Former CHAMPS Faculty

 
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Patrice Calixte

Canadian violinist Patrice Calixte began playing the violin at the age of eight and went on to participate in a highly competitive high school music program in Montreal, Quebec, where he studied with Francine Pépin. He then earned his undergraduate degree and his master’s degree in music performance from the Université de Montréal, studying under Claude Richard. An experienced orchestral musician, Calixte has worked with many orchestras in Québec and Ontario, including the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, Orchestre Symphonique de Québec, and Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony Orchestra. More recently, he was hired to the first violin section of the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, where he stayed for two years. Leaving Calgary in search for more personal development, Calixte moved to Austin where he just obtained an artist diploma from The University of Texas at Austin in the studio of Daniel Ching. He has played in numerous master classes from luminaries such as Maxim Vengerov and Regis Pasquier. Calixte has also performed as a concertist with various orchestras in Montreal and recently won The University of Texas Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition. He is the newest addition to the Austin based Artisan Quartet.

 
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Abigail Shiman

Violinist Abigail Shiman is an active performer and passionate teacher. Growing up in a musical family in the Boston area, music was always a familial staple. It blossomed into a passion at a young age, and later into a career. Based in Austin, TX, where she has an active teaching studio, Abigail performs and leads workshops all around the world. In September of this year, she worked as a teaching artist at the Flying Carpet Festival in Mardin, Turkey, where she performed and led workshops with artists from around the globe.

Taking joy in the collaborative nature of chamber music, Abigail is a founding member of the Amaranth Quartet, a San Francisco based string quartet now in its fifth season. Amaranth Quartet was featured on the Kronos Quartet Festival 2017 at SF Jazz, was in residence at the Banff Centre, and will perform this year in the Shenson Chamber Music Concert at the National Museum of Women in the Arts. The Quartet takes pride in collaborating with contemporary composers to bring new pieces to life, and just announced a call for scores by young composers ages 16-24.

Abigail is in her fourth season with One Found Sound, San Francisco's premiere unconducted and collaborative chamber orchestra. The ensemble brings the magic of chamber music to enthusiastic audiences in unique and immersive concert experiences.

Shiman received her MM from San Francisco Conservatory of Music under the tutelage of Ian Swenson, and mentorship of Cathy van Hoesen and Bettina Mussumeli. In her undergraduate work at Bard College, Abigail received musical guidance from Erika Kiesewetter, Marka Gustavsson, and the Colorado Quartet.

When she is away from her violin, Abigail can be spotted going for a run, baking sweet treats, finding water to swim in, and drinking coffee.

 
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Rylie HarRod

Dr. Rylie Harrod is an active teacher, orchestral cellist, and performer. Rylie has recently completed her Doctorate of Musical Arts at the University of Texas, studying primarily with Professor Joshua Gindele of the Miro Quartet, whilte taking an independent study with Professor Bion Tsang. In the final year of her doctoral degree, she completed her lecture document focusing on the 'fiendishly hard' cello concerto, titled "Concerto for Violoncello and Orchestra, Op. 22 by Samuel Barber: A Historical and Methodology Guide". 

In New England, Rylie began studying cello through the Suzuki Method at the age of 5 after starting on violin at the age of 3. Rylie grew up along the New England Seacoast, studying with members of the Concord Community Music School and the Portland String Quartet. She served as the Principal Cellist of the (Greater) Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra and also participated in the Preparatory Program at the New England Conservatory. She attended high school at the Walnut Hill School for the Arts in Natick, Massachusetts where she studied with Andrew Mark.

She received a scholarship to attend the Royal Academy of Music, London, UK where she graduated with honors in 2012 with her Bachelors of Music in Cello Performance. After four rainy years in London, Rylie moved to Tempe, Arizona where she was the teaching assistant to Thomas Landschoot while working on her Masters of Music degree at Arizona State University. While living in Arizona, Rylie was a substitute player for the Phoenix Symphony and the Tucson Symphony. Recent summers have been spent at festivals in Japan at the Pacific Music Festival and at the National Repertory Orchestra.

Rylie served as Cello Faculty for the University of Texas String Project where she instructed private and group lessons for children aged 4 through high-school, and she now currently serves as the Office Manager for the program. She currently is the Principal Cellist of the Waco Symphony Orchestra and is also a substitute player for the San Antonio Symphony and the Austin Symphony Orchestra. Rylie's most recent summer was spent serving as Cello Faculty of the Longhorn Music Camp and the Austin Chamber Music Center Summer Workshop. She is looking forward to spending future summers working with Texas Strings Camp and Festival. She currently is the Cello Instructor at the École Jean-Jacques Rousseau French Immersion School and is a chamber music coach for CHAMPS and ACMC. Her private cello studio is filled with students from the pre-twinkle level through advanced high school students applying for collegiate music degrees. She greatly enjoys collaborating with musicians and artists from many different genres and walks of life. Her free time is spent obsessing over her really adorable dog, doing yoga, and drinking too much coffee. 

 
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Alex Smith

As a chamber musician, Alexander Smith has appeared in performances with Glenn Dicterow, Martin Chalifour, Shmuel Ashkenasi, David Radzynski, and Matthias Täcke. Alex has been heard across Austin as a member of the Austin Camerata, and as a soloist with Density512 conducted by Peter Bay (Music Director of the Austin Symphony). He recently received his DMA at the University of Texas at Austin under the direction of Prof. Roger Myers. In addition to frequent appearances as a chamber musician and recitalist, Alex has worked with the Austin Symphony, Kansas City Symphony, and the Chicago Chamber Orchestra.
 

 
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Anna Park

Anna Park is currently the Assistant Principal of the Austin Symphony Orchestra.  She began her cello studies at the age of eleven in Atlanta, Georgia.  Anna earned her Bachelor of Music degree from Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore, Maryland and her Master of Music degree from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.  Her primary teachers have included Carole Neuen-Rabinowitz, Martha Gerschefski, Alan Stepansky, and Hans Jørgen Jensen.  She has performed with numerous ensembles including the Houston Symphony, the International Contemporary Ensemble, and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago.  While much of her time is spent performing, Anna can also be found working with her students in private cello lessons and coaching chamber ensembles through the Chamber Music in Public Schools (CHAMPS) program in Austin, Texas. 

 
 
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Toby Blumenthal

Toby Blumenthal, has been Director of CHAMPS since 2010, and Artistic Director and Pianist for Classical Chamber Concerts in Round Rock and Georgetown since 2011. 

A native of Chicago, Ms. Blumenthal is a graduate of Northwestern University School of Music and has a Master of Music in performance degree from the University of Houston. Toby studied chamber music with Rudolph Serkin at Marlboro Chamber Music Institute in Vermont, and did post-graduate studies with Leonard Shure at the University of Texas. She has appeared as soloist with many orchestras including the Chicago and Houston Symphony Orchestras and is a Steinway Artist. 

She and her late husband, Philadelphia Orchestra cellist Bert Phillips, founded the Luzerne Music Center and Luzerne Chamber Music Festival in Lake Luzerne, NY, in 1980. She developed the Piano Program, was co-executive and co-artistic director until 2012, and piano teacher, chamber music coach and performing pianist until 2015. Toby now lives in Round Rock, Texas. She has played for the past six Georgetown Festivals of the Arts and has appeared in numerous performances with the Artisan Quartet, and Aeolus Quartet for Classic Chamber Concerts and the Mozart Festival in San Antonio, TX at Incarnate Word University. She will be piano soloist with the Austin Civic Orchestra in February, and will appear in the Georgetown Bach Festival in July, and the Luzerne Chamber Music Festival in August.

For more information please visit Luzerne Music.

 
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Leah Nelson

An engaging performer and inspired educator, Austin native Leah Nelson has become a highly sought after violist. Leah has performed throughout the United States including Carnegie Hall and Walt Disney Concert Hall. As a chamber musician she performs and collaborates regularly with other artists in the Austin Texas area and was a founding member of the Left Coast String Quartet and Felix Quartet. Leah enjoys working with a wide variety of musicians. Not only has she had the pleasure of sharing the stage with musicians such as Yo Yo Ma, Sarah Chang and Anne Akiko Myers, but she has toured with Andrea Bocelli and Trans Siberian Orchestra. Having the chance to perform with Barry Manilow, Willie Nelson, and recording with the Grammy nominated band Devotchka have been highlights of her career. Here in Austin Leah works frequently with composer Graham Reynolds.  She can be heard on the newest commissioned work by Ballet Austin, Exit Wounds, as well as on the sound track to the movie Bernie, directed by Richard Linklater. In November, Leah had the opportunity to work with composer Catherine Davis as a featured violist on the Illusory Impressions Project. As an orchestral musician, Leah has performed regularly with the Austin Symphony, Austin Lyric Opera, the New West Symphony and the American Youth Symphony.

Leah began her professional studies at the University of Texas at Austin where she received a Bachelor of Music in Viola Performance under the tutelage of Roger Myers. Ms. Nelson holds a Master of Music degree as well from the University of Southern California where she studied with the world-renowned performer and pedagogue Donald McInnes. In addition Leah has also studied at the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena Italy under the great Russian violist Yuri Bashmet.

Leah is passionate about serving young people with access to high quality music education. She believes in the power of music study to deepen young people's artistic skills, minds and hearts. Growing up in Austin she attended Austin High School and had the opportunity to work with Robert Rudié, the founder of Salon Concerts as her string quartet coach in 11th and 12th grade. It was during those years that Leah developed a deep love for chamber music and small ensemble playing. While in Los Angeles, Leah was Director of the American Youth Symphony Educational Outreach Program and on faculty with Education through Music Los Angeles. In addition to being Executive Director for Salon Concerts and the CHAMPS program Leah continues to coach chamber music ensembles and has held a thriving private studio for over a decade. 

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Eve Gallbraith

Cellist and cello teacher in the Austin area, in addition to her primary focus in teaching, she has frequently performed with the Austin Civic Orchestra and in collaboration with pianist Patryce King. She has shared the stage with musicians such as Sarah Chang and Chris Brubeck, and has studied in masterclasses with John Sant-Ambrogio, the Miro Quartet, Gloria dePasquale, and others. Eve went to college at the Cleveland Institute of Music, after which she decided to take a less traditional musical path. Previously she was a cello instructor for the Crossroad Strings Orchestra at Victoria Community College in Victoria, TX, where she was the youngest faculty member in the history of the program. Currently, she is the cello teacher at the Ecole Jean-Jacques Rousseau French School of Austin, as well as a chamber music coach and private cello lesson teacher. She also plays with a few bands in town.

Eve's main goal as a musician is to cultivate passion and love for music in people of all ages and from all walks of life, and to utilize this passion as a tool for self-discovery, emotional expression, and self-love. Eve works to accomplish this by maintaining an active teaching studio and by teaching at local schools, as well as participating in musical collaborations of all kinds with her Austin colleagues. 

Apart from making music, Eve enjoys going on picnics, biking, yoga, finding waterfalls to swim in, dancing tango, and watching the stars; and she is always excited to learn something new.