Praised by The San Francisco Chronicle as being “fresh, different and exhilarating” and Strings Magazine as “intensely wrought and burnished,” violinist Grace Park captivates audiences with her artistry, passion and virtuosity. Winner of the Naumburg International Violin Competition, she is one of the leading artists of her generation.

Ms. Park’s upcoming season includes her debut at the Colorado Music Festival and Bard Festival under the baton of Leon Botstein. Ms. Park’s most recent appearances her concerto debuts at Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall and at the Rudolfinum, Dvořák Hall in Prague, and recital debuts at the Krannert Center and Merkin Hall. This past year, Ms. Park recorded her first solo album with the Prague Philharmonia and their music director, Emmanuel Villaume, which will include concertos and solo works of Mozart and Dvořák. It is set to be released in the spring of 2024.

A devoted and passionate educator, Ms. Park is an alumnus of Carnegie Hall’s Ensemble Connect and has taught masterclasses and coached at Conservatorio de Musica de Cartagena, Mannes School of Music, University of North Carolina, Washington and Lee University, North Dakota State University, and Skidmore College, among others.

A native of Los Angeles, California, Ms. Park began violin at the age of five, training at the Colburn School of Music. She continued her studies at Colburn Conservatory and New England Conservatory for her Bachelor and Master of Music degrees. Her principal teachers were Donald Weilerstein, Miriam Fried, Sylvia Rosenberg, and Robert Lipsett. She now resides in New York City.

Ms. Park performs on a 1717 Giuseppe Filius Andrea Guarneri on loan from an anonymous sponsor.

Venezuelan violinist Rubén Rengel is quickly gaining recognition for his remarkable artistry. He has been described as an “excellent soloist” of “great virtuosity” (NY Concert Review), who delivers “thrilling” performances (Boston Globe). Mr. Rengel has appeared as a soloist with the Philadelphia Orchestra, Detroit Symphony, Houston Symphony, Dallas Symphony, New Jersey Symphony, Venezuela Symphony, New York String Orchestra, among others. He was the winner of the 2018 Sphinx Competition, and he has collaborated with conductors such as Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Xian Zhang, Elim Chan, Theodore Kuchar and Jaime Laredo. He has been featured in venues across the U.S. and abroad, including Carnegie Hall, Severance Hall, the Kennedy Center, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, the Teatro Teresa Carreño, and the Library of Congress. A passionate chamber musician, Mr. Rengel has performed with artists such as Joseph Silverstein, Mitsuko Uchida, Pamela Frank, Jonathan Biss, Anthony McGill, Peter Wiley, David Shifrin, and Gilbert Kalish. His chamber music appearances include performances at Caramoor, Moab Music Festival, Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, Washington Performing Arts, Kaufman Music Center, Perlman Music Program, Music@Menlo, Ravinia, and the Marlboro Music School and Festival.

In addition to classical music, Mr. Rengel enjoys performing other genres from Venezuelan and Latin American folk music. He also has an interest in conducting and enjoys performing as a violist. His arrangement of Beethoven’s “Kreutzer” Sonata was featured on Sphinx Virtuosi’s debut album on the Deutsche Grammophon label. Mr. Rengel was recently in residence at Carnegie Hall as a member of Ensemble Connect. His teachers and mentors include Iván Pérez Núñez, Jaime Laredo, Paul Kantor, and Mark Steinberg.

A winner of Astral’s 2016 National Auditions, violinist Katie Hyun has appeared as soloist with the Houston Symphony, the Dallas Chamber Orchestra, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Columbia Festival Orchestra, among others. Praised for her “sensitivity and top shelf artistry” (Cleveland.com), she has also been featured as concerto soloist with South Korea’s Busan Sinfonietta and Incheon Philharmonic. She has appeared in numerous festivals, including the Chelsea Music Festival (NY), Bravo! Vail (CO), Chamber Music Northwest Winter Festival (Portland, OR), Bright Sheng’s “The Intimacy of Creativity” Festival in Hong Kong, and the “New York in Chuncheon” and Busan Chamber Music Festivals, both in South Korea. On Baroque violin, Ms. Hyun has recorded and frequently appears with Trinity Baroque Orchestra, the Sebastians, and New York Baroque Incorporated.

Ms. Hyun is the founder and director of Quodlibet Ensemble, a small chamber orchestra that debuted to great acclaim in 2008. The Ensemble has since performed at the Shepherd Music Series in Collinsville, the Yale British Arts Center, and at Drew University in Madison, NJ. Quodlibet Ensemble made its New York debut in March 2016, followed by an appearance at Rockefeller University. In the spring of 2014, the ensemble released its debut album.

Ms. Hyun was also a founding member of the award-winning Amphion String Quartet, which won the Concert Artists’ Guild Management in 2011, and a spot on the roster of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s CMS Two Program. The quartet’s debut CD was also featured among The New York Times’ “Best of 2015.” The ASQ has performed in Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, and the Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C., and at Chamber Music Northwest, La Jolla Music Society’s SummerFest, the OK Mozart International Music Festival, the Chautauqua Institution, and the Caramoor Summer Music Festival. Ms. Hyun received an Artist Diploma from the Yale School of Music, where she studied Baroque violin with Robert Mealy and modern violin with Ani Kavafian. She holds a Master’s degree from SUNY Stony Brook, where she studied with Pamela Frank, Ani Kavafian, and Philip Setzer. She also studied with Aaron Rosand and Pamela Frank at the Curtis Institute of Music, where she earned a Bachelor of Music degree.

Praised as playing “gorgeously” and with “gracefulness and easy rapport” (The Boston Globe), violinist Emily Daggett Smith has performed as soloist and chamber musician across the United States, Europe, South America and Asia. As a soloist, Dr. Smith made her New York concerto debut playing the Beethoven Violin Concerto with the Juilliard Orchestra in Alice Tully Hall, and since then has performed concerti with many orchestras including Iris Orchestra, the Festival Mozaic Orchestra and the New Amsterdam Symphony Orchestra. She has given solo recitals across the country at venues including the Kennedy Center and Music in the Loft in Chicago.

As an active and passionate chamber musician Dr. Smith performs regularly at festivals and series around the country, and has shared the stage with renowned musicians including members of the Cleveland, Emerson, and Juilliard String Quartets.  In addition to performing the masterpieces of the 17th through the 20th century, Dr. Smith is also a strong advocate of new music. She has premiered dozens of new works, including the world premiere of Dan Visconti’s Silvertone, which was commissioned for her debut recital in Chicago, and, as a founding member of the Tessera Quartet, recorded a world-premiere album of Harold Brown’s complete works for string quartet for Albany Records.

Despite her busy performance schedule, Dr. Smith is dedicated to education. She is on the violin Faculty of Bard College Conservatory Pre-College, has served on the violin faculty of the undergraduate department of Stony Brook University, and is the assistant for Laurie Smukler at Juilliard. She holds Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from The Juilliard School, and as a recipient of the prestigious Staller Scholar Award, a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Stony Brook University. Her teachers have included Soovin Kim, Philip Setzer, Joel Smirnoff, Laurie Smukler and Donald Weilerstein.  She plays on a Johannes Cuypers violin, generously donated by Dr. Marylou Witz.

NYC-based violinist Brendan Speltz, second violinist of the world renowned Escher String Quartet, has toured the globe with groundbreaking ensembles such as Shuffle Concert, the Manhattan Chamber Players, A Far Cry, and the Harlem Quartet. As founder of FeltInFour Productions, Mr. Speltz has produced innovative concert events across the New York City area that have been described by The New Yorker as “Thrilling, poignant, unexpected, and utterly DIY.” Most recently, Mr. Speltz co-created a cross-disciplinary presentation of Steve Reich’s Different Trains with aerial dance troupe ABCirque which was sponsored by Meyer Sound Labs.

In NYC he has performed as guest with the New York New Music Ensemble, Mark Morris Dance Group, American Ballet Theatre, the American Symphony, the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, and as a founding member of the conductorless string orchestra Shattered Glass. He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Southern California and his Master’s degree from the Manhattan School of Music. Mr. Speltz plays a 1925 Carl Becker violin.

Violinist Christopher Wilshere shines as a prominent figure in Mexico’s classical music community, leaving a lasting impression on the vibrant cultural tapestry of his adopted country. His journey is a testament to passion, dedication, and a commitment to nurturing musical talent. As a distinguished violinist, Mr. Wilshere has performed as concertmaster for many well-known Canadian and Mexican orchestras, including the Thunder Bay Symphony, the Ontario Philharmonic, the Jalisco Philharmonic, and the Toronto Concert Orchestra. As a soloist and chamber musician, he has performed alongside notable artists such as Julian Rachlin, Anton Kuerti, the Gryphon Trio, Susan Hopper, Manuel Delaflor, and David Fung, earning critical and audience acclaim.

Mr. Wilshere’s influence extends deeply into education, where he has become one of Mexico’s most sought-after violin teachers.  A seasoned educator, Mr. Wilshere has shared his expertise through masterclasses and teaching engagements at prestigious institutions, including the University of Toronto, the University of Guadalajara, the University of Kansas, the University of Akron, Ohio, UNAM, and the Ollin Yoliztli Conservatory in Mexico City. 

As an entrepreneur and project builder, in 2003, at the age of 24, Mr. Wilshere founded the Festival de Febrero, which has evolved over two decades into a cornerstone of classical music in Mexico and hosts over 30 international artists annually for two weeks of concerts in the Lake Chapala area.  His creation of the Festival del Lago summer academy in 2018, with its focus on education, stands as a testament to his commitment to nurturing young talent. Approximately 60 university students from around the world attend every August, benefiting from financial aid, with many on full scholarships, all sponsored by his other festival, the Festival de Febrero. Mr. Wilshere was awarded a Governor General’s Award from Michaëlle Jean for his commitment to strengthening relations between Mexico and Canada.  He holds a degree in Violin Performance from the University of Toronto.

A native of Cape Cod, MA, violinist Benjamin Thacher is a member of the Louisiana Philharmonic and the Lott Quartet. He received his Bachelors degree from the New England Conservatory, where he studied with Donald Weilerstein and James Buswell. He continued his graduate studies at the San Francisco Conservatory, where he studied under Ian Swensen.

Mr. Thacher has attended festivals including include the Perlman Music Program, Yellow Barn, Schleswig-Holstein Music Orchestra, and the American-Bach Soloists.  Mr. Thacher served as Concertmaster of the Louisiana Philharmonic from 2013-2015.  Prior to this appointment, he was Associate Concertmaster of the Boise Philharmonic.  He has appeared as guest Concertmaster with the Auckland Philharmonia in New Zealand and the West Australian Symphony in Perth, Australia. Mr. Thacher joined the violin faculty at the University of New Orleans in 2019.

Kurt Münstedt is an active violinist, music educator, and a member of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra since 2023.  Previously, he served as violinist with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra and on the violin and chamber music faculty at the University of New Orleans.  A passionate chamber musician, Kurt is a founding and active member of the Radio Bird Quartet, Rogue Baroque, and the Lott String Quartet (currently quartet-in-residence at the University of New Orleans). During the summers, he performs with the Breckenridge Music Festival in Colorado.

Originally from Needham, Massachusetts, Mr. Münstedt holds Bachelor of Music degrees in violin and audio recording from the Cleveland Institute of Music and a Masters degree from Carnegie Mellon.  His principal teachers include Joel Smirnoff and Andres Cardenes.  He has performed with the Schleswig Holstein Festival Orchestra (Germany), Pacific Music Festival (Japan), the Manhattan Chamber Players (NYC), and the Sebastians (NYC).  Mr. Münstedt received his Suzuki training under the guidance of Kimberly Meier-Sims.  He currently resides in Rochester, NY.

Praised by The Philadelphia Inquirer for his “glowing refinement,” violist Luke Fleming‘s performances have been described by The Strad as “confident and expressive…playing with uncanny precision,” and lauded by Gramophone for their “superlative technical and artistic execution.”   Festival appearances include the Marlboro Music School and Festival, the Steans Institute at Ravinia, Perlman Music Program, the Norfolk and Great Lakes Chamber Music Festivals, the Melbourne Festival, Bravo!Vail, and Festival Mozaic. Formerly the violist of the internationally acclaimed Attacca Quartet, he has served as Artist-in-Residence for the Metropolitan Museum of Art and received the National Federation of Music Clubs Centennial Chamber Music Award.  He was awarded First Prize at the Osaka International Chamber Music Competition and top prizes at the Melbourne International Chamber Music Competition.

In 2015, Mr. Fleming became the Founding Artistic Director of both the Manhattan Chamber Players, a New York-based chamber music collective, and the Crescent City Chamber Music Festival, and in 2024 he was named Artistic Program Director of Chamber Music Monterey Bay. He currently serves as Adjunct Professor of Viola at the University of New Orleans School of the Arts. He is also a founding member of the Delaware-based Serafin Ensemble. He has performed as guest violist with the Escher, Modigliani, and Pacifica Quartets, the Eroica, Lysander, and Gryphon Piano Trios, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Decoda, Ensemble Connect, Sejong Soloists, the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, and the New York Classical Players, and has given masterclasses at UCLA, Louisiana State University, Ithaca College, Columbus State University, Syracuse University, Melbourne University, and the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts, among others.  Mr. Fleming has served on the faculties of the Atlantic Music Festival, Innsbrook Institute, Renova Music Festival, Festival del Lago, and Houston ChamberFest, and Fei Tian College and as Lecturer-in-Residence for Project: Music Heals Us.

Mr. Fleming holds the degrees of Doctor of Musical Arts, Artist Diploma, and Master of Music from the Juilliard School, a Postgraduate Diploma with Distinction from the Royal Academy of Music in London, and a Bachelor of Music summa cum laude from Louisiana State University. He is represented with the Manhattan Chamber Players by Arts Management Group.

Violist Katrina Chitty, a native of Langley, BC (Canada) began her musical education on the violin at age four. An early introduction to orchestral life at age six inspired her throughout her musical studies, and as a teenager she was accepted at the Conservatoire Darius Milhaud in France to further her musical education. Following that, she attended Wilfrid Laurier University for her bachelor’s degree, studying with Jerzy Kaplenek.  Finding that a switch to viola better suited her, she then completed her master’s degree at McGill University under the direction of André Roy. 

Ms. Chitty spent a year performing chamber music around the world on cruise ships with her quartet, and then spent several years freelancing in Toronto with the Toronto Symphony, National Ballet, and Canadian Opera Company. Katrina is now happy to call Vancouver her home, and has been a member of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra viola section since 2019. When not on stage, Ms. Chitty teaches music, volunteers at rabbit rescue organizations, and serves in the Canadian Armed Forces Reserves. 

Pierre Lapointe is the violist of the Escher Quartet, founding the group in 2005 with violinist Adam Barnett-Hart, violinist Wu Jie, and cellist Andrew Janss. The Escher Quartet was a member of The Bowers Program (formerly CMS Two) from 2006 to 2009 and continues to perform extensively in the United States and all over the world. In 2012 he completed a thesis on Alexander von Zemlinsky’s Second Quartet to earn a doctorate from the Manhattan School of Music and finished almost simultaneously a recording project of all four of Zemlinsky’s string quartets with the Escher Quartet on the Naxos label.

Before devoting himself entirely to the viola, he played the violin and studied composition. In 2002 he performed his first string quartet to great acclaim on the show Young Artists of CBC Radio in Canada. He also received a prize in 2004 from the Lieutenant-Governor of Quebec for his work at the Gatineau Music Conservatory and was granted a gold medal by the University of Ottawa in 2000 for his undergraduate studies in composition and violin performance. His main teachers were Yaëla Hertz Berkson, Calvin Sieb, and Lawrence Dutton.  Since 2015, Mr. Lapointe has been teaching chamber music at the Southern Methodist University of Dallas, and he is presently one of its adjunct professors.

Minju Kim leads a multifaceted career spanning education, performance, and social advocacy by fostering the growth of aspiring musicians while maintaining an active presence on the concert stage. Dr. Kim is an Assistant Professor of Violin at Boston University School of Music and has previously taught at the Cleveland Institute of Music, University of Akron School of Music, Festival del Lago, Encore Chamber Music, and Indiana University Jacobs School of Music.

She performs as a chamber and orchestral musician, both at home in North America and on international stages including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, and Severance Hall. She has been a frequent guest artist at Festival de Febrero, Artosphere Music Festival, Strings Music Festival, among others and has enjoyed extensive collaborations with various chamber groups including Jankovic Ensemble for string quartet, Khemia Ensemble, and A Far Cry, with her performances reaching a wider audience through broadcasts on media platforms like American Public Media’s Performance Today, WCLV, WQXR, and Grammy-nominated album, Canto America. 

Previously, she served as the second violin principal of CityMusic Cleveland Chamber Orchestra and former acting concertmistress of the Evansville Philharmonic, and she continues to perform with the Cleveland Orchestra, Met Opera, Pittsburgh Symphony and others.  Combining her passion for arts education and social advocacy, Dr. Kim directs the Third Culture Ensemble, bringing focus to underrepresented composers and serving marginalized communities.

Dr. Kim received her Doctor of Music in violin performance from Indiana University Jacobs School of Music and her Bachelor of Music and Master of Music from Cleveland Institute of Music. Her doctoral dissertation, focusing on the works of Pulitzer Prize winner Caroline Shaw, showcases her commitment to highlighting the contributions of living female composers.

Praised for his “fluid virtuosity” and “soulful melodies,” Los Angeles native Brook Speltz has been inspired since childhood by the long tradition of deep musical mastery of artists such as Jascha Heifetz, Pierre Fournier, and the Guarneri String Quartet.  Mr. Speltz is the cellist of the internationally renowned Escher String Quartet—Quartet-in-Residence at Southern Methodist University in Dallas–and an artist of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center.

An extremely versatile cellist, Mr. Speltz has performed as a soloist, chamber musician, and recitalist throughout the US, Canada, Latin America, Europe, and Asia. First Prize winner of the prestigious Ima Hogg Competition, he has performed as a soloist with the Houston Symphony, Colorado Music Festival Orchestra and International Contemporary Ensemble, among others, and is a regular performer at England’s IMS Prussia Cove and on tour with Musicians from Marlboro. An avid and sought after chamber musician, Mr. Speltz has been personally invited by musical giants such as Itzhak Perlman and Richard Goode to collaborate in chamber music recitals and tours throughout the country. As a result of these collaborations, he has been nominated for the inaugural Warner Music Prize, a newly established prize presented by Warner Music and Carnegie Hall.

A lover of all facets of the music world, Mr. Speltz has enjoyed performing on extensive tours with the cello rock band Break of Reality, whose online video of the Game of Thrones cover immediately went viral and has already received over 8.5 million views. Their recent U.S. tour raised funds and awareness for music programs in public schools all around the country. Mr. Speltz studied at the renowned Curtis Institute of Music with Peter Wiley and at the Juilliard School with Joel Krosnick, after his formative years of study with Eleanor Schoenfeld in Los Angeles. He performs on a 1756 J.C. Gigli on loan from his father, a cellist and his first inspiration in a family of professional musicians.

Hailed by the press for his “bold, rich sound” (The Strad) and “nuanced musicianship,” (The New York Times), Israeli cellist Michael Katz has appeared as a soloist and chamber musician in venues such as Weill Recital Hall, Alice Tully Hall, the Kennedy Center, the Van Wezel Performing Arts Center, Tokyo’s Oji Hall, and Jerusalem’s Henry Crown Auditorium. His musicianship has been recognized with many awards, among them all three prizes at the 2011 Aviv Competition, and First Prizes at the Juilliard School’s 2010 Concerto Competition and the 2005 Turjeman Competition.

High in demand as a chamber musician, Mr. Katz has collaborated and performed with artists such as Itzhak Perlman, Midori, Anthony Marwood, Donald Weilerstein, Peter Frankl, Roger Tapping, Charles Neidich, and others. As the cellist of the Lysander Piano Trio, Mr. Katz was a winner of the 2012 Concert Artists Guild Competition, and was awarded first prize in the 2011 Coleman Competition and 2011 J.C. Arriaga Competition. His festival appearances include performances at Ravinia, Music@Menlo, Lucerne, Yellow Barn, Sarasota, Malaga Clasica, and the Holland Music Sessions. Deeply committed to audience engagement and community outreach, Mr. Katz was a Fellow in Carnegie Hall’s Ensemble Connect from 2014 – 2016

Born in Tel-Aviv, Mr. Katz began his cello studies at age seven, and his early teachers included Zvi Plesser, Hillel Zori and the late Mikhail Khomitzer. Mr. Katz received his Bachelor of Music degree from the New England Conservatory as a student of Laurence Lesser and his Master of Music from the Juilliard School, where he studied with Joel Krosnick. He has completed a Doctor of Music degree at SUNY Stony Brook as a student of Colin Carr.

Hailed by The New York Times for his “muscularity and shimmering lyricism,” “insightful musicianship,” and “sumptuous elegance,” cellist Andrew Janss‘ performances have been enjoyed across five continents in venues including Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, The Sydney Opera House, and the Louvre. Mr. Janss has collaborated in concert with a long list of iconic Classical artists, including Itzhak Perlman, Pinchas Zukerman, Lynn Harrell, Leon Fleisher, Richard Goode, as well as chart-topping performers such as Lana Del Rey, Mary J. Blige, Estelle, Florence + the Machine, Erykah Badu, Kurt Elling, and The Roots. Mr. Janss is cellist of the acclaimed Solera Quartet, winners of the 2017 Pro Musicis International award. Previously, Mr. Janss was the founding cellist of the Escher Quartet, one of the most highly acclaimed string quartets of its generation. With the Escher Quartet he was in residence at the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center as part of Chamber Music Society Two from 2007-2010.

Mr. Janss has served as Guest Principal Cellist of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, and tours extensively with the Mark Morris Dance Group. Highlight performances with the company have included premieres of new choreography in Boston, Chicago, New York, Seattle, Miami, New Orleans, and internationally in China, Italy, and Australia. Mr. Janss tours and records for the groundbreaking band Break of Reality both in the United States and as cultural ambassadors for the US Department of State. Recent tours through American Music Abroad have taken the band to Eastern and Central Asia, Haiti, and Brazil, collaborating with local musicians and composers in each country they visit.

Mr. Janss is the Co-Artistic Director for Project: Music Heals Us, a non-profit organization that presents interactive classical music performances to diverse audiences by artists of the highest caliber in order to provide encouragement, education, and healing, with a focus on elderly, disabled, rehabilitating, incarcerated, and homeless populations.

Cellist Abigail Monroe has established herself as a sought-after solo performer, chamber music collaborator, and large ensemble musician throughout the United States. Abigail can be heard performing with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, where she performs as principal cellist. She holds additional orchestra positions throughout the country, including the West Michigan Symphony, Missouri Symphony and Orchestra Iowa, and frequently performs with The Orchestra San Antonio, Des Moines Symphony, Dubuque Symphony, Illinois Philharmonic, Ensemble Mik Nawooj, and Northwest Indiana Symphony, among others. She is also cellist of the award-winning San Francisco-based new music group Ensemble for These Times, and frequently collaborates with the Manhattan Chamber Players. Recent solo engagements have included numerous World-Premiere performances of music by living composers Ensemble for These Times, and concerto performances with the Golden Gate Symphony Orchestra and the New Mexico Philharmonic. Ms. Monroe holds both a Bachelor’s Degree and Professional Studies Diploma from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.

Minnesota native Paul Macres is a double bassist with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra.  He has performed with many ensembles across the country, including the Minnesota Orchestra, San Diego Symphony, Nashville Symphony, Kansas City Symphony, Alabama Symphony Orchestra, and the Memphis Symphony Orchestra.  Internationally, he has played guest principal bass with the Stavanger Symphony Orchestra (Norway), and has toured across the globe with the Verbier Festival Orchestra.    Mr. Macres often spends his summers performing in Colorado with the Colorado Music Festival (Boulder), and in Minnesota with the Lakes Area Music Festival (Brainerd).  He also holds a position with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, which performs numerous concerts at the world renowned Hollywood Bowl throughout summers in Los Angeles.  

An active teacher in the Greater New Orleans area, Mr. Macres has held positions at numerous schools and creative arts organizations throughout the city.  His current positions include Professor of Double Bass at Loyola University, strings instructor at Homer Plessy School, and double bass teacher at Greater New Orleans Youth Orchestra.  He also maintains a private double bass studio with students ranging from 10 years to 70 years old.  

Mr. Macres holds a Bachelor of Music from the Manhattan School of Music, a Master of Music from Rice University, and a Music Professional Studies Certificate from the Colburn School in Los Angeles.