Meet the Judges

Chairman of the Competition and Piano

Known for his performances on three continents, JAMES WELCH maintains an active career as a piano soloist, chamber musician, conductor and instructor of piano at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Fredonia School of Music.  He was a prize winner in many piano competitions including the John Pierce Langs and the Bradshaw and Buono International. He has performed solo and lecturer recitals for the SUNY at Buffalo; the SUNY at Fredonia; Morgan State University; East Carolina University; Jamestown Community College; all throughout the Portland, OR area; Lucca, Italy; and festivals throughout southern France. His chamber music performances have been heard on the stages of the Rocky Ridge Music Center in Estes Park with the Southwest String Quartet and a premiere performance with saxophonist Grant Larson of Philip Wharton’s Prohibition; the Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Music Society in Ontario with the Antero Winds; the Sydney Music Conservatorium in Sydney, Australia with soprano, Lianna Valente on the premiere performance of Dr. Timothy Brown’s Dreams Kept, Dreams Deferred; the many stages of the SUNY at Fredonia with various artists and repertoire including John Corigliano’s Mr. Tambourine Man and Lukas Foss’s Time Cycle; The Bop Stop in Cleveland, OH with The META Trio; stages along Italy’s Adriatic Coast with the Postacchini String Quartet; and his Carnegie Hall Debut in New York with violinist, Kaden Culp. His performances have been praised for his creative artistry by composers Lee Hoiby, John Corigliano, Eric Ewazen, Ian Clarke and Jason Robert Brown; to name a few. He has worked under the batons of Glen Cortese, Joann Falletta, William Weinert, Hugh Floyd, Joel Revzen, and Hans Schellevis. Additionally, he has played in workshops for William Eddins, Thomas Sauer, Renee Fleming, Giuseppe Sabatini, Victoria Clark, and Karen Akers. You can hear some of James’s performances with Jacob Swanson on their premiere recording titled, Invisible Cities.

James is also an active conductor and director of musical theatre. Recent credits include: Sweet Charity, I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change; Ordinary Days (the Buffalo, NY premiere performance); The Last 5 Years (in performance for the composer, Jason Robert Brown); Spring Awakening; Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson; Godspell (2012 version); Little Shop of Horrors; Little Women; Once Upon a Mattress; Annie Get Your Gun; The Pirates of Penzance; and John & Jen; with theatre companies Sierra Repertory Theatre in Sonora, CA; University of Fredonia in Fredonia, NY; East Carolina University; O’Connell & Company, and New Buffalo Productions. Concert highlights include: A Tribute to Linda Ronstadt with headliner Yesnia McNett; a revue of Jason Robert Brown’s music (with Jason Robert Brown), and a Broadway revue concert featuring singer/actor Keith Buterbaugh on the Chautauqua Institute’s Amphitheater concert series. Other musical and operatic credits include: The Pirates of Penzance, Pippin, Kiss Me Kate, The Sound of Music, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Urinetown, Chicago, Anything Goes, Don Giovanni, Suor Angelica, Così fan tutte, La Cenerentola, The Abduction of Figaro and Carmen.

In recent years, James has arranged many workshops and benefit concerts to help support education, performance, and fundraisers. Highlights include: Workshops for singers and actors with Judy Kuhn (Disney’s Pocahontas); Tony Award winning musical director, Brian Usifer; an alumni piano recital to support endowments for the SUNY at Fredonia School of Music; and a church benefit concert which raised over $5,000 to build a self-sustaining medical clinic in LeCayes, Hatti.

James also has over 20 years of experience as a singer, conductor, educator, and administrator.  Currently he is the pianist for the Western New York Chamber Orchestra; and a collaborative pianist for the Rocky Ridge Music Center in Estes Park, CO. In previous years, he worked for the New York State Summer School of the Arts (NYSSSA) Choral Program; the Interlochen Summer Arts Camp; the Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus; Director of many church music programs including choral, handbell, contemporary, orchestral, and instrumental chamber ensembles; and served as the board President for the Akron Community Band of Akron, NY.James received his MM in Piano Performance from East Carolina University, and his BM in Piano Performance and Performer’s Certificate from the SUNY at Fredonia; with additional studies in piano from Music at Ambialet (now Music at Chateau D’AIX) in France; and operatic coaching and conducting at the Accademia Europea Dell’ Opera (AEDO) program in Lucca, Italy. His primary piano instructors have included, Robert Jordan, Dr. Paul Tardif, Paul Roberts, Brian Preston, and Mark Westcott. Additionally, James has studied conducting with Dr. Daniel Bara and Simone Luti; voice from Beverly Panten; and stringed instruments from Holly Meides.

“Music is an artistic cornerstone that brings together math, history and art/imagery. It can be appreciated by many, but never be perfected. While performing, a musician must be able to simultaneously count beats, subdivide beats into duplets, triplets, quarters, quintuplets and beyond all within a steady pulse. Music highlights many cultures, many of our world’s biggest historical events, and continues to inspire stories, movies, dance, and social gatherings. Every student begins their musical training at different skill levels and varying abilities, and within any standard or curriculum there will always be varying results from one musician to the next. Some key ingredients to strong musical training include supportive instructors, supportive family, a disciplined practice routine, and much exposure to other musical artists. This combination will aid to produce endless musical possibilities. I am thrilled to be working with the Progressive Musicians team where I continue with the privilege of educating, encouraging, and rewarding musicians of all ages. ~ James Welch

VIOLIN & Viola

ASHLEY DYER is a violinist who enjoys a multifaceted career as a performing artist and educator.  She may frequently be seen with the Toledo, Columbus (OH), Jackson (MI), Flint, Michigan Opera Theatre, and Lansing Symphonies, where she has often served as Principal 2nd Violin.  Since 2013, Ashley has served as Concertmaster of the pit orchestra for productions with the world-renowned University of Michigan Department of Musical Theatre.

Ashley has recently performed with such varied artists as Itzhak Perlman, Andrea Bocelli, Renée Fleming, Audra McDonald, Rachel Barton Pine, Rod Stewart, and Belle and Sebastian. Formerly the Concertmaster of the Dearborn Symphony (MI), Ashley has also performed with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, the National Repertory Orchestra (CO), the Lake Tahoe Music Festival Orchestra (CA), and as soloist with the Raleigh Symphony Orchestra (NC) and the Detroit Camerata.  A native of Virginia Beach, VA, she has served as Assistant Concertmaster and Principal Second Violin of Symphonicity- the Symphony Orchestra of Virginia Beach.    Ashley performed with the Lake Tahoe Music Festival for five summers, serving as soloist and Concertmaster of the Academy Orchestra in 2015.  Since 2013, she has performed as Assistant Concertmaster of the Hollywood Concert Orchestra (HCO), with whom she has toured the US, China, and Japan. Notable HCO tour performances include Beijing's National Centre of Performing Arts and Sapporo's Suntory Hall.  

A dedicated and enthusiastic teacher, Ashley currently maintains a private violin studio in Columbus, OH, where she teaches with Suzuki Music Columbus.  Ashley is a registered teacher with the Suzuki Association of the Americas and completed long-term training for Violin Books 1-10 with Joanne Bath in Greenville, NC.  In recent years, she has participated in teaching workshops with Almita Vamos and Simon Fischer.  Ashley has served as a violin sectional leader, chamber music coach, and music theory teacher for Ann Arbor Huron and Pioneer High School's camps at Interlochen Arts Academy.  She has worked extensively with the Ann Arbor Schools orchestras and has served as a chamber music coach for the Hampton Roads Chamber Players in Norfolk, VA. 

In 2017- 2019, Ashley was a Next Generation Alumni Artist for the Four Seasons Chamber Music Festival's Summer Chamber Music Institute (SCMI) at East Carolina University, where she coached young chamber ensembles and performed alongside world-class chamber musicians. In the summer of 2020, Ashley will serve on faculty of the Suzuki Music Columbus Summer Institute.

Ashley completed a Masters in Violin Performance from the University of Michigan, studying with Yehonatan Berick.  As a member of the University Symphony Orchestra, she performed at New York's Carnegie Hall.  Ashley received a Bachelors in Violin Performance from East Carolina University under the tutelage of Ara Gregorian, where she served as Concertmaster of the East Carolina University Symphony.  In addition, Ashley has studied at the University of North Carolina School for the Arts, Killington Music Festival in Vermont, and le Domaine Forget in Quebec, CA.  

Ashley currently resides in Columbus, OH with her husband, clarinetist Mark Kleine. 

Cello

A native of Leningrad, Russia, ROMAN MEKINULOV began cello studies at the age of five at the Leningrad Music School. At age 12 and 14, he was a winner of the Young Artists Competition of Leningrad. In 1985, he was presented in the Winner’s Showcase Series at the Great Philharmonic Hall in Leningrad. At age 16, Mr. Mekinulov entered the Rimsky-Korsakov College where he studied with Georgy Ginovker. As a chamber musician, he has performed with various ensembles, and, in 1988, was awarded First Prize in the Leningrad Chamber Music Competition.

In 1989, he immigrated to the United States and continued his studies at the Juilliard School in New York, where he has successfully accomplished Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees under scholarship in the class of Professor Harvey Shapiro.

As an active recitalist, chamber musician and concerto soloist, Roman Mekinulov has performed extensively throughout the United States, Italy, Austria, Hungary, Germany, France, Greece, Denmark, Switzerland, as well as his native Russia. He has also participated in various master classes in Europe, with such artists as Mario Brunello, Alain Meunier, Tsuoshi Tsutsumi, Aner Bilsma and Iwan Monighetti.

In 1991, Roman Mekinulov formed with Greek pianist Charis Dimaras, a professional ensemble, The Emerald Duo, which has performed to great acclaim on both sides of the Atlantic and has won the Palma d’Oro International Music Competition in Italy.

Mr. Mekinulov has appeared as a principal cellist of the Juilliard Symphony and Orchestra under Kurt Masur, Hugh Wolf and Leonard Slatkin, the North Carolina Symphony in their European Tour, as well as the Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orchestra in Germany with such conductors as Rostropovich, Menuchin and Eschenbach.

In April of 1993, as a result of winning the 1992 Young Artists International Auditions Cello Award, Roman Mekinulov presented his New York Recital - Debut in Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall. On this occasion critic Edith Eisler of the “Strings”- Magazine wrote: “Twenty-year-old cellist Roman Mekinulov from Russia is very serious, very talented and very good. He handles instrument and bow with ease, has a beautiful tone and communicates genuine musicality.”

Mr. Mekinulov has been repeatedly invited to substitute in the New York Philharmonic under their music director, Kurt Masur, and other guest conductors, in concert, as well as recordings for Teldec. In the fall of 95 he made his solo-debut with orchestra in the USA, performing R. Schumann’s Cello Concerto with Greater Newburgh Symphony.  In July of 1996 he performed a recital at the famous Concertgebouw Hall in Amsterdam.

In 1998 Mr. Mekinulov was appointed principal cellist of the Orquestra Sinfonica do Estado de Sao Paulo in Brazil where he performed under leading conductors and with leading soloists of the World. He was featured as a soloist with all of the leading orchestras allover Brazil as well as Argentina and Peru. In September of 2001 Mr. Mekinulov was nominated for the prestigious Carlos Gomes Prize in the “Best Instrumentalist of the Year” category.

In 2001 Mr. Mekinulov was appointed principal cellist of Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, where in the past 14 years he has been featured numerous times as soloist with that orchestra, and appeared in over 150 concerts of chamber music around Western New York as well as with Jupiter Chamber Players in New York City, on tour with St. Petersburg Quartet and with chamber players in Naples, FL and Virginia Arts Festival. Roman Mekinulov maintains very busy teaching studio and has had a great success in that area, where his students in the past 5 years were accepted into the major conservatories such as Curtis, NEC, CIM, Peabody, Manhattan and Eastman School of Music. Mr Mekinulov is a founding member and the Artistic Director of the Bravo International Chamber Music Workshop, a comprehensive chamber music workshop for high school and college students which takes place every year during months of July and February. (More on the web at www.bravoworkshop.com). In 2015 Concierto en Tango by Miguel del Aguila written for Mr. Mekinulov, performed and recorded with Buffalo Philharmonic, was nominated for Latin Grammy. Recent solo engagements included concerto appearances with Virginia Symphony, Albany Symphony, Erie Chamber Orchestra as well as US premiere of Krzystof Penderecki Concerto doppio with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra.

Roman Mekinulov resides in Amherst with his wife Sebnem, a lyric soprano, and their two kids Talia and Benjamin.