Adjudicators-PIano Plus

Medina is a contemporary and classical chamber musician and clarinetist based in New York City. Medina has performed in New York’s most prestigious halls ranging from Avery Fischer to Carnegie Hall. Medina’s playing has been described as: “…dynamic and exotic with the virtuosic writing pulled off flawlessly.” by the Examiner, “ethereal” by Sound Word Sight, and has been recognized for her “…extraordinary breath control” by the Classical Voice of North Carolina. Medina has collaborated with Chamber Music Silicon Valley’s Primal Reboot Summer Festival, Chamber Music Society of New Paltz, Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, and Capital City Concerts of Vermont and is the recipient of the City Corps Grant with composer Rachel Fogarty. Medina’s expertise has brought her to both coasts of the United States working with musicians as a concert clinician and teaching artist. Medina is faculty at Alliance University in New York City and Camp Encore Coda in Maine.

Nicole Johnson is a third generation in her family to focus her performing career on chamber music. In the dozen years she was the cellist of the Manhattan based Cassatt String Quartet, she performed and taught internationally and recorded for Koch, New World and Albany Records. She holds degrees from the Cleveland Institute of Music and The Juilliard School. Her teachers have included Andres Diaz, Alan Harris and Joel Krosnick. Before joining the Cassatt Quartet, she was a member of the Avanti Ensemble in Blacksburg, Virginia, where she was the head of the chamber music department at the Renaissance Music Academy. Currently, Ms. Johnson is on faculty at School for Strings and Special Music School.