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

2024 American Viola Society Festival Competition Finalists

Jay Julio New York City, NY Student of Karen Ritscher, Heidi Castleman, and Misha Amory

Originally from Uniondale, New York, first-generation Filipino American Jay Julio (b. 1997) is a multi-instrumentalist, teacher, and composer arranger starting as Violin III / Viola on the North American tour of Broadway’s Hamilton this July. Jay has performed with the Dallas Symphony, the American Composers Orchestra, the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, and other orchestras across the US. After taking their first viola lesson at age 14 at the Mannes Preparatory Division, Jay graduated from the Interlochen Arts Academy at 16 studying with Renee Skerik with

their highest musical honor, the Young Artist Award, received their BM in Viola Performance from the Manhattan School of Music under Karen Ritscher on full scholarship, and received their MM at the Juilliard School on a full-tuition Susan W. Rose Fellowship under the tutelage of Heidi Castleman and Misha Amory.

Isabella Marques Brazil Student of Hsiaopei Lee, Elisa Fukuda and Silvio Catto

Isabella Marques started on the violin when she was 12 years old in her hometown Itu, São Paulo, Brazil, with Mr. Fernando Andrade at ASSATEMEC. Concluding her undergrad in violin in 2016 at UNICAMP (State University of Campinas) with Dr. Esdras Rodrigues, she continued on as Ms. Elisa Fukuda's violin and viola student. Before coming to the USA, she was Mr. Silvio Catto’s student at EMESP (São Paulo State Music School). She was a member of OFI (Filarmonic Orchestra of Itu), Camerata ACAFI, OJESP (Young State Orchestra of Sao Paulo), Camerata Fukuda,

and Orquestra Experimental de Repertorio. Currently, she plays at Meridian and Gulf Coast Symphony and where she pursues a master’s degree in Viola Performance with Dr. Hsiaopei Lee at the University of Southern Mississippi.

Angela Rubin Rochester, NY Student of Masumi Per Rostad

Angela Rubin performed in distinguished performance venues around the world including Carnegie Hall in New York City as principal of the New York String Orchestra Seminar and Kitara Hall in Sapporo, Japan as associate principal of the Pacific Music Festival Orchestra. Other orchestral engagements include performances with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, the Rochester Oratorio Society, the Syracuse Orchestra, the New World Symphony, the Brevard Music Center Orchestra, and the Butler County Symphony. Angela holds a Master of

Music degree from the Eastman School of Music and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Carnegie Mellon University with University Honors and College Honors. She is a teaching assistant at the Eastman School of Music where she is pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Viola Performance under the tutelage of Masumi Per Rostad.

Joyce Tseng South Korea Student of Stephen Wyrczynski

Joyce Tseng is currently pursuing her Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) in Viola Performance and Literature under the tutelage of Phillip Ying. Her past teachers include George Taylor, Masao Kawasaki, Roberto Díaz, Robert Vernon, and Jutta Puchhammer-Sédillot for summer studies. In recent years, she has attended the Heifetz International Music Institute, Aspen Music Festival, and the Karen Tuttle Viola Workshop. In 2019 and 2022, Joyce was the recipient of the Robert L. Oppelt Viola Prize, awarded annually to an outstanding violist at the Eastman School of Music. In 2018,

she won second prize at the American Viola Society Solo Competition (Collegiate).

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