Virtuoso violinist Niv Ashkenazi has captivated audiences with his heartfelt musicianship and emotional performances. Praised for his “lush sound” and “passionate playing” (CASA Magazine) and “formidable technical powers” (Santa Barbara News-Press), he has made several Carnegie Hall and Kennedy Center appearances, and has performed in Europe, the Middle East, and across North America. His conviction that the impact of music serves people beyond the concert stage motivates him to collaborate on projects that create a strong emotional bond with his audience.

As a soloist, Niv gave a world premiere at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall as part of VSA’s 25/40 Anniversary Celebration. Concurrently, he was a featured artist in VSA’s Championing of the Arts Exhibit, where his portrait and personal reflections were displayed in the Kennedy Center Hall of States. He has appeared as a soloist with the Culver City Symphony Orchestra, Kaleidoscope Chamber Orchestra, the California State University, Northridge Orchestra, and the Los Angeles Doctors Symphony Orchestra. He has been a guest artist and given masterclasses at La Sierra University, California State University, Northridge, and Westmont College. Other recent performance highlights include recitals at the Granada Theatre in Santa Barbara, the Perlman Music Program Alumni Recital Series, and the Epiphany Music Guild Series.

He has worked with members of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Juilliard String Quartet, Cavani Quartet, and Ariel Quartet. He has been invited to perform at the Lake George Music Festival, Perlman Music Program’s Chamber Music Workshop, Music Academy of the West, Keshet Eilon Summer Mastercourse in Israel, and iPalpiti Festival of International Laureates. Dyad, his innovative violin and bassoon duo, has performed on many concert series on the West Coast, collaborated with dance companies, and frequently commissions and performs new works alongside traditional repertoire.

One of his most rewarding projects has been an ongoing involvement with Violins of Hope, an organization that uses its collection of instruments that survived World War II to educate and create awareness about the Holocaust. His work with Violins of Hope began with a residency in Sarasota, Florida through the Perlman Music Program and has since taken him to Ottawa, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Los Angeles for performances and educational engagements. He is currently involved with bringing Violins of Hope to Los Angeles in 2020.

Niv also performs for Street Symphony, an LA-based nonprofit which places social justice at the heart of music making and serves communities disenfranchised by homelessness and incarceration in Los Angeles County. Working with Street Symphony, he has connected with audiences on Skid Row, in jails, and in transitional housing and has explored using traditional western music, improvisation, and community engagement to create powerful experiences for members of these communities.

Niv is also in demand as a speaker who inspires and motivates diverse audiences. Recently he has spoken and performed at the Jewish Funders Network Conference, and at Secret Knock, one of America’s most exclusive networking events. He has been interviewed live on LA Talk Radio and has played live on classical radio station KMZT.

Niv holds both a B.M. and M.M. from The Juilliard School, where his teachers included Itzhak Perlman and Glenn Dicterow. He serves on the professional advisory board of Shane’s Inspiration, a global nonprofit organization dedicated to building inclusive playgrounds, and formerly served on the board of the Los Angeles Youth Orchestra.

Eva and Patricio have danced together since 2001. Both of them started dancing at a very young age in their native city of Buenos Aires. Eva started at the age of 7 as a ballet student.

Patricio was 10 years old when he took his first folk dance class. They have more than 20 years of experience as professional dancers.

In the most recent years Eva and Patricio starred in different major productions, the most notorious including Luis Bravo’s Forever Tango Show; and ZAIA, the first show staged by “Cirque du Soleil” in Asia, at the Venetian Hotel in Macau. Eva and Patricio are the first and only Argentine Tango couple to be part of this world famous company.

At the moment Eva and Patricio spend their time with their baby girl Anuk, who was born on May 26, 2010. They are also working on the creation of their new show “Tango Scent,” which was presented to the public in October 2010.

Besides being passionate about dancing, Eva and Patricio have a great reputation as dance instructors. They have taught in Argentina and traveled many times around the world to teach special workshops to students of all levels. In the Seattle area, they have contributed to grow and promote Argentine Tango for the last 7 years, introducing many dancers to  Tango. Many of them have become instructors already, which make Eva & Patricio masters of teachers.

Celina Rotundo and Hugo Patyn are Argentine Tango dancers, masters, and choreographers who dazzle the world, both on stage and in every class or workshop they teach. They possess an especially particular connection and style, making them first-class dancers with an extensive dance background. They have danced in diverse places of the world, presenting challenging, intense and sensual choreographies with history. As instructors, they have initiated and inspired hundreds of students around the world.

With a career of more than 20 years, they have danced, choreographed and directed several shows including “Tango and Fire,” “Tango Buenos Aires,” “Emporio Tango,” “Cabaret Tango,” “Tango Joven,” “Super Tango,” “Evolution Tango,” “Forever Tango,” “Risas Y Tango,” “Follies Bergere,” “Alma de Tango,” “Tango Espiritu III,” “Pasion de Tango,” “El Corazon del Tango,” “Tango Dreams,” “Fusion Tango,” “I Tango,” “Bien Argentino,” “Milonguera,” which have been presented in different places of the world such as the United States, Canada, Greece, Taiwan, Israel, Japan, Peru, Spain, Italy , Bermuda, Chile, Indonesia, Korea, and Portugal, among others.

Hugo and Celina are fantastic instructors of Argentine Tango. They teach classes and intensive seminars in different places in Argentina and the world. Some of which have been: CITA 2010, Mystery Tango, Tango Festival of Mar del Plata, Tango Festival in Malaga, and more.

They have traveled on their annual tours in different cities helping initiate new communities and collaborating in the evolution of Argentine Tango. Together they run their school in Argentina, in which they teach social and stage tango to children from 5 years old, up to adults, as well as differently-abled people. They also give monthly body training seminars and host a largely attended milonga there.

Both have had extensive artistic training from an early age in Ballet, Argentine Folklore, Music, Flamenco, and Figure Skating. When Tango finally entered their lives, they had the influence of great mentors such as Osvaldo Zotto, Gloria & Eduardo Arquimbau, Nito & Elba and Pedro Monteleone, among others. They lead an Argentine Tango Company that has participated in grand events in several places around the globe, receiving the best ratings after each presentation. With its own character and of an incomparable aesthetic, the Company recreates fantastic scenes and moments of the Argentine Tango. With fantastic costumes and unique skills, they embody musicality, and choreographies that cause the audience to fall in love with each presentation.

Michael Nowak began his musical studies in the Rhode Island public school system, where he studied violin, clarinet, and tuba. His interest in composition and conducting led him to Indiana University where he met and became a student of the legendary violist, William Primrose, who inspired him to devote himself to the viola.

Mr. Nowak has served as violist and assistant conductor with the Dallas Symphony, conductor of the Young Musicians Foundation Debut Orchestra, and the Monterey Chamber Orchestra. He was the Music Director of the San Luis Symphony for 31 years with acclaimed performances in Carnegie Hall, the Sydney Opera House, and Disney Hall. He is widely recognized for his innovative children’s concert programs such as “Fly Me To The Moon” and “How Music Tells A Story” and for designing unique POPS! concerts.

Mr. Nowak is currently the Music Director of the Santa Maria Philharmonic and Founder and Artistic Director of Orchestra Novo. Maestro Nowak is also active as a recording musician and conductor in the motion picture industry. Among the many notable films conducted by Mr. Nowak are Academy Award-winning Life of Pi, The Kite Runner, The Accountant, Fences, King Kong, and Under the Tuscan Sun. He has also been the conductor on several TV shows such as Once Upon a Time, American Crime, and Wonderland. Mr. Nowak made his on-screen acting debut as the Juilliard conductor in the movie, The Soloist, starring Jamie Foxx. He resides on the central coast with his wife, Suzette, and daughter, Julia.

Daniel Gee is a conductor, composer, and educator based out of Southern California where he is currently pursuing his Doctor of Musical Arts at the University of Southern California.   His present conducting duties include serving as Assistant Conductor of the Long Beach Symphony, Associate Conductor of the USC Apollo Chorus, and as the Artistic Director of Choirs at Evergreen Baptist Church of San Gabriel Valley.  He has previously served as Associate Conductor of the USC Oriana Women’s Choir, during which he commissioned and premiered a new choral work for treble voices by composer Emma Lou Diemer. Other conducting duties have included serving as Guest Conductor of the Global Harmony Symphony, Associate Conductor of the USC University Chorus, and Assistant Conductor of the Westmont Orchestra.

As a composer, he has fulfilled commissions for ensembles in the Santa Barbara and Los Angeles music communities, including the Quire of Voyces, the Westmont Orchestra, and College Choir,  and the Westridge School Chamber Orchestra. His choral music has been published by Colla Voce Music on the Jo-Michael Scheibe Choral Series. Daniel has taught as an adjunct instructor of theory and composition at Westmont College, where he also founded the Westmont chapter of the Pi Kappa Lambda music honors society.

Daniel received his Master of Music degree from USC where he studied conducting with Jo-Michael Scheibe and Nick Strimple and composition with Morten Lauridsen and Sean Friar.  Daniel completed his undergraduate work at Westmont College, majoring in both Music Composition and Philosophy, where he was graduated summa cum laude as First Senior of his class.

Daniel also continues his work as a string educator, having taught private cello for over ten years. He has lead rehearsals and sectionals for youth orchestras across the Greater Los Angeles area including the Pasadena Youth Symphony Orchestras and the Claremont Young Musicians Orchestra.

Ben Caron is a Los Angeles-based songwriter, New Age Pop artist and community organizer, who over the past five years has performed at LA’s favorite venues and whose international following enthusiastically helped him to record his debut and sophomore albums completely community-funded (by over 500 donors.)

An Iowa native, Ben attributes his eclectic musical style to his diverse life experiences, blending elements of pop, New Age, soul, folk, and gospel. Having grown up listening to all genres of music, and being greatly inspired by iconic pop, country and folk storytellers such as James Taylor, Elton John, and Garth Brooks, Ben learned popular songwriting through aural osmosis. Then at the age of 15, he picked up a guitar and taught himself to play by writing original music based on his life experiences. Needing to expand his horizons, at 18 years old Ben left Iowa to train classically in voice and acting at CSU, Los Angeles where he learned not only the essentials of good vocal technique but also the crucial necessity for authentic connection and a true inspiration in performance.

Ben began his career as a recording artist shortly after college, releasing his self-titled debut album in 2013. In 2014, he formed the singer-songwriter’s collective “The Sovereign Sons & Daughters” with whom he toured for 3 months, and in the Summer of 2014, Ben embarked on a crowd-funded solo tour of the UK. His recent acoustic EP, “CLIMB” debuted in January 2015 and for the rest of 2015 Ben lead The Joy Machine, a collective of local instrumentalists and vocalists whose mission was to spread joy, love, and connection through the power of live music. In 2016, with the help of The Joy Machine, Ben recorded and released the community-funded “King Benjamin’s Royal Heart,” a New Age-Pop concept album whose positive messaging has inspired countless listeners.

Ben currently performs both as a singer-songwriter and as a workshop leader, certified through the Yoga Alliance. His two ongoing series are “Ben Caron’s Royal Heart Tribe Experience,” a fun work/playshop that includes slow-flow yoga, beginner’s meditation, participatory music and guided movement, and “Ben Caron’s The Joy Machine,” a live concert event featuring inspiring originals, electric covers and incredible talent.

Chloe Chiu

Violinist Chloe Chiu is a vibrant and passionate musical storyteller who brings a compelling blend of sincerity, artistry and technical proficiency to her audiences as a soloist, chamber and orchestral musician.
Born in Taiwan, Chloe has traveled around the globe performing as a soloist in Australia, Italy, France, Austria, Bulgaria, Singapore and Israel. She also sparkled as a member in chamber music groups and recording sessions for acclaimed singers and films.

Chloe joined the Santa Barbara Symphony in 2014 and currently, she is also a member in the first violin section of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra and Long Beach Symphony. She also performs with the Los Angeles Opera and Orchestra Santa Monica. Additionally, Chloe enjoys teaching and maintains a dedicated roster of violin students.

She holds a Master of Music Degree from Johns Hopkins University where she studied with Victor Danchenko, and a Bachelor of Music degree from the National University of Singapore where she studied with Qian Zhou. She also completed the Graduate Certificate Program at the University of Southern California learning from former concertmaster of the New York Philharmonic, Glenn Dicterow.

Hailing from Boston, Massachusetts, Sydney Adedamola recently graduated in May 2018 with her Bachelors in Music from the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music where she studied with Dr. Lina Bahn. During her time in Los Angeles she has held the position of principal second violin of USC Symphony, been a member of the Young Musician Foundation’s Debut Chamber Orchestra and performed in masterclasses taught my various distinguished musicians such as Midori Goto, Paul Watkins, Lawrence Dutton, and Michael Tree.

She spent the past summer in Breckenridge, Colorado as a soloist with and member of the National Repertory Orchestra. Sydney has won prizes in multiple international competitions including A-Muse the World: Young Promise and American Protégé and has performed in concert halls throughout the United States including Walt Disney Concert Hall, Carnegie Hall and Symphony Hall. In March of 2014, she was selected as a soloist on a tour throughout Ireland with the Milton Academy Chamber Orchestra.

Sydney is currently a recipient of the Los Angeles Orchestra Fellowship, a collaboration between the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra (LACO), the Inner City Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles (ICYOLA) and the University of Southern California. As a Fellow, she is pursuing her Graduate Certificate at USC under the tutelage of Margaret Batjer and Bing Wang whilst playing with both LACO and ICYOLA.

Violinist and educator Sakura Tsai enjoys a multifaceted career having performed nationally and internationally as a soloist, chamber, and orchestral musician.

A native of Southern California, Dr. Tsai earned degrees (B.M., M.M., and D.M.A.) in Violin Performance from the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music where she was honored the prestigious Order of Areté and became a member of Pi Kappa Lambda. Her mentors and teachers included Midori Goto, Kathleen Winkler, Hagai Shaham, and Alice Schoenfeld. Additional fields of study while pursuing the Doctor of Musical Arts degree included Music Theory and Analysis, Violin Pedagogy with Endre Granat, and Kinesiology.

A dedicated educator, Dr. Tsai is Artist Teacher of Violin at the University of Redlands. She is also on faculty at California School of the Arts-San Gabriel Valley, California State Summer School for the Arts, Junior Chamber Music (Inland Empire), and most recently, Montecito International Music Festival. Dr. Tsai makes frequent appearances as an adjudicator and serves as a clinician in schools around Southern California where she mentors aspiring young musicians. In 2018, Dr. Tsai was selected to be the guest conductor of the San Bernardino County High School Honor Orchestra. She coaches instrumentalists in the Walnut Valley Unified School District at both Diamond Bar and Walnut High Schools while being actively involved with the Diamond Bar High School Performing Arts Academy Advanced Music Program. In addition, Dr. Tsai has a robust private studio and has previously held faculty positions at Marymount California University and Idyllwild Arts Academy.

As a performer, Dr. Tsai is currently a member of the Redlands Symphony Orchestra. She performs in several regional orchestras and has spent summers at the Lucerne Festival (Switzerland) and Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival (Germany) academies, and Music Masters Course Japan (Japan). Dr. Tsai maintains an active career as a chamber musician winning honors at international competitions such as the International Young Artists Peninsula Music Festival and the Coleman Chamber Ensemble Competition. As a violinist with chamber ensembles Definiens, DuselForty58, and the What’s Next? Ensemble, Dr. Tsai has championed works of numerous living composers. An avid performer of contemporary music, extensive collaboration with young composers with these ensembles included residencies and performance projects at institutions such as Idyllwild Arts Academy, California State University, Northridge and Long Beach, University of California, Riverside, and University of Southern California. Dr. Tsai’s solo and ensemble performances have been featured live on world-wide television and radio broadcasts such as classical KUSC, KRTU-FM, Norddeutscher Rundfunk (Germany), and Japan Broadcasting Corporation – NHK (Japan).