Jessica Jimenez, soprano, graduated from the Manhattan School of Music in New York with a Master’s Degree in Vocal Performance. She also possesses a Bachelor’s Degree in Humanities – Drama and Education in Theatrical Arts from the University of Puerto Rico. Mrs. Jimenez studied at the Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico where she was part of the Opera Workshop and the Choir. She has participated as a soloist in various recitals and music festivals in her native Puerto Rico, as well as in Italy and the United States.

The Georgia Big Band consists of instrumentalists and vocalist, all professional musicians from the Middle Georgia area. Organized in 1988, this regional band originated out of the Dublin Jazz Band and was renamed to the Georgia Big Band in 2001 as they mustered musicians from all over Middle Georgia. The band consists of musicians with varied backgrounds, such as band directors and former military musicians, who come together regularly to perform music they love.

Alfonso Lopez, violinist, conductor, composer, and teacher, is one of the most versatile and prominent musicians of his generation in Venezuela. He is the concertmaster of the Venezuela Symphony Orchestra (OSV) which, as the national symphony, is the oldest and the principal orchestra of the country. He regularly conducts the OSV several times each season, is the conductor and music director of a youth orchestra that plays Venezuelan folk music, and is often a guest conductor of other orchestras. He is a professor of violin at the Emil Friedman School, the outstanding private musical and general educational institution in the country. Mr. Lopez received his high school diploma from the Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan; then completed a B.A. (Summa Cum Laude) and an M.A. (Highest Honors) in music from the University of Michigan. He has also received advanced musical training in Austria and England. His principal violin teachers were Emil Friedman, Julia Bushkova, and Paul Kantor. As a concertmaster, he has performed with various orchestras in international festivals, the chamber orchestra Virtuosi de Caracas, and the Camerata Criolla. He has performed as a soloist with the OSV on several occasions. He is a founding member and first violinist of the Friedman String Quartet, an ensemble that has performed many times in the most important concert halls in Caracas. His orchestral work, Caribe Pirana, was premiered in 2000 by the OSV, with Juan Carlos Nunez conducting. His String Serenade (2007) has been performed in Russia (world premiere), Belarus, the U.S., several Latin American countries, and was premiered in Venezuela with himself as conductor of the OSV in 2008. His Vida Plena has been performed by the Boston Latin American Orchestra. As a soloist he has concertized abroad in Spain, Italy, the U.S., Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and Trinidad and Tobago.

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Michelle Tabor, pianist, holds B.F.A., M.A., and Ph.D. degrees in piano
and theory from Tulane University in New Orleans, the University of Denver, and Florida State University, respectively. She has also pursued her research interests in Latin American art music of the twentieth century and has published articles about the Argentinian composers Alberto Ginastera and Juan Carlos Paz in the journal, Latin American Music Review of the University of Texas Press. She has presented lecture/recitals and research papers at national and regional meetings of the College Music Society (CMS), regional meetings of the American Musicological Society, and at an international conference on Latin American music held in Chicago, IL in 1993, where she presented an invited paper. She served as the Secretary/Treasurer of the Southern Chapter of the CMS from 1997 to 1999, and during the fall semester of 1999 was a Visiting Assistant Professor of music theory at Florida State University. Since 2000 she has concentrated more on performance. In 2001 she presented a series of recitals in Caracas, Venezuela with flutist Dr. Karen Garrison, a member of the music faculty at Auburn University, AL. With Venezuelan violinists, she has performed recitals in the southeastern U.S. during numerous tours since 2000; and with these violinists has presented lecture/recitals at national and regional meetings of the CMS. She has performed with Alfonso Lopez in the U.S. and Venezuela since 2004. In Caracas Lopez and Tabor have performed in prominent chamber music series and festivals such as Pro Musica de Camara, the Friedman Festival of Chamber Music, and the series Recital con la Sinfonica at the Asociacion Cultural Humboldt. Dr. Tabor grew up in Caracas and lives in Tallahassee, FL.

Atlanta Mandolins was established in 1994, and is made up of mandolinists, guitarists and bassists, who have joined together to form the performing unit of the Atlanta Mandolin Society. Under the direction of Robb Smith – conductor, music selections range from Turn of the Century Rags and Marches, Classical, Latin, Irish, Jazz, Brazilian, Ethnic compositions to Seasonal compositions.

Miguel Castro, master drummer-percussionist, is Director of Percussion Studies and Jazz Band at Middle Georgia College and the Percussion Coordinator of the Houston County School System. Castro holds a master’s degree in Music Performance from the Conservatorio Nacional de Musica in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. With world-wide performances and hundreds of recording credits, Castro brings a wealth of experience that ensures an exciting and entertaining performance of percussion music from around the world.  Miguel Castro and friends will provide a fantastic end to our concert season!