Lumière Quartet
The Lumière Quartet’s name is inspired by the symbolism of light, which can emulate vivacity, hope, and many shades of timbre. Lumière members are a part of the Cleveland Institute of Music’s Young Artist Program and are coached by chamber music director Si-Yan Darren Li and Cleveland Orchestra Assistant Concertmaster Jessica Lee.
In addition to performances at CIM, the ensemble has performed in masterclasses for members of the Emerson String Quartet. Members of the quartet have also attended such festivals as Music@Menlo, Heifetz International Institute, Meadowmount, Domaine Forget, and Bowdoin, and have performed as soloists and chamber musicians extensively.
Ania Lewis, 17, is a senior at Gilmour Academy in Gates Mills, OH. She started her cello studies at age 6 while living in Lexington, KY. At age 9, she moved to the Cleveland area where she began her studies with Ms. Martha Baldwin at the Cleveland Institute of Music (CIM). In 2019, Ania was accepted into the Young Artists Program at CIM studying with Mr. Mark Kosower, and now with Mr. Stephen Geber. Ania is currently principal cello of the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra (COYO), and participates in the associated Advanced Performance Seminar chamber program, where she has the privilege of studying and performing with members of The Cleveland Orchestra. Ania has participated in master classes and summer institutes at Cincinnati Young Artists and Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music. Her honors include Winner of the Junior Division Cleveland Cello Society Scholarship Competition in 2015 as well as the Senior Division in 2019. In April 2017, as a winner of the CIM preparatory Concerto Competition, Ania made her debut as a soloist with the CIM orchestra. She was the soloist performing with the Lakeland Civic Orchestra in April 2018 as winner of the Lakeland Young Artist Senior Division Concerto Competition, as well as the Suburban Symphony in 2019, as winner of the Suburban Symphony Concerto Competition. Ania will also be featured as the soloist with COYO as winner of the 2019 COYO Concerto Competition and with the Cleveland Philharmonic Orchestra as winner of the 2020 Freida Schumacher Concerto Competition. She is an avid chamber musician as a part of the Lumière Quartet. The quartet has gone on to win the 2021 Chicago National Chamber Music Competition and the 2021 Rembrandt Annual High School Chamber Music Competition.
In summer 2017, Ania attended the Meadowmount School of Music, where she studied with Hans Jorgen Jensen. In the summer of 2018, Ania attended Madeline Island Chamber Music Festival as well as the Domaine Forget Music Festival in Quebec, Canada, where she performed in master classes with Johannes Moser, Colin Carr, and Philippe Muller. After a 2 week orchestral tour through Austria, Bratislava and Hungary, Ania spent the rest of the summer 2019 studying with Jeffrey Zeigler and Paul Katz at Bowdoin Music Festival in Brunswick, Maine, followed by participation in the Hidden Valley Music Festival in Monterey, CA.
In addition to her cello studies, Ania is a member of the National Honor Society at Gilmour Academy, and has been a competitive swimmer for the Great Lakes Sailfish Swim Club and a varsity member of the Gilmour Swim Dive Team. When she’s not in a swimming pool or playing the cello, Ania enjoys traveling with her family, sports, and great food.
Moonhee Kim, age 16, started playing the violin when she was 4 years old. She currently learns under Sibbi Bernhardsson at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. Throughout her violin studies, she has performed in masterclasses for Annie Fullard, Almita Vamos, Mari Sato, the Dover Quartet, Paul Kantor, Yun-Ting Lee, and Marilyn McDonald.
Moonhee has been a first-prize winner of many competitions such as Ohio Music Teachers Association, Cleveland Sigma Alpha Iota String Competition, and the American Protege International Concerto Competition in which she performed at the winner’s recital in New York City’s Carnegie Hall. At 15, Moonhee made her solo debut with the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra in Severance Hall as one of the winners of the orchestra’s annual Concerto Competition.
During the school year, Moonhee has the privilege of studying chamber music at the Cleveland Institute of Music’s Young Artists’ program, where she receives coachings by Si-Yan Li and Jessica Lee, and has received coachings by Todd Phillips. She also is a part of the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra under the baton of Vinay Parameswaran, where she served as assistant 2nd violin principal on their 2019 European tour and currently serves as Concertmaster.
Henry Rogers, a native of Princeton, New Jersey, began his violin studies in 2007 with Mannes College of Music graduate Katarzyna Powichrowska. From 2016-2019, he studied with Sally Thomas privately in New York City and at the Meadowmount School of Music. While at Meadowmount, Henry additionally studied with and performed in masterclasses for Gerardo Ribeiro, Professor of Violin at Northwestern University’s Bienen of School of Music. In 2018, he was granted the opportunity to play for renowned violinist James Ehnes. In 2019, Henry relocated to Cleveland, Ohio, where he currently studies at the Cleveland Institute of Music’s Young Artists’ Program with Joan Kwuon. In Cleveland, Henry has had the opportunity to play for musicians in The Cleveland Orchestra, including concertmaster Peter Otto. Henry has played in various orchestras, including the Greater Princeton Youth Orchestra starting in 2014, the Bravura Youth Orchestra, and the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra, performing in venues such as Verizon Hall at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia and Severance Hall in Cleveland.
Throughout his studies, Henry has developed a significant interest in chamber music. In 2017, he performed with a trio in a benefit concert alongside the Juilliard String Quartet. He has performed as a chamber musician in various venues in New York City, including the Rose Studio at Lincoln Center, Kaufman Music Center’s Merkin Hall, and the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall. He has recently started additionally studying viola in a chamber music setting, initially at Meadowmount under the guidance of Steven Rochen. In 2020, he and other members of CIM’s Young Artists Program formed the Lumière Quartet, in which Henry is the violist. The quartet has recently won the 2021 Chicago National Chamber Music Competition and the 2021 Rembrandt Chamber Musicians’ Chamber Music Competition. In May of 2021, they will travel to Chicago to perform live at the Midwest Young Artists’ Conservatory. The Lumière Quartet studies under CIM Director of Chamber Music Si-Yan Darren Li and The Cleveland Orchestra Assistant Concertmaster Jessica Lee.
Violinist Célina Béthoux, 17, began her musical studies at the age of five with Cleveland Orchestra violinist Isabel Trautwein. She is currently enrolled in the Cleveland Institute of Music Young Artist Program, studying with Philip Setzer of the Emerson String Quartet and Jessica Lee, Assistant Concertmaster of The Cleveland Orchestra. Célina made her solo debut with the Pittsburgh Symphony as First Prize winner of the Duquesne National Young Artist Competition. As a member of the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra, she served as concertmaster several times, and gave a solo performance of the Barber Concerto as a winner of the concerto competition. During COYO’s 2019 European tour, she was selected by conductor Vinay Parameswaran to perform the Schubert Octet as first violinist in a cross-cultural exchange with musicians from the Anton Bruckner University of Linz, Austria, coached by Cleveland Orchestra Maestro Franz Welser-Möst. She also has performed as soloist with several local orchestras, including the Cleveland Pops Orchestra conducted by Carl Topilow. Célina has won top prizes in various competitions and was selected as one of five finalists in the 2020 Barbash International J.S. Bach String Competition. In addition, she received merit scholarships to attend the Music@Menlo and Heifetz International Institute music festivals. She has performed in master classes for Soovin Kim, James Ehnes, Todd Phillips, Keith Robinson, Peter Salaff, and Ani Kavafian. As a member of the Lumière String Quartet and Arcus Piano Trio, the ensembles have won numerous titles, including first place and grand prize at the 2019 Coltman National Chamber Music Competition, first place at the 2021 Midwest Young Artists’ National Chamber Music Competition, first place at the 2021 Rembrandt Chamber Musicians National Chamber Music Competition, and second prize at the 2019 WDAV National Chamber Music Competition. Célina loves writing, origami, and philosophy and strives to connect with the community through her music.
Carmen Quartet
The Carmen Quartet, coached by Sang Mee Lee, consists of violinists Veronica Rokicki and Kate Nelson, violist Kimberly LaFranzo, and cellist Eytan Raviv. Kate and Veronica are both students at The Academy of Music Institute of Chicago. Kimberly and Eytan participate solely in the chamber music program at MIC’s Academy. Recently, the Carmen Quartet received 2nd place in the annual Rembrandt Chamber Music Compeititon.
Veronica, a student of Almita Vamos and Davis King, was recently a semi-finalist in the District 214 Honors Orchestra Concerto Competition for two years in 2018 and 2019. In addition to this, she was a two-time merit scholarship recipient from Birch Creek Summer Music Festival. She has also been a merit scholarship recipient from Midwest Young Artists Conservatory. Veronica has also been a featured soloist with the District 214 Honors Orchestra, John Hersey Chamber Orchestra, and the Isolisti chamber orchestra at Midwest Young Artists Conservatory. Recently, she was one of the winners of the DuPage Symphony Orchestra Young Artists Concerto Competition for 20201. Veronica has taken masterclasses with the Jupiter String Quartet, Cavani Quartet, Vermeer Quartet, Avalon Quartet, Robert Handford, and Diane Duraffourg-Robinson. In addition, in the summer of 2020, she was accepted into the Northwestern Summer Violin Institute, where she took master classes with Ilya Kaler, I-Hao Lee, Blair Milton, and Gerardo Ribeiro.
Katharine (Kate) Nelson, 18 years old, is a scholarship Fellow at the Music Institute of Chicago’s Academy, a training center for advanced pre-college musicians. She studies violin with Almita Vamos and Davis King. Kate began playing the violin at age 6 through a local Suzuki program. She performed with the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra (CYSO) from 2015-2018. In 2018 she was awarded Honorable Mention at the CYSO Concerto Competition. In 2016 and 2020, Kate was invited to perform for the Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra in their annual “Rising Stars” concert. Kate performs regularly at Ravinia, Nichols Concert Hall in Evanston, and various cathedrals, churches, and nonprofit organizations. She has a diverse repertoire and has performed numerous times as a soloist at venues such as the United Center in Chicago and Notre Dame University’s Joyce Center in South Bend, Indiana as well as in bands at summertime festivals. Kate has enjoyed summer music institutes at Bowdoin International Music Festival, Indiana University, the University of Michigan, and in Beaver Creek, Colorado. She has taken masterclasses and lessons with YoYo Ma, Jorja Fleezanis, Lindsey Deutsch, Stephanie Arado, Nurit Pacht, Vadim Gluzman, Mikhail Kopelman, Lina Bahn, and both the Cavani and Verona String Quartets. Kate is a senior at Indiana University High School. In her free time, she enjoys rock climbing and distance running.
Eytan Raviv, a student of Hans Jorgen-Jensen and a member of the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra, is the winner of numerous Chicago area competitions, including multiple Society of American Musician competitions, the Festival in Honor of Confucius senior division, the Chicago Youth Philharmonic Orchestra concerto competition, and the Chicago Chamber Music Festival concerto competition. He has appeared as a soloist with the Northeastern Illinois University orchestra, with members of the bands Wilco and The Decemberists, and will be featured on WFMT’s Introductions program this winter.
Kimberly, a student of Michael Lieberman, has been playing viola since she was five years old. She has been a part of the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra’s Debut, Concert, and Philharmonic orchestra. She is currently in the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra’s Symphony orchestra, with a spot as principal. Kimberly has attended the Illinois Music Education Association since 2015 and has been accepted into All-State Honors Orchestra since 2017. She has also had occasional lessons with Helen Callus, and attended Green Mountain Chamber music festival, studying with Susan Dubois.
The name, Carmen, is Latin for poem. Just as a poem contains symbolic meanings, we hope to convey symbolic meaning to each person who listens to us. Whether it be hope, anger, remorse, serenity, or cheerfulness, we want to instill in them a deep love of whatever piece we perform, so that they can understand each piece more profoundly.