Leadership

Chamber Music Guild is run by a dedicated set of leaders who are passionate about its mission of making musicians for life. The Board of Directors and Managing Director possess a variety of backgrounds and relevant experiences to run an organization that provides exceptional chamber music education programs. But there’s room for more! If you share a passion for chamber music and want to empower the next generation of chamber musicians, we’d love to speak with you about joining the board.

Board of Directors

Sharon Wong

Sharon Wong

PRESIDENT

Sharon is a retired technology executive, formerly with Cisco Systems, Microsoft and multiple startups, where she brought many new and emerging technologies to market. She received her MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, and BS and MS in mechanical engineering from Stanford University. She loves to sight read chamber music. She is a cellist with the Ensign Symphony and Chorus, and can often be found at the piano performing with members of the Music Performance Group.

Melet Whinston

Melet Whinston

VICE PRESIDENT

Melet is a family practitioner and masters level therapist in Seattle. She received her BA in Biochemistry from Princeton University, her MD from University of Cincinnati, MBA from Carnegie Mellon University and MS in Psychology from Seattle University. She is a cellist, and performs regularly at St Andrew Presbyterian Church, the Music Performance Group and as a performing member of Ladies Musical Club. She enjoys playing chamber music and jazz with area musicians.

Pam McDonald

Pam McDonald, MD

SECRETARY

Pam is a physician, recently retired from The Polyclinic. Following her BA in anthropology from Stanford University and MA in physical anthropology from Harvard University, she received her MD from the University of Washington and completed her residency in Family Practice at Providence Medical Center in Seattle. Pam played violin and recorder in college, built a harpsichord in medical school, then returned to the violin. She enjoys playing with the Lake Union Civic Orchestra, exploring the viola, and delving deeply into chamber music.

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Judy Terreberry

TREASURER

Judy Terreberry is Finance Director of Folklife Northwest. She is married and has two adult daughters. She enjoys quilting, playing violin with Philharmonia Northwest, and performing in multiple chamber music ensembles. Judy brings great accounting and financial management expertise to the board of Chamber Music Madness.

Jean Cole

Jean Cole

Jean is a financial accounting Shared Services Specialist in the College of the Environment at the University of Washington. She volunteers her fiscal and accounting skills to CMG in support of their expanding amazing educational programs. Jean has been an active violist, pianist and violinist for over 40 years.

Daniela Grabs

Daniela Grabs

Daniela is co-founder and VP Operations of Arzeda Corp., the industry-leading Protein Design Company™, a firm that creates and manufactures proteins that enhance our lives and protect our planet. Daniela was a Postdoctoral Fellow at University of Washington. She holds a PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Zürich and a Diploma from ETH Zürich. She is a violist with the Lake Union Civic Orchestra and an avid chamber music player, hiker and skier.

Ken Williams

Ken Williams

Ken Williams is a technical writer, recently retired from administration at Wesley Homes Senior Living and Home Care. His passion is playing the cello. He is a founding member of Premeditated Strings Orchestra, performs with the Thalia Symphony Orchestra, and has over 50 years of experience playing chamber music. He brings essential grant-writing and editing expertise to his work on the board of Chamber Music Madness where he has been a member for several years.

Administration

Dr. Justin Kurys

Executive DIRECTOR

Dr. Justin Kurys is a distinguished violist and educator, renowned for his contributions both as a performer and teacher, sharing his passion for music across North America, Europe and Asia. Justin is a founding member of the Skyros Quartet, established in 2010 and celebrated for their passionate and inventive approach to chamber music. The quartet is dedicated to championing diverse voices throughout chamber music history and has performed at prestigious venues and festivals worldwide, including the Aspen Music Festival, the Seattle Chamber Music Society, Deer Valley Music Festival, Sunflower Music Festival, Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Music Society, Moscow Music Festival, and Casalmaggiore International Music Festival.Their debut album, INTROSPECTIVE ODYSSEY (2015), received international acclaim, featuring works by Jean Sibelius, Joaquin Turina, and Benjamin Britten. The Skyros Quartet is also known for its collaborations with living composers, premiering and performing many contemporary works. Skyros worked closely with internationally celebrated composer Peteris Vasks, giving the North American premier of his work The Fruits of Silence. The quartet collaborated with renowned percussion ensemble arx duo to present new works for percussion and string quartet from composers Michael Lorello and Christopher Dietz. Working with leading pianist Paul Barns, Skyros gave the second performance and West Coast premier of a newly composed piano quintet by Philip Glass. With the Quartet, Justin is also known for leading educational programs and community engagements through his role as executive and co-artistic director of the Chamber Music Guild. In 2020, the quartet founded Constellation Creatives, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting innovative musical storytelling. 

Justin’s teaching career includes positions at Seattle University as Instructor of Viola, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where he was a Graduate Teaching Assistant for chamber music and outreach programs, and the University of Texas at Austin, where he taught as faculty in the renowned String Project. He has also taught privately at The Sound Factory in Waterloo, Ontario, and coached chamber music for the Chamber Music in Public Schools (CHAMPS) program. He has been invited to present masterclasses across North America including the University of Washington, Western Washington University, University of Northern Colorado, University of Missouri, The Colburn School, University of British Columbia, Victoria University, and Sir Wilfrid Laurier University among others.

Academically, Justin holds a Doctorate of Musical Arts in Chamber Music Performance from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Glenn Korff School of Music, where he studied under Jonah Sirota and the Chiara Quartet. His doctoral research focused on “The Art of Transcription and Its Impact on the Development of the Viola as a Solo Instrument.” He also earned a fellowship at the Aspen Music Festival and School’s Center for Advanced Quartet Studies, studying under James Dunham. Justin’s educational journey began with a Bachelor of Music with Honours from Sir Wilfrid Laurier University, followed by a Master of Music in Chamber Music Performance from the University of Texas at Austin’s Sarah and Ernest Butler School of Music studying with the Miró Quartet in their specialized program for chamber music.

With a profound dedication to chamber music and a passion for teaching, Justin Kurys continues to influence and nurture the next generation of musicians, fostering a deep appreciation for the art of string performance through both his individual endeavors and collaborative work with the Skyros Quartet.