Hi! My name is Ava Dillard and I’m from Randleman, North Carolina and I’m very excited to spend my summer at Wintergreen! I’m a rising freshman in college and I plan on double majoring in music (French Horn) and neuroscience at UNC Chapel Hill. Some of my favorite things to do are performing in ensembles, hanging out with my friends, reading, cooking, and trying new things.

Ohio native Julia Bradley is an incoming junior pursuing a degree in Oboe Performance and Arts Managements at Indiana University. She has a passion for all things oboe, including orchestral and wind band playing, and instrument repair. Outside of the oboe world she is in, she enjoys learning about the world around her and loves cats as well.

Taylor Hawkins graduated with her Bachelor of Music in Flute Performance this past May from Florida State University and will begin pursuing her Master of Arts in Arts Administration beginning this fall. She studied under Dr. Mary Matthews and Dr. Karen Large and most recently, served as principal flute of the University Symphony Orchestra and the Opera Orchestra. Since 2021, Taylor has been a member of the FSU Flute Ensemble, performing at the Florida Flute Association Convention for three consecutive years (2021-2024) and will perform at the National Flute Association Convention this August, where she will additionally serve as a Convention Equipment Intern. Her administrative experience lies primarily in work as the FSU Flute Association’s Secretary since 2023 and other Office Assistant roles. Outside of music, she enjoys visiting local coffee shops, reading, and hanging out with her and her partners' two cats, Maverick and Phoebe.

Instagram: @taylor.hawkinss

My name is Anna Lee and I am so excited to be an Arts Administration intern at Wintergreen! I am currently a rising junior majoring in viola performance and business at the University of Maryland. I really love classical music and one of my potential career goals is to make classical

music accessible for new listeners. In pursuit of this, I’ve embarked on multimedia concerts, immersive storytelling, and most recently, qualitative research. In my free time, I enjoy learning how to dance and play the drums.

Composer James Bernard’s diverse output includes song cycles, chamber music, concertos, symphonic tone poems, film scores, pop songs and hip-hop beats. James aspires to write music that is both accessible and authentic with his use of rhythm and groove. He is an undergraduate student of composition studying under Dr. Melinda Wagner at the Juilliard School, in addition to

having studied under many other renowned composers such as David Dzubay, Martin Amlin, Manuel Sosa and Mary Kouyoumdjian. When he is not composing, he loves to take walks through Central Park and listen to music of all periods and styles.

Instagram: @jamesbernardmusic

Irene Huang is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in composition at the Eastman School of Music, studying under Dr. Evis Sammoutis. She earned her piano ARCT with First Class Honors with Distinction in 2018 and received the Royal Conservatory of Music’s Gold Medal for achieving the highest ARCT violin mark in Ontario in 2022. Irene served as the pianist in the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra and the collaborative pianist for the North Toronto Songbirds. Since 2023, she has been the composer-in-residence for the Chinese Artists Society of Toronto Youth Orchestra. She also has extensive collaborative experience, having worked with strings, woodwinds, brass, and vocal musicians for recitals, exams, competitions, and festivals.

Irene’s diverse musical background has fueled her passion for becoming a professional composer. In 2022, her composition “Face the Music” won first place in the United Nations’ Pitching Peace Youth Music Challenge and was featured during their inaugural event for the International Day for Disarmament on March 1, 2023. In 2024, Irene’s composition “The Light of Yule” received the Promising High-School Composer Prize from Etobicoke Philharmonic Orchestra’s Young Composers Competition. Her work "Deaf Pillows" was selected by the Musical Life Foundation to premiere in Carnegie Hall on April 30, 2024. Last summer, Irene was appointed as the creative resident by Morningside Music Bridge, where her composition “Still Small Voice” received its world premiere in Jordan Hall. Recently, Irene’s new song “BE HAPPY!” won first prize at Sparks & Wiry Cries’ songSLAM competition.

Irene’s recent compositions and performances can be found on her YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/irenemusic

Jordan Owen is a conductor, composer, and curator dedicated to bringing orchestral music to a wide range of audiences. He is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Music in Theory and Composition with a concentration in Music History at the Petrie School of Music. Jordan serves as the Assistant Conducting Fellow for the Spartanburg Philharmonic and the Conductor for the Sound of Carolina Music Academy, working with musicians in a variety of settings.

He studies conducting with John Young Shik Concklin and has participated in numerous conducting masterclasses. His work as a composer has been performed internationally, and as a cellist, he has performed at FESTWOCHE Stuttgart. In Fall 2025, Jordan will begin his Master of Music in Orchestral Conducting at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, studying under Dr. Jungho Kim.

With a passion for orchestral performance and film composition, Jordan continues to explore new ways of engaging with music through performance, education, and curation.

Jarred Kennedy is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Orchestral Conducting at Louisiana State University. He previously served for two years as Associate Conductor of the Williamson County Symphony Orchestra and has conducted the Austin Civic Orchestra, National Music Festival, Sewanee Summer Music Festival, Cascade Orchestra, and the LSU Symphony. In 2025, he will appear as a conductor at the Renova Music Festival and Wintergreen LEAD Cooperative.

As a violinist, Jarred has performed with the Austin, Waco, and Brazos Valley Symphonies, and held leadership roles as Concertmaster of the Clear Lake Symphony and Principal 2nd violin with the Longview Symphony. His festival appearances include the Colour of Music Festival, Round Top Summer Music Festival, Sewanee, and the National Music Festival.