HEIR - Heifetz Ensemble in Residence
2022-2023

Inheriting the Past – Sustaining the Present – Defining the Future
After successfully conducting our inaugural HEIR: Heifetz Ensemble in Residence program in the spring of 2021, we are thrilled to announce the next cohort of exceptional young musicians who will join us here in Staunton, VA to study, teach, rehearse and perform together for concerts, classes, and outreach events under the Heifetz Institutes’ leadership.
The HEIR program extends and enhances our acclaimed Heifetz on Tour component, which offers real-world performance experience and outreach opportunities for these emerging artists, composed primarily of Heifetz alumni. But instead of hitting the road, presenting concerts and events under the Heifetz banner from Florida to Maine, HEIR will bring these artists back to “HeifetzLand.” Check this page frequently for concert announcements and updates!
Meet the 2022-23 HEIRees
Session V: April 28 – May 14, 2023


Daniel Rafimayeri
Violin


Aadam Ibrahim
Viola


Dominic Lee
Cello
Session IV: April 3 – 16, 2023


Yezu Woo
Violin


Laura Liu
Viola


Allen Liang
Cello
Session III: February 27 – March 19, 2023


Fiona Khuong-Huu
Violin



Joseph Skerik
Viola


Boubacar Diallo
Viola
Session II: November 23 – December 17, 2022


Minchae Kim
Violin


SoHyun Ko
Violin


Jerome McCoy
Viola


Dilshod Narzillaev
Cello
Session I: October 23 – Nov. 6, 2022


Carlos Rafael Martinez Arroyo
Violin
Manhattan School of Music
Cabra, Andalusia, Spain



Joseph Skerik
Viola
Yale School of Music
Interlochen, MI


Serge Kalinovsky
Cello
Music Institute of Chicago Academy
Bloomington, IN
About the Program
The Heifetz Institute is pleased to announce the resumption of our Heifetz Ensemble-in-Residence Program, or HEIR program, to take place in five sessions in 2022-23, with each session capped off by a concert performance alongside legendary Heifetz faculty members.
I: October 23 – Nov. 6, 2022: (Nov. 6 “Hear & Now” with Ani Kavafian)
II: Nov. 28 – Dec. 17, 2022: (Dec. 4 “Hear & Now” with Nicholas Kitchen & Yeesun Kim; Heifetz Holiday Concert Dec. 16)
III. Feb. 27 – March 19, 2023 (Mar. 5 “Hear & Now” with Ilya Kaler; Bach Around the Clock Mar. 18)
IV. April 3 – 16, 2023 (Apr. 9 “Hear & Now” with Steve Doane & Rosemary Elliott)
V. May 1 – 14. 2023 (May 7 “Hear & Now” with the Borromeo Quartet)
Each of these residencies in Staunton will feature:
- Weekly intensive coaching sessions with Artistic Director Nicholas Kitchen
- A public concert series in and around Staunton and Shenandoah Valley
- Continuation of our “HeartStrings” program with Augusta Health, offering both virtual “bedside performances” and in-person performances. “This program has been made possible by Project: Music Heals Us through a PMHU Vital Sounds Initiative Grant.
- Private lesson and chamber-coaching opportunities via the new Crescendo program with Stuart Hall School
- Educational partnerships with the Shenandoah Valley Governor’s School and Mary Baldwin University
- Outreach, house concerts, run-out concerts, and other public and private events on behalf of the Heifetz Institute.
- Opportunities to record high-quality music videos in both a concert and studio setting
Selected Heifetz alumni participants will be formed into chamber ensembles for both solo and chamber-ensemble performances. They will live and work in our home city of Staunton, VA for an extended multi-week period. Housing, meals, and salaries will be provided for the duration of the residency. Intensive weekly rehearsal, performance, and production schedules will be prepared for the ensembles, augmented by the educational and outreach elements outlined above.
The artists will work under the direct supervision of the Institute’s Artistic Director Nicholas Kitchen, exploring and performing both familiar and new repertory with an emphasis on underrepresented composers and artists of color, and the Institute’s management team led by President & CEO Benjamin K Roe, gaining valuable insight into the business side of the music world and a first hand view of arts administration. Live streamed performances will be arranged with cultural and educational partners, both regionally and further afield abetted by the Institute’s vast experience with professional quality live concert streaming. The HEIR participants will also work closely with our Multimedia Producers to prepare, curate, and assemble recorded performances that will broadcast via the Institute’s industry leading video platforms, including its YouTube channel with over 53,000 subscribers and more than 13 million views.
Past Participants


2021 Session I Artists in Residence:
Julia Angelov (Heifetz 2019, Heifetz on Tour), violin – Washington, DC
Zhenni Li-Cohen (Heifetz on Tour, HeifetzPEG Faculty), piano – New York, NY
Matt Cohen (Heifetz 2012, 2013, Heifetz On Tour, HeifetzPEG Faculty), viola – New York, NY
Yezu Woo (Heifetz 2014, 2015, Heifetz on Tour), violin – Berlin, Germany
Coleman Itzkoff (Heifetz 2013, Artist in Residence, Heifetz On Tour, HeifetzPEG Faculty), cello – New York, NY
Noemie Raymond-Friset (Heifetz 2018, Heifetz On Tour, HeifetzPEG Faculty), cello – Quebec, Canada


2021 Session II Artists in Residence:
Kenneth Ryu Takebe Naito (Heifetz 2015-17, 2019, Heifetz on Tour), violin – Elkridge, MD
Adam Savage (Heifetz 2019-20), viola – Port St. Lucie, FL
Noelle Midori Takebe Naito (Heifetz 2016-17), violin – Elkridge, MD
Jingxuan Zhang (Heifetz 2018-19, Heifetz on Tour), piano – Durham, NC
Jared Blajian (Heifetz 2018), cello – New York, NY


2022 Session Artists in Residence:
Violin: Nigel Armstrong; Liana Branscome; Strauss Shi; Yezu Woo
Viola: Steven Baloue
Cello: Juan-Salvador Carrasco; Ben Fried; Noémie Raymond-Friset
Piano: Michel-Alexandre Broekaert; Connie Kim-Sheng Fried
Presented in Partnership With:
Upcoming Events
Stars of Tomorrow I – Heifetz 2023 Festival of Concerts
Francis Auditorium 227 East Frederick Street, Staunton, VA, United StatesEnjoy the Institute’s signature series—a showcase for breathtaking performances by extraordinary Heifetz students, featuring dazzling solo works in collaboration with our acclaimed Heifetz faculty pianists.
First Fridays – Heifetz 2023 Festival of Concerts (FREE)
South Market Stage @ Grace Christian School 19 South Market Street, Staunton, VA, United StatesRing in the season with our first free concert of the summer at the South Market Stage.
Celebrity Series I: “Beginning with Brahms” – Heifetz 2023 Festival of Concerts
Francis Auditorium 227 East Frederick Street, Staunton, VA, United StatesThe Heifetz faculty kick off the 2023 summer in grand style with an all-star performance of the luminous String Sextet No. 1 by Brahms, after a first half featuring inspiring solo works played by virtuoso violinist Ilya Kaler and cellist Astrid Schween of the Juilliard Quartet.
Junior Division Showcase I – Heifetz 2023 Festival of Concerts (FREE)
South Market Stage @ Grace Christian School 19 South Market Street, Staunton, VA, United StatesCome be dazzled by the artistry of the Institute’s youngest performers, aged 7–15, as they showcase their talents on the Heifetz stage at these free concerts!
Heifetz Hootenanny I – Heifetz 2023 Festival of Concerts
Page Terrace 201 East Frederick Street, Staunton, VA, United StatesOur informal Saturday series that features Heifetz students, staff, and special guests on one-of-a-kind multi-genre mashups. On any night you might hear bluegrass picking, Broadway belting, folk fiddling, or rollicking […]
Sunday Matinee I – Heifetz 2023 Festival of Concerts
Francis Auditorium 227 East Frederick Street, Staunton, VA, United StatesOur Sunday series features Heifetz students, faculty, alumni, and special guests in invariably memorable performances tailored for summer afternoons.
Stars of Tomorrow II – Heifetz 2023 Festival of Concerts
Francis Auditorium 227 East Frederick Street, Staunton, VA, United StatesEnjoy the Institute’s signature series—a showcase for breathtaking performances by extraordinary Heifetz students, featuring dazzling solo works in collaboration with our acclaimed Heifetz faculty pianists.
Stars of Tomorrow III – Heifetz 2023 Festival of Concerts
Francis Auditorium 227 East Frederick Street, Staunton, VA, United StatesEnjoy the Institute’s signature series—a showcase for breathtaking performances by extraordinary Heifetz students, featuring dazzling solo works in collaboration with our acclaimed Heifetz faculty pianists.
Chamber Music Showcase I – Heifetz 2023 Festival of Concerts
Francis Auditorium 227 East Frederick Street, Staunton, VA, United StatesEvenings devoted to masterworks of the chamber music repertoire, featuring—for the first time— collaborative performances with Heifetz students and faculty.