Silver Spring String Studio
Paul Nemeth
Paul grew up in a loving family in Princeton, New Jersey. In high school, he was mentored by the well-known music educator Linda McKnight while attending to the Manhattan School of Music pre-college division. He went on to study at The Juilliard School in New York City, where he studied with Orin O’Brien from the New York Philharmonic and frequently performed in halls such as Carnegie Hall, David Geffen Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center, and Miller Theatre at Columbia University. After finishing his studies at Juilliard, he went on to receive a master’s degree from Yale University and his Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Northwestern University, studying with Donald Palma and Andrew Raciti. While living in Chicago, Paul was a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, where he often worked with Yo-Yo Ma, artist-in-resident for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
He has performed throughout the world, traveling to Japan, China, Germany, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom, in international festivals that include the Lucerne Festival Academy, Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival, Britten-Pears Young Artist Programme, Pacific Music Festival, Aspen Music Festival, and Norfolk Chamber Music Festival. Paul currently performs as principal double bass with the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra in Annapolis, Maryland, where he has been a tenured member since 2019, and has performed with orchestras that include the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Washington National Opera, Richmond Symphony Orchestra, and New World Symphony. In 2017, he received second prize in the International Society of Bassists Orchestral Competition in Ithaca, New York.
As a dedicated and caring educator, Paul has taught in the Bard College Conservatory of Music Preparatory Division, the Juilliard-Nord Anglia Performing Arts Programme, and Yale College, where he was an instructor for undergraduate students. He currently teaches privately in the D.C. area. For more information, visit his website at https://www.paulnemeth.com.
Taiwanese violist Chi has enjoyed performing as an orchestral and chamber musician throughout the world. Born in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, she studied in Hong Kong at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts before coming to the United States, and holds a bachelor’s degree from Manhattan School of Music and a master’s degree from Rice University. Her mentors include members of the National Symphony, the Chicago Symphony, the Houston Symphony, Hong Kong Philharmonic, Fort Worth Symphony, American String Quartet, Tokyo String Quartet and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center.
Chi most recently joined the Richmond Symphony Orchestra as associate principal viola in 2018. She has performed in leading concert halls throughout the world such as Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Rose Theater at Jazz at Lincoln Center, Musik- und Kongresshalle Lübeck, Laeiszhalle Hamburg, Admiralspalast Berlin, and Snapes Proms. Her performances in international festivals include the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival in Rendsburg, Germany, the Britten-Pears Young Artists Programme in Aldeburgh, United Kingdom, Kent/Blossom Music Festival, Bard Music Festival, and Asian Youth Orchestra, where she toured to Tokyo, Osaka, Beijing, and Shanghai. Her orchestral work has lead to working with many of the finest conductors such as Semyon Bychkov, Manfred Honeck, Krysztof Urbanski, Christoph Eschenbach, Fabio Luisi, Neeme Järvi, Marin Alsop, and Michael Sanderling. Outside of performing with the Richmond Symphony Orchestra, she has performed with orchestras that include the Alabama Symphony Orchestra, Northbrook Symphony Orchestra, Elmhurst Symphony Orchestra, and Abilene Philharmonic. Chi was a fellow of The Orchestra Now from 2016 to 2018 where she regularly performed in Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center and the Metropolitan Museum in New York City.
As a chamber musician, Chi is a founding member of the Florestan String Quartet, based in New York. The Florestan String Quartet has toured Taiwan, performing throughout the country in concerts and educational workshops for students. She has been teaching faculty at the Bard College Conservatory Preparatory Division and the Amadeus Music School in New York City.
As a passionate music educator, Chi has served as faculty at the Bard College Conservatory of Music Preparatory Division in 2018, where she also taught at the preparatory division’s summer camp. She also taught non-major students at Rice University in 2015. She has experience teaching a wide range of ages, from 3 to 65, and is comfortable teaching one-on-one lessons as well as group classes. Chi was awarded the Best Teacher Award from the KRB NY International Competition in 2012 and was winner of the Lillian Fuchs Chamber Music Competition in 2013.
Chi Lee
Shun Yao
Pianist and Conductor Shun Yao has been praised for his “natural affinity with music” and “dedication for his art”.
Grew up in the city of New York, Mr. Yao studied piano with Nina Svetlanova at Manhattan School of Music and worked with other prestigious artists such as Nikolai Demidenko, Boris Slutsky, and Jerome Rose. He was often acknowledged for his rich tone and innate sense of timing. He has performed in venues around the city, and subsequently gained his Master’s degree at Rice University in Houston.
As a chamber musician, Mr. Yao has been coached by members of Tokyo Quartet and Medici Quartet, among others. He has also collaborated with singers of Seattle Opera and National Opera, as well as members of Houston Symphony.
In addition to piano, Mr. Yao is also devoted to orchestral music and operas as a conductor. He has received trainings from prominent figures such as Robert Spano of Atlanta Symphony, David Zinman of Zurich Orchestra, and Jorma Panula of Sibelius Academy in Finland. He has worked with ensembles in London, Italy, Hong Kong, Czech Republic, and across the US.
A dedicated teacher, Mr. Yao has taught piano and music theory for over ten years. His students have received stellar scores at exams such as ABRSM and NYSSMA. He is fluent in English and Chinese Mandarin.
Piano Performance: Manhattan School of Music MM Piano Performance: Rice University
MM Orchestral Conducting: Cleveland Institute of Music