Nancy Bean, Violin
Nancy Bean joined The Philadelphia Orchestra in 1983 and was its assistant concertmaster from 1986 until 2009, when she retired. She is the artistic director of 1807 & Friends, first violinist of the Wister Quartet and the Amerita Chamber Players, and violinist with the Barnard Trio, the Florian Trio, Duo Paganini, and Duo Parisienne. She is the director of the Liberty Strings. Nancy graduated from The Curtis Institute of Music, where she studied with Jascha Brodsky and Felix Galimir. She has appeared as soloist with The Philadelphia Orchestra, the Seattle Symphony, the Seattle Philharmonic, the Wheeling Symphony, the North Carolina Symphony and Concerto Soloists of Philadelphia. Nancy has performed in chamber concerts with Wolfgang Sawallisch, Christoph Eschenbach, Emanuel Ax, Yefim Bronfman, Alicia de Larrocha, Radu Lupu, Yo-Yo Ma, and Garrick Ohlsson. She has recorded with Koch International and Direct-to Tape Records. She is the former assistant concertmaster of the Santa Fe Opera Company.
Lloyd Smith, Violin and Cello
Lloyd Smith joined The Philadelphia Orchestra in 1967 and began serving as its assistant principal cellist in 1988 and retired in 2003. A graduate of The Curtis Institute of Music, his teachers were Leonard Rose and Orlando Cole. Lloyd has participated in the Marlboro Music Festivals, where he was coached by Pablo Casals in master classes and by members of the Budapest String Quartet and the Beaux Arts Trio. He has appeared as soloist with The Philadelphia Orchestra, the Indianapolis, Everett, and Lansdowne symphonies, the Garden State Philharmonic, the West Jersey Chamber Symphony and the Haverford-Bryn Mawr Orchestra. He is the cellist of 1807 & Friends, the Wister Quartet, the Barnard Trio, and the Amerita Chamber Players. Lloyd has appeared in concerts with Emanuel Ax, Yefim Bronfman, Sarah Chang, Christoph Eschenbach, Alicia de Larrocha, Garrick Ohlsson, Wolfgang Sawallisch and Yo-Yo Ma. He has recorded with Columbia, CRI, Leonarda, Capstone, and Direct to Tape. Mr. Smith’s major compositions include a cello sonata, a string quintet, two string quartets, a quartet for accordion and strings, and a work for eight celli.
Allen Krantz, Composer and Guitarist
Allen Krantz graduated from the San Francisco Conservatory and Stanford University has received critical acclaim as a composer, solo guitarist and chamber musician. He has performed in concert throughout the United States with appearances at Carnegie Hall, Saratoga Performing Arts Center, and the Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C., with his diverse programs often featuring original compositions. Recent premieres have included a “Quartet for Piano and Strings,” “Three Pieces for Chamber Orchestra,” and “Passacaglia” for trombone, guitar and piano, premiered by Joseph Alessi of the New York Philharmonic; and “American Document” commissioned by the Martha Graham Dance Company and premiered at the Joyce Theater in New York City. Other recent pieces include "Sacred Places" for solo guitar; "A Musical Walk," a children's piece commissioned by The Philadelphia Orchestra; the symphony "In the Air;" and "Under One Roof," a trio for trumpet, violin, and piano for the 125th anniversary of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. “An American Town” for string orchestra, commissioned by the Village Bach Festival in Michigan, was presented at the Moscow Autumn festival. Jason Vieaux performed Krantz's guitar concerto “Innocence and Experience,” at the Darwin International Guitar Festival in Australia and with Orchestra 2001 in Philadelphia. “anyone lived in a pretty how town,” commissioned by Gretna Music, has been performed by members of The Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by Charles Dutoit in Saratoga and Philadelphia. Krantz's arrangement of Copland’s Appalachian Spring sketches were presented at the Library of Congress with the Martha Graham Dance Company. Allen heads the guitar program of The New School Institute at Temple University and is a lecturer for The Philadelphia Orchestra. He is a member of the Dolce Suono Ensemble, and performs in Duo Paganini. His works are published by the Theodore Presser Co., Falls House Press, and International Music. Allen recorded on the DTR, Albany, and Crystal Records labels.