Philadelphia International Music Festival
Winners’ Circle Recital
Kimberly Fisher
Principal Second Violin
The Philadelphia Orchestra
featuring
Mark Livshits, Piano
Curtis Institute of Music
Hai-Ye Ni
Principal Cello
The Philadelphia Orchestra
Saturday, June 20, 2026
Chapel of St. Cornelius the Centurion 7:30 PM Valley Forge Military Academy & College
Kimberly Fisher joined The Philadelphia Orchestra in 1992 and has served as Principal Second Violin since 2002. She has appeared as a soloist with numerous orchestras including The Philadelphia Orchestra, the Vancouver Symphony, and the Victoria Symphony. As recitalist and chamber musician she has performed across the United States and Canada, and in England, Spain, France, Germany, Japan, China, Vietnam, and Argentina. Ms. Fisher has appeared in chamber music settings in prestigious venues such as Carnegie Hall, the Mogador Theater in Paris, the Kimmel Center, and the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, and in collaborations with internationally renowned artists such as Wolfgang Sawallisch, Cristoph Eschenbach, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, and many others.
In 1997 Ms. Fisher co-founded the Philadelphia International Music Festival (PIMF), a highly successful summer music program, to encourage and inspire musicians of all levels. Originally just for string players, the Festival now includes all symphonic instruments plus piano and vocal programs and features innovative specialty programs to help students prepare for auditions, improve practice, and address performance issues. PIMF includes students of all ages and all levels who attend from around the world to study privately with musicians of The Philadelphia Orchestra.
Hai-Ye Ni joined The Philadelphia Orchestra as principal cello at the beginning of the 2006–07 season after having served as associate principal cello of the New York Philharmonic since 1999. She first came into prominence after her critically praised New York debut at Alice Tully Hall in 1991, a result of her winning First Prize at the Naumburg International Cello Competition. Other awards include First Prize in the 1996 International Paulo Cello Competition in Finland, Second Prize in the 1997 Rostropovich Competition in Paris, and a 2001 Avery Fisher Career Grant.
In the summer of 2025, Ms. Ni performed at the Kingston Chamber Music Festival and the National Orchestral Institute at the University of Maryland. She also performed Tchaikovsky’s Rococo Variations with The Philadelphia Orchestra at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center. She made her solo debut with The Philadelphia Orchestra in 2010 in Saint-Saëns First Concerto and has also been featured in Tan Dun’s The Map, Concerto for Cello, Video, and Orchestra; Haydn’s Cello Concerto No. 1; Brahms’s “Double” Concerto; and Beethoven’s “Triple” Concerto.
Born in Shanghai, China, Ms. Ni began cello studies with her mother and at the Shanghai Conservatory. She continued her musical education with Irene Sharp at the San Francisco Conservatory, Joel Krosnick at the Juilliard School, and William Pleeth in London.
Reminder:Please silence cell phones and other electronic devices for all performances. PIMF is a program of Sandy Marcucci International Camps, Inc.
GRAMMY Award winning pianist Mark Livshits is one of the most highly sought after soloists and chamber musicians in Philadelphia. He appears frequently in concert with members of the Philadelphia Orchestra, as well as with the orchestra as a substitute in the keyboard section.
In addition to performances at the Salzburg Festival, solo recitals at the Shanghai Oriental Arts Center, and Bilbao Philharmonic Society, Dr. Livshits has also worked closely with musicians such as Yannick Nezet Seguin, Stephane Denève, Michael Tilson Thomas, Nikolaj Znaider, Nathalie Stutzman, Leonidas Kovakos, Gil Shaham, Lynn Harrell, Midori, Christoph Eschenbach, Alisa Weilerstein, Measha Brueggergosman, Daniel Lozakovich, Dave Brubeck and Deutsche Grammophon recording artist, YeEun Choi under the auspices of IMG Artists and the Anne-Sophie Mutter Foundation.
In 2015, he was called to replace Yannick NezetSeguin in a chamber music performance of Brahms Third Quartet for Piano and Strings with members from the Philadelphia Orchestra and has been invited to perform in chamber programs with members of the orchestra since then. He is often called to play orchestral piano in the orchestra as well. Dr. Livshits has received invitations to perform for dignitaries such as Secretary of State Colin Powell and President Joe Biden.
Dr. Livshits currently serves on the faculty as the head of collaborative piano at the the University of Delaware and as staff pianist at the Curtis Institute of Music. He also serves on the faculty at the Philadelphia International Music Festival.
Mark Livshits is a Steinway Artist.
Reminder:Please silence cell phones and other electronic devices for all performances. PIMF is a program of Sandy Marcucci International Camps, Inc.
Pasacaglia
G. F. Handel / Johan Halvorsen (1658– 1759) / (1864–1935)
Kimberly Fisher, violin
Mio Imai, violin
Cello Concerto No.1, Op.33 Camille Saint-Saëns
I. Allegro non troppo Animato Allegro motlo Tempo I (1835–1921)
Daniel Chiang, cello
Oboe Concerto in C Major, K.314
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
I. Allegro aperto (1756–1751)
Chen, oboe
7 Canciones populates españolas Manuel de Falla
El paño moruno (1876–1946)
Nana
Canción
Asturiana
Jota
Polo
Hai-Ye Ni, cello
Zigeunerweisen, Op.20 Pablo de Sarasate (1844–1908)
Mio Imai, violin
Reminder:Please silence cell phones and other electronic devices for all performances. PIMF is a program of Sandy Marcucci International Camps, Inc.
Pinying
PHILADELPHIA INTERNATIONAL MUSIC FESTIVAL ITALY
August 4 – August 14, 2026 | Cremona, Italy
FACULTY
Kimberly Fisher
Principal Second Violin
The Philadelphia Orchestra
John Koen Cello
The Philadelphia Orchestra
Mark Livshits
Faculty Pianist
Curtis Institute of Music
Philadelphia International Music Festival – Italy (August 4–August 14, 2026) is designed for string musicians and pianists 13-19 years of age preparing for upcoming solo performances and competitions. This exciting new program will include: three private lessons, daily 30-minute workout sessions with an assigned faculty accompanist, daily hour-long solo performance classes, five hours of required daily private practice, and a week-ending Grand Finale Recital in one of the stunning performance halls in Cremona.
Students and families will both reside in Cremona, Italy, enjoying authentic Italian-style meals throughout the week-long program. While students are in training, guests attending the “Family & Friends” program will tour the surrounding towns via Luxury Motorcoach. Destinations include Venice, Milan, Verona, Lake Garda, Bologna and Parma! Students will join the traveling adventures at the conclusion of the Grand Finale performance on August 11th, 2025
Milan
Verona Brescia
Florence
Verona Bologna