SUMMER IMMERSION CAMP

Teresa Steffen Greenlee is the concertmaster of the Steamboat Symphony Orchestra and performs regularly as first violinist of the Steamboat String Quartet. She received her Bachelor of Music degree in violin performance from the University of Wisconsin School of Music and earned her Juris Doctor degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School. While living in Madison, Wisconsin, she played in both the Madison Symphony Orchestra and the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra. Residing in Steamboat Springs for the past 20 years, Teresa has been on the front lines in the growth and development of the Steamboat Symphony and its education programs as the director of the Youth Immersion Program and the Steamboat Springs High School Orchestra. She maintains a private music studio of over 35 violin and viola students and is committed to helping to create an exceptional learning environment for local classical musicians.

April Kondrat is currently the Director of Orchestras at Plano Senior High School in Plano, TX and Principal Violist with the Plano Symphony Orchestra. She was a regular substitute violist with the Dallas Symphony and Dallas Opera until pursuing a full-time career as a music educator. An advocate for the viola, Mrs. Kondrat was the founder of ViolaWorkshop which ran from 2012-2015 and had a thriving studio of violists from around the metroplex before becoming a full-time orchestra director. She continues to offer private lessons, sectionals and clinics on the viola and is always striving to help music educators understand the mystery behind this fine instrument. Her clinic, “Raising Violas”, was presented at the TMEA Clinic and Convention in San Antonio in partnership with Mary Havenstrite and again at the Art of Teaching Orchestra at SMU. She also regularly performs chamber music and has performed new works for the violan with student orchestras in the area. Mrs. Kondrat now teaches String Pedagogy at SMU as a guest lecturer. She is an avid runner and resides in Plano with her husband and three musical children.

Jason is an active freelance musician in the Denver area, performing across the Front Range in a wide range of settings, from orchestras and musical theater pits to chamber ensembles, educational programs, and even genres spanning Mariachi to metal. He serves as Principal with the Symphony of the Rockies and Boulder Symphony, and has been featured frequently as a soloist. Jason also performs regularly with the Steamboat Springs Orchestra, Denver Philharmonic, Boulder Opera, and the Wild Beautiful Orchestra.

A dynamic and dedicated educator, Jason works with students across Colorado in classrooms, sectionals, and private lessons. Known for his patient and individualized approach, he meets students where they are and helps them build clear paths toward progress. He directs several independent band programs for Denver elementary schools and provides instruction in clarinet, saxophone, and trumpet.

Jason lives in Denver, Colorado, with his fiancée, too many instruments, even more plants, and a perfect set of cats.

Desiree Suarez Ward, originally from Venezuela, began playing violin in Boulder Public Schools at age 10. She earned a Bachelor of Music from the University of Northern Colorado and continued graduate studies at the University of Minnesota, later becoming a fellow of the New World Symphony.

An accomplished soloist and orchestral musician, Desiree has performed throughout the U.S., Europe, Asia, and South America, and has worked with renowned conductors including Michael Tilson Thomas and Ernest Richardson. She has performed with ensembles including the Boulder Philharmonic, Fort Collins Symphony, Colorado Opera, and Steamboat Springs Orchestra.

Desiree is also a dedicated educator and currently teaches orchestra at Addenbrooke Classical Academy. She lives in Lakewood, Colorado, where she enjoys family, church, and gardening.