Cello
Described as a musician of “superb artistry” (Pasadena Now) who plays with “high energy and polish” (WQXR), cellist Anita Graef has earned recognition for her music making as an artist who is equally at home exploring traditional as well as contemporary works, along with a deep commitment to service, outreach and education. Notable appearances include features in Strings Magazine, as well as Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert series, and “Concerts from the Library of Congress.” She has also performed as a guest of various radio programs, including WQXR, WFMT, WGTE, WUOL, WOSU, WVPB, NPR and others. Ms. Graef has performed as a soloist with orchestras across the United States, with recent and upcoming engagements including the Louisville Orchestra, Arkansas Philharmonic Orchestra and others. Highlights from recent seasons include her New York debut with the Riverside Symphony, as well as recital appearances at the Museum of Fine Arts St. Petersburg, Ojai’s Chamber on the Mountain, the Charlotte Warner Concert Series at Kenyon College, the Nielsen Concert Series, and return appearances to “Live from WFMT” and “Temecula Presents,” among others. She completed her Bachelor’s studies at the University of Michigan’s School of Music, Theatre, and Dance. Following this, she obtained a Master’s Degree at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. Anita performs on a modern Italian cello by Ferdinando Garimberti, dated 1923.
Flute
Emily Seaberry Graef is the founder and the flutist of the Juliani Ensemble. Beginning in 1999, Ms. Graef and the Juliani Ensemble were performing partners with The Chicago Cultural Center for 20 years, performing chamber music concerts throughout the year in historic Preston Bradley Hall. Ms. Graef has maintained a teaching studio for more than 30 years. Ms. Graef is a graduate of The University of Michigan School of Music where she won the Nelson Howenstein Award for outstanding flute performance. Emily did post graduate study at The University of Maryland and at The Mozarteum Academy in Salzburg, Austria where she studied with Helmut Zangerle. She is the former Principal Flute and soloist with The Rome Festival Orchestra and has performed as flutist with The Chicago Winds, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra's MusicNOW series and on the nationally acclaimed and broadcast Dame Myra Hess series. Emily was the co-founder of The Galena Chamber Ensemble, a chamber music organization which performed in Galena, Illinois for 10 years in historic Turner Hall. She has been an artist in residence at the People's Music School and is a former faculty member of the Merit School of Music.
Violin, Viola
Violinist and violist Julian Graef has earned acclaim as an artist of remarkable versatility. He has been featured in Strings Magazine, on the “Concerts from the Library of Congress” series, and in many of the world’s foremost concert halls. In addition to an active touring schedule as a soloist, recitalist and chamber musician, Mr. Graef also serves as the Co-director of the Juliani Ensemble, and as the founding Executive Director of Tallgrass Chamber Music Festival. With the Juliani Ensemble, Mr. Graef has given performances and masterclasses at universities and conservatories throughout North America, while also directing the Ensemble’s resident series; Saturday Salons at Primitive Gallery in Chicago, IL. Mr. Graef obtained both his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the Eastman School of Music. He performs on a 1949 Natale Carletti viola and an unnamed 1810 Stradivarius model violin.
Guitar
Classical guitarist Collin Holloway began playing at the age of nine in his hometown of Oklahoma City. Recognized as a burgeoning talent from an early age (his first solo recital was met with two standing ovations) he pursued his higher education at the Eastman School of Music with Thomas Viloteau and Nicholas Goluses. Upon graduation with his undergraduate degree, he obtained his master’s degree with Dieter Hennings at the University of Kentucky College of Fine Arts and was selected to study privately with the renowned musician Angelo Gilardino in Vercelli, Italy. Collin's performing experience is extensive. He has toured across much of America and Spain as a soloist and as a part of various ensembles in festivals such as “Austin City Limits”, “CHAMBERart Madrid”, the “Celedonio Romero Guitar institute”. Highlights of his career include winning the Haire Guitar Competition, two consecutive first place finishes at the National Brownsville Guitar Duet Competition, and was recognized as a “Rising Young Artist” by the Opera Club of the Villages. Most recently, Collin was chosen as a soloist to premiere the work “Malagueña de Jotron” at the Armstrong Theater with the internationally renowned Los Romeros Guitar Quartet. As a musician, Collin strives to bring to life the intimate nature and inherent poetry of the guitar through a beautiful tone and a sensitive touch. This can be heard throughout his debut album “A Musical Portrait”, where he performs rare works by Angelo Gilardino and Graciela Agudelo, amongst other more seminal compositions. An adamant performer of chamber music, Collin is one half of The Muse Duo. This guitar and piano duo was formed at the Eastman School of Music with the pianist and composer, Robert Benedict. Just months after playing together for the first time, The Muse Duo toured parts of the United States. Currently, the Muse Duo is championing new music for this rare setting of instruments through the composition of new works by Robert, as well as the premiere performances of these compositions. Their debut album “Experiments” released April 2023 and was accompanied by a tour of the United States.
Oboe
Joshua Lauretig, hailed for his "considerable musicianship" and "beautiful rich sound" by coolcleveland.com, is the second oboist of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra. He also serves as the second oboist of the Colorado Music Festival Orchestra and has previously served as second oboe and solo English Horn of Symphony in C (formerly the Haddonfield Symphony). He has performed with the Philadelphia Orchestra, Sarasota Orchestra and the Baltimore and Chautauqua Symphony Orchestras. Joshua was awarded first prize in the International Double Reed Society's 2014 Young Artist Competition and received Honorable Mention in the 2019 Gillet-Fox Oboe Competition. He has been invited to perform at the music festivals of Sarasota, Colorado, and Aspen, as well as the Moritzburg Festival Academy. He has been featured on recitals sponsored by the Interlochen Center for the Arts and the Ventfort Hall Summer Chamber Music Concert Series, and has performed on WHYY-TV Philadelphia's "On Stage at Curtis." He has given solo performances with the Ars Nova Chamber Orchestra, the Lakeland Civic Orchestra, the Mid-Atlantic Symphony, the Young Artist Debut Orchestra of Erie, PA, and the United States Navy Band. A student of Richard Woodhams (former principal oboe, Philadelphia Orchestra), Joshua earned a Bachelor's Degree at the Curtis Institute of Music, where he was awarded the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation Fellowship. Other teachers include Danna Sundet, Olav van Hezewijk and Keisuke Wakao.
Violin
Award-winning violinist Alejandra Switala combines her American and Mexican roots with an energetic and curious spirit to explore repertoire ranging from the Baroque period to music from living composers. Praised by the Chicago Classical Review for performing with ”unabashed emotion”, Allie is in demand as a soloist, chamber musician, and collaborator. Most recently a top prize winner at the 2023 Sphinx Competition in Detroit, Michigan, Allie is also a laureate of the Cooper International Competition in Cleveland, Ohio, and the Klein International Competition in San Francisco, California, where she won the additional Best Performance of Commissioned Work and the Pablo Casals Bach Prize. Allie has performed as a soloist with the Buffalo Philharmonic, the Cleveland Orchestra, and the New York Philharmonic; as an ensemble member with the Matt Jones Orchestra, Shattered Glass, Fulcrum Point, Sphinx Virtuosi, and the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra; as a concertmaster of the Sarasota Music Festival Orchestra, The Cleveland Women’s Orchestra, and the Cleveland Opera Theater. She currently has a one-year contract with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and has the utmost fun running a series of chamber music reading parties called Pilsen Classical with her best friend Everardo Sanchez in Chicago.
Viola
“Lively, polished, dynamic” - The New York Times Robert Alvarado Switala is co-principal violist of the Sphinx Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra, and Concertmaster for the Thompson Street Opera Company, and has held violin positions in the El Paso, Las Cruces, San Angelo, and Grant Park symphony orchestras. A sought-after chamber music player, he has attended numerous music festivals and masterclasses around the world. As noted on his website, Switala is a “musician by day, nerd by night!” and is an expert at tabletop role-playing games, running, and teaching Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition.
Violin
A native of Bulgaria and a graduate student at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, violinist Kristina Zlatareva is building a multifaceted career as a performer, educator and arts administrator. She has appeared on the international stage alongside artists, such as Sarah Chang, Ray Chen, James Ehnes and Rohan de Silva and her performances have been broadcasted on NPR and Los Angeles’ KUSC. She has given recitals across the United States and Europe, including a 2016 performance at the Supreme Court of the United States, honoring 2016 Sphinx Medal of Excellence recipient, Danielle Belen. Currently, Ms. Zlatareva manages a full studio of young violinists at the University of Michigan and works alongside esteemed violin pedagogue Danielle Belen. Her ongoing teaching engagements include serving as faculty at the music festivals Center Stage Strings in Ann Arbor, MI and at the Anchorage Chamber Music Festival in Anchorage, AK. In September 2017, Ms. Zlatareva joined the violin faculty at the Sphinx Overture Program in Detroit and Flint, where she works with underrepresented students ages 7-10 and is dedicated to inspire and lead a new generation of extraordinary classical musicians of color. In the summer of 2018, Ms. Zlatareva had the privilege to serve on the violin faculty at the Luzerne Music Center in New York. In addition to performing and teaching, Ms. Zlatareva enjoys a career as an arts administrator. Her current positions include Assistant to the Director at Center Stage Strings in Ann Arbor, MI and Concerts Manager at the Anchorage Chamber Music Festival. In 2019, Ms. Zlatareva held an intern position at Primo Artists – a leading New York agency, representing names such as Itzhak Perlman, Joshua Bell, Nicola Benedetti and more. In December 2019, Kristina joined legendary violinist and UN Messenger of Peace, Midori, on a music outreach tour of Cambodia. Together, they visited 20 non-profit organizations across the country, working with marginalized communities with the mission of impacting people’s lives through music.