Scott Andrews, Clarinet
- Praised as “elegant” in the Boston Globe and “extraordinary” by the New York Times, Scott Andrews has been critically acclaimed in solo and chamber music performances across the country. A sought-after collaborative musician, Andrews has performed with many of today’s leading artists, and as an avid proponent of new music, he has performed with organizations such as Composers in Red Sneakers, the Auros Group for New Music, and Boston Musica Viva. He has toured and performed with such ensembles as the Ying String Quartet, the Calyx Piano Trio, and the Boston Symphony Chamber Players, among many others. Andrews has been Principal Clarinet of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra since 2005. Before joining the SLSO, Andrews had been a member of the Boston Symphony Orchestra for 11 years. He has also performed in the U.S. with the Philadelphia Orchestra, and with the Saito Kinen Orchestra and the Mito Chamber Orchestra in Japan. Andrews has lectured and given classes throughout the United States as well as in Europe and Japan. He was for many years the Woodwind Department Chair at Boston Conservatory and a faculty member of the Tanglewood Music Center in Lenox, Massachusetts. June 2013 marked his third season as co-Director of the Missouri Chamber Music Festival, an annual collaborative festival in Webster Groves, Missouri, which he founded with his wife, pianist Nina Ferrigno. He joined the faculty of the Pacific Music Festival in Sapporo, Japan, in July 2013. Originally from Virginia, Scott Andrews studied piano and violin before discovering the clarinet, studying with Edward Knakal of Virginia Beach. He attended the Virginia Governor’s School for the Arts and also studied at the Interlochen Music Center in Michigan. He graduated with distinction from the New England Conservatory of Music, where he was a clarinet student of Harold Wright.
Calyx Piano Trio
- It has been said of the CALYX PIANO TRIO, “whether you’re a confirmed fan of chamber music, or simply curious about this time-honored genre, Calyx Trio never fails to delight audiences.” (New Bern Magazine). Formed in 2001, the critically acclaimed Calyx Piano Trio features Catherine French, violin, Jennifer Lucht, cello, and Nina Ferrigno, piano. The group’s bright, accomplished musicians have earned Calyx the reputation of defying stereotypes with a repertoire that combines classical masterworks with original pieces by living composers. All seasoned chamber musicians, each member of the Calyx Trio has been described as “a shining star in her own right”. Performances include those on series at San Francisco State University (Morrison Artist Series), Collage New Music (Boston), Brooklyn Friends of Chamber Music, Pamlico Music Society (NC), The Music House (NC), and Sheldon Concert Hall and Kranzberg Arts Center (St. Louis). Multi-year residencies include those at the Missouri Chamber Music Festival and Carolina Chamber Music Festival, with new trio commissions funded by the Barlow Foundation and Chamber Music America.
Nina Ferrigno, Piano
- Nina Ferrigno, pianist, is a collaborative artist at home in a multitude of diverse musical settings. Described by the St. Louis Post Dispatch as “a magnificent pianist,” her playing is said to be, “...always precise with superb accentuation and warmth of feeling...”. Nina is a founding member of the Boston-based Calyx Piano Trio. She has performed with such ensembles as the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Boston Symphony/Pops, and the Boston Modern Orchestra Project. Her festival appearances include Tanglewood, Banff, Norfolk, and the Skaneateles Festival. She has also appeared at the Carolina Chamber Music Festival and Missouri Chamber Music Festival where the Calyx Piano Trio has held residencies.
Catherine French, Violin
- Canadian violinist Catherine French, a member of the Boston Symphony Orchestra since 1994, has established herself as a versatile and accomplished soloist and chamber musician in addition to her distinguished orchestral career. Ms. French garnered the grand prize at the Canadian Music Competition, the C.B.C. Radio Competition and the National Competitive Festival of Music, Canada’s three major music competitions. She has performed as soloist with many leading Canadian orchestras and given recitals throughout North America and Argentina. Ms. French was featured with the Juilliard Orchestra and James dePreist, the Boston Pops and John Williams, and at Carnegie Hall in her debut with David Gilbert. Lauded for her “superbly lyric” playing and her “amazing level of artistry” by Strad Magazine, Ms. French is a dedicated member of the Calyx Piano Trio and Collage New Music. Her avid interest in chamber music has led to performances at the Marlboro, Banff, Portland, Missouri and Carolina chamber music festivals, quartet tours of Germany and China, and annual concerts as part of the Prelude series at Tanglewood and the Curtisville Consortium. Ms. French has recorded for Albany Records and is featured in Donald Sur’s Berceuse for Violin and Piano with pianist Christopher Oldfather. Ms. French began Suzuki violin at age four then continued her studies under esteemed Canadian pedagogue Dr. Lise Elson. Ms. French graduated from Indiana University with a Bachelor’s of Music degree and a Performer’s Certificate, then earned a Master’s degree from the Juilliard School. Her teachers were Miriam Fried, Felix Galimir and Joel Smirnoff.
Jennifer Lucht, Cello
- Cellist/CCMF Director Jennifer Lucht has been heard in chamber music performances at the Kennedy Center, Weill Recital Hall, New York’s 92nd Street Y, the Ravinia, Portland (ME) and Bravo! Vail Festivals, and the Missouri Chamber Music Festival (MOCM), as well as on the Greater Philadelphia Performing Artists Series and NPR’s “Performance Today.” Praised for "superb" playing by the Boston Globe and "beautiful, finely detailed sound" by the Boston Herald, she has been concerto soloist with orchestras including the Metamorphosen Chamber Orchestra and Vermont Symphony. She can be heard in chamber music recordings on the New World, Albany, and Archetype labels. Ms. Lucht is a member of the Calyx Piano Trio, Director and co-founder of the Carolina Chamber Music Festival in New Bern, NC, and a regular performer with the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra in Boston and on tours throughout the US, Canada, and Japan. Ms. Lucht received her Bachelor and Masters degrees with a Performer's Certificate from Indiana University and continued her education with post-graduate studies at the New England Conservatory of Music. Her major teachers include Janos Starker, Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi, Laurence Lesser, Colin Carr, and Carter Brey.
Christopher Stark, Composer
- Christopher Stark, whose music The New York Times has called, "fetching and colorful," has been awarded prizes from the Guggenheim Foundation, Chamber Music America, the Barlow Endowment, and the Fromm Foundation at Harvard. Named a "Rising Star" by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, his music and arrangements have been performed by ensembles such as the Detroit Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, American Composers Orchestra, and Toronto Symphony. In 2012, he was in residence at Civitella Ranieri, a fifteenth-century castle in Italy, and in June of 2016 he was in residence at the Copland House. Recent highlights included performances at the 2016 Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival and at the Whitney Museum of American Art as part of the 2016 NY Phil Biennial. His film score for the feature-length film Novitiate premiered at Sundance in January 2017 and was theatrically released by Sony Pictures Classics. Stark is currently Assistant Professor of Music at Washington University in St. Louis.
