At First Sight staff members playing Overture on Hebrew Themes, op 34 by Prokofiev
At First Sight staff members playing Mendelssohn’s Piano Sextet, Op. 10 during a staff concert.
Meet Our Faculty
Ellen Francisco, Executive Director, violin and viola has been an avid chamber musician since she was very young. She grew up in a musical family, where making music together was a regular occurrence. Mrs. Francisco earned her Bachelor of Music Education, violin emphasis, from Southern Adventist University, She attended Longy School of Music in Cambridge, Massachusetts for her Masters in viola performance, with an emphasis in Chamber Music. While there, she studied with Raphael Hillyer, founding member of the Juilliard String Quartet, and with members of the Van Swieten String Quartet. She has organized and directed Chamber Music Weekend since its inception, sharing with others the opportunity to make music with friends. She currently teaches violin, viola, and chamber music as an adjunct professor at Southern Adventist University, and also teaches many younger violin students, from the local area.
Jeremy Francisco, Advanced Orchestra Conductor holds a bachelor’s degree in Music Education from Southern Adventist University, Master of Music in Orchestral Conducting from Belmont University (Nashville, TN), and has done graduate work in Choral Conducting from the University of Northern Colorado. He is the Music Director and principal conductor of the East Tennessee Symphony Orchestra, and SoundPoint Strings youth orchestra. Mr. Francisco has been Music Director of Chamber Music Weekend since its beginning more than twenty years ago, and was the founding music director of the Cumberland Youth Ensemble and Madison Vocal Ensemble, in Nashville, TN. Mr. Francisco’s performing ensembles have toured Jamaica, Canada, Mexico, Germany and throughout the United States.
Michael Tompkins, Intermediate Orchestra Conductor, cello, received his Bachelor of Science in Music degree from Southern Adventist University (2000), where he studied cello under Dr. James Stroud. He earned his Master of Music Education degree from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (2002), where he studied cello under Dr. Wesley Baldwin. He has worked with numerous string camps including the Shiloh String workshop, which he founded and directed in 2007. Mr. Tompkins is currently on staff as Director and cello clinician at the East Cobb Upbeat Strings! Camp. Mr. Tompkins and his wife, Shawnte Scott-Tompkins (6th Grade Social Studies teacher at Hightower Trail Middle School), live in Marietta with their 13-year-old daughter, Gabrielle, who is an aspiring cellist and percussionist!
Tamara (Tami) Powers King, InSight Orchestra Conductor, violin and viola, has recently moved from Spartanburg, South Carolina, to Collegedale, TN. She holds a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Southern Adventist University and a Master of Music degree from Converse College. Mrs. King has played professionally with the Spartanburg Symphony Orchestra, Greenville Symphony Orchestra and the Greater Spartanburg Philharmonic. An active performer in area churches, chamber music ensembles and colleges, she is a member of the Music Educators National Conference; Rho Chapter, Pi Kappa Lambda; South Carolina Music Educators Association and the Spartanburg Philharmonic Music Club. Mrs. King now teaches violin and orchestra at Collegedale Middle School.
Laurie Redmer Cadwallader, violin, viola, and conductor, holds a bachelor’s degree in music education from Atlantic Union College and M.Mus. degrees in viola performance and conducting from the New England Conservatory of Music. She has extensive experience as a conductor of instrumental and vocal ensembles. She is currently head of the string deparment at Southern Adventist University, and conductor of the SAU Symphony Orchestra. Prior to joining the music faculty at Southern in 2000, Professor Cadwallader taught at Columbia Union College, Takoma Academy, Greater Boston Academy, the New England Conservatory Extension Division, South Lancaster Academy, the Walnut Hill School for the Arts, and the Thayer Conservatory of Music. Her performance experience includes concert tours of Europe, Australia, Asia, Russia, and the United States as violinist, violist, vocalist, and conductor.
Dr. J. Bruce Ashton, Descant, pianist, composer, and professor emeritus,recently retired from teaching at Southern Adventist University. He holds degrees in piano performance from Capital University (Columbus, Ohio), American Conservatory of Music (Chicago), and the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati. His teachers include Rudolph Reuter, Leon Fleisher, and Raymond Dudley. For 42 years Dr. Ashton taught piano, music theory, and music history at the collegiate level. With Southern’s fine symphony, he has played many of the standard piano concerti, including Beethoven’s Fourth and Rachmaninoff’s Third. Dr. Ashton gets involved with chamber music at every opportunity, either as pianist, violist, or coach. Most of his musical compositions and/or arrangements are done for a particular situation, often involving a slightly unusual mix of instruments.
Emily Drexler, violin and viola, has played the violin since age 4 and now holds performance degrees from Chattanooga State Community College (viola) and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (violin). Emily’s primary passion is playing in symphonies. She is currently a member of the Huntsville Symphony Orchestra and a substitute in Chattanooga, Knoxville, and other orchestras throughout the region. Emily enjoys teaching violin and viola lessons, and has completed Suzuki Teacher Training books 1-3.
Janelle Glass, violin and viola, is a violin teacher in the Chattanooga area. She graduated from Southern Adventist University with a degree in Music Education. In addition to teaching private lessons, she participates in chamber music ensembles, volunteers at summer music camps, and enjoys all things out of doors. She has worked on the staff of At First Sight Chamber Music Weekend on the campus of Southern Adventist University. Her experiences as a music educator were enhanced at various Suzuki summer sessions in Dallas and in Portland, Oregon. She firmly believes that music can be used to strengthen relationships between people, especially parents with children, often saying “what I love most about music is that is has tremendous power to connect people.”
William Navalon, violin and viola, (on sabbatical) began his musical training in the conservatory of Vall d’Uxo, Spain, then in the conservatory at Saint-Remy, France. From there he came to the USA to continue his studies in music at Columbia Union College, where he earned a BA in Music, in both violin and viola. His violin teacher and mentor was Dr. Virginia Gene Rittenhouse, and his viola teacher Dr. Victor Yusefovich. William was a member of the New England Symphonic Ensemble for 8 years, performing 20 concerts a season in Carnegie Hall, tours around the USA, and international tours to England, Scotland, Ireland, Russia, South Africa, Jamaica, Canada, Mexico, France, to name a few. William has a deep love for sharing beautiful music in the community with local chamber groups and orchestras, and his studio of students.
Nathan Francisco, cello, originally from Collegedale Tennessee, Nathan Francisco is a versatile musician with a diverse range of musical interests. Active both as a soloist and ensemble musician, Nathan has a deep commitment to sharing his love of music with the world. He is passionate about historical performance and folk music, and has extensively studied baroque cello and viola da gamba as well as organ and other historical keyboards. He is a member of several award-winning ensembles, including the Poiema Trio, Neela Quartet, and the folk trio Misfit Toys. Currently studying at the Juilliard School under the tutelage of Zvi Plesser, Zlatomir Fung, and Sarah Cunningham. He has also studied chamber music at several acclaimed festivals, including the Taos School of Music, Kneisel Hall, and the Bowdoin International Chamber Music Festival. Nathan has been a part of the At First Sight community since its inception in 2009, and has served both as teaching faculty and administrative staff. In his recreational time, he enjoys hiking, playing disc golf, and sight-reading chamber music with friends.
Andrew Kang, viola, is a native of Smyrna, Georgia. He began his string education on violin at Nash Middle School with Chris Doemel. He studied viola and violin at Georgia State University and received a Bachelor of Music with emphasis in music education. Mr. Kang has extensively toured throughout the U.S., China, and Japan, and has performed with numerous ensembles and famous artists. He actively performs with Capitol City Opera and has subbed for a myriad of orchestras throughout Georgia. Mr. Kang is also an avid chamber musician with an unquenchable thirst for chamber music. He currently resides in Marietta, Georgia, with his Calico named Bea and silver-spotted Bengal named Beau.
Suzanne Sims, cello, is a native of Atlanta, GA and has played cello since the fourth grade. While growing up in Atlanta, she played in numerous orchestras, All-State Festivals, and attended the GA Governor’s Honors Program. Ms. Sims holds a Bachelor of Music in performance from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. She has a private studio and is in demand as a cellist in many area groups, performing regularly with the Chattanooga Symphony Orchestra. She and her husband Paul live in historic St. Elmo with their five children.
Dr. Ted Ashton, cello, holds a doctorate in math from the University of Georgia. A fine cellist, his love for chamber music is intense, which is very obvious to anyone who has enjoyed being a part of his groups. A sensitive and creative teacher, he also brings leadership, enthusiasm, and years of experience with chamber music to his coaching sessions, ensuring both success and achievement for those who work with him.
Nicholas Emanuel Wheeler, viola, bass and composer, is a music educator with experience in band, chorus, general music, and orchestra. He teaches orchestra, guitar, and piano for grades 5 through 12 at Mount Pisgah Christian School in Johns Creek, GA. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Music from Columbus State University in Columbus, GA. He also studied music composition at Georgia State University in Atlanta, GA for graduate studies. Nicholas made his American debut as a symphonic composer with the Georgia Symphony Orchestra in 2018 with a performance of his Moonlight Waltz from his six-movement programmatic, symphonic work A Pirate’s Journal. He will make his international debut as a symphonic composer at the 2022 São Paulo Contemporary Composers Festival in São Paulo, Brazil with the premiere of the first movement of his Piano Concerto in E Minor.
Erica Robinson, violin, has been playing violin since age eight and recently completed a music degree at Southern Adventist University. She enjoys sharing the joy and beauty of music with others. Passionate about teaching, Erica also gives violin/viola lessons at the Zan Young School of Music and Hope.
Jonathan Urizar, violin, from Greenville, South Carolina studied Violin Performance at Kennesaw State University. Jonathan’s teachers have included Lana Teko, Juan and Carol Ramirez, and Helen Kim. In addition to maintaining a small private teaching studio, he performs as the concertmaster of the Dekalb Symphony Orchestra, where he performed the Sibelius violin concerto in May 2025. Jonathan also performs regularly with several other orchestras across the southeast such as the Savannah Philharmonic, Asheville and Chattanooga symphonies among others, and with the newly formed Soluna String Quartet. Additionally, Jonathan serves as the co-founder and lead violinist in Atlanta based mariachi group- Mariachi Búhos de Oro. He performs on a contemporary instrument completed in 2014 by Pablo Alfaro in Decatur, GA. Jonathan credits his decision to become a professional musician to Chamber Music Weekend, after a very late night of sight reading chamber music led to the discovery of his deep love for making music and playing the violin. Outside of his musical life, you can find him most often on a yoga mat, running on a trail, or cuddling with his cat Luna.
Emily Drexler, violin and viola, has played the violin since age 4 and now holds performance degrees from Chattanooga State Community College (viola) and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (violin). Emily’s primary passion is playing in symphonies. She is a member of the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, Huntsville Symphony Orchestra and Chattanooga Symphony and Opera. She enjoys serving as a substitute in other orchestras throughout the region. Emily fills the rest of her time by teaching lessons and coaching chamber groups. On a day off you can find her enjoying nature, reading, playing video games, or knitting.
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Francely Zurita, flute, born in Monterrey, Mexico, and began her musical studies at the Conservatorio de la Universidad de Montemorelos. She earned her Bachelor’s in flute performance from the Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León before pursuing advanced studies in France, where she earned a Diplôme d’Études Musicales at the École Nationale de Musique de Villeurbanne. She also earned a Master of Arts in Music Pedagogy in 2019, focusing on the Dalcroze Eurhythmics method,which profoundly shaped her approach to music education.
Mrs. Zurita is passionate about music education. She has taught at the Institut Jaques-Dalcroze and the Conservatoire Populaire in Geneva, where she deepened her commitment to using movement and rhythm as essential elements of music learning.
Currently, Mrs. Zurita teaches K-4 music to 250 students at Walla Walla Valley Adventist Schools, where she incorporates the Dalcroze approach. She also teaches handbells, choir, private lessons and workshops.
At First Sight Faculty 2024.