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Dr. Risa Ando is originally from Tokyo, Japan. She received her Bachelor Degree of Music in violin performance from the Tokyo Gakugei University, where she graduated with highest honors. She earned her Doctorate of Musical Arts in violin performance at UT Austin with summa cum laude. During the time of graduate studies, she participated in numerous master classes, including the Guarneri Quartet, St. Petersburg String Quartet, Miami Quartet, Miro Quartet, and Mikhail Kopelman of the Tokyo Quartet.
Dr. Ando is currently a tenured member of the Austin Opera. She gives lectures in Switzerland, Scotland, Italy, Germany, Austria, U.S.A., Taiwan, and Japan. She also actively performs in recitals and live concerts with rock bands and makes recordings. She works as a violin instructor of Round Rock ISD and her violin studio, Armstrong Community Music School, and continuously works with other musicians around Austin.
Aarti Shankar is a Carnatic violinist training under Lalgudi GJR Krishnan, who is the son and disciple of legendary violinist Padmabhushan Lalgudi G Jayaraman. She has been performing solo and accompaniment concerts across India and North America since 2005 and is the recipient of several awards and fellowships. In the US, Aarti collaborates with artists of various genres (including Western, Hindustani, film) and recently performed in an off-broadway theatre production of Mahabharata by Navatman Inc in New York and dance theater production Rogue Gestures by Nava Dance Company in San Francisco. Aarti has studied Western classical violin during her childhood, which is something she holds dear to her heart. She has conducted workshops on the parallels of Western and Indian classical music, judged competitions to promote aspiring young musicians and she teaches violin to dedicated students across the US. She holds a degree in MSc. Neuroscience from the University of Calgary in Canada with a focus on improving walking in patients with Parkinson disease. Aarti moved to Austin in 2020, has performed with local organizations Sur Darbar, Antarnaada and Natyalaya and is greatly enjoying getting to know musicians and art-lovers in and around the Texas area!
Claire Richardson is an academic advisor in the College of Liberal Arts and the musical director for the Balinese gamelan gong kebyar ensemble Gamelan Lipi Awan at Texas State University.
Ms. Richardson holds a BME degree in Instrumental Education from Arkansas State University and an MM degree in Music History and Literature from Texas State University. Her thesis focuses on Stockhausen’s influence on popular music and includes a case study on the parallels between Stockhausen’s composition Stimmung and Björk’s album Medúlla. She began performing with Gamelan Lipi Awan since 2013, and she took the helm as director of the ensemble in 2020. She has attended workshops for gamelan in both Bali and Texas. Gamelan Lipi Awan’s performances have included the Greater Austin Asian Chamber of Commerce gala, Sights and Sounds festival, San Marcos Public Library, Texas State University Asian Cultural Showcase, 72 Degrees Festival, and TMEA. The ensemble has also been featured in the documentary Power of Pearl.
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