Academy DMSO at Home Family Concert: Art + Music

Amanda Drish Manager of Beginning Strings & Community Connections

Amanda Drish is an educator, violinist, and dedicated leader in the cultivation of the beginning strings community in Des Moines, Iowa. Having performed as soloist in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Vienna, and Prague during her time at Coe College, she received her Bachelor of Music in violin performance with secondary instruments in piano and voice. Her mission to explore alternative teaching techniques in classical environments reflects her multifaceted background in jazz and contemporary performance styles. Originally from Washington, IA, Amanda began her education as a violinist from the age of four at the Preucil School of Music in Iowa City, and began piano at age five.

Determined to inspire a wider audience and reach among string players, Ms. Drish’s passion for music education is showcased as she encourages accessibility for students of all backgrounds within her local community. Ms. Drish has applied her registration with the Suzuki Association of the Americas for Suzuki Book 1, and her Teach English as a Foreign Language certification from Oxford Seminars, as the primary teacher for Project Encore. Project Encore is a scholarship program, teaching violin to 40 children with the Boys and Girls Club of Central Iowa. As the manager of Beginning Strings and Community Connections, and Director of Project Encore, she has worked with over 300 students, presenting opportunities that would otherwise not be accessible to these young musicians.

Her interdisciplinary work in continuing Iowa youth string initiatives highlights the value of collaboration to expand and grow a sustainable musical community within central Iowa.

Robert Espe Violin

Robert grew up in Independence, IA and began his violin studies at the age of three with the UNI Suzuki School in Cedar Falls, IA.  He was briefly concertmaster of the UNI Symphony Orchestra during his undergraduate studies, before earning a B.S. in Bioinformatics, Minor in Music in 2011.

In addition to his work as a violinist, he is also a professional freelance saxophonist, regularly appearing with Turner Center Jazz Ensemble and the Des Moines Big Band, and is an on-call sideman for local and visiting artists at Des Moines’ jazz cabaret, Noce.  He is also a semi-regular horn section member of the Colorado-based, modern funk, roots, and vintage soul band Euforquestra.  He has also performed with numerous musical icons including pop superstar Katy Perry and Motown legends The Temptations.  As a mandolinist, he is a founding member of Choro Moingona, Des Moines’ premier choro ensemble.

Lucy Duke Violin

Lucy Duke is an avid musician, teacher, and composer enjoying life in the East Village of Des Moines. Lucy performs regularly across Iowa, Nebraska and Illinois as a violinist in the Omaha Symphony, the Des Moines Symphony, the Quad Cities Symphony and Orchestra Iowa.

Lucy earned both Masters and Bachelors degrees in Violin Performance at Northwestern University, studying with violinist Gerardo Ribeiro. Previously, she studied at Southern Methodist University with pedagogue Jan Sloman. Amongst other honors, she was awarded the Anna Schaeffler Lockwood Award for Excellence in String Music, membership in Pi Kappa Lambda—premiere National Music Honor Society, Undergraduate Award for Outstanding Academic Achievement (Northwestern), as well as the Presidential Scholarship (SMU).

When Lucy isn’t playing or teaching, you can find her taking long strolls along the river with her dog, Chunk, or searching out the best pizza Des Moines has to offer!

Jamila Johnson Artist

Jamila Johnson is an educator and artist from eastern Iowa and now works for the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Ames as their Religious  Educator. She graduated from Iowa State University with a Bachelor’s in Fine Arts with a specialization in Integrated Studio Arts. Her work presents the everyday lives of Black Americans, particularly children, but with a dose of magic. She works primarily with watercolor and pen illustration and relief printmaking. By juxtaposing sublime landscapes and mystical elements with the mundane reality of everyday life, Jamila’s art takes on a sense of familiarity among the surreal. Her work evokes longing for an imaginary place and farsickness for the chimerical.