Esfir Ross (Performed March 6, 2010)

ESFIR ROSS was born and grew up in the former Soviet Republic of Moldavia. She has been playing the piano since the age of six and graduated from Kishinev Conservatory with Master degree in Piano Performance. In 1977 she emigrated to Israel, then to Greece, and finally to the USA in 1980, where she currently lives in Oakland, California. She studied at a local college and became a registered dental assistant. In the USA she studied with Karl U. Schnabel in his master-classes for sixteen years. She performed as a soloist and accompanist in Bay Area, Ohio and Israel. In 2007 she was semifinalist in the Fort Worth and Washington D.C.competitions and finalist in Colorado Springs. She has received special prizes for her programming and interpretations of baroque and romantic pieces.

Jaume Torrent and Joseph Gold (Performed October 17 & 18, 2009)

JAUME TORRENT, world renowned guitarist and composer from Barcelona, has performed extensively throughout Europe, Latin America, the United States and Russia. He led the famous guitar quartet known as the "Quartet Tarrago". Most recently, he was the president of the jury at the internationally acclaimed Subiaco Competition in Italy.

Jaume Torrent, guitarist, is one of Spain's most important musicians. He was born near Barcelona, and attended the prestigious Conservatorio del Liceu where he studied with Tarragó. Later, Mr. Torrent became the director of his alma mater. He began his international career in 1975, and has concertized extensively throughout Europe, Latin America, and in the United States. For many years Jaume led the famous guitar quartet known as "Quartet Tarragó", which was named in honor of his illustrious teacher.

Like Andres Segovia before him, Jaume Torrent has inspired composers to write works for the guitar. In addition, Sr. Torrent has composed many works which are in the repertoires of famous musicians and major orchestras. He has received many important international awards. These include “President of the Jury” at the internationally renowned Subiaco Competition in Italy and the highest award of achievement, the coveted Gold Medal from the Republic of the Ukraine.

JOSEPH GOLD is the “Romantic Violin Virtuoso” par excellence. Renowned on the four continents for his brilliant interpretations of 19th century composers, Mr. Gold has literally written the book on Paganini, Sarasate, and Bazzini. In addition to the romantic repertoire, Joseph Gold has commissioned many prominent composers to write works especially for him. Concert repertoire is selected with great care, and is designed to “bring audiences to the point of ecstasy!”

Mr. Gold is known to the literary world as a musical historian, writing books, and articles about history's greatest violinists. He has also discovered many unknown compositions by Sarasate and Paganini. All this in addition to being a soloist in famous Hollywood movies, he has directed international music festivals, and continues to present concerts of his acclaimed “Portraits of Immortal Violinists”.

Please visit his web site: www.josephgold.com

Alex Chien (Performed May 16 & 17, 2009)

Alex Chien was born in 1998. He started taking piano lessons with Ms. Kai Chi Zhu when he was four years old. Alex is the winner of many piano competitions. He won the grand prize in the 2009 Mondavi Young Artist Competition. He was also the winner of the 2009 Marilyn Mindell Piano Competition. In the 2009 US Open Music Competitions, he won the first place award in the complete Piano Concert category, and a first place award in a solo showcase category. Last year alone, he won the first place award and the “Most Promising Young Talent” special award in the 9th International Russian Piano Competition in the Young Musician category, the first place award in 2008 MTAC Piano Concerto Competition (Division I), the Menuhin-Dowling Young Musicians Award, the James Denver Gary Piano Award in Pacific Music Society Annual Competition and the Nafisa Taghioff Prize in the Fremont Symphony's Young Artist Competition and he has performed with the Symphony in two concerts. Alex was also the first place award winner at the 2008 U.S. Open Music Competition in the piano concerto and solo categories, and he was selected as the Gold of Golden Medalists in the Gold Medalist Showcase Recitals.

Alex has performed regularly in many musical events. Recently, he played at the Peninsula Symphony’s Family Concert, and at “A Celebration of Young Artist Concert” of Fremont Symphony Guild. In 2008, he performed in the Junior Bach Festival and in the Steinway Society Young Artists Concert. He also performed at the Piano Fantasia Concert honoring Robert and Margaret Mondavi at Pacific Union Colleage. His other performance events in 2008 include the Listening Hours at San Jose State University, Pacific Music Society Christmas Gala, Beshoff Mercede-Benz Concert and the benefit concert at the San Francisco Tower. Last year, Alex has performed in master classes by Lang Lang, Jon Nakamatsu, Antonio Pompa-Baldi, Ruth Slenczynska and Pascal Nemirovski. Alex attends the Harker School in San Jose, California. In addition to music, he loves writing and computers.

Cybele D'Ambrosio (Performed May 16 & 17, 2009)

Cybele D'Ambrosio is a prize-winning violinist, performing in concert halls from San Francisco to Sicily.

When she was four years old, she heard a violin solo on the radio and knew she wanted to make such music. On her fifth birthday she was given her first violin.

Growing up in the bay area, she studied with Anne Crowden. She performed with the Berkeley Youth Orchestra, the Young People's Symphony Orchestra, and served as concert mistress of the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra.

She has a B.A. in Music Performance and Pedagogy from Brigham Young University where she co-founded the Hensel Piano Trio and twice won the university's concerto competition. She received an M.F.A. in Violin Performance and Literature from Mills College where she studied violin with David Abel.

Her commitment to the art of performing is balanced by her commitment to the art of teaching.

In Italy, she taught violin at Puglia's Accademia Musicale Mediterranea and founded and directed Taranto's youth orchestra Spiccato, as well as soloing with such groups as l'Orchestra Sinfonica Art Jonica, l'Orchestra da Camera Arcangelo Corelli, and the BYU Chamber Orchestra on its tour of Europe.

She currently teaches violin and chamber music at the East Bay Center for the Performing Arts. She has recently performed with the Pacific Chamber Symphony, the Villa Sinfonia, the Golden Gate Strings and gives frequent recitals with her pianist, Janice Button-Shafer.

Cybele lives in Berkeley with her husband, Max, and their four children.

Randall Benway (Performed on October 11 & 12, 2008)

Jenny Oaks Baker (Performed May 3 & 4, 2008 & Feb 28 & Mar 1, 2009)

Jenny Oaks Baker is one of America's most accomplished classical violinists. She began playing the violin at age four, and made her solo debut in 1983 when she was only eight years old. She received her Master of Music degree from the renowned Juilliard School in New York City and her bachelor's degree in violin performance from the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia.

She has performed as a soloist at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Library of Congress, and the Kennedy Center, and as a guest soloist with the National Symphony, Jerusalem Symphony, San Diego Symphony, Utah Symphony, Orchestra at Temple Square, and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

For seven years Ms. Baker performed as a first violinist in the National Symphony Orchestra before resigning in 2007 to devote more time to her young family. She has released six albums since 1998. They have sold more than 7 5,000 copies, charted on Billboard's classical charts, garnered numerous Pearl Awards from the Faith Centered Music Association and even a Grammy nomination in 2001.

Ms. Baker, her husband Matthew, and their four children reside outside of Washington D.C.