About the artists:

Christine Hoerning, clarinet

A New York native now based in Montreal, Christine Hoerning is an accomplished clarinetist, director, teacher, and creator across a multitude of genres. She is currently serving as the visiting professor of clarinet at the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam. An active freelancer with a classical background, Christine fills clarinet positions in orchestras throughout New York and Quebec. Her passion and enthusiasm for new music has led to collaboration with creative minds and seeking out non-traditional performance spaces and opportunities.

Keilor Kastella, piano

Pianist Dr. Keilor Kastella earned a Bachelor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Michigan, studying piano with Dr. Louis Nagel, Martin Katz, and Christopher Harding, as well as organ with Dr. James Kibbie. Dr. Kastella continued his education at Louisiana State University, earning a MM with Dr. Willis Delony and a DMA with Gregory Sioles.

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While at LSU, Keilor was a founding member of the Red Stick Trio (with Dr. Hannah Urdea, violin and viola, and Dr. Samuel Schreiber, clarinet), which medaled in the New Orleans Chamber Fest Competition and later was the ensemble-in-residence at the Zodiac Festival and Academy in Valdeblore, France. His interest in collaboration has also taken him to Costa Rica, where he gave a series of concerts of vocal music by Black American composers commemorating Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day as part of the Centro Cultural Costarricense-Norteamericano's Promising Artists of the 21st Century program. In 2018, he presented with his husband and musical partner, flutist Dr. Brian Dunbar, at IMPAR: Hands on Research in Aveiro, Portugal. Since 2020 he has been a collaborative pianist at the Crane School of Music.

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He has a special interest in this music of Bach and Chopin, as well as in new works and those by historically underrepresented minority composers. He is currently involved in several forthcoming commissions.