Faculty - Strings - Washington Conservatory of Music

AMADI AZIKIWE
Online Violin, Viola

M.M., Indiana University B.M., New England Conservatory of Music

Violinist, violist. Currently, Teaching Artist, ClassNotes, the Noel Pointer Foundation, member of Harlem Chamber Players, Pressenda Chamber Players; Music Director, Harlem Symphony Orchestra. Formerly: Artist Faculty, Brevard Music Center, Interlochen Center for the Arts, Apple Hill Center for Chamber Music, Tennessee Governor’s School for the Arts, Bennington Chamber Music Conference, University of North Carolina School of the Arts (Summer), Aria International Academy, London, Ontario; conductor, Old Dominion University Chamber Orchestra, Atlanta University Center Orchestra. Visiting faculty, Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music; faculty, James Madison University. Performances in the US, Israel, Canada, South and Central America, Switzerland, India, Japan, Nigeria, Hong Kong, and the Caribbean.

CLEVELAND A. CHANDLER
Violin, Viola

M.M., Cleveland Institute of Music, B.M., Peabody Conservatory of Music

Member of The United States Air Force Band performing as premier violinist in numerous high-protocol and community events for 24 years. With colleague, Robin Massie, won first place in the 2023 inaugural Misbin Family Memorial Chamber Music Competition. Featured guest artist at Indiana University South Bend “Lift Every Voice” Concert. Featured performer at the French Embassy, performing chamber music of Chevalier de Saint Georges for 2023 Washington International Film Festival. Performs with the National Philharmonic, Colour of Music Festival, Maryland Symphony, the Soulful Symphony, and numerous solo and ensemble engagements. Other performances: the Gateways Festival, Cabrillo Festival with conductor Marin Alsop, Ritz Chamber Players and St. Augustine Music Festival. Violinist at Aspen Music Festival, the National Orchestral Institute, the Johannesen International School of the Arts in Victoria, Canada. Teaching experience includes Baltimore School for the Arts TWIGS Program (7 years), Ottley Music School, Nathan Carter School of Music at New Shiloh Baptist Church, the Gilman School, and Gettysburg College. Additional studies with the Emerson and Juilliard String Quartets, and Mark O’Connor String Seminar, Berklee College of Music.

KEVIN JANG
Violin

D.M.A., Catholic University; M.M., B.M., Peabody Institute.

Concertmaster, Peabody Symphony, Catholic University Symphony. J.C. Hulstyen Award for excellence in violin, Peabody Institute. Guest concertmaster, Annapolis Symphony Orchestra. Artist-in-Residence concert, Strathmore Mansion, Soloist, Cascade Festival Orchestra, Catholic University Symphony and Aspen Mozart Orchestra. Member, Aspen Festival Orchestra and Chamber Symphony. Joseph Gingold Award for excellence in chamber music, Kent/Blossom Festival. Adjunct Professorial Lecturer, American University.

BECKY JOHNSON
Suzuki Violin & Viola, Suzuki Academy Coordinator

M.M. (Suzuki pedagogy), Ithaca College; B.M. (viola performance), Oberlin Conservatory.

Wisconsin-born violinist and violist. Trained with Carrie Reuning-Hummel at Ithaca College. Her other teachers include Peter Slowik, David Quiggle, Yuliya Smead, and Barbara Beechey. Johnson has received additional Suzuki training from Sandy Reuning, Kimberly Meier-Sims, Ed Kreitman, and Tom Wermuth. As an orchestral musician, Johnson has performed as a member of The Civic Orchestra of Chicago, Orchestra of the Southern Finger Lakes, and the National Festival Orchestra at the National Orchestral Institute. She has also performed as a member of the Florestan Quartet and as part of the Credo Chamber Music Festival. Johnson has been teaching for over ten years.

KATHY JUDD
Violin, Executive & Artistic Director

M.M.A., Yale University; B.M., New England Conservatory of Music, Wichita State University.

Former member, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Idyllwild Trio, Mariposa Piano Trio; concertmaster, Boulder (CO) Bach Festival, Las Vegas Symphony. Lead commercial musician, Las Vegas. Orchestral, chamber music, festival performances throughout the U.S., Europe, and Taiwan. Faculty, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Idyllwild (CA) School of Music and the Arts. Instructor, Elizabethtown College. National and State grants panelist. Executive and Artistic Director, Music at Gretna (PA) chamber music and jazz concert series.

GEORGE OHLSON
Viola, Violin

B.A., Washington University (St. Louis, Missouri).

Member, National Gallery Orchestra, Washington Chamber Symphony and American Chamber Orchestra. Member, Belmont String Quartet. Lecture/demonstrations at Washington-area schools. Violist at Grand Teton Music Festival.

DREW OWEN
Cello, Suzuki Cello

M.M., Cleveland Institute of Music; B.M., College Conservatory of Music, Cincinnati; Aspen Music Festival, Fellowship student.

Instructor, Howard, Tulane Universities. Former member, New Orleans Symphony, Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra. Performs with the National Symphony, the Baltimore Symphony, and Washington National Opera; has toured Japan with the Washington National Opera, and China and Korea with the National Symphony.

TOBIAS WERNER
Cello, Chamber Music

M.M., Musikhochschule Freiburg in Germany, and B.M., Boston University.

Music Director, The Chamber Music Conference of the East, Artistic Director, Pressenda Chamber Players, Arts for the Aging (AFTA) teaching artist. Formerly cellist in residence and co-artistic director, Garth Newel Music Center. Performances at the Cape and Islands Chamber Music Festival, Villa Musica Mainz, San Diego Chamber Music Workshop, Vail Valley Bravo! Colorado Music Festival, Maui Classical Music Festival, in venues including Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, Strathmore Hall, the Phillips Collection, the Library of Congress, the National Gallery of Art, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the New York Society for Ethical Culture and Bargemusic. Soloist with orchestras in the US, France, Germany and Romania. Recorded on ECM, Darbringhaus & Grimm, Bayer Records, and Orfeo labels. Former faculty, Georgetown University.

Faculty – Strings

AMADI AZIKIWE
Online Violin, Viola

CLEVELAND A. CHANDLER
Violin, Viola

KEVIN JANG
Violin

BECKY JOHNSON
Suzuki Violin & Viola, Suzuki Academy Coordinator

KATHY JUDD
Violin, Executive & Artistic Director

GEORGE OHLSON
Viola, Violin

DREW OWEN
Cello, Suzuki Cello

TOBIAS WERNER
Cello, Chamber Music

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Faculty – Strings

AMADI AZIKIWE Online Violin, Viola

CLEVELAND A. CHANDLER Violin, Viola

KEVIN JANG Violin

BECKY JOHNSON Suzuki Violin & Viola, Suzuki Academy Coordinator

KATHY JUDD Violin, Executive & Artistic Director

GEORGE OHLSON Viola, Violin

DREW OWEN Cello, Suzuki Cello

TOBIAS WERNER Cello, Chamber Music

MORE INFO

AMADI AZIKIWE
Online Violin, Viola

CLEVELAND A. CHANDLER
Violin, Viola

KEVIN JANG
Violin

BECKY JOHNSON
Suzuki Violin & Viola, Suzuki Academy Coordinator

KATHY JUDD
Violin, Executive & Artistic Director

GEORGE OHLSON
Viola, Violin

DREW OWEN
Cello, Suzuki Cello

TOBIAS WERNER
Cello, Chamber Music