Cellist James Baik has been described as an artist with “an undeniable authority,” and one possessing “a real warmth emerging in lyricism” by Belgian newspaper Le Soir, after his astounding performance at the 2021 Queen Elisabeth competition. First prize winner of the 2023 Susan Wadsworth Young Concert Artists International Auditions and recipient of the Paul A. Fish Memorial Prize and the Bridgehampton Chamber Music Prize, James is a YCA Jacobs Fellow and is managed worldwide by Young Concert Artists.

James was also a finalist at the 2019 Stulberg International String Competition and would go on to receive the first prize at the prestigious Irving M. Klein International Competition. He made his debut solo appearance in 2015 with the Houston Civic Symphony Orchestra and the Clear Lake Symphony in Saint-Saens’ Cello Concerto No. 1. In 2018, James won the DePaul Concerto Competition, reached the finals at the Johansen International Competition in Washington D.C., and rounded the year by being named a YoungArts finalist. James was also awarded the grand prize at the Walgreens National Competition, resulting in a performance of the Schumann Cello Concerto with conductor Dr. Allen Dennis at Northwestern University.

Highlights from recent and upcoming performances include the Dvořák Cello Concerto with the Colburn Orchestra, under the baton of Sir Andrew Davies at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, Haydn’s Cello Concerto in C Major with the Orchestre Royal de Chambre de Wallonie with conductor Vahan Mardirossian, a performance of Brahms’ Double Concerto alongside violinist Gabrielle Després and the Peninsula Symphony under the baton of Mitchell Sardou Klein, and chamber music performances at the Ravinia Festival, the Music in the Vineyards Festival in Napa Valley, and Nevada Chamber Music Festival, where he was invited as a guest artist. In 2021, James, alongside his colleagues violinist Ray Ushikubo and pianist HyeJin Kim, performed the Beethoven Triple Concerto with the Pasadena Symphony under the baton of David Lockington, where he also performed a new work for two celli with the conductor as composer and cellist.

An active chamber musician, James has worked with many notable musicians such as Noah Bendix-Balgley, David Finckel, Wu Han, Emanuel Ax, Arnaud Sussmann, Dmitri Murrath, Miriam Fried, Gary Hoffman, Tessa Lark, Gilbert Kalish, Bob McDonald, David McCarroll, members of the Tokyo String Quartet, the American String Quartet, the Pacifica String Quartet, and the Escher String Quartet. James attended the Meadowmount School of Music and the Aspen Music Festival, where he participated in the Finckel Wu Han Chamber Music Program, and was invited as a guest artist for the Music of the Vineyards Festival. Recently, James was a fellow at the Ravinia Steans Music Institute, where he gave widely praised performances of Rachmaninoff’s Cello Sonata and the Franck Sonata in A Major.

Raised in Houston, Texas, James’ early education included tutelage from Houston Symphony Associate Principal Christopher French and with esteemed pedagogue Hans Jørgen Jensen in Chicago. James is currently a Bachelor of Music candidate at the Colburn Conservatory of Music where he studies with Clive Greensmith.

The instrument being used by Baik is a cello made by J.B Vuillaume and is on generous loan from the Ravinia Institute of Music.

Luiz Fernando Venturelli is a Brazilian cellist who is rapidly gaining recognition as one of the most promising young musicians in the country. Born and raised in a musical family, Luiz began his musical studies at the age of three and took up the cello at the age of eight at the Instituto Baccarelli, a non-profit social organization based in São Paulo’s Heliópolis, which provides free music education to children. Luiz subsequently pursued his Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees at Northwestern University, graduating with Honors Distinction under the acclaimed pedagogue Hans Jørgen Jensen.

Luiz’s performances have spanned North and South America, Europe, and Asia, encompassing recital programs, chamber collaborations, solo concertos, and international competitions. In 2023, Luiz was awarded the second annual $50,000 Gurrena Fellowship from the Meadowmount School of Music and was the winner of the Astral Artists National Competition. He was also recognized as a prize winner of the 24th annual Sphinx Competition, the Paulo Bosisio, and the Samuel and Eleanor Thaviu Strings competitions, as well as the concerto competitions of the Goiás Philharmonic and the Symphony Orchestra of São Paulo.

As a soloist, Luiz made his performance debut at the age of nine at Sala São Paulo, the largest hall in Latin America, and has since been regularly invited to solo with several international orchestras. In 2023, Luiz premiered a concerto composed by Jorge Grossmann, commissioned by and performed with the Symphony Orchestra of São Paulo. He has also appeared as a featured soloist with the Peninsula Music Festival, the Bahia Symphony, the Goiás Philharmonic, the Espírito Santo Symphony, the Campinas Symphony, the Piracicaba Symphony, the Heliópolis Symphony, the São Paulo University Symphony, and the SESI Chamber Orchestra.

An avid chamber musician, Luiz is a founding member of the Galvin Cello Quartet, an ensemble rapidly gaining attention since their silver medal win in the 2021 Fischoff Competition, and as the winner of the 2022 Victor Elmaleh Competition, success which led to exclusive professional management by Concert Artist’s Guild.

Luiz plays on an 1850 Giovanni Dollenz cello generously loaned by several anonymous donors. His primary teachers include André Micheletti and Hans Jørgen Jensen.

During his free time, Luiz is an enthusiast of other musical genres, having led a rock band and performed and recorded alongside multiple artists in Brazil.

Korean-American cellist Sydney Lee is an emerging young artist captivating audiences on the international stage. Capturing 1st prize at the 2022 Washington International Competition and 2nd prize at the Classic Strings International Competition, Sydney has performed extensively throughout the United States and Europe in many of the world’s leading venues, including Washington DC’s Kennedy Center, the Palladium at the Center for Performing Arts, Philadelphia’s Kimmel Center, New World Center in Miami, Pittsburgh’s Heinz Hall, Carnegie Hall, Euphrasian Basilica, Konzerthaus Berlin, and Fryderyk Chopin University Hall in Warsaw. A prizewinner at many competitions, she also received 1st prize at the International Antonio Janigro Cello Competition in Croatia, 2nd prize at the Lennox International Young Artists Competition, and was a winner of the New York Classical Music Society Recital Series, where she was awarded a solo recital engagement in New York City. Sydney was a finalist of the National YoungArts Foundation and was subsequently named a 2015 U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts by the White House Commission on Presidential Scholars. Moreover, she was the recipient of the 2015 Korean Honors Scholarship, awarded by the South Korean Embassy in Washington D.C.

Recent engagements include an appearance with the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra, where Sydney was praised by renowned cellist Julian Lloyd Webber, “Sydney Lee’s playing of Prokofiev’s Sinfonia Concertante was mesmerizing. She surmounted all of its technical challenges with ease and gave us a joyous musical experience. It was a performance to treasure.” Previous engagements include performances with the Zagreb Soloists, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Bravura Philharmonic Orchestra, and Monmouth Symphony Orchestra.

An avid chamber musician, recent chamber music performances as part of the Curtis on Tour initiative have taken her on three national and international tours in numerous cities across China, Hong Kong, United States, Germany, and Poland. Sydney was also appointed principal cellist of the Curtis Symphony Orchestra for 2019-20, ending the season with a tour across the United States.

Radio and television appearances include NPR’s From the Top, Croatian TV Istra, as well as Philadelphia’s WHYY public radios. As part of On Stage at Curtis on WHYY, Ms. Lee was featured on the episode Brilliant Playing and Superb Technique and Growing With the Music: Sydney Lee. Alongside her brother and cellist Noah Lee, Sydney was also featured on the sensational release of From the Top’s first animation music video, “Passacaglia Powerhouse Sibling Duo.”

Sydney has been selected to participate in various festivals, such as the International Music Academy in the Principality of Liechtenstein, CelloAkademie Rutesheim, and Kronberg Academy masterclasses, studying with Jens Peter Maintz.

A native of New York City, Sydney began the cello at the age of six with her mother, Soo Lee, and was accepted into The Juilliard School’s pre-college program less than two years later. Sydney completed her Bachelor’s at The Curtis Institute of Music, where she studied with Peter Wiley and Carter Brey. As the recipient of the Eckstein Scholarship and Dick and Helen Thomas Fellowship, she received her Master of Music degree and graduated with honors at Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music under the tutelage of Hans Jorgen Jensen and will be continuing her studies there this fall, pursuing her Doctor of Musical Arts degree. Other past influential teachers include Richard Aaron, Sophie Shao, Julie Albers, Minhye Clara Kim, and the mentorship of acclaimed cellist Lynn Harrell.

An advocate for arts education, Sydney currently serves as a Board of Director and Social Media Manager at The Back to Bach Project Charitable Foundation LTD, a global initiative to inspire music and arts education to young children and teach them the value of hard work and passion. She was a founding member since its inception in 2014 and served as Regional Director of the Philadelphia chapter as well as Director of Global Operations, where she planted the Calgary, Canada and Delaware County, PA regions. As part of the Community Artist Project at Curtis, Sydney created a three-way collaboration between Play on Philly, The Curtis Institute of Music, and The Back to Bach Project, under the guidance of Midori. On behalf of The Back to Bach Project, Sydney was selected as a 2020 Grantee from the U.S. Presidential Scholars Foundation and Alumni Association Seed Grant Program. Aside from performing, Sydney enjoys her work with The Violin Channel as a Content Assistant.

Born in 1999, Chinese-American cellist Haddon Kay is one of the young rising stars of his generation, capturing audiences with his lyricism and musical eloquence. Haddon first gained recognition when he became a finalist for the Chicago Symphony Young Artist Competition and performed the Barber Cello Concerto with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. The following summer, he became the principal cellist of the National Youth Orchestra of the United States under the baton of Michael Tilson Thomas for an international tour in Asia.

Most recently, Haddon captured third prize in Bucharest, Romania at the 2024 George Enescu International Cello Competition. He was selected as the 2024 Luminarts Fellow in Classical Strings and was awarded the 2023 American Opera Society of Chicago Scholarship Award. Additionally, Haddon competed in the 2nd Queen Elisabeth Competition in Belgium and was a winner of Northwestern University’s Concerto/Aria competition, after which he performed the Dvorak Cello Concerto with the Northwestern University Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Victor Yampolsky. In 2016, he was the first place winner in the strings division in the Walgreens Concerto Competition. In 2015, Haddon was the selected soloist for the New North Shore Chamber Orchestra, winner of the DePaul Concerto Competition, and performed with the Oistrakh Symphony of Chicago.

A dedicated chamber musician, Haddon is a founding member of the Galvin Cello Quartet, formed in 2021 at the Bienen School of Music, which recently won Concert Artists Guild’s 2022 Victor Elmaleh Competition and the silver medal at the 2021 Fischoff Competition. The Galvin Quartet continues to regularly tour in concerts around the United States. Haddon has appeared at Music@Menlo, Bravo!Vail, and the Meadowmount School of Music. He has worked with many notable musicians such as David Finckel, Wu Han, Gilbert Kalish, Arnaud Sussman, Shmuel Ashkenazi, and the Dover Quartet. Haddon also performs regularly with members of the Lyric Opera of Chicago through the Rembrandt Chamber Musicians. He has also won 1st prizes at the Rembrandt and Discover Chamber Music Competitions with various groups. As the cellist of those ensembles he has also appeared on National Public Radio’s From the Top and on Chicago radio’s WFMT Introductions.

Born and raised in the Chicago area, Haddon is a graduate of Northwestern University, receiving his Bachelor’s Degree in 2022 and his Master’s Degree in 2024. Haddon is currently pursuing his Doctor of Musical Arts degree at Northwestern, continuing his studies under the tutelage of Hans Jorgen Jensen. Haddon has also studied with Jens Peter Maintz, Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt, and Clive Greensmith through the Kronberg Masterclasses and the Vivace Music Foundation.

In addition to playing the cello, Haddon is an avid volleyball player and was on Northwestern University’s men’s club volleyball team.