Coaches

Daryl Counsell

Daryl Counsell received his BME from the University of Montana in 1983. He began his teaching career in Moscow, Idaho, where he taught elementary strings to 4th, 5th and 6th graders. In 1987, Daryl took a job at Ft. Morgan Middle School in Fort Morgan, Colorado. Here he taught 6th, 7th, and 8th grade orchestra and choir. While teaching in Ft. Morgan, Daryl earned his MME from the University of Northern Colorado. He left Ft. Morgan in 1994 and moved to Lakeside, Arizona, where he taught Junior High and Senior High Orchestra and Choir. In 1995, he moved to Colorado Springs and took a job with El Paso County School District 11. During his tenure in Colorado Springs, Daryl has taught 4th through 12th grade orchestra, has a full studio of violin, viola, piano and string bass students and teaches Little Mozart Classes for the Colorado Springs Youth Symphony Association.

Marissa Ferro

Marissa Ferro began her musical studies on the violin at the age of three. At age 10, she started playing the viola as a chamber and string orchestra musician, performing a solo recital on both instruments at the age of 16. She then decided to focus on Viola Performance, receiving a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Minnesota, and continued her graduate studies at the University of Southern California. Before moving to Colorado in 2010, Marissa enjoyed teaching both violin and viola to students of all ages and abilities in the Palos Verdes Peninsula, just south of Los Angeles. Marissa now teaches at various studios in the Denver/Boulder area, as well as at home, using both Suzuki and traditional methods. In addition to her private studio, she has over 5 years of experience teaching small and large group string classes and ensembles in public and private schools. Marissa's extensive performing experience includes solo appearances with orchestras, principal viola positions, chamber music recitals and competitions, and solo recitals. A prize-winner in numerous competitions, she was also a fellowship recipient of the Aspen Music Festival. Marissa's principal teachers and chamber music coaches have included Korey Konkol, Donald McInnes, Ralph Fielding, Heidi Castleman, Cheryl Minor Stewart, Lydia Artymiw, Peter Howard, and Jorja Fleezanis.

Ben Gauss

Ben Gauss (www.bengauss.com) has been performing in Colorado since the age of 10, participating in ensembles such as the Colorado Children's Chorale, the Denver School of the Arts Orchestra, the Colorado Mahlerfest, the Longmont Symphony, the Cheyenne Symphony, the Greeley Philharmonic, and the Fort Collins Symphony. After receiving a Bachelor's degree from the University of Colorado, Mr. Gauss moved to Oklahoma, where he played in the Oklahoma City Philharmonic, received his Master's degree from the University of Oklahoma, premiered several new compositions, received the Wayne Crouse award, and performed in Paris with his graduate quartet.

Ben now lives in Longmont with his wife of 5 years, teaching violin and viola and playing with various local symphonies. He can often be heard playing tangos in the St. Julien Hotel with Trio Con Brio (www.trio-con-brio.com).

Miguel Halverson-Ramos

Miguel Halverson-Ramos began playing the viola in 1979, gave his first professional performance for a wedding in 1986, and received a BachelorÕs degree of viola performance from UIUC in 1992. He has taught music for individual students and schools since 1992. Currently, he teaches individual viola and violin lessons, and is an active substitute teacher for the Saint Vrain Valley School District. As a performer, Miguel has worked as a soloist, with string quartets, chamber groups, orchestras, and a nationally touring mambo band - Cabaret Diosa. Miguel loves to improvise and play a wide variety of music, and customizes his performance for weddings, memorials, church services, and other special events.

Faye Palmer

For Faye Palmer, life with music began on a Kansas farm. Her local high school orchestra toured Europe and she studied at the University of Cincinnati, Cleveland Institute of Music, and Wichita State University, where she studied chamber music with Jeffrey Irvine. Through the years, Faye has taught Suzuki Violin, traditional private violin, private and public school strings, and now is Co-Director of Mozart Strings Project, an outreach of Colorado Springs Youth Symphony Association that provides strings instruction in local school districts that don't have strings during the day. It wasn't until her son, Raymond, switched from violin to viola, and later became a violin and viola maker that she owned her first viola. She now proudly owns and plays the very first violin Raymond made, and now plays on and teaches with one of his fine handmade violas. Her other son, Carl, is an architect, but continues to play his cello. One of Faye's favorite activities is to play duets with her husband, Scott, who plays clarinet.

Leslie Perna

Leslie Perna, whose performances are broadcast internationally on radio and television, performs recitals in Europe, Japan, Russia, Brazil, Canada, and many major American cities each year. She has released recordings for the Albany, Centaur, Capstone, Naxos, New World and CRI labels. Some of the foremost American string quartets have been her mentors. From 2003 to 2005, she was violist of the Da Vinci Quartet, and prior to that she was violist of the Artaria Quartet and assistant concertmaster of the Yamagata Symphony in Japan. Currently, she is Professor of Viola at MU and violist of the Esterhazy Quartet and Concordia Trio.

Phillip Stevens

Phillip Stevens is currently a member of the Colorado Symphony Orchestra and is Affiliate Professor of Viola at Metropolitan State College of Denver. In addition to joining the Colorado Symphony in 1996, Phillip has performed with the Rochester Philharmonic, the Ann Arbor Symphony, and the Grant Park Symphony Orchestra. Phillip also teaches privately, and is active in educating youth through the programs of the Colorado Symphony, Up Close and Musical, and Friends of Chamber Music. Phillip formally began his musical education in his hometown of Kansas City, Missouri, went on to receive his Bachelor's degree at the University of Michigan studying with Yitzhak Schotten, and completed graduate work at Northwestern University under Peter Slowik. During this time, he won first prize in the Viola division of the 1994 National ASTA Music Competition, and spent his summers studying at the Aspen Music Festival. While in Chicago, Phillip's chamber music career began as a founding member of the Sheridan Chamber Players. Currently, he participates annually in the Chinitimini Chamber Music Festival in Corvallis, Oregon, and is very active playing chamber music with various ensembles in the Denver area. In March 2010, Phillip performed in recital at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall as part of the DCINY Distinguished Concert Artist Series.

Basil Vendryes

Basil Vendryes has been Principal Violist of the Colorado Symphony Orchestra since 1993. He is a former member of the San Francisco Symphony, the New York Philharmonic and the Rochester Philharmonic orchestras. As violist with the Aurora String Quartet (1986-95) Mr. Vendryes performed extensively, including recitals in New York, London and Tokyo. He currently serves on the faculties of the Lamont School of Music of the University of Denver, the Quartet Program at SUNY Fredonia, New York and the Montecito Music Festival in California. Mr. Vendryes has served on the faculties of Biola University (CA), California Summer Music at Pebble Beach, and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. He is also the founder/director of the Colorado Young Sinfonia, comprised of some of the best young talent in the Denver area, and now in its 10th year.

Basil Vendryes was born in 1961 to West Indian parents, and began his musical training in the public schools at the age of eleven. He received scholarships to the Manhattan School of Music and the Eastman School of Music, where he studied with Sally O'Reilly, Francis Tursi and Heidi Castleman. He has appeared as soloist with the Colorado, Aurora, Jefferson, Littleton, Lamont, Centennial, and Biola Symphonies, among others. Festival appearances include Spoleto, Heidelberg, Midsummer Mozart, Ouray, Lake Winnepesaukee, Las Vegas and the Grand Tetons. Working with promising talent is one of his passions, and Basil has given classes in viola and chamber music throughout the United States. Mr. Vendryes was a juror for the 2000 Sphinx Competition for African American and Latino string players.

Basil Vendryes has recorded chamber music for the CRI and Naxos labels. Mr. Vendryes plays on a rare Italian viola made in 1887 by Carlo Cerruti.

Juliet White-Smith

Violist Juliet White-Smith is an active soloist and chamber musician. She has performed throughout North America, Europe and the Middle East. She has appeared at three International Viola Congresses, in Montreal, Tempe, Arizona and most recently in South Africa. Her chamber music collaborations have brought her onstage with such luminaries as violinists Andres Cardenes and Benny Kim, and pianist Gilbert Kalish. She has been a guest artist at various summer music festivals including Strings in the Mountains and Fontana Festival in Michigan.

A devoted educator, Dr. White-Smith began her teaching career at the age of 25 as a visiting faculty artist at Western Michigan University. She has been on the faculty at the University of Northern Colorado since 1991. Dr. White-Smith has presented master classes at the Eastman School of Music and was a featured presenter at the ASTA National Conference in 2007 and 2010. She has served as string juror for various competitions including the William Primrose International Viola Competition and has taught at the Interlochen Arts Camp and Bravo! Summer Institute for Strings and Piano at the University of Minnesota. Her debut CD recording of works by contemporary American composers George Walker, Michael Colgrass and Maurice Gardner was released in May 2009 on the Centaur Records label. A prominent advocate of the viola, Dr. White-Smith is currently President of the American Viola Society. Dr. White-Smith earned the Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the Eastman School of Music. More information about Dr. White-Smith, including media kit and links to her newly released CD, Fashionably Late: Juliet White-Smith Debuts!, can be found on her website at www.julietwhite-smith.com/