Mayfest Artistic Director and pianist Miri Yampolsky was born in Moscow and raised in Israel, where she studied with Hannah Shalgi and Michael Boguslavsky at the Tel Aviv Academy. At age 16, she was a soloist with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra under Zubin Mehta, and in subsequent years has performed with the Jerusalem Symphony, the Mainz Symphony, Chicago Chamber Orchestra, the National Orchestra of Johannesburg, and the Xalapa Symphony in Mexico.
Mayfest Artistic Director and pianist Xak Bjerken has appeared with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Spoleto Festival Orchestra, Thailand Philharmonic Orchestra, the Schoenberg Ensemble, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic in Disney Hall. He has performed at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Glinka Hall in St Petersburg, the Konzerthaus in Berlin, and for many years performed throughout the US as a member of the Los Angeles Piano Quartet.
Kyle Armbrust started playing the viola at age three. Since giving his New York solo debut with Kurt Masur and the Juilliard Orchestra in Avery Fisher Hall, he has created a multi-dimensional career performing and recording a wide range of music.
As a performer and composer, saxophonist Steven Banks (b. 1993) is striving to bring his instrument to the heart of the classical music world. He is driven to program and write music that directly addresses aspects of the human experience and is an active and intentional supporter of diverse voices in the future of concert music.
Misha Bjerken is a bassist from Ithaca, New York who is currently completing his masters degree under Todd Seeber at the New England Conservatory in Boston, MA. In Boston, Misha has performed with the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra, Atlantic Symphony Orchestra, and the New Philharmonia Orchestra..
Violinist and violist Anthony Bracewell possesses a multifaceted set of skills and enjoys a career as a soloist, chamber musician, fiddler of all genres, recording artist, producer, and teacher. He is a member of a number of musical ensembles and is currently the acting principal violist of Ithaca’s own Cayuga Chamber Orchestra. He also serves as concertmaster of the Manhattan Symphonie and the Geneva Light Opera Company.
Song recitals sit at the heart of Jean Bernard Cerin’s performance output each season with Kuwento Mizik, the Lisette Project, and collaborators throughout the United States. His broad repertoire ranges from the standard romantic and early twentieth century vocal recital literature to collaborations with living composers and explorations outside of the western canon.
Dudu Carmel is currently principal oboe of the Israel Philharmonic, as well as professor at both the Jerusalem and Tel Aviv Universities. He is a winner of the 1996 International Oboe Competition in Toulon, France and the 1990 François Shapira prize in Israel.
William Cowdery works on Cornell’s music library staff and serves as organist and music director of the First Congregational Church of Ithaca. He has performed and taught widely in the area as keyboardist, musicologist, and theorist. He holds a Cornell PhD in music and has published with W. W. Norton and Theodore Presser.
Isabella Gorman is a classical violinist from Washington D.C.. She holds a Bachelor of
Music from the New England Conservatory, studying with Kristopher Tong. Isabella has performed in solo and chamber engagements with the Heifetz International Music Institute and collaborated with members of the Borromeo Quartet.
Born in Russia, violinist Maria Ioudenitch immigrated with her musical family to the U.S. at the age of two and grew up in Kansas City. In 2021, she received first prizes in the Ysaÿe International Music Competition, the Tibor Varga International Violin Competition and the Joseph Joachim International Competition.
Driven by a deep belief in the power of collaborative music making, Guillaume Pirard pursues a multi-faceted career as a conductor, violinist, and educator. A founding member and co-concertmaster of The Knights, Mr. Pirard toured extensively throughout the United States and Europe
Israeli Cellist Zvi Plesser has concertized worldwide and collaborated with some of our time’s leading instrumentalists and conductors. As soloist he has performed with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, the Israel Chamber Orchestra, the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, the National Symphony Orchestra, and The Academy of Saint Martin in the Fields.
Roi Shiloah studied with Professor Haim Taub. He made his public debut with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra at the age of 12. Since then, he has appeared with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Zubin Mehta, in Israel, Canada, and Europe.
Christopher Stark, whose music The New York Times has called, "fetching and colorful," has been awarded prizes from the American Academy in Rome, Guggenheim Foundation, Chamber Music America, Barlow Endowment, and the Fromm Foundation at Harvard. His works have been performed by ensembles such as the Los Angeles Philharmonic, St. Louis Symphony, Toronto Symphony, and Detroit Symphony.
Cellist Ariel Tushinsky has appeared as a soloist with Israel Philharmonic Orchestra under Zubin Mehta, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, and Calgary and Beijing Philharmonics-among others.
He studied with Aldo Parisot at Yale, as well as with Bernard Greenhouse, and is a founding member of the former Jerusalem Trio, laureates of the Osaka (gold medal) and Melbourne International Chamber Music Competitions.
Violinist Xiao-Dong Wang was First Prize winner in the Menuhin International Violin Competition and the Wieniawski-Lipinski International Violin Competition at the ages of 13 and 15. A guest soloist of considerable experience, Wang has performed with orchestras around the world, including the Royal Philharmonic in London, the London Mozart Players, and the Adelaide, Perth, and Queensland Symphony Orchestras.
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