Music in the Mountains
Violin Academy with Vadim Gluzman
Stay tuned for 2027 dates and information
Music in the Mountains is pleased to announce the Violin Academy with Vadim Gluzman, an educational initiative in partnership with the Arkady Fomin Scholarship Fund of the North Shore Chamber Music Festival.
Led by Music in the Mountains Artistic Director and internationally celebrated violinist Vadim Gluzman, the Academy brings a select group of exceptional early-career violinists from around the globe alongside talented young musicians from the Four Corners region to Durango for a week of intensive study, artistic mentorship, and community engagement.
The program includes private instruction and coaching with Vadim Gluzman, public masterclasses, and a culmination Showcase Concert at the Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College.
Music in the Mountains and Durango serve as a special, meaningful backdrop to launch this Academy, as Arkady Fomin began his legacy here in 1997, nurturing young artists and creating something special for all who attended. The Academy will continue his vision, and help bring the next generation of violinists to Durango, just as he previously did.
Participants will also experience the unique culture, history, and natural beauty of Southwest Colorado during their stay. This Academy enhances the vision of Music in the Mountains’ milestone 40th Anniversary Season and underscores the festival’s longstanding commitment to education and artistic excellence.
Thanks in part to generous sponsorship from the Arkady Fomin Scholarship Fund, tuition is fully covered for all selected participants. Students will be housed with host families, and meals, and local transportation will be provided.
Meet the 2026 Violin Academy Participants
Alex Chasse
After being introduced to the instrument by the B-Frank Organization, at the age of ten Alex began taking violin lessons with Emily Huntsman, and became the student of Lauren Avery when she was twelve. Beyond her studies in Durango Colorado, she has lessoned with Francesco Comisso at the Jacopo Tomandi Conservatory of Music, Dr. Ching-Yi Lin, Violin Professor at Western Kentucky University, and with various members of the Philadelphia Orchestra, including Marc Rovetti, Richard Amaroso, Pianist Mark Livshits, and Principle Second Violinist Kimberly Fischer. She is a multiple-time Alumni of the Philadelphia International Music Festival, and has attended the Jacobs School of Music Summer String Academy. Alex has performed in masterclasses with esteemed musicians such as Jennifer Johnson, Brian Krinke, Oleg Sulyga, and Dmitry Kustanovich.
Making Chamber Music a priority in her musical studies, Alex has worked extensively with her Quartet in Durango, and has been coached by chamber music experts such as Megan Yip, Andrew Braddock, and Marija Raisanen. One of the highlights of her chamber experience was the masterclass she performed in with the Pacifica Quartet. Alex also has an abundance of orchestral experience, both as a student and a professional. She has served as the Concertmaster of the San Juan Youth Symphony in Durango for the last two years, and has been a part of the Colorado Allstate Orchestra Symphony Ensemble as Principle Second Violin in 2025 and Third Chair First Violin in 2026. In 2025, she received her first concert contract with the San Juan Symphony, and has since signed three more. Besides performing, Alex finds enjoyment in working with horses, exploring nature, and learning Italian.
Mark Chia
Mark Chia started playing the violin at three years old and was under the tutelage of Min Lee in Singapore since the age of 5. Mark has been a top prize winner in several competitions including 1st prize in Grunewald International Music Competition 2024, 2nd prize in Il Piccolo Violino Magico International Competition 2022, and other top prizes.
In 2023, Mark was one of five young violinists selected to perform at the Mini Violini event of the highly-regarded international classical music competition Concours Musical Internationale de Montréal (CMIM). He has also performed as a soloist with orchestras in Italy, Austria, Berlin and Singapore. Mark enjoys chamber music and had his first experience participating in the Singapore Chamber Music Festival 2024.
Away from the violin, Mark does composing and improvisation and ccasionally plays the piano. He also enjoys reading, playing chess, and various sports and most recently started ant-keeping. Mark was recently accepted into Kunst-universität Graz’s Course for Highly Gifted Students at 12 years old and currently studies under Prof Boris Kuschnir in Vienna. He has also participated in masterclasses of prominent pedagogues and musicians including Dmitry Sitkovetsky, Boris Garlitsky, Vadim Gluzman, Evgeny Sinaiski, Henning Kraggerud, and Robin Wilson.
ILVA EIGUS
Ilva Eigus began playing violin at age three and is currently studying with Marc Bouchkov at the Royal Conservatory of Liège, Belgium. Additionally, Ilva is a scholarship recipient from Seiji Ozawa Academy, IMS Prussia Cove and Verbier Festival Academy, among others. Ilva has performed with orchestras including Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich, Musikkollegium Winterthur, Zurich Chamber Orchestra, Bodensee Philharmonie Konstanz, Moscow Philharmonic and Prague Royal Philharmonic, and in venues such as Tonhalle Zurich, Victoria Hall in Geneva and Tchaikovsky Hall in Moscow. Her most recent awards include 1st prizes at the Grumiaux Competition and Grunewald Competition, as well as the Rotary
prize of the Verbier Festival. In 2025 Ilva was nominated as Pirastro Young Artist. She plays a 1707 Omobono Stradivari, on loan by the Stradivari Stiftung Habisreutinger-Huggler-Coray.
MAXIMILLIAN JAMES
Maximilian James (16) is a violinist from Redmond, Washington. Inspired by Itzhak Perlman’s Zigeunerweisen, he began studying violin at age four with Sharon Wherland and later received guidance from Professor Grant Donnellan. He currently studies with Dr. Pasha Sabouri.
Max has performed in masterclasses with renowned artists including Vadim Gluzman, Richard Lin, Erin Keefe, Nancy Zhou, Miriam Fried, and Stefan Jackiw. A passionate chamber musician, he is a member of the Seattle Chamber Music Society Academy and has worked with musicians such as Efe Baltacigil, Nathan Chan, Elisa Barston, Susan Gulkis Assadi, Mark Salman and Rachel Lee Priday. His chamber groups have also performed in masterclasses for artists like James Ehnes, Tessa Lark, and Inon Barnatan. Max is the concert master of Eastlake High School’s chamber orchestra. Max has studied at the Indiana University Jacob’s School of Music summer strings academy for the last 3 summers.
Max won the Performing Arts Festival of the Eastside’s Concerto Competition in 2025 and made his orchestral debut with the Bellevue Symphony the same year.
JULIAN KAINRATH
Julian Kainrath is the winner of the Ysaÿe International Competition and recipient of the ICMA Discovery Award (2022). He made his orchestral debut at 16 with Adam Fischer and the Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra at the Philharmonie Luxembourg. He has performed recitals and concertos in Italy, Germany, France, Austria, Switzerland, the United States, and Belgium. Notable appearances include Teatro La Fenice (Venice), Konzerthaus Wien, Smetana Hall (Prague), and the Austrian Cultural Forum in Washington, D.C. He has collaborated with orchestras such as I Virtuosi Italiani, the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine, Klassische Philharmonie Bonn, Orchestra Sinfonica di Bari, and Westdeutsche Sinfonia.
Julian has appeared at festivals including the Verbier Festival, Engadin Festival, Bolzano Festival Bozen, Bergerac Festival, and Settimane Musicali di Merano. Chamber music collaborations include performances with Till Fellner, Ilya Gringolts, Louis Lortie, and Roberto Prosseda. Highlights of the 2025/2026 season include performances with Daniel Hope and the Zurich Chamber Orchestra, an appearance at Smetana Hall with the North Czech Philharmonic, and a recital tour across Europe. He will tour Italy with pianist Lilya Zilberstein in 2026/2027. Julian studied with Dora Schwarzberg and Boris Kuschnir and is currently studying with Marc Bouchkov at the Conservatoire Royal de Liège. He plays a Michelangelo Bergonzi and a Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume (1828), both on loan.
JIYU LEE
Jiyu Lee, a 17-year-old violinist based in Fullerton, California, is a senior at Orange County School of the Arts and studies with Hwieun Kim and Henry Gronnier at the Colburn School. Throughout her studies, Jiyu has received numerous awards, including winner of the National YoungArts Competition, Antelope Valley Gail Newby Concerto Competition, American String Teachers Association Los Angeles Branch Competition, and Amici Solo & Chamber Music Competition. Jiyu has performed twice with the Orange County Collective Orchestra under the baton of David Rentz and once with the Antelope Valley Symphony Orchestra, conducted by David L. Newby, as well as the Orange County School of the Art’s Symphony Orchestra. With eight years of chamber experience, she is a part of the Honors Chamber Music Institute at the Colburn School, studying with Moni Simeonov. In 2025, the Doxa Quartet, coached by Gina Coletti, claimed both first place and the grand prize at the National Coltman Chamber Music Competition, as well as the silver medal at the Fischoff International Chamber Music Competition.
Jiyu has enriched her artistry by attending summer festivals such as Meadowmount School of Music, Encore Chamber Institute, Amici Summer Music Festival, Los Angeles Youth Philharmonic, and Soundingpoint Academy. She also participated in NYO2, where she served as concertmaster in 2023 and assistant concertmaster in 2024. Apart from her musical pursuits, Jiyu enjoys hanging out with her friends and walking her dog, Breezie.
MADISON LIN
Madison Lin is a first-year undergraduate studying violin at The Peabody Institute under the tutelage of Vadim Gluzman as a recipient of the Premier Talent Scholarship. She began her violin studies at the age of five and studied with Dr. Pasha Sabouri at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music’s Pre-College. Madison has been mentored by many musicians including Miriam Fried, Mimi Zweig, Midori, Haik Kazazyan, Stella Chen, Grigory Kalinovsky, Justin Bruns, Richard Lin, Ingrid Matthews, and Simone Porter.
Madison was a three year member of the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra, where she served as co-principal and co concertmaster. In addition to orchestral studies, Madison is an avid chamber musician and is currently participating in Peabody’s quartet seminar, where she studies with Annie Fullard. She previously attended the Cal Music Prep chamber program and studied chamber music at SFCM. She has been coached by musicians including Atar Arad, Kim Kashkashian, Sarah Kapustin, Roeland Jagers, Amir Eldan, Brandon Vamos and Mark Holloway of the Pacifica Quartet, Ken Hamao of the Parker Quartet, Joseph Maile of the Telegraph Quartet, and Dmitri Murrath and Yeeun Heo of the Esme Quartet.
During the summer, Madison has participated in the Texas Strings Festival and the IU Jacobs School of Music’s Summer String Academy. She is also a recipient of the North Shore Chamber Music Festival’s Arkady Fomin Scholarship Fund and has received awards from the Bay Area Creative Youth Awards.
NATHAN NEWMAN
Nathan Newman is a 20-year-old violinist from Durango, Colorado, currently pursuing a degree in Violin Performance at Colorado State University. He has studied violin for the past 12 years and is currently under the instruction of Ron Francois. Passionate about both solo and ensemble performance, Nathan has developed experience across a wide range of musical settings, including weddings, church concerts, chamber music, and orchestral performances. He has also performed with the San Juan Symphony.
As a performer, Nathan is deeply committed to refining both his technical ability and musical expression through the study of major violin repertoire. His solo studies have included the Conus Violin Concerto and Violin Sonata No. 1 in G minor, BWV 1001. Nathan continues to pursue opportunities that allow him to grow as a versatile and expressive musician.
JULIAN RHEE
Rhee, a Korean-American violinist, was the winner of the coveted 2024 Avery Fisher Career Grant. He brings expressive depth, technical mastery, and interpretive insight to both familiar and contemporary works. Rhee rose to international prominence as a soloist following his prize-winning performances at the 2024 Queen Elisabeth International Violin Competition and his Silver Medal at the 11th Quadrennial International Violin Competition of Indianapolis. He has appeared with leading orchestras worldwide, including the Pittsburgh Symphony, Antwerp Symphony, Stuttgarter Kammerorchester, San Diego Symphony, Belgian National Orchestra and Calgary Philharmonic, among others. A dedicated chamber musician, Rhee is the newest member of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s Bowers Program. He is also the recipient of numerous honors including the Aspen Festival’s Dorothy DeLay Fellowship, Arkady Fomin Scholarship Fund, and Manfred Grommek Prize from the Kronberg Academy. Rhee received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the New England Conservatory and performs on the extraordinary 1699 “Lady Tennant” Antonio Stradivari violin and a Jean Pierre Marie Persoit bow, on extended loan through the generosity of the Mary B. Galvin Foundation and the Stradivari Society.
SHENGBO TU
Tu already has many competitive honors to his credit, including third Prize in the Hong Kong International Violin Competition in 2016 and Third Prize in the US International Violin Competition in 2020, including the Bach Special Prize. In 2020 he founded the Dayue Philharmonic Orchestra, leading a national concert tour in 2021-22 to major cities in China. In 2022, he toured with the Aiyuehui Symphony Orchestra, presenting a Strauss New Year’s Concert series at several prestigious venues. In 2022, he participated in a complete cycle tour of Beethoven symphonies with the Shanghai Conservatory Symphony Orchestra. In 2024, he performed in Les Misérables with the Shanze Symphony Orchestra. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree from the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. He later earned his master’s degree from the Manhattan School of Music. He was subsequently awarded a full scholarship to pursue the Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University, under the tutelage Vadim Gluzman.
RACHEL YI
Known for her boundless imagination and deep understanding of music, Rachel Yi is a passionate violinist that has made a statement with her performances across the nation. Some of her solo performances include her performance of the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto with the Greenville County Youth Orchestra and Greenville Symphony Orchestra in the “Shoulder to Shoulder” concert, as well as being a part of the Piccolo Spoleto Young Artists Series. Recently, Rachel was invited to the Bowdoin International Music Festival as part of the fellowship program. Through this program she served as concertmaster in the festival orchestra in a concert with world-renowned artist Richard Goode, and also received a masterclass from violinist Simone Porter.
Rachel has consistently pursued her love of chamber music through her participation in numerous esteemed music festivals. Including the Bowdoin International Music Festival, she has spent her summers at festivals such as the Taos School of Music, Ravinia’s Steans Music Institute and the Music@Menlo Chamber Music Festival. Rachel received her Bachelor’s and Masters degrees at the New England Conservatory of Music, under the tutelage of Paul Biss and Miriam Fried. Currently based in Indiana, Rachel is pursuing a Doctoral of Musical Arts degree at the Jacobs School of Music and is studying with Professor Grigory Kalinovsky. She has also studied with other renowned artists such as Hye-Jin Kim and Ara Gregorian.
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