Meet the guest artists for Masterworks 3: Maxwell Brown & Ballet Des Moines

Maxwell Brown

Maxwell Brown, age 15, is a versatile violinist whose “Amazing Grace” performance for Grammy winner Curtis Stewart’s 24 American Caprices album was described by Gramophone as “astonishing” and praised by The Strad for its “velvety playing.” A student at Juilliard’s Pre-College, Max studies with Catherine Cho.

Through the Perlman Music Program, he also studies with Itzhak Perlman. His other primary mentors include Brian Lewis, Timothy Schwarz, and Shelley Beard Santore.

Max has performed at as a soloist with more than a dozen professional, community, and youth orchestras, from North Carolina to Germany. In the 2025-26 season, he performed with the Carolina Philharmonic, Lansdowne Symphony, Orchestra Society of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Sinfonia, and St. Antoine Ensemble, with a review in Soundbite Magazine describing Max as “one of the great talents of the youngest generation of violinists.”

A top laureate in numerous competitions, Max has been Overall Winner of the Walgreens National Concerto Competition Junior Open, first place winner of the Camerata Artists International Concerto Competition, and second place winner of MTNA Nationals, among many others. He collaborated with Peter Dugan for the Silver Jubilee episode of NPR’s From the Top and with David Michael Wolff for the Flow Music

Leadership Academy. Recently, Max was featured as a student artist for Juilliard’s Starling-Delay Symposium and as a student performer for Itzhak Perlman’s 80th Birthday Gala.

Also an avid fiddler, Max has enjoyed sharing the stage with renowned artists including Del McCoury, David Grisman, Alasdair Fraser, Natalie Haas, Trout Fishing in America, and The Beach Boys. Passionate about supporting other young musicians, Max enjoys volunteering with the MELODY program and coaching his younger sister, River. When not making music, Max can be found reading, cooking, horseback riding, playing soccer, and spending time with family and friends. For more, visit swellstrings.com and youtube.com/@Swellstrings.

These concerts mark Mr. Brown’s first appearance with the Des Moines Symphony.

Eric Trope

Eric Trope is the Artistic Director of Ballet Des Moines, bringing a nationally recognized career as a dancer, choreographer, répétiteur, and artistic leader to the company. Since joining BDM in 2025, Trope has helped shape an ambitious artistic vision rooted in exceptional dancing, innovative choreography, collaboration, and a belief in ballet’s relevance to contemporary audiences.

Previously Interim Artistic Director of Lexington Ballet, Trope spent eight seasons dancing with Miami City Ballet and four with Pennsylvania Ballet. His choreography has been commissioned and presented by organizations including New Jersey Ballet, the Joffrey Ballet Concert Group, Miami City Ballet School, and the New York Choreographic Institute. He also works internationally as a répétiteur for Tony Award-winning choreographer Justin Peck, staging his ballets for major companies throughout Europe.

Eric is a cofounder of Buddy System, an nonprofit focused on food insecurity that was started in response to the Miami community’s immense need during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Buddy System has received national media attention for opening ten community fridges and operates large scale food distributions across Miami-Dade County. He served as the Chief Operating Officer for many years; he now sits on the Board of Directors. 

Ballet Des Moines

Ballet Des Moines embodies the future of the arts: a ballet company of the highest caliber with a steadfast commitment to relevance, accessibility, and authentic inclusion embedded in its identity. BDM was launched as a professional ballet company in 2012, bringing world-class performing artists to the Des Moines community for classical and contemporary main stage productions. Located downtown Des Moines at the BDM Campus for Arts & Education, Ballet Des Moines offers training opportunities for pre-professional dancers and engages thousands of local youth each year through rich educational and outreach programs, in addition to the Ballet Des Moines Academy. Learn more at www.balletdesmoines.org.