DACAMERA YOUNG ARTIST PROGRAM
DACAMERA Young Artist program is a fellowship program for emerging professional instrumentalists, vocalists, and composers. The goal of the program is to encourage musicians to develop the skills necessary to become passionate, forward-thinking and community-focused “citizen artists;” that is, artists who reimagine the traditional notions of their music-making and embrace the role of contributing to society through the transformative power of their art and proactive social engagement. DACAMERA Young Artists participate in an exciting variety of performances, workshops and school visits. Young Artists perform at the Wortham Center; The Menil Collection; the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; and area hospitals and libraries. They are also the principal teaching artists for DACAMERA’s innovative Music Encounters program.
The 2021/2022 Young Artists are: Nils Aardahl, bass; Bree Ahern, cello; Jalen Baker, vibraphone; Nicholas Bissen, saxophone; Chelsea de Souza, piano; Douglas DeVries, flute; Alexander Garde, percussion; Mary Grace Johnson, violin; Daniel Leibovic, composer; Pablo Martínez Martínez, piano; Gavin Moolchan, drums; Shannon Murray, soprano; Keeheon Nam, clarinet; Clara Saitkoulov, violin; Kelsey Sham, harp; Alexandra Smither, soprano; Nicky Sohn, composer; Sebastian Stefanovic, viola; Lucie Ticho, cello; Teresa Wang, violin; Molly Wise, viola
Click on the photo to learn more about each DACAMERA Young Artist. Look for upcoming performances by the Young Artists on our Free Events page.
Current DACAMERA Young Artists can click here to access the Young Artist Resources Page.
Nils Aardahl
Bass
Bio
Nils Aardahl was born in Bismarck, North Dakota and began playing the double bass at age 10 in elementary school orchestra class. He began his studies with Paul Ellison at Rice University in 2015. Nils graduated from Rice with a Bachelor’s Degree in Double Bass Performance in 2019, and is currently pursuing his Master’s at the same institution. Nils enjoys a versatile and diverse career engaging audiences with music ranging from the baroque to contemporary works. He currently maintains an active playing schedule, performing with ensembles such as the San Antonio Symphony, as well as rock, country and jazz groups throughout Texas. Nils has also attended summer music festivals including Wabass Institute for the 21st Century Bass Player and Domaine Forget.
Bree Ahern
Cello
Bio
Nils Aardahl
Bass
Bio
Nils Aardahl was born in Bismarck, North Dakota and began playing the double bass at age 10 in elementary school orchestra class. He began his studies with Paul Ellison at Rice University in 2015. Nils graduated from Rice with a Bachelor’s Degree in Double Bass Performance in 2019, and is currently pursuing his Master’s at the same institution. Nils enjoys a versatile and diverse career engaging audiences with music ranging from the baroque to contemporary works. He currently maintains an active playing schedule, performing with ensembles such as the San Antonio Symphony, as well as rock, country and jazz groups throughout Texas. Nils has also attended summer music festivals including Wabass Institute for the 21st Century Bass Player and Domaine Forget.
Bree Ahern
Cello
