Claire Jones, Artistic Director

Born in Pembrokeshire, Wales in 1985, Claire began her musical education at the age of seven. After excelling at the violin, piano and harp, she graduated as a harpist from the Royal College of Music with First Class Honours in 2007 and in 2009 graduated as an M.A. scholar from the Royal Academy of Music.  Claire Jones was one of the first recipients of the Prince of Wales Advanced Study Awards in 2007 and 2008. This award recognised her as one of Wales' most outstanding young talents. In 2007, Claire was appointed Official Harpist to His Royal Highness, The Prince of Wales, a role she held until 2011, making her the longest-serving Royal harpist to date. During this appointment, Claire regularly performed for the Royal Family and their distinguished guests at the Royal Palaces. In April 2011 she performed for the newly married Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at their wedding reception in Buckingham Palace. In 2008, Claire made her concerto debut with the Philharmonia Orchestra, and since then has gone on to perform as a soloist with some of the World's leading orchestras.  Claire is passionate about promoting her instrument as well as performing, and regularly visits schools and communities to speak and demonstrate and is the director of the International Harp School based in Wales.

Alexander Kordzaia, Music Director

"A Conductor with extraordinary enthusiasm and passion, an orchestra under Maestro Kordzaia, transmits the overflowing joy of live classical music performance......" (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

Alexander Kordzaia is a distinguished orchestral conductor and accomplished concert pianist with a career spanning across North and South America, Europe, and Asia. His journey is a testament to his lifelong passion for music and an unwavering pursuit of excellence. Born and trained in the Republic of Georgia, he began playing the piano at the age of three, with his talent evident from an early age. At age eleven he had both his debut as a solo pianist playing a Mozart Piano Concerto with orchestra, and began rigorous orchestral conducting studies at T’bilisi Conservatory, where he won the Gold Medal Diploma. By twenty-four, he became the youngest Music Director of the T’bilisi State Opera and Cappella, the premier music organizations in the country. His dedication and extraordinary gift set him on a path that would eventually lead him across the world.

Kordzaia made the courageous decision to leave his homeland as the Soviet Union was approaching dissolution. Arriving in the United States with nothing but his talent and determination, he quickly established himself as a gifted conductor and concert pianist as a graduate student at the Juilliard School of Music and was selected for the prestigious New York Philharmonic Young Conductor Fellowship, working with Kurt Masur.  Within a few years, he was performing at legendary venues, including Carnegie Hall and Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center, while also resuming his international touring. His concert tours have taken him to twenty-two countries and include renowned concert halls such as  St. John’s Smith Square and St. George’s Chapel in London and Windsor, the National Philharmonic Hall in Kiev, Ukraine, Montreal’s Cathedral de Notre Dame in Canada, St. Petersburg Philharmonic Hall in Russia, the American Cathedral in Paris, on the Queen Mary 2, and notable venues in the United States, including the White House East Room, the United Nations in New York, and the National Cathedral in Washington, DC.

Over the past thirty years, Kordzaia has been the Music Director for orchestras, including the Cartagena Philharmonic Orchestra in Colombia, the Richmond Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Charlotte Civic Orchestra and Opera. His legacy includes founding the University of Richmond Symphony Orchestra and directing it for fifteen years, as well as establishing the Cartagena Festival of Orchestras, which provides transformative musical opportunities to students in poverty.

Beyond the concert hall, his leadership and mentorship for the next generation of musicians shine through in his work. In addition to his performance and conducting career, Kordzaia serves as the Artistic Director of the GreenSpring Academy of Music in Richmond, VA. He also serves as the Associate Music Minister & Organist at St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Utica. He is also enjoying time on the family farm in Thurmont, drawing inspiration from the beautiful surroundings and quality time with his family.

Chris Marshall, Film Institute Director

Cardiff born Chris Marshall graduated from Trinity College of Music with a BMus(hons) degree in 2003. Since then he has travelled extensively performing and composing internationally. Performing credits include the BBC symphony Orchestra, English National Ballet, London Mozart Players, The Royal Shakespeare Company and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales. Chris has also worked on many productions in London's Westend and International touring show, these include; We Will Rock You, Wizard of Oz, Zorro, West Side Story, Evita, and Elf the Musical. Chris has a passion for playing instruments from all around the world, and it has resulted in seeing him perform on recording sessions for TV and film. He also performs as part of C2 duet with his wife, and former Official Harpist to HRH Prince Charles - Claire Jones. This unique duo has travelled extensively throughout the UK and in the USA. Chris balances his performance schedule with a flourishing career as a composer and arranger. His growing portfolio of compositions, includes the music for Heartstrings which was recorded for Classic FM/Decca in 2012 and was featured on Claire Jones’ album - Girl With The Golden Harp which reached number 3 in the classical charts. Recently, Chris has composed Bluestone and arranged many tracks on Claire’s latest chart topping album Journey. In addition, Chris has composed music for TV adverts including a track for Clogau, shown internationally, and for ‘Fishermans Friends’ currently shown in the USA. At the moment, he is working on his first film and TV series with Capture Studios in the USA along- side producing and arranging a new album with the Portuguese singer, Yolanda Soares.

Rachel Lee Zhao, Chamber Music Coach, Violinist, and String Faculty

Rachel Lee Zhao is a violinist born and raised in the lush farmland of the Shenandoah Valley, VA. She graduated from Oberlin Conservatory with a Bachelors in Violin Performance, earned her Masters of Music degree in Violin Performance at Roosevelt University, and graduated from Shenandoah University with an Artist Diploma. Rachel is currently pursuing a Doctorate of Musical Arts in Violin Performance at Stony Brook University. Her primary teachers have included Jennifer Frautschi, Philip Setzer, Hagai Shaham, Arnaud Sussman, Akemi Takayama, David Bowlin, and Almita Vamos.

Rachel is currently an Adjunct Instructor of Applied Violin at Shenandoah University and is also an undergrad chamber music coach at Stony Brook University. Rachel has performed in many venues around the world, in both orchestra and chamber music settings, and also has performed for politicians and dignitaries including recent performances at the Japanese Ambassador’s Residence in DC. She has performed across North America as well as Argentina, Panama, Denmark, and China. Having grown up with the Suzuki method, pedagogy is very near and dear to Rachel’s heart. She loves the nurture and encouragement she received as a child and hopes to pass on to the next generation the love and enthusiasm that she feels for music. Rachel works with students of all ages and levels: adults, as well as children, advanced students and beginners alike. She believes that no matter the level of the musician there is such wonderful magic that can happen when a student conquers a new challenge. Rachel is inspired by contemporary chamber music, and hopes to continue to promote and collaborate with young composers, creating sustainable art for the future.

Krista Hagglund, Chamber Music Coach, Harp and Piano Faculty, Administrator

A versatile musician, Krista Hagglund is a harpist and pianist actively involved in performing, teaching, and arts administration. She frequently performs solo, chamber, and orchestral works nationally and internationally. She has worked with conductors such as Richard Kaufmann, Gennady Rozdhestvensky, and Miguel Harth-Bedoya. Krista’s expressive playing has led her to stages and festivals across the continent. She was a concerto winner of the Bob Jones University Concerto and Aria Competition and performed Ravel’s Introduction and Allegro with the BJU Symphony Orchestra conducted by Dr. Michael Moore. Krista’s passion to inspire others through music has led her to teach harp and piano lessons. At Rubato Music Studio in Antioch, IL she taught harp and piano to students of all ages. She also completed a two-year internship in collaboration with Piano Central in Greenville, SC. For two summers she taught harp lessons at BJU EduCamp where she worked with middle and high school harpists as a teacher and ensemble co-director. 

As an arts administrator, Krista served an Assistant to the Director at InterHarmony® International Music Academy in Acqui Terme, Italy. She also was as an administrative intern with the Waco Symphony Orchestra. During her time there, she worked in event planning, concert preparation, and co-organized an outreach program during the Levitt-Amp Summer Concert Series. Krista holds a Master of Music in Harp Performance from Baylor University and Bachelor of Music degrees in Harp Performance and Piano Pedagogy from Bob Jones University. Her harp teachers include Dr. Karen Thomas, Emily Waggoner, Marguerite Lynn Williams, and Megan Sesma.

Lynnelle Ediger, Founder

An award-winning harpist, ensemble director and music educator, Lynnelle Ediger has specialized in teaching the harp and directing ensembles for more than 25 years. Her students have won international and national competitions, established solo careers, landed recording contracts and performed with the world’s leading orchestras. She is the founder and director of the American Youth Harp Ensemble acclaimed a “national cultural treasure” by the U.S. Department of State. Under her leadership, the American Youth Harp Ensemble (AYHE) has established and enjoyed a reputation for musical and educational excellence through over 1,000 performances, recordings, and media features around the globe. The AYHE was the subject of two PBS television specials and its 2016 CD was considered for a Grammy Award. An advocate for new music for the harp, Ediger has commissioned many new works and arrangements which are now part of the mainstream harp repertoire.

She is also the director of GreenSpring International Academy of Music, central Virginia’s leading classical music school. GreenSpring is a unique performing arts organization which combines the highest caliber professional musical training, innovative programming and premier performance ensembles with community outreach, music therapy, tuition-free music education for underserved youth, mentorship, healthcare and social justice programs. Serving hundreds of music students annually, programming includes a chamber music program, chamber orchestra, the Virginia Choristers, summer music institutes, private lessons, early childhood music, partnerships with 11 educational institutions and two concert series (Virginia and Maryland). GreenSpring performances reach an audience of more than one million viewers and listeners through broadcast and live performances annually.

Ms. Ediger has performed and led ensembles on 29 national and international tours to Australia, Canada, Ireland, Belgium, Norway, Austria, Germany, the Czech Republic, Italy, France, the Netherlands, Puerto Rico, Scotland, Wales and England and has sold out Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center Concert Hall, Salle Gaveau (Paris), Salla Puccini (Milan), St. John’s Smith Square (London) and Carnegie Hall (four times). Other highlights include performances for the 34th annual Kennedy Center Honors, in St. George’s Chapel (London), the Washington National Cathedral, the U.S. Department of State, the White House, the United Nations (New York), as the opening concert for the Association for Music Personnel in Public Radio National Conference, and on the Queen Mary 2. She has presented, performed and conducted at professional conferences including the American Harp Society National Conferences and World Harp Congresses. Since 2016, she has partnered on performances and tours with the U.K.-based former Royal Harpist, Claire Jones, and composer Chris Marshall.

Ms. Ediger is a recipient of the Virginia Governor’s Citation for Excellence in the Arts and has twice been named a Top Forty Under Forty by arts and business publications in Virginia. She was honored with the American Alliance for Performing Arts Educators 5th annual Del Keiffner Award for Outstanding Arts Educator at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., the Teresa Pollak prize for Excellence in the Arts from Richmond Magazine, and was the recipient of the 2011 Distinguished Alumni Award in Music Education from Oberlin College Conservatory of Music. She was a semi-finalist for the 2016 Grammy Teacher of the Year award, received the VASTA 2016 Outstanding String Educator award for Virginia, and the 2017 YWCA Outstanding Woman of the Year Award in the Arts.

Ms. Ediger attended Oberlin College Conservatory of Music where she received both the Bachelor of Music in Harp Performance and Master of Music Education degrees as a student of renowned harpist and teacher Alice Chalifoux. At Oberlin, she also studied conducting with Dr. Daniel Moe and voice with Dr. Mary Schiller. She holds a master’s in arts administration degree from Goucher College and has completed additional graduate studies at the University of Akron (voice), Boston University (music education) and at the Juilliard School (Dalcroze Eurhythmics). She spent seven summers at the Salzedo Harp Colony in Camden, Maine, studying with both Alice and Jeanne Chalifoux.