Mission
"Empower!"
We believe that chamber music is a powerful conversation between musical hearts. By providing a friendly competition opportunity and nurturing programs, we aim to encourage young musicians to work together towards a goal, express their best self through music, and empower themselves and others.
Staff
Loa Cho
founder & organizer
Columbia University
& Juilliard School
Cello & Linguistics major
Merwin Siu
Artistic director
Toledo Alliance for Performing Arts Artistic Administrator & Principal Second Violin
Ellie Lee
director
Toledo Alliance for the Performing Arts Community Engagement Coordinator
Erin Gardiner
Social Media
Coordinator
Butler University
Violin & Music Education major
2024 Judges
Damon Coleman
Cellist
TOLEDO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Cellist Damon Coleman began his cello studies through the Suzuki method in his hometown of Detroit, Michigan. During high school, Damon studied cello with members of the Detroit Symphony and University of Michigan faculty. He did his undergraduate work at the Eastman School of Music, and was a student of Paul Katz, cellist of the Cleveland Quartet. Damon was a member of the New World Symphony in Miami Beach for four years, serving as a principal cellist his last two seasons. He has appeared in masterclasses with cellists including Janos Starker, Lynn Harrell, and Mstislav Rostropovich. He has also studied independently with Steven Geber, Ron Leonard, Anthony Elliott, and Steven Doane. Damon has been the principal cellist of the Kalamazoo Symphony, the Memphis Opera, the Flint Symphony, and the Michigan Chamber Orchestra. He has served as a faculty member of the Miami School for the Arts, the Ann Arbor School for the Arts, the New England Music Camp, The PRIZM Music Festival, and the University of Toledo. In 2006 and 2009, Damon was the recipient of the King-Chávez-Parks Visiting Professorship from the University of Michigan. In February of 2011, he taught and performed as a visiting artist at the Sphinx Preparatory Music Institute in Detroit. Damon has performed concerts of the solo Bach suites on international tours, and has been heard throughout the concert halls of North America, South America, and Europe. He has been featured on PBS specials and National Public Radio, as well as the television show ‘Sunday Morning’. In 2014, he served as the principal cellist of Festival del Sole in Napa Valley, California. Damon currently maintains a private teaching studio in the Sylvania area. He is a member of Toledo Symphony and performs chamber music as the cellist of the Bezonian Piano Trio. He is also a regular participant in the Sphinx Music Festival, where he regularly serves as a principal cellist. In addition, he is an Advisory Board member for Voices of the People, a national chamber festival which unites music and philosophy in a celebration of the humanities.
Michele Tosser-Smith
Oboe
Toledo Symphony Orchestra
Michele Tosser–Smith joined the Toledo Symphony in 2003 as second oboe. Prior to joining the Toledo Symphony, Michele was principal oboe of the South Dakota Symphony and Dakota Wind Quintet. She has played with The Cleveland Orchestra, Detroit Symphony, Seattle Symphony, and Kansas City Symphony. Michele played at the Strings Music Festival from 2015-2023. She has been an adjunct professor at Ohio Northern University, Heidelberg University, and Augustana College and currently has a private oboe studio.
MIchael Boyd
Piano
University of Toledo
Steinway Artist Michael Boyd is active as a soloist, collaborative artist, lecturer, teacher, and adjudicator. He holds degrees from the North Carolina School of the Arts and the Eastman School of Music. Dr. Boyd also spent two years at the Banff Centre School of Fine Arts Winter Program in Canada as an invited student/performer. As a concerto soloist, he has performed with the Rochester Philharmonic, the Milwaukee Symphony, the Toledo Symphony, the Dearborn Symphony, and the Eastman Chamber Orchestra. Solo recitals have taken him across the country, performing frequently in California, New York, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Ohio. In Europe Dr. Boyd has performed recitals in Austria, Belgium, Greece and Spain and recently performed and taught masterclasses in China. Dr. Boyd is Professor of Piano at the University of Toledo and was a visiting professor at the Eastman School of Music. In summers, he has been on the faculty of Indiana University’s Piano Academy and the Chautauqua Institution. Dr. Boyd has recorded on the VAI and Fleur De Son Classics label and a solo recording entitled The Art of the Piano Transcription, released in 2021 can be found on most streaming platforms. Most recently, he has been inducted into the Steinway and Sons Teacher Hall of fame at a ceremony in New York in October.
photographer
Bill Carr
photographer
We are thrilled to have Mr. Bill Carr as the competition’s official photographer. Mr. Carr has been supporting youth music in various local scenes including Toledo Symphony Youth Orchestra concerts, Old West End Festival, and Whitehouse Buskerfest. His kind feet stop to listen to young people making music and his eyes magically catch moments of unexpected beauty out of the ordinary. He will surely turn our competition day into the most special day.
Visit his facebook and instagram page to see his photos!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stilljustabillphotography/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stilljustabill/