top of page

Biographies

erictran_edited.jpg
Eric Tran
PIANO

Pianist-Composer Eric Tran has performed in Italy, Korea, China, Canada, and in over 20 states in the United States. He has appeared in music festivals such as PianoTexas, Aspen, Art of the Piano, Gilmore, and Chautauqua, both as participant and as guest artist. His principal studies were with pianists Sharon Mann, Thomas Schultz, and Christopher Taylor; and with composers Jaroslaw Kapuscinski and Laura Schwendinger.

​​

Eric is a graduate of Stanford University, the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and the Mead Witter School of Music. During his studies, he was the winner of the concerto competitions of all three institutions, and he was awarded the prestigious Robert M. Golden Medal for outstanding contributions to the arts. As a composer, he won the Pacific Musical Society Composition Prize, and his sets of children’s music have been programmed for over seven years on the syllabus of the US Open Music Competition. His music has been performed by the St. Lawrence String Quartet and the Friction Quartet, and his debut album, Water, was supported by Stanford University’s Young Alumni Arts Grant.

 

He comprises one half of the notorious “Happy Dog” piano duo with his longtime friend and piano partner, Nathan Cheung. They won the 1st prize and Abild American Music Award at the Ellis Duo-Piano Competition, hosted by the National Federation of Music Clubs; 1st prize at the inaugural MTNA-Stecher and Horowitz Two Piano Competition; and 1st prize at the Ohio International Duet and Duo Piano Competition. For over a decade, they have performed four-hands originals, transcriptions, and classics alike with a focus on bringing humor and joy to the classical music world.

hh_edited.jpg
Hillary Hempel
VIOLIN

Music is a gift, a language, a way to share what composers have written, to express and create emotions and colors through sound. These bring Hillary Hempel joy when playing music whether orchestral, chamber, or solo music.

 

Hillary, originally from Lyons, Illinois, moved to Madison, Wisconsin after becoming Assistant Principal Second Violin of Madison Symphony Orchestra and becoming a member of the first violin section in Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra in 2017. Since 2023, she has served as a member of the Hunt String Quartet through Madison Symphony, which she loves! She subs in Quad Cities Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Iowa, and Oakwood Chamber Players.

 

She soloed with Middleton Community Orchestra performing Brahms Violin Concerto in December 2022. She performed Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto in D Major with Northwestern’s Philharmonia Orchestra after winning Northwestern University’s Concerto Competition in 2014.

 

Hillary was a member of the Civic Orchestra of
Chicago from 2014-2016. She attended Colburn Conservatory of Music for her undergraduate degree and Northwestern University for her master’s degree. She studied with Robert Lipsett, Danielle Belen, and Almita Vamos.

 

When Hillary is not playing the violin, she enjoys running and hiking, in any season, and spending time with friends and family.

e408cb_56b87c09a1e338b9c8ba074542d4869b_edited.jpg
Hannah Wolkstein
CELLO

Cellist Hannah Wolkstein received her bachelor's degree in Music Education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she studied with Uri Vardi and Parry Karp, and received scholarship awards for both Cello Performance and Music Education.  

 

For two years Hannah lived in Atlanta, Georgia for a special apprenticeship studying with Wolfgang Laufer, former cellist of the Fine Arts Quartet.  She also studied at the Glenn Gould School at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, Canada for one year with Bryan Epperson, former principal cellist of the Canadian Opera Company.  Prior to Atlanta and Toronto, her cello teachers included Karl Lavine and Warren Downs.  
 
Hannah has participated in many music festivals including the Pablo Casals Festival in Prades, France, the Henry Mancini Institute in Los Angeles, the Quartet Program and the Colorado College Music Festival.  She was a winner of the Ruth Kern concerto competition in Atlanta, Georgia where she performed with the Atlanta Community Orchestra as a soloist on two occasions.
 
Hannah was also the cello sectional coach for ten years and has performed as a soloist with the Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestra. Hannah is currently a Speech and Language Pathologist for the Madison Metropolitan School District. S

 

Hannah has studied the Suzuki method at the Chicago Suzuki Institute and enjoys a private studio of cello students of all ages. She has been a cello instructor for Camp Begin and the UW-Madison Summer Music Clinic. Hannah currently performs both as a soloist and ensemble player for various events throughout Wisconsin.

bottom of page