Phillip Rukavina (bass lute) has performed widely as a lute and vihuela soloist, ensemble performer and as a continuo lutenist. He studied lute with Hopkinson Smith at the Academie Musical in Villecroze, France and in Basel, Switzerland. He was the Director of the Lute Society of America's summer program at the Amherst Early Music Festival in 2005, and regularly serves on the faculty of the Lute Society of America's Seminars at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. He has released two solo recordings on the Alpha Omega label, including Fiori Italiani and Ala spagnola. Phillip has been a frequent guest instrumentalist with the Rose Ensemble and appears on their recent CD release, Celebremos el Niño. Phillip has performed with numerous instrumental ensembles, including the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra and the New World Symphony and appears on several recordings issued on the Lyrichord Discs Early Music label with the ensemble Minstrelsy! Phillip teaches lute privately at his home in St. Paul, Minnesota.