Our Faculty for Programs in Europe

Our faculty is comprised of outstanding performing artists who combine concert careers as chamber players with a dedication to teaching. They are passionate about sharing their expertise in an encouraging and supportive manner to help you achieve your individual musical goals. You’ll have the opportunity to hear them collaborate in faculty recitals and, for an additional fee, sign-up for private lessons during the week.

CAL WIERSMA (violin, viola) has an impressive biography as a soloist and chamber musician that is far too extensive to include here! He was a founding member of the prize-winning Meliora Quartet and was a member of the Manhattan String Quartet for 20 years. Cal is Associate Professor of Violin and Chamber Music at Ithaca College and maintains an active international career as a soloist and chamber musician. He is a noted performer of contemporary music and tours extensively with new music ensembles. His teaching and coaching prowess is as legendary as his keen sense of humor.

VOLCY PELLETIER (cello) is a native of France. Recognized as a highly effective teacher, Volcy is a Lecturer in Cello Performance at Smith College, and is currently a member of the Sage Chamber Music Society and Elm Chamber Ensemble. She may be heard on her most recent critically acclaimed CD New England Trios, presented on the Bridge label. Volcy has been featured in chamber music concerts and recitals on both sides of the Atlantic. La Vanguardia, in Barcelona, Spain, proclaimed her performance as “…masterfully interpreted…” An active chamber music performer, Volcy was a founding member of the Concert Players String Trio in London, the Forster String Trio and Kinor String Quartet in New York City. As a member of the Laurentian String Quartet, Volcy held a residency at Sarah Lawrence College in New York. She was the acting principal cellist of the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra in Spain and, while living in London, Volcy was a member of the BBC Orchestra and frequently participated in concerts of the London Symphony Orchestra.​

JOEL PITCHON (violin) is an active soloist, concertmaster, chamber music player, and Professor of Music at Smith College. Mr. Pitchon studied with Lewis Kaplan, Oscar Shumsky and Joseph Fuchs and received his degrees from The Juilliard School. He has served as the concertmaster for numerous orchestras, including the Orquestra Ciutat de Barcelona (Spain), the EOS Chamber Orchestra (NY), the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra (guest), and the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra (guest). As a soloist and collaborator, he frequently performs with the New Baroque Soloists. Pitchon is currently the co-director of the Sage Chamber Music Society at Smith College, a member of the Elm Chamber Ensemble and a frequent performer with the New Baroque Soloists.
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RADIM SEDMIDUBSKY (viola) is currently a member of the well-known Talich Quartet. A co-founder and member of the Skampa Quartet for more than 20 years, he is also a former member of the Pavel Haas Quartet. It seems that Radim just can’t resist playing quartets! He also enjoys an active international career as a chamber musician and soloist, touring Europe, North America, Australia, New Zealand and Japan. Radim has led chamber music classes on many continents and in 2001 was appointed visiting professor of chamber music at the Royal Academy of Music in London. He is Professor of Viola and Chamber Music at the Prague Conservatory. Radim's congenial wit and humor are a perfect complement to his wisdom and insight into playing quartets.

JITKA VLASANKOVA (cello) is a founding member of the Martinu Quartet and has an active career as a soloist, chamber musician, and recording artist. She has received numerous prizes in cello competitions at home as well as abroad (Prague Spring International Competition, Pablo Casals Competition in Budapest and others). Jitka has been a driving force behind the Play with the Professionals (PLAYWIP) program for amateur chamber players and is regularly invited to sit on juries of international competitions. Her intense focus as a performer and teacher is combined with a radiant and enthusiastic personality. 

LECH ANTONIO USZYNSKI (viola) has been a member of the Stradivari Quartet since 2010, receiving great acclaim on concert tours throughout Europe, Asia and America. With his characteristic warm sound and sensitive interpretation, Lech has become a sought-after violist on international stages. As a soloist and chamber musician he has played in concert halls that include the Philharmonie Berlin, the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, the Berlin Konzerthaus, the Zurich Tonhalle, the Vienna Konzerthaus, London’s Wigmore Hall and Tokyo’s Suntory Hall. He has also been invited in recent years as guest principal viola by the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, the Luzerner Sinfonieorchester, the Gstaad Festival Orchestra and numerous other ensembles. In addition to his wide stylistic range as a performer, Lech is also passionate about teaching and regularly hosts masterclasses. He is Professor of Viola at the Royal Conservatoire The Hague. 
Lech was born in 1986 into a family of Polish musicians in Padova, Italy but moved to Switzerland the following year. It was there that he grew up, studying with Ana Chumachenco, Zakhar Bron, and Michel Rouilly at Zurich’s University of the Arts. He also received mentoring and encouragement as a violist from Rudolf Barshai. Lech currently performs on a rare viola by the maker Hendrick Willems built in 1690.