Vladimir Tsypin was born in the Soviet Union and was a top prizewinner there in three major competitions among five Soviet Republics, including the Tchaikovsky National Competition in 1972. He graduated from the Latvian State Conservatory in Riga. After emigrating to the United States, Mr. Tsypin made his Carnegie Recital Hall debut in 1979.

As concertmaster and soloist with the Camerata of Los Angeles, he toured the United States, Europe, and Mexico, and spent a year teaching and performing in Taiwan. He joined the New York Philharmonic in 1983, where he was Assistant Principal, Second Violin Section, from 1986–2002. He participates in chamber music as often as possible, and has performed with the New York Philharmonic Ensembles at Merkin Concert Hall in New York City. In 1994 and 1995, Mr. Tsypin toured Japan as part of the New York Trio Concertant.

Every summer Mr. Tsypin combines his summer teaching with solo concertizing in Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Germany, Italy, and Slovakia. He also has served as a judge at the Johannes Brahms International Competition in Austria.

Mr. Tsypin has recorded three solo CDs in Germany and Slovakia; one features him performing his own arrangements and compositions, with Russian poetry and lyrics by his wife, Luba (who also sings on the recording). Another recent release, Songs Without Words for Violin and Piano (Preiser Records), features the music of German composer Nikolaus Schapfl. Three recent releases feature works by composers John Sichel, Joel Suben, and Anthony Louis Scarmolin. Mr. Tsypin, leading New York Philharmonic musicians, recorded the complete salon solo and chamber music of Scarmolin (MSR Classics). In April 2008 Mr. Tsypin performed a concerto by the Argentinean composer Enrique Roel with the Gran Orquesta Sinfonica Ciudad de Buenos Aires. In August 2009 he plans to record music by Argentinean and American composers in Buenos Aires for the Tradition label, as well as to perform recitals there.

Mr. Tsypin is the music director — and his wife is the organizer — of the Artistic Club Luba in New Jersey. Through this chamber-music salon, founded in 1992, they present concerts in other people’s homes as well as in their own.

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Robert Langevin, holder of The Lila Acheson Wallace Chair, joined the New York Philharmonic as Principal Flute at the start of the 2000–01 season. In May 2001, he made his solo debut with the Orchestra in the North American premiere of Siegfried Matthus’s Concerto for Flute and Harp with Philharmonic Principal Harp Nancy Allen and then- Music Director Kurt Masur. Prior to the Philharmonic, Mr. Langevin held the Jackman Pfouts Principal Flute Chair of the Pittsburgh Symphony and was an adjunct professor at Duquesne University, in Pittsburgh.

Mr. Langevin served as associate principal flute of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra for 13 years, playing on more than 30 recordings. As a member of Musica Camerata Montreal and l’Ensemble de la Société de Musique Contemporaine du Québec, he premiered many works, including the Canadian premiere of Pierre Boulez’s Le Marteau sans maître. In addition, Mr. Langevin has performed as soloist with Quebec’s most distinguished ensembles and has recorded many recitals and chamber music programs for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. He also served on the faculty of the University of Montreal for nine years.

Born in Sherbrooke, Quebec, Mr. Langevin began studying flute at age 12 and joined the local orchestra three years later. While studying with Jean-Paul Major at the Montreal Conservatory of Music, he started working in recording studios, where he accompanied a variety of artists of different styles. He graduated in 1976 with two first prizes, one in flute, the other in chamber music. Not long after, he won the prestigious Prix d’Europe, a national competition open to all instruments with a first prize of a two-year scholarship to study in Europe. This enabled him to work with Aurèle Nicolet at the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik in Freiburg, Germany, where he graduated in 1979. He subsequently studied with Maxence Larrieu, in Geneva, winning second prize at the Budapest International Competition in 1980. His most recent solo appearance with the Philharmonic was in September 2008 in Lorin Maazel’s Music for Flute and Orchestra.

Mr. Langevin is a member of the Philharmonic Quintet of New York with which he has performed concerts on many continents. In addition, he has given recitals and master classes throughout the United States and in countries such as Canada, Spain, Costa Rica, Japan, North Korea, Singapore, and Vietnam. He is currently on the faculties of The Juilliard School, The Manhattan School of Music, and the Orford International Summer Festival.

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Bassist David J. Grossman began playing with the New York Philharmonic as its youngest member in December 1999 before graduating from The Juilliard School in May 2000. Born and educated in New York City, Mr. Grossman has performed as double bassist and pianist in orchestral, chamber, and jazz venues worldwide. He is a member of the double bass faculties of the Manhattan School of Music and The Juilliard School.

An active chamber musician, Mr. Grossman performs in both the New York Philharmonic’s chamber concerts in collaboration with the 92nd Street Y, with the New York Philharmonic Ensembles Concerts at Merkin Concert Hall, and has performed with The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. Most recently, he was a featured artist in the 2007 Portland (Maine) Chamber Music Festival as well as the Mt. Desert Festival.

As a composer, Mr. Grossman wrote Mood Swings for trombone and double bass for New York Philharmonic Principal Trombone Joseph Alessi, and composed Fantasy on “Shall We Gather at the River?” for New York Philharmonic English Horn Thomas Stacy’s recording, Plaintive Melody. Two earlier compositions, Swing Quartet and String Quintet No. 1, were written for The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center.

In the realm of jazz, Mr. Grossman was a member of the Marcus Roberts Trio whose 1996 Columbia recording, Time and Circumstance, was listed in the “best top ten jazz CDs of the year" in both Time and The New York Times. He has also performed with Wynton Marsalis, Lew Tabackin, Toshiko Akiyoshi, and Richard Stoltzman, and has recorded with David Morgan and Loston Harris. Bringing together both his classical and jazz interests, Mr. Grossman performed in an impromptu jazz ensemble during a week of joint concerts with the New York Philharmonic and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis, culminating in a Live From Lincoln Center telecast and radio broadcast. Mr. Grossman has released two CDs (one classical and one jazz) entitled The Bass of Both Worlds, available at www.davidjgrossman.com.

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Violinist Kuan-Cheng Lu joined the New York Philharmonic at the beginning of the 2004-05 season. He received his bachelor's in music degree from Oberlin College, and his master's in music from the Manhattan School of Music. A native of Taiwan, Mr. Lu has received numerous awards and scholarships that include the top prize in the Taiwan National Violin Competition, first prize in the ASTA string competition, the Raphael Bronstein Award, and the Taiwan Chi-Mei Corporation’s Outstanding Young Artist award. He has studied with New York Philharmonic Concertmaster Glenn Dicterow and Philharmonic violinists Yoko Takebe and Lisa Kim. Other teachers have included Roland and Almita Vamos, Julia Bushkova, as well as his father, Chung Chih Lu.

Mr. Lu has served as concertmaster of the Verbier Orchestra, Pacific Music Festival, Music Academy of the West, Oberlin Orchestra, Oberlin Contemporary Music Ensemble, Manhattan Chamber Sinfonia, Manhattan Symphony, and Manhattan Philharmonia.

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Violinist Quan Ge joined the New York Philharmonic in June 2009. She holds a bachelor’s degree from The Curtis Institute of Music, where she worked with Yumi Scott, Ida Kavafian, and Jaime Laredo, and a master’s degree from The Juilliard School, where she studied with David Chan. A native of Huai Nan, China, Ms. Ge was the recipient of a Fu Chenxian Scholarship, and has won top prizes in both the China National Competition and the Jeunesses Music Competition (Romania). While a student at Curtis, she played as a substitute with The Philadelphia Orchestra. Ms. Ge is an active chamber musician and recitalist, and most recently worked with pianist Robert McDonald and the Borromeo String Quartet at the Taos School of Music in 2008.

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Violist Dorian Rence is a graduate of The Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, where she studied with Max Aronoff and Joseph De Pasquale. At the completion of her studies, in 1976, she joined the New York Philharmonic. She has been a participant at the Marlboro, Arcady, and Marland music festivals. Ms. Rence has performed extensively as a chamber musician, playing regularly with the Philharmonic Ensembles and the Hofstra Quartet. She has appeared as soloist with the Oklahoma City Symphony, The Curtis Institute of Music Orchestra, the Ridgefield Symphony, the Endymion Ensemble, and the North Arkansas Symphony Orchestra.

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A member of the New York Philharmonic cello section beginning September 2007, Wei Yu has appeared regularly as a substitute cellist with the New York Philharmonic and The Cleveland Orchestra. Most recently, he was invited to join the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra’s USA 70th Anniversary tour led by Zubin Mehta and Lorin Maazel. He has participated in open master classes conducted by pianist Leon Fleisher, violist Kim Kashkashian, and cellists Lynn Harrell, Ralph Kirshbaum, Joel Krosnick, and Janos Starker, and was invited to play for Mstislav Rostropovich at the Seventh American Cello Congress in 2003.

Born in Shanghai, China, Mr. Yu has been the top prize winner of many competitions, including the Hudson Valley Philharmonic String Competition, Holland American Music Society Cello, Music Teacher National Association (MTNA National Collegiate Strings), Canada’s National Music Festival, Calgary’s Kiwanis Festival, and China’s National Cello competitions. He was also invited to participate in the XII International Tchaikovsky Competition 2002 in Moscow.

An active chamber musician, Mr. Yu has been invited to the Marlboro and Ravinia music festivals, and has recently collaborated with musicians such as cellist David Soyer, pianist Richard Goode, violinists Midori and Pinchas Zukerman, and members of the Guarneri and Juilliard Quartets. Mr. Yu gave a recital on the Catherine & Mary Roth concert series in Washington D.C., with pianist Francis Conlon.

Wei Yu toured Japan as principal cellist of the Pacific Music Festival Orchestra under Bernard Haitink, Edo de Waart, Wei-Pin Chien, and Yutaka Sado. His performances have been live and in recording on Chicago’s 98.7 WFMT, Finnish Radio Broadcasting Company, and the CBC’s “Our Music” in Canada.

Mr. Yu began studying the cello at age four and made his concerto debut with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra at age 11 playing the Elgar Cello Concerto. He came to the United States in 2000 to work with Hans Jensen of Northwestern University. He received his master’s degree from The Juilliard School, studying with David Soyer on a full scholarship, with the support of the Irene Diamond Graduate Fellowship.

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Satoshi Okamoto was an assistant principal double bassist in the San Antonio Symphony for eight years and a member of the New York City Ballet Orchestra for a year before joining the New York Philharmonic in September 2003. He received his master’s degree from The Juilliard School, and a bachelor’s degree from Tokyo University of Fine Arts. An eight-time Aspen Music Festival participant, he won the festival’s bass competition twice, in 1993 and 1997. He also became a finalist of the International Society of Bassist Solo Competition in 1997, and the Izuminomori International Double Bass Competition in 2001. His teachers include Philharmonic Principal Bass Eugene Levinson, Paul Ellison, Al Laszlo, Bruce Bransby, Yoshio Nagashima, and Osamu Yamamoto.

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Yulia Ziskel joined the New York Philharmonic in September 2001, and is active as a solo, chamber, and orchestral musician in the United States and around the world. She made her solo recital debut at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in March 2002, and has been praised by The Strad magazine for “…the sweetness of her sound.”

Ms. Ziskel’s most recent appearances include critically-acclaimed chamber music performances at the Bellingham (Washington) Music Festival, where she also enjoyed a residency as principal second violin of the Festival Orchestra. She has appeared as a soloist with the New York Chamber Symphony Orchestra, the Julius Grossman Orchestra, in faculty recitals at The Juilliard School, at Cremona Viva, an International Exhibit of Cremonese Instruments, and is a member of the New York Philharmonic Ensembles, making regular appearances at Merkin Concert Hall. Her performance at the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra’s “Meanings of Tchaikovsky” Festival was praised by The New York Times, New Jersey Star Ledger, and by the New Jersey Classical Society Journal. She has also appeared on the radio program The Listening Room, hosted by Robert Sherman on WQXR.

Before her appointment to the New York Philharmonic, Ms. Ziskel was a member of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, as well as a participant in numerous music festivals, including the Sarasota Music Festival. She was also concertmaster of the Pacific Music Festival Orchestra in Japan.

Ms. Ziskel was born in St. Petersburg, Russia, and began her musical training on the violin and piano at age four. She made her solo debut at the age of seven at the St. Petersburg Philharmonic Hall, and at age eleven was a soloist with the St. Petersburg Chamber Orchestra. During her teenage years she toured extensively, appearing in solo recitals throughout Germany, Finland, Poland, and United States. In 1994 Ms. Ziskel's family emigrated to the United States, where she completed her bachelor of music degree at Indiana University, and upon graduation, received an Honorary Certificate for Outstanding Performance in Violin. In May 2000, Ms. Ziskel received her master’s degree from The Juilliard School. Her awards include First Prize in the Assembly of Arts International Violin Competition and the Anna Bernstein Memorial Award.

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Violist Vivek Kamath joined the New York Philharmonic in January 1998. Mr. Kamath earned his bachelor's degree at the Cleveland Institute of Music, studying with Donald Weilerstein. He has appeared as soloist with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and the Metamorphosen Chamber Orchestra. An avid chamber musician, he has performed at the Marlboro, Ravinia, Sarasota, Blossom, and Bowdoin festivals. In 1997 Mr. Kamath was a prize-winner in the Washington International String Competition and in the Irving Klein International String Competition. In his spare time he enjoys playing tennis, studying wildlife, and dining out.

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Sumire Kudo joined the Philharmonic as a cellist in June 2006. Previously she taught at Indiana University–South Bend and was the cellist of the Avalon String Quartet. She is a member of the New York-based new-music group counter)induction, a composer/performer collective. Born in Tokyo, Japan, Ms. Kudo began cello studies at age four with her father, cellist Akiyoshi Kudo. She came to the United States in 2000, after establishing herself in her native country through solo performances and recordings. Her honors include the Hideo Saito Memorial Fund Award, which she received from the Sony Music Foundation after being chosen by Seiji Ozawa and Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi as the most promising cellist in 2005, and prizes at the Sapporo Junior Cello Competition and 62nd Japan Music Competition. Ms. Kudo is a graduate of Tokyo’s Toho School and The Juilliard School. She has participated in the Nagano-Aspen Music, Aspen Music, Santa Fe, and Marlboro Music festivals. Record Geijutsu, Japan’s leading classical music magazine, named her second solo CD, Love of Beauty, Best Recording.

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