It is the goal of Beau Soir to make classical music accessible to a wide audience by including a wide variety of music along with descriptions of the pieces during the performance. Ruth Wicker Schaaf, a native of Germany, studied at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia and graduated from the Staatliche Hochschule fur Musik Koln. As the recipient of a Graduate Teaching Fellow Scholarship, she received her master’s degree from the University of Oregon. Her primary teachers include Joseph de Pasquale and Rainer Moog, and she studied Chamber Music with Felix Galimir, Karen Tuttle, Primosz Novsak, and the Alban Berg Quartet.

Ms. Schaaf has given recitals in Europe (including Switzerland, Germany, and Greece) and throughout the United States. She has appeared as soloist with the Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Halle, and the Klassische Philharmonie Bonn. Ms. Schaaf is active as a chamber musician and has taught viola at Western Michigan University and Andrews University. For two seasons she served as principal violist of the Kalamazoo Symphony, and was a member of the Oregon Symphony prior to joining the National Symphony Orchestra.

Carole Bean is the Piccoloist with the National Symphony Orchestra. Before joining the NSO, she performed with the Xalapa Symphony Orchestra in Mexico and the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra. She also performs with the Eclipse Chamber Orchestra, Verge Ensemble, and Fessenden Ensemble. Ms. Bean has presented numerous children’s concert performances as part of the Outreach Program of the NSO. She also has performed with the Grand Teton Music Festival in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, since 1992. A native of Columbus, Ohio, Ms. Bean attended Bowling Green State University and Northwestern University, where she studied with Judith Bentley and Walfrid Kujala, respectively.

Michelle Myers Lundy is a professional harpist who performs throughout the DC area. She currently serves as principal harpist with the Amadeus Chamber Orchestra, Tysons McLean Orchestra, Arlington Philharmonic, and Manassas Ballet Theatre Orchestra. In addition, she has been a featured soloist with the Mclean Symphony. As an advocate of chamber music, Ms. Lundy performs frequently with her flute, viola and harp trio, Beau Soir Ensemble, which she founded in 2007. Ms. Lundy received her Bachelor of Music degree from Northwestern University in Harp Performance. While at Northwestern, she was a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. Ms. Lundy continued her studies at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor where she received a Master of Music degree.

Program: Sonata in F Major by Johann Gottlieb Graun, Sonatine by Maurice Ravel, Eye of the Night by David Bruce, Cruisin With the Top Down by Sonny Burnette, Aperitif by Lucas Richman