BACHANALIA ARTISTS:     Alexander Abaev, Violin Alexander Abayev is a winner of the Radio Record International Competition Concertino Prague, and of the 7th Pierre Lantier International Competition in Paris, France. His has made solo appearances as well as performed in chamber music recitals on the stages of various concert halls and has participated in numerous music festivals in the US and abroad. Mr. Abayev holds Master and Postgraduate (ABD) degrees from the Tchaichovsky National Academy of Music in Kiev, Ukraine. Sang-wook Bahng, Violin Sangwook Bahng is a substitute member of the New York Philharmonic and a guest artist of Santo Domingo Music Festival. Mr. Bahng also has played in Hollywood soundtrack recordings of such films as "Perfect Stranger," "The Last Mimzy," "The Brave One," "Doubt," "True Grit" and "Tower Heist". Mr. Bahng is a graduate of Manhattan School of Music, The Cleveland Institute of Music and the Interlochen Arts Academy. Marta Bedkowska, Cello Marta Bedkowska has won several prizes in chamber music competitions in Poland, France and Italy. She studied at F. Chopin Music Academy in Warsaw, the Accademia Walter Stauffer in Cremona with Rocco Filippini, the Scuola di Musica di Fiesole in Florence with Natalia Gutman, and at Accademia Internazionale della Musica in Milan. She is a graduate Mannes College of Music and is a doctoral candidate at CUNY Graduate Center. Danilo Bonina, Violin Danilo Bonina earned his Diploma cum laude from the “Fausto Torrefranca” Conservatory in Vibo Valentia (Italy)  and his MM from Mannes College of Music.. He was awarded first prize in the “Venetico”, “Pedara”, and “Pizzo Calabro” International Competitions. In 2000, he was chosen to play in the European Youth Orchestra. Mr. Bonina is an active concert performer in the United States and Europe, he has performed in  halls such as the Verizon Hall in Philadelphia, Merkin Hall, Alice Tully Hall and Carnegie Hall. A founding member of the "Corelli Collective", Mr. Bonina is devoted to baroque period performance on original instruments. An active teacher, Mr. Bonina is a faculty member at the Bergen Academy of Music and Arts and the Hovnanian School.  . Paul Brantley, Composer, cellist, and conductor Paul Brantley's compositions performed at Monadnock; Bridgehampton; St. Bartholomew's; Philharmonic of the Americas, Left Bank Ensemble (Kennedy Center), Ethel (Kimmel Center), Excelsior Trombone Ensemble (Performance Today), Goliard Ensemble, Manhattan School of Music Symphony, Belladonna, and SONYC (The Kitchen). Paul has performed as solo cellist with Trey Anastasio, Cassatt Quartet, recorded for Béla Fleck, James Morrison, toured with Jimmy Page/Robert Plant, gigged with Chester Thompson, produced for Roy "Futureman" Wooten, conducted for David Binney, and arranged for Ethel, Todd Rundgren, and Christian Scott. Paul teaches conducting at The Manhattan School of Music.www.paulbrantley.com Ting-Ying “Tina” Chang-Chien, Viola Tina Chang-Chien has played principal viola under the batons of Kurt Masur and George Manahan, and has performed with members of the New York Philharmonic at Zankel Hall. She is a graduate of the Orchestral Performance Master's Program at Manhattan School of Music. Upon graduation, she won positions with the Albany Symphony and Binghamton Philharmonic. Boris Deviatov, Viola As a member of the Leontovych String Quartet, Mr.Deviatov has appeared in major music halls in Europe, North and South America. He has performed in such festivals as Mostly Mozart, Music Mountain and Newport. He has collaborated with Yuri Bashmet, Ruggiero Ricci, Ruth Laredo,Vladimir Spivakov and Samuel Sanders and has been the winner of several competitions, both as a violist and as a conductor. He has recorded for Greystone Records, Koch International Classics, and The Musical Heritage Society. Mr. Deviatov is a graduate of the Lvov State Conservatory in Ukraine.  Garry Ianco, Violin Garry Ianco performs as first violinist at The Santo Domingo Music Festival, The Munich Symphony, The Orchestra of Northern New York, and The Bachanalia Festival Orchestra. He also has played with The New Jersey Philharmonic, The Orchestra of the Bronx, The Chelsea Opera and The Verismo Opera. He is a graduate of Rutgers University, New York University, and L'Ecole Americaine in Fontainebleau, France. Presently, he is a faculty member at New Jersey City University. Mikhail Kuchuk, Violin Mikhail Kuchuk has appeared as a soloist with the Manhattan Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra, the Westchester Chamber Orchestra, St Peter's by the Sea Symphony Orchestra and the Bachanalia Chamber Orchestra. Presently, he is a concertmaster of St. Peters by the Sea Symphony Orchestra and a member of Art-Strings Quartet. Additionally, he has performed as a solo violinist at Forever Tango on Broadway. Mr. Kuchuk is a graduate of the Odessa Academy of Music and Freiburg Hochschule fur Musik. Presently, he is a member of the faculty of Judith Wharton Music Center in Berkeley Heights, NJ.   Anthony Morris, Bass Anthony Morris has been The New York Philharmonic Principal Auxiliary and has toured internationally from 1999 to 2006 under the batons of Kurt Masur and Lorin Maazel. From 2007 to the present, Morris has played extensively with The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra. He has worked on Broadway shows such as Beauty and the Beast and Phantom of the Opera and has performed with numerous orchestras in the Tri-State area. Mr. Morris holds a B.M.A. from Manhattan School of Music and an M.M.A. from Juilliard School of Music.   Jannina Norpoth, Violin Janina Norpoth is the first violinist in the Osso String Quartet and is a member of the Sphinx Chamber Orchestra. She made her solo debut at age 13 performing Wieniawski's Second Violin Concerto with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and returned to perform the Sibelius Violin Concerto. She has made solo appearances with the Birmingham Bloomfield Symphony, the Ensemble 212, the Montreaux Detroit Jazz Festival, Mostly Mozart Festival, VH1's Save the Music, FOX's Fearless Music Television, and a concert tour of Tuscany in Italy. Ms. Norpoth is a graduate of Manhattan School of Music and Mannes College of Music.   John-Paul Norpoth, Double Bass Double Bassist John-Paul Norpoth has performed with various orchestras including Brooklyn, Westchester, and Long Island Philharmonic(s) with conductors and soloists Itzhak Perlman, Kurt Mazur, Mark O'Connor, Alisa Weilerstein, Anthony McGill and Roman Simovic, etc. Mr. Norpoth holds a Bachelor's Degree in Music Education and Performance from Ithaca College and a Master's Degree in Performance from Mannes College of Music, where he studied with Jordan Frazier, Principal Ba ssist of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. He lives in Upper Manhattan with his wife, violinist Jannina Barefield-Norpoth and their dog, Vegas.   Bruno Peňa, Violin Bruno Peňa has performed in such prestigious venues as Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, Avery Fisher Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Merkin Concert Hall and Symphony Space. He also has performed in Spain, France, Portugal, Netherlands and Mexico. In 2003, Mr. Peňa won the Artist International Competition in New York. He is a graduate of Sweelinck Conservatorium of Amsterdam and Mannes College of Music.   Jameson D. Platte, Cello Jameson D. Platte is the Principal Cellist of the Glens Falls Symphony, The Orchestra of Northern New York and Assistant Principal of the Allentown Symphony. He is a member of the Axis Quintet, the critically acclaimed Duo 92 (with pianist Matthew Quayle) and the Omega Trio. Mr. Platte is Artist/Faculty at New England Music Camp. His teachers include Carlton McCreery, Lynn Harrell and Mstislav Rostropovich. Mr. Platte plays on a cello by Hannibal Fagnola (1925) as well as bows by François Xavier Tourte and Dominique Peccatte.   Francisco Salazar Vara , Violin Venezuelan violinist Francisco Salazar Vara began his violin studies at age 6 and made his solo debut with orchestra at age 8. Since then he has performed extensively as a concert violinist , and has toured North and South America, Europe, Japan and Korea with The Simon Bolivar Orchestra of Venezuela, and The Juilliard Orchestra. Mr. Salazar is a graduate of The Juilliard School where he obtained his BM and MM degrees. Francisco played for several years with the New Jersey Symphony, and has been concertmaster and soloed with the Harrisburg and Lancaster symphonies   Amir Shiff, Viola Born in Israel, is the former principal violist of Philharmonia Hungarica of Germany. Shiff performed as soloist with the Virginia Symphony, Philharmonia Hungarica, Daegu Symphony of South Korea, Vilnius Chamber Orchestra and the Russian Federal Orchestra at the Tchaikovsky Hall in Moscow with conductor Vakhtang Jordania. Shiff performed in hundreds of concerts as first violinist of the Israeli Army String Quartet, in recitals, taught a class in Treviso, Italy and was on the jury of the 2008 Primrose Viola Competition.   Muneyoshi Takahashi, Violin Muneyoshi Takahashi has played with the Rochester Philharmonic, the Charleston Symphony, the NHK Symphony, and has been a guest concertmaster of the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra. He has performed as a chamber musician with Bachanalia since 2008. Mr. Takahashi is a graduate of Toho Gakuen School in Tokyo and has a Master's degree from the Eastman School of Music.   Lawrence Zoernig, Cello Lawrence Zoernig is a principal cellist of the New York Scandia Symphony, New York Chamber Orchestra, Manhattan Chamber Orchestra and Opera Manhattan. As a chamber musician, he performs frequently with the Goliard Ensemble and Bachanalia. Additionally, he is a recipient of a "Meet the Composer" Foundation grant for his work as a composer of music for cello. Mr. Zoernig is a graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Music and the Juilliard School, and is presently a faculty member of the Sylvan Academy of Music in Closter, NJ.           Back to top