The Park Quartet is composed of students from the International Center for Music at Park University with a variety of degrees in music performance plus vast chamber music experiences. The four musicians hail from the U.S. (Cello: James Farquhar), Brazil (Viola: Christian Santos), and Uzbekistan (Violin: Ilkhom Mukhiddinov, Mumin Turgunov).

Founded in 2022, the quartet has been actively performing around the Kansas City Metro Area. Plus, since reaching diverse communities outside concert halls is an important part of the group’s mission, Park Quartet makes chamber music accessible for all by connecting with artistic activities in churches, public libraries and senior centers. The group also serves as an important part of the International Center for Music’s outreach to the community. From the start, the Quartet has been programming and performing chamber music masterpieces such as string quartets by Mendelssohn, Dvorak, Mozart, and Debussy, to name a few, as well as presenting folk tunes from Danish, Brazilian, and other cultures.

The Park Quartet is supported and coached by Daniel Veis and Ben Sayevich, professors from the International Center for Music. They’ve also had the pleasure to work with artists such the violinist Shmuel Ashkenasi at the Graham Tyler Memorial Chapel Hall in Parkville, Mo., and conductor Michael Stern at the Kauffman Center for Performing Arts Hall in Kansas City, Mo.

Ilkhom Mukhiddinov

Uzbekistan-born violinist Ilkhom Mukhiddinov has won acclaim for his high professionalism. His extraordinary technical abilities transmit a fresh interpretation of standard and contemporary classical repertoire. Born in Tashkent in 2001 into a family of musicians, Ilkhom started his musical journey in the Uspensky Specialized Music Lyceum. Ilkhom made his debut with the Uspensky Symphony Orchestra at the age of 7. He also performed with groups including; the National Symphony Orchestra of Uzbekistan, the Soloists of Uzbekistan Chamber Orchestra, the Turkestan Chamber Orchestra and the Young Talents Chamber Orchestra. Additionally he has performed with Orchestras in the United States such as the Kansas City Chamber Orchestra, and ICM Chamber Orchestra. He also recently performed with the Springfield Symphony in February.

Since 2012, Ilkhom has been named prize winner of over 10 competitions and festivals. Some of his recent awards include first prize at the Hellam Young Artist Competition, finalist and “Jury special mention” at the Leonid Kogan international Competition, and 1st Prize at the Naftzger competition.

Ilkhom has worked with a number of internationally recognized concert artists and pedagogues such as Miriam Fried, Shmuel Ashkenasi, Gil Shaham, Nicholas Kitchen, Ani Kavafian, Mark Kaplan, Danny Phillips, Francesca dePasquale and Jaime Laredo.

Currently Ilkhom is pursuing his bachelor of music performance at the at Park University’s International Center for Music, where he studies with Ben Sayevich.

Muminjon Turgunov

Muminjon Turgunov is a student of Ben Sayevich currently working on his Bachelor’s Degree in Violin Performance. Prior coming to the United States in 2019 he studied for 11 years at the Glier School of Music in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, with such renowned teachers as Nikitin Yaroslav and Mashkura Kasimovna. In 2018 started working as a concertmaster of “Consonanza” Chamber Orchestra at the Tashkent and Uzbekistan Diocese. In the same year was awarder Diploma for the Best Musician of the Season “Spring 2018”. In 2019 Muminjon participated in the Republican Competition of Uzbekistan and won 2nd prize. In 2020 Muminjon Turgunov was privileged to work as a full time violinist in the “State Symphony Orchestra”. He has a passion for playing violin solo repertoire, but greatly enjoys playing in chamber ensembles and orchestras.

Christian Santos

Christian Santos started his journey playing the Viola in 2012 in Sao Paulo, Brazil, at the age of 13. He studied at the Sao Paulo State Music School with violists Mariana Costa Gomes and Silvio Catto before becoming a student of Peter Chun at the International Center for Music at Park University. Christian has performed with several orchestras such as the Brazilian National Symphony Orchestra, Bauru Symphony Orchestra, Lins Youth Symphony Orchestra, and the exceptional Sao Paulo State Youth Orchestra, with which he recorded CDs with masterpieces such as Mahler’s 5th Symphony, Bartok’s Miraculous Mandarin, Kodaly’s Dances of Galanta, Claudio Santoro’s 9th Symphony, to name a few. In these orchestras he performed with prestigious conductors such as Giancarlo Guerrero, Marin Alsop, Michael Tilson Thomas, Neil Thompson, Claudio Cruz, Marcelo Leningher, Michal Klauza, Bruno Mantovani, and others.

When it comes to chamber music, Christian had amazing experiences in the Pianosofia (directed by the pianist Cristian Budu), Martinez Quartet, and Sao Paulo State Youth Orchestra String Quartet. He has had opportunities to work with other musicians such as Christoph Hartmann (Berlin Phil), Jon Thorne (London Phil), Shmuel Ashkenasi (Curtis), Ben Sayevich (Park University), Daniel Veis (Park University), the Modigliani Quartet members, etc. Currently, Christian is the violist of the Park Quartet at the International Center for Music and Viola Principle of the ICM Chamber Orchestra.

In music festivals, solo masterclasses, and international activities, Christian worked with artists such as Hsin Yun-Huang (Juilliard), Ruth Killius, Tim Deighton (Penn State), Hong Mei-Xiao (University of Arizona), Rafael Altino (Carl Nielsen Academy)  Antal Zalai, Asbjørn Nørgaard (Danish Quartet), Agata Szymczewska (13th Wieniawski Winner), Antonio Meneses, to name a few. He also worked as guest and side-by-side performer for the New World Symphony, Youth Orchestra of Americas, and Boston Youth Symphony. 

James Farquhar

James Farquhar is currently a student of Daniel Veis, pursuing a Master’s Degree in Cello Performance from Park University’s International Center for Music. He is formerly a student of Kurt Baldwin of the Arianna String Quartet at the University of Missouri – St. Louis. Under Baldwin’s instruction, James attained 2019-20 UMSL Artist of the Year with the Rococo Variations by Tchaikovsky. In Spring of 2022, he was also named Odyssey Chamber Music’s Performance Fellow, with a culminating solo recital, in collaboration with pianist Peter Miyamoto (University of Missouri’s professor for piano). During his time pursuing his undergraduate degree, James organized numerous community recitals around St. Louis and Kansas City.

​He has received invaluable instruction from the likes of the Arianna String Quartet, the Brooklyn Rider String Quartet, the Harlem String Quartet, the Jupiter String Quartet, the Rolston String Quartet, Dennis Parker, Scott Lee, Jackie Lee, Frank Huang, Michael Stern and Shmuel Ashkenazy, among numerous others. James has also participated in various chamber music festivals including the Arianna Chamber Music Festival, Madeline Island Chamber Music Festival, Heartland Chamber Music Festival (as a festival scholar from the 2017-2022 seasons), and Chamber Music in the Mountains (Mt. Lemmon, Arizona).

James is a Teaching Artist for Harmony Project KC, a nonprofit that provides year round music education for underserved students from the diverse Historic Northeast Community of Kansas City, Missouri. This program’s main goal is to get students access to college through music. Their first graduating class in 2022 was able to get approximately 95 percent of their college covered by financial aid and merit-based scholarships. Many of the students plan to use their education to improve the lives of their underserved community members. He also aspires to organize grant-funded outreach concerts for underserved elementary schools, hospitals and nursing home communities.

James performs on an 18th Century composite cello crafted by Giovanni Tononi. This instrument is generously on loan from the Rachel Barton Pine Foundation.