Chicago-based violinist Masha Lakisova is fast becoming one of the rising stars of her generation. She is currently pursuing her bachelor’s degree at the New England Conservatory under the instruction of Miriam Fried. As a soloist, Masha has taken top prizes at the Stulberg, Klein, and Tibor Junior International Competitions, and has appeared with orchestras worldwide such as Kremerata Baltica, HEMU, Fox Valley Symphony Orchestra, Skokie Valley Symphony Orchestra, Highland Park Strings, and Lake Forest Symphony. Masha graduated from Juilliard Pre-College in 2020 as a student of Itzhak Perlman and Li Lin.

Throughout her formative years, Masha found a deep love for collaborative music making. Her past string quartets, Quartet Diamant and Quartet Bellezza, won two consecutive Gold Medals at the Fischoff International Chamber Music Competition, along with top prizes at the St. Paul String Quartet Chamber Music Competition, the WDAV Young Chamber Musicians Competition, and the Discover Chamber Music Competition. Masha’s love of chamber music has continued to flourish, collaborating with young artists and seasoned professionals. She has had the privilege of performing chamber music and other substantial repertoire with some of her greatest role models such as Miriam Fried, Itzhak Perlman, Vadim Gluzman, Pavel Vernikov, Svetlin Roussev, Ilya Kaler, Paul Biss, Yossif Ivanov, Michael Kannen, Boris Berman, Ara Gregorian, William Wolfram, and the Ariel Quartet.
Apart from studying and performing during the concert season, Masha looks forward to spending her summers working with incredible faculty and colleagues. Last summer, Masha participated in the Ravinia Steans Music Institute and looks forward to returning in 2023. Miss Lakisova is the proud recipient of a magnificent violin by Giovanni Francesco Pressenda, Turin, 1845 on loan from The Stradivari Society of Chicago thanks to the generosity of her patron, Edward

Dr. Lindsay Garritson has performed throughout the United States and abroad since the age of four. She has appeared on stages such as Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and Place des Arts (Montreal), and has been featured as soloist with the Phoenix Symphony Orchestra, Charleston Symphony Orchestra, Eastern Connecticut Symphony Orchestra, Las Colinas Symphony Orchestra (Texas), Orchestre Métropolitain (Montreal), Atlantic Classical Orchestra, Orquestra Sinfônica Barra Mansa (Brazil), the Yale Philharmonic Orchestra, and the European Philharmonic Orchestra, among others. An award-winning performer, Lindsay has received top prizes at the Montreal International Piano Competition, USASU Bösendorfer International Piano Competition, and the Mozarteum International Chopin Competition (Salzburg). She was invited as one of thirty participants internationally to compete in the 2013 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, and she was selected as one of six finalists worldwide for the 2014 German Piano Award in Frankfurt, Germany.

An avid chamber musician, Lindsay has performed with Ani Kavafian, Elmar Oliveira, Carter Brey, Ettore Causa, and Ian Rosenbaum, among many others. Since 2018, she has been a collaborative pianist for the prestigious Steans Institute at the Ravinia Festival. Lindsay holds degrees from Principia College (B.A. in Music), Yale School of Music (M.M. and Artist Diploma), and the University of Miami (D.M.A.). Her piano teachers include Santiago Rodriguez, Boris Berman, Luiz de Moura Castro, Choong-Mo Kang, Zena Ilyashov, Emilio Del Rosario, the late Jane Allen, and Jennifer Lim Judd. She currently resides in Jensen Beach, Florida.