Andrew von Oeyen, piano

Andrew von Oeyen graduated cum laude from the Crossroads School for the Arts and Sciences in Santa Monica in 1998, and is now a student at The Julliard School, studying with Herbert Stessin.

He has studied piano for 13 years, first under Sara Banta, and for five years as a private student of Daniel Pollack. Mr. von Oeyen first performed as a soloist with orchestra at age 10. At 16 he played Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 3 at the LA Music Center, under the direction of Esa-Pekka Salonen, and has also appeared with the Los Angeles and Riverside Philharmonics, the Chamber Orchestra at St. Matthew's, the Downey Symphony, and the Pacific Palisades and Pepperdine Community Orchestras. He was featured artist at the 1996 San Juan Islands Chamber Music Festival, and has appeared in concert at Caltech, the University of Judaism, USC, and UCLA.

He received the Los Angeles Philharmonic's Bronislaw Kaper Award in 1996, won the Aspen Piano Fellowship, and was a winner in the Nakamichi Piano Competition. Andrew von Oeyen's upcoming performances include a recital in La Jolla, and as a featured artist in the 1999-2000 season of the American Youth Symphony conducted by Alexander Treger.

Richard Todd, horn

Richard Todd has appeared as soloist with orchestras such as Saarbrucken Radio Orchestra, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Saint John's Smith Square London, New Orleans, Santa Barbara, Arkansas, Akron, Long Beach and Pasadena Symphonies. He is a regular collaborator with some of the world's finest musicians in chamber music performances and festivals nationwide, including appearances at the Oregon Bach, Mostly Mozart, Tanglewood, Casals, La Jolla, Tucson, Chatauqua, Music Academy of the West and Grand Teton Festivals. Mr. Todd is also currently principal horn with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra.

As a jazz artist, Richard Todd is a leader in the horn's rise in popularity as a jazz instrument, both in concerts and recordings, with such artists as John Clayton, Clark Terry, Ray Brown, Billy Childs, Woody Herman, Lalo Shifrin, McCoy Tyner, Dave Grusin and Andre Previn. He has recorded jazz and classical works both as soloist and collaborator on such labels as GM, RCA, Angel, Nonesuch, Delos, Hanssler, BMG and Capitol. He has also performed on over 500 motion picture scores such as Independence Day, Jurassic Park, 101 Dalmations, Men in Black and Mission Impossible. He has also recorded with such artists as Barbra Streisand, Michael Jackson, Madonna, Manhattan Transfer, Celine Dion, Boys II Men, Shirley Horn and Natalie Cole.

A faculty member at both USC and UCLA, Mr. Todd has also served as faculty at Chatauqua, Occidental College, Cal Arts and Bowdoin Festival. He is in constant demand as a lecturer and clinician, and is a spokesperson and consultant for Conn Horns, where he is assisting in the development of horn and mouthpiece designs that will benefit both present and future horn lovers for years to come.

David Stenske, violin

David Stenske, our concertmaster and a native of Southern California, studied violin with Betty Shaw, Mehli Mehta and Ivan Galamian. He has served as concertmaster with the American Youth Symphony and the Redlands Bowl Festival Orchestra, and is presently concertmaster with the Riverside County Philharmonic and the La Mirada Symphony, and principal violist with the Chamber Orchestra of the South Bay. A member of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra who has performed with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Mr. Stenske also works on a regular basis at the Music Center with the Los Angeles Opera, the Joffrey Ballet, the Royal Ballet of Covent Garden and the San Francisco Ballet, often serving as Assistant Concertmaster. He is active as a studio and has played with the Almont Ensemble, which records on the Klavier and Opus One labels. Mr. Stenske performs often in recital and as a concert soloist, and is a well-established private teacher and string adjudicator throughout Southern California. He has been an Artist-in-Residence at Whittier College and has conducted the Citrus College Community Orchestra. He holds numerous honors and awards, including the National Congress of Strings and the Coleman Chamber Music Competitions.