2025 Benefit Concert

Ten-year-old and fifth grade singer Mary Vu was born in the United States but spent most of her life in Vietnam before moving back last year. Despite her young age, Mary has already performed on international stages, including a duet with violin prodigy David Klinkenberg aboard the Emerald Princess and special performances for both the Israeli Ambassador (in Hebrew) and Vietnamese government officials (in Vietnamese). A frequent karaoke champion on cruise ships, Mary performs in Hebrew, Vietnamese, and English. Today, she’ll be singing in a song from The Greatest Showman titled “Rewrite the Stars.”Mary chose “Rewrite the Stars” because, in her words, “every child deserves a chance to change their story”—a fitting anthem for a night devoted to helping doctors and dreamers alike rewrite the stars for children in Vietnam.

Soprano Yelena Dudochkin has captivated audiences across the world with her expressive stage presence, rich soprano voice, and powerful interpretations. Her roles include Tatyana in Eugene Onegin, Violetta in La Traviata, Snow Maiden in Snow Maiden, Brigitta and Iolanta in Iolanta, Gilda in Rigoletto, Norina in Don Pasquale, Chernyafka in Magic Mirror, Manon in Manon, Podtochina’s Daughter in The Nose, and Marfa in Tsar’s Bride. A recipient of over 20 awards and honors, Yelena has been touted for her “gorgeous, expressive and rich voice” (Voice of America) and her “dramatic intelligence” (Boston Globe) that have repeatedly “amazed the audience” (Contact). She is sought after as both an operatic performer and concert soloist, performing with leading orchestras globally including at Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Jordan Hall, The Majestic Theater, and Boston’s Symphony Hall. Outside of her performance career, Yelena works to expand the scope and impact of music and culture in society as the Artistic Director of the Chamber Music Foundation of New England, and with her advocacy and talks at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Music X Summit, and Horasis Global conferences. Yelena also serves on the President’s Council at New England Conservatory of Music. www.yelenadudochkin.com

Born in Kyiv, Ukraine, Anastasia Seifetdinova gave her first solo recital at the age of eleven. Ms. Seifetdinova is a graduate of the Hochschule für Musik Würzburg, Germany, and holds Master’s and Doctorate degrees from The Hartt School at the University of Hartford.

In 2003 Anastasia received First Prize and a Special Prize in the 14th International Piano Competition for Young Pianists in Rome. In year 2006 Ms. Seifetdinova won the Puigcerda International Piano Competition in Spain. In the same year she recorded the complete works for piano and orchestra by Balakirev with the Russian Philharmonic Orchestra for NAXOS records. In 2016 and 2017 Ms. Seifetdinova released her two piano solo CDs with Centaur Records, and in 2022 the digital album of Ukrainian Piano Music.

Anastasia’s engagements include three solo recitals at Carnegie Hall and twice at the Myra Hess Concert Series in Chicago, as well as performances in Europe, USA, and Japan. Dr. Seifetdinova served as an Adjunct Faculty in Piano and Chamber Music at the Hartt School, and as a freelanced pianist at the New England Conservatory in Boston. Anastasia currently is on faculty at M.Steinert Piano Academy in Boston, and at the Oxana Yablonskaya Piano Institute in Bulgaria and Israel. Dr. Seifetdinova received Steinway & Sons Top Music Teacher Awards in 2024 and 2025, and has been serving on the board of directors of New England Piano Teachers Association since 2024. 

David Fisher, studied cello with George Ricci and Orlando Cole and is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music. While there he performed under Eugene Ormandy, Ricardo Muti, James Levine, Zubin Mehta, Alexander Schneider, and Paul Paray. He toured as guest artist with the Curtis Quartet, and also performed extensively as a member of the Lang Piano Trio. As winner of the Artists International Music Competition he performed a solo debut at Carnegie Recital Hall in 1983. He has performed on “Young Artists Showcase” (WQXR, New York City), “Morning Pro Musica” (WGBH, Boston), and “Concerts from Curtis” (NPR, Philadelphia). Separately, he graduated from Swarthmore College, Cornell Medical School, and Rockefeller University. He is currently Chairman of Dermatology at Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School.

Elaine Leisinger, violist/violinist and sometime collaborative pianist, is a keen chamber musician and orchestral player. Regular orchestral engagements include Symphony New Hampshire (Assistant Principal Viola) and the Mercury Orchestra (Principal 2nd Violin/Principal Viola). She is a co-founder of the Haydn Enthusiasts, which is dedicated to the performance, study, and appreciation of Haydn’s string quartets. A devoted fan of music theory and puzzles, Elaine also enjoys making musical arrangements for students and colleagues. She holds a B.M. in Viola Performance from the Eastman School of Music; a B.A. in Mathematics from the University of Rochester; and a M.Ed. from the UMass Boston. In her non-musical life, Elaine works as a research administrator at Brandeis University. She is also passionate about math education and has taught math at UMass Boston and in the Boston Public Schools.

A native of Hong Kong, Ellyses Kuan began playing piano at the age of 3. She received a full scholarship from the Hong Kong Jockey Club Music Fund for her master’s degree, studying Piano Performance and Literature with Barry Snyder at the Eastman School of Music, and was selected to represent Hong Kong at the International Kirishima Music Festival in Japan. Among her other teachers were Dr. Siu-Wan Chair Fang and Paul Odette. She has performed in masterclasses with John Perry, Dang Thai Son, Malcolm Bilson, Alan Chow, Andrew Cooperstock and Jane Mcgrath. She also holds a master’s degree in Library and Information Science from Simmons College.  As a soloist and collaborator, she has performed throughout the United States, and in Canada, Austria, Japan and Hong Kong.  In addition to being an active performer, Ellyses is the music director of EKS Music School, a community music school in Quincy, MA.  She received Steinway & Sons Top Music Teacher Awards in 2017, 2018 and 2020 and was named Teacher of the Year by Massachusetts Music Teachers Association in 2020 and is the Interim President and Archivist of the Massachusetts Music Teacher Association. She is a founding member of Duo Amie with an active performing schedule and online presence. Ellyses can be heard on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, SoundCloud, and YouTube.

Praised for her “compelling” and “thought-provoking” work, violinist and composer Francine Trester is a professor of composition at Berklee College of Music. Her compositions have been performed nationally and internationally by acclaimed solo artists, chamber ensembles and orchestras.  Commemorating the centennial of the 19^th amendment and with words and music by the composer, her composition for voice and orchestra “A Walk in Her Shoes” was recently premiered to critical acclaim by Boston Landmarks Orchestra (2021). Trester’s chamber opera “Florence Comes Home,” about composer Florence Price (commissioned by Shelter Music Boston), was described by the Intelligencer as “meaningful…wide and comprehensive.” Trester frequently sets her own texts to music, and her “An Oman Odyssey,” a song cycle of original words and music, was commissioned by the Mirror Visions Ensemble, premiering at Lincoln Center. Additionally, she wrote the libretto and music to “Keepers of the Light,” commissioned by and premiered at the Nahant Music Festival. Her chamber opera “Sleeping Beauty” was also written for the Festival as was the cycle “Nahant Calling.”  Trester earned her doctoral, masters and undergraduate degrees from Yale University and was a composition student of Jacob Druckman and Martin Bresnick, and a violin student of Syoko Aki. As a violinist, she was a Tanglewood Fellow and student of Louise Behrend in the Juilliard Pre-College Division, and is a founding member of the Eleuthera Trio. A recipient of a Fulbright, Trester also studied composition with Alexander Goehr at Cambridge University. Francine’s work is available through the American Composers Alliance and Affetto/Naxos, Albany, Crystal and Stone Records.

Julie began playing cello at age 9, studying with Aldo Parisot. Under his tutelage, Julie performed throughout North and South America, winning several competitions, including Gold Medal (New Haven Youth Symphony Young Artists Competition), 1st Prize (Connecticut Chamber Orchestra Young Artists Competition), 1st Place in the Alliance Auditions National Music Competition, and 2nd Prize (Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition Junior Division). She earned her Bachelor of Music from Curtis Institute of Music (student of David Soyer), performing in the United States, Canada, and Europe. Julie received the Horace Alwyn Prize for music from Bryn Mawr College as a Post-baccalaureate Premedical student, and performed regularly while pursuing her M.D., and Ph.D. in Biophysics at Stanford University and during her residency and fellowship in Boston. As a soloist and collaborator, she is an active performer throughout New England and beyond, performing as a soloist with the Longwood Symphony and the Waltham Symphony Orchestra (with whom she also served as Principal Cellist), and with the Boston Civic Symphony (as principal cellist), National Virtual Medical Orchestra, Boston Music Institute, Lyra Music Festival, Ellipsis Chamber Players and the Eleuthera Trio. She is a founding member of Duo Amie with an active performing schedule and online presence. Julie is also a practicing dermatopathologist and an Assistant Professor of Pathology at Harvard Medical School. Julie can be heard on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, SoundCloud, and YouTube.

Julie Scolnik is a concert flutist and the founding artistic director of Mistral Music, a chamber music series which since 1997 has been known for its virtuosic artists, imaginative programming, and the personal rapport she establishes with her audiences. Since her treatment and recovery from breast cancer in 2005, Scolnik has found ways to play and curate benefit concerts which raise funds for
underserved women with the disease. The most recent include two full orchestral concerts with the world-renowned Sir Simon Rattle in Jordan Hall, Boston.

She lives in Boston with her husband, physicist Michael Brower, and her two cats, Daphne and Chloë. They have two adult children, also musicians: conductor/cellist Sasha Scolnik-Brower and pianist Sophie Scolnik-Brower, with whom she performs and records frequently.

She recently released her debut memoir, Paris Blue, A Memoir of First Love, which has garnered over 18 awards and a quote from John Irving for its cover.

Described as a performer who “conjures enchantment” (Boston Globe), New York Concert Artists Guild Award winner Lois Shapiro is a highly sought-after solo and collaborative pianist, who has performed throughout the United States and abroad in concerts ranging from 18th-century period-instrument performances to premieres. She has recorded on a number of labels including Afka, Bridge, Channel Classics, MLAR, Pierrot, and Centaur. She was a founding member of the acclaimed Triple Helix chamber ensemble (named Best Chamber Music Ensemble in Boston from 2000-2002 and Musicians of the Year in 2002, by the Boston Globe), and gives numerous masterclasses and lectures on musicianship and performance. She is also a founding member of the Eleuthera Trio. As an expression of her abiding interest in bringing the musical experience to under-served populations, she was recently awarded an Alumni Ventures grant from Yale University to create innovative interdisciplinary music programs in the Boston public schools. Always seeking to inspire music-lovers of all ages, Ms. Shapiro has recently created an intergenerational orchestra called FIGCO and, in collaboration with the Longy School of Music Dalcroze Department, she co-produced a series of engaging and popular family programs in which she performed as narrator and pianist. She received her musical training at the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University, Yale University, and the New England Conservatory. A highly regarded teacher of both piano and chamber music, Lois has taught at Smith College, Brandeis University, the Longy School of Music, and is currently on the faculty at Wellesley College, New England Conservatory, and Rivers School Conservatory of Music where she teaches chamber music and served as Artist-in-Residence, 2018-19.