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Nancy Jo Snider is a distinguished cellist, educator, and arts advocate who serves as the Hurst Senior Professorial Lecturer and Director of the Applied Music Program at American University in Washington, D.C. She performs regularly with ensembles such as Opera Lafayette and various chamber and period instrument groups, with appearances at venues including the Kennedy Center, Jazz at Lincoln Center, and L’Opéra Royal de Versailles. A dedicated champion of contemporary and cross-cultural music, Snider co-founded the new music collective INTERFERENCE and has performed internationally in France, Spain, South Africa, Russia, and the Czech Republic. She has taught and led music projects in Kenya, including at United States International University-Africa and with youth in Nairobi’s Kibera settlement through S’Cool Sounds Kenya. Snider earned her Bachelor of Music in Cello Performance, cum laude, from The Catholic University of America and pursued further studies at L’École Supérieure, Conservatoire Européen de Musique de Paris under Mark Drobinsky. Her multifaceted career reflects a deep dedication to performance, education, and community engagement, making her a vital figure in the contemporary classical music landscape. Nina Stern is a renowned recorder player and classical clarinetist based in New York City. She serves as an adjunct faculty member in the Historical Performance program at The Juilliard School, a position she has held since 2012. A native New Yorker, Stern earned her Soloist’s Degree from the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis in Basel, Switzerland, where she studied under Jeanette van Wingerden and Hans-Rudolf Stalder. Stern has performed with prestigious ensembles including the New York Philharmonic, Metropolitan Opera, Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra, La Scala Theatre Orchestra, and Tafelmusik. She co-directs the ensemble East of the River with Daphna Mor, focusing on traditional music from Eastern Europe, Armenia, and the Middle East. Her recordings span labels such as Erato, Harmonia Mundi, Sony Classics, and the Smithsonian. An advocate for music education, Stern founded S’Cool Sounds, a nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing music instruction to underserved communities. Through this initiative, she has developed programs in New York City, as well as in Kenya, Burundi, and Jordan, teaching recorder and percussion to children and training local educators. Stern has also served on the faculties of Mannes College of Music, where she directed the Historical Performance Program from 1989 to 1996, the Civica Scuola di Musica in Milan, Oberlin Conservatory, and the Five Colleges in Massachusetts.Read More