STRINGS
Pacalin Zef Pavaci
Violin
Paçalin Zef Pavaci joins the AYO violin artist-faculty with highest recommendations from Maestro Loren Maazel, who writes: “I am impressed by his talent as a violinist and as concertmaster. His dedication to the music is amazing . . . as are his musical talents . . . He animates the music and his colleagues . . . I relied on his leadership and his great experience….”
Skerdjano Keraj
Violin
At the age of 6, Skerdjano Keraj received his first violin lessons at the "Liceu Artistik Jordan Misja", a music boarding school for highly gifted children in Tirana. After passing his final artistic examinations with distinction in violin and chamber music with Prof. Andreas Reiner at the Folkwang Hochschule Essen, he passed his concert examinations with Prof. Werner Scholz in Berlin and Rostock, also with distinction.
Keraj was awarded the Folkwang Prize for Music in 2001 and is a prize winner of the International Competition for Chamber Music in Thessaloniki.
Jan Snakowski
Viola
Jan Snakowski is an internationally acclaimed Polish violist, currently serving as Principal Solo Viola of the Polish National Opera in Warsaw.
He holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the Academy of Music in Cracow, where he previously earned his master’s degrees with honors in both violin and viola. He also pursued advanced studies at the Haute École de Musique in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Yeonjin Kim
Cello
Asian Youth Orchestra alumna Yeonjin Kim has received international acclaim as a soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician at venues such as the Kennedy Center, Konzerthaus Berlin, Berlin Philharmonie, Seoul Arts Center, Suntory Hall, and others.
A top prize winner of the Sorantin International Competition (USA), Bossart Award (USA), Dichler-Sato International Competition (Austria), and Viva Hall Competition (Japan), Kim has appeared as soloist with orchestras in Cleveland, Ann Arbor, Colorado, Seoul, and Manila. Her performances were broadcasted on TV and radio in the U.S., Korea, and Japan. As an avid chamber musician, she has collaborated with world-renowned artists. Kim has also performed extensively in Korea and the US with her two sisters in a piano trio, Trio K.
David Sheets
Double Bass
Kansas Native David Sheets started his career as Associate Principal Bassist of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra during his Sophomore year at the Eastman School of Music after playing for one season as a tutti player. Since then he has performed with the Saint Louis Symphony, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Bergen Philharmonic, London's Philharmonia Orchestra, the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, and the Minnesota Orchestra. He is currently the Associate Principal Bassist of the Baltimore Symphony, where he has been a tenured member since 1996. In addition to playing solo bass with the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra, he has been featured in recital at the International Society of Bassists Convention and has taught master classes at a number of leading music conservatories. Mr. Sheets has been a member of the AYO faculty since 2006.
WOODWINDS
Giampaolo Pretto
Flute
Giampaolo Pretto is principal flute at RAI Orchestra since 1986. Born in Verona, he began at sixteen a very intensive concert activity that brought him to the most important Italian and international venues as a soloist, chamber musician, first flute and conductor over almost forty years. In each of these professional roles he always choose to face the largest repertoire, ranging from the Baroque to the avant-gardes. After finishing his Italian studies with the highest marks, he obtained the Premier Prix
de Virtuosité in Paris under Patrick Gallois.
Bobby Cheng
Oboe & English horn
Asian Youth Orchestra alumnus and recipient of the “Young Artist Award” by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council, Bobby Chi-Yuen CHENG is the Principal Oboe of l’Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse since 2016. A promising player in his generation, Mr. Cheng appears regularly as guest principal oboist with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, l’Orchestre National de France, l’Orchestre de Paris as well as the London Symphony Orchestra. He has worked under the baton of Sir Antonio Pappano, Tugan Sokhiev, François-Xavier Roth, Klaus Mäkelä, Lahav Shani among others.
As a soloist, Mr. Cheng has performed with Thailand Philharmonic Orchestra, Aspen Philharmonic Orchestra, Korean Chamber Orchestra, China NCPA Orchestra and l’Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse. He has also given performances throughout Europe, USA and Asia.
Born and raised in Hong Kong, Mr. Cheng graduated from the HKAPA and CNSMD Lyon with highest honours. During his studies, he has participated in numerous international music competitions, and is a laureate of competition including “Giuseppe Ferlendis” in Italy and the 41st IDRS Oboe Competition in the USA, among many others. Mr. Cheng is an artist of the renowned French brand Buffet Crampon and he plays on the “Legende” model oboe.
Paolo Beltramini
Clarinet & Bass Clarinet
Paolo Beltramini, Solo Clarinet of the Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana (Lugano, Switzerland), is the only Italian clarinetist to have won the First Prize at the prestigious Prague Spring International Clarinet Competition (1996). In duo, together with the pianist Roberto Arosio, he was the winner of the International Chamber Music Competitions in Paris (1996) and Trapani (1997). The forementioned awards brought Beltramini to the atention of audiences and critics and helped establish his reputation as one of the most interesting wind-instrument virtuosos on the international concert circuit.
Giorgio Versiglia
Bassoon & contrabassoon
Principal Bassoonist of the Bergamo Music Festival Orchestra, the Orchestra del Festival Pianistico di Brescia e Bergamo, the Italian Philharmonic Orchestra, and I Musici di Parma, Giorgio Versiglia was born in Pavia, Italy in 1962. He has worked with RAI's Orchestra, RTSI Lugano, Orchestra Filarmonica Italiana, Orchestra da camera CARME, Teatro Carlo Felice in Genova, Orchestra da Camera in Bologna, Orchestra Quartettone in Milan, Orchestra Sinfonica Abruzzese, Cameristi Lombardi, Orchestra Milano Classica, Symphony Orchestra Toscanini in Parma, Orchestra Teatro Regio in Parma, I Musici di Parma, Orchestra Stabile of Bergamo, Orchestra della Scala, Orchestra Filarmonica della Scala, and Teatro dell'Opera in Roma.
BRASS
Andrea Corsini
French horn
Andrea Corsini, Principal Horn of the Orchestra Filarmonica della Fenice in Venice since 1998, graduated in horn in 1985 at the Conservatory Giuseppe Verdi in Milan with Maestro Elvio Modonesi, and he specialized with Radovan Vlatkovic taking part at the courses of the School of Music in Stuttgart. Under his guidance Maestro Corsini also obtained a diploma of merit at Chigiana Academy of Siena in 1994.
An active orchestral performer, Maestro Corsini has performed with the Orchestra Camerata Salzburg, the Orchestra OSI Lugano, the Human Rights Orchestra based in Lucerne, the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, the Orchestra of the Teatro Comunale di Bologna, and Orchestra I solisti Veneti. As a soloist, he has collaborated with the Theatre des Variétés of Monte Carlo, the Chamber Orchestra of Belluno, the Orchestra of the Teatro Stabile di Bergamo, and the prestigious instrumental group Achille Berruti in Milan. In 1995 he won the international competition for the first horn soloist at the Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte Carlo, holding the position until 1998.
Fabiano Cudiz
Trumpet
Principal Trumpet at the Teatro Carlo Felice in Genoa, Prof. Fabiano Cudiz began his musical studies under the guidance of Prof. L. De Cecco, graduating in trumpet in 1987 at the Conservatory J. Tomadini in Udine. He completed advanced studies with Stanko Arnold in Ljubljana Slovenia, and later won the first prize at the post-graduate course at the National Conservatory of Versailles, France.
Eugenio Abbiatici
Trombone & tuba
Eugenio Abbiatici was the first trombone from 1985 to 1989 in the orchestra of the “Teatro Regio” di Parma and from 1989 to 1993, at the” Teatro alla Scala” of Milan, and is currently Principal Trombone in the Orchestra Della Radio Svizzera Italiana.
For 20 years he has also played with “I Solisti Veneti” directed by Claudio Scimone.
Mr. Abbiatici completed his studies at the Music Conservatory of Brescia with Guido Delmonte, and he has also participated in masterclasses with Branimir Slokar.
In his career he has collaborated with the most important conductors, including Lorin Maazel, Riccardo Muti, Zubin Mehta, Yuri Temirkanov and Seiji Ozawa.
PERCUSSION & HARP
Danilo Grassi
Percussion
Danilo Grassi holds the Chair of Percussion Instruments at the A. Boito Conservatory in Parma and he is the principal instructor of the Master classes for percussionists under the patronage of the European Union. As a soloist, Danilo Grassi has participated in the preparation and performance of premieres by Luciano Berio, Chick Corea, Adriano Guarnieri, Giacomo Manzoni, Steve Reich, Max Roach, Giacinto Scelsi, Iannis Xenakis, in venues such as the Paris Opera Bastille, New York’s Merkin Concert Hall, Lisbon’s Gulbenkian Centre, Milan’s Teatro alla Scala and Rome’s Teatro dell’Opera.
Shannon Chieh
Harp
A leading harpist and teacher in Taiwan and Asia, Shannon Chieh has been principal harpist with the National Symphony of Taiwan and faculty of National Taiwan Normal University since 1999. Former principal harpist with the Knoxville and San Antonio symphony orchestras, Ms. Chieh presented her New York debut recital in Carnegie Hall in 2000. Since then, she has been active in the international harp scene, including served as soloist and jury member at Japan International Harp Competition and Singapore Harpfest. Currently, Ms. Chieh also serves on the Board of Directors of the World Harp Congress.