Gramophone magazine singled out the group as “an ensemble willing and able to touch on the gamut of musical bases ranging from Baroque to nu-Metal and taking in pretty much every stylism in between,” while The Wall Street Journal hailed the Trio for their “wide appeal, subversive humor, and first-rate playing.”

Quince Ensemble is a treble voice quartet dedicated to changing the paradigm for contemporary vocal chamber music. Described as “the Anonymous 4 of new music” by Opera News, Quince continually pushes the boundaries of vocal ensemble literature.

Over more than 20 seasons with the Seattle Symphony Orchestra, bassoonist Paul Rafanelli has performed frequently on the Orchestra’s Chamber Music series; he has also performed with the Seattle Chamber Music Society, Walla Walla Chamber Music Festival, and the Seattle Chamber Players.

First Prize winner of the 2008 Naumburg International Violoncello Competition, David Requiro (pronounced re-KEER-oh) has emerged as one of today’s finest American cellists.

With “a special ability to present touching interpretations” (El Norte), Brazilian pianist Ronaldo Rolim is a prominent figure among the newest generation of outstanding musicians.

Svend Rønning enjoys a varied career as an artistic director, chamber musician, concertmaster, educator, and soloist. He is the Coordinator of the String Division at Pacific Lutheran University, where he is a Professor of Music and violinist in the Regency String Quartet. His prior teaching appointments have included faculty positions at the Eastern Music Festival, the Shenandoah Conservatory, and the University of Virginia.

Maria Sampen, Professor of Violin at University of Puget Sound, enjoys a vibrant career as concerto soloist, recitalist, chamber musician, and teacher. Equally at home with repertoire ranging from classical to avant-garde to popular styles, Dr. Sampen has delighted audiences with her eclectic programs, her passionate performance style, and her highly expressive playing.

Sponsored by Elizabeth Carr

Kevin Schempf is Associate Professor of Clarinet at Bowling Green State University and is active as a soloist, chamber and symphony musician. After graduating from the Interlochen Arts Academy and the Eastman School of Music, he performed with the United States Coast Guard Band and toured with them throughout the United States and to St. Petersburg, Russia. A frequent soloist with the Band, he was featured on NPR broadcasts and on their 75th Anniversary CD recording.

Double bassist Peter Seymour has performed with many of the world’s most highly acclaimed artists and ensembles, including the Cleveland Orchestra, New World Symphony, Houston Symphony, New York City Ballet,  Iris Orchestra, and the Colorado Music Festival. He received the Downbeat Magazine Award for Best Jazz Soloist and shared the stage with luminaries like Wynton Marsalis, Roy Hargrove, and Bobby McFerrin.

Carrie Henneman Shaw is known across the US as a singer who weaves style and emotion into vivid Baroque and contemporary classical music performances. Praised in the New York Times “as graceful vocally as she was in her movements,” “consistently stylish” (Boston Globe), and as a “cool, precise soprano” (Chicago Tribune), Shaw is a member of Quince Ensemble...

Josh Skinner is the Manager of the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival at the University of Idaho. He has served as an assistant professor at the University of Minnesota Duluth and professor of Double Bass and Jazz Studies at Utah State University and BYU-Idaho. Skinner has been involved with planning every aspect of jazz festivals for over ten years, including the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival, the UNC-Greeley Jazz Festival, and the Head of the Lakes Jazz Festival.

Weston Sprott enjoys an exciting career that includes orchestral, chamber, and solo performances, as well as numerous educational and outreach efforts. He is currently Acting Principal Trombone of New York’s Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, of which he has been a member since 2005. He has been recognized as “an excellent trombonist” with a “sense of style and phrasing [that] takes a backseat to no one”.

Mezzo-soprano Elisa Sutherland gives detailed, stylistic performances of early and new music with “soul-infused expressiveness and unselfconscious joie de vivre” (New York Music Daily).

Ellie is a core member of Ekmeles, a sextet dedicated to exploring microtonal tuning and extended vocal techniques, and Alkemie, an ensemble made up of medieval specialists that celebrates the vibrant and timeless sounds of the past and present.

American cellist Meta Weiss (pronounced MAY-ta) made her international debut at the age of seven in Utrecht, Holland, and has established herself as one of the leading cellists of her generation.

Dan Williams is one of Seattle's most sought-after performers, as soloist, orchestral musician, teacher and recording artist.

He is currently principal oboist with both the Northwest Sinfonietta and the Northwest Chamber Orchestra, and has also played principal oboe with the Seattle Symphony, the Seattle Opera and the Pacific Northwest Ballet orchestras.

Chinese pianist Xiaohui Yang, a winner of the 2017 Naumburg International Piano Competition has been hailed by the press as a "tastefully polished musician" (Haaretz, Israel)  and “a magician of sound and virtuosity” (La Libre, Belgium).