SPLNTRD WOOD All -Cello Ensemble: Thursday OCTOBER 16, 2025 at 6:00-7:00 pm / Free Edendale Library Up Close Concerts

Join us Thursday October 16th at 6:00 p.m. in the meeting room for our next Edendale Up Close concert.

All-cello ensemble SPLNTRD WOOD – Ian Gottlieb, Daniel Lim, Matthew Park and Jaewon Ahn – creates fresh and invigorating live music experiences with its own audacious arrangements that cross divides between musical genres. Their 2025 program, Songs Without Voices, celebrates song and melody across time and culture, reimagining classical opera, jazz, Bollywood, samba, rock, and more for up to four cellists. Crafted to surprise, delight, and inspire, the program invites audiences of all ages into a vibrant, songful journey—without a single word.

https://www.youtube.com/@splntrdwood6413

The Edendale library address is 2011 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90026 in Echo Park

enter from the Alvarado St. side through the library parking lot. 

Email eden@lapl.org for more information.

 ARTIST BIOS:

 Ian Gottlieb is a Los Angeles-based composer and cellist who is deeply curious about the world and passionate about creating evocative music that explores the breadth of the human experience. Known for moving freely through many genres, Ian draws from a kaleidoscope of musical experiences: from playing classical and contemporary music at Yale School of Music and the Royal College of Music, to jamming samba in the streets of São Paulo on a Fulbright scholarship, to touring China with experimental rock band Invisible Anatomy. As a film composer, his original music has been featured on Netflix, Disney+, and MGM+, on productions including Chef’s Table, The Witcher, and National Geographic’s Hurricane Katrina: Race Against Time. His concert works, written for everything from niche folk instruments to full orchestra, have been performed by Grammy-winning and nominated ensembles and artists including Palaver Strings, Sandbox Percussion, Hilary Summers, and Rhonda Rider, with support from The World Music Institute, New York State Council for the Arts, The Foundation for Contemporary Arts, and ASCAP.  Ian co-leads cello ensemble Splntrd Wood, coming off their 2024 concert series featuring his new work, Theory of Change, a full-length album (releasing in 2025) that explores notions of change and flow with meditative, ethereal music that builds to ecstatic moments. A Los Angeles native, Ian grows food in his backyard, cooks nourishing meals, and disappears into the wilderness whenever he can — a pastime he considers vital to his creative process.

Cellist Daniel Lim holds degrees from the New England Conservatory and the Cleveland Institute of Music; his mentors include Yeesun Kim, Stephen Geber, and Robert DeMaine. Daniel is currently a member of Splntrd Wood, a Los Angeles-based cello quartet that presents “fresh and invigorating live music experiences that cross divide between musical genres.” In the summer of 2020, the ensemble released its debut album “De La Pra Ca” and was featured on ASCAP’s Friday New Music Spotify playlist; other notable engagements include performances at LACMA “Sundays Live”, Massivemuse, and The Medieval Music Festival in the Dales. In addition to performing Daniel is an avid and passionate educator; having received formal training in the Suzuki Method Pedagogy Program, he has extensive experience teaching privately and at various institutions throughout the Los Angeles area. When Daniel is not playing the cello he is a producer for The Faking Notes Podcast; a fun, educational podcast co-hosted by “ThatViolaKid” and Trevor Bumgarner that features experiences, lessons, and advice on having a successful music career in the 21st century.

Matthew Park currently serves as Assistant Principal Cello of the California Symphony and is a member of Splntrd Wood, a project-focused cello quartet whose mission is to “create fresh live music experiences that cross divides between musical genres.”

Splntrd Wood has been featured on Sundays Live at LACMA, ASCAP’s New Music Friday playlist, and the Medieval Music in the Dales Festival in Yorkshire, England. They have released their debut album De lá pra cá, which explores original arrangements of Brazilian and Latin American music. The quartet has collaborated with artists such as Maria Da Barros and premiered original works by composers Reena Esmail and Mark Carlson.

As a chamber musician, Park has performed with the Kronos, American, and Telegraph Quartets; Owen Dalby of the St. Lawrence String Quartet; Sam Weiser of the Carpe Diem Quartet; Jennifer Culp; Dimitri Murrath; Ian Swensen; Amy Schwartz-Moretti; Cindy Wu; and Itamar Zorman. He has studied chamber music with renowned ensembles including the American, Escher, Takács, and Telegraph String Quartets, and with distinguished musicians such as Clive Greensmith, Sylvia Rosenberg, Dimitri Murrath, and Jennifer Culp. He has also participated in masterclasses with the Takács, Aizuri, and Miró String Quartets, Ida Kavafian, and Peter Salaff, among others.

Park holds degrees from the Manhattan School of Music and the San Francisco Conservatory, where he earned his Artist Diploma in Chamber Music under the mentorship of Jennifer Culp.

He has performed both chamber and solo works across the United States and South Korea. Park was a member of Shattered Glass, a conductorless string ensemble, and has been a fellow at the Music Academy of the West, the ENCORE School for Strings, the Marrowstone Music Festival, and the Gold Coast Chamber Music Festival—where he was named an Emerging Artist and later served on the faculty. He has also held a section cello position with the New West Symphony.

 

Jaewon Ahn, a cellist and educator with a thriving career in the Los Angeles area, is dedicated to delivering meaningful music experiences to her audience. Her musical journey has taken her across Europe, North America, and Asia, where she has shared the stage with renowned artists like Yo-Yo Ma and Lynn Harrell. An ardent chamber music enthusiast, Jaewon's trio had the distinct honor of being invited to Mozarteum University in Salzburg, Austria, for a residency and concert, forging close collaborations with Mozart scholars. She has received guidance and mentorship from accomplished coaches such as Lawrence Lesser, Steven Dann, Axel Strauss, and members of the Borromeo and Brentano quartets.

Beyond her classical pursuits, Jaewon's versatility as a musician has led her to the realms of film and television, where she has collaborated with A-list artists like Michael Buble and Danny Elfman. Her last season included performances on stages like the Coachella Music Festival and the Hollywood Bowl.

Throughout her career, Jaewon remains committed to sharing her passion for music and nurturing the next generation of musicians. An active and respected teacher, she has worked with students of all ages and diverse backgrounds, working with programs like Philkids, YOLA, and Kadima Conservatory. Jaewon also regularly teaches students in both private settings and arts-magnet high schools in Los Angeles.

Jaewon holds degrees from McGill University (B.M.), UCLA (M.M.), and SMU (A.D.), all with full scholarships.