Musicians
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From left to right: Karyl Louwenaar Lueck, Melanie Punter, Jessica Epps, Kim Jones, Eva Amsler, Valerie Arsenault, Brian Arsenault, Minyoung Cho, and Melissa Brewer
(Photo: Lois D. Griffin)
Eva Amsler
is the Professor of Flute at Florida State University. As a soloist/chamber musician, recording artist, and masterclass teacher she tours in Europe, USA, South America, and the Far East. Founder of SYRINX, an association for flute teachers in Austria. For 20 years she was a member of St. Gallen Symphony Orchestra in Switzerland and Professor at the Conservatory Feldkirch in Austria. Her teachers include A. Nicolet and G. Rumpel. Member of the Florida Flute Association board and of various National Flute Association committees, and Chair of the Myrna Brown Society. Back to Top
Brian Arsenault
studied with Roberto Diaz and Burton Fine and earned a BM in viola performance from the New England Conservatory. He has performed with the Atlanta Baroque Orchestra and the Tallahassee Symphony, and in addition to classical music he enjoys playing Irish Traditional Music on fiddle and anglo concertina. He earned an MLIS from FSU and works as a web programmer for the Center for Information Management and Educational Services at FSU. Back to Top
Valerie Prebys Arsenault
has two favorite musical activities: teaching the violin and playing baroque music. Since 2002 she has maintained a thriving private violin studio of students of all ages at Cavatina Music Studios. As Visiting Assistant Professor at Florida State University she directs the Baroque Ensemble (on period instruments) and has taught violin and directed the Irish Ensemble. She is a member of the Tallahassee Symphony, a principal player and soloist with the Atlanta Baroque Orchestra, and has performed and recorded with the Apollo Ensemble (NY) and Apollo's Fire. She studied violin at the New England Conservatory (BM), violin pedagogy and baroque violin at the Indiana University School of Music (MM, Early Music), and earned her doctorate from the Florida State University College of Music. Back to Top
Miriam Barfield
began studying violin at the age of six with Melissa Brewer. She received her BM in Viola Performance from Florida State University where she studied with Dr. Pamela Ryan, and is currently studying at The Boston Conservatory with Patricia McCarty. She has attended many summer music festivals, including the Brevard Music Center Festival in Brevard, North Carolina, the Schlern International Music Festival in Völs am Schlern, Italy, and the Meadowmount School of Music in Westport, New York. Miriam was the only musician from Florida to be accepted to the National High School Honors Orchestra in 2005 in Reno, Nevada. She was a member of the FSU Philharmonia when she was a sophomore in high school and served as the principal violist when she was a senior. She is currently a member of the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra, the FSU Symphony Orchestra, and the FSU Baroque Ensemble. Back to Top
Mary Biddlecombe
is the choral director at Tallahassee’s Lawton Chiles High School, where she directs a vocal program encompassing over 200 enrolled students. She directs five curricular ensembles including two sequential women’s choirs, a large men's chorus, two mixed ensembles, and the award-winning women's choir Belle Chantique. Mrs. Biddlecombe has taught music at every grade level, most recently as the choral director at Swift Creek Middle School. She holds degrees from the Crane School of Music in New York State, and Florida State University. Her choirs have performed for conventions of ACDA, as well as with the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra and Community Chorus under the direction of Miriam Burns and Dr. André Thomas, respectively. Mrs. Biddlecombe is an active member of MENC, ACDA, FVA and FMEA, and is in-demand as an adjudicator and clinician in the state of Florida. A native of Syracuse, NY, Mary makes her home in Tallahassee with her husband Tucker and two dogs. Back to Top
Tucker Biddlecombe
a native of Buffalo, New York, is currently a candidate for the PhD in Music Education at Florida State University. As a graduate assistant he has served as the assistant conductor to the Tallahassee Community Chorus, the Men’s Glee Club, and the Florida State Opera. In 2010 Mr. Biddlecombe conducted Florida State Opera’s production of Benjamin Britten’s The Rape of Lucretia, as well as a performance of Bernstein's Chichester Psalms and Mozart's Veni Sancte Spiritus with the Tallahassee Community Chorus and Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Biddlecombe is a ten-year veteran educator, and is a National Board Certified Teacher. He most recently served as the choral director at Lawton Chiles High School in Tallahassee, where he was honored as 'Teacher of the Year' in 2008. Ensembles under his direction have performed at conventions of the American Choral Directors Association at the state and division level, and have been enthusiastically received at state and national choral festivals. Mr. Biddlecombe is a sought-after clinician and adjudicator, and has conducted honor choirs throughout the state of Florida. An accomplished vocalist specializing in a wide variety of repertoire and musical styles, Mr. Biddlecombe has performed as a soloist for Handel’s Messiah, Haydn’s Creation, and the Duruflé Requiem. He is also a published composer and arranger, with choral works printed by Alliance and Walton Music. Tucker and his wife, Mary, continue to serve as co-music directors at the Episcopal Church of the Advent in Tallahassee. Back to Top
Melissa Brewer
began her professional studies in violin and viola at the University of Miami, studying with George Zazofsky and Victor Stern and with David Becker at the University of Wisconsin Madison. She has performed with groups as diverse as the Florida Philharmonic, Miami Chamber Orchestra, West Palm Beach Opera Company, Tallahassee Bach Parley, and the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra. The breadth of her repertoire stretches from symphonic to chamber, opera to popular, and she has performed with artists as varied as Perlman and Sinatra. On period instruments, she has performed with the F.S.U. Baroque Ensemble, Baroque Southeast, the Apollo Ensemble, and is Principal Violist with the Atlanta Baroque Orchestra. She plays on a 1760 Locky Hill viola. Back to Top
Minyoung Cho
a native of Seoul, Korea, is in her second year of doctoral studies in Violin Performance at FSU. She has presented solo and chamber performances at Booam art hall, Dankook art hall in Korea and Dohnányi recital hall in Tallahassee. She played with many orchestras such as Korean-American Youth Orchestra, Gwacheon Youth Orchestra, Seoul National Symphony Orchestra, Korean Philharmonic Orchestra and Gangneung Philharmonic Orchestra in Korea. She has been a prizewinner in several competitions such as the Korea Music Competition and Choong-Bu Conservatory Competition. She received her BM in Dankook University in Korea and MM in Florida State University. She has studied with Corinne Stillwell, Karen Clarke and Daesik Kang. Currently, she is a player for the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra, Northwest Florida Symphony Orchestra and Sinfonia Gulf Coast Symphony Orchestra. She is an active substitute with the Pensacola Symphony Orchestra and Panama City Pops Orchestra. Back to Top
Jessica Epps
is a flutist that performs music of the masters and music of the people with a consistently expanding repertoire of Classical, Contemporary and traditional Irish works. She received her Bachelor of Music degree in Flute Performance from Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina, where she held the position of principal flute in the Appalachian Symphony Orchestra, the Appalachian Wind Ensemble, and Collegium Musicum Baroque Ensemble. During her undergraduate curriculum, Jessica studied and performed abroad at the University College, Cork in Cork, Ireland, where she concentrated on traditional Irish flute and whistle. She received her Master of Music degree in Flute Performance from Florida State University, where she held the positions of Vice President and President of The Flute Association at FSU, and performed with several ensembles, including the Irish and Baroque Ensembles. Jessica is currently completing a Master of Arts Degree in Arts Administration at Florida State University. She is the Marketing and Graphic Design Intern for the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra, and continues to play with the FSU Baroque Ensemble and her recently-formed Irish band, Cúig. Back to Top
Evan Jones
holds the D.M.A. in cello performance and the Ph.D. in music theory from the Eastman School of Music, where he studied with Steven Doane, Pamela Frame, and Alan Harris. He also studied with Antonio Lysy at McGill University and with Pierre Djokic and Shimon Walt at Dalhousie University. On faculty at the FSU College of Music since 2001, he previously served as cello instructor at Colgate University and as Pamela Frame's assistant at Eastman. He also instructed music theory at Eastman and at the University of Rochester, winning two prestigious teaching awards, and received the Florida State University Undergraduate Teaching Award in 2007. He has performed under the auspices of the Banff Centre for the Arts, Baroque SouthEast, the College Music Society, Electronic Music Midwest, Music on the Lake, Musique Royale, the Orford Arts Centre, the Scotia Festival of Music, the Spark Festival, and the Syracuse Society for New Music, as well as on faculty recital programs at FSU. He previously appeared as principal cellist of the Binghamton Philharmonic, the Orchestra of the Southern Finger Lakes, and the Montreal Chamber Players, and has given the world, North American, and NYC premieres of several new works for solo cello. Back to Top
Marnie Kim Jones
violoncellist, holds a Bachelors in Music degree and an Artist Diploma from McGill University (studio of Antonio Lysy) and a Masters in Music degree from the Eastman School of Music (studio of Steven Doane). While at Eastman she also studied string pedagogy with Louis Bergonzi and Baroque performance practice with Paul O'Dette and Christel Thielmann. Kim is originally from Calgary, Alberta, where she studied with John Kadz; she has also performed in masterclasses for Anner Bylsma, Bernard Greenhouse, Franz Helmerson, Desmond Hoebig, Steven Isserlis, Laurence Lesser, Siegfried Palm, Aldo Parisot, Fred Sherry, Janos Starker, and Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi. Previously a tenured member of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, she now serves as associate principal cellist with the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra and maintains a private studio of over twenty students. Back to Top
Karen McLaughlin Large
is currently serving on the music faculty at the University of Central Florida teaching courses in music theory, aural skills, world music, and music literature. She previously taught at the University of Tampa and the Indian River State College. She received her Doctor of Music degree from Florida State University in May 2010 and her research interests include affective responses to music and the interaction of music analysis and performance. She has studied flute with Eva Amsler, Stephanie Jutt, Joshua Carter, and Mara Rose. For more information, please visit her website: www.karenlarge.com.
Karyl Louwenaar Lueck
joined the faculty of the Florida State University School of Music in 1972 as an Assistant Professor of Piano. Over time, harpsichord, fortepiano, basso continuo, Baroque Ensemble, and courses in keyboard literature and performance practice were added to her assignment; and during the last six years of her tenure she also served as Coordinator of the Keyboard Area. Since her retirement in 2007, she has continued as an Adjunct Professor at the College of Music. In 1981 The Tallahassee Bach Parley was founded by Karyl and friends Lillian and Clark Pearson; later she founded also the Jurow International Harpsichord Competition under the auspices of the Southeastern Historical Keyboard Society. She has appeared as soloist and ensemble harpsichordist in Germany, Costa Rica, and in many major cities and institutions of higher education in the United States, especially in the eastern half of the country. Back to Top
Lesley Maxwell Mann
is currently pursuing a doctorate in Choral Conducting and Music Education at the Florida State University. As a graduate assistant, she has served as the assistant conductor to the Tallahassee Community Chorus, preparing the chorus for last year’s Carmina Burana, and directing the chorus with full orchestra for Mozart’s Regina Coeli. This year, she is assisting the Women’s Glee Club. She also serves as Director of Music at First Presbyterian Church of Thomasville in Thomasville, Ga. Lesley has served as Assistant Conductor and Creative Director for the Festival Singers of Florida, most recently conducting Brahms’ Zigeunerlieder, and previously creating and staging the Broadway tribute: The Three Stephens. Prior to returning to graduate study, Lesley was the Director of Vocal Music at the College of Central Florida, teaching applied voice, ear training, and directing the Concert Choir and the Musical Theatre Ensemble. Lesley enjoys performing in a variety of styles, and has performed at Walt Disney World with the Voices of Liberty, the premier vocal ensemble of Walt Disney World, and in Disney’s Finding Nemo, the Musical!, where she was proud to play a starfish. A native of Atlanta, Georgia, Lesley makes her home in Tallahassee with her husband Jason, their 5 year old son, Cooper, and their 2 year old daughter, Chloe. Back to Top
Reginald L. Mobley
countertenor, is pleased to be back with the Tallahassee Bach Parley singing the works of his favorite composer and the focus of his career, J. S. Bach. A native of Gainesville, FL Reginald began his alto soloist career in Orff’s Carmina Burana, before turning his focus towards a more standard “Countertenor diet” of Bach, Handel, and Vivaldi. Of the forementioned composers, he has performed as an alto soloist in Vivaldi’s Gloria, Handel’s Messiah, Judas Maccabeus, Dixit Dominus, Bach’s Magnificat, St. John Passion, and many of his sacred cantatas. Reginald has also recorded and performed early music with such groups as Seraphic Fire, Apollo’s Fire, and Vox Early Music Ensemble. Reginald is currently pursuing a music degree at Florida State University where he has performed under the baton of Andre Thomas, Jeffery Kite-Powell, and Anthony Rooley. Back to Top
Christopher Phillpott
is currently pursuing a PhD in Musicology at The Florida State University, focusing his research on the early development of the grand motet in seventeenth-century France. Other research interests include the cello in eighteenth-century France and the music of Frank Zappa. While studying at FSU, he also teaches music history in the undergraduate program. Before coming to Tallahassee, Mr. Phillpott earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Texas Christian University. While there, he was awarded the Michael Winesanker Musicology Grant, which was applied toward archival research in Paris and Zürich for the completion of his master’s thesis on the early French cello sonata. Equally at home as a performer, Mr. Phillpott plays viola da gamba (student of Pamela Andrews) and cello. His previous teachers include Jesús Castro-Balbi, Nathaniel Rosen, and Ko Iwasaki, and he has performed in residency programs at the Viola da Gamba Society of New England, the Banff Centre, and the Piatigorsky Seminar at the University of Southern California. Back to Top
Melanie Punter
is Associate Professor of Double Bass at Florida State University. As a member of the Juilliard MAP faculty, she coached chamber music and bass ensembles and taught double bass. She is a member of New York's prestigious Orchestra of St. Luke's performing at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center and is principal bassist of the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra. She has performed with the American Symphony Orchestra, the Opera Orchestra of New York, Joffrey Ballet, New York City Ballet and the American Ballet Theatre. She performs regularly at the Caramoor International Music and has participated in Festival of Two Worlds in Charleston, SC and in Spoleto, Italy. An active chamber musician, she is a member of the Atlanta Baroque Orchestra performing on period instruments. Back to Top
Elizabeth Ronan Silva
is noted for her "delightfully clear fresh singing" (Opera News) "rich voice. deepening embodiment" and "canny use of her wide dynamic range," (San Francisco Classical Voice). She performs a broad range of repertoire that spans many styles including renaissance and baroque, contemporary and children's music. Since receiving a Master's degree from Mannes College of Music in 1997, she has performed with various early music ensembles including Teatro Lirico, Seattle Baroque Orchestra, Reconstruction, Company of Strings, Lizzy and the Theorboys, Albuquerque Baroque Players and the Camerino Band. Her opera roles include Valletto (L'incoronazione di Poppea), Cherubino (Nozze di Figaro), Nerone (Agrippina), and Venere (Ercole Amante). Elizabeth was a founder and President of Caprock Early Music Association in Lubbock TX, where she performed and taught voice for 4 years. Back to Top
