James Dunham, Viola, Masterclass, Virtual
James Dunham’s rich quartet background includes having been violist of the Grammy Award winning Cleveland Quartet and founding violist of the Naumburg Award winning Sequoia Quartet. An impassioned advocate of new music, his collaborations on contemporary and standard repertoire with the American, Jupiter, Pacifica, Takács and New Zealand String Quartets have taken him around the world. Recently heard in performance and masterclasses at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Leipzig, Mr. Dunham is also a frequent presence in master classes and international chamber music competition juries. The Cleveland Quartet’s recording of John Corigliano’s String Quartet, written for their final tour, won the 1996 Grammy for Best Chamber Music Performance. Formerly on the faculties of the Eastman School of Music and the New England Conservatory (where he chaired the string department and received the Louis & Adrienne Krasner Teaching Excellence Award), Mr. Dunham is Professor of Viola at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music where he co-directs its Master of Music in String Quartet program.
Kenji Bunch, Viola, Composition, Alternative styles/Improv, Virtual
Kenji Bunch represents his hometown of Portland, Oregon as “one of the leading American composers of his generation, best known for amalgamating traditional American musical forms.” (Oregon ArtsWatch) While conservatory trained at The Juilliard School, Bunch infuses his music with folk and roots influences achieving an authentic and seamless blend of classical and vernacular styles. Deeply sensitive to history, philosophy, and the ways in which the arts are shared intergenerationally and cross-culturally, Bunch incorporates a variety of world music style references which aptly mirror the diversity of international influence on modern American society. Also an outstanding violist, Bunch received both Bachelor and Master of Music degrees in viola and composition from the Juilliard School. Bunch currently serves as Artistic Director of Fear No Music, and teaches viola, composition, and music theory at Portland State University, Reed College, and for the Portland Youth Philharmonic.
Matthew Michelic, Viola, Virtual
Matthew Michelic enjoys a diverse musical career as a soloist, chamber musician, orchestral player and teacher. His teaching heart is to help each individual become freer in their physical approach, to expand their musical perspective and ability to thrive through challenges, and to find more joy as they further their artistry. Currently Mr. Michelic serves on the faculty of the Lawrence University Conservatory of Music, where his teaching activities include viola, chamber music coaching, and string pedagogy.
His summer faculty appointments have included the Indiana University String Academy, the International School for Musical Arts in Ontario, the Green Lake Music Festival in Wisconsin and the CREDO Chamber Music Program in Oberlin, Ohio. He has presented master classes at schools of music across the United States and at the national conservatories of China (Beijing) and Vietnam (Hanoi).
Jennifer Murray, Virtual
A native of South Carolina, Jennifer Murray has established herself as an exceptional educator, director and versatile artist. She is an orchestra director in Prince George’s County. She holds degrees from the Hartt School of Music and Boston University.
A classically trained violist, Ms. Murray is an active chamber musician and performs with different orchestras around the state of Maryland. As an educator, Ms. Murray believes that all children have the potential to achieve a high level of musicality. She has been active with NAfME and has had articles published in many Music Education Journals. She is the current past president for the Maryland Orchestra Directors Association.