Kina Ono is an enthusiastic violinist and educator in the Chicago metropolitan area. Ono won positions with and is currently performing with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, Illinois Symphony Orchestra, Madison Symphony and the Peoria Symphony Orchestra. Prior to moving to Chicago Ono won positions in many other Orchestras including the Longmont, Boulder, Cheyenne, Mankato and Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestras. She has also performed with many more orchestras in her home state of Minnesota, as well as in Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, South Dakota, and Wyoming.

Ono has performed concertos with the Longmont and Kenwood Symphonies and during her studies at the University of Colorado, she was selected for two consecutive years to participate in the Honors Chamber Program. As part of this program, she had the opportunity to perform alongside members of the Takács Quartet. An eclectic and curious musician, Ono loves to explore other genres of music including pop, tango and bluegrass. She has performed at major venues around Minnesota alongside artists such as Michael Buble and 2Cellos.

Ono earned her Master of Music degree at the University of Colorado, under the tutelage of Charles Wetherbee, Karoly Schranz, and Claude Sim and earned her Bachelor of Music from the University of Minnesota, where she studied under renowned pedagogue Sally O’Reilly.

Praised by the Chicago Tribune as a “highly personable, exceptionally talented pianist,” Élider DiPaula is a Brazilian classical musician, composer and pedagogue. Since winning the Orestes Farinello National Piano Competition at the age of seven, he has received numerous accolades, including as guest soloist of the Youth Symphony Orchestra of Goiás, and the award of a commission by the Goiânia Música Hoje.

During his studies in Brazil, he premiered and recorded works by several Brazilian and American composers. In 2018, he launched Project 88, for which he is the Executive Director. Additionally, as Artistic Director, DiPaula leads the Fifth Season of Project 88’s Concert Series in 2022. In recognition for his work for Project 88, DiPaula was awarded the Center for Arts Leadership Seed Grant from Chicago College of Performing Arts in 2019 and the Social Justice Alumni Award from Roosevelt University in 2020. He is currently on faculty at Project 88 Music Academy, Oak Park School of Music and is the director of Beacon Arts & Music, where he teaches both piano and composition. In 2022, he joined the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University’s Advisory Board.

DiPaula earned his conservatory diploma at Escola de Música de Anápolis, and was subsequently invited to join their music faculty at the age of seventeen. Concurrently, DiPaula studied piano at the Universidade Federal de Goiás in the studio of Dr. Ana Flavia Frazão. DiPaula earned his Master of Music degree in piano performance at James Madison University, where he studied with Dr. Paulo Steinberg and Dr. Gabriel Dobner. Under the tutelage of Dr. Ludmila Lazar, DiPaula received the Artist Diploma in Piano Performance from the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University.