Festival of Strings Soloists

Sophie Till, violin

Sophie Till is Associate Professor of Violin at Marywood University Pennsylvania, and Director of the Marywood String Project for children ages 4-18. In addition to her work with students of all ages, her teaching has become internationally known for solving playing-related injuries and for her work teaching professional orchestral players. Since 2013, she has given numerous workshops, lecture series and organized symposiums for professional orchestral players, teachers and students in the U.S, U.K, Singapore and Australia where she was also featured as a keynote speaker for the Australian String Teachers Conference. Since 2015 she has made annual visits to the U.K teaching and running workshops for members of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, BBC Orchestras and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. In addition to her teaching, Sophie is an active performer as chamber musician and recitalist. She has given numerous television and radio broadcasts and produced two CDs. The combination of Sophie’s work as a performer and her teaching of children, young players and professionals has led to her development of the Till Approach and in 2022 she launched the Till Project, an organization to share her work. www.tillproject.com

Sophie studied with Dona Lee Croft at the Royal College of Music Junior Department in London from the age of 9. She completed her undergraduate studies with Zakhar Bron at the Royal Academy of Music, London and in Lübeck, Germany and her graduate studies with Charles Treger at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Her studies took a different turn when in 2007, Sophie started studying with pianist Edna Golandsky, the foremost proponent of the Taubman Approach. It has been Sophie’s work with Edna that has inspired the creation of the Till Project.

Ester Man, viola

Esther Man, viola, is a rising senior at Lexington High School and has played violin and viola since age 5. She was awarded second place in the 2020 MMTA Bay State String Competition and attended Boston University Tanglewood Institute's Viola and String Quartet Workshop in 2022 and 2023. Esther has resided as Assistant Principal and Principal of the MMEA Senior Northeastern District and All-State Festivals. She has been a part of the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras’ top orchestra, BYS, conducted by Federico Cortese, since 2018, and is currently the violist of BYS's Honor Ensemble Quartet.

Xueqi Sang, pipa

At the age of seven, Xueqi Sang began studying the Pipa under the guidance of Pipa performer Wanwan He, gradually developing a profound love for this traditional Chinese instrument. Her talent and dedication were quickly recognized, and at twelve, she gained admission to the Middle School Affiliated with the China Conservatory of Music as the top candidate in her entrance exam, where she studied under the renowned Pipa performer and educator Jing Yang. Over fifteen years of rigorous musical training, Xueqi has garnered numerous accolades, including the silver medal in the Dunhuang Cup International Music Competition and the Mingyuan Liu Scholarship. She has extensive experience as an orchestra leader and has collaborated with institutions such as the Eastman School of Music, Harvard CAMLab, and the New England Conservatory. She has also performed multiple times at prestigious venues, including the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing and Jordan Hall in Boston.

In 2023, Xueqi joined Berklee College of Music on a substantial scholarship to pursue music therapy and is currently in her fifth semester. She is passionate about the therapeutic power of music and is dedicated to blending traditional Chinese music with modern and world music forms. Under the mentorship of Professor Hui Weng, Xueqi has gained a deeper understanding of various musical cultures and has been exploring innovative ways to integrate the Pipa into therapeutic settings.

Beyond performance, Xueqi is also eager to expand the boundaries of traditional Chinese music, exploring how it can be given a therapeutic purpose in contemporary contexts. She is especially focused on using the Pipa and other instruments to create healing experiences for clients from diverse cultural backgrounds, embodying her belief in music as a bridge across cultures and a source of comfort and connection.

"Music has a unique power that reaches places beyond words," Xueqi explains. "Through my music, I hope to bring comfort, connection, and healing, allowing the meaning of music to go beyond mere performance."

As she continues her studies, Xueqi remains committed to exploring the vast potential of Chinese folk music in therapeutic settings, creating deep musical experiences that fuse tradition with modernity, healing with art.