MELISSA REARDON*

Artistic Director

Grammy-nominated violist Melissa Reardon is an internationally renowned performer whose solo and chamber playing spans all musical genres. In addition to serving as PCMF's Artistic Director, Melissa is a member of the Borromeo String Quartet, Artist in Residence at Bard College and Conservatory, and a founding member and former Executive Director of the East Coast Chamber Orchestra (ECCO). As a member of the Ensō String Quartet from 2006 until its final season in 2018, Melissa toured both nationally and internationally, with highlight performances in Sydney, Melbourne, Rio de Janeiro, New York’s Carnegie Hall, and Washington, DC’s Kennedy Center to name a few. Melissa is married to the cellist Raman Ramakrishnan and they live in New York with their son Linus.

EAST COAST CHAMBER ORCHESTRA

Ensemble

The critically acclaimed East Coast Chamber Orchestra (ECCO) is a collective of dynamic like-minded artists who convene for select periods each year to explore musical works and perform concerts of the highest artistic quality. Drawing from some of the world's finest orchestras, chamber groups, and young soloists, ECCO strives for vitality and musical integrity; a self-governing organization, each member is equal and has a voice in every step of the artistic process, from programming to performance. ECCO believes that the best musical experience can speak to all audiences regardless of age or socioeconomic background and performs accordingly across a wide range of venues.

REBECCA FISCHER*

Violin

Praised for her “beautiful tone and nuanced phrasing” (Boston Musical Intelligencer), violinist Rebecca Fischer is sought after as a highly expressive, intuitive performer of solo, chamber music and chamber orchestra repertoire. First-violinist of the Chiara String Quartet for eighteen years until the group’s final season in 2018, Ms. Fischer recorded and performed numerous works by heart, held residencies at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Harvard University, and premiered many major new works by composers such as Gabriela Lena Frank and Philip Glass. She is the concertmaster of Ensemble Baroklyn, a group run by pianist Simone Dinnerstein specializing in the music of Bach, and is also a member of The Afield, a multidisciplinary collaboration with visual artist/writer Anthony Hawley combining new and original compositions for violin, voice, and electronics with video and other media.

J FREIVOGEL*

Violin

J Freivogel is the founding and current first violinist of the Jasper String Quartet - winner of the prestigious CMA Cleveland Quartet Award, Professional Quartet in Residence at Temple University's Center for Gifted Young Musicians, Director of St. Paul Chamber Music Institute, and Artistic Director of Jasper Chamber Concerts. The Quartet released its 8th album this year and has upcoming and recent commissions from Lera Auerbach, Patrick Castillo, Vivian Fung, Brittany J. Green, Aaron Jay Kernis, Akira Nishimura, Reinaldo Moya, Michelle Ross, and Joan Tower. J is the co-Director of Chamber Music Society of the Carolinas with his wife, cellist Rachel Henderson Freivogel, and the co-Executive Director of the East Coast Chamber Orchestra. J has a thriving teaching studio in Philadelphia, PA, where he lives with Rachel and their two children, Leon and Evy.

RACHEL FREIVOGEL*

Violin

Cellist Rachel Henderson Freivogel is a founding and current member of the Jasper String Quartet. With the quartet, Ms. Freivogel has performed around the world and premiered and recorded many works. Her recordings include quartets by Ludwig van Beethoven, Claude Debussy, Vivian Fung, Annie Gosfield, Judd Greenstein, Aaron Jay Kernis, David Lang, Missy Mazzoli, Reinaldo Moya, Caroline Shaw and Franz Schubert among others. Ms. Freivogel is a faculty member at Temple University’s Center for Gifted Young Musicians, Affiliate Artist at Haverford College, and maintains a robust private cello studio in her home city of Philadelphia. Ms. Freivogel is also a founder and Co-Artistic Director of Jasper Chamber Concerts (Philadelphia, PA) and the Co-Director of the Chamber Music Society of the Carolinas (Asheville, NC). 

ANDREW GONZALEZ*

Viola

Hailed by the Strad Magazine for his "warm hearted playing and mellow tone," Philadelphia based violist Andrew Gonzalez lives a fulfilling career as both a soloist and chamber musician, performing in prestigious venues throughout the United States, as well as halls all over Asia and Europe. As a sought after chamber musician, his playing has allowed him to collaborate with respected ensembles such as the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, the Sejong Soloists, as well as members of the Guarneri, Juilliard, Tokyo, Orion, Borromeo, and Vermeer quartets. Also an accomplished teacher, Andrew served as a fellow of Carnegie Hall’s Ensemble Connect from 2016-2018 and teaches chamber music in the Heifetz Institute’s Program for the Exceptionally Gifted. In the fall of 2020, Andrew became the new violist of the Jasper String Quartet.

MICHAEL KATZ*

Cello

Hailed by the press for his “bold, rich sound” (Strad Magazine) and “nuanced musicianship,” (New York Times) Grammy-nominated cellist Michael Katz has appeared as a soloist and chamber musician across North and Central America, Europe, Asia, and Israel. As the cellist of the Lysander Piano Trio, Michael was a winner of the 2012 Concert Artists Guild Competition, and was awarded first prizes at the 2011 Coleman Competition and 2011 J.C. Arriaga Competition. Their first album “After a Dream” was released in 2014 on CAG Records and was praised by the New York Times for its “polished and spirited interpretations.” A second album “Mirrors”, featuring six world premiere recordings of commissioned works, was released on First Hand Records to critical acclaim in 2021. In April 2025, Michael joins the cello section of The Philadelphia Orchestra.

JIA KIM*

Cello

Korean-American cellist Jia Kim, recipient of the prestigious 2017 career award from the Leonore Annenberg Foundation for Performing and Visual Arts, leads a dynamic musical life as a performer, educator, and a passionate advocate for the arts. Cellist of the award-winning Aeolus Quartet, Jia is on faculty at Mannes College of Music, The Juilliard School Pre-College Division, The Perlman Music Program, and New York Youth Symphony’s Chamber Music Program. As Artistic Director of Central Chamber Series in NYC and Chamber Music Stowe in VT, she is committed to connecting with a wider audience through the powerful language of chamber music, both through education and performance.

MIN-YOUNG KIM*

Violin

Philadelphia violinist and violist Min-Young Kim is a founding member and first violinist of the Daedalus Quartet with whom she has been presented by many of the world’s leading musical venues including Lincoln Center, the Library of Congress, the Musikverein in Vienna, and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. Min is also the concertmaster of the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia and is a frequent guest with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. She has been featured as a soloist with the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, Apollo’s Fire, the Boston Pops in Symphony Hall and with the Bard Festival Orchestra. She performs on historical violin and viola with Apollo’s Fire and Tempesta di Mare and enjoys working closely with composers, commissioning and premiering new works. In her quest to play many strings, Min also plays a five string violoncello da spalla, a six string electric violin and the guitar. A graduate of Harvard and Juilliard, she currently teaches at the University of Pennsylvania.

LI-MEI LIANG*

Violin

Praised for her “first rate and thoroughly engaging” playing, Taiwanese violinist Li-Mei Liang’s performance has been described as a “powerhouse” (Boston Musical Intelligencer). An active soloist and chamber musician, Li-Mei has performed across the United States, Belgium, China, Japan, the Netherlands, South Korea, and Taiwan in renowned concert venues. She has played with the East Coast Chamber Orchestra, the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, and is a core member of New York Classical Players. Recent highlights also include recording with the Evergreen Symphony Orchestra in Taiwan as a soloist. An educator in both music theory and violin practice, Li-Mei has served as a Violin Lecturer at the University of California, Irvine, and is currently a full-time music theory faculty and Coordinator for the ear-training curriculum at the New England Conservatory (NEC). She also teaches violin at NEC’s Preparatory School and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

KOBI MALKIN*

Violin

Praised by the New York Times for his "aptly traversed palette of emotions, from languid introspection to fevered intensity with gorgeous tone and an edge-of-seat intensity,” Israeli violinist Kobi Malkin is making his mark as an exciting soloist and a perceptive chamber musician. Concertmaster of the American Ballet Theatre Orchestra, he is the winner of the prestigious Ilona Kornhauser Prize and the Canetti International Violin Competition, and appears regularly in such venues as New York’s Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, Boston’s Jordan Hall, Vienna Konzerthaus, Mexico City’s Palacio de Bellas Artes, and the Tel Aviv Museum of Art. An avid chamber musician, Kobi has collaborated with Frans Helmerson, Kim Kashkashian, Mitsuko Uchida, and Peter Wiley, among others.

ANTHONY MANZO*

Double bass

Anthony Manzo enjoys performing in a broad variety of musical forums – despite the ever-present complications of travel with a double bass! His vibrantly interactive and highly communicative music making has made him a ubiquitous figure in the upper echelons of classical music, performing at noted venues including Lincoln Center in NYC, Boston’s Symphony Hall, and the Spoleto Festival in Charleston. He appears regularly with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, both in NY and across the country. He serves as the solo bassist of San Francisco’s New Century Chamber Orchestra and as a guest with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and A Far Cry. He is on the double bass and chamber music faculty of the University of Maryland. Tony performs on a double bass made around 1890 by Jerome Thibouville Lamy in Paris (which now has a removable neck for travel!).

KARLA DONEHEW PEREZ*

Violin

Admired for her “luscious melodies” (New York Concert Review) and enlightened programming, violinist Karla Donehew Perez is a founding member of the Grammy-winning Catalyst Quartet as well as an acclaimed soloist, educator, and creative collaborator with numerous world-class artists and ensembles. Since the 2010 founding of the Catalyst Quartet, Donehew Perez has dazzled audiences as a key contributor to the ensemble’s “intense vitality and finesse” (Gramophone). She has performed as a soloist with multiple major U.S. orchestras and chamber ensembles, earning honors including an MPOWER Grant from the Sphinx Organization, as well as grants from Chamber Music America and New Music USA. She is currently a professor of violin studies at the Longy School of Music of Bard College.

NICHOLAS PHAN

Tenor

Described by the Boston Globe as “one of the world’s most remarkable singers,” American tenor Nicholas Phan makes his PCMF debut with the 2025 Winter Warmer series. An avid recitalist, in 2010 he co-founded the Collaborative Arts Institute of Chicago (CAIC) to promote art song and vocal chamber music, where he serves as artistic director. He also has served as guest curator for projects with the Bravo! Vail Music Festival, Laguna Beach Music Festival, Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, Merola Opera program, WQXR, and San Francisco Performances. A celebrated recording artist, Phan is a recipient of the 2025 Grammy award for Best Opera Recording, and is a four-time nominee for Best Classical Solo Vocal Album.

MIHO SAEGUSA*

Violin

Violinist Miho Saegusa enjoys a multifaceted career as a versatile chamber musician, orchestral leader, and soloist. She is a founding member of the Aizuri Quartet, the 2014-2016 Quartet-in-Residence at the Curtis Institute of Music and a Prizewinner at the 2015 Wigmore Hall International String Quartet Competition in London. The quartet has found joy in exploring many kinds of collaborations, from programs alongside art at the Barnes Foundation to commissions from composers Caroline Shaw, Yevgeniy Sharlat, and Paul Wiancko. Miho's passion for chamber music has also led to memorable summers at the Marlboro Music Festival, Ravinia Steans Institute, and Music@Menlo, as well as tours with Musicians from Marlboro.

JESSICA THOMPSON*

Viola

Violist Jessica Thompson is a passionate chamber musician who performs regularly throughout the United States and abroad as a member of the Daedalus Quartet. The quartet, Grand Prize winner of the 2001 Banff International String Quartet Competition and resident quartet at Lincoln Center’s Chamber Music Society Two from 2005-07, is currently in residence at the University of Pennsylvania. As a member of Daedalus, Ms Thompson has premiered works by such composers as Fred Lerdahl, Joan Tower, Richard Wernick, and Vivian Fung. Ms. Thompson has also toured with Musicians from Marlboro and has performed at numerous festivals, including the Halcyon Music Festival, the Newport Music Festival, and the Charlottesville Chamber Music Festival. 

YEZU WOO*

Violin

Praised for “ her technical quality, beauty of sound, and above all, the projection of an uncommon musical sensibility” (El Norte, Monterrey), violinist Yezu Elizabeth Woo made her debut at Carnegie Hall at age 16, where she became the youngest performer to play all 24 of Niccolo Paganini’s Caprices for solo violin. A winner of the Korean national award, “Outstanding International Musician of the Year” by the Arts Critics Association, as well as “Artist of the Year” by the Gangwon Foundation, Yezu was appointed as Honorary Ambassador of Chuncheon, where she is currently serving as the the Artistic Director of New York in Chuncheon Music Festival. Her commitment to Korean traditional and new music has led her to performances at the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) ‘ART FESTA’ as part of the ongoing peace process between the two Koreas, as well as seeing collaborations with the KBS Korean Traditional Orchestra.