Experience the Impact of Live Music

Rufus is a jazz pianist based in Kalamazoo, Michigan. He received both his undergraduate and graduate degrees from Western Michigan University under the mentorship of Jeremy Siskind. During his tenure at WMU he has studied with artists such as Scott Cowan, Andrew Rathbun, Edward Simon, Frank Carlberg and participated in exclusive masterclasses with artists such as Fred Hersch, Kenny Barron, Barry Harris and more.

Annie Jeng is a performer, educator, and collaborator who strives to forge creative pathways between diverse communities and the arts. She is a Presser Award recipient and has performed at Hill Auditorium, Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage, New York’s Tenri Cultural Center, and the World Financial Center. For the past two years, she has been the Artist Fellow of the Brancaleoni International Music Festival in Piobbico, Italy.

Margarita Shevchenko serves as associate professor of piano at MSU’s College of Music. She has been a winner of major international piano competitions including the International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw; Leeds International Piano Competition, England; UNISA International Piano Competition, Pretoria, South Africa, Cleveland International Piano Competition, USA; and the Rubinstein International Piano Master Competition, Israel.

Pianist Wayne Weng’s playing has been described as “vibrant and immensely musical,” and as having “delicacy amounting to almost reverence […] through gossamer touch” (Wiltshire Gazette & Herald). His “ability to modulate the piano’s sound […] coupled with his great ear easily gave him an edge” (Sioux City Journal) to win the first prize at the 2013 Iowa Piano Competition.