American violist Matthew Cohen made his Carnegie Hall debut at the age of 15 as a soloist in the New York premiere of Tomas Svoboda’s Sonata No.2 for orchestra and solo string quartet. He returned to Carnegie Hall last January to perform York Bowen’s Phantasy for viola and piano in Weill Recital Hall. Recent accolades include 1st prize at the 2015 VIVO International Competition and special prizewinner at the 2014 Primrose International Viola Competition. He has studied at the Juilliard School, Cleveland Institute of Music, and Colburn Conservatory and has performed as a soloist numerous times with ensembles such as the Colburn Orchestra, Oregon Sinfonietta, and Oregon Symphony/Oregon Ballet Theater. He has performed chamber music with many distinguished artists including Arnold Steinhardt, Daniel Hope, Paul Coletti, Ronald Leonard, Clive Greensmith, Martin Beaver, Amit Peled, Sandra Rivers, and Joaquin Valdepeñas. His recording of York Bowen’s Phantasy for viola and piano is available on the Soundset label. He plays a viola by Helmuth Keller and bow by Paul Martin Siefried generously on loan from The Maestro Foundation and is a proud recipient of a Kovner Fellowship at the Juilliard School in the Master of Music program where he studies with Heidi Castleman and Cynthia Phelps.

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Muriel Razavi was born on July 7th, 1992 to an American mother and a Persian father in Freiburg, Germany. In 2011 she began studying with Prof. Nils Mönkemeyer at the University of Music and Theatre in Munich. In 2012 she was accepted to the class of Prof. Tabea Zimmermann at the University of Music “Hanns Eisler” in Berlin where she continues to study. In 2015 she was personally invited by Daniel Barenboim to join his West-Eastern Divan Orchestra. She played as an Academist in the DSO (Deutsches Symphonie Orchester) Berlin and is currently an Academist in the historically authentic Chamber Orchestra “Balthasar Neumann Ensemble” with Thomas Hengelbrock. Muriel won many first prizes at the National Youth Competition of Germany including a first prize with highest points in the category “Viola solo” in 2010. She has profited from further musical training at international master classes working with renowned musicians such as Rainer Kussmaul, Hatto Beyerle, Wolfram Christ, Nobuko Imai and Tatjana Masurenko. Muriel has been invited to play chamber music at various German music festivals such as the Mecklenburg- Vorpommern Festival, the Schleswig-Holstein Festival and the Rheingau Musik Festival. In February 2015 after a successful audition, she was invited to the “International Seiji Ozawa Academy Switzerland”. In September 2015 she joined the “International Zermatt Festival Academy” with the Scharoun Ensemble of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. Muriel received a scholarship to join the International Music Academy in Liechtenstein and participates in the musical activities of the festival.

After studying violin at the conservatories in Reims and Marseille, Raphaël Pagnon was admitted to the classes of Annick Roussin and Christophe Poiget in Paris. Concurrently he began his viola studies with Michel Michalakakos and was admitted in the same year to the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris (CNSMDP) in the class of Pierre- Henri Xuereb, where he graduated in 2015 in viola performance with the highest marks. A chamber music enthusiast, Raphaël has performed with renowned musicians including Dong-Suk Kang, Pascal Devoyon, Raphaël Chrétien, Dejan Bogdanovic. He has also received advice from Yuri Bashmet, Garth Knox, François Salque, and the Ébene and Modigliani Quartets. He was the winner of the Grand Prix du Département Bouches du Rhône, and a prize-winner at the National Competition for Young Violists, and at the Bellan and Tertis Competitions. He is supported by the “Fondation Musique et Vin au Clos Vougeot” (Burgundy). In 2016 Raphaël has been admitted to the Staatskapelle Akademie Berlin directed by Daniel Barenboim. He plays a viola made by Friedrich Alber in 2014.

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Dr. Jerzy Kosmala, concert violist and pedagogue, has performed all over the world and has recordings on Orion, Vox/MGM, and Centaur labels. He is a frequent guest artist at the world’s foremost festivals, Viola Congresses, universities and academies, and is a regular jury member of many international competitions. In addition, he has adapted and published numerous compositions for viola and has premiered many contemporary works. Kosmala serves on the faculty of the U.C. Irvine, and was a visiting professor at the Royal Academy of Music in London.