Joy Keown Bedillion

Owner and Administrative Director/Cello Faculty

Joy Keown Bedillion began studying the cello at age four and has enjoyed making music ever since. She holds performance degrees from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and Louisiana State University. Bedillion's experience is wide ranged and includes serving as a founding member of the Aloha Piano Quartet, teaching hundreds of young cellists, dozens of musical theater projects, joining the conducting staff for the Louisiana Youth Orchestra program, and being a proud member of the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra for 16 seasons. Joy is thankful for so many opportunities which include working with such inspiring musicians as Emanuel Ax, Hilary Hahn, Yo Yo Ma, Lang Lang, Lucas Foss, Lauren Daigle, Michael Boltin, Patti Labelle and Gladys Knight. In early 2024, Joy traveled to New York City to play a sold-out chamber music concert in Carnegie Hall with her beloved business partner Borislava Iltcheva. She is also very proud to have two of her cello students performing in the same Carnegie Hall in 2024 as competition winners. As a teacher, Joy is passionate about training the next generation of young musicians and has been a co-owner of the Grace Notes School of Music for the past twelve years. In that time, many of her students have been distinguished as competition winners, regular All State Orchestra members, and bestowed with scholarships. These include the Louisiana Youth Orchestra Concerto Competition, the Grace Notes School of Music Concerto Competition, The Nola Chamber Fest Competition, The National Honors Orchestra, and MTNA. In addition to the Baton Rouge Symphony, Joy regularly performs with the Mobile Symphony Orchestra, the Rapides Symphony Orchestra, and the Acadiana Symphony Orchestra. Joy was also delighted to have joined the Acadiana Chamber Symphony Orchestra on their international concert tour of Poland in the spring of 2024. You can also see Joy perform with her quartet, Magnolia Strings, in Fever’s popular Candlelight Concerts in Baton Rouge, Lake Charles, Lafayette, and Monroe.