Violinist Te-Chiang (Bacco) Liu, a native of Taiwan, started the violin at age of five. Mr. Liu was awarded the top prize at the Taiwan National Violin Competition in the Youth Division in 1996. Mr. Liu was accepted by the Queensland Conservatorium in Australia to study with renowned Australian Teacher, Carmel Kaine and won all Violin Prizes for two consecutive years. While he was serving the national duty, in Taiwan Te-Chiang was selected to be the Concertmaster for the National Defense Symphony Orchestra where he performed several state banquets for the President of Taiwan and leaders from other countries.

Te-Chiang was offered full scholarships to attend the Boston Conservatory where he received a Masters Degree to study with Professor Lynn Chang in Violin Performance in 2009. Te-Chiang has been the Concertmaster at numerous orchestra and chamber concerts at the Boston Conservatory and has participated in a collaborative performance with renowned artist Yo-Yo Ma and Lynn Chang, where he was selected to lead the Hememway String Chamber Ensemble in 2009. Te-Chiang has been an enthusiastic orchestral musician. He was invited to attend Tanglewood Music Festival in 2009 to work closely and perform with the Boston Symphony Orchestra.  

Mr. Liu came to University of Minnesota for Doctoral of Music Arts degree to study with Professor Young-Nam Kim with full scholarships. Te-Chiang has been a soloist with various orchestras in Taiwan and Australia. He was also invited to perform in Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Germany and U.S throughout the years.

Te-Chiang was the Concertmaster of Southwest Minnesota Orchestra and Minnetonka Symphony Orchestra. He currently performs as regular extra musician for the Minnesota Orchestra. For 2018-2019 season, he will be taking on the role of Concertmaster of Sioux City Symphony Orchestra and the Guest Concertmaster at Wichita Symphony Orchestra

Te-Chiang was the founder and the Artistic Director of Southwest Minnesota String Festival, and the first violinist of Meadowlarks String Quartet. The Meadowlark string quartet is currently in Artistic Partnership with Saint Mary’s University Winona. Mr. Liu is the violin/viola faculty of Saint Mary’s University Winona. In addition, he maintains an active private teaching studio in Metro area.

Kirsti Petraborg is a versatile chamber musician and a passionate teacher. Now the violist of Lux String Quartet, Kirsti refined her skills as a chamber musician as a founding member of the Meadowlark Quartet. Kirsti currently performs with the Eau Claire Chamber Orchestra as well as the Clear Water Chamber Players and is a regular guest at the Oskaloosa Chamber Music Festival. In 2016, she performed Hindemith’s Trauermusik with the festival chamber orchestra.

Not only a chamber musician, Kirsti has soloed with Exultate Chamber Orchestra and the Southwest Minnesota Orchestra and has played with the Duluth-Superior, LaCrosse and Sioux City Symphony Orchestras. Kirsti diversifies her schedule by playing musical theater with Artistry Minnesota and by performing with the one of the few Cuban-style charanga groups in the United States, Charanga Tropical. The Latin group takes her out of the concert hall and into places a viola normally would not travel, including the Minnesota State Fair and Chicago’s much-loved Summer Dance in Grant Park, and has given her the occasion to use her dancing skills on stage as well.

Kirsti has been an adjunct faculty member at Southwest Minnesota State University as well as Luther College. At her teaching studios in the Twin Cities area, her students hone their technique as well as learn the art of making music. She teaches at the Southwest Minnesota String Festival, and has spent several summers at Lutheran Summer Music Festival.

Energetic about sharing her love of the viola with others, Kirsti is currently on the board of the Minnesota Viola Society in the capacity of Past President. She received her doctoral degree in Viola Performance at the University of Minnesota, where she also earned her Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees. She has studied with Korey Konkol, Sabina Thatcher, and Dr. Andrea Een.

Josh Schwalbach resides in Saint Paul, Minnesota, where he is a freelance bassist and teacher. He holds a DMA in double bass from Stony Brook University in New York. Josh serves as assistant principal bass of the Mankato Symphony, performs regularly with the Rose Ensemble, is a member of The Neighborhood Trio, and frequently performs in musical theater productions around the Twin Cities. He is currently on faculty as double bass instructor at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and the University of St. Thomas.