Michael Rusinek — clarinet
Michael Rusinek joined the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra as principal clarinet in 1998. He holds the Mr. & Mrs. Aaron Silberman Chair. Born in Toronto, Canada, his early studies were with Avrahm Galper at the Royal Conservatory of Music and he later attended the Curtis Institute of Music, studying with Donald Montanaro. Upon graduation, Rusinek served as assistant principal clarinet with the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D.C. In addition to his position with the Pittsburgh Symphony, he has performed as principal clarinet with the orchestras of Philadelphia, St. Louis, The Royal Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, and The National Arts Center in Ottawa, Canada.
Michael Rusinek has performed as a recitalist across Canada, the United States, and Israel, as well as concerto soloist with many orchestras including appearances with the Czech Philharmonic, Concerto Classic Wien, Toronto Symphony, Belgrade Philharmonic, Grand Teton Music Festival Orchestra, Aspen Chamber Symphony, and the Symphony Orchestra of the Curtis Institute of Music. He has additionally been featured as a soloist with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra many times and, in May 2008, premiered a new concerto by composer Alan Fletcher that was commissioned for him by the orchestra. That performance was recorded and is available on the Exton label.
Rusinek has participated in numerous music festivals around the world including Internationale Wolfegger Konzerte (Germany), Instrumenta Verano (Mexico), Bay Chamber, Music in the Vineyards, New York’s 92nd Street Y, and returns regularly to the Grand Teton, Santa Fe Chamber, and Marlboro music festivals. He has toured with the acclaimed “Musicians from Marlboro”, and was featured on the Sony label celebrating Marlboro’s 50th anniversary. In summer 2000, he performed as principal clarinet in the Super World Orchestra, an ensemble comprised of musicians from orchestras around the world.
Dedicated to teaching, Michael Rusinek is a member of the faculties of Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, and the Aspen Music Festival and School in Aspen, Colorado. He has led master classes at some of the leading institutions around the world, including the Colburn Music School, the Manhattan School of Music, and the Conservatories in Toronto, Paris, Beijing, Shanghai, and Tianjin. He is a frequent guest at the New World Symphony in Miami, Florida and has served on the faculty of the Canton International Summer Music Academy in Canton, China, returning regularly to China to teach and perform. He often adjudicates competitions and appeared on the jury for the inaugural Jacques Lancelot International Clarinet Competition in Rouen France.
When he is not performing or teaching, you may often find him riding his bike, on the golf course or playing hockey in a non-contact league.
Ming-Feng Hsin — violin
Hailed by the Scotsman as “destined to be one of the giants of the next generation” after winning the first prize at the Glasgow International Violin Competition at age 15, Ming-Feng Hsin has enjoyed a unique and rich journey as a multifaceted musician. He has lived through roles as a child prodigy, soloist, chamber musician, orchestra musician, and conductor. Having experienced a major setback from a career-ending accident at the cusp of a very promising solo career, he later triumphed over such upheaval, which brought him the grounding to become a revered artist and an insightful mentor for the next generation.
Ming-Feng Hsin began his musical journey as a child-prodigy national hero in Taiwan. At age 13, he was discovered by his mentor Lord Menuhin, with whom he has performed throughout Great Britain, and in Washington D.C. where Ming also starred as soloist playing for President Ford and Queen Elizabeth during America’s bicentennial celebrations. Later he soloed with orchestras such as the Scottish National Orchestra and the BBC Orchestra to rave reviews. After coming to the U.S. to study with Ivan Galamian and Jascha Brodsky at the Curtis Institute of Music, he won top prizes in several competitions including the Montreal International Violin Competition. However, he was soon sidelined by an injury that took years to heal. After realizing he could not live a life without music and being on stage, he decided to pursue conducting and graduated from the conducting class of Otto Werner Mueller at The Juilliard School. In the 1990’s Ming was the Music Director of the South Shore Symphony of Long Island, while also conducting orchestras throughout the US and Taiwan. As his finger healed gradually, he often led these orchestras as soloist/conductor.
In 1994, despite not being a violinist for 10 years, Ming won a first violin position at the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and began his 24-year tenure there. Even with the rigorous schedule at the Met, Ming started to play more and more solo and chamber concerts, as well as still keeping up with conducting, such as full opera productions of Aida and The Flying Dutchman with the Taipei Symphony Orchestra, concerts with the Prometheus Chamber Orchestra and Curtis Orchestra at Rockefeller Center. He also guest conducted frequently the top orchestras in Taiwan and worked with many youth and college orchestras in the New York area as well as in Taiwan. In 2018 Ming retired from the Met to spend more time with his children, and to devote his energies to more playing, conducting and teaching.
Ming was appointed as violin faculty of the Mannes School of Music in 2021. He has recently appeared as soloist in Beethoven, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Sibelius, Mendelssohn, Glazunov, Barber and Saint-Saëns concertos in the New York area, and published a CD album in collaboration with his pianist sister Hsing-Chwen Hsin, with whom he will have a recital tour in Taiwan in the upcoming season. During the 2020–21 season Ming gave a trio debut in the National Concert Hall in Taipei with his sister and Swiss based cellist Pi-Chin Chien prior to their trio tour in Germany and Scotland. While in Taiwan during the US Covid lockdown, he was invited to conduct and solo in a series of concerts with the National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra, as well as giving more than forty masterclasses and workshops at top colleges and music schools. Ming is also a founding member of the jury for the biannual Sylvia Lee Violin Competition since its inauguration eight years ago. Other engagements include guest concertmaster for Suzhou Symphony in China, the Hong Kong Sinfonietta, as well as guest principal second for Singapore Symphony Orchestra.
