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 many past 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. in Round Rock, the Mason Chamber Music Festival, and the Lampasas County Chamber Music Festival. ASQ’s newest collaboration is with the Friends of the Marble Falls Library and now presents concerts at the Public Library in Marble Falls, TX. 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.
Daniela Láncara Espinoza
Violin
Venezuelan-Cuban-American violinist Daniela Láncara Espinoza creates musical environments that energize people. Whether she’s collaborating with other artists, championing new composers, or teaching, Daniela is focused on communicating what’s real, human, and personal. Aspiring to use her skills as a vehicle of transformation, she’s played for a variety of audiences at Rikers Island Prison Facility, Carnegie Hall, and also as the featured soloist with orchestras in Texas and Oklahoma.
Daniela is currently based in Austin, TX, and enjoying a life of performing and teaching. When performing, she’s most at home playing music written by friends and colleagues. She’s thrilled to be working on her debut album Zamar (‘25/’26) with composer Icli Zitella. She has the honor of leading as Concertmaster with the Central Texas Philharmonic, as Assistant Principal with the Amarillo Symphony, and plays in the violin sections of the Austin Opera, the Austin Symphony, and the Orchestra of San Antonio. She can also be found teaching with a dynamic group of faculty at Suzuki Strings of Austin. Her journey has been influenced by J.S. Bach’s “Soli Deo Gloria,” dedicating all of her work “for the Glory of God” alone.
Andrés Carrero
Violin
Violinist Andrés Carrero is a passionate performer and educator from Austin, Texas, and Chicago, Illinois. He is currently at the Eastman School of Music completing a master’s degree under the instruction of Yoojin Jang. As a recent graduate from the Oberlin Conservatory, Andrés had many opportunities to enhance his work in music education and find a way to contribute to its growth in all communities. His projects have led to concerts and teaching engagements in Latin America including as a faculty member at the string summer festival in Panama City, Panama. He worked with notable mentors at Oberlin such as Peter Slowik, Kirsten Docter, Louise Zeitlin, Marylin McDonald, Mari Sato, David Bowlin, and his former primary teacher, Sibbi Bernhardsson. Andrés’s interests include performing contemporary music and expanding his repertoire of traditional and classical Latinx music. His goal is to reach larger audiences with his projects in hopes of contributing to the universal knowledge of lesser-known composers and music.
Megan Zapfe
Violin
Originally from Cleveland, Megan Zapfe began playing the violin at age 4. She has been a member of the Austin Symphony since 2017 and regularly plays with the Buffalo and Nashville Symphony. She received her Bachelor’s degree in violin performance from the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, where she studied with Grigory Kalinovksy and Kevork Mardirossian. Prior to college, Megan studied with Peter Slowik and Marilyn McDonald at the Oberlin Conservatory.
Alexander Smith
Viola
Alexander Smith is currently a member of the Austin Symphony Orchestra and has previously worked with the Kansas City Symphony and the Chicago Chamber Orchestra. As a soloist, he has been featured in performances of works by Rolla, Walton, Hindemith, Dale, and Krieger. He has appeared in chamber music with Shmuel Ashkenasi, Glenn Dicterow, Martin Chalifour, and David Radzynski. A recent doctoral graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, he served for three years as the Teaching Assistant to Professor Roger Myers. Alexander received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in viola performance from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music as a student of Stephen Wyrczynski, Nokuthula Ngwenyama, and Yuval Gotlibovich.
Eve Tang
Viola
Eve Tang is a versatile Taiwanese-Canadian violist and pianist whose genuine passion for classical and contemporary music resonates with audiences worldwide. Her musical journey has spanned continents, with notable positions in orchestras in Malaysia, Singapore, Switzerland, Taiwan, and the U.K. Before making her home in Dallas, TX, she collaborated with major orchestras in Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal. Currently, she holds a tenured position with the Austin Symphony Orchestra. In Dallas, she performs frequently with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and is an active chamber musician, collaborating with esteemed colleagues on innovative projects and performing in intimate venues that highlight the beauty of collaborative artistry. Beyond her performing career, Ms. Tang is dedicated to nurturing the next generation of musicians. As an adjunct professor at Dallas College, she inspires and educates young minds through engaging lectures while also running a thriving private studio, which she has meticulously cultivated to provide a supportive and enriching environment for her students. Ms. Tang is a graduate of McGill University and the Yale School of Music and further refined her artistry as a fellow at the New World Symphony. She performs on a Hiroshi Iizuka viola in the viola d’amore style.
Anna Park
Cello
Anna Park is the Assistant Principal Cellist of the Austin Symphony. She has performed with renowned ensembles, including the Houston Symphony, San Antonio Symphony, International Contemporary Ensemble, Artosphere Festival Orchestra, and Austin Opera. A dedicated chamber musician, Anna enjoys collaborating with fellow artists and sharing the joy of music throughout Austin in schools, libraries, and on concert stages.
Committed to inspiring the next generation of musicians, Anna maintains a vibrant private teaching studio and mentors young musicians through chamber music coachings and orchestra sectionals. Anna earned her Bachelor of Music degree from the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore, Maryland, and her Master of Music degree from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. She has studied with Carole Neuen-Rabinowitz, Martha Gerschefski, Alan Stepansky, and Hans Jørgen Jensen, whose guidance has shaped her into a dynamic and engaging musician.
Austin Haller
Harpsichord
Austin Haller is an organist, pianist, conductor, vocal coach, and arranger who can be heard in Texas and beyond. Hailed as “always remarkable” (Austin Chronicle). He serves as Organist for the Austin Symphony and as Principal Organist at St. Martin’s Lutheran Church in Austin, and he has led hymn festivals and presented solo organ concerts throughout the southern United States. He has performed with the Grammy®-winning vocal ensembles Conspirare and Roomful of Teeth, and he makes music regularly with a number of Central Texas-based choral ensembles, including Inversion Ensemble, Panoramic Voices, Amphion Choirs, and illumine. Austin’s musical theatre music direction “produces a gloriously rich choral sound full of exquisite harmonies” (Broadway World), and he is the grateful recipient of Austin Critics’ Table and B. Iden Payne Awards for Music Direction. He has performed with many Broadway and his “fierce piano stylings” (Austin Chronicle) are frequently heard with Broadway performers at Austin Cabaret Theatre. He also serves as music director for Austin Shakespeare’s cabaret series at Parker Jazz Club – its production of A Little Night Music was praised by the Austin American-Statesman as a “fresh twist on cabaret theater (that) attained almost instant perfection.”
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 collaborative pianist and coach from Copenhagen and a candidate for the Doctor of Musical Arts degree at The Juilliard School.
An avid recitalist, Francesco performs in the United States and Europe with singers and instrumentalists alike. Recent appearances include recitals with Carnegie Hall’s Citywide series, NYFOS, Caramoor, Opera Saratoga, Berkshire Opera Festival, Death of Classical. He has performed at the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, Cosmos Club in D.C., Folly Theater in Kansas City, UsedomerMusikfestival in Germany, on WQXR (New York’s Classical Music Radio Station), and in 2025 will perform at The Morgan Library in New York with mezzo-soprano Megan Moore, premiering a brand-new song cycle by Jake Heggie. Francesco also partners with principal string players of the Austin Symphony Orchestra and will return to Texas in 2025 for their chamber music series.
Francesco has also taken home competition prizes, including 1st prize in the Copenhagen Lied-Duo Competition 2021, 2nd prize at the Naumberg Foundation International Vocal Competition with Megan Moore, and played first-prize winning performances with singers for Young Concert Artists.
Francesco completed his master’s degree at Juilliard, holds degrees from The Royal Danish Academy of Music and Rutgers University, and has completed additional training at SongFest and Carnegie Hall’s SongStudio. The topic of his doctoral dissertation is on Danish composer Rued Langgaard and his songs, and he specializes in coaching singers in the Danish language.
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.