Praised as “The Goddess of Flute” by The Korea Times and described as “A Living History” by Echelon Press, Jasmine Choi is celebrated worldwide for her extraordinary virtuosity, acclaimed recordings, and a robust online presence that reaches over one million followers across social media. Renowned for pushing the instrument’s traditional boundaries, she has become an icon of the flute in the 21st century.

Born in Korea into a third-generation family of musicians, Choi discovered the flute at nine and by twelve was studying in Seoul, where she developed the resilience that would shape her artistry. At sixteen, she moved to the United States, training at the Curtis Institute of Music with Julius Baker and Jeffrey Khaner, followed by graduate studies at The Juilliard School. Her career began with meteoric success: Associate Principal Flute of the Cincinnati Symphony under Paavo Järvi, and in 2012, Principal Flute of the Vienna Symphony under Fabio Luisi, the first female woodwind principal in the orchestra’s history.

As a soloist, Choi has appeared with leading ensembles including the Vienna Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, Salzburg Mozarteum, Berlin Symphony, Czech Philharmonic, and Seoul Philharmonic. She has performed on primary stages across Europe, Asia, and North America, and her performance of Arirang at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics remains a cultural milestone. Chamber collaborations with artists such as Martha Argerich, Robert Levin, Kit Armstrong, Julien Quentin, Sumi Jo and the Schumann Quartet showcase her versatility, from intimate recitals to dynamic ensemble projects.

Her discography spans Sony Classical releases, solo albums, and original arrangements, with more than fifteen flute concertos composed for her. Beyond performance, she designed her own signature flute case, praised for its innovation, and published best-selling educational works with Theodore Presser Company.

Dedicated to mentorship, Choi has taught masterclasses at The Juilliard School, Curtis Institute of Music, Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music, Harvard University, and Vienna’s Universität für Musik. She now serves as Professor at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, guiding the next generation of flutists.

A cultural ambassador for her hometown of Daejeon, she launched the Heredium Concert Series: Jasmine & Friends in 2025–26. For more information about Jasmine and upcoming live concert dates, visit www.jasminechoi.com

Ferenc Illenyi, violin, is a native of Hungary where his first teacher was his father, a violinist with the Hungarian State Opera. He made his debut in Budapest performing the Beethoven and Tchaikovsky violin concertos. He has performed recitals in Hungary, Germany, Switzerland, Canada and the United States, and has recorded works by Paganini, Saint-Saens and Schubert for Hungarian radio and television.

Illenyi has a master’s degree in music from the Liszt Music Academy in Budapest and has done graduate work at the Banff Center in Alberta, Canada, the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana, Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music and the University of Houston‚ Moores School of Music. Illenyi has been a member of the Houston Symphony since 1991.

Joan DerHovsepian is the newly appointed Principal Viola of the Houston Symphony after winning the international audition held in May 2023. She first joined the viola section of the Houston Symphony in 1999, hired by Christoph Eschenbach, won the audition for Associate Principal Viola in the fall of 2010 during the tenure of Hans Graf, and now begins serving as Principal with Music Director Juraj Valčuha. Recent solo performances with the Houston Symphony include Mozart Sinfonia Concertante with Concertmaster Yoonshin Song in October 2022 and Bruch Double Concerto with Principal 2nd Violin MuChen Hsieh in March 2022. Joan was formerly Principal Viola of the Charleston Symphony Orchestra and has appeared as guest principal viola with the Chicago and Cincinnati symphonies.

Joan is Artist Teacher of Viola at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music, instructing students in viola orchestral repertoire and independent study. Students who have come through her course have gone on to win positions in the Cincinnati Symphony, Colorado Symphony, Dallas Symphony, Fort Worth Symphony, Houston Symphony, Metropolitan Opera, Minnesota Orchestra, National Arts Center Orchestra, National Symphony, North Carolina Symphony, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Pittsburgh Symphony, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, San Diego Symphony, Washington National Opera, among others. She is regular guest faculty for the New World Symphony and has given masterclasses in the study of orchestral excerpts for viola students of the Juilliard School, the New England Conservatory and the University of Melbourne Conservatorium.

Recent festival and chamber music appearances include the Seattle Chamber Music Society, Mainly Mozart Festival, Grand Teton Music Festival, Mimir Chamber Music Festival (Ft. Worth TX and Melbourne Australia), Music in Context, Peninsula Music Festival, National Orchestral Institute and Lake Lure Chamber Music Festival.

She was the violist of the award winning Everest Quartet, top prize winners at the Banff International String Quartet Competition and the Fischoff Chamber Music Competition. Joan was the second prize recipient of the Primrose International Viola Competition. She attended the Eastman School of Music studying with violist James Dunham, and the Hochschule für Musik in Freiburg Germany, with violist Kim Kashkashian.

Praised by the Edmonton Journal for performing “with precision and grace,” and by NUVO Magazine for his “consistently rich tone [and] expressive, intense playing,” Sheldon Person is a violist in the Houston Symphony and enjoys an active career as a chamber musician, recitalist, and teacher.

He has toured with the Houston Symphony in seven countries on three continents and performed with them on their live recording of Alban Berg’s Wozzeck that received the 2017 Grammy Award. Mr. Person was previously a member of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and has also performed with the London Symphony Orchestra, the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Mainly Mozart Festival Orchestra, and as soloist and guest principal with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra.

Since 2016 and 2017 respectively, he has been a faculty artist at the Sewanee Summer Music Festival and an artist at the Zenith Chamber Music Festival at Drake University. Mr. Person has appeared on the Houston Symphony Chamber Music Series Inaugural 2019-20 season, as well as at the Texas Music Festival, Musica Tra Amici, and Musiqa Houston. Radio broadcasts include appearances on Houston Public Radio and NPR. Mr. Person’s collaborations on new trios by Per Mårtensson and Karim Al-Zand were released on the Centaur Records label in 2017 and 2018. He has also given world and European premiere performances of Variations on a theme of Bartók, a work for viola and piano that was written for him by Mr. Al-Zand. Mr. Person has performed as a guest artist at Rice University, University of Houston, Indiana State University, and Michigan State University.

He is the current President of Third Space Music, a non-profit partnership between musicians from the Houston Symphony and the Houston community that presents four chamber music concerts annually and contributes to Houston-area non-profit organizations.

As first prize winner of the Royal Overseas League’s Bernard Shore Viola Competition, Mr. Person performed recitals in London, including an appearance at St. Martin-in-the-Fields. While a member of the Artea String Quartet, Leverhulme Fellows at the Royal Academy of Music, Mr. Person performed chamber music throughout the U.K., including appearances at Wigmore Hall, the South Bank Centre, the Brighton Festival, Buckingham Palace, and live on BBC Radio 3. He was also the winner of the Wayne Crouse Viola Prize at the Corpus Christi International Competition for Piano and Strings.

Mr. Person holds degrees and certificates from The Guildhall School of Music and Drama (London), Indiana University, Rice University, and the University of Alberta. His principal teachers have included Atar Arad, David Takeno and Karen Ritscher. As a fellow of the Aspen Music Festival and School, he served as the Assistant Principal Viola of both the Aspen Festival and Chamber Orchestras.

Mr. Person performs on a modern viola by Theodore Skreko that was awarded the silver medal for tone at the 2010 Violin Society of America Competition. He is a native of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. For more information, visit www.sheldonperson.com.

Allegra Lilly was appointed Principal Harp of the Houston Symphony in February of 2023. She previously held the Principal Harp position with the St. Louis Symphony for ten seasons. She has appeared as Guest Principal Harp with the Chicago Symphony, Boston Symphony, Boston Pops, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Toronto Symphony, and Charlotte Symphony, and has also performed with the New York Philharmonic, Pittsburgh Symphony, and All-Star Orchestra.

Since making her solo debut at the age of twelve with the Detroit Symphony, Lilly has performed as soloist with the Lexington Philharmonic, Juilliard Orchestra, National Repertory Orchestra, International Symphony, Camerata Notturna, and numerous ensembles in New York and her home state of Michigan. During her tenure with the St. Louis Symphony, she appeared as soloist three times, performing Debussy’s Danses sacrée et profane, Mozart’s Concerto for Flute and Harp with flutist Mark Sparks, and Ginastera’s Harp Concerto. Her festival appearances have included Brevard Music Center, Grand Teton Music Festival, Arizona Musicfest, Tanglewood Music Center, Artosphere Festival, Spoleto Festival USA, Spoleto Festival dei Due Mondi, National Repertory Orchestra, and Castleton Festival. Lilly is an active chamber musician and has performed as a featured guest artist with the Chamber Music Festival of Lexington, Missouri Chamber Music Festival, Innsbrook Institute Music Festival, Missouri River Festival of the Arts, Argento New Music Project, and Carnegie Hall’s EnsembleConnect.

In addition to holding the harp faculty position at Brevard Music Center since 2017, Lilly has given masterclasses at many of the top conservatories and universities in the United States. She has also coached orchestral and chamber music for NYO-USA, NYO2, New World Symphony, Tanglewood Music Center, and the preparatory divisions of The Juilliard School and New England Conservatory. Born in Detroit, Lilly began her study of the harp with Ruth Myers at age seven. She was also a competitive pianist as a child, winning numerous state and local awards before electing to focus exclusively on the harp in college. She went on to join the studio of New York Philharmonic Principal Harpist Nancy Allen at The Juilliard School, where she earned Bachelor and Master of Music degrees.