Violinist Alejandra Switala has been praised as a musician of “beauty and grit” (Cleveland Classical) who plays with “a flair and capacity far beyond her years” (Sarasota Herald Tribune). Alejandra combines her American and Mexican roots with an energetic and curious spirit to explore repertoire from the Baroque period to the music of living composers. Praised by Chicago Classical Review as a performer of “unabashed emotion,” Allie is in demand as a soloist, a chamber musician, and multi-arts collaborator.

Since her debut with the Fort Worth Symphony at age 13, Allie has performed as a soloist with the Buffalo Philharmonic, The Cleveland Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, and most recently, the Indianapolis Symphony performing Clarice Assad’s Dreamscapes. A laureate of the 2023 Sphinx Competition, Allie has also been recognized at the Cooper and Klein International Competitions, winning the Klein’s Best Performance of Commissioned Work and the Pablo Casals Bach Prize. She has been a featured artist on PBS’s From the Top at Carnegie Hall, NPR’s Performance Today, and Chicago WFMT’s Introductions.

Highlights of her orchestral and ensemble work include serving as concertmaster of the Sarasota Music Festival Orchestra and the Cleveland Opera Theater, and performing as a member of the Matt Jones Orchestra, Shattered Glass, Fulcrum Point, Zafa Collective, and Orpheus Chamber Orchestra.

Most recently a student of Ilya Kaler at the Cleveland Institute of Music, Allie is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music as a student of Ida Kavafian and Pamela Frank. Her earlier formative teachers include Jan Mark Sloman and Roland and Almita Vamos. As a recipient of the Sphinx Organization’s MPower Artist Grant, Allie is currently curating a multi-concert series for Pilsen Classical, a chamber music project that aims to reimagine the chamber music concert experience by making it more accessible, inclusive, and engaging.

From giving her debut solo recital at age twelve to performing some of George Crumb’s most monumental chamber and solo works at the Crumb Festival, a 90th birthday celebration of the famed composer, pianist Katherine Petersen embraces a wide array of piano repertoire. She has been hailed by the Chicago Tribune for having “captured the sense of wonder” and was lauded at her Carnegie Hall debut for creating “real music-making– concentrated and deeply felt” by Edith Eisler of Strings Magazine. Petersen has nurtured a strong career in chamber music, as she believes in its ability to foster more meaningful performances by reflecting the intricacies of human interaction. In the past, Petersen has served as core pianist for Fifth House Ensemble and currently plays with Trio des Elements and the Way Out Quintet in addition to appearances with Duo FAE. She is currently a full time faculty member teaching piano and chamber music at the Music Institute of Chicago. She completed her Bachelor’s degree at the New England Conservatory of Music, and her Master’s and Doctorate degrees at the Schulich School of Music of McGill University with principal teachers Jonathan Bass, Vivian Weilerstein and Sara Laimon.