Avery Kumes is a violist from Maryville High School. This is her eighth year of playing, fourth season with the KSYOA, and she has studied under Adam Daniel and Megan Kehren. In addition to KSYOA, Avery also participates in the MHS orchestra, MHS Chamber orchestra, and the KSO Chamber Music Program. She attended All-East in 2019, 2022, and 2023 and the Tennessee Governor’s School for the Arts in 2021. Outside of viola, Avery enjoys reading, leading her school’s Model UN club, wandering through vintage stores, baking, crocheting, doing the New York Times mini crossword puzzle, collecting records, and getting lost down various Wikipedia rabbit holes, usually pertaining to medieval history. She plans to attend Ohio University’s Honors Tutorial College and will be double majoring in history and classics and minoring in viola, with an ultimate goal to work as a museum curator or archivist. Avery would like to thank Megan Kehren, Mathew Wilkinson, Adam Daniel, and Josephine Cappelletti for their wonderful musical instruction and even better support, her family and grandparents, and last but certainly not least, everyone who has ever shared a ride with her from Maryville to Knoxville so that she could participate in KSYOA.