Behind the Scenes: Ruben Balboa, Samantha Balboa & Daniel Swayze

Dr. Ruben Balboa III is an educator and violist in Austin, Texas. Currently, he serves as a Lecturer at Texas State University and Assistant Director/Coordinator of the award-winning University of Texas String Project. Previously, he was the Instructional Assistant Professor of Viola at Illinois State University and Acting Director/Master Teacher of the Illinois State String Project.

Samantha Balboa is an Austin, Texas based performer and voice teacher. Although billed as a fuller-voiced soprano, Samantha has performance experience singing mezzo-soprano repertoire as well. Some performance credits include the roles of Desirée Armfeldt (A Little Night Music), Dido (Dido and Aeneas), Marcellina (Le nozze di Figaro), Erste and Zweite Dame (Die Zauberflöte), and Ottavia (L’incoronazione di Poppea). Samantha has won several awards and competitions in singing, including the UNT Concerto Competition, the David Daniels Concerto Competition, and the Matilda Dodge Wilson Award for vocal excellence (Detroit, MI).

Dr. Daniel Swayze is a pianist living in Austin, Texas. Daniel is the Founder and Artistic Director of the critically-acclaimed Beerthoven Concert Series, which has enjoyed continuous growth since its creation in 2014. His playing has been described by the Jacksonville Review as “Enchanting…crisp and impressive.”