Andrew W. Mille |
Cellist ~ Manager |
.JPG) Andrew Mille began his cello studies in the USC strings project in Columbia S.C. at the age of eight. He went on to play for both the South Carolina Youth Philharmonic Orchestra and All State Orchestra during his high school years and in 2000 was awarded the Harry Lightsey scholarship to continue his studies at the College of Charleston under the instruction of Damian Kremer. Pursuing a Bachelors degree in cello performance, Andrew went on to give performances for Piccolo Spoleto, the Monday Night Concert Series, Music Under the Oaks and for the Bishop Gadsden Community. In the summers spanning from 2001 to 2004 Andrew attended the Meadowmount School of Music in upstate New York and was under the instruction of Owen Carmen. During this time, he also served as principal cellist of the CofC chamber orchestra, and was given the opportunity to be a soloist, performing the J.C. Bach double cello concerto with orchestra. Upon completion of his bachelor’s degree in “05 Andrew went on to study with Natalia Khoma as part of the Artist Certificate program at CofC. Andrew currently performs with and manages Classical Charleston. He also teaches cello and is a faculty member of the Charleston Music School.
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 Tomas Jakubek started his violin studies at the age of seven in his native country of Slovakia. He studied violin at the Conservatory in Zilina, then at the Janacek Academy of Music in Brno (Czech Republic) where he received his Masters Degree in violin performance. He has also studied at the Lithuanian Academy of Music in Vilnius under Jurgis Dvarionas, who was a student of David Oistrach. Mr. Jakubek participated in the two year Artist Certificate Program at the College of Charleston, studying under Lee-Chin Siow from the Fall of 2007 to the Spring of 2009. During this time he served as concertmaster for the College of Charleston Orchestra under the direction of Lorenzo Muti. Mr. Jakubek has recently become the violin adjunct faculty at the College beginning in the Fall of 2009. He often performs with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra as well as the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra. He has played in various concerts on four continents with the following European orchestras: Junge Philharminie Wien , Europa Philharmonie Magdeburg ,Czech Chamber Orchestra Prague , Czech Philharmony of Brno.
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 Peter was born in a musical family, his father being a cellist, mother a singer/composer/pianist, and grandfather a drum teacher at the conservatory. Peter first began to play the violin at the age of six then took up the viola and continued his studies at the conservatory of Bratislava, Slovakia, from where he graduated in 2002. Peter then studied at the University of Art in Bratislava and for the past two years has been studying at the College of Charleston under Jan Marie Joyce, principal violist of the Charleston Symphony Orchestra. He has been a member of the Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Baroque Ensemble Musica Aeterna, the Capella Istropolitana chamber orchestra, the Junge Philharmonie of Vienna, the Donau Philharmonie Ulm, the Europa Philharmonie Magdeburg and currently performs with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra on a regular basis.
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 Lisa Peters is a graduate of College of Charleston with a B.A. in Flute performance. She has performed with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra on numerous occasions and has performed several times with the Charleston Stage Company, once in Oliver! and twice in A Christmas Carol. She has performed as a soloist with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra and the College of Charleston Orchestra and Flute Choir, and has performed in the United States, England, Spain and Peru.
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 Javier Orman, of Uruguay, currently studies with Yehonatan Berick at the University of Michigan, where he has been awarded full-scholarship to pursue a Masters in Violin Performance. Mr. Orman completed his Bachelor degrees in Music and Mathematics (Magna cum Laude) at the College of Charleston, where he studied under the direction of Lee Chin Siow. His early teachers were Ludmilla Cavallaro and Beatriz Ridilenir. In 2002 and 2005, he received first prize in the South Carolina Music Teachers Association Soloist Competition and has also been honored with the Phi Kappa Phi Fellowship. He has performed as a soloist with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra and the Trujillo Symphony Orchestra, and has performed as a recitalist and chamber musician in the United States, El Salvador, Peru, Argentina and Uruguay. Mr. Orman has been a member of the violin faculty at Charleston Academy of Music and at the Ashley Hall School in Charleston and also dedicates his time to Orchestral Conducting, having studied with Federico Garcia Vigil, Andrew George and Lorenzo Muti.
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Esther Senft |
Recorder ~ Violin |
.JPG) Esther Senft is from Germany and began learning the recorder and violin at the age of six. Ms. Senft later went on to win two prizes in the national “Jugend Musiziert” music competition as a soloist performing the recorder as well as playing violin as a member of an early music ensemble. She has performed and traveled with various ensembles and orchestras throughout Europe and Asia and has taken lessons and participated in masterclasses under the instruction of some of Europe’s finest musicians. Ms. Senft has a degree in recorder pedagogy from the Music Conservatory of Cologne and recently taught a very successful studio of students at the Rheinische music school.
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 Nikolai received a Master of Art Degree in Music with a concentration in Jazz Guitar from the University of Arts in Russia, and he is currently working towards his Post-Graduate Degree in Classical Guitar Performance at USC in Columbia, SC. Mr. Svchev's musical background includes both film and television soundtracks, numerous music festivals and recordings in Russia, Europe and the United States. He has performed prestigious events for President George W. Bush, and the Governor and South Carolina Speaker of The House. Nikolai currently performs both jazz and classical genres with his jazz ensemble for receptions and corporate events as well as performing as a soloist for wedding ceremonies around the Charleston area.
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.JPG) Robbie Dietrich earned his degree in music from the College of Charleston. He then went on to continue studying piano and composition at the University of New Mexico as well as the Music Conservatory in Cologne, Germany for a period spanning five years. Mr. Dietrich has ten years teaching experience including time spent abroad teaching his students in German. He has participated in master classes and arts festivals all over the world studying with world renowned teachers.
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Fernando Troche |
Classical Guitar |
 Born in Uruguay, Fernando began his musical studies at the San Martin Conservatory in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where he studied classical guitar with Osvaldo Vassarotto and continued at the University of Music in Uruguay with Amilcar Rodriguez Indá and Mauro Marasco, also taking jazz training with composer Ángel Varela Rey. He participated in master classes with Eduardo Fernandez, Marco Sartor, Eduardo Gilardoni, etc. He founded the “Arkhangel Trio” with tenor Martin Nusspaumer and pianist Santiago Bonifacio and “Trio-Fusion” with bassist Alejandro Carbajal and percussionist Rodrigo Villanueva. He performed in several concerts as a soloist, in duos and trios and accompanying opera singers in cities such as Porto Alegre (Brazil), Punta del Este, Montevideo and Colonia (Uruguay), Buenos Aires (Argentina), Boton Rouge, LA, San Francisco, CA and Charleston, SC (USA). Currently he is studying classical guitar at the School of the Arts, College of Charleston, under the direction of Marc Regnier.
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 Yun-Hao, born in Shanghai, China, began his cello studies at the Shanghai Conservatory and continued his studies at the Municipal School of Music in Montevideo, Uruguay, with Professor Pedro Laniella. Mr. Jiang was principal cellist of the National Youth Orchestra for several seasons as well as a member of the Montevideo Philharmonic Orchestra. He has been coached in cello by William Molinas, Claudio Baraviera, Owen Carmen, Steven Doane, and Hans Jensen. Yun Hao was awarded the Juvenalis Award in 1999 and won First Prizes in the Jeunesses Musicales Competition in 2002 for cello soloist and chamber music ensemble. He now continues to perform for weddings and events with the Classical Charleston.
 Brent Price earned his Master of Music degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music as a student of Paul Kantor in 2004. He earned his Bachelor of Music degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music as a student of David Russell in 2002. Originally from Miami, Florida, Mr. Price began his formal violin studies at age nine with Susan Fink and former teachers include Felicia Moye, Sergiu Schwartz, Todor Pelev and Kathy Meng-Robinson. He has been a featured soloist with the Greater Miami Youth Symphony in 1992 and 1994, where he also served as their Concertmaster, and with the New World School of the Arts Symphony in 1998. Past music festivals attended have included Spoleto, Aspen Music Festival, Encore, Chautauqua, Interlochen, and he is an alumnus of the New York String Orchestra Seminar at Carnegie Hall. At the Aspen Music Festival he has been featured in several concerts from the festival's Young Artists concert series as well as had radio broadcasts of those performances on KJAX Aspen. In November 2003, Mr. Price was invited to perform in The Michael Tilson Thomas Workshop: Music of Aaron Copland which culminated in performances at Carnegie Hall including Carnegie's new hall Zankel Hall which opened the prior month of 2003. He has been a member of the Cleveland Opera Orchestra, Red {an orchestra} for the seasons of 2002-2004 and is a guest performer with Eos Orchestra in NYC for 2004-2005. In the summer of 2004 Mr. Price served as the Associate Concertmaster of the National Repertory Orchestra and soloed with them throughout the summer. In September of 2004 Mr. Price began a position with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra.
 A native from Chicago, soprano Janai Brugger was recently invited to sing at Carnegie Hall after winning the Marilyn Horne Master-Class Competition. She has performed roles such as Ilia, from Mozart’s Idomeneo; Mercedes, from Bizet’s Carmen; Nancy, from Britten’s Albert Herring; and Dido, from Purcell’s Dido & Aeneas, under the direction of Harry Silverstein. She also performed as a Young Artist with the Chicago Opera Theatre for two years under the direction of Brian Dickie. Janai received her Master’s Degree in Voice Performance at the University of Michigan, as a student of world renowned soprano Shirley Verrett. She recently performed the role of Tatyiana in Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin under the direction of Josh Major and Martin Katz at the University of Michigan. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in Voice Performance at DePaul University, where she studied with Elsa Charlston. Upcoming Events for Ms. Brugger will be performing with The Lyric Opera of Chicago's Outreach Program, singing Adina, from the Elixir of Love for public schools all over the Chicagoland area. Janai currently resides and performs with members of Classical Charleston.
 Sarah is a mezzo-soprano originally from Dallas, TX. She has recently sung solo engagements with the Hilton Head Orchestra, Bowling Green Symphony, Murfreesboro Symphony and sang Maria in West Side Story with the Bowling Green Chamber Orchestra. Other recent roles include Hansel in Hansel and Gretel with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra for the Piccolo Spoleto Festival and Cherubino in the Marriage of Figaro with the PalmettoOpera. She sang Koukouli in L'Etoile and Stellain The Tales of Hoffmann in the Cincinnati Opera's 2006 Festival Season. Sarah has been a young artist with the Cincinnati Opera, Glimmerglass Opera, Opera North and Central City Opera. She has also been a soloist with the Charleston Symphony, Charleston Pops, Cincinnati Baroque, Kentucky Symphony, Michigan Pops and Musica Sacra. Notable roles include Hermia in a Midsummer Night’s Dream, Mrs. McLean in Susannah, Genevieve in Pelleas et Melisande, Dame Quickly in Verdi’s Falstaff and Ruth in the Pirates of Penzance. Sarah is a two-time winner of the South Carolina District Metropolitan Opera Competition in 2006 and 2007. She holds a bachelor's degree in music from the University of Michigan and Masters is Voice from the University of Cincinnati-College Conservatory of Music.
 Courtney Sharp began cello lessons at age 8 in her hometown of Wilmette, IL. She is a recent graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Music, where her teachers were Richard Aaron and Melissa Kraut. Currently, she is pursuing an Artist’s Certificate degree at the College of Charleston, studying under Natalia Khoma. During four years of high school, she performed extensively in New Trier High School’s two orchestras and was principal cello of both orchestras her junior and senior years. From 1997-2004, she participated in Midwest Young Artists, a youth orchestra in Illinois. With MYA, she toured Austra, Czech Republic, Hungary, and Switzerland. During her four years at CIM, she performed all over the state of Ohio in professional orchestra, churches, and in the concert halls in the heart of Cleveland.
 Roman Pekar, Bassist, was born in Ukraine and began his music studies at the age of 5 learning violin. Roman later went on to study the bass which would become his primary instrument. He graduated from the Leontovich Music College in Vinnitsa, Ukraine and the Saint Petersburg State Conservatoire in Saint Petersburg, Russia where he received a Master of Music Degree in Bass Performance in 1998. In 1991-2001 he was a member of State Symphony Orchestra. Since 2001, Roman has lived in Charleston, SC performing with the Charleston Symphony on occasion as well as teaching and performing at various events. Roman has performed around Europe and Asia, and has also recorded a number of CD's.
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Heather Emrich "Heddy Rae" |
Jazz Vocals |
 Heddy Rae is a Charleston,SC native who returned to the city after a five years in Munich and a 2 year stint in Boston. She began her musical studies in classical voice under the highly respected Ambrose Holford and continued in Munich with opera singer Gedvidas Lazauskas. She has performed in prestigious choral groups such as Munchen Akademischer Gesangverein and Boston's Chorus Pro Musica. In 2004, she began studying jazz at the Berklee School of Music Workshop in Umbria, Italy and continued her studies at the New England Conservatory. There she studied with with jazz vocalist Rebecca Shrimpton and performing in various jazz ensembles. Currently she studies with Frank Duvall. She has played numerous high profile events such as The Historic Charleston Foundations annual Young Advocates Soiree, Charleston Garden Festival, South Carolina Historical Society and the Building Arts College annual Gala. Heather currently performs for Sunday Brunch at Charleston's Tristan Restaurant as lead vocalist of the Market Street Trio.
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Ben Wells |
Jazz - Upright Bass |
 Ben Wells was born and raised in Asheville, NC where his interest in music developed while studying piano at an early age. He was first introduced to Jazz while attending the Fine Arts Center of Greenville under nationally recognized instructor Steve Watson. Ben studied Jazz Bass with Frank Duvall at The College of Charleston earning a Bachelors Degree and an Artist Certificate in Jazz Performance. Since then, Ben has made a career out of playing music in venues throughout the Charleston area. His musical career has taken him to cities along the east coast including New York City and Washington DC. He has performed in Paris, France with the United States Musical Ambassadors and also received two "Outstanding Soloist" awards as well as "Outstanding Musicianship" at the 2008 and 2009 Athens Twilight Jazz Festival. Ben currently performs the upright Bass in the Market Street Trio. The jazz ensemble performs Sunday Brunch at Charleston's Tristan Restaurant on the Market.
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