GUEST ARTIST

Violinist Ava Kenney made her solo orchestral debut at the age of 13 with the Madison Symphony Orchestra, and has since performed with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, La Crosse Symphony, Concord Chamber Orchestra, Middleton Community Orchestra and Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras. A passionate orchestral and chamber musician, Ava performed for eight seasons with the Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras under the direction of Kyle Knox, where she also enjoyed performing chamber music in the WYSO Honors String Quartet. As a member of the Pondrom Quartet, she won the silver medal and BIPOC performance prize in the 2023 Saint Paul String Quartet Competition Junior Division, along with receiving honorable mention in the 2023 Chicago National Chamber Music Competition. Ava has also been featured on NPR's From the Top, WPR's Midday Show, and WMVO - Voice of Monona's Sunday Afternoon Live with Buzz Kemper. Ava is currently a member of the Nox Quartet, who performs as part of the NEC Community Performance & Partnership Fellowship and were silver medalists in the 2024 Saint Paul String Quartet Competition Senior Division. Ava also enjoys performing with the NEC Symphony, Contemporary Musical Arts Interdisciplinary Ensemble, and the Atlantic Symphony Orchestra.

Ava has spent her summers at Kneisel Hall Chamber Music Festival, Morningside Music Bridge, Center Stage Strings, Colburn’s Sounding Point Academy, Bowdoin International Music Festival, Northwestern Summer Violin Institute, and Heifetz International Music Institute. She has performed in masterclasses for Shanshan Yao, Ronald Copes, William van der Sloot, James Ehnes, Robin Scott, Annie Fullard, Robert McDuffie, Amy Schwartz Moretti, Danielle Belen, Madeleine Mitchell, Robert Lipsett, Ilya Kaler, Blair Milton, Violaine Melancon, Sharan Leventhal and Simon James. She was a winner of the Walter A. and Dorothy J. Oestreich Concerto Competition (2023), Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra Young Artist Concerto Competition (2022), WYSO Youth Competition (2022), Milwaukee Symphony Audrey G. Baird Stars of Tomorrow Competition (2020), Middleton Community Orchestra Young Artist Competition (2019), Madison Symphony Orchestra Fall Youth Concerto Competition (2018), WYSO Philharmonia Concerto Competition (2018), second prize winner of the Richard Record Rising Stars Concerto Competition (2023) and finalist of the Center Stage Strings Solo Competition (2021).

Ava began her musical studies through Suzuki Strings of Madison with Heidi Kenney and University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music faculty Eugene Purdue. She is currently pursuing an undergraduate degree in violin performance with Donald Weilerstein at the New England Conservatory.