StringsBios

28 seasons

Top of the Strings!
Jordan Lee Christine Wu Brian Zhao Matthew Giese Pamela Mia Paul

Jordan Lee Fifteen year old Jordan Lee is from Plano, TX. She has won various awards at the Dallas Symphonic Festival, the North Texas Youth Music Competition, and the Collin County Young Artist Competition. Last year, she was the Texas state representative of the Junior String Division at the Music Teachers National Association competition. Jordan was also a member of the Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra for three years. During her summers, Jordan has participated in the Heifetz International Music Institute, the Great Wall International Music Academy, the Meadowmount School of Music, and The Institute For Strings. She has played for acclaimed artists such as James Ehnes, Adele Anthony, Ani Kavafian, and Ida Kavafian. Jordan started playing the violin when she was three years old with Paul Landefeld. Jordan is currently a student of Jan Mark Sloman and goes to Jasper High School.
*Christine Wu* Violinist Christine Wu is a 16 year old from Plano, Texas. She began studying with Paul Landefeld at the age of 3 and has been a student of Jan Mark Sloman for the past 8 years. In 2010, Christine was the Texas state winner, South Central Division winner and a national finalist for the MTNA Junior String Performance Competition. She was also awarded first place at the Dallas Symphonic Festival in 2011, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2004, 2003. In addition Christine performed as a semi-finalist at the Schmidbauer International Competition in 2011. She was selected to play in the Texas All-State Symphony Orchestra in 2010, 2011. Recently, she was also selected as the concertmaster of the Texas All-State Symphony Orchestra for the year 2012. She has participated in master classes for artists such as Adele Anthony, Stephanie Chase, Stephen Clapp, Brian Lewis, Sergiu Luca, James Ehnes, Ani Kavafian, and Ida Kavafian. Christine was a recipient of a Starling Foundation scholarship this year at Meadowmount. In 2009 she was selected as one of twelve young artists for the Brian Lewis young Artist program. She has attended the Institute for Strings chamber music program, founded by Jan Mark Sloman, since 2005, as well as the Colorado Suzuki Institute summer program from 2001-2007, where she was chosen to perform in the Solo Honor Recital every year.
Brian Zhao Cellist, Brian Zhao, 14, is currently a 9th grade student at Shepton High School in Plano. This is his second appearance in a Symphony event within a year. On February 18, 2011 at “Stars of the Future” concert, he performed the Saint-Saëns Cello Concerto with the Lake Lewisville Symphony Orchestra under Maestro Adron Ming. As a soloist he appeared at “America’s Young Talent” Concert with Plano Symphony Orchestra under Maestro Hector Guzman on March 19, 2011. He performed Lalo’s Cello Concerto at the Great Dallas Youth Orchestra Season Opener under Maestro Richard Giangiulio at Dallas’ Meyerson Symphony Center on October 30, 2011. Brian Zhao started his music studies with piano at the age of 7. Two years later, he started learning cello. Since then he has been studying cello with Mrs. Jungshin Lewis. With extraordinary passion, dazzling performance and uncommon sensibility, in just a few years, he has won various competitions. At the age of 12, he won 1st place in the Dallas Symphonic Festival Junior Sonata Division in 2010. At the age of 13, he won grand prize of 2011 Lewisville Lake Symphony’s Vernell Gregg Young Artist Competition, and grand prize of the 2011 Collin County Young Artist Competition. In August of 2011, he won the first place in the Great Dallas Youth Orchestra Concerto competition. As associate principal cellist of Region XXV Brahms Orchestra in 2009, principal cellist in 2010, and associate principal cellist of Region XXV High School Symphony Orchestra, 6th chair of Texas All-State Symphonic Orchestra, he has been very active in school orchestras and various charity performances. His passion for classical music has been growing faster and stronger over the years.
Matthew Geise Violist Matthew Geise, 16, is a 10th grade student from Plano, Texas. He began studying violin at age 6 with Joshua Waybright and began playing the viola at age 11. He is currently a student of Ron Houston, from whom he has been taking lessons from since age 13. Matthew has received numerous awards and accolades at the Dallas Symphonic Festival, the Collin County Young Artists Competition, the GDYO Philharmonic Concerto Competition, the Hubbard Solo and Chamber Music Competition, and the Juanita Miller Concerto Competition. In past summers, Matthew has attended the Montecito Music Festival, the Idyllwild Arts Summer Program, The Institute For Strings, and the Baylor String Quartet Program. He has played for such celebrated artists as Donald McInnes, Yitzhak Schotten, and Scott Slapin. Matthew is a member of the top ensemble of the Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra, of which he was selected as assistant principal violist last year. He was selected to be a member of the All-State Symphony Orchestra in 2011, when he was chosen to be 3rd chair violist, and in 2012. As a student of Jasper High School, Matthew is an active participant in his school orchestra program.
Pamela Mia Paul Pamela Mia Paul has given concerts throughout the U.S., and in Europe, the People’s Republic of China, South Korea and Turkey both as soloist and as chamber musician. Ms. Paul has commissioned and premiered works for the piano; Robert Beaser’s Piano Concerto, which was written for her, had its world premiere in the U.S., with the St. Louis Symphony conducted by Leonard Slatkin, and in Europe with the Monte Carlo Philharmonic under the baton of American conductor Richard Dufallo. Miss Paul's European orchestral appearances include the Vienna ORF Orchestra, the Vienna Symphony, the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Berlin Stadskapelle, and the Dutch Radio Symphony; her U.S orchestral appearances include those with the New York Philharmonic, symphonies of Detroit, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, and Houston, American Composers Orchestra, Boston Pops, New York Pops, the Minnesota Orchestra, and Caramoor Festival Orchestra. Summer programs at which Ms. Paul has taught include the Prague International Master Classes, The Institute for Strings, and the Vienna International Piano Academy. She has presented master classes in Europe, the People’s Republic of China, Turkey, South Korea, and throughout the U.S. Pamela Mia Paul received the doctor of musical arts, master of music, and bachelor of music degrees from the Juilliard School. She is currently Regents Professor of Piano at the University of North Texas and is a Steinway artist. You can hear her accompanying Shannon Lee on the violinist’s Telarc CD “Introducing Shannon Lee” recorded at Lucasfilm’s Skywalker Ranch in California.