Chris grew up outside Washington, D.C. and has been fortunate to study with the greats of American flute playing, including Donald Peck of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Jean Berkenstock, of the Lyric Opera of Chicago, and Thomas Perazzoli, of the National Symphony Orchestra. Chris has arranged a wide range of music for Mode and recently made his conducting début with the ensemble. Outside of music, Chris is a wine and spirits connoisseur, as well as a talented cook.

Jack is known for his powerful presence, beautiful tone, and exciting interpretations, and has delighted audiences across the United States and Ireland. A graduate of the University of Southern California, he has collaborated with acclaimed composer Jordan Nelson to write numerous new works and debuted an epic song cycle by Laura Kramer which received a BMI award in 2012. Recently, Jack has taken up composing, writing, and recording music for a video game called The Fisher, out later this year.

Chris is currently performing with the North American tour of West Side Story. He has performed globally and in a variety of genres, has performed globally and in a variety of genres, working with contemporary composers David Dies, Mike Kramer, and Ilya Levinson; performing live with My Morning Jacket and Dr. L Subramaniam, and recording with Brett James and members of Music City Hit-Makers. His principal teachers include Ann Griffin Hendrickson, John Sharp, Alexander Boyarsky, and Cheng-Hou Lee.

Bulgarian-born pianist Ani Gogova has been acclaimed for her “dazzling artistic presence,” “masterful poetic expression,” “ravishing colors,” and “virtuoso technique beyond reproach.” A winner of numerous international competitions, Ani has appeared in solo recitals and concerts with orchestras across Europe and the United States. As both a performer and producer, Ani leverages her awesome attention to detail and experience with high-profile events to mold Mode into unprecedented success.

Critically acclaimed soprano, Kimberly Gunderson recently made her Chicago Symphony Orchestra debut as the soprano soloist in Verdi’s Quattro Pezzi Sacri under the baton of Maestro Riccardo Muti. As an active chamber musician, Kimberly co-founded and performs in the chamber ensemble, Mode and currently sings as a Regular Member of the Chicago Symphony Chorus, the Morning Choir at Fourth Presbyterian Church, and is a Company Member of the VOX 3 Collective.

Sergey began his studies in Russia and has performed with the Moscow Symphony and Lyric Opera of Chicago. He has been featured live on the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concerts broadcast on WFMT from Preston Bradley Hall at the Chicago Cultural Center.

Critics describe soprano Ashlee's performances as “passionate, with eclectic vocal acrobatics” and “a delicate mix of singing and expression.” Favorite roles include Sharon in Master Class (Theo Ubique), Mum/Sphinx in Greek (Chicago Opera Vanguard), Esther in Democracy (Vox3 w/Eclipse Theatre), and Estelle in No Exit (COV). A champion of new compositions, she has premiered Sam Krahn’s Leave A Message, Robert Steel’s Lobster Stew, Adam Gustafson’s Morning Commute, and Matthew Lawton’s Sonnets.

Grace is an active soloist, chamber musician and orchestra player in Chicago area. She has toured Europe with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and performed with the Los Angeles Opera as part of Ring Festival LA. She joined Prairie Winds Quintet as a guest artist in British Columbia, and was recently soloist with the Chicago Classical Philharmonic. Grace has appeared at the Colorado College (Colorado Springs), Pacific (Sapporo), Mozaic WinterMezzo (San Luis Obispo), and Aspen music festivals.

The Chicago Tribune has described Kelsey as “a splendid harpist.” The Chicago Sun-Times dubbed her an “outstanding soloist.” She is one of the most sought-after harpists in the country and has toured and performed worldwide with the UBS Verbier Festival Orchestra (Switzerland), Los Angeles Philharmonic, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Kelsey studied with Sarah Bullen, principal harpist of the CSO.

Allegra has performed extensively across the nation and is currently a cellist with the Sarasota Opera. Her quartet, the Battery String Quartet, was selected as one of two ensembles to participate in the Deer Valley Music Festival Emerging Quartets Program. Allegra studied with cello greats, John Sharp (Principal, Chicago Symphony Orchestra) and Emilio Colon (Indiana University.) Allegra is founder and director of Sharing Notes, which partners musicians with Chicago hospitals for uplifting, engaging performances.

Erin can frequently be found performing in non-traditional venues, making music accessible to everyone in the community. While completing her doctorate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, she performed in a woodwind quintet for Classical Revolution Madison at local coffee shops, pubs, and community centers. Her more traditional performance venues have included those for the Union League Club of Chicago, Columbia College Chicago, and VanderCook College of Music.

Bruno has performed as principal with many ensembles, such as the Brasilia Philharmonic, University of Brasilia String Orchestra, and as soloist with Art-Brasilia Orchestra, Midwest Young Artists, and North Park Symphony Orchestra. He is a founding member of the YOURS Project, has studied with Charles Pickler (North Park University) and Rami Solomonow (DePaul University), and was a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago.

Heather Wittels is a member of the Lyric Opera of Chicago and Associate Concertmaster of the Glimmerglass Opera Festival Orchestra in Cooperstown, New York. Heather made her solo debut in June 2001, performing with the New England Conservatory Youth Philharmonic Orchestra and the St. Petersburg State Symphony in Russia. More recently, she gave the American premiere of the violin concerto Bulls of Bashan by Gavin Bryars at Spoleto Festival USA, for which Strad Magazine praised her “pure, singing tone.”