Meet the artists
JANIS LIEBERMAN ~ Horn
Janis Lieberman has performed worldwide as an orchestral and chamber musician. Originally from Washington, D.C. she also lived in Asia and the Middle East. For several years, she was Principal Horn with the Israel Sinfonietta and Israel Chamber Orchestras as well as performing regularly with the Jerusalem Symphony. During her time in Israel, Ms. Lieberman served on the faculty of the Rubin Conservatory of Music. Upon her return to the U.S., she performed with the National Symphony and Kennedy Center Opera Orchestras. In the bay area, Janis is a member of the Sacramento Philharmonic Orchestra, Sacramento Opera Orchestra, Sacramento Choral Society Orchestra, the Bear Valley Music Festival Orchestra, and has also performed with the San Francisco Ballet and Opera orchestras.
An accomplished chamber musician, Ms. Lieberman is a founding member and manager of Sierra Ensemble, a violin, horn and piano trio. In seeking to provide opportunities for composers to create new works for such a unique combination, Sierra Ensemble has commissioned composers near and far. Recently, the trio received grants from the U.S. Department of State and CEC ArtsLink to inaugurate the Turkish American Composers Project. A collaboration between Sierra Ensemble, Turkish university students and their professors, the Project featured seminars and performances in Istanbul and Ankara in the Spring of 2013.
Ms. Lieberman was a recipient of an Israel-American Cultural Foundation Scholarship, affording the opportunity to study with Meir Rimon of the Israel Philharmonic. She received her Bachelor of Music degree from Boston University School of the Arts, and her Master of Arts from San Francisco State University. Ms. Lieberman has shared her expertise as a public school instrumental music specialist, and currently teaches privately in the East Bay.
MATTHEW VINCENT ~ Violin
Violinist Matthew Vincent began his musical studies at age seven and made his first public appearance at New York’s Steinway Hall at the age of nine. During his formative years, Matthew was exposed to musical opportunities that would eventually convince him to abandon all other interests for the sake of pursuing his passion – the violin. A truly gifted performer with musical versatility, Matthew is praised for his singularly beautiful tone and wonderful vibrato.
Matthew has made several solo appearances, and has participated in numerous orchestras, chamber groups, competitions and festivals in North America, Europe and the Far East. Of particular note, Matthew recently performed with noted cellist Misha Quint at Carnegie Hall as part of the InterHarmony Internationales Musik-Festival. Matthew also performed the Dvorak Piano Quintet with world-renowned pianist Jon Nakamatsu at the Aloha International Piano Festival. Other esteemed music festivals include the Cambridge String Academy, Festival del Sole in Napa Valley, California, Viva Vivaldi Festival in Mexico City, and Mimir Chamber Music Festival in Fort Worth, Texas.
While advancing his academic studies, Matthew was most fervent in his musical pursuits. During his undergraduate and graduate studies where he performed with each university’s symphony, Matthew was a violinist with the Las Colinas Symphony, Dallas, Texas. While in high school, he not only served as concertmaster of his school’s symphony, he also served as concertmaster of the Jr. Philharmonic Orchestra of California, performing under the baton of founder Ernst Katz. Matthew performed alongside dozens of celebrities including Pat Boone, Dick Van Dyke, Florence Henderson, Flea, Bryan Cranston and Mickey Rooney. During his tenure, the Santa Monica Orchestra was hailed as the nation’s best high school orchestra.
Since 2010, Matthew has been studying privately with celebrated violinist, Endre Granat, a protégé of the incomparable Jascha Heifetz. He has also studied privately with several eminent violinists including Arkady Fomin, Henry Gronnier and Vesselin Demirev.
Matthew holds a Master of Music degree from Arizona State University under the tutelage of Danwen Jiang. He received his Bachelor of Music and Arts degrees from SMU, where his primary teacher was former Dallas Symphony concertmaster Emanuel Borok.
MARC STEINER ~ Piano
Marc is a native of Los Angeles, California. He earned Bachelor, cum laude, and Master of Music degrees from the University of Southern California. As an undergraduate he was elected to membership in Pi Kappa Lambda, the national academic honor society for music.
His teachers have included Mildred Portney Chase, Robert Ward, NinaScolnik and Edna Golandsky. Mr. Steiner has performed extensively as soloist, chamber musician and duo pianist in recitals in Los Angeles, Berkeley, San Diego, San Francisco, Portland, the Midwest, New England, and was a finalist in the recent San Francisco Concerto Orchestra Competition.
An active teacher, coach and clinician as well as performer, Mr. Steiner frequently presents lectures and Master Classes on the Taubman Approach to piano technique. He served as a faculty member of the Taubman Institute and taught for the New York-based Golandsky Institute. Marc is Past President of the Music Teachers Association of California, Alameda County Branch, and continues to serve on the board of the Branch Scholarship Foundation. He maintains private studios in the East Bay and the Los Angeles area.