Fun Volunteer Judges for Junior Composers

Thanks to our Junior Composers' Judges

Our 2 volunteer Composers' judges for the Junior Division of the Violettes Youth Composition Competition are fun Music Professionals who love working with children. Both Julie Fischer and Paul Brody have worked extensively with children in their music careers. Bio Information about each is the subject of this blog.

Ms. Julie Fischer

Ms. Fischer has always been able to hear harmonically. She harmonized parts to violin music since she was 4 years old! After some formal theory training, she sat at the piano for hours and pretended she was Bach...As a child, she won the Reflections Contest and composed music for Rumpelstiltskin.She took many composition classes at the New England Conservatory (NEC), and loves working with children.Julie Fischer is a violin and viola teacher and performer. She has over 20 years of experience teaching kids and adults of all ages and levels. She has taught in university, conservatory, community music school, and private studio settings. She currently teaches privately, at the Music Institute of Chicago and is on the chamber music faculty of the Midwest Young Artists.She has appeared as soloist with multiple orchestras, a few being the Pacific Palisades Symphony, Evanston Symphony, and Kishwaukee Symphony.Education:Graduate Diploma-New England Conservatory -2005; Masters of Music-New England Conservatory-2004; Bachelors of Music-Cleveland Institute of Music-2002Significant teachers and mentors:Lucy Chapman, Donald Weilerstein, Almita and Roland Vamos, Thomas Wermuth, Paula FischerAwards and achievements:Julie was previously a member of the Azmari Quartet, in Residence at Northern Kentucky University, where she was a Violin Professor from 2007-2009. Julie was a three time prizewinner at the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, and a 2 time winner of the Walgreens National Competition. She has performed at the Perlman Chamber Music Program with Donald Weilerstein, and was also teaching assistant to Donald Weilerstein at NEC.Favorite practice tip:   Practice only on the days you eat!

Mr. Paul Brody

Paul Brody is an American composer, writer and trumpeter based in Berlin. Currently he is working on a commission to produce a radio feature for West German Radio using his composition and sound design techniques. His sound installations have been featured in major art venues such as the 2014 Transmedialle Festival of Digital Art and Culture and the 2012 Heimat exhibit at the Jewish Museum Berlin. He has also produced and composed music for a full length feature for NPR about music, sound, and public space in Berlin called, The Fringe Sound of Berlin, to be aired at the end of the year.He has a number of solo CDs with his jazz and klezmer oriented projects. Paul Brody's Sadawi has three albums on John Zorn's Tzadik Label. The New York/Berlin based group has toured extensively, and played festivals in cities such as Chicago, Toronto, Montreal, Berkeley, Mink, Warsaw, and Cracow. His 2014 debut album on the legendary Enja Records, Behind All Words, won the German Recording Prize for composition under the category of "Music that Crosses Borders."More bio info  for Mr. Brody can be found at : Paul's BioViolettes would like to thank our Volunteer judges for their enthusiasm and volunteer spirit.^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^For Competition Guidelines, See this LINK.