Biography
Our STORY
SOLI Chamber ensemble
SOLI Chamber Ensemble has been a leading voice for contemporary chamber music since 1994, captivating audiences for over three decades with dynamic performances, pioneering educational initiatives, and unwavering support for living composers through commissions and premieres. Recipient of a 2024 NEA Challenge America Grant, a 2020 Chamber Music America Classical Commissioning Grant, and the 2013 Chamber Music America and ASCAP Adventurous Programming Award, SOLI remains at the forefront of new music, expanding its reach through innovative projects and interdisciplinary collaborations.
A champion of 21st-century music, SOLI has commissioned and premiered over 100 works from a diverse array of composers, including Shulamit Ran, Kinan Azmeh, Aaron Jay Kernis, Clarice Assad, and Pierre Jalbert. Many of these works have been featured on the ensemble’s seven commercially released recordings, including The Clearing and the Forest (Acis), Música por un tiempo (Albany), Overland Dream (MSR), and Portraits (New Dynamic Records), as well as in digital productions that broaden the ensemble’s global impact.
Based in San Antonio, SOLI presents a regular concert season and performs in diverse venues, from concert halls and museums to jazz clubs and art galleries, fostering an intimate connection between audiences and contemporary music. The ensemble collaborates with organizations such as Ballet San Antonio, Attic Rep Theater Company, Youth Orchestras of San Antonio, and Opera San Antonio. Notable large-scale projects include Ballads of the Borderlands, a cantata by Texas-composer Ethan Wickman with Children’s Chorus of San Antonio and the San Antonio Chamber Choir, commemorating the city’s 300th anniversary, and ((HERE)), a multimedia work by San Antonio-native Darian Donovan Thomas, with texts by Poet Laureate Andrea “Vocab” Sanderson.
In May 2024, SOLI launched the ambitious 30x30x30 Project, celebrating its 30th anniversary by selecting 30 newly written works from early-career composers of diverse backgrounds. Collaborating with professional ensembles and university new music groups nationwide, the ensemble will perform, record, and commercially release these works, broadening the reach and impact of contemporary chamber music.
SOLI’s excellence has been recognized with grants and awards from the Aaron Copland Fund for Music, National Endowment for the Arts, Amphion Foundation, Ditson Foundation, Dalkowitz Charitable Trust, New Music USA, Eastman Institute for Music Leadership, Meet the Composer, Russell Hill Rogers Fund for the Arts, Argosy Foundation, Tobin Endowment, Texas Commission on the Arts, and the City of San Antonio’s Department of Arts & Culture, among others.
Beyond performance, SOLI nurtures future generations of musicians and audiences through comprehensive educational programs. As Ensemble-in-Residence at Trinity University (San Antonio, TX) since 2008, SOLI provides performances, open rehearsals, chamber music coaching, and mentorship for student composers. The ensemble also conducts masterclasses, interactive workshops, and lectures at universities across the U.S. and internationally, fostering the next wave of contemporary music creatives.
With a legacy of groundbreaking commissions, transformative collaborations, and inspiring education initiatives, SOLI Chamber Ensemble continues to redefine the possibilities of contemporary chamber music, ensuring its vitality for generations to come.
Meet Our Musicians
Stephanie Key
An avid performer of contemporary music, STEPHANIE KEY is the founding and current Artistic Director of SOLI Chamber Ensemble. She received her BM with Distinction in Performance from New England Conservatory in Boston, and she has performed with many orchestras and ensembles across the country and internationally. She is Interim Second Clarinetist with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, former Associate Principal and Eb Clarinetist with the San Antonio Symphony, plays with the Grand Teton Music Festival, and serves on the music faculty at Trinity University. Ms. Key is a designated Artist with Buffet Crampon, makers of fine wind instruments.
Ertan Torgul
Turkish-American violinist ERTAN TORGUL balances a full calendar of national and international recital engagements, chamber music concerts, and solo appearances. He has been SOLI Chamber Ensemble’s violinist since 1996, served as Artistic Director from 2012 to 2019, and was the group’s Managing Director from 2011 to 2020. Mr. Torgul is a member of the SUONO Duo/Trio, Quartet ES, and Quinteto Quilombo.
David Mollenauer
Cellist DAVID MOLLENAUER received his Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from The Juilliard School with Harvey Shapiro and continued his studies with Lynn Harrell at USC. He has performed across the U.S., Central America, Europe, and Asia. An avid chamber musician, Mr. Mollenauer is a founding member of SOLI, former Assistant Principal Cello of the San Antonio Symphony, plays with the Grand Teton Music Festival, and teaches cello at Trinity University.
Carolyn True
An inaugural member of the Steinway Music Teacher Hall of Fame, prize-winning pianist CAROLYN TRUE is Professor of Music at Trinity University, and a core member of SOLI Chamber Ensemble since 1996. She walks the delicate balance between teaching and actively performing solo, chamber, and orchestral repertoire on the national and international stage. Dr. True holds the prestigious Performers’ Certificate and a DMA from the Eastman School of Music.
