Umi Garrett
Umi Garrett is a highly accomplished solo, collaborative, and chamber pianist based in New York City. A first-prize winner of the Juilliard School's Concerto Competition and a finalist at the National Chopin Piano Competition, Umi has performed numerous recitals in the United States and internationally. As a dedicated collaborator, Umi has performed at renowned competitions such as the Primrose International Viola Competition and the Sphinx Competition with prize-winners. Most recently, Umi was awarded the John Newmark Prize for Best Collaborative Pianist for her performances with finalist Nathan Meltzer at the 2023 Montreal International Violin Competition.
Umi has performed and toured with orchestras such as the Mainly Mozart Festival Orchestra, Hiroshima Symphony Orchestra, Symphony Boca Raton, Boston Symphony and Pops, Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, Wuhan Symphony Orchestra, and the New Mexico Philharmonic. Umi is also a passionate performer of new music, and has collaborated with and performed pieces by acclaimed composers such as Samuel Adler, inti figgis-vizueta, and Gabriela Smith.
Nina Bernat
American double bassist Nina Bernat, acclaimed for her interpretive maturity, expressive depth and technical clarity, has carved out a distinctive career as a soloist, redefining the role of her instrument on the world stage. She was hailed by the Star Tribune as a “standout” for her recent concerto debut with the Minnesota Orchestra, praising her performance as “exhilarating, lovely and lyrical… technically precise and impressively emotive.”
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In 2023, Nina was awarded both the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant and first prize at the Concert Artists Guild Elmaleh Competition. Her recent accolades also include top prizes at the Barbash J.S. Bach String Competition, Minnesota Orchestra Young Artist Competition, Juilliard Double Bass Competition, and the International Society of Bassists Solo Competition. She has given New York recital debuts at Weill Recital Hall and Merkin Hall, and has appeared as soloist with the Minnesota Orchestra and Brooklyn Symphony Orchestra.
Engaged in all aspects of double bass performance, she has been invited to perform as guest principal bassist with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and Oslo Philharmonic, serving under the batons of conductors such as András Schiff and Osmo Vänskä. She can also be heard performing with New York-based chamber orchestra Sejong Soloists.