Sascha Groschang, cellist, has performed extensively across the United States, Europe and Asia. She has appeared at Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall numerous times, and gave her solo debut recital at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall in 2009. She has been a soloist and lecturer at the Thailand International Composition Festival, performed for the King of Malaysia with the Kuala Lumpur International Festival Orchestra, and traveled all across China on two tours with the Mantovani Pops Orchestra. She has shared the stage with artists such as Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman, The Eagles, Vince Gill, the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Michael Bublé, Peter Gabriel, Josh Groban, Sarah Mclachlan, Idina Menzel, Amy Grant and her recording credits include NBC, Atlantic, and Rhino Records. Sascha is the cellist and co-composer of the alternative string duo, "The Wires", which explores a variety of non-traditional string techniques and styles through original compositions. The Wires have released three full length albums and their arrangements and original compositions are published with Mel Bay Publishing Co. They were also co-hosts/curators of "Sound Currents" on 91.9 ClassicalKC for 2 years - a weekly radio program that explored a broad range of new music. In addition to serving as principal cellist of NewEar Contemporary Chamber Ensemble, she joined the St. Petersburg String Quartet, in 2022. Their accolades include a Grammy nomination, "Best Record" honors in both Stereo Review and Gramophone, a five-year residency at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, and hundreds of concerts on many of North America, Europe and Asia's most prestigious series and festivals. Since joining, the group has performed in Estonia, Kazakhstan, France, Germany, Israel and across the United States. Since 2023, she has also been performing Candlelight concerts across the Midwest with the Monarch String Ensemble and as a member of the Fountain City String Quartet. www.cellolady.com
Originally from Siberia, Boris Vayner has been enjoying international performing career as a member of the Grammy Nominated St. Petersburg String Quartet and St. Petersburg Piano Quartet. He holds a position of Assistant Professor of Viola at the University of Kansas, Lawrence. Previously, Boris Vayner served as a faculty member of the Wichita State University where he taught viola, chamber music, and directed a chamber orchestra. He holds diplomas from the Novosibirsk Music College, Novosibirsk State University (majoring in mathematics), St. Petersburg Conservatory, New England Conservatory (MM), and University of Missouri, Kansas City (DMA in orchestral conducting).
Sharra Wagner enjoys collaborating with her creative music colleagues and celebrating living composers. Her varied experiences include running in the Junior Olympics, playing point guard in college, earning an undergraduate degree in English, studying jazz on bari sax, being the go-to collaborative pianist for vocalists and woodwinds during her Master’s degree, and growing up as the 2nd of 11 children. After earning an M.M. in clarinet performance from the University of Northern Iowa (while simultaneously a graduate assistant as a pianist studying with Robin Guy), she continued her studies with Dr. Jane Carl at the UMKC Conservatory, earning her D.M.A. in 2013. Her passion for new music was solidified in performing with UMKC’s Musica Nova and as a performing fellow at The Cortona Sessions for New Music in Cortona, Italy. She has previously served as Artistic Director and currently serves as a board member and clarinetist for newEar Contemporary Chamber Ensemble. Sharra is also the principal clarinetist for Northland Symphony Orchestra, interim principal clarinetist for Topeka Symphony Orchestra, and enjoys freelance clarinet opportunities in the region.
Born in Budapest, Hungary, Zsolt Eder has established himself as an international soloist and chamber musician. Zsolt is in his seventh season as Concertmaster of the Topeka Symphony and is currently professor of violin and viola at Washburn University. He is also a faculty member at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory Academy and performs regularly in the Kansas City Symphony. His new concert series "Zsolt Eder and Friends" launched in 2018. Zsolt's interest in different musical cultures and traditions led him to establish folk music group Ensemble Amarcord in 2014. He has a particular passion for educational outreach, having worked for City Music Cleveland and Harmony Project Kansas City. He now works for the Musical Bridges Program at the UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance, providing free one-on-one lessons for inner-city children. Zsolt enjoys collaborating with Kansas City groups like Ensemble Iberica, the Kansas City Baroque Consortium and Spire Chamber Ensemble. He is a graduate of the Franz Liszt Academy in Budapest and the Cleveland Institute of Music.
Charles Dickinson is originally from Houston, where he studied piano as a pre-college student at Rice University. From there, Charles earned a BA in Piano Performance from Adams State University in Colorado, an MA from the University of New Mexico, and most recently, an Artist’s Certificate from UMKC. His primary teachers have included Dariusz Pawlas, William Lipke, Falko Steinbach, and Karen Kushner, and he has participated in masterclasses with Leon Fleisher, Anthony de Mare, and Eugene Pridonoff.
As a soloist, he has performed recitals across the United States and Germany. Having a particular focus on contemporary music, Charles has been honored to work with prominent composers like John Corigliano, Martin Scherzinger, and Konrad Boehmer.
Flutist Christina Webster maintains an active and varied career as orchestral musician, recital soloist, chamber player, and teacher, and has performed throughout the U.S. and Europe. She earned her D.M.A. in Flute Performance at the Conservatory of Music and Dance of the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC). Winner of a Fulbright Award, she earned a Postgraduate Performance Diploma with Merit at the Royal Academy of Music (London). Ms. Webster earned a Master of Music in Flute Performance at the UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance, and a Bachelor of Music in Flute and Piano Performance, summa cum laude, at the University of Kansas. She is Principal Flute with the Kansas City Chamber Orchestra and holds the permanent position of Second Flute with the Wichita Symphony Orchestra. Ms. Webster has taught at King’s College, London (on behalf of the Royal Academy of Music) and at Kansas State University as Visiting Assistant Professor of Flute. She is currently Lecturer in Flute at Pittsburg State University.
A native of Kansas City, Lees Summit North High School Graduate, percussionist Kevin Clarke made his solo debut with the KC Symphony in 1999. He studied percussion at the Peabody Conservatory, whereupon graduation found work as Principal Timpanist in Daejeon Philharmonic Orchestra (South Korea). Kevin was a highly sought after performer for solo recitals, concerto performances, and new music concerts in Japan and Korea and also served as Percussion Faculty for the Kyoung-Hee University (Seoul, Korea) School of Music.Finding a love of teaching while in Korea and a desire to push Kansas City’s appreciation of percussion to a new level, he decided to return home and currently runs the nonprofit “Kansas City Youth Percussion Ensemble” (ww.KCYPE.org). Additionally, Kevin runs the percussion program at Blue Valley SW High School and you can also occasionally find him performing with the KC Symphony, a once childhood dream come true.