JAVS Summer 2026

Besides addressing countless technical and musical details, “Richard stressed what he called ‘the big picture,’” Avila said. “He stressed the importance of passing along our new found knowledge and insight to others who didn’t have the same opportunity. He made us feel that we were all part of something bigger—a heritage that included his teachers.” The Zue (“Sun”) Quartet, the foursome of 10-year-olds, soon became part of that intertwined heritage. With Young’s help, Avila later enrolled at Peabody Conservatory where she earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Now twenty-eight, she is a regular sub for the Baltimore Symphony as well as a faculty member at Peabody Prep, where she passes the heritage along to her pre-college string students. Another member of the Botero Quartet, Amir Kadamani Gonzalez, played in Young’s Projeto Serioso in Brazil when he was fourteen. Now twenty-six, he has earned a bachelor’s degree from Rice University, as well as a master’s degree and Graduate Performance Diploma from Peabody, where he is now pursuing a doctorate. “Richard’s support goes well beyond mentorship and the intense work we did with the Botero,” Kadamani said. “It includes all kinds of aspects of professional and personal life. We still connect almost every week—for example, about financial aid and even helping me find a great bow. It really goes in all directions.” The most recent direction includes Kadamani’s current chamber music initiative, the Setas Piano Trio, which recently won a Bronze medal in the Senior String Division at the Fischoff Competition. Young will soon be working with them at his home in the Catskills, just as he did a decade ago with the Botero Quartet. Besides focusing on trios by Smetana, Beethoven, and Ravel, they will prepare the C minor piano quartet by Brahms, with Young playing viola. The extent of his help is hard to put into words. I wouldn’t be where I am now except for Richard— from technical training to personal support, plus his belief in me, as with all his other students. Over the years I’ve taught other students as a way to express the inspiration he has given us. You get so much from helping other people; that’s something I learned from him. We learn by watching, and his example has been such a strong influence. I consider that to be his On Young’s influence in his life, Kadamani reflected

impact through me: inspiration and love of music, the seriousness, the degree of devotion you need to give to the music, treating it with the respect it deserves, not being content with something halfway. Kadamani noted that, for the last year, he has served as a musician-in-residence at Springwell Senior Living in Baltimore, where he lives alongside residents, shares meals with them, and performs at least three times a week. His work includes room visits for residents who are unable to leave their rooms, in addition to performances for those living with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. One resident, who scarcely spoke for weeks, unexpectedly began singing along when she heard Kadamani play Elvis Presley’s “Can’t Help Falling in Love.” That moment stayed with him. For Kadamani, such moments affirm music’s ability to reach people in profound and unexpected ways. Reflecting on the musical and human connections of his experience, he shared: These musical and human encounters have been among the most meaningful experiences of my life, leaving me continually inspired and uplifted. At the heart of this work is a belief in music’s power to transform lives beyond the traditional concert hall—a belief that makes me feel deeply connected to Richard’s legacy. Kadamani currently studies with Herbert Greenberg at Peabody, where Avila was also his student before graduating. Greenberg, who served as concertmaster of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra from 1981 to 2001, first met Young when they were both students of Gingold at Indiana University in the late 1960s. “One of the things about these kids that Richard sent me is that they are the salt of the earth. You can’t find human beings more beautiful. What a joy to teach them,” Greenberg said. “She knew all the lyrics,” he later reflected. “And at the end, she said, ‘Oh, that was really beautiful.’”

Greenberg is also quick to emphasize Young’s critical role in shaping their development and character:

They’re so grateful for the opportunity that Richard has provided them to fulfill their dreams. But unlike

Journal of the American Viola Society / Vol. 42, Summer 2026 Online Issue

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