Meet the Artists 2025
An extravaganza of different music genres highlighting a wonderful season in 2025.
Musimélange Artists
Season 2025
Anne Chicheportiche
Violinist Anne Chicheportiche has been acclaimed for her “fierce assurance” by the Washington Post and for her “tonal sweetness, alert dynamic detailing, and commanding musicality” by The Miami Herald. She has performed various roles as soloist and in ensembles in Europe and the United States.
Anne served as concertmaster of orchestras in Chicago, Washington D.C., and Miami, and premiered numerous works by contemporary composers. She collaborated with artists from Pinchas Zukerman, Pierre Boulez, to Björk.
A passionate chamber musician, she has performed in various music festivals worldwide and in 2010, founded musimelange, Miami’s multi-sensory chamber music series that pairs music with wine and culinary art resulting in recognition by Brickell Magazine among the 20 most successful entrepreneurs in Miami under 40.
Anne is committed to music education, having taught at University of Texas Pan-American and currently at Miami Dade College, she also maintains a private violin studio in Miami, prioritizing the wellness of musicians in her teaching.
Having lived in 10 cities globally, each move enriched Anne’s musical perspective and commitment to community through music. She holds a doctorate in musical arts from University of Maryland University, a Master of Music from Depaul University, and Soloist Diploma from Geneva University of Music.
Anne’s journey is a testament to her unwavering dedication to music, education, and community enrichment.
Ashley Garritson
Award-Winning Cellist, ASHLEY GARRITSON, has a distinguished career as an international soloist, chamber and orchestral musician. She has concertized with the Chicago Symphony, the Boston Symphony, ICE (International Contemporary Ensemble) of Chicago, and other groups. Most recent solo engagements include appearances with the Miami Symphony, the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music Wind Ensemble, and the Kammergild Chamber Orchestra. The Piedmont Post heralded her sound as “…exceptionally deep-toned, providing warmth…”
Garritson currently serves as Principal Cello of the Miami City Ballet and the Atlantic Classical Orchestra and Miami-based Nu Deco Ensemble. She has also served as principal cellist of the Chicago Civic Orchestra and the Miami Symphony.
She was the Grand Prize Winner of the Jefferson Symphony International Competition, as well as First Prize Winner the Belleville Philharmonic Concerto Competition, the Northwestern University and the Skokie Valley Concerto Competitions.
Additional activities include attending Tanglewood Music Center, the Kneisel Hall Chamber Festival, and the Yellow Barn Music Festival, where she performed with artists including, Mstislav Rostropovich, Yo-Yo Ma, Bernard Haitink, Pierre Boulez, Daniel Barenboim, and others.
In May 2010, she was granted the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Cello Performance by the University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida.
Joseph Monticello
Flutist Joseph Monticello’s playing has been praised by both the New York Time sand Wall Street Journal as “graceful” and for being as “exciting as the singers.” Equally at home on both modern and historical flutes, Joseph enjoys a multi-faceted career as principal flutist of Boston Baroque and as assistant principal flutist with the Florida Grand Opera and Palm Beach Symphony orchestras, making his home in Miami. From Summer 2025, Joseph will join the Central City Opera Orchestra as second flute and piccolo.
As a frequent performer with Miami’s NuDeco Ensemble, Joseph has been featured on several of their commercially-released albums, including the chart-topping “Paint the Roses” collaboration with Larkin Poe, which spent four weeks on the Classical, Classical Crossover, and Blues Billboard Charts. Joseph’s playing can also be heard in the 2022 Disney film, “Rosaline,” as well as the “Janitsch: Trio Sonatas” album by The Berlin Friday Academy.
Joseph is also a licensed performer of the Yamatogaku style of shamisen, the traditional Japanese three-stringed lute, having made his professional debut at the National Theatre of Japan under the given name of Yamato Josho (⼤和晟笙) in Spring 2023. Joseph is a graduate of The Juilliard School, Oberlin Conservatory, and Interlochen Arts Academy.
Claudia Cagnassone
Claudia Cagnassone is a graduate of Italy’s prestigious Giuseppe Verdi Music Academy in Torino. Claudia was a founding member of Il Quartetto Casorati, an Italian string quartet enthusiastically received by audiences and critics for almost a decade. Claudia has appeared in leading roles with prominent European chamber orchestras, including the Arpeggione kammerorchester , I Musici Estensi, and the Czech Moravian Virtuosi. She has performed in iconic concert halls, such as La Scala in Milan, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, and the Tchaikovsky Hall in Moscow. In the US, Claudia has been featured as a soloist on recordings and live performances with several Symphony of the Americas Summerfest presentations. Claudia is also the co-producer of the fast-paced show “Laszlo and Claudia, BEYOND the STRINGS” with Hungarian violinist Laszlo Pap. Currently, she is a member of the Florida Grand Opera and the Palm Beach Symphony. Claudia plays a Marinus Capicchioni violin, dated 1939.
João Felipe da Fraga
João Felipe da Fraga is a Brazilian performer and educator who earned a Doctorate in Violin Performance from the University of Miami, focusing on the works of Romanian composer George Enescu. He served as a teaching assistant to violinist Charles Castleman. João has performed at music festivals like Napa Valley, FEMUSC, and the Académie Musicale de Morges, and joined the faculty of the Domingos Martins International Music Festival in 2019. He has been concertmaster for the Frost Symphony, HMI Orchestra, and Alhambra Orchestra, and is a member of the Henry Mancini Institute String Quartet. João’s masterclass teachers include Leon Spierer, Shmuel Ashkenasi, Paul Kantor, and members of the Kronos, Miró, Danish, JACK, and St. Lawrence string quartets. He is also a founding member of Il Solisti di Miami and joined the first violin section of the Venice Symphony in 2023. João mentors include Charles Castleman, James Alexander (violin), Jodi Levitz (viola), and Jeffery Zeigler (chamber music).
Hana Cohon
Seattle-native Hana Cohon is currently a member of the New World Symphony in Miami Beach. She received a bachelor of music degree from Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music, a master’s degree from the New England Conservatory, and a professional studies certificate from San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Hana has performed with the San Francisco and Colorado Symphonies, as well as the orchestras of the Tanglewood Music Center, and Spoleto Festival USA.
She is a founding member of the cross-disciplinary Pacific Crest Trio, which performs jazz, folk, Brazilian choro, and original compositions. When not performing, Hana enjoys thrifting, playing with her twin puppies, and searching for great croissants.
Srivishnu Ramankutty
Srivishnu Ramankutty, a first-year Viola Fellow from Miami, has performed across the U.S. and Europe, including in Norway, France, and Italy. His musical journey has taken him to festivals such as Spoleto, Saint-Denis, Virtuoso & Bel Canto, Metis, Klassisk I Sentrum, Miami Music Festival, Music Academy of the West, New York String Orchestra Seminar, and the Eastern Music Festival.
He began his musical education in the Miami-Dade Public School system at Ruth K. Broad Bay Harbor K-8 Center, learning from Nicolas Repetto and Linda Shapanka. He continued at the New World School of the Arts (NWSA)/University of Florida, earning his Bachelor of Music under Richard Fleischman, and later completed his Master of Music at Lynn University Conservatory of Music with Ralph Fielding. At NWSA, he performed Alan Shulman’s Theme and Variations as a concerto competition laureate. He has also studied with Chauncey Patterson and Michael Klotz and collaborated with artists such as Lynn Harrell, Anna Netrebko, Renée Fleming, Christopher O’Riley, and Michael Tilson Thomas.
Teaching is a core part of his journey. He has taught at Miami-Dade College, the Miami Music Project, and the Greater Miami Youth Symphony. As a graduate teaching assistant, he specialized in ear training. He also performs with South Florida ensembles, including the Miami City Ballet Orchestra, Florida Grand Opera, and Nu Deco Ensemble.
Outside music, he enjoys rock climbing and Bhakti yoga.
Brian Neal
Brian Neal is a multifaceted trumpet player whose career has taken him across the U.S., Europe, and Russia. Currently in his 14th season with the internationally acclaimed Dallas Brass, he has also served as principal trumpet with the Miami City Ballet Orchestra and performed with major symphonies, including the Utah Symphony under Keith Lockhart and the Florida Philharmonic under Peter Nero.
A dedicated soloist, Mr. Neal has been featured with the California Symphony, Florida Philharmonic, Orchestra Miami, and the Youngstown Symphony. His composition Concertante #1 was performed at Carnegie Hall and in Spain. In 2022, he won a Southeast Regional Emmy for performance and composition in a multi-national collaboration.
He studied at the Manhattan School of Music and the University of Miami, attending prestigious festivals such as Tanglewood and Fontainebleau. His collaborations include renowned conductors like Seiji Ozawa and Simon Rattle.
Beyond performing, Mr. Neal founded Brass Miami and initiated the Miami Dade College Honors Festival, engaging hundreds of young musicians. His recording Reflections was featured on NPR’s Pipe Dreams, and he was a soloist on Alejandro Sanz’s Latin Grammy-winning La Música No Se Toca. He is in his 20th season directing brass at the Sitka Fine Arts Camp and serves as Director of Instrumental Studies at Miami Dade College Kendall Campus.
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