2024 Primrose International Viola Competition & American Viola Society Festival Program Book

2024 Primrose International Viola Competition Pre-Screening Jurors

Ames Asbell PIVC Pre-screening Coordinator

Dr. Ames Asbell has performed in nearly 40 countries, in venues from Carnegie Hall to clubs. She appears on international releases by Nonesuch, Harmonia Mundi, Naxos, Sony, and more, and on film scores and broadcasts from Waking Life to Austin City Limits. Recent performances include International Viola Congresses in New Zealand, Poland and Thailand, and recitals in South Africa, Japan, and Mexico. Ames performs with

the Tosca String Quartet, Austin Opera (principal), Austin Symphony, and Arizona Musicfest. She is currently Associate Professor of Viola at Texas State University and serves as President of the American Viola Society.

Ruben Balboa III Dr. Ruben Balboa is a violist, educator, and performer based in Austin, Texas. Currently, he serves as Assistant Director of the University of Texas at Austin String Project, Adjunct Faculty at The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor where he directs the string ensemble, and Assistant Professor at Southwestern University where he teaches viola and conducts the orchestra. Balboa has presented at the American String Teachers Association National Conference and the Best Practices Teaching Sessions hosted by Jordan Bak Hailed as “a powerhouse musician, with a strong voice and compelling sound,” (The Whole Note) Jamaican-American violist Jordan Bak has achieved international acclaim as a trailblazing artist, praised for his radiant stage presence, dynamic interpretations, and fearless power. The 2021 YCAT Robey Artist and a top laureate of the 2020 Sphinx Competition, Bak was also a Grand Prize and Audience Prize winner of the 2019 Concert Artists Guild Victor Elmaleh

the National String Project Consortium. Most recently, he was invited to give a masterclass for the American Viola Society Festival & 47th International Viola Congress in Columbus, Georgia.

Competition, and the ‘John White’ Special Prize recipient of the 2019 Tertis International Viola Competition. Bak has appeared as soloist with such orchestras as the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Sarasota Orchestra, New York Classical Players, London Mozart Players, and Juilliard Orchestra among others, and as a chamber musician, has performed at numerous festivals such as Marlboro Music Festival, Tippet Rise, Chamber Music Northwest, and Newport Classical. Bak currently serves as Assistant Professor of Viola at University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA).

Nancy Buck Violist Nancy Buck has developed an international profile as a remarkable artist-teacher. She is an outstanding collaborative performer, highly sought-after in both string quartet and mixed chamber music settings. Ms. Buck is co-artistic director of the Chamber@Ravenscroft music series in Scottsdale, Arizona, co vice-president of the Arizona Bach Festival and professor of viola at Arizona State University’s Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts. She performs regularly with the Phoenix Symphony and

has traveled and appeared at music festivals and concert halls around the world. Ms. Buck holds degrees from the Oberlin Conservatory and the Cleveland Institute of Music. In 2008, she was privileged to serve as Host Chair and Artistic Director of the 36th International Viola Congress, held on the Tempe campus of Arizona State University.

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