About the Directors

Dean Stein, Violin

Dean Stein, violinist, has performed throughout the world in recital, with orchestras, chamber music ensembles, and as soloist. This season’s highlights included a concerto performance with the Maine Music Society and an invitation to travel to Seoul, Korea, where he taught and performed in recital with pianist Jinho Kim. 

Audiences throughout America have heard Mr. Stein through his past performances as violinist with the DaPonte String Quartet.  His work with the Quartet frequently garnered critical acclaim, as in a DaPonte recording of which The Strad magazine wrote, “Dean Arthur Stein excels in the first violin’s improvisatory cadenza, his fierce yet luxuriant tone setting the mood of bitter intensity.”

In 2003, Mr. Stein was invited to direct the Arcady Music Festival in Bar Harbor, Maine. At Arcady, Mr. Stein performed in chamber ensembles, set the programming for the internationally renowned artists he invited, and gave high priority to educational programs, bringing musicians to schools to perform regularly for Maine schoolchildren.
More recently, in partnership with oboist Kathleen McNerney, Mr. Stein has launched VentiCordi, a string/wind chamber music concert series.  He also currently performs as violinist with the Atlantic Piano Trio, concertmaster of the Maine Music Society, and enjoys a violin/piano partnership with Pamela Mia Paul.  His passion for the solo violin music of Bach has resulted in many performances of Bach’s masterpieces, of which one reviewer wrote, “Stein gave a superb and impressive performance of the unaccompanied Chaconne from Bach’s Partita No. 2...”

A highly sought after teacher and clinician, Mr. Stein is on the faculty of Bates College and has taught at New England Conservatory’s Preparatory Division, Bowdoin College, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and the University of Maryland at College Park. He joined the faculty of the New England Suzuki Institute in 2009.

Among his orchestra positions Mr. Stein has been Concertmaster of the Harrisburg (PA) Symphony, and toured with the Singapore Symphony, including concerts in New York’s Lincoln Center, France and Spain, with soloists Yo Yo Ma, and Gil Shaham.

Mr. Stein is a graduate of the Juilliard School, where he received his Bachelor and Master’s degrees studying with Lewis Kaplan and Ivan Galamian. He also studied with Dr. Gerald Fischbach and members of the Guarneri String Quartet at the University of Maryland.

Kathleen McNerney, Oboe

Ms. McNerney graduated from the Hartt School of Music, in Hartford Connecticut, with a Bachelor of Music Performance, studying with world renowned soloist, Humbert Lucarelli.  Prior to moving to Maine, Kathleen lived in Los Angeles for nineteen years.  It was there at the University of Southern California, that she received her Master of Music in performance.  During those years Kathleen enjoyed a prolific and varied playing career, working in many regional orchestras, playing all positions and appearing as soloist several times. In 2004, she premiered a commissioned piece for English horn, written for her, as a long standing member of the Orchestra of St. Matthews. 

As the oboist for two professional woodwind quintets, Calico Winds and Imbroglio, she has toured the United States extensively. In 1999 Calico Winds was selected as a semi-finalist for the Concert Artist Guild Competition. Additional playing experience includes recording, opera, ballet and musical theatre.  Some of Kathleen's favorite work while in Los Angeles, was playing for silent movies and with local pop artists.

While in California, Kathleen held teaching positions at Azusa Pacific University, La Sierra University and Glendale Community College. Currently she teaches at Bates and Bowdoin Colleges and privately.  Since moving to Maine, Kathleen has performed with many New England and Maine based orchestras such as the Portland Symphony, Portland Chamber Orchestra, Maine Music Society, New Hampshire Symphony, New Hampshire Bach Festival and New Hampshire Summer Music Festival.

An active chamber musician, she is also a member of MELa, a reed trio, and has recently launched a new chamber music series, VentiCordi, with violinist Dean Stein.