Classical music lovers, GET READY. The Rockhill String Quartet is coming to Garden City!
Featuring musicians with ties to Dodge City, Kansas City & the capital of Missouri, this gifted classical collective will be stopping by HPPR's headquarters in downtown Garden City, KS for a ONE-NIGHT-ONLY performance of modern works by Koncz and Piazzolla, as well as Haydn and Mendelssohn.
ABOUT THE QUARTET:
Violinist Aaron Tseng is a young musician based in the Kansas City area. He began his studies in violin at 5 years old with Michael Arbucci, the orchestra director of Blue Valley Northwest High School. In 2018, Aaron switched instructors to Chiafei Lin, internationally acclaimed violinist who served as the Acting Assistant Concertmaster of the KC Symphony for 5 years, and in 2019, Aaron also began to study under Professor Benny Kim, Associate Professor of Violin at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.
Aaron is and has been an active member in the music community. He has been a part of the Kansas City Youth Symphony for 7 years, from 5th grade to junior year of high school. He was a part of the KMEA All-State Orchestra for all 4 years while in high school, serving as principal second violin in 2023. In addition to orchestral ensembles, Aaron is an avid chamber musician. He has participated in programs such as the Sunflower Chamber Music Festival, Heartland Chamber Music Camp, Kent Blossom Music Festival, and the Julliard String Quartet Seminar. He has had the privilege to receive masterclasses from Ken Hamao, David Colwell, Maureen Yuen, Zsolt Eder, and Christina Bouey.
Aaron has been the winner of many local competitions in Kansas City. He was the winner of the Overland Park Orchestra Youth Soloist Competition, the Mid-America Performing Arts Alliance Young String Competition, and took first place in the KC Civic Orchestra Chatelain Young Artist Competition in 2023. As the winner of the KC Civic Orchestra Chatelain Young Artist Competition, Aaron had the great privilege to make his soloist debut on stage at the renowned Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts.
Currently, Aaron is studying under Professor Benny Kim at the University of Missouri-Kansas City for his Bachelor’s degree in Violin Performance. In addition to violin, enjoys playing piano casually and composing and arranging music. He has studied under two composition instructors, Dr. Kurt Knecht and Dr. Garrett Hope, and now utilizes his expertise to arrange pop and anime songs for chamber settings like string quartets.
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Violinist Thomas Harlan is an emerging young artist from Jefferson City, Missouri. He graduated from Capital City High School. During his time in high school he received multiple Gold Medals for the MSHSAA State Music Festival. He also had the opportunity to perform Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 4 with his school’s orchestral. In addition to his school’s ensemble, Harlan has performed with regional groups such as the Missouri Youth Symphony and the Columbia Civic Orchestra.
He joined the Rockhill String Quartet in 2025 as the 2nd violinist to further expand his chamber music studies. He is an active chamber music musician and regularly performs with various other artists and ensembles in the Kansas City Area.
He has attended the Esterhazy String Quartet Seminar for two consecutive years and in 2025 he attended the Sewanee Summer Music Festival where he got the opportunity to work with various musicians and leading faculty .
He has worked with distinguished teachers including Sophia Hahn, Leslie Perna, Alexandre de Silva Negrão, Lin He, Sheldon Person, and Henry Wang.
He is currently pursuing his Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance at the University of Missouri–Kansas City Conservatory, where he studies under acclaimed violinist and pedagogue Joseph Genualdi.
Outside of music he is into rock climbing and during high school he was part of their Track & Field and Cross Country teams. He is also an Eagle Scout who has been involved in Scouting and various leadership programs
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Guatemalan-American cellist Rony Castro is an emerging young artist noted for his expressive playing and remarkably rapid musical development. Born in Dodge City, KS and raised in Guatemala, He began studying the cello at the age of fifteen after relocating to the United States.
Within only a few years of beginning the instrument, Rony Castro established himself as one of the leading young cellists in Kansas. He was selected to the Kansas All-State Full Orchestra in both 2023 and 2024 and served as Principal Cellist of the Wichita Youth Symphony Orchestra during the 2023–2024 season. In 2024 he received Honorable Mention in the junior division of the Kansas American String Teachers Association Competition.
Rony has appeared as soloist on multiple occasions. After receiving Second Prize in the Wichita Symphony Youth Talent Competition, he performed the Elgar Cello Concerto at Century II Concert Hall in Wichita, KS. He later received First Prize in the Delano Chamber Orchestra Concerto Competition, performing the Elgar Cello Concerto again as soloist.
In 2026, Rony was awarded First Prize at the Chatelain Young Artist Concerto Competition, which led to his soloist debut at the world renowned Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts in Kansas City, where he performed the Dvořák Cello Concerto.
Rony has participated in numerous festivals and intensive programs including the Sunflower Music Festival, Heartland Chamber Music Festival, Ascent Music Festival, and The Colorado Cello Intensive where he had the opportunity to work closely with distinguished faculty from around the country.
An active chamber musician, Rony performs frequently throughout the Kansas City region and is the cellist of the Rockhill String Quartet, an emerging ensemble based in Kansas City. The quartet has been featured on 91.9 Classical KC and has premiered new works.
In addition to performing, Rony is deeply committed to music education and community engagement. He currently serves on the faculty of the Southwest Kansas Youth Orchestras Program. The program is committed to making music education more accessible to students throughout Southwest Kansas.
Rony previously studied with Quinn Lake of the Wichita Symphony Orchestra and Susie Yang of the Kansas City Symphony. He is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Music in Cello Performance at the University of Missouri–Kansas City Conservatory, where he studies with Professor Michael Mermagen.
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Violist Matthew (Matt) Lee has been described as having a “unique tone” Mr. Lee quickly established himself as a rising chamber musician in the Kansas City area. Raised in Olathe, Kansas, Mr. Lee began playing viola in his school’s fifth-grade music program. He continued developing his fundamentals through school; during his transition into high school, he began private studies with Jackie Lee.
Under Jackie Lee’s tutelage, Mr. Lee was selected as the Principal Violist of the KMEA All-State Orchestra for three consecutive years. He went on to win the 2024 Shooting Stars Competition and the 2024 Las Vegas Music Competition with the Tesura Quartet. Additionally, he was accepted into the UMKC Conservatory and has performed alongside Cleveland Orchestra members such as Wesley Collins and Stanley Konopka.
Mr. Lee has had the honor of participating in masterclasses led by distinguished musicians, including Martha Katz (Cleveland Quartet), Lawrence Dutton (Emerson Quartet), Yoshi Masuda (Rolston Quartet), and members of Quartetto Cremona, the Jerusalem Quartet, and the Miami String Quartet. He has also worked with Jun Iwasaki (Concertmaster of the Kansas City Symphony), Ming Yu (Principal Violist of the Kansas City Symphony), Wesley Collins (Principal Viola of the Cleveland Orchestra), and Charles Stegeman.
In addition to these achievements, he has participated in prestigious summer programs, including the Kent Blossom Music Festival, Las Vegas Music Festival, Heartland Chamber Music Festival, Friends of Chamber Music Young Artist Project, and the Juilliard Quartet Seminar. Mr. Lee has performed in world-renowned venues such as the Severance Music Center, Yardley Hall, the Century II Convention Center, the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, and Carnegie Hall. His versatile performance credits also include a Broadway production of Frozen, Carmen, and UMKC Crescendo.
Beyond performing, Mr. Lee is an active educator currently pursuing a Bachelor of Music Education at the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC). He is a member of the Tri-M Music Honor Society and the UMKC chapter of the American String Teachers Association. Dedicated to community engagement, Mr. Lee continues to maintain a private teaching studio.
Outside of music, Mr. Lee enjoys playing chess and solving puzzles. A former competitive soccer player in high school, he also enjoys watching movies and shows, listening to podcasts, connecting with nature, and learning about astronomy. In his free time, he is an avid collector of stuffed animals.
A $15 donation is suggested, and light refreshments will be served. For more information, or to RSVP for the show, click here!
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