Our Team

Calvin VanZytveld

(Founder/Co-Director)

Calvin Van Zytveld is pursuing a Ph.D. in Musicology at Stanford University. His research interests include hymnody of pre-industrial America and agricultural practices of the early modern period. Calvin graduated summa cum laude in music from Princeton University, with additional studies at the Royal College of Music in London and graduate work in cello performance and music composition at the University of Michigan. He has worked for More Canvas Consulting, assisting clients with implementing accessible digital practices. Calvin enjoys playing jazz drums, growing organic vegetables in his backyard, and walking to coffee shops with his guide dog Wake.

Karisa Chiu

(Co-Director)

Praised for her evocative performances and captivating sound, violinist Karisa Chiu has garnered critical acclaim on the international stage. Her first prize win at the 2021 Isangyun Violin Competition resulted in her debut with the KBS Symphony Orchestra at Seoul Arts Center, and has since performed in renowned venues including Severance Hall and the Casals Forum. Karisa has received top accolades from the Menuhin, Leopold Mozart, Stulberg, and Irving M. Klein Competitions. After claiming second prize in its New York preliminary competition, she will compete in the 2025 Classic Violin Olympus Competition in Dubai. Her debut album “Home” with Cedille Records will be released in fall of 2025 with pianist Zhu Wang.

Born into a musical family, Karisa began her studies with her father, Cornelius Chiu, a first violinist in the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. She collaborates frequently with her mother and uncle, pianists Inah Choi-Chiu and Frederic Chiu. As a soloist, she has performed with orchestras including the Asheville Symphony, Tongyeong Festival Orchestra, and Munich Radio Orchestra.

Karisa is pursuing an Artist Diploma at the Juilliard School with Catherine Cho and Donald Weilerstein. She received her Master’s degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music and her Bachelor’s from the Curtis Institute of Music. Her preceding mentors include Jaime Laredo, Malcolm Lowe, Ida Kavafian, and Almita Vamos.

Paolo headshot

Paolo Dara

(Co-Director)

Violinist and violist Paolo Dara is a native of Grand Rapids, Michigan and joined the Atlanta Symphony in 2024. Paolo most recently served as Principal Viola of the Grand Rapids and Principal Second Violin of the Akron Symphony. He gave his first concerto appearance at age 15 with the Lansing Symphony Orchestra and has since been featured as soloist with the Grand Rapids Symphony and other local orchestras in Michigan including the Grand Rapids Youth Symphony, Detroit Civic Symphony, and Kent Philharmonic. In addition to solo performances, Paolo has performed in the sections of the Chicago and Detroit Symphonies.

A dedicated chamber musician, Paolo has been heard at several music festivals including the Krzyzowa Music Festival, IMS Prussia Cove, Perlman Music Program Chamber Music Workshop, Chigiana Academy of Music, Montreal International String Quartet Academy, and the Gstaad Menuhin Academy. He has collaborated in chamber music with esteemed artists such as Joseph Silverstein, Jaime Laredo, Sharon Robinson, and Roger Tapping.

Paolo completed his undergraduate studies at the Cleveland Institute of Music under the tutelage of Jaime Laredo and Jan Sloman, where he was awarded the Anna Y. Tringas Award for excellence in violin performance. He earned his master's degree at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University studying with Kathleen Winkler. In 2022, Paolo returned to the Cleveland Institute of Music, where he received a graduate diploma as a student of Stephen Rose and won the Sidney D. and Nina Josephs Chamber Music Prize upon graduation. Paolo has worked closely with other teachers including Gerhard Schulz, Joseph Silverstein, and Donald Weilerstein.