About The Kalnas Ensemble
The newly formed Kalnas Ensemble is a string quartet focusing on Lithuanian musical roots, exploring compositions of Stanley Chepaitis with improvisatory overtones, as well as performing standard quartet repertoire. The ensemble is a diverse group of multi-talented individuals with a commitment to engaging audiences with a dynamic approach to live performance. In addition, their wide spectrum of knowledge and interests allows them to offer workshops and other interactive presentations that enhance the meaning and experience of the music they perform.
Founder, Composer, and Violinist
Dr. Stanley Chepaitis
Dr. Chepaitis holds a Doctor of Musical Arts Degree and a Master of Music, as well as a Performer’s Certificate from the Eastman School of Music. He is a versatile performing and recording artist who is at home in a classical string quartet, a jazz band, and anything in between. His career spans fifty years in which time he has performed Nationally and Internationally, composed and premiered his own works, and recorded seven CDs mostly of original music. Dr. Chepaitis has been at the forefront of the Alternative Styles Movement having had a leading role in the ASTA Alternative Styles Conferences in ’03,’05, 06, ’07, and ’08.
Violinist
Swana Chepaitis
Swana Chepaitis received a diploma in Violin Performance and Pedagogy from the Hochschule fur Kunste in Bremen Germany. She studied with Maria Grevesmuhl and Baroque violin specialist Christoph Heidemann. She has been a member of L’arco (a professional Baroque orchestra based in Hanover, Germany), the Litton String Quartet. Mrs. Chepaitis currently performs with the Johnstown Symphony Orchestra, does freelance performance as a baroque violinist in the Pittsburgh area, and maintains a studio of 20+ violin students in Indiana, PA.
Violist
Simon Maurer
Simon Maurer grew up in Switzerland in a family of six children, all of whom became professional musicians. He studied violin at the Conservatory in Biel and continued his studies in the U.S. with Geoffrey Michaels at Swarthmore College and Joyce Robbins at Stoneybrook. He has performed as a soloist in France, Switzerland, and with the Shenyang Symphony Orchestra in China. Solo performances in the US include concerts with the Schuylkill Symphony Orchestra, Bloomsburg Chamber Orchestra, Louden Symphony in Maryland, Pennsylvania Sinfonia Orchestra, Valley Vivaldi, and the Southwest Symphony in Hobbs New Mexico. He is a founding member and the artistic director of the Gabriel Chamber Ensemble now celebrating its 32nd season. Committed to performance and education, the group takes pride in bringing classical music to underserved areas. Mr. Maurer teaches violin, viola, and cello at the Bear Crossing Music Studio in New Ringgold.
Cellist
Nancy Baun
Cellist Nancy Baun has performed over 1,000 events throughout the United States, including three appearances at Carnegie’s Weil Hall, as well as in Switzerland, France, Italy, Iceland, and Canada. She appears on nine piano trio recordings, including a series on the Naxos International label “Home for the Holidays”, a favorite of Public Radio audiences. Her favorite highlights also include judging the semifinals of the renowned Koussevitzky Competition in New York City and performing in a World Music Institute event at Merkin Concert Hall. She has been an elementary music teacher for over 10 years in urban Buffalo, where she designed curriculum for her passion, “collaborative connections with music”. She has received a national Young Audiences grant for her education workshops integrating music with drawing.