Benjamin Hoffman, viola

Violinist Benjamin Hoffman has performed to critical acclaim throughout North America, Europe, Asia, and Oceania, appearing in Carnegie Hall and David Geffen Hall (New York), Disney Hall (Los Angeles), the Philharmonie Berlin, the Wiener Konzertverein (Vienna), the Seoul Arts Center, and the National Centre for the Performing Arts (Beijing). He has collaborated with many of the world’s preeminent musicians, such as Yo-Yo Ma, Soovin Kim, Yura Lee, Wolfram Christ, and Gary Hoffman, among others. Appearances at summer music festivals include the Atlantic Music Festival, Yellow Barn, Aspen, Music Academy of the West, Chamber Music Northwest, and the Ojai Music Festival.

Alongside pianist Irene Kim, Benjamin is a founding member of the Brightfeather Duo (brightfeatherduo.com), with whom he recently gave a concert tour of California, Malaysia, and Thailand premiering contemporary Malaysian and American works. He is also a founding member of the Webern Quartet (webernquartet.com), a string quartet dedicated to the works of the Second Viennese School in addition to contemporary premieres and standard repertoire. The Webern Quartet recently returned from a residency in Vienna, Austria, during which they were the youngest group ever to perform all four Schoenberg string quartets on the same day, and will be releasing their first album during the 2024-25 season on the Etcetera label.

Benjamin has appeared as a guest violinist with the New York Philharmonic, the London Symphony Orchestra, the Baltimore Symphony, and the San Diego Symphony, and has performed under the batons of conductors such as Simon Rattle, Edo de Waart, Marin Alsop, John Adams, and Peter Oundjian.

He is an enthusiastic concertmaster, having served extensively in that capacity with the New Haven Symphony, the Eastern Connecticut Symphony, the Columbus Indiana Philharmonic, the Sichuan Orchestra of China, and the Yale Philharmonia. As co-concertmaster of the conductorless Kaleidoscope Chamber Orchestra, Benjamin led the groundbreaking ensemble for three seasons in repertoire such as Shostakovich Symphony No. 5, Debussy La Mer, and Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 3.

One of the things he is most proud of is connecting underserved young musicians with opportunities across the country and the world. He has been a faculty member for eight consecutive years at the YOLA National Festival, a two-week intensive El Sistema-based workshop led by Gustavo Dudamel, and in 2017 founded the Young Composers Initiative of the Kaleidoscope Chamber Orchestra, bringing composition lessons to elementary school-aged children throughout Los Angeles that would not otherwise have access to music lessons.

Benjamin studied at the Hochschule für Musik Freiburg and the Universität der Künste Berlin, and received his degrees from Indiana University (BM) and the Yale School of Music (MM and DMA). His principal mentors were Latica Honda-Rosenberg, Alexander Kerr, Jorja Fleezanis, and Ani Kavafian.

Pianist Irene Kim, a critically acclaimed prize-winner of international competitions, has performed across the globe in Europe, Asia, North America, and Australasia appearing in venues such as the Walt Disney Concert Hall, Hollywood Bowl, the Kennedy Center, and the Library of Congress.

She is known for her powerful and authoritative performances, which include the rare feat of performing Prokofiev's Third Piano Concerto without a conductor. She has appeared as soloist and chamber musician in festivals such as LA Phil's Noon to Midnight, Banff Centre for the Arts Festival, Gijón International Piano Festival, Piano Festival Northwest, American Liszt Society Conferences, and Coachella Festival.

As a musician of curiosity, Irene has collaborated extensively, working frequently with living composers, visual artists, and dancers. She tours internationally on both piano and harpsichord with violinist Benjamin Hoffman as co-founder of Brightfeather and plays keys alongside Danny Elfman for his legendary live shows. Her additional training as a conductor and piano technician informs her performance practice and instruction. She also completed an internship with the Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program at the Washington National Opera and the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

Recognizing the importance and responsibility to nurture and serve future generations and community in the arts, she has devoted over twenty years to instructing students from all around the world. She has been a guest artist and teacher at Sunway University in Malaysia, the Peabody Preparatory in Maryland, Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan, and the Conservatorio Statale di Musicale Cosenza in Italy. She is a Steinway and Sons Education Partner.

Born and raised in Los Angeles, she began musical studies at age three with her soprano mother. By age five, she was accepted into the distinguished and influential studio of Dr. Ick-Choo and Hae-Young Moon, where her formative training was established. At age eight, she made her orchestral debut with the Young Musicians Foundation Orchestra.

Irene’s professional training was centered at the Peabody Conservatory, where she received her Doctorate in Musical Arts. She was awarded the Albert and Rosa Silverman Memorial Scholarship, the Lillian Gutman Memorial Piano Prize, and the Clara Ascherfeld Award by the Conservatory for her musical endeavors during her studies there with Boris Slutsky, Benjamin Pasternack, and Marian Hahn. In the course of her musical erudition, she also had the honor to work with various distinguished musicians, including Leon Fleisher, Anton Kuerti, Robert McDonald, Ani Kavafian, Alexander Toradze, Robert Van Sice, and Ransom Wilson amongst others

Irene is an avid believer that the arts are a manifestation of humanity and its creativity and aspires to let music travel to where its resounding compassion is much needed.

instagram.com/irenekim.pianist

Alan Ohkubo joined the Louisville Orchestra as Interim Section Cello for the 2022-2023 season. He was previously a Fellow at the New World Symphony in Miami Beach, Florida, frequently serving as principal cello, including the orchestra’s 2019 tour to Carnegie Hall. Alan was the Principal Cello of the Eastern Connecticut Symphony Orchestra, with which he appeared as soloist in the Dvořák Cello Concerto. The New London Day praised Alan for “technique with a swaggering panache, retaining musicality…robust fullness from lower register…to the top.”

Alan has appeared in solo and chamber recitals in Tokyo and New York City on Charlotte White’s Salon de Virtuosi concert series. As a chamber musician, Alan has had the privilege of collaborating with distinguished artists, including David Shifrin, Lawrence Dutton, Cynthia Phelps, Ko Iwasaki, and Cho-Liang Lin.

Alan holds degrees from Indiana University and the Yale School of Music, where he studied with Janos Starker and Aldo Parisot. Alan was born in Louisville and began his cello studies with Julia Preston and his father, Megumi Ohkubo.