Festival Artists 2024

Scott Cuellar, piano

WEEK 1:  Mr. Cuellar won the gold medal at the 2016 San Antonio International Piano Competition and the solo division of the 2013 Virginia Waring International Piano Competition, where he also took 2^nd place in the concerto division. He was the bronze medalist at the 2016 New Orleans International Piano Competition. He has given recitals around the world, and is currently an assistant professor of piano at Syracuse University’s Setnor School of Music.

Lauren Eberhart, trumpet

WEEK 1: Currently Assistant Principal/Second Trumpet with the San Antonio Philharmonic, she previously served for many years as Second Trumpet with the San Antonio Symphony. Lauren holds the position of Second Trumpet with the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music in Santa Cruz, California.

Peter Flamm, percussion

WEEK 1 & 2: Currently Principal Timpanist with the San Antonio Philharmonic, besides serving for many years as Principal Timpanist with the San Antonio Symphony, Peter also held this title with the Indianapolis Symphony, Charleston Symphony, and the Canton Symphony.

Francis Graeme, percussion

WEEK 2: A versatile clinician with over twenty years of teaching experience, based in Houston, Texas, his extensive knowledge of solo, chamber, orchestral percussion, and jazz drum set education reflect his robust performance career in these areas.

Timothy Jones, bass-baritone

WEEK 1: American Bass-Baritone Timothy Jones enjoys a reputation as a charismatic presence on operatic and concert stages throughout the United States, Europe and South America. The Boston Globe hailed his voice as “stentorian and honeyed” and the Chicago Tribune called his “complete connection with the text extraordinary.” His eagerly anticipated performances combine intelligent musicianship, commanding vocal technique and a unique ability to connect with audiences.

Stephanie Jutt, flute

WEEK 1: Stephanie Jutt is co-director, with pianist Jeffrey Sykes, of Bach Dancing & Dynamite Society, a chamber music festival in Madison, Wisconsin. Her many arrangements, transcriptions, and new editions are published by International Music Publishing. Her recent recordings are available on Albany, GM and Centaur. She has been Professor of Flute at UW-Madison and Florida State University.

So Jin Kim, violin

WEEK 1: Korean-American violinist So Jin Kim has been praised by critics and audiences alike for her “powerful interpretation…[and] flawless sound” (Cuxhavener Nachrichten) and for “creating tones of poetry” (The Strad). Following her successful solo debut with the Juilliard Orchestra in Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall in 2006, she has appeared as a soloist throughout North America, Europe, and Asia.

Lachezar Kostov, cello

WEEK 1 & 2: Associate Principal Cellist with Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, winner of multiple international awards, and solo performances in Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center for Performing Arts, Gewandhaus in Leipzig among others. Frequent summer festival artist at Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society, Cactus Pear Chamber Music Festival, Orcas Island, Lakes Area Music Festival, Lancaster Festival.

Stephanie Sant'Ambrogio, violin

WEEK 2:  Founder and former Artistic Director of Cactus Pear Music Festival (1997-2022), Stephanie Sant’Ambrogio, described as a “violinist who most often takes your breath away” by Gramophone Magazine, enjoys a varied performing and recording career as a soloist, chamber musician and orchestral leader. Currently Professor of Violin and Viola at the University of Nevada, Reno, and violinist of the Argenta Trio, she is also Concertmaster of the Fresno Philharmonic.

Ilya Shterenberg, clarinet

WEEK 1: Principal Clarinetist of the San Antonio Philharmonic and Principal Clarinetist of the ProMusica Chamber Orchestra, Ilya Shterenberg has performed extensively in the United States and abroad, in broadcasts on National Public Radio and Chicago’s WFMT classical music network. Ilya performs frequently as a recitalist and chamber music artist with the North Shore Chamber Music Festival and the Cactus Pear Music Festival. Ilya is a Buffet Group USA Performing Artist.

Colin Sorgi, violin

WEEK 1: Violist Colin Sorgi was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas. He is a current member of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra viola section and has established a career as a sought-after chamber musician and soloist across the country and internationally. 

Craig Sorgi, Education Director

WEEK 1 & 2 / Young Artist Program: Since 2008 Craig has served as the Education Director of the Cactus Pear Music Festival’s highly successful Young Artist Program [YAP]. Currently, Craig is a 1st violinist with the new San Antonio Philharmonic.

Jeffrey Sykes, piano & Artistic Director

WEEK 1 & 2: Artistic Director of Cactus Pear Music Festival, and acclaimed by the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung as "a commanding solo player, the most supportive of accompanists, and a leader in chamber music," pianist Jeffrey Sykes has performed across four continents and collaborates regularly with leading instrumentalists and singers. In the fall of 2018 he gave a recital on Chicago’s prestigious Dame Myra Hess concert series, and he recently returned from a tour of France that culminated in performances of French solo and chamber music at the Musée des Impressionismes in Giverny, home of Claude Monet. He was recently a guest artist at the African American Art Song Alliance conference in Irvine, California.

Christopher Taylor, piano

WEEK 2: Taylor graduated from Harvard College, and has performed with the National Symphony Orchestra, the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Buffalo Philharmonic, among others. He has received an Avery Fisher Career Grant,^[1] the Classical Fellowship of the American Pianists Association and the Gilmore Young Artist Award and earned a bronze medal at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 1993.

Wyatt Underhill, violin

Week 1: Violinist Wyatt Underhill is currently the acting associate concertmaster of the San Francisco Symphony, having held the position of assistant concertmaster with the orchestra since 2018.
He is a graduate of Oberlin Conservatory and the Juilliard School,
and was previously a member of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.