Faculty
Marie Daniels, Artistic Director
Marie Daniels is a violist devoted to sharing her passion for music as a performer, teacher and entrepreneur. From 2018 to 2023 she was assistant principal of the Bremen Philharmonic and joined the Frankfurt Opera und Museum Orchestra in the fall of 2024.
With a passion for teaching, in 2012 Marie founded The Woodlands ChamberFest, an annual week-long workshop teaching young students communication, collaboration and leadership through chamber music, which was adopted as an educational program of the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in 2013. From 2016-17 Marie taught music to 3rd graders in the Bronx as a Teaching Artist for the New York Philharmonic. For over a decade Marie has enjoyed sharing her expertise through her Viola Tips with Violamad videos on YouTube, which continue to inspire viola fans around the world.
​
In addition to being seen and heard with the Philharmoniker in the concert halls and Theater of Bremen, Marie performs regularly in the Philharmoniker's chamber music series as well as with various orchestras, such as the NDR Radiophilharmonie and the Münchener Rundfunkorchester. Since the Bremen Philharmoniker's collaboration with Orchester des Wandels (OdW) in 2020, Marie has become an active member of her orchestra's "Climate Group", helping to plan events and concerts to raise awareness and funds for OdW's sustainability projects, as well as donating her time to maintain the OdW's website.
​
Marie was a 2015 recipient of Juilliard's Benzaquen Career Advancement Grant for demonstrating outstanding artistry and achievement in leadership, entrepreneurship, and breadth of engagement. Marie holds a Master of Music and Bachelor of Music degree from The Juilliard School and currently resides in Bremen. She enjoys biking and running, training regularly for marathons and triathlons, and loves everything pink.
​
Luke Fleming
Praised by The Philadelphia Inquirer for his “glowing refinement,” violist Luke Fleming‘s performances have been described by The Strad as “confident and expressive…playing with uncanny precision,” and lauded by Gramophone for their “superlative technical and artistic execution.”
Festival appearances include the Marlboro Music School and Festival, the Steans Institute at Ravinia, Perlman Music Program, the Norfolk and Great Lakes Chamber Music Festivals, the Melbourne Festival, Bravo!Vail, and Festival Mozaic. Formerly the violist of the internationally acclaimed Attacca Quartet, he has served as Artist-in-Residence for the Metropolitan Museum of Art and received the National Federation of Music Clubs Centennial Chamber Music Award. He was awarded First Prize at the Osaka International Chamber Music Competition and top prizes at the Melbourne International Chamber Music Competition.
In 2015, Mr. Fleming became the Founding Artistic Director of both the Manhattan Chamber Players, a New York-based chamber music collective, and the Crescent City Chamber Music Festival, and in 2024 he was named Artistic Program Director of Chamber Music Monterey Bay. He currently serves as Adjunct Professor of Viola at the University of New Orleans School of the Arts. He is also a founding member of the Delaware-based Serafin Ensemble.
Mr. Fleming holds the degrees of Doctor of Musical Arts, Artist Diploma, and Master of Music from the Juilliard School, a Postgraduate Diploma with Distinction from the Royal Academy of Music in London, and a Bachelor of Music summa cum laude from Louisiana State University. He is represented with the Manhattan Chamber Players by Arts Management Group. www.lukefleming.com
Mitch Lyon
Cellist Mitchell Lyon approaches music making with a zeal for harnessing the unique power of musical experience. Mitch is a founding member of Empire Wild, a genre-bending crossover trio and Ambassador Prize Winner of the 2020 Concert Artist Guild Victor Elmaleh Competition. Last season the trio delighted audiences with their signature mix of original songwriting and unique arrangements at venues across the country including a stop at South Miami-Dade Cultural Arts Center and a concert on the Harriman-Jewell concert series in Kansas City as well as an extensive midwestern tour. Passionate about community engagement and education, Mitch has been on the Teaching Artist Faculty of the New York Philharmonic since 2014, visiting schools across all five boroughs of NYC and scripting and performing interactive concerts for thousands of students. He frequently leads workshops for students of all ages and abilities, most recently at The Juilliard School Extension Division and Peabody Preparatory Institute.Mitch regularly spends summers as an artist faculty member at the Preucil School of Music and the Charles Ives Music Festival at WCYO. In past summers, Mitch has performed at Caroga Lake, Fontainebleau, Finchcocks, and Norfolk. An alumnus of Juilliard (B.M., M.M.), Mitch’s primary teachers have included Bonnie Hampton and Timothy Eddy along with masterclasses with Steven Isserlis, Mark Kosower and Andres Diaz. Away from the cello, he can be found cooking, reading something geeky or plotting his next hike.
Abigail Monroe
Cellist Abigail Monroe has established herself as a sought-after solo performer, chamber musician, and large ensemble collaborator throughout the United States and internationally. Her musicianship has been praised for “add[ing] a rich, resonant layer to the ensemble, enhancing the overall texture and emotional depth of the performance.” (For All Events).
​
Having formerly served as Principal Cellist and a Regular Member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, Ms. Monroe now holds positions in many symphony orchestras nationwide, including the West Michigan Symphony, Missouri Symphony, and Orchestra Iowa, and has performed with the Louisiana Philharmonic, Orchestra San Antonio, Des Moines Symphony, Illinois Philharmonic, Shreveport Symphony Orchestra, Ensemble Mik Nawooj, and Northwest Indiana Symphony, among many others. Festival appearances have included the Mendocino Music Festival, Miami Music Festival, Grand Canyon Music Festival, Lily Rock Chamber Music Festival, Crescent City Chamber Music Festival, and Festival de Febrero in Ajijic, Mexico.
​
She is also cellist of the award-winning San Francisco Bay Area-based new music group, Ensemble for These Times, is a regular collaborator with the Manhattan Chamber Players, and has recently been appointed as cellist of the Lott String Quartet, the Ensemble-in-Residence at the University of New Orleans.
Recent solo engagements have included numerous World-Premiere performances of music by living composers with Ensemble for These Times, and concerto performances with the Golden Gate Symphony Orchestra and the New Mexico Philharmonic.
​
Ms. Monroe holds both a Bachelor’s Degree and a Professional Studies Diploma from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.
Keiko Tokunaga
Winner of the 2019 GRAMMY Award for Best Chamber Music/ Small Ensemble Performance, Japanese-born violinist Keiko Tokunaga spends most of her days touring and performing globally as a soloist and chamber musician. Keiko has been praised by the Strings Magazine for possessing a sound “with probing quality that is supple and airborne” and for her “pure, pellucid bow strokes”. She has soloed with various orchestras including the Spanish National Orchestra, Orquestra Simfònica de Barcelona i Nacional de Catalunya and Virginia Arts Festival Chamber Orchestra.
In 2021, Keiko founded INTERWOVEN, an intercultural ensemble whose mission is to elevate the visibility of the AAAPI (Asian, Asian American and Pacific Islander) artists by integrating the musical traditions of the East and West.
Keiko holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees, as well as Artist Diploma from The Juilliard School. She currently plays on a J. B. Vuillaume violin from 1845, generously loaned by an anonymous donor.
Christopher Wilshere
Christopher Wilshere shines as a prominent figure in Mexico’s classical music community, leaving a lasting impression on the vibrant cultural tapestry of his adopted country. His journey is a testament to passion, dedication, and a commitment to nurturing musical talent. As a distinguished violinist, Christopher has graced stages in Europe, Canada, the United States, and Mexico, and has performed as concertmaster for many well-known Canadian and Mexican orchestras, including the Thunder Bay Symphony, the Ontario Philharmonic, the Jalisco Philharmonic, and the Toronto Concert Orchestra.
​
Christopher’s influence extends deeply into education, where he has become one of Mexico’s most sought-after violin teachers. His students consistently achieve remarkable success, securing scholarships and coveted positions in competitions and youth orchestras nationwide.. A seasoned educator, Christopher has shared his expertise through masterclasses and teaching engagements at prestigious institutions, including the University of Toronto, the University of Guadalajara, the University of Kansas, the University of Akron, Ohio, UNAM, and the Ollin Yoliztli Conservatory in Mexico City. Over 15 years of intensive teaching has cultivated a legacy, with many students traveling nationwide, often on a weekly basis, to benefit from his mentorship, and a plethora of now former students who have gone on to build their own well-established violin studios in Guadalajara.
​
As an entrepreneur and project builder, in 2003, at the age of 24, he founded the Festival de Febrero, which has evolved over two decades into a cornerstone of classical music in Mexico and hosts over 30 international artists annually for two weeks of concerts in the Lake Chapala area. Additionally, in 2013, Christopher was a founding member and a director of PALCCO, a multi-million-dollar entertainment complex in Guadalajara, housing a 2000-seat opera hall, an amphitheater, and a chamber music recital hall. His creation of the Festival del Lago summer academy in 2018, with its focus on education, stands as a testament to his commitment to nurturing young talent. Approximately 60 university students from around the world attend every August, benefiting from financial aid, with many on full scholarships, all sponsored by his other festival, the Festival de Febrero.
​
The impact of Christopher’s accomplishments resonates not only in his violin playing but in the profound legacy he continues to build, shaping the cultural landscape of Mexico. He holds a degree in Violin Performance from the University of Toronto and was awarded a Governor General’s Award from Michaëlle Jean for his commitment to strengthening relations between Mexico and Canada.