Violin
Jecoliah Chien
Jecoliah Chien made her solo debut with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra at the age of fifteen performing the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto. In the following year, Jecoliah led her string quartet to a silver medal at Fischoff’s National Chamber Music Competition.
Other notable accomplishments include performing at the Kennedy Center, the Aspen Music Festival, Caroga Lake Music Festival, Tanglewood Music Center, the Innsbrook Institute, the Rome Chamber Music Festival, CityMusic Cleveland, the Atlanta Chamber Players, the Georgian Chamber Players, and the Ariel Concert Series. She has collaborated with artists such as Gil and Orli Shaham, Lawrence Dutton, and members of the Atlanta, Minnesota, St. Paul, Boston, St. Louis, San Francisco, and Met Opera orchestras.
Jecoliah was accepted into the Robert McDuffie Center for Strings at the age of sixteen and completed her Master’s Degree at the University of Michigan. Currently, she teaches, mentors aspiring violin teachers, is a member of the Greenwich Symphony Orchestra, and performs regularly with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra.
Michael Chien
Michael’s musical career began at age 14, when he was featured in Terry George’s film Reservation Road as the concertmaster of an orchestra. The musical experiences of his youth, studying privately, playing chamber music at Bowdoin International Music Festival, performing with New York Youth Symphony at Carnegie Hall inspired him to pursue a career in the arts, which includes performances with the St. Louis Symphony, Minnesota Opera, Columbus Symphony, and several other orchestras in the Midwest. He is especially fond of the summers he spent performing as a fellow at Colorado festivals in Aspen and Breckenridge, and more recently as a resident artist of Caroga Lake Music Festival's concert series, which is held around the scenic lakes of upstate New York.
Michael discovered his passion for teaching when he was still just in high school, volunteering as a coach at Greenwich Summer Music Camps. He has been teaching ever since, as a college student, where he became certified to teach beginning Suzuki violin, and as a graduate student in Cleveland, where he maintained a studio of 25-30 students for several years as a faculty member at the Aurora School of Music. Michael looks forward to building his teaching studio in his hometown.
Michael earned his Bachelor’s degree in music and economics from Vanderbilt University, and his masters degree in violin performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music.
Rita Wang
Following her solo debut at age 11 in Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center, Ms. Wang has performed both as a soloist and chamber musician in renowned venues across the United States, Canada, Europe, South America, and East Asia. Ms. Wang received 5th place at the XXI Johann Sebastian Bach Competition in 2018, after having won the 1st prize at the Coeur d’Alene Young Concert Artist Competition, 3rd prize at the Fischoff Competition and the 1st prize at the International Chamber Music Ensemble Competition. Her strong passions towards different performance practice have led her to collaborate with artists of diverse contexts, including Baroque artists Jaap ter Linden, Cynthia Roberts, and Michael Lynn; composers Lee Hyla and Christian Wolff; American Jazz artist Wayne Shorter; and the members of Brentano Strings Quartet, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and the Berlin Philharmonic.
Currently based in New York City, Ms. Wang enjoys a dynamic career performing across the country. She is a member of the New York Classical Players with whom she recently performed in Lincoln Center and the historic Jordan Hall. She has also been a guest with the New Asia Chamber Music Society and performed at the United Nations Headquarter. The highlights of her role as a soloist include performances with the Pauliner Chamber Orchestra in Leipzig, Bach Chorale of Grand Rapids, Coeur d’Alene Symphony, and the Century Symphony Orchestra in Taiwan. Ms. Wang received her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from New England Conservatory, studying with Miriam Fried and Kim Kashkashian; and the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from University of Michigan, studying with Aaron Berofsky. She has participated in renowned music festivals, including Taos Chamber Music Festival, Sarasota Music Festival and Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival.
In addition to performing, Ms. Wang also dedicates her time to teaching. Since 2009, she has had a teaching studio in Boston, Ann Arbor, and New York City. She has taught at the preparatory school of New England Conservatory, as well as the University of Michigan, where she was a Graduate Instructor.