American Repertory Ensemble

Musicians 2009 Summer Season

HELEN BRAVENEC
A native of Texas, Helen began her violin studies at age 2 with the Suzuki method. She gave her first solo performance at the age of 3 in Monterrey Mexico and performed several years later at the Round Top Festival in Round Top, Texas. Ms Bravenec spent several Summers in Europe and studied with Edouard Grach, and members of the Vienna Philharmonic. She received her Bachelors in Violin Performance from the University of Texas at Austin with Vincent Frittelli where she was also coached by members of the Cavani String Quartet, Sylvia Rosenberg, and Donald Weilerstein. While at the University of Texas, Ms Bravenec was asked to perform a solo at the Bartok Congress in 2000. Ms Bravenec completed her Masters in Music in 2006 at the Eastman School of Music, studying with Lynn Blakeslee and Charles Castleman. Ms Bravenec has been a member of the Allentown Symphony Orchestra and the Binghamton Symphony Orchestra and currently plays with the Austin Symphony and the Austin Lyric Opera and was featured in Viola by Choice with Violist Aurelien Petillot. In her spare time, Helen enjoys craft beer and traveling.

Dr. GRAEME FRANCIS
Dr. Graeme Francis, Music Director, Percussion A native of Prince Edward Island, Canada, Dr. Francis received an Undergraduate degree in Honors Music Education from the University of Western Ontario, in London, Ontario, a Masters in Percussion Performance at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, and recently completed his Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Francis is the Music Director for The American Repertory Ensemble (ARE), with whom he has been performing for the past three seasons. Two of his solo performances with A.R.E. were nominated for Outstanding Solo Instrumental Performance by the Austin Critic’s Table in 2007 and 2008. Dr. Francis has performed with the Austin Symphony, the San Antonio Symphony, the Mid-Texas Symphony, The Corpus Christi Symphony, the Prince Edward Island Symphony, the Rome Festival Orchestra, and with a multitude of chamber ensembles. His musical activities encompass a wide variety of music from orchestral to jazz to world percussion. As a highly sought after session musician, he has recorded a number of records for local Austin recording studio Star Seven Media in addition to major recordings with the Meadows Wind Ensemble and the University of Texas Chamber Singers for the Gasparo and Naxos labels. A founding member and drummer with the UTSA Faculty Jazz Combo, Dr. Francis has served as Lecturer in Percussion at the University of Texas at San Antonio since 2006, where he also teaches Rock and Roll History, and assists with the Percussion Ensemble.

G. PAT HARRIS
Originally from Michigan, Pat transplanted to Austin in 2007 for school, and for the performing opportunities Austin has to offer. He recently completed his Master’s degree at the University of Texas at Austin and can be seen playing in many different musical configurations around town.

CARLA MCELHANEY
Carla McElhaney is a frequent recitalist and performs widely as a soloist and collaborative artist. She holds performance degrees from Eastman School of Music and The University of Texas at Austin, where she earned a D.M.A. as a student of Gregory Allen. Her versatility and command as a performer have made McElhaney a favored participant in a number of premier performances of works by notable living composers such as Donald Grantham, John Harbison, Paul Chihara and Stephen Barber. Her recording credits include Finesse with saxophonist Todd Oxford, Juggernaut with saxophonist Jeremy Justeson, and a CRS Artists compilation disk with soprano Nanette Canfield.
McElhaney has served as a Lecturer on the keyboard faculty of The University of Texas and as Associate Professor of Piano at Baldwin-Wallace Conservatory in Berea, Ohio. She currently resides in Austin and is immersed in a number of creative projects, including the launching of a new chamber ensemble called REVEL.

CAROLINE SLACK
Caroline Slack, from Vashon Island, Washington, received her Bachelor of Music degree from Oberlin Conservatory of Music and her Master of Music degree at University of Texas at Austin studying with Brian Lewis. Caroline is a freelance musician in Houston and a member of the Austin Symphony, Austin Lyric Opera, Britt Festival Orchestra, and has performed with the San Antonio Symphony, Waco Symphony, Victoria Bach Festival, Opera in the Heights and Theatre Under the Stars. She has given solo performances in Austin, Seattle, Ohio, Colorado and Mons, Belgium. Caroline has also performed chamber music throughout Texas and Ohio. Besides the violin, Caroline enjoys hiking and camping in the Pacific Northwest and making delicious homemade sushi.

JILL VAN GEE
A native of San Antonio Texas, Jill Van Gee recently completed a two-year tour with Edouard Lock's avant-garde ballet company, La La La Human Steps. As a member of the company, she toured extensively throughout Europe, Asia, and North America, and recorded the original score by Gavin Bryars and David Lang for GB Records. A winner of the Canadian Music Competition, Ms. Van Gee was privileged to perform at the 2006 International Viola Congress. As an orchestral player, she toured as Principal Violist with the Juilliard Orchestra during their
2004 residence in Spoleto Italy, and has performed with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra and the San Antonio Symphony. She holds a Bachelor of Music from The Juilliard School, a Master of Music from the Université de Montréal, and is currently based in New York City.

BENJAMIN WESTNEY
Benjamin Westney received both his Bachelor's and Master's degrees from The University of Texas at Austin, where his teachers were Bion Tsang and Phyllis Young. He is currently a member of the Austin Symphony, and has served as Principal Cello of the Waco Symphony and a cellist with the San Antonio Symphony. Ben also performs with many summer festivals, including the Victoria Bach Festival (TX), Sunriver Music Festival (OR), and Opera in the Ozarks. In addition, Ben is an active chamber musician and teacher, performing with many prominent local chamber groups and maintaining vibrant studios as a faculty member of Texas State University, San Antonio College and as a private teacher.
Ben has been consistently active in performing new music throughout central Texas and was the cellist for the UT New Music Ensemble for over two years.

One highlight of this involvement was a performance of George Crumb's Sonata for Solo Violoncello on a concert at which Mr. Crumb was honored. Ben has also toured half the world with recording artist David Byrne (formerly of The Talking Heads), including performing on Late Night with Conan O'Brien and Austin City Limits, and can be heard on internationally distributed and Grammy-nominated recordings on the Naxos, Capstone, Harmonia Mundi, Jagjaguwar, Bedlamb, and Merge labels.

Musicians

REUBEN ALLRED
Reuben Allred, M.M., received both his Masters and Bachelors degrees in Piano Performance from the University of Texas at Austin, where he was awarded scholarship and a teaching assistantship. Through the course of both degrees, Reuben studied under Professor Gregory Allen, and was also selected to perform in master classes with such teachers as Leon Fleischer, John Perry, Paul Badura-Skoda, and Nelita Tru. Reuben has extensive performance experience in both contemporary and modern styles, performing in numerous solo, chamber, and new music concerts. As a pianist for the UT Austin New Music Ensemble (2003-2006), he worked with composers such as George Crumb and James MacMillan, as well as premiering many student compositions. This fall, Reuben will pursue a D.M.A. at the University of North Texas under the tutelage of Dr. Pamela Mia Paul.

JOHN CARROLL
John Carroll is principal trumpet of the San Antonio Symphony. He studied trumpet with Austyn R. Edwards, Ray Makeever and Ron Modell in High School. He obtained a B.M. in Trumpet Performance and was awarded a Performer’s Certificate from Indiana University where he studied with Louis Davidson and Charles Gorham. John’s interest in jazz placed him as lead trumpet in David Baker’s Jazz Ensemble at I.U.; a position held for eight consecutive semesters. Other teachers include Armando Ghitalla (as a member of the Tanglewood Fellowship Orchestra), Thomas Stevens (while attending the Music Academy of the West), Ray Sasaki (University of Texas) and Larry Schmidt. John received his Master of Music degree in conducting from the University of Texas at San Antonio in May of 2007 and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Texas at Austin in August of 2008.

Mr. Carroll was previously principal trumpet of the Boston Opera, third/assistant first trumpet of the Springfield Symphony , and fourth/utility trumpet of the Detroit Symphony. He has also played principal trumpet with the Columbus Symphony, the Sunriver Music Festival Orchestra, the Winters Chamber Orchestra and the Cactus Pear Music Festival. He is the trumpet instructor at St. Mary’s University and instructor of all brass instruments at Our Lady of the Lake University. He also has created and conducts Brass Ensembles at both institutions and the Jazz Ensemble at Our Lady of the Lake University. In the Fall of 2008 Dr. Carroll was appointed conductor of the Providence Community Wind Ensemble.

Mr. Carroll is a founding member and Executive Director of the San Antonio Brass, Inc., a 501(c)3 musical organization dedicated to education through music and the preservation of brass performance and literature.

John’s other interests include composing, recording and the use of the computer in making music. A collector of instruments (over 3,000) he owns 79 vintage cornets, hundreds of mouthpieces and an untold number of trumpets.

AMRA CATOVIC
Born in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Amra Catovic began playing the flute in Ottawa, Canada at the age of 9 with The National Capital Suzuki School of Music. In 1997, she moved with her family to Dallas, TX where she continued her musical studies with Debra Johnson at the Suzuki Institute of Music and performed with the Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra. Amra received her Bachelor of Music Performance from Southern Methodist University where she studied with Jean Larson and Debbie Barron. Amra has performed with the Meadows Symphony Orchestra and the Meadows Wind Ensemble and at the Flute Inferno masterclass series under Claire Johnson and Terri Sundberg. Amra currently teaches flute at Bowie High School and freelances in the Austin area.

KARLA HAMELIN
Dr. Karla Hamelin holds a D.M.A. from the University of Texas at Austin, an M.M. from the University of Michigan and a B.M. and B.M.U.S. from the University of Manitoba. Dr. 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 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, Longhorn Music Camp and was a teaching assistant to Phyllis Young while at The University of Texas at Austin. 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. An avid runner, Karla enjoys training for and running marathons.

AURELIEN PETILLOT
French Violist Aurélien Pétillot, is the founder and artistic director of Viola by Choice, a concert series whose blend of conviviality and artistry passionately showcases the viola while debunking fears and stereotypes associated with classical music. He has enjoyed a growing reputation as a versatile and engaging performer and teacher. He holds a Bachelor's in musicology and performance from the Sorbonne University of Paris, a Master's from the Mannes College the New School for Music, in New York, and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Pétillot has been a faculty artist with the Austin Chamber Music Center since 2000. He also teaches at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor and maintains a successful private studio. Dr. Petillot plays regularly with the Austin, San Antonio, and Corpus Christi Symphony Orchestras, as well as with the Austin Lyric Opera. For more info, checkout: www.myspace.com/opus147

ELIZABETH PETILLOT
Mezzo-soprano Elizabeth Pétillot is enjoying a growing reputation as an engaging, impassioned, and intelligent performer of music ranging from opera, operetta, and musical theater to art song, oratorio and early music. Some recent performances have included alto soloist for J.S. Bach’s Weihnachtsoratorium with the St. David’s Baroque Orchestra, featured soloist with the Austin Chamber Music Center and her debut with The Living Opera of Dallas, TX in The Pirates of Penzance where she was praised as having “played the role of the put-upon Ruth to the hilt” (Dallas Morning News). Her upcoming engagements include a lecture recital on the life and songs of Dmitri Shostakovich at Trinity University of San Antonio, TX and a tour to Denmark and Norway with the Grammy nominated chamber choir Conspirare. Elizabeth can be seen performing throughout Texas and regionally with organizations such as The Austin Lyric Opera, Conspirare chamber choir, The Texas Early Music Project, the San Antonio Chamber Choir, The Santa Fe Desert Chorale and the Oregon Bach Festival under the direction of Maestro Hemuth Rilling. In addition to her performing career Elizabeth also maintains a private home studio as well as teaching in an Austin area high school. She speaks Italian and French fluently and is in the process of completing her DMA in vocal performance at the University of Texas at Austin where she studies with Prof. Rose Taylor.

MICHELLE SCHUMANN

Michelle Schumann is a highly sought-after solo and collaborative pianist. She performs with many professional ensembles, including the Austin Symphony Orchestra, Austin Lyric Opera, Ballet Austin, and the Austin Chamber Music Festival, and also performs regularly in piano quintent, quartet, trio and duo recitals. She is pianist and founding member of the Vega Piano Quintet. Ms. Schumann has performed concertos with orchestras in Austin, Cleveland, Milwaukee and Calgary. She is also the pianist of the Austin-based tango ensemble, "Tosca," which specializes in contemporary music written in the Nuevo Tango style. Ms. Schumann has served on faculty at Mount Royal College Conservatory (Calgary, Alberta) and has held teaching assistantships at the University of Calgary and University of Texas at Austin, where she respectively received her bachelor and master degrees with distinction. Additionally, she has served as opera coach and repititeur at the Austin Lyric Opera, and the Austrian American Mozart Academy in Salzburg, Austria. Michelle was awarded the Billy Joel Fellowship at the Tanglewood Music Center, where she studied chamber music and solo piano with Emanuel Ax, Robert Mann, Ursula Oppens and Peter Serkin. Additionally, she was invited to perform during the Bach Cantata Seminar and the Festival of Contemporary Music at Tanglewood. Other festivals that Ms. Schumann has performed at include the Banff Festival of Music and Sound, the International Institute of Music in Munich, Germany, the Victoria International Festival, the Bartok International Congress, and the Ausitn Chamber Music Festival. Ms. Schumann completed a doctorate at The University of Texas at Austin under the esteemed tutelage of Gregory Allen and Anton Nel.

Photo by Luke Savinksy

ALICE WANG
With a career including solo and ensemble performances in Belgium, New York City, Sweden, Los Angeles and Taiwan, clarinetist Alice Wang’s playing has been described as “incredible [with] fast and intricate finger work.” She has recently completed her Doctorate of Musical Arts in Clarinet at the University of Texas at Austin with Prof. Richard MacDowell. Previous teachers have also included Yehuda Gilad and Mitchell Lurie at the University of Southern California, as well as Sir Walter Boeykens at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Antwerpe. In 2000, Dr. Wang was invited by the Royal Conservatory of Music in Stockholm to be a resident guest artist. Other highlights of her career include a solo concerto performance with the Texas Festival Orchestra and collaborating in a European concert tour to promote awareness of Asian cultures. Dr. Wang will be the Assistant Professor of Clarinet at Youngstown State University in Youngstown, Ohio beginning this August.

LEANNE ZACHARIAS
Canadian cellist Leanne Zacharias’ diverse musical life has been compared to extreme sport—from soloist with baroque orchestra Tafelmusik, apprentice with Montreal’s Nouvel Ensemble Moderne, finalist in the Coleman Chamber Music Competition, substitute in the Houston Symphony, artist-in-residence at the Banff Centre for Arts to new music director on campus radio, she collaborates with musicians of all stripes, composers, choreographers, architects, painters, poets, video artists, leads canoe trips + volunteers with the Sierra Club. With songwriter Christine Fellows she has toured the continent + created original music for BRAVO, CBC, Trip Dance, the Winnipeg Contemporary Dancers + four albums on Six Shooter Records. Armed with a Masters degree from Rice University, Ms. Zacharias landed in Austin in 2005 to pursue an experimental doctoral program at UT. Her performance project Music for Spaces explores intimacy in art music through unorthodox venues + unlikely collaborations.

TOSCA STRING QUARTET

Leigh Mahoney and Tracy Seeger, violin
Ames Asbell, viola
Sara Nelson, cello

Since 1997 the Tosca String Quartet has built an international reputation by collaborating with renowned artists from a variety of genres. Whether it's tango with Tosca Tango Orchestra, swing with Erik and the She-Wolves, rock with Tosca Strings or classical music, their dynamic interaction onstage has become a trademark of their live music performances. The Tosca String Quartet has performed and/or recorded with national artists Ray Benson, Willie Nelson, John Cale, Alejandro Escovedo, Lyle Lovett, Ray Price, Ian Moore, Double Trouble, Friends of Dean Martinez, Shawn Colvin, Austin favorite Bob Schneider, and Russell Crowe's band "Thirty odd Foot of Grunts." They also appear on the Dixie Chicks' Grammy-winning album, "Home." The quartet has a long-standing relationship with the Golden Hornet Project, which brings together local musicians and gives first-time composers the opportunity to have their works performed by a professional ensemble. They recently collaborated with Terry Bozzio (of Missing Persons and Frank Zappa fame) in a live performance of Terry's original music, some of which was composed expressly for the quartet. They plan to continue working together both in the studio and onstage.

Tosca String Quartet, photo by Todd V. Wolfson