Trio Azura is quickly emerging as one of today’s most promising young ensembles, characterized by “intelligence and imagination” and “profound emotion” (Gramophone). They are currently the ensemble-in-residence at the Colburn School—where they formed in 2022—and study with Jonathan Brown, Martin Beaver, Clive Greensmith and Fabio Bidini. Most recently, Trio Azura was named a winner of the 2025 Young Concert Artists Susan Wadsworth International Auditions and appointed YCA Jacobs Fellows, becoming the organization’s first ensemble-in-residence. Trio Azura consists of Canadian violinist Duncan McDougall, South Korean cellist Yejin Hong and Chinese pianist Yanfeng (Tony) Bai. Although they come from different backgrounds, their unique perspectives are a constant source of inspiration. In 2024, the Trio won the Grand Prize, Gold Medal, Lift Every Voice Prize and the Horszowski Trio Prize at the 51st Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition. They are also prize winners at the Schoenfeld International String Competition in Harbin, China.

If the phrase “male a cappella group” conjures up an image of students in blue blazers, ties and khakis singing traditional college songs on ivied campuses… think again. Straight No Chaser are neither strait-laced nor straight-faced, but neither are they vaudeville-style kitsch. They have emerged as a phenomenon with a massive fanbase and a long list of accomplishments, including 2 RIAA Gold Certified albums, over 1.5 million concert tickets sold, over 1 billion streams on Pandora and over 2 million albums sold worldwide. Straight No Chaser is the real deal, the captivating sound of nine unadulterated human voices coming together to make extraordinary music that is moving people in a fundamental sense… and with a sense of humor.

From her critically acclaimed self-titled 1995 debut to Long Way Back… The Songs of Glimmer in 2020, Richey has consistently impressed listeners, garnered accolades and attracted famous fans with her deft songwriting and crystalline vocals, both of which have made her an in-demand collaborator. Richey has penned No.1 hits for Radney Foster (“Nobody Wins”) and Trisha Yearwood (“Believe Me Baby (I Lied)”)—the latter earning her a Grammy nomination for Best Country Song—as well as songs for Mary Chapin Carpenter, Patty Loveless and Brooks and Dunn, among others. Her voice has graced scores of recordings, providing peerless harmonies, including Jason Isbell’s watershed Southeastern, Trisha Yearwood’s Everybody Knows, Heartbreaker by Ryan Adams, Reba McEntire’s Starting Over, and Has Been by Captain Kirk himself, William Shatner. Most recently, Richey co-headlined a night of Brandi Carlile’s “Girls Just Wanna Weekend Festival in Mexico,” sharing the stage with a wide range of artists, including Carlile (who cites Richey as a formative influence), Brandy Clark, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Annie Lennox, Allison Russell and Sarah McLachlan. She was also a special guest at Jason Isbell’s annual Ryman Auditorium residency, sitting in to reprise her role for the anniversary performance of Southeastern. In 2026, Richey hits the road in the U.S. and Europe in support of her latest album, Every New Beginning.

Basso Vox is a boundary-pushing duo that reimagines the roles and expressive possibilities of the double bass and bassoon in chamber music. Comprising two trailblazing soloists—double bassist Nina Bernat and bassoonist Eleni Katz—the duo brings a distinctly vocal approach to their transcriptions and original repertoire, highlighting the often-overlooked singing qualities of their instruments. In Latin, Basso Vox translates to “bass voice.” Recent and upcoming performance highlights include appearances at Tippet Rise, Charlottesville Chamber Music Festival, Artist Series Concerts of Sarasota, Concerts by the Pond, Music at Evergreen and the Rites of Spring Music Festival. Both originally from Iowa City, IA, Eleni and Nina began collaborating after both individually winning the Concert Artists Guild Victor Elmaleh Competition, and subsequently, joining the prestigious CAG roster.

Known around the world for its eclectic repertoire and dazzling virtuosity, the Grammy Award-winning vocal ensemble Chanticleer, under the leadership of Music Director Tim Keeler, has been hailed by The Boston Globe as “breathtaking in its accuracy of intonation, purity of blend, of color and swagger of style.” Founded in San Francisco in 1978 by singer and musicologist Louis Botto, Chanticleer quickly took its place as one of the most prolific recording and touring ensembles in the world—an “orchestra of voices” performing thousands of live concerts and selling more than one million recordings. Rooted in the Renaissance, Chanticleer’s repertoire has expanded to include a wide range of classical, gospel, jazz and popular music, and the group performs its beloved A Chanticleer Christmas program on tour every December. A new Christmas album, Joy to the World, was released in fall 2025. With a deep commitment to the commissioning of new compositions and arrangements, Chanticleer foregrounds American repertoire and a distinctively American sound, complementing the group’s signature diversity in terms of membership and genre. The ensemble has dedicated much of its vast recording catalog to these commissions, garnering Grammy Awards for its recordings of Sir John Tavener’s Lamentations & Praises and the ambitious collection of commissioned works entitled Colors of Love. Chanticleer’s 2002 album, Our American Journey, was inducted into the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress in 2025.