Beatrice and Christina Long are winners of the First Prize and the Award to the Best Performance of American Music in the Ellis Duo Competition sponsored by the National Federation of Music Clubs. At their last appearance in Charleston the Post and Courier said: “the Long Duo defines cohesiveness of purpose, absolute accuracy of execution and a near-spiritual transparency.” They have performed extensively in North America and Asia in such venues as Alice Tully Hall, the Phillips Gallery and the National Music Theatre in Taipei. The duo presents innovative programming that brings audiences new perspectives of classical piano music, and modern music by contemporary composers.

Well known to Charleston audiences through his appearances on this series, Piccolo Spoleto Festival and with the Charleston Symphony, Sean Kennard has been soloist with orchestras in five continents. He has won top prizes at the Viña del Mar, Hilton Head, Sendai, Iowa and Vendome International Competitions, National Chopin Competition and the American Pianists Association. A graduate of the Curtis Institute, Sean received an Artist Certificate from the College of Charleston and is finishing his Masters Degree at the Juilliard School. He has appeared at the Chopin Society in Warsaw, in Carnegie Hall as part of the Hawaii Music Awards and at Japan’s Tokyo Opera City Recital Hall.

Recognized by the French and German governments with the highest honors those countries award to civilians, Menahem Pressler was made a Commander of Arts and Letters by France, and from Germany received the Federal Cross of Merit. A founding member and the pianist of the Beaux Arts Trio for all of its 51 years, he has established himself among the world’s most distinguished and honored musicians, with a career that spans more than six decades. Both an outstanding chamber and solo performer, Mr. Pressler’s talents have brought him to all of the world’s major venues. His overwhelming knowledge of piano and chamber music literature has also gained him an international reputation as a remarkable teacher.

Sebastian Knauer has performed in major concert halls such as the Leipzig Gewandhaus, the Berlin, Cologne and Munich  Philharmonie, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, Vienna Musikvereinssaal, Barbican and Wigmore Hall in London, Opéra Comique and Théatre Champs Elysées in Paris, Barcelona’s Auditori, Sala Verdi in Milan, La Fenice in Venice, Warsaw Philharmonic Hall, Lincoln Center in New York, Téatro Municipal in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, Tokyo’s Toppan Hall, Oriental Concert Hall Shanghai, Performing Arts Center Hong Kong and Forbidden Concert Hall Beijing. He performed and conducted all 27 Mozart Piano Concertos with the Hamburg Philharmonic. Last year he performed Mozart’s Two Piano Concerto with Philippe Entremont for the Charleston Concert Association and is a regular at the Savannah Music Fest.