Kurt Sassmannshaus, violinist and conductor, is considered one of today's preeminent violin pedagogues. He holds the Starling Chair for Classical Violin at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM). He founded the Starling Preparatory String Project and Starling Chamber Orchestra in 1987 at CCM.  Sassmannshaus is the author of Violinmasterclass.com, an award-winning comprehensive educational website. He continues to update and expand the publications of the Sassmannshaus Tradition, Bärenreiter's  beginner series "Early Start" for  Violin, Viola or Cello and Double Bass, started by his father Egon Sassmannshaus. From 2005 to 2016, Prof. Sassmannshaus was founder and director of the Great Wall International Music Academy, bringing together current and future generations of outstanding string soloists and teachers for four weeks of musical training, performance and cultural exchange every summer in Beijing, China. In the summer Prof. Sassmannshaus teaches at the Bowdoin International Music Festival in Brunswick, Maine. His principle teachers were Igor Ozim in Cologne, Germany and Dorothy DeLay at the Juilliard School.

Won-Bin Yim, associate professor of violin at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music since 1991, is former concertmaster of the Wichita Symphony Orchestra and Reno Philharmonic. He studied with Dorothy DeLay at The Juilliard School and Aspen Music Festival.

Andrii Isakov, violin and Chamber Music

Boyun Li, violin, viola, and chamber music https://www.boyunliviolin.com/

Gabrielle Sewell, violin and chamber music

Coordinator: Gabrielle Sewell

Managing Director, Starling Project Foundation: Boyun Li 

Sæunn Thorsteinsdóttir, cello  http://www.saeunn.com/