Meet the Staff

Academy Staff:

Elizabeth Valle, Academy Director, UMKC Conservatory Academy

Elizabeth Valle has held the position of Director of the UMKC Conservatory Academy since 2016. In this position, she coordinates the Conservatory’s non-credit lessons and classes, festivals, workshops, summer camps, and Conservatory Bridges. Elizabeth received a BA with an emphasis in Harp Pedagogy from MidAmerica Nazarene University, and an MA from the UMKC Conservatory.

Gloria Britez Scolari, Program Coordinator, UMKC Conservatory Bridges

Paraguayan violist Gloria Britez Scolari performs with the Topeka Symphony Orchestra and the Symphony of Northwest Arkansas (SoNA) and is a regular guest artist with the KC-based string quartet Opus 76. Previously, she was a member of the City of Asuncion Symphony Orchestra, Camerata Miranda and the Orchestra of the Americas, performing in concert halls throughout the Americas, including Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires and Carnegie Hall in New York. Her main teachers include Javier Aquino, Dr. Selim Giray and Scott Lee.

Passionate about the importance of music education as a tool to create opportunity for underserved youth, Gloria taught at various El-Sistema inspired programs such as Sonidos de la Tierra (Paraguay), UMKC Conservatory Bridges, and Harmony Project KC, where she also held the position of Program Manager. She earned a Master’s Degree in Viola Performance and a Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Management and Innovation from UMKC. She lives in Kansas City with her husband Zsolt and their two children.

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