Young Artists Concert I – Solo and chamber music works for piano, voice, strings and winds
Young artists from Greece and abroad will present solo and chamber music works for piano, voice, strings and winds that they prepared during the piano, chamber music and monody masterclasses.. Biographical notes
Brandon Dye is an active music educator, musician, and scholar. His most recent awards include the Sally and Jack Jenkins Service Award in 2019 and the Outstanding Musicianship, Performance, and Academic Achievement Award in 2020. Brandon has participated in the International Porto Heli Music Festival in Greece since 2021, where he has played solo and chamber music and participated in various master classes. He served as the Magnet Orchestra and Choir Director at South Miami Senior High School, Magnet School of the Arts in the 2021-2022 school year and co-lead the choral program from 2022-2024. He served as the Summer Young Mozart’s Orchestral Conductor and a violin coach for the Greater Miami Youth Symphony Summer Camp. Brandon also served as the beginning MYami Strings teacher and the Strings Orchestra conductor with Greater Miami Youth Symphony in the regular season. Brandon played violin in the Alhambra Orchestra and sang in the Master Chorale of South Florida while studying in Miami. Brandon most recently completed his Master’s degree in Musicology from University of Miami’s Frost School of Music. His thesis titled “Masking Identity: The Reframing of Blackness Through the Hampton Singers’ Tours” explores how Black Americans were received in Europe and the United States during the tours by the Hampton Singers from the 1870s to the 1930s. He was selected to present his research at the First Annual Frost School of Music Graduate Research Showcase. Brandon holds an undergraduate degree in Music Education from The University of Tampa. Brandon is set to begin his Ph.D. in Music History and Literature this fall at the University of Florida.
Tiffany Eady is a musician, educator, and scholar. Tiffany is a graduate of The University of Tampa with a Bachelor’s in Music Education with a focus on cello. She was taught under the instruction of her professor, Helga Winold, for four years. In 2022, Tiffany was awarded the Charlene A. Gordon Music Award. Tiffany performed at the 33rd, 34th, and 35th Annual International Porto Heli Festival Supporting Culture and the Arts in Greece, where she attended various master classes and performed alongside world-renowned musicians. Tiffany was the choral director at Jule F. Sumner High School in Riverview, FL. Currently, Tiffany is pursuing her master’s of Music in music theory at The University of Tennessee, where she is also a graduate teaching assistant who teaches ear training and music fundamentals courses. She is projected to graduate in May 2025.
Anna-Mussin Philips earned her Bachelor’s in Flute Performance from the University of South Florida and is currently working on her Masters in Flute Performance from University of Cincinnati’s Conservatory of Music. She is an emotion driven performer and loves to share her connection and passion with her fellow musicians and audiences.
Natalie Mussin Phillips graduated from the University of Tampa in May of 2025 with a Bachelor of Arts in Music, as well as a Bachelor of Science in Forensic Science. While at University Natalie studied piano with Grigorios Zamparas. Under the tutelage of Dr. Zamparas Natalie has performed solo and chamber music as well as with the University Orchestra as a Concerto winner in the 2023 University of Tampa Concerto Competition. Natalie has previously attended the Porto Heli International Festival and the Piano Plus Festival Summer Piano institute in Xanthi, Greece. Outside of her musical studies at the University of Tampa Natalie was very involved in the chemistry department as a lab mentor, tutor, and undergraduate researcher. Natalie is looking forward to continue studying at the festival this year and performing with her fellow musicians.
Wilson Bullock is from Marco Island Florida and currently attends the University of Tampa studying with Dr. Zamparas. He has a particular love for the music of Chopin especially the Barcarolle Op.60. When not making music he likes to fish in the Florida Everglades and boat with his family.
Jerrel Martin is an accomplished cellist currently pursuing a Master of Music in Cello Performance at the University of South Florida under the guidance of Scott Kluksdahl. He holds a Graduate Performance Diploma from The Boston Conservatory at Berklee and a Bachelor of Music from Idaho State University, where he studied with esteemed professors Rhonda Rider and Dr. Eleanor Christman-Cox. Jerrel has performed as a soloist and chamber musician in various prestigious venues, including the University of South Florida Orchestra and the Boston Conservatory Recitals. He has also held principal cello positions in several orchestras and participated in notable music festivals such as the Harvard Chamber Institute and Sun Valley Summer Music Institute. In addition to his performing career, Jerrel is a dedicated educator, currently serving as a Graduate Assistant at the University of South Florida, where he teaches and mentors undergraduate cellists.
Anne McKee is a violinist based in central Maine. She recently completed her Master of Music degree from Boston Conservatory under the tutelage of Katie Lansdale. Anne currently performs as a member of the Bangor Symphony, principal second violin of Colby Symphony, and concertmaster of the Augusta Symphony. Anne, a dedicated teacher, is especially passionate about chamber music and is on faculty at Bay Chamber Music School and Pineland Suzuki School.
Jorge Otoya is classical guitarist and Music Performance major at the University of Tampa. After a successful career in tax consulting and business, he made a life-changing decision to pursue music full-time and was accepted into UTampa’s Music Department. He has performed solo and in ensemble settings throughout the Tampa Bay area and recently taught guitar and ukulele at the Lee Academy for Gifted Students.
Shaylee Plichta, soprano is a Senior Vocal Performance major at the University of Tampa, where she studies under the direction of Dr. Hein Jung. She is currently on path to graduate from UTampa with her Bachelor of Music degree in Voice after receiving her Associate in Arts degree in Music from State College of Florida in Bradenton, Florida. Most recently, Shaylee was awarded 2nd place in the National Association of Teachers of Singing- Tampa Bay Chapter’s “National Student Auditions” in the Third-Year Treble Voice category.
Carlos Walker is a violist from St. Petersburg, Florida now pursuing a master’s degree from the Juilliard School. Since winning the grand prize in the 2022 American Viola Society Solo Competition, Carlos has performed all over the United States, as well as internationally in Rome and Paris.