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Luke Fleming, Co-Artistic Director and Violist
Praised by The Philadelphia Inquirer for his “glowing refinement,” violist Luke Fleming‘s performances have been described by The Strad as “confident and expressive…playing with uncanny precision,” lauded by Gramophone for their “superlative technical and artistic execution,” and by The Boston Music Intelligencer as “Luminous…Luke Fleming achieved a simultaneously meticulous and warmly mellow syntax.”
Festival appearances include the Marlboro Music School and Festival, the Steans Institute at Ravinia, Perlman Music Program, the Norfolk and Great Lakes Chamber Music Festivals, Bravo!Vail, and Festival Mozaic. Formerly the violist of the GRAMMY-winning Attacca Quartet, he has served as Artist-in-Residence for the Metropolitan Museum of Art and received the National Federation of Music Clubs Centennial Chamber Music Award. He was awarded First Prize at the Osaka International Chamber Music Competition and top prizes at the Melbourne International Chamber Music Competition.
In 2015, Mr. Fleming became the Founding Artistic Director of both the Manhattan Chamber Players and the Crescent City Chamber Music Festival, and in 2024 he was named Artistic Program Director of Chamber Music Monterey Bay. He currently serves on the Viola and Chamber Music faculties of the University of New Orleans, Atlantic Music Festival, Festival del Lago, and The Woodlands Chamberfest.
He has performed as guest violist with the Amernet, Escher, Modigliani, and Pacifica Quartets, the Eroica, Lysander, and Gryphon Piano Trios, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Decoda, Ensemble Connect, Sejong Soloists, and the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, and has given masterclasses at UCLA, Louisiana State University, Colorado State University, Baylor University, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Ithaca College, Columbus State University, Syracuse University, and Melbourne University, among others. Mr. Fleming has served on the faculties of the Atlantic Music Festival, Innsbrook Institute, Renova Music Festival, Festival del Lago, and Houston ChamberFest, and Fei Tian College and as Lecturer-in-Residence for Project: Music Heals Us.
Mr. Fleming holds the degrees of Doctor of Musical Arts, Artist Diploma, and Master of Music from the Juilliard School, a Postgraduate Diploma with Distinction from the Royal Academy of Music in London, and a Bachelor of Music summa cum laude from Louisiana State University. He is represented with the Manhattan Chamber Players by Arts Management Group.
Mr. Fleming performs on a tenor viola by Gasparo da Salò, ca. 1560, on generous loan to him from Steven Tenenbom, and bows by Eugéne Sartoy and Émile Ouchard.
Brendan Speltz, Co-Artistic Director and Violinist/Violist
Noted for his “expressive warmth” (Chicago Classical Review), San Antonio-based violinist Brendan Speltz serves as Director of Artistic Programming for Chamber Connexions at The Orchestra San Antonio. A former member of the internationally acclaimed Escher String Quartet, he has appeared at the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Aspen Music Festival, Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, Savannah Music Festival, and Wigmore Hall.
Committed to expanding the reach of classical music, Mr. Speltz has created innovative concert experiences across the U.S. and Canada, described by The New Yorker as “thrilling, poignant, unexpected, and utterly DIY.” He has toured with ensembles including A Far Cry, Ethel, Harlem Quartet, and the Manhattan Chamber Players, and has performed with the Mark Morris Dance Group, American Ballet Theatre, and Orchestra of St. Luke’s. Mr. Speltz holds degrees from the University of Southern California and the Manhattan School of Music, and plays a 1925 Carl Becker violin.
Daniel Anastasio, Pianist
Praised by The New York Times for his “crisp performance” of a “devilish showpiece” by Ukrainian composer Borys Liatoshynsky, Daniel Anastasio is a soloist and chamber musician based in San Antonio, Texas who combines an intellectual curiosity with “technical prowess and emotional sensitivity.” As a performer with a diverse skill set, he has performed Bach’s Goldberg Variations on harpsichord one week, and premiered a multimedia work by Rome Prize-winning contemporary composer Christopher Stark on MIDI keyboard the next. His performance of Beethoven’s Piano Concerto no. 3 under Leon Fleisher was a “highlight of the evening, if the full-house standing ovation were any indication” (ECM Reviews).
As Artistic Director of several organizations, including Agarita and Unheard-of Ensemble, Mr. Anastasio’s innovative programs have included collaborations with dancers, poets, art museums, photographers, and more. He was Assistant Professor of Music and Director of Keyboard Studies at San Antonio College from 2018-2025, before deciding to devote himself fully to his artistic projects, performances, and lectures. Mr. Anastasio received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Music and Philosophy from Cornell University under Xak Bjerken, a Master of Music degree from Juilliard under Jerome Lowenthal, and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Stony Brook University, where he studied with Gilbert Kalish and Christina Dahl.
Daniela Díaz, Violinist
The violin has become Daniela Diaz’s most loyal companion throughout her musical journey. She started playing as part of “El Sistema,” the Venezuelan social foundation and music program that provided her with positive values for her life as a musician.
As part of the Simon Bolivar Orchestra of Venezuela, Ms. Diaz has travelled all over the world while meeting people from diverse backgrounds, connecting with places and communities through music.
Ms. Diaz is also an avid chamber musician, having studied with members of the Latino Americano, Cavani, and Dali String Quartets. She has taken part in chamber music competitions and important international festivals in Venezuela and the United States such as: The Chamber Orchestra of San Antonio Music Institute; Dali Quartet International Music Festival; and Nuevo Mundo Festival.
Ms. Diaz holds performance degrees from Michigan State University, where she studied violin with Dmitri Berlinsky. In addition, she remains active premiering new music and enjoys collaborating with composers while exploring new musical horizons.
Connie Kupka, Violinist/Violist
Violinist/violist Connie Kupka, a native of Southern California, grew up in a music-loving family along with two siblings, both of whom are also performers. She attended UCLA, and after graduation won a scholarship to study chamber music with the Guarneri String Quartet at Norfolk Chamber Music Festival in Connecticut. The experience created a lifelong passion for chamber music, and inspired her and her future husband, cellist David Speltz, to form their own ensemble, the Arriaga Quartet. The group went on to win Grand Prize at the prestigious Coleman Competition and begin a touring career presenting the broad range of offerings from the magnificent string quartet repertoire.
Summers have found Ms. Kupka participating in many of the wonderful festivals throughout the U.S. She has performed at the Santa Fe and Grand Canyon Chamber Music Festivals, the Mostly Mozart and Oregon Bach Festivals, and the Ojai, the Colorado, and the Sedona Festivals. She also participates regularly at home in many of the chamber music series offered in Los Angeles and throughout the states. Connie and David have three sons, two of which are now busy touring with their own chamber ensembles.
Praised by The San Francisco Chronicle as being “fresh, different and exhilarating” and Strings Magazine as “intensely wrought and burnished“, violinist Grace Park captivates audiences with her artistry, passion and virtuosity. Winner of the Naumburg International Violin Competition, she is one of the leading artists of her generation.
Ms. Park’s most recent appearances include her debuts at Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall, the Rudolfinum, Dvorak Hall in Prague, Colorado Music Festival and with the Sarasota Orchestra.
This past year, Ms. Park recorded her first solo album with the Prague Philharmonia and their music director, Emmanuel Villaume, which will include concertos and solo works of Mozart and Dvorak. Her upcoming album will include the Brahms Double Concerto for violin and cello, with Sterling Elliott and Eric Jacobsen with the Virginia Symphony.
She performs on a 1717 Giuseppe Filius Andrea Guarneri on loan from an anonymous sponsor.
Kaila Potts-Smith, Violist
Music in all of its various shapes, sounds, and forms has forever been a central force in the life of Kaila Potts-Smith, beginning with absorbing piano by ear from her mother, singing in choirs, and taking flute lessons in elementary school. At age 11, she picked up the viola, fell in love, and never looked back. A native of California and raised in Las Vegas, NV, she swiftly excelled as a violist under the watchful eyes of John Sullivan and was accepted into the Las Vegas Academy of International Studies, Performing and Visual Arts. She then added violin to her studies under Rebecca Sabine and went on to win multiple command performances and international competitions, and began her work performing on stage with iconic mainstream recording artists in Las Vegas at age 15. Since then she has appeared as a violist on multiple albums with artists including Mariah Carey, Michael Jackson, and Celine Dion, had a six year residency with Celine Dion in Las Vegas, and continues to work with musicians such as Lady Gaga and Billie Eilish to this day.
Ms. Potts-Smith was the first violist to become a First Place Laureate of the esteemed Sphinx Competition, and has appeared as soloist and featured artist with orchestras across the US and abroad, including the Cleveland Orchestra, London Philharmonic, Pittsburgh Symphony, Puerto Rico Symphony, New Jersey Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony, and the Atlanta Symphony, among others. She has served as Assistant Principal for the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra and the Santa Barbara Symphony in addition to other Principal positions, has performed and toured with classical orchestras and chamber ensembles worldwide, and continues today with her extensive performance career with the TV, film, and recording industries in Los Angeles. Touring annually with the Sphinx Virtuosi, she has performed in Carnegie Hall numerous times, and made her Carnegie – Weill Concert Hall recital debut there in 2011.
Ms. Potts-Smith has presented multiple VIOL∀ibrational workshops for the Idyllwild Arts Academy and youth orchestras in Los Angeles and Washington DC, and has served a chamber music coach and viola coach for the Idyllwild Arts Academy Orchestra. As Idyllwild Arts Music Department Chair, she looks forward to expanding her unique method to enrich the institution’s students, faculty, staff, and ensembles, continuing to teach musicians to use their talents as vehicles for transformation.
Ms. Potts-Smith holds degrees from the University of Southern California (MM and Graduate Certificate), and completed her BM at University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music with a double performance major in Viola and Violin and a minor in Judaic Studies. Her mentors include Donald McInnes, Masao Kawasaki, Catharine Carroll, Rebecca Sabine, Midori Goto, Lynn Harrell, Sandra Rivers, and many others who have brought their expertise to her multifaceted career.
Brook Speltz, Cellist
An extremely versatile cellist, Mr. Speltz has performed as a soloist, chamber musician, and recitalist throughout the US, Canada, Latin America, Europe, and Asia. First Prize winner of the prestigious Ima Hogg Competition, he has performed as a soloist with the Houston Symphony, Colorado Music Festival Orchestra and International Contemporary Ensemble, among others, and is a regular performer at England’s IMS Prussia Cove and on tour with Musicians from Marlboro. An avid and sought after chamber musician, Mr. Speltz has been personally invited by musical giants such as Itzhak Perlman and Richard Goode to collaborate in chamber music recitals and tours throughout the country. As a result of these collaborations, he has been nominated for the inaugural Warner Music Prize, a newly established prize presented by Warner Music and Carnegie Hall.
A lover of all facets of the music world, Mr. Speltz has enjoyed performing on extensive tours with the cello rock band Break of Reality, whose online video of the Game of Thrones cover immediately went viral and has already received over 8.5 million views. Their recent U.S. tour raised funds and awareness for music programs in public schools all around the country. Mr. Speltz studied at the renowned Curtis Institute of Music with Peter Wiley and at the Juilliard School with Joel Krosnick, after his formative years of study with Eleanor Schoenfeld in Los Angeles. He performs on a 1756 J.C. Gigli on loan from his father, a cellist and his first inspiration in a family of professional musicians.
David Speltz, Cellist
Cellist David Speltz began his formal studies with Eleanor Schoenfeld after being introduced to the cello by his father. Later he joined the Gregory Piatigorsky Master Class at USC. He earned a Masters Degree in Mathematics from UCLA, but soon realized that the cello was the path to follow. During this period, he co-founded the Arriaga Quartet, which went on to win Grand Prize at the Coleman Competition.
As a member of the ensemble Musical Offering, Mr. Speltz performed at the Library of Congress, Lincoln Center and the Casals Festival in Puerto Rico, and recorded for the Nonesuch label. He has been active for many years on many Los Angeles chamber music series, and has participated in summer festivals throughout the United States. David was a member of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra under Sir Neville Marriner, and served as Principal Cellist of the California Chamber Orchestra under Henry Temianka. In 1989, he served as Principal Cellist for the German conductor Helmuth Rilling at the Bach Collegium Stuttgart.
Mr. Speltz has been active in the motion picture industry in Los Angeles for over 44 years, playing in the studio orchestras for over a thousand movies—from the Godfather series to Star Wars!
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