​KNOXVILLE
CHAMBER MUSIC
SOCIETY

Amber Archibald-Sešek, viola

​

Dr. Amber Archibald-Sešek is a violist, educator, and chamber musician based in Houston, Texas. She is Professor of Practice in Viola at the University of Houston and has performed as a soloist and chamber musician throughout the United States and internationally. Her orchestral work includes performances with the Seattle Symphony, Houston Symphony, Houston Grand Opera, Mercury Chamber Orchestra, and River Oaks Chamber Orchestra. She has also appeared at the Grand Teton Music Festival, Lyrica Baroque, and other chamber music festivals. Archibald-Sešek holds degrees from Indiana University, Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music, and the University of Washington, where she earned her DMA.

​

Whitney Bullock, viola

Whitney Bullock is an active performer and teaching artist based in Houston. She was a member of the Apollo Chamber Players, where she has served as violist and Education Director, and has also performed with ensembles and orchestras throughout Texas. Bullock was Principal Viola of the Symphony of Southeast Texas and has appeared as a soloist with the orchestra. She holds a Bachelor of Music in Viola Performance and Women’s Studies from Vanderbilt University and a Master of Music in Viola Performance from Rice University. Her work combines chamber music performance, orchestral playing, and music education.

​

Daphne Gerling, viola

Daphne Gerling is an internationally active violist, teacher, and writer. She is Associate Professor of Viola at the University of North Texas and has performed and taught at universities and festivals throughout the United States and in more than a dozen countries. A strong advocate for contemporary music, she has participated in commissioning projects with composers including Libby Larsen and Jorge Variego. Her research focuses on viola repertoire and performance history, particularly the works associated with the 1919 Coolidge competition. Gerling studied at Oberlin Conservatory, the Cleveland Institute of Music, and Rice University, and serves as President of the American Viola Society.

​

Meredith Harris, viola

Meredith Harris is a performer, educator, and viola specialist based in the Houston area. Originally from North Carolina, she earned her bachelor’s degree in violin performance from East Carolina University and her master’s degree in viola performance from Rice University, where she studied with James Dunham. Harris performs with the River Oaks Chamber Orchestra and has also appeared with the Houston Grand Opera, Houston Symphony, Aperio, Grand Teton Music Festival, Tanglewood, and the Kennedy Center Conservatory Project. A committed teacher, she maintains an active studio and regularly serves as a clinician for Suzuki workshops and institutes.

​

Hillary Herndon, viola

Hillary Herndon is Professor of Viola at the University of Tennessee and Executive and Artistic Director of the Sewanee Summer Music Festival. She has earned a national reputation as a performer, teacher, and advocate for the viola, with performances and collaborations involving artists including Itzhak Perlman and Carol Wincenc. Herndon is particularly committed to expanding the viola repertoire through performances, research, and commissions of new music. Her recording La Viola: Music for Viola and Piano by Women Composers of the 20th Century was released by MSR Classics. She holds degrees from the Eastman School of Music and The Juilliard School and served as President of the American Viola Society from 2020–2023.

​

Katherine Lewis, viola

Katherine Lewis is Professor of Viola at Illinois State University, where she also directs the ISU String Project. Her career combines solo and chamber performance, teaching, research, and advocacy for string education. She is a member of the ISU Faculty String Quartet and previously served for fifteen years as Principal Viola of the Peoria Symphony Orchestra, appearing frequently as a soloist. A dedicated advocate for new music, Lewis has premiered and commissioned works by composers including Libby Larsen, Karim Al-Zand, and Thom Ritter George. Her current research explores extended reality technologies as tools for understanding and teaching viola technique. She holds degrees from Lawrence University, the Cleveland Institute of Music, and Rice University.