 2020-05-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec0c5cc51d51a5b53e71d3d/1589767207204-8F75PY5LZR6ENNLIHEHJ/Simon+James.jpeg Simon James - Simon James Australian violinist, Simon James, Professor of Violin at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, is in demand as a guest teacher throughout the US and Canada and in the UK, Australia, Singapore, China, and Australia. In the summer he can be found teaching at Center Stage Strings, the Cambridge and Liberec International String Academies, Encore Chamber Music Festival, and the Brian Lewis Young Artists Program. Since Mr James has headed the Coleman Studio his students have won the Menuhin, Stradivarius, Stulberg, Vancouver International, MTNA National, and were laureates at Spohr, Kochian, Johansen, Grumiaux, and Postacchini Competitions. Often featured on NPR’s “From the Top” they have received scholarships from the Jack Kent Cooke and Dorothy Richard Starling Foundations. They have performed concerti with the Detroit, Calgary, and Seattle Symphonies, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Liszt Chamber Orchestra, Berlin Koncerthaus Orchestre, and London Philharmonia among many others. Their festival performances include Aspen, Kronberg, Morningside Music Bridge, Heifetz Institute, Perlman Music Program, Juilliard Starling-Delay Violin Symposium, and New York String Orchestra Seminar. His students regularly continue their studies at Curtis, Colburn, Juilliard, NEC, Royal Academy, and the San Francisco Conservatory among others. Former students have been awarded a Davidson Fellowship and an Avery Fischer Career Grant and have gone on to win positions in the New York Philharmonic, St Louis Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, Vancouver Symphony, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. A thirty-year veteran of the Seattle Symphony Orchestra and a founding member of the Australian World Orchestra, Mr. James has been a member of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and Lincoln Center’s Mostly Mozart Orchestra and performed at the music festivals of Tanglewood, Ravinia, Grand Teton, St. Barths, and Classical Tahoe. As concertmaster of the Northwest Sinfonia, Mr. James can be heard on hundreds of motion-picture sound tracks and he has performed live with Pearl Jam, Elton John, Billy Joel, A R Rahman and many others. https://www.soundingpointacademy.com/curriculum daily 0.75 2022-03-03 https://www.soundingpointacademy.com/elena-urioste daily 0.75 2020-05-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec0c5cc51d51a5b53e71d3d/1589767527653-3TUVV5X1UGL8SJGHBYJ0/Elena+Uripiste.jpg Elena Urioste - Elena Urioste Elena Urioste is a musician, yogi, writer, and entrepreneur. As a violinist, Elena has given acclaimed performances as soloist with major orchestras throughout the world, including the Philadelphia, Cleveland, and Minnesota Orchestras; the New York, Los Angeles, and Buffalo Philharmonics; the Boston Pops; the Chicago, San Francisco, National, Atlanta, Baltimore, and Detroit Symphony Orchestras; the London Philharmonic, Hallé, Philharmonia, and Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestras; the BBC Symphony, Philharmonic, and National Orchestra of Wales; the Orchestra of Opera North; as well as the Malaysian Philharmonic, Orchestre National de Lille, Edmonton Symphony, Würzburg Philharmonic, Hungary’s Orchestra Dohnányi Budafok and MAV Orchestras, and the Chineke! Orchestra. She has regularly performed as a featured soloist in Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium and has given recitals at the Wigmore Hall, Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, Kennedy Center, Konzerthaus Berlin, Sage Gateshead, Bayerischer Rudfunk Munich, and Mondavi Center. Elena is a former BBC New Generation Artist (2012-14) and has been featured on the covers of Strings and Symphony magazines. An avid chamber musician, Elena is the founder and Artistic Director of Chamber Music by the Sea, an annual festival on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. She has been a featured artist at the Marlboro, Ravinia, La Jolla, Bridgehampton, Moab, and Sarasota Music Festivals, as well as Open Chamber Music at Prussia Cove, the Cheltenham Music Festival, Switzerland’s Sion-Valais International Music Festival, and the Verbier Festival’s winter residency at Schloss Elmau. Elena is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music and The Juilliard School. Notable teachers and mentors include Joseph Silverstein, David Cerone, Ida Kavafian, Pamela Frank, Claude Frank, Rafael Druian, and Ferenc Rados. The outstanding instruments being used by Elena are an Alessandro Gagliano violin, Naples c. 1706, and a Nicolas Kittel bow, both on generous extended loan from the private collection of Dr. Charles E. King through the Stradivari Society of Chicago. Elena has being practicing yoga for over a decade and received her RYT-200 hour certification from the Kripalu Center in June 2019. She is the co-founder of Intermission, a program that combines music, movement, and mindfulness, aiming to make music-making a healthier, more holistic practice for students and professionals alike through yoga and meditation. https://www.soundingpointacademy.com/robert-lipsett daily 0.75 2020-05-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec0c5cc51d51a5b53e71d3d/1589765998374-4M3SK2UPB7QUEBQE2N7Y/Robert+Lipsett.jpg Robert Lipsett - Robert Lipsett Mr. Robert Lipsett holds the Jascha Heifetz Distinguished Violin Chair at the Colburn School in Los Angeles, California where he has been on the faculty for 25 years. In addition, he taught at the University of Southern California as a tenured professor and CalState University–Northridge. His students have consistently won important competitions including the Julius Stulberg Awards, the Yehudi Menuhin, Irvine M. Klein International Violin Competition, Hannover International Violin Competition and International Tchaikovsky Competition. Several have received highest honors from the National Association for the Advancement of the Arts and have been recognized as Presidential Scholars. This is the highest award the United States government can bestow on a high school student. His students hold principal positions with leading orchestras including Concertmaster of the Chicago Symphony, Principal Associate Concertmaster and Assistant Concertmaster of the New York Philharmonic and Concertmaster of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. Mr. Lipsett’s students have performed as soloists with major orchestras including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Chicago Symphony, New York Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra, Dallas Symphony, Houston Symphony, Boston Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, English Chamber Orchestra as well as many appearances on national and international television. Mr. Lipsett received his B.A. in Music from California State University-Northridge. Principal teachers included Ivan Galamian, Ruth Lasley, Zelman Brunoff, Melvin Ritter, Endre Granat. He also serves on the faculty at the Aspen Music Festival and has given master classes at major schools around the world. He is a recipient of the Distinguished Teachers Award from the White House Commission for Presidential Scholars. In addition, Mr. Lipsett has been an active solo artist, chamber music performer, orchestral musician and freelance commercial musician in motion pictures, television and recording industry. https://www.soundingpointacademy.com/james-ehnes daily 0.75 2020-05-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec0c5cc51d51a5b53e71d3d/1589788434256-ECXN3VBEN92MYQSN1S9D/James%2BEhnes_Website4%2B.jpg James Ehnes - James Ehnes James Ehnes has established himself as one of the most sought-after violinists on the international stage. Gifted with a rare combination of stunning virtuosity, serene lyricism and an unfaltering musicality, Ehnes is a favourite guest of many of the world’s most respected conductors including Ashkenazy, Alsop, Sir Andrew Davis, Denève, Elder, Ivan Fischer, Gardner, Paavo Järvi, Mena, Noseda, Robertson and Runnicles. Ehnes’s long list of orchestras includes, amongst others, the Boston, Chicago, London, NHK and Vienna Symphony Orchestras, the Los Angeles, New York, Munich and Czech Philharmonic Orchestras, and the Cleveland, Philadelphia, Philharmonia and DSO Berlin orchestras. Recent orchestral highlights include the MET Orchestra at Carnegie Hall with Noseda, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig with Shelley, San Francisco Symphony with Janowski, Frankfurt Radio Symphony with Orozco-Estrada, London Symphony with Harding, and Munich Philharmonic with van Zweden, as well as his debut with the London Philharmonic Orchestra at the Lincoln Center in spring 2019. In 2019/20, Ehnes is Artist in Residence with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, which includes performances of the Elgar Concerto with Luisi, a play/direct programme leg by Ehnes, and a chamber music programme. In 2017, Ehnes premiered the Aaron-Jay Kernis Violin Concerto with the Toronto, Seattle and Dallas Symphony Orchestras, and gave further performances of the piece with the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester and Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. James Ehnes plays the “Marsick” Stradivarius of 1715. https://www.soundingpointacademy.com/martin-beaver daily 0.75 2020-05-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec0c5cc51d51a5b53e71d3d/1589766849413-A2KNY1JTH1IDRQ18TTIT/Martin_Beaver.jpg Martin Beaver - Martin Beaver Canadian violinist Martin Beaver was First Violin of the world-renowned Tokyo String Quartet from June 2002 until its final concert in July 2013. As such, he appeared to critical and public acclaim on the major stages of the world including New York’s Carnegie Hall, London’s Wigmore Hall, the Berliner Philharmonie, Tokyo’s Suntory Hall and the Sydney Opera House. As a member of the Tokyo String Quartet, Mr. Beaver was privileged to perform on the 1727 Stradivarius violin from the “Paganini Quartet” set of instruments, on generous loan to the quartet from the Nippon Music Foundation. Recordings of the Tokyo String Quartet during his tenure notably include the complete Beethoven quartets on the Harmonia Mundi label. Mr. Beaver’s concerto and recital appearances span four continents with orchestras such as the San Francisco Symphony, the Toronto Symphony, l’Orchestre Philharmonique de Liège and the Sapporo Symphony Orchestra and under the batons of Kazuyoshi Akiyama, Raymond Leppard, Gilbert Varga and Yannick Nézet-Séguin among others. Chamber music performances include collaborations with such eminent artists as Leon Fleisher, Pinchas Zukerman, Lynn Harrell, Sabine Meyer and Yefim Bronfman. Mr. Beaver is a regular guest at prominent festivals in North America and abroad. Among these are: the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, Chamber Music Northwest, La Jolla SummerFest, the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, the Edinburgh Festival (U.K.) and Pacific Music Festival (Japan). Mr. Beaver’s discography includes concerti, sonatas and chamber music on the Harmonia Mundi USA, Biddulph, Naim Audio, René Gailly, Musica Viva, SM 5000, Toccata Classics and Naxos labels. His recorded repertoire ranges from Bach, Beethoven and Brahms to the music of living composers Alexina Louie, Gerard Schurmann and Joan Tower. Following his early studies with Claude Letourneau and Carlisle Wilson, Mr. Beaver was a pupil of Victor Danchenko, Josef Gingold and Henryk Szeryng. He is a laureate of the Queen Elisabeth, Montreal and Indianapolis competitions. Subsequently, he has served on the juries of major international competitions including the Queen Elisabeth and Montreal violin competitions, the Osaka International Chamber Music Competition and the Melbourne International Chamber Music Competition. Over the course of his career, Mr. Beaver has been the grateful recipient of generous support from the Canada Council for the Arts. This includes Arts Grants for his studies at Indiana University, Career Development Grants and the 1993 Virginia-Parker Prize. In 1998, through the generosity of an anonymous donor, the Canada Council awarded Mr. Beaver the loan of the 1729 “ex-Heath” Guarnerius del Gesù violin for a four-year period. A devoted educator, Mr. Beaver has conducted masterclasses throughout North and South America, Europe, Asia and Australia. He has held teaching positions at the Royal Conservatory of Music, the University of British Columbia and the Peabody Conservatory. More recently, he served on the faculty of New York University and as Artist in Residence at the Yale School of Music, where he was awarded its highest honor - the Sanford Medal. He joined the faculty of the Colburn School in Los Angeles in August 2013 where he is currently Professor of Violin and Chamber Music. Martin Beaver is a founding member of the Montrose Trio with pianist Jon Kimura Parker and cellist Clive Greensmith. Mr. Beaver performs on a 1789 Nicolo Bergonzi violin. https://www.soundingpointacademy.com/home daily 1.0 2026-01-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec0c5cc51d51a5b53e71d3d/5dd1ebe2-e815-4ede-9e1f-b527c4b22d99/Copy+of+SPA+Meet+Faculty.png Home - Make it stand out 2026 Sounding Point Academy Faculty https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec0c5cc51d51a5b53e71d3d/1a5b035f-c9d7-4f6c-a532-a14ff84d258c/54181353157_fd4d7eb0dd_c.jpg Home - Make it stand out Ray Ushikubo, 2026 Guest Artist https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec0c5cc51d51a5b53e71d3d/11a803d6-3157-4806-9844-f9e8f4b87004/images.webp Home - Make it stand out Debbie Devine, Guest Presenter https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec0c5cc51d51a5b53e71d3d/1646270132479-093LNQZV8YOO0I3QMHIC/Endre-Granat-resized.jpeg Home - Make it stand out Endre Granat, Guest Presenter https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec0c5cc51d51a5b53e71d3d/1589763919117-GVWG2RPX1SIO1K7VNFOV/strokedwhite.png Home Art by Alena Hove https://www.soundingpointacademy.com/apply daily 0.75 2026-03-17 https://www.soundingpointacademy.com/stefan-jackiw daily 0.75 2020-05-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec0c5cc51d51a5b53e71d3d/1589767290705-6D942O0X5B6ILZAAS0GY/Stefan+Jackiw.jpg Stefan Jackiw - Stefan Jackiw Stefan Jackiw is one of America’s foremost violinists, captivating audiences with playing that combines poetry and purity with an impeccable technique. Hailed for playing of "uncommon musical substance" that is “striking for its intelligence and sensitivity” (Boston Globe), Jackiw has appeared as soloist with the Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, New York, Philadelphia, and San Francisco symphony orchestras, among others. Jackiw also regularly performs in Europe and Asia, and has appeared with the London Philharmonic, the Russian National Orchestra, the Tokyo Symphony, and the Seoul Philharmonic. Jackiw is also a committed teacher. He has given masterclasses at numerous schools, including The Colburn School, Harvard University, University of Michigan, Manhattan School of Music, Bard College, Vanderbilt University, New York University, Sydney Conservatorium, Australian National Academy of Music, among others, and at festivals including the Aspen Music Festival, Brevard Music Center, Interlochen Center for the Arts, Eastern Music Festival, Center Stage Strings, among others. He also maintains a private studio in New York City. Jackiw holds a Bachelor of Arts from Harvard University, as well as an Artist Diploma from the New England Conservatory, where he studied with Donald Weilerstein. https://www.soundingpointacademy.com/david-halen daily 0.75 2020-05-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec0c5cc51d51a5b53e71d3d/1589791844686-S2N9WM4YK7IHY9IXMTRM/David+halen.JPG David Halen - David Halen David Halen is living a dream that began as a youth the first time he saw the St. Louis Symphony perform in Warrensburg, Missouri. Born in Bellevue, Ohio, he didn’t have to look far for his musical influences: his father, the late Walter J. Halen, was also his violin professor at Central Missouri State University; his mother, a former member of the Kansas City Symphony; and his older brother, co-concermaster of the Houston Symphony Orchestra. Halen began playing the violin at the age of six, and earned his bachelor’s degree at the age of 19. In that same year, he won the Music Teachers National Association Competition and was granted a Fulbright scholarship for study at the Freiburg Hochschule für Musik in Germany, the youngest recipient ever to have been honored with this award. In addition, Halen holds a master’s degree from the University of Illinois studying with Sergiu Luca. Halen served as Assistant Concertmaster with the Houston Symphony Orchestra under Sergiu Comissiona and Christoph Eschenbach until winning associate concertmaster of St. Louis, where he was permanently named Concertmaster in September 1995. He has soloed with the orchestra in 23 different violin concerti. In addition, he has soloed with the Houston, San Francisco and West German Radio (Cologne) symphonies, and has led the Toronto and Detroit Symphonies. He also led the Cincinnati Symphony on a three week European tour in 2017. During the summer he teaches and performs extensively, serving as Concertmaster and teaching violin at the Aspen Music Festival and School. He has also soloed, taught and served as Concertmaster extensively at the Orford Arts Centre in Quebec, the Manhattan School of Music, Indiana University, the National Youth Orchestra, the Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, and the New World Symphony. In the fall of 2012, Halen in addition became a full-time violin professor at the University of Michigan, from which numerous students have started successful careers. As cofounder and artistic director of the Innsbrook Institute, Halen coordinates a weeklong festival, in June, of exciting musical performances and an enclave for aspiring artists. In August, he is artistic director of the Missouri River Festival of the Arts in Boonville, Missouri. His numerous accolades include the 2002 St. Louis Arts and Entertainment Award for Excellence, and an honorary doctorates from Central Missouri State University and from the University of Missouri-Saint Louis. David Halen plays on a 1753 Giovanni Battista Guadagnini violin, made in Milan, Italy. https://www.soundingpointacademy.com/danielle-belen daily 0.75 2025-10-31 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec0c5cc51d51a5b53e71d3d/9d89a9bb-5f9c-487f-90fc-ddc4d37e3e4d/Danielle-Belen-2022-scaled-1.jpg Danielle Belen - Danielle Belen Professor of Violin at the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance in Ann Arbor, Danielle Belen is already making a name for herself as a seasoned pedagogue with a strong studio of young artists. Her students have won major prizes in national and international competitions including the Menuhin, Stulberg and Klein competitions, and hold positions in professional orchestras worldwide. Winner of the 2008 Sphinx Competition, Ms. Belen has appeared as a soloist with the Pittsburgh, Atlanta, Nashville and San Francisco Symphonies, the Boston Pops, and the Florida and Cleveland Orchestras. Zachary Lewis from the Cleveland Plain Dealer wrote “Violinist Danielle Belen… captivated every ear with an assured, impassioned performance of Ravel’s Tzigane, knocking off the daunting showpiece as if it were a trifle.” Ms. Belen released her debut Naxos recording of works by living composer Lawrence Dillon in 2009 to much acclaim. Soon after, she commissioned “Multiplicity”, a piece by Dillon for six virtuoso violins which she premiered along with her students. A graduate of the USC Thornton School of Music and the Colburn Conservatory in Los Angeles, Ms. Belen joined the faculty of the Colburn School in 2008. In addition to maintaining her own violin studio, she was the teaching assistant to renowned pedagogue Robert Lipsett. During that time, Ms. Belen also served as the Director of the Ed and Mari Chamber Music Institute at the Colburn School of Performing Arts. In 2010, Ms. Belen founded Center Stage Strings, a summer camp and performance festival for gifted young musicians in central California. After gaining national attention, CSS moved to the campus of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor as part of MPulse, a summer program at the School of Music, Theatre & Dance. As the Artistic Director and head of the violin faculty, she has attracted students and seasoned artists from around the world. Lynn Harrell, James Ehnes, Arnold Steinhardt, Sarah Chang, William Hagen, Rohan de Silva and Stefan Jackiw have joined to perform in support of the program As the winner of the 2014 Sphinx Medal of Excellence, Ms. Belen performed for Justice Sonia Sotomayor and her guests at the Supreme Court in Washington DC, where she was awarded a $50,000 career grant. In turn, she used that money towards a matching campaign for Center Stage Strings, doubling the amount into $100,000 for student scholarships. Her passion for pedagogy can be seen in her vibrant and unique teaching style, made accessible through a host of videos available to the public through her YouTube Channel and other social media outlets. Ms. Belen plays on a violin made in Mantua, Italy by Stefano Scarampella. https://www.soundingpointacademy.com/ray-chen daily 0.75 2020-05-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec0c5cc51d51a5b53e71d3d/1589767444535-A2KCZGUPDQ6CQSASFN08/Ray+Chen_June+2018_Photo+Credit+John+Mac+%281%29.jpg Ray Chen - Ray Chen Ray Chen is a violinist who redefines what it is to be a classical musician in the 21st Century. With a media presence reaching out to millions, Ray Chen's remarkable musicianship transmits to a global audience that is reflected in his engagements with the foremost orchestras and concert halls around the world. Initially coming to attention via the Yehudi Menuhin (2008) and Queen Elizabeth (2009) competitions, of which he was First Prize winner, Ray has built a profile in Europe, Asia, and the USA as well as his native Australia. Signed in 2017 to Decca Classics, the Ray’s forthcoming recording with the London Philharmonic follows three critically acclaimed albums on SONY, the first of which (“Virtuoso”) received an ECHO Klassik Award. Ray Chen’s profile continues to grow: he was featured on Forbes’ list of 30 most influential Asians under 30; made a guest appearance on Amazon’s “Mozart in the Jungle” TV series; performed for a live TV audience on France’s Bastille Day and at the Nobel Prize Concert in Stockholm. Ray has performed with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Pittsburgh Symphony among others, and will make upcoming debuts with the San Francisco Symphony, Berlin Radio Symphony, and Bavarian Radio Chamber Orchestra. He works regularly with conductors such as Riccardo Chailly, Vladimir Jurowski, Manfred Honeck, Daniele Gatti, Kirill Petrenko, and many others. Ray’s commitment to music education is paramount, and inspires the younger generation of music students with his series of self-produced videos combining comedy and music. Through his online promotions his appearances regularly sell out and draw an entirely new demographic to the concert hall. Born in Taiwan and raised in Australia, Ray was accepted to the Curtis Institute of Music at age 15, where he studied with Aaron Rosand and was supported by Young Concert Artists. He plays the 1715 “Joachim” Stradivarius violin on loan from the Nippon Music Foundation. This instrument was once owned by the famed Hungarian violinist, Joseph Joachim (1831-1907). https://www.soundingpointacademy.com/about daily 0.75 2025-10-31 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec0c5cc51d51a5b53e71d3d/1589768095627-IQYS2DMJ0SZQHM5XPI9W/Robert+Lipsett.jpg About https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec0c5cc51d51a5b53e71d3d/1589768104669-D6GBG8JK37QVE023J8UB/Fabiola+Ki.jpg About https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec0c5cc51d51a5b53e71d3d/9d89a9bb-5f9c-487f-90fc-ddc4d37e3e4d/Danielle-Belen-2022-scaled-1.jpg About https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec0c5cc51d51a5b53e71d3d/1589792137372-LV2RWO476SBKAFG73UN4/David+halen.JPG About https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec0c5cc51d51a5b53e71d3d/1589768095552-JL50KKWL361C2TIK00WG/Simon+James.jpeg About https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec0c5cc51d51a5b53e71d3d/f47ee45b-cede-40ff-aed4-27293261bc9b/eugene-2000px.jpg About https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec0c5cc51d51a5b53e71d3d/4b2891b1-8e3b-40a1-be1b-b3b81b2680b0/Endre-Granat-resized.jpg About https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec0c5cc51d51a5b53e71d3d/12e321a0-be09-4c67-9222-2d94c7de6746/Debbie%2BDevine%2BHeadshot.jpg About https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec0c5cc51d51a5b53e71d3d/1a5b035f-c9d7-4f6c-a532-a14ff84d258c/54181353157_fd4d7eb0dd_c.jpg About https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec0c5cc51d51a5b53e71d3d/1589773115423-11NXSQ9U4WVNT67WICKN/splogoblack.png About Art by Alena Hove https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec0c5cc51d51a5b53e71d3d/1589776795927-D5Z25CBE7U5WIF2G4OA4/Robert%2BLipsett.jpg About Robert Lipsett Co-Artistic Director https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec0c5cc51d51a5b53e71d3d/1589776821853-OGMO9ONM63XAQ3YGCNKJ/FABIOLA_KIM-9940.jpg About Fabiola Kim Co-Artistic Director https://www.soundingpointacademy.com/contact daily 0.75 2026-01-21 https://www.soundingpointacademy.com/augustin-hadelich daily 0.75 2020-05-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec0c5cc51d51a5b53e71d3d/1589767994583-5NLD0KLO4QCZ1WP98CFS/120606_hadelich_04192-759x500.jpg Augustin Hadelich - Augustin Hadelich Augustin Hadelich is one of the great violinists of our time. From Adès to Paganini, from Brahms to Bartók, he has mastered a wide-ranging and adventurous repertoire and is often referred to by colleagues as a "musician's musician.” Named Musical America’s 2018 "Instrumentalist of the Year", he is consistently cited around the world for his phenomenal technique, soulful approach, and insightful interpretations. Mr. Hadelich will appear with over 25 North American orchestras in the 2019/2020 season, including the symphony orchestras of Boston, Cleveland, New York, Montréal, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Minnesota, Houston, Oregon, Seattle, Toronto, and numerous others. International highlights of the 2019/2020 season include performances with the Philharmonia Orchestra (London), and the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra (Hamburg), as well as engagements with the BBC Philharmonic, Danish National Symphony, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Finnish Radio Orchestra, Hong Kong Philharmonic, Oslo Philharmonic, WDR Radio Orchestra Cologne, and the Bavarian Radio Chamber Orchestra. In addition to every major orchestra in North America, worldwide Mr. Hadelich has appeared with the Bavarian Radio Orchestra, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, London Philharmonic, Munich Philharmonic, City of Birmingham Symphony, Belgian National Orchestra, Orchestre National de Lyon, Orquesta Nacional de España, Norwegian Radio Orchestra, Rotterdam Philharmonic, São Paulo Symphony, the radio orchestras of Frankfurt, Saarbrücken, Stuttgart, and Cologne, and the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields. Engagements in the Far East include the Hong Kong Philharmonic, Seoul Philharmonic, Singapore Symphony, NHK Symphony (Tokyo), and a tour with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. He has been Artist-in-Residence with the Bournemouth Symphony (UK), Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, and the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra. He made his BBC Proms debut in 2016 and his Salzburg Festival debut in 2018. Augustin Hadelich plays the violin "Leduc, ex-Szeryng" by Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesù of 1744, generously loaned by a patron through the Tarisio Trust. https://www.soundingpointacademy.com/fabiola-kim daily 0.75 2022-03-03 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec0c5cc51d51a5b53e71d3d/1589766278614-BA5VVE4YVISQK6SZ6QOS/Fabiola+Ki.jpg Fabiola Kim - Fabiola Kim Visit Fabiola’s Website Hailed by the New York Times as “a brilliant soloist,” who “played with extraordinary precision and luminosity,” violinist Fabiola Kim enjoys a dynamic and versatile career as a soloist, chamber musician, recording artist, and pedagogue. Her future engagements this year include solo concerts with Venice Symphony, Istanbul State Orchestra, Incheon Philarmonic Orchestra, Spartanburg Philharmonic and an appearance at the Maui Chamber Music Festival and Herrenchiemsee Festspiele. Her recent album, “1939,” with the Munich Symphony and Kevin John Edusei, has received international acclaim from BBC magazine, The Strad Magazine, Gramophone, American Record Guide and many others. Ms. Kim made her concerto debut with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra at the age of seven, just three years after beginning to play the violin. Ms. Kim is the winner of various awards and competitions, including being the youngest in history to win the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra’s Concerto Competition. Other competition wins include the Aspen Music Festival Violin Concerto Competition, The Juilliard Concerto Competition, Livingston Symphony Orchestra Young Artists Concerto Competition, the Kumho Prodigy Music Award, an award given to the most promising young musicians in Korea, and also was a prize winner at Corpus Christi International Competition and the Irving M. Klein International Competition for Strings. She has collaborated with conductors such as Alan Gilbert, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Gilbert Varga, Jane Glover, and Nicholas McGegan. Her past solo performances include engagements with the Seoul Philharmonic, Suwon Philharmonic, Korean Chamber Orchestra, Kangnam Symphony, Korean Symphony, Orquestra Sinfonica OSUANL, Budapest Symphony Orchestra MAV, North Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Hofer Sinfoniker, Berlin Symphoniker, Westdeutche Sinfionia, Munich Chamber Orchestra, Colburn Orchestra, Juilliard Orchestra, Aspen Philharmonia and American Academy of Conducting at Aspen. An avid Chamber Musician, Ms. Kim has collaborated with many renowned artists such as Lynn Harrell, Cho-Liang Lin, Paul Neubauer, Frans Helmerson, Marc Coppey, and Ida Kavafian, and she has performed at summer festivals including The Aspen Music Festival, Ravinia Steans Institute, Verbier Festival and La Jolla Music Society Summerfest. Ms. Kim is an Assistant Professor of violin at the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre and Dance and continues to serve as faculty at the Colburn School. Additionally, she is a Co-founder and Co-Artistic Director of Sounding Point Academy alongside Robert Lipsett. Other summer positions include violin faculty at Center Stage for Strings and Innsbrook Institute. Previously, she was a teaching assistant to Robert Lipsett at the Colburn School. Ms. Kim received her Artist Diploma at the Colburn School under the guidance of Robert Lipsett, and she received her Bachelor and Master of Music at the Juilliard School under the tutelage of Sylvia Rosenberg and Ronald Copes. https://www.soundingpointacademy.com/leila-josefowicz daily 0.75 2020-05-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec0c5cc51d51a5b53e71d3d/1589766527204-DD996D0XHL3XH67IS9QW/Leila+Josefowicz.jpg Leila Josefowicz - Leila Josefowicz Leila Josefowicz’s passionate advocacy of contemporary music for the violin is reflected inher diverse programmes and enthusiasm for performing new works. In recognition of her outstanding achievement and excellence in music, she won the 2018 Avery Fisher Prize and was awarded a prestigious MacArthur Fellowship in 2008, joining prominent scientists, writers and musicians who have made unique contributions to contemporary life. Highlights of Josefowicz’s 2019/20 season include opening the London Symphony Orchestra’s season with Sir Simon Rattle and returning to San Francisco Symphony with the incoming Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen to perform his Violin Concerto. Further engagements include concerts with Los Angeles Philharmonic, NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and the Cleveland and Philadelphia orchestras, where she will be working with conductors at the highest level, including Susanna Mälkki, Matthias Pintscher and John Adams. Recent highlights include engagements with the Berliner Philharmoniker, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Washington’s National Symphony Orchestra, Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich and Boston and Finnish Radio symphony orchestras. In summer 2019, Josefowicz took part in a special collaboration between Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Royal Ballet, and Company Wayne McGregor featuring the music of composer-conductor Thomas Adès. Josefowicz has released several recordings, notably for Deutsche Grammophon, Philips/Universal and Warner Classics and was featured on Touch Press’s acclaimed iPadapp, The Orchestra. Her latest recording, released in 2019, features Bernd Alois Zimmermann’s Violin Concerto with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted byHannu Lintu. She has previously received nominations for Grammy Awards for her recordings of Scheherazade.2 with the St Louis Symphony conducted by David Robertson, and Esa-Pekka Salonen’s Violin Concerto with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by the composer. https://www.soundingpointacademy.com/endre-granat daily 0.75 2022-03-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec0c5cc51d51a5b53e71d3d/1646259203009-X6GBQEGF3YNPDK6L2NQU/Endre-Granat-resized.jpg Endre Granat - Endre Granat Endre Granat was a student and protégé of Jascha Heifetz. As premier concertmaster for the Hollywood film industry, he has been chosen by the greatest Hollywood film composers ranging from Miklos Rozsa to John Williams and from Henry Mancini to James Newton Howard and Hans Zimmer as their orchestra leader. He has been concertmaster at the Emmy’s, Grammy’s, Academy Awards, countless television shows and records. His solo and symphonic activities on four continents include performances with conductors such as George Szell, Sir Georg Solti, and Zubin Mehta. He premiered the Sequenza #8 by Luciano Berio and gave the first performance of the Schoenberg Violin Concerto in Los Angeles. He is a Laureate of the Queen Elizabeth International Competition and recipient of the Grand Prix du Disque and the Ysaye Medal. Mr. Granat served as Assistant Concertmaster in the Cleveland Orchestra under George Szell and Concertmaster for the Goteborg Symphony under Sir Charles Mackerras. He was a Fulbright Scholar and acted as professor of violin at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Goteborg, Sweden, Cleveland Institute of Music, University of Illinois, the California State University, Northridge, Seoul National University and the University of Southern California. He is an editor for the Lauren Keiser Music Publishing Company. https://www.soundingpointacademy.com/william-hagen daily 0.75 2022-03-03 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec0c5cc51d51a5b53e71d3d/1646267438508-NJ7J74XPD01I54M45A84/WilliamHagen-resized.jpg William Hagen - William Hagen William Hagen has performed as soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician across the United States, Europe, and Asia. In 2021, William makes his debuts with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at the Ravinia Festival and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe at the Rheingau Music Festival, and appears at the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival. As soloist, William has appeared with the Detroit Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, Seattle Symphony, and regularly appears as soloist at the Aspen Music Festival. In Europe, he has soloed with the Frankfurt Radio Symphony (HR Sinfonieorchester), the Vienna Radio Symphony (ORF Radio Sinfonieorchester Wien), and the major orchestras of Belgium, including the Brussels Philharmonic, National Orchestra of Belgium, and the Orchestre Philharmonique Royal de Liège. William has also soloed in Japan with the Yokohama Sinfonietta and the Sendai Philharmonic. As recitalist and chamber musician, William has performed at venues such as Wigmore Hall and the Louvre, and collaborated with artists such as Steven Isserlis, Gidon Kremer, Edgar Meyer, and Tabea Zimmerman, among others. He maintains an active schedule on both sides of the Atlantic, making frequent trips to Europe and cities around the US to play a wide range of repertoire. In 2019, William released his debut album, “Danse Russe,” with his good friend and frequent collaborator, pianist Albert Cano Smit. The album is available on all streaming platforms. A native of Salt Lake City, Utah, William began playing the violin at the age of 4, studying with Natalie Reed and then Deborah Moench. He studied with Itzhak Perlman and Catherine Cho at the Juilliard School, Christian Tetzlaff at the Kronberg Academy, and was a longtime student of Robert Lipsett, studying with Mr. Lipsett for 11 years both at the Colburn Community School of Performing Arts and at the Colburn Conservatory of Music. In 2015, William won 3rd prize at the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels. William performs on the 1732 “Arkwright Lady Rebecca Sylvan” Antonio Stradivari, on generous loan from the Rachel Barton Pine Foundation. https://www.soundingpointacademy.com/eugene-watanabe daily 0.75 2022-03-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec0c5cc51d51a5b53e71d3d/1648239339462-47UXN646N10S4OV9B6S7/eugene-2000px.jpg Eugene Watanabe - Eugene Watanabe Eugene Watanabe and his wife Dr. Vera Oussetskaia-Watanabe founded the Gifted Music School in Salt Lake City in 2009. As Artistic Director and Violin Chair he leads a synergistic team of faculty, administrators, 450 students and parents, and donors. The goal of the school has been to provide access to the highest standard of comprehensive music education regardless of financial background. As an educator, Eugene’s students can be found on the concert stage, professional orchestras, and currently populating many of the most important academic and music institutions including Colburn, Juilliard, Juilliard/Columbia, Michigan, New England, San Francisco, Cleveland,Yale, Stanford, and all Utah Universities. His students have been frequently recognized with top awards at international and national solo and chamber competitions including Klein, ASTA, St. Paul, Cliburn, and a rare double win at the 2019 MTNA Nationals in Spokane having taught the 1st place awardees in both the Junior High and High School categories. Watanabe’s students have frequently been heard on NPR’s From the Top—as soloists, chamber group, and the Gifted Music School orchestra. Watanabe was the first student in the history of the Curtis Institute of Music to graduate with a double degree in Violin and Piano. His teachers were Leon Fleisher, Claude Frank, Arnold Steinhardt, Joseph Silverstein, and Andres Cardenes. Watanabe was also deeply influenced with his continued work with Isaac Stern and Josef Gingold. As a performer, Watanabe enjoyed an international performance career as violinist and pianist. Appearances with the Moscow State Symphony Orchestra, Calgary Philharmonic, Hamburg Symphony, Saint Lawrence String Quartet, New Zealand String Quartet, New York String Orchestra at Kennedy Center and Carnegie Hall, and countless performances with the Utah Symphony (more than 15 concertos); solo tours through Europe, Canada, and United States. Major awards at Honens-Calgary International Piano Competition, Kosciuzko Chopin Competition, Bachauer Young Artist Competition, two-time MTNA National winner, and the Kingsville Competition. In 2017, Eugene and Vera were awarded the Utah Governor Mansion Artist Award for their dedication to community service. When not teaching and helping to run the school, he treasures spending time with Vera and his son and daughter. Watanabe is a Steinway Artist. https://www.soundingpointacademy.com/william-hagen-1 daily 0.75 2023-03-03 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec0c5cc51d51a5b53e71d3d/2fb063b5-452b-452b-813d-9983be99c3d1/Aubree+Oliverson+10+%2B+Jeff+Fasano.jpg Aubree Oliverson - Aubree Oliverson Praised for her evocative lyricism and joyful, genuine approach, young American violinist Aubree Oliverson is proving to be one of most compelling artists of her generation, distinguishing herself with clear, honest, and colourful performances, which have been described as “powerful… brimming with confidence and joy” (Miami New Times) and “masterful” (San Diego Story). In demand as a concerto soloist, recent and forthcoming highlights include performances with the San Diego Symphony (under Edo de Waart), Utah Symphony (Conner Gray Covington), Pacific Symphony, Columbus and Des Moines Symphonies (Carl St. Clair), Roma Tre Orchestra, Brno Philharmonic (František Macek), and the Pasadena Symphony (Nic McGegan), in works by Bach, Mendelssohn, Bruch, Haydn, Saint-Saens, Dvorak and Barber. In 2021, she joined the Louisiana Philharmonic for a two-week residency during which she performed Beethoven’s Violin Concerto (under Carlos Miguel Prieto) as well as chamber music. Elsewhere, she has worked with the Aspen Philharmonic, Redlands Bowl Orchestra, Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra, Boca del Río Philharmonic, National Symphony Orchestra of Costa Rica, Cappella Istropolitana in Vienna, Kontrapunktus Baroque Ensemble, and the Orchestra of Americas (Carlos Miguel Prieto and Paolo Bortolameolli). In recital, having made her Carnegie Hall Weill Hall recital debut at age twelve, she has gone to perform to sold out audiences at the Grand Teton Music Festival, SOKA Performing Arts Centre, and the SCERA Centre for the Performing Arts, and has upcoming recitals in Rome, Los Angeles, and in Ridgecrest, California as part of Midori’s Partners in Performance Recital Series. She has featured on NPR’s From The Top numerous times. Aubree graduated from the Colburn Music Academy in Los Angeles in 2016 and is a former student of Debbie Moench, Eugene Watanabe, Danielle Belen, and Boris Kuschnir at the Musik und Kunst Privatuniversität der Stadt Wien. She currently studies with Robert Lipsett, the Jascha Heifetz Distinguished Violin Chair, at the Colburn Conservatory of Music in Los Angeles. Ms. Oliverson plays on a 1743 Sanctus Seraphin violin thanks to the generous loan of Dr. James Stewart. Aubree enjoys spending time with family and friends, reading, traveling, language study, swimming, and dark chocolate. https://www.soundingpointacademy.com/blake-pouliot daily 0.75 2024-02-09 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec0c5cc51d51a5b53e71d3d/d8fc2915-606b-4520-b617-b579b71d7dba/Blake-Pouliot-mh-1600x1000.jpg Blake Pouliot - Blake Pouliot Winner of the Grand Prize at the 2016 Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal Manulife Competition, Blake Pouliot’s 2023/24 symphonic highlights include Shostakovich 1, Bruch 1, Tchaikovsky, Korngold and Sibelius concerti across the US and Canada with Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal with Roderick Cox, Artis-Naples and NAC Ottawa with Alexander Shelley, Quebec City Symphony and Clemens Schuldt amongst others. In Europe this season, Pouliot makes his Spanish debut with the Philharmonic Orchestra of Spain at the Teatro Monumental in Madrid, performing the Tchaikovsky concerto with Rossen Milanov alongside which Pouliot will also play-direct Piazzolla’s The Four Seasons in a separate chamber programme. During his time as Soloist-in-Residence of Orchestre Métropolitain in 2020/21, Pouliot and Yannick Nézet-Séguin performed Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 5 and Piazzolla’s The Four Seasons (was there anything else?) which led to Pouliot’s 2022 debut with the Philadelphia Orchestra at the Kimmel Centre, performing John Corigliano’s The Red Violin (Chaconne for Violin and Orchestra) with Nézet-Séguin. Highlights elsewhere include Beethoven’s Triple Concerto with Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal in 2022/23, with Angela Hewitt and Bryan Cheng, as well as performances of the Paganini, Mendelssohn, Saint-Saëns concerti and Bruch’s Scottish Fantasy in subscription concertos across North America. As a chamber musician and recitalist, Pouliot returns this season to NAC Chamber Festival, San Francisco, Aspen Music Festival, La Jolla Summerfest where he performed the festival-opening concert last year with conductor Alan Gilbert, and the National Youth Orchestra of Canada for his third consecutive year as Artist-in Residence. Previous recitals include the Koerner Hall Toronto, Seattle Chamber Music Society, and the world premiere of Derrick Skye’s God of the Gaps for violin and electronics at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Boston. Pouliot released his debut album of 20th century French music on Analekta Records in 2019. Featuring Ravel’s Tzigane and Violin Sonata in G, Debussy’s Violin Sonata in G minor and Beau Soir, the recording received critical acclaim including a five-star rating from BBC Music Magazine and a 2019 Juno Award nomination for Best Classical Album. Since his orchestral debut at age 11, Pouliot has performed with the orchestras of Aspen, Atlanta, Detroit, Dallas, Madison, Montreal, Toronto, San Francisco, and Seattle, among many. Internationally, he has performed as soloist with the Sofia Philharmonic in Bulgaria, Orchestras of the Americas on its South American tour, and was the featured soloist for the first ever joint tour of the European Union Youth Orchestra and National Youth Orchestra of Canada. He has collaborated with many musical luminaries including conductors Sir Neville Marriner, David Afkham, Pablo Heras-Casado, David Danzmayr, JoAnn Falletta, Marcelo Lehninger, Nicholas McGegan, Alexander Prior, Vasily Petrenko and Thomas Søndergård. Pouliot has been featured twice on Rob Kapilow’s What Makes it Great? series and has been NPR’s Performance Today Artist-in-Residence in Minnesota (2017/18), Hawaii (2018/19), and across Europe (2021/22). Prior to that, he was named First Laureate of both the 2018 and 2015 Canada Council for the Arts Musical Instrument Bank. Raised in Toronto, Canada, Pouliot studied with Marie Berard and Erika Raum as a graduate of the RCM Taylor Academy, and was then admitted into the studio of the renowned pedagogue Robert Lipsett, with whom he studied at the Colburn Conservatory of Music in Los Angeles Pouliot performs on the 1729 Guarneri del Gesù on generous loan from an anonymous donor. https://www.soundingpointacademy.com/kathleen-winkler daily 0.75 2025-03-01 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec0c5cc51d51a5b53e71d3d/a6084dd2-c1ee-450d-b769-f9655fbb8745/kathleen+winkler.jpg Kathleen Winkler - Kathleen Winkler The artistry of Kathleen Winkler has earned her the plaudits of critics and audiences alike worldwide since her solo debut at the age of seventeen with the Philadelphia Orchestra. She has been heard with such orchestras as the Detroit Symphony (with which she has toured on many occasions), the Pittsburgh Symphony, the Danish Radio Orchestra, the Odense Byorkester, the Polish Slaska Philharmonic, the Grand Rapids Symphony, the Savannah Symphony, and the Phoenix Symphony, to name a few. She has toured throughout the U.S. and Canada as well as having performed in Sweden, Poland, Germany, Spain, and the Canary Islands. The recipient of numerous awards, Ms. Winkler took first prize in the First International Carl Nielsen Violin Competition which led to her sponsored debuts in Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, London's Queen Elizabeth Hall and Purcell Room, the Kennedy Center and the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., as well as numerous radio broadcast performances on the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and the International Voice of America. Through a national search, Kathleen Winkler was selected by the United States Information Agency to represent the U.S. as an Artistic Ambassador on concert tours throughout the world. Her initial tour took her to Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Korea, and New Zealand. Another extended tour saw Ms. Winkler's performances representing our country in Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria, Algeria, Tunisia, Nigeria, and Kenya. A third tour took Ms. Winkler throughout Australia, New Zealand, and South America. An active chamber musician, Ms. Winkler has appeared at major music festivals throughout the country such as The Kent-Blossom Music Festival with Leonard Slatkin conducting, The Skaneateles Festival with David Zinman conducting, and The Bear Valley Festival with Carter Nice conducting. Other festival appearances have included the Music in the Mountains Festival at Steamboat Springs, The Hamden-Sydney Chamber Music Festival, The Bay Chamber Concerts, The Festival de Musique de Chambre du Montréal, and Da Camera in Houston. In addition, for six years, Ms. Winkler was a member of the Amabile Piano Quartet which regularly toured the country under such auspices as the Southern Arts Touring Federation, The Mid-America Arts Alliance, Arts Midwest, and various other state arts agencies. Concert appearances included the Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C., The Columbus Chamber Music Society, The Chamber Music Society of Chicago, and The Friends of Music in Houston. A devoted mentor to young musicians, Ms. Winkler is the recipient of Rice University's prestigious Julia Mile Chance Award for excellence in teaching. Her students can be found among the ranks of national and international competition winners as well as in the world’s leading orchestras and chamber ensembles. Additionally, Ms. Winkler’s students have been the recipients of such prestigious awards as the Watson Fellowship, the Fulbright Award, and the Pulitzer Prize in Music. As an adjudicator, Ms. Winkler has served on the panels of organizations such as The Carl Nielsen International Violin Competition, The Naumburg International Violin Competition, The Singapore National Violin Competition, The Elmar Oliveira International Violin Competition, The Coltman Chamber Music Competition, The American String Teachers Association's National Competition (ASTA), The Concert Artist Guild of New York, The Yellow Springs Chamber Music Competition, The Midland-Odessa National Young Artists Competition, The Lennox-Richardson National Young Artist Competition, The Corpus Christi International Young Artist Competition, and the General Motors Seventeen National Competition. The Philadelphia-born artist attended Indiana University where she received her Bachelor of Music degree, magna cum laude, as well as the coveted Performer's Certificate. She also attended the University of Michigan where she received her Master of Music degree, summa cum laude. Formerly on the faculties of the Oberlin Conservatory and the Cleveland Institute of Music, as well as serving as a Visiting Professor at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music and the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music, Ms. Winkler currently holds the Dorothy Richard Starling Chair in Violin at the Shepherd School of Music. During the summer, she is on the Artist-Faculty at the Aspen Music Festival and School and the Beijing International Music Festival and Academy. https://www.soundingpointacademy.com/simone-porter daily 0.75 2025-03-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec0c5cc51d51a5b53e71d3d/f31f51bc-1936-421b-9e87-cc0059705bb8/20210612-Simone-Porter-Portrait-0055-R.jpg Simone Porter - Simone Porter Violinist Simone Porter has been recognized as an emerging artist of impassioned energy, interpretive integrity, and vibrant communication. In the past few years she has debuted with the New York Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic; and with a number of renowned conductors, including Stéphane Denève, Gustavo Dudamel, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Nicholas McGegan, Ludovic Morlot, and Donald Runnicles. Born in 1996, Simone made her professional solo debut at age 10 with the Seattle Symphony and her international debut with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London at age 13. In March 2015, Simone was named a recipient of an Avery Fisher Career Grant. With the cessation of live concerts Simone continued to record streamed events with Seattle, Pittsburgh, Charlotte and Greater Bridgeport Symphonies. 21/22 season included extensive US touring with debuts and return visits to orchestras such as Colorado, North Carolina, St. Louis, Grand Rapids, Omaha, Quebec, Princeton, Monterey, Bakersfield, Marin, Ridgefield and Wyoming symphonies, Erie Philharmonic and Florida Orchestra, as well as a Celebrity Series (Boston) recital debut which featured the world premiere of a commission from composer Reena Esmail. The 22/23 season is starting with La Jolla and Peninsula Music Festivals, followed by orchestral performances in Winston-Salem, Virginia, Marin, Lexington, Modesto, New Haven, Bozeman, Portsmouth and Jacksonville. In recital, Simone can be heard in California, Florida, and Spain as well as making her debut at 92nd Street Y in New York City. At the invitation of Esa-Pekka Salonen, Simone performed his work ‘Lachen verlernt’ (‘Laughing Unlearnt’), at the New York Philharmonic’s “Foreign Bodies,” a multi-sensory celebration of the work of the composer and conductor. In recent seasons, she has also appeared at the Edinburgh Festival performing Barber under the direction of Stéphane Denève, and at the Mostly Mozart Festival performing Mozart under Louis Langrée. She has also performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl with both Nicholas McGegan and Ludovic Morlot, and at Walt Disney Concert Hall with Gustavo Dudamel. “ “Porter commands the technical chops, throbbing vibrato but, most importantly, the expressive panache, needed to bring the music’s rhapsodic lyricism to life…Porter’s silken-toned virtuosity puts her right up there with the finest interpreters of her generation.” — Chicago Classical Review Internationally, Simone has performed with the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra with Gustavo Dudamel; the Orquestra Sinfônica Brasileira in Rio de Janeiro; the National Symphony Orchestra of Costa Rica; the City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong; the Royal Northern Sinfonia; the Milton Keynes City Orchestra in the United Kingdom; and the Opera de Marseilles. Simone made her Carnegie Zankel Hall debut on the Emmy Award-winning TV show From the Top: Live from Carnegie Hall followed in November 2016 by her debut in Stern Auditorium. In June 2016, her featured performance of music from Schindler’s List with Maestro Gustavo Dudamel and members of the American Youth Symphony was broadcast nationally on the TNT Network as part of the American Film Institute’s Lifetime Achievement Award: A Tribute to John Williams. Raised in Seattle, Washington, Simone studied with Margaret Pressley as a recipient of the Dorothy Richard Starling Scholarship, and was then admitted into the studio of the renowned pedagogue Robert Lipsett, with whom she studied at the Colburn Conservatory of Music in Los Angeles. Summer studies have included many years at the Aspen Music Festival, Indiana University's Summer String Academy, and the Schlern International Music Festival in Italy. Simone Porter performs on a 1740 Carlo Bergonzi violin made in Cremona Italy on generous loan from The Master’s University, Santa Clarita, California. https://www.soundingpointacademy.com/ray-ushikubo daily 0.75 2026-01-08 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec0c5cc51d51a5b53e71d3d/39200ba7-33f0-4ede-9a66-59f3bc175504/54181353157_fd4d7eb0dd_c.jpg Ray Ushikubo - Ray Ushikubo Ray Ushikubo, praised for his “disciplined focus and clarity… and marvelous dynamic nuance” (Arts Knoxville), is a Japanese-American pianist and violinist who has performed as soloist with major orchestras across the United States. Recent highlights include performing selections from Piazzolla’s Four Seasons with the Los Angeles Philharmonic; Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue and I Got Rhythm Variations with the orchestras of Kansas City, Oregon, and Rochester; and Sibelius’s Violin Concerto with the Colburn Orchestra under Esa-Pekka Salonen. A Davidson Fellow Laureate and Young Steinway Artist, Ushikubo won first prize at the 2017 Hilton Head International Piano Competition and the 2016 Aspen Piano Concerto Competition, and was a prizewinner at the 2023 Klein International String Competition. He made his orchestral debut at age ten with Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 1alongside Teddy Abrams and the Young Musicians Foundation Orchestra at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. Since then, he has performed with orchestras including those of Aspen, Buffalo, Florida, Fort Collins, Hilton Head, Modesto, New West, Pasadena, Pensacola, Portland, Reno, San Diego, Westchester, and Winston-Salem—often appearing on both piano and violin in the same concert. He has worked with conductors such as Rodolfo Barráez, Paolo Bortolameolli, JoAnn Falletta, Norman Huynh, Laura Jackson, Jeffrey Kahane, Wes Kenney, David Lockington, Michelle Merrill, Sameer Patel, Rafael Payare, John Morris Russell, Dayner Tafur-Diaz, Jeff Tyzik, William Waldrop, and Thomas Wilkins. An avid chamber and collaborative musician, Ushikubo has performed with pianist Lang Lang at Segerstrom Concert Hall and on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. He has appeared with Jean-Yves Thibaudet on Radio France, and at Musique & Vin au Clos Vougeot alongside cellist Gautier Capuçon. With the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, he has been featured as a violin soloist in Vivaldi’s Concerto for Four Violins with Martin Chalifour, Philippe Quint, and Cho-Liang Lin, and as a pianist in Bach’s Concerto for Two Keyboards with Jeffrey Kahane. Ushikubo also explores music beyond the classical realm. He has performed with singer-songwriter Jackson Browne at a peace ceremony honoring Hiroshima victims, hosted by the Japanese American Cultural & Community Center in Los Angeles. At Grand Performances, he played a dual piano and violin solo program with jazz pianist Alfredo Rodriguez and electronic musician Daedalus, blending classical, jazz, and electronic genres. He also recorded an improvisation session with Kevin Olusola of Pentatonix for NPR’s From the Top. Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Ushikubo double-majored and received his bachelor’s degrees at the Curtis Institute of Music, where he studied piano with Gary Graffman and Robert McDonald, and violin with Shmuel Ashkenasi, Pamela Frank, and Aaron Rosand. Currently, Ushikubo double-majors at the Colburn Conservatory of Music, where he studies piano with Fabio Bidini and violin with Robert Lipsett. Ushikubo’s hobbies include golfing and watching movies. Ushikubo performs on the 1741 “Playfair” Guarneri del Gesù, generously on loan from Colin Maki Inc.