Melissa Meléndez, Venezuelan-American violist, teacher, clinician and string specialist;  is currently the Adjunct Viola Professor at the Austin Community College, Faculty at the Austin Chamber Music Center and Viola Instructor for Round Rock ISD. Dr. Meléndez holds the Principal Viola position with the Victoria Symphony Orchestra (TX), and she is member of the Central Texas Symphony viola section. As a soloist, she has performed with the Austin Civic Orchestra, Corpus Christi, Victoria, Kingsville Symphonies and Sinfónica de Carabobo. Passionate about contemporary music, she  premiered the Castellanos-Yumar Viola Concerto, Miguel del Aguila’s Concierto en Tango (piano and viola version), and Alexandre Ouzounof’s Nuages de Feu for Viola and Bassoon.

Scott Pool currently serves as the Academy Director of the Talis Music Festival & Academy in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and is an Associate Professor of Music at Texas A&M University Corpus Christi where he teaches Applied Bassoon, alongside music appreciation courses where he is the author of Understanding & Enjoying Music. Scott is a frequent recitalist across the United States and abroad with appearances at numerous festivals in addition to solo engagements.  His passion for teaching and passing the knowledge of the bassoon to younger generations is manifest in the accomplishments of his private studio.  Recognized as a Moosmann Artist by master bassoon maker, Bernd Moosmann, Scott's performances have taken him throughout North and South America, Europe and Asia, programming both the standard repertoire and new compositions for the bassoon.