Performers
in order of appearance

The Shanghai Quartet, founded at the Shanghai Conservatory in 1983, has become one of the world's outstanding string quartets. Along with their concert and recording activities, they serve as the Quartet in Residence at Montclair State University, New Jersey..

The Miró Quartet, founded in 1995 at the Oberlin Conservatory, is one of America's highest-profile chamber ensembles. It is the String Quartet in Residence at the University of Texas at Austin.

Hai Zheng, cello, is Artist in Residence at Southwestern University. She has appeared in recital at the Shanghai Conservatory and New York City's Steinway Hall, in master classes and recitals at Guangzhou and Macau Conservatories, and at a special invitation concert for the Hong Kong Asia Society. Hai Zheng has made frequent appearances as soloist and with chamber ensembles in our festivals.

Toby Blumenthal, pianist, has appeared as soloist with many ensembles, including the Chicago and Houston Symphony Orchestras. She is Artistic Director of the Luzerne Chamber Music Festival in Lake Luzerne, NY. She has studied with Leonard Shure at the University of Texas and with Rudolph Serkin at Marlboro Chamber Music Institute in Vermont.

Weston Hurt, baritone, has sung with the New York City Opera, The Portland Opera, the Seattle Opera and the Atlanta Opera. Also a prolific concert singer and recitalist, Mr. Hurt has performed in recitals sponsored by the prestigious Marilyn Horne Foundation. Recent engagements have included appearances with the Nashville Symphony, the Dallas Symphony, and the Oratorio Society of New York in Carnegie Hall. A graduate of the Juilliard Opera Center, Mr. Hurt also has a BM degree from Southwestern University.

Virginia Dupuy, mezzo soprano, is an alumna of Southwestern University. She has a celebrated career in vocal performance and recording, including a Grammy nomination for a recent CD, and is also a respected scholar regarding settings of Emily Dickinson texts. She teaches at Southern Methodist University. Ms. Dupuy has appeared at all our festivals.

Dale Dietert, pianist, voice teacher and coach, has served on the faculties of the Britten-Pears School for Advanced Musical Studies (Aldeburgh, England), the International Institute of Vocal Arts (Tel Aviv, Israel) and the Sommerakademie Mozarteum (Salzburg, Austria). He is now on the faculty of Southern Methodist University. We welcome him back to the Festival of the Arts after his memorable appearance at the Mendelssohn festival.

Eri Lee Lam, violin, is a member of the faculty of Southwestern University, where she teaches violin and chamber music. She holds a doctorate from the University of Minnesota. She appears frequently in solo recitals and in chamber ensembles.

Vincent Lam, piano, a member of the music faculty of Southwestern University, has degrees from the Manhattan School of Music, the Cleveland Institute of Music, and the University of Minnesota. Dr. Lam has performed throughout the United States and in South Korea.

Anna Carney, clarinet, has performed and lectured at such prestigious conferences as the International ClarinetFest, SEAMUS Nationa Conference, and the College Music Society National Conference in Quebec. She has been a member of numerous orchestras in North and Central America. She is clarinet instructor at Southwestern University.

Timothy Nolt, piano, holds performance degrees in piano from the Julliard School of Music and the University of Texas at Austin, and is a founding member of Arte Musique. Mr. Nolt has performed as a soloist and collaborator throughout Texas and the Northeastern United States. Tim is currently studying to become a Catholic priest for the Diocese of Austin at St. Mary's Seminary in Houston, Texas.

Jason Schayot is in his tenth year of teaching in the Georgetown Independent School District. He is the Director of Bands for Georgetown ISD. His responsibilities include directing the GHS Wind Symphony, assisting with the GHS Marching Band, Jazz Band, and Symphonic Band, and coordinating the GISD band program for grades 6-12. Mr. Schayot also is the director of the pit orchestra for school musicals and co-directs the GHS Full Orchestra.

Mary Powers is currently director of the orchestra program at Georgetown HS. She has been teaching in Georgetown for the past eight years. She received her Bachelor's of Music degree from Iowa State University and did graduate work at Universty of Texas at Austin. Her teaching career has included Millard ISD in Omaha, NE, Lake Travis ISD and Bowie High School in Austin. Mary plays viola in the Austin Lyric Opera orchestra and freelances on violin and viola. She lives in Georgetown with her husband Ken Doocy, and two lovely children!

Joey Lowrance has taught in Georgetown for the past seven years and holds a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Texas State University. He is the Director of Choral Activities at Georgetown High School and the Eastview High School.

Thomas Fairlie is the founder and director of the Temple Symphony Orchestra and Director of the Division of Fine Arts at Temple College. He also conducts the Temple Jazz Orchestra. The Temple Symphony has appeared at all our festivals since Haydn in Georgetown.

Scotty Rundel Rundell is Director of Music and Fine Arts Ministries at Georgetown's First United Methodist Church.

Pam Rossman is organist at Georgetown's First United Methodist Church and at Southwestern University, where she teaches private and class piano.

Mela Dailey, soprano, is Artist-in-Residence with the Amarillo Opera, and has been heard in recital in Minneapolis, Louisville, Lexington, Roanoke, and San Antonio. Recent engagements included performances of the role of Ida in The Bat (Die Fledermaus) and Ines in Il Trovatore with Austin Lyric Opera, Adina in L'Elisir d'Amore with the Opera Company of Brooklyn, and performances with Chorus Austin.

Bruce Cain is the conductor of the San Gabriel Chorale. Dr Cain is Professor of Voice at Southwestern University, where he directs the opera theatre program. He has a doctorate from Northwestern University. He has appeared frequently as soloist with the Austin Civic Chorus, the Austin Vocal Arts Ensemble, and other groups. Dr. Cain appeared as soloist in each of the first six years of the Georgetown Festival of the Arts, and the San Gabriel Chorale has appeared in all but one of the Festivals.

Kenneth Sheppard is chairman of the Department of Music of Southwestern University and is conductor of the Southwestern University Chorale. Dr. Sheppard has been invited to the 2010 Shanghai Expo to lead the Chorale in the Haydn Mass in Time of War, which he presented with Austin Civic Chorus and the San Gabriel Chorale in Carnegie Hall in 2004. He has appeared as conductor of the Festival Orchestra and Chorus every year at the Georgetown Festival of the Arts.