Guest Artists

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Performing the Brahms G Minor  Sextet  &  Tchaikovsky’s  Souvenir  de  Florence with  The  Opus  76  Quartet  in  May  2025

Violinist David Kim was named Concertmaster of The Philadelphia Orchestra in 1999. Born in Carbondale, Illinois in 1963, he started playing the violin at the age of three, began studies with the famed pedagogue Dorothy DeLay at the age of eight, and later received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from The Juilliard School.

Mr. Kim continues to appear as soloist with orchestras across the country and appears as concertmaster of the 9-time Emmy Award winning All-Star Orchestra on PBS stations across the USA and online at the Khan Academy. He regularly presents masterclasses at schools such as the Curtis Institute of Music, The Juilliard School, and the Australian National Academy of Music. Mr. Kim’s first book was released in 2022: The Audition Method for Violin, published by GIA Publications. This long-awaited collection of standard orchestral excerpts walks the reader through each work with his suggestions on execution, audition strategy, bowings and fingerings. 

Mr. Kim is a frequent touring guest of famed modern hymn writers Keith and Kristyn Getty at venues such as the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and Carnegie Hall. He is also a regular performer around the nation at events for YoungLife, Illuminations, and The Gathering. Mr. Kim serves as Distinguished Artist at the Robert McDuffie Center for Strings at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia. He frequently serves as an adjudicator at international violin competitions such as the Menuhin and Sarasate. 

Mr. Kim has been awarded Honorary Doctorates from Eastern University in suburban Philadelphia, the University of Rhode Island, and Dickinson College. His instruments are a J.B. Guadagnini from Milan, Italy ca. 1757 on loan from The Philadelphia Orchestra and a Francesco Gofriller ca. 1735. Mr. Kim exclusively performs on and endorses Larsen Strings from Denmark.

Performed the Brahms G Major Viola Quintet with The Opus 76 Quartet (2024)

Photo Credit - Rosalie O'Connor

Violist Paul Neubauer's exceptional musicality and effortless playing led the New York Times to call him “a master musician.” 

He recently made his Chicago Symphony subscription debut with conductor Riccardo Muti as well as his Mariinsky Orchestra debut at the White Nights Festival. He also gave the U.S. Premiere of the newly discovered Impromptu for viola and piano by Shostakovich with pianist Wu Han. In addition, his recording of the Aaron Kernis Viola Concerto with the Royal Northern Sinfonia, was released on Signum Records and his recording of the complete viola and piano music by Ernest Bloch with pianist Margo Garrett was released on Delos.

 Appointed principal violist of the New York Philharmonic at age 21, he has appeared as soloist with over 100 orchestras including the New York, Los Angeles, and Helsinki philharmonics; National, St. Louis, Detroit, Dallas, San Francisco, and Bournemouth symphonies; and Santa Cecilia, English Chamber, and Beethovenhalle orchestras. He has premiered viola concertos by Bartók (revised version of the Viola Concerto), Friedman, Glière, Jacob, Kernis, Lazarof, Müller-Siemens, Ott, Penderecki, Picker, Suter, and Tower and has been featured on CBS's Sunday Morning, A Prairie Home Companion, and in Strad, Strings, and People magazines. 

A two-time Grammy nominee, he has recorded on numerous labels including Decca, Deutsche Grammophon, RCA Red Seal, and Sony Classical. Mr. Neubauer is the artistic director of the Mostly Music series in New Jersey and is on the faculty of The Juilliard School and Mannes College. 

Recorded & Performed the Schumann with The Opus 76 Quartet (2023)

Ramona Pansegrau has been music director for Kansas City Ballet for 17 years. She came to Kansas City via the Boston and Tulsa ballet companies, where she held the positions of principal pianist, solo pianist, music director and conductor.

She has been called one of the best ballet pianists in the world. Robert Joffrey said of her ballet class, “The perfect music for every combination.” She was principal pianist/solo pianist for 10 years at Boston Ballet and tenured keyboard for the Boston Ballet Orchestra for 15 years. Ms. Pansegrau was on the faculty at Aspen/Snowmass Dance Festival for 11 years and was music director for the ballet school at Jacob’s Pillow for 16 years. She was music director for Tulsa Ballet for nine years, and conductor of the Tulsa Symphony orchestra for ballet performances before coming to Kansas City Ballet.

As a piano soloist for ballet, she has performed the piano concertos of Tchaikovsky, Brahms, Gottschalk, Hindemith, and Chopin to name a few, performing with many symphony orchestras, including the Kennedy Center Opera Orchestra. Of her performances, the Boston Phoenix stated, “the music…brought to sublime heights by pianist Ramona Pansegrau, allow[ing] you to experience the music anew each time.” Her arrangements of ballets are now in the repertory of the Western Australia Ballet, Charleston Ballet Theatre, Tulsa Ballet, Louisville Ballet, Washington Ballet, Ballet West, the San Carlo Opera House in Italy, NBA Ballet in Tokyo, Japan, and the Finnish National Ballet.

 Her edited and compiled score of Penderecki, Gorecki, and others for the ballet Jekyll & Hyde, a ballet by Val Caniparoli, premiered in Finland in 2020 to great acclaim, and she will conduct the American premiere in Kansas City in October 2023. Her most recent score for the full-length ballet Aladdin and the Magic Carpet, with choreographer Jill Bahr premiered April 2022.

Ms. Pansegrau conducted the premiere of the Tulsa Symphony Orchestra with a full-length Sleeping Beauty, starring Italian ballerina Viviana Durante. Her performances were hailed as “giving life to the music and energizing the dancers.” Conducting for the Ballet Across America Festival, The Washington Post stated, “There is a delicious tension between the outpouring of the strings conducted by Ms. Pansegrau and the hushed anxiety of the dancing.” The Kansas City Star said Ms. Pansegrau’s Symphony No. 5 by Gustav Mahler was conducted with “heartrending sensitivity.” The Orlando Sentinel commented regarding Swan Lake, “…Pansegrau, music director for the Kansas City Ballet, helps Tchaikovsky’s music breathe with emotion reflecting what’s onstage….That gorgeous sound is something I’ll remember.” Regarding Don Quixote, they said, “As conducted by Ramona Pansegrau, the Philharmonic captured each bit of Spanish flair in Ludwig Minkus’ score, as well as the longing in the characters’ hearts. The Phil’s contribution to the electricity in the air can’t be overstated.” 

Ms. Pansegrau’s other ongoing engagements include guest conductor for Orlando Ballet and performing with the Opus 76 string quartet.

Recorded & Performed the Brahms G Major & Mozart C Major Viola Quintets with The Opus 76 Quartet (2022, 2024)

Paraguayan violist Gloria Britez Scolari performs with the Topeka Symphony Orchestra and the Symphony of Northwest Arkansas (SoNA) and has appeared as a guest artist with the KC-based string quartet Opus 76. 

Previously, she was a member of the Orchestra of the Americas, City of Asuncion Symphony Orchestra and Camerata Miranda, and has performed in concert halls throughout the Americas, such as Carnegie Hall in New York and Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires. Passionate about the importance of music education, Gloria taught and managed El-Sistema-inspired programs such as Sonidos de la Tierra (Paraguay), Harmony Project KC and is currently the program coordinator for UMKC Conservatory Bridges, an outreach program of the University of Missouri - Kansas City Conservatory. She holds a Bachelors and Masters Degree in Viola Performance, as well as a certification in Nonprofit Management. She lives in Kansas City with her husband and their two children. 

Recorded & Performed the Brahms F minor Piano Quintet with The Opus 76 Quartet (2021, 2022)

Born in Oslo, Norway, Ms. Coucheron began playing the piano at age four. She earned her Bachelor and Master’s Degree with honors from the Royal Academy of Music in London. At the age of 32, Ms. Coucheron has established an international career, winning awards and prizes in Italy, Germany, UK and in the United States. 

Ms. Coucheron has worked with musicians such as Claude Frank, Emanuel Ax, Chee-Yun Kim, Christopher O’Riley, Steve Miller Band, Yo-Yo Ma, and Elton John, and has toured Europe, America, South America and Asia, performing in halls like Verizon Hall, Wigmore Hall, the Kennedy Center and Carnegie Hall.

Ms. Coucheron has performed with the Norwegian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Oslo Philharmonic; Jena Symphony Orchestra, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Atlanta Philarmonic and the Ukrainian Symphony Orchestra in Kiev. 

Ms. Coucheron regularly performs at festivals such as the Oslo Chamber Music Festival, Bergen International Music Festival, Amelia Island Music Festival, Madison Chamber Music Festival, Juneau Jazz and Classics and at La Jolla Summer Fest. She is Artistic Director of the Fjord Cadenza festival in Norway ,the Kon Tiki Chamber Music Festival in Oslo, Norway and Georgian Chamber Players in Atlanta, GA. 

In addition, Ms. Coucheron also performed during the 2003 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, Utah, and at the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London. 

Ms. Coucheron enjoys a close collaboration with her brother, the Concertmaster of the Atlanta Symphony, David Coucheron, and together they have released two recordings, ‘Debut’ and ‘David and Julie’ on the Naxos label. 

In addition to her busy concert schedule, Ms. Coucheron is a sought after teacher and pedagogue. In August 2014, she was appointed Assistant Professor at Kennesaw State University in Atlanta, Georgia, one of the top 50 state schools in the United States. 

Ms. Coucheron has given masterclasses and taught at schools such as the New England Conservatory, Emory University and Mercer University. 

Ms. Coucheron enjoys a various and wide range of styles and repertoire emerging from her highly trained classical background to the more contemporary and popular music. Recent collaborations include performances with the Steve Miller Band and Elton John. 

Recorded the Schubert Quintet with The Opus 76 Quartet (2021)

Born in Paris, France, Noemie Golubovic completed her bachelor and master’s degree at Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Lyon, as well as a master’s degree in Orchestral Performance at the Manhattan School of Music where she studied with Alan Stepansky. She also studied with Anne Gastinel, Qang Tu, Edouard Sapey-Triomphe and Matthieu Lejeune.

Ms Golubovic has attented numerous music festivals including the European Union Youth Orchestra, Lucerne Festival Academy, Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester and the French Youth Orchestra. An avid chamber musician, Ms Golubovic has recently performed for a United Nations benefit concert in New-York and won Manhattan School of Music’s Fuchs chamber music competition.

Since 2019, Ms Golubovic is a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and Wichita Symphony. She often performs as a substitute with the Kansas City Symphony

Ms Golubovic plays a french cello made by Sylvestre in 1869, and appeared with The Opus 76 Quartet as guest 'cellist for the 2020/2021 season.

Born to a musical family and raised in New York City, Christine Grossman began playing the violin at the age of five, piano at the age of ten, and viola at sixteen. She received both her Bachelors and Masters degrees in viola performance from the Juilliard School where she studied with Heidi Castleman, Misha Amory, and Hsin-Yun Huang. Past teachers also include Roberto Diaz, Karen Ritscher, Patti Kopec, Isaac Malkin, and Dorothy Roffman.  

Before moving to Kansas City, Ms. Grossman previously held positions with the Pacific Symphony, Delaware Symphony, and was a member of the New World Symphony in Miami Beach, FL.

An avid chamber musician, Ms. Grossman was formerly in the California Quartet, based in San Diego. Other performances and festival appearances include Portland Chamber Music Festival (ME), Laguna Beach Music Festival (CA), Great Lakes Music Festival (MI), Festival Mozaic (CA), Emerald City Music Festival (WA), Methow Valley Chamber Music Festival (WA) and Missouri River Festival of the Arts in Boonville, MO.

Ms. Grossman served as the Principal Violist with the Kansas City Symphony from 2008 until 2019. She enjoyed several solo appearances with the orchestra, including Berlioz’ Harold in Italy, an arrangement of Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody featuring solo viola as Freddie Mercury, and most recently, Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante. 

Ms. Grossman was the viola professor at the International Center for Music at Park University in Parkville, MO, from 2013 until 2019. She also teaches violin and viola privately. 

In January 2018, Ms. Grossman was featured as an “Artist to Watch” in KC Studio Magazine.