Keyboard Accompanists

In addition to his performances as a collaborative pianist at the Cali School and Mason Gross School of the Arts, Dmitri Korneev is an active educator and a composer. His most recent chamber work won a First Prize in IX International Competition of Performers and Composers “Romanticism: its Origins and Beyond” in memory of Elena Gnessina in Moscow, Russia. “…Combining gentle humor, expansive beauty, fire, flare and virtuosity, music remained true to the transcendentally tragic Russian romantic roots of the composer.” (from McDowell Concert Series). As a solo pianist Dmitri spent several years giving recitals throughout Russia, Greece, Italy and the United States. His performances in the States included such prestigious concert halls as Carnegie Hall, Merkin Hall and United Nations Concert Hall in New York. Dmitri has worked at the University of Texas at San Antonio as a staff accompanist, at the San Antonio Lyric Opera as a rehearsal pianist and served as an Executive Director of the “You Need Music” Educational & Performing Enterprise, which holds an annual regional competition with the winner’s recital in Carnegie Hall. Dmitri holds his master’s degree from the Gnessins Russian Academy of Music and Mannes College of Music and studied at the Central Music School at Moscow State Conservatory. Among Dmitri’s teachers, Prof. Alexandrov and Prof. Slesarev were the most influential. He has participated in masterclasses held by Claude Frank and Arkady Aronov, and in the La Belle Epoque Festival in New York. In 1998 he became a laureate of the International Piano Competition IBLA Grand Prize in Italy.

Michael S. Caldwell has degrees in Piano and Vocal Performance from Westminster College (New Wilmington, PA) and Hartt School of Music (Hartford, CT), where he performed in leading roles in The Rape of Lucretia, La Traviata, Cosí fan tutte, and The Rake’s Progress. He appeared with Central City Opera as Angelotti (Tosca), Mercutio (Roméo et Juliette), and Tom/John (Face on the Barroom Floor). At Virginia Opera, he performed as Antonio (Le Nozze di Figaro), Mr. Gobineau (The Medium), and Michael in the world premiere of Michael Ching’s opera Cue 67. A featured baritone at the Steans Institute at Chicago’s Ravinia Festival, Michael also has extensive background in art song and lieder, both as pianist and singer. As a pianist, he enjoyed collaborating with the artists at the International Institute of Vocal Arts in Chiari, Italy. Michael has appeared with the Metropolitan Opera extra chorus in Fidelio, Die Meistersinger, Moses und Aron, Lohengrin, Orfeo, and Samson et Dalila.

Hsuan-Wen Chen, pianist and harpsichordist, is a native of Taiwan. She received her Bachelor of Music degree and Master of Music degree in Piano from the Cleveland Institute of Music. She also holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in harpsichord performance from Stony Brook University where she studied with Arthur Haas. Ms. Chen has been Assistant Director for the International Baroque Institute at Longy, Baroque Academy at Amherst Early Music Festival, and Baroque Opera Workshop at Queens College. She is the artistic director of The Soul’s Delight, a period instrument chamber ensemble that seeks to explore the broad spectrum of music of the 17th and 18th century. As an active soloist and chamber music player, Ms. Chen has performed in the United States, Canada and Taiwan.

Young Woong Cho, D.M.A., is an internationally acclaimed pianist and dedicated educator who enjoys a diverse musical career.

In 2013, Dr Cho founded The Cali Trio, named after the founder of John J. Cali School of Music at Montclair State University. The trio actively performed throughout the East Coast and was invited to perform at distinguished venues, including the Alexander Kasser Theater, Jed Leshowitz Recital Hall, and the Van Vleck House & Gardens in New Jersey.

In 2016, Dr. Cho started the chamber music series ‘Young Woong Cho & Friends’. As the founder and artistic director, he meets audience members from all over Korea through various chamber music performances. He also founded the ensemble ‘The Music’ in 2017, which performs a wide variety of chamber music repertoire for multiple pianos.

At the start of 2020, Dr. Cho established his international performing organization, The SMI (Stage of Musical Inspiration), which introduces young, talented musicians from all over the world to audiences in the United States, Korea and elsewhere. As of Spring 2023, he continues his active performing career as a soloist, collaborative pianist, and chamber musician between South Korea and the United States.

He is currently based in Boston and serves as a piano faculty member at Brookline Music School, and as a collaborative pianist at the John J. Cali School of Music at Montclair State University. In addition, he has been teaching music theory virtually at the Korean Institute of Piano Pedagogy in Seoul.

As a recipient of a Cultural Sector Recovery Grant from the Mass Cultural Council in 2023, Dr. Cho looks forward to continuously performing throughout the greater Boston area.

Sarah Brett England has music directed hundreds of shows throughout the country with credits at the Public Shakespeare Initiative, Barrington Stage Company, Pan Asian Rep, Creede Repertory Theatre, Surflight Theatre, Half Moon Theatre, River Valley Rep, Texas Family Musicals, New Harmony Theatre, Ocean City Theatre Company, Nebraska Theatre Caravan, Circa ’21 Dinner Playhouse, Allenberry Playhouse, Dancebreak 2010, and on board P&O Australia’s Pacific Dawn cruise ship. She has music directed multiple productions at MSU, including Guys and Dolls, The Full Monty, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Sing for Your Supper, Hair, Mad Forest, and the annual BFA Musical Theatre Senior Showcase. She has written arrangements for multiple musicals, including Halloween Hullabaloo. England received her BA in Conducting and Music Theory from the College of William & Mary.

YiKyung Diana Hughes holds a doctorate in piano performance from Rutgers University. She received both a master’s and bachelor’s degree in piano from the Mannes School of Music in New York City. As a soloist, chamber musician and orchestral pianist Diana has performed in South Korea, Spain, the United States and Canada. Currently she is on the faculty at the Bergen Community College and Montclair State University. Diana freelances as a soloist, chamber musician and accompanist in the greater New York area.

Soyeon Kim has appeared as a solo and collaborative pianist throughout the United States, Europe and Korea. In 2010, she performed at the Water for Haiti Benefit Concert at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center, and has performed in many similar venues including the Metropolitan Museum of Arts, Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall, Weill Recital Hall, Merkin Concert Hall, Sejong Center and ArKo Arts Theater in Seoul, Korea, the Croatian Music Institution in Zagreb, Croatia, Konzerthaus in Berlin and Gasteig in Munich, Germany. She has also performed in many chamber series including those sponsored by the Princeton Symphony Orchestra, Cathedral Saint John Divine, Trinity at One, and Music at Penn Alps. She has won awards in several competitions including First Prize and Best Interpretation in the Liszt in William Garrison Piano Competition, Second Prize in the Artur Balsam Competition for Duos, and the New Triad Foundation Fellowship (New York City). She has participated in masterclasses with such artists as Marilyn Horne, Thomas Hampson, Anna Moffo, Dalton Baldwin, Glenn Dicterow and Edgar Meyer. She has received BM and MM degrees in piano performance from Seoul National University, and an MM degree and DMA degree in accompanying from Manhattan School of Music.

Ron Levy, international acclaimed pianist, has been called “first-class” by the New York Times. He regularly appears in major venues, both as a soloist and collaborative artist, and has been pianist and harpsichordist of many symphony orchestras. A resident of Vermont for over 20 years, Ron was a faculty and Board member of the Manchester Music Festival, Music Director and Conductor of the Opera Theatre in Weston, and Program and Music Director at the historic Equinox Hotel. A graduate of Oberlin College, he has taught at numerous colleges, and is currently on the faculty of Montclair University’s Cali School of Music, as well as The Ridgewood Conservatory. In addition, he is Music Director of the Unitarian Society of Ridgewood, Pianist & Assistant Conductor of the Orpheus Club Mens’ Chorus, a member of the Arundo Trio, and pianist of the award-winning Palisades Virtuosi, of which he is a founding member. A prolific recording artist, CDs by Mr. Levy are available on the Albany, Centaur, Eroica, 4-Tay, Great Kate, High Point, Koch International, Phoenix, South Mountain and Summit labels.

A two-term President of the Professional Music Teachers’ Guild of NJ, Mr. Levy is a member if the Board of Trustees of the Rockland and Monmouth Symphony Orchestras; he is also a consultant to BIM Music Pulbications, Switzerland.

Mary Pinto, an acclaimed accompanist and vocal coach, has worked with international opera singers and major American opera companies for the past 25 years. She serves as musical and artistic director at Opera at Florham. In 2012, Ms. Pinto coached and served as rehearsal pianist for Metropolitan Opera star and international soprano Deborah Voigt as she prepared for the three Brünhilde roles for the Met’s production of Wagner’s ​Ring Cycle. In 2014, she performed with Opera Noire’s Ensemble in the American Embassy in Moscow and St. Petersburg and spent the past 3 summers coaching at Masterclass and Ischia in Italy. In March 2018 she was the official accompanist for the Deborah Voigt International Competition in Vero Beach. ​Ms. Pinto has been a private coach and accompanist on the faculty of Montclair State University since 2007. In Fall 2018, she joined the adjunct faculty at SUNY Purchase College teaching Italian and French lyric diction, operatic styles, and coaching.

Beth Robin received her undergraduate training at Oberlin Conservatory and graduate degree from the Indiana University School of Music. While at Oberlin, she accompanied in the vocal studios of Helen Hodam and Richard Miller. At Indiana University she worked with violinist Josef Gingold. She has collaborated with members of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic. As a choral accompanist, she has performed at Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall (now David Geffen Hall) and Alice Tully Hall. She toured Germany with the Strelow Piano Trio, performed violin/piano recitals in New Delhi, India and for many years was the founding member of the Hudson piano trio, performing concerts in the New York/New Jersey area. She was also the pianist for Tryptich, a flute, cello and piano trio. Her professional recordings include several premieres of Israeli choral music with the Zamir Chorale of New York, an album of 21st century saxophone/piano works, and an album of Puerto Rican Danzas. She sings in the professional Chorus of the Riverside Church in New York City.

Steven W. Ryan joined the Cali School faculty in 2006. He has performed as an orchestral keyboardist with most of the major orchestras in New York City, including members of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. He has played celesta with the legendary Berlin Philharmonic at Carnegie Hall; piano, harpsichord, and portative organ with the Dessoff Choirs; and synthesizer with the Moody Blues rock band. He has collaborated with conductors such as Lorin Maazel, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Neeme Järvi, Bernhard Haitink, Gerard Schwarz and Maxim Shostakovich, among others. Mr. Ryan took first place in the 2001 Concours des Grands Amateurs de Piano. At the close of this international competition he was engaged to perform Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-Flat Minor at the Sorbonne in Paris. In addition to winning the French competition, Steven took second prize in the 2000 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition for Outstanding Amateurs.