Agata Miklavc

Violinist Agata Miklavc began her musical journey at age three in Ljubljana, Slovenia, making her public debut at five in the Great Hall of Cankar Center. Her performance career has taken her throughout Europe and the United States, with appearances at the Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, the Slovenian Philharmonic, Musikverein Wien, Mozarteum Salzburg, and other major venues. An avid chamber musician, she has collaborated with distinguished artists including Andrés Cárdenes, Aaron Boyd, Andrés Diaz, Rafael Figueroa, Paul Coletti, Wendy Chen, the Escher Quartet, and Julian Schwarz. In 2023, she was appointed Concertmaster of the Georgetown Chorale and serves as Concertmaster and Artistic Director of the Georgetown Chamber Players. A dedicated collaborator, Ms. Miklavc performs regularly with Greek-American pianist Jason Solounias; their recent recital tour, Myths, Tales and Fantasies, was presented across multiple U.S. states, and their upcoming project, Intermezzo Romantique, will mark their debut album. She has appeared as faculty, artistic liaison, and guest artist at festivals including the Gingold International Chamber Music Festival, Puerto Piano & Strings, and Music On The String. A passionate educator, she has held teaching and assistant positions at the University of Sarajevo, Southern Methodist University, and Carnegie Mellon University, and currently serves on the faculty of Levine Music in Washington, D.C. Her principal teacher is Andrés Cárdenes, and she has also studied with Emanuel Borok, Aaron Boyd, and Violeta Smailović-Huart.

Anna Kusner

Anna Kusner is an internationally acclaimed classical guitarist and a graduate of the Gnessin Academy. For over 35 years, she has taught classical guitar and has appeared on radio and television in Israel, as well as at international music festivals. Anna is a co-founder of the MusAlliance duo, renowned for its original arrangements of classical and folk music. Her playing is distinguished by virtuosity, refined musical taste, and emotional expressiveness.

Dasha Gabay

Dasha Gabay received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the M. Mussorgsky Music College and her Master of Music degree from the St. Petersburg State Conservatory in Russia. She studied with several of the country’s most respected pedagogues, including Galina Fedorova, Tamara Fidler, Sofia Vackman, and Sergei Urivaev. Over the course of her performance career in Russia, Ms. Gabay appeared in many of the country’s prestigious concert halls. Her exceptional skills as an accompanist earned her multiple accolades, including the “Best Accompaniment Diploma” at national and international competitions in 1995, 1997, and 1998. Since relocating to the United States in 1998, Ms. Gabay has remained deeply active in both performance and pedagogy. She is a faculty member at Levine Music and maintains a thriving private studio in Fairfax Station, Virginia, while continuing to perform extensively as a chamber musician and accompanist.
Since the start of the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Dasha has been working with her friends and colleagues on organizing benefit concerts to support humanitarian needs of Ukrainian people and will continue doing so for as long as it is needed.

Douglas Rogers

Douglas Rogers holds a Bachelor of Music in Guitar Performance and a Master of Music in Guitar Performance and Pedagogy, and has completed formal training in Suzuki Guitar. A frequent performer throughout the Mid-Atlantic region, Douglas has appeared as a featured guest artist on WHRO’s Silver Moonbeams. In addition to his performance career, he has dedicated more than a decade to using music in service of humanitarian causes, including benefit recitals supporting remote communities in Haiti. Since 2004, Douglas has been a member of the faculty at Levine, where he teaches guitar, Suzuki guitar, and group Suzuki classes. He is committed to nurturing students of all ages while fostering a lifelong appreciation for music.

Gersh Chervinsky

Gersh Chervinsky is a violin virtuoso soloist, recitalist, chamber musician and teacher. He has performed with star musicians such as Joshua Bell, Amit Peled, Dana Marsh and others. He performed at venues such as the Bolshoy Hall of Moscow Conservatory, the Hong Kong Cultural Center Music Hall, and the Friedberg and Griswold Concert Halls at the Peabody Conservatory. Gersh regularly collaborates with The Washington Bach Consort, Alexandria Symphony Orchestra, The Apollo Orchestra and Baltimore Baroque Band as the associate concertmaster. He is a dedicated teacher and maintains his private violin studio in Rockville, directs the Jewish Orchestra of Youth in Silver Spring, and is the head of the string department at the European Academy of Arts in Virginia.

Irina Kats

Irina Kats enjoys a distinguished career as a teacher, soloist, chamber musician, and accompanist. Praised by The Washington Post as a “splendidly able accompanist with considerable emotional powers,” she began her career in Russia, graduating with honors from the Astrakhan Conservatory and earning a Ph.D. in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from the Kazan Conservatory. She subsequently joined the faculty of the Astrakhan Conservatory and performed extensively throughout Russia as a soloist and chamber musician, including appearances on television and radio. Since moving to the United States, Ms. Kats has been on the faculty of Levine Music (since 1998) as a piano teacher and chamber music coach, while maintaining an active performance career in the National Capital Area, including appearances at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall. She has collaborated with distinguished artists such as Sir James Galway and violinist Mihai Craioveanu, and has served on the faculty of the Illinois Chamber Music Festival since 2011, performing and coaching young musicians in chamber music.

Jason Solounias

Praised by The American Record Guide as “a superb musician,” pianist Jason Solounias has performed throughout the United States and Europe, with appearances at the Kennedy Center, the Kosciuszko Foundation in New York City, Covent Garden in London, and the Duomo di Amalfi in Italy. Recent engagements include the Wintergreen Music Festival, St. Ann’s Concert Series, Dumbarton Concerts, Pilgrim Players in Chicago, and Georgetown Chamber Players. He has been featured on Classical WETA and WQED, performed as a soloist for Shigeru Kawai at the National Piano Technicians Guild Conference, and appeared with ensembles including the National Opera Orchestra, Georgetown Chamber Orchestra, and the Pan American Symphony Orchestra. He collaborates regularly with violinist Agata Miklavc; their upcoming album, Intermezzo Romantique, features repertoire from their 2024–25 tour. Dr. Solounias holds degrees from Shepherd University and the Catholic University of America, where he earned both his M.M. and D.M.A., and has studied with Emanuel Krasovsky, John Perry, and Leon Fleisher. His debut album on the Sheva Collection, featuring the piano music of Heitor Villa-Lobos, was praised for its depth and orchestral color and was highlighted during the 2019 Experiencing Villa-Lobos Festival as well as in MoMA’s 2020 exhibition Sur Moderno. He is Director of the Puerto Rico International Piano Festival, Co-Director of the Kosciuszko Foundation Chopin Competition in Washington, D.C., Assistant to the Tureck International Bach Competition in New York, and serves on the faculty of Levine Music in Washington, D.C.

Joseph Gotoff

Praised for his “clarity and an approachable sensitivity,” cellist Joseph Gotoff is recognized as a thoughtful performer, scholar, and teacher. His repertoire spans the Baroque to the modern era, and he works closely with living composers, premiering works by Lowell Liebermann, Cody Forrest, and Binna Kim. His debut album, The Voice of the Cello, was released in 2020 on the Spice Classics label to critical acclaim. Dr. Gotoff has appeared as a soloist and chamber musician in major venues across Europe, Asia, and the Americas, and performs regularly in the Washington–Baltimore region with ensembles including Counterpoint Concerts, Washington Classical Arts, the New Orchestra of Washington, and the Cape Cod Chamber Orchestra. He joined the faculty of Towson University in 2021 as Assistant Professor of Cello and also teaches cello and chamber music at Levine Music in Washington, D.C.

Kathleen Jacobi

Kathleen Jacobi began playing the flute at age 6 under the tutelage of Nancy Toone.  As she grew older, she competed in national competitions like MTNA, played in the Utah Youth Symphony, and spent her summers in flute and chamber music workshops.  After graduating high school, she received a Bachelor of Music degree from Manhattan School of Music studying with Linda Chesis, and her Master of Music degree from University of Southern California studying with Jim Walker.  She has played under the baton of conductors including JoAnn Falletta, Gerard Schwartz, and James Conlon, and performed in the Walt Disney Concert Hall with her woodwind quintet Sound of 5.

Peter Slutsky

Mr. Peter Slutsky, baritone, is a graduate of the Igumnov College of Music in Moscow, U.S.S.R. He came to the United States in 1990 and later founded the Russian Amateur Drama Theater in Baltimore, where he served as actor and producer, presenting works by prominent Russian dissident writers such as A. Galich and V. Vysotsky.

In the U.S., he pursued extensive operatic training and became an active recitalist and interpreter of Russian music. His stage roles include Germont (La Traviata), Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro), Belcore (L’Elisir d’Amore), and Tevye (Fiddler on the Roof). Known for his expressive acting and distinctive vocal timbre, Mr. Slutsky has performed widely across the United States and remains dedicated to preserving and reimagining the Russian romance tradition through innovative blends of music and poetry.

Philippe Brunet

Described as “a tireless and visionary trumpeter” by Edward Carroll, Philippe Brunet is a versatile performer and educator based in Washington, DC. He is Principal Trumpet of both the American Pops Orchestra—frequently featured on PBS broadcasts—and the York Symphony Orchestra in Pennsylvania. He has also performed with ensembles such as the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra, Alexandria Symphony, Annapolis Symphony, Maryland Symphony, Wolf Trap Opera Company, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Maryland Lyric Opera, and the Miami City Ballet Orchestra, among many others. Dr. Brunet holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music, and previous degrees from California Institute of the Arts and McGill University. He currently serves as Chair of Brass at Levine Music, where he teaches a wide range of students—from young beginners in the Suzuki Trumpet program to advanced performers—and coaches chamber ensembles.

Rebecca Carey

A product of Fairfax County schools, Rebecca Carey has been fortunate to have had a multifaceted career as a performer, educator, presenter, and adjudicator.  She has served in various capacities on a number of local and national boards and has organized master classes, summer courses, concerts, tours, and appearances throughout the United States for over 25 years.  She earned degrees from The Ohio State University (Kathy Jones), Northwestern University (Wally Kujala), and is the youngest Western flutist to graduate from the Talent Education Research Institute in Matsumoto, Japan (Toshio Takahashi; Dr. Shinichi Suzuki).  When not spending time with her family, Rebecca enjoys volunteering and travelling.

Ricky Parrell

A native of the Washington D.C. area, Ricky grew up in a home full of music. It was this rich foundation of music that led him to study music of all genres and become a talented performer and engaging saxophonist comfortable in any performance venue. 

Ricky is a member of one of the premier military bands in Washington D.C. He is a Vandoren Artist-Clinician as well as a Selmer Saxophone Endorsing Artist. He has performed in all of the lower 48 states. His debut album KEYS TO MY LIFE is a culmination of years of study, practice and lessons learned along the bumpy road of life as a husband, parent, service member and musician.

Sasha Beresovsky

Sasha Beresovsky is a graduate of New York University and Indiana University, studying most recently with Ivo Kaltchev and Jeffrey Swann. He has appeared regularly at The Lyceum in Old Town Alexandria as part of the Summer Chamber Music Series of WMPA, presenting Beethoven’s Diabelli Variations in 2015. Other performances have included solo recitals at the Victor Kosenko and Mikhail Bulgakov museums in Kyiv, the Rhodes Scholar House in Oxford, UK, the Arts Barn in Surry, ME, and Beethoven’s Fourth Concerto with the Belmont Festival Orchestra.

Will Hurd

Will Hurd, viola, is an active chamber musician and teacher in the Washington, D.C. area. Since 2001, he has been a member of the United States Air Force Strings, performing at venues including the White House, the Vice President’s Residence, the U.S. State Department, the Kennedy Center, and the Grand Ole Opry. His recordings with the Covington String Quartet appear on Beethoven: The New Complete Edition (Deutsche Grammophon, 2020). A dedicated educator, Will teaches Suzuki violin to students ages 4–18 at Levine Music and the Herndon Suzuki School, and previously served on the faculty of the Sunderman Conservatory of Music at Gettysburg College. He holds degrees from the New England Conservatory, has participated in workshops with members of the Juilliard and Emerson String Quartets, and completed Suzuki teacher training in the United States and Canada. He is currently pursuing an MBA at the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland.