Sonata Series Bios

LISA BARKSDALE, violin

Program Coordinator, Daily Orchestra Program/Resident Musician
Lisa Barksdale, violinist and Daily Orchestra Program Coordinator, has been a member of the CMW team since 2012. Lisa teaches eager young students in both orchestra and individual lessons and coordinates and supports the mentors who volunteer with the DOP. Lisa earned both a Master of Music and Performance Diploma at Boston University under the guidance of violinist Lucia Lin. Prior to that she earned a Bachelor of Music at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she studied with violinist Vartan Manoogian. Since joining CMW Lisa has enjoyed the many opportunities she’s had to explore a variety of her musical interests, including playing the Baroque violin with the Providence Baroque Chamber Orchestra. Lisa lives in Providence with her husband Jeff and their beloved adopted dog Jasper.

KIMBERLY FANG, violin

CMW Violin Fellow, 2019-2021
Kimberly Fang, violinist, is a native of Florida and was always curious about what else the world had to offer. Once she got a taste of the transformative power of music as a teen, she was determined to bring that same awe-inspiring experience to the next generation. She graduated from Northwestern University with a Bachelor of Music in violin performance and music education and earned a Masters in Violin from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Before coming to CMW, Kimberly lived in Taipei, teaching English and freelancing as an opportunity to learn more about her heritage and to expand her teaching experiences. Working with young children is her passion, and she has taught in many capacities, including privately, in public schools, online, and in all kinds of subjects. In her spare time, she loves to sing and was a part of a collegiate a cappella group, the Northwestern University Treblemakers.

JEFFREY LOUIE, piano

Guest pianist Jeffrey Louie is an accomplished instrumentalist, composer, and arranger across a wide range of musical disciplines. A virtuoso pianist and violinist, he has soloed on both instruments with numerous Boston-area orchestras and has served as principal second violinist for the Yale Symphony and the Boston Philharmonic. As a pianist in Providence, he is a frequent collaborator with Community MusicWorks and with faculty and students at Brown University. He is a BMI Student Composers Award winner, and at Yale received the Wrexham Prize in Music and the Abraham Beechman Cox Prize for music composition. Jeffrey is also a singer/songwriter and guitarist, as well as a versatile arranger and session musician for a diverse roster of ensembles and recording artists. An avid cruciverbalist, he recently had a crossword puzzle published in the Los Angeles Times.