3/15
Melos Trio Bios
Sunday, 4pm
Amy Zanrosso, piano
Amy Zanrosso’s playing has been hailed as expressive, magnetic and masterful but since no one at the New York Times has said this, she’s not allowed to put it in quotes. Thanks to her attentive Italian immigrant mom, piano lessons started at the age of 6 and by the age of 15, Amy had made the decision to make music her life. As a soloist, she has appeared with the Santa Rosa Symphony, the Symphony of the Kootenays, the Russian Chamber Orchestra, Contra Costa Chamber Orchestra, the Symphony of the Redwoods and the Kensington Symphony Orchestra. Her love of chamber music has led her to more fully admire her favorite composers while sharing the experience with countless inspiring musicians and appreciative audiences.
Amy is a faculty member and chamber music coach at the Pre-College Academy of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music as well as at The Nueva School in Hillsborough, CA. She is constantly fueled by her fantastically inspiring students and enjoys forcing her favorite composers on them as well as telling them what to. Many thanks to Beethoven and Brahms for inspiring her to come this far – she wouldn’t change a thing. For more information, please visit www.amyzanrosso.com.
Ani Bukujian, violin
Ani Bukujian was born into a musical family and started playing the violin at the age of two and a half. When her grandmother gifted her with a toy violin, she would stand in front of the television while imitating famous violinists, such as Sarah Chang and Itzhak Perlman. Ani studied with her father exclusively until the age of 15.
A native of Los Angeles, she is the winner of numerous musical competitions, including three gold medals at the World Championship of Performing Arts, and first place at the Bach Competition, the ASTA Annual National Solo Competition, and the Pasadena String Festival. At the age of 7, she was a solo performer in her debut concert with a chamber orchestra at the Alex Theatre in California. Ani was also part of the Viva-Vivaldi All-Girl Orchestra in Washington DC, being the youngest 1st violin in the orchestra.
Ani has recently performed as a member of the Charleston Symphony Orchestra and has served as Concertmistress in the Miami Summer Music Festival, where she played the solo of Richard Strauss’ Also Sprach Zarathustra. She has also participated in other festivals such as Bowdoin Music Festival and Fontainebleau Festival in France. She has performed in venues such as David Geffen Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Carnegie’s Stern, Zankel, and Weill Hall as a chamber and orchestral musician as well as solo performer. Ani has collaborated with distinguished artists such as Kim Kashkashian, Ian Swensen, Dimitri Murrath and participated in masterclasses with teachers including Andres Cardenes, Aaron Rosand, Ruggiero Ricci, Abraham Shtern, Gerard Poulet, Dmitry Berlinsky, Ida Haendel and Pamela Frank among others.
She holds both Bachelor and Master Degrees from The Juilliard School where she studied with Lewis Kaplan from 2011 to 2015 and Laurie Smukler from 2015 to 2017. She attended the San Francisco Conservatory where she studied with the concertmaster of San Francisco Symphony, Alexander Barantschik. Ani recently won the position of Principal Second violinist of the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra and concertmaster of Marin Symphony.
Saul Richmond-Rakerd, cello
Saul Richmond-Rakerd is a San Francisco-based cellist, and member of the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra since 2023. At the age of 9, Saul began his cello studies in his hometown of Okemos, Michigan, and continued to study it alongside piano until he concluded high school. He went on to Brown University, where he received degrees in both Physics and Anthropology. While there, he also completed the Applied Music Program, served as principal of the Brown University Orchestra, performed as a soloist, and played regularly with several chamber music groups. After graduating, Saul decided to immerse himself in music full-time, and so, after attending the Castleton Music Festival in 2013, he moved to Florence, Italy to pursue a Biennio di Violoncello, and to play professionally as principal cellist of the Orchestra Giovanile Italiana. After completion of his diploma, he moved to San Francisco in 2015 in order to begin a Master of Music degree at the San Francisco Conservatory under the tutelage of Jennifer Culp – a degree that he completed in December 2016.
Throughout his career, Saul has enjoyed playing in a wide range of settings. He has played as a concerto soloist with the Civic Symphony of San Francisco, Okemos SymphonyOrchestra and the Brown University Orchestra, as well as in numerous recitals, both in the US and abroad. He has been awarded First Prize at the Barbara Fritz Chamber Music Award (2016), First Prize at the Luigi Boccherini Chamber Music Competition in Lucca, Italy (2016), Second Prize at the Dorothy Van Waynen Competition for Strings (2016), Primo Arco Premio (2014), Weston Prize for the Arts (2013), and the Buxtehude Premium Prize in Music (2012). Saul has been a member of many ensembles, both traditional and non, and is an activeperformer of chamber music throughout the Bay Area. He was a founding member of Luminance, a cello-harp-trumpet trio drawing on latin, classical, and jazz roots, as well as the Capitoline Trio and Quattro alla Volta, a cello quartet with whom he performed during his time in Italy. He greatly enjoys playing in symphonic settings as well, and has played with many different orchestras throughout his career in music. Alongside his work with San Francisco Ballet, he is an extra cellist with the San Francisco Opera, and currently serves as Principal Cellist of the Oakland Symphony, Assistant Principal Cellist of the Santa CruzSymphony, Section Cellist with the Monterey Symphony, and as co-Principal Cellist of One Found Sound.
Caroline Lee, viola
Violist and founder/artistic director of Community Concerts at Epworth Caroline Lee has performed throughout the US and Canada as an orchestral player as well as a chamber musician and recitalist. She is currently a member of the San Francisco Ballet orchestra and also performs with the San Francisco Opera Orchestra and San Francisco Symphony. Before relocating to the Bay area, Caroline was a member of the Kansas City Symphony for eight years and also performed regularly with the Chicago Symphony and Philadelphia Orchestra during their summer seasons. An active chamber musician, she has performed in Banff, Domaine Forget, and the International Musical Arts Festivals, collaborating with members of the Tokyo, Cleveland and Colorado quartets, as well as artists such as Eric Friedmann, Steve Dann, Richard Stolzman and Jean-Yves Thibaudet. Along with her sister Aeri, Caroline formed the Lee duo and performs recitals throughout North America, championing less familiar viola repertoire. Caroline received her bachelor in music degree at the University of Michigan and her masters and Artist Diploma at Yale School of Music.
SoJung Kim, bass
SoJung Kim joined the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra as Associate Principal Bass in 2024. Prior to this, she held the section position for one season with the Santa Rosa Symphony. Kim has had the opportunity to work under the batons of renowned conductors such as Esa-Pekka Salonen, Stéphane Denève, and Leonard Slatkin and in major halls such as Suntory, Walt Disney Concert Hall. She has also participated in several summer music festivals as a fellow, including the Music Academy of the West, the Pacific Music Festival, the Taipei Music Academy and Festival. Originally from South Korea, SoJung earned a Bachelor of Music degree from the Seoul National University, studying with Young-Soo Lee, and Professional Studies Certificate from the Colburn Conservatory of Music where she studied with Peter Lloyd.