INTRODUCTIONS FROM THE STAGE

Praised for her “total involvement with the inner life of the lowest voice” (New York Concert Review Inc.), cellist Madeleine Bouïssou has a vision to redefine the purpose of performing on classical instruments. Her recent performances have included the world premiere of Varsha for solo cello by Reena Esmail on baroque cello, and performances as an Apprentice at the 2018 Valley of the Moon Music Festival. Madeleine attended The Juilliard School, where she earned both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Historical Performance. Her interest in historically-informed performance has inspired her to approach all music as if it were heard for the first time. When teaching students of her own, her priority is to help them find their own voices through musical expression. Madeleine currently resides in The Netherlands.

Monica was born in London in 1953, the fifth child in a family of seven children of mainly Irish extraction. She began working as a violinist at age 17, playing string quartets in a pizza restaurant. When she was 19 she was introduced to the baroque violin and that was the start of a long love affair. That year, 1972, she became a regular violinist for Christopher Hogwood’s Academy of Ancient Music, and worked as a session musician on the Rolling Stones single “Angie”. There followed some exciting years as a freelancer in London, planning anything and everything, rushing from rehearsal to session to concert on her motorbike. Eventually Monica decided her heart wss in historical performance and she has devoted her life to it.

A rising star on both the historical performance and modern violin stages, violinist Rachell Ellen Wong is a 2020 recipient of a prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant. She has performed throughout the United States and Canada, as well as in the UK, Canada, Italy Costa Rica, Panama, China, and New Zealand. A sought-after collaborator, her growing reputation as one of the top historical performers of her generation has resulted in appearances with such respected ensembles as the American Bach Soloists and The Academy of Ancient Music, and tours with Bach Collegium Japan, Les Arts Florissants, and others. Equally accomplished on the modern violin, Ms. Wong made her first public appearance with the Philharmonia Northwest at age 11 and has since performed as a soloist with such orchestras as Seattle Symphony, Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Panamá, and Orquesta Sinfónica (Costa Rica). Her numerous awards include the inaugural Lillian and Maurice Barbash J.S. Bach Competition Grand Prize, among others. She performs on a baroque violin from the school of Joachim Tielke, and on a modern violin by Carlo de March.