Brandon Ridenour, a groundbreaking trumpet soloist, collaborative artist, composer, arranger, and conductor, gained acclaim for his innovative approach at an early age. Recognized as “heralding the trumpet of the future” (Chicago Sun-Times) and for his “full-bodied, atmospheric arrangements” (New York Times), he began learning about the wonders of music at age 5, studying piano under the tutelage of his father. This morphed into “tootelage” when he picked up the trumpet in 5th grade band class in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Upon graduating from the Juilliard School, he immediately began touring with the Canadian Brass and embarked on a solo career.

Brandon has won competitions ranging from the International Trumpet Guild Solo Competition to the American Composers Forum. In 2014, he was a winner of the Concert Artist Guild competition, becoming the first trumpeter to win the competition in 30 years and join their artist roster. Emphasizing the role of performer-composer, he assembled a mixed quintet of similar minded musicians in 2014 with violinist/singer, Ben Russell, called Founders. In 2023 he started Brassology with co-founder and jazz trombone virtuoso, Marshall Gilkes. His solo-collaborative album "Come Together" transformed Beatles classics into an initiative for social cohesion and environmental consciousness. Through inventive arrangements, Ridenour has expanded the trumpet's horizons, weaving genres in solo and collaborative works.

He has worked with a diverse array of musicians including Sting, James Taylor, Marvin Hamlisch, Yo-Yo Ma, Esperanza Spalding, Bruce Cockburn, Caroline Shaw, Vienna Teng, and esteemed ensembles such as the New York Philharmonic, International Contemporary Ensemble, the Knights, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Ymusic, Publiquartet, NuDeco Ensemble
and many others. He’s been a featured soloist with the National Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Grand Rapids Symphony and more. He also frequently plays with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center.

In 2023, Brandon came full circle joining the American Brass Quintet and becoming faculty at his alma mater The Juilliard School of Music. He is also on faculty at The New School (Mannes) and the Manhattan School of Music, where he is passionate about developing a new model of education for a well-rounded, progressive musician of the future. Aside from music, Brandon enjoys playing tennis and has taken courses at Upright Citizen’s Brigade in NYC. He isn’t very good at either.

Gabriel Campos Zamora, a native of San José, Costa Rica is the Principal Clarinet of the Minnesota Orchestra. Before joining the orchestra, Gabriel was the Associate Principal Clarinet of the Kansas City Symphony and has appeared as guest Principal Clarinet with the Cleveland Orchestra and Seattle and Houston Symphonies, in addition to serving as the Virginia Symphony's Principal Clarinet. 

A passionate teacher, Gabriel has served as a clarinet instructor at Saint Olaf College and has taught masterclasses extensively throughout the United States at the Indiana, Minnesota, and Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, DePaul Universities, and the Interlochen Arts Academy, among others. He has also been on faculty at the Interlochen Arts Camp and Carnegie Hall's NYO2 Program. 

Gabriel regularly participates at the VIVO Chamber Music Festival in Columbus, Ohio; the Lakes Area Music Festival; and has performed at the Marlboro Music Festival. A laureate of several competitions, he received first prize at the 2008 Pasadena Showcase House Instrumental Competition, in addition to winning concerto competitions at the 2009 Aspen Music Festival, 2010 Music Academy of the West, and 2011 National Repertory Orchestra. 

Gabriel began his musical training at the Instituto Nacional de Musica as a student of Jose Manuel "Cheche" Ugalde. He then came to the United States to study at the Interlochen Arts Academy with Nathan Williams and later received his bachelor's degree in music from the Colburn Conservatory in Los Angeles, where he studied with renowned professor Yehuda Gilad. He has been a participant at the Aspen, Music Academy of the West, National Repertory Orchestra, Spoleto, and the Tanglewood Music Center festivals.

Alicia Hui, currently Principal Second Violin of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, began her musical studies at the age of four and made her orchestral debut at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall in Baltimore, Maryland at age nine. Since then, she has soloed with numerous orchestras including the Arlington Symphony, Williamsburg Symphony Orchestra, the Edmonton Symphony, the Firelands Symphony Orchestra, the Nationals Repertory Orchestra, the Zurich Symphony Orchestra, the Latvian Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra, and the Columbus Symphony Orchestra.  

Ms. Hui was accepted into the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia at age 11 where she studies with Victor Danchenko and received her Bachelor’s Degree at sixteen. She received her Master’s Degree, Artist Diploma, and Professional Studies at the Cleveland Institute of Music under the tutelage of David Cerone, Paul Kantor, and William Preucil. In addition to her current position, Ms. Hui is also a member of the Columbus Ohio Discovery Ensemble and a regular performer and Development Director of the Vivo Music Festival.

Siwoo Kim is an “incisive” and “compelling” (The New York Times) violinist who plays with “stylistic sensitivity and generous tonal nuance” (Chicago Tribune). Siwoo performs as soloist and chamber musician, and he is the co-founding artistic director of VIVO Music Festival in his hometown of Columbus, Ohio.

As soloist, Siwoo gave the world premiere performance of Samuel Adler’s violin concerto which was written for him. His recording of the work on Linn Records was praised by the BBC Music Magazine for its “notable fire & impassioned playing.” Siwoo made his Carnegie Hall concerto debut with the Juilliard Orchestra and has since performed with orchestras around the world such as the Staatsorchester Brandenburgisches Frankfurt, Houston Symphony, Johannesburg Philharmonic, Orchestre Royal de Chambre, and Seongnam Philharmonic.

As chamber musician, Siwoo regularly collaborates with Concordia Chamber Players, Music From Copland House and the Manhattan Chamber Players. Siwoo’s engagements with Quartet Senza Misura, Ensemble DITTO, Carnegie Hall’s Ensemble Connect and Decoda have led to international debuts and residencies. Highlights include summers at Marlboro Music Festival, Kennedy Center debut, serving as faculty at Stellenbosch Music Festival and collaborating with veteran artists such as Itzhak Perlman, Joyce DiDonato, and Susan Graham. 

Siwoo received his undergraduate and graduate degrees from The Juilliard School where he studied under Robert Mann and Donald Weilerstein with full scholarship.

Pei-An Chao is a cellist with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra and a member of the artist faculty at the Brevard Music Center in the summers. A native of Taiwan, Pei-An immigrated to the United States at age 12 with her family where she received her musical training in New York and later in San Francisco on cello and piano. After completing her graduate studies, she was a member of the New World Symphony prior to joining the CSO. Pei-An is one of the cellists in the UCelli Cello Quartet and was formerly with the Cygnus String Quartet. With UCelli, they have performed over 20 pieces written specifically for the group. As an active chamber musician, she appears regularly on the Sunday at Central concert series in Columbus. She has also performed in other chamber music festivals around the country such as Music on the Hill in Rhode Island and the Ariel concert series in St. Louis. As a diverse musician, enjoying music from different eras, she has performed with Early Music in Columbus as well as advocating for contemporary music, performing with the Central Ohio Discovery Ensemble. Her teaching includes positions at Ohio Wesleyan University, Otterbein University and Ohio University over the years. She has a private studio of students and she coaches Columbus Symphony Orchestra’s youth orchestras regularly. Outside of her musical life, Pei-An enjoys playing tennis, hiking, and doing jigsaw puzzles.

Violist James Kang is a founding member of the Abeo Quartet which was formed at Juilliard in 2018, featured at Alice Tully Hall and The Kennedy Center, and received an Anderson Career Development Prize at the Banff International String Quartet Competition. James is currently pursuing his DMA studies at Northwestern University as the Teaching Assistant to Prof. Helen Callus, and is a graduate of the Juilliard School as a proud recipient of a Kovner Fellowship.

As a soloist, James won the American Opera Society of Chicago Centennial Award ($15,000 prize), 2nd prize in the American Viola Society Solo Competition, and competed in the 2025 Lionel Tertis International Viola Competition. In 2023, he performed Hindemith’s Der Schwanendreher Viola Concerto with the University of Delaware Symphony Orchestra. James performs with orchestras such as ProMusica Chamber Orchestra and Chicago Philharmonic, and has served as Principal Violist for the Juilliard and Symphony in C orchestras. As an avid chamber musician, James has collaborated with musicians such as Itzhak Perlman, Donald Weilerstein, KAIA String Quartet, and Dover Quartet. 

James is devoted to teaching and is currently on the Violin/Viola and Chamber Music Faculty of Music Institute of Chicago. He has also participated in engagement concerts with Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s Meet the Music!, “If Music Be the Food…,” and United Nations Chamber Music Society. His festival appearances include Music@Menlo, Perlman Music Program, Aspen Music Festival, NYO-USA, Yellow Barn YAP, and La Jolla SummerFest.