Dyad is an innovative violin and bassoon duo on a quest to explore uncharted
territory. After meeting at Juilliard, they were inspired to create a new kind of
chamber music. Unwilling to let a lack of repertoire stand in their way, they thrive
on reimagining classic works as well as premiering new pieces. Through engaging,
personal performances, they create connections between audience, performers, and
music.

Since their first performance in May 2015, they have given concerts for the
Wednesdays@Noon series at the Encinitas Library, the Classical Music Series at the
Peninsula Center Library, the Cultural Arts Society of La Verne, Newport Beach’s
Sunday Musicales, and other performances in Southern California, in venues ranging
from the Skirball Center to art galleries and private homes. Dyad has collaborated with
Lineage Dance and TranscenDanceGroup on performances which relate stories through
dance, music, and other mediums. Dyad has given several world premieres of works
written for and commissioned by them. In May 2017, they gave several performances in
New Jersey, including at the Axelrod Performing Arts Center and the Kessler Foundation.
Sharing their music with audiences outside a traditional concert setting is a vital part of
Dyad’s mission. They perform as an ensemble for Street Symphony, an organization
founded by Los Angeles Philharmonic member Vijay Gupta, which brings inclusive
concerts to people experiencing incarceration and homelessness.

Niv Ashkenazi, Violin

Praised for his “lush sound…[and] passionate playing” (CASA Magazine) and “formidable technical powers” (Santa Barbara News-Press), classical violinist Niv Ashkenazi is an active soloist and chamber musician. He has made several Carnegie Hall and Kennedy Center appearances, and has performed in Europe, the Middle East, and across the United States.

In early 2017, Mr. Ashkenazi gave a recital as a guest artist at La Sierra University and took part
in a residency with Perlman Music Program performing on the Violins of Hope in Sarasota,
Florida. In 2015 and 2016, he appeared as soloist with Kaleidoscope Chamber Orchestra, Los Angeles Doctors Symphony Orchestra, and the California State University, Northridge Orchestra. He was also invited to give a recital at the Granada Theatre in Santa Barbara, and gave a world premiere at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall as part of VSA’s 25/40 Anniversary Celebration. Concurrently, he was a featured artist in VSA’s Championing the Arts Exhibit, where his portrait and personal reflections were displayed in the Kennedy Center Hall of States during July and August 2015. The past two falls, Mr. Ashkenazi gave masterclasses at Westmont College and California State University, Northridge.

As a chamber musician, Mr. Ashkenazi has collaborated with members of the Juilliard String Quartet, Cavani Quartet, Ariel Quartet, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Since 2012 he has been the arranger and featured soloist for TranscenDanceGroup’s multimedia show G*D, which he most recently brought to the Axelrod Performing Arts Center in New Jersey. He works with Street Symphony, an organization dedicated to bringing inclusive performances to people experiencing incarceration and homelessness. Street Symphony’s performance of Handel’s Messiah at the Midnight Mission on Skid Row was named one of the New Yorker’s Notable Performances of 2015. Mr. Ashkenazi’s unique violin and bassoon duo, Dyad, has performed on many chamber music series and is actively engaged in premiering works by living composers.

Mr. Ashkenazi is the winner of numerous competitions, including the 2007 VSA International Young Soloist Award. He has been invited to perform at the Lake George Music Festival, Perlman Music Program’s Chamber Music Workshop, Music Academy of the West, Keshet Eilon Summer Mastercourse in Israel, and iPalpiti Festival of International Laureates. He has played live on classical radio station KMZT and on LA Talk Radio.

Mr. Ashkenazi holds both a B.M. and an M.M. from The Juilliard School, where he was a student of Itzhak Perlman and Glenn Dicterow. He serves on the professional advisory board of Shane’s Inspiration, a global non-profit organization dedicated to building inclusive playgrounds and served on the board of the Los Angeles Youth Orchestra. In addition to performing, he maintains a teaching studio in Los Angeles.

Leah Kohn, Bassoon

Bassoonist Leah Kohn is a versatile musician with a passion for unusual repertoire. She has performed with a variety of ensembles around Los Angeles, including Kaleidoscope Chamber Orchestra, the Young Artist Symphony Orchestra, Brentwood Westwood Symphony, and the Los Angeles Jewish Symphony. Dyad, her violin and bassoon duo, has performed on concert series around Los Angeles, and also works with Street Symphony, an organization that brings music to underserved communities. Previously, she was a fellow at the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, and has performed at the Banff Centre’s master class program. She has given premieres of new chamber and orchestral works at Constellation in Chicago, at the Four Seasons Centre in Toronto, and with the New Juilliard Ensemble. Ms. Kohn received her M.M. from The Juilliard School and her B.M. from the Manhattan School of Music, both as a student of Frank Morelli. She is currently enrolled in the doctoral program at the University of Southern California, where she studies with Judith Farmer. She is also a baroque bassoonist, and recently performed a Vivaldi Concerto with the USC Thornton Baroque Sinfonia. She has appeared in performances at several Tafelmusik institutes, the Amherst Early Music
Festival’s Baroque Academy, and the American Bach Soloists Academy.