Bassist-composer Ben Wolfe has recently released his new CD, "No Strangers Here" on MAXJAZZ.  As Wynton Marsalis said, "Ben Wolfe swings with authority."  And as can be heard from Ben's original compositions on this, his fifth and newest CD, Ben also innovates and "scores" with authority.  Downbeat Magazine says, "He hews to the esthetic of group interplay and the rhythms of bebop, and displays a well-honed sense of sonic narrative." The New York Times says, “In this music Mingus and Miles Davis meet Bartok and Bernard Herrmann”

Cellist Darrett Adkins belongs to a new generation of American musicians who are redefining the concert experience.  His critically acclaimed performances of contemporary music have inspired critics to call him “Stunning”, “Intensely involving”, “Heroic”, and “Fiery”.  His appetite to bridge the world between the established tradition and the avant-garde enables him to explore repertoire in almost every genre – from the classical cannon, to the contemporary frontier.

Violinist Frank Almond holds the Charles and Marie Caestecker Concertmaster Chair at the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and in 2008-09 continues as a guest Concertmaster with the Seattle Symphony. He returned to the MSO after holding positions as Concertmaster of the Rotterdam Philharmonic with Valery Gergiev, and Guest Concertmaster of the London Philharmonic with Kurt Masur He continues an active schedule of solo and chamber music performances in the US and abroad including recent appearances with the Ojai Festival, the American String Project in Seattle, the Nara Academy in Nara, Japan, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Music in the Vineyards, and various solo appearances with orchestras.

Jerome Summers has acquired widespread recognition and critical acclaim as one of Canada's most accomplished and vital  musicians. He was born and educated in British Columbia, where he became a member of the Vancouver Symphony and CBC  Vancouver Radio Orchestras. After acquiring graduate degrees in composition from the University of British Columbia, he began  studies in conducting at the prestigious Toho Gakuen in Tokyo, under Kazuyoshi Akiyama and Morihiro Okabe. A versatile  musician, he has established a distinguished career as a conductor, composer, and clarinetist.

 At the age of 17, Mr. Jacobsson made his recital debut at the Stockholm International Guitar Festival on very short notice, immediately followed by a tour of Estonia, along with his first  recorded album containing music by Bach, Poulenc, Mertz, Lauro, Albéniz, Sor and Tárrega.

Internationally celebrated violinist Yi-Jia Susanne Hou has left her mark in music history by being the first violinist ever to capture 3 Gold Medals with unanimous decisions at international violin competitions: Concours International LONG-THIBAUD (France, 1999), LIPIZER International Violin Competition (Italy, 1999) and SARASATE International Violin Competition (Spain, 1997).