Kyle Barrett Price
Founder & Artistic Director
Kyle Barrett Price, Founder & Artistic Director of Caroga Arts Collective, spent his childhood summers in Caroga Lake where his grandmother resides. At age 19, his dream of bringing his friends to play chamber music in Caroga Lake became a reality when he founded the Caroga Lake Music Festival in 2012. Since then, Kyle has been passionate about making the arts accessible in the Adirondacks while building special connections with artists and communities and opening new doors of creative possibilities in both the art and the community.
Kyle Price, cellist, and member of the Cavani String Quartet, is nationally recognized for his multi-faceted musical career, innovative leadership style, and his advocacy for collaborative programing in the arts and humanities. His profound love of chamber music began as part of a family of dynamic musicians at The Chamber Music Connection, (Columbus) where he had the opportunity to work with some of the most respected and acclaimed musicians of our time, including members of The Cleveland, Cavani, Emerson, Guarneri, St Lawrence,and Brentano String Quartets. He has performed at internationally renowned music festivals such as The Perlman Music Program, Banff School of the Arts, and has been featured as a guest artist on NPR’s From the Top!. Kyle’s appearances include universities around the U.S. and abroad, most recently performing Vivaldi’s Concerto for Two Cellos with the Lacrosse Symphony Orchestra and the Wisconsin Philharmonic. Honors and prizes include the 2018 Schubert Club Competition, Grand Prize winner of the 2015 Yamaha Young Performing Artists Competition and Honorable Mention recipient in the 2017 Gershwin International Music Competition. Kyle is a founding member of the KASA Quartet, Grand Prize winners of the 2017 Coltman Chamber Music Competition. In addition to his cello studies, Kyle has been composing from the age of 10, and has distinguished himself with an original voice, receiving commissions from the Johnstone Fund for New Music, Chamber Music Connection and performances by Calidore Quartet, Chamber Music Connection Orchestra, Carpe Diem String Quartet, KASA Quartet, UW-Madison Orchestra, National Summer Cello Institute and Caroga Arts Ensemble.
Kyle’s energized and passionate chamber music experience, was a catalyst for his vision to form an artist -led creative community, and resulted in his creating the Caroga Lake Music Festival in 2012 and Caroga Arts Collective in 2016. In his role as Artistic and Executive Director, Kyle has grown the organization from a “homemade” music festival of eight musicians in his grandmother’s house, to an organization that hosts five programs over the course of a calendar year, that features 150+ artists, attracting 8,000+ individuals to the small Adirondack town of Caroga Lake, NY (population 518) annually and is widely regarded to be the pride and joy of the community and a model for artist-led festivals around the country.
Kyle completed his Masters and Doctorate of Music Degree at the University of Wisconsin-Madison as full Fellowship Teaching Assistant under renowned pedagogue cellist and Feldenkrais practitioner, Uri Vardi. Kyle received his Bachelor of Music from the Cleveland Institute of Music under the tutelage of cellist and former Cavani Quartet member, Merry Peckham. When he isn’t practicing or, writing grants, Kyle is an avid basketball player, and enjoys celebrating team-work in every form, be it sports or music.
MaryKate Farber
Executive Director
MaryKate grew up spending each summer on Canada Lake and received a Bachelor of Arts in history and art history from Union College in Schenectady. She worked in development for five and a half years at the Institute Contemporary Art Boston, where she most recently served as the Manager of Stewardship and Administration. During this time, she gained experience in marketing, development, and nonprofit administration.
Kathy Manning
On-Site Manager
Kathy Manning is a retired Registered Nurse, has been married 41 years, and has 2 sons and 3 grandchildren. She was employed by Valley Central Middle School as a school nurse for 20 years, where she cared for students and staff and handled their medical needs. During her time at Valley Central Middle School, Kathy was a member of the New York State School Nurses Association and organized first aid classes, blood drives, exercise classes, medical education classes, food/gift/clothing drives, and developed the district emergency response plan. Additionally, Kathy has worked for 40 years for her family’s private contracting business as Vice President and Bookkeeper.
Kathy is a long-standing Caroga Arts volunteer and member of the Advisory Board. Prior to becoming the On-Site Manager, Kathy was responsible for selling CAC merchandise, organizing the annual gala, and helping to maintain the gardens at Sherman’s. In addition to her work with Caroga Arts, Kathy is a Trustee of the Caroga Historical Museum.
Kris Smith
Facilities and Grounds Coordinator
From Gloversville, NY, Kris Smith manages the facilities and grounds at Sherman’s Park and plays an integral part in executing Caroga Arts events and concerts at Sherman’s throughout the year. Kris has been operating the Sherman’s Carousel prior to Caroga Arts owning the property and it has become one of his favorite parts of the job. Prior to joining Caroga Arts as Facilities and Grounds Coordinator, Kris was employed at the Magic Forest Amusement Park in Lake George, NY.
Kris Smith,
Elizabeth Macintosh
Operations Manager
Violist Elizabeth Macintosh, a native of Columbus, OH, began studying the violin at the age of three. When she was 14, she began playing the viola in order to form a string quartet with her pre-existing ensemble of three violins and a cello. Elizabeth has been a part of the Caroga Arts Collective team since 2017 and has been delighted to be a part of its growth over the past five years. In May of 2022, she graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder with a B.M. in Viola Performance, a certificate in Musical Entrepreneurship, and minors in Business, Economics and German Studies. She will begin her master’s degree at the Eastman School of Music in the fall.
Deborah Barrett Price
Assistant Artistic Director
Violist Deborah Barrett Price is recognized throughout the country as an innovative pedagogue and versatile performer. She is the founder and artistic director of the Chamber Music Connection, Inc. (CMC), a nationally recognized program providing education, service and performance opportunities to students of all ages and skill levels. In recognition of her work as a chamber music entrepreneur, pedagogue, and performer, Debbie has received numerous awards, including the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center Award for Extraordinary Service to Chamber Music, the Alumni Achievement Award from Baldwin Wallace Conservatory and the Columbus Symphony Orchestra Community Educator of the Year. She has also received multiple nominations for the Ohio Governor’s Award for Arts Education and Arts Administration.
Lorrie Mott
Financial Administrator
Lorrie Mott began her love for music in the first grade while taking piano lessons. Being part of yearly competitions and taking on flute lessons only solidified that joy. She taught herself every instrument that her friends and family played and took a year of cello which turned out to be a favorite instrument. While her career went in another direction, music was always a focal point and it even helped her gain employment in the computer field due to the logic they knew came from a musical background. Lorrie retired from Eaton/Crouse-Hinds with a 23 year career in electronic data interchange and computer programming. A degree in Accounting brings her back to Caroga Arts as their Financial Administrator. She is a long standing Caroga Arts volunteer and very excited about the future here at Sherman’s where she once enjoyed many Sundays as a child. Lorrie and her husband Bob have decided to make Caroga their year round home which they will enjoy with their three daughters and their families. She looks forward to making Sherman memories with their grandchildren.
Olivia Munson
Operations Assistant
Originally from Upstate NY, Olivia Munson began playing the violin at age five. She graduated with a B.M. in Violin Performance from St. Olaf College and will be graduating with her M.M. in Violin Performance from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in Spring 2023. Studying with Francesca Anderegg, Olivia played in the St. Olaf Orchestra as a first violinist and was a founding member of Blue Chameleon, a string quartet exploring a combination of classical, jazz, and bluegrass music. Recipient of the ‘Magnus the Good’ fellowship, Olivia taught children about the environment through music and released a children’s album Blue Orb: A Journey Through the Water Cycle. After St. Olaf, Olivia taught violin, viola, piano lessons and conducted the orchestra at St. Francis Music Center in Minnesota. During previous summers, Ms. Munson attended Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival, ARIA International Music Festival, and National Music Festival. This will be her second summer working and playing for the Caroga Lake Music Festival. Ms. Munson currently has a string quartet assistantship to study under the instruction of Elizabeth Chang at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She hopes to continue sharing her passion and commitment to the arts with the greater community.
Ronald Lau, Audio Engineering, Videographer, and Technical Support
Pianist Pui Yan Ronald Lau performs extensively as a solo pianist, collaborative pianist and cross-discipline pianist, performing with dancers. Enthusiastically received as a collaborative pianist, Lau has performed with duos and chamber ensembles with numerous musicians, including violinists Tim Cuffman, Leonardo Perez, Chang-En Lu and Biffa Kwok; cellists Matthew Laughlin, EunKyung Son and Cynthia Yau; bassoonist Stephanie Patterson and vocalists Lisa Neher and Nicholas Miguel. Lau also served as the teaching assistant of the University of Iowa Choral Department during the 2013-14 academic year, performing with Kantorei and Camerata under the batons of Timothy Stalter, David Puderbaugh, Shannon Gravelle and Benjamin Luedcke. In 2018 and 2019, Lau was the staff collaborative pianist of Caroga Arts Collective’s summer festival, “Your Body Is Your Strad” National Summer Cello Institute. Lau’s involvement as a collaborative pianist connects him to non-musical areas of the arts. He has participated in the production of numerous commercial releases, including Contemplation by the University of Iowa Saxophone Ensemble and Kenneth Tse; Crescendo by Johnson County Landmark and John Rapson; David DeBoor Canfield: Chamber Music, Volume 4; Hot Tamale Louie: The Story of Zarif Khan by John Rapson; Ich Denke Dein – Songs and Chamber Works of Nikolai Medtner by Rachel Joselson, Sasha Burdin and Scott Conklin; Gabriel Dupont: Complete Piano Music by Bo Ties; Portuguese Perspectives by Courtney Miller and Minji Kwon; Music for Strings by David Gompper; and Brahms In Transcriptions by pianist Uriel Tsachor. Lau completed his Doctor of Musical Arts and master’s degree at the University of Iowa under the mentorship of Uriel Tsachor. While at UI, Lau studied in master classes and private coaching sessions with numerous other celebrated artists, including Daniel Shapiro, Asaf Zohar, Roberta Rust, Uri Vardi, Rich Shuster, Jane Solose, Janis Vakarelis, Yen-Tim Timothy Li and Ting Zhou. He received his Bachelor’s degree at the Hong Kong Baptist University under the guidance of pianist Amelia Chan.
Hinano Price
Executive Consultant
Hinano Price serves as the Artistic Producer at Ravinia Festival in Chicago, the oldest music festival in North America and summer home for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Previously, she held positions in operations and artistic at Classical Movements, National Symphony Orchestra at The Kennedy Center, Bravo! Vail Music Festival, and Overture Center for the Arts and has additional experience in marketing, development and education in the arts. A graduate of University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, Hinano made her concerto debut at Alice Tully Hall of Lincoln Center at age 18 and performed as a soloist at Carnegie Hall and the United Nations. Hinano has been part of the Caroga Arts team since 2015.
Stephanie Price-Wong, Administrative Consultant
Geoff Saunders, Production Manager
Rob Saunders, Production Manager
Cassandra Lyons Querques, Branding & Design Consultant
Marc Wienert, Recording engineer and Piano technician
Volunteer Coordinators
Lorraine Carlson, Meal Coordinator
Kathy Manning, Merchandise Manager
Genia Meinhold, Meal Coordinator
Mary Peck, Housing Coordinator