Stefan Jackiw, Violin

Stefan Jackiw is one of America’s foremost violinists, captivating audiences with playing that combines poetry and purity with impeccable technique. Hailed for playing of “uncommon musical substance” that is “striking for its intelligence and sensitivity” (Boston Globe), Jackiw has appeared as a soloist with the Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, New York, Philadelphia, and San Francisco symphony orchestras, among others.

In the 2025–26 season, Stefan Jackiw returns to the Pittsburgh Symphony for Korngold's Concerto, the Baltimore Symphony for Beethoven's Triple Concerto alongside Inon Barnatan and Hayoung Choi, conducted by Jonathan Heyward, and the Indianapolis Symphony for Berg's Violin Concerto. He launches the Austin Symphony’s season with Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 2, which he also performs later with the Vancouver Symphony. Jackiw joins the Seoul Philharmonic and Mei-Ann Chen for Bruch’s Scottish Fantasy. In winter 2026, he opens the Laguna Beach Music Festival with three consecutive concerts featuring a varied repertoire, including Janáček’s Kreutzer Sonata. He also performs Dvořák’s Concerto with the Kansas City Symphony.

Jackiw is set to make his debut at London’s iconic Southbank Centre in a highly anticipated special trio project with cellist Alisa Weilerstein and pianist Inon Barnatan. He continues touring with Junction Trio with engagements at Chamber Music Sedona, Sanford-Hill Piano Series, Noe Music, Caramoor, Jacksonville Symphony, and additional dates to be announced. As a recitalist, he returns to Montclair State University, Denver Friends of Chamber Music, Harvard University, Friends of Music Sleepy Hollow, and The Rockefeller University, with additional performances to be announced.

Jackiw's 2024-25 season highlights include performances with the Cleveland Orchestra under Santtu-Matias Rouvali, National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, Suwon Philharmonic, Pasadena Symphony, The Florida Orchestra, Erie Philharmonic and the Jacksonville Symphony. He continued touring with Junction Trio, returning to the 92NY stage with a program including the world premiere of a new work by John Zorn and performing at Rockefeller University.

Jackiw opened his 2023-24 season returning to the New York Philharmonic to perform the Barber Concerto with Jaap van Zweden. His season also included a quadruple World Premiere of new works at Roulette, performances with the Taiwan Philharmonic, China National Symphony, and the Junction Trio's highly praised debut at Carnegie Hall.

Jackiw tours frequently with his musical partners, pianist Conrad Tao and cellist Jay Campbell, as part of the Junction Trio. In 2021, Jackiw performed a new Violin concerto, written for him by Conrad Tao and premiered by the Atlanta Symphony and Baltimore Symphony. He also enjoys collaborating with pianist Jeremy Denk with whom he recorded the complete Ives Violin Sonatas on Nonesuch Records. The album was universally lauded by critics, with The New Yorker's Alex Ross naming Jackiw's performance "a new standard." In 2019, he recorded Beethoven’s Triple Concerto with Inon Barnatan, Alisa Weilerstein, Alan Gilbert and Academy St. Martin in the Fields. He has also premiered David Fulmer’s concerto Jauchzende Bögen with Matthias Pintscher and the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen at the Heidelberger Frühling.

Jackiw has performed in numerous major festivals and concert halls around the world, including the Aspen Music Festival, Ravinia Festival, Caramoor International Music Festival, Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, Lincoln Center’s Summer for the City Festival, the Philharmonie de Paris, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, the Celebrity Series of Boston, and the Washington Performing Arts Society.

Born to physicist parents of Korean and Ukrainian descent, Stefan Jackiw began playing the violin at the age of four. His teachers have included Zinaida Gilels, Michèle Auclair, and Donald Weilerstein. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from Harvard University, as well as an Artist Diploma from the New England Conservatory, and is the recipient of a prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant. Jackiw plays a violin made by Domenico Montagnana “ex. Rossi” c. 1730, generously loaned by a private foundation. He lives in New York City.

Kevin Ahfat, Piano

Canadian pianist Kevin Ahfat has been praised for his riveting presentation, technical finesse, and a bold, boundary‑pushing musical style matched by refined execution. Critics have described his playing as expressive, virtuosic, and grounded in deep musicianship. He has appeared in major venues across North America and abroad, including Koerner Hall in Toronto, Wigmore Hall in London, Maison symphonique and Bourgie Hall in Montreal, Alice Tully Hall and Merkin Hall in New York, and Jordan Hall in Boston.

Ahfat has performed at leading festivals and series such as the La Jolla Music Society, Seattle Chamber Music Society, Vancouver Chamber Music Society, Music@Menlo, Rockport, Montreal, Laguna Beach, and Fall for Dance North. His performances have been frequently broadcast on CBC Music’s In Concert and WFMT’s Dame Myra Hess Series, and he contributed to Yamaha Canada’s Dear Glenn AI Project.

Recent seasons have included appearances with the Esprit Orchestra in works by Silvestrov and Abrahamsen, premieres with Toronto contemporary ensembles The Happenstancers and Soundstreams, and the release of a cinematic dance film collaboration with director Vikram Dasgupta and choreographer Jera Wolfe. He was named one of CBC Music’s “30 Hot Canadian Classical Musicians Under 30” in 2018 and released a live Brahms recording from CBC’s Studio 211.

Ahfat performs and records as a core member of the three‑time Grammy‑nominated ARC Ensemble, whose Chandos releases have been recognized by The Boston Globe and WQXR as among the top classical albums of 2020. Additional highlights include a return to the Seattle Symphony for its first Shostakovich Concerto Festival, the staging of Richard Alston’s Sheer Bravado in New York, and concerto appearances with the Orchestre symphonique de Trois‑Rivières, Canadian Chamber Orchestra, Bellevue Symphony, Oakville Symphony, and the Kaleidoscope Chamber Orchestra of Los Angeles.

Dedicated to mentoring young musicians, Ahfat has given masterclasses and coachings at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Royal Northern College of Music, Moravian College, Olympic College, the College of Southern Idaho, the International Conservatory Studio, and the University of Las Vegas.

Winner of the 2025 Fou Ts’ong International Piano Competition and a two‑time winner of the Juilliard Concerto Competition, Ahfat completed his principal studies at the Juilliard School under Joseph Kalichstein and Stephen Hough, and later served as a Rebanks Fellow at the Royal Conservatory in Toronto. He is a recipient of a Sylva Gelber Music Foundation Award and an NFMC Artist Award. Ahfat is Artistic Director of OPUS Chamber Music, Toronto’s newest hub for chamber music performance and community engagement.