Join us for an evening of music featuring selected performances from the seven international cello fellows listed below:
Brazilian-American cellist Gabriel Martins (b. 1998) has established himself as one of the world's most compelling young musicians. His artistry has already been recognized through an extensive list of accolades including the American Recital Debut Award, Concert Artists Guild/Young Classical Artists Trust Grand Prize, the Sphinx Competition Gold Medal, the David Popper International Cello Competition Gold Medal, the International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians Silver Medal, the Schadt String Competition Gold Medal, the Orford Music Award, and the Prague Spring Czech Music Fund Prize. These successes have led to a number of high-profile debuts including Carnegie, Merkin, and Wigmore Halls, 92nd Street Y, the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory, and the Alabama, Arkansas, Greensboro, Houston, Indianapolis, Memphis, Montréal, New Russian State, Omaha, Pacific, Phoenix, San Francisco, and São Paulo Symphony Orchestras. The Strad Magazine declared his all-Bach New York City recital debut to be "flawlessly played...a deeply moving experience”, and he has been named one of the Classic FM “30 under 30” Rising Stars.
Lauded for his "rich, warm" and "mesmerizing" sound, Martins carries a concerto repertoire spanning every major work. In recital, his interpretations of the Bach Cello Suites and arrangements of the Violin Sonatas and Partitas have garnered particular recognition. He is currently undertaking a project to record all twelve masterpieces. Martins’ playing has been broadcast on NPR, WQXR, KUSC, WFMT, and more. His festival appearances include Aspen, Bard, Brevard, Chamberfest Cleveland, Four Seasons, La Jolla, Mainly Mozart, Ravinia, and Yellow Barn.
Martins grew up in Bloomington, Indiana and began playing the cello when he was five, studying with Susan Moses at the Indiana University String Academy. He went on to receive his B.M. as a Presidential Scholar at the USC Thornton School of Music with Ralph Kirshbaum. In his freshman year at USC, he won the school’s concerto competition as well as its Bach competition. He received his M.M. at the New England Conservatory of Music with Laurence Lesser. He now makes his residence in Charleston, South Carolina. In addition to performing, he also composes and teaches.
Hailed as “sensational” and for playing with “total commitment and conviction” (Seen & Heard International 2024), cellist Rainer Crosett is quickly building an international career as an artist of uncommon sensitivity and creativity. After winning the 2018 Pierre Fournier Award in London, he made his recital debut at Wigmore Hall and his concerto debut with the Philharmonia Orchestra of London. Recently named a recipient of the 2025 American Recital Debut Award, he will make his New York recital debut at Carnegie Hall in Spring 2026. Rainer’s passion for the way music relates to other fields also continues to yield interdisciplinary projects, including a new chamber music society in Berlin, Tonhain Kollektiv.
Rainer’s recent concert highlights have included recitals at Bridgewater Hall (Manchester, UK), Oxford May Music, the Romsey Chamber Music Festival (UK), the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concerts (Chicago), and the Roman River Festival (UK). As a chamber musician, he has performed at the Zürich Chamber Music Society, Yellow Barn, Ravinia, Rheingau Musik Festival, Miesbach Kammermusikfestival, Prussia Cove Open Chamber Music, Music@Menlo, and La Jolla SummerFest. He has also collaborated in performance with artists such as Robert Levin, the Neue Vocalsolisten Stuttgart, the Parker Quartet, Anthony Marwood, Donald and Vivian Weilerstein, and Kim Kashkashian.
A passionate educator, Rainer has given cello and chamber music masterclasses at the Royal Academy of Music in London, the University of California - Irvine, the Romsey Chamber Music Festival, and Amsterdam’s HearAndNow Festival. Also in demand as an orchestral section leader in Europe, he performs regularly as guest principal cellist with Amsterdam Sinfonietta and the Oslo Philharmonic.
Isaiah Pennington divides his time between Bermuda and New York City. Through the summer of 2026, he is based in Bermuda, where he is founding the Bermuda Chamber Music Festival, launching its inaugural season at the Bermuda National Gallery.
Isaiah has recently performed at venues such as the DiMenna Center for Classical Music and the German Consulate General in New York, where he was featured in a special concert commemorating the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Prior to moving to Bermuda, Isaiah performed extensively for Lincoln Center Stage, specializing in major piano quartet repertoire.
Isaiah performs with various orchestras in New York and is frequently called as principal cellist, appearing in concerts at venues ranging from Carnegie Hall to the Kaufman Center. A career highlight was premiering Philip Glass’s Symphony No. 14.
While in Bermuda, Isaiah serves on the faculty of the Bermuda School of Music, where he is developing a Suzuki cello program and leading outreach initiatives to expand access to classical music across the island. In addition to these roles, he is a member of a newly formed Bermuda Piano Trio.
As a fellow with the Montclair Orchestra, Isaiah performed alongside principals from the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic. This fellowship also led to collaborations in chamber music concerts at Van Vleck House & Gardens and the Morris Museum Back Porch Series, working with musicians from the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra.
Isaiah holds a Master of Music degree from the Mannes School of Music, where he studied under Marcy Rosen. During his time at Mannes, he was selected for the Orchestra of St. Luke’s Chamber Music Mentorship Program as part of the Mannes Quartet. He also trained in the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra method during the Orpheus@Mannes festival, a unique collaboration between the orchestra and the school. Additionally, he gave several high-profile chamber music and solo performances as part of the Mannes Sounds Festival.
Prior to this, Isaiah earned his Bachelor of Music from the Meadows School of the Arts in Dallas, where he studied with Andrés Díaz. During this time, he developed a close association with the Escher String Quartet, receiving mentorship and performing alongside its members over several years.
Isaiah has participated in masterclasses with artists such as Colin Carr, Matt Haimovitz, Steven Isserlis, Johannes Moser, Philippe Muller, and Raphael Wallfisch.
In the little time when Isaiah isn’t playing the cello, he enjoys fly fishing, amateur astronomy, backpacking, and exploring the natural world. A naturally curious person, he brings this spirit of exploration to both his music and teaching.
Mia Wimbiscus made her orchestral debut in 2020 with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago at Orchestra Hall as a finalist of the Crain-Maling Foundation, Chicago Symphony Orchestra Young Artists Competition. Subsequent solos with orchestra followed; Oistrakh Symphony of Chicago, Music Institute of Chicago, Academy orchestra, Highland Park Strings, and the Südwestdeutsches Kammerorchester Pforzheim in Rutesheim, Germany.
As a soloist, Mia has won many first prizes including: Int’l Music Competition Grand Prize Virtuoso, Enkor International Music Competition, Walgreens National Concerto Competition, multiple divisions of Society of American Musicians Competition, and the Festival in Honor of Confucius Competition. She was also a prize winner in the Grand Prize-Rising Star Category of the Chicago Int’l Music Competition, Elmhurst Symphony Auditions, Dupage Symphony Orchestra Young Artist Awards, and the Discover Symphony Waltz MemorialScholarship Award. Mia will be featured in NPR's “From the Top” program this year.
As a dedicated chamber musician, Mia has received Grand Prize at the Pearl Barnet Chamber Music Competition and First Prize at the Chicago International Music Competition in 2022 with the Dando Piano Trio. She was also a quarter finalist at the Fischoff International Chamber Music Competition with two string quartets.
During recent summers, Mia participated in Musica Mundi in Waterloo, Belgium, Orford Musique Academy in Orford, Quebec, Music Alps in Tignes, France, Cello Classics Course in Tereglio, Italy, and Rutesheim Akademie in Rutesheim, Germany.
Mia is currently in her 2nd year at The Royal Conservatory of Music Glenn Gould School, and has been awarded The David Allan & Cynthia Young Full Merit Scholarship.
In her free time, Mia enjoys bringing music to the community with her family cello trio, particularly to those who are unable to attend a concert.
William Harris is an accomplished cellist, pianist, and vocalist who has achieved significant recognition across multiple disciplines within just seven years of musical study. He has been awarded a Fellowship Performance Diploma for cello (2017), Licentiate Performance Diploma for piano, and an Associate Performance Diploma for voice. After obtaining a double First Class Honours degree in Music from Clare College, Cambridge (2022), where he was both a music and choral scholar, he went on to study at the Eastman School of Music in upstate New York with Professor Steven Doane. He is soon to embark on a Doctorate of Music at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, with Professor Ralph Kirshbaum.
As a soloist, William has performed with orchestra across Europe, including Tchaikovsky’s Variations on a Rococo Theme in Italy with the Orchestra d’Archi “Duchi d’Acquaaviva’ in Atri, Italy and regularly gives solo recitals in the U.K.. During his time at the University of Cambridge, he not only sang with the Choir of Clare College, Cambridge, but also performed with them as a cellist around the U.K., including works by Nico Muhly, Tarik O’Reagan, Brahms and Ola Gjeilo for cello and choir.
As a chamber musician, William has played at London venues including St John’s Smith Square and L.S.O. St. Luke’s, where he performed Gnessin’s Piano Trio ‘In Memory of Our Perished Child’, opus 63, as part of the Gresham College Lecture series. In Cambridge, he was part of a new music trio that participated in masterclasses with composers such as Judith Bingham, Graham Ross, and John Rutter. As a fellow of the 2023 Beethoven Academy at the Smithsonian Chamber Music Society, he has performed at the Smithsonian Institute and other private venues in Washington D.C.. In the last three years, William has given multiple chamber music outreach and educational concerts at schools around the Rochester (N.Y.) area.
Recent festival appearances include the Schiermonnikoog Festival in the Netherlands, Prussia Cove International Musicians Seminar, Apeldoorn Festival and Masterclasses, Sitka International Cello Seminar, and Music Cordiale Music Festival. His growing reputation as a cellist was further solidified when he won prizes at the Radda String Competition in New York (2024) and reached the semi-final stage of the Antonio Janigro International CelloCompetition in Croatia in 2024. William currently plays on a cello dating from 1750 made by ‘Finocchi of Perugia’ and a bow made by Eugène Sartory in Paris in 1905.
Owen Graham is an American-born half British cellist originally from New YorkCity, who is currently working in New York again after years abroad. He has performed both as a solo artist and in orchestras around the world, including orchestral tours of China and Sicily, and playing solo at Carnegie Hall in New York City.
Owen has received awards, including the Duke Ellington Award for Excellence in Music at the Solebury School, and the Bruce Montgomery Foundation for the Arts Springboard Grant. He was awarded the Young Artists Series Debut Concert at TheSolebury School in 2018, which has continued as a series to this day. He has also been given the position of interim faculty member at The Blue Mountain Festival as a performer, chamber music coach, and a teacher of jazz improvisation.
Being classically trained, Owen most often performs classical repertoire, but has been known to perform and professionally record jazz, rock, and alternative genres. He hasdebuted new compositions in the USA and UK.
Owen is currently completing his Masters degree at Manhattan School of Music, studying with David Geber. This is after four years at The Royal Academy of Music, studying with Josephine Knight. Before this, he studied with Marion Feldman at theManhattan School of Music, and Anita Hill in Princeton New Jersey. He has also studiedwith visiting professors Sung-Won Yang, and Sheku Kanneh-Mason.
With the gracious help of the Wolfson Foundation, Owen plays a contemporary cello jointly made by Harry Strong and Tony Padday, paired with an antique German bow,acquired with the generous help of the Bruce Montgomery Foundation.
Through many years of high level playing and performing throughout America, Zoe Hardel has developed a platform for cello performance in New York City. Her most recent achievement is with Carnegie Hall’s New York String Orchestra, performing two concerts of Beethoven and Mozart in the Isaac Stern auditorium. Other performances include a solo concert for the Portland Bach Experience, a European tour with NEC’s premiere youth orchestra, and a debut with the Portland String Quartet for the inauguration of Maine governor Janet Mills, among others. Zoe has played for cellists such as Lynn Harrell, Hannah Roberts, and Steven Doane in masterclasses and festivals. Currently, she is pursuing a degree from the Manhattan School of Music, studying with Julia Lichten.
The Sitka International Cello Seminar is a program of the Sitka Music Festival, Alaska’s premier chamber music presenter. The Sitka Music Festival inspires audiences, sparks creativity, and strengthens community across Alaska through live chamber music performances, music education, and training—by artists of the highest caliber.