Performers
Christopher Schmitt, Piano
Described as "carefully colored" and "sensitive" by The Washington Post, pianist Christopher Schmitt was also hailed as a “formidable talent” and “mature beyond his years” by The Santa Barbara News-Press, regarding his performance of Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 1. Having completed his doctorate at The Juilliard School in 2016, he has been sponsored for concerts by The Chopin Foundation of the United States, The Stecher and Horowitz Foundation, and The Embassy Series. He performs at the festival Málaga Clasica in Spain, as well as in July of 2016 in his own concert series in Barcelona, Classics in Catalan. A collaborator with cellist Kian Soltani on NPR's Tiny Desk Concerts in March 2019. Dr. Schmitt currently resides in Washington DC, and as pianist of “The President's Own" US Marine Chamber Orchestra, performs regularly in the White House and in concert halls across the Washington DC metropolitan area, leading a multifaceted career as chamber musician, pedagogue, and soloist. In 2024, he founded the Classical Arts Society of Washington, where he hopes to share the Beauty of classical music with the world through engaging public concerts, educational outreach initiatives, and the cultivation of a core community of classical music lovers.
Julia Angelov, Violin
Hailed by Washington Classical Review for her “melodious” and “soaring” tone, violinist Julia Angelov recently performed a recital with acclaimed pianist Rohan De Silva in Washington DC, and led an octet performance alongside Julia Fischer, Nils Mönkemeyer, and Benjamin Nyffenegger at the Künstlerhaus Boswil in Switzerland. Upcoming engagements include performance appearances on Salon De Virtuosi in New York City, and the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto with Burbank Philharmonic in Los Angeles.
Angelov has appeared with numerous American orchestras including the National Philharmonic at Strathmore under the baton of Piotr Gajewski, the U.S. Army Band Orchestra, the Arlington Philharmonic, and the Montgomery Symphony Orchestra. Abroad, she has performed with the Sendai Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra in Japan, Eurasia Chamber Orchestra in Berlin, the Kaluga Symphony in Moscow under the baton of Alexander Ghindin, and Kostroma Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Pavel Gerstein
Angelov performs on a violin by Andrea Guarneri, kindly on loan from Jonathan Solars Fine Violins, New York.