ECMF 2024 Faculty
Michael Korn, Artistic Director
Born in Novosibirsk, Michael Korn started to play violin at the age of five and studied in Novosibirsk, Moscow, and Tel-Aviv. As a violinist and conductor, he concertized in the former Soviet Union, Israel, Europe, Africa, and the U.S. Among the highlights of his career, Michael performed at world-famous venues such as Carnegie Hall in New York, Symphony Hall in Boston, Concertgebouw Hall in Amsterdam, Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, Small Hall of Moscow Conservatory,
St. Petersburg Small Philharmonic Hall, and on top of a Soviet Army armory vehicle in a small Siberian village. Since coming to the U.S., Michael performed with the Alabama Symphony Orchestra, Boston Classical Orchestra and Boston Lyric Opera as well as with the critically acclaimed Chagall Trio. Currently, Michael Korn serves as Music Director of the Waltham Philharmonic Orchestra and Sharon Community Chamber Orchestra, and performs as a soloist and in chamber music ensembles throughout New England.
St. Petersburg Small Philharmonic Hall, and on top of a Soviet Army armory vehicle in a small Siberian village. Since coming to the U.S., Michael performed with the Alabama Symphony Orchestra, Boston Classical Orchestra and Boston Lyric Opera as well as with the critically acclaimed Chagall Trio. Currently, Michael Korn serves as Music Director of the Waltham Philharmonic Orchestra and Sharon Community Chamber Orchestra, and performs as a soloist and in chamber music ensembles throughout New England.
Victor Cayres, Piano
Brazilian pianist Victor Cayres has earned praise for concerts with the Sine Nomine string quartet and as soloist with Boston Pops, Orchestre des Jeunes de Fribourg in Switzerland, and Brno Philharmonic in the Czech Republic. He has been a guest artist at Banff Center for the Arts in Canada, Interlochen Center for the Arts, Boston University Tanglewood Institute, Claflin University, Western Washington University, Moscow’s Tchaikovsky Conservatory and State University for Arts and Culture. He has recorded for Albany, Centaur, Navona, and Parma Records, and frequently performs in Brazil, Europe, and in the United States, including Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall, Chicago’s Preston Bradley Hall, Boston’s Symphony Hall and Jordan Hall. His concerts have been broadcast live at Brazil’s TV Cultura channel, Boston’s WGBH 99.5 All Classical, and Chicago’s WFMT Fine Arts Radio. Victor currently serves as Associate Director for Boston University Tanglewood Institute Young Artists Piano Program, as Instructor of Piano and Keyboard Area Coordinator at Eastern Illinois University, and as piano faculty at New England Conservatory Preparatory School and Continuing Education.
Pascale Delache-Feldman, Double Bass
French double bassist Pascale Delache-Feldman has enjoyed a diverse career performing as a soloist, chamber and orchestra musician, recording artist, commissioner of new music, educator and founder and artistic director of the Boston Bass Bash. As a soloist, she has performed with the Merrimack Valley Philharmonic, the North Shore Philharmonic, Greensboro Festival Orchestra, Longy Chamber Orchestra and others. New Music Connoisseur described her playing from a recent concert as having “technical certainty and musical imagination” and by the Boston Phoenix as “ a gifted colorist ....who produced an entire range of orchestral effects”. An avid chamber musician, she has collaborated with violinists Midori, Joel Smirnoff, pianists Virginia Eskin, Victor Rosenbaum, Randall Hodgkinson, the St. Petersburg String Quartet, the Borromeo String Quartet, members of the Lark String Quartet, Fidelio and with soprano Dawn Upshaw. She was a prizewinner at the Prague International Chamber Music Competition and won first prize with honors for double bass performance at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris. Pascale is the co-founder of Cello e Basso with cellist Emmanuel Feldman, and the founder and artistic director of the Boston Bass Bash, an international festival dedicated to the double bass. Pascale teaches double bass at the Longy School of Music, Tufts University, Brown University, Rivers School of Music and frequently is a guest for master classes. She has taught at the Yellow Barn Music Festival, Summit Music Festival and Wellesley Composers Conference and Chamber Music Center.
Rachael Elliot, Bassoon
Hailed as “one of the sharpest executors of new-music currently on the scene” (WQXR) and an “intrepid bassoonist” (Time Out New York), Rachael Elliott explores compelling new directions as a bassoon soloist and chamber artist. Elliott is a versatile performer who is active in classical, new music, improvised and rock/pop settings. She is a founding member of the genre-bending new music group, Clogs, with whom she has recorded five acclaimed albums and appeared throughout the United States, Europe and Australia, sharing the stage with such renowned musicians as Bang on a Can, Bell Orchestre, The Books, The National, Terry Riley, Sufjan Stevens and Shara Nova/My Brightest Diamond. She is also a founding member of Dark in the Song, Rushes Ensemble, Tuple bassoon duo, and Heliand Consort, a Vermont based classical group. She is principal bassoonist of the Burlington Chamber Orchestra and a substitute bassoonist with the Vermont Symphony Orchestra. Elliott was previously principal bassoonist and bassoon soloist with the Collegium Musicum in Juelich, Germany. A proponent of new music, Elliott has premiered works by Amy Beth Kirsten, Bryce Dessner, Paul Lansky, Ingram Marshall, Padma Newsome, Thomas L. Read, and Beth Wiemann, among others. Her debut CD, “Polka the Elk,” contains world premiere recordings of bassoon music by David Lang, Padma Newsome and Tawnie Olson. The album was selected as WQXR’s Q2 Album of the Week following its release and has been described as “an engaging, eclectic mix of contemporary music” by Cleveland Classical and “a charismatic exploitation of a chamber group’s nimbleness” by PopMatters. Originally from Lyndon, Vermont, her earliest musical memories include hearing her father practice piano at night as she was falling asleep and later studying piano herself, before picking up the alto saxophone in middle school. “Saxophonists are a dime a dozen” was the refrain of her piano teacher who encouraged her to try the bassoon…and the rest is history. Her musical mentors have included Nancy Hartswick, John Padden, and bassoonists Janet Polk and Frank Morelli. She received bassoon performance degrees from the Manhattan School of Music and the Yale School of Music.
Emmanuel Feldman, Cello
Hailed by John Williams, Grammy award winning composer and conductor as “an outstanding cellist and truly dedicated artist,” Emmanuel Feldman enjoys an active career as a soloist, chamber musician, recording artist, champion and commissioner of new music and educator. With a repertoire ranging from Bach to Ligeti to today's cutting edge composers, Feldman has concertized throughout Europe and North America. He has performed as soloist with the Boston Pops, Nashville Chamber Orchestra, Greensboro Festival Orchestra, Boston Philharmonic, Boston Modern Orchestra Project, New England String Ensemble and many others. An avid chamber musician, he was invited to participate in the Marlboro Music Festival, Pablo Casals Festival, Schlesswig Holstein Musik Festival, and was a faculty member at the Yellow Barn Music Festival, the Killington Music Festival and the Summit Music Festival. Following his debut in 2006 on the Bank of America Marquee Celebrity Series, Richard Dyer of the Boston Globe wrote “Emmanuel Feldman was superb in the Bach Solo Suites.” His solo CD on Albany Records, Rider on The Plains, featuring Virgil Thomson's Cello Concerto, was part of producer Blanton Alspaugh's 2008 nomination for a Grammy award (Producer of the Year) and was hailed as an “excellent recording...the concerto sounds exhilarating in this bracing and confident performance” by Anthony Tommasini in the New York Times. He has also recorded chamber music on the Naxos, Arsis, Zimbel and other labels.
Noriko Futagami, Viola
Violist Noriko Futagami performs with some of the area’s most celebrated ensembles. She is a member of the Radius Ensemble, voted “Boston’s Best Classical Ensemble of 2016” by the Improper Bostonian, as well as working with the Boston Musica Viva, Emmanuel Music, Cantata Singers and Winsor Music on a regular basis. She is principal violist for Boston Philharmonic Orchestra and section violist with Rhode Island Philharmonic and Portland
Symphony Orchestra. As principal violist for Albany Symphony, she has participated in several
Grammy nominated recordings, winning in 2014 John Crigliano’s Conjurer/Vocalise. Since moving to Boston in 2011, she has become a fixture of the freelance scene, performing regularly with the Boston Modern Orchestra Project, Odyssey Opera Orchestra and Monadnock Festival Orchestra, as well the Boston Pops, Boston Ballet and Boston Landmarks Orchestras. She is a faculty member at Brown University.
Symphony Orchestra. As principal violist for Albany Symphony, she has participated in several
Grammy nominated recordings, winning in 2014 John Crigliano’s Conjurer/Vocalise. Since moving to Boston in 2011, she has become a fixture of the freelance scene, performing regularly with the Boston Modern Orchestra Project, Odyssey Opera Orchestra and Monadnock Festival Orchestra, as well the Boston Pops, Boston Ballet and Boston Landmarks Orchestras. She is a faculty member at Brown University.
Neil Godwin, French Horn
Hailed as “stalwart” by the Boston Musical Intelligencer, Neil Godwin is a native of Louisiana and holds degrees in horn performance and conducting from the University of Southern Mississippi. In 2001, he began studies at Boston University with Eric Ruske. In Boston, Neil has had a busy career as performer and teacher. As a new music specialist, he performs frequently with the Boston Modern Orchestra Project and the Callithumpian Consort. At the other extreme, he has explored natural horn performance with Grand Harmonie. An enthusiastic chamber musician, Neil performs with the Boston Woodwind Society Octet and the Epic Brass Quintet. He is a member of the Plymouth Philharmonic and has played with the Discovery Ensemble, the Hillyer Festival Orchestra, the Simon Sinfonietta and the Gardner Museum Chamber Orchestra. Neil has performed with many of the region’s orchestras, including the Boston Philharmonic, the New Bedford Symphony, the Cape Cod Symphony, the Orchestra of Indian Hill, Symphony by the Sea, and the Claflin Hill Symphony. Neil is a member of the brass and ensembles faculties at the Community Music Center of Boston. He is assistant director of CMCB’s Summer Music program, where he directs the wind ensemble and coaches chamber music.
Amanda Hardy, Oboe
Amanda Hardy joined the Portland (Maine) Symphony Orchestra as principal oboe in November
2013 where she occupies the Clinton Graffam Chair. As a recipient of the Gillet Scholarship and
Tourjée Alumni Scholarship Award, Amanda studied with BSO principal oboist John Ferrillo at
the New England Conservatory (NEC). Amanda was winner of the 2010 Borromeo String
Quartet Guest Artist Award Competition and also has appeared as soloist with the Boston Pops
in Symphony Hall (2009), the Portland Symphony, the Chelsea Music Festival, the Bach
Virtuosi Festival, the NEC Bach Ensemble, the Drake Symphony Orchestra, and the Des Moines
Youth Symphony at age sixteen. In 2006, she won the grand prize for Iowa’s Bill Riley Talent
Search, giving her state-wide televised recognition. Amanda is a frequent performer with the
Boston Symphony and the Boston Pops, with whom she has both toured and recorded. She has
been guest principal oboe with the Boston Pops, A Far Cry Chamber Orchestra, Emmanuel Music, and the Des Moines Symphony, and the Boston Philharmonic. Amanda is Assistant Professor of Oboe at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee, is on the faculty of New England Conservatory Preparatory School, and teaches at Northeastern University. She holds a Bachelor of Music in oboe with a piano minor from Drake University and a Master of Music and Graduate Diploma from NEC. Previous festivals include the Masterworks Festival, the Chelsea Music Festival, the Aspen Music Festival and School, and Tanglewood Music Center in 2010 and 2011where she was awarded the Mickey L. Hooten Memorial Award both summers. Her solo work
can be heard in a recently released CD, Dancing with J.S. Bach (2019), on the Chelsea Music Festival Live label.
2013 where she occupies the Clinton Graffam Chair. As a recipient of the Gillet Scholarship and
Tourjée Alumni Scholarship Award, Amanda studied with BSO principal oboist John Ferrillo at
the New England Conservatory (NEC). Amanda was winner of the 2010 Borromeo String
Quartet Guest Artist Award Competition and also has appeared as soloist with the Boston Pops
in Symphony Hall (2009), the Portland Symphony, the Chelsea Music Festival, the Bach
Virtuosi Festival, the NEC Bach Ensemble, the Drake Symphony Orchestra, and the Des Moines
Youth Symphony at age sixteen. In 2006, she won the grand prize for Iowa’s Bill Riley Talent
Search, giving her state-wide televised recognition. Amanda is a frequent performer with the
Boston Symphony and the Boston Pops, with whom she has both toured and recorded. She has
been guest principal oboe with the Boston Pops, A Far Cry Chamber Orchestra, Emmanuel Music, and the Des Moines Symphony, and the Boston Philharmonic. Amanda is Assistant Professor of Oboe at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee, is on the faculty of New England Conservatory Preparatory School, and teaches at Northeastern University. She holds a Bachelor of Music in oboe with a piano minor from Drake University and a Master of Music and Graduate Diploma from NEC. Previous festivals include the Masterworks Festival, the Chelsea Music Festival, the Aspen Music Festival and School, and Tanglewood Music Center in 2010 and 2011where she was awarded the Mickey L. Hooten Memorial Award both summers. Her solo work
can be heard in a recently released CD, Dancing with J.S. Bach (2019), on the Chelsea Music Festival Live label.
Becca Kasdan, Violin
Becca Kasdan is currently a Resident Musician at Community MusicWorks and a Teaching Associate at
Brown University in Providence, RI. At CMW, Becca performs as a member of the MusicWorks Collective,
teaches violin lessons, and actively participates and coordinates community engagement projects and
initiatives. In addition, she is a violin faculty member at Luzerne Music Center’s Senior Session in New York. Becca received her Doctor of Musical Arts in Violin Performance at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where she studied with Meg Freivogel of the Jupiter String Quartet and served as the Violin Teaching Assistant. Previously, Dr. Kasdan studied with Violaine Melancon at the Schulich School of Music at McGill University and the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University where she received her MM and BM in Violin Performance. In 2023, Becca collaborated with the international exhibit Violins of Hope to present her Doctoral Lecture Recital, Imagining New Possibilities for 21st -Century Classical Music Performance: Drawing Inspiration from the Berlin Cabarets of the Weimar Republic. Joined by co-founder Avshalom Weinstein, Becca performed a recital on violins restored and recovered from the Holocaust. The concert featured dancers, musicians, visual artists, and puppeteers from seven countries and a performance of two world premieres. Extremely devoted to bringing music into the community, Becca is on the Board of Trustees for the Volunteer Musicians for the Arts in Boston where she received a Community Leadership Award in 2021. She is the 2018 recipient of the Johns Hopkins President’s Commendation for Achievement in the Arts, the Grace Clagett Ranney Prize in Chamber Music, the String Achievement Award from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and is a member of the Pi Kappa Lambda and Phi Kappa Phi’s prestigious music guilds. For more information please follow at www.beccakasdanviolin.com.
Brown University in Providence, RI. At CMW, Becca performs as a member of the MusicWorks Collective,
teaches violin lessons, and actively participates and coordinates community engagement projects and
initiatives. In addition, she is a violin faculty member at Luzerne Music Center’s Senior Session in New York. Becca received her Doctor of Musical Arts in Violin Performance at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where she studied with Meg Freivogel of the Jupiter String Quartet and served as the Violin Teaching Assistant. Previously, Dr. Kasdan studied with Violaine Melancon at the Schulich School of Music at McGill University and the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University where she received her MM and BM in Violin Performance. In 2023, Becca collaborated with the international exhibit Violins of Hope to present her Doctoral Lecture Recital, Imagining New Possibilities for 21st -Century Classical Music Performance: Drawing Inspiration from the Berlin Cabarets of the Weimar Republic. Joined by co-founder Avshalom Weinstein, Becca performed a recital on violins restored and recovered from the Holocaust. The concert featured dancers, musicians, visual artists, and puppeteers from seven countries and a performance of two world premieres. Extremely devoted to bringing music into the community, Becca is on the Board of Trustees for the Volunteer Musicians for the Arts in Boston where she received a Community Leadership Award in 2021. She is the 2018 recipient of the Johns Hopkins President’s Commendation for Achievement in the Arts, the Grace Clagett Ranney Prize in Chamber Music, the String Achievement Award from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and is a member of the Pi Kappa Lambda and Phi Kappa Phi’s prestigious music guilds. For more information please follow at www.beccakasdanviolin.com.
Alexis Lanz, Clarinet
Alexis Lanz has been principal clarinetist of the Boston Ballet Orchestra since 2011, and he is
a member of Collage New Music and Sound Icon. He has performed with the Boston Pops
Esplanade Orchestra, A Far Cry, Xanthos Ensemble, Walden Chamber Players and Symphony
New Hampshire, and has appeared with the Atlantic Music Festival, the Summer Institute of
Contemporary Performing Practice, and the New Hampshire Music Festival. He has also
appeared as principal clarinetist of the New York String Orchestra Seminar and as soloist with
the New England Conservatory Wind Ensemble. Alexis has performed with conductors Stefan
Asbury, Andrew Davis, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, Bernard Haitink and James Levine. He
earned his B.M. and M.M. degrees at the New England Conservatory, and his teachers have
included Edward Cabarga and Thomas Martin.
a member of Collage New Music and Sound Icon. He has performed with the Boston Pops
Esplanade Orchestra, A Far Cry, Xanthos Ensemble, Walden Chamber Players and Symphony
New Hampshire, and has appeared with the Atlantic Music Festival, the Summer Institute of
Contemporary Performing Practice, and the New Hampshire Music Festival. He has also
appeared as principal clarinetist of the New York String Orchestra Seminar and as soloist with
the New England Conservatory Wind Ensemble. Alexis has performed with conductors Stefan
Asbury, Andrew Davis, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, Bernard Haitink and James Levine. He
earned his B.M. and M.M. degrees at the New England Conservatory, and his teachers have
included Edward Cabarga and Thomas Martin.
Matthew Lee, Flute
Matthew Lee is a Boston based, New Zealand Flute player and educator. His playing has been called “astonishing” and “his technique astonishing” (Fanfare). Matthew has had the privilege of performing in venues such as Boston Symphony Hall, New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall, and the Sydney Opera House. Matthew can be frequently heard performing with the Portland (ME) Symphony Orchestra and has performed with the Boston Ballet Orchestra, Boston Philharmonic, Boston Landmarks Orchestra, and the GRAMMY Award winning Albany Symphony Orchestra. Dedicated to education, Matthew is currently a teacher with the Wellesley Public Schools while concurrently managing a thriving private studio catering to students of all ages and skill levels. His commitment to sharing his expertise extends to conducting, as he has conducted the Boston University Wind Ensemble, Boston University Concert Band, University of North Texas Wind Symphony, and briefly assumed the role of interim director for the Gisborne (NZ) Concert Band. Matthew has also led sectional rehearsals with the Boston University All Campus Orchestra. His teaching experience includes giving masterclasses and presentations at Boston University and the University of Rhode Island, University of Nebraska, Omaha, as well as serving as a teaching assistant at the Boston University Tanglewood Institute. In the past, he held the position of Instructor of Flute and Chamber Music at Boston University, where he provided private lessons and coached chamber music for non-major students. Matthew earned both his undergraduate and master's degrees at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand and continued his studies at Boston University. His musical journey has been profoundly influenced by esteemed teachers such as Anthony Ferner, Linda Toote, Ann Bobo, Diana Morgan, Sharon Sparrow and Elizabeth Rowe. Matthew has further enriched his musical perspective through participation in masterclasses led by artists such as Lorna McGhee, Emily Beynon, Julien Beaudiment, Alberto Almarza, Leone Buyse, Cynthia Meyers, Jim Walker, and Mark Sparks. Since 2012, Matthew has been playing on Haynes flutes. In 2023, he acquired his 14k Custom Flute with a 14k headjoint and platinum riser from Flutistry Boston. He is honored to be recognized as a Haynes Young Artist
Alexey Shabalin, Violin
Alexey Shabalin is a Professor of Music at Rhode Island College and a member of the Rhode Island Philharmonic. He has been Artist- Director of the Rhode Island Youth Philharmonic Orchestras Since 2003. He also founded and conducts the Rhode Island Youth Soloists, a chamber orchestra of the top string players. For several years, Shabalin has been the assistant conductor and strings coach of the MIT Symphony. He coaches chamber music at Brown University and conducts the symphony orchestra, coaches violin and chamber groups, and teaches music theory at Providence College. Alexey graduated from Moscow Conservatory in 1995. As a student he won third prize in the Soviet national string quartet competition in 1991. During the same year he was a semifinalist in the International Shostakovich Chamber Music Competition. In 1995 he won the "Best Violinist in a Duet" category in the International Bashmet Competition in Moscow. From 1992 to 1996, Shabalin toured with the world-renowned Moscow Soloists Chamber Orchestra. In 1995 the group gave the second performance ever held of Mozart's newly unearthed Triple Concerto, with Shabalin playing the solo violin part. In recognition of his talent, he was allowed to perform on a priceless Stradivarius violin owned by the Russian government. He moved to the United States in 1996, and has since played in many orchestras and chamber groups.
Guest Artist
Sandra Piques Eddy, Mezzo-Soprano
Praised for her “dark sensuous mezzo and charming stage presence’ (Opera Magazine) Sandra Piques Eddy recently added the roles of Dido in Dido and Aeneas (Florentine Opera), Orfeo in Orfeo ed Eurydice (Portland Opera), Meg Page in Falstaff (Opera Colorado) Paula in Florencia en al Amazonas (Pittsburgh Opera) Suzuki in Madama Butterfly (Inland Pacific Northwest Opera ) and Mistress Revels in the recently Grammy nominated recording of Carlisle Floyd’s Prince of Players. A celebrated Carmen, Sandra performed the role with various companies including; Portland Opera, Michigan Opera Theater, Chicago Opera Theater, Austin Opera, Opera Colorado, Opera North (UK) tour, and twice with Maestro Seiji Ozawa touring Japan. Career highlights include: Charlotte in Werther with Boston Lyric Opera; Isabella in L’Italiana in Algeri with Vancouver Opera, Arizona Opera, Austin Opera, Atlanta Opera; Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia with Nashville Opera, Vancouver Opera, Austin Opera, a tour with New Zealand Opera; Dorabella in Cosi fan tutte with Boston Lyric Opera, Glimmerglass Opera, Hyogo Performing Arts Center- Japan, New York City Opera, Pittsburgh Opera; Angelina in La Cenerentola with Spoleto Festival USA, Austin Lyric Opera, Opera Saratoga and Greensboro Opera, Poppea in The Coronation of Poppea tour at Opera North (UK); With over 100 performances at the Metropolitan Opera, Sandra’s roles include; Fiona in Nico Muhly’s Two Boys, Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro, La Badessa in Suor Angelica, Mercedes in Carmen, Lola in Cavalleria Rusticana, Zulma in L’Italiana in Algeri, among others. Sandra created the role of the Young Wife in Scott Wheeler’s opera Naga which premiered in Boston as a part of the Ouroboros Trilogy through the Beth Morrison’s Opera Project. On the concert platform, Sandra has performed with with Baltimore Symphony, Handel and Haydn Society, Boston Baroque, Phoenix Symphony, New Choral Society, Jacksonville Symphony, National Chorale, Landmarks Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic Chamber Ensemble Concert Series. Ms. Eddy’s love of teaching and encouraging young artists have made her sought after Master Class instructor. Sandra has led classes at Mannes School of Music, Boston University’s Opera Institute, Boston Conservatory, Tanglewood, Brown University, Ole Miss, Austin Opera, Onondaga Community College among others. In 2017, Ms. Eddy was honored as a recipient of a Distinguished Alumni Award from Boston Conservatory and joined the Longy School of Music at Bard College Faculty as a visiting artist.