PMP ALUMNI - ZOTA QUARTET
Clara Neubauer, violin; Tong Chen, violin; Cassie Drake, viola; Connor Kim, cello
ZOTA Quartet
The Zota Quartet returns with a new, exciting program and a unique special collaboration. This ensemble, comprised of award-winning Perlman Music Program alumni, hail from around the world and Florida. They are committed to sharing their music with the next generation and celebrating the beauty and art of great music.
ABOUT THE EVENT:
For the collaboration, the Zota Quartet will perform several private sessions for a select group of visual artist members of Creative Liberties, inspiring them in the creation of artworks created especially for the event.
At the event, the Zota Quartet will be performing the pieces that inspired the Creative Liberties’ artists, who will be in attendance that evening. Their artwork will be on display and for sale.
THE ART OF MUSIC
SEASON FINALE!
Monday, May 4, 2026 | 7:30 pm
In Collaboration with
Creative Liberties Artist Studios, Gallery & Creative Academy
Performance and Art Exhibit at:
Fogartyville
525 Kumquat Court Sarasota 34236
(Rosemary District)
ART OF MUSIC PROGRAM
Ravel: Quartet, II. Assez vif, Très rythmé
Britten: Three Divertimenti, III. Burlesque
Bach: “Art of Fugue”, No. 1 and 2
Webern: “Langsamer Satz”
Schubert: “Death and the Maiden”, II.
Shaw: “Valencia”
Tickets:
$40 General Admission
$50 VIP Seating (front tables)
Ticket purchasers – no need for a ticket, your name will be on the guest list at check-in.
All ticket purchases are final sales and cannot be refunded or exchanged.
Snacks, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages will be available for purchase.
This venue has open table seating
CHAMBER MUSIC CONCERT
Saturday, May 2, 2026 | 7:00 pm
Campus Center at Church of the Palms
3224 Bee Ridge Road Sarasota 34238
Concert Program
Shaw: “Valencia”
Schubert: String Trio in B-flat Major, D. 471
Webern: “Langsamer Satz”
Haydn: Quartet in B flat Major, Op. 76 No. 4 “Sunrise”
About the Zota Quartet
The Zota Quartet met in 2023 at the Perlman Music Program Chamber Music Workshop. Its members hail from New York, Florida, Shanghai, and Korea, and have studied at institutions including The Juilliard School, the Yale School of Music, the New England Conservatory, and the Colburn Conservatory. Their numerous individual accolades include top prizes at competitions such as the Hong Kong International Music Competition, Schadt National Competition for Strings, Ysaӱe International Competition, and National Young arts Foundation.
All deeply passionate about chamber music, they have studied at festivals besides PMP such as Ravinia, Music@Menlo, Verbier Festival Academy, and Marlboro. Having been themselves touched by music at early ages, the Zota Quartet is committed to sharing music with the next generation. They had the opportunity to work specifically on educational outreach at the PMP Alumni Retreat in the fall of 2023, presenting programs to children ranging from kindergarten through high school under the guidance of Merry Peckham and Tanya Maggi, dean of Community Engagement at the New England Conservatory.
The Zota Quartet derives its name from the rich history of Sarasota (in its original spelling from the 1700s, Sara-zota). While the exact etymological origins remain up for debate, it is likely that “Zota” was a Native American term used to describe something clear, blue, and beautiful – perhaps Sarasota’s beautiful bay. The Zota Quartet feels that no better word could be used to describe chamber music making. When four people collaborate as a quartet, all of life’s business falls away, and what is left is one clear goal: to celebrate the beauty of great art, and to share it with the audience. The Zota Quartet owes their deepest gratitude to the Perlman Music Program and PMP Suncoast for fostering a magical environment of both exploration and sharing.
Clara Neubauer, violin
Praised for her “seductive artistry” and “rare grace” (Classical Voice North America), violinist Clara Neubauer is a recipient of the Ana Chumachenco Award from the Kronberg Academy Masterclasses and the Peter Mennin Prize from The Juilliard School.
Clara has appeared at festivals including the Marlboro Music Festival, Ravinia, Taos School of Music, Perlman Music Program, Music@Menlo, Four Seasons, Music from Angel Fire, and Olympic Music Festival. Highlights of the 2025–26 season include performances at Caramoor as part of the Evnin Rising Stars Program, a tour of the U.S. and Canada with Musicians From Marlboro, and appearances with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, IMS Prussia Cove Chamber Music, and Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players.
Clara currently serves as concertmaster of The Juilliard Orchestra and performs regularly with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. Winner of the National YoungArts competition, Clara has appeared as soloist with the Württemberg Chamber Orchestra Heilbronn, the Symphony of Westchester, the National Repertory Orchestra, the New York Concerti Sinfonietta, the Little Orchestra Society, and Ensemble 212.
Clara received her Bachelor of Music degree from The Juilliard School as a student of Itzhak Perlman and Li Lin.
She is currently studying for her Master’s of Music at Juilliard as a student of Catherine Cho and Itzhak Perlman and a proud recipient of the Kovner Fellowship.
Tong Chen, violin
Praised for “playing deep down from his heart” by violinist Itzhak Perlman, violinist Tong Chen hails from Shanghai and is an avid soloist and chamber musician. Tong has been invited to compete internationally in competitions and placed favorably including Hong Kong International Violin Competition (2nd prize), Vancouver International Music Competition (3rd prize), Ysaye International Violin Competition (finalist) and the Queen Elisabeth International Violin Competition in 2024. Tong has participated in numerous music festivals including Verbier Music Festival, Yellow Barn Chamber Music Festival, Bowdoin International Music Festival, Four Seasons Chamber Music Winter Workshop, International Musicians Seminar- Prussia Cove, Norfolk Chamber Music Festival and The Chamber Music Workshop at Perlman Music Program.
As a passionate chamber musician, Tong has treasured the privilege of sharing stages with Ida Kavafian, Colin Carr, Melvin Chen, Areta Zhulla, Vivian Hornik Weilerstein, Natasha Brofsky, Larry Dutton, and Anthony Marwood. Chen has received Bachelor, Master of Music degrees, and Graduate Diploma from the New England Conservatory under Miriam Fried, Paul Biss and Donald Weilerstein. He is also influenced by many important mentors including Mark Steinberg, Anthony Marwood, and Itzhak Perlman.
Currently, he pursues his Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) Degree in Stony Brook University(SUNY) under the tutelage of Philip Setzer and Jennifer Frautschi.
In February of 2025, Tong joined the violin section of the NDR Radiophilharmonie in Hannover, Germany.
He performs on a violin generously loaned by the Maestro Foundation, crafted by Gregg Alf in 2000.
Cassia Drake, viola
Cassia Drake, a native of Southwest Florida, gave her solo debut with the Artis-Naples Orchestra at age 14. She recently graduated from the Yale School of Music where she received her Masters of Musical Arts as a student of Ettore Causa. Previously, she graduated from Colburn Conservatory with her Bachelors and Masters of Music degrees under the tutelage of Paul Coletti.
Ms. Drake was recently appointed Assistant Principal Viola of the Naples Philharmonic.
She is an avid chamber musician and has collaborated with musicians such as members of the Tokyo, Calidore, Aviv, and New Orford String Quartet, as well as Antonio Lysy, Shmuel Ashkenazi, and Eliso Virsaladze. As a soloist she has appeared with the Colburn Orchestra, Arits-Naples Philharmonic, Florida West Coast Symphony, Sarasota Music Festival Orchestra, and the Bravo Summer Music Festival.
In 2023 Ms. Drake attended the Perlman Music Program Chamber Music Workshop, the Chamber Music Retreat, and the PMP Winter Residency in Sarasota.
Ms. Drake plays on a 1872 Aldophus Mönnig, a generous loan from Bernard Friedland.
Connor Kim, cello
Connor is a passionate chamber musician and has performed with world-renowned artists such as Itzhak Perlman, Roger Tapping, Atar Arad, and Hsin Yun Huang. Festival appearances include Ravinia Steans Music Institute, Music@Menlo’s International Program, Kneisel Hall, the Perlman Music Program, Kronberg Academy Cello Masterclasses, and IMS Prussia Cove.
He has performed and worked with various ensembles such as the New York Classical Players, Ensemble Salome, Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players, and is a principal cellist for The Roosevelt Island Orchestra. Connor has performed at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall and Stern Auditorium, Alice Tully Hall, David Geffen Hall, Davies Symphony Hall, Disney Hall, Hwang In Young’s MusicSpace Camerata, the Seoul Arts Center, WQXR’s Greene Space, Brooklyn’s Bargemusic and more.
Connor completed both his Bachelors and Masters degrees at The Juilliard School under the tutelage of Joel Krosnick and Timothy Eddy. He is currently serving as a faculty assistant for Joel Krosnick, and is enrolled in Juilliard’s Artist Diploma program. Connor gratefully plays on a Becker cello on loan by the Colburn Foundation.