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Heather Garner

NASO Executive Director

Heather Garner received full performance scholarships from Ohio University and The Ohio State University where she earned her Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Viola Performance, studying under Howard Beebe and Edward Adelson. While studying at The Ohio State University, Heather was also the Administrator for the Ohio State Pre-College Strings Program.

Winner of the Ohio Arts Council Solo Competition, the Katherine B. Geis Performance Award and a scholarship student of Robert Vernon at the Encore School for Strings, Heather has performed as a soloist, recitalist, chamber musician and strolling strings advocate throughout the United States and Europe, including performances at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland and the Vienna Youth Festival in Austria. Ms. Garner has performed with many celebrity performers including Harry Connick Jr., James Taylor, Aretha Franklin, Randy Travis, Mannheim Steamroller, Doc Severensen, Charlotte Church, Pavarotti, Kathleen Battle, Joshua Bell, Sara Chang and Itzak Perlman to name a few.

This is Ms. Garner’s 13th season with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra as an associate violist as well as her 13th season as Assistant Principal Violist for the Lancaster Festival Orchestra. She has maintained a private violin/viola studio for over 15 years and is a frequent guest in the local schools as a chamber music clinician, sectional coach and presenter. Heather founded the New Albany Symphony Orchestra in 2007. She serves as the Executive Director and also performs viola in the orchestra. Ms. Garner resides in New Albany, Ohio, with her husband John and two boys, Jack and Evan.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Heather Garner, President

Ann Sproule, Executive Vice President

John Garner, Treasurer

Ron Cadieux, Vice President

Jennifer Spalding

Sandy Mendoza

Christophe Le Barbier

NASO STAFF

Luis Biava, Music Director

Heather Garner, Executive Director

Ann Sproule, Operations Director

Robert Pfeifer, Personnel Manager

Karen Pfeifer, Personel Manager

Heidi Wick, Librarian

Jason Gay, Stage Manager

Art Silva, Stage Manager

Joel Kohler, Graphic Design

Linda Brill, Ad Sales Manager and Marketing Director

Matt Rumora, Web Design

VOLUNTEERS

Deb Susi, Volunteer Coordinator

Charlotte Kufchak, Front of House

Ruth Bank, Marketing Volunteer

Christophe Le Barbier, Special Events Chair

Merideth Sellars, Special Events

Lori Weiner, Silent Auction Chair

Ushers: Margaret Garner, Joseph Garner, Nikki Slack

Jack Bogart, Sharon Bogart, Jack Garner

Holiday Gift Box: Jane Thompson, Sandy Mendoza, Shobha Painter, Iman Matt, Meg Garrett, Deb Susi, Ann Sproule, Linda Brill, Alice Sadaka, Saye Subramanian, Marne Schmitt

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Maestro Luis Biava

NASO Music Director

These concerts mark Luis Biava's fourth season as Music Director of the New Albany Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Biava also serves as assistant conductor of Opera-Columbus and cover conductor for the Columbus Symphony Orchestra. His recent engagements include the National Orchestra of Guatemala and the Orchestra-Society of Philadelphia. He has been reengaged in Guatemala for two subscription weeks to perform and conduct Beethoven's Triple Concerto and Mahler’s 5th Symphony. He also will be conducting two weeks with the Bogota Philharmonic in August of 2011.

He has conducted Orquesta Sinfonica Nacional de Colombia on tour and a joint concert of the Orquesta Sinfonica de Bogota and the Barranquilla Symphony for the President and First Lady of Colombia. Mr. Biava has also been guest conductor with the Columbus, Newark-Granville, Westerville, and Akron Youth Symphonies, the Greater Columbus Community Orchestra, the Puerto Rico Philharmonic, and the Festival Youth Symphony of the Americas in San Juan Puerto Rico where he conducted performances of Mozart's Impresario and Salieri's Prima la musica e poi le parole. Other operas include Puccini's Suor Angelica, as Music Director of the Metropolitan Chamber Orchestra (MCO) and five performances of La boheme with the Atlantic Coast Opera Festival. As director of his ensemble Camarata, he has performed and conducted at the Incontri Pomeridiani series in Spoleto Italy, at Kenyon College and at Sunday at Central.

Mr. Biava studied conducting at the Interlochen Center for the Arts under Howard Halgedah, and with his father, Maestro Luis Biava, who has served as conductor-in-residence of the Philadelphia Orchestra, Music Director of the Colombia National Symphony, and is Professor of Conducting at Temple University. Has attended master classes and courses at the University of Michigan, Tanglewood, and Mexico with Gustav Meier, the Igualada Scola Municipal in Spain with Antonin Ros Marba, the Schleswig-Hosltein Festival with Jorma Panula, the Pierre Monteux School with Michael Jinbo, the College- Conservatory of Music in Cincinnati with Mark Gibson and Gustav Meier, and attended the Aspen Music Festival as a Fellowship recipient for three years in the Aspen Academy of Conducting with David Zinman and Murry Sidlin. He has been on the podium and shared the concert stage with noted artists Sara Chang and Doc Severensen.

Mr. Biava holds Bachelor and Masters degrees from the Juilliard School as well as a Bachelor degree from the University of Michigan. His teachers include Leonard Rose, Elsa Hilger, Samuel Mayes, Gabor Rejto, and Oliver Edel and his uncle Miguel Uribe as well as chamber music classes with Howard Beebe, Eugene Bossart, Paul Doktor, and Robert Mann. A native of Bogota, Colombia, Luis Biava represents 4 generations of musicians. He is the Principal Cellist of the Columbus Symphony maintains an active teaching studio and is adjunct instructor of cello and director of the string ensemble at Kenyon College. His recordings include works of Antonio-Maria Valencia with the Biava-Uribe Trio, Faure's Elegy with the Columbus Symphony as well as orchestral recordings with the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Columbus Symphony, and the Spoleto Festival Orchestra recording of Barber's Antony and Cleopatra which was nominated for a Grammy.

Mr. Biava resides in Clintonville with his wife, violinist Ariane Sletner.

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BENEFITS OF A COMMUNITY ORCHESTRA

Audience Connection: Seeing familiar faces on stage breaks the “high brow” barrier associated with going to the symphony. As the professional core of NASO becomes familiar, we hope to inspire our audiences to go to the downtown theaters to hear them in their professional setting.

Programming designed for the community: Through competitions, NASO will give local composers the opportunity to compose for the Symphony and student musicians the opportunity to appear as soloists. We can program music to supplement the curriculum in the New Albany schools and consider requests from the community. We will feature guest artists with ties to Columbus.

Valuable experiences for young musicians: Sitting next to seasoned players in a formal orchestra setting is a prestigious and invaluable learning experience.

Semi-professional level of performance: A community orchestra provides adults who enjoy music as a hobby the opportunity to perform.