Founder & Faculty
Founder & Director
Lori Fay, Founder & Director of A String Fort Smith, brings years of symphony orchestra, chamber music, solo performing, and recording experience to the Fort Smith area where she resides. Ms. Fay received a Master of Music in Violin Performance from the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University (Houston, TX), as well as a Master of Music in Teaching from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music (Oberlin, OH). At eight years of age, Lori started her study of the violin and piano in her hometown of Greenwich, Connecticut; since then, she has devoted her professional life to music and to the violin in particular. Since settling in Fort Smith over 15 years ago, and establishing a career as Associate Concertmaster of the Fort Smith Symphony, Co-Founder and Co-Director of DuoBrava (www.duobrava.com), private violin, viola, and piano instructor, and more, her passion remains working with young string players interested in improving their skills and deepening their love of music.
Before establishing residence in the Fort Smith area, Ms. Fay performed and toured with many major US Orchestras, including: the Houston Ballet Orchestra as Principal Second Violin Chair for 25 years; Houston Grand Opera; Gilbert and Sullivan Society of Houston; Ebony Opera Guild; American Pops Orchestra; Texas Chamber Orchestra; Victoria Bach Festival Orchestra; Houston Symphony; Theatre Under the Stars; Texas Opera Theatre Orchestra; Corpus Christi Symphony; and the American Institute of Musical Studies Orchestra in Graz, Austria. In addition to her extensive orchestral experience, she has made many operatic recordings.
Lori Fay
photos by Laken Emerson
Faculty
Born in Seoul, Korea, Brian G. Kim’s family emigrated to Japan in 1965, and from there, immigrated to the United States in 1968. Mr. Kim attended the Los Angeles County public schools. After graduating from high school, Mr. Kim attended Claremont Men’s College (now Claremont McKenna College), in Claremont, California, and transferred to Tulane University, in New Orleans, Louisiana, where he received his Bachelor of Arts degree. Mr. Kim received his Juris Doctorate degree from Boston College Law School.
Mr. Kim plays the violin and until his recent move to Fort Smith, Arkansas, served as the concertmaster of the Montgomery Symphony Orchestra for 15 years, and was also a member of the Montgomery Philharmonic Orchestra and the Trinity Chamber Orchestra. While in Chicago, he performed with the Chicago Bar Association Symphony Orchestra and the Chicago City Wide Symphony Orchestra. Presently, Mr. Kim is a member of, and performs with, the Fort Smith Symphony Orchestra.
Mr. Kim is originally trained as an attorney, also having been a judge of the District Court of Maryland for Montgomery County for a term of 10 years. Brian G. Kim currently serves as president of the Arkansas Colleges of Health Education (ACHE), which offers degrees in Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine through the Arkansas College of Osteopathic Medicine, and Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences.
Brian G. Kim
Assistant Director
Anthony Verge, a Kansas native and graduate of the University of Central Arkansas, started studying viola at the age of 10. With interests like fishing, camping, hiking, and spending time outdoors, he spends just as much time outside as he does studying and playing music. Anthony Verge is the Orchestra Director at Kimmons Junior High as well as a member of the Fort Smith Symphony’s viola section. He has played with numerous local symphony orchestras such as the Symphony of North Arkansas, the Texarkana Symphony, the South Arkansas Symphony, and the Arkansas Philharmonic. Anthony loves to bring a different kind of energy to rehearsals whether he’s directing them, or playing in them. Loud and involved, he sees himself as more of a music “coach” than a music teacher. He enjoys playing viola as well as violin, and loves seeing the enjoyment and growth in young and older students alike.
Anthony Verge
Sean Lewis was raised in Olathe, Kansas and began playing cello at the age of 10. At age 13, he made the switch to bass. He went on to study Music Education at Harding University and moved to Fort Smith right after graduating to be the Orchestra Director at Ramsey Middle School. Sean has played in many different ensembles throughout his career. He has served as Principal for the Youth Symphony of Kansas City, the Harding University Orchestra, and has made appearances with the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra; he has also played in the Bald Knob Cantata and has filmed with the Fort Smith Symphony. Sean loves both the indoors and outdoors. He loves everything about sports, hiking, disc golf, biking, and going on adventures with his wife Julie and his dog Ravel. He is a self-proclaimed “cool teacher” and does whatever he can to get kids playing music and have fun doing it.
Cory Winters began his musical studies as a violin student with the public-school orchestra program in his hometown of Fort Smith, Arkansas. He went on to attend the University of Central Arkansas, where he studied violin with Dr. Linda Hsu, viola with Katherine Reynolds, and composition with Dr. Paul Dickinson. After graduating with a Bachelor of Music in 2010, Mr. Winters continued his education at Belmont University. While there, he studied viola with Sarah Cote and composition with Dr. William Pursell and Dr. Mark Volker, earning a Master of Music in 2012. Cory’s musical influences include Irish and American folk music, shape-note singing, blues, country, and a variety of art music. In addition to working with A String Fort Smith, Mr. Winters also teaches violin, viola, mandolin, and composition lessons at the Community School of the Arts Fort Smith. In addition to his musical interests, Cory is an avid reader and enjoys studying history, musicology, and astronomy. He currently resides in Van Buren, AR.
Sean Lewis
Cory Winters
Barbara Godette, violoncello, has amassed an impressive career as a performer, section leader, recording artist, and skilled music teacher of students of all ages. After graduating from the University of Texas at Austin in 1988 with a Bachelor of Music in Applied Cello, Ms. Godette participated in the University of Texas Strong Project, Austin, Texas, as a Private Cello Instructor and Section Leader. Upon relocating to Adrian Michigan, she served as a member of the cello section in the Adrian Symphony.
A subsequent move to the Fort Smith area found Barbara working as an Instructional Aid in the Fort Smith Public Schools, and later, serving as Master Cello Instructor and Section Leader at the University of Arkansas in Fort Smith, Arkansas. Since 2003, Ms. Godette has held the position of Assistant Principal Cellist of the Fort Smith Symphony, where her performing career includes several orchestral concerts per season, frequent chamber ensemble concerts, services in the public schools and other community programs, and a number of acclaimed recording projects on the Naxos label. In 2016, Barbara joined the faculty of the Community School of the Arts, Fort Smith; currently, she serves as a Master Cello Instructor and Chamber Strings Instructor.
Barbara Godette
Josue Saucedo is a Staffing Agent at First Staff. He studied Music Education at the University of Arkansas Fort Smith for three years, where he was president of NAFME (National Association for Music Education) and a member of KKY. Josue’s main instrument is the double bass. He has played as a substitute for the Arkansas Philharmonic Orchestra. Josue enjoys playing in the community. He is currently an electric bass substitute for local churches in the community. Josue aspires to teach music at a high school level. He currently resides in Fort Smith with his fiancé, Karla, and his dog, Ella.
Josue Saucedo
Nathan Boyd is a native of Fort Smith who started playing the Double Bass while a student in the Fort Smith Public Schools. He is a graduate of the University of Central Arkansas, where he earned his BME as well as his Graduate Certificate in Double Bass Performance studying under Dr. Joel Schnackel. While in Conway, he served as Principal Double Bass for the Conway Symphony Orchestra. Nathan is currently a bassist in the Fort Smith Symphony and often performs with different groups in the surrounding area. He is the Orchestra Director at Darby Middle School, where he creates an environment of understanding and fun in the classroom. Nathan enjoys teaching both in the public schools and in his private studio, hoping to share his love of music with his students and the community that he grew up in.
