The Artists
Who We Are
Avanti Ensemble
The Avanti Ensemble has performed nationally and internationally to critical acclaim. The Avanti members Tamsen Beseke and Robert Miskey, violinists; Louise Brown, violist; Stephen Green, cellist; David Nicholson, clarinetist; Frank Basile, pianist; and Ruth Kasckow, flutist, perform a wide and colorful repertoire featuring music from the 1600s to present day world premieres. The Ensemble's members have vast performing experience, having played in venues throughout the world; from Disney Hall to Toronto's Sony Center to Carnegie Hall. Here in California, the ensemble musicians have performed with the Los Angeles Opera Orchestra, California Philharmonic, Pasadena Symphony, New West Symphony, Long Beach Symphony, Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, Pasadena Pops, West Coast Symphony, Hollywood Concert Orchestra, Redlands Symphony, and Pacific Symphony. The players have appeared as featured soloists with orchestras, have participated in international touring, and can be heard on numerous TV shows and movie soundtracks.
David Nicholson
Avanti Ensemble, Clarinet
Clarinetist David Nicholson has performed with many orchestras in Southern California, including the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, New West Symphony Orchestra, Orange County’s Pacific Symphony and the Santa Barbara Symphony. He recently toured with the Los Angeles Philharmonic on their recent European tour and also on the 2012 tour to Caracas, Venezuela and performed in the North American simulcast of Mahler Symphony No. 8. He was a member of the Santa Fe Pro Musica in Santa Fe, New Mexico for ten years and appeared there as a soloist in the Mozart and Copland Clarinet Concertos. He is active as a chamber music performer in Southern California and recently performed in a world premiere of a new work by Ellen Taaffe Zwilich composed for the California EAR Unit at the REDCAT Theater in Los Angeles. He was a member of the music faculty at Ventura College where he was instructor of clarinet and chamber music ensembles. He received his music instruction at the California Institute of the Arts in Valencia; he studied there with Michele Zukovsky, principal clarinetist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. He also studied with James Kanter, Lorin Levee and David Shifrin.
Frank Basile
Avanti Ensemble, Piano
Frank Basile is a conductor, musical director, pianist, organist, harpsichordist, accompanist, singer, church musician, composer, arranger, orchestrator and teacher. His career has brought him to Los Angeles recording studios, the choir lofts of churches throughout the United States and Europe, any number of small theaters in L.A., and the stages of Walt Disney Concert Hall and Carnegie Hall. Versatility has been the hallmark of his work, which has included teaching at U.S.C., Loyola Marymount University, Santa Monica College and Campbell Hall High School, directing community choruses, giving private lessons, composing, arranging and orchestrating for the musical theater stage, accompanying classical recitals and night club acts, creating concert series, performing harpsichord concertos and chamber music, and many other forms of musical expression. He studied at Yale University, Northwestern University, and the University of Southern California.
Ruth Kasckow
Avanti Ensemble, FLute
As a performing artist, music educator, and somatic coach for over 35 years, Ruth Kasckow is passionate about helping students and audiences discover the joy, inspiration, and hope that music can bring. As a professional flutist, she offers diverse audiences compelling programs that enrich and inspire. As a music educator, she teaches K-12 students, professionally bound clients, and the recreational player as well. Her positive teaching environment is both supportive and challenging, providing a comprehensive curriculum geared to the individual needs of each student. As a Licensed Body Mapping Educator, she is a specialist in the field of Body Mapping. She assists musicians in discovering greater physical freedom and ease, enhancing their musical performance, and preventing unnecessary pain or injury. Ruth Kasckow plays flute, piccolo and alto flute in a number of groups. She has performed with Opera a la Carte, Santa Monica Symphony, Orquesta mexicana de la juventud, and Burbank Symphony. She is currently principal flutist with LCPC Orchestra. She plays regularly with the Pasadena Presbyterian Music at Noon series. She is equally comfortable in an orchestra, solo recital and chamber music settings. She received her MFA in Flute Performance from California Institute of the Arts in Valencia, CA and her BA in Music from Goucher College in Baltimore, MD. Her primary teachers include Bonnie Lake, David Shostac, Jim Walker and Liisa Ruoho. She has performed in master classes with Jean-Pierre Rampal, Thomas Nyfenger, Julius Baker, Andreas Blau, Toshio Takahashi and Liisa Ruoho.
