Equal parts passion, grit, and musical ecstasy, Sybarite5 is an intoxicating cocktail of genre-breaking artistry expressed through the virtuosity of violinists Sami Merdinian & Suliman Tekalli; violist Caeli Smith; cellist Laura Andrade; and double bassist Louis Levitt. It’s the first ensemble of its kind to win the prestigious Concert Artists Guild competition and the group is constantly evolving, defying categorization, and keeping audiences on their toes.

The group has performed in 44 states and counting, from the Library of Congress, (Washington DC) to Anchorage Concert Association, (Alaska) as well as concerts in Sybarite5’s home of New York City at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, National Sawdust, Le Poisson Rouge, the Cell Theatre, and in late 2023, as part of Death of Classical’s “The Crypt Sessions” series. Sybarite5 has also appeared at festivals including Ravinia, Grand Teton, Aspen, Caramoor, Wolf Trap, Interlochen, Chautauqua and many others. International appearances include Canada’s Tuckamore Music Festival and ChamberFest Ottawa, the New Docta International Music Festival in Cordoba, Argentina, and the Osaka Festa in Osaka, Japan. 

Dubbed “the millennial Kronos” (Theater Jones), Sybarite5 is chamber music’s most dynamic ensemble taking listeners on a musical journey of staggering breadth and depth with new works by living composers, as well as the group’s favorite selections from Radiohead, Coltrane, Komitas, Piazzolla, and Pete Seeger… but as Strings Magazine says “that doesn’t even begin to describe the range of their eclecticism or the depth of their repertoire. “ 

 In October 2023 Sybarite5 released their latest studio recording Collective Wisdom which received global acclaim and debuted at #1 on the Billboard Classical Charts.  The ensemble’s discography includes four other critically-acclaimed recordings: Live from New York It’s Sybarite5 (2020); Outliers (2018); Everything in its Right Place (2012) and Disturb the Silence (2010). 

Trio Virado is a unique collaboration of three of the most distinguished artists on flute, viola, and guitar. Flutist Amy Porter, violist Jaime Amador, and guitarist João Luiz are widely sought after for their musical performances on recordings and the concert stage. Joining together, they form a concert trio that radiates electricity and love of music.

João Luiz
Guitarist, educator, and composer João Luiz began to play the popular music of his native Brazil professionally as a child, and was later trained in classical guitar by his mentor Henrique Pinto. A member of the critically acclaimed Brasil Guitar Duo, he has performed extensively in the United States, Asia, Europe, and Latin America. He has recorded more than fifteen albums as a soloist or as member of a duo, trio, or quartet; most have featured his arrangements of classical or Brazilian works. Mr. Luiz holds a Master’s degree from Mannes College The New School for Music and a Doctoral degree from Manhattan School of Music. He is currently director of chamber music at the City University of New York’s Hunter College, and also teaches guitar at Stony Brook University and Mannes. Mr. Luiz’s most recent solo album features 20th-century guitar works by Brazilian composers such as Radamés Gnattali, Camargo Guarnieri, and Egberto Gismonti. As a performer and composer Mr. Luiz is equally at home with classical, Brazilian, and world music.

Amy Porter
In a versatile and distinguished career as a concert performer, she has become one of the most skilled and creative muses for composers of our time. Winner of the Kobe and Paris/Ville d’Avry international flute competitions, Ms. Porter has served on national and international jury panels. Formerly a member of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Ms. Porter is Principal Flute of North Carolina’s Brevard Music Center, where she performs as soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral player. Since 1999 she has served as Professor of Flute at the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance. She is host of the podcast PorterFlute Pod and Founder of Anatomy of Sound LLC and AOS-Wellness brand. Born in Wilmington, DE, Ms. Porter graduated from The Juilliard School and pursued further studies at the Mozarteum Academy in Salzburg. She plays a 14K white gold flute with rose gold engraved keys, made for her by the Wm. S. Haynes Co.

Jaime Amador
Hailed by The Washington Post for his “sophisticated and precise playing,” Jaime Amador has distinguished himself among the latest generation of musicians to emerge from Puerto Rico. Since 2012 has been the violist of Harlem Quartet, which tours widely and recently began a teaching and performance residency at Montclair State University in northeast New Jersey. A native of San Juan, Puerto Rico, Mr. Amador has appeared in prestigious venues across the United States and Europe, including Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels, and the Kurhaus of Baden-Baden. Before joining Harlem Quartet Mr. Amador was a member of the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra, which also awarded him First Prize in its Solo Competition for his interpretation of Béla Bartók’s Viola Concerto. Following studies at the Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music he continued his training at The Juilliard School, Manhattan School of Music, and New England Conservatory. His instrument is a Ryan Soltis 2010 viola.

A proud native of Memphis, TN, Loki Karuna (formerly Garrett McQueen) is a bassoonist who has performed with ensembles including the South Arkansas Symphony, Jackson Symphony, American Youth Symphony, Memphis Repertory Orchestra, the Eroica Ensemble, and the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, the Sphinx Symphony Orchestra, Memphis Symphony Orchestra, the Southeast Symphony, the Artosphere and Gateways Festival Orchestras, the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Louisville Orchestra, and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. Loki has been featured as both a performer and host on “Performance Today” and “Music Through the Night” from American Public Media, and has appeared in a wide array of television programs, including Oxygen’s “Snapped: Killer Couples”, TV One’s “Fatal Attraction”, and Fox’s “Glee”. In addition to remaining active in performance spaces, Loki is the host and producer of local and nationally-syndicated radio programs including “The Sound of 13”, “Noteworthy”, “Gateways Radio”, and “The Sounds of Kwanzaa”. Away from the airwaves, Loki offers guest lectures, presentations, and trainings at the intersections of race, culture, Black liberation, and classical music, with past collaborators including the Gateways Music Festival, the Sphinx Organization, the Kennedy Center, the Apollo Theater, Black Music Experience, the Minnesota Music Teachers Association, New Music Gathering, and the MacPhail Center for Music. In the press, Loki has been noted as not only a “classical agitator”, but also “a Black talent in public media that you may not know, but should”. In 2021, the New York Times noted his weekly podcast, TRILLOQUY, as a standout and one that is “required listening for industry leaders and listeners alike.” Loki holds a Bachelor of Music in Bassoon Performance from the University of Memphis, where he studied with Lecolion Washington, and a Master of Music in Bassoon Performance from the University of Southern California, where he studied with Judith Farmer. Alongside working as a performer, the Executive Producer and co-host of the TRILLOQUY podcast and President of TrillWerks Media, Loki is the Director of Artist Equity for the American Composers Orchestra. He serves on the board of directors for the American Composers Forum, the Beethoven Festival Orchestra, Lyrica Baroque, and the Cedar Cultural Center, and maintains leadership and artistic advisory positions with the Black Opera Alliance, the Gateways Music Festival, the Lakes Area Music Festival, and Soka Gakkai International.

Critically recognized as “an accomplished violin soloist,” (CVNC) Maitreyi Muralidharan is an east coast based musician and an avid orchestral and chamber performer. They hold a Bachelor’s Degree from the Peabody Institute of Music under the tutelage of Herbert Greenberg, a Master’s Degree and Professional Arts Certificate from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts under the tutelage of Kevin Lawrence, and an Artist Diploma from McGill University under the tutelage of Violaine Melançon. Maitreyi was raised in North Carolina where they fostered a love for sharing music in group settings, whether in ensembles or as a teacher. As a performer, they have served as concertmaster of the Sinfonia de L’Ouest, is an avid chamber musician, and has held concertmaster and principal positions with ensembles in the east coast. They frequently premiere new music and tour with pianist Tong Wang as part of Duo Perdendosi—an Asian North American duo from Chinese and Indian immigrant families which aims to celebrate new music, music by underrepresented composers, and Asian American diaspora populations. As a consultant and an administrator, they have worked with non-profit organizations such as Symphony No.1 and Sinfonia de L’Ouest. They have attended summer music festivals in Colorado, New York, Canada, North Carolina, Vermont, and Germany, and have performed as a chamber musician on international stages. As a musician who has dealt with severe injury, Maitreyi has had to find their own paths in the field of classical and contemporary music, and in that process, has grown a deep appreciation and love for connecting with the unconventional. They aim to share this idea of connection with all walks of life—the idea that being a musician is far more than what is understood or seen, and that one of the greatest joys is fostering a sense of community that can happen any time music is made. Maitreyi co-founded the Windwood Music Festival in an effort to highlight these ideas and provide a space for classical musicians to learn how to incorporate community connection into their performing. Outside of their performing and non-profit work, Maitreyi enjoys assisting violinists with injuries to find creative and sustainable playing practices, and farming.

The founder of Lyrica Baroque, Jaren Atherholt serves as Assistant Professor of Oboe at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville and as principal oboist of the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra. She previously served as principal oboist of the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra for eleven seasons. A native of Alaska, Jaren has performed to stellar reviews as a featured concerto soloist and has been guest principal oboist with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Detroit Symphony and International Chamber Orchestra of Puerto Rico, as well as guest associate principal oboist with the Pittsburgh and Atlanta Symphonies. Jaren spent four summers at the Marlboro Music Festival and currently performs each summer with the Grand Teton Music Festival. She has served on the faculty of John Mack Oboe Camp, Interlochen Arts Camp, the Wintergreen Music Academy, and the Vianden International Music School. Jaren plays Loree oboes. Contact Jaren at jaren@lyricabaroque.com