JUDGES
KMFA 89.5 FM, Austin’s own classical-music radio station, is pleased to reprise last years KMFA Young Violinist Competition & Award with their new and expanded KMFA Young Musicians Competition.
The judges for each instrument include the following esteemed leaders of the Austin classical Music community:
~Violin Judges~
Peter Bay
Music Director and Conductor, The Austin Symphony
In January of 1998, Peter Bay was named Music Director and Conductor of the Austin Symphony and has been Music Director of the Britt Festival Orchestra in Jacksonville, OR since 1993. Peter Bay is celebrating his 11th season as Music Director and Conductor of the Austin Symphony and has been Music Director of the Britt Festival Orchestra in Jacksonville, OR since 1993.
Other positions held by Mr. Bay have included Music Director of the Erie Philharmonic, Annapolis Symphony Orchestra, Breckenridge Music Festival (CO) and four different conducting posts with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and the Richmond Symphony in Virginia. Bay and the Richmond Symphony recorded the US premiere performance of Britten’s “The Sword in the Stone” for Opus One Records. His most recent recording, “Voices,” features the percussion group NEXUS, with the Rochester Philharmonic, and can be found on the Nexus CD label.
Jennifer Bourianoff
Assistant Concertmaster for The Austin Symphony, Instructor at the Austin Chamber Music Center
Jennifer Bourianoff, Violin and Viola, is a native Austinite and is the Assistant Concertmaster of the Austin Symphony Orchestra. Ms. Bourianoff has also served as the Assistant Concertmaster of the Britt Festival Orchestra in Oregon and Principle Viola of the San Antonio Opera. Recently awarded Outstanding Musician by the Austin Critics Table, Educator of the Year by the Austin Under 40s Awards and Teachers Who Make a Difference by Fox 7 News, in 2004 and 2005, Jennifer performed at the White House in Washington D.C. with Viva Trio in private performances for White House staff, members of Congress, and other dignitaries, including the Japanese Ambassador.
Jennifer is a member of Phi Kappa Phi and holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the Cleveland Institute of music with a minor in Psychology from Case Western University, and a Master of Music with Honors from the University of Texas at Austin. She has studied with such renowned teachers as David Cerone, Jascha Brodsky, and David Updegraff, and has performed in Master Classes presented by Isaac Stern, Pinchas Zukerman and Dorothy Delay.
Richard Kilmer
Principal Second Violinist with the Austin Symphony Orchestra
Richard Kilmer holds an Artist Diploma from the Eastman School of Music. He studied at the Brussels Conservatoire and spent sixteen years in Europe playing with the Amati Quartet and the Mendelssohn Trio. Currently, he is principal second violinist with the Austin Symphony Orchestra, concertmaster of the Laredo Philharmonic, and is an active teacher and performer with the Austin Chamber Music Center. He has appeared as a soloist with the Laredo Philharmonic, as well as with orchestras in Mexico and El Salvador.
~Viola Judges~
Ames Asbell
Assistant Principal of the Austin Lyric Opera orchestra, President of the Central Texas Viola Society
Violist Ames Asbell has performed classical, tango, and popular music in over 30 countries, in venues ranging from concert halls and universities to clubs. A founding member of the Tosca String Quartet, she is a busy recording artist and appears on dozens of CDs, film scores and broadcasts, including the Dixie Chicks’ Grammy-winning Home, Richard Linklater’s arthouse hit film Waking Life, and four appearances on PBS staple Austin City Limits.
After earning the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from The University of Texas in 2001, she remained in Austin where she is currently Principal Violist of the Austin Lyric Opera Orchestra, a member of the Austin Symphony, and performs regularly with various area performing arts groups.
A passionate advocate of the arts, Dr. Asbell is co-founder and past President of the Central Texas Viola Society and serves on the boards of the Golden Hornet Project and Pecha Kucha Night Austin. Her former students have gone on to study at prestigious schools of music such as Eastman, Rice, Peabody, Interlochen and Idyllwild. Dr. Asbell has enjoyed teaching viola and chamber music at Texas State University – San Marcos since 2005.
Martha Carapetyan
Violist with Austin Symphony and Austin Chamber Ensemble
Martha Carapetyan is an active violist in the Austin and Central Texas area. She holds degrees in viola performance from the University of North Texas and Indiana University. Her teachers have included David Holland, George Papich, Yizhak Schotten and Kim Kashkashian. Martha performs with the Austin Symphony, the Austin Lyric Opera Orchestra, the Victoria Bach Festival, the Austin Chamber Ensemble and with several choral and orchestral organizations in Austin and Central Texas.
In addition to her performing career, Martha is also an Adjunct Lecturer at Baylor University, teaching both viola and chamber music. In her efforts to bring the viola into greater focus in the Central Texas area, Martha co-founded the Central Texas Viola Society, a chapter of the American Viola Society. She has helped organize many events, both educational and performance-oriented, for violists and audiences in the Greater Austin area.
Bruce Williams
Principal Viola with Austin Symphony and Conspirare
Grammy award-nominated and critically-acclaimed violist Bruce Williams is much sought after in Texas as a soloist, chamber musician and orchestral performer. He has also performed with many famous "pop" musicians and has vast experience as a commercial and studio player. He is presently Principal Viola of the Austin Symphony and just finished a two year appointment as Acting Assistant Principal Viola of the Austin Lyric Opera.
He also serves as Principal Viola for Conspirare, the choral ensemble directed by Craig Hella Johnson, and is a featured performer on the groups most recent Grammy-award nominated CD "Threshold of Night" on the Harmonia Mundi label. Mr. Williams has been or is presently Principal Viola of several other festival style orchestras including, The Austin Chamber Music Festival Chamber Orchestra, Chorus Austin, Georgetown Festival Orchestra and The Victoria Bach Festival.
~Cello Judges~
Betsy Sanders
Cellist, The Austin Symphony, Austin Lyric Opera and Texas Choral Consort.
Cellist Betsy Sanders came to Austin in 1984 to study with Paul Olefsky at the University of Texas. Previously she graduated from the Interlochen Arts Academy, and then received her Bachelor of Music degree from DePauw University in Indiana. She received both her Masters and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees from UT.
She currently performs regularly with the Austin Symphony, Austin Lyric Opera, and Texas Choral Consort, as well as frequent recording sessions, weddings and church services. She also maintains a large private teaching studio, and enjoys working with students of all ages and levels.
Amy Levine Tsang
Cellist Amy Levine Tsang is a founding member of the Laurel Trio, winner of the Concert Artists Guild Competition and the Pro Piano Competition. The group has served as trio-in-residence at the Tanglewood Music Center and as the resident ensemble of WQXR, the radio station of The New York Times.
In addition to her performances with the Laurel Trio, Ms. Levine Tsang also collaborates with other ensembles such as the Brentano, Cassatt, Colorado, and Meridian String Quartets, the New Jersey Chamber Music Society, the Richardson Chamber Players, and the Chamber Soloists of Austin. She has been a frequent performer at the Marlboro Music Festival, the Gerhart Chamber Music Festival, the Laurel Festival of the Arts and the Portland Chamber Music Festival. As a soloist, she has appeared with the Philharmonia Virtuosi of New York, the Rutgers Summerfest Orchestra and the Princeton Symphony Orchestra.
Ms. Levine Tsang received degrees from Yale and Rutgers Universities, where she studied with Aldo Parisot and Bernard Greenhouse, respectively. She is a former member of the music faculty at Princeton University, and continues to teach privately since relocating from the East Coast to Austin, Texas.
Hai Zheng
Assistant Professor of Music and Artist in Residence at Southwestern University
Faculty member at St. Stephen's Episcopal School
Concert cellist Hai Zheng has recorded as soloist with the English Chamber Orchestra in London and the Amatius Orchestra in New York at Lincoln Center. She has performed as soloist with orchestras in Europe, North America, and Asia, with Paul Olefsky in England and with Aldo Parisot in China. She made her European debut at the Oxford Town Hall in England and her New York City debut at Carnegie Recital Hall. Her appearances include solo/chamber music concerts at Wigmore Hall in London, at the Bösendorfer Saal in Vienna, New York's Steinway Hall, Barge music series in NYC, and a Canadian debut at the Guelph International Music Festival. These concerts were highly acclaimed by The New York Times, Oxford Daily Mail, and Strad Magazine.
As a winner of the Feuermann International Cello Competition, she participated in the 2nd International Cello Festival in Kronberg, Germany. She has recorded five CDs. Her recording of Tchaikovsky’s Rococo Variations with the English Chamber Orchestra was chosen as a “top pick” by the magazine Recording Direct. She has been a guest cellist with the Enso, Miró and Shanghai Quartets. Her recent visits to China have included a special concert for the Asia Society in Hong Kong, master classes and recitals at Shanghai, Guangzhou and Macau conservatories.
She just returned from performing a special homecoming recital at famous Gulangyu concert hall at the invitation of the Xiamen University. Her recent concerts also included master classes and recitals at Duke University and Chinese Culture University in Taipei, Taiwan. Ms. Zheng has been an Assistant Professor of Music and Artist in Residence at Southwestern University and is on the faculty at St. Stephen's Episcopal School. She is the Artistic Director for the Young Musicians Festival Competition at Asian American Culture Center.
~Bass Judges~
David Dawson
Instructor of Double-Bass, Texas State University
Assistant Principal Bassist for the Austin Lyric Opera and the Austin Symphony
David Dawson began his career performing with the Ft. Worth Symphony and Dallas Symphony while still in high school. He has since been a member of the San Antonio Symphony and the Orchestra of Santa Fe. He has participated in numerous summer festivals including the Colorado Music Festival at Boulder, the Spoletto Festival of Italy and the Victoria Bach Festival.
He is currently engaged as the Assistant Principal Bassist for the Austin Lyric Opera and the Austin Symphony. He is also a frequent guest on numerous chamber music series such as the Chamber Soloists of Austin and Camerata San Antonio. Mr. Dawson has performed with many jazz/popular music groups and in 1988, he won a Grammy Award for his recording with the Texas Swing Group Asleep at the Wheel.
He has performed on numerous television and radio broadcasts including Austin City Limits and Lonesome Pine Special. He has played Baroque Double-Bass with the Texas Baroque Orchestra, the Handel-Haydn Society of Austin, and Cappricio Stravagante at the Longy Baroque Institute of Boston. He is also a frequent performer of the Kirtan styles of India and has undertaken studies of the classical music of North India on the sitar.
Dr. David Neubert
Professor of Double Bass at the University of Texas at Austin
Principal Bass of the Austin Symphony, Austin Ballet and the Austin Lyric Opera
Dr. Neubert is the Professor of Double Bass at the University of Texas at Austin. Since 1984, he has also been the Principal Bass of the Austin Symphony, Ballet and the Austin Lyric Opera. He is a past-President of the International Society of Bassists, an organization of 3,500 bassists from around the world, and was the director of two ISB Conventions (Austin 86 and Interlochen 93).
Neubert performs regularly as a soloist and has given many lectures and workshops both nationally and internationally. He has completed two residencies at the prestigious Shanghai Conservatory in China and has performed at the 1999 Edinburgh International Summer Festival in Scotland, the first French Bass Consortium in Avignon, France in 1993, the Brazilian Bass Association Convention in Bela Horizonte in 1996, the Listz Academy in Debrecen, Hungary in 1995.
Prior to coming to Austin, he was the principal bass of the Wichita Symphony and the bass professor at Wichita State University (1978-84), and before that, principal bass of the Springfield Symphony while teaching at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst (1975-78). Neubert was the Double Bass Forum Editor for the American String Teacher Association from 1987-89 and has published numerous articles in the area of bass pedagogy and contemporary music, including articles in Perspectives of New Music, The American String Teacher and the ISB Bass World Journal.
Jessica Valls
Bassist with Austin Symphony Orchestra, San Antonio Symphony, Austin Lyric Opera Orchestra and Tosca Tango Orchestra
Steering Committee Member, KMFA Young Musicians Competition
Jessica Gilliam-Valls: double bassist, cellist, recording artist, producer, educator, wife and mother. The Austin-native musician exemplifies the ubiquitous artistry of a true music lover, heeding to no one genre, discipline, or stage. Ms. Gilliam-Valls studied at The Oberlin Conservatory and went on for a Masters of Music in Double Bass Performance at the Manhattan School of Music and now a Doctorate of Musical Arts at the University of Texas at Austin. She has shared the stage with a dozen orchestras including the Austin Symphony Orchestra, San Antonio Symphony, Austin Lyric Opera Orchestra, Tosca Tango Orchestra, and Orqestra da Radio e Televisao Cultura in Sao Paulo, Brazil, where Ms. Gilliam-Valls was principal bassist. She appears regularly with chamber ensembles, tango and bluegrass bands, in studio recording sessions, on film soundtracks, television and radio jingles, and popular festival stages around the world. She is presently a faculty member at The Austin Chamber Music Center, The Girl’s School of Austin, and Huston-Tillotson University. An invited performer at the 2007 and 2009 International Society of Bassists Convention, she is a regular guest artist and clinician at the North Texas Bass Camps and the Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute, among others.
~ KMFA Young Musicians Competition Steering Committee ~
Fiona Cherbak
President, ThemePark Studios
Steering Committee Member, KMFA Young Musicians Competition
Fiona Cherbak has spent the last twenty years working in entertainment marketing, fundraising and strategic planning for interactive games, feature films, television, theme park shows, music production and theatre arts.
As president of marketing and media consulting firm ThemePark Studios, Cherbak spearheads campaigns for a cross-section of technology, media and entertainment clients, providing comprehensive business development, marketing, publicity, advertising, promotions, graphic design/web design and event production services.
Fiona worked closely with KMFA to launch the Young Violinists Competition at McCallum High School Fine Academy in 2009, and is working with KMFA again to broaden the program in 2010 to include all Austin area high schools.
Karla Hamelin 
Assistant Cello Professor, Concordia University Texas and Texas Lutheran University
Steering Committee Member, KMFA Young Musicians Competition
Dr. Karla Hamelin is an active performer, coach and teacher who especially enjoys performing solo recitals, chamber music and new music. Highly sought after as a private teacher in Austin and the Central Texas area, she is the Assistant Cello Professor at both Concordia University Texas and Texas Lutheran University.
Since moving to Austin she has been on the faculty of the Austin Chamber Music Center, The University of Texas String Project, International Music Camp, All State Longhorn Music Camp and was a teaching instructor in the University of Texas String Department as the assistant to Professor Phyllis Young.
Karla is a featured performer in the monthly Bach Cantata Series at the Blanton Museum of Art, and plays regularly with the San Antonio, Waco, Temple and Mid-Texas Symphony Orchestras. Most recently Karla has become a member of the College of Examiners and an adjudicator for the Royal Conservatory of Music in Canada. Dr. Hamelin holds a Doctorate of Musical Arts from The University of Texas at Austin, a Masters in Music from The University of Michigan and a Bachelor of Music from the University of Manitoba.
Ricky Pringle
Orchestra Director, McCallum High School Fine Arts Academy
Steering Committee Member, KMFA Young Musicians Competition
Ricky Pringle began playing the double bass at age 14 as a product of the Prince William County Public Schools in Northern Virginia. Mr. Pringle then studied double bass at Louisiana State University, where he received a bachelor of music and a bachelor of music education degree.
While in Louisiana, Mr. Pringle performed across the state with many groups, including Parkview Baptist Church, Baton Rouge Little Theatre, Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra, and The Acadiana Symphony Orchestra, where he was the principal bassist. He began his teaching career in the Houston, Texas area at York Junior High School in the Conroe Independent School District.
Mr. Pringle relocated to Austin, Texas in 2001, where he is currently the orchestra director at McCallum High School. Under Mr. Pringle’s direction, the McCallum Orchestra has consistently earned University Interscholastic Sweepstakes awards. The McCallum High School Orchestra has performed twice in New York’s Carnegie Hall. The McCallum Orchestra has also grown from 40 members to over 100 members. Mr. Pringle maintains a private studio of double bass students, and continues to perform as a double bassist throughout Central Texas with many groups including the Temple Symphony, the Round Rock Symphony Orchestra and the Round Rock Community Chorus.
Joseph Smith
Violinist, Austin Symphony, Austin Lyric Opera and Austin Chamber Music Center
Steering Committee Member, KMFA Young Musicians Competition
Joseph Smith began his violin studies at the age of 10. He received his Bachelor's Degree in Music Performance from the Butler School of Music at the University of Texas at Austin in 2007, graduating Magna Cum Laude.
An active performer in the Austin area, Joseph is a tenured member of the both the Austin Symphony since 2007, and the Austin Lyric Opera since 2005. Joseph is also active in Austin's chamber music scene. He performs regularly in the Salon Concerts, Inc. series, with Austin Lyric Opera's resident composer Kathryn Mishell, performances with the Austin Chamber Music Center, and collaborates with several principal players from the Austin Symphony.
Also an avid fan of alternative music, Joseph performs with bands in local music festivals such as South by Southwest and on KLRU's Austin City Limits. Joseph also served as Principal Second of the National Repertory Orchestra in 2007, including a solo concerto performance. Other festivals include the International Festival-Institute at Roundtop, Tanglewood Music Festival, and Eastern Music Festival, and has also performed with the Charlotte Symphony.
A passionate advocate of music education, Joseph is active in Austin's public music education with Champs (Chamber Music in Public School) and the Austin Chamber Music Center. He also maintains a small private studio in Austin.
Jessica Valls
Bassist with Austin Symphony Orchestra, San Antonio Symphony, Austin Lyric Opera Orchestra and Tosca Tango Orchestra.
Bass Judge and Steering Committee Member, KMFA Young Musicians Competition
Jessica Gilliam-Valls: double bassist, cellist, recording artist, producer, educator, wife and mother. The Austin-native musician exemplifies the ubiquitous artistry of a true music lover, heeding to no one genre, discipline, or stage. Ms. Gilliam-Valls studied at The Oberlin Conservatory and went on for a Masters of Music in Double Bass Performance at the Manhattan School of Music and now a Doctorate of Musical Arts at the University of Texas at Austin. She has shared the stage with a dozen orchestras including the Austin Symphony Orchestra, San Antonio Symphony, Austin Lyric Opera Orchestra, Tosca Tango Orchestra, and Orqestra da Radio e Televisao Cultura in Sao Paulo, Brazil, where Ms. Gilliam-Valls was principal bassist.
Jessica appears regularly with chamber ensembles, tango and bluegrass bands, in studio recording sessions, on film soundtracks, television and radio jingles, and popular festival stages around the world. She is presently a faculty member at The Austin Chamber Music Center, The Girl’s School of Austin, and Huston-Tillotson University. An invited performer at the 2007 and 2009 International Society of Bassists Convention, she is a regular guest artist and clinician at the North Texas Bass Camps and the Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute, among others.
Suzanne Warmack
Corporate Support Manager for KMFA
Steering Committee Chairperson, KMFA Young Musicians Competition
Suzanne Warmack is the KMFA Underwriting and Corporate Support Manager, as well as violinist, pianist and professional equestrian. A life long music lover and student, Suzanne began studying piano at age four. She was a piano and creative writing major at the prestigious Interlochen Center for the Arts. Suzanne continued her studies into College and Graduate School but chose career in Media.
Suzanne has enjoyed the past 20+ years of her career in radio, television, and public broadcasting. Five years ago she decided to return to music and started studying violin…an instrument she always wanted to play as a child. Since then, she has participated in the Austin Chamber Music Center’s Adult program and currently plays with the Starlight Symphony in Wimberley, Texas. Suzanne and some of her friends from the orchestra formed The Dripping String Quartet in the Summer of 2009.
Realizing the music and the arts were an important part of her youth, Suzanne strives to help young people achieve their dreams. She currently is an Alumni Admissions Ambassador for Interlochen Center for the Arts and assists qualified students through the admissions process. The KMFA Young Musicians Competition is another way for Suzanne to give back and help Austin area teens get one step closer to realizing their dreams.
