Florestan Chamber Music Artists

Alan Dunbar, Baritone

Baritone Alan Dunbar is a versatile performer, lauded for his beautiful tone and his nuanced musical and textual interpretation. He was heard recently as the baritone soloist in the world premiere of Justin Merritt’s oratorio The Path, as Papageno in Madison Opera’s production of The Magic Flute, and as the bass soloist in Bach’s St. John Passion with Voices of Ascension.  Past performances include Dominick Argento’s The Andrée Expedition at the Ordway with the MN Source Song Festival, numerous productions with Madison Opera (including Schaunard in La Bohème, Bartolo in Il barbiere di Siviglia, and Owen Hart in Dead Man Walking), Barber’s Dover Beach and Othmar Schoeck’s Notturno at the Apollo Music Festival, the title role of Britten’s Noye’s Fludde at Santa Fe Opera, Handel’s Messiah with the Santa Fe Symphony and Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, and recitals at the Ravinia Festival Steans Institute. Alan made his European solo recital debut at the Oslo Grieg Festival after winning the grand prize at the 2009 Grieg Festival Competition in Winter Park, FL. As a Vocal Fellow at the Tanglewood Music Festival he performed as bass soloist in Stravinsky’s Pulcinella under Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, sang the role of Zaretsky in Eugene Onegin with Renée Fleming and Peter Mattei, and collaborated with choreographer/director Mark Morris in performances with the Mark Morris Dance Group, as well as in the Stravinsky chamber opera Renard.

Alan holds a BA in music theory and composition from St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN, and an MM and DM in vocal performance from Indiana University. Alan was a founding member of the Minnesota-based internationally acclaimed male chamber vocal ensemble Cantus, and sang throughout North America and Europe with the ensemble from 1998-2004. He currently serves as Assistant Professor of Voice at Winona State University.

Rachel Charbel, Violin

Raised in Bellingham, Washington, Rachel Charbel began studying the violin at the age of seven. As a member of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Rachel holds the Ida Ringling North chair. Past appointments include the Austin Symphony, Dayton Philharmonic, and ProMusica Chamber Orchestra. In addition, Rachel has performed with the Detroit, Louisville, and Alabama symphony orchestras.  In addition to serving as Adjunct Professor of Violin at the Northern Kentucky University, Rachel also maintains a private studio of promising young violinists.  Rachel received a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Texas and a Master of Music degree from the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. During the summer, Rachel has performed with the Britt and Bellingham music festivals, and served as concertmaster of the Spoleto Festival USA.  In her spare time, Rachel enjoys gardening, hiking, true crime podcasts, and exploring what greater Cincinnati has to offer with her husband and daughter. 

Robert Hanford, Violin

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. 

In addition to his professional career as a violinist, Robert has studied and performed on the theremin, one of the first electronic instruments.  Robert is also an amateur artist blacksmith, having attended courses of study in Wyoming and Illinois.

Mr. Hanford lives in Evanston, Illinois, with his wife Sheila, also a violinist.  They have three sons.

Danielle Kuhlmann, Horn

Praised by The New York Times for her fearless and seductive playing, Seattle native Danielle Kuhlmann returns home to join the Seattle Symphony after a three-year tenure with the San Diego Symphony. She completed her undergraduate degree with Jerome Ashby at The Juilliard School and pursued graduate studies at Rice University under William VerMeulen. An avid interpreter of new music, she was Principal Horn of the American Composers Orchestra, and performs with the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE). In addition to classical performances, Kuhlmann is a founding member of the all-female pop Horn quartet Genghis Barbie. Devoted to philanthropic work, Kuhlmann has spent four summers in the Philippines volunteering for the group Cultures in Harmony, a New York-based NGO that promotes cultural diplomacy through music. The group works with both professional and student-level musicians as well as indigenous tribal youth. In January of 2011, she volunteered in Kabul, Afghanistan, teaching and performing at the Afghanistan National Institute of Music.

Valerie Little, Viola

Pennsylvania native Valerie Little began her musical studies in the Southern York Country Public Schools. She has regularly performed with the Minnesota Orchestra, Minnesota Opera, Mill City Summer Opera, Northrop Ballet Series, Orchestra Iowa, and at the Apollo Music Festival, Schubert Club, Thursday Musical, and Music on the Hill chamber music series.

She is also the violist for Mill City String Quartet, three-time Class Notes Artists through Minnesota Public Radio and upcoming Schubert Club teaching artists for the 2019-20 season. Notable performances include appearing as soloist with the York Symphony (PA) and the Mankato Symphony, recitals presented by the Schubert Club and Minnesota Viola Society, as well as performing Quincy Porter's Suite for Viola Alone at the 38th International Viola Congress.

Also an accomplished orchestra librarian, Dr. Little became a tenured member of the Minnesota Orchestra in September 2015, after serving as Acting Assistant Principal Librarian since 2009. She is a member of the Education & Community Engagement and Diversity & Inclusion committees and served as the orchestra’s ICSOM delegate for several seasons. She is also the librarian for Apollo Music Festival, Music in the Vineyards, and Minnesota Bach Ensemble. Valerie has also served as librarian for Youth Orchestra of the Americas, Mankato Symphony, and Madeline Island Chamber Music.

Valerie holds bachelor’s degrees in viola performance and English from Pennsylvania State University, a master’s in viola performance from the University of Texas, and a doctoral degree in viola performance from the University of Minnesota. Her mentors include Kathleen W. Yeater, Timothy Deighton, Roger Myers, Korey Konkol, Miró Quartet, and Barbara Westphal. 

In her non-musical time, Valerie likes to write poetry, travel, and listen to true crime podcasts.  

Ruth Marshall, Cello

Cellist Ruth Marshall enjoys a varied freelance career as a chamber musician, orchestral musician, soloist, and educator. Based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, she is the cellist of the Mill City String Quartet, which is currently in residence with Minnesota Public Radio. Since 2013, she has been principal cello of the Illinois Symphony Orchestra, and in the 2019-2020 season, she is the newly-appointed principal cello of the Rochester Symphony Orchestra. She is currently on the faculty of the Saint Paul Conservatory of Music, and has been on the faculties of DePaul University, Illinois State University, and Eastern Illinois University. Since 2011, she has concertized with pianist Garret Ross as Artu Duo, and they currently hold residencies with the Saint Paul Conservatory, the Apollo Music Festival, and Minnesota Public Radio. She holds undergraduate degrees from the University of Washington in Comparative History of Ideas and Music Theory, and graduate degrees in cello performance from DePaul University. She is the co-director and co-founder of Florestan Chamber Music.

Colin McGuire, Violin

Growing up in Mankato, MN, Colin McGuire began his study of the violin at the age of 4. He was greatly influenced from his studies with Patti Tryhus and Marilyn Bos in Mankato. Colin is grateful for the lifelong musical impact of his brother and teacher, Peter McGuire,Principal 2nd Violin Of the Minnesota Orchestra.

Colin has been fortunate enough to perform in a variety of ensembles and settings. Colin holds a permanent seat in the Duluth-Superior Symphony Orchestra as Associate Concertmaster. He returned to Minnesota after playing full time with the Thunder Bay and the Spokane Symphony. Other orchestral opportunities have arisen with the Minnesota Orchestra, Mill City Opera, Music St. Croix, and various other orchestras and ensembles in the region.

Colin has enjoyed wonderful opportunities to perform and travel as a soloist and chamber musician. Recently, he has enjoyed the formation of the Hennepin String Quartet along with performances with larger Chamber ensembles, where performances have ranged from German Salon music to a chamber reduction of Mahler Symphony No. 4.

Colin is also a tennis teaching pro and coach.

Elizabeth York, Violin

Violinist Dr. Elizabeth York lives in St. Paul, MN and is sought after as a performer and teacher across the region. She serves as Associate Concertmaster and Personnel Manager of the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra, and is on faculty at the UW Eau-Claire and Birch Creek Music Performance Center. Elizabeth also plays baroque violin as a member of Lyra Baroque Orchestra. She completed a dual Doctor of Musical Arts degree at Stony Brook University (NY) in violin and viola performance in 2013. Elizabeth also holds a BM from East Carolina University and MM from Stony Brook University in violin performance. Her major teachers include violinists Ara Gregorian, Soovin Kim, and Phil Setzer, and violists Dan Panner, Nicholas Cords, and Lawrence Dutton.

Garret Ross, Piano

Pianist Garret Ross enjoys an active career as a soloist, chamber musician, and teacher. With a perpetual interest in chamber music, Ross is the Founder and Artistic Director of The Apollo Chamber Music Festival in Houston MN. Most recently Ross has appeared on concert series and stages across the USA including Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert Series in Chicago, The Roerich Museum in NYC, the Courtroom Concert Series in Saint Paul MN, Music Northwest in Seattle WA, and the Young Masters Recital Series in Valley Cottage NY. Ross performs often as the “Artu Duo” with cellist Ruth Marshall across the United States, as well as in Canada and the UK.

As a soloist, Ross gave the World Premiere of Gregory Vajda’s Csardas Obstine with the Texas Festival Orchestra and the Music in the Mountains Festival Orchestra. Other solo appearances with large ensemble include repertoire by Rachmaninoff, Grieg, and Hindemith. Ross was the winner of competitions including the Bruce Carlson Memorial Scholarship Competition and First Prizes in the Bethel University Concerto and Solo Performance Competitions. Ross has attended numerous festivals including the Aldeburgh Festival, Banff Centre, International Festival-Institute at Round Top, International Keyboard Institute and Festival, PianoSummer at New Paltz, and AmerKlavier Institute at Steinway Hall. He has also performed in masterclasses with pianists Menahem Pressler, Robert McDonald, Vladimir Feltsman, Thomas Sauer, Jerome Rose, Pavlina Dokovska, and Alexander Slobodyanik, among others.

Currently, Ross is attending the University of Minnesota for Doctor of Musical Arts studies with Alexander Braginsky. Ross also attended NYU’s Steinhardt School. His principal teachers were Alexander Braginsky and Eteri Andjaparidze. Both Braginsky and Andjaparidze studied at the Moscow Conservatory where their teachers, Teodor Gutman and Vera Gornostaeva, respectively, were students of Heinrich Neuhaus. Ross hopes to continue this tradition of piano playing through his performances and teaching.

An active teacher, Ross teaches students throughout the Twin Cities and conducts masterclasses around the United States. He is the co-founder and co-director of Florestan Chamber Music.