2008 Guest Artists

Every year Music Naturally, now known as Vivace!, attracts some very special performers to be a part of the summer festival. In 2008, we would like to thank these performers for their contributions.

The Miami String Quartet- Praised in "The New York Times" as having "everything one wants in a quartet: a rich, precisely blances sound, a broad coloristic palette, real unity of interpretive purpose and seemingly unflagging energy," the Miami String Quartet has quickly established its place amoung the most widely respected quartest in America.

In the fall of 2004 the Miami Quartet began as faculty memebers of Kent State University in Ohio where they were named Quartet-in-Residence. In September 2000 the ensemble was awarded the prestigious Cleveland Quartet Award, which brought with it several important performances.

The Miami String Quartet has appeared extensively throughout the United States and Europe. In 1992, the Quartet became the first string quartet in a decade to win First Prize of the Concert Artists Guild New York Competition. The Miami String Quartet has also won recognition in competitions throughout the world; as laureate of the 1993 Evian Competition, 1991 London String Quartet Competition and as the 1989 Grand Prize Winner of the Fischoff Chamber Music Competition.

Arnold Steinhardt, Violin - is the highly acclaimed first violinist of the Guarneri String Quartet. He is world renowned for his performances as a solo and chamber violinist and violist. In addition to his many recordings with the Guarneri String Quartet for RCA and Phillips Records, his solo violin discography includes unaccompanied Bach, an album of Romantic music, and a collection of Dvorak, Grieg and Kreisler pieces. He is currently a faculty member of the Curtis Institute of Music and a professor of music at the University of Maryland.

Newstead Trio - One of the most distinguished piano trios in North America, the Newstead Trio's performances are personified by warmth, energy, and depth of expression. After twelve years together, they have performed for audiences throughout the United States, Canada, Italy, Hungary, Singapore and China, where they gave their concerto debut performing Beethoven's Triple Concerto with the Shenzen Symphony Orchestra. Visit their website...

Veri & Jamanis, duo-pianists- Among the top Gershwin interpreters, the co-founders of the Pennsylvania Academy of Music, Francis Veri and Michael Jamanis, hold distinguished careers in performances around the world as well as recording and television.