The Musicians
Who We Are
Annabel
She/They
Flute
Annabel MacDonald is a flutist and educator based in Texas. She is dedicated to collaborative, multimedia performance, accessible music education, and research focused on music in the US Armenian Diaspora. Annabel is currently the Adjunct Professor of Flute at Texas A&M Kingsville, flutist for the Cover to Cover Quintet and SoundMap Ensemble, and freelance musician and private lesson studio instructor in the Greater Austin area.
Originally from Portland, Oregon, Annabel’s passion for innovative and interdisciplinary musicianship has led her to numerous festivals and competitions across the U.S. and abroad including Domaine Forget, the Brevard Music Center, and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestral Institute. Her education includes an MM with Marianne Gedigian at The University of Texas at Austin and a Performance Certificate, BM with Dr. Jacqueline Cordova-Arrington, and BA in International Studies with a focus in Law and Human Rights from The University of Oregon. In her free time, Annabel enjoys cooking, hiking, and making music with friends.
Harry
He/Him
Oboe
Born and raised in Texas, Harris Kirby is a freelance oboist and private teacher currently in the Austin area. He received a Bachelors in Music performance from the University of Denver’s Lamont school of music, and moved to Austin in the summer of 2022 to pursue a Masters degree at the University of Texas. Harris has previously played with the Greeley Philharmonic and the Empire Lyric Opera Chamber Players in Colorado. He currently plays for the Laredo Philharmonic, Cover to Cover Wind Quintet, and other ensembles in the Austin area while maintaining a private studio. Harris has attended Rocky Ridge and Eastern Music Festivals. His own primary teachers include Steven Pettey and Ian Wisekal.
Billy
He/Him
Trombone
Billy Pickus is currently pursuing his graduate studies in trombone with Dr. Nathaniel Brickens at the University of Texas at Austin where he serves as a Teaching Assistant to the Longhorn Band and Longhorn Pep Band. A passionate chamber musician, he is a founding member of Cover to Cover and is also a part of the SoundMap Ensemble, an experimental contemporary music collective. Previously, he was an original member of the Bevo Bones (2023 International Trombone Association Quartet Competition Finalist) and the Verdant Quartet (2019 IWBC Ginger Turner Competition Finalist). In past summers, he has been a fellow at the Texas and Round Top Music Festivals and the Berlin Opera Academy. He holds an undergraduate degree from Vanderbilt University where he studied with Jeremy Wilson.
Tucker
He/Him
Bassoon
Originally from Carlisle, Iowa, Bassoonist Tucker Van Gundy is currently based in New Haven, Connecticut. He is pursuing a Master of Music degree at the Yale School of Music, where he studies with Frank Morelli. Previously, he lived in Austin, where he completed his undergraduate studies with Kristin Wolfe Jensen at the University of Texas at Austin’s Butler School of Music. He has spent his summers as a fellow at the Sarasota and Round Top Music Festivals.
Tucker is an active educator, and has taught bassoonists across age and experience ranges. While in Texas, he maintained a large private studio of bassoon students and worked in the Education department of the Austin Chamber Music Center. Currently, Tucker leads the development of the second edition of Musicandthebassoon.com, a free, comprehensive online method for bassoonists, and is a Teaching Artist at the Yale School of Music’s Music in Schools Initiative.
Evan
He/Him
Clarinet
Evan Schnurr is a clarinetist who performs as a member of the Dallas Winds and the experimental Austin-based SoundMap Ensemble in addition to Cover to Cover. He holds degrees from Oberlin Conservatory and the University of Texas at Austin, with principal teachers including Richard Hawkins, Jonathan Gunn, and Charles Salinger. Outside of performing, Evan maintains a sizable private lesson studio and serves as Director of Finance for music education startup Through the Staff. In past years, he has been a fellow at Colorado College Summer Music Festival and Texas Music Festival, where he was runner-up at the festival concerto competition in 2019. In his free time, Evan enjoys visiting coffee shops, thrifting, and learning about architecture.