Jonathan Wright, Co-Founder & Co-Director
The Kabbage director chair
Jonathan Wright started studying violin at the age of 5 and has spent over 25 years teaching and performing. An active performer, he has played with the Orchestras of Macon, Valdosta, Columbus, Charleston, Atlanta, Hilton Head, and Savannah, among others. In addition to orchestral work, he has had the opportunity to perform with artists like Christina Aguilera, Phil Collins, Sarah McLaughlin, Josh Groban, The Trans-Siberian Orchestra, to name a few. Mr. Wright has been on over 25 domestic and international tours as a principal violinist and contractor, most recently, a month long tour in Japan. In June of 2015, he took a position as agent/manager with OmniPops Entertainment.
As a teacher, he has maintained an active teaching studio since 2000. A number of his students have gone on to pursue careers in music in the fields of performance, education, and therapy. He is also a frequent guest clinician for the Cobb, Cherokee, Gwinnett, and Fulton County school systems.
As a teacher, he has maintained an active teaching studio since 2000. A number of his students have gone on to pursue careers in music in the fields of performance, education, and therapy. He is also a frequent guest clinician for the Cobb, Cherokee, Gwinnett, and Fulton County school systems.
Dr. Jessica Sherer, Co-Founder & Co-Director
The UPS director chair
An adventurous flutist hailed for her "versatility and depth of understanding" (Composer Eva Kendrick), Dr. Jessica Sherer currently serves as principal flutist with Sinfonia Gulf Coast, piccoloist with the Albany Symphony, assistant principal flutist with the LaGrange Symphony, and performs regularly with orchestras throughout the Southeast, including the Atlanta Opera Orchestra, Greenville Symphony, South Carolina Philharmonic, Spartanburg Philharmonic, Symphony Orchestra Augusta, and the Orlando Philharmonic. She has also shared the stage with such artists as Sarah McLachlan, Dame Evelyn Glennie, and Kristin Chenoweth. Jessica is co-founder of Anon Ensemble, a flute, viola, and bassoon trio whose commissioned work, Juntos, by Eva Kendrick, was recently awared the Judith Lang Zaimont Prize for the International Alliance of Women in Music New Music Search. She is also a member of Atlanta’s acclaimed new music ensemble, Chamber Cartel.
Jessica serves on the faculties of Emory University and Agnes Scott College and maintains a large and selective private studio, where her students regularly win competition prizes and positions in prominent youth orchestras and All-State ensembles. A long time advocate of social change through music, Jessica was a speaker at the 2012 TEDx Centennial Park Women conference, and served as the Flute Teaching Artist for the Atlanta Music Project, an El Sistema organization providing intensive musical training for children in underserved communities, from its inception in 2010 until 2015. She has recently launched the Play It Forward Scholarship Program, which provides private lesson scholarships for financially disadvantaged students in exchange for hour-for-hour volunteer work. In addition to ACMF, Jessica spends her summers as an Artist in Residence at the Orfeo Music Festival in Vipiteno, Italy. Jessica holds a D.M. from Florida State University, a M.M. from the Longy School of Music, and a B.M. from Boston University, and has studied at the Brevard and Bowdoin music festivals. Her principal teachers include Robert Willoughby, Eva Amsler, Laura Gilbert, Marianne Gedigian, Linda Toote, and Elizabeth Goode. She can be heard on recordings with the FSU Symphony Orchestra (Naxos) and Chamber Cartel (independent).
Jessica serves on the faculties of Emory University and Agnes Scott College and maintains a large and selective private studio, where her students regularly win competition prizes and positions in prominent youth orchestras and All-State ensembles. A long time advocate of social change through music, Jessica was a speaker at the 2012 TEDx Centennial Park Women conference, and served as the Flute Teaching Artist for the Atlanta Music Project, an El Sistema organization providing intensive musical training for children in underserved communities, from its inception in 2010 until 2015. She has recently launched the Play It Forward Scholarship Program, which provides private lesson scholarships for financially disadvantaged students in exchange for hour-for-hour volunteer work. In addition to ACMF, Jessica spends her summers as an Artist in Residence at the Orfeo Music Festival in Vipiteno, Italy. Jessica holds a D.M. from Florida State University, a M.M. from the Longy School of Music, and a B.M. from Boston University, and has studied at the Brevard and Bowdoin music festivals. Her principal teachers include Robert Willoughby, Eva Amsler, Laura Gilbert, Marianne Gedigian, Linda Toote, and Elizabeth Goode. She can be heard on recordings with the FSU Symphony Orchestra (Naxos) and Chamber Cartel (independent).
Amanda Macon, Residence Life Coordinator
Passionate about music all her life, Amanda Macon started playing the flute at the age of 12. Her teacher, Cynthia Hopkins, of the South Carolina Philharmonic Orchestra, helped her realize some of her goals through five years of formal training prior to her enrolling at Kennesaw State University in 2013. There she has been an active member of several ensembles in the university and Kennesaw area, with a heavy emphasis on chamber ensemble playing. Macon graduated in 2017 with a double major in Ethnomusicology and Flute Performance under Todd Skitch of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. She now works as a freelance musician in the Atlanta area, teaching privately, in various schools, and playing with chamber groups whenever possible.
Amy Ensel, Music Office Coordinator
Bio coming soon!
