Family Concert: Carnival of the Animals

Carl DuPont

Carl DuPont is an artist, innovator and educator dedicated to Transformational Inclusion in the arts and Care of the Professional Voice. He has held center stage in performances at The Glimmerglass Festival, Opera Carolina, First Coast Opera, Toledo Opera, Opera Saratoga, Sarasota Opera, Cedar Rapids Opera, El Palacio de Bellas Artes, Opera Company of Brooklyn, The In Series, Carnegie Hall and Leipzig Opera. He has been invited to present research and recitals in Salzburg, Rome, Stockholm, New York, Portland, and Miami. This season Carl returned to Opera Columbus as Hawkins Fuller in a production of Fellow Travelers after previously appearing there in productions of The Barber of Seville as Don Basilio and Don Giovanni as Leporello. He also recently debuted with Bach in Baltimore in the title role of Elijah.

A graduate of the Eastman School of Music, Indiana University, and the University of Miami, Carl currently serves as a voice professor at the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University where he has developed a course on art song by African American composers, co-chairs the Culturally Inclusive Task Force, and serves on the Anti-Racism, Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Committee. He also creates and leads dynamic workshops in the private and public sector as a faculty member of the Johns Hopkins University Carey School of Business Executive Education team. His articles can be found in The Laryngoscope and Voice and Speech Review and he can be heard on the world premiere recording of the Caldara Mass in A Major, The Death of Webern, and his solo album of art songs by Black composers entitled The Reaction.

As CEO/founder of DuPont Consulting, LLC, he leverages his research, expertise, and compassion to design and implement strategic initiatives in diversity, equity, and inclusion. This includes training, programming, and talent acquisition within academic and performing arts institutions.

Adria Sternstein Foster

Praised by the Washington Post for her “molten phrasing” and tone of “sheer iridescence,” Adria Sternstein Foster enjoys a multi-faceted musical career.

Adria is the Principal Flutist of the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra (KCOHO), the resident orchestra of the Opera House of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. In this role she performs for the Washington National Opera, Kennedy Center ballet programming and musical theater productions.

For many years Adria performed chamber music for flute, harp and strings throughout the Washington, DC metropolitan area with the IBIS Chamber Music Society. She has been heard on NPR’s Front Row Washington and appears in the 2017 documentary film Samuel Barber: Absolute Beauty.

Recordings include Vivaldi’s flute concerto “Il Gardellino” on the disc IBIS x 2, and Iridescence, a CD of works for flute and harp with KCOHO principal harpist Susan Robinson. In 2022 Adria toured South Africa along with a quintet of orchestra colleagues giving masterclasses and performing music for flute, harp, and strings sponsored by the Classical Movements organization.

A native of New York City, Adria attended LaGuardia High School of Music and the Arts and was a student of Bonnie Lichter at Juilliard’s Pre-College Division. She continued her education at Juilliard where she received both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees as a student of Julius Baker and Jeanne Baxtresser.

Adria is honored to have collaborated on Volume 2 of the indispensable publication for flutists, “Orchestral Excerpts for Flute with Piano Accompaniment,” with her mentor Jeanne Baxtresser, former Principal Flutist of the New York Philharmonic.

For more information please visit www.adriasfoster.com

Patrick Morgan

Patrick Morgan’s playing has been praised by the Washington Post as “riveting” and “...a mystical experience.” He has been performing in the DC area since 2008. He attended Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, where he was a student of Howard Klug. Patrick accepted a position with the United States Marine Band and Chamber Orchestra at the age of 22, and was appointed principal clarinet in 2015. As a teacher, he has given masterclasses at prestigious universities across the country, including Northwestern, Eastman, Baylor, and the University of Michigan. He lives in Springfield, VA with his wife and two children.

Wanzhen Li

Violinist Wanzhen Li was appointed to the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington D.C. by Christoph Eschenbach in September of 2015. The Boston Globe describes her playing: "Li established a sense of nostalgia... that provided a framework for the musical journey. Her tone seemed to cry. It was great playing; fun to hear." As a soloist, Ms. Li appeared with the Eclipse Chamber Orchestra, Xi'an Symphony Orchestra, Binghamton Philharmonic, Guilford Symphony, Grosse Point Symphony, and Interlochen Arts Academy Orchestra.

Ms. Li has performed frequently with violinist Itzhak Perlman, accompanying him to Israel, Florida, and Vermont for residencies with the Perlman Music Program. She has also performed solo recitals as part of the Perlman Music Program's Alumni recital series at the Clark Arts Center.

An active chamber musician, Ms. Li has been invited to prestigious festivals including Yellow Barn, Kneisel Hall, The Perlman Chamber Music Program, and "Spannungen: Musik im Krafwerk Heimbach" in Germany. She has shared the stage with artists including Christian Tetzlaff, Lars Vogt, Peter Frankl, Laurence Lesser, Alban Gerhardt, Paul Katz, members of the Juilliard String Quartet, and musicians from the New York Philharmonic. Her solo and chamber performances have been broadcast on German radio “Deutschlandfunk”, IPRInterlochen public radio, and released on the Avi-Music record label.

Prior to joining the NSO, Ms. Li performed frequently with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, the New York Chamber Soloists, and the Grammy Award-nominated ensemble A Far Cry. She has also led the Xi’an Symphony Orchestra, Juilliard Orchestra, and New England Conservatory Philharmonia as concertmaster.

Ms. Li maintains a private teaching studio and is a chamber music coach and teacher for the NSO’s Summer Music Institute and Fellowship Programs throughout the year. In addition, she has served on faculty at the Eastern Music Festival in Wu Han, China.

Regino Madrid

Regino Madrid, from Los Angeles, CA, is currently the concertmaster of The American Pops Orchestra frequently featured on PBS and “54 Below” in NYC, the associate concertmaster of NatPhil at Strathmore, a member of Sound Impact, 21st Century Consort, and the Smithsonian Chamber Orchestra. Regino was the associate concertmaster of “The President’s Own” U.S. Marine Chamber Orchestra and played at the White House for 20 years. He currently plays with The National Symphony Orchestra and has played with the Pittsburgh and Baltimore Symphonies. He is a member of the tango band “Quintango” that holds a residency at Blues Alley in Georgetown. In 2021, he recorded Kyle Werner’s violin sonata for its premiere with The Washington Ballet on Marquee TV with a live performance at Wolf Trap. In 2024, he was a soloist with the NATO Symphony Orchestra at the Library of Congress. Regino received his Bachelor of Music degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music after pursuing a Physiological Science degree from UCLA. He currently plays a violin from 1845 by J.B. Vuillaume.

Philip Kramp

Philip Kramp is a versatile performer and teacher whose playing has been heard worldwide. Praised by the New York Times for his “impressive” performances, he has participated in chamber music festivals at Marlboro, Ravinia, Yellow Barn, Sarasota and many others.

Based in Washington, DC, Phil is a former violist in the Kansas City Symphony and a former faculty member of the University of Kansas. Currently, Phil is on the faculty at the University of Maryland and he plays regularly with the National Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony and Pittsburgh Symphony. He has performed on tours worldwide with many orchestras and can be heard on recordings with the Philadelphia Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Kansas City Symphony, Metropolis Ensemble and The Roots. Phil can also be heard on many motion picture soundtracks and television shows.

In chamber music settings, Phil plays regularly with the Chiarina Chamber Players, as well as in concerts with members of the National Symphony, Baltimore Symphony and Philadelphia Orchestra. He is a past participant of the Marlboro Music Festival and has performed on several tours with Musicians from Marlboro. He is also a regular participant and the Twickenham Music Festival and the Music in the Mountains Festival in Durango, Colo. Phil has also enjoyed collaborating with the Mark Morris Dance Group, and has performed alongside many of the world’s greatest artists, such as Richard Goode, Peter Wiley, Michael Tree, Arnold Steinhardt, Marcy Rosen, Miriam Fried and many others.

In competitions, Phil has won prizes in the Irving Klein String Competition, Chicago Viola Society Competition, NEC Concerto Competition and has participated in the Stulberg Competition and the HAMS Viola Competition. Phil received his formal training at the Curtis Institute and the New England Conservatory. His primary mentors include Michael Tree, Roberto Diaz, Kim Kashkashian, Roger Tapping, Joe DePasquale, Peter Wiley and Steven Tenenbom.

Carrie Bean Stute

Cellist Carrie Bean Stute is co-founder and co-artistic director of the Washington, DC-based Chiarina Chamber Players, a chamber music series and flexible ensemble that has won critical acclaim for its artistry and innovative programming. Carrie’s chamber music performances have been broadcast on Classical WETA’s Front Row Washington. In DC, she performs with the National Symphony Orchestra, has served as an adjunct professor of music at George Washington University, and is currently assistant principal cellist of “The President’s Own” Marine Chamber Orchestra, where she performs in such diverse settings as the White House, area public schools, and for events hosted by the United Nations and State Department.

A performer who seeks out the voices of today, she collaborates with a growing set of composers, including Reinaldo Moya, Mary Kouyoumdjian, Juhi Bansal, and Kennedy Center composer-in-residence Carlos Simon. Carrie authored a doctoral dissertation on the cello works of Pēteris Vasks and in 2021 performed as soloist in the North American premiere of his Cello Concerto No. 2. She took part in the Carnegie Hall workshop “New Voices, New Music” and has performed chamber music at such venues as the Phillips Collection, Zankel Hall, Le Poisson Rouge, Roulette, and an in-house educational residency at the 92nd Street Y.

Carrie holds degrees from The Graduate Center at the City University of New York (Doctor of Musical Arts), Indiana University, and the Eastman School of Music. She was a fellow at the New World Symphony and Tanglewood Music Center. Forthcoming in 2024-25 are recordings of chamber music by Carlos Simon (with Domenic Salerni, Efi Hackmey, and Carl DuPont) and clarinet trios by Brahms and Beethoven (with Robert DiLutis and Rita Sloan).

Aaron Clay

Aaron Clay distinguishes himself regularly as a uniquely versatile double bassist. He commands great respect as a performer in both the classical and jazz worlds of bass playing, but it was The Washington Post that observed, "What sets [Clay] apart is elegant bowing ....His melodic lines have a cello-like glow and flexibility...."

A native of Fairmont, West Virginia, Mr. Clay began his musical training at the age of 10 when he taught himself to play jazz on the electric bass. He later pursued classical training on the upright double bass prior to attending West Virginia Wesleyan College, where he studied with Richard Manspeaker. After graduating in 1989, he was selected to join the United States Navy Band in Washington, DC. Upon completing one enlistment with the Navy, Mr. Clay auditioned for "The President's Own" United States Marine Band where he has been a member since 1993.

Mr. Clay is a founding member of the highly acclaimed string duo, Bridging the Gap, in which he performs with violinist Peter Wilson. Hailed by The Washington Post for "superior arrangements and uncommon musicianship," the unique duo performs works covering a wide range of musical styles. They released their first CD in 2003. Mr. Clay enjoys performing with Bridging the Gap for educational and community outreach programs throughout the United States.

Mr. Clay is also developing a reputation as a composer and arranger of works for the violin and bass duo as well as larger ensembles. Mr. Clay serves as Principal Bassist of the Fairfax Symphony Orchestra, Alexandria Symphony Orchestra, and performs with other Washington area jazz and pop groups. Mr. Clay resides in Fairfax, Virginia with his wife, Cindy.

Jonathan Bisesi

Jonathan Bisesi held the position of Percussionist with The “President's Own” United States Marine Band from May 2004 to May 2024. He has been a featured soloist with the Marine Band on multiple occasions, most notably on the Filene Center stage at the Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts in 2011 & 2016, and the “President's Own” 2011 & 2017 National Concert Tours. Other work through the Marine Band includes numerous chamber percussion performances and masterclasses, most notably at the 2008 Percussive Arts Society International Convention in Austin, Texas, Florida State University, The Boston University Tanglewood Institute, Luzerne Music Center, University of Maryland Percussion Seminar, The Manhattan School of Music, as well as countless presentations at universities and high schools across the nation. As a jazz performer he has been featured on vibraphone with the Marine Band Big Band, Latin Ensemble and Jazz Combos, and as a conductor, he has conducted the Marine Band, Chamber Orchestra and Chamber Ensembles.

Mr. Bisesi received a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, as a student of Allen Otte, founder of the Percussion Group Cincinnati. He then completed a Masters of Music degree at Boston University, as a student of Timothy Genis, Principal Timpanist of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. As a student, Bisesi was a fellow of the Pacific Music Festival in Sapporo, Japan and The Tanglewood Music Center in Lenox, Massachusetts.

Upon completing his formal education, Bisesi was appointed to the Percussion Faculties at both Boston University (2002-2004) and the prestigious Boston University Tanglewood Institute (2002-2003). Mr. Bisesi was on Percussion Faculty at the Sunderman Conservatory at Gettysburg College from 2013-2016 and is currently on the Percussion Faculties of George Mason University School of Music, (2015; Co-Coordinator of the Percussion Department since 2022) the Boston Conservatory at Berklee (2021), the University of Maryland (2022; Director of the Percussion Studio since 2023) and the Boston University Tanglewood Institute (2024; Director of the Percussion Workshop). During the summer of 2020, Mr. Bisesi was the Co-Founder and clinician of the Dragonfly Online Percussion Experience (DOPE) sponsored by Dragonfly Percussion.

As an active performer and educator Mr. Bisesi has performed with The Cleveland Orchestra, The Boston Symphony Orchestra, The National Symphony Orchestra, The Dallas Symphony Orchestra (2024 European Tour), The Boston Ballet, The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, The Kennedy Center Opera and Ballet Orchestras, The Buffalo Philharmonic, The Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, The New World Symphony, and The International Festival Cervantino (The largest arts festival in Latin America) in Guanajuato, Mexico. He has presented masterclasses at the The Tanglewood Music Center, The Boston Conservatory, the Boston University Tanglewood Institute and his signature xylophone mallets are created by Dragonfly Percussion.

As a composer, arranger and children’s book author, his works are published by Meredith Music (distributed by GIA Publications), Pocket Publications and Acute By Design. THEN/NOW, his debut solo percussion album released in March 2021, spanning 19 years of musical influences.

Mr. Bisesi has been on the Board of Directors of the Vienna Jammers, a youth percussion ensemble located in Vienna, VA from 2016-2020, and Vice President of the Board from 2018-2020. In 2020, he is a Co-founder and Board member of the Network for Diversity in Concert Percussion, a non-profit who's mission is to "...serve as a resource for, and support to, aspiring professional percussionists from underrepresented and underserved communities in an effort to improve equity, diversity, and inclusion in the concert percussion community."

He currently lives in Annapolis, Maryland with his wife and daughter.

Efi Hackmey

Pianist Efi Hackmey is Co-Founder and Co-Artistic Director of Chiarina Chamber Players, together with cellist Carrie Bean Stute. Mr. Hackmey is an active soloist and chamber musician in NYC and in the DC area. In 2013 he released an album on the Naxos label, which includes several world premiere recordings (Polish Violin Music with violinist Kinga Augustyn). Efi has performed at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center’s Rose Studio, Kennedy Center, Bargemusic, Arion Chamber Music, and the Friends of Mozart series in NYC. He performed many additional concerts in Alabama, California, DC, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Maryland, Montana, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas and Wyoming. In his native Israel he performed as soloist with the Haifa Symphony Orchestra, as well as at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, Jerusalem Music Center, and in special concerts presented by the Arthur Rubinstein International Music Society. He has performed on Israeli TV Channel 2, and his recordings have been broadcast on the Israeli National Public Radio,and in the US on WTSU, WRWA and WTJB. A review of one of his New York performances quotes “excellent Israeli musician... under his fingers the piano sounded noble, and each phrase was full of character”, and further praises his “highly personal, thought through interpretation.” (Roman Markowicz, “Nowy Dziennik”).

Mr. Hackmey has served on the piano faculty at DePauw University, and he also taught at the Indiana University system, Montgomery College in Rockville, MD, and Levine School of Music in Washington, DC. He holds a Doctor of Music degree in piano performance from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, and degrees in piano and conducting from Tel Aviv University. He studied with Menahem Pressler, Pnina Salzman and Dina Turgeman, and has had additional coaching with Lazar Berman, Emanuel Ax, Richard Goode, Janos Starker, David Zinman, Richard Stoltzman and Jaime Laredo.

Lisa Emenheiser

Steinway Artist Lisa Emenheiser has been heralded for her intense music-making and pianism. A graduate of The Juilliard School, she has performed as both keyboardist and soloist with the National Symphony Orchestra for the past 30 years.

As described by the New York Times, Lisa "played the piano dazzlingly", and by the Washington Post, she "shimmered and beguiled, shifting easily between virtuosity and transparency." She has performed under the batons of some of the world's most distinguished conductors and was hailed by Christoph Eschenbach as having "a stunning technique and profound musicality... to match the greatest artists".

Lisa is an established chamber musician and has performed with many world-renowned soloists. Ms. Emenheiser has been presented in both national and international summer music festivals, including Aspen, Hidden Valley, Strings in the Mountains, Snake River Chamber Players, Penn-Alps, Garth Newell, Masterworks, and L'Academie Internationale d'Ete de Nice.

Lisa is an avid performer of contemporary music. As pianist for the 21st Century Consort in Washington, D.C., she has premiered works by Stephen Albert, Nicholas Maw, Eugene O'Brien, David Froom, Donald Crockett, and many others. She recently performed the world premiere of Stephen Jaffe’s “Tableaux”, a major work for solo piano commissioned for Lisa by the 21st Century Consort. Additionally, Lisa was featured on national television as an expert artist commentator and performer in the PBS documentary entitled “Exploring Your Brain”, in which she performed Ginastera’s Piano Sonata No. 1 and discussed the topic of memory.

Ms. Emenheiser has recorded Respighi’s “Three Preludes on Gregorian Melodies” for the Steinway Spirio collection and recently added Rzweski’s “Winnsboro Cottonmill Blues” and “Down by the Riverside”. She has also recorded for the Bridge, Albany, Decca, Pro Arte, Naxos, VAI Audio, Centaur, Arabesque, Delos, AUR, Jubal House, and Cascades labels.

A committed teacher, Lisa has represented the NSO in numerous masterclasses and has served as piano instructor for cultural exchange liaisons. She has been a regular coach for the NSO Summer Music Institute and is excited to once again be piano mentor for the 2024-25 NSO Youth Fellowship program. Recently Lisa was inducted into the Steinway Teacher's Hall of Fame and was also awarded the Steinway & Sons Top Teacher Award, with many of her students achieving top recognition in both local and international competitions. She holds a private studio in her home.