Violinist and Artistic Director Matthew Detrick, who received a Bachelor’s and a Master’s Degree of Music from Rice University in 2003 and 2005, respectively, enjoys an active performing career. He is frequent concertmaster and principal second of the Symphony of Southeast Texas, in Beaumont, and he performs regularly with the Houston Grand Opera and Ballet Orchestras, Mercury Baroque, Opera in the Heights, and other Houston-based ensembles.
      Outside of Houston, Matt frequently plays with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra, the Jacksonville Symphony, and the New World Symphony Orchestra in Miami, Fl.  In 2008 and 2009, he joined the Sarasota Opera Orchestra for their annual two-month winter season in Sarasota, Fl.  An avid traveler, he savored the opportunity to perform and travel with the AIMS Festival Orchestra in Graz, Austria in the summers of 2006 and 2007.  Additionally, he has collaborated with the artists of the Zepher Ensemble for recent tours thoughout Japan and Panama, where the group conducted masterclasses and concertized.  This summer he will participate in the Pine Mountain Music Festival, performing as a guest artist in the festival's chamber music series.

       In past summers, Matt has participated in the Aspen Music Festival, the National Orchestral Institute, and Spoleto Festival USA.
      As winner of the symphony’s concerto competition, Matthew performed Concerto No. 3 by Camille Saint-Saens with the York Symphony Orchestra in the winter of 2002.
      In addition to his performing activities, Matt maintains a private violin studio at Klein Intermediate School, as well as in the Houston area.
      Matt’s primary teachers include Kenneth Goldsmith, the late Raphael Fliegel, and Collette Wichert.  He is eternally grateful to them all!

Timothy Peters began his violin studies at the age of four at the Preucil School of Music in Iowa City, Iowa. After completing his studies with Doris Preucil, he received his Bachelor of Music Degree at the Cleveland Institute of Music, where he studied with William Preucil, Jr. While at the Institute, Mr. Peters was a recipient of many honors and awards, including the Joseph Scharff Violin Prize. Most recently, Mr. Peters completed his Masters of Music Degree at Rice University, where he was a student of and teaching assistant to Kenneth Goldsmith.
        As a member of the Brutini String Quartet, Degas Quartet, and Young Eight Octet, Mr. Peters has performed in Carnegie Hall, the Library of Congress, the Kimmel Center, and on the Chicago, Raleigh, and Charlotte Chamber Music Series.  He made his official New York Recital debut in 2000 on the prestigious Schneider Concert Series In Tishman Hall, and has worked closely with such musicians as Isaac Stern, Ida Kavafian, Wu Han, and members of the Orion, Cleveland, Juilliard, Tokyo, and Guarneri String Quartets. 
        Mr. Peters has developed an equal passion for orchestral playing, and has performed with the Houston, San Diego, Charleston, and San Antonio Symphonies, as well as the Houston Grand Opera, the Houston Ballet, the Sarasota Opera, and the Spoleto (USA) and Breckenridge Festival Orchestras. Between 2001 and 2004, Mr. Peters spent three summers as Concertmaster of the National Orchestral Institute, and his performance of Strauss’ Ein Heldenleben was highly acclaimed by the Washington Post.
      Mr. Peters currently resides in Houston, Texas, where he maintains an active performing and teaching schedule.

Neal Kurz has frequently appeared as a collaborative pianist in the Houston area, appearing in performance with Camilla Wicks, Arthur Weisberg, Kathleen Winkler, Norman Fischer, and Kenneth Goldsmith.  He's a member of the collaborative piano staff at the Shepherd School of Music, working with the students of Kathleen Winkler and Lynn Harrell.  He has studied with Frank Glazer and Rebecca Penneys at the Eastman School of Music, where he received a Bachelor of Music degree, and Martin Katz at the University of Michigan, where he received a Master of Music degree in Piano Accompanying and Chamber Music.  He has appeared on numberous occasions as a keyboardist with the Houston Symphony.

Mr. Kurz has been on the staff at the Meadowmount School of Music, appearing in concert at the Lake Placid Center for the Arts with Alan Bodman and Corey Cerovsik.  He is a regular participant at the Festival Institute at Roundtop, where he has appeared in performance with Jorfa Fleezanis, Peter Rejto, James Dunham, and the Dorian Wind Quintet.  He is a part of the accompanying staff at San Angelo's Sorantin International Competition and the Corpus Christi Young Artists' Competition.  Mr. Kurz has also worked with the Houston Grand Opera as a coach.  He has also arranged and performed numerous scores for silent films; DVD releases include "Captain Fracasse," "The Parson's Widow," "Michael," and "Unseen Cinema."  Several of these releases have aired on Turner Classic Movies.