Heifetz International Music Institute Announces 2022 Ensemble-In-Residence

The Heifetz Ensemble in Residence (HEIR) program has a new cohort of young musicians for 2022, following the successful launch of the project a year ago. The project is run by the Heifetz International Music Institute, which is based at Virginia's Mary Baldwin University and was founded by violinist Daniel Heifetz.

The HEIR program brings recent alumni of the Heifetz Institute back to Virginia for a two-month period, where they will be formed into chamber ensembles and spend their time rehearsing and giving concerts.

The selected artists are as follows:

• Violin: Nigel Armstrong, Liana Branscome, Strauss Shi, Yezu Woo
• Viola: Steven Baloue
• Cello: Juan-Salvador Carrasco, Ben Fried, Noémie Raymond-Friset
• Piano: Michel-Alexandre Broekaert, Connie Kim-Sheng Fried

Alongside weekly intensive coaching sessions with the program's Artistic Director Nicholas Kitchen, the selected ensembles will also participate in the HeartStrings program in partnership with Augusta Health, which will see them give both virtual and in-person bedside concerts for the sick.

The program also provides participants with insight into the administrative and business wings of the music industry. The artists will work alongside HEIR's Multimedia Producers to produce a range of recorded performances that will be uploaded to the Institute's YouTube channel.

You can hear one of the 2021 HEIR ensembles playing two movements of Dvořák's String Quartet No. 12 "American" below.