Midwest Chamber Players

Musicians of the Midwest Chamber Players will perform for the first concert of the 2022-2023 season. The ensemble features Sean Botkin, piano; Julia Bullard, viola; and Eric Wachmann, clarinet.

Eric Wachmann is a Professor of Music at Wartburg College and principal clarinet with the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Symphony. He received his Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of North Carolina. He is highly regarded in our community as an educator for many aspiring musicians.

Wachmann has many respected chamber performances around the world, including being the first North American musician invited to perform at the renowned Sophia Concert Hall in Polatsk, Belarus. He also shares two critically acclaimed CDs with pianist Ted Reuter.

Julia Bullard is a Professor at Kennesaw State University and Interim Director of the Bailey School of Music. However, for 10 years, she served in the Cedar Valley as the Associate Director for Graduate Studies of the UNI School of Music. Bullard received her DMA degree from the University of Georgia, and since then has performed and educated internationally and domestically.

Bullard is the violist of Trio 826, who has several albums and recognitions, and has performed within many other ensembles such as Bogotá Chamber Orchestra, Aspen String Trio, the Maia Quartet, and the Arianna Quartet. Additionally, Bullard has attended and taught at countless chamber music festivals.

Sean Botkin began performing professionally at the staggering age of nine years old with the Honolulu Symphony. Botkin has a variety of degrees from prestigious institutions such as Stanford University, the Juilliard School, and Indiana University at South Bend.

Botkin earned awards in several international piano competitions and has performed with a number of highly recognized performers in the industry. He has performed all around the world from Alice Tully Hall in New York to Asia and South America. Botkin now also utilizes his talents to also serve the musical youth as Associate Professor of Piano at the University of Northern Iowa.