Kim Kashkashian
internationally recognized as a unique voice on the viola, was born of Armenian parents in Michigan.

She first gained international recognition as recipient of the Pro Musicis award, and as a prize winner in the Tertis and ARD Munich International Competitions, which led to a creative association with the Lockenhaus Festival led by Gidon Kremer.

Kim Kashkashian has appeared as soloist with the major orchestras of Chicago, Cleveland Berlin, Milan, London, Tokyo and Vienna, working with conductors including Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Zubin Mehta, Riccardo Muti, Christoph Eschenbach, Ricardo Chailly, Dennis Russell Davies and Franz Welser-Möst.

Her recital appearances include the great concert halls of Vienna, Rome, Paris, Berlin, New York, Boston, San Francisco, Cleveland, Philadelphia, and London with her duo partners pianist Robert Levin, and percussionist Robyn Schulkowsky.

Kim Kashkashian’s quest for new directions and forms of music making is an active element of her musical life. Her work with the composers György Kurtág, Giya Kancheli, Krzysztof Penderecki, Ken Ueno, Betty Olivero, Tigran Mansurian and Peter Eötvös has extensively enriched the repertoire for viola.

Lera Auerbach
Virtuoso pianist and composer Lera Auerbach is one of today’s most sought after and exciting creative voices. Her boldly imaginative and evocative compositions are championed by today's leading musicians, conductors, choreographers, and opera houses. Ms. Auerbach's uniquely personal interpretations of the standard keyboard repertoire are making her a favorite of audiences worldwide.

Lera Auerbach was born in the city of Chelyabinsk at the gateway to Siberia. After writing her first opera at twelve years of age, she was invited for a concert tour to the United States in 1991, where she decided to stay and continue her studies in piano and composition at the Juilliard School in New York. Auerbach has been awarded the prestigious Hindemith Prize by the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival in Germany, and Deutschlandfunk’s Förderpreis. She received a Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship and recently was selected as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

The 2012-13 season includes the premiere of Auerbach's "String Quartet No 6", commissioned by the Tokyo String Quartet for their farewell tour, and a new viola and piano work to be performed by Kim Kashkashian and Ms. Auerbach on tour.