Michelle Bushkova, born in Moscow in 2004, is a violinist, pianist, and conductor. Michelle recently completed her double bachelor’s degree, majoring in both violin and piano performance, at the Cleveland Institute of Music, where she studied with Ilya Kaler and Olga Dubossarskaya-Kaler on the violin, and Antonio Pompa-Baldi on the piano. As a conductor, she has participated in the International Jorma Panula Masterclass in Kecskemét (Hungary), and the Riccardo Muti Italian Opera Academy at the Tokyo Spring Festival (Japan). Her mentors have also included Carlos Kalmar, Anthony Parnther, and Victor Yampolsky. Throughout the 2024-2025 academic year, Michelle served both as Undergraduate Assistant Conductor of the Case Western Reserve University Symphony Orchestra, and Assistant Conductor of the Cleveland Institute of Music Opera Theater. As a soloist, she has performed with the “Moscow Virtuosi” and “New Russia” Symphony orchestras, the philharmonic orchestras of Saratov, Yaroslavl, Ankara, Istanbul, and the chamber orchestras of Minsk and Portland. As an instrumentalist, Michelle has participated in international music festivals such as: “Keshet Eilon” (Israel), “Stay-in-May” (Florida, US), “Musica Mundi” (Belgium), NYMF in Gstaad (Switzerland), “Moscow Autumn”, and “Siletz Bay” (Oregon, US). She will be pursuing her master’s degree in conducting at the Juilliard School with David Robertson, where she was granted the Bruno Walter Memorial Scholarship.

Described by Rudolf Jansen as an “intelligent, sensitive and thoughtful pianist”, Dutch-Chinese collaborative pianist Michelle Chow has performed throughout Europe and the U.S., including the Concertgebouw and Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ in Amsterdam, Tivoli Vredenburg in Utrecht, Southwark Cathedral and Regent Hall in London and Lincoln City Cultural Center in the U.S. She was the winner of the Royal Academy of Music London Brahms Wilfrid Parry Prize, Harold Craxton Prize for chamber music, and recipient of the Evelyn German Prize, the Frank & Hilda Stokes Prize, and the Marjorie Meyer Memorial Prize. She has worked with such esteemed musicians as Dmitri Bashkirov, Nino Gvetadze, Helmut Deutsch, Rudolf Jansen, György Pauk, Henning Kraggerud, Philippe Graffin, Christoph Richter and Yuzuko Horigome. Michelle was a Repetiteur Fellow at the Royal Academy of Music from 2022-2024. She is also on faculty at the Savonnlina Music Academy since summer 2023. Headshot by by Felix Quaedvlieg.

Bulgarian classical guitarist Georgi “Jojo” Dimitrov is an internationally acclaimed soloist and chamber musician. Currently pursuing his MA at the Royal Academy of Music in London with Michael Lewin, supported by the prestigious Bicentenary Scholarship, he is a cum laude graduate of the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz. Georgi is the 2024–2025 New Elizabethan Award winner, with a recital at Wigmore Hall, and a NAXOS recording of Bach works lauded by MusicWeb International as “one of the best guitar recordings of music by J.S. Bach … representing excellent technical facility, refined musicianship, and deep understanding of the music.” He was the first classical guitarist to perform at Bach Fest Leipzig, and has won major international competitions including the First European Bach Guitar Award, the First and the Special Prizewinner of the cciMB  “M. Biasini”,  2021,  “GuitArt”, Plovdiv, becoming a  Eurostrings  Artist 2018/2019, "Anna Amalia", Weimar, 2017, "Andres Segovia", 2016, First Prize and the EMCY Special Prize at the "Young Virtuosos" 2016, Sofia, among others. As a chamber music innovator, he co-founded unique ensembles including a brass-guitar trio and the percussion-guitar duo "Chase," whose debut album Kopfkino features his own compositions. A passionate advocate for new music, he also composes, arranges, and collaborates with artists across genres, including Bulgaria’s legendary band D2. Photo Credit: Georgi Konstantinov-Jorj GEOPHO. More at georgidimitrov-jojo.org.

Dr. Daniel Partridge is an accomplished horn player, educator, and arranger who brings versatility and artistry to every performance. He serves as principal horn of Symphony Tacoma and the Vancouver (WA) Symphony, and performs regularly with the Oregon Symphony, Eugene Symphony, Portland Opera, Oregon Ballet Theatre, Sunriver Music Festival, Big Horn Brass, and chamber groups including Chameleon Winds and the Rose City Brass Quintet. A dedicated teacher, he has been on faculty at Portland State University since 2016 and also teaches at Clark College in Vancouver, WA, while maintaining a private studio for young horn students. Originally from the Pacific Northwest, Dr. Partridge began his horn studies in Portland and earned his Bachelor of Music from the University of Puget Sound. He holds a PhD in music theory from the CUNY Graduate Center and dual master’s degrees in theory and horn performance from the Mannes College of Music. A former freelancer in New York City, he performed with ensembles such as the New Haven Symphony, Bronx Opera, and One World Symphony. In addition to performing and teaching, he is Manager of Music Editorial at Oregon Catholic Press and enjoys life in Portland with his wife, Katie, and their two daughters.

Katherine Schultz began her musical journey as a violinist at age 3 in her local Suzuki program, but after 11 years of whining about having to practice while standing up her mother finally let her switch to the cello (she would now give anything to be able to practice while standing up.) She currently serves as the principal cellist of the Portland Chamber Orchestra and Orchestra Nova Northwest (and has been featured as a soloist with both groups), assistant principal of the Oregon Ballet Theatre and Portland Opera orchestras, and music festivals such as Siletz Bay, Sunriver, Oregon Coast, and Alaska Resounding. Katherine harbors a strong passion for the repertoire and camaraderie of small ensemble performance. In addition to being a featured chamber musician at SBMF Katherine performs regularly for the highly popular Candlelight Concert series, the Portland Cello Project, the WildWood and Stumptown string quartets, and with various ensembles on the All-Classical radio show Thursdays @ Three. Always interested in stepping outside the classical genre, Katherine has recorded with the Von Trapps and played live with such artists as k.d. lang, Chicago, The Eagles, and The Who.

Ricky Smith is a dynamic performer and educator based in Portland, Oregon. He recently won the position of Second and Bass Clarinet with the Oregon Ballet Theatre Orchestra and served as Acting Second Clarinet with the Oregon Symphony during the 2024–25 season. Ricky has performed with ensembles including the Portland Opera, Eugene Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, and chamber groups such as 45th Parallel Universe, in addition to various regional orchestras throughout Portland and Western Pennsylvania. His festival appearances include the Siletz Bay Music Festival, Oregon Bach Festival, Aspen Music Festival, and the AIMS Festival Orchestra in Graz, Austria. A passionate advocate for music education, Ricky maintains a thriving private studio of students from across Portland, teaches at George Fox University, and regularly leads sectionals for middle and high school ensembles throughout the Portland metropolitan area. Ricky holds a Master of Music and an Advanced Music Studies Certificate in Clarinet Performance from Carnegie Mellon University, as well as a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from Southern Methodist University. His principal teachers include Michael Rusinek and Paul Garner. Outside of music, he enjoys skiing, exploring Oregon’s wine country, and traveling.

Hailed by the Washington Post for “virtuosity and penetrating intelligence,” violinist James Stern is a member of the Stern/Andrist Duo with his wife, Canadian pianist Audrey Andrist, and Strata, a trio in which the two of them are joined by clarinetist Nathan Williams. The duo has performed throughout the United States, Canada and China, with additional recitals in Munich and Paris. Their recent collaboration with cellist Steven Honigberg on trios by Dvořák and Fauré was deemed “extraordinary” by Fanfare magazine for its “gripping intensity.” Stern has performed at the Marlboro, Ravinia, Banff and Bowdoin festivals as well as at New York’s Alice Tully Hall and Carnegie Hall. Well-known to Washington, D. C. audiences, he has performed with the 21st Century Consort, VERGE Ensemble, the Smithsonian Chamber Players and the Axelrod Quartet, at the Corcoran Gallery, the German and French Embassies, Smithsonian Institution, Library of Congress, National Gallery, Phillips Collection, and the White House. Stern is Professor at the University of Maryland where he has been named Distinguished Scholar-Teacher. He has taught and performed at many summer festivals including Green Mountain, Eastern Chamber Music Conference, National Orchestral Institute, California Summer Music, Master Players Festival, Intermuse International Festival, and Colorado MahlerFest.

Praised for his virtuosity and depth, pianist Mei-Ting has performed the complete solo works of Brahms, Chopin, Debussy, and all 32 Beethoven Sonatas—an ambitious achievement that reflects his artistic breadth and intellectual rigor. After winning major competitions, including the National Chopin Competition of the U.S. and the first Piano-e International Competition, his career has taken him to renowned venues such as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Madrid’s Auditorio Nacional, Zurich’s Tonhalle, and Prague’s Obecní dům. Mei-Ting has appeared as soloist with leading orchestras around the world, including the Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo, Orquesta Nacional de España, the Warsaw Philharmonic, Prague Philharmonia, and Mexico’s National Symphony, performing under distinguished conductors such as Stanisław Skrowaczewski, Antoni Wit, Jakub Hrůša, Lü Jia, and Pablo González. Known also for his inventive transcriptions, Mei-Ting has expanded the piano’s sonic reach with original arrangements of orchestral and operatic works, including Ravel’s La valse, Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite, and selections from R. Strauss’s Rosenkavalier and Salome. These works have received critical acclaim for their brilliance and daring pianism. A Yamaha Artist, Mei-Ting continues to captivate audiences worldwide with performances that blend precision, imagination, and emotional depth.

Cellist Isaac Ward, age 17, is a student of Dr. Melissa Kraut in Chicago, and studies piano with Dr. Timothy Smith at the University of Alaska in his hometown of Anchorage. He was awarded scholarships at the Interlochen Fine Arts Camp where he won the principal chair, and twice to the Tanglewood Institute String Quartet Workshop. His studies have continued in Cleveland at Ascent Cello and Chamber Music Festivals, and at renowned Vivace International Music Festival in North Carolina. His studies were subsidized in part by the Croft String Music Scholarship for Young Musicians. He has twice won the Symphony of Sounds competition, performing the Elgar Cello Concerto and Bruch’s Kol Nidrei. This winter he won the Alaska Youth Orchestras Concerto Competition 2024-25 with Dvorak’s Cello Concerto, performed to sold out crowds as a featured local musician with the Portland Cello Project, and earned Honorable Mention in the Gustav Mahler Institute Prague 2025 International Competition. Pianist Svetlana Velichko has featured his playing in recordings of her arrangements of vocal works by her mentor Sergei Rachmaninoff. Isaac performs on an 1861 Charles Gaillard cello loaned from Alaska Resounding’s Fine Instrument Initiative for Alaskan musicians. Photo by Ovation Exposures Photography,

The artistry of violist, educator, and director Dr. Miriam English Ward transcends borders, captivating audiences across the United States, Canada, Japan, Singapore, Mexico, Spain, and Norway. Her passion for connecting people with the beauty of live classical music has led to collaborative performance opportunities worldwide, in addition to directorial entrepreneurship that helps shape the future of concert presentation. A prominent figure in the Pacific Northwest, Miriam is the principal violist of the Portland Chamber Orchestra, performs with Wild Shore New Music, and teaches at the University of Alaska. She is the founder of Alaska Resounding, a festival that brings together performers and artists to create powerful, community-driven musical experiences. Highlights of her career include recordings for Naxos and Japanese television (NHK), live features on All Classical Radio, and the premiere of a new concerto composed for her by Jasnam Daya Singh. Miriam has performed with top ensembles including the New Jersey Symphony, Milwaukee Symphony, Oregon Symphony, and Oregon Bach Festival. An advocate for living composers and musical innovation, she also performs and arranges in pop, rock, and alternative genres. A dedicated educator, she has taught at prestigious institutions including the Juilliard School, the Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University, and the Chiba Prefecture Youth Symphony in Japan. incorporating neurology-based learning in her approach. Photo by Bob Gibson. Learn more at thejoyfulviolist.com.

Michelle Alany is a passionate violinist and vocalist known for her captivating fusion of global acoustic traditions with Austin-blues flair. Specializing in Sephardic, Balkan, and Israeli music, Michelle delivers lush string arrangements, soulful vocals, and infectious grooves, creating evocative interpretations of both traditional and original songs. Whether channeling haunting Mediterranean melodies or unleashing fiery blues solos, her performances radiate joy, precision, and heartfelt connection. With a foundation in classical violin and a background in jazz and composition from UC Santa Cruz (cum laude), Michelle honed her craft further at Berklee College of Music and with master musicians from the New England Conservatory. Her diverse musical journey has taken her from Balkan folk and Klezmer roots to collaborations with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, and performances in Austria, sold-out silent film scores with Montopolis, and renowned Austin venues like Antone’s and the Continental Club. Now based between Austin and New York City, Michelle continues to tour internationally, performing her own music and supporting other artists across genres. She’s currently completing her first solo album, following the acclaim of her debut with her band Nefesh. A vibrant force on any stage, Michelle brings a fearless, genre-blending spirit to every performance.

John JB Butler is a renowned guitarist and composer with a wealth of experience performing and teaching across the globe. With a career spanning decades, JB has lived and worked in New York, Amsterdam, Lima, and is currently based in Portland, Oregon. His musical journey includes a prestigious Fulbright grant to Peru, where he taught jazz and immersed himself in Afro-Peruvian music under the guidance of Carlos Hayre. A versatile musician, JB has served as the musical director for Peruvian dancer and performance artist Luciana Proaño since 1989, blending his jazz mastery with world rhythms. His performances have graced notable stages such as Lincoln Center (NYC), the New Music America Festivals in Miami and Montreal, and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, as well as the International Guitar Festival in Lima, Peru. Throughout his career, JB has collaborated with a range of iconic musicians, including Jack McDuff, Jeff "Tain" Watts, Lionel Loueke, Manuel Valera, Myron Walden, and many others. His extensive discography includes collaborations with Jeff "Tain" Watts, Lionel Loueke, Essiet Essiet, and more. With his remarkable technical skill and creative flair, JB has earned accolades from Downbeat Magazine ("Deft Jazz Guitarist") and El Comercio, Lima ("Full of magic").

Originally from Rochester, New York, Dennis Caiazza earned a Bachelors of Music in Classical Guitar from the Crane School of Music in Potsdam, NY. After graduation he directed both elementary and high school band programs at Rochester area schools and was invited to direct the all-county concert and jazz ensembles. He resumed his education, studying the upright bass, attending the Jazz Studies Program at The Eastman School in Rochester. Dennis then left the teaching profession to pursue a performance career and has been a full- time professional musician, arranger and bandleader for over 30 years. He played regularly in the Rochester area with the Gap Mangione Jazz Trio and Big Band, also performed with jazz greats Clark Terry, Red Holloway and Joshua Redman, as well as many other blues, funk, rock and pop bands. He has also worked in many shows, touring broadway musicals and in backup bands for performers like Regis Philbin, Tommy Tune and Don Rickles. In 1992 Dennis moved to Atlanta and during his ten years there his playing and personal singing style kept him in great demand for local and national recording sessions, orchestra work, club dates, shows and concerts. In 1996 Dennis formed Atlanta's "Swing Factory," an eight-piece swing band that played in and around the Southeast, they recorded two internationally acclaimed CD's and remained a popular force on the jazz and swing dance scene for over three years. July 1, 2002 Dennis moved to the Northwest and has since been working throughout Oregon, Washington and down the West Coast. 

Renato Caranto arrived in the U.S. from his native Philippines and toured the West Coast for over a decade with a Top 40 band.  He settled in Portland, Oregon in 1992 and began playing the kind of music he loves:  blues, soul and jazz.  Gradually Renato became more well known throughout the region appearing with top Portland players such as Mel Brown, Ron Steen, Tom Grant, Dan Balmer, Louis “King Louie” Pain, LaRhonda Steele, Gordon Lee, Norman Sylvester, Michael Allen Harrison, and so many others.  Later he earned international attention while recording and touring with Grammy-winning artist Esperanza Spalding and the late, great Merle Haggard. Renato is an in-demand recording artist with contributions to more than 100 recorded projects for himself and others.  He has performed at all the popular venues and major music events in the area including the Waterfront Blues Festival, the Cathedral Park Jazz Festival, the Mt. Hood Jazz Festival and more than 20 years at the long-famed Jimmy Maks club with the Mel Brown B3 Organ Group.  His soulful playing and remarkable versatility have also earned him significant recognition with a lifetime achievement award from the Cascade Blues Association and an induction into the Oregon Music Hall of Fame. Photo by Norm Eder.

Edwin Coleman III’s parents were professional musicians.  He studied piano beginning at the age of 8 and then took up the cello at age 10 and studied that instrument for 13 years performing in youth symphonies as well as the University of Oregon Symphony. He is self-taught on drums beginning on his mom’s coffee cans at age 2.  His first professional gig as a drummer  was at the age of 18 with his dad’s (bassist) jazz quartet. Throughout the years he has performed in reggae, rock, top 40, Afro-Cuban, gospel, country, heavy metal, bluegrass, blues, jazz,  funk and zydeco bands.  This is probably because he grew up listening and enjoying so many styles of music. Edwin was part of the blues band called  ‘The Thunder Brothers’. They were Cascade Blues Association Muddy Award Winners for “Best New Band” in 2017.  He was also part of the King Louie Organ Trio, whose recent CD “It’s About Time” was picked as one of  Downbeat Magazine’s “Best Albums of the Year”.  Edwin is also a professional cartoonist.