Samantha Balboa, voice | Ruben Balboa III, viola | Michelle Schumann, piano
Program
Evening Song | Charles Gounod (1818–1893)
Zwei Gesänge | Johannes Brahms (1833–1897)
I Could Have Danced All Night | Rodgers/Hammerstein
Tango Violistico | Jonathan Santore (b. 1963)
Something Beautiful | Stephen Flaherty (b. 1960)
Behind the Scenes are FREE performances, dialogue, and masterclasses with artists from the Austin Chamber Music Festival and Workshop. Taking place Monday through Friday 3:15-4:00 PM in Bates Recital Hall, July 10-21.
Monday, July 10 | Faculty Artists: Rehearsal Techniques
Tuesday, July 11 | Festival Quartet with Michelle Schumann
Wednesday, July 12 | Samantha Balboa, Ruben Balboa & Michelle Schumann
Thursday, July 13 | Sara Sant’Ambrogio
Friday, July 14 | TY & Strauss
Monday, July 17 | Cover to Cover
Tuesday, July 18 | Invoke
Wednesday, July 19 | Faculty Artists
Thursday, July 20 | Faculty Artists: Dos & Don’ts of Performance
Friday, July 21 | Graeme Francis
Samantha Balboa
Samantha Balboa is an Austin, Texas based performer and voice teacher. Although billed as a fuller-voiced soprano, Samantha has performance experience singing mezzo-soprano repertoire as well. Samantha has won several awards and competitions in singing, including the UNT Concerto Competition, the David Daniels Concerto Competition, and the Matilda Dodge Wilson Award for vocal excellence. She is an active chamber music performer and often presents recitals of works written for voice, viola, and piano, alongside her husband, Ruben. Recently, the two were selected to present a program of lesser-known works for this instrumentation at the 2021 American Viola Society Festival. Samantha currently serves on the voice faculty at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor.
Ruben Balboa III
Recognized by the American Viola Society as both an Emerging Artist and Teacher, Dr. Ruben Balboa III is quickly becoming a sought-after educator, clinician, and performer. Dr. Balboa has a multifaceted career as a performer and enjoys working with a variety of musical ensembles. He has performed with The Dallas Opera, Austin Camerata, Abilene Philharmonic, Austin Opera, Celtic Thunder, Evanescence, Il Divo, Las Colinas Symphony, Lindsey Sterling, Mid-Texas Symphony, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, and many others. His passion for chamber music has led him to many unique experiences and collaborations with Anton Nel, Austin Chamber Music Festival, Beerthoven Concert Series, Candlelight Concerts, Sandy Yamamoto, and the Miró Quartet. Dr. Balboa is a founding member of the Favola String Quartet, which won the Grand Prize at the 2020 Coltman Chamber Music Competition. One of Dr. Balboa’s biggest joys is presenting recitals of works for viola, voice, and piano with his wife, Dr. Samantha Balboa.
Michelle Schumann
Hailed for her “sensitive, flexible, and tempestuous dexterity” (Fanfare Magazine), pianist Michelle Schumann has built a reputation for evocative and moving performances. Since 2006, Michelle has served as Artistic Director of the Austin Chamber Music Center, where she “is fearlessly expanding our definition of chamber music” (Austin American-Statesman). Her brand of performance includes an enthusiastic interplay with the audience and her trademark includes bringing diverse music together under a blanket of narrative events.
Schumann is artist-in-residence and professor of piano at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor. She received a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Texas at Austin and additionally holds a Performance Diploma from the Vienna Conservatory.