Artistic Director, Jiyoung Um is a graduate of The Juilliard School receiving his bachelor and master
degree in violin performance. He has given solo performances at Carnegie Hall and the Lincoln Center and has been featured
as a soloist around the world including in the U.S., Canada, Asia, and Central America. Mr. Um is an award-winning ASCAP
composer and has a number of works released on the SONY MUSIC label. He studied violin with Hyo Kang, viola with Eugean
Becker, conducting with Dino Anagnost, and chamber music with William Lincer and Toby Appel. Currently, Mr. Um is the
founding music director of the I Artisti Chamber Orchestra, and served as the music director of Biola Youth String Orchestra.
He is a string faculty member in the Biola University Conservatory of Music.
Assistant Conductor, James Lewis grew up in the Inland Empire, starting musical instruction at five years old. James was placed in numerous violin competitions. His teaching horizons were augmented by the aid of conductor and music director Karen
Thurman Palmer, director of the School of
Music at the University of Redlands. Currently,
James is a violin performance major at BIOLA University under the instruction of professor Ji Young Um.