Director/Cello

Daniel Shomper is an active performer and teacher in the Washington DC/Baltimore/Annapolis area.  The Baltimore Sun praised his “masterful performance”, “lyrical expression”, and “virtuoso playing”.  He is a member of the Annapolis Symphony, the Charleston Symphony among others, and has performed as a soloist, chamber musician and orchestral musician in the United States and abroad, including venues in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Prague, Budapest, Helsinki, Spain, and Quebec.  Dr. Shomper is the founder and director of the Annapolis Cellovision Workshop, an organization dedicated to music education, performance and outreach. 

Cello

Dr. Nicole Boguslaw has been playing cello since the age of eight and has been teaching for the past fifteen years. She earned her doctorate in cello performance from the University of Maryland in 2022, and taught at the university level both there as well as at Anne Arundel Community College. As an orchestra musician, she is a section cello member of the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra, and has played with the Washington National Opera Orchestra, the Maryland Symphony, Alexandria Symphony, and the Apollo Orchestra. In 2016 she won San Francisco Academy’s concerto competition and soloed with the SF Academy orchestra. She has performed while touring across Europe, the Caribbean, and North America. Recently she collaborated with artist Jonathan Latiano for his installation Love to the Letter and the Letters Spelled Death at the Boston Sculptors Gallery. She currently resides in Baltimore, Maryland where she frequently plays in her piano trio, Rock Creek Trio.

Violin

Qian Zhong is a distinguished violinist with a diverse career spanning orchestral performance, solo and chamber music, and academia. She holds the position of First Violin with the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra and regularly performs with the Richmond Symphony Orchestra. Her past engagements include performing with the National Symphony Orchestra, a notable tenure with the Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra in China, and a regular member in the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. Her performances have been conducted by esteemed maestros such as Riccardo Muti, Alan Gilbert, Michael Tilson Thomas, and John Williams.

In addition to her performance career, Qian has served as an adjunct professor of violin at Frostburg State University since 2024. There, she runs her own studio and shares her extensive knowledge and passion for music with her students.

As a soloist and chamber musician, Qian has toured internationally, giving concerts in the US, China, France, Spain, Taiwan, Singapore, and various other countries. Her global performances reflect her versatility and commitment to expanding the reach of classical music.

Qian Zhong's educational background is equally impressive. She earned her Doctor of Musical Arts in Violin Performance from the University of Maryland, studying under David Salness. She also holds a Master of Music and Performance Diploma from the Jacobs School of Music, Indiana University, where she studied with the internationally renowned violin pedagogue Mauricio Fuks. Her undergraduate studies were completed at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, National University of Singapore, under the tutelage of Zuo Jun.

Her participation in prestigious music festivals includes the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, the David Kim Orchestra Institute at Cairn University, the Immanuel and Helen Oishan Texas Music Festival, and the China International Great Wall Music Festival.

Qian Zhong’s extensive experience and dedication to her craft have established her as a prominent and versatile violinist in the classical music world.

Violin

Hanbing Jia has been performed as soloist and ensemble musician in US, Europe and his native China. He has performed with Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, China Philharmonic Orchestra, China National Opera, Shenzhen symphony orchestra, and beyond. He currently serves as assistant concertmaster in Annapolis Symphony Orchestra, section first violin in the National Philharmonic Orchestra and Delaware Symphony Orchestra.

Jia has won numerous competitions, including Premium Gold Award at the 2018 4th International String Competition of Hong Kong International Arts Platform. He has performed as soloist and recitalist in locations including UK, Spain, Austria and China. He found and served as the first violin in Ming-De Quartet, which is prize- winner of China National Jinzhong String Quartet competition in 2011. He performed chamber recital with Ming-De Quartet in Beijing, Tianjin, Guangzhou, Shenzhen. In December 2011, Mr. Jia was invited to play chamber concert with Ming-De Quartet for President of Poland Mr. Bronisław Komorowski.

Hanbing Jia started his violin study at age four. He received his Master of Music degree and Graduate Performance Diploma from Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University. His teacher includes Herbert Greenberg, Oleg Rylatko, Paul Kantor, Gregory Lee, Frank Ge-Fang Yang, Doris Lederer, Andrzej Grabiec and Antoine Goulard. He previously received his Bachelor of Music degree from Renmin University of China, studied with renowned violinist and pedagogue Ke-Qiang Sui.

Bass

Broc Mertz is a graduate of The Peabody Conservatory of Music of The Johns Hopkins University where he received his Bachelor and Graduate Performance Diplomas in Double Bass. Former teachers include Hal Robinson, Rob Kesselman, Paul Johnson, Paul Ellison, and Peter Paulsen. 

A skillful and versatile bass player, Broc’s performance engagements have included concerts with Peter Cetera, Earth Wind and Fire, Joshua Bell, Leonard Slatkin, Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, Christopher O’Riley, Dave Brubeck, and the Contours. 

Originally from the Philadelphia area of Pennsylvania, he was a founding member of the Reading Symphony Youth Orchestra. He later became a member of the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Joseph Primavera, participating in two international concert tours. 

Broc is a current member of the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra, and is the bassist for their Adopt-A-School program.  Working with students at Annapolis Elementary, Middle, and High School, and at Bates PVA Magnet Middle School.  He has served as a bass judge for the Maryland All State orchestra auditions, and state solo and ensemble festivals for several counties in the state.

He also serves as an instructor for Anne Arundel Community College, Baltimore Symphony Youth Orchestra, In the past, he has worked with the Peabody Preparatory and Chesapeake Youth Symphony Orchestras. 

In addition to his work with the Annapolis Symphony, Broc performs with The Bach in Baltimore Concert Series, Delaware, Maryland, and York Symphonies, along with many other local, and regional ensembles in the Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and DC areas. 

Additionally, he has performed here and abroad, with music festivals in London, Reykjavik, Glasgow, Paris, Madrid, Barcelona, Quebec, and New York. 

Broc resides in Severna Park, MD with his wife and 2 children. He is an avid collector of Hard Rock Cafe pins, having visited over 100 different locations.

Viola

Heidi Remick, violist (she/her/hers), is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music, and Rice University's Shepherd School of Music. At the latter institution, she was named a Brown Foundation Fellow to coach chamber music through the Michael Hammond Preparatory Program. An avid chamber musician, Heidi has performed at the Kent/Blossom, Chautauqua, and International Festival Institute at Round Top music festivals, and has been a guest artist with the Fessenden Ensemble, Navy Band Chamber Music Series, and National Symphony Prelude Series in Washington, D.C. Heidi joined the Bellingham (WA) Festival of Music in Summer 2024.

Heidi was a member of the Greenville (SC) Symphony Orchestra for four years, and since moving to the Washington, D.C. area in 2006, she can be found performing in and around Washington, D.C. at leading venues including the Kennedy Center Concert Hall, Washington National Cathedral, and the Music Center at Strathmore. She continues to be in demand as a substitute with the Annapolis Symphony, Baltimore Chamber Orchestra, Eclipse Chamber Orchestra, Maryland Symphony Orchestra, National Philharmonic, and other regional ensembles. Heidi has also been a regularly engaged musician with the Richmond, and Virginia Symphonies, and was honored to perform with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra at Carnegie Hall.

Heidi is passionate about sharing the art of strings with young musicians and has been on the faculty of the DC Youth Orchestra Program, National Philharmonic’s Youth Mentorship Program and Summer Strings Institute, Campbell Young Leaders (SC), and Wakefield Day School (VA). Heidi guides intermediate and advanced viola and violin students as they develop technique, build their repertoire, and connect body, mind, and self with the art of musical expression at her home studio, Inner Voice Strings, in Silver Spring, MD.

When she’s not performing and teaching, Heidi can be found baking sourdough bread, swimming with the DC Aquatics Club, and exploring the trails around Sligo Creek and the Northwest Branch with her family and rescue pup, Hamish.

Bass

Patrick Raynard is a bassist who performs and teaches throughout the Baltimore area. He is principle bass of the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra. He strives to create impactful musical performances in any context; orchestral, chamber music, or solo performances. He is an avid performer of HIP (historically informed performance) and contemporary music. He received a Bachelor’s of Music from the Cleveland Institute of Music and a Master’s of Music from the Peabody Institute at the Johns Hopkins University. Having studied with bass players from premier ensembles throughout North America and Europe has given him a wealth of knowledge and experiences to draw from. He earned a minor in Adult Eurythmics Pedagogy from CIM, this is teaching practice that uses physical motion to understand, interpret, and express music. His teaching is crafted to best suit the needs of his students using techniques from Rabbath, George Vance, Caroline Emory, and Eurhythmics.

Viola

Rachel Holaday began playing viola at the age of 9 in her hometown of Boise, Idaho. After a few seminal musical experiences, one of which included attending camp as a teenager with Hilary Hahn, Rachel decided to see where a musical life might lead her. She enrolled at the Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University and completed two degrees there under the instruction of Victoria Chiang. She won a job with the Maryland Symphony Orchestra while she was still in school, and she won a job with the Annapolis Symphony shortly after graduating. She has now been playing with both orchestras for over 20 years. One of Rachel’s favorite things about pursuing music is how much of the world it’s enabled her to see from a perspective that is not available as a tourist. She has toured with John Rutter and played concerts and operas under many great directors such as James Conlon, Robert Spano, Marin Alsop, and Eduard Melkus. She has played concerts in halls as far flung as the Sydney Opera House and the Cape Town City Hall, as well as the closer, but still majestic and historic Carnegie Hall. Rachel lives in Baltimore County with her husband and their four children, and she loves being involved with her kids’ extensive musical activities, especially by passing on her love of musical travel.