String Faculty
MICHELLE LACOURSE, viola
Boston University
Michelle LaCourse has appeared as soloist and chamber musician on four continents, including recent performances in Italy, Spain, Brazil, and South Korea. Her playing has been described by critics in such terms as “a miraculous blend of intense passion and artistic elegance” and “has a mastery of the instrument like a sixth sense, and with it reveals to us the most profound secrets.” An enthusiastic advocate for new viola repertoire, she has also commissioned and premiered several new pieces for the instrument. Her recent recording, “Chocolates: Music for Viola and Piano by James Grant” was released by MSR Classics (msrcd.com) in spring of 2009 to rave reviews.
Ms. LaCourse was formerly a member of the Lehigh Quartet, the Delphic String Trio and the Aeolian Trio. She has performed at numerous festivals such as Aspen, Eastern, Interlochen, Skaneateles, Musicorda, the Heifetz Institute, and the International Festivals of Campos do Jordão, Brazil, of Positano, Italy, and of Vianden, Luxembourg, as well as at some of the world’s leading concert venues, such as Vienna’s Musikverein, Berlin’s Kammermusiksaal and Washington’s Kennedy Center. As an orchestral musician, she has performed with the Baltimore Symphony and the Concerto Soloists Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, and was formerly principal violist of the Chamber Orchestra of Grenoble France.
She graduated from the Interlochen Arts Academy, where she worked with David Holland, and holds degrees from the Peabody Conservatory of Music, where she studied with, and was for many years teaching assistant to renowned pedagogue Karen Tuttle.
Ms LaCourse was recently awarded Boston University’s 2009 Metcalf Cup and Prize, the university’s highest honor for excellence in teaching. She has given master classes at music schools across the United States, and during the summer months she also teaches and performs at the annual Karen Tuttle Viola Workshops and at BU’s Tanglewood Institute. Many of her former students currently enjoy playing and teaching positions around the globe. She is currently the Head of String Department and Associate Professor of Music, Viola at Boston University College of Fine Arts.
FELICIA MOYE, violin
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Felicia Moye has performed throughout Europe, Asia, North and South America as soloist and chamber musician with groups such as the Miami String Quartet, Orpheus and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. Ms. Moye was first violinist of the Miami String Quartet when the group won top prizes in both the Evian and London International String Quartet Competitions and recorded with the group under the Pyramid Records label. She has also performed chamber music in collaboration with the Lincoln Center Chamber Music Society, the Blossom Music Festival, the Mostly Mozart Festival in Avery Fischer Hall and ARC- Artists of the Royal Conservatory. This season, she will be performing and teaching with the Fry Street Quartet in the US and Brazil.
Ms. Moye has served as concertmaster of the Santa Fe Opera, Honolulu Symphony and as acting concertmaster of the San Francisco Symphony. She was chosen by Piinchas Zukerman to serve as concertmaster of the National Arts Center Orchestra for their Canadian tour.
Felicia has served as adjudicator representing the United States and Canada for the inaugural “Tchaikovsky’s Homeland” International Violin Competition held in Vitensk, Russia. She has also served as adjudicator for Concert Artists Guild in New York, Chicago Symphony’s Young Artist Competition, the Sorantin, Houston Symphony and Schmidbauer International Competitions.
Felicia Moye is currently Professor of Violin at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a member of Trio Antigo. She has also served as Professor of Violin at The Glenn Gould School of The Royal Conservatory of Music in Canada, the University of Oklahoma, the New World School of the Arts in Miami, Florida and the pre-college division of The Juilliard School as Ivan Galamian and Margaret Pardee's assistant.
Felicia enjoys her collaboration with Masters Music Publications and has published editions of works by Vieuxtemps and Alkan. She is a very enthusiastic teacher and has been frequent guest artist and coach for the New World Symphony and has served on faculty for many summer music festivals including: ARIA (Massachussetts), Zephyr (Italy), Vianden (Luxembourg), Madeline Island (Wisconsin), Marrowstone (Seattle), Northern Lights Institute (Minnesota) and the International Festival-Institute at Round Top (Texas). The New York Times has acknowledged her for her 'rich sound, a broad coloristic palette...and seemingly unflagging energy."
LUCIE ROBERT, violin
Manhattan School of Music
Violinist Lucie Robert has received enthusiastic praise from audiences and critics alike for the expressive lyricism and tonal beauty of her playing. Allan Kozinn, writing in The New York Times, lauded her “melting tone” and “wonderfully supple approach to phrasing.” Ms. Robert carries on the great violin tradition of her teacher and mentor, the legendary Josef Gingold.
Ms. Robert has appeared as recitalist and chamber musician throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe and the Far East in major music centers including New York, London, Chicago, Washington D.C., Vienna, Beijing, Seoul, Montreal, Toronto and Ottawa. She has performed over thirty different works as violin soloist with all of the major orchestras in Canada, including the Montreal Symphony under Charles Dutoit. As a recording artist, she has performed for National Public Radio, the CBC Radio Network, Radio Canada, and Radio France, and received critical acclaim for her recording of violin sonatas by Faure and Saint-Saens. An active participant in the summer music festival scene, Ms. Robert has been guest artist or faculty member at festivals such as Bowdoin, the American Conservatoire at Fontainebleau, Musicorda, Meadowmount, Orford, Summit and Waterloo. She is currently on the faculties of the Texas Music Festival at the Moores School of Music and the MusicAlp Academy in Courchevel, France.
Highly sought after as a violin pedagogue, Ms. Robert has served as violin professor for the past twenty-one years at the Manhattan School of Music and the Mannes College of Music in New York City. She has given master classes throughout the world at prestigious institutions such as Seoul National University, the Central Conservatory in Beijing, the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, Oberlin Conservatory, Yong Siew Toh Conservatory, the Glenn Gould School and the Conservatoire de Musique de Montreal. Her students have won prizes in major international competitions including Indianapolis, Young Concert Artists, Paganini, Sendai and the China International Violin Competition. Ms. Robert has served as an adjudicator for many competitions including the Montreal International Violin Competition and the Fritz Kreisler International Violin Competition.
GREGORY SAUER, cello
Florida State University
Praised for his versatility, Gregory Sauer performs in many different musical arenas. He has appeared in recital at the Old First Concert Series in San Francisco, the Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento, and the Brightmusic Concert Series in Oklahoma City, and at Carnegie's Weill Recital Hall as a member of Trio Solis. Mr Sauer is a prizewinner in the Hudson Valley Philharmonic and Ima Hogg National competitions, and has performed concertos with the Hudson Valley Philharmonic, the Houston Symphony, the Quad City Symphony, Oklahoma City Philharmonic, the Columbus (GA) Symphony and the Contra Costa Chamber Orchestra. Mr. Sauer currently holds the positions of principal cello of the Tallahassee Symphony and assistant principal of the Colorado Music Festival Orchestra. He served nine seasons as principal cellist of the Oklahoma City Philharmonic Orchestra.
Gregory was appointed associate professor of music at Florida State University in 2006. Prior to that he taught eleven years at the University of Oklahoma, and was named Presidential Professor. Other teaching positions have been a visiting professorship at the University of California at Los Angeles, and at summer programs such as the Texas Music Festival, Red Lodge Music Festival and the Hot Springs Music Festival.
It was a passion for chamber music that drew Greg to help found the above-mentioned Trio Solis, a piano trio that includes other faculty members of the FSU College of Music, Read Gainsford and Corinne Stillwell. Mr. Sauer's other chamber music ventures have resulted in concerts throughout the U.S., including festival appearances at Tanglewood, Aspen Music Festival, the Victoria Bach Festival, the Texas Music Festival, the Colorado Music Festival and the Garth Newel Music Center. Mr. Sauer founded and served as co-Artistic Director of Chamber Music Quad Cities for thirteen years.
