• Cuban born pianist and conductor Orlando Alonso has already established a flourishing international reputation through his orchestral and recital performances in North America, South America and Europe. Noted for his challenging programs, artistic maturity and versatility, his repertoire ranges from Bach, Mozart and Beethoven through the Romantics, Liszt and Brahms, to works by contemporary composers.

Mr. Alonso has performed with many of the major orchestras in Cuba as well as North and South America, including the Santa Clara Symphony, Havana Symphony, Key West Symphony, American Youth Symphony, OSB Orchestra of Rio de Janeiro, National Symphony Orchestra of Brazil, Madrid Symphony, Kiev Symphony Orchestra, Astoria Symphony, Manhattan Chamber Orchestra, George Enescu Symphony Orchestra in Rumania and Ossia Symphony Orchestra.
Mr. Alonso has given recitals at Carnegie Hall in New York and has performed extensively throughout Europe, North and South America and China.

Winner of the Amadeo Roldan Piano Competition in Havana, the Sant’ Agata li Battiati in Italy, the Frinna Awerbuch International Piano Competition in New York, he was also the recipient of the Harold Bauer Award, the highest honor bestowed upon a graduating student at the Manhattan School of Music.

Orlando Alonso studied with Jorge Luis Prats at the Havana Conservatory, Herbert Stessin at the Julliard School and with Zenon Fishbein and Horacio Gutierrez at the Manhattan School of Music.

Mr. Alonso studied conducting with Zdenek Macal at the Manhattan School of Music and has participated in master classes given by Kurt Masur. Mr. Alonso has appeared as guest conductor with the Manhattan Chamber Orchestra. He is the founder and artistic director of the Ossia Symphony Orchestra in New York.

• Albanian born pianist Xheni Rroji has had a prolific career in music from the young age of 12. After winning the National Piano Competition in Albania she was given the opportunity to study in France through a George Soros scholarship for young artists.

In France Mrs. Rroji conducted a career as a soloist and was also very active as a chamber musician. She won her first international prize at the age of 14 at the ‘Concours International de Migron’ in France. A year later she was a prizewinner at the ‘Concours International de Musique en Aquitaine’ and ‘Concours International de Hyères-Maryse Cheylan’. Among other prizes she was, for three consecutive times, the recipient of the Rotary Club Scholarship and the Soroptimist Club prize. She has given recitals in leading parisian venues such as Salle Pléyel, Salle Gaveau, Salle Cortot and Palais des Congrés . As a concerto soloist she has performed with the Bordeaux-Aquitaine Chamber Orchestra,‘Les Musiciens de la Prée’, L’Orchestre de Chambre de Toulouse, L’Orchestre du Conservatoire de Paris, the Philharmonic Orchestra of the National Radio and the Opera Symphony Orchestra in Albania. Mrs. Rroji arrived in New York in 1998 and has been active as a soloist and as a collaborator ever since. She was invited to perform at the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Symphony Space in 2003, Elebash Hall, Riverside Cathedral, Steinway Hall and has been featured in WQXR and WNYC. Her recent orchestra engagements in New York include appearances with the Ossia Symphony Orchestra, the New York Chamber Orchestra, the Manhattan Philharmonia, the Astoria Symphony and the Manhattan Chamber Orchestra.

An avid chamber musician Mrs. Rroji regularly performs with musicians of the Ossia Symphony Orchestra, of which she is the founder and co-artistic director. Most recently she was heard in collaboration with the acclaimed violinist Lara St. John at Le Poisson Rouge, a concert that celebrated the life and work of Andre Previn’s.

Xheni is attached to renewal in creation and is committed to promoting music of young classical composers both through her orchestra as well as a soloist. In addition, her interest and research on women composers has led to the rediscovery of the astonishing French-Alsatian composer Marie Jaëll. A new CD featuring Jaëll’s complete piano work will be released in 2010.

Mrs. Rroji holds master degrees from the Conservatoire Superieur de Musique de Paris, Manhattan School of Music and is currently completing her doctorate degree in piano performance at the CUNY Graduate Center.

• Canadian-born violinist Lara St. John has been described as “something of a phenomenon” by The Strad and a “high-powered soloist” by the New York Times. The Los Angeles Times has written, “St. John brings to the stage personal charisma, an unflagging musical imagination and genuine passion.”

Lara has performed with orchestras on five continents and in recital around the world. She formed her own record label, Ancalagon Records in 1999, and has recorded with orchestras including the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela. Her release Bach: The Six Sonatas and Partitas for Violin Solo in 2007 was the best selling double album of the year on iTunes and her recording featuring two World Premiere 21st century concertos with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra had Gramophone saying “it’s the sort of work that should get audiences running, not walking, back to concert halls…”
She has been featured in People and US News and World Report, on CNN’s Showbiz Today, and NPR’s All Things Considered, Fox News, CBC, BBC Radio 3’s In Tune and on a Bravo! Special: Live At the Rehearsal Hall.
Lara performs on the 1779 “Salabue” Guadagnini thanks to an anonymous donor and Heinl & Co. of Toronto.

• Praised as “the kind of performer who makes it all look easy,” Heather Buck has established herself internationally as a consummate singing actress, “combining agile, liquid soprano, a bright, natural stage presence, and the timing of an expert comedienne,” (Opera News).

Heather Buck’s 2009-10 season includes singing Lulu Baines in Elmer Gantry with Florentine Opera; Adina in L’elisir d’amore with Toledo Opera; the title role in The Ballad of Baby Doe with Intermountain Opera; the title role in the American premiere of Wolfgang Rihm’s monodrama Proserpina with Spoleto Festival USA; Gilda in Rigoletto with Nickel City Opera; as soloist in Henry Cowell’s Atlantis with American Symphony Orchestra; as Juliette in Roméo et Juliette, Maria in West Side Story (both semi-staged), and as soloist in a concert titled “Stars Under the Stars,” all with Opera Naples; and as featured soloist in an evening of opera highlights with Kentucky Symphony Orchestra. In summer of 2010 she sings Gilda in Rigoletto with Nickel City Opera, and in 2010-11 she rejoins the roster of the Metropolitan Opera, reprises her 2007 Spoleto Festival USA role of Angel in Dusapin’s Faustus, the Last Night at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam and sings Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos in a return to Toledo Opera.

In 2008-09 Heather Buck joined the roster of the Metropolitan Opera, sang Queen of the Night in Die Zauberflöte with Florentine Opera, Ännchen in Der Freischütz with Opera Boston, and Mabel in The Pirates of Penzance with Indianapolis Opera. On the concert stage she performed songs by Thomas Larcher and George Crumb for the American Composers’ Forum, and Previn’s Vocalise for Soprano, Solo Cello and Orchestra at New York’s Le Poisson Rouge in celebration of the composer’s 80th Birthday.

Recent highlights include her English National Opera debut singing the Queen of the Night in The Magic Flute, her returns to Opera Birmingham as Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia and to Arizona Opera as Queen of the Night, her first performances of Konstanze in Die Entführung aus dem Serail with Connecticut Opera, Valencienne in The Merry Widow with Florentine Opera, Esa-Pekka Salonen’s Five Images after Sappho with the Utah Symphony, Schubert’s Mass in E-flat with North Carolina Symphony, Bach’s Magnificat at Duke University, her debut with Central City Opera as La Fée in Cendrillon, and her appearance as Angel in Pascal Dusapin’s Faustus, the Last Night with Spoleto Festival USA.

Heather Buck made her New York City Opera debut creating the title role in Charles Wuorinen’s Haroun and the Sea of Stories, for which New York City Opera presented her with the 2005 Kolozsvar Award, recognizing artists who excel at new and unusual repertory. She returned the following season as the Comtesse de Folleville in Il viaggio a Reims. Ms. Buck’s first performances of Maid in Thomas Ades’ Powder Her Face occurred at Aspen Opera Theater and she subsequently reprised the role with Brooklyn Philharmonic, at London’s Almeida Theatre, Opéra-Théâtre de Metz at the Aldeburgh Festival, and Boston Modern Opera Project. Other international credits include appearing with De Vlaamse Opera as Olympia in Les Contes d’Hoffmann, and with Barcelona’s Gran Teatre del Liceu as both Echo in Ariadne auf Naxos and First Niece in Peter Grimes. She also performed at the Britten-Pears School (UK) in the role of Tytania in A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Other opera highlights include Ms. Buck’s performances of Iris in Semele with Arizona Opera; Laoula in L’Étoile with Opera Boston; and Belinda in Dido and Aeneas in a re-engagement with Boston’s Handel and Haydn Society, also with the Spoleto Festival USA. She appeared as Adina in L’elisir d’amore and Amor in Orfeo ed Euridice with Opera Birmingham, and as Stella in Andre Previn’s A Streetcar Named Desire with Washington National Opera. She has performed the role of Queen of the Night with Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Opera Birmingham, Opera Delaware, Wolf Trap Opera, Calgary Opera, and for her Santa Fe Opera debut.

Ms. Buck’s concert credits include performances of Messiah with the Handel and Haydn Society and Pacific Symphony; Carmina Burana with San Antonio Symphony Orchestra; Handel’s Jeptha with Choral Society of Durham; Tan Dun’s Water Passion after St. Matthew at the White Nights Festival in Russia; and both Barber’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915 and Mozart’s Requiem with Westchester Philharmonic. She has sung Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 at the Bard Music Festival; Beethoven’s Die Ruinen von Athen with the American Symphony Orchestra; Mozart’s Mass in C Minor with the National Arts Centre Orchestra; Bach’s Mass in B Minor with Baltimore Choral Arts Society; and the world premiere of Ezra Laderman’s Brotherly Love with the Philadelphia Singers.

Ms. Buck holds a Master of Music degree from Yale, where she studied with Doris Yarick-Cross. She received her B.A. in music from Tufts University and a B.F.A. in studio art from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.

• Lyric Soprano Coralie Gallet has been performing internationally both in operas and recitals. On the operatic stage, Ms. Gallet has appeared among others as Micaela in Carmen with Operesque Classical Concerts, the title role in Handel’s Rodelinda, First Lady in Mozart’s die Zauberflöte, Cassandra in the NY premiere of Bruno Rigacci’s Eccuba with the Brooklyn Opera Theatre , the Countess in Le Nozze di Figaro with the Columbia University Opera Ensemble. Other performance highlights include the role of the Mother in the Christmas production of Hansel and Gretel, Dido in Purcell’s Dido and Aeneus, Fortuna in Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea, and excerpts from der Rosenkavalier and Susannah.

Ms. Gallet is also an active international recitalist, and has given recitals in France, Spain, and Chile, as well as in the United States. Ms Gallet has been recognized for her versatility, her musicianship and her interpretative skills. Her solo and chamber recital programs encompass wide and varied selections from the vocal repertoire, ranging from the Baroque to contemporary pieces. Upcoming engagements include a series of chamber recitals with violonist Xilin Jordan and pianist José García León, in New Haven, CT as well as solo appearances with orchestra in Santiago de Chile.

After graduating with honors from the University of Nantes, Ms Gallet left her native France to come to New York to pursue her musical studies. Ms Gallet received her Bachelor of Music degree from the Manhattan School of Music under the guidance of Patricia Misslin and her Master’s degree from Brooklyn College where she studied with Monica Harte. She currently resides in New Haven, CT and teaches Voice at Barnard College in New York.

• Rubin Kodeli was born and raised in Tirana, Albania. His Mother, Justina Aliaj, is a renowned actress and singer in their home country.

At the age of seven Rubin began his music studies on the cello. He quickly gained attention as a prodigious talent. He continued his education in Belgium and Germany, eventually landing in New York to attend the Juilliard School of Music.

During his studies in Julliard he became more and more interested in collaborations between Dance, Theater and Music. It was at this time that he first began his exploration of composition.

More recently, Kodheli composed additional music for the feature film Precious, directed by Lee Daniels and Mariah Carey. His piece, Desert Man was feature in the documentary film Third Wave, based on the 2004 Tsunami that decimated Siri Lanka. Kodheli also composed the score for the dance film Becoming, winner of the Best Experimental Prize at the Miami Short Film Festival. On television, his Music has been featured in the HBO series True Blood.

• Grammy-nominated violinist Jesse Mills enjoys performing music of many genres, from classical to contemporary, as well as composed and improvised music of his own invention. In 2004, Mills made his professional concerto debut with the Ravinia Festival Orchestra conducted by Nicholas McGegan in a unique partnership with Salsa trombonist, Jimmy Bosch.

This project combined a classical performance of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, with Mills as violin soloist, and a Salsa band arrangement of the same piece, fronted by Bosch and Mills as improvising soloists.

A successful performance at Ravinia led to bookings with the Phoenix, Colorado and Green Bay Symphonies for the 2005-2006 season. In past years Mills has performed as soloist with the Juilliard Pre-College Chamber Orchestra, the Teatro Argentino Orchestra in Buenos Aires, Argentina, the New Jersey Symphony, the Sarah Lawrence College Symphony, the Plainfield Symphony, the Hudson Valley Philharmonic, the Aspen Music Festival’s Sinfonia Orchestra as winner of the Festival’s E. Nakamichi Violin Concerto Competition.

As a chamber musician Jesse Mills has performed at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall, New York City’s Merkin Concert Hall and Bargemusic, Carnegie’s Weill Hall, Columbia University’s Miller Theater, Boston’s Gardener Museum, the Cooper Arts Series at Cooper Union, the Rising Stars series at Caramoor, the Ravinia Festival’s Bennett-Gordon Hall, and at the Marlboro Music Festival. He performed on the opening night of The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s “A Great Day in New York” series with pianist/composer Peter Schickele, and this concert was broadcast live on WNYC 93.9 FM in New York.

Mr. Mills is an avid performer of contemporary works. As a member of the FLUX Quartet from 2001-2003, he played in many concert halls around the world, performing music composed during the last 50 years. Among these concerts were 3 performances of Morton Feldman’s String Quartet No. 3, a six-hour-long work of immense beauty. Mills has played extensively with renowned cellist, Fred Sherry, in works by Reich, Wuorinen, Schoenberg, and avant-garde composer and saxophonist, John Zorn. In 2004-2005, they recorded Schoenberg’s String Quartet Concerto and various chamber works of Anton Webern for NAXOS, as well as Zorn’s String Quartet, Necronomicon, on Tzadik.

Mills is co-founder of Duo Prism, a violin-piano duo with Rieko Aizawa. He is also a member of Nurse Kaya, an ensemble comprised of string quartet plus bass and drums which exclusively plays compositions written by its members; much of this music involves improvisation. The group plays in traditional venues such as concert halls and clubs, as well as in schools, hospitals, and jails. In 2005, Nurse Kaya was awarded a Residency Partnership Grant from Chamber Music America, which resulted in a successful week-long residency in the public schools as well as at the Rialto Theater of Loveland, Colorado. Mills was an integral part of New Spirit – a new recording on the Verve label by jazz pianist, Makoto Ozone. Several performances of this project will be presented next year.

Jesse Mills began violin studies at the age of four. He graduated with a Bachelor of Music degree from The Juilliard School as a student of Robert Mann in 2001. He has previously studied with Christiane Pors, Naoko Tanaka and Itzhak Perlman.

• Cellist Joel Noyes joined the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra in 2002. An avid chamber musician, Joel has frequently appeared throughout the United States at such prestigious venues as Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall, Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, and Bargemusic, Ltd.

During recent summers, he has performed at festivals including Marlboro Music, La Jolla Summerfest, Sarasota, Taos, and Music from Angel Fire. He has collaborated with many of the world’s leading chamber musicians, including Gilbert Kalish, Kim Kashkashian, Ida Kavafian, David Soyer, Steven Tenenbom, and Peter Wiley.

Born into a musical family, he began playing the cello at the age of three under the tutelage of his father. In 2001, Joel graduated from the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia where he studied with David Soyer. While at Curtis, he was chosen principal cellist of the Institute’s orchestra, and frequently played in the Philadelphia Orchestra. His other teachers have included Richard Aaron at the Cleveland Institute of Music and Marc Johnson of the Vermeer Quartet.

In his spare time, Joel dabbles in photography and musical improvisation.