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Described by colleagues and critics alike as possessing “one of the purest and most resonant bass-baritone voices of recent times,” Neil Nelson is a vocal powerhouse. The award-winning operatic vocalist performs regularly with South Florida Symphony Orchestra, and has also performed with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Palm Beach Opera, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Berkshire Opera, The New York Harlem Opera Theater and other globally renowned musical arts organizations. Career highlights include Tonio in I Pagliacci with the St. Petersburg Opera, Schaunard in La Boheme with Opera Naples, Hagen in Götterdämmerung with Union Avenue Opera, Sulpice in La Fille du Regiment with Palm Beach Opera and Leporello in Don Giovanni with Union Avenue Opera.
He has also appeared as a soloist with the Lynn Conservatory Orchestra, the Ocean City Pops, the Southwest Florida Symphony, and the New England Conservatory Orchestra. Additional engagements include numerous concerts as the bass-baritone soloist in “And The Tony Goes To…” and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the South Florida Symphony Orchestra, Messiah with the Masterworks Chorus of the Palm Beaches, Jake in Porgy and Bess with the Tartarstan Opera Theater and Ballet in Kazan, Russia and Conte di Luna in Il Trovatore with the Winter Opera St. Louis. Nelson graduated from the New England Conservatory of Music with a degree in music performance.
Entrepreneur and proud LGBTQ+ advocate Chef Todd Erickson is renowned for his culinary excellence and innovative flavors. Charismatic and dashing, Erickson has garnered numerous accolades, including a victory on Food Network Channel’s “Beat Bobby Flay.” Erickson’s love for life, beauty, and flavor has attracted the attention of pop stars, icons, presidents, dignitaries, and their families and has been featured on Food Network, Cooking Channel, NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX, CNN en Español as well as published in best-selling books.
Chef Todd Erickson is a global citizen, consulting for five-star resorts throughout Central America and the Caribbean. Todd lives by the mantra, “Food is Art. Art is Life. Life is Good!” Get ready to be captivated as Chef Todd brings his culinary prowess to The Gentleman by Transcend Cruises. He will curate diverse themed dinners, conduct engaging hands-on culinary classes, and host thrilling interactive guest culinary competitions. There’s a delightful experience for everyone to enjoy!
” Rich, warm sound and a high degree of technical skills…”
South Florida Classical Review.
Askar Salimdjanov is a multiple winner of the Lyric Chamber Music Competition, winner of the first NSAL Piano and Strings Duo Competition, and the Fourth Annual John Oliveira String Competition. He is also a laureate of the 6th International Competition of Young Performers in Moscow, a finalist in the 2nd Yankelevitch International Violin Competition, and a laureate of Vladimir Spivakov’s International Music Festival. Salimdjanov has performed as soloist with the South Florida Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Miami, Uzbekistan National Symphony Orchestra, State Conservatory Orchestra of Uzbekistan, and the Lynn Philharmonia under the batons of Kuvanch Usmanov, Vladimir Neymer, Kamoliddin Urinbaev, Alan Paris, Guillermo Figueroa, Elaine Rinaldi and Sebrina Alfonso. He has performed as a soloist and as a chamber musician internationally across Europe, America, and Asia.
As a soloist and chamber musician Salimdjanov has concertized in such notable venues as the Great Hall of Uzbekistan State Conservatory, Esplanade Concert Hall in Singapore, Tel Aviv Performing Arts Center, Carnegie Hall, the Kosciuszko Foundation in New York, Wold Performing Arts Centre, the Parker Playhouse in Fort Lauderdale, and the New World Center in Miami. He attended the Keshet Eilon Mastercourse, the Singapore Violin Festival, the Heifetz International Music Institute and Geneva International String Academy in Switzerland. Salimdjanov was a concertmaster of the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory orchestra and the Lynn University orchestra.
In June 2022 Salimdjanov and his sister a pianist Tamila Salimdjanova were invited to perform recitals at South Florida Symphony Orchestra Summer Chamber Music Series in Fort Lauderdale and Miami. In November 2022 Mr. Salimdjanov made his debut as a guest soloist with South Florida Symphony Orchestra for their 25 th anniversary season performing Tchaikovsky violin concerto with Maestra Sebrina Alfonso. In 2023 Mr. Salimdjanov joined Naples Philharmonic as a permanent violinist. Salimdjanov received his education at the Uspenskiy Special Music School in Tashkent, and at the age of twelve he made his debut the National Symphony Orchestra of Uzbekistan performing Mendelssohn violin concerto under the baton of his grandfather, Kuvanch Usmanov. He then went on to study at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music in Singapore, the Lynn University and at Rice University in Houston Texas. Salimdjanov’s mentors are Gulnara Suleymanova, Qian Zhou, Elmar Oliveira and Cho-Liang Lin. He has participated in masterclasses with David Takeno, Takashi Shimizu, Valeriy Sokolov, Itzhak Rashkovsky, Ilya Kaler, Rosa Fain, Hagai Shaham, Eduard Grach, Silvia Marcovici, Gabor Nagy Takacs, Midori Goto, Tang Quartet, Victor Tretyakov, Emerson Quartet, Hagen Quartet, Borromeo Quartet, Christian Tetzlaff, Boris Kuschnir, and Pierre Amoyal.
Salimdjanov has seven years of teaching experience and many of his students are prize winners of international competitions for young musicians. He has performed on a 1795 Vincenzo Panormo generously loaned by Mr. and Mrs. Rin Kei Mei, 1670 Antonio Stradivarius, 1702 Antonio Stradivarius loaned by Florian Leonhard Fine Violins Collection, 1693 ‘Harrison’ Stradivari from the National Music Museum in Vermillion, South Dakota, US.
Award-winning pianist Tamila Salimdjanova has been described as a “truly miraculous in execution she was fully equal to every emotional and technical hurdle. A veritable tour de force” – serenademagazine.com
Ms. Salimdjanova received a widespread recognition after winning the first prize as well as the audience award at BNDES International Piano competition in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). Her other awards include top prizes at the Birmingham international piano competition (UK); Massarosa international piano competition (Italy); Lagny-sur-Marne international piano competition (France); Animato international piano competition (France) and the Campillos international piano competition (Spain), Virtualoso Piano Cleveland (US) as well as many others. She is a semifinalist of Arthur Rubinstein (Israel), Leeds (UK) and Montreal (Canada) international piano competitions.
Among Ms. Salimdjanova’s solo engagements are recitals at the Radio France Festival in Montpellier (broadcasted live on Radio France), Festival Pianos-Folies du Touquet in France, Casalmaggiore Music Festival in Italy, and Festival de Inverno Campos do Jordao in Brazil
among many others. She has appeared in Bern Casino, Basel Casino, Salle Cortot, Steinway Halls of Hamburg and London, St. Martin in the Fields, Theatro Municipal de Rio de Janeiro, and The Concert Hall at Fresno State University.
Ms. Salimdjanova made her orchestral debut with the National Symphony Orchestra of Uzbekistan led by Kuvanch Usmanov, performing W. A. Mozart Piano Concerto KV 450 in B- flat Major at the age of 9. She has also performed with Orquestra Experimental de Repertório, the Brazilian Symphony Orchestra, Orquestra Sinfonica da Bahia, Morocco Philarmonic Orchestra, Thames Chamber Ochestra, Biel Solothurn Symphony Orchestra in such venues as Sala Sao Paulo and Theatro Municipal in Rio de Janeiro, Teatro Castro Alves in Salvador, Bern Casino.
She also regularly performs in a duo with her violinist brother Askar Salimdjanov. They have performed together at summer chamber music series of South Florida Symphony Orchestra. Ms. Salimdjanova has enjoyed performing chamber music with many others as well over the years. Among her very recent collaborations is a recital with a violinist Alexandra Conunova in San Francisco (Davies Symphony Hall).
Tamila Salimdjanova was born in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, into a family of musicians. Her mother, a music theory teacher at Uspensky Lyceum, and her grandfather, Kuvanch Usmanov, one of the most prominent Uzbek conductors, played a significant role in shaping her musical career. Ms. Salimdjanova began her music studies at the Uspensky Lyceum under the guidance of the famed Tamara Popovich, who tutored numerous internationally acclaimed performers. Later on, she was accepted into Moscow Central Music School and subsequently enrolled in the Moscow State Conservatory to further her studies with Irina Plotnikova, a renowned pianist and teacher. After completing her studies in Moscow, Ms. Salimdjanova entered the Royal College of Music in London, under the tutelage of Vanessa Latarche and. She also studied in Bern University of the Arts in Switzerland with Tomasz Herbut.
Ms. Salimdjanova’s repertoire is vast and varied, spanning solo piano works from Baroque period to the composers of present days.
In 2024 she graduated with the Doctoral of Musical Arts Degree from Northwestern University in Chicago.
1st violin, deputy 1st concertmaster
Saskia Viersen studied in Amsterdam with Herman Krebbers and after winning 1st prize at the Oskar Back Competition in 1991, she continued her studies with Thomas Zehetmair and Thomas Brandis in Berlin, where she subsequently lived for almost 20 years. From 1999, Saskia was primarius of the Athena Quartet, founded in Berlin. After studying with the Alban Berg Quartet, the quartet won international prizes (including at the Geneva Competition) and gave many concerts. For the CD released in 2011 by Neos/WDR, with all the string quartets of György Kurtág, the quartet received a Diapason d’Or.
As a soloist she has performed with the Concertgebouw Chamber Orchestra, Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, Brabant Orchestra, Orchestra of the East, Orchestra Philharmonica Buenos Aires and the Berliner Symphoniker.
Since 2016, in addition to her orchestral position, she has been a member of Ensemble Lumaka (string trio, flute and harp), with which she gives many concerts and makes radio and CD recordings.
Dutch mezzo-soprano Karin Strobos completed her studies at the Conservatory of Utrecht with Henny Yana Diemer with distinction in 2007 and was a member of the National Opera Studio of Amsterdam in a 2006/07 season.
From 2009 until 2011, she was a member of Maastricht’s Opera Zuid, performing roles such as Octavian/Der Rosenkavalier, Cherubino/Le Nozze di Figaro, Hansel/Hansel and Gretel, Varvara/
Káťa Kabanová und Angelina/La Cenerentola. She also appeared as Rosina in “Il Barbiere di Siviglia” and Cherubino at Nederlandse Reisopera Enschede. In May 2011, Karis Strobos stepped in in as Octavian at the National Opera in Amsterdam under Sir Simon Rattle.
Since 2019, Karin Strobos has been working as a freelance artist. Before that, she was a member of the ensemble at Aalto-Theater Essen for several seasons, where she expanded her repertoire with roles like Charlotte in “Werther,” Dorabella in “Cosi fan tutte,” Idamantes in “Idomeneo,” Amando in “Le Grand Macabre,” Zerlina in “Don Giovanni,” Suzuki in “Madama Butterfly,” Karolka in “Jenůfa,” Siebel in “Faust,” and more. During this time, she also performed with Nederlandse Reisopera as Composer in “Ariadne auf Naxos” and Rosina in “Il Barbiere di Siviglia.” In addition to her opera work, Karin Strobos is regularly heard in concerts with various chamber ensembles. She also performed as a soloist with the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, Residentie Orkest, Noord Nederlands Orkest, Nederlands Philharmonisch Orkest, Philharmonie Zuidnederland, Gelders Orkest, and the Filharmonie of Vlaanderen. She forms a trio with Daria van den Bercken (piano) and Felicia van den End (flute). She works with Sax and Stix and Celloctel Amsterdam and is part of a duo with pianist Else Sterk. She also toured together with pianist Thomas Beijer and actor Sieger Sloot performing Brahms’ “Die schöne Magelone”. She is also a regular guest at various Dutch festivals and was awarded the Festival Prize at the Grachtenfestival in Amsterdam.
In recent seasons Karin Strobos appeared as Karolka in Janáček’s Jenůfa at the National Opera Amsterdam under the direction of Katie Mitchell and Tomáš Netopil, Czech conductor. She also took on the role of Fortuna in the world premiere of Mohammed Fairouz’s “The New Prince” at the same venue, under the music direction of Steven Sloane and directed by Lotte de Beer. She continues to be a welcome guest in Essen, where she recently performed as Dorabella in “Così fan tutte,” Octavian in “Rosenkavalier,” and Sièbel in Gounod’s “Faust.
In the 21/22 season, she sang the revival of her highly successful portrayal of Donna Elvira in “Don Giovanni” at Aalto-Theater Essen. In the 22/23 season, she appeared again on the same stage in Essen as Suzuki in “Madama Butterfly,” at the Staatstheater Wiesbaden, she sang as Octavian in “Rosenkavalier” and at De Nationale Opera Amsterdam, the role of Kitchen Boy in “Rusalka.”
Hanspeter Spannring was born in Austria (Graz) and received the appreciation prize from the Austrian ministry in 1987. He also won several competitions, such as Jugend Musiziert and Wiener Internationales Musikseminar. Spannring has been a teacher at the Musikschule in Graz since 1988 and principal flutist in the Grazer Symphony Orchestra. He is also principal flutist in the Croatian Chamber Orchestra of Zagreb. Since 1991 he has been principal flutist of the Netherlands Philharmonic OrchestraƖNetherlands Chamber Orchestra.
