Flutist, Kris Palmer is a second Prize winner in the National Flute Association’s Young Artist Competition, a Carnegie Hall Recital Debut winner with Artists International, a First Prize winner in the Carmel Chamber Music Society Competition, and a recording artist with two album releases. She is the founder and director of Black Cedar Chamber Music, a former member of the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra, and former principal flutist with the Chamber Orchestra of Albuquerque. With a D.M.A. from Rice University in 18th century ornamentation, Dr. Palmer conducts lectures and masterclasses throughout the United State on Baroque and Classical performance practices. Flutist, Teresa Orozco has held the position of flutist with the Monterey Symphony since 1987 and flutist with the Carmel Bach Festival since 2007. She is professor of flute at West Valley College, and she is a passionate, world-class classical and Latin American flutist actively involved in the music scene as soloist, orchestral player and ensemble coach, recording artist, and studio musician. Her flute and guitar duo Kumbambe Duo with life partner Orlando Castro performs Latin-jazz, Afro-Cuban music throughout Northern California

 Pianist, Varya Milinder was born in St. Petersburg, Russia. She graduated from the Rimsky-Korsakov College of Music majoring in Piano Performance and holds a Theater History Degree from St. Petersburg Theater Academy. As a piano instructor, Varvara has more than 25 years of experience teaching privately and at the Special Music School #18 in St. Petersburg, Russia, and she has also developed an extensive concert career as a vocalist and collaborative pianist.

Special guest guitarist, Orlando Castro hails from Sonora, Mexico and has been performing professionally since the age of seventeen in classical, jazz, Afro-Cuban, and Latin styles. He is an accomplished songwriter and winner of a 1994 Grammy Award for best Latin Pop Album as well as a 1994 BMI Song of The Year Award for the song, Suave. He performs frequently with his life partner Teresa Orozco in the ensemble, Kumbambe Duo.