Joseph Scheer, violin
 A native of Wichita, Kansas, Joseph Scheer spent much of his professional life in Boston. In 1983 he received an Artist Diploma from the New England Conservatory, and enjoyed a career as one of Boston's busiest free-lancers. This summer marks his twenty-seventh season as concertmaster of the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra, with whom he has extensively toured the United States and Japan. Joseph has appeared on numerous occasions as soloist with the Boston POPS Esplanade Orchestra in Boston's famous Symphony Hall, most recently in performances of Milhaud's Cinema Fantaisie and the Bruch Scottish Fantasy with Keith Lockhart conducting, and in a performance of the Glazunov Violin Concerto under the baton of John Williams.Other recent concerto appearances include the Beethoven Violin Concerto with the Brockton (MA) Symphony, and the Scottish Fantasy of Max Bruch with the Newton (MA) Symphony. Joseph appears annually on the POPS' nationally televised Fourth of July broadcast and has been featured as a soloist in that broadcast, performing the violin solo from John Williams' music for the film Schindler's List. From 1991 to 1993 Joseph held the concertmaster position in the Florida Symphony (Orlando), and also served in that capacity in Tampa's Florida Orchestra from 1993 to 1996. He made frequent solo appearances with both those orchestras, performing such diverse works as the Korngold Violin Concerto, Vaughan Williams' Lark Ascending and the Vieuxtemps Violin Concerto #5. He relinquished that position to join his wife Susan Robinson in Washington, D.C., where she is the principal harpist of the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra. Joseph and Susan are the founders of IBIS and they live in Arlington Virginia with their children, Lillie and Nathanael.
Susan Robinson, harp
 Susan Robinson is the principal harpist of the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra, a position she has held since 1995. She also serves as the principal harpist of the Boston 'POPS' Esplanade Orchestra, with whom she has toured the Far East and the US, and performs with the Boston Symphony as often as her schedule permits. Previously, Susan served as the acting principal harpist of Tampa's Florida Orchestra and the Sarasota Opera Festival.
Avid performers of chamber music, Susan and her husband, violinist Joseph Scheer, are the founders of the IBIS Chamber Music Society (www.ibischambermusic.org). Based in Arlington VA, IBIS presents between 6-10 concerts every season and has been praised as "splendid" and "compelling" by the Washington Post. Susan is featured on the IBIS cd "Souvenir: Music for Violin and Harp", and performs the Handel Concerto for Harp and the DebussyDanses Sacree et Profane on IBIS' most recent release, "IBIS x 2".
Among Susan's solo engagements are performances of Mozart's Concerto for Flute and Harp in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall with the Opera House Orchestra under Heinz Fricke, and with the Virginia Chamber Orchestra and Emil de Cou. Susan has also soloed with the Newton (MA) Symphony, the Indian Hill Symphony, the New Hampshire Philharmonic, the Rhode Island Chamber Orchestra, and the Dedham (MA) Choral Society.
Susan is a graduate of Harvard University with a cum laude degree in Art History and French Literature. She also holds an Artist Diploma in Harp Performance from the Boston University School for the Arts, where she was a student of Lucile Lawrence. She and Joseph are the parents of Lillie and Nathanael.
Joel Fuller, violin
Violinist Joel Fuller is a member of the National Symphony Orchestra; he previously served as the Assistant Principal Second Violin of the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra. Joel also spent three years as the Assistant Concertmaster of the Naples Philharmonic, enjoying many opportunities to solo with the orchestra there. As a chamber musician, Joel was the first violinist of the University of Michigan Graduate String Quartet and founding member of the Sonare and Vanderbilt String Quartets. He is currently a member of the IBIS Chamber Music Society and Musica Aperta ensembles in Washington, D.C. As a student, Joel was awarded a three year orchestral fellowship to attend the Aspen Music Festival in Aspen, Colorado. He was one of only two to receive the honor for the 2001 summer season. Joel received his Bachelor of Music from the University of Wisconsin and a Master of Music degree in Violin Performance and Chamber Music from University of Michigan. His teachers include the late Vartan Manoogian and Paul Kantor. He has performed in master classes with some of the world's leading teachers and musicians such as Donald Weilerstein, Mark Steinberg, William Preucil, and Pamela Frank, among others. Joel has won numerous awards and competitions including the ASTA competition and both the University of Wisconsin Concerto Competition and the Universityof Michigan Concerto Competition. Joel is honored to play on the "ex Powell" Omobono Stradivari violin, generously loaned to him by the John C. Schroeder trust for musical excellence.
Chiara Dieguez, viola
Chiara Kingsley Dieguez holds a Master's Degree in Viola Performance from the University of MD, College Park, and a Bachelor of Music in Viola Performance from Arizona State University. Her main teachers have included Daniel Foster, William Magers, and Michael Tree. An active chamber and orchestral musician, Ms. Dieguez has been a member of the Sonore String Quartet, the Downtown Chamber Series of Phoenix, and has also been a member of the Mainly Mozart Festival of San Diego since 2002. She also performs each summer at the Grand Teton Music Festival, playing both in the orchestra and performing regularly on the Spotlight Series chamber concerts. As a soloist, Ms. Dieguez has performed with the Maryland Chamber Symphony, the University of MD Symphony Orchestra, and the Arizona State University Chamber Orchestra, and has also appeared as an alumni soloist with the Phoenix Symphony Guild Youth Orchestra and the Metropolitan Youth Symphony of AZ.
Ms. Dieguez moved to the DC area in 2008, where she performs regularly with the National Symphony Orchestra and the Eclipse Chamber Orchestra, and is also a member of the Fessenden Ensemble of Washington, DC. Before relocating to the DC area, Ms. Dieguez served as Associate Principal Viola of the Phoenix Symphony for 7 years.
Adria Sternstein Foster, flute
Adria Sternstein Foster has been the Principal Flutist of the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra since 1994. The orchestra performs a variety of roles by providing music for ballet and musical productions in addition to performing for all Washington National Opera performances. At the invitation of Mstislav Rostropovich, she made her solo debut performing the Mozart Concerto in G Major with the National Symphony Orchestra. Other concerto appearances include the Mozart Concerto for Flute and Harp performed with Principal Harpist Susan Robinson and Music Director Heinz Fricke conducting the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra. Ms. Foster has performed with the New York Philharmonic as Guest Principal Flute and has participated in several summer music festivals in recent years including the Alpenglow and Grand Tetons Music Festivals, and the Mohawk Trail Concert Series. Ms. Foster received her Bachelors and Masters degrees from the Juilliard School. Her main teachers have been Bonnie Lichter, Julius Baker, and Jeanne Baxtresser.
Edward Newman, piano
A musician of virtuosity and versatility, pianist Edward Newman combines the qualities of "brilliant technique" (The Washington Star) and "a light touch of dazzling clarity" (The Cleveland Plain Dealer) with "expressive lyricism" (The Washington Post) and has given critically acclaimed performances in Europe, Australia and across the United States. The New York Times said of Mr. Newman's New York recital debut at Alice Tully Hall: "Not many pianists make their debuts with such technically demanding programs or dispose of difficulties with such apparent lack of strain" and the Cleveland Press praised his "brilliant way of playing." In 1979 Mr. Newman won the first prize in the Robert Casadesus International Piano Competition. He was a semifinalist in the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition and has won recognition in many other prestigious international contests.
Mr. Newman is a member of the American Chamber Players with whom he tours frequently. These performances are frequently broadcast on National Public Radio's "Performance Today". He appears often in recital with his wife, violinist Elisabeth Adkins, at such venues as the National Gallery and the Phillips Collection. Mr. Newman received a Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from the Juilliard School.
Sean Neidlinger, cello
Cellist Sean Neidlinger enjoys an active career as a recitalist, chamber musician, and teacher. After receiving a Bachelor of Music degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music under the tutelage of Richard Aaron, he pursued further studies at New England Conservatory with Paul Katz. Described as "fiery" and "impassioned" by the Washington Post, Sean's playing has received top prizes at several orchestra concerto competitions, including the Fairfax, Arlington, and Alexandria Symphonies. He has been featured as a soloist and chamber musician at the Korean, German, French, and Austrian embassies, the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage and Terrace Theatre, the Washington Metropolitan Philharmonic and the Friday Morning Music Club orchestras. He also has performed with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the Eclipse Chamber Orchestra, and has served as principal cellist of the Winchester and McLean Orchestras. Sean recently toured Europe as soloist for the world premiere of the Rodriguez Elegy and Rondo for cello and wind ensemble.
Sonia Hayes, violin
Sonya N. Hayes received her Master's degree in violin performance from Catholic University, where she studied with Robert Gerle. She has also studied with Laurence Shapiro of Indianapolis, and Ricardo Cyncynates of the National Symphony Orchestra. At age 15, Sonya performed as a soloist with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra (Discovery Concert Series). Since then she has performed as a soloist with National Symphony Orchestra (Young People's Concert Series), the Prince George's Philharmonic in October 2007, and most recently the Indianapolis Philharmonic. Ms. Hayes performs a large number solo and chamber music recitals, including venues such as University of Indianapolis, Norwegian Embassy, Pope Paul II Cultural Center, Brazilian American Cultural Institute.
Daniel Foster, violin
Violist Daniel Foster's career encompasses orchestral, chamber and solo playing, as well as teaching. Since capturing the First Prize in both the William Primrose and Washington International Competitions, he has appeared in recital and as soloist with orchestra in Washington, DC and throughout the US. After studies at Oberlin Conservatory and The Curtis Institute, Mr. Foster became a member of the National Symphony's viola section in 1993, and was appointed Principal by Music Director Leonard Slatkin in 1995. Mr. Foster has appeared frequently as soloist with the National Symphony. He has performed chamber music at the Marlboro, Bowdoin, Killington and Alpenglow Festivals, is a member of the critically acclaimed Dryden Quartet, and a founding member of the Kennedy Center Chamber Players. Mr. Foster comes from a musical family. His father William is also a violist with the National Symphony, and his late grandfather John Kendall was a renowned violin pedagogue.
Elizabeth Kluegel, soprano
Soprano Elizabeth Kluegel performs frequently as an opera singer, concert soloist and recitalist. Her recent performance with Washington Musica Viva of Dvořák's Moravian Duets in Czech for the Dvořák Festival at the Embassy of the Czech Republic was broadcast on "Front Row Washington" on WETA. She was featured in the world premiere of In Quiet Resting Places by Gawthrop with The Master Chorale of Washington at the Kennedy Center, and performed the role of Marie in Donizetti's La Fille du Regiment with Bel Cantanti Opera. She has also performed with Dayton Opera, Virginia Opera, The Kennedy Center Orchestra, Opera Grand Rapids, Opera International and Capitol City Opera. Her Oscar in Verdi's Un Ballo in Maschera was described as"...a spitfire of a lad with sunny smile and swagger". Ms. Kluegel has sung with the National Symphony Orchestra and Mstislav Rostropovich in Tchaikovsky's opera Pique Dame. She participated in the prestigious Steans Institute for Young Singers at Ravinia, and returned to inaugurate their Program for Vocal Chamber Music. Last season her performances included Camille Saint-Saens Christmas Oratorio in North Carolina, J.S. Bach's Mass in B minor with The City Choir of Washington in Washington, D.C.
Beth Walenta Dunkel, Viola
Violist Beth Dunkel earned her Bachelor and Master's Degrees in Performance from The Juilliard School where she studied with and served as teaching assistant to Heidi Castleman and Misha Amory. She is currently one of the principal violists of the Army Band, "Pershing's Own" Orchestra where she also performs stroll music, chamber music and is a founding member of the Contemporary Ensemble. She has been featured soloist with the Army Orchestra as well as with the Northwestern Symphony Orchestra and the Lyric Theater Orchestra in New Jersey. Ms. Dunkel regularly plays with the National Symphony Orchestra, The Washington Opera Orchestra and the Eclipse Chamber Orchestra.
Igor Zubkovsky, cello
Igor Zubkovsky started playing cello at the age of five and first appeared as a soloist with the Minsk State Philharmonic Orchestra at the age of twelve, performing Haydn C Major Cello Concerto. He studied at the Moscow Conservatory with Natalia Shakhovskaya, the Gold Medalist of the 1962 Tchaikovsky Competition.
While at the Conservatory, Mr. Zubkovsky won top prizes at international competitions, including Second Prize at the International Cello Competition in Minsk, Belarus, and the Grand Prix at the Tansman Competition in Lodz, Poland. He joined the critically acclaimed ensemble "Brahms Trio" in Moscow, subsequently winning Second Prize at the Trapani, Italy and First Prize at the Weimar, Germany International Chamber Music Competitions. With a remarkable record of performances, awards and academic distinctions, Mr. Zubkovsky was awarded a full scholarship to the Peabody Conservatory of Music where he earned a Graduate Performance Diploma.
Currently Mr. Zubkovsky is a member of the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra, and performing extensively as a soloist and chamber musician. He has appeared at Merkin Concert Hall in New York, at the prestigious Newport Music Festival and performed recitals in Massachusetts and at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. Live recordings of those concerts are frequently broadcast on TV and over the Internet. Recent engagements include a performance of the Tchaikovsky's Rococo Variations with Altoona Symphony, series of chamber music concerts in Paris and most recent trio concert with Anna Ouspenskaya and Elisabeth Adkins which will be aired on Classical WETA this coming spring.
Susan Midkiff, violin
Susan Midkiff is a first violinist with the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra. She has also held one-year positions with the National Symphony and Chicago Lyric Opera, and served as Associate Concertmaster of the Naples Philharmonic.
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