Kathy Rad has been teaching orchestra students in the Greater Tulsa Area for 25 years. Rad’s devotion to sharing the joy of music with others has earned her the Bart Betow Memorial Education Award given by the Arts and Humanities Council of Tulsa, and the United States Army’s third highest award, the Superior Civilian Award. In 2014, Rad took the lead in creating the Tulsa affiliate of Harmony Project America, and saw the program through to its current iteration/status as a non-profit independent organization. While serving as HPT’s Executive Director, Rad is also a Master Teaching Artist. Additionally, Rad teaches orchestra at Will Rogers College High and Junior High School, performs with the Tulsa Symphony, Tulsa Ballet, Tulsa Opera, and Tulsa Rock Quartet. She is also the recipient of the 2018 Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award.

Michael Nicholson gave his life over to music and the violin at the age of thirteen and has since performed in chamber ensembles, orchestras, and as a soloist throughout the United States and Italy. Currently, Nicholson is Principal Second Violin for Tulsa Symphony, Tulsa Ballet, performs with Tulsa Opera, and is also a founding member of Tulsa Rock Quartet. Possessing a deep passion for teaching, Mister Michael (as he’s commonly referred) has dedicated his life to his students. Nicholson was one of the first violin teachers in the early stages of Harmony Project L.A., and now he is serving as Harmony Project Tulsa’s Project Manager after joining the program in 2014 as a Master Teacher Artist. Nicholson is also conductor of the Tulsa Youth Symphony Preparatory Orchestra.