Mary Elizabeth Bowden – Trumpet
Classical trumpeter Mary Elizabeth Bowden is a highly in-demand soloist, praised for her “splendid, brilliant” playing (Gramophone Magazine) and her “pure, refined, and warm” tone (American Record Guide). A Gold Medal Global Music Award Winner, Opus Klassik Nominee, and Yamaha Performing Artist, Bowden works diligently to establish a new repertoire for the trumpet through creative, collaborative commissioning projects and award-winning albums.
Bowden’s 2023/2024 season brings an impressive lineup of solo performances, including four world premiere concertos. Highlights include her debuts with the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, where she performs Clarice Assad’s Concerto for Trumpet and Orchestra and Shostakovich’s Concerto in C minor for Piano, Trumpet, and String Orchestra; with the Austin Symphony Orchestra in Reena Esmail’s Rosa de Sal and Assad’s Bohemian Queen; and with Oregon’s Rogue Valley Symphony in Henri Tomasi’s Concerto for Trumpet and Orchestra. With the DuPage Symphony, she premieres a new arrangement of Gala Flagello’s Persist. Bowden also tours Vivian Fung and Clarice Assad’s trumpet concertos to the Anchorage Symphony Orchestra, Seattle Metropolitan Chamber Orchestra, Akron Symphony Orchestra, Lexington Philharmonic, and Wichita Falls Symphony Orchestra. She holds residencies and masterclasses at Oberlin College, Swarthmore College, the University of Michigan, Rogue Valley Symphony Orchestra, Central Michigan University, Michigan State University, Western Michigan University, Haverford College, Grand Valley State University and the Fine Arts Center of Greenville, SC.
International engagements bring Bowden to the Isla Verde Bronces International Brass Festival in Argentina, Festival de Metales del Pacifico in Mexico, and Lieksa Brass Week in Finland. Bowden’s Chrysalis Chamber Players embark on a U.S. tour of trumpet and string quartet repertoire, presented by Live On Stage, and with Seraph Brass, Bowden is recording an album of new compositions for brass quintet for Tower Grove Records. A new solo album with the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra made up entirely of trumpet concerti by living composers will be released on Cedille Records in summer 2024.
Bowden has released two acclaimed recordings on Summit Records: her debut album, Radiance (featuring new American works), and her second solo album, Rêverie with the Kassia Ensemble. Rêverie was featured as one of the Top Albums of the Year for the Global Music Awards and on Textura Magazine’s Top Ten Classical Albums of the Year. In summer 2024, Bowden releases a new solo album with the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra made up entirely of trumpet concerti by living composers, out on Cedille Records.
Among her many creative projects, Mary is a founding member and artistic leader of Seraph Brass, an ensemble of America’s top female brass players that was awarded the 2019 American Prize in Chamber Music and has performed around the world. The group’s debut album, Asteria, released on Summit Records, won the Silver Medal Global Music Award, and members performed on part of Adele’s 2016 North American tour. Bowden currently plays Principal Trumpet of the Artosphere Festival Orchestra and a member of the Iris Collective. She also founded the Chrysalis Chamber Players.
Mary earned her Bachelor of Music degree from The Curtis Institute of Music, and her Master of Music degree from the Yale School of Music. Learn more at www.maryelizabethbowden.com.
Meghan Brachle – Flute
A native of Denver, Colorado, Meghan Brachle began her studies on flute at the age of seven. She first began learning with the Suzuki method in the studio of Bonnie Graham, and participated in workshops with Kenichi Ueda. She participated in music festivals in Colorado, Tennessee, and Italy. In 2007, she was invited to participate in the WASBE International Youth Wind Orchestra for a performance in Killarney, Ireland and shared the stage with the esteemed Dame Evelyn Glennie for a performance of Schwantner’s Percussion Concerto.
Currently a Miami-based flutist, she has performed with Spanish River Orchestra, Symphony of the Americas, the Naples Philharmonic, the South Beach Chamber Ensemble, the Ars Flores Symphony, and the Boca Sinfonia. As an educator, she is a highly sought-after woodwind specialist, proficient on both the flute and clarinet, and visits many Miami area schools for woodwind sectionals and lessons. Her students regularly receive high ratings in local and state events.
She received her Bachelor of Music degree in Flute Performance, receiving a full scholarship to attend Loyola University New Orleans, where she studied with Patti Adams. She continued her studies at the University of Miami with Christine Nield-Capote. During her time there, she was a principal player in both the orchestra and wind ensemble, and a finalist in the concerto competition, and for two seasons was a substitute with the New World Symphony. During her studies, she participated in masterclasses with Goran Marcusson, Michel Debost, James Galway, Tom Robertello, Robert Langevin, Stephen Preston, Leone Buyse, and Wendy Mehne.
She is co-founder of the Chrysalis Chamber Players, who in their first season earned a grant from the Yale Alumni Foundation. Ms. Brachle has also held administrative roles with the Southwest Florida Steinway Piano Society and the Dranoff 2 Piano Foundation.
Catherine Lan – Piano
“…she has a fluent technique, sensitive musicianship and probing intellect…” Keaton, Palm Beach Daily News
“…a heroic feat and really fantastic playing…” Steward Robertson, conductor
Recognized as a child prodigy, Dr. Catherine Lan made her first international debut at the age of eight, performing in Japan following her winning at the Junior Original Composition International Competition. Since then, she has performed in Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand, Canada, Mexico, France, and the USA. Dr. Lan has appeared as a soloist with orchestras including Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic, Sinfonia of the North Shore, British-Columbia Chamber, Fifth Avenue Chamber, University of British-Columbia Symphony, Braddell Heights Symphony, Frost Symphony, Vancouver Symphony, Broward Symphony, Palm Beach Atlantic Symphony, and Edmonton Symphony at such prestigious venues as Carnegie Hall in New York, Orpheum Theater in Vancouver, National Concert Hall in Taiwan, Gusman Hall in Coral Gables, and the historical Victoria Concert Hall in Singapore. Dr. Lan has also concertized with Naples Philharmonic, Atlantic Classical Orchestra, Piano Galore Ensemble, Boca Raton Philharmonic Symphonia Chamber Players, Southwest Florida Symphony, Palm Beach Symphony, as well as Aspen String Trio, and distinguished musicians such as James Buswell. Her upcoming engagements include returning appearance in American Cathedral in Paris, soloist with Taoyuan New Philharmonic Orchestra in Taiwan, and debut recitals in United Kingdom, Switzerland, and Slovenia, as well as collaboration with the Henschel Quartet.
Dr. Lan has been the winner of numerous competitions including Taiwan Classical Music Society Young Star Audition, University of Miami Concerto, the Duane Wilder Award for Excellence in Harpsichord Playing, the Vancouver Foundation Advanced Arts Study, the Shean Piano Competition in Edmonton, Golden Key International Honour Society Performing Arts Showcase Award, Canadian Broadcast Corporation National Debut, University of British-Columbia Concerto, Grand Prize of the Richmond Festival Gala Showcase Concert, and Yamaha prize from the nationwide Concours de Musique du Canada. Dr. Lan has been featured on Fanfare magazine, World Journal of New York, WLRN-Public Television “Beethoven & Mas” program, “Beethoven Universal TV” series, Becon TV “Live with Iris Ackers”, Fu-Hsin Broadcasting Station, and CBC Radio’s “Westcoast Performance” Debut series.
Previous teaching appointments include Indiana University and University of Miami. Received her Bachelor of Music from University of British-Columbia, Master of Music from Indiana University (Bloomington), and Doctor of Musical Arts from University of Miami, Dr. Lan conducts master classes in the USA, Singapore, and Thailand, and serves on the faculty of Broward College and Palm Beach Atlantic University, performs with Steinway Artist, Tao Lin, as Duo Beaux Arts, and runs non-for-profit organizations as a founding member of Chrysalis Chamber Players and co-founder/artistic director of Beaux Arts Chamber Music Series in Naples. Dr. Lan records for Centaur Records (CRC 3457 Incandescent Piano Recital by Pianist Catherine Lan). www.catherinelan.com
Maija Anstine – Viola
Violist Maija Anstine is a passionate performer of orchestral and chamber music, and enjoys performing the standards of the classical repertoire as well as bringing new musical gems by underperformed composers to life. She has played with contemporary ensembles such as NAT 28, Alia Musica, and the Afro Yaqui Music Collective as well as classical ensembles such as the Pittsburgh Opera, Chamber Orchestra of Pittsburgh, Resonance Works, CityMusic Cleveland, the Erie Philharmonic, and the Wheeling, Westmoreland, Lancaster, Oshkosh, Green Bay, Fox Valley and Manitowoc Symphonies. As an educator, she has taught students of all ages in Oregon, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania, currently serving as instructor of Viola at Chatham University, and Instructor of Violin and Viola at the Carnegie Mellon University Music Preparatory School.
Maija holds degrees in Viola Performance and English Literature magna cum laude from Lawrence University, a Master of Music from Carnegie Mellon University, and has spent summers at the Brevard Music Center, the Pierre Monteux School, the Manchester Music Festival, the Berkshire Opera Festival, the North American Viola Institute in Quebec, and as a featured artist with South Beach Up North Chamber Music Festival. She has played under many notable conductors, including Yan Pascal Tortelier, Matthias Bamert, JoAnn Falletta, Leon Fleisher, Manfred Honeck, and Keith Lockhart.
Isabel Dimoff – Cello
Isabel Dimoff, cellist, was born into a musical family and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. She has been a member of the Virginia Symphony Orchestra since 2023. She has also been a member of the Chrysalis Chamber Players since 2024, touring nationally while presenting music for trumpet and string quartet. Dimoff is pursuing an Artist Diploma at the Shenandoah Conservatory, where she performed the Dvorak Cello Concerto with the conservatory orchestra. Dimoff was a member of the Kentucky Symphony Orchestra while she earned her Bachelor of Music at the University of Cincinnati. In 2020, Dimoff earned her Master of Music from the University of Michigan. After graduating, she was a member of a long-distance chamber ensemble called [sunflower], which commissioned new music and performed exclusively online during quarantine. Dimoff has been a fellow at the Eastern Music Festival and the National Repertory Orchestra where she sat Principal Cello and soloed with Brahms’ Double Concerto. She has also appeared on the national tour of Broadway’s Hadestown in Norfolk, Virginia. Her primary teachers include Julian Schwarz, Anthony Elliott, Ilya Finkelshteyn, Mark Kosower, and Pam Kelley. Dimoff plays on an English cello made by John Betts in 1790.
Emily Ilyes – Violin
Violinist Emily Ilyes is quickly establishing a career as an engaging soloist and enthusiastic teacher. She has performed in prestigious venues across the United States, including the Grand Ole Opry, the Japanese Embassy in Washington D.C., and the Kennedy Center. She has performed internationally in Argentina and Japan. She is performing this season with Chrysalis Chamber Players, touring nationally while presenting sold out shows as well as educational outreach concerts.
In 2018, Emily was a featured soloist and performed John Corigliano’s Red Violin Concerto with the West Virginia University Symphony Orchestra after winning their Young Artist Concerto Competition. In 2022, Emily won first place in the Virginia MTNA Young Artist Performance Competition. Most recently, she won first prize in the graduate division of the Student Soloist Competition at Shenandoah Conservatory, performing John Sibelius’s breathtaking concerto with the Shenandoah Conservatory Symphony Orchestra. Emily currently performs with the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra, and is finalist for Principal Second Violin with Johnstown Symphony Orchestra in Pennsylvania. In addition to her career as a soloist, Emily is also passionate about music education. She has taught as a string orchestra teacher in schools throughout Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia and Texas.
Emily holds two Bachelor of Music degrees from West Virginia University, where she majored in both music education and violin performance as a student of Dr. Mikylah Myers. Emily graduated magna cum laude, and in 2018, she was a recipient of the prestigious Pressler Scholar Award for academic and musical achievement. After graduating from WVU, she accepted a full tuition scholarship and teaching assistantship, where she studied with Dr. Elisabeth Adkins. She is currently a D.M.A. candidate at Shenandoah Conservatory, and studies with Dr. Akemi Takayama.
Emily receives a generous yearly scholarship from the Ruyji Ueno Foundation, which also supports acclaimed musicians and violinists such as Gil Shaham. She performs regularly as a soloist in concerts held by the Ryuji Ueno Foundation in Maryland and Washington D.C., and has collaborated with sought after violin soloists such as Sirena Huang, Stella Chen, and Kevin Zhu. Emily currently performs on a 1769 Guiseppe Gagliano violin, on loan from the Ryuji Uneo Foundation.
Rachel Zhao – Violin
Rachel Lee Zhao is a violinist born and raised in the lush farmland of the Shenandoah Valley, VA. She graduated from Oberlin Conservatory with a Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance, earned her Master of Music degree in Violin Performance at Roosevelt University, and graduated from Shenandoah Conservatory with an Artist Diploma. Rachel is currently pursuing a Doctorate of Musical Arts in Violin Performance at Stony Brook University. Her primary teachers have included Jennifer Frautschi, Philip Setzer, Hagai Shaham, Arnaud Sussman, Akemi Takayama, David Bowlin, and Almita Vamos. Rachel is currently an Adjunct Instructor of Applied Violin at Shenandoah University and is also an undergrad chamber music coach at Stony Brook University. Rachel has performed in many venues around the world, in both orchestra and chamber music settings, and has also performed for politicians and dignitaries including recent performances at the Japanese Ambassadors Residence in Washington D.C. Rachel is inspired by contemporary chamber music, and hopes to continue to promote and collaborate with young composers, creating sustainable art for the future.