Join us for a live taping and listening-room concert, in collaboration with Classical Jam, for the debut of their new Concert Series highlighting performers from their monthly jams! We'll be enforcing our signature whisper policy to ensure guests and livestream viewers can enjoy the acoustic concert to its fullest potential.
Tickets at classical-jam-presents-oct-7th-monksjazz.eventbrite.com
Antonio Cevallos -violin
Abi Shiman - violin
Luis Bellorin -viola
Denise Ro -cello
And Guest: Evan Ritter -piano
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Antonio Cevallos is an avid teacher, performer and sought after recording artist. Currently, he is a contracted musician with the San Antonio Symphony and also performs locally with the Austin Symphony and Austin Lyric Opera. Additionally, in 2022 he joined the San Diego Symphony as substitute musician.
Originally from Chicago, Antonio began his musical studies at age 3 and made his solo orchestral debut at 17 performing Saint Saens Violin Concerto #3. As a young performer, opportunities brought Antonio to Canada, Spain, Portugal, China, South Korea and Ecuador.
Antonio has performed on some of the worlds best stages including Chicago Symphony Hall and The Seoul Arts Center. Locally, Antonio has performed on Texas main stages such as the Long Center in Austin and the Tobin Center in San Antonio.
Antonio holds a Bachelors Degree in Violin Performance from The Chicago College of Performing Arts and a Masters Degree in Violin Performance with a Minor in String Pedagogy from The University of Texas, Austin . His Principal teachers include, Mark Zinger, Stefan Hersh, Vadim Gluzman and Daniel Ching.
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A transplant to Austin, TX in 2018 from San Francisco, CA, where she studied at the San Francisco Conservatory, Abi Shiman was a violin and viola faculty member at the San Francisco Community Music Center for four years, and served as camp director of two chamber music camps during the summer of 2018. She was a resident teacher in the San Francisco Public Schools; a teaching artist at Summer Music West; a string coach with the Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra and served as a teaching assistant at New England Conservatory’s pre-kindergarten Project Step Classes.
Her quartet, the Amaranth String Quartet was mentored by the Cypress String quartet as part of the Music Moves Residency. The Amaranth Quartet went on to perform for five seasons, and was featured on the Kronos Quartet Festival 2017 at SF Jazz. It has been in residence at the Banff Centre, as well as collaborated with young composers to bring countless new works to life. Since 2015, Abi has been a core member of San Francisco's premiere unconducted and collaborative chamber orchestra, One Found Sound.
A passionate educator and Suzuki inspired teacher, Abi teaches with Suzuki Strings of Austin, a collaborative Suzuki studio in the Austin area. Abi teaches with Austin Soundwaves as well as guiding a small studio of adult learners. She is a co-founder of Austin Unconducted, a democratically run, unconducted chamber orchestra established in 2021.
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Venezuelan-American violist, Luis Eduardo Bellorín, has been praised for his warmth of sound and for having an “impossibly sweet tone” by The San Francisco Classical Voice. As a founding member of the Thalea String Quartet (2014-2021), Luis has performed across North America, Europe, and China, and has appeared at the Kennedy Center, Massey Hall (Toronto), and Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall. He has performed with some of the most inspirational leaders of the chamber music world, including members of the Emerson, Borromeo, and St. Lawrence String Quartets, along with celebrated artists including Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Caroline Shaw, violist Lawrence Power, acclaimed Canadian band BADBADNOTGOOD, and members of Eighth Blackbird.
Since August 2021, Luis has called North Austin home where he lives with his wife Abigail and their two cats. He is a member of the Austin Symphony, a performer and faculty member with the Austin Chamber Music Center, and a teaching artist with Austin Soundwaves. His newest musical project is co- founding an unconducted chamber orchestra, Austin Unconducted.
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Canadian/American cellist, Denise Ro, began her cello studies in her hometown of Bedford, Nova Scotia at the age of 7. She completed her doctoral studies at the University of Texas at Austin in 2017, where she was mentored by cellist, Joshua Gindele of the Miró Quartet. Previous education has included string quartet studies at the Cleveland
Institute of Music and the Juilliard School, where she completed her graduate studies in 2011.
As an educator, Denise has served as Associate Cello Faculty at Encore Chamber Music since the summer of 2019. This past school year, her students have received top rankings in the Texas Music Educators Association regional placements and the University Interscholastic League Solo and Ensemble regional contests through the University of Texas at
Austin. An advocate for creating educational opportunities for her students, she looks to integrate her own artistic ventures with performances in local retirement homes and hospitals. In conjunction with the Austin Chamber Music Center, her students performed for the closing session of the Southwestern Region of the American Music Therapy Association Conference in March of 2019. Denise currently holds a private cello studio in Austin, and is also currently working as a cello instructor in the Round Rock ISD school district.
