Meet the 2024 Faculty

Tanya Bannister
Founder & Co-Artistic Director
Piano

Lauded by The Washington Post for playing “. . .with intelligence, poetry and proportion,” pianist Tanya Bannister has made a versatile career that is steeped in old-world pianism and traditions, balanced with an entrepreneurial spirit that seeks to create projects that inspire genuine connections between music and the world we live in.

On sabbatical for summer 2024, baritone Randall Scarlata has been praised by the New York Times as “an intelligent and communicative singer” with a “compelling desire to bring texts to life.” He has also been acclaimed for his “extraordinary vocal range and colour palette” and “ability to traverse so many different singing styles” (MusicWeb International). The Daily Telegraph (London) adds “Randall Scarlata sings with the assurance of one with nothing to prove.”

Randall Scarlata

Co-Artistic Director

Baritone

Claudia Ajmone-Marsan
Founder & Co-Artistic Director
Violin

Born of Italian and Danish parentage, the violinist Claudia Ajmone-Marsan is a member of Ensemble 360. She is a regular guest with Camerata Bern, Camerata Nordica and Ensemble Modern. She served as co-principal second violin of the Philharmonia Orchestra in London under C. von Dohnanyi, principal second of the European Union Chamber Orchestra and the Kammerphilharmonie Amade, Germany.

Chad Burrow

Clarinet Institute

Chad Burrow is recognized as one of the premiere clarinetists of his generation. He has appeared as a soloist and chamber musician in concert halls across the globe. The European press has said that Chad performs with “brilliant technique and tonal beauty mixed with an expressive ferocity.” Danish critic, Henrik Svane, went on to describe a performance as filled with "virtuosity, energy, and power without compromise." The New York Times recently called a Carnegie Hall appearance in Poulenc’s, Sonata, as giving a “strong impression” and being a “bright and genial account.”

Rebecca Gilliver

Violoncello

Rebecca Gilliver is Principal cellist of the London Symphony Orchestra. She originally joined the LSO in 2001 as Co-Principal but in 2009 decided she had had enough of turning pages!

Early success in national and international competitions led to critically acclaimed debut recitals at the Wigmore Hall in London and Carnegie Hall, New York. Rebecca has performed in major music festivals such as Bath, Bergen, and the Manchester International Cello Festival. She has appeared as a soloist with the Halle and the Academy of St Martin in the Fields and is a frequent giver of masterclasses at the Guildhall and Royal Academy.

Wenting Kang

Viola

Chinese violist Wenting Kang appeared as an “excellent violist” who “possesses a dark glowing sound” in the New York Times after her performance in the Marlboro Music Festival tour performance at Carnegie Hall. Kang’s playing also has been lauded as “elegant”, “precise” as well as “pure”, "tone-passionate without ever losing a sense of control" in the Boston Musical Intelligencer.

YooJin Jang

Violin

Applauded by The Strad for her “fiery virtuosity” and “consummate performances,” violinist YooJin Jang is a winner of the 2017 Concert Artists Guild Competition and is also First Prize winner of the 2016 Sendai International Music Competition in Japan. These two victories have resulted in a busy itinerary of international recital and concerto engagements and the release of two new recordings, including a CD of her prize-winning Sendai concerto performances.

Sam Armstrong
Piano

Hailed as 'a major new talent' International Piano and a ‘pianist of splendid individuality’ Arts Desk English pianist Sam Armstrong made solo debut recitals at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall in New York as well as at the Wigmore Hall in London, and as concerto soloist with the National Symphony of Ecuador.

Juan-Miguel Hernandez
Viola

The Washington Post has praised violist Juan-Miguel Hernandez as having “...the sweetest, most sonorous tone...” (Charles T. Downey). The Atlanta Journal Constitution describes him as “...tender, lyrical, loaded with personality” (Pierre Ruhe). Performances as soloist and chamber musician have seen Juan-Miguel Hernandez on some of the world’s leading halls, including Carnegie Hall, Concertgebouw (Amsterdam), Disney Hall (Los Angeles), Salzburg Mozarteum, King’s Place (London), Hamburg Elbphilharmonie, Wigmore Hall (London) and The White House.

Sihao He

Cello

Cellist Sihao He first came into international prominence in 2008 as a 14-year old cellist winning first prize at the International Antonio Janigro Cello Competition in Croatia. Later that same year, he sealed his great promise by winning the National Cello Competition in his native China. He is also the Grand Prize winner of the prestigious 3rd Gaspar Cassadó International Cello Competition in Japan, a laureate of the Queen Elizabeth International Cello Competition and Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians. In 2019, he won 3rd prize in Munich’s ARD International Music Competition.