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2023 VMAAI Competition Judges

Click a judge's picture to read their biography:

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David Rife

Tone - Violin

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Ann Weaver

Tone - Violin/Viola

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Christopher Germain

Workmanship and Varnish

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Juan David Mejia

Tone - Cello

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Emily Chao

Tone - Violin

Germain
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Christopher Germain

Workmanship and Varnish

Christopher Germain makes award-winning violins, violas and cellos from his studio in Philadelphia, PA.  Mr. Germain graduated from the Chicago School of Violin Making in 1985.  From 1985 to 1991 he worked for the Chicago firms, Kenneth Warren & Son Ltd. and Bein and Fushi Inc., focusing on restorations of rare stringed instruments.    In 1995, Mr. Germain was invited by legendary restorer Vahahn Nigogosian to be an instructor at the Oberlin Restoration Workshop.  Mr. Germain became director of the VSA/Oberlin Violinmaker’s Workshop in 1997, which recently celebrated it’s 20th Anniversary.

 

Mr. Germain has served as the President of The American Federation of Violin and Bowmakers as well at The Violin Society of America and has also served on the Governing Boards of both organizations.  In 2006, he organized The American Violin, a historical perspective on the history of violin making, which took place at The Library of Congress in Washington DC.  He is co-author of The American Violin (2016 AFVBM).  In addition, Mr. Germain is the author of numerous other articles, which have appeared in publications and scholarly journals, such as The Journal of The Violin Society of America, VSA Letters, The Strad magazine, Strings and others.

 

Mr. Germain is also a member of Entente Internationale Maitres Luthiers et Archetiers d’Art and has served as judge on numerous international violin making competitions, including The Violin Society of America International Competition, the International Triennale in Cremona, Italy, the China International Violinmaking Competition and others.  He has lectured on violinmaking and demonstrated his craft at venues around the world.  

Weaver
Rife

David Rife

Tone - Violin

David Rife received his bachelor of Music Degree in Violin Performance from the Eastman School of Music and a Master of Music Degree in Violin Performance from the New England Conservatory of Music.  David moved to Tucson, Arizona in 1983 to join the Tucson Symphony Orchestra where he has held the positions of Associate Concertmaster, Assistant Concertmaster, Principal Second Violin, and Assistant Principal Second Violin.  He was on the faculty of Quest for Education and Arts for 6 years where he was the director of the Advanced Orchestra.  Since 2011 he has been on the faculty of the Rocky Ridge Music Center Junior Artist Immersion Program in Estes Park, Colorado.  David is a dedicated violin teacher, and first violinist of the Southwest String Quartet.  He was the first violinist of the Tucson Symphony String Quartet for almost 30 years.  In 2005 he was the recipient of the Outstanding Private String Teacher Award in Arizona by the American String Teachers Association.  His students have won local competitions, soloed with local orchestras and many have attended music schools and conservatories throughout the country.  David was inducted into the Tucson Musicians Museum in 2012.

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Emily Chao

Tone - Violin

Violinist Emily Chao joined the Tucson Symphony Orchestra in 2017, and also performs with Tucson Pops Orchestra, True Concord Voices & Orchestra, and Borderlands Ensemble, as well as Arizona Philharmonic and the Sierra Vista Symphony. She is artist-in-residence for the Santa Cruz Foundation of the Performing Arts and performs chamber music regularly at the Benderly-Kendall Opera House as well as other venues throughout southern Arizona with her groups, the Sky Islands Piano Trio and Quartetto Patagonia. As a founding member of the community-oriented ensemble Chamberhood, sponsored by Arizona Friends of Chamber Music, Emily works to collaborate with local venues, commission new works from local composers, and make classical music more accessible to the Tucson community. She also volunteers as personnel manager and secretary of the board for Tucson Repertory Orchestra. Emily received a DMA from Boston University, where she studied with Lynn Chang and completed a dissertation on Karol Szymanowski’s First Violin Concerto. She holds BM and MM degrees from New England Conservatory, where she studied with James Buswell.

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Ann Weaver

Tone - Violin/Viola

A native of Detroit, Michigan, Ann Weaver, principal viola, began her musical studies at age six with her parents, both of whom were members of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. She began her college studies at Arizona State University and completed her Bachelor of Music degree at the Cleveland Institute of Music, where she was given the Annual Viola Award for Outstanding Achievement. She earned her Master’s degree in Music Performance at Rice University, where she graduated with honors. Her teachers include Dr. William Magers, James Van Valkenburg, Heidi Castleman, Wayne Brooks (principal violist of the Houston Symphony), and Roberto Diaz (principal violist of the Philadelphia Orchestra.) Her chamber music coaches have included Anne Epperson and members of the Julliard, Guarneri, and Cleveland String Quartets. Weaver has participated in many summer music festivals including Interlochen Arts Camp, Brevard Music

Center, the American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, Austria, and the Aspen Music Festival where she was a member of the Festival Orchestra and the Chamber Orchestra.

Cello

Juan David Mejia

Cello

Juan David Mejía is an extremely versatile cellist, experienced in playing with many different types of ensembles. From 2014 to 2016, he performed with the San Francisco Symphony’s outreach program Adventures in Music and the contemporary ensemble Opera Parallèle. Since 2016, he has served as substitute cellist for the Tucson Symphony Orchestra as well as True Concord Voices & Orchestra. He often performs chamber music concerts at the Benderly-Kendall Opera House for the Santa Cruz Foundation for the Arts in Patagonia, Arizona, where he serves as artist in residence. He sits on the board of Arizona Friends of Chamber Music (AFCM) where he co-directs multiple programs including the Tucson Adult Chamber Players (TACP) and the Chamberhood ensemble.  Juan David holds a Doctorate in Music from the University of Arizona. He completed his Bachelor and Master of Music degrees at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. 

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