OBOE

Mickey Margaret Hansen is an oboist and conductor and currently acts as Assistant Conductor to the Vratsa Symphony Orchestra in Bulgaria. In the past year, she has appeared in performance with the Solti Chamber Orchestra, Tokyo Sinfonia, Belgrade Chamber Orchestra, and the Vratsa Symphony Orchestra. In 2024, Mickey won the 1st prize with Outstanding Laureate in the World’s Best Musicians competition from Warsaw, Poland. Previous positions include as director of Chor auf dem Asterstein in Germany, vocal coach and accompanist for Calvin Youth Vocal Ensemble, and music director at Bethel Presbyterian and Burk’s UMC, where she frequently directed members of the Chattanooga Symphony Orchestra and created ensemble arrangements in multiple styles of music. She will be giving masterclasses at the Centro Superior de Música de Galicia, has given masterclasses in conducting at the Washington State Chorister’s Guild, and has been an adjudicator at the ISAS Arts festival for schools in the southwestern United States.
After showing dedication and accomplishment in oboe and piano in her early years, Mickey attended The Boston Conservatory and studied with English hornist Robert Sheena of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Her other principal oboe teachers and mentors include international soloist Alex Klein and David Weber. In the past year, Mickey has acted as principal oboe of the Sofia Philharmonic for its international tours in China and the USA. She has been a member of the Wichita Symphony Orchestra, Alamo City Opera, Al Bustan Festival Orchestra (Lebanon), Seattle Metropolitan Chamber Orchestra, and Crested Butte Music Festival. As a soloist, Ms. Hansen has performed with the Spokane Symphony and ProMusica Arizona Orchestra, and was a prizewinner at the Boston Woodwind Society’s competition in 2010 and 2011. She has appeared with many other orchestras, including the San Antonio Symphony, Omaha Symphony, Knoxville Symphony, Chattanooga Symphony, Huntsville Symphony, Tulsa Symphony, and Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra. Orchestral fellowships have taken her throughout Europe, including the Britten-Pears Young Artist Programme (England), Zoltan Kodaly World Youth Orchestra (Hungary), and International Orchestral Institute Attergau (Austria), where she was a featured performer and speaker on Germany’s Deutschlandfunk for her oboe improvisation with folk harp. Ms. Hansen has resided in Germany, the USA, and Bulgaria, and has taught in the public school classrooms on both continents. Her specialty in teaching the AP Music Theory exam lead her to create study content for high school students world wide.
Ms. Hansen holds degrees from The Boston Conservatory, Wichita State University, and Centro Superior de Música en Galicia, Spain. She is a proud Alumni Mentor to support and guide student musicians at the Berklee School of Music.

CLARINET

"Extremely gifted and accomplished as a clarinetist, he's a natural chamber musician, communicative, expressive, instinctive and always thoroughly prepared"
Mathew Jones (acting head of chamber music, Guildhall School of Music and Drama London)

"He's a diligent and sensitive musician"
Julian Farrell (Former principal clarinet at Academy of Saint Martin in The Fields London)

Former clarinet and chamber music teacher at the Barenboim-Said Foundation, Simón Ibáñez is currently clarinet Professor at Wiener Musikakademie.
He has performed in halls such as Barbican Hall , Royal Festival Hall , “Palau de la Música Cata-lana ”, “Gran Teatre del Liceu “, “Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia” “Altes Rathaus”…, with conduc-tors like Sir Colin Davies ,Vladimir Azkenazhy, Diego Mason, Valery Gerguiev or Adrian Leaper.
Mr. Ibañez has been featured as a soloist with orchestras like Budweis Philharmonic or Guatema-la National Youth Orchestra. He has obtained good critics in England and Switzerland, he was first prize in the Ivan Sutton Competition in London.
He usually play recitals with piano and chamber music in places like London, Liverpool, Viena, Venice, Barcelona, Gothenburg or Brussels. Soon he will appear as soloist with The Tallinn Inter-national Youth Orchestra and made his presentation tour in Costa Rica with recitals and master-classes.
Simón studied at “Conservatorio Superior de Música del Liceo (Barcelona) and completed his BMus(Hons) qualification with Professor Isaac Rodriguez. Later he was accepted at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama of London to study the “Artist-Masters Orchestral Training” with the London Symphony Players and Professor Julian Farrel.
He has taken part in masterclasses with Andrew Marriner, Michel Lethiec, François Benda, Ro-man Guyot, Mark Nuccio, Calogero Palermo, Valdemar Rodriguez, Ronald Spaendock or Harry Mäki.
Simón is also Artistic Director at the “La Vilavella International Masterclass” with resident musi-cians like David Rejano (Los Angeles Philharmonic), Liina Leijala (Barenboim-Said Foundation and Wiener Musikakademie) or Julio Lopez ( Münchener Philharmoniker).

FLUTE - PICCOLO

Raphael Leone the former flutist and piccolist of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra.

He achieved his basic music education as a music teacher in Basel (Switzerland) under Joseph Bopp. He continued his postgraduate studies amongst others under Jean-Pierre Rampal, Torkil Bye and Gottfried Hechtl. As an Orchestral player he started his career in the Orchestra Radio Basel, his path led him to the Oslo Philharmonics and Symphony Orchestra Durban (South Africa), and in 1972 to the Vienna Symphony. It was followed by intensive chamber music activities in Europe, Asia and the USA. 1988 he was teaching at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, and since 1989 at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna. In 1991 he founded the “Österreichische Flötengesellschaft”, where he is still the chairman.

In numerous workshops, especially for Piccolo, he wants to inspire flutists for the tiniest instrument, to provide literature for Piccolo and to enable approach for inexperienced players too. (The last master classes were in Buenos Aires, Manila, Bangkok, Tokyo and Seoul, in Italy at the Conservatorio di Pesaro (3 times), Trieste, Senigaglia, Bolzano and Latina (Rome). 

FLUTE

James Strauss, hailed as the "Lang Lang of the Flute" by the Arizona Daily Star, is a Brazilian flutist who has achieved remarkable success in the world of classical music. Recognized as one of the finest flute players globally, he possesses an extraordinary sense of musicianship, flawless intonation, and an unparalleled tone quality.

Under the mentorship of Maestro Jeffrey Dokken of the Symphony Orchestra of Virginia, Strauss's artistry has been described as a true mastery of his craft. Jean Pierre Rampal, acknowledging him as "an authentic Latin representative of the French School of Flute," further praised his exceptional talent.

A trailblazer in classical music, James Strauss became the first Brazilian flutist to receive a Diplomme de Concertiste from the École Normale de Musique de Paris, studying under renowned figures like Jean-Pierre Rampal, Pierre-Yves Artaud, and Alain Marion and lately with Sir James Galway. He was awarded scholarships by the French government for the Conservatoire de Paris and the École Normale de Musique Alfred Cortot de Paris.

Strauss's accolades include numerous international competition victories, such as the UFAM Concours International de Musique de Chamber and the UFAM Concours International de Flute in France, as well as recognition in Brazil and Ecuador.

A passionate advocate for new music, James Strauss has premiered works by esteemed composers like Philip Glass, Alexander Arutiunian, Jean Françaix and many others. His repertoire spans from baroque to contemporary, showcasing his versatility in solo, chamber, and concerto performances.

As a sought-after soloist, Strauss has collaborated with orchestras worldwide, including the Orchestre de Chambre de Paris, Tokyo Chamber Orchestra, Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra, Europa Chamber Orchestra, Israel Philharmonic, and many others. His teaching contributions extend to master classes and recitals at esteemed institutions globally.

An active recording artist for Universal Music Group, James Strauss has released over 30 CDs, featuring collaborations with prominent artists and orchestras. Currently based in Vienna, Austria, he continues to captivate audiences worldwide with his emotional and technically superb performances.