Individual Biographies

• Peter Winograd, violin
• Laurie Carney, violin
  
• Daniel Avshalomov, viola
• Wolfram Koessel, cello

PETER WINOGRAD, violin

Born into a gifted musical family, Peter Winograd began his studies with his parents. His father was the founding cellist of the Juilliard Quartet and his mother a professional pianist. He gave his first solo public performance at the age of 11, and at 17 was accepted as a scholarship student of Dorothy DeLay at The Juilliard School. Recognized early as an exceptionally promising young artist, Peter Winograd was a top prize-winner in the 1988 Naumburg International Violin Competition. Since his critically acclaimed New York debut, he has been heard with orchestras and in recital across the country. Mr. Winograd joined the American String Quartet in 1990. He continues to appear as soloist in the U.S. and abroad. Highlights of recent solo appearances include performances in Brussels, Helsinki, Parma, and the Great Hall at the Moscow Conservatory. This season he performed the Sibelius Violin Concerto with the Hartford Symphony; his father, Arthur Winograd, was the featured guest conductor. He is a member of the violin and chamber music faculties of the Manhattan School of Music and Aspen Music School. His wife, violinist Caterina Szepes, is a regular participant in the Marlboro Festival and a member of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. His violin is by Giovanni Maria del Bussetto (Cremona, 1675).

LAURIE CARNEY, violin

A founding member of the American String Quartet, Laurie Carney comes from a prodigious musical family. Her father was a trumpeter and educator, her mother a pianist, and her three siblings all violinists. She began her studies at home and at the age of 8 became the youngest violinist ever admitted to the Preparatory Division of The Juilliard School. At 15 she was the youngest to be accepted into Juilliard’s College Division. Ms. Carney studied with Dorothy DeLay and received both B.M. and M.M. degrees from Juilliard. She has shared the stage with many of the world’s leading artists, including Isaac Stern, Yefim Bronfman, Pinchas Zukerman and Frederica von Stade; as well as featured in Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante with the Bournemouth Symphony and the Basque (Spain) Symphony Orchestra. Ms. Carney frequently performs duo recitals with Guarneri Quartet violist Michael Tree. She was featured in the New York premiere of Giampaolo Bracali’s Fantasia. A member of the faculty at the Manhattan School of Music and the faculty of Aspen Music School, she has held teaching positions at the Mannes College of Music, Peabody Conservatory, the University of Nebraska, and the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University. Her frequent master classes have taken her to California, Colorado, Indiana, Michigan, and New Mexico. Ms. Carney performs the duo repertory with her husband, cellist William Grubb. Her non-professional interests include animal rights and environmental concerns. Her violin is by Carlo Tononi (Venice, 1763).

DANIEL AVSHALOMOV, viola

The son of composer/conductor Jacob Avshalomov, Daniel Avshalomov began his training in Oregon, and after a year’s study abroad (with Orrea Pernel and members of the Amadeus Quartet), he took his B.M. and M.M. degrees at The Juilliard School, where he served an unprecedented five years as principal violist of the orchestra and was the first violist in the School’s history to be awarded the Loeb Prize for Outstanding Achievement. Before joining the American String Quartet, he was principal violist for the orchestras of the Spoleto, Tanglewood, and Aspen music festivals as well as for the Brooklyn Philharmonia and the American Composers Orchestra. He performed as solo violist with the Bolshoi Ballet and was a founding member of the Orpheus Chamber Ensemble. A frequent guest artist with the Guarneri Quartet, he has also been featured artist with such groups as the Da Camera Society, Marin Music Fest, and La Musica di Asolo and has shared the stage with Norbert Brainin, Misha Dichter, Maureen Forrester, Bruno Giuranna, and the Juilliard and Tokyo quartets. He is a faculty member of Manhattan School of Music as well as Aspen Music School. Mr. Avshalomov gave the premiere in New York of Giampaolo Bracali’s Concerto per Viola, which has also been broadcast in Europe by RAI. His essays and criticism continue to appear in respected musical journals, and he has prepared editions of contemporary viola works for publication. His most recent recording, Three Generations Avshalomov (Albany Records), was featured on NPR’s "All Things Considered" and in Classical Pulse. For balance he climbs mountains. His instrument is by Andrea Amati (Cremona, 1568).

WOLFRAM KOESSEL, cello

Since his critically acclaimed Carnegie Hall debut in 1994, cellist Wolfram Koessel has performed as a soloist and chamber musician in concert halls throughout the world. The Strad magazine wrote of "the exceptionally attractive cello playing of Wolfram Koessel," who has established himself as a sought after soloist, performing concertos with the Jupiter Symphony, the New York Metamorphoses Orchestra (which he co-founded in 1994), and symphony orchestras in Stuttgart, Cordoba and Mendoza (Argentina), San José (Costa Rica), and New York. In 2004 Koessel was named musical director of the Mark Morris Dance Group, with which he has performed hundreds of concerts worldwide. His collaborations include performances with legendary tabla virtuoso Zakir Hussain, distinguished dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov, and cellist Yo Yo Ma, among many others. Mr. Koessel appears with a wide range of ensembles and chamber music groups, most notably and frequently with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. From 1999 to 2002, he held the position of artistic director of "Sundays on the Island," a long-running weekly chamber music series on City Island, New York. Mr. Koessel resides with his wife, pianist and writer J. Mae Barizo, in Manhattan. His cello is by Giovanni Cavani (Modena 1917).