Named after the composer Isabella Leonarda (1620–1704), this group of gifted individuals came together to form an ensemble dedicated to performing works of the Baroque masters with vim, vigor, and enthusiasm. Past performances have included recitals at the Church of the Epiphany as part of the “Washington Musicians for Nuclear Disarmament” series; Squires Recital Salon at Virginia Tech; St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, St. Paul’s Chapel–Columbia University, the Donnell Library Center, Music in Chelsea, Church of the Transfiguration, Artek’s Midtown Concert Series, and the Boston Early Music Festival Fringe Concert Series.

Susan Graham graduated from the Peabody Conservatory of Music, where she served as principal flute in the Peabody Symphony Orchestra. She holds a Master’s degree in performance from Rutgers University. Her teachers have included Robert Willoughby, Timothy Day, Mark Sparks, James Scott, and Janet See. Susan Graham has a large private teaching studio, performs as soloist throughout the metropolitan area.

Marika Holmqvist, a native of Finland, currently serves as concertmaster and Artistic Co-Director of Cambridge Concentus, concertmaster of Buxtehude Consort in Philadelphia, co-concertmaster of Sinfonia New York, and Aradia in Toronto. She has toured extensively throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Asia performing under conductors such as Joshua Rifkin, Ton Koopman and Richard Egarr, and can be heard on several CD labels including Naxos, Ex Cathedra and Brilliant Classics. Marika has taught baroque string playing techniques at Rutgers University, and was recently asked to lead and coach two student baroque opera productions at Harvard University and Cornell University. She holds two masters’ degrees (Baroque Performance Practice and Baroque Violin Pedagogy) from the Royal Conservatory in The Hague, The Netherlands.

David Himmelheber, cellist, is a graduate of the Mannes College of Music in New York City. His principal teachers include Dr. William Grubb, Marcy Rosen, and Timothy Eddy. David has performed in master classes for such artists as Lynn Harrell, Raphael Wallfisch, Norman Fischer, Joel Krosnick, Bonnie Hampton, and Timothy Eddy, as well as members of the Mendelssohn, Brentano, Orion and Juilliard Quartets. As a solo artist, David has performed at the Eastern Music Festival, with the Carmel Symphony, and was invited to perform Tchaikovsky’s Rococo Variations with the Tchaikovsky International Festival Orchestra. His work in the baroque style has led to collaborations with Andrew Megill at Westminster Choir College, Fuma Sacra, Trio Duriusculus and the Australian Vocal Consort. He is a frequent solo and chamber recitalist in New York City.

Nancy Kito holds degrees from New York University (B.A., M.A. in French & Classical Studies; minor in secondary education) and the Peabody Conservatory of Music (B.M. organ performance), with additional studies in harpsichord at the Université de Montréal in Canada. She studied organ with Walter Hilse and Donald S. Sutherland, harpsichord with Webb Wiggins, and has participated in masterclasses/coachings with Jaäp Schroder, Luc Beauséjour, and Arthur Haas, as well as the International Baroque Institute at Longy, the Baroque Academy of the Amherst Early Music Festival, and the Cambridge Early Music Summer School (Cambridge University, England). Ms. Kito has performed at the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival with Ronald Roseman, Phyllis Bryn-Julson, Frank Morelli; the Yale Center for British Art; the Yale Chamber Players, under the direction of Jaäp Schroder; and the New Amsterdam Symphony Orchestra. She is an organist in the metropolitan New York area.