Ava Patel is a senior at Harlan High School. She has been playing the violin for about 8 years now. She participates in her high school orchestra and mariachi and is actually one of Mr. Saltibus' students. Music is a huge part of who she is as a person and it has helped her grow intellectually and personally, and she would not be who she is now without it. She joined SACO as another way to experience music and make connections with others that share the same passions and interests as her. Ava hopes to continue music long into the future and is grateful for this opportunity to share her passion! 

Jey Ping began learning the violin as a young child from his father and has enjoyed playing ever since.  Through high school and college, he studied with Yuly Ilyashov and trained through his school orchestra program, the St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra, and the Missouri All-State Orchestra.  He performed with the Ladue Strolling Strings on multiple tours through Europe, Branson, Washington, D.C., and state dinners.  Jey received the Lois Percival Orchestra Award during his senior year in high school.  He is an alum of the Masterworks Festival and served as concertmaster of the Washington University Symphony Orchestra, Washington University Chamber Orchestra, Young People’s Symphonic Orchestra, and St. Louis All Suburban Orchestra.

After graduating from Washington University in St. Louis with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and Economics, Jey continued to keep music a part of his life, on top of his job working at SAP. He worked as a part-time violin teacher at Ladue and Mehlville and led the Ladue Strolling Strings.  He has served as concertmaster of the Jacksonville Symphony Society and as principal second violin with the Town and Country Symphony Orchestra. 

Today Jey lives near Johnson City, Texas, and continues to study and play as many different styles of fiddling as he can get his hands on, drawing inspiration from fellow musicians at folk schools, shows, fiddle festivals, jam sessions, and dances.  He regularly plays jazz shows at the Ragtime Oriole in Marble Falls, Texas, and plays 6-string fiddle and mandolin in the Country and Western dance band at the Ramblin’ Rose in Llano, Texas.  He plays in community orchestras such as the San Antonio Community Orchestra, Fredericksburg Community Orchestra, and Heart of Texas Orchestra.  Jey is also the substitute organist for multiple churches in Blanco County.   

A San Antonio-based violinist, Mariana is honored to perform with the San Antonio Community Orchestra and to be part of bringing live music to the local community. 

Mariana Wachter has loved the violin since she first picked it up at age 6. Now, after more than 20 years of playing, she continues to find joy in sharing music that connects with people and makes moments memorable. 

Matthew “Matty” Saltibus is currently the Orchestra Director at Harlan High School in Northside ISD and the conductor of the San Antonio Community Orchestra. 

He attended The University of Texas at San Antonio and became a Music Education Major and currently holds a Master’s Degree in Instrumental Conducting. He taught in the UTSA “String Project” for seven years, teaching orchestra to 3rd-7th grade students in the San Antonio area. He has been teaching orchestra in the public school system for 12 years. He also served as Region Chair for the Texas Music Educators Association for 4 years. With his expertise in music education he has served as a clinician, providing clinics for school districts, music programs, and the Texas Orchestra Directors Association. He has also taught students and teachers in multiple music schools on the island of St. Lucia.

Over the course of 12 years, he has earned more than twenty UIL String Orchestra Sweepstake Trophies, six UIL Performance Plaques, and eight UIL Full Orchestra Sweepstakes Trophies. His most recent major award includes the “2017 TexASTA Marjorie Keller Young Teacher of the Year Award,” which recognizes one young Texas music educator for their meritorious service and outstanding promise in string education grades K-12.