Violinist Melissa Stewart completed her Master of Music degree in 2013 under the mentorship of Andrés Cárdenes at Carnegie Mellon University where she performs with the CMU Philharmonic and recently presented a solo recital. Ms. Stewart has performed in master classes for Kyoko Hashimoto, Milan Vitek, and William van der Sloot. She placed third in CMU’s Baroque Competition, soloed twice with the Hillsdale College Orchestra, and performed in the Czech Republic and Great Britain. A member of the Westmoreland Symphony, Ms. Stewart is currently pursuing a Performance Certificate at Carnegie Mellon while maintaining a private teaching studio and performing throughout Pittsburgh.
A native of the Dominican Republic, Luis Hernández began his piano studies at the age of 8 and has performed extensively as a soloist and chamber musician. In 2006, he was awarded a full scholarship under Professor Max Levinson's tutelage at Boston Conservatory, where he won the Honors Competition and placed third in the Steinway Competition. Currently, Hernández is pursuing a Master’s in Collaborative Piano at Carnegie Mellon University where he will perform Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue in December and serves on the faculty of the Preparatory School of Music. Stewart and Hernández formed the Lyra Duoearlier this year and performed in Minneapolis in March. Future engagements include concerts in Pennsylvania and Michigan.
