Robert Bates, organ
Robert Bates comes to the Moores School of Music from Stanford University where he served as University Organist. Bates received his Ph.D. in Musicology from Stanford and his MM in Organ Performance from Southern Methodist University. Previously, Bates served as Professor of Organ at Conservatoire de Marlye-le-Roy, France. His recent recordings include Brahms: The Complete Organ Works, The Splendor of Oaxaca Cathedral, Battle in Berkeley, Daguin and the French Noel and The Three Organs of Memorial Church at Stanford University

Katherine Ciscon, accompanying (email)
Received her undergraduate degree in music from Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music as a student of John Perry and Mary Norris. Ms. Ciscon then completed two Master of Music degrees in both Piano Performance and Collaborative Arts as a student of Ruth Tomfohrde and Abbey Simon at the University of Houston’s Moores School of Music. In 1995, Ms. Ciscon was named Principal Pianist of Houston Ballet, a position she held for ten years. During that period, she was featured as soloist for many ballets, including the world premieres of Stanton Welch’s Nosotros (Rachmaninoff Paganini Variations), Ben Stevenson’s Eclipse (Chopin Piano Concerto No. 2) and Dracula (music of Liszt), Trey McIntyre’s Bound (Britten Piano Concerto), Lila York’s All American (Beethoven Piano Concerto no. 5) and Rapture (Prokofiev Piano Concertos Nos. 3 and 5), and Glenn Tetley’s Lux in Tenebris (music of Sofia Gubaidalina).

Currently Ms. Ciscon is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Music for the Moores School Opera Program, as well as continuing as Solo Pianist for the Houston Ballet. In spring 2008, she will be featured as soloist for a Stanton Welch world-premiere ballet set to the Piano Concerto of George Gershwin.

Timothy Hester, piano, collaborative studies
Native Houstonian, Hester graduated from The Juilliard School as a student of the renowned pedagogue Adele Marcus. He was previously a pupil of the late Professor Emeritus of the University of Houston, Albert Hirsh.  Currently, Mr. Hester is Associate Professor of Piano at the Moores School of Music where he also enjoys instructing students in the skills of sight reading, collaborative techniques and also serves as Director of Keyboard Collaborative Arts.  Named Outstanding Faculty Member of the year in 2003 as presented by the Moores Society, Mr. Hester has worked with internationally known vocalists and instrumentalists. He has also taught Opera Studies at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music and is currently on the faculty of the Houston Grand Opera Studio.  Mr. Hester’s has appeared worldwide in venues in Britain, France, Italy, The Netherlands, Mexico, Canada, Japan, Singapore and Taiwan. He has been a regular performing faculty member of the Schlern International Music Festival in Northern Italy. In the United States, he has performed at the NYC Bargemusic Series, the Ojai Festival in California, the Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival, the Park City International Chamber Music Festival in Utah, the Texas Music Festival, and the OK Mozart Festival in Oklahoma as well as performing with Da Camera, a Houston-based chamber music ensemble.

Tali Morgulis

Betty Shaw, coordinator of group and class piano
Teacher, performer, clinician and author with teaching experience including both public school and college positions; has created programs for educational television and holds offices in several professional organizations; studied with Robert Pace at Columbia University, where she received an M.A.

Alicia Shirley, affiliate artist in piano/piano pedagogy
Distinguished pedagogue and collaborative performer; adjudicator and clinician throughout US; faculty positions at the University of Houston Moores School of Music, San Jacinto College North, the Moores School of Music Preparatory and Continuing Studies program, the Texas Music Festival Piano Institute, and the Moores School of Music Intermediate Piano Camp (also serving as director since 1997); performances throughout US including Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara and Bravo! String Institute; private students garner top prizes in many competitions as well as solo performances with orchestra; holds offices in several professional music organizations; Bachelor of Music degree from Texas Christian University, Master of Music degree from the University of Houston.

Abbey Simon, Distinguished Cullen Professor of Piano
Internationally recognized concert artist; recitals in all major music capitols and appearances with the world's leading orchestras; one of the most recorded classical artists of all time; recordings on Philips, EMI and Vox Turnabout labels; awards include Walter Naumburg Prize, National Orchestra Award, Elizabeth Sprague Collidge Medal and Harriet Cohen Medal; judge at international piano competitions

Brian Suits, accompanying
Faculty positions at University of Houston, Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival; former faculty at Yale University (1990-2002), Banff Festival and several festivals in Korea; concerti performances with Jupiter Symphony, Sejong Soloists, others; regular performances as half of Lee/Suits Duo with violinist/wife Kyung Sun Lee; multitudinous performances with other instrumentalists and singers; as conductor, often guest with Orchestre de Chambre Français Albéric Magnard, Prime Philharmonic (Seoul), others; as composer, many pieces and arrangements in many styles, including "Piano Concerto" and "String Quartet on Irish Themes," and two albums of solo piano music in a quasi-jazz idiom; as orchestrator, films (in Korea) include "For Horowitz," "The Host," "Bunt," "Miracle on First Avenue," "Voice of a Murderer," "Soo," "Mask," and KBS television documentary "Yellow River"; recordings with musikdorf, Chung Eum Sa, Sung-Eum, and UW Madison Records; training at University of Texas at Austin and University of Southern California; teachers include David Renner, Brooks Smith, Jean Barr.

Nancy Weems, piano
Top prizes, International Recording Competition, U.S. Artistic Ambassador Program; presents master classes and concerts throughout U.S.; has given concert tours in Europe, Russia, Mexico, Asia and Central America; recipient of 1991 Texas Music Teachers Association Collegiate Teacher of the Year; recipient of 1995 University of Houston Enron Teaching Excellence Award; recordings, Bay Cities and Albany labels, Grammy nomination 1990