The Champions - Artists of The Hill Studio
Kinga Augustyn is a versatile, New York City–based virtuoso concert violinist and recording artist celebrated for her stylish, vibrant musicianship (The Strad) and “beyond amazing… one hell of a violinist!” (Fanfare Magazine). Known for her rare combination of technical command, artistic depth, and emotional sincerity, she brings a uniquely personal voice to every performance.
Ms. Augustyn has appeared as a soloist with orchestras throughout North and South America, Europe, and Asia, including the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra, Queens Symphony Orchestra, Eastern Connecticut Symphony Orchestra, Deutsches Kammerorchester Berlin, Magdeburg Philharmonic Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra Leopoldinum, Wrocław Philharmonic Orchestra, MAV Symphony Orchestra of Budapest, and the Orquesta Sinfónica in Santiago, Chile. She has toured China extensively, performing in major venues such as Beijing’s Poly Theater and the Shanghai Oriental Art Center.
As a recitalist and chamber musician, she has appeared at Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium and Weill Recital Hall, Alice Tully Hall, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Aspen Music Festival, the Chicago Cultural Center, Teatro Ristori (Verona), Teatro La Fenice (Venice), and Teatro dal Verme (Milano). In addition to concerto and duo repertoire, Ms. Augustyn is noted for her commanding unaccompanied solo violin performances, as well as her work on the baroque violin.
Critics frequently praise Augustyn’s profound musical interpretations, deft phrasing, luminous tone, and exceptional bow mastery. MusicWeb International describes her Bruch Concerto with the Janáček Philharmonic as “extremely moving and expressive,” marked by “beauty, richness and smoothness of tone,” and a response that feels “deeply personal and emotional.” Fanfare Magazine writes, “With completely secure technical control, she couples a tapestry of tone color to her innate musicality.”
A hallmark of Augustyn’s artistry is her extraordinary stylistic range - from early baroque to contemporary - and her ability to communicate with clarity and direct emotional truth. A passionate advocate for new music, she has premiered and recorded numerous works written for her. She also champions lesser-known composers, especially from her native Poland. Her three albums of Polish music, including Grażyna Bacewicz: A Portrait (Centaur, 2022) and two Naxos releases featuring world premieres by Romuald Twardowski and a collection of Polish violin works, have earned praise as “fascinating” (The Strad) and have established her as “an ambassador of Polish culture” (Ruch Muzyczny).
Her discography additionally includes Turning in Time, a critically acclaimed album of 20th- and 21st-century unaccompanied violin works (Penderecki, Carter, Berio, Yun, Kaye, Bacewicz), which Gramophone called “remarkable,” praising her “vibrant intensity… bold focus… and caressing of phrases.” Other recorded highlights include The Paganini Caprices, considered by critics “an enduring benchmark” (Classical Net); La Pasión (Piazzolla Tango-Etudes); Telemann’s 12 Fantasias for Solo Violin (Centaur); and Glen Roven’s Runaway Bunny Concerto with Catherine Zeta-Jones.
Ms. Augustyn has earned numerous international honors, including First Prizes at the Alexander & Buono International String Competition, Artist International Presentations, and the J.S. Bach Competition (Poland), as well as top prizes at the Johannes Brahms Competition (Austria), Kloster Schöntal Competition (Germany), Michael Hill Competition (New Zealand), and the Kosciuszko Foundation Wieniawski Violin Competition (USA). She has been recognized as both “The Outstanding Pole in the USA” and a laureate of the Ministry of Culture’s “Young Poland” award.
She holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from The Juilliard School (studying with Cho-Liang Lin and Naoko Tanaka as a full-scholarship recipient) and a Doctorate from Stony Brook University (under Phil Setzer and Pamela Frank, also with full scholarship and assistantship). Earlier, she completed the Karol Szymanowski School of Music in Wrocław a year early while simultaneously studying with Pertu Munteanu at the Rostock University of Music and Drama.
Ms. Augustyn performs on a Joseph Gagliano violin (1774) and bows by François Peccatte and François Xavier Tourte. For historically informed baroque performance, she plays a specially designed violin by Lukas Wroński, inspired by the statue of Venus de Milo.
With a unique blend of virtuosity, artistic curiosity, emotional authenticity, and cultural advocacy, Kinga Augustyn continues to shape a powerful and distinctive voice in today’s violin world.
Ms. Augustyn has appeared as a soloist with orchestras throughout North and South America, Europe, and Asia, including the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra, Queens Symphony Orchestra, Eastern Connecticut Symphony Orchestra, Deutsches Kammerorchester Berlin, Magdeburg Philharmonic Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra Leopoldinum, Wrocław Philharmonic Orchestra, MAV Symphony Orchestra of Budapest, and the Orquesta Sinfónica in Santiago, Chile. She has toured China extensively, performing in major venues such as Beijing’s Poly Theater and the Shanghai Oriental Art Center.
As a recitalist and chamber musician, she has appeared at Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium and Weill Recital Hall, Alice Tully Hall, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Aspen Music Festival, the Chicago Cultural Center, Teatro Ristori (Verona), Teatro La Fenice (Venice), and Teatro dal Verme (Milano). In addition to concerto and duo repertoire, Ms. Augustyn is noted for her commanding unaccompanied solo violin performances, as well as her work on the baroque violin.
Critics frequently praise Augustyn’s profound musical interpretations, deft phrasing, luminous tone, and exceptional bow mastery. MusicWeb International describes her Bruch Concerto with the Janáček Philharmonic as “extremely moving and expressive,” marked by “beauty, richness and smoothness of tone,” and a response that feels “deeply personal and emotional.” Fanfare Magazine writes, “With completely secure technical control, she couples a tapestry of tone color to her innate musicality.”
A hallmark of Augustyn’s artistry is her extraordinary stylistic range - from early baroque to contemporary - and her ability to communicate with clarity and direct emotional truth. A passionate advocate for new music, she has premiered and recorded numerous works written for her. She also champions lesser-known composers, especially from her native Poland. Her three albums of Polish music, including Grażyna Bacewicz: A Portrait (Centaur, 2022) and two Naxos releases featuring world premieres by Romuald Twardowski and a collection of Polish violin works, have earned praise as “fascinating” (The Strad) and have established her as “an ambassador of Polish culture” (Ruch Muzyczny).
Her discography additionally includes Turning in Time, a critically acclaimed album of 20th- and 21st-century unaccompanied violin works (Penderecki, Carter, Berio, Yun, Kaye, Bacewicz), which Gramophone called “remarkable,” praising her “vibrant intensity… bold focus… and caressing of phrases.” Other recorded highlights include The Paganini Caprices, considered by critics “an enduring benchmark” (Classical Net); La Pasión (Piazzolla Tango-Etudes); Telemann’s 12 Fantasias for Solo Violin (Centaur); and Glen Roven’s Runaway Bunny Concerto with Catherine Zeta-Jones.
Ms. Augustyn has earned numerous international honors, including First Prizes at the Alexander & Buono International String Competition, Artist International Presentations, and the J.S. Bach Competition (Poland), as well as top prizes at the Johannes Brahms Competition (Austria), Kloster Schöntal Competition (Germany), Michael Hill Competition (New Zealand), and the Kosciuszko Foundation Wieniawski Violin Competition (USA). She has been recognized as both “The Outstanding Pole in the USA” and a laureate of the Ministry of Culture’s “Young Poland” award.
She holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from The Juilliard School (studying with Cho-Liang Lin and Naoko Tanaka as a full-scholarship recipient) and a Doctorate from Stony Brook University (under Phil Setzer and Pamela Frank, also with full scholarship and assistantship). Earlier, she completed the Karol Szymanowski School of Music in Wrocław a year early while simultaneously studying with Pertu Munteanu at the Rostock University of Music and Drama.
Ms. Augustyn performs on a Joseph Gagliano violin (1774) and bows by François Peccatte and François Xavier Tourte. For historically informed baroque performance, she plays a specially designed violin by Lukas Wroński, inspired by the statue of Venus de Milo.
With a unique blend of virtuosity, artistic curiosity, emotional authenticity, and cultural advocacy, Kinga Augustyn continues to shape a powerful and distinctive voice in today’s violin world.
Originally from Beijing, China, Yalin Chi made her début with the Central Opera Orchestra before moving to the United States to study at Interlochen Arts Academy. Yalin has performed at venues including Alice Tully Hall, Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Kumho Art Hall in Seoul, Korea, and ZhongShan Music Hall in Beijing China. Her solo recital last year was selected by the Poughkeepsie Journal as one of the weekend top picks, and Leslie Gerber of the Woodstock Times described her recent recital in the Saugerties Pro Musica concert series as “flowing and masterful,” with “gorgeous tonal coloring.” Yalin has worked with musicians around the world, including principal trombonist of the New York Philharmonic Joseph Alessi, principal trumpet of the London Symphony Orchestra Philip Cobb, clarinetist Alexander Fiterstein, and concertmaster of the Seoul Symphony Orchestra Wayne Lin. As an orchestral musician, she regularly performs with Albany Symphony, New Jersey Festival Orchestra, and has held the principal keyboard position at the Hudson Valley Philharmonic since 2014.
Yalin studied with Seymour Lipkin and Jerome Lowenthal at the Juilliard School where she earned both undergraduate and masters of music degrees, and continued studies with Peter Frankl at Yale School of Music before joining the West Point Band in 2008.
Yalin studied with Seymour Lipkin and Jerome Lowenthal at the Juilliard School where she earned both undergraduate and masters of music degrees, and continued studies with Peter Frankl at Yale School of Music before joining the West Point Band in 2008.
Critically acclaimed American oboist Lisa Kozenko has performed throughout the world as a concerto soloist, chamber artist and orchestral musician. She has 18 solo oboe and chamber music commissions to her credit. Her solo recording of Doubles by Judith Zaimont was named to Chamber Music America’s Century List of recordings.
Ms. Kozenko was principal oboist of the New York City Opera National Company and has performed with the New York Philharmonic and the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra. She has served on the faculty of the Bowdoin International Music Festival and as an adjudicator for the 2017 Carnegie Hall New York China Orchestra and the 70th Hong Kong Music Festival.
As a member of the Manhattan Wind Quintet, she was a finalist in the Walter W. Naumburg Foundation Chamber Music Competition and prizewinner of the Coleman, Fischoff, Monterey, Yellow Springs, and Chamber Music Chicago competitions. She was a solo prizewinner of the 15th Louise D. McMahon International Music Competition and presented her New York solo recital debut at Carnegie Hall under the auspices of Artist International.
Dr. Kozenko is Associate Professor of Performance Practice (Oboe) at Ball State University and Assistant Professor of Oboe and Chamber Music at Mannes School of Music at the New School College of the Performing Arts.
Ms. Kozenko was principal oboist of the New York City Opera National Company and has performed with the New York Philharmonic and the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra. She has served on the faculty of the Bowdoin International Music Festival and as an adjudicator for the 2017 Carnegie Hall New York China Orchestra and the 70th Hong Kong Music Festival.
As a member of the Manhattan Wind Quintet, she was a finalist in the Walter W. Naumburg Foundation Chamber Music Competition and prizewinner of the Coleman, Fischoff, Monterey, Yellow Springs, and Chamber Music Chicago competitions. She was a solo prizewinner of the 15th Louise D. McMahon International Music Competition and presented her New York solo recital debut at Carnegie Hall under the auspices of Artist International.
Dr. Kozenko is Associate Professor of Performance Practice (Oboe) at Ball State University and Assistant Professor of Oboe and Chamber Music at Mannes School of Music at the New School College of the Performing Arts.
Known for the energy he brings to the stage, cellist Benjamin Larsen has forged a reputation as an avid chamber musician in the New York City area. His knack for adventurous programming comes through in his work as Artistic Director of the series, Concerts on the Slope, and in the projects that he spearheads, working with some of today's most notable composers, including Robert Sirota, Reena Esmail, Tania Leon, Ke-Chia Chen and many others. In 2016, Larsen launched a project with flutist Martha Cargo, "Pieces of Eight," which is comprised of eight commissioned works by eight different composers for Flute-Cello duo. The project promotes the genre, and provides the opportunity to work closely with composers of various generational and cultural backgrounds. He has also performed alongside members of the Emerson, American, Chiara and Tokyo quartets, as well as Daniel Epstein, Vicky Chow, Ian Rosenbaum, Eriko Sato and Linda Chesis.
Mr. Larsen is a graduate of Manhattan School of Music, where he was the recipient of the Hans and Klara Bauer Scholarship, as well as the 2011 Pablo Casals Award. His past mentors have included Julia Lichten, David Finckel and Eric Dahlin, as well as lessons with Marta Istomin and Bonnie Hampton. He spent a year playing with the band, The Left Banke, and attended summer festivals including Pacific Music Festival, Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, Music@Menlo, and Castleman's Quartet Program. Along with his wife, pianist Hyungjin Choi, he actively performs in the Larsen-Choi Duo, which champions new music, original compositions and sonata literature. In addition to his busy performance schedule, he holds a private teaching studio in addition to a faculty position at Music School of Westchester. He plays on a 19th century anonymous cello.
Mr. Larsen is a graduate of Manhattan School of Music, where he was the recipient of the Hans and Klara Bauer Scholarship, as well as the 2011 Pablo Casals Award. His past mentors have included Julia Lichten, David Finckel and Eric Dahlin, as well as lessons with Marta Istomin and Bonnie Hampton. He spent a year playing with the band, The Left Banke, and attended summer festivals including Pacific Music Festival, Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, Music@Menlo, and Castleman's Quartet Program. Along with his wife, pianist Hyungjin Choi, he actively performs in the Larsen-Choi Duo, which champions new music, original compositions and sonata literature. In addition to his busy performance schedule, he holds a private teaching studio in addition to a faculty position at Music School of Westchester. He plays on a 19th century anonymous cello.
Tzu-En Lee is a versatile violinist and violist known for her thoughtful musicianship and expressive playing. Her performances reflect a deep commitment to both technical precision and emotional nuance, shaped by years of dedicated study and experience across a wide range of musical settings.
Originally from Taiwan, Tzu-En began playing the violin at a young age and gained early recognition through local and national competitions. She later moved to the United States to continue her musical education, earning a diploma from the Mannes College of Music in 2012 and a degree from Hunter College in 2017. She studied privately with violinist Yuri Vodovoz and has participated in masterclasses with musicians such as Mark Peskanov.
Tzu-En has served as concertmaster with Pocket Opera and the Hunter Symphony in New York City, and appeared as a soloist in the New York premiere of Douglas Townsend’s Concerto "In the Old Style" for Three Solo Violins and String Orchestra. She is also an active chamber musician, having performed in venues including Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center.
Tzu-En began her viola journey in 2016 through the Alaria Chamber Music Program, first as a participant and later as a soloist and chamber violist starting in 2019. In 2023, she was appointed violist of the Alaria Chamber Ensemble, becoming a formal member of the group. Beyond her work in classical repertoire, Tzu-En is passionate about contemporary music, frequently performing works by modern composers, including those of her friends and colleagues. She has appeared in the David Oei Classical Salon, the annual fundraising concert for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (organized by Randolph Martial Arts Academy and Douglas DaSilva), and regularly plays at her local church. Currently, she is working on a solo viola composition, aiming to share the depth and richness of the instrument’s sound with the world.
In addition to performing, Tzu-En is a dedicated educator based in Levittown, Pennsylvania, where she works with students of all levels. She is also the founder of the Soulmonics Chamber Music Society, an organization focused on fostering artistic collaboration and offering performance opportunities to musicians.
Originally from Taiwan, Tzu-En began playing the violin at a young age and gained early recognition through local and national competitions. She later moved to the United States to continue her musical education, earning a diploma from the Mannes College of Music in 2012 and a degree from Hunter College in 2017. She studied privately with violinist Yuri Vodovoz and has participated in masterclasses with musicians such as Mark Peskanov.
Tzu-En has served as concertmaster with Pocket Opera and the Hunter Symphony in New York City, and appeared as a soloist in the New York premiere of Douglas Townsend’s Concerto "In the Old Style" for Three Solo Violins and String Orchestra. She is also an active chamber musician, having performed in venues including Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center.
Tzu-En began her viola journey in 2016 through the Alaria Chamber Music Program, first as a participant and later as a soloist and chamber violist starting in 2019. In 2023, she was appointed violist of the Alaria Chamber Ensemble, becoming a formal member of the group. Beyond her work in classical repertoire, Tzu-En is passionate about contemporary music, frequently performing works by modern composers, including those of her friends and colleagues. She has appeared in the David Oei Classical Salon, the annual fundraising concert for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (organized by Randolph Martial Arts Academy and Douglas DaSilva), and regularly plays at her local church. Currently, she is working on a solo viola composition, aiming to share the depth and richness of the instrument’s sound with the world.
In addition to performing, Tzu-En is a dedicated educator based in Levittown, Pennsylvania, where she works with students of all levels. She is also the founder of the Soulmonics Chamber Music Society, an organization focused on fostering artistic collaboration and offering performance opportunities to musicians.
Roderigo Robles de Medina belongs to the generation of leading young Dutch pianists. He plays concerts as soloist and as a chamber musician and accompanist. He is a member of the Airaudo – Robles de Medina piano duo.
Roderigo Robles de Medina gave concerts in a number of prestigious concert halls, such as the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Glinka Halll of the Sint Petersburg Philharmonia and in Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in New York. Outside of Holland he performed in France, England, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Uruguay, Argentina, Brazil, Panama and Suriname.
Born in Utrecht , he started his studies with Mila Baslawskaja. In 1982 he moved to England to study with Sulamita Aronovsky at the Royal Northern College of Music. After graduating in 1986, he won a British Council Fellowship Award twice enabling him to continue his studies at the RNCM, receiving the “Professional Performance Diploma” in 1988. He then continued to study with Jan Wijn at the Conservatory of Amsterdam, obtaining the diploma of Performing Musician, and with Sergei Markarov at the École Normale de Musique in Paris, winning the Diplôme Supérieur de Concertiste. Roderigo received Masterclasses from Bella Davidovich, Hans Leygraf, Joaquin Soriano, György Sebök, Eugène Indjic and Tamara Poddubnaya. Roderigo Robles de Medina was a laureate at the Eduard Flipse Competiton in Rotterdam (1987), at the international piano competition 'Citta di Senigallia' in Italië (1988) and at the Competiton of the École Normale de Musique en de Alliance Française in Paris (1999).
Roderigo performed Mozarts Pianoconcert KV 271 and chamber music during the Festival “Stars of the White Nights” in Saint Petersburg, of which Valery Gergiev was Artistic Director. In June 1998 he participated in the fifteenth Chopin Festival in Paris, that was broadcast by the French TV5.
In 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 Roderigo performed concerts and gave masterclasses in Montevideo for Sembrando Talentos Uruguay. In September 2011 he also gave masterclasses in Buenos Aires at the Conservatorio Nacional de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires “Astor Piazzolla”.
In June 2012 he played Beethoven’s fourth piano concerto in Panama City as part of the International Chamber Music Festival “Alfredo de Saint Malo”.
With Uruguayan pianist Mariana Airaudo he founded the Duo Airaudo – Robles de Medina in 2012. They performed very successfully in the prestigious chamber music series of SODRE in Montevideo in 2013, and, in September 2014, played recitals at five universities in Brazil in the cities of Rio de Janeiro, João Pessoa, Natal, Porto Alegre and Florianópolis. At the same time, Roderigo gave piano master classes there.
In December 2014 he was a jury member of the “Rotterdam Piano 3daagse”, a biennial piano festival in Rotterdam. Roderigo is a staff pianist at Codarts University for the Arts in Rotterdam, working together with such distinguished musicians as Gordan Nikolic, Roberta Alexander, Igor Gruppman, Vesna Gruppman, Olga Martinova, Ron Ephrat and Hans Leenders.
Roderigo Robles de Medina gave concerts in a number of prestigious concert halls, such as the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Glinka Halll of the Sint Petersburg Philharmonia and in Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in New York. Outside of Holland he performed in France, England, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Uruguay, Argentina, Brazil, Panama and Suriname.
Born in Utrecht , he started his studies with Mila Baslawskaja. In 1982 he moved to England to study with Sulamita Aronovsky at the Royal Northern College of Music. After graduating in 1986, he won a British Council Fellowship Award twice enabling him to continue his studies at the RNCM, receiving the “Professional Performance Diploma” in 1988. He then continued to study with Jan Wijn at the Conservatory of Amsterdam, obtaining the diploma of Performing Musician, and with Sergei Markarov at the École Normale de Musique in Paris, winning the Diplôme Supérieur de Concertiste. Roderigo received Masterclasses from Bella Davidovich, Hans Leygraf, Joaquin Soriano, György Sebök, Eugène Indjic and Tamara Poddubnaya. Roderigo Robles de Medina was a laureate at the Eduard Flipse Competiton in Rotterdam (1987), at the international piano competition 'Citta di Senigallia' in Italië (1988) and at the Competiton of the École Normale de Musique en de Alliance Française in Paris (1999).
Roderigo performed Mozarts Pianoconcert KV 271 and chamber music during the Festival “Stars of the White Nights” in Saint Petersburg, of which Valery Gergiev was Artistic Director. In June 1998 he participated in the fifteenth Chopin Festival in Paris, that was broadcast by the French TV5.
In 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 Roderigo performed concerts and gave masterclasses in Montevideo for Sembrando Talentos Uruguay. In September 2011 he also gave masterclasses in Buenos Aires at the Conservatorio Nacional de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires “Astor Piazzolla”.
In June 2012 he played Beethoven’s fourth piano concerto in Panama City as part of the International Chamber Music Festival “Alfredo de Saint Malo”.
With Uruguayan pianist Mariana Airaudo he founded the Duo Airaudo – Robles de Medina in 2012. They performed very successfully in the prestigious chamber music series of SODRE in Montevideo in 2013, and, in September 2014, played recitals at five universities in Brazil in the cities of Rio de Janeiro, João Pessoa, Natal, Porto Alegre and Florianópolis. At the same time, Roderigo gave piano master classes there.
In December 2014 he was a jury member of the “Rotterdam Piano 3daagse”, a biennial piano festival in Rotterdam. Roderigo is a staff pianist at Codarts University for the Arts in Rotterdam, working together with such distinguished musicians as Gordan Nikolic, Roberta Alexander, Igor Gruppman, Vesna Gruppman, Olga Martinova, Ron Ephrat and Hans Leenders.
- David Oei, pianist, was a soloist with the Hong Kong Philharmonic at the age of nine and has since performed with major orchestras including the New York Philharmonic, Pittsburgh, and Baltimore Symphonies. Mr. Oei is the winner of five Interlochen Concerto Competitions and the Concert Artists Guild, WQXR Young Artists, Young Musicians Foundation and Paul Ulanowsky Chamber Pianists Awards. A perennial fixture on the New York City chamber music scene he has made guest appearances with the Audubon Quartet, Claring Chamber Players, Da Capo Chamber Players, New York Philharmonic Ensembles, St. Luke's and Orpheus Chamber Ensembles and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. In recent years he performed the Mozart Concerto No. 20, Brahms Concertos No.1 & No. 2, and Beethoven Concerto No.3 with the Strathmere Festival Orchestra and the Schnittke Concerto with the Washington Square Festival Orchestra.
His television credits include Leonard Bernstein's Young People's Concerts, CBS News Sunday Morning and the Today Show.
Mr. Oei was the Music Director and Production Advisor for Music-Theatre Group's productions of Stanley Silverman and Richard Foreman's Africanis Instructus and Love and Science. He was also the Music Director for the Sundance Theater Workshop production of the Wallace/Foreman opera Yiddisher Teddy Bears. In the summer of '07 he conducted the Washington Square Festival Chamber Orchestra in a Gershwin/Weill concert titled Music as Political Statement.
He has recorded a wide range of chamber works for Delos, ADDA, Vanguard, CRI, Pro Arte, Arabesque, Albany, Grenadilla and New World Records. A very special project was his 2008 recording with Lutz Rath of The Lay of Love and Death of the Cornet Christoph Rilke by Viktor Ullmann for piano and speaker. In 2010 he recorded a duo CD with violinist Eriko Sato titled Five Not-So-Easy Pieces on his new label Prestissimo. In 2017, he released a solo CD of Steven Christopher Sacco's Book of Whimsy for the American Composers Alliance. This album is available on Bandcamp and most streaming services. In 2020 Sacco’s Sonata for Clarinet and Piano with clarinetist Amalie Wyrick-Flax was similarly released by the American Composers Alliance.
A former Volunteers Coordinator and Head Coach for Manhattan Special Olympics and a former longtime faculty member of Summertrios, Bennington Chamber Music Conference, Hoff-Barthelson Music School and the Mannes College of Music, Mr. Oei has been a faculty member of the Alaria Chamber Music Program since 2009 and a faculty of the newly-formed SOUP International Music Program since 2023. He is a member of the Alaria Chamber Ensemble, which has presented an annual Weill Recital Hall series for over four decades.
In the summer of '14 he served as the director of the Smalls Chamber Music Salon at the Smalls Jazz Club. From 2015-2020 he was the director of the Mezzrow Classical Salon with David Oei. This monthly chamber music series is now renamed the David Oei Classical Salon and enjoying its new journey at the beautiful St. John's in the Village. A former artist of the New York Classical Music Society he's also the recipient of its 2017 Citation of Honor for his work with the Mezzrow series.
In the pandemic era the Sato-Oei Duo recorded several videos for the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Washington Square Music Festival, Concerts on the Slope, PREformances with Allison Charney and the American Chamber Ensemble. These videos can be found on his YouTube Channel.
On April 9th, 2022 he gave the world premiere of Sacco's Parables and Meditations, a concerto for piano solo and fixed media dedicated to him. His recording of that work on The Hill Studio label, as well as his following solo album "Journey Home" with Sacco's Three Suites for Piano, are available on Bandcamp and most streaming services. Recently he recorded Sacco's Kaya Songs for viola and piano with violist Tzu-En Lee, along with Sacco's Introit for piano 4-hands with the composer himself. This album was similarly released on October 15th, 2025. Most recently, he recorded Steven Sacco's "Three By Three" with Eriko Sato and cellist Ben Larsen. This piano trios album will be released on September 25th, 2026. All Sacco CDs are available at stevenchristophersacco.bandcamp.com
The private duo CD with Eriko and the Viktor Ullmann CD with Lutz are now available on Bandcamp and most streaming services.
Mr. Oei lives in NYC with his wife, violinist Eriko Sato.
Visit his website: https://davidoei.weebly.com/
Eriko Sato is a leading violinist on the New York City chamber music scene and a co-concertmaster of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and the Orchestra of St. Luke's. She made her solo debut at age 13 and has performed as soloist with orchestras in Louisville, San Francisco and Tokyo. Ms. Sato was the winner of the Tibor Varga International Competition, the Young Musicians Foundation Competition and three Japanese National Competitions. Ms. Sato has participated in the Mostly Mozart, Aspen, Sitka, Angel Fire, Gretna, Affinis and Kuhmo Music Festivals, and has appeared regularly with Bargemusic, Chamber Music Northwest, The American String Project, Music From Japan, Caramoor and the Washington Square Music Festival. A founding member of the Aspen Soloists and Salon Chamber Soloists she is also a member of the Elysium, Strathmere and American Chamber Ensembles.
As a concertmaster of Orpheus, she appears on Deutsche Grammophon recordings, where her releases include Vivaldi's Four-Violin Concerto and Handel's Concerti Grossi, Op. 6. For MusicMasters, she appears with the St. Luke's Chamber Ensemble in the Bach Concerti and the chamber music of Hindemith and Beethoven. She then later recorded Allen Shawn's string quartet "Sleepless Night" and “Mozart Flute Quartets” on Albany Records. In 2010 she recorded a private duo CD with pianist David Oei titled "Five Not-So-Easy Pieces". She has also recorded for Vanguard, Delos, Elysium, Grenadilla, USA and The Hill Studio labels and been featured on CBS News Sunday Morning. Ms. Sato has taught at Queens College and the Aspen Music Festival. For several decades she was a faculty member of the Bennington Chamber Music Conference and the Hoff-Barthelson Music School. She is currently a faculty member of the SOUP International Music Program and the Mannes College of Music.
In this pandemic era she made several short videos for organizations such as the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Orchestra of St. Luke’s, Preformances with Allison Charney, Concerts on the Slope and the Washington Square Music Festival. The videos are now on this YouTube channel
Ms. Sato just recorded a Steven Christopher Sacco piano trios album with David and cellist Ben Larsen. This 'Three By Three' album will be released on September 25th, 2026 at stevenchristophersacco.bandcamp.com
Her 2010 private duo CD with David is now available at davidoei.bandcamp.com
A regular performer of the David Oei Classical Salon, a monthly chamber music series at St. John's in the Village, she lives in New York City with her husband, pianist David Oei.
As a concertmaster of Orpheus, she appears on Deutsche Grammophon recordings, where her releases include Vivaldi's Four-Violin Concerto and Handel's Concerti Grossi, Op. 6. For MusicMasters, she appears with the St. Luke's Chamber Ensemble in the Bach Concerti and the chamber music of Hindemith and Beethoven. She then later recorded Allen Shawn's string quartet "Sleepless Night" and “Mozart Flute Quartets” on Albany Records. In 2010 she recorded a private duo CD with pianist David Oei titled "Five Not-So-Easy Pieces". She has also recorded for Vanguard, Delos, Elysium, Grenadilla, USA and The Hill Studio labels and been featured on CBS News Sunday Morning. Ms. Sato has taught at Queens College and the Aspen Music Festival. For several decades she was a faculty member of the Bennington Chamber Music Conference and the Hoff-Barthelson Music School. She is currently a faculty member of the SOUP International Music Program and the Mannes College of Music.
In this pandemic era she made several short videos for organizations such as the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Orchestra of St. Luke’s, Preformances with Allison Charney, Concerts on the Slope and the Washington Square Music Festival. The videos are now on this YouTube channel
Ms. Sato just recorded a Steven Christopher Sacco piano trios album with David and cellist Ben Larsen. This 'Three By Three' album will be released on September 25th, 2026 at stevenchristophersacco.bandcamp.com
Her 2010 private duo CD with David is now available at davidoei.bandcamp.com
A regular performer of the David Oei Classical Salon, a monthly chamber music series at St. John's in the Village, she lives in New York City with her husband, pianist David Oei.
German conductor Oliver Weder has been the Music Director and Chief Conductor of the Thueringen Symphony Orchestra and at the opera in Ruolstadt, Germany. During his tenure at the helm of this long-established ensemble (founded in 1635), the Symphony performs more than 100 concerts and music-theatre performances per season.
As an internationally demanded guest-conductor, Oliver Weder has worked with over 40 orchestras and opera-theatres in Germany and abroad, including the Hamurg Symphony Orchestra, the German National Theatre Weimar, the San José Chamber Orchestra (USA), the Slovenian Philharmonic Lubljana, the Mainz State Theatre and the Southwest German Philharmonic Orchestra Konstanz. Additional guest appearances with the Rheinsberg Chamber Opera Festival, the Ludwigsburg Court-Festval, the Jena Philharmonic Orchestra an the Wuerttemberg Chamber Orchestra Heilbronn have been met with critical acclaim.c
Maestro Weder studied conducting with Jiri Starek, Bernhard Kontarsky and Rol Reinhard at the Music Academy in Franfurt and completed his conducting education as the first West-German scholarship-holder with Ilya Musin at the St. Petersburg State Conservatory. His first long-term engagement led him to the Hoary State Opera and Ballet Theatre Perm/Russia. The stage with the famous ballet tradition and up to 30 different performances per month has proved a great opportunity for him:
Just a year later the "Flying Dutchman" appeared for the first time on stage under his baton. The performance caused a sensation that was even noted in Gemany. The Bavarian Radio and Newspapers like "Sueddeutsche Zeitung" and "Frankfurter Rundschau" made their way to Perm to document his work.
But above all, St. Petersburg theatres became aware of then thirty year old German Music Director: In 1994 Valery Gergiev chose him as the assistant for the German repertoire at the famous Mariinsky-Theatre (Salome, Parsifal) and monthly own performances with "La Traviata".
Simultaneously Maestro Weder was appointed Chief Conductor of the Rimsky-Korsakov Opera and Ballet Theatre of the Conservatory (1994 - 97). Opera productions in South Korea and for the Savonlinna Festival in Finland, concerts in Hamburg and Frankfurt as well as permanent guest-conducting appearances at the Mariinsky have enriched his Russian engagement.
German television (ZDF) and the "HamburgerAbendblatt" reported on the exotic young chief conductor in St. Petersburg.
A production of Mozart's "Cosi fan tutte" yielded him a nomination for the Theatre-Award of the City of St. Petersburg for the best conductor of the year and he played a part in the "Anna Karenina" film adaption starring Sophie Marceau.
Weder has developed close working with some of the world's preeminent musicians of our generation including Anna Netrebko, Valery Gergiev, Mariss Jansons (Assistance "La Bohème) and Hartmut Haenchen (Wagner: "Meistersinger" at the Netherlands Opera in Amsterdam).
Oliver Weder continues his close working relationship with the orchestras of St. Petersburg including opera productions during the "Mozart-Year" 2006, an engagement as an honorary Conductor with Shostakovich's "Leningrad"-Symphony on the 65th Anniversary of VE day and a current open-air production of the opera "Demon" by Anton Rubinstein.
Extensive TV-productions on Schiller's birthday in 2009, most recently the 20-year anniversary of the German reunification as well as CD and radio recordings presenting compositions of the Rudolstadt Court-Chapel are further examples of Weder's devotion to his art and the community which he serves.
In 2022 Oliver Weder was appointed General Music Director of the Theatre in Rudolstadt
As a leader in his community, Maestro Weder is the Chairman of the Board of Trustees in a regional Community Foundation and as deputy in the county council for social and cultural projects in his region.
As an internationally demanded guest-conductor, Oliver Weder has worked with over 40 orchestras and opera-theatres in Germany and abroad, including the Hamurg Symphony Orchestra, the German National Theatre Weimar, the San José Chamber Orchestra (USA), the Slovenian Philharmonic Lubljana, the Mainz State Theatre and the Southwest German Philharmonic Orchestra Konstanz. Additional guest appearances with the Rheinsberg Chamber Opera Festival, the Ludwigsburg Court-Festval, the Jena Philharmonic Orchestra an the Wuerttemberg Chamber Orchestra Heilbronn have been met with critical acclaim.c
Maestro Weder studied conducting with Jiri Starek, Bernhard Kontarsky and Rol Reinhard at the Music Academy in Franfurt and completed his conducting education as the first West-German scholarship-holder with Ilya Musin at the St. Petersburg State Conservatory. His first long-term engagement led him to the Hoary State Opera and Ballet Theatre Perm/Russia. The stage with the famous ballet tradition and up to 30 different performances per month has proved a great opportunity for him:
Just a year later the "Flying Dutchman" appeared for the first time on stage under his baton. The performance caused a sensation that was even noted in Gemany. The Bavarian Radio and Newspapers like "Sueddeutsche Zeitung" and "Frankfurter Rundschau" made their way to Perm to document his work.
But above all, St. Petersburg theatres became aware of then thirty year old German Music Director: In 1994 Valery Gergiev chose him as the assistant for the German repertoire at the famous Mariinsky-Theatre (Salome, Parsifal) and monthly own performances with "La Traviata".
Simultaneously Maestro Weder was appointed Chief Conductor of the Rimsky-Korsakov Opera and Ballet Theatre of the Conservatory (1994 - 97). Opera productions in South Korea and for the Savonlinna Festival in Finland, concerts in Hamburg and Frankfurt as well as permanent guest-conducting appearances at the Mariinsky have enriched his Russian engagement.
German television (ZDF) and the "HamburgerAbendblatt" reported on the exotic young chief conductor in St. Petersburg.
A production of Mozart's "Cosi fan tutte" yielded him a nomination for the Theatre-Award of the City of St. Petersburg for the best conductor of the year and he played a part in the "Anna Karenina" film adaption starring Sophie Marceau.
Weder has developed close working with some of the world's preeminent musicians of our generation including Anna Netrebko, Valery Gergiev, Mariss Jansons (Assistance "La Bohème) and Hartmut Haenchen (Wagner: "Meistersinger" at the Netherlands Opera in Amsterdam).
Oliver Weder continues his close working relationship with the orchestras of St. Petersburg including opera productions during the "Mozart-Year" 2006, an engagement as an honorary Conductor with Shostakovich's "Leningrad"-Symphony on the 65th Anniversary of VE day and a current open-air production of the opera "Demon" by Anton Rubinstein.
Extensive TV-productions on Schiller's birthday in 2009, most recently the 20-year anniversary of the German reunification as well as CD and radio recordings presenting compositions of the Rudolstadt Court-Chapel are further examples of Weder's devotion to his art and the community which he serves.
In 2022 Oliver Weder was appointed General Music Director of the Theatre in Rudolstadt
As a leader in his community, Maestro Weder is the Chairman of the Board of Trustees in a regional Community Foundation and as deputy in the county council for social and cultural projects in his region.