Who We Are
Leah Kohn
Bassoonist Leah Kohn is a versatile musician with a passion for unusual repertoire. She is also an active performer on the baroque bassoon and contrabassoon. Dyad, her duo with violinist Niv Ashkenazi, has performed on concert series throughout California and on the East Coast. Their arrangement of Bloch’s Prayer was recently published by TrevCo Music Publishing, and they presented Reena Esmail’s Nadiya at the 2021 Meg Quigley Vivaldi Symposium. Dyad also works with Street Symphony, an organization that brings music to underserved communities.
As well as freelance work in Los Angeles, Leah has performed at the Lake George Music Festival, as a fellow at the Norfolk Music Festival, at several programs at the Banff Centre, and at Fresh Inc. Festival with Fifth House Ensemble. She received her D.M.A. from the University of Southern California as a student of Judith Farmer, with an academic field in musicology and elective fields in Arts Leadership and early music. She holds an M.M. from The Juilliard School and a B.M. from the Manhattan School of Music, both as a student of Frank Morelli.
As an educator, she maintains a private teaching studio in Los Angeles, as well as coaching for several local youth orchestras. In addition to her performing career, she is a past director of Junior Chamber Music’s Los Angeles and Conejo Valley branches, and she was the producer of the album Niv Ashkenazi: Violins of Hope, which was named one of the Chicago Tribune’s best classical recordings of 2020.
Leah grew up in Hanover, NH and is passionate about expanding the high level, classical music summer offerings for residents in her hometown and the rest of the Upper Valley.
Niv Ashkenazi
Virtuoso violinist Niv Ashkenazi has captivated audiences with his heartfelt musicianship and emotional performances. Praised for his “extremely colourful interpretations, characterized by maturity and authority” (Pizzicato Magazine), he has made several Carnegie Hall and Kennedy Center appearances, and has performed in Europe, the Middle East, and across North America. His conviction that the impact of music serves people beyond the concert stage motivates him to collaborate on projects that create a strong emotional bond with his audience.
In the 2019-2020 season, he was the first ever Artist in Residence at the Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts (The Soraya). His debut album, Niv Ashkenazi: Violins of Hope, the first solo album recorded on one of the Violins of Hope, released in March 2020 on Albany Records. It has received international critical acclaim and was named one of the 10 best classical recordings of 2020 by the Chicago Tribune.
Niv has performed with members of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Juilliard String Quartet, Cavani Quartet, and Ariel Quartet. He has appeared as a soloist with the Long Beach Symphony and Culver City Symphony among others. He has been a guest artist and given masterclasses at La Sierra University, California State University, Northridge, and Westmont College. Other performance highlights include recitals at Weill Recital Hall, Kennedy Center’s Concert Hall, Terrace Theater, and Millenium Stage, The Soraya, the Granada Theatre, the Perlman Music Program Alumni Recital Series, and the Epiphany Music Guild Series.
Niv has been invited to perform at the Lake George Music Festival, Perlman Music Program’s Chamber Music Workshop, Music Academy of the West, Keshet Eilon Summer Mastercourse in Israel, and iPalpiti Festival of International Laureates. Dyad, his innovative violin and bassoon duo, has performed on many concert series on the West Coast, collaborated with dance companies, and frequently commissions and performs new works alongside traditional repertoire. Their arrangement of Bloch’s Prayer was recently published by TrevCo Music Publishing.
Niv holds both a B.M. and M.M. from The Juilliard School, where his teachers included Itzhak Perlman and Glenn Dicterow. He serves on the professional advisory board of Inclusion Matters by Shane’s Inspiration, a global nonprofit organization dedicated to building inclusive playgrounds, and formerly served on the board of the Los Angeles Youth Orchestra.