Founded in 1992, the Evnin Rising Stars mentoring program, renamed in honor of Judy Evnin, Caramoor’s Chairman Emerita, has identified some of the finest musicians of the next generation and helped them cross the threshold from their student years into the early stages of professional careers.
Young artists from Caramoor’s Evnin Rising Stars program perform in a pair of concerts for which the program’s guest Artistic Director, cellist Marcy Rosen, is joined by distinguished artists Joseph Lin, violin, and Steven Tenenbom, viola.
In their first concert, the young instrumentalists perform Haydn’s String Quartet in B-flat Major; Brahms’ String Quintet in F Major; and Dvořák’s Piano Quartet in E-flat Major. In their second performance, the young musicians tackle Mozart’s String Quintet in D Major; Janáček’s emotionally-charged String Quartet No. 2; and Dohnányi’s melancholic Second Piano Quintet.
The 2022 Evnin Rising Stars:
Claire Bourg, violin (Maximilian E. & Marion O. Hoffman Foundation Rising Star)
Geneva Lewis, violin (Carmela S. Haklisch Rising Star)
Stephanie Zyzak, violin (Robert D. Hodes Rising Star)
Njord Fossnes, viola (Tondra & Jeffrey Lynford Rising Star)
Tanner Menees, viola (Susan & Joseph Handelman Rising Star)
Nathan Chan, cello (Mimi & Barry Alperin Rising Star)
Sterling Elliot, cello (Edna B. Salomon Rising Star)
Zhu Wang, piano (Texaco Rising Star)
The 2022 Distinguished Artists & Mentors:
Marcy Rosen, Guest Artistic Director & cello
Joseph Lin, Distinguished Artist & violin
Steven Tenenbom, Distinguished Artist & viola
One of three mentoring programs at Caramoor, Evnin Rising Stars serves as an incubator for the next generation of classical musicians. For more information about Evnin Rising Stars and other mentoring programs at Caramoor, including a full list of alumni artists, visit our website page.
We invite you to learn a little bit more about the Evnin Rising Stars below:
Claire Bourg, violin (Maximilian E. & Marion O. Hoffman Foundation Rising Star)
Violinist Claire Bourg has appeared as a soloist and chamber musician in many of the world’s leading venues, such as Carnegie Hall, Chicago’s Orchestra Hall, Kimmel Center, and Jordan Hall. Most recently, she was a soloist with the Camerata Bern in Hannover, as part of the Joachim International Violin Competition. Bourg was granted the 2021 Luminarts Fellowship, awarded second prize at the 2020 Barbash J.S. Bach Competition, and was a winner of the New England Conservatory Competition. She performs regularly with Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Music for Food, Chameleon Arts Ensemble, and Curtis on Tour, and she currently serves as concertmaster of Symphony in C. A passionate chamber musician, Bourg has participated in many festivals including Marlboro, Yellow Barn, Ravinia, and Taos, among others. A native of Chicago, Bourg’s primary teachers have been Miriam Fried, Pamela Frank, and Arnold Steinhardt. Currently, she is a student of Joseph Lin at The Juilliard School, where she holds a Kovner Fellowship.
Geneva Lewis, violin (Carmela S. Haklisch Rising Star)
New Zealand-born violinist Geneva Lewis is the recipient of a 2021 Avery Fisher Career Grant and Grand Prize winner of the 2020 Concert Artists Guild Competition. She was recently named a finalist at the 2018 Naumburg Competition, a Performance Today Young Artist-in-Residence, and Musical America’s New Artist of the Month. Lewis has performed with orchestras and in recitals around the world. Passionate about chamber music, Lewis established the Callisto Trio, Artist-in-Residence at the Da Camera Society in Los Angeles, which was recently invited on the Masters on Tour series of the International Holland Music Sessions and performed at the celebrated Het Concertgebouw Amsterdam. Lewis has also participated in many summer festivals including Marlboro Music Festival, Ravinia Steans Institute, Perlman Music Program’s Chamber Workshop, International Holland Music Sessions, Taos School of Music, and the Heifetz International Music Institute.
She received her Bachelor of Music degree at New England Conservatory, studying with Miriam Fried. She performs on a violin by Zosimo Bergonzi of Cremona, c. 1770 courtesy of Guarneri Hall NFP and Darnton & Hersh Fine Violins, Chicago.
Stephanie Zyzak, violin (Robert D. Hodes Rising Star)
Praised for her sensitive musicianship and heartfelt playing, violinist Stephanie Zyzak is quickly gaining a reputation as one of the most soulful and profound musicians of her generation. Since making her solo debut at the age of seven with Cincinnati’s Starling Chamber Orchestra, she has performed as a soloist with orchestras and various ensembles throughout Germany, Russia, Austria, Sweden, Spain, Italy, and France. Zyzak is a deeply passionate chamber musician and has had the privilege of collaborating with renowned artists such as Jonathan Biss, Miriam Fried, Ida Kavafian, Marcy Rosen, and Mitsuko Uchida. She has performed at Caramoor, Marlboro Music Festival, Ravinia’s Steans Music Institute, and the Four Seasons Chamber Music Festival. Born in South Carolina in 1994, she is a graduate of New England Conservatory where she studied with Miriam Fried. Currently, she is studying at CUNY The Graduate Center with Mark Steinberg. She performs on a 1778 Joseph and Antonio Gagliano violin, generously on loan from Ravinia’s Steans Music Institute and a bow by François-Nicolas Voirin.
Njord Fossnes, viola (Tondra & Jeffrey Lynford Rising Star)
Njord Fossnes is a Norwegian violist and composer who studies at New England Conservatory with Kim Kashkashian. Fossnes has won prizes as both a soloist and a chamber musician at multiple national and international competitions, such as the Midgard Competition, Youth National Music Competition, Virtuoso, and BelCanto International Competition. In 2018 he was the youngest participant at the prestigious ARD International Music Competition, and he won second prize in the first ever Hindemith International Viola Competition in 2021. Fossnes has also appeared as a soloist performing Bartók’s Viola Concerto, Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante, and Hindemith’s Kammermusik 5, in addition to Kurt Atterberg’s Suite for violin, viola, and orchestra with violinist Gustav Rørmark and the Norwegian Radio Orchestra. Fossnes is also an avid composer, and his work Etyde was performed by the Oslo Philharmonic in 2018. He plays on a Giovanni Battista Guadagnini, Piacenza 1745 viola, generously loaned by Anders Sveaas’ Charitable Foundation.
Tanner Menees, viola (Susan & Joseph Handelman Rising Star)
Violist Tanner Menees is forging an enviable career as a chamber musician. Menees has collaborated with a range of notable artists, including Martin Beaver, Denis Bouriakov, Miriam Fried, Clive Greensmith, Lynn Harrell, Frans Helmerson, Gary Hoffman, Marcy Rosen, and Peter Stumpf.
He has performed internationally at the Marlboro Music Festival, Ravinia’s Steans Music Institute, Chamberfest Cleveland, Menuhin Festival String Academy, Edinburgh Music Festival, Juilliard String Quartet Seminar, and McGill International String Quartet Academy and with NEXUS Chamber Music Chicago. Menees has performed as a soloist with the Colburn Orchestra under maestro Thierry Fischer and the Symphony New Hampshire. Menees is featured in Mike Grittani’s video,Dreaming of Boccherini, shot in Guarneri Hall as part of the NEXUS Chamber Music Festival in 2019.
Menees studied with Kim Kashkashian at the New England Conservatory, where he earned a Master of Music degree. He is currently a student of professor Nobuko Imai at the Reina Sofía School of Music’s Fundación BBVA on a scholarship from Fundación Albéniz. Menees plays on a viola of the Tarasconi school made in Milan, Italy c. 1880 courtesy of Guarneri Hall NFP and Darnton & Hersh Fine Violins.
Nathan Chan, cello (Mimi & Barry Alperin Rising Star)
Cellist Nathan Chan made his musical debut at age three conducting the San Jose Chamber Orchestra. He has performed as a soloist with the San Francisco Symphony, The Royal Philharmonic, and the Albany Symphony, among others. Chan was a chosen artist for Fondation Louis Vuitton’s Classe d’Excellence du Violoncelle with renowned cellist Gautier Capuçon. Chan earned his Bachelor’s degree from Columbia University and has a growing internet presence with over 25 million views on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok (@nathanchancello).
Chan studied with Richard Aaron at The Juilliard School, where he earned his Masters of Music degree. Nathan recently released his first NFT, collaborating with AI Artist Lia Coleman, combining classical music with machine learning art. He is currently Assistant Principal Cello of the Seattle Symphony. Visit him online at nathanchan.com.
Sterling Elliot, cello (Edna B. Salomon Rising Star)
Cellist Sterling Elliott is a 2021 Avery Fisher Career Grant recipient and a winner of the 2019 National Sphinx Competition. His orchestral appearances in the 2021 – 22 season included performances with the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, Orlando Philharmonic, Hawaii Symphony Orchestra, and Midland Symphony. Previous orchestral engagements have included the Philadelphia Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, the Boston Symphony, and the Detroit Symphony, among others.
A two-time alum of NPR’s From the Top, he was a recipient of a scholarship from the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation and performed several concerts in Switzerland at the 2019 World Economic Forum. He was also the first recipient of The National Arts Club’s Herman and Mary Neuman Music Scholarship Award.
Elliott is currently a Kovner Fellow at The Juilliard School, studying with Joel Krosnick. He performs on a 1741 Gennaro Gagliano cello on loan through the Robert F. Smith Fine String Patron Program, in partnership with the Sphinx Organization.
Zhu Wang, piano (Texaco Rising Star)
Praised by The New York Times as “especially impressive” and “a thoughtful, sensitive performer,” pianist Zhu Wang was awarded First Prize in the 2020 Young Concert Artists Susan Wadsworth International Auditions. Wang has performed in China, Italy, Poland, Japan, and across the United States at prestigious venues including the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Carnegie Hall, and the Kammermusiksaal of Berliner Philharmonie. His New York debut made The New York Times’ “Best of Classical Music 2021” list. Wang has also won top prizes at the Zhuhai International Mozart Competition and Manhattan International Music Competition. His festival appearances have included Kneisel Hall Chamber Music Festival, Shanghai International Music Festival, and Amalfi Coast Music and Arts Festival in Italy. He received a Bachelor of Music degree from The Juilliard School, where he was also the recipient of the Gina Bachauer and Mieczyslaw Munz Scholarship. He is currently pursuing his post-baccalaureate diploma at Curtis Institute of Music, under the tutelage of Robert McDonald. He gratefully acknowledges the support of the Bagby Foundation for the Musical Arts.
We invite you to learn a little bit more about the Distinguished Artists & Mentors:
Marcy Rosen, Guest Artistic Director & cello
Marcy Rosen, cellist, has established herself as one of the most important and respected artists of our day. Los Angeles Times music critic Herbert Glass has called her “one of the intimate art’s abiding treasures” and The New Yorker Magazine deemed her “a New York legend of the cello.” She has performed in recital and with orchestras throughout Canada, England, France, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, South America, Switzerland, and throughout the United States. Sought after for her riveting and informative master classes, she has been a guest of the Curtis Institute of Music, the New England Conservatory, the San Francisco Conservatory, the Central Conservatory in Beijing, the Seoul Arts Center in Korea, and the Cartagena International Music Festival in Colombia.
Rosen was a founding member of the Mendelssohn String Quartet, which toured worldwide for 31 years. Since 1986, she has served as Artistic Director of Chesapeake Music in Maryland. Since first attending the Marlboro Music Festival in 1975, she has participated in 25 Musicians from Marlboro tours, including concerts celebrating the 40th, 50th, and 60th anniversaries of the festival.
A graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music, Rosen is currently a professor of cello at the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College, while also serving as Artistic Director of the Chamber Music Live concert series. She is on the faculty at the Mannes College of Music in New York City.
Joseph Lin, Distinguished Artist & violin
Appearing regularly as a performer and teacher throughout the United States, Asia, and Europe, Joseph Lin is on the faculty of The Juilliard School where he teaches violin and chamber music. First violinist of the Juilliard String Quartet from 2011 to 2018, his projects since then have included period instrument performances of Beethoven, Schubert, and Bach; performances of Bartók’s Second Concerto; and Musicians from Marlboro tours on violin and viola.
As a professor at Cornell University from 2007 to 2011, Lin organized the inaugural Chinese Musicians Residency and led a project with Cornell composers to create new music inspired by Bach. Lin’s recordings include the music of Korngold and Busoni; an album of Debussy, Franck, and Milhaud; and the complete unaccompanied works of Bach and Ysaÿe. His recording of Mozart’s Violin Concerto in A Major with original cadenzas was released in 2017. With the Juilliard String Quartet, Lin recorded Schubert’s Death and the Maiden and Carter’s Fifth Quartet as well as the Quartet’s album of Beethoven, Davidovsky, and Bartók.
Steven Tenenbom, Distinguished Artist & viola
Violist Steven Tenenbom has established a distinguished career as a chamber musician, soloist, recitalist, and teacher. He has worked with composer Lukas Foss and jazz artist Chick Corea, and appeared as a guest artist with such eminent ensembles as the Guarneri and Emerson string quartets, and the Beaux Arts and Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson trios. He has performed as soloist with the Utah Symphony, Rochester Philharmonic, and Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, and toured with the Brandenburg Ensemble throughout the United States and Japan. His festival credits include Mostly Mozart, Aspen, Ravinia, Marlboro, June Music Festival, Chamber Music Northwest, Music from Angel Fire, and Bravo! Colorado. A recipient of the prestigious Coleman Chamber Music award and a former member of the Galimir Quartet, he is currently the violist with the Orion String Quartet, the renowned group Tashi, and the piano quartet Opus One. Tenenbom is on the faculties of The Curtis Institute of Music, The Juilliard School, and The Bard College Conservatory of Music. He has recorded on RCA Records with Tashi and the Guarneri String Quartet, and can also be heard on the Arabesque, Delos, ECM, Marlboro Recording Society, and Sony Classical labels. He performs on a 1560 Gasparo da Salò viola. Married to violinist Ida Kavafian, he lives in Connecticut where the couple also breeds, raises, and shows champion Vizsla purebred dogs.
