Elias Goldstein is a distinguished violinist from an early age. He won the Wisconsin Fiddle State Championship at the age of fourteen, appeared as guest concertmaster with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, won the DePaul Concerto Competition in 2004 and attained first prize in the Leonard Sorkin Memorial Violin Competition. Elias obtained his Masters' Degree in Violin Performance at DePaul University while studying with Mark Zinger. He is currently an active chamber musician and soloist with the Advent Chamber Orchestra and performs as a Chicago violinist with world-renowned artists, such as Ilya Kaler, Stephen Balderston, and Eteri Andjaparidze.
Dmitri Pogorelov began studying violin at the age of five in Russia. He appeared with professional orchestras in the United States, Germany, Italy, France, Japan, and Russia and has won numerous international competitions, including Gnessin International Competition (1st prize in 1998), Strad Competition (4th prize in 2003), NSAL Competition (1st prize in 2005). Dmitri's teachers included world-renowned violinists Elmar Oliveira, Sergiu Schwartz, and violinist Ilya Kaler in Chicago.
http://www.dmitripogorelov.com
Roxana Pavel Goldstein, a violinist and native of Romania, has won the DePaul Annual Concerto Competition in 2002 and received first and second prizes at the Cita di Stessa International Competition of Italy and first prize at the famous Lyre of Gold Competition in Romania. Roxana appeared with the Concertante di Chicago and the Rembrandt Chamber Musicians, and played in a masterclass by Maxim Vengerov. Her teachers in Chicago included Cyrus Forough and Mark Zinger. She is currently an active Chicago chamber musician and soloist performing with the Advent Chamber Orchestra.
Emanuel Ban began studying privately at the age of eight. His previous violin and viola professors include Desiree Ruhstrat, Olga Kaler, and Rami Solomonow. Emanuel was the recipient of the 2003 Park Ridge Civic Orchestra and the 2005 Indianapolis Matinee Musicale scholarships. He was also a finalist with the Skokie Valley Symphony Orchestra and the DePaul Symphony Orchestra concerto competitions in 2006 and was a member of the Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra of Indianapolis. He is currently pursuing his Bachelor of Music degree in Violin Performance from DePaul University and studies with Olga Kaler.
Ian Maksin began playing the cello at the age of six in St. Petersburg, Russia. He has performed as a soloist and in chamber music recitals throughout Russia, Europe, and the Americas, several of them being broadcasted on National Public Radio. He is the winner of the New World Symphony Concerto Competition and the Westmoreland Young Artist Competition. Mr. Maksin has appeared with famous musicians such as Sergiu Schwartz, St. Lawrence String Quartet, Cuarteto Latinoamericano, Miami String Quartet, and has been the principal cellist of the New World Symphony Orchestra while living in Miami. Currently he is an active international freelance cellist and performs worldwide with the Ibis Camerata.
http://www.maksin.org/
Paul Ghica is a native of Bucharest, Romania. At the age of eight, he began lessons with his father and was accepted into the studio of the Romanian cellist Corneliu Radulescu. At fifteen, Paul appeared in a chamber music concert with celebrated pianist Emanuel Ax, and soon afterwards made his solo debut with the Merit School of Music Chamber Orchestra. A passionate advocate of new music, he has been featured on WFMT 98.7 and has toured in North America, Europe, Asia, and South America. Mr. Ghica earned a Bachelor of Music degree in Cello Performance at Roosevelt University, where he is currently obtaining a Master in Music degree. He is also co-principal cellist of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and principal cellist of the Lira Chamber Orchestra.
Lilianna Zofia Wosko has been a distinguished classical and jazz cellist from an early age. She received her Masters' Degree in Music Performance at Chicago's College of Performing Arts and has performed with the Illinois Philharmonic, Lira Ensemble, Alma de Tango Ensemble, and the Tomorrow Music Orchestra. Lilianna is a regular studio musician recording for Chicago's Ernie Hendrickson and Matt Hoffer, and she released two of her own CDs, 'My Christmas' and 'Edited to Form' with Thomas Faulds. She regularly performs with classical, jazz, new music, and international folk ensembles in Chicago and abroad.
