We’re excited to bring back our annual Winter Festival, and this fun-filled weekend wouldn’t be complete without the one and only Mario Williams. Mario has served as part of our Winter Festival faculty every year since its inception, so needless to say, we’re happy to have him back! Learn more about him below.

Welcome back, Mario! What are you most excited about for this year’s Winter Festival?

After last year’s hiatus, I’m thrilled to come back and teach chamber music string ensembles to PRIZM’s hardworking and talented string students!

Music is part of your day-to-day life. What’s that like?

As a professional violist and violinist, I teach and perform music. I’m a general music teacher at Memphis Business Academy Elementary and I’m also the executive director of Brown Baptist Academy of Music. 

On the performance side, I perform in Ensemble X, a genre-bending professional string quartet. I also am a sub-violist with the Memphis Symphony Orchestra.

What’s your favorite part of bringing music to the masses and teaching your students? 

I believe music has the power to heal and change children’s lives. It makes a holistic child grow to be a well-rounded adult in our world. I’ve been a teacher for 22 years and strived to serve as a positive influence on my students and to encourage them to tap into their unique gifts and potential. I’ve taught students who are now working as doctors, lawyers and engineers. The majority of my students are from BIPOC communities, which makes it feel even more rewarding as a person of color. 

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Register your child for Winter Festival so they can learn from Mario and our other inspiring mentors.