New Year, New Chapter
A benefit concert for St. Boniface
This is a digital companion to your printed program and includes artist bios below.
REBECCA KELLERMAN-FILSELL, soprano
Philadelphian Rebecca Kellerman was hailed as “a soprano of grace and elegance” by The Washington Post, and she has performed nationally as both a soloist and as an ensemble singer. She has worked with Bach Collegium San Diego, Chatham Baroque, Three Notch'd Road, Kontrabande, and at the Berkeley Early Music Festival. For the past twenty years in Washington, DC, Rebecca has appeared in solo roles with The Washington Bach Consort, Opera Lafayette, Cathedra, Chantry, the National Gallery of Art Vocal Ensemble, The Bach Sinfonia and the Washington Chorus, working frequently with Conductors Robert Shafer, Julian Wachner, Ruben Valenzuela, Michael McCarthy, Christoph Eschenbach, Robert King, Jane Glover, Leonard Slatkin, J. Reilly Lewis and Ryan Brown. Recent solo performances have included Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater, Couperin’s Leçons de Tenébres, J. S. Bach’s B Minor Mass and Magnifcat, Buxtehude’s Membra Jesu Nostri, Handel’s Messiah, Arvo Pärt’s Passio alongside collaborations with pianist Jeremy Filsell, and organist Joy-Leilani Garbutt. Her Opera credits include Armide (Gluck and Lully), Dido and Aneas (Purcell), The Medium (Menootti), Semele (Handel), Die Fledermaus (Strauss). Rebecca holds Bachelors and Masters degrees in voice performance from Shenandoah University, and she studied in both the UK (Dartington International Summer School with Emma Kirkby and Richard Boothby) and Germany (Stuttgart Hochschule). Before moving to New York in 2019, she maintained successful voice teaching studios in both West Virginia and Washington DC. Besides working now as a freelance singer and teacher in the New York Metropolitan area, she is Musical Associate for the Children & Family Ministry at Saint Thomas Church Fifth Avenue, and assists with the daily training of the boy choristers at Saint Thomas Choir School. Her first commercial recording, released last November, represents her interest in investigating highways and byways of lesser-known repertoire.
JEREMY FILSELL, organ
Jeremy Filsell is one of only a few virtuoso performers as both pianist and organist. His concerto repertoire encompasses Bach, Mozart and Beethoven through to Shostakovich, John Ireland, Constant Lambert and the Rachmaninov cycle, and he has recorded commercially the solo piano music of Herbert Howells, Bernard Stevens, Eugène Goossens and Johann Christoph Eschmann. Recent album releases have included Rachmaninov’s solo piano music (Signum), the first and second Rachmaninov Concertos (Raven), the piano music of Francis Pott (Acis), and Clavier-Übung III of J. S Bach (Signum). Jeremy is on the international roster of Steinway Piano Artists and has recorded for BBC Radio 3, USA, and Scandinavian radio networks in solo and concerto roles. His discography comprises more than 35 solo recordings. He has taught at universities, summer schools, and conventions in both the UK and USA and has served on international competition juries in England and Switzerland. Solo engagements in recent years have taken him across the USA and UK, and to Germany, France, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Australia and New Zealand. Jeremy Filsell was Organ Scholar at Keble College, Oxford University, before completing graduate studies in piano performance at the Royal College of Music in London. His PhD in Musicology from Birmingham City University/Conservatoire was awarded for research involving aesthetic and interpretative issues in the music of Marcel Dupré (whose complete organ works he recorded commercially on 12 CDs back in 1998, here at St. Boniface Church). Before moving to the USA in 2008, he held Academic and Performance lectureships at the Royal Academy of Music in London, and the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, and was a lay clerk in the Queen’s choir at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle. In the US he combined an international recital and teaching career with being director of music at the Church of the Epiphany in Washington DC, Artist-in-residence at Washington National Cathedral, and Professor of Organ at Peabody Conservatory (Baltimore), before becoming Organist & Director of Music at Saint Thomas Church, Fifth Avenue, New York in April 2019.
KWAN YI, piano
Pianist Kwan Yi has performed throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia in such venues as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Kimmel Center, Kennedy Center, Chicago Symphony Center, Mann Performing Arts Center, Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts, Library of Congress, Metropolitan and Isabella Stewart Gardner Museums, Großer Sendesaal des Hessischen Rundfunks, Auditorium du Louvre, Teatro Gayarre, Suntory Hall, and Seoul Arts Center.
Yi has appeared as a soloist with the Russian National Orchestra, Houston Symphony Orchestra, Brevard Festival Orchestra, and the North Carolina Symphony under the batons of Hans Graf, Julian Kuerti, Grant Llewellyn, and Mikhail Tartanikov. As a recitalist and masterclass instructor, he has completed residencies at University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, University of Maryland College Park, Bowling Green State University, Michigan State University, University of Georgia, and University of South Carolina. As a chamber musician, he has collaborated with Itzhak Perlman, Miriam Fried, and Roberto Diaz on national tours and was invited to perform at the Kronberg, Ravinia, Trondheim, and the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern festivals and Carnegie Hall Presents, Curtis Presents, CIM Mixon Hall Masters, and Peoples’ Symphony Concert series. He has recorded for FHR and Hänssler labels with violinist Itamar Zorman. The 2024-2025 season includes performances in China, Guatemala, Mexico, and Turkey; a solo appearance with the New Carolina Sinfonia in their inaugural concert; a recital tour with a program of Liszt’s Années de pèlerinage and chamber music performances throughout the U.S.
A recipient of many honors and prizes, Yi’s awards include Mieczyslaw Munz Prize, National Federation of Music Clubs Award, and prizes in the Fourth Sendai International Piano Competition.
Yi is a graduate of the Curtis Institute, Juilliard School, and the Peabody Institute where he worked with Leon Fleisher and Robert McDonald. He currently serves as associate professor of piano at the East Carolina University School of Music.
TIMOTHY CHOOI, violin
Internationally acclaimed violinist Timothy Chooi has mesmerized global audiences with his virtuosity and emotional depth. He's celebrated for his extensive repertoire, connecting with millions worldwide. Chooi's accolades include First Prize at the Joseph Joachim International Violin Competition and the "Yves Paternot Prize" at the Verbier Festival. He's graced renowned orchestras and prestigious venues, earning glowing reviews.
In the upcoming year, Chooi embarks on a thrilling tour, collaborating with London's Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and returning to the Toronto Symphony. He also debuts with the European Union Youth Orchestra, Brucknerhaus Orchester, and at the Wimbledon Music Festival in London.
Chooi's music resonates globally, with notable recordings and broadcasts. Born in Canada, raised in the US to Chinese-Indonesian parents, he rose to prominence at sixteen, performing with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra. Currently, he's a Professor of Violin at the University of Ottawa, playing two exceptional violins: the Titan Guarneri Del Gesu violin from 1741, on loan from CANIMEX INC. in Drummondville, Quebec, Canada, and the Engleman Stradivarius violin from 1709, on loan from the Nippon Music Foundation in Japan.
MAX TAN, violin
Taiwanese-American violinist Max Tan has been praised as “eloquent” (New York Times) and “warmly rhapsodic” (Boston Globe) for “rhetorical playing that transcends the barlines” (Wieniawski Gazette). Forging a varied career as performer and educator, he has performed internationally on some of the world’s most venerable stages. His performances have been broadcasted on WQXR (New York), WFMT (Chicago), WSMR (Sarasota), Musiq3 (Belgium), Polish Radio and Radio Poznan (Poland). Upcoming projects include a collaboration with the Institute of North American Studies in Barcelona, presenting a concert featuring works by American composers of various backgrounds: opera conductor and pianist Matt Aucoin, the Iranian-Jewish violinist Michelle Barzel Ross, the Ukrainian-born violinist Albert Markov, and the late pianist Sarah Gibson. Dr. Tan will serve as guest associate concertmaster of the Auckland Philharmonia from June through August 2025.
Recipient of the 2023 Gershen Cohen Violin Award, Dr. Tan made his Carnegie Hall recital debut with pianist Marisa Gupta on April 3, 2024. Notable festival appearances include La Jolla Summerfest, Ravinia, Music@Menlo, YellowBarn, Chelsea Music Festival, and Prussia Cove. He has given the premieres of works by important living composers in North America and Asia, including Sur la corde raide by French composer Jean-Frederic Neuberger, Phylogenie by Japanese composer Misato Mochizuki, Night Scenery by Chinese composer Sang Tong, and chamber works by Catalan composer Marc Migó. An ardent advocate for music of our time, Dr. Tan is committed to arts diplomacy, community engagement, and education; he is currently developing a course for the Tianjin Juilliard School. His writings about music have appeared in The Juilliard Journal in New York and L’education musicale in France. Dr. Tan’s dissertation research centers on the provenance of unpublished arrangements of Chausson’s Poème and other notable works for violin, piano, and organ by Belgian violinist Eugène Ysaÿe, the first recordings of which were released by Centaur Records in September 2024. Dr. Tan has also published an essay on his manuscript research in Juilliard School Library Music Manuscripts: By and For Performers, a new book celebrating Juilliard’s archival treasures published by Scala.
An alumnus of Harvard and Juilliard, Dr. Tan is founder and artistic director of Soundbox Ventures, which launched the Suncoast Composer Fellowship Program as well as the Listen Hear Salon Concerts series in Sarasota, FL. He is concertmaster of Opera Philadelphia and assistant faculty of violin at Juilliard’s Pre-College, in addition to maintaining his private studio. Dr. Tan is dedicated to fostering the next generation of artist teachers, curators, and advocates. His mentors at Juilliard include Catherine Cho, Donald Weilerstein, and Itzhak Perlman.
JAMES KIM, cello
Hailed for possessing “admirable purity of tone and accuracy” (James Oestreich, The New York Times), James Kim has performed with orchestras such as the Boston Symphony and Royal Philharmonic. He has worked with conductors including David Zinman, Michael Sanderling, Alexander Shelley, Keith Lockhart, Tan Dun, Matthias Bamert, Frank Braley, Benjamin Zander, and others. These concerto appearances have led him to Carnegie Stern Auditorium and Zankel Hall, Boston Symphony Hall, Jordan Hall, and Metropolitan Museum of Art. He has given solo recitals at Carnegie Weill Hall, the Midday Masterpieces Series at the Greene Space, McGraw Hill Young Artist Showcase hosted by Robert Sherman, Garden City Chamber Music Series curated by Bruce Adolphe, and Beautiful Thursday Series of Kumho Art Hall. His performances have been broadcasted on radio stations NPR and WQXR. In his native Korea, he has appeared as soloist with Daegu, Korean, Gwacheon, and S.O.N.G. Symphonies; Incheon, Daejeon, and Goyang Philharmonics; and TIMF and KBS orchestras. These engagements have taken place at Seoul Arts Center, Lotte Concert Hall, Tongyeong Concert Hall, and Daegu Concert House.
Kim is a champion of Korean composer Shinuh Lee. In 2021, he premiered her Cello Concerto (1999/2021) with Wonju Philharmonic Orchestra. In the same year, Sony Classical released his album Death and Offering presenting her works. The disc features her title piece for cello and piano (with pianist Ilya Rashkovskiy) and Caprice No. 3 “Tangy” for cello and soundtrack, both dedicated to him, as well as Psalmody (2016) and Expression (1993) for solo cello. It is found on iTunes, Spotify, and other music platforms. In December 2023, he will perform works from the album in recital at IBK Chamber Hall at Seoul Arts Center. Kim is a recipient of Salon de Virtuosi’s Sony Career Grant and a top prizewinner of Isang Yun and David Popper International Cello Competitions. In 2022, he served as guest principal cellist of Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra. He is a member of Sejong Soloists and Ensemble DITTO.
Kim’s edition of Pietro Locatelli’s Sonata in D Major for Two Cellos, co-edited with Daniel Morganstern, was published by International Music Company in 2020. Its preface includes his technical guidance on upbow staccato. He regularly gives guest lectures and leads seminars and workshops at Seoul National University’s College of Music. His private students have won top prizes at major international cello competitions in Europe and Asia.
Kim holds an Artist Diploma from The Juilliard School, where he served as Studio Teaching Assistant to Joel Krosnick, and a Doctor of Musical Arts from Manhattan School of Music, where he was a Teaching Fellow. His teachers include Susan Moses, Janos Starker, Laurence Lesser, Aldo Parisot, Joel Krosnick, and Philippe Muller.