Guest Conductor for the 2013 ASMF Philharmonic
Stefan Sanders is the newly appointed music director of the Round Rock Symphony Orchestra. Past positions have included assistant conductor for the Austin Symphony Orchestra, apprentice conductor for the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, and music director of the University Orchestra at the University of Texas at Austin. Mr. Sanders’ guest conducting appearances include the San Antonio Symphony, Austin Lyric Opera, Corpus Christi Opera and the Round Top Summer Music Festival, and in January 2014 he will conduct the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra.
Mr. Sanders was a fellow at the 2011 American Academy of Conducting in Aspen, CO, where he studied with Robert Spano, Larry Rachleff and Hugh Wolff. While at Aspen he conducted Stravinsky’s Violin Concerto with Gil Shaham as soloist. In 2010 Mr. Sanders appeared upon invitation with the Bohuslav Martinu Philharmonic in the Czech Republic at their international conducting festival.
As an orchestral musician, Mr. Sanders was a member of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra’s trombone section for seven seasons. He has performed with several orchestras including the New York Philharmonic, the Seattle Symphony Orchestra, the Seattle Opera’s 2001 production of Wagner’s Ring Cycle, and the Florida Orchestra. Mr. Sanders was also invited by Sir Elton John to play in the orchestra for his Radio City Music Hall concerts in 2004 recorded for the Bravo Television Network. He has collaborated with such notable living composers as Samuel Adler, Eric Whitacre, Eric Ewazen, Robert Rodriguez, William Bolcom, and David Brubeck.
Mr. Sanders holds a bachelor’s degree in trombone performance from the Juilliard School and a master’s degree in orchestral conducting from the University of Texas at Austin, where he is currently a candidate for the Doctor of Musical Arts degree. Stefan and his wife, harpist Kela Walton, and their dog, Siesta, live in Austin, TX.
Guest Conductor for the 2012 ASMF Philharmonic
Michael Alan Isadore has built an important career as teacher and conductor while maintaining a busy performance schedule as clarinetist with a variety of ensembles. As a conductor, Isadore was appointed Associate Conductor of the Houston Civic Symphony beginning with the 2006 season; he joined the staff of the Houston Youth Symphony in 2007, where he serves as conductor of the Philharmonia. Isadore has served as guest conductor for the Brazosport Symphony Orchestra in 2003, the Houston Civic Symphony in 2004 and the Houston Sinfonietta on two occasions in 2004 and 2005. As director of the Dulles High School Orchestra since 1999, his orchestra was chosen to perform at the Midwest Clinic and Convention in Chicago in December of 2004, and in 2005 the orchestra was awarded runner-up distinction as a Texas Music Educators Association Honor Orchestra. In February of 2010, Isadore was awarded the "Spec's Charitable Foundation Award for Excellence in Music Education," presented by the Houston Symphony. His conducting teachers have included Kenneth Keisler, Dan Lewis, Harold Farberman, Christopher Zimmerman, David Hoose, Kenneth Woods, Stephen Heyde, Michael Haithcock, and Gary Hill. As clarinetist, Isadore has appeared as soloist with many Houston area orchestras, notably the Fort Bend Symphony in 2003, the Houston Sinfonietta in 2005 and the Houston Civic Symphony in 2006. He also performed alongside his father, David Isadore, with the Valley Symphony Orchestra in Edinburgh, Texas. Isadore is the Assistant Principal Clarinet with The Symphony of Southeast Texas and 2nd Clarinet with the Victoria Symphony; he has performed as a substitute with the Houston Symphony and the Woodlands Symphony, and was recently added to the substitute list for the Houston Grand Opera orchestra. Isadore received his undergraduate degree in music education from Baylor University; while attending the University of Missouri-Kansas City to complete graduate degrees in clarinet performance and conducting, he met his wife Jennifer, who is Principal Flute with the Symphony of Southeast Texas and Houston Civic Symphony.
Guest Artists for the 2011 Abilene
Summer Music Festival
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Robert Baldwin is Director of Orchestral Activities and professor of music at the University of Utah. He is also Music Director of the Salt Lake Symphony and conductor of "It's a Grand Night for Singing" in Lexington, Kentucky. During his tenure at the University of Utah, the orchestral program has grown dramatically in size and quality, with noted performances at the 2007 College Music Society and National Association of Schools of Music conferences, the 2003 Utah Arts Festival, the 2005 Utah Music Educators' Association Conference, and a tour of Austria for the 2006 Mozart Orchestra Festival. He has previously held conducting positions with the University of Kentucky, Lexington Philharmonic, New American Symphony, Northern Arizona University, and Flagstaff Symphony orchestras. Also an accomplished violist, Baldwin has held several positions, including professor of viola at Northern Arizona University and principal viola with the Arkansas Symphony, Flagstaff Symphony, and Arizona Opera Orchestras.
In 1998, Dr. Baldwin had his European conducting debut with the Hermitage Camerata in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Other recent guest conducting appearances include the Kuopio Academy of Music in Finland, Lexington Philharmonic, Flagstaff Festival of the Arts, Colorado State University, the Abilene Tri-Collegiate Opera, and numerous festivals and all-state orchestras around the country. His performances and ensembles have been featured on National Public Radio's Performance Today and Weekend Edition, as well as in national publications.
As a violist, experiences include guest appearances with the Amadeus Trio, and the Saint Petersburg and Stanford String Quartets. He has appeared as a soloist with the Flagstaff Symphony, Southern Methodist University Festival Orchestra, and Sedona Chamber Music Festival. He was violist of the Arizona-based Coconino Chamber Ensemble from 1989-1999. Recent appearances include recitals in the United States and Mexico, and performances with the University of Utah Faculty Chamber Players, Intermezzo Chamber Series, Utah Chamber Artists and the Utah Symphony.
Dr. Baldwin has studied in the United States and in Saint Petersburg, Russia. He holds degrees from the University of Northern Colorado, University of Iowa, and the University of Arizona, where he received his Doctor of Musical Arts degree in orchestral conducting in addtion to the Graduate Achievement Award. His conducting teachers have included Mikhail Kukushkin, Alexander Polishuk, James Dixon, Duilio Dobrin, Eugene Corporon, and Gregg Hanson. He has studied viola with Jeffrey Showell, William Preucil, Sr., Ronald Smith and Vernon Ashcraft and has performed in master classes for Gustav Meier, Kenneth Kiesler, the Tokyo String Quartet, Atar Arad, and Alice Preeves, among others.
Dr. Baldwin has been active as a clinician on the local, state and national level. He has served on national committees and panels, written for important publications, and worked as a clinician and adjudicator. Most recently, he contributed to a book on preparing orchestral viola sections in the recently published Playing the Viola. In 2007 he was awarded the Higher Education Teacher of the Year award by the Utah chapter of the American String Teachers Association. In 2008 he was honored with the University of Utah's College of Fine Arts Faculty Excellence Award. |
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Cellist Yeonjin Kim has been featured as a recitalist and chamber musician across the United States, Austria, Switzerland, Japan and her native Korea, and has made concerto appearances with numerous orchestras in Cleveland, Ann Arbor, Breckenridge and Seoul. Ms. Kim's multiple prizes and awards include the Sorantin International competition, Austria's Dichler-Sato competition, Japan's Viva Hall competition, and the Korean Philharmonic Orchestra Competition. Her live performances have been broadcast by classical radio stations in America, Korea and Japan.
An avid chamber musician, Ms. Kim has been cellist of the Kim Trio and Quartet La-Mer. She has performed at the Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage, Aspen Music Festival, Austrian Vienna Music Seminar, Switzerland Sion Music Academy, and the Japan Miyazaki Music Festival. Highlights include an invitation to perform at Isaac Stern's chamber music program. Ms. Kim has also served as principal cellist of the National Repertory Orchestra and Seoul Youth Philharmonic Orchestra and assistant principal cellist of the Northwest Indiana Symphony and Asian Youth Orchestra.
Ms. Kim graduated from Seoul National University with a Bachelor of Music degree as a student of Chung-Shim Baick and Jisook Shin and moved to Japan to study at Toho Gakuen with Ko Iwasaki. She received a master's degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music and a doctoral degree from the University of Michigan where she was a teaching assistant to Richard Aaron. A dedicated teacher, Ms. Kim has given masterclasses at leading music schools in St. Louis, Muncie, Ann Arbor, Wichita, and is currently on the faculty of the Madeline Island Music Festival. |
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