Sponsors
Ginny Barron, viola
Executive Director, Buffalo String Works; Radio Host, Classical 94.5 WNED.
Violist Virginia Barron is equally adept as a chamber player, orchestral musician and teacher. A native of Toronto, Canada, Virginia received her training at the University of Toronto and the Manhattan School of Music. Her major teachers include Lillian Fuchs, Kim Kashkashian and Paul Armin. As an orchestral player, Virginia has performed with the Chicago Symphony, Milwaukee Symphony, Lyric Opera Orchestra, Canadian Opera Company Orchestra and most recently the Toronto Symphony. Tours with the Chicago Symphony over the past 10 seasons include concerts in Berlin, South America, Lucerne, New York and Florida.
An ardent and experienced chamber musician, Virginia has been associated for many years with the Colorado College Summer Music Festival as performer, teacher and associate director.Other summer chamber music festivals include the Ravinia Festival, Grand Teton Music Festival, Algonquin Music Festival and the Yellow Barn Chamber Music Festival. She is also associate director of the Sweetwater Chamber Music Weekend in Owen Sound, Ontario and has recently performed with new music groups in Toronto such as New Music Concerts and Soundstreams. A dedicated teacher who has taught many pupils in her viola studio, she currently is on the faculties of the University of Western Ontario and the University of Toronto. Virginia lives in Buffalo, NY with cats Chuck and Percy and dog Zelda.
Kirit Mascarenhas, violin
Indian - Canadian violinist Kirit Mascarenhas holds a master's degree in violin performance and literature from the University of Western Ontario where he graduated with distinction from the studio of Professor Annette-Barbara Vogel.
Kirit is a passionate performer frequently invited to perform across New Brunswick, Quebec and Ontario with ensembles such as the New Brunswick Symphony Orchestra, Tutta Musica, Orchestre de la Francophonie, Kindred Spirits Orchestra, Ensemble Obiora amongst others. He has also been invited to perform in the United States and in Europe as a member of the Texas Festival Orchestra, Berlin Opera Academy Orchestra, and Jeunes Orchestre de Abbaye.
A founding member of Ensemble Madvic, Kirit has had the opportunity to perform across New Brunswick and Quebéc developing concert series’ dedicated to presenting the possibilities and nuance of the string ensemble repertoire. The ensemble is currently artists in residence at the Musée historique du Madawaska.
Kirit is also a dedicated teacher constantly seeking opportunities to work with students to help ignite their passion for music. Most recently this saw him working with Sistema New Brunswick where his work saw the establishment of the first regional orchestra in the North-western district of New Brunswick.
Gloria Kim, violin
Dedicated and accomplished, Gloria Kim stands out as a violinist with a rich tapestry of experience in both solo and ensemble performance. Her musical journey has graced stages worldwide, where she has showcased her virtuosity as a soloist with the esteemed Koffler Orchestra in Toronto, leaving an indelible mark on numerous events. Notably, her artistry illuminated the stage at pivotal occasions like Western University's "Fridays @ 12:30 Concert Series," where she skillfully interpreted Beethoven's renowned "Kreutzer" Sonata.
Gloria's brilliance recently took center stage as she assumed the role of a featured soloist at a Milal fundraising concert, a moving tribute dedicated to supporting Haiti refugees in the Dominican Republic. Beyond her exceptional performances, Gloria's dedication to impactful social causes is evident through her collaborative efforts with Effect Hope. Together, they orchestrated a concert with the noble mission of eradicating neglected tropical diseases in both Asia and Africa.
Gloria's musical prowess has garnered her invitations to perform with esteemed orchestras, including the Niagara Symphony, Magisterra Soloists, London Symphonia, and Windsor Symphony Orchestra. Her involvement has extended to pivotal roles such as the Concertmaster for the Opera at Western Orchestra and the First Violinist of the Eastman Conducting Quartet. Additionally, she has played significant roles as the associate concertmaster of the Eastman School Symphony Orchestra and as a teaching assistant for Western University Orchestras.
Gloria's accolades include being a distinguished alumnus of the Eastman School of Music, boasting both Bachelor’s and Master's degrees, adorned with prestigious honors like the Howard Hanson scholarship and the Jury award. Her musical artistry was meticulously honed under the guidance of esteemed mentors such as Oleh Krysa, Joseph Pach, Jacques Israelievitch, and Annette-Barbara Vogel.
Indeed, Gloria's commitment to her art and social causes will undoubtedly continue to bring positive impacts to her community and contribute to making the world a better place. Her dedication to using her musical talents for meaningful purposes showcases her passion and drive to create a positive change through her performances. As she shares her artistry with the world, her endeavors are likely to inspire and uplift those around her, leaving a lasting legacy of positive influence.
Ziqi Chen
Daniel Sweaney, viola
Daniel Sweaney made his New York debut in Avery Fisher Hall at the 1999 Mostly Mozart Festival. “..extremely talented and highly trained...poised and accomplished...” said Strings Magazine. Dr. Sweaney began his musical studies in his public school’s string program at age eleven. He has since had a diverse education in the United States and Europe and performed across the globe.
Daniel Sweaney has won prizes at the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, the Down Beat MagazineChamber Music Competition, was a two time recipient of the Interlochen Arts Academy Fine Arts Award for Outstanding Performance in Viola, and was the recipient a Frank Huntington Beebe Grant and the Elizabeth Hamner Grant. He was a teaching assistant and a chamber music coach at The Perlman Music Program and participated in their exchange trips to Tel-Aviv and Shanghai. Dr. Sweaney has held faculty positions at the Cleveland School for the Arts, Rice University Preparatory Department, The Boulder Arts Academy, Sewanee Summer Music Center, the Interlochen Viola Institute, the North American Viola Institute at the Orford Arts Centre, the Rocky Ridge Music Center, and the University of Alabama. He has given masterclasses at the University of Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Bowling Green State University, Louisiana State University, Texas Tech University, Brandeis University, Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, the Instituto Superior de Arte in Havana Cuba, and the National Orchestra Festival. His student’s have received fellowships to the Aspen Music Festival and scholarships to the Quartet Program, Brevard Music Center, Eastern Music Festival, Kent Blossom, Hot Springs, National Music Festival, and the AIMS Graz Festival. They have been awarded the McElroy Scholarship, Most Outstanding Senior at the University of Alabama, a Narramore Fellowship, Presser Scholarship, and the Emily Searcy Rogers Scholarship.
Mr. Sweaney has collaborated with Itzhak Perlman, Ani Aznavoorian, Ron Leonard, Stefan Milenkovich, Merry Peckham, and Peter Sellers. While living in Austria, he performed regularly with the Camerata Salzburg under Sir Roger Norrington, Leonidas Kavakos, Walter Weller, and Heinrich Schiff. Recent venues and festivals include, Salzburg Mozarteum Grossersaal, Vienna Konzerthaus and Musikverein, KKL Lucerne, Bilbao and Madrid, Spain, Athens Megaron, Camerata Salzburg’s Beethoven and Haydn Begegnung, Vienna Festwochen, Salzburg Mozart Woche, Bergen Norway Festspiel, Schubertiad Bezau, Austria, Würzburg Mozart Festival, Singapore Arts Festival, The Best of the Nordrhein-Westfalen series, The Beethoven House in Bonn, SUNY Purchase, Lincoln Center’s Great Performers Series, Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and Symphony Hall in Chicago. He has recorded with the Camerata Salzburg for Universal the complete works for flute and orchestra with soloist Andrea Griminelli and works by Mozart with pianist Sebastian Knauer and violinist Daniel Hope. His first CD Violin and Viola Duos Through the Centuries with Annette-Barbara Vogel was released in 2013.
Daniel Sweaney studied at the Interlochen Arts Academy, The Cleveland Institute of Music, Rice University, the Universität Mozarteum, Salzburg, and the University of Colorado, Boulder. He has taught at the University of Alabama, Interlochen Center for the Arts, Orford Arts Centre, the Rocky Ridge Music Center, and the Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival. His teachers include Heidi Castleman, David Holland, Thomas Riebl, Martha Strongin-Katz, Roger Tapping, Erika Eckert, and Geraldine Walther. Daniel Sweaney is currently Associate Professor of Viola at the University of South Carolina.
Daniel Sweaney began his musical studies at age eleven. He has since had a diverse education in the United States and Europe and performed throughout the globe. He has won prizes at the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, the Down Beat Magazine Chamber Music Competition, was a two time recipient of the Interlochen Arts Academy Fine Arts Award for Outstanding Performance in Viola, and was the recipient a Frank Huntington Beebe Grant and the Elizabeth Hamner Grant. He was a teaching assistant and a chamber music coach at The Perlman Music Program and participated in their exchange trips to Tel-Aviv and Shanghai. Dr. Sweaney has held faculty positions at the Cleveland School for the Arts, Rice University Preparatory Department, The Boulder Arts Academy, Sewanee Summer Music Center, the Interlochen Viola Institute, the North American Viola Institute at the Orford Arts Centre, the Rocky Ridge Music Center, Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival, and the University of Alabama. He has given masterclasses at the University of Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Bowling Green State University, Louisiana State University, Texas Tech University, Brandeis University, the Instituto Superior de Arte in Havana Cuba, the National Orchestra Festival, and has been a guest artist at the South Carolina Viola Intensive. His students have received fellowships to the Aspen Music Festival and scholarships to the Quartet Program, Brevard Music Center, Eastern Music Festival, Kent Blossom, Hot Springs, National Music Festival, Texas Music Festival, and the AIMS Graz Festival. They have been awarded the McElroy Scholarship, Most Outstanding Senior at the University of Alabama, a Narramore Fellowship, Presser Scholarship, and the Emily Searcy Rogers Scholarship.
Dr. Sweaney has collaborated with Itzhak Perlman, Ron Leonard, and Merry Peckham. While living in Austria, he performed regularly with the Camerata Salzburg at such venues and festivals as, the Salzburg Festival, Vienna Konzerthaus and Musikverein, Singapore Arts Festival, The Beethoven House in Bonn, Lincoln Center’s Great Performers Series, Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and Orchestra Hall in Chicago. He has performed at the five International Viola Congresses.
Daniel Sweaney performs regularly as a duo with violinist Annette- Barbara Vogel. Together they have performed in the United States, Europe and throughout Canada. Their first recording Violin Viola Duos Through the Centuries was described by American Record Guide as “superior playing and a gorgeously recorded performance.”
Daniel Sweaney studied at the Interlochen Arts Academy, The Cleveland Institute of Music, Rice University, and the Universität Mozarteum, Salzburg. His major teachers include Heidi Castleman, Thomas Riebl, Roger Tapping, Geraldine Walther, Martha Strongin Katz, and Erika Eckert. He has taught at the University of Alabama, Interlochen Center for the Arts, Orford Arts Centre, the Rocky Ridge Music Center, and the Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival. Daniel Sweaney is currently Associate Professor of Viola at the University of South Carolina.