Faculty

Biava String Quartet,
Ensemble in residence

The Biava Quartet is recognized as one of today’s most exciting young American string quartets. Winner of the Naumburg Chamber Music Award and top prizes at the Premio Borciani and London International Competitions, the Quartet has established an enthusiastic following in the United States and abroad, impressing audiences with its sensitive artistry and communicative powers. Formed in 1998 at the Cleveland Institute of Music, the Quartet takes its name from Maestro Luis Biava, a mentor since its inception.
The members of the Biava Quartet, violinists Austin Hartman and Hyunsu Ko, violist Mary Persin, and cellist Jason Calloway, hold the Lisa Arnhold Quartet Residency at the Juilliard School, serving as graduate quartet in residence and teaching assistants to the Juilliard Quartet. The Quartet previously held the same position with the Tokyo Quartet at Yale University and was the first ensemble to complete the Training Program in the Art of the String Quartet at the New England Conservatory under the direction of Paul Katz.  For more information on the Biava, visit their website at www.biavaquartet.com.

Carey Beth Hockett, cello
After graduating from the Eastman School of Music, Carey Beth Hockett was the principal cellist of the Cayuga Chamber Orchestra in Ithaca, New York for 12 years.  From 1988 to 2006 she lived in London, England where she taught for the London Suzuki Group and in the Junior Department of the Royal Academy of Music.  Hockett was a member of the International Suzuki Association's Cello Committee and served as repertoire consultant to the Associated Board of Royal Schools of Music.  She has given numerous workshops for teachers and children across Europe and America and is the founder of Corkybird Enterprises, which produces creative designs for music education.

Margreet Pfeifer Francis, piano
Francis studied at Eastman School, New England Conservatory and The Hartt School.  She is a member of the Hartford Symphony where she plays piano, harpsichord and celesta. Her performances have regularly been broadcast over radio and TV. As a soloist, Francis has appeared with many orchestras throughout the Eastern United States including the Hartford Symphony and the Baroque Arts Chamber Orchestra of Washington, D.C., performing a wide variety of literature including piano concerti, harpsichord concerti, as well as all of the Bach Brandenburg concerti. As a collaborative artist, she spent several years playing piano with the New World Chamber Ensemble, a chamber group known for its championing of works by contemporary composers. Two CDs were released during that time. Other chamber music performances have included appearances with Chamber Music Plus, the Soni Fidelis Woodwind quintet and Trio ARIOSO. As an accompanist, she has worked with world renowned instrumentalists including performances at the national Flute Convention and the International French Horn Convention. Francis is currently Assistant Professor of Piano and co-director of the keyboard department at the Hartt School.

Katie Lansdale, violin

Since her debut with the Baltimore Symphony at age 14, Katie Lansdale’s wide array of performances has ranged from appearances with Yo Yo Ma in Avery Fisher Hall to international festivals in Finland, Germany and France.  Katie’s solo and chamber careers began at an early age, including childhood performances at the White House.  She is lauded for her wide interests and repertoire; Katie Lansdale has a passion for solo Bach, often performing the complete works in concert.

As a member of the Lions Gate Trio (Hartt’s trio-in-residence), Katie is an active performer in both Europe and the United States.  They record for the Triton and Centaur labels. A founding member of the Locrian Ensemble, she regularly presented new solo and chamber works on the Locrian series in New York until 2004.  As a champion of new music, she has collaborated with a number of leading composers internationally, as a member of both the Lions Gate Trio for 13 years, and as a member of the Locrian Ensemble.

Katie won the Schlosspreis for the performance of solo Bach at Salzburg Mozarteum, was the grand prize winner at both the Yellow Springs and Fischoff National Chamber Music competitions, and she won awards for both Outstanding Violinist and Outstanding Participant at Tanglewood’s Fellowship Program.

In 2001-2002, Katie Lansdale initiated a school outreach program called Music for 1000 Children. She challenged her studio to play for 1000 children, promising to play for another 1000 herself. Her studio then joined with the Hartt student chapter of ASTA (American String Teachers' Association) to challenge other groups in North America to play for 1000 school children. Responses were highly enthusiastic, and the end, musical performances were brought to 13,000 children from Quebec to Texas. For more information on Katie Lansdale, visit her web site. For information on the Lions Gate Trio, visit the Trio's website.  Katie Lansdale’s teachers have included Josef Gingold, Felix Galimir, Ronda Cole, Donald Weilerstein, and Mitchell Stern.  She has been coached intensively by members of Juilliard, Tokyo and Guarneri Quartets.

Currently Assistant professor of violin at the Hartt School, Katie Lansdale received her B.A. cum laude in humanities from Yale University,M.M. and an artist diploma from the Cleveland Institute of Music, and D.M.A. from Manhattan School of Music.

Michael Larco, viola

Michael Larco joined the Rochester PhilharmonicOrchestra viola section in the fall of 2005 and is serving as Acting Assistant Principal Viola during the 2008-2009 season. He has recently performed with the String Orchestra of New York, New York Philharmonic and Boston Symphony Orchestra and is also a member of New York City’s Fountain Ensemble. Mr. Larco earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from The Juilliard School, and teaches at the School for Strings, Diller-Quaile School of Music and St. David’s School, all in New York City.  He began his studies here at Hartt through the Hartt Suzuki Program and studied with David Einfeldt as a child.