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

2024 American Viola Society Festival Artists

Jennifer Kang A 13-year-old rising freshman, Jennifer has been studying at the San Francisco Conservatory Music Pre-College Division under Dimitri Murrath. She has achieved numerous awards such as first place, best Bach Performance, and Best New Piece Prize at the 2023 NorCal Viola Society Young Violist Competition, as well as first place in various competitions, including the 2019 US Open Music Competition, the 2019, 2020 & 2021 US International Music Competition, and the 2020 & 2021 Silicon Valley Music Competition. Jennifer will attend the Morningside Music Bridge Program this summer and previously

participated in the Music@Menlo Young Performers program and Heifetz PEG.

Sam Kelder Praised by the Boston Globe as "committed and dynamic” violist Samuel Kelder's interpretations of contemporary repertoire have led him to become a sought-after soloist and chamber musician, performing widely across the United States, Mexico, and Europe. Member of Sound Icon, Boston Modern Orchestra Project, Callithumpian Consort, ECCE, and founding member of Shizuka Viola Duo, Dr. Kelder works frequently in collaboration with many prominent living composers. Samuel graduated from the University of Houston, Mannes The New School for Music, and was teaching assistant to Michelle LaCourse during his D.M.A. at Boston University, specializing in the Karen Tuttle Coordination Technique.

Jeffrey Komar Jeffrey Komar is an active violist and chamber musician based in southwest Ontario, Canada. He holds multiple post-secondary degrees in music performance. Most recently he completed his Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) in Viola Performance at Western University, where he studied under violist Sharon Wei of the New Orford String Quartet. Over the years, Jeff has shared the stage with such esteemed musicians as Scott St. John, Annette-Barbara Vogel, and the Juno-award-winning piano quartet Ensemble Made in Canada. Jeff is also a dedicated music teacher, and he works for multiple music education organizations in his Michelle Koo Michelle Koo is a junior at Gunn High School and studies with Adam Smyla. She has been invited to play at the Junior Bach Festival for the past three years. She is co-principal of the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra (SFSYO) has been selected to participate in the National Youth Orchestra 2 program of 2021 and 2022 and National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America of 2023. Additionally, she was principal violist in NYO2 2022. As a soloist, she was awarded Merit by the National YoungArts Foundation. Other than music, she is a fourth-degree black belt in Taekwondo.

hometown of London, Ontario.

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