With his adventuresome spirit and vast musical gifts, violinist/composer Tim Fain, who “plays like a virtuoso and thinks like a cinematographer” (Vanity Fair), has earned a reputation as a mesmerizing creator and performer. Widely known for his solo appearances on major stages and with some of today’s greatest orchestras and conductors, Fain is now coming into his own as a composer with an authentic voice, pushing the envelope and weaving cutting-edge technology into musical presentation. He has been recognized for his original compositions and scores for a vast array of projects in film/TV, VR, concert music, theater, and extended media, and for his performances and collaborations on the soundtracks for award-winning feature films.

Seen on-screen and heard on the Grammy-nominated soundtrack to the film Black Swan, Fain performed featured violin on the soundtracks to Oscar-winning films 12 Years a Slave (for which he co-arranged and performed all of the diegetic music for lead actor Chiwetel Ejiofor) and Moonlight, also subsequently performing the live score with orchestra at special screenings at the Million Dollar Theatre in L.A. and The Barbican in London. Fain’s violin playing is also prominently featured in Glass, The Tragedy of Macbeth, Don’t Look Up, Indignation, and in HBO’s Original Series Succession (where he also makes a cameo appearance).

In the concert music world, Fain recently premiered his violin concerto Edge of a Dream with conductor Jacomo Bairos and the Amarillo Symphony, with subsequent performances with other orchestras planned for the 2023/2024 seasons. Fain’s work for violin and orchestra, Resonance, was commissioned by Google/YouTube for a VR music video introducing its 360 stereoscopic VR capability to the world, recorded by The Knights (conducted by Eric Jacobsen), and was subsequently shown at The Sundance, frequently touring throughout the world with composer Philip Glass as a duo partner.

Fain has electrified audiences in solo performances ranging from the Pittsburgh and Baltimore Symphonies to the National Orchestra of Spain, the London Contemporary Orchestra, Curtis Symphony Orchestra at The Kimmel Center, and the American Composers Orchestra at Carnegie Hall, and in unique performances all across the globe, including on-stage at the New York City Ballet, at The Vatican, and a performance for the Dalai Lama’s 80th Birthday.

A native of Santa Monica , Tim Fain is a graduate of The Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, where he studied with Victor Danchenko, and the Juilliard School, where he worked with Robert Mann. He preforms on a violin made by Francesco Gobetti, Venice 1717, the “Moller,” on extended loan from Clement and Karen Arrison through the generous efforts of the Stradivari Society of Chicago.

Spanish-born violinist Francisco Fullana, winner of the 2018 Avery Fisher Career Grant, has been hailed as an “amazing talent” (Gustavo Dudamel) and “frighteningly awesome” (Buffalo News). His solo violin album Bach’s Long Shadow was named BBC Music Magazine’s Instrumental Choice of the Month. Its five-star review stated: “Fullana manages to combine Itzhak Perlman’s warmth with the aristocratic poise of Henryk Szeryng.”

A native of Mallorca in the Balearic Islands of Spain, Francisco is making a name for himself as both a performer, fearless leader and a founder of innovative educational residencies. As a soloist, he has performed the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto with the Bayerische Philharmonie led by the late Sir Colin Davis, the Sibelius Concerto with the Münchner Rundfunkorchester, and the Brahms Violin Concerto with Venezuela’s Teresa Carreño Orchestra under the baton of Gustavo Dudamel. His versatility as a performer, both with and without conductor, has brought him to perform with numerous ensembles across the artistic spectrum: from major orchestras such as the City of Birmingham, Vancouver, Aachen, Pacific and Buffalo Symphony Orchestras, the chamber orchestras of Saint Paul and Philadelphia, to the baroque ensemble Apollo’s Fire and the new music driven Metropolis Ensemble.

Francisco is a graduate of the Royal Conservatory of Madrid, where he matriculated under the tutelage of Manuel Guillén. He received bachelor’s and master’s degrees from The Juilliard School following studies with Donald Weilerstein and Masao Kawasaki, and holds an Artist Diploma from the USC Thornton School of Music, where he worked with the renowned violinist Midori.

In 2015 Francisco was honored with First Prize in Japan’s Munetsugu Angel Violin Competition, as well as all four of that competition’s special prizes including the Audience and Orchestra awards. Additional awards include First Prizes at the Johannes Brahms and Julio Cardona International Violin Competitions, the Pro Musicis International Award, and the Pablo Sarasate National Competition.

Francisco is a committed innovator, leading new institutions of musical education for young people. He is a co-founder of San Antonio’s Classical Music Summer Institute, where he currently serves as Artistic Leader and Advisor. He also created the Fortissimo Youth Initiative, a series of music seminars and performances with youth orchestras, which aims to explore and deepen young musicians’ understanding of conductorless chamber orchestra playing. The seminars are deeply immersive, thrusting youngsters into the sonic world of a single period while inspiring them to channel their overwhelming energy in the service of vibrant older styles of musical expression. The results can be galvanic, and Francisco continues to build on these educational models.

Francisco Fullana performs on the 1735 “Mary Portman” ex-Kreisler Guarneri del Gesù violin, kindly on loan from Clement and Karen Arrison through the Stradivari Society of Chicago.

Robert Koenig is widely considered one of today’s foremost pianists in the industry and brings a wealth of knowledge and esteemed cache to the Palm Springs International Piano Competition in his role as Artistic Director. With a noted career that spans more than four decades, Robert’s collaborations with high-profile artists and chamber ensembles in prestigious venues across the globe has solidified his standing as an invaluable partner and resource to musicians near and far.

From coast to coast and throughout Asia and Europe, in concert and on tour, Robert regularly performs at such venues as New York’s Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, Washington’s Kennedy Center, Seattle’s Benaroya Hall, Tokyo’s Suntory Hall, London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall, and Amsterdam’s Het Concertgebouw. He has collaborated with many of this generation’s most renowned musicians, including Tim Fain, Francisco Fullana, Augustin Hadelich, Hilary Hahn, Ida Kavafian, Zuill Bailey, Sara Sant’Ambrogio, Miro String Quartet, and members of the Tokyo and Juilliard String Quartets. Of significance is Robert’s frequent partnership with legendary late violinist Aaron Rosand, as well as his 30-year collaboration with renowned violinist Elmar Oliveira.

A native of Saskatchewan, Canada, Robert is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia where he studied with renowned collaborative pianist Dr. Vladimir Sokoloff. In addition to his decade long association with the Juilliard School where he served as staff pianist, he also served as Professor of Piano and Chamber Music at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, KS. Robert currently serves as Professor and Head of Collaborative Piano at the University of California Santa Barbara, where he was Chair of the Music Department from 2019-2022. His summers are spent at the Interlochen Summer Arts Camp where he is Coordinator of Collaborative Piano.

Robert Koenig is an official Yamaha Artist.