Kurt Sassmannshaus, violinist and conductor, is considered one of today's preeminent violin pedagogues. Founder and director of the Starling Preparatory String Project and Starling Chamber Orchestra, he is Chair of the String Department at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. In 2005, Prof. Sassmannshaus founded the Great Wall International Music Academy, which brings together the current and future generation of outstanding string soloists and teachers for four weeks of musical training, performance and cultural exchange every summer in Beijing, China. He is also the author of Violinmasterclass.com, an award-winning comprehensive educational website.

Piotr Milewski, associate professor of violin at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music since 1995, won first prize in Poland's National Violin Competition and silver medals in the Paganini, Wieniawski and Queen Elisabeth international violin competitions. He completed his graduate and doctoral degrees at The Juilliard School, where he studied with Dorothy Delay and Hyo Kang.

Won-Bin Yim, associate professor of violin at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music since 1991, is former concertmaster of the Wichita Symphony Orchestra and Reno Philharmonic. He studied with Dorothy DeLay at The Juilliard School and Aspen Music Festival, where he also teaches.

Catharine Carroll has been associate professor of viola at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music since 1993. She was appointed to the faculty of the Aspen Music Festival in 1994, where she also serves as principal violist of the Aspen Chamber Symphony. In addition, she is an active chamber musician and author. She collaborated on the widely-used teaching book, "Essential Basics for Viola."

Lee Fiser, professor of violoncello at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music since 1975, studied with Lynn Harrell and Leslie Parnas and graduated from the Cleveland Institute of Music. As cellist of the LaSalle Quartet since 1975, he has performed on more than 40 international concert tours. He is a former member of the Cleveland Concert Associates and Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.

William Grubb, cellist, has been adjunct assistant professor of chamber music at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music since 2000. Mr. Grubb has been a faculty member at Aspen each summer since 1976, where he currently is director of the string chamber music program. He frequently presents master classes at colleges and universities and has served on the faculties of the Manhattan School of Music and Brooklyn College of City University of New York. Mr. Grubb is professor of cello and chamber music at the Jordan College of Fine Arts at Butler University. He has written his own cello method book and recorded for CRI and Monitor Records.

Violinist FangFang Li began violin studies at the age of four with her father and grandfather, and later studied with Professor ZhiLong Wang from the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing. At the age of 14, Li was accepted to Idyllwild Arts Academy in California to study with Todor Pelev. She attended the Aspen Music Festival in 2001 and entered the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) as a full scholarship student of Kurt Sassmannshaus that same year. She earned her bachelor's and master's degrees in violin performance in 2006 and 2008, respectively. In 2005, Li translated the acclaimed comprehensive violin teaching website, www.violinmasterclass.com, into Chinese. Li serves as Associate Dean of the Great Wall International Music Academy and is a member of the Baur Quartet, which holds the first fellowship as quartet-in-residence at CCM. Li also serves as the coordinator of The Sassmannshaus Tradition program for young children. Li is currently pursuing her doctoral degree in violin performance at CCM.

Diego Fainguersch, cellist, has been carving new paths for the cello as a solo instrument, bringing our attention to many undiscovered marvels of South American composers. As a member of the Carpe Diem String Quartet, he often performs in Ohio, as well as in New York and Texas. As an orchestral player, Mr. Fainguersch has played with the Cincinnati Symphony, Ballet, and Chamber orchestras. He has appeared at some of the world's top music festivals, including the Curitiba Music Academy (Brazil), Roman-sur-Isere (France) and the Opera Theatre and Music Festival of Lucca (Italy). First prize winner of both the CCM Chamber Music and Concerto Competitions, Mr. Fainguersch is also the recipient of numerous prestigious scholarships, including the Fulbright and the Antorchas Foundation Music Scholarships. In great demand as a teacher, he has led master classes and music festivals throughout South America. Mr. Fainguersch's teachers have included Yehuda Hanani at the University of Cincinnati, David Premo and Ann M. Williams at Carnegie Mellon University, Patrick Gabard at the Lyon Conservatory in France, and Wladimir Glagol at the National Conservatory of Buenos Aires in Argentina. He has participated in master classes led by M. Rostropovich, W. Strehle, Y. Chiffoleau, F. Guye. Mr. Fainguersch plays a cello made by George Gemunder in 1887, generously given by Mr. and Mrs. Hale Oliver.

Pianists Sung-Ju Cho, Haeri Suh, Jiyoung Lee, Eunbyol Ko

Librarian Lydia Feltner