Lu, Knowles & Piloyan; violin, cello & piano

Conductor Tiffany Lu is Assistant Professor and Director of Orchestra at the University of Florida, and Music Director of the renowned Pierre Monteux School and Music Festival in Hancock, Maine, where she recently conducted the first performance of the Rite of Spring in the school’s history. Previous guest conducting appearances include the Cumberland Symphony Orchestra (Sewanee Summer Music Festival), NYSSMA 2024 All-State Symphonic Orchestra, Symphony New Hampshire, and Elgin Symphony Orchestra. From 2020-2022, Lu was Director of the Sewanee Symphony Orchestra and Assistant Professor of Orchestral Conducting at Sewanee University of the South. Prior to her current appointment, Lu served for five seasons as Associate Conductor of the Pierre Monteux Music Festival and two seasons as Interim Music Director.

Over seven years, Lu developed a diverse portfolio of work in the D.C.-Maryland-Virginia areas and Delaware. She held the position of Assistant Conductor with the Prince Georges’ Philharmonic (MD) from ‘19-’22, was Music Director of the Wilmington Community Orchestra for five seasons, and also Assistant and then Associate Conductor with Washington, D.C.’s Capital City Symphony from ‘15-’22, creating groundbreaking and creative programming. She was also selected as Conducting Fellow for the Allentown Symphony in 2019 and 2020. Other positions have included Music Director of the University of Maryland Repertoire Orchestra, cover conductor and principal librarian at the 2016 and 2017 National Orchestral Institute, and conductor with the DC Youth Orchestra Program and Annapolis Symphony Academy. Lu has guest-conducted the Symphony New Hampshire as well as the Millikin-Decatur Symphony Orchestra; and acted as cover conductor with the Elgin Symphony Orchestra, Symphony New Hampshire, Princeton Symphony Orchestra, Georgetown University Orchestra, and Cornell University Orchestra. Recently, she also served as lead producer on two recordings by the Virginia Symphony Orchestra as well as one with the Smithsonian Chamber Players. 

Lu maintains an active performing profile as an orchestral violinist, chamber music collaborator, and private violin teacher. Her doctoral research focused on new models in the orchestral education of undergraduate string players. Her primary conducting mentors have included Michael Jinbo, Jim Ross, and Jeffery Meyer.

Lu grew up in Tampa, FL and holds degrees from Princeton University, Ithaca College, and the University of Maryland.

​Michael Knowles, a native of Richmond, Virginia, received his bachelor's in cello performance at Columbus State University in Columbus, Georgia and masters at the University of Florida.

Prior to attending CSU, Michael was a teacher and freelance cellist who frequently performed with many of the orchestras, churches, and theater companies in Virginia. Former orchestral positions include: Principal Cellist and Librarian of the Richmond Philharmonic, Assistant Principal Cellist of the Northern Neck Orchestra, and Section Cello of the Petersburg Symphony. Michael has also performed numerous times in the pits of theatre productions by: Virginia Rep, VCU Theatre, Richmond Shakespeare, Cadence Theatre, Theatre Lab, Firehouse Theatre, HAT Theatre, and Auburn University.

In addition to performing on cello, Michael is an avid arranger for cello ensembles and conductor. Michael founded The Richmond Cello Orchestra (RCO) in 2015, a community cello ensemble dedicated to connecting the cello community of Richmond and expanding the repertoire available for cello ensemble. Averaging around 20 members, from High School students to Professionals, RCO would perform five concerts a season, each starting with an all Mozart program for Classical Revolution RVA's Annual Mozart Festival. Currently RCO has over 100 cello arrangements in its library with many of them arranged by Michael himself.

Anait Piloyan was born on August 15, 1997, in Republic of Armenia. Anait first began playing piano and violin when she was five years old. After ten years of playing both instruments, Anait decided to continue playing piano and she applied to the Moscow State Conservatory Academic Music College where she was studying piano with Tatiana Rakova. After graduating from college Anait was accepted into The Moscow State Conservatory in 2017 where she studied with Alexander Mndoyants. Anait was a very active student in Professor Mndoyats studio, she was performing for master classes and concerts among with playing for festivals and competitions. After the third year in conservatory, she was awarded a grant from the President of Russia. During time in Moscow, Anait began teaching private students piano lessons and organizing and performing concerts for the schools, libraries and churches. She managed to combine the chamber ensembles, orchestra and vocal music with piano solo.

After years of teaching and studying she discovered her passion for teaching. She was able to maintain a studio of 10 to 15 students during her years at Conservatory. After she graduated, Anait made the choice to follow her brother, a violinist who also studied at Moscow Conservatory, to the United States. She applied and got accepted to do her Artist Diploma studying with Esther Park at the Schwob School of Music in Columbus, Georgia. In 2024 Anait applied and got accepted to University of Florida studying with Hsiang Tu.

During time at Schwob, Anait have played as a pianist for the wind ensemble, an accompanist for many of the studios (including cello, viola, tuba, trumpet, and saxophone), and was a teacher for the Schwob Prep Division where she had over 10 students. Anaits experience at Schwob has given her a new perspective on teaching. Anait used to the Russian school of teaching and have decided to continue the tradition here in the United States with her students. This has led her, under the guidance of Dr. Park and now Dr. Tu, to create a new method book for teaching beginning piano.

Join us any Tuesday in February at 12:15 p.m. for a 25-minute concert followed by a $7 lunch.