Praised for his passionate and dynamic performances, violinist Shintaro Taneda is quickly establishing himself in today’s chamber music scene. Recent performances featured collaborations with Kim Kashkashian, Inon Barnatan, Shai Wosner, Alexi Kenney, Stefan Jackiw, Nobuyuki Tsujii, Conor Hanick, Parker Quartet, Jupiter Quartet, quartet residencies at the Hawaii Chamber Music Festival, and performs frequently as violinist of the Ethea Trio.

Equally experienced in the orchestral field, Shintaro is a member of the Oregon Symphony, a position he secured at age 23. He has served as concertmaster in the San Francisco Conservatory of Music Orchestra under the baton of Edwin Outwater, Earl Lee, and David Chan, and at the Music Academy of the West, under conductor Miguel Harth-Bedoya.

As a soloist, in recent years Shintaro has performed concertos with the Fairbanks Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Civic Symphony, Seattle Festival Orchestra, Cascade Symphony, Ottawa Chamber Symphony, and the Skagit Symphony.

Shintaro earned his Master’s degree in Chamber Music at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, studying under Ian Swensen, Wonhee Bae, and Nancy Zhou, with additional mentorship from the Telegraph Quartet. He was most recently selected to the String Quartet Seminar at the Music Academy of the West, studying under the renowned Takács Quartet.

Cellist Ayoun Alexandra Kim, originally from Cheonan, Korea, is an accomplished performer known for her work in both chamber music and solo settings. She is also deeply committed to using music as a tool for community engagement and education.

She recently returned from the Music@Menlo 2024 season as an International Program Artist where she had the opportunity to work with artists like Gil Kalish, Wu Han, David Finckel, Paul Huang, Chad Hoopes, and more. Kim took center stage alongside the Telegraph Quartet as a guest artist, performing at the Rossmoor Creek Chamber Music Society’s 2024 season concert. Kim shared the stage with artists Inon Banatan, Melissa White, and Julio Elizalde for the Chamber Music Tuesday series in San Francisco in 2023.

Kim’s musicality has been recognized in esteemed competitions such as theYamaha Young Performing Artist Competition, Artist Presentation Society Competition, and the Musicians Club of Women Competition in 2022. She has been invited to perform at renowned music festivals worldwide, including the Norfolk Music Festival, Sarasota Music Festival, Kneisel Hall, Orford Academy, Verão Classico, and Sommerakademie Mozarteum. Throughout her career, she has had the privilege of performing for musicians such as Laurence Lesser, Steven Doane, Myung-Wha Chung, Frans Helmerson, Gary Hoffman, Maria Kliegel, Peter Ounjian, and the Brentano String Quartet.

In addition to her performance endeavors, Kim’s passion for community engagement and teaching led to her appointment to the junior faculty of the Vivace Music Foundation in 2022. She has also showcased her versatility as a principal cellist in the 2023 Spoleto Festival Orchestra.

Kim holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the Juilliard School, where she studied with Natasha Brofsky and Astrid Schween. She recently completed her Artist Diploma at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music under the guidance of Jennifer Culp.

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Known for his dynamic and expressive playing, pianist Jon Lee aims to uncover emotional and historical connections that resonate with modern audiences. As both a soloist and chamber musician, he has performed across North America and Europe, bringing his artistry to renowned venues such as Symphony Hall in Boston, Fort Worth’s Bass Hall, Salle Cortot in Paris, Calgary’s Jack Singer Hall, Salt Lake City’s Abravanel Hall, Seattle’s Benaroya Hall, and Rockport’s Shalin Liu Performance Center.

A prizewinner at numerous competitions, Jon earned first prizes at the Cliburn International Amateur and San Diego International Piano Competitions, along with top honors at the Washington International, Boston International, and Seattle International Piano Competitions.

Recent festival appearances include PianoTexas, Sicily International Piano Festival, AIM Paris, and Vivace! International Music Festival, where he worked with distinguished artists such as Jerome Lowenthal, Leon Fleisher, Boris Slutsky, and Russell Sherman. Jon has performed with the Fort Worth Symphony, Boston Pops Orchestra, and Utah Symphony, and is an active chamber musician, appearing with San Francisco’s Noontime Concerts, the Spectrum Chamber Music Society in Fort Worth, Benicia Chamber Players, Groupmuse, and SF’s popular Flower Piano festival. His performances have included chamber collaborations with artists such as Kim Kashkashian, the Telegraph Quartet, Jonathan Vinocour, and Nicholas Phan.

Beyond performance, Jon is dedicated to shaping the future of classical music through innovation and collaboration. He created the Untitled Bagatelle Project, commissioning contemporary works modeled on Beethoven’s Op. 126 Bagatelles, and developed MusicPodium, an iPad app that streamlines digital score reading. His passion for supporting artists also extends to arts leadership, where he serves as Operations Director for the Hawaiʻi Chamber Music Festival and Digital Operations Director for the Amalfi Coast Music & Arts Festival.

Originally from Wisconsin and raised in Utah, Jon is pursuing an Artist Diploma in Chamber Music at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, studying with Yoshikazu Nagai. He also holds a Master’s degree in Computer Science from MIT.

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