2022 Faculty

Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Natalie Campbell, soprano, currently teaches voice at Augustana University in Sioux Falls, SD. Recent solo performances include Mendelssohn's Psalm 42, Mozart’s Coronation Mass, Orff’s Carmina Burana, Fauré’s Requiem, Handel’s Messiah, Haydn’s Missa brevis, and a Midwest premiere of Shawn Kirchner’s Songs of Ascent. In 2018 she was selected as a participant in the American Bach Soloists Academy in San Francisco. The following year she was an artist in residence for the inaugural International Choral Conducting Masterclass and Young Artist Program at Baylor University. She has performed with many professional vocal ensembles, including The Rose Ensemble, Mercury Baroque, Cantare Houston, Transept, and the Grammy-nominated South Dakota Chorale. Natalie holds an M.M. in Vocal Performance from the University of South Dakota, a B.M. in Piano and Vocal Music Education from Houghton College in New York, and has pursued graduate studies in Piano and Chamber Music at Rice University in Houston, TX.

nataliecampbell.org

New York, New York/Asheville, North Carolina

Mari Cook Medley Faculty Chair

Raquelle Chavis is from Queens Village, New York. She is a graduate of New York’s prestigious High School of Performing Arts, she's performed with The Alvin Ailey Repertory Ensemble/Ailey II, under the direction of Sylvia Waters. She was a seven-year principal dancer with The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater under the direction of Alvin Ailey until his death in 1989, and Judith Jamison until 1994. She's taught master classes, and choreographed for numerous universities, dance companies and dance studios in the USA, Europe and the UAE. Raquelle’s students have furthered their education and careers at: North Carolina School of the Arts, Ailey Fordham, Northwestern, Juilliard, Frankfurt Ballet, The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Philadanco, Ailey II, the NYC Broadway Stage, Cal Arts and NYU Tisch School of the Arts. Raquelle performs, directs, choreographs, and stages productions worldwide, creating dance, theater, and music works for her multi-disciplined performing arts & entertainment company - Geechie Anne Productions.

Buffalo, New York

Praised for her “extreme versatility” and “simply unbeatable beauty of tone” (Berliner Zeitung), Min-Jeong Koh maintains a busy schedule as concert violinist, violist, and educator. As first violinist of the Cecilia String Quartet, Ms. Koh won First Prize at the Banff International String Quartet Competition, 2nd Prize at the Osaka International Music Competition, and the Prix de la Sacem at the Bordeaux String Quartet Competition. Their latest recording was chosen as Gramophone Magazine’s “Editor’s Choice”, “Top 10 Mendelssohn Recordings” and was nominated for a JUNO Award for Best Classical Album. With the ensemble, Ms. Koh has performed across Europe, Asia, and North America at such celebrated stages as London’s Wigmore Hall, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, Berlin Konzerthaus, Beethoven-haus, Prague’s Rudolfinum, Library of Congress, La Jolla Music Society, Stanford Live, Music Toronto, and the Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival, among others. Ms. Koh’s performances and recordings can be heard on BBC Radio 3, Bayerischer Rundfunk, DeutschlandRadio, New York City’s WQXR, Public Radio International throughout the United States, and the Canadian Broadcasting Company. She has performed with Leon Fleisher, Menahem Pressler, Angela Cheng, Michael Tree, and Danilo Perez.

A passionate educator, she joined the faculty at The Glenn Gould School, The Phil and Eli Taylor Performance Academy for Young Artists, at The Royal Conservatory in Fall 2021. Previously, she has served as Associate Professor of Violin at University of Oklahoma, Adjunct Professor at the University of Toronto, along with teaching posts at McGill University, San Diego State University, and Wilfrid Laurier University. A sought-after teacher, she has been invited as faculty to the Indiana University Summer String Academy, The Banff Centre, Chamber Music at Port Milford, Innsbrook Institute in Missouri, Madeline Island Chamber Music, MISQA, and Austin Chamber Music Center.

minjeongkoh.com

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Canadian-American composer, producer, and violinist Patrick Conlon currently serves as Assistant Director of the Academy of Contemporary Music at the University of Central Oklahoma, Principal Second Violinist of the Fort Smith Symphony, voting member of the Recording Academy (Grammys), ProTools AVID Certified Master Instructor, and the 2021-2022 Composer-in-Residence for the Oklahoma Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra. He is also the co-founder of Onyx Lane, a boutique music production and artistic planning company with a focus on composing, recording, producing, and mixing music for film scores and classical ensembles.

In 2021, Patrick worked as a composer, audio-engineer, and producer for feature-length films including Iké Boys, OYATE, The Girl Who Believes in Miracles, A Cowgirl’s Song, What Josiah Saw, Montford: The Chickasaw Rancher, and Finding Cricket’s Choir; and albums including Reimagined Possibilities, Cube of Light, Dragonetti: 12 Waltzes for Double Bass, Not As They Seem, and Radio Static.

onyxlane.com

Athens, Ohio

Nathaniel Pierce, cellist and tenor, is a highly active and multi-faceted musician. Pierce has taught classes at University of Michigan, Ohio University, Indiana University, University of Minnesota Duluth, and Western Illinois University. His students have continued cello at Eastman, University of Michigan, Peabody, CCM, among others. Pierce is a founder and Artistic Director of the Anchorage Chamber Music Festival, and Education Director at the Innsbrook Institute. His summer activities have included performing and teaching at the Maui Classical Music Festival, Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp.

Pierce is a founding member of the Koinonia Piano Trio which has toured in Europe and in the United States. The trio recently was awarded the American Prize in the collegiate division, and has garnered numerous prizes, including first prize in the Briggs Chamber Music Competition, the Binkow Chamber Music Award, the EXCELerator Fellowship at the University of Michigan.

nathanielpierce.com

Canyon & Dallas, Texas

Helen Blackburn is the Artist Teacher of Flute (in the Yvonne Franklin Endowed Chair) at West Texas A&M University (WTAMU) in Canyon, TX. Helen is also principal flutist with the Dallas Opera Orchestra and a core member of Dallas’ modern music ensemble, Voices of Change. She performs with her husband (marimba virtuoso, Drew Lang), is a regular “extra” with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, and has numerous credits with major performing arts organizations, including the Breckenridge Music Festival (principal flute for 13 years), Aspen Music Festival (piccolo fellow for 4 years), the Brevard Music Center, and the Chicago Civic Orchestra. Ms. Blackburn received her BM (summa cum laude) from West Texas State University and her MM from Northwestern University. Her teachers were Brad Garner, Sally Turk, and Walfrid Kujala. Playing flute is her passion; teaching and mentoring flute students is her calling, and she is thrilled to have a life that embraces both equally!

Chicago, Illinois

Leslie Grimm, one of Chicago's prominent clarinetists, has performed with many distinguished ensembles. With the Milwaukee Symphony, recording and touring with the orchestra has been one of her richest experiences. She has also performed and recorded with the St. Louis Symphony. Leslie also appears with the Lyric Opera of Chicago. She can be found almost anywhere in the building - in the orchestra pit, backstage, and on-stage as clarinet soloist. Leslie currently serves as the principal clarinetist of the Chicago Sinfonietta, playing six European tours and over 15 recordings. Performing in productions of Ragtime, Phantom of the Opera, Wicked and Music Man, Leslie is active in the music theater scene. She obtained her Master’s Degree from Northwestern University. Since graduating from Northwestern, Ms. Grimm has served on the faculty for nearly 30 years teaching clarinet and coordinating chamber music. Leslie grew up in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and is a fan of the outdoors and all things water.

Wichita, Kansas

Dr. Jeb Wallace, a graduate of Ponca City High School, serves as Principal Horn with the Wichita Symphony Orchestra and is on faculty at Wichita State University, where he was recently promoted to Associate Professor of Horn. As a soloist and chamber player, he has been featured at numerous symposiums for the International Horn Society, the Park City International Chamber Music Festival, Calgary HornFest, New Music New Haven, Chamber Music at the Barn, and the Bang on a Can Marathon. He has performed with many orchestras including the Utah Symphony, Colorado Symphony, Omaha Symphony, North Carolina Symphony, American Symphony, and Louisiana Philharmonic, among others. Dr. Wallace can be heard on numerous recording labels including Beauport Classical, Naxos, Beggars Banquet, Gasparo, and for numerous motion picture and video game soundtracks. He received degrees from the Yale School of Music, Cleveland Institute of Music, Southern Methodist University, and Stony Brook University.

jebwallace.com

Oberlin, Ohio

John Gruber is Visiting Assistant Professor of Trombone at the Oberlin Conservatory. His teaching career has included posts at Ohio State University, Siena Heights University, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra’s Civic Youth Ensembles, and the public school system in Barnesville, Ohio, where he served as band director. In addition to teaching, Gruber maintains an active performing career as principal trombonist in the Akron Symphony Orchestra and the Youngstown Symphony Orchestra, as well as second trombone in the Lansing Symphony Orchestra. Gruber was the National First Prize winner in the Brass Division of the 2010 Music Teachers National Association Young Artist Competition. Born and raised in Bowling Green, Ohio, he earned a BME in instrumental music education at Bowling Green State University. He added an MM and DMA in trombone performance at the University of Michigan, where he also completed a cognate in wind conducting. John Gruber is an Edwards Artist.

johngruber.net

Austin, Texas

There are storied educators, and there are dynamic performers, and then there are those who are destined to be both. Always in search of new music and new ways to share it with others, Thomas Burritt is today's percussionist. He received degrees from Ithaca College School of Music (BM – Education and Performance), Kent State University (MM), and Northwestern University (DMA). Active in the creation and performance of new music for percussion Burritt has built a reputation in chamber music, as a percussion soloist and a concert marimbist. In 2009 and 2016, Burritt performed on two Grammy nominated recordings: "Conspirare in Concert" and "Pablo Neruda: The Poet Sings". He is currently Professor of Percussion and Director of Percussion Studies at the University of Texas at Austin and is an artist and clinician for Majestic Percussion, Sabian Cymbals, Innovative Percussion, Remo, Beetle Percussion and Grover Pro Percussion.

thomasburritt.com

Norman, Oklahoma

Anne and Henry Zarrow Foundation Faculty Chair

Konrad Eek is a photographer, custom framer, and arts educator based in Norman, Oklahoma. A product photography specialist his portfolio ranges from frying pans to fine art. As a framer his work varies from the simplest frame to multi floor office installations, with a new emphasis on individual hand crafted frames for artists and collectors. As an educator he has served as an adjunct professor for Oklahoma City Community College for over 15 years. Eek has facilitated many workshops for a diverse group of arts organizations and commercial clients. He is the author of many courses and articles for Lynda.com covering framing, exhibiting, photo lighting, Photoshop, and traditional black and white photography. He has also served the Oklahoma Arts Institute in a number of roles for over 25 years.