Musicians

Julian Chalon is a multifaceted award winning guitarist, recording engineer, and educator, whose career has taken him to Ireland, Spain, Italy, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and across the United States. He holds degrees from the University of North Texas, studying with Dr. Bryan Burns and Tom Johnson, and from Columbus State University, studying under Dr. Andrew Zohn. In 2018 he joined Wolf & Clover and has recorded and performed on two albums with the band. Julian also performs with Columbus-based rock band Cigarette Girl and Texas hardcore group Black Sea. As an engineer, Julian has worked with Grammy award winning artists, producing music, recital and concert videos, movie soundtracks, and radio programs with Georgia Public Broadcasting. 

Shellie Murphy DeBruyn is an extremely versatile, award-winning singer with advanced degrees from the Eastman School of Music. She teaches voice at the Schwob School, and is known for her collaborative efforts as a singer in contemporary music. She is a certified Yoga instructor who focuses on musicians’ health and wellness, and she also has some mighty chops on the piano.

Matthew McCabe is currently Assistant Professor of Audio Technology at the Schwob School of Music at Columbus State University. He holds a Ph.D. in Music Composition from the University of Florida, with other degrees from Bowling Green State University, and the University of Richmond. He has an extensive list of credits as a recording engineer of primarily concert hall music, and teaches audio engineering and production as well as composition and popular music courses at CSU. He is also a student of the Irish Language and has participated in immersion programs and coursework for the last several years, earning A1 and A2 TEG certifications.

Katrin Meidell enjoys a prolific career as a performer, pedagogue, and lecturer. Her diverse abilities have taken her across the USA, to Canada, Finland, Austria, Poland, Brazil, the Netherlands, and New Zealand. Katrin has been published in American String Teacher and the Journal of the American Viola Society. She was highly involved in the American Viola Society for eight years— first as a volunteer, then a board member— culminating in her organizing and hosting the 2022 American Viola Society Festival & 47^th International Viola Congress, which took place in June 2022.

She is Associate Professor of Viola at the Schwob School of Music at Columbus State University. Previously she taught at Ball State University and Texas Tech University. Her past and current students are winners of competitions and orchestral positions alike.

When not working, she enjoys outdoor activities and knitting. For more, please visit www.katrinmeidell.com.

Caroline Richards is a percussion performance doctoral student at the University of Texas at Austin. She completed her master’s degree at Columbus State University, where she also earned her undergraduate music degree. She enjoys teaching in a wide range of settings including musical theater, private lessons, and marching band.  Caroline has played with many groups, including the CSU Percussion Ensemble, Philharmonic, and Wind Ensemble. She has also been a part of many stage productions as an orchestra member, including Fiddler on the Roof, The Nutcracker, and Cinderella. Outside of CSU, she has played with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra as a percussionist, and the LaGrange Symphony Orchestra as a timpanist.

Chris Walton has been learning tin whistle since his trip to Ireland in 2018. A trumpet player by trade, he holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Music from James Madison University. He works in Human Resources with the JMU Army ROTC program and continues playing trumpet as a Sergeant with the Virginia Army National Guard Band. Outside of music, he has a passion for running and regularly competes in races over 50K in length. He and his wife, Addie, are proud parents of a very energetic two-year-old.

Jeremy Bass is a graduate of Columbus State University (MM, 2013) and the University of Kentucky (DMA, 2017). As a classical guitarist he has focused on chamber music and works by living composers. He has performed throughout the eastern United States, as well as in Spain, Italy, Switzerland, and Ecuador. He began playing traditional Irish music as a teenager in the Washington, DC area, winning the Mid-Atlantic Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann competition twice on guitar. His solo album of music by David Del Puerto was released in 2019. Jeremy appears as the guitarist on 2018’s Wolf & Clover album, and is now studying early music performance in The Hague, Netherlands.

Justin Belew has worked over twenty-five years as a professional musician for schools and churches. He has a full music production studio that he operates where he specializes in recording professional voiceovers, jingles, demos, and boutique album projects. He has recorded and performed with commercial and independent musicians alike and is known for his ability to teach, play, and arrange for many different types of instruments. Justin was a core member of Wolf & Clover for three years, and still appears with the band on occasion. He resides in Columbus, GA with his wife, Jenna and recently began teaching at his alma mater as the instructor of audio production. (justinbelew.com)

Jessica French graduated from Columbus State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Music, concentrating on music education, viola, and instrument repair. Her passion for music has taken her all over the U.S. with competitions, recording projects, and performances as a soloist and ensemble member. Recently Jessica has recorded in Nashville and Franklin, TN for several country music artists, performed with the Lagrange Symphony Orchestra, has worked with the Columbus Symphony and other organizations as a violin instructor for the Empowered Youth of Columbus program. She is currently Executive Director of the Youth Orchestra of Greater Columbus and maintains a busy schedule as a teacher and performer.