Praised for her “elegant” and “exuberant” performances (The Strad), violist and violinist Miranda Werner is equally at home as a soloist, chamber musician, and interpreter of new music. Last October, she was awarded the “Walter Witte Prize” for her interpretation of the commissioned piece at the Hindemith International Viola Competition. She also advanced to the quarterfinal round of the 2025 Tokyo International Viola Competition. A passionate chamber musician, Miranda has attended festivals such as Ravinia, Norfolk, Taos, Four Seasons, Heifetz, Lake Champlain, and the Maine Chamber Music Seminar. She has also collaborated with Colin Carr, Catherine Cho, Thomas Hoppe, Midori, Jesse Mills, and Clancy Newman, among others.

A recent graduate of the Yale School of Music, Miranda studied with Professors Ettore Causa and Soovin Kim, and earned master’s degrees in both violin and viola. She completed her B.M. with Mark Kaplan at Indiana University, and has pursued additional studies with Nicholas Cords and Mark Holloway. Miranda was a recipient of the 2024 Yale Alumni Association Prize, awarded to students “who have not only excelled in their respective fields but have also made important contributions to the general life of the school.” She is also a dedicated Teaching Artist for Yale’s Music in Schools Initiative.

This fall, Miranda is honored to be joining the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra as a full-time member of the viola section.

Yoshino Toi is an active performer, collaborator, and educator. She has received top awards in multiple competitions, including the Duo Competition at the Music Academy of the West, the Brevard Music Center Piano Competition, the Paranov Concerto Competition at The Hartt School, the Musical Club of Hartford’s Scholarship Competition, and the Renee B. Fisher Piano Competition, where she also earned the honor of Best Performance of the Commissioned Work. She has participated in festivals including Music Academy of the West, Sarasota Music Festival, Manchester Music Festival, Frost Chopin Music Academy and Festival, Brevard Music Center, and duo526 Sonata Seminar.

Yoshino is pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts in Collaborative Piano at the New England Conservatory, studying with Pei-Shan Lee and Cameron Stowe. She holds a Performer’s Diploma in Collaborative Piano, a Master of Music degree in Piano Performance from the Jacobs School of Music, and a Bachelor of Music degree from The Hartt School. Her teachers include Futaba Niekawa, Charles Prestinari, Anne Epperson, Norman Krieger, David Westfall, and Malgosia Lis.