Gateway Classical Music Society

Ida Angland, Artistic Director and Conductor, is dedicated to providing opportunities for artists on the rise and reconnecting audiences to great masterworks through Gateway's performances designed to achieve impact and intimacy. Gateway's Great Works of Art performances with the Gateway Orchestra have received enthusiastic response by audiences in Connecticut and New York and have been described in reviews as ''thrilling,'' ''compelling'' ''a revelation'' ''unforgettable,'' and ''amazing.'' Ida Angland has been characterized as having ''inner genius,'' ''flair,'' ''idealism,'' and ''grit.'' Ms Angland became an apprentice conductor with the New York Grand Opera in 2001. In 2002, she became the Director of The New York Grand Opera Chorus and assistant-conducted numerous operas as well as symphonic works, including such works as Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. In her capacity as Director of the chorus, she organized regional choristers to participate with the New York Grand Opera Chorus in several concerts in Carnegie Hall. Ms Angland began her music training as a pianist. When she was 12 years old, she was the youngest of four contestants chosen by the National Federation of Music Clubs and the University of North Carolina as the state's ''most promising'' musical talents. She continued her music training at the North Carolina School of the Arts, Peabody Conservatory and Indiana University studying with, among others, Konrad Wolff, Elaine Bonazzi and Margaret Harshaw. Ms Angland sang professionally as a soprano with regional opera companies. Other featured guest appearances have included the Metropolitan Museum of Art and WQXR.

Hu Shenghua (Simon Hu), Violin, has shown outstanding talent since beginning violin at the age of four. Winning his first contest at age seven in China's Anhui Province, he has gone on to win numerous contests, scholarships and awards. He was chosen as one of ten internationally selected artists to perform at the Starling-DeLay Symposium at the Juilliard School in New York and won a full scholarship to study at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music in 2006. Mr. Hu performed the Bruch Violin Concerto for Chinese television at age 10, the Tchaikovsky concerto with the Nan Jing Symphony Orchestra at age 15 and with the Orchestra of the Shanghai Conservatory. At age 18 he attended the Great Wall International Music Academy in Beijing where he performed the Sibelius Concerto with the China Broadcasting Orchestra. As the winner of the Sibelius Concerto Competition in Cincinnati, he performed with the Cincinnati Philharmonia in 2007. Mr. Hu currently studies at the Long Island Conservatory with Albert Markov, having won a full scholarship in 2008. He has received numerous other awards, has performed for special events concerts with Gateway and will debut with the Gateway Orchestra this season with the Sibelius Violin Concerto in D Minor, op.47.

Alina Kiryayeva, Pianist, has concertized internationally performing as a soloist with the Kharkov State Philharmonic and State Opera Theatre Orchestras, The Imperial Valley Symphony orchestra and New York Symphonic Ensemble Orchestra as well as in chamber ensembles in Weill Hall, Morse Recital Hall, Maiden Lane Concert Series, the Concerto Takes Manhattan Series at Yamaha Hall, Young Artist Concert Series in Bergenfield, NJ and the Concert Series at Jefferson'a Ferry, NY. Ms Kiryayeva has been the recipient of numerous awards that include the First Prize in the Senigallia International Competition, Italy, the Grace Welsh International Competition and the California Young Artist International Competition. She was honored by the Ukrainian President, Leonid Kravchuk, with the State Award for Achievements in Arts. She has also been awarded the Fannie Gottlieb-Harkavi Scholarship and Susan Rose Piano Scholarship. She has been a featured soloist on several of Gateway's special event concerts and works as a rehearsal pianist for Gateway.

Ming Kwong, Pianist, apprenticed with Florida Grand Opera for their 2008-2009 season. He held a fellowship coach position at the Aspen Summer Music Festival and was a vocal coach and pianist at the Music Academy of the West. Mr. Kwong recently made his Kennedy Center debut with Metropolitan Opera Grand Winner Lori Guilbeau. He was chosen to participate in the Cleveland Art Songs Festival in 2010. Other credits include performing on the Stephanie Blythe master class at the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and the Joey Reynolds show - WOR news talk radio 710HD in October 2009. Mr. Kwong has acted as the Music Director of the Undergraduate Opera Theater at Manhattan School of Music. Other engagements as opera coach and rehearsal pianist include the Tanglewood Music Center and the Glimmerglass Opera. Mr. Kwong has been a prizewinner of numerous competitions including First Prize in the Advanced Improvisation and Second Prize in the Advanced Bach Session in the Twelfth Hong Kong Piano Open Competition. He holds a Masters degree in Piano Accompanying from Manhattan School of Music and a Masters degree in Vocal Performance from New England Conservatory. He is a rehearsal pianist for Gateway Classical Music Society.

Michael Pilafian, Pianist, has played for voice-studio of Carolina Segrera and performed concerts internationally with the Ambassadors of Opera. He was music-director of the After Dinner Opera Company with which he premiered several chamber-operas by Seymour Barab. Currently he plays for the New York Grand Opera, the Center for Contemporary Opera, Opera on the Hudson, Taconic Opera, and the Juilliard School of Music. Mr. Pilafian plays as a rehearsal pianist for Gateway.