The Artists

Shannon Snapp. Photo by Susan Wilson Photography

Shannon Snapp, Alcyon Chamber Ensemble Founder, Artistic Director and cellist, is well known in Boston as a performer and longtime associate of Emmanuel Music. She graduated from New England Conservatory with a MM and has performed, recorded and toured with Emmanuel Music, Boston Cecilia Society, Musicians of the Old Post Road, Boston Baroque, Handel & Haydn Society, New England Ragtime Ensemble, and Mitch Miller.
Read more about Shannon here.

Born in Taiwan, violinist Shufang Du came to America after playing in the Taipei City Symphony Orchestra for one year. She received her Doctorate in violin from Boston University and has appeared as a soloist with Boston Classical Orchestra, Boston University Orchestra, and the Boston Conservatory Orchestra. Read more about Shufang here.

Nathaniel Farny plays with many Boston area groups, including the Boston Modern Orchestra Project, the Orchestra of Emmanuel Music, the New England String Ensemble, and Opera Boston. During the summers he has been a coach at the Somerville String Camp, the Winchester Community Music School String Camp, and the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra Camp. Read more about Nathaniel here

Diane Heffner, clarinet, plays regularly with Dinosaur Annex Music Ensemble, Alea III, Emmanuel Music, Prism Opera, and Opera Aperta. As a period clarinetist, Ms. Heffner performs regularly with Boston Baroque, Handel & Haydn Society, Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, the Classical Wind Quartet, “Killing Frost”, and The American Classical Orchestra. Read more about Diane here.

Composer, theorist, hornist, and educator, Michael Weinstein studied at the Conservatory of the State University of New York College at Purchase (BFA), New England Conservatory of Music (MM), and received his Ph. D in Composition and Theory from Brandeis University. He has written over fifty orchestral, chamber and solo works in the concert music field. Dr. Weinstein has performed with Nashua Symphony Orchestra and Cape Cod Symphony Orchestra. Read more about Michael here.

Leslie Amper’s piano performances have been called “noble, intense and urgent,” “artistically versatile” “authoritative, intelligent” and “stupendous.” Born in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, Miss Amper finished her degrees at New England Conservatory “with distinction”, studying with Rudolf Kolisch, Gunther Schuller and Russell Shermkan. Since her critically acclaimed New York debut, Miss Amper has delighted audiences in New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Pittsburg, and on Monadnock Music’s Virtuoso Piano Series. Read more about Leslie here.

Bassoonist Tracy McGinnis received her MM in bassoon performance from the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, where she studied with Sol Schoenbach. She spent several years abroad playing with orchestras in South Africa and Israel. Ms. McGinnis is the principal bassoonist of the Eastern Connecticut Symphony Orchestra in New London, CT, and freelances in the Boston area.