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Violinist and violist Sara Bashore received her Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Violin Performance from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2017 and 2019, respectively. While at UCSB, she studied under the tutelage of Yuval Yaron, Ambroise Aubrun, Ertan Torgul, and violist Jonathan Moerschel. As a graduate student, she was selected to receive the prestigious Young Artist String Quartet fellowship. Sara served as the concertmistress of both the UCSB Chamber Orchestra and the UCSB Pops Orchestra, and is now a first violinist in the Santa Maria Philharmonic and Orchestra Novo, as well as principal violist of the SB Folk Orchestra. She is an advocate for contemporary classical music, and has recently premiered several new works, ranging from solo pieces to orchestral compositions.

Sara has performed in the Gold Coast Chamber Music Festival, the Young Musician Foundation’s Debut Orchestra, the Colburn School's Orchestra da Camera under the baton of Maxim Eshkenazy, and at Luzerne Music Festival in New York. She has performed in solo and chamber master classes with the Juilliard Quartet, Danish String Quartet, Calidore Quartet, Felice Quartet, Leonidas Kavakos, Martin Beaver, Jennifer Koh, Aimee Kreston, Joyce Osborne, Danielle Belen, and Tereza Stanislav. The fiercely competitive Sara has participated in several local and international competitions as well. Her piano trio, formed at the Ed and Mari Edelmen Chamber Music Institute at Colburn, was a grand prize winner in two competitions. In 2018, she was selected to be an international guest artist at the KotorArt Music Festival in Kotor, Montenegro, where her performances were met with high acclaim.

In the summer months, Sara teaches at the world renowned Interlochen Summer Arts Camp.  Her private studio welcomes violin, viola, and chamber students of all ages. When she is not playing violin, Sara enjoys mathematics, art, and being outdoors.

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Pianist Pascal Salomon has captivated audiences with his musical artistry, performing across Europe, Asia, and North America. From the historic Ernest Ansermet Studio and the iconic Stravinsky Auditorium in Switzerland to China's Forbidden City Concert Hall and numerous stages in various European countries, Israel, and the United States, Mr. Salomon's performances serve as a testament to the profound emotional connection he establishes with his audiences. Prior to his relocation to the United States, Mr. Salomon received numerous accolades, including the prize for the best French pianist at the Senigallia International Competition in Italy, the Honor Diploma in the Maria Canals International Competition in Barcelona, a scholarship from the Société de Musique d'Yverdon-les-Bains, Switzerland, etc.  

 

His academic contributions have enriched institutions such as the Geneva Conservatory of Music and Westmont College in Santa Barbara, where he has held faculty positions. Pascal Salomon enjoys sharing his artistry and the ways to embrace music with students; he often offers masterclasses at conservatories and various musical institutions. He studied Music Phenomenology and is especially passionate about human being’s ability to connect with the musical sound and to integrate the multiplicity of stimuli into a unified experience.

 

Pascal Salomon's educational background includes studies at the Conservatoire National de Musique de Paris under the tutelage of Gabriel Tacchino, further instruction at the Conservatoire Supérieur de Musique de Genève with Edson Elias and Nelson Goerner, and advanced coursework at UC Santa Barbara in California, where he obtained a doctoral degree under the guidance of Paul Berkowitz. He has also refined his artistry by attending master classes with world-class pianists and pedagogues such as Yo-Yo Ma, András Schiff, Murray Perahia, Jeremy Denk, Vera Gornostaeva, György Sebök and Paul Badura-Skoda.

 

 

Double bass player Anthony Migliaccio is a local musician who has performed with the Santa Barbara Chamber Players, the Santa Barbara Folk Orchestra and the SBCC Symphony. He also has a career as an engineer.

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2024/2025 Season Updates in Progress

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Other Faculty Members

Junia Work, violinist, Westmont College Music graduate

Moon Man Whitehead, violist, also plays bagpipes and bells.

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GUEST Faculty Members

Alita Rhodes, cellist, strings teacher, retired from Santa Barbara Symphony

Carson Rick, violist, professional musician

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