06/27/2026
We’re thrilled to introduce more of the incredible musicians who have joined us for this year’s Blairsville Chamber Music Festival. Don’t miss our last concert of the festival Sunday, June 28 at 3 pm: Grand Finale: Mendelssohn & Mozart.
Pianist and composer Owen Dodds has been part of the Blairsville Chamber Music Festival since our very first season in 2022, and we’re so grateful to welcome him back year after year.
A native of North Carolina now based in New York, Owen leads a wide-ranging musical life as a classical soloist, chamber musician, songwriter, and composer. He has appeared at Carnegie Hall, Steinway Hall, Lincoln Center’s Clark Studio Theatre, and Rockwood Music Hall.
An active collaborator, Owen is a member of the award-winning Béla Trio and performs in the modern-folk duo Early Gray. His own chamber works have been featured by Stony Brook’s Contemporary Chamber Players, The New School, Weekend of Chamber Music, and here at BCMF.
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Violinist Hudson Ye-Hyung Chung is joining us for his third year at the festival, and it’s always a joy to welcome him back.
Acclaimed for his warm, beautiful tone and thoughtful interpretations, Hudson has performed in venues around the world and made his debut with the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra at age eleven. He has received numerous first-prize awards, including the Bach International Music Competition in 2024.
An active chamber musician, Hudson is a member of the Mozze Trio alongside pianist Owen Dodds and cellist Gustavo Antoniacomi. He has collaborated with artists including Gil Shaham, Yura Lee, Paul Huang, Ani Kavafian, Jennifer Frautschi, and the Emerson Quartet.
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Violist Aidan Garrison is joining us for the first time this season, and we’re excited to welcome him to BCMF.
An avid chamber musician, Aidan has collaborated with members of the St. Lawrence String Quartet and performed for artists including Ani Kavafian, Dimitri Murrath, and members of the Emerson, Shanghai, and Pacifica String Quartets. He has participated in the Aspen, Bowdoin, Banff, and Heifetz International Music Festivals and was a fellow at the Napa Valley Blackburn Music Academy.
Currently pursuing his Doctor of Musical Arts degree at Stony Brook University, Aidan is a member of the Velaris String Quartet through the Emerson String Quartet Institute, where the ensemble has already earned competition recognition and Stony Brook’s Ackerman Prize.
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Cellist Sam Viguerie joined us for the first time this year, and we’re excited to welcome him to BCMF.
A native of Atlanta, Sam joined the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra in 2022. As a chamber musician, he has shared the stage with former members of the Cleveland, Emerson, and Juilliard String Quartets, and has spent recent summers performing at the Missouri River Festival of the Arts with members of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra.
Sam has served as principal cello under conductors including Andris Nelsons and Hugh Wolff, and has won top prizes at the MTNA Young Artist Competition and Schubert Club Competition.
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Cellist Linda Jennings joined us for the first time this season, and we’re delighted to welcome her to BCMF.
Linda is Professor of Music at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, where she leads the cello and bass studios, teaches chamber music, and directs the IUP String Project. An active solo, chamber, and orchestral performer, she has appeared in concerts and festivals across the U.S., Mexico, Europe, Thailand, Indonesia, and Haiti.
She has served as principal cellist of several ensembles, including the Fairbanks Symphony Orchestra, Arctic Chamber Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of the Alleghenies, and Philly Street Strings Chamber Orchestra.
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Violinist Kaleigh Acord joined us for the first time this year, and we were thrilled to hear her perform “Summer” in Vivaldi’s Four Seasons on Opening Night.
Kaleigh is Professor of Violin and Viola at Indiana University of Pennsylvania and brings deep experience as a performer, educator, and chamber musician. She has appeared as a guest artist with the LunArt Festival, W***y Street Chamber Players, and Caroga Lake Music Festival, and was part of the first fully-funded fellowship cohort at Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival.
Dedicated to sharing chamber music and championing living composers, Kaleigh’s debut album, Twenty-First Century American Storytellers, features six American works written between 2000 and 2019.
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Stanley Chepaitis joined us for our America at 250 concert to perform his original composition, and we were honored to feature his music as part of this special program.
A versatile performer, composer, and recording artist, Stanley is equally at home in a classical string quartet, a jazz band, and everything in between. His career spans more than fifty years and includes national and international performances, premieres of his own works, and seven recordings, most featuring his original music.
A graduate of the Eastman School of Music, Stanley has also been a leading voice in the Alternative Styles movement through his work with the ASTA Alternative Styles Conferences.
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Violinist Jorge Vera joined us for the first time this year, and we’re excited to welcome him to BCMF.
A violinist, educator, and composer, Jorge currently serves as Musician-in-Residence with the Allentown Symphony Association and performs regularly with orchestras across the United States. He made his solo debut in his native Paraguay with the Orquesta Sinfónica del Paraguay and has collaborated with ensembles throughout Europe, South America, and the U.S.
A dedicated educator, Jorge has taught for more than a decade and currently works with the El Sistema Lehigh Valley String Program, bringing together artistic excellence, community engagement, and the transformative power of music.
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Violinist Swana Chepaitis joined us for our America at 250 concert, and we were so pleased to welcome her to the festival.
Originally from Germany, Swana earned her degree in Violin Pedagogy and Performance from the Conservatory for the Arts in Bremen before pursuing studies in historical performance and performing with the baroque orchestra L’Arco. Since moving to Indiana, Pennsylvania, she has maintained an active private teaching studio for more than 25 years while performing throughout the region.
Swana is a co-founder of the Philly Street Strings and performs with the Kalnas Ensemble. She is also a regular performer with the Johnstown Symphony Orchestra and the Altoona Symphony Orchestra.
