Geneva Conservatory Faculty

Ms. Amber Ward

Director

B.M.E (Bachelor of Music Education), Baylor University

Amber Ward (P'30, '31, '33) is a professional actor, singer, worship leader, teacher, and wife. Some of her favorite musical theater roles include Beth in Little Women (Engeman Theater), Dorothy in Wizard of Oz (Jenny Wiley), and Belle in Beauty and the Beast (Houston, TX). Other New York credits include Nancy in Sail Away (Musicals Tonight!), Bet in Oliver (Engeman Theater), and A Wonderful Life (Engeman Theater). Amber was honored to perform as the featured soloist at The Harvard's Club Hits from the Blitz, as well as the Ziegfeld Club's memorial service honoring distinguished Ziegfeld Folly performer Doris Eaton. Amber has also enjoyed playing roles such as Maria in West Side Story, Liesl in The Sound of Music, Diana in A Chorus Line, and Darlene in Honky Tonk Angels. Having taught high school choir in Houston (Taylor HS, Carver HS) before moving to New York City, Amber joined the Geneva School music faculty in 2018. She is a soprano with the Central Church Chorale under the direction of her husband, Dr. Seth Ward, having sung in more than 10 annual Messiahs with the choir, as well as other major works such as Mendelssohn's Elijah, Bach's Magnificat, and Faure's Requiem. Amber and Seth have led worship at Central Presbyterian Church on the Upper East Side for the past twelve years, and before that toured as Christian music artists with their record, Bitter Kiss. Amber holds a Bachelor of Music Education in choral music and voice from Baylor University and is a proud member of the Actors Equity Association.

Ms. Hannah Cen

Piano, Suzuki violin group class accompanist

B.M. in piano performance, Manhattan School of Music

M.M. in piano performance, Manhattan School of Music

M.M. candidate in organ performance, Manhattan School of Music

Dr. Patricia Davis

Violin

Suzuki Teacher Certification, School for Strings (NYC)

B.M. in Violin Performance, Eastman School of Music

ARCM (Performer’s Certificate), Royal College of Music (London)

M.M. & D.M.A. in Violin Performance, Stony Brook University

Ms. Michelle Jennings

Voice

B.M.E. Virginia Commonwealth University

Mr. Carter Johnson

Piano

B.Mus., University of British Columbia

M.M. candidate, The Juilliard School

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B.Mus., University of British Columbia

M.M. candidate, The Juilliard School

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Praised for his sensitivity and his artistic depth, 24-year-old Carter Johnson has established himself as one of Canada’s most promising young pianists. In 2018, Johnson won the top prize in two of Canada’s most important competitions, winning both Grand Prize in the OSM Manulife Competition as well as First Prize (along with the prize for the best performance of the test piece) in the CMC Stepping Stone competition. He also recently won first prize in the Valsesia International Competition. He has performed with orchestras including l’Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, l’Orchestre Métropolitain, the Orchestra of the Americas, the Victoria Symphony Orchestra, and the Orchestra of Northern New York, and his playing has been broadcasted by Medici TV and Radio-Canada. Johnson has collaborated with artists including Paolo Bortolameolli, Fredrika Brillembourg, Haik Kazazyan, Tania Miller, Carlos Miguel Prieto, David Robertson, and Arianna Zukerman—he has also performed with the string members of the Gryphon Trio. Johnson’s extensive competition experience also includes competitions such as in the Shenzhen International Piano Concerto Competition (Guangdong, China), the Hilton Head International Piano Competition (South Carolina, USA), the International J.S. Bach Competition (Leipzig, Germany) and the Julia Crane International Piano Competition (New York, USA), where he won second prize at age 16. Johnson’s other competition prize winnings include second prize in the ensemble round of the New York International Piano Competition, first place in the Art Song Competition of Vancouver (with Marie Civitarese, soprano), Second Place (along with the Baroque and chamber music prizes) in the CFMTA National Piano Competition (Regina) at age 14, the award for the best interpretation of the imposed work at the 2015 OSM Manulife Competition (Montréal), third prize in the Shean Piano Competition (Edmonton), and many awards at Performing Arts B.C., including First Prize in all four Canadian divisions. In addition to an ARCT in piano performance with Distinction, Johnson also holds an ARCT in piano pedagogy, for which he won the national gold medal at age 18 for the highest marks in Canada. He began the study of piano at age five with Shelley Roberts (with whom he studied for twelve years), continued studies with Michelle Mares, and then with Mark Anderson at the University of British Columbia, where he received a Bachelor of Music in piano performance. His areas of special interest include the music of J.S. Bach, Brahms, Schumann, contemporary music, and art song (recently, he performed the complete song repertoire of Duparc). In addition to his musical career, Johnson is an accomplished actor and speaker: he holds his ATCL with Distinction in Speech and Drama from Trinity College London and has won many awards for his performances of Shakespeare—combining this experience with his passion for educating audiences, his discussions on music have become a highlight of his recitals for many concertgoers. Johnson lives with his wife Hannah and their sons Preston and Ambrose in New York City where he is active as a soloist, collaborator, and teacher.

Ms. Bora Kim

Violin, Piano

B.M., Violin Performance and Piano Performance, Colburn Conservatory of Music
M.M.A., Yale School of Music
D.M.A. candidate, Yale School of Music

Dr. Julie Lawrence

Violin, Music Theory, and Chamber Music

Suzuki Teacher Certification

B.M. in Violin Performance, Manhattan School of Music

M.M. in Violin Performance, Manhattan School of Music

D.M.A. in Violin Performance, Rutgers University

Suzuki Teacher Certification

B.M. in Violin Performance, Manhattan School of Music

M.M. in Violin Performance, Manhattan School of Music

D.M.A. in Violin Performance, Rutgers University

New York City-based violinist Julie Lawrence has performed throughout the United States and Europe. Ms. Lawrence is passionate about bringing music into non-traditional concert spaces such as psychiatric hospitals, libraries, and neighborhood centers to interact with community members around the shared experience and joy of music. She has appeared as soloist with the Ashland Symphony alongside renowned violinist Aaron Berofsky, with the Hudson Symphony, and has given solo and chamber music recitals in Steinway Hall, InterChurch Center, Columbia University, United Nations Chapel, Spanish Cultural Institute of New York, Fort Lee Library Series, Union Theological Seminary, Ashland University, The University of Akron, Rutgers University, Manhattan School of Music, and Battery Park City’s “Strings on Hudson” series. As an orchestral musician, Julie Lawrence has performed in New York’s most prestigious concert halls, including Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium, Zankel Hall, Alice Tully Hall, and Symphony Space and with orchestras like the Chappaqua Symphony, Binghamton Philharmonic, Chelsea Symphony, Garden State Philharmonic, Bellayre Opera, and Dell’Arte Opera. She has been a fellow with the National Repertory Orchestra, guest artist and concertmaster for the Calvin College String Summit, and concertmaster of the MasterWorks Festival Orchestra. Julie is a member of Leadlights, a collective of string players who are passionate about sharing both contemporary and classical music with diverse communities through interactive performances and workshops. Committed to promoting the works of living composers, Julie commissioned and premiered the Sonata for Violin and Piano by Kyle Werner and a piano trio entitled Zaire at Steinway Hall in New York City by Nick Marsella in 2016, and commissioned a string quartet by the latter as well. Her playing can be heard on Juan Pablo Contreras’ album Silencio en Juárez (Albany Records) and David Chesky’s Joy and Sorrow (Chesky Records). Her interest in early music has led Ms. Lawrence to collaborate with singers to program works like “Semelé” by Elisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre, as well as instrumental works by Albinoni, Telemann, and Vivaldi on period instruments. Her performances as a guest artist with Mango Baroque have been presented at Columbia University and Rutgers University, and her article “An In-Depth Look at the Vibrato Practices of the 17th and 18th Centuries According to Primary Sources” was published in the ASTA Journal. She recently completed her dissertation thesis on “The International Style of Georg Muffat.” A dedicated educator, Julie Lawrence is on faculty at The Geneva Conservatory of Music in Manhattan, where she was the director for six years. She has been violin faculty for the Rutgers University Extension Division and Harmony Program, working with at-risk youth, and cultivates a private violin studio in Washington Heights. Ms. Lawrence earned a B.M. and M.M. from Manhattan School of Music studying with Laurie Smukler and Isaac Malkin, and a Doctor of Musical Arts at Rutgers University, working with Carmit Zori. Other teachers and mentors include Amy Barlowe, Alan Bodman, Martha Caplin, the American String Quartet, and Lawrence Dutton of the Emerson Quartet. Ms. Lawrence plays a violin crafted in 2014 by Boston violin maker Benjamin Ruth.

Ms. E.J. Lee

Violin

B.M., Han Yang University

M.M., Manhattan School of Music

Ms. Alina Lim

Cello, Chamber Music

B.M. in Cello Performance, The Juilliard School

M.M. in Cello Performance, The Juilliard School

Dr. Kyle Werner

Advanced Music Theory and Ear Training, Music History, and Composition

B.M. in Composition, University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music

M.M. in Composition, Manhattan School of Music

D.M.A. in Composition, Manhattan School of Music

Geneva Conservatory Faculty

The Conservatory’s instructors are accomplished musicians in their fields, having achieved the highest levels of musical training, many of them at The Juilliard School, and having performed in the world’s most renowned concert halls.

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Geneva School

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Geneva Conservatory Faculty

The Conservatory’s instructors are accomplished musicians in their fields, having achieved the highest levels of musical training, many of them at The Juilliard School, and having performed in the world’s most renowned concert halls.

Discover how your child can grow at Geneva School

Visit

Apply

Give

Discover how your child can grow at
Geneva School