Blair Milton
Assistant Professor, Violin
bmilton@northwestern.edu - 847-491-7228
MMus, Indiana University
Member, Chicago Symphony Orchestra (1975-present); founding member, Evanston Chamber Ensemble. Soloist with Chicago Symphony Orchestra (conducted by Sir Georg Solti), Chicago String Ensemble, Kingston Symphony, Montreal Chamber Orchestra. Chamber performances with Ravinia Festival, Aspen Festival, and Chicago Symphony Allied Arts Series at Orchestra Hall and with Yo-Yo Ma, Pinchas Zukerman, and Daniel Barenboim. Has given master classes at universities in the United States, Canada, Japan, and Germany. Director, string program, National High School Music Institute, Northwestern University. Originated Northwestern's Winter Chamber Music Festival. Studied with Josef Gingold at Indiana University and with Ivan Galamian
Gerardo Ribeiro
Professor, Violin
g-ribeiro@northwestern.edu - 847-491-4778
Coordinator, Strings. Soloist diploma, Lucerne Music Conservatory. 2001 recipient, Presidential Excellence in Teaching Award. Distinguished solo and chamber music performer and winner of numerous worldwide prizes. Soloist with Philadelphia Orchestra, Montreal Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre Radio-Télévision Français, Radio Orchestra Berlin. Solo recording artist for EMI and RCA. Artistic director, International Institute for Chamber Music, Munich. Member of the Meadowmount Piano Trio. Faculty member, Meadowmount School of Music. Former faculty member, Eastman School of Music. Studied at the Juilliard School with Ivan Galamian, Felix Galimir, and Paul Makanowitzky.
Shmuel Ashkenasi
Lecturer, Violin
shmuel.ashkenasi@northwestern.edu
BACKGROUND
Born in Tel Aviv, Israel, Shmuel Ashkenasi attended the Musical Academy of Tel Aviv and gave his first public performance at the age of eight. After studying with Ilona Feher, he came to the United States to study with Efrem Zimbalist at the Curtis Institute of Music. He won the Merriweather Post Competition, was a finalist in Belgium's Queen Elisabeth competition, and received second prize in the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow. In 1969, he formed the famed Vermeer Quartet and remained its first violinist throughout the quartet’s 39-year career, gaining a reputation as one of the world's outstanding chamber musicians. Mr. Ashkenasi has toured the former Soviet Union twice and concertized extensively in Europe, Israel, the Far East, and the United States; and he has collaborated with Rudolf Serkin, Thomas Hampson, Murray Perahia, Peter Serkin, and Menahem Pressler. He has performed as soloist with many leading orchestras, such as those of New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, Los Angeles, Berlin, London, Moscow, and Tokyo.
Robert Hanford
Lecturer, Strings
r-hanford@northwestern.edu
847-491-4768
Robert Hanford
BACKGROUND
Northwestern University
Robert Hanford is concertmaster of the Lyric Opera of Chicago and a member of the Rembrandt Chamber Players. He has also served as concertmaster of the Music of the Baroque, the Chicago Philharmonic, and Ars Viva. Previously, Mr. Hanford was the associate principal second violinist of the Minnesota Orchestra, a member of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and a member of Chicago's Grant Park Symphony. He has appeared as soloist on numerous occasions with the Minnesota Orchestra, the Milwaukee Symphony and many other Midwestern orchestras. Mr. Hanford graduated with first prize from the Orpheus Conservatory in Athens, Greece. During the summers, he serves as concertmaster and violin instructor at the Birch Creek Music Festival in Wisconsin, participates in the Aspen Music Festival, and performs in the Roycroft Chamber Music Festival in New York. Mr. Hanford lives in Evanston, Illinois, with his wife Sheila, also a violinist. They have three sons.
Desirée Ruhstrat
Lecturer, Violin
desiree.ruhstrat@northwestern.edu
Desirée Ruhstrat
BACKGROUND
Desirée Ruhstrat made her professional debut at the age of twelve with Lukas Foss and the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and at age 16, she was invited by Sir George Solti to perform Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto in Chicago's Orchestra Hall. Ms. Ruhstrat has appeared as a soloist with orchestras throughout the world, including the Berlin Radio Symphony, Radio Suisse Romande, Gottingen Symphony, Philharmonia Da Camera, Orchestra Symphonica Auguescalientes, Colorado Symphony, Oregon Symphony, Concerto Soloists Of Philadelphia, Utah Symphony, Chicago Civic Orchestra, Debut Orchestra of Los Angeles, and National Repertory Orchestra. She has worked with such renowned conductors as Eric Kunzel, Max Rudolph, William Smith, Rico Saccani, Brian Priestman, Mats Liljefors among others. Ms. Ruhstrat has won numerous awards including first prize at the National Young Musicians Debut Competition in Los Angeles, where she was also lauded a special award for a young performer with extraordinary talent. She became the youngest prizewinner at Switzerland's Tibor Varga International Competition and also won the award for best interpretation of the commissioned contemporary composition. She went on to earn top prizes at the Carl Flesch, Julius Stulberg, and the Mozart Festival Violin Competitions. Ms. Ruhstrat's distinguished career as a chamber musician includes performances throughout the US as a member of the Lincoln Trio, including Carnegie Weil Hall, Ravinia Festival, Indianapolis Symphony Beethoven Series, Poisson Rouge and Music IN the Loft.
