Gilharmonic on Violinist.com

Our guests this week include Stuart Duncan, a Grammy-winning American bluegrass musician who plays not only the fiddle but also mandolin, guitar, and banjo - and he sings vocals. He has performed with Diana Krall, George Strait, Dolly Parton, Guy Clark, Reba McEntire, and Barbra Streisand, among many others. A longtime member of the Nashville Bluegrass Band, he most recently collaborated with Yo-Yo Ma, Chris Thile and Edgar Meyer for album called "Not Our First Goat Rodeo, a followup to their 2011 "Goat Rodeo Sessions" album. Stuart will play "The New Democracy," which can also be heard on the Nashville Bluegrass Band's 1991 album "Home of the Blues."   Kaylah Walker, 14, from Virginia Beach, Virginia, a violinist whose teachers have included Christina Morton and Jeannie DeDominick. A winner of several concerto competitions, Kaylah is also involved in musical theatre, having been cast in lead roles in the Wizard of Oz and The Addams Family at her school, Cape Henry Collegiate. She will play the first movement of de Beriot's Concerto No. 7 for Violin.  The Stars Aligned Siblings - a very young quartet from San Pablo, Calif. Members are all siblings from the Breshears family: violinists Dustin, 13, and Valery, 11; cellist Starla, 12; and violist Colin, 8. Their teacher is Ayke Agus, who has been schooling them in the traditions of her own teacher, Jascha Heifetz. The siblings have already taken their show on the road, touring  United Kingdom, Argentina, Mexico, and in the United States and appearing in festivals, broadcasts and competitions, where they have won numerous awards. They will play the first movement of Beethoven's Quartet, Op. 18, No. 6.

Join hosts Gil Shaham and Laurie Niles for another episode of Gilharmonic on Violinist.com - the happiest hour of violin talk online!  Our guest artist this week is violinist Tessa Lark, who is both a classical and bluegrass virtuoso and will be joining us from NYC. Just this year she was nominated for a Grammy for her recording of "Sky," a bluegrass-inspired violin concerto composed for her by Michael Torke. She will perform the last movement from Ysaÿe's Sonata No. 4 - and possibly some improvisation!   Our two master class students include:  Grant Jensen, 10, from Santa Monica, California, a student of Morgan Gerstmar. He is a Suzuki student who also plays in Santa Monica's Elemental Strings Orchestra. He will play "Gavotte" by Martini.  Faustina Housner, who just finished her freshman year at the Rice University's Shepherd School of Music, studying with Kathleen Winkler. She will play selections from Béla Bartók's "Rumanian Folk Dances."

We welcome Suzuki student Joanne Zhu (age 6!), University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music student KayCee Galano, and special guest artist, gypsy jazz violinist Jason Anick, who teaches at Berklee College of Music.