Yamaha Performing Artist Mimi Stillman, "A magically gifted flutist, a breath of fresh air" (The Washington Post), is internationally acclaimed for performances as soloist and chamber musician. She has performed as soloist with The Philadelphia Orchestra, Hilton Head Orchestra, Orquesta Sinfónica Carlos Chávez (Mexico City), recitals and chamber music at the Kennedy Center, Weill Hall at Carnegie, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, for La Jolla Chamber Music Society, Verbier Festival, Festival delle Nazioni in Italy, and others. Ms. Stillman teaches masterclasses at universities and flute societies and is devoted to educational outreach. At 12, she was the youngest wind player ever admitted to the Curtis Institute of Music, where she received her Bachelor of Music degree studying with Julius Baker and Jeffrey Khaner. She was also the youngest wind player ever to win the Young Concert Artists International Auditions, and among her numerous awards are fellowships from the Earhart and Bradley Foundations. On her CD “MIMI”, Ms. Stillman recorded her book of arrangements of Debussy's songs, Nuits d'Étoiles: 8 Early Songs (Presser). She is the founder and artistic director of the Dolce Suono Chamber Music Concert Series, currently in its third season of presenting the very finest chamber music concerts to the community free of charge, and educational outreach in the Philadelphia public schools. She is a Ph.D. candidate in history at the University of Pennsylvania. Her websites: mimistillman.org  dulcesuono.com  myspace

Charles Abramovic has won critical acclaim for his international performances as soloist, chamber musician, and collaborator with leading instrumentalists and singers. As a recitalist he has performed throughout the United States, France, and Yugoslavia and at major international festivals. Mr. Abramovic made his orchestral debut at the age of fourteen with the Pittsburgh Symphony, and since has appeared as soloist with orchestras including the Baltimore Symphony, Florida Philharmonic, and Colorado Symphony and has performed in North America, Europe, and Asia with artists such as Midori, Viktoria Mullova, and Sarah Chang. Mr. Abramovic is professor of keyboard studies at Temple University’s Esther Boyer College of Music. He is a distinguished composer as well as interpreter of new music. He is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music, Peabody Conservatory, and received his DMA degree from Temple University.

Hirono Oka plays in the first violin section of The Philadelphia Orchestra since 1990. She made her first public appearance in her native Japan at the age of 11 with the Tokyo Symphony. After winning numerous competitions and awards in Japan, she came to the United States to continue her studies at the San Francisco Conservatory and the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. Her teachers have included Ivan Galamian, Jaime Laredo, Arnold Steinhardt, Felix Galimir, and Stuart Canin. Ms. Oka has appeared as soloist with the San Francisco Chamber Ensemble, the Utica Symphony, and numerous orchestras in the Philadelphia area. As a chamber musician, she has appeared with the Marlboro Music Festival, Chamber Music West in San Francisco, the Theatre Chamber Players of the Kennedy Center in Washington (D.C.), the Network for New Music, the Delaware Chamber Music Festival, and the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society. She has also toured throughout the United States with the Brandenburg Ensemble and Music from Marlboro. Ms. Oka has performed and collaborated with such world renowned artists as Jaime Laredo, Alexander Schneider, Leon Fleischer, Yefim Bronfman, and Murray Perahia. In addition to teaching privately, Ms. Oka is a faculty member of Temple University and its Music Preparatory Division.

Rachel Serber, a native of Plymouth, MN is currently in her fifth year of study at The Curtis Institute of Music, where she studies with David Bilger and is the recipient of the Philadelphia Orchestra Fellowship. Rachel currently holds the third chair trumpet position in the Symphony in C under the direction of maestro Rossen Milnov and is a recent substitute of the Philadelphia Orchestra. She has also performed with the Curtis Symphony Orchestra, chamber orchestra, and opera orchestra and worked with renowned conductors, Riccardo Muti, Simon Rattle, Charles Dutoit, Michael Tilson Thomas and Christoph Eschenbach. Rachel recently participated in the Pacific Music Festival this past summer and has participated in the National Repertory Orchestra, the Aspen Music Festival, Eastern Music Festival, and Brevard Music Festival. In 2002 Rachel received first prize in the National Trumpet Competition and the Northland’s Trumpet Competition and has also performed twice on National Public Radio’s program, “From the Top.” From 2002-2006, Rachel has been the recipient of the Margaret R. Rice Scholarship, Evergreen Musicians Club scholarship, WAMMA (Women’s Auxiliary Metropolitan Musicians Association) Scholarship, Young People’s Symphony Concert Association of the Minnesota Orchestra Bell Scholarship, Schubert Club scholarship, Minnesota Emerson Scholar, and the Thursday Musical Scholarship. Rachel will graduate in May 2008 with a Bachelor of Music Performance from The Curtis Institute of Music.