Ioana Galu, a native of Romania, has enjoyed a national and international career in both Europe and the United States. Former Assistant Professor of Violin and chamber music at Gheorghe Dima Music Academy in Cluj, Romania, Galu has also been on the faculty at Heidelberg University, Bowling Green State University, and The College of Wooster. Galu joined the University of South Dakota in 2016 and is currently Associate Professor of Violin/Viola, co-director of the USD Chamber Orchestra and member in the Rawlins Piano Trio. She has served on the faculty of the Eastern Music Festival (Greenboro, NC) between 2004 and 2022.

A graduate of Gheorghe Dima Music Academy, Galu earned a second master’s degree in violin performance from Bowling Green State University, an Artist Diploma from University of Cincinnati’s College Conservatory of Music and a doctorate in Contemporary Music from Bowling Green State University.

Galu has been awarded prizes in several national and international competitions, including Second Prize in the Mozart International Competition for Piano Trios (Romania), and First Prize and Special Prize of the SOROS Foundation at the George Enescu Violin National Competition (Romania).

In 2014 Galu performed the world premiere of Marilyn Shrude's violin concerto Libro D'Ore with the Central Ohio Symphony and the European premiere with the Sibiu State Philharmonic in Romania. She gave the US premiere in October 2014, and subsequently recorded the concerto for Albany Records. In January 2015, Galu recorded "Music Under Political Unrest” - Works for Two Violins by Grażyna Bacewicz, Henryk Górecki, and Michał Spisak with Iuliana Cotirlea, violin.

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Anthony Nesland is a violinist, violist, and conductor residing in Rapid City, South Dakota. He is a graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln where he earned a degree in violin performance. During his time in Nebraska, Anthony studied violin with David Neely, Mahlon Darlington, and viola with Clark Potter. While in Lincoln, he also pursued studies in orchestral conducting under the tutelage of Dr. Tyler White for three and a half years. This included directing the UNL Campus Orchestra and conducting the UNL Symphony Orchestra in rehearsal. He was also invited to conduct in a masterclass with Keith Lockhart of the Boston Pops Orchestra. Anthony has performed with the Sioux City Symphony Orchestra, Black Hills Symphony Orchestra, Kearney Symphony Orchestra, and the UNL Symphony Orchestra which included serving as concertmaster.