Cynthia Woods Mitchell Young Artist Competition

A native of Downers Grove, Illinois, Kristin King began playing the clarinet at age ten. In 2006, she received her Bachelor of Music Degree from Indiana University, where she was a student of Howard Klug. This spring, Kristin graduated from Northwestern University with her Master’s Degree where she studied with Steve Cohen. While at Northwestern, Kristin frequently performed as principal clarinet in the Symphony Orchestra. She was a soloist with the Northwestern Chamber Orchestra performing Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante in November 2007. This July, she will perform the Mozart Clarinet Concerto with the Northwestern Festival Orchestra.

Currently, Kristin is an active orchestral musician in the Chicago area. She has performed with the Illinois Philharmonic, the Evanston Symphony Orchestra, and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. Kristin was a member of the National Repertory Orchestra in 2007 and attended the Brevard Music Festival from 2005-2006.

As a chamber musician, Kristin is a founding member of the Frangipani Wind Quintet, with whom she attended the Fischoff Chamber Music Competition in 2006. She is also a member of Chicago Clarinet Ensemble, and has performed with the International Chamber Artists in Chicago. In her free time, Kristin enjoys baking and playing squash at the local YMCA.

Kristin performed the Copland Clarinet concerto under the direction of Christoph Campestrini with the TMF Orchestra. Ms. King appeared in a sold-out concert with the Akademisches Orchester Leipzig at the famed Gewandhaus on October 20, 2009.

Meredith Clark begins her senior year at Oberlin Conservatory of Music this fall, where she is completing a harp performance degree under Yolanda Kondonassis. Ms. Clark has performed extensively, playing principal harp for the Oberlin Orchestra’s tour of China in January of 2006 and at Carnegie Hall in January 2007 under the direction of Robert Spano. She continues to serve as principal harpist of the Oberlin Contemporary Music Ensemble, as well as the Symphony and Chamber Orchestras at Oberlin. Meredith has also had the privilege to work with contemporary composers, such as the late Daniel Pinkham, performing his piece Vigils for solo harp, and OTHER PIECE. Currently, Meredith has commissioned Marcelle Pierson, a new composer who has had success with performances of her works at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, to write a new piece for her. Meredith has been guest principal harpist of ensembles such as the Ballet Theatre of Toledo and the University of North Texas Symphony Orchestra. She has also studied with Alice Chalifoux, a legend in the harp world. In addition to winning the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Young Artist Competition at the Texas Music Festival this summer, Meredith has participated in the Corpus Christi International Competition, and was named a national semi-finalist in the American String Teacher’s Association Solo Competition.

In addition to her performances with the TMF Symphony Orchestra, her first place win in the Mitchell Competition includes an invitation to perform with the Leipzig Akademisches Orkester in Leipzig’s famed Gewandhaus.

The Texas Music Festival took place on June 22 at Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion with scores of young orchestral musicians demonstrating their skills. Meredith Clark, winner of the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Young Artist Competition, and Texas Music Festival director Alan Austin shared their perspectives of the festival with MyMusic Houston, a Web site for the local FOX television affiliate. The interview video has since been removed from the Fox Website.

Amber Archibald's first taste of being a musician came when she was selected to be a part of the 1990 World Children's Festival in Tokyo, Japan as a vocalist alongside celebrities such as Brooke Shields and Carl Lewis. A native of Houston, Texas, Amber knew she wanted to play the violin after hearing several symphony children's concerts. As a violinist, she has played many interesting concerts including the premiere of "AM Fugue" for violin and tape by Kristi McGarity at the University of Texas New Music Symposium. By age 23, she had played in over a dozen operas ranging from Monteverdi to Mozart. Other performances included being an electric violin soloist with the band "Marynka" at the South by Southwest Music Festival in Austin, TX in 2003.

A first generation American of Dominican and Panamanian descent, Amber earned her Bachelor of Music degree from Indiana University on violin. It was not until 2004 that she found her true voice, the viola. As a violist, she has concertized at several venues across the Houston area such as Zilkha Hall, and at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University. Ms. Archibald has recently graduated with a Master of Music degree in viola from Rice University where she studied with Karen Ritscher. Amber has experienced many places throughout her musical journey. Her studies have taken her to an array of countries around the world including Austria, Germany, Portugal and many cities within the U.S.

In addition to her personal musical endeavors, Ms. Archibald enjoys teaching children. She was a violin instructor at the Indiana University Summer String Academy from 2000-2002 and in 2003, became one of the assistant orchestra directors of the program. She has also taught violin and viola in the Austin Chamber Music Society and the Rice University Preparatory Department. Ms. Archibald's teachers have included Joyce Durfee, Mika Hasler, and Mimi Zweig. Aside from music, Ms. Archibald enjoys a host of other activities. She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, an avid video gamer, and a collector of 1980's cartoons. She also enjoys spending time with her family, and her Shetland Sheepdog, Jazz.

Amber is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the New England Conservatory as a student of Martha Katz. She was the 2006 winner of the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Young Artist Competition at the Immanuel & Helen Olshan Texas Music Festival. She performed with the TMF Orchestra at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion and in the Moores Opera House in June 2006 under the direction of Giuliano Silveri. As a result of winning the Mitchell Young Artist Competition, she performed the Stamitz Viola Concerto with the Akademisches Orchestra Leipzig in the famed Gewandhaus in December 2006.

A native of Polo, Illinois, Joanna Messer is currently rotating principal flutist with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, the training orchestra of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. She serves as substitute with the Madison Symphony (WI), the Kalamazoo Symphony (MI), and the New World Symphony (FL). Ms. Messer won First Prize in the New York Flute Club Young Artist Competition in 2003 and presented her New York debut recital at CAMI Hall as part of the NYFC's Recital Series. She also received Second Prize at the 2003 Julius Baker Masterclass. In 2002, she won the University of Chicago Concerto Competition and performed Mozart's Concerto in G Major with the Chamber Orchestra. Ms. Messer is also an avid chamber musician and has founded the Hara Quintet with colleagues from the Civic Orchestra.

Ms. Messer received her Master of Music degree from Carnegie Mellon University in 2004, where she studied with Jeanne Baxtresser and Alberto Almarza, and her Bachelor of Music degree magna cum laude from Lawrence University in 2001, where she studied with Dr. Ernestine Whitman and Suzanne Jordheim. She is a member of Pi Kappa Lamda, the national music honor society, and an alumna of Kappa Kappa Gamma Fraternity.

As winner of the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Young Artist Competition, Ms. Messer performed the first movement of the Nielsen Flute Concerto on June 24 and 25, 2005 at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion with the TMF Orchestra under the direction of Horst Foerster. As part of her first prize, Maestro Foerster invited her to perform with the Leipzig Akademisches Orchestra in the Gewandhaus in May 2006.