Cellist James Baik has been described as an artist with “an undeniable authority,” and one possessing “a real warmth emerging in lyricism” by Le Soir, after his astounding performance at the 2021 Queen Elisabeth competition. First Prize Winner of the 2023 YCA Susan Wadsworth International Auditions and recipient of the Paul A. Fish Memorial Prize and the Bridgehampton Chamber Music Prize, James is a YCA Jacobs Fellow.

Highlights from recent performances include concerto performances with the Colburn Orchestra and Sir Andrew Davies, Orchestre Royal de Chambre de Wallonie, Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle, Peninsula Symphony, Pasadena Symphony, Brevard Music Center, and chamber music performances at the Ravinia Festival, Music in the Vineyards Festival, and Nevada Chamber Music Festival.

An active chamber musician, James plays as a member of the Galvin Cello Quartet. He has collaborated with Noah Bendix-Balgley, David Finckel, Wu Han, Emanuel Ax, Arnaud Sussmann, Miriam Fried, Gary Hoffman, Gilbert Kalish, Bob McDonald, and members of the Tokyo, Pacifica, and Escher String Quartets.

During the 24-25 season James will make concerto appearances with the Mobile Symphony and the Hamilton College Symphony Orchestra. Additionally, he will make recital and chamber music appearances with the Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festival, BIG ARTS Sanibel Island, Buffalo Chamber Music Society, and Hayden’s Ferry Chamber Music Series.

Raised in Houston, Texas, James’ education included studies with Houston Symphony Associate Principal Christopher French and with Hans Jørgen Jensen. James holds a BM from Colburn Conservatory of Music where he studied with Clive Greensmith.

Hailed by The Washington Post for his “poised and imaginative playing,” Filipino-American pianist Victor Santiago Asuncion has appeared in concert halls in Brazil, Canada, Ecuador, France, Italy, Germany, Japan, Mexico, the Philippines, Spain, Turkey and the USA, as a recitalist and concerto soloist. He played his orchestral debut at the age of 18 with the Manila Chamber Orchestra, and his New York recital debut in Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall in 1999. In addition, he has worked with conductors including Sergio Esmilla, Enrique Batiz, Mei Ann Chen, Zeev Dorman, Arthur Weisberg, Corrick Brown, David Loebel, Leon Fleisher, Michael Stern, Jordan Tang, and Bobby McFerrin.

A chamber music enthusiast, he has performed with artists such as Lynn Harrell, Zuill Bailey, Andres Diaz, James Dunham, Antonio Meneses, Joshua Roman, Cho-Liang Lin, Giora Schmidt, the Dover, Emerson, Serafin, Sao Paulo, and Vega String Quartets. He was on the chamber music faculty of the Aspen Music Festival, and the Garth Newel Summer Music Festival. He was also the pianist for the Garth Newel Piano Quartet for three seasons. Festival appearances include the Amelia Island, Highland-Cashiers, Music in the Vineyards, and Santa Fe.

His recordings include the complete Sonatas of L. van Beethoven with cellist Tobias Werner, Sonatas by Shostakovich and Rachmaninoff with cellist Joseph Johnson, the Rachmaninoff Sonata with cellist Evan Drachman, and the Chopin and Grieg Sonatas, also with Evan Drachman. He is featured in the award-winning recording “Songs My Father Taught Me” with Lynn Harrell, produced by Louise Frank and WFMT-Chicago.

Mr. Asuncion is the Founder, and Artistic and Board Director of FilAm Music Foundation, a non-profit foundation dedicated to promoting Filipino classical musicians through scholarship and performance. He received his Doctor of Musical Arts Degree in 2007 from the University of Maryland under the tutelage of Rita Sloan. Victor Santiago Asuncion is a Steinway artist. Marian holds degrees from the University of South Florida, DePaul University, and the University of the Philippines. Her primary teachers include Dr. Carolyn Stuart, Dr. Olga Kaler, and Prof. Arturo Molina.