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Social Hour at 5:00pm

Flutist Mimi Stillman is an internationally acclaimed soloist, chamber musician, teacher, recording artist, media host, and founding Artistic Director of Dolce Suono Ensemble, her chamber music ensemble which has given 67 world premieres in 19 seasons. Praised by The New York Times as "not only a consummate and charismatic performer, but also a scholar whose programs tend to activate ear, heart, and brain," she is renowned for her virtuosity, insightful interpretation, and adventurous programming. She has performed as soloist with The Philadelphia Orchestra, Marine Chamber Orchestra of the "The President's Own" US Marine Band, Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, Bach Collegium Stuttgart, Orquesta Sinfónica de Yucatán, recitals at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, Verbier Festival (Switzerland), and taught masterclasses for the National Flute Association, Eastman School of Music, École Normale de Musique de Paris, universities and conservatories throughout the United States, Europe, and Latin America. Her concerts and recordings are broadcast globally, and she is the host of the popular "Tea with Mimi" livestream show. Ms Stillman is a published author on music and history, a composer and arranger, and a Yamaha Performing Artist and Clinician. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the Curtis Institute of Music and a Master's Degree in history from the University of Pennsylvania. She is artist in residence on faculty at Temple University. mimistillman.com

Noted by Cleveland Classical for his ability to “bring out subtle inner details” and to “communicate directly with the listener”, Gideon Whitehead has established himself as an accomplished and versatile artist.  He has given solo recitals for numerous organizations and guitar societies throughout the eastern half of the United States.  As a chamber musician, Gideon has had the opportunity of performing with many world-renowned musicians, including frequent appearances with flutist Mimi Stillman and the Dolce Suono Ensemble. An active teacher, Gideon instructs guitar lessons at several institutions in the Philadelphia area, including the University of Pennsylvania and Cairn University, and has taught at the Csehy Summer School of Music since 2014. Gideon holds a Bachelor of Music in guitar performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music, an Artist Diploma from the Curtis Institute of Music, and a Master of Science in Business Analytics from Temple University.  He has studied with renowned guitarists Jason Vieaux and David Starobin.  Gideon performs on a 2011 Toby Rzepka cedar-top guitar. In addition to his musical activities, Gideon is a software engineer at the Penn Medicine Center for Healthcare Innovation. He resides with his wife Sarah and their two rambunctious boys in Philadelphia, PA.

DOLCE SUONO ENSEMBLE (DSE) has been thrilling audiences and invigorating the music world since its founding by flutist and Artistic Director Mimi Stillman in 2005. Hailed as “an adventurous ensemble” (The New York Times) and “One of the most dynamic groups in the US!” (The Huffington Post), the ensemble presents critically acclaimed chamber music concerts on its series in Philadelphia, performs on tour, commissions new works, makes recordings, and does community engagement and educational outreach partnerships. Dolce Suono Ensemble presents dynamic and innovative programs of Baroque to new repertoire with historian Mimi Stillman’s curatorial vision setting the music in its broadest cultural context. Some of its artistically and intellectually powerful projects include the celebrated Mahler 100 / Schoenberg 60, Debussy in Our Midst: A Celebration of the 150th Anniversary of Claude Debussy, A Place and a Name: Remembering the Holocaust, Dolce Suono Ensemble Goes to the Opera, Women Pioneers of American Music, Rediscoveries: Festival of American Chamber Music, and Música en tus Manos (Music in Your Hands), our engagement initiative with the Latino community. “All programs should have this much to say and say it so well.” (The Philadelphia Inquirer) Dolce Suono Ensemble has performed at venues including the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, Southern Exposure New Music Series (SC), Brooklyn’s Roulette, University of Pennsylvania, Brandywine River Museum, Merkin Hall, University of Virginia, New York Flute Club, Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, Bard College, Eastman School of Music, National Flute Association, Chicago Flute Club, Virginia Tech, Kingston Chamber Music Festival, Princeton University, Brandeis University, Cornell University, Michigan State University, the University of Arizona, and Penn State University. The ensemble enjoys a partnership with the Washington National Opera at the invitation of Plácido Domingo. Dolce Suono Ensemble has contributed major new works to the chamber music repertoire through commissioning, giving 67 world premières in 18 seasons. Some of today’s most eminent composers have written for the ensemble, as have young composers encouraged by DSE through its ComposerLab program. The ensemble’s acclaimed recordings include Freedom, Odyssey: 11 American Premieres, and American Canvas. Dolce Suono Ensemble concerts and recordings are broadcast internationally. DSE has won grant awards including from the National Endowment for the Arts, William Penn Foundation, Yamaha Music USA, Pew, and the Knight Foundation.