String Chamber Music Faculty
Robert Bassill is the Director of the MYAC Chamber Music Program and the Chicago Chamber Music Workshop, and serves as the conductor of the Sinfonietta (Summer Evening) Orchestra. He is also the Director of the Orchestra and Music Theory programs at Lake Forest High School, where he has led his students on European tours and collaborated with renowned soloists, including Chicago Symphony Orchestra members Tage Larsen and Patrick Godon. In addition to his leadership roles, Robert is an active teacher and freelance musician in the Chicago area. Robert earned his undergraduate degree in violin performance under Mark Zinger at DePaul University and holds a Master of Arts in Music Education from Case Western Reserve University. He is also a dedicated advocate for chamber music and currently serves on the Board of Directors for International Chamber Artists.
David Caplan began his musical studies at the age of ten. He has studied with notable musicians and has won several chamber music competitions, including first prize at the 2017 Discover Chamber Music Competition and the junior division gold medal at the 2017 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition. He has performed in prominent venues and festivals, including the Juilliard String Quartet Seminar and NPR's From the Top.
David has appeared as a soloist with various orchestras and is currently the principal cellist of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. He has performed with prestigious ensembles such as the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Grant Park Orchestra and under the baton of renowned conductors like Riccardo Muti and Gennady Rozhdestvensky. He has collaborated with a wide range of artists, including Hilary Hahn, Wynton Marsalis, and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra.
David holds a Master’s Degree in Cello Performance from the University of Michigan and a Bachelor's Degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Passionate about teaching, he is a frequent guest clinician at Midwest Young Artists’ Conservatory and other institutions. David has taught at numerous high schools and through organizations that provide free music lessons to underserved children. He has also participated in the Chautauqua, Aspen, and Taos summer music festivals and was a fellow with the Grant Park Orchestra in 2023.
David Cunliffe is the cellist in the Lincoln Trio which FANFARE Magazine hailed as "one of the hottest young trios in the business."
Formed in 2003, the Lincoln Trio takes its name from their home, the heartland of the United States, the land of Lincoln. The trio has been praised for its polished presentations of well-known chamber works and its ability to forge new paths with contemporary repertoire.
The Lincoln Trio has performed throughout the United States, including appearances at Carnegie's Weill Hall, Ravinia Festival, Poisson Rouge, LACMA, Lane Concert Series, University of Chicago, Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert Series, Music in the Loft, and in Springfield, Illinois, where the trio was chosen to celebrate the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial celebration with President Barack Obama. Internationally the trio has performed in Germany, Singapore, Hong Kong, Vietnam and most recently a 5 city tour of Colombia.
Staunch proponents of music education, the Lincoln Trio has had residencies at San Francisco State University, University of Wisconsin Madison, and SUNY Fredonia. They are currently ensemble-in-residence at the Merit School of Music. Their recording of ‘Annelies’ was nominated for a 2014 Grammy Award, and their most recent CD 'Trios from our Homelands' was nominated for a 2017 Grammy Award in the Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance Category.
Home is where the heart is for violinist Julie Fischer. A 1998 Midwest Young Artists Conservatory alumna,
Julie returns to her musical home in a teaching capacity. As a member of MYA, Julie was concertmaster of the Symphony Orchestra and participated in the Fischoff National Chamber Music competition, winning gold medals twice with two different MYA string quartets in 1996 and 1998. She was also a two-time winner of the Walgreens Concerto Competition, winning both the junior and senior divisions of this national competition, hosted by MYAC.
Julie went on to earn a bachelor’s degree from The Cleveland Institute of Music and a master’s degree from New England Conservatory. Teaching is an integral part of her experiences and career aspirations. Julie served as a teaching assistant to Donald Weilerstein at NEC and taught for the Bay Chamber Concerts Next Generation Program, the Walnut Hill School/NEC Preparatory Department and the Peninsula Strings Program. In addition, she was a mentor for the Kneisel Hall Young Musicians Program and Adult Chamber Music Institute.
Still an avid lover of chamber music, she has spent summers studying and performing at the Taos School of Music, Kneisel Hall Chamber Music Festival, Quartet Program at Bucknell, Weathersfield Music Festival, Bay Chamber Concerts, and Madeline Island Music Festival. Her principal teachers have included Lucy Stoltzman, Donald Weilerstein, and Almita and Roland Vamos.
Paula Fischer has over thirty-five years of experience teaching and coaching young musicians. In addition to her role on the faculty at MYAC, Paula teaches chamber music to students at Niles North, Niles West, and Loyola Academy. She is also a freelance musician and active performer, having played with the Lake Forest Symphony, the Chicago String Ensemble, Music of the Baroque, the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, the Arcturus Quartet, and Park Ridge Symphony Orchestra. Currently, she performs with the Evanston Symphony Orchestra and maintains a teaching studio in Skokie.
Violinist Hana Kim earned both her Bachelor of Music and her Master of Music at Julliard under the guidance of Ron Copes, Earl Carlyss and Robert Mann — former and current members of the Juilliard String Quartet. She moved to Los Angeles to work with Robert Lipsett who invited her to be a part of the inaugural graduating class of the Colburn Conservatory. Hana was a member of the Los Angeles Opera Orchestra and also performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and the Pacific Symphony. Upon completing her studies at the Colburn Conservatory, she won the Assistant Principal 2nd Violin position in the Charleston Symphony in South Carolina. She has played at many festivals including Aspen Music Festival, Music Academy of the West, Tanglewood Music Festival, Spoleto Festival in Italy, and she has performed with many prominent musicians and conductors. Kim's honest, dynamic, and luscious playing has earned her the privilege to work and perform alongside some of today's brightest musical stars like Placido Domingo, Joshua Bell, Yo-Yo Ma, Sarah Chang, Lang Lang, Natalie Cole and Earth, Wind and Fire. Hana is also one of the founding members of the Confido Music Society.
Philip Lee began his studies at the age of 7 at the Music Institute of Chicago under the tutelage of Blake Brasch, where he was a scholarship recipient in the Academy Program. During this time he was selected to perform in the Young Steinway Concert Series and was awarded first prize in the Society of American Musicians Competition.
Philip went on to study at the Eastman School of Music with David Ying, DePaul University with Brant Taylor, and Indiana University with Peter Stumpf. As a performer, he has previously been a member of the Columbus Indiana Philharmonic Orchestra, the Owensboro Symphony, and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. Philip would like to credit his teachers for being lifelong inspirations who have helped to cultivate his passion and love for music.
Violinist Jacob Murphy established his career as a founding member and second violinist for 18 years of the Euclid Quartet, one of the most highly regarded ensembles of its generation. Captivating audiences and critics alike, as part of this ensemble he consistently performed to enthusiastic acclaim throughout the country, everywhere from school classrooms to Carnegie Hall.
Highlights of Jacob’s career in the Euclid Quartet include significant global recognition as a member of the first American string quartet to be awarded a top prize at the prestigious Osaka International Chamber Music Competition. Prior to its Japanese laurels, the quartet also won awards in numerous United States competitions, including the Hugo Kauder International Competition for String Quartets, the Carmel Chamber Music Competition, and the Chamber Music Yellow Springs Competition. In 2009, the Euclid Quartet was awarded the esteemed “American Masterpieces” grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.
Jacob has been a frequent guest at American and Canadian music festivals, among them those of Aspen, Great Lakes, Kent/Blossom, and Orford, and has collaborated with internationally renowned artists including James Dunham, Gregory Fulkerson, Warren Jones, Paul Katz, Joseph Silverstein, and Alexander Toradze. Early in his time with the Euclid Quartet, the ensemble was twice awarded the String Quartet Fellowship at the Aspen Music Festival, where it was invited to return for the subsequent summer’s concert season. The quartet was also invited to study with the Emerson String Quartet at the Carnegie Hall Professional Training Workshop.
Teaching and outreach have long been important parts of Mr. Murphy’s career. He is a devoted violin teacher and chamber music coach, and served on the music faculty at Indiana University South Bend for nine years and at Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa, for six years. During his time in South Bend, he was the coach for seven consecutive years to the Geoffroy Prize-winning ensemble at the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition. This prize is awarded to the highest-ranking local ensemble in the competition. He is also passionate about presenting the highest quality classical music to young audiences. As a teaching artist, he has performed for thousands and thousands of students and young adults, in part through support from the National Endowment for the Arts and collaborations with Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute and the Fischoff National Chamber Music Association.
Active in the recording studio, Jacob can be heard on several recordings. As a member of the Euclid Quartet, he recorded a pair of CDs comprising the complete string quartets of Béla Bartók for Artek Recordings. The American Record Guide raved about these discs, “rarely has a group found such meaning and vision.” He is also featured in the quartet’s debut CD on Centaur records, which features the first four quartets of Hugo Kauder. A refugee from Nazi-occupied Austria who fled to the United States in the 1940s, Kauder defied the atonal trend of his generation with his uniquely harmonic, contrapuntal style. As a soloist, Jacob is featured on “The Harlequin” (Centaur Records) performing John Ferrito’s Intersezione for solo violin. In addition to performing on these recordings, he also served as audio editor of the recording of Kauder string quartets, as well as numerous Euclid Quartet demo recordings.
Raised in a small collection of towns, he claims Fresno, California as his home town. He began his violin studies at the age of 6 through a unique school music program, and later continued his studies at the Eastman School of Music and Kent State University. His principal teachers included Charles Castleman, Gregory Fulkerson, Camilla Wicks, and Claudia Shiuh. He performs on a 2008 violin by Greg Alf.
Four-time Grammy Award-winning cellist Nick Photinos is a champion of the new, with programs that subvert and delight in equal measure. An ardent advocate for new music, Nick has collaborated, toured, and recorded with artists ranging from Dawn Upshaw, Philip Glass, and the Bang on a Can All-Stars, to Björk, Wilco, Bryce Dessner, and Bonnie “Prince” Billy. He has appeared as soloist with numerous orchestras including the Cleveland, Philadelphia, Cincinnati, Toronto, Utah, and Atlanta Symphonies, and performed across the globe including the Sydney Opera House, the Barbican in London, KBC Hall in Seoul, and in the US from Disney Hall to Carnegie Hall. Nick was the founding cellist and Artistic Director of Eighth Blackbird from 1996-2020, and since Fall 2023 has served as Professor of Chamber Music and Eminent Scholar at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, where he also directs the new music ensemble, Musica Nova. He performs in the Grossman Ensemble at the University of Chicago and in Trio Diorama.
Russell Rolen is an acclaimed cellist and chamber musician whose work has been praised by The New York Timesfor his “supreme technical command” and “ability to cast a magic spell.” As a co-founder and former member of the internationally acclaimed Spektral Quartet, he earned three GRAMMY® nominations, commissioned more than 85 new works, and brought visionary artistry to chamber music stages across the U.S., including The Kennedy Center, NPR’s Tiny Desk, and Big Ears Festival.
Spektral Quartet was celebrated for its genre-defying programs and partnerships with major presenters such as Cal Performances, the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, and the Library of Congress. Their collaborative spirit extended beyond classical music, with projects including Latin jazz with Miguel Zenón, Haitian music with Nathalie Joachim, and avant-pop with Julia Holter.
As an educator, Russell has taught at Northwestern University, the University of Chicago, and Ripon College, and led residencies at institutions including the University of Iowa, Stanford University, and New World Symphony. He has also given masterclasses at top music schools across the country.
Russell holds music degrees from the Peabody Conservatory, University of Wisconsin–Madison, and Northwestern University. His principal cello teachers include Stephen Kates, Uri Vardi, and Hans Jørgen Jensen, with further studies under Ronald Leonard, Paul Katz, and others. His chamber music education includes work with leading artists such as Arnold Steinhardt, Earl Carlyss, Robert Mann, Joel Krosnick, Martin Beaver, Shmuel Ashkenasi, Leon Fleischer, Seth Knopp, and Mathias Tacke.
He currently serves on the artist faculty of Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University and lives in Evanston, IL.
Violinist Desirée Ruhstrat is renowned as a soloist, chamber musician, and teacher across Europe and the Americas. She has appeared as a soloist with orchestras throughout the world, and has worked with such renowned conductors as Sir Georg Solti, Erich Kunzel, Max Rudolf, and Lukas Foss, under whom she made her solo debut at age twelve. Ms. Ruhstrat has won numerous awards including first prize at the National Young Musicians Foundation’s Debut Concerto Competition and top prizes at the Carl Flesch International Violin Competition, the Stulberg International String Competition, and the Mozart Festival violin competition. She was the youngest prizewinner at the Tibor Varga International Violin Competition Sion Valais, also winning the award for best interpretation of the commissioned composition.
A member of the Lincoln Trio with her husband, cellist, David Cunliffe, Ms. Ruhstrat has performed throughout South America, Europe, and Asia; at such domestic venues as Weill Recital Hall and Lincoln Center; and as part of the Ravinia Festival and the Indianapolis Symphony’s Beethoven series. The trio received a 2016 Grammy nomination.
Ms. Ruhstrat serves as the String Chamber Music Coordinator at Northwestern University and was previously on the faculty at Indiana University. In 2014 she was awarded the Illinois-American String Teachers Association Outstanding Studio Teacher Award.
John Shaffer didn’t get serious about music until after high school. After getting a degree in philosophy, he majored in cello at Manhattan School of Music, followed by a Master’s at Northwestern. He has taught in the area for 25 years and currently teaches students at New Trier, Libertyville, Vernon Hills, and Niles North High Schools. Recently, he has played in the Northbrook Symphony for several seasons. John has also sung in choruses professionally, and has worked under Sir Georg Solti, Claudio Abbado, Daniel Barenboim, Andrew Davis, Carlo Maria Giulini and others. John’s three sons all played in MYAC, the oldest being in the original MYAC Orchestra.