About Us
Mission:
Our mission is to cultivate a vibrant and diverse chamber music community in Baltimore, providing accessible concert experiences to the general public.
More about BCP:
The Baltimore Chamber Players is a group of musicians with a shared passion for chamber music, collaboration, and bringing the Baltimore community together. Our aim is to create a space for chamber music lovers, both performers and listeners, to enjoy beautiful music in an intimate and welcoming setting. BCP is the resident chamber ensemble of Grace and Saint Peter’s Church in Mt. Vernon. The core members having strong Baltimore ties will be featured regularly in our performances, fostering personal connections among the artists and community members through pre- and post-concert gatherings. Our members come from top music programs such as Peabody Conservatory, Curtis Institute, Shepherd School of Music, Oberlin Conservatory, University of Michigan School of Music, and Colburn Conservatory and are current and former members of such institutions as the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the U.S. Army Field Band, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Santa Fe Symphony, and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. Baltimore has a wonderfully diverse population, and BCP is committed to reflecting this in the artists whose work is performed, the musicians who bring the work to life on stage, and the audiences with whom we share it.
Our Board
Flavia Pájaro-van de Stadt,
Founder, PresidentViolist Flavia Pájaro-van de Stadt is an avid chamber musician and has attended Colorado College Summer Music Festival, Sarasota Music Festival, Bowdoin International Music Festival, Kirchberg International Music Workshop and Festival in Germany, and Domaine Forget in Quebec, among others. She has had the privilege of working and performing with musicians including Leon Fleisher, Shmuel Ashkenasi, Scott Yoo, Miguel Harth-Bedoya, Keitaro Harada, Steven Moeckel, Teng Li, Paul Neubauer, Hai-Ye Ni, and Jennifer Frautschi. She received her master's degree in viola performance with CJ Chang at the Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University, where she previously received her bachelor's degree in violin performance with Keng-Yuen Tseng. Flavia is particularly grateful to her teachers Sergiu Schwartz and Toby Appel for their ongoing mentorship.
Chun-Ru Wei,
Vice PresidentA native of Taiwan, pianist Chun-Ru Wei came to the United States under the Evergreen Corporation scholarship at the age of 14. She received her B.M. and M.M. degrees in Piano Performance from The Peabody Institute in 1994 and 1995 respectively. She later received her M.A. in Arts Management from the American University in Washington D.C. In addition to performing, Ms. Wei has served as the Assistant Orchestra Manager of the Taipei Symphony Orchestra (Taiwan) in 1998 and was the former Executive Director of the Evergreen Symphony Orchestra (Taiwan) from 1999—2001. Ms. Wei is currently Executive Director of SYArts in Taiwan and Phoenix Arts Management in the USA.
Dominique van de Stadt,
SecretaryDominique van de Stadt has worked in journalism, public relations, and translation services in the US and Europe. She became a dedicated community volunteer while raising four children. She has enjoyed the privilege of serving on the boards and special committees of schools and non-profit organizations in Florida, Alabama, and Arizona—including Jacksonville Country Day School, Ritz Chamber Players, Phoenix Chamber Music Society, Red Rocks Music Festival, MusicaNova Orchestra, Phoenix Ivy Council, Harvard Interviewing Committee, the Jacksonville and Alabama symphonies, and the Phoenix, Alabama and Jacksonville youth symphonies. She has also served on the parent committees of the Sphinx Organization in Detroit and The Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, and currently serves on the board of the Bowdoin International Music Festival. She is one of many parents happy to have participated as a “team advisor” for Amy Nathan’s book, The Music Parents’ Survival Guide. A dual Dutch and U.S. citizen, Dominique grew up in Brazil, Angola, Argentina, The Netherlands, Turkey, Italy, and Belgium before coming to the US. She received a BA in History and Literature from Harvard and an MS in Journalism from Columbia. Three of her four children are professional musicians.
Deborah Broder,
TreasurerDeborah Broder is a professional business consultant in the field of arts management and arts integration, bringing for-profit business acumen to the non-profit sector. She recently retired as Vice President of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra at Strathmore, where she oversaw the organization’s DC/Montgomery County operation. Previously, Deborah served as Executive Director of The Museum of Modern Art Jacksonville (FL), the largest contemporary art museum in the state. She also held the position of Development Director of the Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens and Executive Director of the Riverside Fine Arts Association. She has served on the boards of the Jacksonville Community Music School, Jacksonville Country Day School, and the Ritz Chamber Music Foundation. Prior to her move to the non-profit arts field, Deborah’s professional career was concentrated in advertising and marketing in the for profit sector, including her position as Vice President at Donor Advertising in Detroit, Michigan, and President of her own firm, Broder Advertising. She has a BFA and MBA from Southern Methodist University.
Michael Kannen,
Artistic AdvisorCellist Michael Kannen has distinguished himself as a musician and educator of uncommon accomplishment who is comfortable in widely diverse musical situations and venues. He was a founding member of the Brentano String Quartet and for seven years performed with that group on concert stages around the world, on radio and television, and on recordings. During those years, the Brentano Quartet was awarded the first Cleveland Quartet Award, the Naumburg Chamber Music Award, a Royal Philharmonic Award and was the first participant in the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center II program.
Mr. Kannen has performed in such places as Carnegie Hall, London’s Wigmore Hall, the Amsterdam Concertgebouw and the Sydney Opera House. He was a member of the Apollo Trio and continues to perform chamber music around the country, on period instruments with the Houston-based group Context and at major music festivals such as Yellow Barn, Chamber Music Northwest, Four Seasons Chamber Music Festival and the International Musicians Seminar in Prussia Cove, England.
Mr. Kannen has collaborated with such artists as Jessye Norman, Phyllis Bryn-Julson, Itzhak Perlman, Sergiu Luca, Daniel Phillips, Donald Weilerstein, Pamela Frank, Leon Fleisher, Mitsuko Uchida, Peter Frankl, Paula Robison, David Krakauer, Jörg Widmann, Steven Isserlis, and with jazz artists Michael Formanek and Uri Caine. His activities range from performances on period instruments to premieres of the music of our time. He has recorded for the CRI and Azica labels.
Mr. Kannen is currently the Director of Chamber Music at the Peabody Conservatory of Music, where he holds the Sidney Friedberg Chair in Chamber Music.