About Dyad

Dyad is an innovative violin and bassoon duo charting a path through unexplored musical territory. After meeting at Juilliard, bassoonist Leah Kohn and violinist Niv Ashkenazi were inspired to create a new kind of chamber music. Together, they have crafted engaging programs that reimagine classic works, premiere new pieces, and engage the imaginations of their audience. Since their first performance in 2015, they have performed on concert series around the United States, including at venues such as the Kennedy Center. 

Dyad has been featured presenting new works and their own arrangements at the Meg Quigley Symposium and the International Double Reed Society Conference, where they were a recipient of an IDRS 50 for 50 commissioning grant. Their arrangement of Bloch’s Prayer is published by TrevCo Music Publishing. They have also collaborated with TranscenDance Group and Lineage Dance of Pasadena to present programs that incorporate music, dance, and storytelling.

Sharing music with audiences outside a traditional concert setting is a vital part of
Dyad’s mission. From 2015-2019, Dyad performed as an ensemble for Street Symphony, an organization founded by Los Angeles Philharmonic member Vijay Gupta, to bring inclusive concerts to people experiencing incarceration and homelessness.

Leah Kohn, bassoon

Bassoonist Leah Kohn is a versatile musician with a passion for unusual repertoire. She is also an active performer on the baroque bassoon and contrabassoon, and the co-founder and director of Oak Hill Music Festival, a chamber music festival serving the Upper Valley region of New Hampshire and Vermont. Dyad, her duo with violinist Niv Ashkenazi, has performed on concert series throughout California and at many venues on the East Coast, including a recent performance at the Kennedy Center. 

As well as freelance and studio work in Los Angeles, Leah has performed at the Lake George Music Festival, as a fellow at the Norfolk Music Festival, at several programs at the Banff Centre, and at Fresh Inc. Festival with Fifth House Ensemble. 

As an educator, she is on faculty at California State University, Northridge, and maintains a private teaching studio in Los Angeles, as well as coaching for several local youth orchestras. 

 She received her D.M.A. from the University of Southern California as a student of Judith Farmer, with an academic field in musicology and elective fields in Arts Leadership and early music. She holds an M.M. from The Juilliard School and a B.M. from the Manhattan School of Music, both as a student of Frank Morelli. 

Niv Ashkenazi, violin

Virtuoso violinist Niv Ashkenazi has captivated audiences with his heartfelt musicianship and emotional performances. Praised for his “extremely colourful interpretations, characterized by maturity and authority” (Pizzicato Magazine), he has made several Carnegie Hall and Kennedy Center appearances, and has performed in Europe, the Middle East, and across North America. His conviction that the impact of music serves people beyond the concert stage motivates him to collaborate on projects that create a strong emotional bond with his audience.

Niv was the first ever Artist in Residence at the Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts (The Soraya). His debut album, Niv Ashkenazi: Violins of Hope, the first solo album recorded on one of the Violins of Hope, was released in March 2020 on Albany Records. It has received international critical acclaim and was named one of the 10 best classical recordings of 2020 by the Chicago Tribune. His performances and educational work with Violins of Hope led him to be recognized by the City of Los Angeles in 2021 for his humanitarian work and have been featured on ABC7, Good Day LA, Spectrum 1 News, Telemundo, in the Los Angeles Times, and other major news outlets. Niv was one of the featured soloists, alongside Yo-Yo Ma, for the soundtrack of the PBS documentary Harbor from the Holocaust.

Niv has performed chamber music with members of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Juilliard String Quartet, Cavani Quartet, and Ariel Quartet. Other performance highlights include solo recitals at Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall, Kennedy Center’s Concert Hall, Terrace Theater, and Millennium Stage, The Soraya, the Granada Theatre, and the Perlman Music Program Alumni Recital Series.

Niv has appeared as a soloist with the Long Beach Symphony, Culver City Symphony Orchestra, and Kaleidoscope Chamber Orchestra among others. He has been a guest artist and given masterclasses at La Sierra University, California State University Northridge, and Westmont College.

Niv is revolutionizing violin education with Eye for Technique, an innovative project that uses slow motion technology to develop decision-making and enhanced artistry. This work led to him being the recipient of Music Academy of the West’s 2023 Alumni Enterprise Award. Designed to help intermediate to professional musicians, Eye for Technique has helped students from Curtis, Rice, USC, and CSUN, among others.

Niv holds both a B.M. and M.M. from The Juilliard School, where his teachers included Itzhak Perlman and Glenn Dicterow.