Dynamic Duo, formed in conjunction with the National Symphony Orchestra’s Education Department, has been performing for schoolchildren since 2005. Violinist Karen Lowry-Tucker and violist Elizabeth Pulju-Owen, both members of the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra, share a love of music and story telling which they combine to engage and enlighten young minds. In 2010, cellist/magician, Drew Owen, cello instructor at Howard University and the Washington Conservatory of Music, joined forces with Karen and Elizabeth to form Presto!. Presto! blends music with magic and storytelling to captivate student audiences while introducing them to string instruments, musical concepts and life lessons. Dynamic Duo and Presto! have recently joined Fairfax County’s CAPs (Creative Arts Programs), Arlington County’s Humanities Project, and Montgomery County Cultural Arts.
Karen Lowry-Tucker is a first violinist with the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra, a position she has held since 1992. She serves as a private violin instructor, enjoys solo opportunities and plays in a string trio. Hailing from Louisville, KY, she received a Bachelor of Music Education degree from the University of Louisville. A Masters degree in Performance from the University of Texas at Austin preceded her journey to Munich, Germany where she won an audition with the Munich Chamber Orchestra. Ms. Tucker toured the world with them for two years. After returning to the U.S. in 1979, she has dedicated time to exposing young people to the world of classical music, which is her passion. Her instrument is a 1783 Antonio Gragnani violin made in Livorno, Italy.
Elizabeth Pulju-Owen, viola, joined the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra in September, 1998 and also performs with the Baltimore Symphony. Ms. Pulju-Owen serves as violist for the Gragnani Trio, and for the educational groups, Dynamic Duo and Presto!, with which she has performed for thousands of DC public school children in conjunction with the National Symphony Orchestra’s Education Program. After earning a Bachelor of Music degree at the Catholic University of America, graduating with top honors, Ms. Pulju-Owen began her career with the Savannah Symphony Orchestra, performing there for one season before joining the New Orleans Symphony. Subsequently, she was a member of the Alabama Symphony, for the 1990-91 season, before returning to New Orleans to join the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra. She was also a member of the Cypress Quartet of New Orleans, in residence at the New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts.
Drew Owen, cellist/magician, holds performance degrees from the College Conservatory of Music in Cincinnati and the Cleveland Institute of Music. A former member of the New Orleans Symphony and the Louisiana Philharmonic, he has performed with the Washington National Opera and the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestras, the National Symphony Orchestra, and the Baltimore Symphony. Drew is the cello instructor at Howard University and is a faculty member at the Washington Conservatory of Music. He has had a life long interest in magic and performs for parties and events as the wizard, Professor Fizzwiffle. Drew successfully combines his talents in unique shows that blend magic and music. He created the character Musico the Magnificent, a musical wizard, for the Washington Conservatory’s Magic of Music series and enjoys performing magic and music together in the group, Presto! Find out more at Drew’s magic web site: www.DrewMagic.com.
