Sound In The Stars: First Night

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Serenade, “Eine kleine Nachtmusik” (A Little Night Music), K. 525 
Amy Beach: String Quartet in One Movement, Op. 89 
Hildegard of Bingen, arr. Marianne Pfau: Three Antiphons 

Vista Quartet 

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Founded at the Yale School of Music in 2025, the Vista Quartet is a New Haven-based ensemble dedicated to thoughtful ensemble playing and distinctive, forward-looking programming. The quartet has performed in the United States and the United Kingdom, with recent engagements including BBC Radio 3’s In Tune, the Yale-Guildhall Chamber Music Festival in London, and interdisciplinary projects bringing chamber music into dialogue with environmental photography and climate-related themes.

With a strong interest in both the core quartet repertoire and contemporary music, Vista seeks to create performances that combine musical depth, curiosity, and a close connection with audiences. The quartet is coached at the Yale School of Music by Paul Watkins and Ani Kavafian and has also received artistic guidance through masterclasses with distinguished chamber musicians.

Violinist Jaewon Wee

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Violinist Jaewon Wee has won first and major prizes at numerous International Violin Competitions, including Menuhin, George Enescu, YSAŸE, Washington, Mirecourt, Irving M. Klein, International Tchaikovsky for Young Musicians, and Kloster Schöntal. As the winner of the 2019 Violin Concerto Competition at The Juilliard School, she made her New York debut at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center, performing Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 2 with the Juilliard Orchestra, conducted by Jeffrey Milarsky.

She has appeared as a soloist with the George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra, the National Symphony Orchestra of the Republic of Bashkortostan, the Palermo Festival Symphony Orchestra, and the KBS Symphony Orchestra, among others. Jaewon has performed at the Verbier Festival and the NUME Festival as an Academy soloist, appearing in recitals, public masterclasses, and community performances. Her solo performance at the Cinéma de Verbier received enthusiastic praise from audiences for her mature technique and musicality.

An active collaborator, she has performed with renowned artists including Andrew Marriner, Soo-Jung Shin, and Cho-Liang Lin, and has worked with Midori, Mihaela Martin, and Pinchas Zukerman.

A graduate of The Juilliard School and New England Conservatory of Music, Jaewon is currently pursuing her studies at the Yale School of Music under Ani Kavafian.

Violinist Hyein Koo

Violinist Hyein Koo has been recognized from an early age through numerous prizes at national competitions in South Korea, including first prizes at the Strad Korea Competition, TBC Music Competition, Eumyoung Music Competition, Gimpo Philharmonic Orchestra Competition, and the Mayor’s Award at the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra Competition, among others.

Her achievements in South Korea soon led to success on the international stage, where she earned Third Prize at the HKGNA International Music Competition, was named a semifinalist at the 8th Mirecourt International Violin Competition in France in 2025, and most recently received Fourth Prize at the 2026 Michael Hill International Violin Competition in Auckland, New Zealand.

As an active chamber musician, Koo has performed in a wide range of ensembles in the United States, South Korea, Europe, and the United Arab Emirates. In 2026, she performed in London through a string quartet collaboration between the Yale School of Music and the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, including a live performance on BBC Radio 3. She was also selected to the Dubai Music Festival with support from South Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. She has participated in the Yellow Barn Chamber Music Festival and the Aspen Music Festival and School, and has performed extensively in string quartets, piano quartets, and other chamber ensembles.

Her orchestral experience includes performing as second principal of the Juilliard Orchestra, as well as performances with the Korean Philharmonic Orchestra, Seoul National University Symphony Orchestra, and Aspen Music Festival Orchestra. She has performed as a soloist with ensembles including the Seoul National University Chamber Orchestra and the Gyeongsangbuk-do Philharmonic Orchestra.

Koo is currently pursuing the Master of Musical Arts degree at the Yale School of Music with Soovin Kim. She previously earned her Master of Music degree from The Juilliard School with Ronald Copes, and her Bachelor of Music degree from Seoul National University with Ju-young Baek and Ji-won Moon.

Violist Annis Ma

Praised for her “rich sound” and described as “an outstanding young Hong Kong violist,” Annis Ma is a Hong Kong violist active as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral player. In 2025, she appeared as a soloist with Cameristi della Scala and Musicus Soloists Hong Kong.

Annis has performed at the Verbier Festival, Gstaad String Academy, New York String Orchestra Seminar, and BigLake Arts. She has served as principal violist of the Curtis Symphony Orchestra, Curtis Chamber Orchestra, Verbier Festival Orchestra, and Colburn Orchestra, and is a member of the Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra. She has also appeared with the Minnesota Orchestra and East Coast Chamber Orchestra. In 2017, she was named the youngest Hong Kong Young Music Maker by Radio Television Hong Kong and received the Grand Prize at the 5th Hong Kong International Music Festival.

Annis earned her Bachelor of Music degree from the Colburn Conservatory of Music and her master’s degree from the Curtis Institute of Music, where she studied with Misha Amory and Hsin-Yun Huang. She is currently pursuing further studies at the Yale School of Music with Ettore Causa and is a recipient of the Hong Kong Jockey Club Music and Dance Fund.

Cellist Vesper Park

Cellist Vesper Park, born in London in 1997, made her solo debut with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra at the age of twelve and has since developed an international career spanning Asia, Europe, and the United States. Trained by Hyoung-won Chang, Myung-hwa Chung, Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi, Troels Svane, and David Geringas, she is currently pursuing her Artist Diploma at the Yale School of Music with Paul Watkins.

A prizewinner of the Mendelssohn Competition, Khachaturian International Competition, Tallinn International Competition, Grünewald Competition and a Classic Cello Competition, Vesper has appeared as a soloist and chamber musician with orchestras including the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Armenian Philharmonic, Argentine National Symphony, Busan Philharmonic, and Sydney Symphony Orchestra. She has also worked with the Berliner Philharmoniker.

Her festival appearances include the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival, Dresdner Musik Festival and Martha Argerich Festival. Since 2017, she has been selected by Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs as a representative cultural artist, appearing on international concert tours in Russia, Canada, South America and in Europe.

Vesper plays a Vincenzo Panormo cello dating from 1800.

Emily Boyer

Emily Boyer is the morning classical music host at WSHU Public Radio, connecting with listeners across Connecticut, Long Island, and beyond. As a professional horn player, Emily has performed with sonic artist Rachel Devorah at the Boston Museum of Science planetarium and performed a solo recital featuring her original compositions for horn and digital media at the International Horn Symposium in Montreal. She is a founding member of horn and harp duo Apple Orange Pair, shining light on this unexpected pairing through new works and innovative transcriptions. Emily performs with orchestras around the region and is a member of New Haven-based quintet, Brass. She has served on the music faculty at Sacred Heart University, Connecticut College, University of Rhode Island, and CT State Community College. Emily came to classical music while growing up on a cherry farm in northern Michigan, where the kitchen radio was always tuned to the local public radio station. She graduated from Interlochen Arts Academy, Peabody Conservatory, and Yale School of Music.

Molly Ingram

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WSHU

Jacob Marcus

Jacob Marcus is the head of the planetarium at the SHU Discovery Science Center, working every day to bring space down to Earth.Jacob graduated in 2023 from Emory University with abachelor's degree in Physics& Astronomy as well as Psychology. Since then, he has dedicated himself to science education and communication, serving as an Educator and running the planetarium at the Mid-America Science Museum in Hot Springs, Arkansas before returning home to the northeast. Through his work in the planetarium, Jacobseeksto make the night sky feel accessible to anyone, the way his childhood planetarium did for him. Outside of his work in astronomy education, Jacob also participates in many theater opportunities through Center Stage Theater in Shelton, performing on stage in shows such as Matilda, Avenue Q, and Guys and Dolls, as well as recently music directing their production of SpongeBob: The Musical.Art and science have always coexisted in Jacob's life, and he is excited to bring them together in the planetarium.