PIANO TRIO-IN-RESIDENCE
Celeste Stella Trio
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Jiwon Evelyn Kwark, violinJiwon Evelyn Kwark is an active soloist, chamber and orchestral musician, and teacher based in the San Francisco Bay Area. As a dedicated and passionate teacher, she maintains a thriving studio - her students have won major national and international competitions, as well as titled chairs in youth symphonies in the Bay area such as San Francisco Youth Symphony, California Youth Symphony, Golden State Youth Orchestra, and San Jose Youth Symphony.
Ms. Kwark holds a Bachelor degree from The Juilliard School, a Master from the Yale School of Music, and Professional Studies from Manhattan School of Music in the Orchestral Performance Program. Her primary teachers were Glenn Dicterow, Ani Kavafian, Masao Kawasaki, Alexander Treger, Henry Gronnier, and Haroutune Bedelian. Since making her solo debut with the Amabile Orchestra in Korea at the age of 9, Ms. Kwark has performed with numerous orchestras in the U.S. and Korea. She has toured Canada with the Young Orchestra of the Americas as the Associate Concertmistress, invited to Fondation Des Ecoles d’art Americaines de Fontainbleau to perform chamber music in France, and has toured Germany with the Penderecki Musik Akademie Orchestra as the concertmistress and soloist under the baton of renowned composer, Maestro Penderecki. Ms. Kwark has also performed with numerous orchestras across the country such as the San Francisco Symphony, New World Symphony, and New Century Chamber Orchestra. Ms. Kwark performs regularly as the acting Principal Second Violinist of the Marin Symphony, and violinist of Celeste Stella Piano Trio of Celeste Solo Ensemble, and Ensemble Ari. |
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August Jong Hyun Lee, celloAugust Jong Hyun Lee holds Bachelor of Music from Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory and Master of Music from San Francisco Conservatory of Music. While in Moscow, he appeared as a soloist with Smolensk Philharmonic Orchestra and after moving to Los Angeles, he served as an assistant principal cellist in the Glendale Philharmonic Orchestra and was also invited to give solo performances at various concerts.
In 2010, he moved to the Bay Area and was invited to perform at the International Chopin Festival as a soloist and also served as a jury in various music competitions. He coached and performed as a soloist at De Anza College Orchestra and currently performs as a member of Celeste Stella Trio and a Faculty member at Oikos University in Oakland. |
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Hyunji Park, pianoHyunji Park, a native of Seoul, Korea, holds Graduate Performance Diploma in piano performance from the Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. With over 20 years of professional experience, she has built a diverse career as a soloist, collaborative artist, piano instructor, and director of music organizations.
As an active performer, Hyunji has appeared as a soloist and collaborative pianist in venues including Seoul, Rome, the Opera House in Sydney, Baltimore-Washington D.C., the Herbst Theater in San Francisco, and Anchorage, Alaska. In addition to her performing career, Hyunji has a strong background in music education. She served as the music director for the Sonata Contest of the CCMTAC from 2015-2018, and her students consistently rank among the top in major Bay Area piano competitions. |
ORGANIST-IN-RESIDENCE
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Rev. James Parrish Smith, organistRev. James Parrish Smith serves as the Director of Music at the First Presbyterian Church in Berkeley, California. Prior to his current post, he served as Minister of Music and Organist at the historic Third Baptist Church of San Francisco. He is the founding Director of the Bridge to Arts and Music Program at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music from Dillard University and the Master of Music from Samford University.
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