ASSOCIATED SOLO ARTISTS - Key Persons
Christine Clemmons-McCune is a singer and actress who began her studies at the Duke Ellington High School of the Arts in Washington, DC. While attaining a Bachelor of Music at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA, she gained the honor of being selected as a Marion Anderson Historical Society Protégé, a National Merit Scholar, and the Vocalist of the Year (2000). She also trained at the American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, Austria. In 2003, she received a Master of Music in Opera Performance from The Juilliard School where she was a Morse Fellow as well as Concert Fellow, two teaching programs geared at introducing musical styles and ideas to New York City public school students. She was also Juilliard's Gospel Choir director and Musical Director for the Martin Luther King Celebration. While in New York, Christine has originated roles in the musicals/operas Ellen Craft, No Easy Walk to Freedom, Vodu Macbeth, Stand by the River, and the Broadway Musical In My Life.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Principal
- Artist With Numerous American
Dianne Legro has appeared as guest artist with numerous American orchestras and starred in countless musical productions including the Broadway revival of My Fair Lady. A graduate of the New England Conservatory and The Juilliard School, Dianne is the winner of Rockefeller Foundation and Presser Foundation Awards as well as fellowships at the Bel Canto School in Italy and the Aspen Music Festival. Dianne has also completed advanced studies in Bioenergetics, Alexander Technique and Yoga and integrates these skills into both her educational work with students and professional development work with leaders in business, government and education.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Principal
Francine Kay has performed throughout North America, Europe and Asia, at venues such as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, The Phillips Collection, Salle Gaveau, Paris, the Dame Myra Hess Concerts, Chicago, and in cities such as Shanghai, Hong Kong, and London. She has been soloist with orchestras such as the Toronto Symphony, Princeton Symphony, New York West Side Chamber Orchestra, Sinfonia Toronto, among many others and she has performed at the Tanglewood, Banff, and Saratoga Festivals. Francine Kay made her New York debut at Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall as winner of the New York Pro Piano Competition. She has made critically acclaimed recordings on the Analekta and the Audio Ideas label and her performances are frequently broadcast on NPR, the BBC and the CBC. Ms. Kay received her Masters of Music as a scholarship student of The Juilliard School and she received the Doctor of Musical Arts from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. Francine Kay is currently a member of the Performance Faculty at Princeton University.
Heidi Schaul-Yoder is a devoted chamber musician and an advocate for the role of music in education and the community. Ms. Schaul-Yoder has performed chamber works at the Kennedy Center, Zankel Hall, and Merkin Hall, among other venues, and has collaborated with artists Ernst Kovacic and Douglas McNabney. While principal second violinist of the conductorless Juilliard Chamber Orchestra, she worked closely with members of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. She has appeared at such festivals as Kneisel Hall, Domaine Forget, and the Beijing International Festival and Academy, and has studied with the Brentano, Borremeo, Muir, Ying, and Juilliard Quartets. An enthusiastic performer of contemporary music, Ms. Schaul-Yoder recently appeared at Zankel Hall, premiering Shawn Jaeger's Letters Made with Gold as part of the Dawn Upshaw and Donnacha Dennehy workshop. Selected as a fellow for the 2011 Bang on a Can Summer Music Festival at Mass MOCA, she collaborated with members of the Bang on a Can All-Stars and Eighth Blackbird, performing new works by composition fellows. She has also performed new chamber compositions by Eleanor Cory, Errollyn Wallen, and David Snow on MOMA's Summergarden series, and Pozzi Escot's string quartet Jubilation at the Kennedy Center. Ms. Schaul-Yoder has played with the Continuum, Axiom, and New Juilliard Ensembles. Committed to bringing music to diverse communities, Ms. Schaul-Yoder has given masterclasses and interactive performances for students of the GURI Santa Marcelina Program in Brazil. She has also been a guest artist at the University of Southern Florida, and has served on the faculty of the Lucy Moses School, the Reveille Festival, the Nosis Institute, and the Shenandoah Conservatory Performing Arts Camp. Ms. Schaul-Yoder holds degrees from Rice University and the Juilliard School, and has studied with Ronald Copes, Sylvia Rosenberg, Laurie Smukler, Naoko Tanaka, and Kathleen Winkler.
J. D. Webster is a versatile artist acclaimed for his work on both the concert and theatrical stage. Earlier this season, he performed the roles of Charles, Amiens, Corin and Hymen in the Two River Theater production of Shakespeare's As You Like It and was featured as Calvin in the concert version of Guys and Dolls at Carnegie Hall. However, New York audiences may find him most recognizable from appearances in the Broadway productions of Wonderful Town, Ragtime, Showboat, and as Mingo in the recent revival of The Gerswhins' Porgy and Bess. A graduate of the Juilliard School, J. D. made several appearances during the Mozart Bicentennial Celebration at Lincoln Center and has performed with the Aspen Opera Theater Center, American Opera Projects, the Mannes Camerata and the Center for Contemporary Opera. As a concert artist, J. D. was a featured soloist with the Baltimore Symphony in Bernstein's Mass at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center (Naxos recording). Moreover, as part of the Richard Rodgers Centennial celebration at Carnegie Hall, J. D. co-starred in "Spring is Here: Rodgers and Hart of the 1920's". Last season, J.D. appeared as Brother Joshua (The Heavenly Friend) in the NY Philharmonic production of Carousel, also broadcast on PBS.
Jennifer Chu hails from Rockland County, NY, pianist Jennifer Chu is a recent graduate of the Juilliard School where she earned the doctorate of musical arts degree. She also holds degrees and happy memories from Manhattan School of Music and Princeton University. Jennifer has toured as a recitalist throughout Spain and performed in venues such as Millennium Stage at the Kennedy Center, Carnegie's Weill Recital Hall, and New York's Museum of Modern Art. Her performances have been deemed "powerful" and "winning" by the New York Times. She has garnered awards in the 2009 Wideman Piano Competition, 2007 Five Towns Music and Arts Competition, and the 2007 Steinway Society of Boston Competition. In addition to performing, Jennifer is also a committed teacher and is an adjunct faculty member at Juilliard. When not playing or thinking about music, Jennifer likes a vigorous game of badminton or squash, is very interested in astronomy, and is an active member of her church.
Jim Benoit, a native of Niskayuna, New York, performs professionally throughout the United States as both a classical, jazz, and contemporary percussionist. As a timpanist and percussionist, Jim has performed with groups including the Pittsburgh Symphony, Boston Pops, New World Symphony, Albany Symphony, Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, West Virginia Symphony, Sarasota Orchestra, and the Boston Modern Orchestra Project. Jim has also gone on tour as Principal Timpanist with the Lucas Films Production "Star Wars in Concert" and performed at many prestigious music festivals including the PROMS in London, the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, and the Aspen Music Festival in Colorado. He has also been a finalist for the Timpanist position in both the Chicago Symphony and New World Symphony. As a jazz vibraphonist, Jim has performed as a member of Phil Wilson's Rainbow Band and as a member of the WAITIKI 7. Jim has received honorable mentions for his performing abilities by both the Zildjian and Yamaha Corporations, and was a performer on the PBS National Radio Broadcast, "From the Top." Currently living in Pittsburgh pursuing an Artist Diploma from Duquesne University, Jim received a Bachelors Degree from the Berklee College of Music, and his Masters Degree from The Juilliard School.
Job Titles:
- CEO
- Co - Founder
- Member of the Board of Directors
- President
John Cimino is an award-winning operatic and concert artist who has performed throughout the United States and Europe, including at the International Verdi Festival (Busetto, Italy), the Wexford Festival (Ireland) and New York City Opera. A graduate of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in biology, Cimino completed his musical training at the Manhattan and Juilliard Schools of Music. He has more than 20 international prizes to his credit. A champion of the arts in education and professional life, Cimino has brought innovative arts programming into projects of the White House, the Center for Creative Leadership, and the leadership programs of dozens of Fortune 500 companies. Cimino is president & CEO of Associated Solo Artists, Inc.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Principal
Maja Lisa FritzHuspen, Mezzo-Soprano lives in Philadelphia and is an active singer and teacher on the East Coast. She has sung many opera roles including Hansel in Hansel and Gretel, Meg in Falstaff, Mercedes in Carmen, the Nursing Sister in Suor Angelica, Dinah in Trouble in Tahiti, Mother in Amahl and the Night Visitors, La Chiesca in Gianni Schicchi, Mrs. Jenks in The Tenderland, and Mercy Lewis in The Crucible. Upcoming performances include Orlofsky in Die Fledermaus and theAlto soloist in Beethoven's 9th Symphony. She has been the soloist in the Messiah, the Vivaldi Gloria, and Mozart's Sparrow Mass. Maja Lisa holds a BM from Augsburg College and a MA and MFA from the University of Iowa. When she is not singing, she loves kayaking and doing yoga.
Margaret Dyer has carved out a unique career as one of the US's finest chamber musicians. This season's highlights have included appearances with the Daedalus Quartet, the Amphion Quartet, and at Vienna's Musikverein with A Far Cry, Boston's acclaimed self-conducted orchestra of which she was a founding member. She has been a guest artist with other chamber groups such as ECCO, the Knights, Moscow Chamber Orchestra, and St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. Ms. Dyer was a fellow in Carnegie Hall's Academy Program and she has taught viola and chamber music in Mexico, Peru, Abu Dhabi, and around the United States. Although her training was entirely classically-based, Margaret enjoys collaborating with artists of all styles. Some of these more household names include John Legend, Michelle Williams, Rufus Wainright, David Sylvian, Grizzly Bear, Owen Pallett, and David Saw. She recently performed on the soundtrack for the acclaimed film, Orchestra of Exiles, and she was a member of 2013 Radio City Christmas Spectacular orchestra. Margaret holds degrees from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and the New England Conservatory. She can be heard on recordings by NEOS Label, Iris Records, and Fortune Records.
Matt Ward is dedicated to performing and commissioning new music and has been cited by the New York Times as "a fine soloist". With a particular interest in chamber music, he is a principal member with the Argento Chamber Ensemble, Talujon, the American Modern Ensemble, Associated Solo Artists and is also the co-founder of the percussion trio Timetable. Dr. Ward also performs regularly with groups such as the Albany Symphony, SEM Ensemble, The Orchestra of the League of Composers, Sequitor and the Riverside Symphony. Dr. Ward was the recipient of the Ridley-Tree Fellowship at the Music Academy of the West in 1998, and in 1999 he participated in the Tanglewood Music Center under the direction of Seiji Ozawa and George Benjamin and returned the following year for the American Premiere of Pierre Boulez's Sur Incises at the 60th Anniversary TMC Alumni Concert. He is also a regular guest conductor with the International Contemporary Ensemble, Wet Ink, Ensemble Inc., DaCapo Chamber Players and the New York New Music Ensemble, premiering dozens of new pieces by young composers every year. Dr. Ward holds a BM degree from the Manhattan School of Music and a MM and DMA degree from SUNY Stony Brook. He is on faculty at Queens College, The Aaron Copland School of Music and Brooklyn College. He can be heard on the recording labels Aeon, Argo, Cantaloupe Music, Capstone Records, Newport Classics, Soundspell, and Albany Records.
Meena Bhasin is a captivating violist who is forging a new role for the classical musician. She is passionate about using music to spark cultural dialogue. In recent seasons, Ms. Bhasin has designed Carnegie Hall residencies in Mumbai and Abu Dhabi collaborating with musicians and students from both cities. In her home town of New York City, Ms. Bhasin is a member of Lincoln Center's Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra, principal violist for Trinity Wall Street's NOVUS NY, a frequent performer with the Orchestra of St. Luke's, and a teaching artist for the New York Philharmonic. She also relishes collaborations across genres and has toured the US as a soloist with legendary rock band Jethro Tull and performed Persian music as a soloist with the New York Philharmonic. Ms. Bhasin graduated as a Presser scholar from New England Conservatory and also holds a BA in international relations from Tufts University.
Job Titles:
- Vice President of the Board of Directors
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Principal
- Treasurer
Tom McCoy is a versatile pianist, arranger and composer, moving seamlessly between the worlds of classical, jazz, theater and pop. He has appeared on stage with James Taylor, Ray Charles, Natalie Merchant, Judy Collins, Kate Pierson, Garth Hudson, Robert Goulet, Lea Salonga and many other celebrities. He has taught music and theater at SUNY New Paltz, Mount Saint Mary's College, SUNY Dutchess and Poughkeepsie Day School; he has recently lectured at Juilliard on jazz influences in classical music. McCoy leads Jazz Vespers at 1 st Pres., hosting such jazz luminaries as Sheila Jordan (Kennedy Center Award-winner for Lifetime Achievement) and Eliot Zigmund (drummer with the late, great pianist Bill Evans). He wrote the original score for The Battle of the Orphans, book by Brian McConnache, which was first mounted at the Depot Theater. He wrote the music for the new musical Madame President, which is currently venue-shopping. He arranged and music-directed the new musical Adventures in the Great Beyond, mounted at the Harold Clurman Theater. His arrangement and recording of The Time Has Come has been broadcast on national television and was featured at the first Earth Day summit in Rio. He has music-directed many local and regional productions and done Broadway pit work nationally and internationally. Over the last five years, McCoy performed in about 1,000 educational concert and workshops as part of The Learning Arts in the Adirondacks as a Senior Faculty Member of Associated Solo Artists. He currently teaches piano and vocal-coaches privately. McCoy is on the roster of pianists for the Hudson Valley Philharmonic Orchestra and has performed numerous times as a guest with the USMA Concert Band at West Point. Tom is an avid student and practitioner of homeopathy. He has a wife, two daughters, a foster son, eight grandchildren, two dogs and two cats.
Vena Johnson is a passionate and versatile Philadelphia-based violinist. Hailing from Virginia, Ms. Johnson has traveled globally to perform in a variety of musical settings. Ms. Johnson has performed with orchestras in both Italy and Austria, while also touring the Middle East as a member of the Al- Kamandjati Annual Baroque Festival. In addition to her leadership as a performing musician, Ms. Johnson is a founding-member of Prometheus Chamber Orchestra, Philadelphia's new self-conducted and self-managed chamber orchestra. Ms. Johnson studied with Helen Kwalwasser at Temple University and holds Bachelor Degrees in Violin Performance and Music Education. Ms. Johnson has been a performer with Associated Solo Artists since 2014.