The Port City Music Festival is performed by a core ensemble of musicians who come together as a Camerata Philadelphia group in Wilmington each spring. Founding music director Stephen Framil programs each night's chamber combinations from the roster, so the lineup on stage changes from concert to concert. Some nights run as a full ensemble, others as quartets or a string trio, depending on the repertoire.
This page covers the ensemble and the performers from the most recent edition. For the schedule, venues, and free ticket details, see the main Port City Music Festival guide. Each year's programs post at the official festival site.
How the Lineup Works How the Port City Music Festival Lineup Works
Rather than a rotating cast of guest artists, the festival builds its week around a small core of returning musicians. Programs are constructed around chamber combinations of those performers, so reading a night's program reveals exactly who will be on stage: a piano quartet program means violin, viola, cello, and piano; an oboe quartet adds the oboist; a string trio strips down to three.
Two consequences for planning a visit. First, hearing the full ensemble usually means picking the nights with the largest-scale repertoire. Second, a favorite performer may only appear on certain nights, so check the program before choosing a concert.
The 2026 Ensemble The Port City Music Festival 2026 Performers
The 2026 festival featured a returning core ensemble of six musicians.
Stephen Framil Cellist and Music Director
Cellist, music director, festival co-founder. Stephen Framil founded the festival in 2009 with Wilmington artist Christine Farley and has led it as music director every year since. He holds a doctorate in music from Indiana University and serves as music director of Camerata Philadelphia, the parent ensemble. His international career includes the distinction of being the first American cellist to perform in Hanoi since the Vietnam War, plus solo and chamber dates at Carnegie's Weill Recital Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, and Hong Kong City Hall.
Stephanie Caulder Oboist and Wilmington Native
Oboist. UNCW Founding Dean. Wilmington native. The local hook of the lineup. Stephanie Caulder grew up in Wilmington and serves as Founding Dean of the College of Humanities, Social Sciences, and the Arts at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, where she is also a Professor of Music. She holds a Doctor of Music in oboe performance from Florida State and performs as principal oboist of the Johnstown Symphony Orchestra and the Keystone Wind Ensemble. Her concert resume includes shared stages with Bernadette Peters, Joshua Bell, Denyce Graves, Mannheim Steamroller, and Frank Sinatra Jr. In 2026 she appeared on the festival's oboe-repertoire nights.
Gared Crawford Violinist
Violinist. Crawford trained at Oberlin Conservatory and Northwestern University. His resume runs through a series of Midwestern principal-chair posts: Associate Concertmaster of the South Bend Symphony, Concertmaster of the Evansville Philharmonic, and first violinist of the Eykamp String Quartet. He now plays out of the Philadelphia area as a frequent guest with Opera Philadelphia, the Pennsylvania Ballet, the Philadelphia Chamber Orchestra, and the Reading Symphony. He appeared in every 2026 concert.
Kyle Engler Mezzo-Soprano
Mezzo-soprano. Engler holds a Master of Music from the Peabody Conservatory and directs vocal studies at McDaniel College. Her opera credits include Charlotte in Werther, Dorabella in Cosi fan tutte, Lucretia in The Rape of Lucretia, Mercedes in Carmen, and Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro. She was cast by Placido Domingo in 2005 to premiere the role of Lydia Dudley in Washington National Opera's production of Democracy: An American Comedy. The Baltimore Sun called her "a virtuoso of a high order."
Daniel Lau Pianist
Pianist. Lau holds a doctorate from Peabody and chairs the Department of Music at Washington Adventist University. He is a founding member of the Ravel Trio and has released six recordings since 2006, including the solo album "Transcendent Colors." His repertoire commitments include championing works by Asian American and African American composers and premiering pieces by living composers. The Washington Post praised his "exemplary artistry."
Sarah Sutton Violist
Violist. The English-born Sutton trained at the Yehudi Menuhin School of Music under Lord Yehudi Menuhin himself, then at the International Menuhin Music Academy in Switzerland on full scholarship, then at Indiana University. She has held principal viola positions with the New World Symphony under Michael Tilson-Thomas and the Florida Philharmonic Orchestra. Her command performance resume includes Pope John Paul II, Queen Elizabeth II, Nelson Mandela, and Princess Diana. She plays a 1970 viola by Sergio Peresson she calls "The Geist" and appeared in every 2026 concert.
Common Questions About Port City Music Festival Performers
Local Performers Are Any Port City Music Festival Performers Local to Wilmington NC?
Yes. Oboist Stephanie Caulder is a Wilmington native and serves as Founding Dean of the College of Humanities, Social Sciences, and the Arts at UNCW, where she is also a Professor of Music. The rest of the ensemble is based in the Philadelphia area and travels in through the festival's parent ensemble, Camerata Philadelphia.
Same Musicians Do the Same Musicians Play Every Port City Music Festival Concert?
No. The core musicians rotate combinations based on each night's program, from full-ensemble nights down to a string trio. Reading the program ahead of time shows exactly who will be on stage.
Music Director Who Is the Port City Music Festival Music Director?
Cellist Stephen Framil has served as music director since founding the festival in 2009 with Wilmington artist Christine Farley. He also serves as music director of Camerata Philadelphia, the parent 501(c)(3) ensemble of which the festival is a program.