Our latest artist highlight is that Scott Woodard announced he will be leading the Florentine Chamber Orchestra in Italy on May 28th, 2024. The concert will feature brass soloists, as well as works by Donizetti and W.A. Mozart. 

Eva Artistic Management Artist Abimael Melendez currently holds the position of String Program Director at Homer OPUS in Homer, Alaska. This is OPUS’s third year participating in Carnegie Hall’s PlayUSA program, which has also supported OPUS with a grant of $20,000 annually for the last two years. As part of this program, Abimael Melendez has gotten the opportunity to visit other music programs across the USA for information-sharing and community-building.

Vedrana Subotic, a Steinway Artist, studied music in Europe and the US, and holds five degrees. She maintains a busy concert and masterclass schedule with engagements in North and South America, Europe, and Asia. Subotic has performed more than 500 works in the solo, chamber, and concerto genres, including the 32 piano sonatas, and complete chamber works with piano by Beethoven. Her recent live-streamed performance of Liszt’s “Dante” Sonata drew over 500K views. 

Based in Salt Lake City, Utah, Subotic is a Professor (Lecturer) at the University of Utah, and serves as President of the World Piano Teachers Association for the US; as the Music Director of INTERMEZZO Concert Series; and as the state President for the Utah Chapter of the American Liszt Society.

Winner of the prize for best female conductor in the second International Orchestra’s Conductor competition, and 3rd prize overall, Libi Lebel is reshaping the arts landscape. Through her dynamic presence on the podium, her innovative programming, insightful interpretations, and tireless advocacy for music and medicine, she has played a pivotal role in reshaping the arts landscape in Houston, where she proudly serves as Music & Artistic Director of the Texas Medical Center Orchestra – a nationally recognized ensemble she founded in 2000.

Adam Piotr Żukiewicz is an award-winning, internationally acclaimed concert pianist. Mr. Żukiewicz has performed in some of the most important concert venues, including Carnegie Hall in New York, Kennedy Center in Washington DC, Palau de la Musica Catalana in Barcelona, Residenztheater in Munich, Goldensaal at the Musikverein in Vienna, Teatro alla Scala in Milan, KKL Luzern, and many others.

Mr. Żukiewicz’s creative musical activities led to a recording of a debut album The Beginnings, exploring musical ideologies and languages of the great masters of the past and the present. The Beginnings was released to critical acclaim by the DUX label in November 2018, and selections of the album are broadcast regularly by the Colorado Public Radio Classical in the USA.

Following his long-lasting interest in the music of Fryderyk Chopin, in 2021, Mr. Żukiewicz has received a USA government grant to complete the "Chopin Unknown" recording research project. The project will have wider educational implications through the presentation of the recently published and never recorded study works of Chopin (Three Learned Fugues after Cherubini) as well as more renowned works, directly influenced by those.

As an avid performer of new music, Mr. Żukiewicz regularly presents modern works and premieres new compositions: most recently Jim Klein’s Piano Sonata The Abyss.

Adam Piotr Żukiewicz holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Toronto and Masters of Music degree from Indiana University. He has also studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London, UK, and was a music scholar at the United World College of the Adriatic in Duino, Italy.

Daniel Perttu's music has been performed on four continents and in more than 40 of the United States.  His concert opener Phoenix was released on a recording by the London Symphony Orchestra in October, 2022, and his “Spring” overture was recently recorded by the Moravian Philharmonic (Czech Republic).  Both recordings are on the GRAMMY-winning Navona Records label, an imprint of PARMA Recordings.

Before starting her Advanced Diploma at the Royal Academy of Music, Katy Smith became friends with the owner of Edward Elgar's bow. The Tubbs bow was made for Elgar as a 21st birthday gift, inscribed 'EWE' on the ferrule, and 'presented by the Worcester Amateur Instrumental Society Jun[e] 1878' on the adjuster. Elgar was the concertmaster for their orchestra, and at that time his teacher, Pollitzer, regarded him as having the potential to be one of the leading soloists in the country.

Elgar kept the bow throughout most of his life, and would have used it while composing a lot of works including his violin concerto. In her final recital at RAM Katy Smith performed 5 different composers with 5 different bows, including Elgars and one made for Paganini to gift to a promising student! Smith explored how different bows might make it easier to interpret what the composer intended.

Ever since Smith first 'met' Elgar's bow, she dreamt of playing his violin concerto with it. The bow tip is heavy with a notable drag that enables a most incredibly rich and luscious sound-world that sits so naturally within the way that Elgar wrote for the violin. Katy Smith's current project is to offer a pre-concert talk going into detail about the bow's history, Elgar's concerto, and how she came about being a Bow Virtuoso, in addition to performing with it.

To discuss this exciting project with your orchestra, please contact Eva Artistic Management or Katy Smith directly. 

Scott E. Woodard is the Artistic Director and Conductor of the Butler Philharmonic Orchestra, and Founding Music Director of the West Virginia State Philharmonic Orchestra. Woodward holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Boston University. 

Dr. Woodard's primary teachers were Dr. Leonid Kochmar of the St. Petersburg State Conservatory of Music and the Mariinsky Theatre, Dr. Oleg Proskurnya, and Dr. Paul A. Balshaw. 

In 2006, Scott Woodard was named first prize winner of the International Conductor's Workshop Competition and served as Guest Conductor of the Macon Symphony Orchestra. Dr. Woodard was also awarded first prize at the International Academy of Advanced Conducting. 

Dr. Woodard is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the International Conductors Guild, and has worked with internationally acclaimed soloists Cristian Fatu, Yip Wai Chow, Victora Fatu, Anton Shelepov, Michael Riksin, and Elizabeth Pitcairn. 

Two-time national finalist for the American Prize in Conducting, Dr. Joshua Shepherd brings expertise as violinist, violist, singer and conductor to both classical and commercial music audiences in his role as Music Director of The People’s Orchestra of Nashville. Joshua has sought ways to meaningfully serve the community by providing live orchestral music experiences for both musicians and audiences, during and since the pandemic lockdown. In summer 2020, he founded the Nashville Reading Orchestra so local musicians could play together in a safe environment. Under his baton, the group began performing publicly with a new name: The People’s Orchestra of Nashville. Shepherd has attended workshops led by Dr. Donald Portnoy, Peter Jaffe, Cristian Măcelaru, Octavio Más-Arocas, and Mark Gibson. Joshua has also served as cover and guest conductor for ensembles across the U.S. In addition to his love of repertoire from the Western classical music canon, Joshua is a passionate advocate of music composed for Broadway, film, television, and video games. 

Cellist Gloria Kim has appeared in the US and across the globe as both a soloist and chamber musician. She has performed extensively in renowned concert venues in the New York metropolitan area, and toured throughout Europe, China and Korea. Gloria Kim also had the honor to perform at the United Nations and United States Capitol for president Bill Clinton. Her first Album “An Evening of Sentimental Classic” was released in April, 2023 in Korea - sponsored by Huks Music. Born into a family of musicians, she studied at the Curtis Institute of Music and Manhattan School of Music on a full scholarship. Kim is currently on faculty at the County College of Morris and the Summit Music Festival in NYC.  She is a founding member of the BeneSori Quartet and a member of the Trio Portinari.

As a composer, Bahman Saless has scored more than a dozen nature documentaries as well as many Hollywood trailers and teasers. Saless’ conducting career took off when he started his studies with some of the great conducting teachers including Kirk Trevor, Donald Schleicher, William LaRou Jones and Tomas Netopil. For the last 17 years, Mr. Saless has been the music director of Boulder Chamber Orchestra and has conducted the Martinu Philharmonic, Astoria Symphony, Zlin Symphony and the Round Rock Symphony Orchestra. His recent guest appearances include conducting La Traviata with the Italian Dominico Scarlatti Orchestra, the Brazilia National Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Sinfonica Abruzzese and the Sanremo Symphony Orchestra in Italy. He will be guest conducting the Orchestra of the famous Teatro Goldoni in Livorno Italy in November of 2023. 

Since 2019, Gabriel has served as a Cover and Guest Conductor for Ballet West, conducting The Nutcracker, Rodeo, and Les Noces. He is also conductor of The New American Philharmonic and a frequent guest conductor with the Chamber Orchestra Ogden and The Nova Chamber series. Gabriel also serves as the Artistic Director of The Ogden Bach Festival, is the Orchestra Director at Syracuse Arts Academy, and is board member of the David Arts Council.

At the age of 13, Victoria Sánchez joined the “Simón Bolívar” Conservatory of Music where she also joined El Sistema. El Sistema is a social rescue project for low-income youth. Victoria came from a slighty violent Venezuelan neighborhood, and is proud to be a  product of the program. Inside the conservatory, Victoria met Eduardo Marturet, director of the Miami Symphony Orchestra, who mentored her in conducting. In 2018, she made her international debut as Music Director with the Symphony Orchestra of the Autonomous University of the State of Hidalgo (UAEH) in Mexico. With UAEH, she developed classical academic concerts and also didactic concerts for children, with a reach of 3,000 spectators. Victoria loves continuing the tradition of uplifting the youth, and founded and directed the “Garzas de la Música” Youth Symphony. Today, she's the President of Victoria Sánchez International Music Foundation, CEO of the Vienna Conducting Competition, and has an academy called 'Piano con Clase'. From humble beginnings to soaring heights, her journey through music has been a symphony of determination and passion. 

Levi is an avid solo and chamber musician, having had international success in both respects. Namely, he has recently won 1st Prize at the International Society of Bassists in the Youth Solo Division. He has attended the Yehudi Menuhin School in London with Caroline Emery since September 2020, and will continue his studies with Caroline at the Royal College of Music London beginning in 2023. In addition to his success in competitions, Levi was asked to record Andres Martin's 'La Feria de San Telmo' with Nathan Perry for Orchid Classics' CD 'Around the World in 80 Days' with the Yehudi Menuhin School. This was subsequent to the duo's performance of Andres Martin's 2 Tango at King's Place London. Levi became a member of the Missouri philharmonic in 2017 and now holds the Principal Bass position since 2021. In 2018, he performed the second movement of Bottesini's Concerto no. 2 with the ensemble, after being named winner of the Charles R. Hall competition. He will soon return to perform Bottesini's Gran Duo Concertante in August of 2023. Other competition successes include 1st prizes in London Classical Music Competition and Caneres International Music Competition Vienna, among others. 

American conductor Michael Avagliano is passionate about redefining what's possible for an orchestra. He serves as Music Director for the Summit Symphony and Somerset Symphony orchestras, with a focus on inclusive collaborations and active community involvement. 

Renowned conductor David Lockington will lead the South Bend Symphony Orchestra in an unforgettable musical experience on June 30th, 2023. David Lockington began his career as a cellist and was the Principal with the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain for two years. After completing his bachelor of arts degree at the University of Cambridge where he was a choral scholar, Lockington came to the United States on a scholarship to Yale University where he received his master’s degree in cello performance and studied conducting with Otto Werner Mueller. He was a member of the New Haven Symphony Orchestra and served as assistant principal cellist with the Denver Symphony Orchestra for three years before turning to conducting. Over the past thirty years, David Lockington has developed an impressive conducting career in the United States. A native of Great Britain, he served as the Music Director of the Grand Rapids Symphony from January 1999 to May 2015, and is currently the orchestra’s Conductor Laureate. He has held the position of Music Director with the Modesto Symphony since May 2007 and in March 2013, Lockington was appointed Music Director of the Pasadena Symphony. He has a close relationship with the Orquesta Sinfonica del Principado de Asturias in Spain, where he was the orchestra’s Principal Guest Conductor from 2012 through 2016, and in the 2015-16 season was named one of three Artistic Partners with the Northwest Sinfonietta in Tacoma, Washington.

A talented young musician, Maxwell is an emerging violinist that has debuted as a soloist at Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall in their Honors Performance Series. His love for music is evident in his violin skills, which have earned him recognition and awards. Under the guidance of renowned violinist Itzhak Perlman, Maxwell has had the honor of playing with the Perlman Music Program Super Strings for seven consecutive years. In 2018, he won the Young Artist Competition organized by the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra. He was recently invited to participate in the International Violin Competition Premio Paganini initial preselection round.

Shan-Hsin (Vladimir) Chang, 1st prize winner of the International Violin Competition 'Luigi Zanuccoli', Rimini, Italy 2018,  has done solo performances with the Musikkollegium Winterthur, National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra, Taipei Symphony Orchestra, National Taiwan University Orchestra, Wenzhou City Symphony Orchestra and Taiwan Philharmonic. Chang is actively performing in Southeast Asia and Europe. He is FULLY booked until March 2024.

Clara Saitkoulov is a graduate from the Paris National Superior Conservatory with Boris Garlitsky, the University of Performing Arts in Munich with Ana Chumachenco and Rice University in Houston, USA, with Cho-Liang Lin, Clara has performed as a soloist and in chamber music since age 11 in France, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Israel, Russia, the United States, Australia, the United Arab Emirates and South Africa. She is a guest of various festivals and has performed in prestigious venues such as the Tel Aviv Opera, the Salle Gaveau and the Philharmonie in Paris, Carnegie Hall in New York City.

A pupil of Dorothy DeLay and Aida Stucki, Mathias Boegner follows up on the path of Pedagogic Legacy. Mathias Boegner has performed solo violin around the world, including Carnegie Hall. Professor at the China Conservatory of Music and the National University of the Arts, Taiwan. Previous Concert Master for Shanghai Broadcast Symphony Orchestra and Principal Viola with Thailand Philharmonic. 

Chudnovsky is the winner of top prizes from nine international competitions. Chudnovsky has performed in Great Britain, Italy, Israel, Spain, Sweden, Denmark, Japan, Argentina, Brazil, Equador, Colombia, Chile, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela. In the United States, he has played recitals and concerts with orchestras in Washington D, Illinois, Ohio, Virginia, New York, South Dakota, Maryland, California and Florida, including multiple appearances at Carnegie Hall. He holds degrees from Mannes College of Music and Yale University.

From age 13, Mr. Sushansky was a scholarship student at the Juilliard School, where he remained for 7 years under the tutelage of the renowned pedagogue Dorothy DeLay. He also had the privilege of being coached by the great violinist, Isaac Stern. At age 15, he was invited by Zubin Mehta to make his debut with the New York Philharmonic performing the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto. Graduate studies were completed at the University of Maryland with Daniel Heifetz and the Guarneri Quartet. 

"Dylana Jenson and Libor Ondras will perform Max Bruch’s Double Concerto for Violin and Viola in E minor with David Lockington as Guest Conductor. The orchestra will finish with Johannes Brahms’ Symphony No. 1 in C minor. Dylana won the Silver Medal in the International Tchaikovsky Competition at the age of 17. She has performed all over the world with all the major orchestras." - Experience Grand Rapids

Unlock the transformative tools that string teachers love! Access the pedagogy treasure trove and supportive community with creator, Laura Carr and her loveable dinosaur violin hero, Stringosaurus.

Join us for a monthly group coaching program for classical musicians Zoom translate available so all languages welcome! On going monthly membership, join anytime!

Join Business Coach Eva Adolfo with special guests Dylana Jenson & David Lockington for a 5 week online music business musicians mastermind starting April 1st, 2023.

The dates for the 3rd (in-person) Edition of the Altschuler Summer Music Institute will be July 10-23, 2023 at the Conservatorio Statale di Musica “G. Lettimi” in Rimini, Italy. ASMI’s faculty hails from The Juilliard School, New England Conservatory, the Royal College of Music, Bologna Conservatory, Pesaro Conservatory, Cesena Conservatory, and pupils of the Leopold Auer legacy. .

We are thrilled to announce that David Lockington will be conducting the orchestra this summer. He comes to ASMI with 40 years experience conducting in the US and Europe.

Mastering the art of violin playing through physical freedom, Jenson's background includes 50 years of international travel as a violin soloist.