APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM

CARMEN LAVADA JOHNSON-PÁJARO violin

Violinist Carmen Lavada Johnson-Pájaro, a native of Birmingham, Alabama, is a community-based artist living in New York City. Raised in a family of music lovers, Carmen began her musical studies with jam sessions in the living room and eventually found her way to the world of historical performance. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in historical performance at The Juilliard School, studying with Elizabeth Blumenstock, Robert Mealy, and Cynthia Roberts. In January 2020, Carmen had the unique opportunity to study and perform Haydn quartets on original instruments at The Smithsonian and Library of Congress. Her 2021/2022 season includes performances with Washington Bach Consort, Teatro Nuovo, New York Baroque Incorporated, Twelfth Night, Bach Akademie Charlotte, Washington National Cathedral, Early Music Access Project, and Juilliard415. She’s had the opportunity to work with renowned early music figures such as Masaaki Suzuki, William Christie, and Rachel Podger, among many others. Beyond traditional performing, Carmen’s commitment to community engagement and education has led to years of nonprofit work as well as work in schools, shelters, and detention centers across the world. Carmen holds degrees in violin performance from the New England Conservatory and the Eastman School of Music, where she was a Lois Rogers and Links Scholar.

RAVENNA LIPCHIK violin

Born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Ravenna began studying the violin at age four. She made her debut with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra at the age of eight playing the Bach Double Violin Concerto. She pursued her love of chamber music at such festivals as the Castleman Quartet Program, Meadowmount School of Music, New York String Orchestra Seminar, and Kneisel Hall Chamber Music Festival. Coaches include Joel Krosnick, Robert Mann, Mark Sokol, Ian Swensen, Julian Martin, Jane Coop, Joseph Kalichstein, Charles Neidich. As an active member of the Shattered Glass, Ravenna has toured throughout the Midwest giving concerts and masterclasses at venues such as the Interlochen Arts Academy and Stern Auditorium in Carnegie Hall. The group released their debut album this past October and is excited for a summer residency at Kneisel Hall Chamber Music Festival. Ravenna recently completed a three-week concert tour of New Zealand as a trialist with the New Zealand String Quartet, as well as a two-week stint with the Philharmonia de Jalisco in Guadalajara, Mexico, recording an all Wagner album with renowned soprano, Amber Wagner. Ravenna received her training at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, with Axel Strauss, and The Juilliard School, with Ronald Copes and Laurie Smukler, with focus on modern and baroque violin performance.

SETH VAN EMBDEN viola

Seth Van Embden enjoys a diverse and multifaceted career as a violist and educator in Chicago. A member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and Illinois Symphony, Seth also frequently performs with the Milwaukee Symphony and was named a New World Symphony fellow for 2022-2023. In chamber music, Seth is a member of Crossing Borders Music, a string quartet which collaborates with and promotes musicians and compositions from a wide array of cultures and underrepresented peoples. Seth is a keen advocate for early music and often performs with Bourbon Baroque of Louisville, Kentucky. Additionally, he is co-founder of Ensemble Affect, whose mission is to promote the reach of historically-informed performance by providing free early music concerts across Chicago. As an educator, Seth is on faculty at the Oak Park School of Music and Joliet Junior College. He studied with the soloist Helen Callus and Philadelphia Orchestra principal violist CJ Chang, as well as with Li-Kuo Chang and Lynne Ramsey.

HANA COHON cello

Hana Cohon is a cellist from Seattle Washington. Her music-making has taken her around the world, performing in venues such as Carnegie Hall, Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Forbidden City Concert Hall in Beijing, and Shanghai Symphony Hall. In the summers, Hana has attended festivals including Tanglewood Music Festival, Aspen Music Festival, Spoleto Festival USA, and Heifetz International Music Festival. She recently appeared with the San Francisco and Colorado Symphonies, and is looking forward to joining the New World Symphony in Miami this fall.

Hana is a founding member of the Pacific Crest Trio, which performs a collection of styles including jazz, folk, Brazilian choro, and original compositions. Hana holds an undergraduate degree from Northwestern University, a master’s degree from the New England Conservatory, and a Professional Studies Certificate from San Francisco Conservatory.

AXEL TROLESE piano

Axel Trolese (pianist) has studied with Louis Lortie, Benedetto Lupo, Maurizio Baglini and Denis Pascal, between the most important academies in Paris, Bruxelles and Rome. In 2022 he received the “Giuseppe Sinopoli” scholarship, from the Italian President of Republic and the Accademia di Santa Cecilia. His discography includes the complete Debussy’s Etudes (“The Late Debussy”, 2016) and the first volume of a project on Albéniz’s Iberia (“Albéniz: Iberia, book I & II”, 2021). A new publication containing Liszt’s two-pianos transcription of the Dante-Symphony is expected soon, together with pianist Luigi Carroccia. Axel Trolese has played in many prestigious concert halls and festivals, including Rome’s Auditorium Parco della Musica, Venice’s La Fenice Theatre, Paris’ Salle Cortot, Beijing’s Millennium Concert Hall, Milan’s Società del Quartetto and London’s Keyboard Charitable Trust. Axel Trolese teaches in the Conservatory of Rovigo, in northern Italy