2024-25 Artist Bios (scroll down)

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.

Wanchi Huang studied both piano and violin as a child in her native Taiwan. Though she had won several youth piano competitions as a child, she opted to concentrate on the violin “because I could take the violin anywhere I wanted.” She chose well. At just age 14, she made her solo debut with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Catherine Comet. Huang is currently Professor of Violin at James Madison University School of Music and contributes to the community as concertmaster of the Waynesboro Symphony. Her previous albums include those devoted to the complete Sonatas of Eugène Ysaÿe, to the Partitas and Sonatas of J.S. Bach for unaccompanied violin, and to music by William Walton and Benjamin Britten in a collaboration with longtime friend and pianist Robert Koenig. These are on the Centaur Records label and have all received excellent reviews. “. . . her incisive technique and an exceptionally rich and beautiful tone. . .” by Phil’s Classical Reviews, Audio Video Club of Atlanta. Her most recent album, IMAGINING WORLDS: Music for Solo Violin by living composers will be released on Navona Records in January, 2024. Wanchi is an active performer in chamber music, solo recitals, and as a soloist with regional orchestras throughout North America and Asia, at venues including Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Curtis on Tour, and numerous music festivals, such as at the Aspen Music Festival, Banff Centre for the Arts, Bay View Music Festival, Carolina Chamber Music, Black Hills Chamber Music in South Dakota, Garth Newel Music Center, and others. Wanchi joined Heifetz Institute faculty since the Summer of 2023 and has been a strings adjudicator for various international and national competitions, including Hudson Philharmonic Strings National Competition and Guanya International Violin Competition in Cheng Du, China. As an educator, she presented numerous times at ASTA National Conferences and has given many violin masterclasses internationally, as well as adjudicating at the Hong Kong Music Schools Festival. Many of her students are now successful arts administrators, educators, and performers. She holds a B.M. from The Curtis Institute of Music, a MM. The Juilliard School, and a DMA from Indiana University (Bloomington). She plays a modern American violin made in 2003 by Feng Jiang of Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Jennifer Lucht, cellist and CCMF Director, is a native of Greenville, NC. After musical training on violin as a student of Joanne Bath beginning at age three, she switched to cello at age eleven under the tutelage of NC Symphony cellist Leonid Zilper. As a chamber musician, she has performed at the Kennedy Center, Weill Recital Hall, New York’s 92nd Street Y, and Tanglewood; the Ravinia, Portland (ME), and Bravo! Vail Festivals; and on the Greater Philadelphia Performing Artists Series, Prairie Home Companion, and NPR’s live broadcast “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, Vermont Symphony, and the Winston-Salem and Raleigh Symphonies. Ms. Lucht is a member of the Calyx Piano Trio and performs with the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra in concerts throughout the US, Canada, and Japan. She can be heard in chamber music recordings on the Albany, Archetype, Bridge, and New World labels. She received her Bachelor and Master of music degrees with a Performer’s Certificate at Indiana University with post-graduate studies at New England Conservatory. Her former teachers include Janos Starker, Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi, Laurence Lesser, Colin Carr, and Carter Brey. Ms. Lucht is also an Orientation and Mobility Specialist with the Carroll Center for the Blind.

John O’Brien was born into a musical family and studied piano with his father through high school. He began his undergraduate studies as a double major in violin and piano performance studying violin with Robert Gerle and piano with William Masselos.  He continued his college piano studies with John Perry completing the BM and MM in piano performance at the University of Southern California.  In 1989 O’Brien was awarded the DMA in accompanying from the University of Southern California studying with Gwendolyn Koldofsy and Jean Barr.

He served  on the faculty of East Carolina University from 1985-2022.  During his tenure at ECU he served as Chairperson of Vocal Studies for 15 years, Chairperson of Keyboard Studies for 5 years, Music Director of the ECU Opera Theatre for 10 years and for 22 years he was the Professor of Accompanying. O’Brien has collaborated with such artists as Metropolitan Opera stars Hilda Harris and Victoria Livengood, violinist Eliot Chapo, tenor Bill Brown, flautist Carol Wincenc and clarinetist Deborah Chodacki.  He has performed in New York's Merkin Recital Hall, and Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall. As harpsichordist he performed regularly with Clarino Consort and Baroque dance soloist Paige Whitley-Bauguess and he has performed recitals with soprano Julianne Baird, baroque violinist Julie Andrijeski and has been a regular keyboardist with Atlanta Baroque.  He is a founding member of the North Carolina Baroque Orchestra with which he regularly performs on keyboard, violin/viola and baroque flute.  He was a featured artist at the 2005, 2006, 2008 and 2010 Magnolia Baroque Festival in Winston-Salem NC and he has performed at the Piccolo Spoleto Festival with Chatham Baroque. 

Rachel Pino is a professional concert violinist and violin teacher. She actively performs as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral musician.  Rachel is Principal 2nd Violinist for the Long Bay Symphony (Myrtle Beach, SC), Executive Director & Concertmaster of the Trent River Chamber Orchestra, and Concertmaster/Associate Director of New Bern Civic Strings.  Rachel was President of the North Carolina Suzuki Association (2015) and now serves on the board for the NC Suzuki Association and Greenville Suzuki Association (NC). Rachel appears as a clinician at the NC Suzuki Institute at East Carolina University, the STAHR Workshop (VA), Wilmington Suzuki Workshop (NC), and the Greenville Suzuki Saturdays (NC), and has taught at Craven Community College. Rachel performs annually as a guest artist at the Carolina Chamber Music Festival and serves on the CCMF Education Committee. She performed as Principal 2nd Violin with the Amman Symphony Orchestra (Jordan), performed as a soloist in Sweden, played with the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra (NC), Opera Carolina (NC) and has shared the stage with some really fun artists like The Moody Blues, The Tams, The Association, Ben Vereen, Joan Hess (Leggy Blonde, Flight of the Conchords), and Jodi Benson (Ariel, The Little Mermaid). Rachel’s ever-growing social media following has led her to collaborate with well-known and developing brands in the music industry.  She was recently named a Beaumont Artist, alongside some of the top classical musicians in the online community.  She is a social media consultant and manager for individual artists and groups in the music industry. Born in New Bern, NC, Rachel’s primary teacher was Joanne Bath (NC), and she also studied at the UNC School of the Arts.  She earned her undergraduate degree in Violin Performance with Lucy Chapmann at The Boston Conservatory, where her quartet won first place in the 2002 Chamber Music Competition.

Armenian-American violist Cara Pogossian is an avid chamber musician having attended numerous summer festivals, including the Marlboro Festival, Ravinia Steans Music Institute, and Taos School of Music. In 2022, Cara was the winner of the Borromeo String Quartet Guest Artist Award, and, more recently, her quartet was selected as a 2022-2023 Honors Ensemble at the New England Conservatory. She has also toured with the Curtis Institute on multiple occasions, performing Schubert’s Cello Quintet, as well as with the Curtis Symphony Orchestra as principal violist. Cara has had the privilege of collaborating and performing with many of the leading figures in classical music, such as Mitsuko Uchida, Don Weilerstein, Ida Kavafian, Joseph Lin, Marcy Rosen, Peter Wiley, Daniel Phillips, Kim Kashkashian, and the Borromeo String Quartet. 
Cara is the Principal Violist of the Portland Symphony Orchestra, and has appeared as a guest musician with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and Boston Pops Orchestra. She has performed at several high-profile concerts as an AGBU (Armenian General Benevolent Union) Scholarship recipient, and is a 2024 recipient of the St. Botolph Club Foundation Emerging Artist Award. Earlier this year, Cara was named the winner of the NEC Concerto Competition, culminating in a performance of Bartók’s Viola Concerto with the NEC Philharmonia. 
Cara recently completed her graduate studies with Kim Kashkashian at the New England Conservatory of Music, as the recipient of the Abraham Skernick Memorial Presidential Scholarship. She had previously studied with Hsin-Yun Huang and Misha Amory at the Curtis Institute of Music.

Anna Reinersman, harpist, began her harp studies at the age of 7, holding her first position as Principal Harp for the Rocky Mountain Symphony in Utah, in the United States, at the age of 14. Praised by The New York Times as “an elegant harpist”, she performed extensively throughout New York and Boston before relocating to London. She has played the complete Ring Cycle with the Royal Opera House, London, and with the Metropolitan Opera, New York on their Grammy winning recording, as well as touring Japan with the Metropolitan Opera, playing “La Boheme”. UK adventures included "Sleeping Beauty" on tour with the Birmingham Royal Ballet and her 6-month-old daughter, and "Tosca" with Placido Domingo conducting at Covent Garden. Before that Ms. Reinersman was in the Broadway pit for the revival of “On A Clear Day You Can See Forever” starring Harry Connick, Jr., and was the harpist for the entire run of the Broadway smash hit “The Producers”. She has toured the United States with the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra and maintains an active career as a chamber musician. Comfortable in a variety of musical settings, she has performed with such contemporary pop artists as Joni Mitchell, Diana Krall, Alicia Keyes, and the indie band Hem. Ms. Reinersman is also cofounder of the Carolina Chamber Music Festival and served as codirector for 11 years. She can be heard on the soundtrack of the“The Producers” movie musical, the cast album for the Broadway revival of “Finian’s Rainbow”, and various other commercial recordings. She currently lives Basel, Switzerland, although as the Principal Harpist for the New York Pops, she regularly returns to New York City.

Pianist Keiko Sekino enjoys an active career as a solo recitalist and chamber musician in the United States and abroad, having performed at such venues as Carnegie Weill Recital Hall, Steinway Hall, Bennett-Gordon Hall at Ravinia Park, and Palacio de Festivales de Cantabria in Santander, Spain. She has participated in festivals including Ravinia, Norfolk, and Yellow Barn in the United States and Kuhmo, Encuentro de Música y Academia de Santander, La Gesse, and Pontino in Europe. In 2006, Keiko Sekino was one of four pianists invited to participate in the Carnegie Hall Professional Workshop with Thomas Quasthoff. As a duo with soprano Awet Andemicael, she worked with baritone Thomas Quasthoff and pianist Justus Zeyen on Lieder by Schubert, Wolf, and Strauss in public masterclasses and was presented in a recital at the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall. An accomplished chamber musician, Ms. Sekino has shared the stage with violinists Ana Chumachenko and MinJung Kang, and members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, North Carolina Symphony, Daedalus Quartet, and Enso Quartet. Her recording of Schumann’s complete works for cello and piano with cellist Emanuel Gruber has been released from Delos label.

Keiko Sekino completed a Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University and holds additional degrees from Yale University in economics and music. Among her teachers are Peter Frankl and Robert McDonald. She has also worked closely with Elisso Virsaladze, Claude Frank, Boris Berman, and Margo Garrett. She serves as Associate Professor of Piano and Director of Applied Piano Studies at the East Carolina University School of Music.

Elizabeth Ivy Wilson is a distinguished violinist known for her dynamic performances as both a chamber and orchestral musician. She began studying the violin at the age of four at the Cleveland Institute of Music using the Suzuki Method. Throughout her career, she has performed with various orchestras across New England and toured with the renowned Philharmonie der Nationen, based in Hamburg, Germany. Ms. Ivy Wilson earned a Bachelor of Music degree from the New England Conservatory of Music and further specialized with double certificates in Violin Performance and Suzuki Pedagogy from East Carolina University. As an active freelance artist, Elizabeth enjoys performing with the Carolina Chamber Music Festival, the Trent River Chamber Players, and Greenville’s New Carolina Sinfonia. Known for her versatility, she also plays fiddle with Riggsbee Road, a Raleigh-based all-female country and “new grass” band, and occasionally records and performs with the Americana band Hank Pattie & The Current, which is featured on Robust Records. In addition to her vibrant performing career, she is a dedicated educator, leading the Ivy School for Violin & Viola and serving as a clinician for the North Carolina Suzuki Institute, the STAHR Workshop in Norfolk, VA, and other notable educational programs.

Pianist Kwan Yi has performed throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia in such venues as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Kimmel Center, Kennedy Center, Chicago Symphony Center, the Metropolitan and Isabella Stewart Gardner Museums, Jordan Hall, Jones Hall, Mann Performing Arts Center, Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts, Library of Congress, Kravis Center of the Arts, Großer Sendesaal des Hessischen Rundfunks, Auditorium du Louvre, Teatro Principal de Alicante, Suntory Hall, and Seoul Arts Center. Mr. Yi has appeared as a soloist with the Russian National Orchestra, Houston Symphony Orchestra, and the Brevard Festival Orchestra under the batons of Hans Graf, Julian Kuerti, Grant Llewellyn and Mikhail Tartanikov. As an avid chamber musician, he has collaborated with Itzhak Perlman, Miriam Fried, Roberto Diaz and members of the Vermeer Quartet and was invited to perform at the Kronberg, Ravinia, Trondheim, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and the Castleton Festivals. As a recitalist and masterclass instructor, he has completed residencies at University of Arkansas, Bowdoin College, Michigan State University, Cleveland Museum of Art, Theatre de Vevey and Sendai Cultural Center. His performances have been broadcast by WQXR, Radio France and Radio Frankfurt. He has recorded for Hänssler label with violinist Itamar Zorman. A recipient of many honors and prizes, Mr. Yi’s awards include Mieczyslaw Munz Prize, National Federation of Music Clubs Award, and top prizes in the Sendai International Piano Competition, and the Trondheim and Trio di Trieste International Chamber Music Competitions. Mr. Yi is a graduate of the Curtis Institute, Juilliard School and the Peabody Institute where he worked with Leon Fleisher and Robert McDonald. He has also attended the Steans Institute at Ravinia Festival.