Musicians
Hunter O'Brien, Flute
Hunter O’Brien, a freelance flutist hailing from Shepherd, Michigan, engages audiences with solo recitals and chamber music concerts which foster deep emotional connections. His passionate and artistic outlook on music has garnered him considerable success in performance and competition settings, including top prizes in the International Friedrich Kuhlau, James Pappoutsakis, Yamaha Young Performing Artists, New York Flute Club, and Ervin Monroe competitions. Musically, he interacts with an array of Houston communities as a DACAMERA Young Artist while maintaining a bustling studio of private flute students. Hunter began his flute studies with Dr. Joanna Cowan White of Central Michigan University. He holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the New England Conservatory of Music as a Presidential Scholarship student of Paula Robison and a Master of Music degree from Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music as a student of Leone Buyse. Visit his site hunterflute.com to learn more.
Ian Daugherty, Oboe
Ian Daugherty is an oboist originally from north suburban Chicago. He received extensive chamber and orchestral experience as a member of Midwest Young Artists Conservatory (MYAC) for eight years. During his time earning a Bachelor of Music at Kent State University under Danna Sundet, Ian won the Kent State Concerto competition and the Dan Rains Concerto Competition, as well as receiving the Gleason/Rea Scholarship through Tuesday Musical Association’s competition. As a freelancer, Ian has performed across the country in venues such as Millennium Park in Chicago and Carnegie Hall in New York City. As an orchestral musician, he has also been an auxiliary oboe for the Bellingham Festival of Music, while, from separate orchestras, finding himself under the baton of world-class conductors such as Gustavo Dudamel, Jerry Junkin, Alistair Willis, and Christian Knapp. Ian has also had the opportunity of receiving valuable guidance in master-classes and lessons from Dale Clevenger, Mathieu Dufour, Larry Combs, and Eugene Izotov. Ian is currently pursuing a Master of Music at Rice University’s Shepherd School of music under Robert Atherholt.
Keeheon Nam, Clarinet
Korean-American clarinetist Keeheon Nam cooks up his musical appetite as an innovative performer and teacher. His performances have taken him from dive bars in Minnesota to improvising in Carnegie Hall. While not performing on stage, he is a passionate teacher and was previously a chamber music coach at Vanderbilt’s Blair Academy and a Juilliard Morse Teaching Fellow. Keeheon previously attended the Shepherd School of Music, The Juilliard School and the Blair School of Music, where he was a Cornelius Vanderbilt Scholar, and his principal teachers include Richie Hawley, Jon Manasse, and Bil Jackson. Keeheon is an avidhome cook, and is, unexpectedly, a ServSafe certified food safety manager. Visit his site keeheon.com to learn more.
Corbin Krebs, Bassoon
Corbin Krebs is an American bassoonist from Las Vegas, Nevada. He graduated from the Interlochen Arts Academy in 2016, where he studied with Dr. Eric Stomberg. In 2015 and 2016, he served as principal bassoonist of the National Youth Orchestra USA, where he played under the batons of Charles Dutoit, Christoph Eschenbach, and Valery Gergiev, and toured Europe and China. In 2017 and 2018, Corbin attended the Aspen Music Festival, where he studied with Nancy Goeres. In 2019, he won the bronze medal at the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition with the Cleveland-based wind quintet, Catharsis Winds. Corbin graduated from the Cleveland Institute of Music in 2020, where he studied with Barrick Stees. Currently, Corbin is pursuing a master’s degree at Rice University under the tutelage of Benjamin Kamins.
Liana Hoffman, French Horn
An active performer and lifelong student, Hornist Liana Hoffman is dedicated to furthering herself and her community through music. Her passion for orchestral and chamber music has created many opportunities to connect with audiences around the country. She is currently the Fourth Horn of the Austin Symphony Orchestra, a position she earned in 2021 while still in pursuit of her Master’s Degree at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music, where she studied with William VerMeulen. She received her Bachelor’s Degree from the Manhattan School of Music, under the guidance of Michelle Baker, where she recently performed as a soloist with the MSM Symphony Orchestra after being named the winner of the Eisenberg-Fried Concerto Competition her senior year. Hoffman has performed as a substitute musician with the Houston Symphony Orchestra, the North Carolina Symphony Orchestra, the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra, and the London Symphony Orchestra. She has been a fellow at the Aspen Music Festival, the Music Academy of the West, the Sarasota Music Festival, and was principal horn of the New York String Orchestra Seminar where she performed to sold out audiences at Carnegie Hall. Hoffman’s passion for chamber music began during her time as a chamber music fellow with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s in New York City, where she brought accessible chamber concerts to audiences throughout Manhattan. She continues to prioritize community involvement through presenting solo outreach concerts to schools, retirement homes, and local communities and by hosting an online teaching studio through Virtu.Academy where she offers private lessons to students of all ages and abilities.