Knoxville Suzuki Academy Faculty
Geoffrey Herd, Violin, Academy Founder
Geoffrey Herd, Violin, Academy Founder
Violinist Geoffrey Herd has given performances in the United States, Latin America and Asia, and is frequently sought after as recitalist and chamber musician. Mr. Herd has performed recitals at venues such as the Isabel Stewart Gardner Museum of Art in Boston and Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall. An avid chamber musician, Mr. Herd has collaborated with some of the finest musicians of our time including Ani Kavafian, Clive Greensmith, James Dunham and Laurie Smukler. Mr. Herd has also performed concertos with numerous orchestras including the Rochester Philharmonic, the Thailand Philharmonic, the Cayuga Chamber Orchestra, the Ithaca College Symphony, the Amherst Symphony, the Finger Lakes Symphony, the University of Tennessee Symphony Orchestra, and the Longmont Symphony.
A strong proponent of new music, Mr. Herd was a founding member of the contemporary music ensemble Vicennium Void. The group was the dedicatee of many works and were Artists-in-Residence at the Thailand International Composition Festival in June 2014 and 2015. Mr. Herd returned to the festival in 2016 as a soloist with the Thailand Philharmonic performing John Corigiliano’s Red Violin Concerto. Additionally, Mr. Herd has given a number of premiers including the NY premier of Pierre Jalbert’s Wild Ambrosia, and world premieres of Daniel Knagg’s Ancient Ruins, and Chris Walczak’s Incorporeal Spaces.
Equally committed to expanding the reach of classical music, Mr. Herd is the founder and director of the Geneva Music Festival in the Finger Lakes region of New York State. Each summer, the Festival presents internationally acclaimed artists in venues throughout the Finger Lakes and has quickly become one of the area’s leading arts organizations. The festival also champions diversity in the arts through culturally diverse programming and donates educational concerts to local school districts.
Mr. Herd joined the faculty at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville in August 2016 where he has built a thriving studio, attracting students from around the globe. His students frequently participate in some of the nation’s top music festivals including the Aspen, Brevard, Sarasota, and Wintergreen festivals and are frequent competition winners throughout the country. Mr. Herd studied at Rice University, Yale School of Music and the Cleveland Institute of Music with Ani Kavafian, Paul Kantor, William Preucil and David Updegraff.
Note: special tuition rate applies.
Wesley Baldwin, Cello, Academy Founder
Wesley Baldwin, Cellist, Academy Founder
Cellist Wesley Baldwin is a co-director of the Knoxville Suzuki Academy. Initially taught cello classes in the Suzuki method as a child, Dr. Baldwin has been active teaching his own cello classes for more than three decades. His Suzuki teacher training has been with Melissa Kraut. Wesley holds a BA, cum laude, from Yale College, a Master of Music degree (with honors) from the New England Conservatory, and a DMA in cello performance from the University of Maryland.
A passionate teacher, Wesley has taught at the University of Maryland and Florida International University, where he was artist-in-residence with the Plymouth Quartet. He serves now as the Professor of Cello at the University of Tennessee, where he received the Chancellor’s Award for Professional Promise. His former students play and teach throughout the United States.
Dr. Baldwin founded and directs the Tennessee Cello Workshop, an annual three-day gathering of more than 170 cellists of all ages from throughout the United States held each February. His interest in education has also led him to serve as Conductor of the Knoxville Youth Chamber Orchestra from 2006 to 2018.
He performs throughout the United States and Europe as soloist and chamber musician. As a soloist he has appeared with the Laredo Philharmonic, the Oregon Mozart Players, the Symphony of the Mountains, and the Aberdeen, Bemidji, Bryan, Chattanooga, Florence, Johnson City, Hot Springs, Knoxville, La Porte, Oak Ridge, Manchester, New River Valley, Salisbury, Wintergreen, and Bismarck-Mandan Symphony Orchestras, among others. His passionate and charismatic performances have garnered much critical acclaim.
An advocate for great music from all eras, Mr. Baldwin is one of the only performers of several little known and new concerti for cello, including recently those by Wagenseil, Jacob T.V., Behzad Ranjbaran, and Alan Shulman. His recording of music for cello by Alan Shulman, released by Albany records in 2010, enjoyed widespread critical acclaim. He has also recorded for the Naxos, Zyode, and Innova labels. His most recent CD release, his fourth on the Centaur label, features the chamber music of Arthur Honegger.
Wesley was the founder of the Plymouth String Quartet, with whom he was a top prize-winner in the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition and a finalist in the Paolo Borciani International String Quartet Competition. He was also cellist of the James Piano Quartet for five years, with residencies at both Sweet Briar College and the Wintergreen Festival. Solo and chamber music performing honors Baldwin has received include the Prix Mercure, Homer Ulrich Awards, and a Tennessee Arts Commission Individual Performing Artist Fellowship.
As a member and principal cellist of the New World Symphony, Baldwin performed with many of the world’s great conductors and toured Japan, Scotland, England, Argentina, and Brazil. His orchestral colleagues there selected him as the recipient of the New World Symphony’s Community Board Award for artistic integrity and leadership. Wesley now serves on New World Symphony regional audition committee panels most years in different cities in the U.S.
Dr. Baldwin has performed chamber music at the Aspen, Cazenovia, Hot Springs, Ojai, Sandpoint, Mainly Mozart, May in Miami, Skaneateles, and Sub-tropics Music Festivals, and internationally in Italy, France, Monte Carlo, Spain, Austria, Brazil, Argentina, the United Kingdom and Costa Rica. His most recent international concert activity saw him performing as a recitalist in cities throughout China.
In the summers he performs and teaches at the Michigan City Chamber Music Festival, the ARIA International Academy, and the Wintergreen Festival, where he is principal cellist of the Wintergreen Festival Orchestra, and serves on the cello and chamber music faculty.
Dr. Baldwin plays on a cello by J.B. Vuillaume.
Wesley lives in Knoxville with his wife (soprano Melisa Barrick Baldwin), and four wonderful children.
Note: special tuition rate applies.
William Shaub, violin
William Shaub, violin
Violinist William Shaub was appointed Concertmaster of the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra in May of 2017. Since his concerto debut with the Canton Symphony Orchestra at age 12 he has captivated audiences as a soloist, in recitals, and from the concertmaster chair. The winner of an inaugural Academy Fellowship with the New York Philharmonic and a graduate of the Juilliard School, he has been praised in the press as “a wonderful ambassador for music” (Cleveland Classical) and for performances “full of passion and energy, exquisitely rendered with refined details that escape one in recordings”. He made his recital debut in New York as one of ten “Exceptional Young Artists” at the 2013 Starling-DeLay Symposium at Juilliard.
William Shaub’s solo appearances include recent performances with the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, the Canton Symphony Orchestra, the Suburban Symphony Orchestra, and in venues such as Carnegie Hall’s Weill Hall, Severance Hall in Cleveland, and Sanders Theatre at Harvard. He made his concerto debut with the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra in 2019 under the baton of conductor Mei-Ann Chen, performing Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto. In addition to performing as substitute with the New York Philharmonic, he has served as guest Leader of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (U.K.) and as concertmaster of festival
orchestras, including Spoleto and the Music Academy of the West.
His commitments to chamber music include performances at the Kneisel Hall Chamber Music Festival, the Breckenridge Music Festival, the Vail Dance Festival, Canada’s National Arts Centre, Da Camera of Houston, and the Focus! Festival for contemporary music at Juilliard. As a fellow at the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, he was featured in the Takács String Quartet Seminar and studied with the famed Takács Quartet. He has performed at the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center with members of the New York Philharmonic, and enjoys collaborations with artists such as Robert Levin, Jon Kimura Parker, Robin Sutherland,
Cho-Liang Lin, Desmond Hoebig, Ritchie Hawley, and Kevin Class. He has also toured internationally as a member of the critically-acclaimed ensemble Sejong Soloists. A recipient of the Louis Persinger Scholarship as a student at the Juilliard School, William Shaub studied with Cho-Liang Lin and Masao Kawasaki at Juilliard, receiving the Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in five years. He also studied with Emilio Llinas, Stephen Clapp, and chamber music with Sylvia Rosenberg. Prior to his appointment as concertmaster of the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, he was a student in the coveted Artist Diploma program at Rice University. His commitments to community service and outreach include organizing a tenyear series of benefit concerts for the United Nations’ Adopt-a-Minefield Campaign, through which more than 40 prosthetic limbs were purchased for landmine victims in Iraq and Afghanistan. Together with his colleagues in the violin section of the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, he organized a memorable benefit concert featuring J.S. Bach’s complete Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin, benefiting FISH Hospitality Pantries.
William Shaub performs on a violin made by Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume, from 1865.
Note: special tuition rate applies. Limited availability.
Sarah Ringer, Violin
Sarah Ringer, Violin
Before moving to Knoxville, in addition to maintaining a private studio, Sarah taught on the college level, running performance classes, coaching chamber music groups, and teaching the violin studio at Covenant College, Lookout Mtn. GA, for four years. During the same time she also taught music theory and string techniques classes at Lee University in Cleveland, TN.
She has served as a guest clinician at the Girls Preparatory School Summer String Camp, the Residential Summer Strings Camp in Tasmania, Australia, and the Knoxville Symphony Youth Orchestra String Camp.
In addition to teaching, Sarah is an active performer. She has held positions with the Chattanooga Symphony and the New Hampshire Philharmonic (principle 2nd Violin) and currently holds positions in the Knoxville Symphony and the Oak Ridge Symphony. She is also an avid chamber musician, and before moving to Knoxville performed on the Aliento Chamber series and with the New Hampshire Philharmonic Principle String Quartet, performed in the Chattanooga area with the Con Brio ensemble, and presented collaborative faculty recitals at Covenant College and Lee University. Since moving to Knoxville, she has presented concerts with the Inner Voices String Quartet, the Oak Ridge String Quartet, and appeared as a soloist on the Friends of Music and the Arts series.
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Adam Ayers, Cello
Adam Ayers, Cellist
Adam Ayers is a Wisconsin native who joined the Knoxville Symphony orchestra as a core section member in Fall 2021. He began his study of the cello at a very young age, and went on to attend the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he earned a Bachelor of Music degree studying with Uri Vardi. He also completed a Master’s Degree at Indiana University studying with Peter Stumpf. He has attended numerous music festivals, including the Aspen Music Festival and the Philadelphia International Music Festival, and was also a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago from 2016-2019 as a section and principal cellist. Adam has also performed with the Madison and Milwaukee Symphony Orchestras.
While in these orchestras, Adam played under the baton of Riccardo Muti, Christoph Eschenbach, Edo de Waart, Ken-David Masur, Marin Alsop, Jesús López Cobos, Michael Stern, Fabien Gabel, Cristian Măcelaru, Edward Gardner, and Joshua Weilerstein, among others.
Jennifer George, Violin and Viola
Jennifer George, Violinist and Violist
Hailing from Boise, Idaho, Jennifer George became a member of the Knoxville Symphony in September 2022. Alongside her role in the KSO, she is a regular performer with the Nashville Symphony and the Louisville Orchestra. Before her time in Knoxville, she served as a member of the Naples Philharmonic where she was a core violinist for 6 seasons from 2016-2022.
Jennifer holds degrees in music from Vanderbilt University, studying under the guidance of Dr. Carolyn Huebl, and from Florida State University, where she was a student of Dr. Benjamin Sung.
Currently, she resides in Knoxville with her husband, Arthur, and their Shih Tzu, Karl.
Alyssa Burnette, Piano
Alyssa Burnette, Piano
She received a Bachelor of Music in piano performance from Carson Newman University where she was a recipient of the Presser Undergraduate Scholar Award. She went on to receive a Masters in Piano Performance from the University of Tennessee under the instruction of David Northington. While at UT, she worked as a graduate teaching assistant under Pat Carter.
Mrs.Burnette received Suzuki training from Mary Craig Powell and Fay Adams. She has served as staff pianist and piano instructor at Augusta State University, Carson Newman University, and the University of South Carolina. Mrs. Burnette has been teaching Suzuki piano since 2002.
Mrs. Burnette is the proud wife of Ben and mom to Chase and Karli.
Alla Ousley, Piano
Alla Ousley, Piano
Alla Ousley was born in Ukraine. She inherited musical abilities from her father, who could effortlessly play a wide range of instruments by ear. At the age of six, she began studying piano at the Krupskaya Music School in Cherkasy Ukraine with Olga Haraborkina. Over the course of seven years, Alla diligently honed her skills, and at the age of fourteen, entered Cherkasy Gulak-Artemovsky Music College to continue her piano education with Professor Dyachenko.
Mrs. Ousley completed her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Musical Education at Gogol Pedagogical University under the guidance of Dr. Oleksandr Rostovskiy, where she was recommended after the Ukrainian International Competition “Ukraine Gathers Talents.”
In 2004, she went to a Specialized School at the National Honored Chapel of Bandura-Players of Ukraine named after H.I.Mayboroda in Kyiv. There she was instructed by famous professors and performers like Lesia Dychko and Vitalii Kyreiko. After this completion, she attended the Authentic Vocal Specialized School at Veryovka Ukrainian Folk Choir in Kyiv Ukraine. At the same time, she began teaching private piano and vocal lessons. Following this she immigrated to the United States. After moving to Knoxville Tennessee, she started her own piano and vocal practice. Overall, Alla Ousley has been a successful piano teacher for several decades, and she is honored to be teaching at Knoxville Suzuki Academy.
Mrs. Ousley is the proud wife of Christian and mother to Scarlett and Savannah.
Nora Connelly, Violin and Viola
Nora Connelly, Violin and Viola
Nora Connelly grew up studying violin and viola in the Suzuki tradition in Knoxville. She was a member of the Knoxville Youth Symphony Association orchestras for years. She now serves the KSYOA as a rehearsal assistant. Nora attended the Sewanee Summer Music Festival and studied viola performance at the University of Tennessee. Beloved by her students, Nora has a special connection with young string players. We are thrilled to have her join our KSA faculty.
Jackson Alderman, Violin and Viola
Jackson Alderman, Violin and Viola
Jackson Alderman is a dedicated educator and performer. He began playing the viola in the third grade in Maryland. He earned his B.M. in music education at West Virginia University, and an M.M. in viola performance with a certificate in music theory pedagogy at UT.
Jackson performs with many of the major ensembles in the region, including Knoxville Symphony Orchestra and Knoxville Opera. He recently completed initial Suzuki training in violin and viola.
Knoxville Suzuki Academy Staff
Pamela Schneller, Administrator
Pam Schneller, Administrator
Pamela Schneller joined the KSA staff in January 2025, after retiring from 35 years service at Vanderbilt University’s Blair School of Music. Pamela served first as a choral director and Senior Lecturer. As choral director, Pamela expanded the children’s choral program from one choir of 19 children to six choirs encompassing 120 students. She also directed the Vanderbilt University Concert Choir, an undergraduate choir of 65-80 singers. In 2000, Pamela founded the Vanderbilt Community Chorus, which brings graduate students and adults in the greater Nashville community together to sing the finest of choral music. Pamela was serially promoted to Assistant (2004-2007), Associate (2007-2019), and Senior Associate Dean (2019-2021) of the Precollege and Adult Program due to her hard work and expertise in the child voice and administration. As Associate Dean, she oversaw and developed a program containing as many as 800 pre-college children, youth, and adult learners.
In retirement, Pamela remains passionate about music education and the transformative impact of music on learners of all ages and skills. As part of the KSA, she particularly enjoys providing administrative and programmatic support for faculty, students, and parents. She and her husband, Roland, also love living closer to family and enjoying the amazing musical resources in the Knoxville area.
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