Kingston Chamber Music Festival

Recognized as one of the most celebrated violinists of her generation, Elissa Lee Koljonen has thrilled audiences and critics in more than one hundred cities throughout the world. Ms. Koljonen received international acclaim when she became the first recipient of the prestigious Henryk Szeryng Foundation Award and the silver medalist of the Carl Flesch International Violin Competition. Her playing has been hailed by the Helsingin Sanomat (Helsinki) as “sparkling, sensual and personal,” and the Chicago Tribune has said she displays “boundless technique and musicianship.”

Ms. Koljonen has performed with such orchestras as the Boston Pops, the Minnesota Orchestra, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Royal Philharmonic, as well as the symphony orchestras of Bilbao, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Dallas, Detroit, Oregon, Pittsburgh, Helsinki, and Seoul. She garnered critical acclaim for her appearance with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo in a special concert celebrating the 700th anniversary of the Grimaldi Dynasty. She has collaborated with such noted conductors as Matthias Bamert, Dirk Brossé, JoAnn Falletta, Lawrence Foster, Miguel Harth-Bedoya, Neeme Järvi, James Judd, Andrew Litton, José-Luis Novo, the late James DePreist, and the late Bryden Thomson.

Ms. Koljonen has performed in some of the world’s most venerated concert venues, including the Musikverein in Vienna, the Mozarteum in Salzburg, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Barbican Centre and Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, Konzerthaus Berlin, the Seoul Arts Center, Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in New York City, Symphony Hall in Boston, and the Academy of Music and Kimmel Center in Philadelphia. An avid chamber musician, Ms. Koljonen appears regularly at festivals throughout North America, Europe, and Asia.

Ms. Koljonen is a protégée of the late Aaron Rosand, with whom she studied at the Curtis Institute of Music. Incorporating his influence, she carries on the legacy and tradition of Leopold Auer and his legendary school of violin playing.

Roberto Díaz is president and CEO of the Curtis Institute of Music, following in the footsteps of renowned soloist/directors such as Josef Hofmann, Efrem Zimbalist, and Rudolf Serkin.

As a soloist, Mr. Díaz collaborates with leading conductors of our time on stages throughout North and South America, Europe, and Asia. He has also worked directly with important 20th- and 21st-century composers, including Krzysztof Penderecki—whose viola concerto he has performed many times with the composer on the podium and whose double concerto he premiered in the United States—as well as Edison Denisov, Jennifer Higdon, Ricardo Lorenz, and Roberto Sierra. His recording of Jennifer Higdon’s Viola Concerto won the Grammy for Best Contemporary Classical Composition in 2018.

A frequent recitalist, Mr. Díaz enjoys collaborating with young musicians, bringing a fresh approach to the repertoire and providing invaluable opportunities to artists at the beginnings of their careers. In addition to performing with major string quartets and pianists in chamber music series and festivals worldwide, Mr. Díaz is a member of The Díaz Trio. His recordings include a Grammy-nominated disc of viola transcriptions by William Primrose for Naxos, as well as releases on the Artek, Bridge Records, Dorian, Nimbus, and New World labels.

In addition to his decade-long tenure as principal viola of the Philadelphia Orchestra, Mr. Díaz was principal viola of the National Symphony under Mstislav Rostropovich, a member of the Boston Symphony under Seiji Ozawa, and a member of the Minnesota Orchestra under Sir Neville Marriner. He plays the ex-Primrose Amati viola.

Pianist Hanchien Lee has established herself as a successful soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician. Since her debut with the Philadelphia Orchestra at age sixteen, she has performed throughout North America, Europe and Asia, appearing at venues such as Steinway Hall in New York, Academy of Music, Kimmel Center in Philadelphia and Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall in Baltimore, and has given recitals at the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, Muhlenberg College Piano Series, Hillman Performing Arts Center, Texas International Piano Festival, Basilica San Pietro in Italy, Centro Cultural del Antiguo in Spain and Taipei Convention Center in Taiwan. She has appeared as soloist with the American Elite youth orchestra, Plainfield Symphony, Taiwan National Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of Perugia and Poland’s Capella Cracovienses Chamber Orchestra.

Lee is the recipient of the prestigious Chi-Mei Scholarship and Clara Ascherfeld Award. She has won first prize at the Russel C. Wonderlic Piano Competition and top prizes at Heida Hermanns International Piano Competition and Yamaha Piano Competition. As a chamber musician, she has performed in many highly respected music festivals including Sarasota, Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, Prussia Cove International Music Seminar and Music Academy of the West. She is also a member of the prize-winning quartet that was winner of the Yale School of Music Chamber Music Competition and performed at Stony Brook University, Muhlenberg College and Montana University, where she also conducted a master class.

Hanchien Lee was accepted at the Curtis Institute of Music at age eleven where she studied with Claude Frank and Eleanor Sokoloff. Following graduation from Curtis, Ms. Lee continued her studies at Yale University with Claude Frank, earning both a Master’s degree and an Artists’ Diploma. She holds a doctoral degree at the Peabody Conservatory of John Hopkins University where she was under the tutelage of with Boris Slutsky. Ms. Lee has also studied with such esteemed pianists as Gary Graffman, Richard Goode, Meng-Chieh Liu, Jerome Lowenthal and Fou T’song. She currently serves as a piano faculty at the Peabody Preparatory of the Johns Hopkins University.

Hailing from Ngāhinapōuri, Aotearoa New Zealand, mezzo-soprano Katie Trigg is dedicated to exploring the ways music connects with communities and society. Her mission is to make classical music more accessible and create opportunities for audiences to engage deeply and genuinely with her performances.

Katie completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Waikato and is currently studying under Julia Faulkner at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. This year, she won the prestigious 2024 Lexus Song Quest, further establishing her as a rising star in the world of classical music.

During her undergraduate studies in New Zealand Katie was a Sir Edmund Hillary Scholar, and a student of Stephanie Acraman. After the pandemic delayed Katie’s plans to study overseas, she spent 2021 as a Dame Malvina Major Foundation Studio Artist with New Zealand Opera.

Upon her arrival at Curtis in 2022, Katie featured as a soloist with the Curtis Symphony Orchestra under M° Yannick Nézet-Séguin, and performed with them again in October 2023. She has appeared as a soloist in Mozart’s Requiem in D minor for Binghamton Philharmonic under M° Daniel Hege, performed as part of Opera Philadelphia’s Festival O23, and collaborated with Warren Jones in recital. Katie attended Wolf Trap Opera as a Studio Artist in 2023, where she covered the roles of Juno/Ino in Handel’s Semele and performed in their “Studio Spotlight” showcase. In March of 2024 Katie made her role debut as Anna I in Curtis Opera Theatre’s production of Kurt Weill’s Seven Deadly Sins.

For her recent master’s project at Curtis Institute of Music, Katie pioneered a month-long booster course for high school music students to learn about college-level music programmes from current Curtis students. The project focused on equipping students with skills and confidence to pursue musical studies at college level through individual workshopping and mentorship.

In New Zealand, Katie has showcased her vocal prowess with various organizations and renowned artists, including Auckland Opera Studio, Dunedin Symphony Orchestra, and Bach Musica NZ.

Katie’s past awards include the Dame Sister Mary Leo Scholarship, the Sue and Guy Haddleton Emerging Artist Award, the Dame Malvina Major Foundation Arts Excellence Award, and the Kiwi Music Scholarship to assist with her studies overseas. Katie would like to also acknowledge the essential support of the Fairfield Rotary Club, the Ohaupo/Ngahinapouri and Te Awamutu Lions Clubs, Circle100, and the Adastra Foundation.

Julie Chen, age 14, is a freshman at Conestoga High School in Pennsylvania. She began cello at age 8 and currently studies with Gloria dePasquale. She also studies cello with Clancy Newman and Dominique de Williencourt. She previously studied with Hai-Ye Ni, the principal cellist of The Philadelphia Orchestra. She has attended Meadowmount for two years in Prof. Hans Jensen’s studio. She also studies piano with Natalie Zhu. She has attended master classes with cellists Wei Liu Denton, Marcy Rosen, and the Dover Quartet.

Julie was chosen as a finalist for From the Top and is eligible for the Learning and Media Lab Fellowship, which includes a recording. She received a full scholarship for the Advanced Study Ensemble program at Settlement Music School. She is a cellist in the Youth Chamber Orchestra at Temple Music Prep, was the principal cellist of the Philadelphia Young Artists Orchestra (PYAO) for the 2023-2024 season, and was the principal cellist of PRYSM Strings of the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra from 2021-2023. Julie won first place in the Pennsylvania Music Teachers’ Association competition in November 2024.

Julie is a winner of the Irving Ludwig Youth Competition in October 2024 and the Old York Road Symphony Orchestra Young Artist competition in April 2024, and will perform next spring with the Lansdowne Symphony Orchestra and Old York Road Symphony Orchestra. She won 1st place in the Tri-County Music Festival competition junior strings division in 2023 and 1st place in the senior ensemble division in 2024, and performed in the winners’ concert both years. Julie won 1st place in American Protégé concerto competition with the Judges Distinction Award in 2023. She won 1st place in the 11-13 division and overall runner-up in the Philadelphia International Music Festival’s (PIMF) summer camp concerto competition in 2022 which earned her a spot in the Winners Circle Concert in March 2023 with the Philadelphia Orchestra members. Her other interests include drawing, dancing, singing, playing the piano, and swimming. She is in the gifted program at her school which includes a writing seminar.