Leder Masterclasses

Founded in 2020 and made possible by a generous donation from the estate of Geraldine Leder, this 90-minute master class series gives PACO student musicians an exceptional opportunity to work with outstanding professional string players and teachers from around the world.

Past sessions have included individual student musicians working with a masterclass professional and our new format is a professional musician working with our student chamber music ensembles.

  • Christoph Wagner, cello

    September 29, 2024, 2:00-5:00pm
    M2, Cubberley Community Center
    Palo Alto, CA

    Dr. Christoph Wagner is a prize-winning cellist and sought-after pedagogue and lecturer whose mission is to transform the world through music. He received first prizes at the German Youth Competition Jugend Musiziert, Ribalta Mozart Italia in Italy, and the Peter Pirazzi Competition in Germany. Prize-winner of the National Society of Arts and Letters competition in Bloomington, Indiana in both 2016 and 2017, he holds scholarships from the Richard Wagner Verband in Frankfurt, the Lions Club in Karlsruhe, and the Theodor Rogler Foundation for Young Musicians. In 2018, he received the Sviatoslav Richter Grant from Rice University, followed by the Amici di Via Gabina Fellowship in 2019 for research and performances in Italy. Wagner has performed in major concert halls in Europe such as the Berlin Philharmonie and the Concertgebouw Amsterdam under renowned conductors including Jonathan Nott, Lothar Zagrosek and Stefan Asbury, and appeared at festivals throughout Europe and the US. His international career has spanned four continents, including appearances in Switzerland, Croatia, France, Italy, South Africa, South America, China, South Korea and the US.

    Wagner has been a passionate music ambassador as fellowship holder from Live Music Now – Yehudi Menuhin Foundation in Germany and as a musician in Classical Connections in Bloomington where he played numerous concerts in underserved areas. Active in expanding the role of the arts in community outreach, Wagner participated in a summer residency with LA Street Symphony in Los Angeles in 2018, working with homeless and prison communities, and was a Young Artist Fellow with DA CAMERA Houston from 2018 – 2020.

    Wagner received a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Music in Frankfurt, a Master of Music at Indiana University, and received the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University. As a graduate research fellow at Houston Methodist Research Institute he conducted research focusing on injuries and injury prevention in orchestral musicians. He taught as adjunct faculty of music at Lone Star College in Houston from 2018 – 2023 and regularly gives masterclasses and lectures throughout the US and South America.

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Past Masterclasses:

  • Katie Kadarauch, viola

    Katie Kadarauch is an American-born, 3rd generation musician and teacher. She has toured and performed across four continents with a special passion for teaching and chamber music. For 16 seasons she has served as the Assistant Principal Viola of the San Francisco Symphony, and in 2019, she joined the Minnesota Orchestra with Osmo Vanska for two weeks as a Guest Associate Principal.

    Her most recent and notable collaboration was a duo performance with renowned pianist Yuja Wang in San Francisco, Paris, and Hamburg in March of 2023.

    Read more about Katie Kadarauch here:
    https://www.sfsymphony.org/Discover-the-Music/Articles-Interviews/Articles/A-Lasting-Impact-(1)

  • Dr. Ariana Kim violin: 1/15/24

    Violinist Ariana Kim made her New York recital debut at Carnegie's Weill Hall during her graduate studies at Juilliard and is now a tenured professor at Cornell University. Together with the Aizuri Quartet, she was awarded the Gold Medal at the 2017 Osaka International Competition, the 2018 M-Prize, and a 2019 GRAMMY® nomination for their debut album, Blueprinting. At 16, Ariana made her debut with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra and at 24 was appointed acting concertmaster of the Louisiana Philharmonic in New Orleans and has since become one of the most respected artists of her generation.

    Read more about Dr. Kim here:
    https://www.arianakim.com

  • David Samuel, viola: 11/19/23

    Violist David Samuel has joined the Alexander String Quartet, succeeding founding member Paul Yarbrough in 2021. David was most recently the Associate Principal Viola of the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra and also the Convenor of Classical Performance at the University of Auckland in New Zealand. He was previously the violist of Ensemble MidtVest in Denmark and was the founding violist of the Afiara Quartet. During his eight-year tenure with the Afiara Quartet, Samuel performed more than 100 works for string quartet in over 400 concerts worldwide…

    Read more about David Samuel here: https://music.sfsu.edu/people/david-samuel

  • Dr. Christoph Wagner, cellist: 10/1/23

    Dr. Christoph Wagner is a prize-winning cellist and sought-after pedagogue and lecturer whose mission is to transform the world through music. He received first prizes at the German Youth Competition Jugend Musiziert, Ribalta Mozart Italia in Italy, and the Peter Pirazzi Competition in Germany. Prize-winner of the National Society of Arts and Letters competition in Bloomington, Indiana in both 2016 and 2017, he holds scholarships from the Richard Wagner Verband in Frankfurt, the Lions Club in Karlsruhe, and the Theodor Rogler Foundation for Young …

    Read more about Dr. Wagner here: https://music.unm.edu/faculty/christoph-wagner/

  • Robin Sharp, violin: 3/27/21, 3/10/24

    Violinist Robin Sharp is a solo performer, chamber musician, concertmaster, and teacher. Ms. Sharp is on the music faculty at Stanford University as Full-time Lecturer in Violin and Chamber Music, and also maintains a private teaching studio. She performs as Concertmaster of the San Francisco Chamber Orchestra and is frequently featured as soloist. Her chamber music engagements include ongoing collaborations with the Saint Michael Trio, the ensemble in residence at the Montalvo Arts Center, and with the Prospect Park Chamber Players. You can find more information about Robin on her website.

  • Jonathan Vinocour, viola: 1/23/21

    A native of Rochester, NY, Jonathan completed his undergraduate studies at Princeton University, and received an M.M. from the New England Conservatory of Music. A world-renowned performer and teacher, Jonathan is the principal violist for the San Francisco Symphony, a regular coach at the New World Symphony in Miami, and is also on the faculty of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.

  • Eric Gaenslen, cello: 2021

    Cellist Eric Gaenslen is a freelance musician in San Francisco, a Rossetti Quartet member, and part-time Artist-in-Residence at the University of Washington School of Music. He’s performed in solos, recitals, and small ensembles worldwide. His music study began at age 7, leading to a Bachelor of Arts degree from Yale University and Master of Music degree from the Juilliard School. A dedicated educator, he has taught at the Mannes College pre-college in New York and University of California, Santa Cruz.

  • Chris Costanza, cello: 12/20/20

    For three decades cellist Christopher Costanza has enjoyed a varied and exciting career as a soloist, chamber musician, and teacher. A winner of the Young Concert Artists International Auditions and a recipient of a prestigious Solo Recitalists Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, Mr. Costanza has performed to wide critical acclaim worldwide. Mr. Costanza joined the St. Lawrence String Quartet in 2003, and tours extensively with that ensemble, performing over 100 concerts annually throughout the world. As a member of the St. Lawrence, he is an Artist in Residence at Stanford University, where he teaches cello and chamber music and performs a wide variety of formal and informal concerts each season.