The Strad magazine describes cellist ANI AZNAVOORIAN as having “Scorchingly committed performances that wring every last drop of emotion out of the music. Her technique is well-nigh immaculate, she has a natural sense of theater, and her tone is astonishingly responsive.” Ms. Aznavoorian is in demand as a soloist and chamber musician with some of the most recognized ensembles, and she has appeared with many of the world’s leading orchestras including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Boston Pops, the Tokyo Philharmonic, the Helsinki Philharmonic, the Finnish Radio Symphony, the International Sejong Soloists, the Belgrade Philharmonic, the Juilliard Orchestra, and the Edmonton Symphony. This season marks Ms. Aznavoorian’s thirteenth year as Principal Cellist with Camerata Pacifica.
Ms. Aznavoorian received the prestigious Bunkamura Orchard Hall Award for her outstanding cello playing and artistry. Some of her other awards include first prizes in the Illinois Young Performers Competition (televised live on PBS with the Chicago Symphony), the Chicago Cello Society National Competition, the Julius Stulberg Competition, and the American String Teachers Association Competition. She was a top prizewinner in the 1996 International Paulo Competition, held in Helsinki, Finland. As a recipient of the Level I Award in the National Foundation for the Arts Recognition and Talent Search, Ms. Aznavoorian was named a Presidential Scholar in the Arts and performed as soloist at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. where she met former U.S. President Bill Clinton.
As a first-year student at The Juilliard School, Ms. Aznavoorian won first prize in the institution’s concerto competition—the youngest cellist in the history of the school’s cello competitions to do so. As a result, she performed with the Juilliard Orchestra in a concert with conductor Gerard Schwarz at Avery Fisher Hall. With only 12 hours notice, Ms. Aznavoorian stepped in to replace Natalia Gutman in three performances of the Shostakovich Cello Concerto No. 1 with the San Jose Symphony—concerts that were hailed by the San Jose Press. Other notable appearances include concerts at Weill Hall and Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Ravinia’s Bennett Hall, Aspen’s Harris Hall, the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert Series, WFMT Live from Studio 1, and NPR’s Performance Today. She has been a member of the renowned string ensemble the International Sejong Soloists, and also performs frequently on the Jupiter Chamber Music series in New York. Ms. Aznavoorian received both her Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from the Juilliard School where she studied with Aldo Parisot.
In addition to performing, teaching plays an important part in Ms. Aznavoorian’s career. She has been a member of the distinguished music faculty at the University of Illinois in Champaign/Urbana, and in the summers has served on the faculty of the Great Mountains Music Festival in South Korea. Ms. Aznavoorian enjoys performing new music and has made the world premiers of many important pieces in the cello repertoire. Some of these include Ezra Laderman’s Concerto No. 2 with the Colorado Springs Philharmonic under the baton of Lawrence Leighton Smith, Lera Auerbach’s 24 Preludes for Cello and Piano on stage at the Hamburg Staatsoper with the Hamburg State Ballet—choreographed by John Neumeier, and Lera Auerbach’s Dreammusik for Cello and Chamber Orchestra, which was written for her and commissioned by Camerata Pacifica and Sandra Svoboda. In addition to return engagements at chamber music festivals around the globe, the 2017-2018 season included a debut concert tour of Armenia, the country of her ancestors.
Ms. Aznavoorian records for Cedille Records, and she proudly performs on a cello made by her father Peter Aznavoorian in Chicago.
Harpist Heidi Elise Bearcroft is considered one of the most outstanding solo, chamber, and orchestral musicians of her generation, her playing described as having a “wonderful sense of phrasing, balance, and musical sense” (The Globe and Mail).
ELÉGIE is a male vocal ensemble that began in 2015 in Cleveland, OH. Formed by four classically trained vocalists the multi-genre based group sings everything from Bach to Boyz II Men. With dynamic stylings and wide vocal ranges the group performs in a distinct style across all genres. They have opened for several nationally renowned artists including Black Violin, Durand Bernarr and Geoffrey Golden to name a few. The group is currently working on continuing to perform across the country while preparing to launch a double album in 2022. 
LIZA FERSCHTMAN has appeared as a soloist with many of the world’s leading orchestras including the Royal Concertgebouw, London Philharmonic, Dallas Symphony, Budapest Festival Orchestra, Warsaw Philharmonic, and Brussels Philharmonic, collaborating with conductors Jaap van Zweden, Ivan Fischer, Stephane Deneve, Jacek Kaspszyk, Jun Markl, Frans Bruggen, Neeme Jarvi, Otto Tausk, Dmitry Sitkovetsky, and Thomas Sondergard. A passionate chamber musician, since 2007 she has been artistic director of the Delft Chamber Music Festival, which invites world-class musicians to present thematic programs each summer. Her chamber music partners include Elisabeth Leonskaja, Jonathan Biss, Alisa Weilerstein, Christian Poltera, Julius Drake, Martin Roscoe, Nobuko Imai, Lars Anders Tomter, Marie Luise Neunecker, Sharon Kam, and Amihai Grosz. She made her Wigmore Hall debut with ChamberFest Cleveland’s Roman Rabinovich in December 2017. Ms. Ferschtman won the most distinguished prize for Dutch musicians, the Dutch Music Award, in 2006. Her recordings on the Challenge label feature violin concertos by Beethoven, Dvorak, Mendelssohn, and Korngold, and Bernstein’s “Serenade”. She has also recorded Mendelssohn’s octet; works by Schubert and Beethoven performed with Inon Barnatan; and the Kodaly, Ravel and Schulhoff duos performed with her father, cellist Dmitri Ferschtman. Her disc of solo works by Bach and Ysaye was chosen a “CD of the Month” by The Strad Magazine. This season she performed the Korngold concerto with the Toledo Symphony.
Noted for her “dazzling, virtuoso singing” (Boston Globe), LUCY FITZ GIBBON is a dynamic musician whose repertoire spans the Renaissance to the present. She believes that creating new works and recreating those lost in centuries past makes room for the multiplicity and diversity of voices integral to classical music’s future. As such, Ms. Fitz Gibbon has given U.S. premieres of rediscovered works by Baroque composers Francesco Sacrati, Barbara Strozzi, and Agostino Agazzari, as well by 20th century composers including Tadeusz Kassern, Roman Palester, and Jean Barraqué. She has also worked closely with numerous others, workshopping and premiering works by a wide range of composers including John Harbison, Kate Soper, Sheila Silver, David Hertzberg, Reena Esmail, Roberto Sierra, Anna Lindemann, and Pauline Oliveros. In helping to realize the complexities of music beyond written notes, the experience of working with these composers translates to all music: the commitment to faithfully communicate not only the score, but also the underlying intentions of its creator. 
The 2022-2023 Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra season represents WILLIAM CABALLERO’S 33rd as its principal horn under Maestros Manfred Honeck, Mariss Jansons and Lorin Maazel. He holds the Anonymous Principal Horn Chair. Before joining the symphony in May 1989, Caballero previously held principal horn positions with the Houston Symphony, Houston Grand Opera and Hartford Symphony. He held third horn positions with the Montreal Symphony, Montreal Opera and acting third horn with the Boston Symphony and Boston Pops. He has performed as guest principal horn with Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, and the St. Louis Symphony. 
NICHOLAS HOUFEK He/Him (Lighting Design) is a NYC based Lighting Designer working in Music, Dance, and Theater. Selected projects include: Claire Chase’s Density Project (The Kitchen,) International Contemporary Ensemble, Natalie Merchant, Maya Beiser, Ojai Music Festival, Silk Road Ensemble, Tyshawn Sorey’s Perle Noire directed by Peter Sellars, Marc Neikrug’s A Song by Mahler, Anohni’s She Who Saw Beautiful Things at The Kitchen, Suzanne Farrin’s La Dolce Morte at the Metropolitan Museum of Art directed by Doug Fitch, George Lewis’ Soundlines featuring Steve Schick and directed by Jim Findlay (Skirball,) Anna Thorvaldsdottir’s In The Light of Air, Ash Fure’s The Force of Things (Mostly Mozart,) The 39 Steps (Olney Theatre Center). In addition to traditional lighting for live performance Mr. Houfek has been developing a light organ software interface called the ColorSynth that acts as an intermediate between a performer and their lighting. Additionally, Mr. Houfek has designed for the Martha Graham Dance Company, Cedar Lake Contemporary Dance, and Ian Spencer Bell Dance; is an ensemble member of the International Contemporary Ensemble, a member USA829, and a graduate of Boston University.
SARAH KAPUSTIN’S musical activities have taken her across North and South America, Europe, Asia and Australia in performances as soloist, chamber and orchestral musician. Born in Milwaukee, WI, she has performed with such orchestras as the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Juilliard Symphony, Pasadena Symphony, Vogtland Philharmonie and the Pro Arte Orchestra of Hong Kong. Sarah has received prizes and honors in numerous competitions, including 1st prize of the International Instrumental Competition in Markneukirchen, resulting in solo appearances throughout Germany. She has appeared in such prestigious concert venues as Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Cité de la Musique in Paris, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Mexico City’s Sala Nezahualcoyotl, Hong Kong Cultural Centre, and Capella State Hall in St.Petersburg. 
KINGS RETURN is a vocal band of brothers – Gabe Kunda, Vaughn Faison, J.E. McKissic & Jamall Williams. The Dallas, Texas-based a cappella group was formed unintentionally in 2016 after first singing together for Gabe’s college graduation recital. Their popularity grew when they began posting videos to social media from the stairwell where they rehearse. Avoiding the confines of a single genre, Kings Return’s sound is proudly born out of gospel, jazz, R&B, and classical music. “The name Kings Return is a reflection of ourselves. We are Kings who go forth to conquer but most importantly we return to give back to our community.” 
Native Tennesseean ANDREW BRADY joins the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra in the 2022-23 season as Principal Bassoon. Brady comes to Minnesota from the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, having served there as Principal Bassoon since January 2016. Prior to the ASO, Brady held the same position for two years with the Louisiana Philharmonic.