​Oregon ASTA

biographies

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Lillian Manis, President

Widely recognized for her work as a Suzuki educator, Lillie Manis is currently completing her doctorate at Teachers College, Columbia University, where her research focuses on studio teachers' holistic strategies for cultivating expressive performance in young violinists. She is a faculty member at the Willamette Violin Academy, teaching students of all levels — from preschool-aged beginners to concerto-level high schoolers — in both individual lessons and groups. From 2009-2020, she was a faculty member at the University of Oregon School of Music and Dance, where she mentored graduate violin and viola pedagogy students, served as the Assistant Director of the Community Music Institute, and taught courses within the music education department. Members of her vibrant pre-college studio and her graduate student mentees have achieved noteworthy musical and professional success, including competition wins, full scholarships to major music schools and summer programs, and college teaching appointments. Active as a clinician, masterclass presenter, adjudicator and conference presenter at both the regional and national levels, she enjoys performing chamber music alongside some of the northwest's finest players, and recently completed a term of service on the editorial committee of the American String Teacher magazine. 

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Dr. M. Lisa Zweben, Past President

A native of Washington D.C., Lisa is a professional violinist and violist, teacher and conductor. She  earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Violin Performance from SUNY, College at Purchase, and earned an MM in Violin Performance and Doctor of Musical Arts in Viola Performance from the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida. Following studies with principal teachers Charles and Heidi Castleman, Carol Sindell, and Thomas Moore, Lisa has been a member of many orchestras including the Royal Opera of Ghent, Belgium, the Naples Philharmonic in Naples, Florida, and the Miami City Ballet. Prior to moving back to Portland in August 2010, Lisa lived in Virginia for fifteen years and was active both as a performer and teacher, teaching a full studio of violin students and coaching chamber music coach at Washington and Lee University, serving as an instructor on the faculty of Virginia Tech in Women’s Studies, performing as Assistant Principal viola of the Roanoke Symphony and Principal Viola of Opera Roanoke, in addition to maintaining a studio of private violin and viola students. She is currently the principal viola of the Corvallis OSU Symphony, concertmaster of the Corvallis Repertory Singers orchestra, conducts an amateur string orchestra, and teaches privately. Lisa has been an ASTA member since 1986 and has been a member of the ORASTA board since 2014.

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Myriam Gendron-Dupont, Secretary

Myriam is the Orchestra Director at Rosemont Ridge Middle School in the West-Linn-Wilsonville School District. She is a native French speaker from Quebec, Canada, and is certified to teach both music and French. Myriam is a lifelong cellist and always knew she would follow a career path embedded in the music world. She attended Portland State University on a full scholarship and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Music and a Masters in Education. She obtained her teaching license and has worked over 15 years in the public education system, teaching elementary general music, choir and orchestra, as well as middle school choir, orchestra, guitar and French. She is currently attending PSU again to earn a second Masters in Curriculum & Instruction. Myriam teaches middle school orchestra and guitar, private lessons on the cello, and occasionally performs in orchestras, weddings and other events. 

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Sharon Eng, Treasurer

Violist Sharon Eng has performed worldwide with her trio, Classical Nuances (oboe, viola, piano) for more than 20 years on five continents. While studying for her bachelors and masters in viola performance at the Juilliard School in New York City, she played in the American Ballet Theatre and NYC Opera orchestras. Professionally, Dr. Eng toured China twice as co-principal viola of the Polish Sinfonietta, maintains a private violin studio in Portland, is on the strings faculty of Portland Parks and Recreation, co-founded Madrona Viola Duo and the Raphael Spiro String Quartet, and is president of the Oregon Viola Society. She freelances with many local ensembles, among them-- Oregon Coast Music Festival, Portland Opera, Portland Symphonic Choir, Newport, Rogue Valley, Corvallis and Vancouver Symphony Orchestras. Since 2003, Dr. Eng has served on the summer faculty of the Intermuse lnternational Music Institute and Festival (IIMIF) at Mount St. Mary's Univ. in Emmitsburg, Maryland (www.imif.us). Eng has been a member of ASTA for over 40 years and is currently treasurer of the Oregon Chapter of the American Strings Teacher Association. Her board qualifications include a doctorate (PhD) in international nonprofit management and 25 years as a development aid specialist managing USAID, Asian Development Bank and Australian AID projects ranging in grants of $25,000 to $8 million. Dr. Eng is currently adjunct associate professor on the Faculty of Business, Government and Law at the University of Canberra in Australia (www.sharoneng.com)

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Diane Chaplin, ASTACAP Chair & Webmaster

Diane Chaplin is a solo artist, chamber music cellist and nurturing music educator who lives Portland, Oregon. She tours around the U.S. as a featured member of the Portland Cello Project, and is often heard in solo and chamber music performances across the globe. She has a large class of private students, both in-person and online, and teaches online classes to an international clientele through Cello Refinery. Diane has taught at Yale University, Bard College, Oberlin Conservatory, Linfield University, Lewis and Clark College, Swarthmore College and at the Castleman Quartet Program, and has given master classes in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, The Netherlands, Bosnia and Russia. As a member of the Colorado Quartet for twenty years, Diane performed in more than twenty countries and recorded several critically acclaimed albums. The Quartet was the first all-female string quartet to perform the complete quartets of Beethoven in both North America and Europe. Diane holds a BFA degree from the California Institute of the Arts and a Master of Music degree from The Juilliard School. She received a Special Prize from the International Cello Competition in Viña del Mar, Chile, and a Certificate from the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow. She is a member of the National ASTACAP committee. (www.cellochaplin.com)