Artists

Award-winning classical guitarist W. Mark Akin is a St. Louis based musician who has engaged audiences across the country with his dynamic on-stage presence and musicality. Mark has won prizes in numerous competitions such as the Wilson Center Guitar Competition in Wisconsin, Beethoven Club Competition in Memphis, the University of Arizona’s Beeston Competition and Sholin Competition, and was a winner of the Artist Presentation Society of St Louis Competition.  In June 2022 Mark was a Featured Artist for the Missouri Arts Council. Originally from Tennessee Mark started his guitar studies by learning to play electric hard rock, idolizing guitarists such as Eric Johnson, Yngwie Malmsteen, and Eddie Van Halen.  After discovering the classical guitar in high school, he then decided to study the instrument full-time and subsequently received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in guitar performance from Belmont University in Nashville, and the University of Arizona in Tucson.  He has performed in master classes and taken lessons with some of the greatest guitarists in the world, namely Sergio and Odair Assad, Manuel Barrueco, David Russell, and Jason Vieaux, Olivier Chassain, Marcin Dylla, and Adam Holzman. An active teacher, Mark has taught innumerable private lessons, is on faculty at Washington University in St. Louis, and has taught with St. Louis Classical Guitar’s “Guitar Horizons” education initiative.  This program establishes guitar programs in inner city public schools and schools in the greater St. Louis area. Mark is also the music director of the St. Louis Classical Guitar guitar orchestra. You can hear Mark as the host of the weekly radio program “Inside Classical Guitar,” airing every Monday night at 7:00 PM on Classic 107.3. Mark plays an Aaron Green guitar. ”  

American pianist Dr. Angie Zhang is recognized as one of her generation’s true artists. A top prizewinner in numerous competitions, including the International Chopin Competition on Period Instruments, American Piano Awards, Honens, and a three-time winner of the Juilliard Concerto Competition, she has graced notable festivals and concert series such as the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, La Jolla Music Society, Perlman Music Program, Music@Menlo, Sarasota Music Festival, and Aspen Music Festival. She is also the Grand Prize Winner of the Music Academy of the West’s Innovation Institute Competition. As a recitalist and chamber musician, Angie has performed in a myriad of major venues across four continents to great acclaim. She has also been a soloist over 40 times with professional orchestras including the National Symphony Orchestra of the Dominican Republic, Indianapolis Chamber and Symphony Orchestras, Juilliard Orchestra and Chamber Orchestra, Missouri Symphony Orchestra, Columbia Symphony Orchestra, and many more. Conductors include herself, Fabio Luisi, Jeffrey Kahane, JoAnn Falletta, Jose Antonio Molina, Kirk Trevor, and others. Repertoire includes the entire Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, and Rachmaninoff concerti. As a collaborative pianist, she has performed the entire works of Beethoven for cello and piano with Zlatomir Fung, and worked with many artists including Martin Beaver, Sterling Elliott, and Xavier Foley. She has shared the stage with the Dover Quartet, Aeolus Quartet, Itzhak Perlman, Inon Barnaton, Tessa Lark, Stefan Jackiw, and more. Her collaborative precision and deep understanding of the music has won her numerous accolades and praise by institutions, competitions, and artistic directors. Angie has also commissioned and performed over 50 new works. She has also championed works by female, BIPOC, and non-binary composers, as well as underplayed works that deserve more attention on both fortepiano and modern piano. Through her performances, educational ventures, and community engagement, she skillfully brings together diverse groups of people, demonstrating her commitment to uniting audiences through music in a contemporary manner. She is the founder and co-director of the ModernPlus Music Festival and founder of MusicFitness. Dr. Zhang is also an accomplished and acclaimed fortepianist and leading American figure in period instruments. Her two-disc CD of Chopin works on an original Graf and Pleyel, including the E minor Concerto with period orchestra, is produced by the Polish National Institute of Frederic Chopin. It has been praised as truly “…respecting and brilliantly realizing the notations of the composer’s text, caring for elegance and nobility of sound, putting as much sensitivity as possible inter her interpretations…will more than once have the chance to enchant world audiences with her art,” by Marcin Majchrowski. Angie holds a Bachelor of Music (BM) and Master of Music (MM) from The Juilliard School, as well as a Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) from the University of Michigan and a second MM in fortepiano performance. She won the top graduation awards at both institutions upon graduation, as well as academic honors from both, and chamber honors from Juilliard. Her influential teachers include Veda Kaplinsky, Logan Skelton, Joseph Kalichstein, Emanuel Ax, Malcolm Bilson, and Tobias Koch. She is a Bosendorfer and Yamaha Worldwide Artist.

Born in New York City and raised in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Erik Harris began his musical studies on guitar at age 5 and switched to double bass at age 13. Harris attended the Juilliard School on a full scholarship, where he studied with noted double bass pedagogue Homer Mensch. While at Juilliard he won the double bass concerto competition and performed as soloist with the Juilliard Symphony. He went on to receive both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Juilliard, and, in 2005, was recognized as one their 100 most notable alumni in honor of the school’s 100th anniversary. Upon graduation, Harris served as Principal Bass with the New World Symphony in Miami, Fla. during its inaugural season in 1988. The following year, at age 23, Harris was invited by Sir Georg Solti to join the Chicago Symphony. In 1993, Harris was appointed Principal Double Bass of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra by Music Director Leonard Slatkin. As soloist, he performed the Vanhal Bass Concerto with the SLSO in 2011 with Nicholas McGegan conducting and, in 2015 he gave the American premiere of Tan Dun’s Concerto for Contrabass and Orchestra “The Wolf” with Music Director David Robertson conducting. Harris regularly performs in chamber music groups throughout the St. Louis region and has performed at the Missouri Chamber Music Festival, the Innsbrook Festival, the Missouri River Festival of the Arts, and with the Arianna String Quartet. An avid teacher, he has taught master classes at the Manhattan School of Music, New World Symphony and the Juilliard School. In whatever spare time he has, Harris enjoys cooking, gardening, and home remodeling, and recently earned his black belt in Tae Kwon Do. He performs on a double bass made by Johannes Gagliano in 1804.

Seul Lee joined the second violin section of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra in 2023. Her studies and performances have led her from her home in South Korea through Europe and the United States. Seul’s collaborations include numerous renowned artists and ensembles, including Midori Goto, Pamela Frank, Janos Starker, Tomasz Tomaszewski, Ik-Hwan Bae, the Cleveland Quartet, the Jupiter String Quartet, the Minnesota Orchestra, and the Pittsburgh Symphony. Seul served as Assistant Principal First Violin with the Korean Symphony Orchestra in 2015. A devoted chamber musician, Seul has performed with members of the Jupiter String Quartet and University of Illinois faculty. As a soloist, she has appeared with the Korean Wind Ensemble and the University of Illinois Symphony Orchestra and as a guest artist in programs at Olivet Nazarene University, Indiana State University, Bradley University, Millikin University, and Eastern Illinois University. Seul earned her Bachelor of Music degree with honors from Seoul National University and her Master of Music degree from Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music. There she studied with Mauricio Fuks. She is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the University of Illinois working with Stefan Milenkovich.  

Born in South Korea, violinist Seul Lee joined the second violin section of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra in 2023. She has performed across South Korea, France, Germany, and the United States, including collaborations with renowned musicians and ensembles such as Midori Goto, Pamela Frank, Janos Starker, Tomasz Tomaszewski, Ik-Hwan Bae, the Cleveland Quartet, Jupiter String Quartet, the Minnesota Orchestra, and the Pittsburgh Symphony and as the Assistant Principal First Violinist for the Korean Symphony Orchestra in 2015. Seul is passionate about chamber music with collaborations including the Jupiter String Quartet and faculty from the University of Illinois. Her solo engagements have featured performances with the Korean Wind Ensemble and the University of Illinois Symphony Orchestra as well as guest appearances at several universities, including Olivet Nazarene University, Indiana State University, Bradley University, Millikin University, and Eastern Illinois University. Seul earned her Bachelor of Music degree from Seoul National University graduating with honors, and her Master of Music degree from the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, studying under the guidance of Mauricio Fuks. She is currently pursuing her doctorate at the University of Illinois, mentored by Stefan Milenkovich.  

Alice has been a member of the University of Missouri School of Music faculty since 2011 and has presented masterclasses at many universities including Inje University (South Korea), The University of Guanajuato (Mexico), Vanderbilt University, Penn State University, and The University of Kentucky. She has been a faculty member of PRIZM International Chamber Music Festival, Flutes by the Sea Masterclass, and Medellín Festicamara. She enjoys a career of great variety including concerto and chamber music appearances, recording projects, television appearances, and guest principal performances in orchestras in Asia and Scandinavia. As a soloist, Alice is an award winner of the Olga Koussevitsky Wind Competition of the Musicians Club of New York and The New York Flute Club Competition. She has performed with the Guanajuato Symphony Orchestra (Mexico), Orquesta Sinfónica Juvenil Red de Escuelas de Música de Medellín (Colombia), PRIZM Festival Orchestra, and the Festival Mozaic Orchestra. As a chamber musician, she has performed as part of the Busan One Asia Festival, Chestnut Hill Chamber Series, Concordia Chamber Players at The Princeton Festival, Summerfest of Kansas City, and National Flute Association Conventions. As Acting Co-Principal Flute of the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Alice performed in concert tours to Russia, Germany, Italy, Belgium, and throughout Sweden. She has also performed as Guest Principal Flute with the Bergen Philharmonic, Norrköping Symphony Orchestra, and Seoul Philharmonic, as well as Guest Piccolo with the St. Louis Symphony. In addition, she has performed with the Moscow Chamber Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and Detroit Symphony Orchestra. She has recorded with Deutsche Grammophon as Acting Principal Flute of the Swedish Radio and Arte Verum as Flutist and Piccolo of the Swedish Chamber Ensemble with soprano, Barbara Hendricks. She has been a guest on the new PBS series Now Hear This. Her husband, conductor and violinist Scott Yoo is host of the show and travels the world chasing the secret histories of our greatest musical works and their composers while discovering connections to today’s music, art, and culture. Alice attended The Juilliard School for undergraduate and graduate studies, where she studied with Carol Wincenc, Robert Langevin, and Sandra Church.  

Cara Kizer is a Professor of Horn in the St. Louis and Illinois areas and active nationally as a freelance performer. Born in Texas, she began horn at the age of 14. Her studies began at Texas Tech University where she studied under Anthony Brittin. She earned her master’s Degree from The Juilliard School studying under the late Jerome Ashby, Associate Principal Horn of the New York Philharmonic. Cara was also awarded an artist diploma from The Curtis Institute of Music where she working with former SLSO  Principal Horn and current Principal Horn of the Philadelphia Orchestra, Jennifer Montone. As an orchestral musician, Cara has held positions with numerous orchestras. She was Assistant Principal Utility Horn of the New York Philharmonic. She held the same position with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra. She also played second horn with the Seattle Symphony Orchestra. While in New York City, she played on Broadway, with The Orchestra of St Lukes, City Opera, and can he heard on many movie scores. Cara has been a substitute musician with the Minnesota Orchestra, and the Kansas City Symphony Orchestra.  

Melissa Brooks has been a member of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra cello since 1992 and currently serves as Associate Principal Cello. A native of New York City, she attended the pre-college division of the Juilliard School eventually attending the New England Conservatory where she earned her undergraduate degree with Distinction in Performance while studding with Laurence Lesser. Melissa has performed chamber and solo concerts throughout the country, including a duo concert with the late cellist Janos Starker. She has won numerous awards and honors and was nominated by Leonard Bernstein for an Avery Fisher career grant in 1988. She has participated in summer festivals such as Marlboro, Tanglewood, Aspen, Portland Chamber Music Festival, Concert Artists Guild Summer Festival, and the Sun Valley Summer Festival, among others. She has appeared as soloist with the SLSO under former Music Director Hans Vonk as well as conductors Jeffery Kahane and Nicholas McGegan. Melissa also performed Pierre Boulez’s demanding Messagesquisse, scored for solo cello and six other cellos, under the direction of David Robertson. She can be heard on a chamber music recording for AAM Recordings with a group of SLSO colleagues. Melissa is active in our community participating in numerous benefit concerts as well as engagement in advocacy work.  

Charlie Lin had an interesting path to joining the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra first violin section in September 2024. While he began his musical studies at age 6, he also pursued a career in medicine, and currently holds a Bachelor of Arts in Biology from Northwestern University. There he secured research grants to pursue research into kidney disease and worked closely with the Zheng and Abecassis Labs as a microsurgery technician at the Northwestern Feinberg Memorial Hospital, eventually publishing research in medical journals such as Kidney International. While at Northwestern University, he also earned a Bachelor of Arts in Violin Performance studying under Gerardo Ribeiro. After completing his undergraduate studies, Charlie decided to pursue a career in music, earning a Master of Music degree and a Graduate Certificate in Performance from the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California, where he studied violin with former New York Philharmonic Concertmaster, Glenn Dicterow. During this time at USC, Charlie worked as a freelance musician in the greater Los Angeles area, working with various film recording studios and event artist agencies, performing on festival stages and with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and Long Beach Symphony Orchestra. In 2022, he toured Japan with Pacific Music Festival orchestra.  

Pianist Shen Wen has served as Coordinator of Keyboard Studies at St. Louis University since 2015. She is a multifaceted performer who thrives on making classical music fun and enjoyable to listeners. At age eight, Wen performed on Chinese national television and radio after winning the First Children’s Piano Competition in Beijing, China. Since then she has performed across the globe performing as soloist at Tchaikovsky Conservatory College, Shostakovich Conservatory, Rachmaninoff Hall, Powell Symphony Hall, Tsinghua University, Central Academy of Fine Arts, and Great Hall of People in China. Wen also continued to earn top prizes at national and internal piano competitions such as first prize at the Kingsville International Piano Competition, Corpus Christi International Piano Competition, St. Louis Presentation Society, and Hellam Young Artist Competition. Since moving to St. Louis in 2007, Wen has dedicated her time teaching young students to love music. Her students have served the community through giving recitals at nursing homes, organizing and performing fund-raising concerts for charities. Some of them competed and won top prizes at state, national, and international competitions such as the St. Louis Young Artist Competition, Missouri Music Teachers Association, Music Teachers National Association, American Protege International Competition, and Golden Key International Honor Society. Wen is an avid New Music performer who has numerous pieces written and dedicated to her. Passionate about introducing Chinese culture and music to St. Louis audiences, she is a founding member of the St. Louis Yangtze River Art Ensemble, a non-profit organization that promotes Chinese performing arts. Wen attended the Preparatory School to the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing and is a graduate of New England Conservatory where she studied with Wha Kyung Byun. She also studied with Jane Allen.