Chloë Dickens, violin; Sara Strozzo, cello; and Ricky Moreira, piano formed a prize-winning trio at the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College. Having performed at family concerts sponsored by WQXR and presented an interactive version of Saint-Saëns’ “Carnival of the Animals” at New Rochelle Library for enraptured elementary school students, they are now forging head as a professional ensemble.
A Downtown Music debut presented in partnership with Young Musicians of Westchester.
Learn more at YoungMusiciansofWestchester.org
Hailing from the UK, Chloë Dickens is an award-winning violinist based in Queens, NY. Under the tutelage of David Adams, Concertmaster of Welsh National Opera, she achieved first-class honours in her Bachelor’s degree in Classical Performance at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama.
Most recently Chloe completed her masters degree in Classical Performance with Daniel Phillips (founding member of the Orion Quartet - Chamber Music at Lincoln Center) at the Aaron Copland School of Music. Chloe is a founding member of the Alegría Ensemble, championed for their diverse programming and engaging family concerts.
Chloe currently lives in Queens, NY, where she teaches a studio of young violin and viola students at the Eisman Center for Preparatory Studies in Music at Queens College. She plays weekly with the Collegium Musicum, a Manhattan-based professional orchestra dedicated to supporting early-career musicians through abundant ensemble music-making opportunities and career development resources.
She is very excited for the varying performing opportunities that await her in her first year as a full-time freelancer, and how they will help her continue to discover her musical voice in one of the most culturally and musically diverse cities in the world.
Sara Strozzo is an accomplished Italian cellist with a rich background in music performance and education. She began her journey at the Conservatory "Agostino Steffani" in Castelfranco Veneto, Italy, where she laid the foundation for her musical career. Sara further honed her skills in New York City, earning a Master's degree in Cello Performance from the Aaron Copland School of Music, studying under the esteemed Professor Marcy Rosen. Throughout her career, Sara has performed in stages across Europe and America. She has had the privilege of attending masterclasses with prominent figures in the classical music world, including Natalia Gutman, Julius Berger, Giovanni Gnocchi, and Anna Serova, which enriched her musical insights and techniques.
As the first chair of the "Crescere in Musica'' orchestra, Sara has participated in three tours to Prague, Lithuania, and Austria, where she has performed a diverse repertoire ranging from classical to baroque music. Additionally, Sara is a founding member of the Alegria Ensemble, alongside violinist Chloë Dickens and pianist Ricky Moreira. This piano trio is dedicated to performing both classical masterpieces and contemporary works, contributing to the vibrancy of chamber music repertoire.
Ricky Asher Moreira will soon complete a piano performance degree through the Aaron Copland School of Music, Queens College, Queens, New York. His teacher, Edna Golandsky, is the foremost living proponent of the Taubman Approach, a method which allows pianists to perform with physical freedom and desired artistic nuances. In addition to choral work, keyboard collaborative skills and vocal coaching experiences allow him to work with a variety of vocal and instrumental groups performing literature, from Bach to Crumb, Brahms to USA composers Nathaniel Dett and Bernstein. Ricky has had masterclasses with international artists including Niklas Sivelov (Royal Danish Academy of Music) , Sam Sahun-Hong (Ensemble 132), and Anna Rabinova (of the New York Philharmonic). For four summers Ricky studied with Professor Emeritus (the School of Music, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign), renowned fortepianist Kenneth Drake. Dr. Drake performs with his collection of early 19th C pianos, including a reproduction Walter c. 1800 fortepiano and an 1806 Broadwood. He is a published Beethoven performer-scholar. Ricky plays on the modern grand with expressiveness and articulation awareness learned on the keys of historic pianos.