Meet The Musicians

Described by Johannes Moser as playing "beautifully" and having an "excellent approach" to the cello," Thomas is completing a dual master's degree in cello performance and music education at the Manhattan School of Music and Teachers College, Columbia University under the instruction of Marion Feldman and Wolfram Koessel.

Turkish pianist Sila Senturk is a multifaceted soloist, chamber musician and educator. Senturk was named as one of the “Women Stars of Tomorrow” by the Istanbul Foundation of Culture and Arts in and is a recent recipient of The Borusan Kocabıyık Foundation grant as well as the Dr. Nejat F. Eczacıbaşı Foundation grant. As a performer, Sila has given concerts in highly acclaimed venues such as Harvard Club of New York, Steinway & Sons Hall, Blue Gallery, Arthur Zankel Hall. She is the recipient of several awards including the Steinway & Sons prize winner at the Bilkent Piano Festival.

Winner of the W. A. Mozart international competition, violinist Nini Giorgadze has been playing since age 6 in her native Georgia. She started violin lessons with Eka Giorgadze, and since 2010, she has become a member of The Art Academy in Georgia. In 2012, after winning Georgia's 5th national competition, she received a special prize from Liana Isakadze and a stipend from the Japanese Embassy. She has performed multiple times with the Georgian Chamber Orchestra in Ingolstadt, Germany, and at the Telavi International Music Festival.  She performed on a tour with the Georgian Sinfonietta Orchestra in Georgia – Kutaisi, Tbilisi, and Telavi. 

Venezuelan violinist Rubén Rengel is quickly gaining recognition for his remarkable artistry. He has been described as an “excellent soloist” of “great virtuosity” (NY Concert Review), who delivers “thrilling” performances (Boston Globe). Rubén has appeared as a soloist with the Philadelphia Orchestra, Detroit Symphony, Houston Symphony, Dallas Symphony, New Jersey Symphony, Venezuela Symphony, New York String Orchestra. Rubén was the winner of the 2018 Sphinx Competition, and he has collaborated with conductors such as Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Xian Zhang, Elim Chan, Theodore Kuchar and Jaime Laredo. In addition to classical music, Rubén enjoys performing other genres from Venezuelan and Latin American folk music. 

Violist Rosemary Nelis has performed as a chamber musician and soloist throughout the United States, Europe, and the Caribbean. Nelis holds two Bachelor degrees from Bard College Conservatory of Music, where she studied with Steven Tenenbom and majored in Chinese Language and Literature. She was also the proud recipient of a Kovner Fellowship during her Masters studies at The Juilliard School, where she worked with Roger Tapping and Misha Amory. Nelis has spent summers performing chamber music at Yellow Barn, Bard Music Festival, and Kneisel Hall. Nelis is currently faculty at the Special Music School, the Eisman Center at Queens College, Yellow Barn Young Artist Program, and Montclair State University.

Maïthéna Girault is a dynamic French Canadian violinist and pedagogue based in New York City. A passionate collaborative artist, Ms. Girault won the 2017 Grand Prize of the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition. Winner of the Canadian Music Competition in 2015, she won the second prize of the 2024 Manhattan School of Music Eisenberg-Fried Concerto Competition, the third prize at the 2019 Prix d’Europe competition and was a 2023 recipient of the Sphinx Organization’s MPower Artist Grant.