Experience the harmonious blend of melodies that resonate through our chamber music series. From the soft whispers of strings to the powerful echoes of brass, immerse yourself in a world where music transcends barriers and connects souls.

Every note played is a story waiting to be told, a journey waiting to be embarked upon. Let the melodies weave through your senses, painting vivid landscapes of emotion and elegance.

Join us on this musical odyssey, where each performance is a unique chapter in the grand symphony of life. Feel the vibrations, embrace the beauty, and let the music guide you to a realm where sound speaks louder than words.

About the performers

Dr. Joenne Dumitrascu

European-born Canadian musical artist Joenne Dumitrascu (born Oana Dumitrascu) began her musical studies in Europe and continued in the pre-college division of the Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM) in Toronto, pursuing both violin and piano training. She pursued college training  at the RCM’s Glenn Gould Professional School (B. Mus., A.D.), The Boston Conservatory at Berklee College (M.M.), and furthered her training with additional studies at the the Hochschule für Muzik und Theater München, the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, as well as the Royal College of Music in London. Additionally, she was admitted to several prestigious summer academies including Meadowmount School of Music, the RoundTop Festival-Institute, the Banff Centre, the Summit Music Festival, and the Casalmaggiore International Music Festival in Italy. Dumitrascu recently completed her doctorate in music at the State University of New York at Stony Brook (SUNY Stony Brook), where she was a violin major. While a doctoral student, she completed the newly-established Emerson String Quartet Institute program. Her principal teacher was Philip Setzer of the nine-time Grammy-winning Emerson String Quartet, and she trained with the rest of the Emerson Quartet  and David Finckel. 

Dumitrascu was invited to make her orchestral debut at the age of 14 with the Windsor Symphony Orchestra and appeared on CBC Radio a year later performing Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor. She was on the competition circuit and appeared at Johansen, Marteau, Enescu, Stulberg, Glenn Gould Chamber Competition, and Canadian Nationals amongst many others, several of which she was laureate of. Dumitrascu is a former scholarship and grant recipient of Kiwanis International (Canada Region), Ontario and Canada Arts Councils. 

Dumitrascu has toured internationally and performed at such venues as the Canadian Broadcasting Company’s Glenn Gould Studio, Koerner Hall, Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall and Stern Auditorium, the Four Seasons Center’s Richard Bradshaw Amphitheater, Boston’s Jordan Hall, and the Romanian Atheneum in Bucharest, Romania. She has regularly recorded for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and CityTV in Toronto, WGBH in Boston, WFMT Chicago, NBC, ABC, and many others. She has performed frequently in the Noon Hour Concert Series at the National Ballet of Canada/Canadian Opera Company’s Four Seasons Center and has made guest appearances for The Boston Conservatory’s strings faculty chamber series, String Masters, the Aulos Ensemble (one of America’s top early music ensembles), and during then-Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall’s visit to the Royal Conservatory in 2009. She was recently a guest artist on WFMT’s Relevant Tones with Seth Boustead: Discovery Series, with performances at National Sawdust and (le) Poisson Rouge. She has collaborated with members of the Emerson String Quartet (ESQ) on several chamber music projects, including the New Music for Strings Festival in Denmark. During the festival’s 2017 visit to New York, she appeared with members of ESQ in the festival's gala concert at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall where she also performed acclaimed American composer Joan Tower’s quintet Rising, with the composer in attendance. As an orchestral player, she has performed in the orchestra of the National Ballet of Canada and the Canadian Opera Company, Oakville Chamber Orchestra, Boston Civic Orchestra, and Boston Opera Collaborative of which she was also concertmaster. 

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In 2023, Dumitrascu began co-producing the recital series, Connecting Through Sound, in NYC with fellow Canadian pianist Jelena Cingara. The series is run as musical soirées which incorporate musical performances with networking and socializing. You can read more about the series in the Connecting Through Sound tab, as well as view upcoming dates in the Events tab. 

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As a collaborative pianist, Dumitrascu has worked as an audition coach for opera and musical theater. Formerly, she worked with the pre-college vocal students at the Royal Conservatory in Toronto as well as vocal diction classes in the undergraduate vocal program at the Glenn Gould School. 

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Additional studies in music production, composition, film, music diplomacy, ethnomusicology, and business have followed alongside music. Outside of classical music, Dumitrascu has worked on several film and TV projects, including Atom Egoyan’s 2009 movie Chloe, the TV show Nikita, as well as recording work with the Screen Composers' Guild of Canada. 

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As a music coach, Dumitrascu was a chamber music coach in the undergraduate program at SUNY Stony Brook and is currently a faculty chair at the pre-college music program, Herald School of the Arts, in Queens, NY. She is the Director of the New York International Music Competition for young artists, held annually at Carnegie Hall.​ Other industry credits include editorial work for Taiwanese guitarist Ming-Jui Liu's new work, Morning of the Sunshine, published through Canadian publishing house Les Éditions Doberman-Yppan. Dumitrascu's debut CD has been postponed to 2025 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The album will feature an all-American program and will be produced by Parma Recording's Navona label and distributed exclusively by Naxos. 

https://www.joennedumitrascu.com/

Dr Jelena Cingara

DMA Piano Performance, University of Utah

Dr. Jelena Cingara attended the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, Canada where she achieved grade 10 piano, and participated in various courses in piano pedagogy, history and music theory.  

In 2001 she completed her BA in Piano Performance at The University of Toronto (number one music school in Canada), where she was a student of Dr. Boris Lysenko and Boyanna Toyich. Jelena was a very active performer, teacher and accompanist in recitals and performances in the GTA area. During her studies at The University of Toronto Jelena was a prize winners in various music festivals, such as: Kiwanis, Davenport, and Peel.

Following her University years, Jelena Cingara spent two summers at the world class  Chautauqua Institution (NY) where she was a full and partial scholarship winner. She participated in master classes and private lessons held by Rebecca Penneys, a renowned piano professor at Eastman School of Music. Chautauqua's frequent guests were famous pianists such as Angela Hewitt, and others. Eastman School of Music is currently ranked among the finest music schools in the world.

In addition to Canadian and American, Jelena also has European performing experience, which involved spending two summers in Rome, Italy performing in concerts with TIP "Monster" ensemble of 10 piano's 20 pianists. In 2006 Jelena also appeared as a soloist at Omni television in Toronto.

In the winter of 2003, Jelena continued her musical education at The University of Toledo in Ohio, where in only one and a half years she received her MA in Piano Performance, and was a student of Dr. Michael Boyd (DMA Eastman School of Music). During her years in Toledo, she held a full accompanying assistanship, and won third prizes at small ensemble as well as piano concerto competition. She as also the recipient of Way Library Scholarship, and held a Solo Concert there.

Jelena recently completed her DMA in Piano Performance, with a minor in organ performance at The University of Utah School of Music in Salt Lake City, where her GPA was 3.76. During her time at U of Utah she was the recipient of many scholarships, such as : two times Dean's travel grant winner, European Scholarship, U of Utah teaching assistanship, and others. Her piano professor at The University of Utah was Dr. Vedrana Subotic (DM Indiana), who is a highly valued pedagogue and performer all over the world.

(http://www.vedranasubotic.com/)

Jelena’s performances in 2013 included master classes for concert pianist Nicholas Angelich, and cellist Steven Doane (Eastman School of Music), Tesla Quartet, and Benowitz Quartet. She also participated in a lobby fest recital with a violinist in Abravanel Hall (Utah Symphony Concert Hall) in SLC in February 2013; She was also participant in the Monster Concert at the University of Utah in Libby Gardner Hall for many years. 

In the summer of 2014 Jelena attended the Summer Chamber Music Workshop in SLC, as well as the Interharmony Music Festival in Arcidosso, Tuscany, that presently has pianist Alfred Brendl on their faculty. The following summer of 2015 Jelena was a participant and performer in the Prague piano workshop. In the summer of 2016, along with Zoltan Csiskos (cello) Jelena gave a chamber music recital at the World Piano Teacher's Conference in Novi Sad, Serbia. WPTC is a part of Alink-Argerich foundation! She also gave a solo recital for the Davis Arts Council in Layton, where the performers lineup for 2016 included artists such as the world famous The Beach Boys, Amy Grant, and The Gentry. Jelena is currently a very active performer/pedagogue in the GTA area, and her future plans involve concerts at Gallery 345, as well as participation in the La Balie workshop (France). Since her move to the NYC area two years ago, Jelena has worked at Columbia University and AMDA as an accompanist and vocal coach. She has played concerts at St. John’s in the Village, Off-Broadway and Town Hall: “The Last boy”, St. Ignatus Loyola (choir accompanying), annual St. George’s church for easter, as well as various groupmuses. She is a substitute organist (at times almost weekly) and a freelance pianist in the NYC/NJ area. She also has her own music studio in Hoboken, and is on the faculty of Tessa International School in Hoboken. Recently Jelena accompanied various students at Gershwin International Competition in NYC, most of whom went on to the finals . She is a recipient of numerous scholarships, competitions, and prizes. Jelena's career includes a series of solo, chamber, collaborative international and national recitals, twenty five years experience as a pedagogue and piano teacher, accompanying and chamber music.

She is a professional, charismatic, passionate and dynamic pianist. Please feel free to listen to her music samples on this website.

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