Concert Series
Free Concert - Joel & Madison Powell & Friends
Sunday, January 15, 3:00 PM
Double Play Violins
Professional husband and wife violin duo Joel and Madison Powell have performed extensively within central and northern Indiana, Illinois, and Michigan. Benefit from their rich, full, string sound, years of experience in serving brides, and their large library of musical selections for weddings and other venues.
Joel A. Powell is an Indiana violinist and violist and is an orchestra director at Avon Community Schools, one of the top music programs in the country. From 2009-2011, Mr. Powell also served as the Goshen Middle School orchestra director and assistant orchestra director at Goshen High School (Goshen, IN). Mr. Powell is a highly sought after as a clinician, and his orchestras consistently receive top ratings at contests and festivals. Mr. Powell began his studies with Dr. Caroline Wendt and studied with her for nearly ten years. While at Ball State University, Mr. Powell also studied with Muncie Symphony Orchestra concertmaster and recording artist Mary Kothman and was a scholarship pupil of renowned violin virtuoso Sherry Kloss, past teaching associate of Jascha Heifetz.
Mr. Powell's list of previous professional performance engagements include such distinctions as scholarship pupil at the Jascha Heifetz Institute for the Development of Personal Style and master classes with Sydney Harth, Felicia Moye, David Holland, Roger Meyers, and Stephen Clapp. Mr. Powell has also regularly performed with the Muncie Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Bohuslav Rattay, the Elkhart County Symphony Orchestra as associate principal violist and first violin, and has appeared with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. He has also served as principal violist of the East Central Indiana Chamber Orchestra and associate concertmaster of the Ball State Symphony Orchestra.
With extensive experience in both the private and group settings, Mr. Powell has served as president and vice-president of the Ball State University chapter of the American String Teachers Association. He also maintains a large private studio that presents two major recitals each year; two of his pupils went on to win major state competitions in 2007. In 2007, Mr. Powell received the prestigious honor of being named the Ball State University Arthur D. Hill Outstanding Music Educator scholar for 2007-2008 and also received Ball State University's distinguished Loudenback Outstanding Future Educator scholarship.
Mr. Powell also has lengthy experience as a composer and arranger. In 2006, he composed the score for Darkness, an undergraduate student film by Jeff Laub that won an award for best musical score. Mr. Powell was also selected in 2008 from many composers to compose the score for the feature-length film Grove Lake, one of Ball State University's prestigious and annual high-definition films. He has also composed many short pieces and has published arrangements for violin, viola, and piano.
Additionally, Mr. Powell studied voice and piano with Deborah Wittstein and has extensively studied viola with Dr. Caroline Wendt. From 2007-2009, he studied viola with Professor Philip Tietze of Ball State University and has performed viola with the Ball State University Undergraduate Piano Trio. Mr. Powell has also served as first violinist in the Ball State University Undergraduate String Quartet. Outside of his music studies, Mr. Powell enjoys the Spanish language, acting, science fiction television shows, traveling, and spending time with his wife and cats.
Madison Gren Powell began her violin studies at age eight and her flute studies at age ten. As a scholarship pupil of virtuoso Anna Vayman, Mrs. Powell received a B.M. as a prestigious Fine Arts Scholar from Ball State University in 2009. As a distinguished soloist and orchestral musician, Mrs. Powell also received her Carnegie Hall debut in New York City on the violin at age fifteen. With two degrees in performance, one in violin and the other in flute, Mrs. Powell often performs solo and chamber works and has frequently premiered modern works by innovative and new composers.
Mrs. Powell's performance distinctions are lengthy and include her tenure as Associate Concertmaster of the Ball State Symphony Orchestra (2006-2007 season), Concertmaster of the East Central Indiana Chamber Orchestra, member of the first violin section of the Elkhart County Symphony Orchestra, and appearances with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra Throughout her high school training, Mrs. Powell was both Concertmaster of the nationally renowned Carmel High School Orchestra and Principal Flutist of the equally exclusive and renowned Carmel High School Symphony Band. Both ensembles won numerous national championships during her tenure.
Mrs. Powell's rich musical background and extensive musical training were enhanced by her studies with pupils of the famed virtuoso and pedagogue Joseph Gingold. She is also a proud alumnus of the Indiana University String Academy at the world-renowned Jacobs School of Music in Bloomington, Indiana. Mrs. Powell was also a featured artist at the Midwest Summer Games at the RCA Dome when she performed the National Anthem for a full-capacity audience in Indianapolis, IN.
Mrs. Powell places a great deal of importance on music education. Recently, she served as Interim Orchestra Director (2010-2011) at Goshen Community Schools, one of the top orchestra programs in the state of Indiana. She has also served on the violin faculty at Goshen College, teaching students in the renowned string academy. She is a highly respected and active private teacher. Her students have taken prizes at statewide music competitions. All her students are provided with regular performance opportunities such as performing solo works in our studio recitals. Mrs. Powell is a featured clinician in the Indiana area and works with many middle and high school music programs and maintains a large private studio. She served as the treasurer of the Ball State University Chapter of the American String Teachers Association (2007-2008) and maintains a large private studio. Outside of her musical endeavors, Mrs. Powell enjoys spending time with her family, spoiling her cats, and is expecting a baby in February.
