Opera singer, recitalist

Proclaimed “consistently impressive” by DC Theater Scene and “completely winning” by the Chautauquan Daily, Mandy Brown is a soprano who is sure to charm. Her performances have brought her praise for her rich warm voice and refreshing honesty in her dramatic interpretations. She is passionate about operatic and concert work, as well as an avid recitalist and a sought-out performer of new works. In addition to her performance career, Mandy maintains an active teaching studio as well as conducting a local community chorus in Washington D.C., Second Wind Chorus.

Ms. Brown is a sought-out soloist for concert work. She has performed with ensembles such as the National Symphony Orchestra’s Summer Music Institute, the Grammy-nominated Inscape Chamber Orchestra, Gourmet Symphony, the Kennedy Center Jukebox, the Washington Chamber Orchestra, the National Orchestral Institute & Festival, the New Dominion Chorale, the National Men’s Chorus, the Choral Arts Society of Washington, the NIH Community Chorus & Orchestra, the Chesapeake Chorale, the Ensemble da Camera of Washington, the McLean Youth Symphony Orchestra, the Friendship Heights Symphonette, and the Washington Summer Sings. Mandy is a favorite for her interpretation of Mahler’s Symphony No.4, and has performed it with the National Symphony Orchestra’s Summer Music Institute, Gourmet Symphony, and Inscape Chamber Orchestra. Her other concert work highlights include Barber/ Knoxville: Summer of 1915, Handel/ The Messiah, Hindemith/ Die Junge Magd, Verdi/ Requiem, Mozart/Requiem, Mozart/ Krönungsmesse, Adolphe/ He Disappeared into Complete Silence, Golijov/Tenebrae, Stravinsky/ Three Japanese Lyrics, Clyne/ As Sudden Shut, Sparr/ That Which Joy Alone Can Give, Bernstein/ Chichester Psalms, Bach/ Coffee Cantata, Rutter/ Magnificat, and Durante/ Magnificat.

Cellist, National Symphony Orchestra

Taiwanese-Canadian cellist Loewi Lin grew up in Taiwan and moved to Calgary when he was seven. Loewi started playing cello at age 11 but always wanted to be a doctor; as a high school senior, he converted to music and has been a devout follower ever since.

Loewi attended the Cleveland Institute, the University of Ottawa, and New England Conservatory. He has appeared at Carnegie Hall in the New York String Orchestra as well as the Taos School of Music, Tanglewood Music Festival, and the Ravinia Steans Music Institute.

Loewi lived in Boston for 11 years where he helped found the unique conductor-less chamber orchestra A Far Cry. The group is now an established institution in the music fabric of Boston, with residencies at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and the New England Conservatory. In the past, he has played with the Toronto Symphony, Canadian Opera Company, and the Boston Symphony, in addition to teaching at Phillips Exeter Academy. Currently, Loewi is the principal cellist of the Boston Lyric Opera and a member of the National Symphony Orchestra.

Clarinetist, Principal Clarinetist at the National Symphony Orchestra

Lin Ma was appointed principal clarinetist of the National Symphony Orchestra by Gianandrea Noseda in 2018. Prior to joining the NSO, he has served as assistant principal and Eb clarinetist of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra since 2015. He also played a one-year position as second clarinet in the Houston Symphony. Ma won the 2014 Ima Hogg International Competition and performed as soloist with the Houston Symphony Orchestra. Later, he appeared as soloist at the Baytown Symphony Orchestra’s 2014-15 season opener. In addition, Ma has soloed with National Repertory Orchestra at the NRO music festival in 2013.

Ma earned his Master of Music degree at Rice University, under the tutelage of Richie Hawley, and he holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Oberlin Conservatory of Music where he studied with Richard Hawkins. Ma has also studied at the Idyllwild Arts Academy with Yehuda Gilad, and the Middle School attached to the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing with Yuanfu Huang.

Ma is a Buffet Crampon Performing Artist, and he plays on Vandoren reeds and mouthpieces.

Pianist, Faculty at Washington Conservatory of Music

Pianist Yejin Lee is an active soloist and a chamber musician based in the United States. Yejin’s performances have been praised for her “coloristic and poetic expressions” and “compelling and thrilling rhythmic senses,” and she has been invited to perform in many prestigious venues around the world. Yejin had her solo debut at Weill Recital Hall of Carnegie Hall in New York with the invitation from the Annual Velia International Music Festival, and her appearances include as a guest artist at the Cultural Art Center in Jaen, Spain and the Tyler Recital Hall in Florida, and Seoul Arts Center and Yong San Art Hall in Seoul, Korea. She claimed top awards at national and international competitions including at Dallas International Piano Competition, Kingsville International Piano Competition, Wideman International Piano Competition. Yejin also had a privilege to perform at leading music festivals and masterclasses at the Mozarteum Academy in Salzburg, Banff Music Festival, Gijon Music Festival in Gijon, Spain and Piano Texas International Academy & Festival, where she shared musical inspiration with great pedagogues and pianists in this century like Richard Goode, Dmitry Bashkirov, Stephen Hough, John O’Conor, John Perry, and Karl-Heinz Kammering. Yejin holds both piano performance and vocal accompanying degrees from Oberlin Conservatory with honors under Haewon Song and Philip Highfill, and Masters and Doctorate degrees from the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University under Boris Slutsky. Yejin is a member of Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) and Northern Virginia Music Teachers Association (NVMTA) –she manages a private studio to nurture the love of music learning, and this year, she was invited to judge Elizabeth R. Davis Memorial Piano Competition, MSMTA Concerto Competition and High School Competition. She is also on the piano faculty at Washington Conservatory of Music, a guest faculty at the George Washington University to serve the University Choir, and is a pianist member of Baltimore Musicales.