Cynthia Marie Dillard is a pianist, songwriter, & teacher with a background in classical, jazz, blues, and folk music. She is a Honolulu Symphony Best and Brightest concerto competition winner, Berklee College of Music summer performance program songwriter showcase artist, and a graduate of the University of Washington School of Music in Seattle, WA with a Bachelor of Arts in Music. She studied classical piano with Bonnie Litten and Ann Tanabe, boogie-woogie piano with Caroline Dahl, and jazz piano with Debbie Poryes.
Born on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, the High & Wides draw from their members' extensive backgrounds in bluegrass and take the music to a place all their own, recalling an era when old-time, rockabilly, and early rock'n'roll coexisted in a murky soup of hillbilly string band music.
Multifaceted guitarist Meng Su is captivating audiences around the world with her stunning virtuosity and refined artistry. A soloist, also an avid chamber musician, Su tours regularly with orchestras and with her partner Yameng Wang as the Beijing Guitar Duo. This past season, Su performed with China Philharmonic Orchestra, the Mulhouse Symphony Orchestra and the Adelaide Symphony in addition to more than 40 recitals in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. Su has released four recordings to critical acclaims.
Multi-instrumentalist and composer Russell Kirk is a native of Baltimore. Russell studied at Towson University and The Peabody Conservatory. While earning his master’s degree at New York University, Russell was an adjunct faculty member at The Steinhardt School of Culture, headed a music outreach program in Harlem, and interned at Saturday Night Live.
Saxophonist, Tae Ho Hwang is dedicated to diversifying classical music by sharing eclectic programs to a wide range of audiences. He is praised for his interpretation that has a delicate sensitivity yet a solid power underneath.