Connection is the reason I play music.Connecting with other musicians onstage, telling stories through vibrations in the air and the magic that comes from connecting with the audience. The connection with the composer is at the heart of that of course. I love the journey of learning a new piece and investigating what the composer wanted us to experience and what they had in mind at any given moment.I’m so lucky to have been able to spend my life exploring what all of this means. I’ve played all over the place, from Suntory Hall to Wigmore Hall, Carnegie Hall to the Betlin Philharmonie. I’ve performed with phenomenal musicians such as the Midori, Daniel Hope, Jonathan Biss, Pekka Kuusisto, Barbara Hannigan and Frederica von Stade. I love playing chamber music and I’ve had the honor of playing with groups such as The Danish, Jack, Modigliani and Marmen Quartets. I’ve played at many festivals including Marlboro, Mecklenburg, Spoleto and Santa Fe Chamber Music. Recently I was featured with Leila Josefowicz, Paul Watkins and Kirill Gerstein playing Quartet for the End of Time for a PBS documentary celebrating 50 years of the Santa Fe Festival.I am a founding member of the Argento New Music Project, I’ve played with most of New York and Berlin’s contemporary ensembles and some of my first professional gigs were with Ensemble Modern in Frankfurt.I love teaching. I’ve given masterclasses and workshops at places from Harvard University to the Guildhall School in London. I’ve been on faculty at Queens College and at Juilliard as college auxiliary faculty.— Carol McGonnell