Cello
Cellist Andrew Smith is an Associate Professor of music at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and the Principal Cellist of The Las Vegas Philharmonic. He is an original member of the Camerata Deiá, a group founded in 2001 to be the resident ensemble with The Festival Internacional de Deiá , a summer festival in Majorca, Spain. He was also a founding member of The Adriatic Chamber Music Festival, a summer music program in southern Italy, where he taught and performed from 1998 – 2008. An active recitalist, Andrew has collaborated with pianist Alfredo Oyagüez in cello/piano recitals in Spain, Italy, Germany, Sweden, Denmark, New Zealand, Argentina, and Japan, as well as in Kosovo, Serbia, and Macedonia. Recent recitals include performances at the Emilia Romagna Festival, the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena, and Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in New York City. The Smith/Oyagüez duo recently released a CD entitled, “Spanish Music for Cello and Piano,” on the Delos label in January, 2017. Of the CD, the American Record Guide said the duo plays “with verve and sensitivity,” and recommended the program “without reserve.”
During summers, in addition to The Festival Internacional de Deiá, in Spain, and The Adriatic Chamber Music Festival in Italy, Smith has taught and performed in several music festivals, including the Marrowstone Music Festival, Festival Mozaic in San Luis Obispo, CA, the Rocky Ridge Music Center, the Blue Mountain Festival, Dakota Chamber Music, The Green Valley Chamber Music Festival, the Tuacahn Summer Arts Institute, and The Las Vegas Music Festival.
Mr. Smith is a recipient of the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he was a member of the Young Artists String Quartet. He has also earned a Master’s degree from The Mannes College of Music in New York, and a Bachelor of Music degree from the Hartt College of Music in Hartford, CT. He has studied cello with Timothy Eddy, Bernard Greenhouse, Leslie Parnas, Ron Leonard, and Geoffrey Rutkowski.
Ms. Kapustina was born in Vitebsk, Belarus and began her music career at the age of six, when she was accepted into a music academy for the gifted. At the age of seven, her mother asked if she would like to try playing a ‘big violin’. After music college, Ms. Kapustina was accepted into the prestigious Belarussian State Conservatory of Music for a six-year intensive program.
Not long after graduation, she joined the Bulgarian State Orchestra, where she spent thirteen years. During this time, she toured internationally with the orchestra, playing in cities including Madrid, Lisbon, Berlin, Brussels, Athens and Seoul. At another event in Seville, she played in the orchestra’s performance of Don Carlos by Verdi, which was attended by Queen Sofia of Spain. Ms. Kapustina’s final tour with this orchestra was of the United States, where she played in 29 states.
Ms. Kapustina has settled in Southern Nevada where she is a member of the Las Vegas Philharmonic Orchestra, The Opera of Las Vegas, along with numerous chamber groups and other shows, including live performances with Placido Domingo, Il Divo and Il Volo. Most recently, Ms. Kapustina performed with Andrea Bocelli in his sell-out performances at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas and at the Footprint Arena, Phoenix.
Ms. Kapustina has also been a coach for the Las Vegas Youth Camerata Orchestra. She has been teaching elementary and middle school students for over ten years in the valley and has a busy studio for private lessons
Mert is a member of the Las Vegas Philharmonic, a graduate of the New England Conservatory of Music and co-founder of the electric cello duo BRIDGE. He has performed with many of the biggest luminaries of the classical, pop, Latin, and country music worlds. He played at the prestigious Carnegie Hall under the baton of the internationally renowned conductor Daniel Barenboim and performed at the Grand Ole Opry with John Rich and Big Kenny of Big & Rich that same year. His Las Vegas performances include The Lion King, Phantom, Cheap Trick, ShowStoppers, and The Frankie Moreno Show. In addition, he has performed with Natalie Cole, Nelly Furtado, Carlos Santana, Smokey Robinson, India Arie, and has recently appeared with Stevie Wonder and tenor Andrea Bocelli.
Moonlight Tran received her Bachelor of Music, Cello Performance from the University Of Southern California’s Thornton School Of Music. Her teachers included Gabor Reijto and Eleanor Schoenfeld.
Moonlight has been with the Las Vegas Philharmonic since 2000. She is a veteran for several Las Vegas Broadway shows, principally the “the Producers” and currently “The Lion King”. In addition to a live recording with Sarah Brightman, she also toured with Andrea Bocelli and has backed up numerous artists including Frank Sinatra, Placido Domingo, Luciano Pavarotti, Luis Miguel and Rod Stewart.
Ms. Tran is also a noted teacher with several award winning students.