Cellist
and founding member of the Nova String Quartet, Holly Gullen Stout
has been active as a performer, music teacher, composer and arranger in
the Omaha area since 1978. She has written original compositions for children's
orchestras which have been performed by Omaha Area Youth Orchestras and
schools through out the Omaha Area. Some of her work is carried in the Luck's
Music catalog. A versatile musician, Mrs. Stout has taught orchestras
in Millard and Omaha
Public Schools. As a resident of Kansas City, Missouri, Mrs. Stout earned
her Bachelor of Music Education at the Kansas
City Conservatory of Music then moved to Omaha where she became a member
of the Omaha Symphony and has played for the Lincoln Symphony and Chamber
Orchestras. She has since earned her Master of Music in cello performance
at the Conservatory in K.C. In addition to everything else, Mrs. Stout is
a published arranger of string quartet
literature.
Violinist
Phyllis Duncan currently plays in the Omaha Symphony (since 1984).
Squeezed in between the busy schedules of the Symphony, private teaching
and Nova String Quartet gigs, she dabbles in creating and maintaining Web
sites. Most notable among these are this site for the Nova String Quartet,
the Omaha Symphony Musicians'
Organization, and the Omaha
Chamber Music Society. A native of Iowa, Phyllis earned her Bachelor's
degree in violin performance and education from the University of Iowa in
Iowa City. While trying to decide whether to continue graduate work, she
won her first orchestra position with the Shreveport (Louisiana) Symphony.
Two years later, in 1984, she won the position in Omaha. Other playing endeavors
include the Bedford Springs and Bear Valley Summer Music Festivals, the
Cedar Rapids (Iowa) Symphony, the Quad-City Symphony (Davenport, Iowa),
the Des Moines Metro Opera, the Lincoln Symphony, and taught violin at the
University of Nebraska-Omaha School for Strings.
Another
Midwesterner, violinist Mary Amador grew up in a musical family in
Moline, Illinois. With both parents teaching music, it was natural for Mrs.
Amador to take up the violin. After graduating from the University of Iowa
in Iowa City (where she met and became friends with Phyllis while playing
in a string quartet) she continued her graduate studies in violin performance
at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. A professional musician since
1981, Mrs. Amador has played for the San Francisco Opera and Ballet Orchestras,
the Modesto, Fresno, and Santa Rosa California orchestras, the Omaha Symphony
and Chamber Orchestras, and the Lincoln Symphony. Currently Mrs. Amador
is, in addition to playing for the Nova String Quartet, following in her
parents' footsteps by teaching violin for the Omaha
Conservatory of Music.
Violist
Judy Divis graduated cum laude from the University of Connecticut
with a Bachelor of Music in violin performance. She then taught Suzuki violin
through the University of Connecticut and the Central Connecticut State
University, specializing in early childhood education. When she inquired
about violin openings in the Omaha Symphony she discovered they had none,
but needed violists. She quickly decided to learn the viola and became a
member of the Omaha Symphony after a short period of adjusting to the new
instrument. She has played for the Omaha Symphony since 1986 and the Omaha
Symphony Chamber Orchestra since September 2002. Previously, she has played
with Lincoln Symphony and former Nebraska Chamber Orchestra. She loves Omaha
and thinks it is a great place to raise a family.
David
C. Neely,
a frequent guest artist with the Nova String Quartet, is associate professor
of violin at the UNL School of Music, where he joined the faculty in 1993.
Professor Neely also serves as artist/teacher of violin at the Rocky Ridge
Summer Music Festival in Estes Park, Colorado. He will be performing and
teaching at the 2006 summer Schlern Music Festival in Schlern, Italy.
Mr. Neely received
his Master of Fine Arts degree from the California Institute of the Arts
and his Bachelor of Music degree from Iowa State University. He has also
studied at Indiana University and had post-graduate studies with Peter Marsh.
Mr. Neely's teachers include, Peter Marsh, Josef Gingold, and Mahlon Darlington.
Prior to his appointment at UNL, Mr. Neely was associate professor of violin/viola
at the University of South Dakota and a founding member of the Rawlins Piano
Trio. Mr. Neely served as first violinist of the Omega String Quartet at
the Lutheran Summer Music Festival from 1989 to 1998.
Professor Neely
has performed and given master classes throughout the United States, and
has recorded on the Albany Records label. He continues to review violin,
viola, and chamber music literature for the American String Teachers Magazine.
Mr. Neely has performed as guest concertmaster of the Lincoln Orchestra
and as co-concertmaster of the Sioux City Symphony. He has been a member
of several orchestras including the South Dakota Symphony, the Baroque Music
Festival in Corona del Mar, CA., and currently plays with the Omaha Symphony.
During the
summer of 1997, Professor Neely performed and taught throughout Switzerland
and Germany. He taught at the Leysin American School, Aiglon College and
the University of Maintz. In addition to recital performances at these schools,
he also gave recitals at Winterther, St. Gallen, Schaffhausen, and Zurich.
Professor Neely also taught and performed at the Sebelius Academy in Helsinki,
Finland through the teacher exchange program in 2000.
