The Mather Tysons — Iris Music Project

Meet the musicians

Kathryn Hufnagle

Cellist, and Northern Virginia native, Kathryn Hufnagle enjoys a busy career as a performer and educator in the Washington D.C. area. Prior to settling down in Arlington, VA, Ms. Hufnagle spent seven years in the Midwest where she was Associate Principal of the South Dakota Symphony, Principal of the Sioux City Symphony and adjunct faculty at Augusta University in Sioux Falls.

Previously, Ms. Hufnagle has played with the Omaha Symphony, Kansas City Symphony and New World Symphony. Kathryn has been a fellowship recipient at the Aspen Music Festival and Tanglewood Music Center where she received the Samuel Mays Memorial Cello award for musical excellence.

Kathryn earned her B.M. from the New England Conservatory and her M.M. from the Cleveland Institute of Music.

Carolina Pedroza

Carolina Pedroza began her musical training in Villavicencio, Colombia, and holds a Doctorate in Violin Performance from the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. She was the recipient of full tuition awards for her Masters and Doctoral studies. She has worked in music education programs in Colombia, Venezuela, and the U.S., and served as Graduate Teaching Assistant at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, and Penn State University.

As a member of orchestras in Colombia, Venezuela, and across the United States, Carolina has performed extensively in North and South America. She was also a member of the YOA Youth Orchestra of the Americas for the European Tour, performing in venues such as the Elbphilharmonie (Hamburg), and other concert halls through Poland, Ukraine, Germany, and Scotland.

She has attended music festivals across the Americas, and participated with Sphinx Organization in Orchestra Audition Intensives and conferences. Her achievements in the D.C. area include a solo appearance with Catholic University Symphony at the Kennedy Center, and her appointment as a Diversity Fellow with Fairfax Symphony.

Miss Pedroza was a member of the Guayaba Quintet, a Chamber Music Program envisioned by her and other Latin American musicians, focused on promoting the music of living Latin American and Iberian composers. Following this line of interest, she was appointed Graduate Research Assistant at the Latin American Music Center from the Catholic University of America. Miss Pedroza is committed to promoting the works of composers that are close to her heart and her roots as a Latin American.

Alexei Ulitin

A native of Kiev, Ukraine, Alexei Ulitin enjoys a vibrant career as a chamber musician, solo pianist, and a teacher. Ulitin recently joined Collaborative Piano faculty at the University of Maryland, College Park. He also serves as a piano faculty at Rowan University (New Jersey). From 2016 to 2018, he worked as a visiting assistant professor of collaborative piano at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. Ulitin has worked as a member of the musical staff at several music festivals, including Aspen, Meadowmount, Siena, and the Northern Lights. He has been a recipient of the New Horizons Fellowship at Aspen Music Festival for three years. His recital partners have included Stephen Wyrczynski, Emilio Colón, Daniel Perantoni, Demondrae Thurman, Anton Belov, Marian Stieber, Jon Garrison, James Stern and Leonid Sushansky. Ulitin has won prizes in numerous competitions, including the 2014 Baltimore Music Club Competition (first prize), 2014 Wonderlic Piano Competition, 2013 Liszt-Garrison International Piano Competition, 2010 International Young Artist Piano Competition in Washington, D.C. (first prize), and 2010 Music Teachers National Association competition (Eastern Division Winner). He earned a Bachelor of Music from Rowan University, Master of Music from the National Music Academy of Ukraine (Kiev), and Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Maryland.

Tiffany Richardson

Violist Tiffany Richardson leads a multi-faceted career as a performer, educator, and entrepreneur driven by her passion for meaningful impact. Tiffany made her solo debut in St. Petersburg, Russia, at age seventeen and now appears regularly in venues such as the Kennedy Center and Wolf Trap, along with schools and juvenile detention centers throughout the United States. Ms. Richardson has performed with the Hawaii Symphony, National Philharmonic, Richmond Symphony, St. Louis Symphony, Washington Concert Opera, Washington National Opera, and Wolf Trap Opera. As a chamber musician, Ms. Richardson collaborated with members of the Lee Trio, Los Angeles Piano Quartet, Mendelssohn Quartet, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, and St. Paul Chamber Orchestra and can be heard on several world premiere recordings as a member of the Boston Modern Orchestra Project. Ms. Richardson recently appeared on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert with Latin pop artist Maluma.

As Co-Artistic Director of Sound Impact, she spearheads Sound Impact’s work partnering with youth impacted by the justice system, local school systems, and community partners, fostering self-expression and personal growth through musical engagement. She has focused on forging connections between the arts and lifelong learning, social justice, technology, and wellness through work with the National Orchestral Institute + Festival, the National Philharmonic, and the Kennedy Center’s Citizen Artist Initiative. Ms. Richardson holds degrees from the University of Maryland and the New England Conservatory of Music.