Villa-Lobos International
Chamber Music Festival

Artists

• Lars Hoefs, artistic director/cello

  American cellist Lars Hoefs, professor of cello and music history at Sao Paulo State University in Campinas, Brazil, performs and teaches in South America, the United States, and Europe. Lars has established himself as a leading expert on the cello repertoire of Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos and is artistic director of the annual Villa-Lobos International Chamber Music Festival in Southern California, the only festival dedicated to Latin American chamber music in the United States, already in its sixth year. Lars also actively promotes contemporary Brazilian music, premiering many works for cello and chamber ensemble by composers Liduino Pitombeira, Joao Guilherme Ripper, and Paulo C. Chagas among others.

  As soloist in Brazil, in recent years Lars has performed concerti by Haydn, Schumann, Saint-Saens, Lalo, Tchaikovsky, Dvorak, Elgar, and Villa-Lobos with orchestras throughout the country. Notably Lars gave the South American premiere of Korngold’s Cello Concerto with the Orquestra Sinfonica Municipal of Campinas. Lars is a frequent guest at the Rio International Cello Encounters and the Festival Virtuosi in Recife, and in 2009, Lars spent the year as co-principal cellist of the Orquestra Sinfonica Brasileira in Rio de Janeiro under conductor Roberto Minczuk.

  Originally from Appleton, Wisconsin, Lars earned his high school diploma at the North Carolina School of the Arts, a Bachelors from Northwestern University studying with Hans Jorgen Jensen, and both Masters and Doctorate degrees from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles where he studied with former Los Angeles Philharmonic principal cellist Ronald Leonard. At Sao Paulo State University in Campinas, Lars founded and leads the Unicamp Cello Ensemble, a conductorless cello orchestra consisting of his current and former cello students. The Unicamp Cello Ensemble has performed at Brazil’s most prestigious festivals and concert halls including the Campos do Jordao Winter Music Festival, the Rio International Cello Encounters, and the Sao Paulo Cultural Center to name a few. In 2016 they recorded a CD of world premiere recordings, featuring Lalo Schifrin’s Divertimento, and toured throughout the state of Sao Paulo. Lars is also active as a researcher, publishing papers on the cello repertoire of Villa-Lobos including a feature article in The Strad magazine about the history of the cello ensemble.

• Aline Alves, piano

  Pianist Aline Alves earned a doctorate in musicology from the Universidade de São Paulo (USP), a masters in piano performance from the Universidade Estadual de Campinas (Unicamp) and a bachelors in piano from the Universidade Federal de Uberlândia (UFU), where she served as pianist for the UFU Percussion Ensemble from 2007-09. Her piano mentors and professors have included Araceli Chacon, Mônica Hassan e Maurícy Martin. Recent performances included concerts for the Villa-Lobos Museum, the Brazilian National Association of Music Research (ANPPOM), the Brazilian Association of Musical Performance (ABRAPEM), and the Villa-Lobos Symposium at Sao Paulo University. In addition to performing, she maintains intense activity as piano professor for her private studio in Campinas. She recently served as substitute professor of piano for 3 semesters at the Universidade Estadual Paulista. In 2023 she released three albums with cellist Lars Hoefs of music by Villa-Lobos as well as world premiere recordings of living Brazilian composers.

• Rose Chen, piano

  Rose’s music journey began at the age of 6 when she started playing the piano and picked up the oboe as her secondary instrument 3 years later. After winning numerous solo piano awards as a teenager and making her solo debut at the National Concert Hall in her native Taiwan, Rose came to the United States in 1997. She earned a Bachelor’s Degree at New England Conservatory of Music in Boston and Masters Degree at San Francisco Conservatory of Music. In 2010 she completed her Doctorate of Musical Arts with full-scholarship at the prestigious USC Thornton School of Music. She was awarded the Outstanding Graduate in the USC doctoral program.

  Rose has performed as a soloist and chamber player in Canada, Austria, Brazil, France, Israel, Hong Kong, and China. Within the United States Rose was an artist-faculty at several music festivals held in Alaska, Texas, and California. In addition to her lifelong interest in western classical music, Rose’s eclectic taste in music encompasses a variety of styles and genres. Her recent projects include composing and recording music for a short film called Tasting Wednesday, the world premier of Suite Adeline for solo piano by techno pioneer Bruce Haack (1931-1988), recording an album (with cellist Dr. Lars Hoefs) dedicated entirely to the piano-cello works by Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos, producing annual concerts honoring Black History Month, and numerous choral arrangements of Taiwanese popular/folk songs.

  Rose is currently a music theory and piano faculty at Cypress College in Orange County and the pianist/music director at the Holy Nativity Episcopal Church in Los Angeles. Rose also enjoys singing and directs several choirs in San Gabriel area.

• Jasmine Lin, violin

  "Jasmine Lin is a magnificent player with superb tone and strong interpretive powers” and “a violinist of remarkable intensity,” maintain American Record Guide and Chicago Tribune. As a member of Formosa Quartet and In Triplicate, faculty member at Roosevelt University and Music Institute of Chicago, Curtis Institute of Music alumna, confidante to a Cremonese violin, arranger of Grappelli tunes, prizewinner in the Naumburg and Paganini competitions, Grammy nominee, and recording artist on Con Brio, EMI, and New World Records, Jasmine likes to solicit magnificence and intensity while leaving raindrops on her nose un-wiped-off. Her biography contains precisely one hundred words.

• Rong-Huey Liu, oboe

  Taiwanese American oboist Rong-Huey Liu is a California-based high demand multi-faceted artist. Her concerto performance of Saul’s "Kiev 2014” with Fresno Phil, garnered critical acclaim for "sublime playing and crisp performance, filled with quiet perseverance and passion." Her Lebrun Oboe Concerto with the Long Beach Symphony was commended for “played with consummate grace and musicality...awesome technical display." Her cinema credits include “Star War VIII”, “Hocus Pocus II”, “Disenchanted”, and “Jazzman’s Blue”. She is the principal oboist of Long Beach Symphony, LA Ballet, Fresno Philharmonic and Riverside Phil, and the oboe professor at CSU Fullerton, La Sierra University, and Riverside City College. Her next major performances is the “Legacy Oboe Concerto” by Navarro in March 2024 with CSUF Wind Symphony.

• Travis Maril, viola

  Praised for his “persuasive, stylish ardor,” (San Diego Reader) violist Travis Maril has devoted his career to teaching and chamber music. 

  Travis was a top prize winner at the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition and the Aspen Music Festival Concerto Competition. He has collaborated in chamber groups with members of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the Miro Quartet, and principal players of the Cleveland Orchestra, LA Phil and San Diego Symphonies. Locally, he performs regularly with the chamber group Camarada, jazz with the Danny Green Trio, and made a number of recordings with the chamber folk band The Tree Ring.

  Travis is String Coordinator and Viola Faculty at San Diego State University, where he was awarded Outstanding Music Faculty Member in 2021. That same year, he launched an online viola academy called String Gym. Through String Gym he works year-round with violists from around the world, including Norway, Taiwan, Australia, Germany, England and the US. Travis writes frequently about string pedagogy on his blog, String Theory. 

  Travis holds degrees from the University of Southern California and Rice University.

• Karoline Menezes, viola

  Brazilian artist Karoline Menezes was born and raised in the beautiful northeastern city of João Pessoa. In Brazil, Karoline studied Music and Law before moving to the United States. She worked for two of the main ensembles in her hometown: The Orquestra Sinfônica Municipal de João Pessoa and Camerata Brasílica. After moving to the United States, Karoline continued her studies at the Azusa Pacific University (APU) and the University of Southern California (USC) under full scholarships for her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Music Performance. Her career in music as an orchestral and chamber musician includes performing at venues across the world such as Sala São Paulo, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Centro Cultural de Belém and Walt Disney Concert hall.

  Upon moving to Los Angeles where Karoline now resides, her work extended to broader industries such as recording for TV & Film and live entertainment. As a multidisciplinary performing musician, Karoline redefines what it means to be a 21st century performer. Her work can be featured in TV & Film, as well as numerous artists such as Beyoncé, Billie Eilish, Elton John, Adele, Coldplay, Andrea Bocelli, Eminem, Sting, The Eagles, The Weeknd, Shawn Mendes and many more.

  Karoline has been involved in multiple social and entrepreneurial initiatives and as a creative change maker. She is actively collaborating with local and international organizations to drive social change through the arts. She works in development to drive innovative strategies for engagement and connection, as well as consultation for teaching practices that impact the community through music. She currently holds teaching positions at El Camino College and College Preparatory Loyola High School.

• Karl Pasch, clarinet

  Karl Pasch is principal clarinetist with the Anchorage Symphony Orchestra, and is active as a chamber musician, conductor, and composer. He has performed concert tours with the Blue Rose Trio in California and Alaska, and was a featured guest artist at the Virtuosi Festival in Recife, Brazil.

  After winning a Rasmussen Artist Grant, he toured in Brazil and released a live CD of South American chamber music.

  Karl has conducted with the Anchorage Civic Orchestra, the Anchorage Ballet, the Anchorage Concert Chorus, and Anchorage Theatre Orchestra. He also performs with the Damberg Latin Jazz Quintet, and the gypsy jazz group the Hot Club of Nunaka.

• Beth Ross-Buckley, flute

  Beth Ross Buckley is the Flutist, Founder, and Artistic Director of Camarada. For 29 years, Ms. Ross Buckley has produced groundbreaking chamber music events throughout San Diego, combining great music, cuisine, and art. Since Camarada’s inception, she has expanded the scope of the organization to include performances at diverse venues throughout greater San Diego, new commissions for concert repertoire, and an exciting roster of performing artists.

  Ms. Ross Buckley received her Bachelor of Music in Flute Performance from St. Olaf College and her Master of Music from the University of Minnesota. While she enjoys all genres of music, tango music is her passion. Ms. Ross Buckley boasts an extensive performance resume that includes a twenty-five-year tenure as principal flute of the former San Diego Chamber Orchestra/Orchestra Nova and engagements with a variety of musical theatre companies throughout Northern and Southern California. Ms. Ross Buckley also runs a portrait photography business, Beth Ross Buckley Photography.

• Eduardo Semencio, violin

  A believer that music can change lives, Eduardo is always committed to the role that music has in society. He is frequently involved in social projects of music teaching and orchestral groups that are devoted in deliver high quality music.

  Having earned a Bachelor in Violin Performance at Sao Paulo State University in Campinas, UNICAMP, he moved to Canada to pursue a master degree at the University of Western Ontario.

  Eduardo has been playing in professional Brazilian orchestras since 1996, including the Brazilian Symphony Orchestra; Amazon Philharmonic Orchestra where he participated in XII, XIII, and XIV Amazon Opera Festival; Amazon Chamber Orchestra; Amazon Baroque Orchestra; Mato Grosso State Orchestra; São José dos Campos Symphony Orchestra; Santos Symphony Orchestra; Americana Symphony Orchestra; Rio Claro Symphony Orchestra where he was the concertmaster from 1997 to 2007; etc. Currently, he is a member of the UNICAMP Symphony Orchestra; Oficina de Cordas Chamber Orchestra and concertmaster of Rock Orchestra Campinas. He participated in Rock in Rio Brazil 2011 playing in the “Tribute to Legião Urbana”. He also played in the Camerata Vitta first Brazil-Uruguay tour in 2007 as principal second violin.

  He has performed at several music festivals in Brazil such as "Festival Internacional de Inverno" in Campos do Jordão in 2006, 2007, and 2008, “Eleazar de Carvalho” Music Festival in Fortaleza 2003. He has played in masterclasses for professors Carmelo de los Santos, Betina Stegman, Yerko Tabilo, Elisa Fukuda, Ludwig Dürichen, Vesselin Gellev, Kees Hülsmannm, Mauro Loguercio, Bernardo Besseler and Daniel Guedes. In orchestras, he played with great conductors such as Kurt Masur, Lorin Maazel (complete Beethoven Symphonies – Brazilian Symphony Orchestra 2011), Roberto Minczuk, Luiz Fernando Malheiro and Carlos Moreno.

  In 2010, Eduardo was selected as violin teacher at CAUA of the Amazon Federal University. He also taught violin, viola and chamber music in Lyceum of Arts “Claudio Santoro” in Manaus, in Cultural Foundation “Cassiano Ricardo”, and in the Music School “Fábio Marasca”.

  Eduardo was responsible for the restructuring of the Rio Claro Symphony Orchestra and its Music School, serving as the Artistic Director from 2003 to 2007. The new pedagogic approach follows the “El Sistema” model. In 2011 he was elected as its CEO and runs a new project to improve the orchestra and the school. In 2012, he organized and was the Executive and Music Director of the First Rio Claro Pedagogic Music Festival in Rio Claro. His new approach allowed the orchestra to receive financial support from the government and the Rotary Club. Thereafter, he also founded the Experimental Orchestra (2014) with the students’ school and students from surrounding cities. The project had great success because it provided an environment to new conductors, musicians and soloists to develop their careers and it became one of most active groups in the region.

• Pei-Chun Tsai, violin

  Taiwanese violinist Pei-Chun Tsai received her Doctorate in Musical Arts from City University of New York with the publication of her dissertation on the violin writing of Richard Strauss. She also holds Bachelor and Masters Degrees in violin performance from The Juilliard School.

  Founding director of the Campanile Music Festival at San Diego State University, Pei-Chun curates innovative residencies of visiting artists from across the country for her students. A member of the San Diego Symphony since 2006 and violin lecturer at San Diego State University, she performs regularly with the SDSU chamber orchestra. She released an album of solo violin entitled Chaconne in 2021 featuring the works by Tomaso Vitali, J.S. Bach and Joseph Waters. Pei-Chun performs on 2020 violin by Boston-based luthier Charline Dequincy and 2022 bow by Abe Liebhaber in San Diego.