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Jason Seber
Music Director and
Conductor, Symphony Orchestra
(Staff member since 2005) |
The 2009-10
season marks Jason Seber’s fifth as
Music Director of the Louisville Youth Orchestra. Under his
leadership, the LYO has collaborated with many fine conductors and
artists, including Jorge Mester, Jason Weinberger, Robert Franz,
Caroline Goulding, Christopher O’Riley, Kit Armstrong, and Zade. He
has also led the LYO in regional and state premieres of new works by
acclaimed composers Joan Tower, Joseph Schwantner, and this season
Jay Greenberg. LYO members have also had the opportunity to
collaborate with the Louisville Orchestra, Walden Theatre, and Music
Theatre Louisville during his tenure.
In addition to his position with the Louisville Youth Orchestra, Mr.
Seber is also the Director of Orchestras at the Youth Performing
Arts School (YPAS) and duPont Manual High School in Louisville. He
has led the YPAS Philharmonia in performances at the 2009 Orchestra
America National Festival and with the Louisville Chorus. The Manual
Concert Orchestra has performed with the YPAS Chamber Choir and as
part of Orchestrapalooza, a festival featuring several outstanding
high school orchestras in Jefferson County. During the summer, Mr.
Seber enjoys guest conducting the most advanced orchestra at the
Baldwin-Wallace Conservatory Summer String Camp.
Mr. Seber has served as Assistant Conductor of the Cleveland Pops
Orchestra, the National Repertory Orchestra, and the Cleveland
Institute of Music Orchestras, leading many classical, pops, opera,
and educational programs. Last year he led the Cleveland Pops
Orchestra in a collaborative performance with Peter Cetera and U.S.
and Olympic Figure Skating champions Sasha Cohen, Brian Boitano, and
Todd Elldrege that was broadcast nationwide on NBC Christmas Day.
Mr. Seber regularly guest conducts the Louisville Orchestra in their
Making Music, OrKIDStra, and holiday series, and this year he
returns to conduct the LO/LYO Side-by-Side and several educational
and pops concerts. He has also guest conducted the Charleston
Symphony Orchestra (SC), Cleveland Pops Orchestra, Mansfield
Symphony (OH), and Ashland Regional Ballet (OH). He has had the
privilege of working with Shoshana Bean (vocalist), Michael
Cavanaugh (vocalist), Caroline Goulding (violinist), and Christopher
O’Riley (pianist).
Mr. Seber earned his MM in orchestral conducting from the Cleveland
Institute of Music and a BM in violin and BME from Baldwin-Wallace
College Conservatory of Music. He studied conducting with Carl
Topilow, Dwight Oltman, and Michael Jinbo. He has conducted in
masterclasses and workshops with Kenneth Kiesler, Louis Lane, Gustav
Meier, Larry Rachleff, David Roberston, Michael Tilson Thomas, and
Thomas Wilkins.
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Richard Ryan
Conductor, Repertory Orchestra
(Staff member since 2009) |
Richard Ryan
is the Assistant Principal Bass of the Louisville Orchestra. He
graduated from Indiana University with a degree in music performance
and won his position with the LO at the age of 20. During his time
at IU, Richard studied conducting at both undergraduate and graduate
levels.
Youth Orchestra has always been a large part of Richard Ryan's life.
He played in youth orchestra for eight years in middle school and
high school. He was also the principal bass of the Arizona Regional
and All-state orchestras, the Disney Young Musicians Symphony
Orchestra, and the National High School Honors Orchestra.
Working with young musicians of a high caliber has always been a
goal for Mr. Ryan, and he is delighted to be working with the
talented students of the Repertory Orchestra. |
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Christopher
Lerner
Conductor, Concert Orchestra
(Staff member since 2000)
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Chris Lerner
received his bachelor
of music degree in violin performance from the University of
Louisville. He has been a registered Suzuki violin teacher since
2001 and is proud to have studied under Peter McHugh at the
University of Louisville. Chris has benefited from working with
fellow conductors Jason Seber and Robert Franz at the Louisville
Youth Orchestra.
Over the past nine
years, Mr. Lerner has filled many roles for the Louisville Youth
Orchestra: Director of the Presto! Strings Program, Director of
Sonatina Strings Program, Conductor of the Serenade Orchestra, and
the Conductor of Concert Orchestra. Mr. Lerner was
excited to be a part of the fiftieth anniversary of the Louisville
Youth Orchestra. Currently, Mr. Lerner is enjoying his seventh year
as the Director of Strings for the middle and upper school string
programs at Louisville Collegiate School. In addition to teaching
daily string classes, Mr. Lerner guest-lectures for the ninth and
tenth grade History and the Arts course and enjoys being a leader of
his middle school rock band. Last November Mr. Lerner was also the
conductor for one of the Jefferson All County Orchestras. In his
spare time Mr. Lerner also enjoys teaching a studio of fifteen
violin students aged from five through seventeen years old. |
Elise Kotheimer Gambrell
Conductor, Serenade Orchestra
(Staff Member since 2007) |
Elise Kotheimer Gambrell started her musical training
on the violin when she was three years old and began training on the
piano at the age of seven. She participated as a member of the
Louisville Youth Orchestra for five years, where she served as
concert mistress of the Repertory Orchestra and assistant concert
mistress of the Symphony Orchestra. Ms. Kotheimer won the McDowell
Music Teacher’s Competition in 2001, and the McCauley Chamber Music
Competition in 1999. She has studied under the guidance of
accomplished teachers including Peter McHugh, Patrick Rafferty,
Cheri Kelley and Hiroko Driver.
Ms. Kotheimer received her Bachelor of Music degree in violin and
her Masters of Arts in Teaching Music from the University of
Louisville. She taught at the Boaz Performance Studio from 2002 –
2006, where she taught students between the ages of five and
sixteen. In the spring of 2007, she completed her student teaching
with Eva Rouse at Ballard High School. Ms. Kotheimer became a
certified Suzuki teacher in 2001 and has taught privately for six
years. |
Mark Tate
Coach, Percussion Ensemble
(Staff Member since 2004) |
Mark L. Tate received a Bachelor of Music
degree in percussion performance from the University of Kentucky as
a student of David Davenport. He was the first percussionist to
receive a performance degree from this university.
Mark received a Master of Music in Performance and Pedagogy from
Washington University in St. Louis, MO. His major teacher was
Richard O’Donnell, Principal Percussionist of the St. Louis Symphony
Orchestra. While in St. Louis, he also studied with John Kasica and
Tom Stubbs of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. He performed
frequently with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, joining them in 2
east coast tours that included performances in Carnegie Hall. He was
also a percussionist with the Might Mississippi Concert Band,
Gateway Festival Orchestra, Springfield (IL) Symphony, and staff
percussionist at the Westport Playhouse. While in St. Louis he
taught drums and percussion at Clayton Academy of Music, Drum
Headquarters and was a teaching assistant at Washington University.
Mark began performing as a percussionist with the Louisville
Orchestra in 1983. He has also performed as percussionist with the
Lexington Philharmonic Orchestra. He is also a percussionist with
Louisville Chorus, the Louisville Choral Arts Society and the Derby
City Brass Band. Mark also serves as percussionist with Musical
Theatre of Louisville and the Broadway Series at the Kentucky Center
for the Arts. Mark is a frequent free-lancer with various churches
and chamber groups in the Louisville area and is also the drummer
for the Dixie Jazz Cats and the Memphis Red Hots, a western swing
band.
Mark is the percussion instructor at Indiana University Southeast in
New Albany, IN, and Georgetown College in Georgetown. He serves as
percussion coordinator for the marching bands at both New Washington
High School in New Washington, IN and du Pont Manual in Louisville.
Mark also teaches concert percussion at Eastern High School in
Louisville and both marching and concert percussion at Oldham County
High School, in Buckner, KY, Henry County High School in New Castle,
KY and Atherton High School in Louisville. In addition he coaches
percussion ensemble at Crosby Middle School and the “Junkyard Hawks”
at Hite Elementary, both in Louisville. He maintains a full service
studio in his home, specializing in concert percussion instruction
for students in the area band programs. He services, as the
percussion coach/percussion ensemble director for the Louisville
Youth Orchestra. And is also the founder of the Louisville Institute
of Drumming and creator of the percussion group Stick-Click. |
Melody Welsh-Buchholz
Executive Director
(Staff member since 1985) |
Melody Welsh-Buchholz
brings a rare combination of talents to the position of Executive Director
of the Louisville Youth Orchestra. She is both a professional musician and an accomplished
arts administrator. Ms. Welsh-Buchholz holds a Bachelor of Music Education (1977) and a Master of
Music (1981 - emphasis in multiple woodwinds). She has had a successful teaching career at
St. Francis School and Anchorage School in Louisville and at Clarksville Middle and High
School in Clarksville, IN. From 1978 to 1980 Ms. Welsh-Buchholz served as the local KMEA (Kentucky
Music Educator's Association) chairperson for the annual Solo/Ensemble and Band/Orchestra
Festival. Ms. Welsh-Buchholz currently teaches privately and performs professionally with the
Broadway Series, Derby Dinner Playhouse and the Louisville Orchestra along with her duties
at the Louisville Youth Orchestra. Ms.
Welsh-Buchholz has served four terms as a board member for the Youth
Orchestra Division of the League of American Orchestras and is
currently Chair of the Youth Orchestra Division and ex-officio
member of the League of American Orchestras Board. Ms. Welsh-Buchholz has been on the
staff of the LYO since 1985. From 1985-1987 she served as the Wind/Brass Coach and
Librarian. From 1987-1990 she served as the Operations Manager. From 1990 to the present
she has held the position of Executive Director. During her tenure as Executive Director
the Louisville Youth Orchestra's budget has doubled, patron donations have risen by 80%
and the orchestra's membership has increased by 40%. |
Jessica Hubbard
Co-Production Manager and
Co-Music Librarian
Concert and Serenade Orchestras
Percussion Ensemble
(Staff Member since 2009) |
Jessica
Hubbard
participated as a member of the Louisville Youth Orchestra for six
years and has served as principal bassoonist for both the Repertory
and Symphony Orchestras. For seven years, Ms. Hubbard received a
distinguished rating at the KMEA Solo and Ensemble Festival and was
a member of the KMEA All-State Band for three consecutive years.
Ms. Hubbard attended Indiana University Jacobs School of Music and
the University of Louisville and is honored to have studied under
Roger Soren, Arthur Weisberg, William Ludwig, and Matthew Karr.
Ms. Hubbard looks forward to bringing her experience and love of
music to the next generation of young musicians through her work
with the Louisville Youth Orchestra.
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Amanda Wright
Co-Production Manager and
Co-Music Librarian
Symphony and Repertory Orchestras
Horizons Ensemble
(Staff Member since 2010) |
Amanda Wright
received both a Bachelors of Music Education (pre-certification) and
a Master of the Arts in Teaching from the University of Louisville,
where she was highly involved in several activities at the School of
Music. She was principal clarinet of the University Symphonic Band
and performed with the University Wind Ensemble for several years,
including in such venues as Carnegie Hall in New York City and the
WASBE conference in Killarney, Ireland. Along with performing in
school ensembles, she conducted and performed with the University
Community Band, worked as a camp counselor and clarinet instructor
at the Summer Wind Band Institute, and was highly involved with the
incoming freshmen classes working as a peer advisor for the
registrar’s office.
While at the university, she gained valuable teaching experience
working at Henry County High School as the assistant marching band
director and private lessons instructor. During her three years, the
band consistently qualified for state semi finals, earned a
distinguished rating, and private students of hers were placed into
the All-State Band. In the past years she has worked with various
ensembles across the state including bands at North Hardin High
School in Radcliff, Simon Kenton High School in Independence, and
her alma mater Campbell County High School in Alexandria. Most
recently Ms. Wright served as the elementary piano teacher in
Letcher County Schools. She piloted a piano program of over 260
third grade piano players in seventeen different classes at seven
separate elementary schools.
Ms. Wright currently substitute-teaches in the Louisville Metro
Area. |
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