Welcome
to Notes at 9,000
Home Judges Bios Press Release
JUDGES' AND MENTORS' BIOS
Sergio Gallo, Judge & Mentor
Pianist Sergio Gallo served as Assistant Professor
of Music at the University of North Dakota-Grand Forks. He will
begin his new post at the State University of Georgia-Atlanta this
fall. Dr. Gallo has performed with orchestras throughout the Americas
and has recorded recitals for Radio France and Radio Cultura. His
interests include nineteenth century piano music, in particular
French Pianism and related performance practice and pedagogical
issues. Dr. Gallo joined the artist roster of the Eroica label a
year ago. His first recording for Eroica, “Alma Brasiliera”
was released last year to excellent reviews. Two more Cds will be
released soon and a fourth Cd is in production. Dr. Gallo performed
in Portugal and Norway last summer, in Grand Forks and Bismarck
last fall, and has performed in Honolulu, Taiwan and Germany this
spring. Along with his ambitious performance schedule and vigorous
international recruitment activity, Dr. Gallo has established a
tradition of taking students to foreign countries to perform. This
May, he will escort a group of his piano students to Portugal. Dr.
Gallo’s degrees are from the Conservatoire Européen
de Musique in Paris (Diplome d' Excellence), the Franz Liszt Academy
of Budapest Hungary, the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music
(Master of Music and Artist Diploma), and the University of California,
Santa Barbara (D.M.A.).
Lionel Young, Judge & Mentor
Born in Rochester, New York, Lionel Young began taking
violin lessons at the age of six with Anastasia Jempelis at the
Eastman School of Music. His family then moved to Pittsburgh, where
he studied violin with Herbert Greenburgh, who was the associate
concertmaster of the Pittsburgh Symphony then and is the concertmaster
of the Baltimore Symphony now. After that, Lionel won a music scholarship
to the University of Indiana, where he studied with Josef Gingold.
He came back to Pittsburgh and went to Carnegie-Mellon University
to study violin with Fritz Seigal, the concertmaster of the Pittsburgh
Symphony.
Throughout his career, Mr. Young has won numerous
awards, including The Young Artist Award (Pittsburgh Symphony),
The Concerto Contest (Carnegie-Mellon), The Passamenic Award (Branchwood
String Quartet), and the award for the Best Blues Band in Westword’s
Best of Denver in 1989 for his band The Last Fair Deal. In 1992,
he won a position with The Denver Chamber Orchestra and premiered
a solo piece by William Hill with them in 1994. Also, he won another
award for Best Blues Band in Westword’s Best of Denver in
1996 and 1997 for his current band, The Lionel Young Band. Lionel
Young has played in concerts with Count Basie, Stevie Wonder, Jimmy
Paige/Robert Plant, Doc Severenson, Linda Ronstadt, Living Color,
Billy Taylor, Woodie Herman, Stanley Turrentine, Homesick James,
Homer Brown, and Johnny Long. The Lionel Young Band released its
first CD, As the Sun Goes Down, in December 1997. The release has
received excellent reviews.
Joan McLean Braun, Judge & Mentor
Joan McLean Braun has experience in all aspects of
the presenting field, including artist selection, contract negotiation,
concert production, public relations, marketing, advertising, box
office operations, fund raising, and outreach. She is currently
the Executive Director of Concerts and Public Relations for the
CU College of Music, having served the college in several related
positions since 1993. Joan received a Bachelor of Music in flute
performance and also holds a Masters of Business Administration
degree with an emphasis in Organization Management from CU-Boulder.
Kevin Harbison, Mentor
Kevin Harbison (Sound Engineer) began his tenure
in 1999 as a Recording Engineer for the College of Music and Technical
Director of Grusin Music Hall at the University of Colorado, Boulder.
He is also the owner of Threshold Audio Recording, whose clients
have included the Cleveland Orchestra, Colorado Music Festival,
Boulder Bach Festival, Summit Brass and Boulder Brass.
Prior to CU, he served at the Cleveland Institute
of Music and Michigan State University School of Music. He also
spent two years creating television and radio commercials in the
Cleveland area. Kevin studied Audio Recording Technology at the
Cleveland Institute of Music with Thomas Knab, Bruce Egre of Azica
Records, and Jack Renner of Telarc International. He now lives in
Erie, Colorado with his wife and two children.
Kevin Woelfel, Mentor
Kevin Woelfel joined the University of Colorado as
the Director of the Entrepreneurship Center for the School of Music
in fall of 2003. His diverse experience in the music industry includes
performance, composition and manufacturing.
At age nineteen, Mr. Woelfel’s performance career began by
winning the Third/Assistant Principal Trumpet position with the
Spokane Symphony. In the years that followed, Kevin performed with
many orchestras including the Chicago Lyric Opera, Grant Park Orchestra,
Rhode Island Philharmonic, Madison Symphony, Milwaukee Symphony,
Sacramento Symphony, Naples Philharmonic, Eastern Connecticut Symphony,
Aspen Festival Orchestra, and the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra.
He has also been active in the jazz and pop fields and has played
with the Larry Elgart Orchestra, the Moody Blues, Manhattan Transfer,
Third World and numerous touring productions.
Mr. Woelfel was with the U.S. Air Force band stationed in Vacaville,
California and Yokota, Japan as a composer and arranger. He has
also written and arranged for many private projects, including several
docudramas produced for air on National Public Radio.
An entrepreneur, Kevin founded two manufacturing
companies, WolfPak® Incorporated, and Rocky Mountain Case Works.
Both companies produce high-end music instrument cases for international
distribution. He was also the Director of Operations for the David
G. Monette Corporation, manufacturer of exclusive custom trumpets.
Mr. Woelfel holds a BM Cum Laude, from Washington
State University in Pullman, Washington. He was a member of the
faculty brass quintet and studied trumpet with Prof. Gerald Webster.
Kevin received his MM from the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
He studied composition with Dr. Les Thimmig, trumpet with Prof.
John Aley, and was a member of the faculty ensemble, the Wisconsin
Brass Quintet.
Laima Gaigalas, Mentor
Laima Gaigalas is Marketing and Public Relations
Manager at the University of Colorado College of Music in Boulder.
She received a master¹s degree in Integrated Marketing Communication
from the University of Colorado in 2001. Her duties at the College
include promoting the College¹s CU Concerts programs, which
include the Artist Series, CU Opera, Holiday Festival and Takács
Quartet Series, accounting for over $750,000 dollars in ticket sales
annually. She is also involved in publicizing the hundreds of free
programs hosted by the College of Music. These include performances
by student ensembles, faculty and special festivals. With talented
faculty and students who perform over four hundred concerts every
year, the CU College of Music is one of Boulder's most valued cultural
resources.
James Crouch, VP Financial Consultant , Schwab, Mentor
James Crouch serves as Vice President of Schwab Financial
Consultant in Boulder, Colorado. Although he claims to have no talent
in music, he enjoys listening to all kinds of music and attending
live performances. He believes in the value of music in enhancing
one's life. James earned his B.S. in Finance from San Diego State
University and has achieved the Certified Financial Planning designation.
He is in demand as a speaker on investments, retirement planning,
college education, trust & estate planning and other important
financial topics.
James has been in the financial services industry
for nearly 13years and has supported various community organizations.
In addition to being a supporter of Notes at 9,000, his corporate
sponsorships include the La Jolla Athenaeum. This music and arts
library offers art classes, jazz concerts, classical music concerts,
art lectures, and music lectures.
In addition to supporting the arts, James is deeply
involved in protecting the innocence of our children. He serves
as Treasurer and is on the board of directors for the Front Range
Child Assault Prevention program. It is a non-profit organization
dedicated to educating children, parents and educators about preventing
abduction and sexual abuse in a non-intimidating environment.
James lives in Superior with his wife of 10 years
and their boys, ages 4 and 6. They recently moved here from San
Diego, CA. They love to camp, bike, ski, fish and participate in
many other outside activities.
Eric Clark, Mentor
Eric Clark serves as the General Manager of Winter
Park Lodging and is a major sponsor of Notes at 9,000 for two consecutive
seasons.
|
