Meet the Faculty
2025 Guest Artist
Philip Setzer
(violin)
USA
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He has appeared with the National Symphony, Aspen Chamber Symphony (David Robertson, conductor), Memphis Symphony (Michael Stern), New Mexico and Puerto Rico Symphonies (Guillermo Figueroa), Omaha and Anchorage Symphonies (David Loebel) and on several occasions with the Cleveland Orchestra (Louis Lane). He has also participated in the Marlboro Music Festival. In April of 1989, Mr. Setzer premiered Paul Epstein’s Matinee Concerto. This piece, dedicated to and written for Mr. Setzer, has since been performed by him in Hartford, New York, Cleveland, Boston, and Aspen. Currently serving as the Distinguished Professor of Violin and Chamber Music at SUNY Stony Brook, Mr. Setzer was recently appointed as the Artistic Director of the Manchester Music Festival in Vermont and will start his tenure in October of 2023. A visiting Professor of Violin and Chamber Music at the Cleveland Institute of Music, Mr. Setzer has also been bestowed the title of Artistic Director of Strings Chamber Music. He serves as Director of the Shouse Institute, the teaching division of the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival in Detroit. As a regular faculty member of the Isaac Stern Chamber Music Workshops at Carnegie Hall and the Jerusalem Music Center, Mr. Setzer wrote an article about those workshops that appeared in The New York Times on the occasion of Isaac Stern’s 80th birthday celebration in 2000.
A versatile musician with innovative vision and dedication to keep the art form of the string quartet alive and relevant, Mr. Setzer was the co-creator of the Emerson’s two highly-praised collaborative theater productions: The Noise of Time, premiered at Lincoln Center in 2001 and directed by Simon McBurney, is a multi-media production about the life of Shostakovich and was performed 60 times throughout the world; in 2016, Mr. Setzer teamed up with writer-director James Glossman for the Emerson’s latest music/theater project, Shostakovich and the Black Monk: A Russian Fantasy. Premiered at the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival, Black Monk has been performed at the Tanglewood Music Festival, Princeton University, Wolf Trap, Ravinia Festival, Lotte Concert Hall in Seoul, Korea and Stony Brook University. Mr. Setzer has also been, and will continue, touring and recording the piano trio repertoire with David Finckel and Wu Han. He plays a violin made for him in 2011 by Samuel Zygmuntowicz.
For more information, please visit https://www.emersonquartet.com/
2025 Summer Intensive Faculty
Charly Akert
Director/co-founder (cello)
Switzerland/USA
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Charly Akert is an accomplished cellist renowned for his versatility as a soloist, chamber musician, and performer across diverse musical genres. Hailing from Fairbanks, Alaska, he began playing the cello at the tender age of five, nurturing a profound connection with music that has defined his varied career.
Described by Toronto’s Ludwig Van as “a performer with great sensitivity to the music, and an understated virtuosity,” Akert has captivated audiences on prestigious international stages, including Carnegie Hall and NPR’s Tiny Desk concerts. His eclectic performance history features collaborations with notable acts such as Ensemble: Périphérie, The Family Crest, The Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Father John Misty, Cage the Elephant, and Josh Groban. He has also lent his talents to recordings for artists like Ziggy Marley, The Streetlight Manifesto, and Machine Head, and his performances have been featured on popular television shows, including ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy and The Mister Peabody and Sherman Show.
Akert’s academic background includes a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Northern Colorado, Master’s degrees from Kent State University and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where he was honored as an Osher Scholar. His dedication to music has been further enriched by residencies at the Aspen Music Festival and the Banff Centre. He was also a member of the award-winning Nexus String Quartet, which achieved top honors at the National Plowman Chamber Music Competition.
In addition to his performance career, Akert has contributed to the music community as a guest artist and faculty member at the Trinity Alps Chamber Music Festival, the Astoria Music Festival, Wildshore New Music, and the Kinhaven Music School.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, he returned to Alaska to pursue his lifelong dream of becoming a bush pilot, balancing his time between performing, teaching and exploring the breathtaking landscapes of his home state. Currently, Mr. Akert has a vibrant cello studio of nearly 50 students and is the co-founder of International Chamber Music Alaska.
Dr. Brian Bak
(violin)
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Dr. Brian Bak enjoys a career as a sought after performer and educator. He earned his Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from The Juilliard School, where he was a recipient of the C.V. Starr Scholarship, the Juilliard Merit Scholarship, and the Samsung Scholarship. He later obtained the prestigious Artist Diploma from Yale University and a Doctor of Musical Arts from Stony Brook University. His mentors have included Hyo Kang, David Chan, and Philip Setzer.
Bak has been featured as a soloist with the Tampa Bay Symphony, Central Florida Philharmonic, Sewanee Festival Orchestra, Chicago Chamber Orchestra, and others. He was a winner of the 2016 Stony Brook University Concerto Competition and a featured soloist with the Stony Brook Symphony. A versatile musician, he is also an accomplished cellist, having performed as a soloist on both violin and cello. As an avid chamber musician, he is a two-time winner of the Ackerman Chamber Music Competition and has collaborated with esteemed artists such as the Emerson String Quartet, flutist Carol Wincenc, and harpist Nancy Allen. He has held chamber music residencies at the Banff Centre, the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival, and the New Music for Strings Festival in Denmark. As a founding member of the Deka String Quartet and Trio de Novo, he has been praised for “detailed intensity” and “exceptional poise” (Sequenza 21). He has also often served as concertmaster of the New York Classical Players, leading performances and recordings, including Samuel Adler: Music for Chamber Orchestra.
Bak has held principal positions with the Juilliard Orchestra, Yale Philharmonia, and Stony Brook Symphony and was personally appointed by Lorin Maazel as principal violinist of the Castleton Festival Orchestra. He has participated in renowned festivals such as Aspen, Music Academy of the West, and the Pacific Music Festival. Dedicated to music outreach, he was a member of Lincoln Center’s Community Outreach Program and a recipient of the Gluck Community Fellowship.
As an educator, Dr. Bak has been a faculty member at the New York Music School, Music & Art of Long Island, the St. Andrew’s Conservatory, and was a Teaching Artist at Yale University. His students have won top prizes in major competitions, including the International Grande Music Competition and the Crescendo International Music Competition, and have been accepted into elite pre-college programs, youth orchestras, NYO2, and All-State orchestras.
In addition to his musical achievements, Bak has faced profound personal challenges in dealing with a spinal cord injury. His journey through recovery has shaped his perspective on resilience, artistry, and the healing power of music, and he often gives lectures on his experiences and how they have shaped his understanding of neuromuscular function as it relates to playing instruments.
Dr. Bak performs on a 2015 Samuel Zygmuntowicz violin.
Dr. Sheng-Ching Hsu
(violin)
Taiwan
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A firm believer in the power of music, Sheng-Ching Hsu created “S-C Sidewalk Performance” where she brought weekly live music to the street corners of West LA during the pandemic. “S-C Sidewalk Performance” brought comfort and hope to many people during the time of isolation, and was featured on KTTV Fox 11 Los Angeles and EliteGen Magazine in Toronto, Canada. Her story was also made into a documentary by “Aria’s Lens” in China.
A native of Taiwan, Sheng-Ching was six years old when she made her first public appearance as both violinist and pianist at the National Cheng- Kung University, Taiwan. She has performed in venues such as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Lincoln Center Stage on Holland America Line, Walt Disney Hall, Teatro Municipal de Santiago (Chile), Remonstrantse Kerk in Alkmaar (The Netherlands), Théâtre de l’Île- Saint- Louis (Paris), and National Recital Hall (Taiwan), among others.
Sheng-Ching plays with Delirium Musicum, Concerts for Hope, New Asia Chamber Music Society, as well as Concerts on the Slope, in which many of her performances were featured on WWFM Classical, NY. She is a member of California Symphony and New West Symphony, and serves as guest principal 2nd violin of St. Matthew’s Chamber Orchestra. Sheng-Ching has given solo recitals in Europe, North America, South America and Asia, and has performed with Ensemble 212 and Old York Road Symphony as a soloist. Sheng-Ching enjoys discovering new techniques and sound that she has worked with many living composers, including recent recording of two works by Robert Sirota for commercial release. Her interest in the impact of music on motion picture led Sheng-Ching to perform in the debut of “BBC Frozen Planet Live,” scored by award- winning composer George Fenton.
Sheng-Ching serves as a faculty at California State University – Long Beach, as well as Colburn Community School of Performing Arts. Sheng-Ching is also a sought-after music arranger. Her latest commissions include the National Anthem for the New York Knicks’ Lunar New Year Game in Madison Square Garden. She arranges a wide variety of music, and has worked with ensembles such as the New Asia Chamber Music Society, the Amphion String Quartet, the Lincoln Center Stage Quintet and the Manhattan Symphonie Orchestra. In addition, her arrangements have been performed at New York Fashion Week, Times Square Flash Mob, and Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall.
Sheng-Ching earned her Doctor of Musical Arts from SUNY Stony Brook University, Master of Music from The Juilliard School, and Bachelor of Music from the Mannes School of Music. Her major teachers include Catherine Cho, Christina Khimm, Itzhak Perlman, Aaron Rosand, and Philip Setzer. Sheng-Ching’s instruments were generously sponsored by CHIMEI foundation in Taiwan throughout her studies. (www.shengchinghsu.com)
Dr. Karl Knapp
(cello)
USA
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Dr. Karl Knapp is a dynamic cellist, university professor, and dedicated Suzuki educator, recognized for his artistry as both a performer and teacher. His playing has been featured on the Navona Records label with Transparent Boundaries, a collaboration with his wife, soprano Jamie-Rose Guarrine. Committed to expanding the repertoire for soprano and cello, they are currently working on a second album, set for release this coming winter, commissioning new works for the duo.
A graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Knapp holds both a master’s and doctoral degree in cello performance, having studied cello with Parry Karp and received chamber music mentorship from the Pro Arte String Quartet. His dedication to music education extends to Suzuki pedagogy, where he has completed teacher training through Book 10 under the guidance of Barbara Wampner, Alice-Ann O’Neil, Nancy Hair, Pam Devenport, and Blake Brasch.
An active and versatile performer, Knapp serves as principal cellist of the New England Repertory Orchestra (NERO) and is a member of both the Wistaria and Cushman String Quartets. He also brings a fresh approach to cello performance as a member of 1200 Horsehairs: A Band of Cellos, a group that explores the instrument’s full expressive range. Additionally, he toured nationally as a cellist for Bernstein’s Wonderful Town.
In addition to his performing career, Knapp is a dedicated educator, serving on the cello faculty at Amherst College and Smith College while also maintaining a thriving private studio of pre-college students. He previously served as professor of cello at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and has held cello positions with the Fairbanks Symphony, Juneau Symphony, and Madison Symphony Orchestra. His orchestral experience also includes performances with the Minnesota Orchestra and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra.
Beyond music, Knapp enjoys biking on trails and experimenting with new recipes in the kitchen.
Dr. Yue Sun
Director/co-founder (violin/viola)
China
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Chinese violinist Yue Sun has been hailed by Jiangnan City Daily for playing “fabulously and splendidly,” and by the Nanchang Daily for her ability to “fuse her passionate performance with unparalleled musical charm.” Ms. Sun was applauded as “the most shining rising star” by Modern Women in China, and “New York Lounge” of SinoVision has interviewed her and praised her for her “stringent artistic attitude and creative technical innovation”.
Ms. Sun has performed recitals and concerts throughout America, Europe, and Asia at prestigious venues such as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Konzerthaus Berlin, the Sanders Theater at Harvard and Shanghai Concert Hall. She was selected as the concertmaster and associate concertmaster for the Latin GRAMMY® Award Orchestra of the Americas, the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival Orchestra, Boulder Symphony Orchestra and others. Christoph Eschenbach praised her as “a rare talent of roaring flame and infectious passion.”
In January 2017, her DVD album “Passion” solo violin works was released by Shanghai Audio and Video Publishing House. The album showcases world premieres of Chinese folk-inspired violin works, became a best seller at the Shanghai Audio and Video Publishing House in 2018. Shortly after, the album was published by Shanghai Music House with the sheet music, and the CD version of her album was distributed globally in the United States by Skillman Music in January 2018.
Ms. Sun graduated from Stony Brook University with a Doctorate of Music Arts, and earned her Master of Music from The Juilliard School, where she studied with Ida Kavafian on full scholarship. Ms. Sun is a member of DEKA String Quartet. With the quartet, she has been closely mentored by the Emerson String Quartet and David Finckel for the past half decade. Since the fall of 2019, her quartet has served as Artists-in-Residence through the SUNY Rockefeller Institute of Government. Throughout her career, she has explored a wide range of musical genres, including classical, contemporary, improvisational, and folk music. She has performed the China premiere of Grammy Award-winning composer John Luther Adams’s solo violin work Three High Places during her international recital tour in 2023. Her role as an improvisational soloist in Yo-Yo Ma’s International Youth Music Culture festival has further enriched her artistic journey
Ms. Sun played with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra from 2019 to 2022, immediately after, she was appointed as assistant professor in violin and viola of University of Alaska Fairbanks, concertmaster of Fairbanks Symphony Orchestra and director of the Northern Light String Orchestra. She is also the violinist of the Alaska trio and Cynosure piano trio. As a committed educator, Ms. Sun is launching the International Chamber Music Alaska festival in Fairbanks in the summer of 2025. This festival aims to feature internationally renowned faculty members, such as Philip Setzer, and offer world-class musical training and performances to the Alaska community. Ms. Sun plays on a Marcello Villa violin. In her spare time, she loves to cook and compose. For more information, please visit https://www.yuesunviolin.com/
Jun Wang
Hong Kong
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Jun Wang is a highly accomplished violist and violinist, known for his exceptional dual-instrument mastery and cross-cultural artistry. He began playing the violin at the age of 5 and studied under renowned professors Zhinuo Ding, Fei Wu, and Xidi Shen at the Shanghai Conservatory, where he earned a BA in Dual Violin/Viola as valedictorian. He continued his studies with a full scholarship at the Royal Academy of Music in 2006.
Throughout his career, Jun Wang held prestigious positions as principal violist for several major orchestras, including the Shanghai Symphony (2002-2006), Shanghai Philharmonic (2007), and Hong Kong Philharmonic (2007-2015). He also served as a guest principal violist for numerous symphonies, such as Shenzhen, Qingdao, Guiyang, and Xiamen. In addition, he is a founding member of the Tanggula Quartet, which won second prize at the 1995 China National Quartet Competition.
A talented and versatile performer, Jun Wang has played over 1,000 concerts worldwide at renowned venues like the Berliner Philharmonie, Vienna Musikverein, and Amsterdam Concertgebouw. He has also performed as a soloist at the Washington D.C. Chinese Embassy in 2005. His career includes collaborations with renowned conductors such as Seiji Ozawa, Lorin Maazel, and Zubin Mehta.
Jun Wang’s exceptional skills earned him significant recognition, including gold medals at the 2001 Kazakhstan International Viola Competition and the 2001 Central Conservatory National Viola Competition, where he also won special awards for his Bach and Reger performances. His musical training included time with the Amadeus, Borodin, and Smetana quartets in Europe from 1997 to 2000.
In addition to his performance career, Jun Wang has been a dedicated teacher for over 20 years, boasting an impressive 100% ABRSM pass rate (with 80% Distinction). His mentorship has led to the success of his students, including Gao Zixuan, who was admitted to Juilliard in 2022.
Jun Wang’s reputation is built not only on his technical virtuosity but also on his ability to bridge cultural divides through his music, making him a celebrated figure in both the classical music and educational worlds.
Dr. Yi Qun Xu
(cello)
China
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Praised for displaying “great poise and masterful technique” and possessing “an amazing rich tone” by The Day, cellist Yi Qun Xu has performed extensively as a soloist and chamber musician across the United States. A native of China, she came to the U.S. after winning multiple top prizes in Chinese national cello competitions.
Yi Qun is the recipient of the 2022 Presser Music Award and the first-prize winner of the 2021 New York International Artists Cello Competition. As the winner of the 2018 Sanders-Juilliard-Tel Aviv Museum prize, she was presented in recital at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art. She is also the first prize winner at the International Antonio Janigro Competition.
As a passionate chamber musician, she has been heard at the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s Cellists of Lincoln Center Concert and the prestigious Marlboro Music Festival. She has collaborated with artists including Itzhak Perlman and members of the Cleveland, Juilliard, Tokyo, Ébène Quartets. Her performances are featured on Alec Baldwin’s podcast “Here is the Thing” and WQXR’s “Midday Masterpieces.” She can be heard on tours with Musicians from Marlboro during both 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 seasons.
Yi Qun is a member of The Juilliard School Pre-College and Music Advancement Program faculty as well as the Assistant Professor at University of Texas San Antonio. She also serves as Teaching Assistant to Joel Krosnick, Chair of the Cello Department at The Juilliard School. Yi Qun teaches at the Perlman Music Program’s Winter Residency and Heifetz International Music Institute’s Junior Program. She has performed for community engagement events for communities throughout the United States and China. Yi Qun is the founding co-Artistic Director of Noree Chamber Soloists. For more information, visit https://yiqunxu.com
Dr. Patrick Yim
USA
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Praised for his “deeply expressive, finely nuanced playing” (The Strad Magazine), “dazzling technique and passionate interpretations” (The Whole Note), and “vivid imagination” (Fanfare), Honolulu-born violinist Patrick Yim made his solo debut with the Honolulu Symphony, and has performed chamber music with Juilliard, Emerson, St. Lawrence, Pacifica, and Ying Quartet members, and musicians from the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Cleveland Orchestra, and New York Philharmonic. He performed with the Cleveland Orchestra on tour in the USA and Europe, and at Carnegie Hall with the Emerson Quartet violinists. His recordings, including numerous world premieres, have been published by Albany, Naxos, Navona, Ravello, and Acis.
A strong advocate of contemporary compositions, Yim has commissioned more than 50 works to date, including a substantial body of work for violin with non-Western instruments. In 2024, Yim performed the world premiere of Bamboo Grove, a new unaccompanied violin work by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Zhou Long commissioned for him by the University of Notre Dame, at the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center. His discography includes One: New Music for Unaccompanied Violin (New Focus Recordings, 2024), New Waves (Albany Records, 2023), Digital Mist: Works for Violin and Piano (Naxos, 2022), and Memory (Navona, 2020).
He earned his BM and MM from the Cleveland Institute of Music and his DMA from Stony Brook University. His principal teachers were Philip Setzer, William Preucil, David Updegraff, Jennifer Frautschi, and Hagai Shaham. He previously taught at CIM, Hong Kong Baptist University, Interlochen, and Stony Brook. Yim is Assistant Professor of Violin and Viola in the Department of Music, Faculty Fellow at the Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies, and Faculty Fellow at the Nanovic Institute for European Studies, University of Notre Dame. (www.patrickyimviolin.com)