Meredith Crawford
Viola
Mer is the Principal Violist of the Pacific Symphony. Salastina audiences love her for the way musicality seems to flow effortlessly out of her every pore. She completed her senior year at Oberlin after winning the first professional orchestra audition she'd ever taken. Let the viola jokes fly: she's a goddess, and everyone in our musical community agrees.
Benjamin Smolen
Flute
Ben is the Principal Flutist of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra AND the Pacific Symphony. He has performed throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia. This slouch went to Princeton and speaks Russian, having survived a stint at the Moscow Conservatory. Ben is able to coax so much more color and emotion from the flute than most other flutists can. But good luck getting him to say more than ten words about himself.
Brian Lauritzen
Host & Artistic Partner
Brian has been Salastina’s musical docent since the 2012/2013 season. A DJ for Classical KUSC, his work has been broadcast internationally by NPR and American Public Media. Brian is a wizard at contextualizing music for listeners. We are so grateful for the perspective and integrity Brian brings to Salastina's vision. He also has a killer sock collection.
HyeJin Kim
Piano
Born in Seoul, HyeJin furthered her studies in Germany at Berlin’s Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler. She is also a recent graduate of the Colburn School, where she now serves on the faculty. We love how HyeJin marries a warm, collaborative approach with intense star power. The piano is truly something she plays; the wonderfully dynamic facial expressions she makes show just how much fun she's having.
Yoshika Masuda
Cello
Yoshi is Chair of Strings at Chapman University’s Hall-Musco Conservatory of Music. He is also a member of Sakura, a cello quintet consisting entirely of other heartbreakers. Born in Japan, Yoshi grew up in Australia and England. His resulting accent is among the least of his many charms. We love how his playing sounds, and feels, like an invitation.
Derrick Skye
Composer Mentor
Derrick passionately believes in music as a doorway into understanding other cultures and different ways of living. Recently, his music has been performed by, oh, the London Philharmonic (NBD). He possesses razor sharp musical insight and is an enthusiastic educator. We marvel at how he is able to draw young composers’ voices out of themselves, and jump at the chance to play and record his music ourselves.
Maia Jasper White and Kevin Kumar
Co-Artistic Directors and Violinists
It’s been our joy to build and perform with this stellar core ensemble of Resident Artists. You can learn more about us here.