Meet The Artists
Sivan Nemirof
Artistic Director and Founder
Sivan Nemirof began his cello studies at the age of five. He is currently in the Manhattan School of Music PreCollege division where he studies with Deborah Park. During his summers at the Heifetz International Music Institute's PEG program, and most recently at the Kinhaven Music School, he has developed an appreciation for the magic of chamber performance. He is a member of a piano trio that rehearses and performs through the New York Youth Symphony Chamber Music Program. Sivan's piano trio performed at the Teatro de Rojas in Toledo, at Castillo de Maglia in Las Navas and in Malaga as part of a tour of Spain. He is also a member of New York Youth Symphony's Orchestra which performs at Carnegie Hall three times a year.
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Sivan is a senior at the Bronx High School of Science and is the principal cellist of the Bronx Science orchestra. Sivan's Bronx Science chamber music group was chosen as a regional finalist for the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center's young musicians competition. When he is not at school or playing the cello he can be found on the soccer field where he plays as a winger or forward. He is also an avid reader of history and is always exploring new topics in American and Middle East history. Sivan is the founder and director of CelloCares.
Aaron Zhu
Director of Communications
Aaron Zhu is a violinist at the Manhattan School of Music Precollege program. He started playing violin at the age of seven. Aaron won first prize at the 2020 Elite International Music Competition and got to perform at Weil Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall. He is a senior at Radnor High School in Pennsylvania and is concertmaster of the Radnor orchestra. He also plays on Radnor's varsity soccer team.
Kendall Gonzales
Issay Niki
Director of Social Media
Issay Niki is a senior at The Bronx High School of Science. He has studied piano with Dr. Igal Kesselman since August 2017, when he moved to New York and attended Special Music School for 8th grade. He is one of the 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 Scholarship recipients from the Chopin Foundation of the United States. He was also the first prize winner at the Kaufman Concerto Competition in 2019.
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He grew up in Iowa City, Iowa, where he found the joy of playing piano and music when he was 3 and a half years old. He performed at many local charity concerts there, including at the University of Iowa hospital, Alzheimer Benefit Concert at the Englert Civic Theater, and a charity concert to donate books to a children’s hospital. His former teachers in Iowa include Dr. Feilin Lin, Brandon Bascom and Liang Fang Chang. He has also received a master class with Dr. Jack Winerock when he was 10 years old. He is a member of The Bronx High School of Science's varsity speech and debate team and varsity baseball team.
Lizzie Becker
Director of Outreach
Lizzie Becker is a senior at Jericho High School. She started doing theater at 4 years old. She attends From Stage To Screen, A Class Act NY, Long Island Theater Workshop, and John W. Engeman Theater. Lizzie has done several Industry Readings such as “The King’s Legacy” and “Escape!”. She has also performed at the Weil Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall. Some of her favorite roles include Eva in Bring It On, the Scarecrow in The Wizard Of Oz, and Millie in Thoroughly Modern Millie. Lizzie has vocally trained with Rebecca O’Sullivan, Michael Radi, and Kaitlyn Davis.
Amelia Krinke
Director of Composition
Amelia Krinke is a New York City-based violist, conductor, and arranger. Since 2017, she has studied viola with Yi-Fang Huang and Molly Carr at Juilliard Pre-College. As a soloist, she has performed with the New Generation Symphony and has also played principal viola in the ISO Symphony, as well as the Juilliard Pre-College Symphony. She has played chamber music since the age of 7, and has performed at such venues as the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris, and the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. She also performed alongside the Kronos Quartet at Carnegie Hall. Amelia has attended the Interlochen Arts Festival, Bowdoin International Music Program, the Quartet Program at Fredonia and the Heifetz International Music Festival. In addition to her work as a violist, Amelia’s arrangements have been performed by ensembles at Juilliard, Colorado Mesa University and SUNY Purchase, during the past two seasons. Amelia is a New York Youth Symphony Conducting Apprentice, and she also regularly conducts her high school orchestra playing music that she has arranged. She is a senior at the Bronx High School of Science, and enjoys Netflix and music production in her spare time.
Kearston Gonzales
Violinist Kearston Gonzales is a pre-college student at the Manhattan School of Music, where she studies with Dr. Chloé Kiffer. Born in Panama City, Florida, she started violin at the age of 3. After receiving first prize at the Rondo Vanguard Competition, she made her Weill Recital Hall debut at Carnegie Hall in March 2019. She was also first place winner of the Manhattan School of Music Precollege Philharmonic Strings Concerto Competition (2020) and a semifinalist in the Junior Division of the Sphinx Competition (2021). Outside of music enjoys reading, learning languages, and cooking.
14 year old cellist, Kendall Gonzales, began her musical education at the age of 2, and currently studies with Madeleine Golz at the Manhattan School of Music Precollege Program.
Kendall made her orchestral debut in March 2017 at the age of 10 with the Winston-Salem Symphony Orchestra, and in January 2018 had the opportunity to solo with the Virginia Symphony Orchestra during their annual tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
In her spare time Kendall enjoys gardening, sailing, playing piano, learning French, Spanish and Latin and walking her dogs, Wendel and Winnifred.