Meet
The Artisan String Quartet, Patrice Calixte and Mariama Alcântara violin, Bruce Williams viola, and Douglas Harvey cello, is comprised of principal players from the Austin Symphony Orchestra and has become a fixture around central Texas and beyond. In addition to regular appearances at Mozart Festival Texas in San Antonio and the Victoria Bach Festival, the Artisans enjoy Quartet-in-Residence status at the Texas Bach Festival in Georgetown, Classical Sound Inc., the Mason Chamber Music Festival, and the newly-created Lampasas County Chamber Music Festival. MidAmerica Productions, Inc. invited the Artisan String Quartet to make its Carnegie Hall debut performing on the Carnegie Hall Weil Recital Hall Chamber Music Series on March 22, 2012. The concert in New York was commemorated by the Texas House of Representatives on March 13, 2013, with HR 703 read into the Texas Congressional Record with the Artisans present.Please visit the ASQ website at www.artisanstringquartet.com or “like” us on Facebook.
Bruce Williams
Artistic Director, Violist
Bruce Williams began his professional career at age fifteen and soon won a position with the Fort Worth Symphony. He subsequently won the principal violist position with the Haifa Symphony Orchestra in Israel and the Haifa Clarinet Trio, performing throughout Israel and Europe. Upon his return to the U.S., he accepted the assistant principal violist position with The Orchestra of Santa Fe and began concertizing throughout the U.S. as a member of the Allegro Chamber Trio. The Trio was featured on National Public Radio's Performance Today and recorded on Centaur records as the Meisenbach/Golden Duo. Bruce won the principal Viola position in the Austin Symphony Orchestra in 2000 and is a two-time finalist for the Austin Critics Table Outstanding Instrumentalist. In 2003, he won the award for his performance of Hector Berlioz' Harold in Italy with the ASO.
Bruce is the manager, as well as the founding member, of the Artisan String Quartet. The Artisans performed at Carnegie Hall in 2012 and they presently serve as Quartet in Residence with the Texas Bach Festival in Georgetown where Bruce is the Director of Chamber Music, Classical Sound Inc. where he serves as Vice President on the Board of Directors, at the Mason Chamber Music Festival and the Lampasas County Chamber Music Festival where he is the founder and Artistic Director of both Festivals. Bruce enjoys a multi-faceted career sharing the stage with world-class performers Itzhak Perlman, Yo-Yo Ma, Andrea Bocelli, Stevie Wonder, Garth Brooks, and Cristopher Cross. He performs regularly with the Early Music ensembles La Follia and The Texas Early Music project and is on multiple recordings with the Grammy winning vocal ensemble Conspirare lead by Craig Hella Johnson. Bruce performs on a Brothers Grancino viola made in Milan in 1680.
Patrice Calixte
Violinist
Canadian native Patrice Calixte began playing violin at age 8, and after excellent training as a teenager, went on to study with Claude Richard, at Université de Montréal where he obtained his Undergraduate and Master’s degree in music performance. A very experienced orchestra musician, Patrice has worked with many orchestras in Québec and Ontario, including the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, Orchestre Symphonique de Québec and Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony Orchestra. He was then hired in the first violin section of the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra where he played for two years. Leaving Calgary in search for more development, Patrice moved to Austin in 2016 where he completed his Artist Diploma at the University of Texas with Professor Daniel Ching of the Miró Quartet as his mentor. Patrice currently serves as Associate Concertmaster of both the Austin Symphony Orchestra and the Austin Opera Orchestra, and is the first violinist of the Artisan String Quartet. Patrice performs on a violin made in 1910 in Florence by Valentino di Zorzi, kindly on loan from Lorraine and John Wang.
Douglas Harvey
Cellist
Douglas Harvey was born in San Antonio, Texas and currently resides in Austin. He has led a complete career as a cellist performing as Soloist, cellist of the Artisan Quartet, Principal of the Austin Symphony, Opera and Ballet. Also touring and recording with the Grammy Award winning Conspirare Choir, and with David Byrne of the Talking Heads for two international world tours. Douglas won a job with the Austin Symphony at age 17 where he would, five years later, become their youngest principal player in ASO’s history. As principal cellist of the ASO, he has been a featured soloist with the orchestra and in 2010 he was awarded the Austin Critics Table Award for Outstanding Instrumentalist for his performance of Richard Strauss’ Don Quixote. In 2012, he gave his Carnegie Hall Solo Debut.
As a chamber musician, he has been in demand in Austin, performing for many years with several local chamber music groups and as cellist of the Artisan String Quartet. The Artisan Quartet gave their Carnegie Hall Debut in March of 2012, following their cycle of the complete string quartets of Beethoven. Douglas plays on the Grand Prize winning “Emperor” cello made c. 1860 and commissioned by the Emperor Napoleon III for the Imperial Conservatory of Music.
Mariama Alcântara
Director of Education, Violinist
Hailed by Gramophone UK Magazine and Concerto Magazine as “unmissable”, “impactful” and “courageous”, Brazilian violinist Mariama Alcântara leads a multifaceted career as a performer and educator. Mariama made her solo debut at the age of 12 with the Paraiba Symphony Orchestra and her album ‘Brazilian Landscapes: Music for Solo Violin from Brazil’, released by the Italian-Japanese label Da Vinci Classics, has earned international recognition for her artistry. A 2019 recipient of the prestigious Dorothy Delay Starling Foundation Fellowship, Mariama earned a Doctorate of Musical Arts from the University of Colorado Boulder as a teaching assistant with the Takács Quartet.
Passionate about improving equality and diversity in classical music, Mariama worked as a researcher with the Boulanger Initiative, an advocate of women composers based in Washington D.C. A strong advocate for music education, Mariama serves as a faculty member at Austin Chamber Music Center and has conducted masterclasses at Conservatório Jose Siqueira (Brazil), Universidade Federal da Paraíba (Brazil), and the University of Colorado Boulder. Presently, she is a member of the Austin Opera, the Iris Chamber Orchestra, and just won a 1st violin position with the Austin Symphony Orchestra. In addition to her solo and orchestral career, Mariama is an avid chamber musician. She currently plays with the Artisan String Quartet and has been a guest artist with the Aizuri Quartet, Dali Quartet and the Allenspark Chamber Music Festival.
Florian Christl
Pianist & Composer
Florian Christl's passionate way of playing the Piano and his distinctive style of composition, which is both exciting and deeply moving, shows the all-encompassing love for music of the Munich-based composer.
The mix of sometimes soothing, sometimes powerful piano sounds in combination with extremely imaginative and exciting string arrangements makes Florian Christl's music unique in a special way. His music is radically unafraid of appealing directly to our emotions.
Improvisation is Florian's most important creative method. For him, composing is a deeply personal, almost intimate process in which the composer remains alone with his music and his thoughts. The aim is to create a space to think, that can be experienced individually; a place where it's all about: “It’s time to leave life behind, to sink in thoughts to feel alive.“
In his current live program, Florian is playing pieces from his albums "Inspiration", "Episodes" and "About Time" as well as a glimpse of his upcoming unreleased album.
The German neoclassical composer and pianist Florian Christl (born 1990) is known for his passionate and emotional music. In 2018 he signed an exclusive contract with the renowned label Sony Classical on which he has released 3 albums to date - he is currently working on his new album, which will be released in autumn 2024.
Francesco Barfoed
Pianist
Francesco Barfoed is a Danish-Italian pianist, born and raised in Copenhagen. A young artist on the rise, he frequently collaborates with singers and has twice won the Young Concert Artists International Auditions; with mezzo-soprano Megan Moore and baritone Joseph Parrish. Megan and Francesco also won 1st prize in the Copenhagen Lied-Duo Competition and 2nd prize at the Naumberg Foundation International Vocal Competition, and they have performed throughout the United States, including the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., and Lincoln Center in New York City. Francesco also partnered with Carnegie Hall Citywide in NYC, and was broadcast on WQXR, New York’s Classical Music Radio Station. Francesco works extensively in opera and has assisted Juilliard and the Aspen Music Festival with many productions as a coach and rehearsal pianist. He participated twice in Renée Fleming’s SongStudio at Carnegie Hall and performed in Masterclasses with renowned pianists such as Martin Katz, Roger Vignoles, Malcolm Martineau, and Leif Ove Andsnes. Upcoming highlights include song recitals in NYC and South Carolina, and chamber music performances in Texas with principal string players of the Austin Symphony Orchestra,
Francesco is currently pursuing the Doctor of Musical Arts degree at TheJuilliard School, where he also completed a master’s degree as a Kovner Fellow. He holds degrees from The Royal Danish Academy of Music and Rutgers University, where he won the concerto competition. The area of focus in his doctoral studies is Danish songs, and he specializes in coaching singers in the Danish language.
Francesco is a passionate promoter of cultural exchange between Denmark and the United States. In addition to collaborating with the Museum of Danish America in Iowa, his studies in the U.S. have been supported by several prizes and scholarships from organizations like Denmark-America Foundation, Bikuben Foundation, and perhaps most notably the Victor Borge Scholarship. Francesco holds Italian citizenship, and is fluent in Danish, Italian, and English.
Toby Blumenthal
Pianist
Toby, a Steinway Artist, has appeared as a soloist with many ensembles including the Chicago and Houston Symphony Orchestras. She has received high acclaim for her numerous chamber music performances with members of the Philadelphia Orchestra, duo recitals with her late husband, Philadelphia Orchestra cellist, Bert Phillips, and other internationally renowned artists. A native of Chicago, she is a graduate of Northwestern University School of Music, and the University of Houston (graduate studies). Her post graduate studies were with Leonard Shure at the University of Texas in Austin, and Rudolph Serkin at Marlboro Chamber Music Institute in Vermont.
Toby and her late husband, Bert Phillips founded The Luzerne Music Center and the Luzerne Chamber Music Festival in Lake Luzerne, NY in 1980 where they shared executive and artistic directorships and where she continues to teach and perform. Toby and Bert were also Founders and Co- Artistic Directors of Classic Chamber Concerts in Naples, Florida where they performed in the Luzerne Trio (Raymond Gniewek, violin), and the Philadelphia Piano Quartet (Norman Carol, violin, Lamar Alsop, viola,) for fifteen years.
Toby now resides in Texas and was Director of the CHAMPS (chamber music in public schools) for Salon Concerts in Austin, for the ten years. She was Artistic Director and pianist for several seasons for the Classic Chamber Concert in Georgetown and Round Rock and is currently Artistic Director and Pianist for Classical Sound. She has performed for the past twelve seasons in the Georgetown Festival of the Arts, participated in The Mozart Festival Texas in San Antonio, the Texas Bach Festival in Georgetown, and most recently, the Mason Chamber Music Festival.
Richard Harrisson
Guitarist
Richard Harrison was born in Houston, TX. When he was 3 years old, his family relocated to Pasadena, TX, where he began playing guitar at age 15. He was introduced to classical music through his grandmother, who loved the Spanish guitar, particularly the playing of Andres Segovia. In 1995, Richard graduated from the Musicians Institute in Hollywood, CA, where he studied with classical guitarist David Oakes and had private lessons with William Kanengiser, professor of guitar at the University of Southern California. Richard then returned to the Houston area, where he taught music and performed locally.
Richard married Lucilla Anne Martinez in 2005, and they relocated to Lampasas soon after, where his wife was reared and attended school. They are members of the First Street Church of Christ; where he met Clark Corbin, who encouraged him to play guitar in public. In addition to playing classical guitar, he enjoys playing flamenco, jazz, and world music. In addition he enjoys spending time with family, especially his five grandchildren.
Stephen Girko
Clarinetist
Stephen Girko, presently principal clarinetist with the Austin Symphony, was appointed principal clarinetist with the San Antonio Symphony for the 1999-2000 season. Prior to that, he was the principal clarinetist with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra from 1975 through 1998. He made his debut appearance with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra performing the Clarinet Concerto of Aaron Copland, with the composer conducting.
Stephen has a Bachelor of Science degree in Music Education and a Master of Music degree in Clarinet Performance. He fulfilled his military obligation by performing with the United States Military Academy Band at West Point, N.Y. While at West Point, he also played principal clarinet with both the Albany Symphony Orchestra and the Hudson Valley Philharmonic Orchestra. Upon leaving the military, Stephen was appointed principal clarinetist with the Oklahoma City Symphony, a position he held for four years. He subsequently served as associate principal clarinetist with the Houston Symphony Orchestra for a year before going to Dallas. He resides in San Antonio with his wife, Elizabeth, a violinist with the San Antonio Philharmonic and Austin Symphony Orchestras.
Jonathan Rouse
Bass
Jonathan Rouse has been Principal Bass of the Austin Symphony Orchestra since 2016 and Assistant Principal Bass of the Austin Opera since 2018. Other positions have included Assistant Principal Bass of South Carolina Philharmonic, Augusta Symphony and Winston-Salem Symphony, as well as Section Bass with Charleston and Greenville Symphony Orchestras. He has also performed with the Atlanta Symphony, Chattanooga Symphony, Charlotte Symphony, Atlanta Opera, Fort Worth Symphony and the Louisiana Philharmonic. He has worked with world renowned conductors such as Valery Gergiev, Kurt Masur, Robert Spano, Christoph Eschenbach, Paavo Järvi, Charles Dutoit, Alan Gilbert, Franz Welser-Möst and Gianandrea Noseda. Internationally, Jonathan has performed with the Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orchestra in Germany, as well as the Verbier Festival Orchestra in Switzerland. He also played for two seasons as section bassist with L’Orchestre Symphonique de Quebec in Quebec City, Canada. Jonathan holds degrees from the Juilliard School, Manhattan School of Music and the University of South Carolina.
Ying Zhang
Cellist
Ying Zhang is a brilliant cellist who has shown outstanding musical talent since she was a child. Ying began studying cello at age four and was later accepted to the Central Conservatory of Music in China where she completed her undergraduate studies. She later graduated with honors from Yale School of music with a Masters of Music degree, completing her studies with a Doctorate of Musical Arts from The University of Texas at Austin under Professor Bion Tsang.
Ying first performed as a soloist at age 8 and has since performed a number of concerts all around the world including Elgar's Cello Concerto with the Xia Men Philharmonic Orchestra, Chinese Composer Ma Sicong's Cello Concerto with the China Youth Symphony Orchestra, and in the Gold Bell Award opening ceremony concert in the Xing Hai Concert Hall in Guang Zhou. She has also performed at the Morning Side Music Bridge in Canada and the Beijing Modern Music Festival in 2004 where she performed the Chinese premier of contemporary American composer Philip Lasser's Cello Sonata. Ying has been working with Corpus Christi Symphony Orchestra since 2012, and has played regularly in the San Antonio and Austin Symphonies. She was a guest artist at the Mason Chamber Music Festival in 2019 and will be a guest artist with the Artisan String Quartet and pianist Florian Christl at the Lampasas County Chamber Music Festival in June 2024.
Ying won the 1st prize of NYIAA (New York International Competition) and held a solo recital in Carnegie Hall in 2016. She won the second prize of the Grand Virtuoso International Music Competition and was the winner of the “Aldo Parisot prize” while studying at Yale. She also won the gold medal at the Cello Concerto Competition of the Central Conservatory of Music and received several other prestigious awards during her international competition career. She has been fortunate to enjoy working with world-famous musicians such as Lang Lang and Krzysztof Penderecki. In 2018, Ying was honored to work with YoYo Ma and the Silk Road Band. She played and published the cello version of the Olympic theme song You and Me for 2008 Olympic Games, and has two more published albums, ‘Dream Chronicles’ and ‘Ave Maria’.
Ying is one of the founders of the China Philharmonic Cello Octet Group which has two CD albums published. She performed in South Korea with the Sonork Quartet and the same year the quartet won first prize in the Central Conservatory of Music Chamber Music Competition. Afterwards, the Sonork Quartet was invited by Siemens Co Ltd to perform in Beijing.
Javier Chaparro & “Salud”
Salúd is the songwriting muse of Javier Chaparro. His songs draw from all over the Latin countries and are augmented with flares of classical, jazz and Americana. The strong stylings of his band mates mash up these genres to create music that is filled with romance, inspiration and pure joy.
Formed in 2010, the band originally started at Las Palomas Restaurant in West Lake and then found its home and its loyal following at the beloved West Austin Z Tejas where it maintained a residency from July 2011 until the restaurant’s sale in 2015. In 2012 Javier and the band took their music to Blue Rock Artist Ranch and Studios where they recorded their album, Tuyo.
While each of the members continue other projects, they perform together throughout the year playing select festivals and house concerts. They have performed at the Kerrville Folk Festival and returned by popular demand to Quiet Valley Ranch concert venue for the Kerrville Wine and Music Festival. They have toured around the state as part of the Texas Commission on the Arts program including shows at the Long Center for the Performing Arts in Austin. In 2016 they took Javier’s music to a new level performing it with the Brazos Valley Symphony Orchestra in College Station. In November of 2022 they returned to College Station for a well received return performance.
A native of Lima, Peru, Javier Chaparro began his formal study of violin at the National Conservatory in Lima. He has been with the Sinfonica Nacional in Lima, the Fine Arts Theatre Orchestra in Mexico City, the Austin Symphony and currently holds the post of Concert Master for the Brazos Valley Symphony. As a guest artist he has performed solo and chamber music recitals in United States, South America, and Europe. Over the years he has built quite an eclectic musical career performing Latin, Jazz, Gypsy, Pop and Country Western music as a band leader and a sideman.
Javier has been the featured artist in film and documentary soundtracks including The Alamo, Spy Kids, IMAX’s Ride Around The World, Loaves and Fishes and PBS’s Hansel Meith. Besides the love for his music and his family, he is an avid horseman and accomplished trainer.