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Jason Seber
Music Director and
Conductor, Symphony Orchestra
(Staff member since 2005) |
Jason Seber is thrilled to be
part of the Louisville Youth Orchestra’s 50th Anniversary
celebration this season, his fourth year as Music Director. Under
Mr. Seber’s direction, the LYO has reached many great artistic
achievements. His innovative and challenging programming has engaged
many of Louisville’s talented young musicians. Youth Orchestra
members have had the opportunity to collaborate with exceptional
artists, conductors, and composers such as Kit Armstrong, Zade,
Robert Franz, Jason Weinberger, and Joan Tower. They have also had
the opportunity to perform with the Louisville Orchestra, Walden
Theatre, and Music Theatre Louisville. This year LYO musicians will
work with violinist Caroline Goulding, pianist and host of NPR’s
“From the Top” Christopher O’Riley, Jorge Mester (Music Director of
the Louisville Orchestra), and composers Joseph Schwantner and Jason
Thompson (an LYO alum) in premieres of new works. The Symphony
Orchestra will be one of five youth orchestras in the country
participating in the League of American Orchestras and Meet the
Composer’s “Ford Made in America” project, giving the Kentucky
premiere of Schwantner’s “Chasing Light…”
Prior to coming to Louisville, Mr. Seber served as Assistant
Conductor of the Cleveland Pops Orchestra, where he conducted
regularly on subscription and run-out concerts. He was also
Assistant Conductor for the National Repertory Orchestra in 2005,
and for the Cleveland Institute of Music Orchestras, leading many
classical, opera, and educational programs at both institutions. He
served as Music Director of the Euclid Orchestra in Cleveland from
1996-2003 and as Director of Orchestras at Strongsville High School
(OH) for five years. Mr. Seber has recently guest conducted the
Louisville Orchestra in their Making Music, OrKIDStra, and
holiday series, the Charleston Symphony Orchestra (SC), Cleveland
Pops Orchestra, Mansfield Symphony (OH), and Ashland Regional Ballet
(OH). This season, he will be returning to conduct the Louisville
Orchestra, as well as a performance with the Cleveland Pops, the
United States Figure Skating Team, and Peter Cetera that will be
broadcast nationwide on NBC Christmas Day.
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. This
season the YPAS Philharmonia will be performing at the Orchestra
America National Festival in Indianapolis (sponsored by Music for
All and Yamaha) and with the Louisville Chorus in a performance of
Haydn’s The Creation. Mr. Seber has been a guest conductor
and clinician for many high school and middle school orchestra
festivals and clinics throughout Ohio, New York, Indiana, and
Kentucky. He enjoys sharing his love of music with kids of all ages,
and is a strong advocate of great music education programs in
schools and communities.
Mr. Seber earned
his BME and BM in violin from the Baldwin-Wallace College
Conservatory of Music, studying violin with Dr. Julian Ross and
conducting with Dwight Oltman. He went on to earn his MM in
orchestral conducting from the Cleveland Institute of Music,
studying with Carl Topilow. He has had the privilege of working in
conducting masterclasses and workshops with such eminent conductors
as Kenneth Kiesler, Louis Lane, Gustav Meier, Larry Rachleff, David
Roberston, Michael Tilson Thomas, and Thomas Wilkins. He has
attended the Pierre Monteux School for Conductors in Maine (with
Michael Jinbo), the National Repertory Orchestra, and the Brevard
Music Festival. |
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 teacher since 2001, and
is proud to have studied under Peter McHugh from University of
Louisville.
Mr. Lerner has been Director of the Presto! Strings Program for the
Louisville Youth Orchestra, Director of Sonatina Strings Program for
the Louisville Youth Orchestra, Conductor of the Serenade Orchestra
for the Louisville Youth Orchestra, and the Conductor of Concert
Orchestra for the Louisville Youth Orchestra. Mr. Lerner served two
years on the faculty for Kentucky Country Day School strings program
and is currently teaching strings at Louisville Collegiate School.
Last but not least Mr. Lerner has organized “ The Lerner School of
Music” in which he teaches 42 string students. |
Elise Kotheimer
Instructor, Presto!/Allegro
Strings
(Staff Member since 2007) |
Elise Kotheimer 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 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%. |
Kara Hubbard
Music Librarian and
Co-Production Manager
Symphony and Repertory Orchestras
(Staff Member since 2007) |
Kara Hubbard
has been an enthusiastic volunteer with the Louisville Youth
Orchestra since 2000 and is thrilled to now be a member of the LYO
staff. As a lifelong musician and avid musical enthusiast, Ms.
Hubbard has developed a deep appreciation for the positive impact
music has had on so many children’s lives.
Ms. Hubbard received her Bachelor of Education degree from the
University of Louisville in 1994. Since then, she has devoted her
time to her family and to volunteer work with various nonprofit
educational organizations. In the spring of 2007, Ms. Hubbard also
accepted a technology position with the library staff at North
Oldham High School.
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Jessica Hubbard
Co-Production Manager
Concert and Serenade Orchestras
Percussion Ensemble
(Staff Member since 2009) |
Jessica
Hubbard
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