In a New Light

Friday, June 9th at 7pm | Upper West Side

J oin us for an inspired evening of music, wine and conversation in the historic Dorilton Beaux-Arts Building on the Upper West Side, as The Valley of the Moon Festival presents the works of composers Florence Price and William Grant Still in a new light, performed by a quartet of emerging artists on gut-stringed historical instruments.

Carmen Johnson-Pájaro

Carmen Johnson-Pájaro was raised in a family of music lovers, where gathering around the living room to dance and share music has long been a daily occurrence. A native of Alabama, she began violin lessons around the age of five. These early childhood experiences, encountering music as point of connection between people, cultivated full-fledged passions. Throughout Carmen’s development as an artist she has been continuously inspired by the capacity of music to heal, empower, and unite people and communities. This is the cornerstone of Carmen’s work as a performer, educator, and community-based artist, where she enjoys an eclectic performance career, spanning centuries and genres.

Ravenna Lipchik

Born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Ravenna began studying the violin at age four. She made her debut with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra at the age of eight playing the Bach Double Violin Concerto. During a junior year abroad she was awarded the Prix de Perfectionnement in chamber music performance by the CNR in Angers, France, and was featured at the Festival de Rablay in 2008. She continued her study of chamber music at MYSO’s Davidson Chamber Music Program, the Castleman’s Quartet Program in NY, The Meadowmount School of Music, the New York String Orchestra Seminar, Kneisel Hall Chamber Music Festival and was chosen to be an “Emerging Artist” at the Mendocino Chamber Music Festival in California, where she was a featured soloist with the Mendocino Festival Chamber Orchestra. Coaches include Joel Krosnick, Mark Sokol, Ian Swensen, Joseph Kalichstein, Charles Neidich, and more.

Maren Rothfritz

Violist Maren Rothfritz is a passionate artist and educator who is equally at home on the concert stage and in the teaching studio. She moved to the United States in 2014 to complete a Doctorate of Musical Arts at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, where she was awarded the prestigious CUNY Graduate Center Fellowship and is mentored by Ettore Causa. Currently, she teaches at Brooklyn College as a Teaching Fellow, and is on faculty at the annual festival “Point Counterpoint” in Vermont. 

As violist in the Argus Quartet since 2019, Maren Rithfritz enjoys seeking colorful musical expressions across a wide range of repertoire old and new. From 2016-2018 she was a Fellow with Carnegie Hall’s Ensemble Connect, performing and teaching throughout New York City. Previously, she completed her Master’s degree with Kim Kashkashian at New England Conservatory, where her concentration was Music-in-Education. ‘

Drake Driscoll

Cellist Drake Driscoll has established herself as a versatile performer and advocate for social change through music. Drake is the Executive Director and Co-founder of The VISION Collective, an ensemble dedicated to building meaningful relationships with and among refugees and new Americans by sharing music between diverse communities. Drake is also a member of the United Nations Chamber Music Society and was a Gluck Community Service fellow at The Juilliard School. A passionate arts administrator in the field of education and community engagement, Drake is currently the Coordinator for the Learning and Engagement Programs team at Carnegie Hall.

Drake was a member of the 2020-2021 Global Leaders Program cohort, receiving an Executive Graduate Certificate in Social Entrepreneurship, Cultural Agency, Teaching Artistry, and Civic Leadership. She recently graduated from The Juilliard School with a Master of Music degree where she was the recipient of the 2020 Entrepreneurship Grant, the Norman Benzaquen Career Advancement Grant, and the Robert Sherman Award for Music Education and Community Outreach.

Valley of the Moon Festival

Valley of the Moon Music Festival brings the unique sound of Classical and Romantic chamber music on period instruments to audiences in Sonoma and beyond, and expands the horizons of up-and-coming chamber musicians through their annual Apprenticeship Program.