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Community Concerts

2010-2011 Season

Some dates and venues may change

Performances to be held in Richland High or Faith Assembly Auditoriums

Date

Time

Portland 

Taiko

Richland High School

Auditorium

This award-winning group is an Asian American drumming ensemble that weaves rhythm, melody, humor, and movement into an exhilarating musical experience.  They combine traditional and contemporary compositions and choreography with innovative and provocative creations.                             More      Press

 Saturday

September 18, 2010
7:30 pm

Idaho Dance

 Threatre

Kennewick High School

Auditorium

A contemporary dance group that pushes conventional boundaries to create dance that is passionate and compelling.  Award-winning choreography challenges the audience to explore the depths of human experience through the the expressive power of the human body and leaves the audience exhilarated and inspired.

                                                               More      Press

Wednesday

November 10, 2010
7:30 pm

 Foothills

Brass

Faith Assembly Auditorium

This Canadian brass group of versatile musicians is dedicated to exceptional artistic presentations and innovations.  Five outrageous, high-energy personalities present a polished, entertaining and full of musical variety show, using trumpets, French horn, trombone and tuba.  More importantly, with a friendly smile and "off" key humor, the audience is brought closer to the music than they ever have been before.                                                                                      More      Press

Tuesday
March 8, 2011
7:30 pm

Swingle 

Singers

Richland High School

Auditorium

In the world of a cappello music, this eight singer group is revered by all who follow its lead.  Their name is synonymous with incredible vocal virtuosity, blend and agility, flawless excellence and high level  entertainment. What defines this unique international group is not the singers or the choice of music but the intimate, close-microphone, quasi-instrumental sound with which they have been stunning the world.  Five Grammy Awards and awards and over 50 recordings attest to their excellence.                                     .More      Press

Tuesday

April 12, 2011

7:30 pm
 

 Wind Solists

of 

New York

Faith Assembly Auditorium

This Wind group performs major selections including those by Samuel Barber and Paul Hindemith plus notable works for piano and wind quartets by Mozart, Poulenc and Beethovan using clarinet, flute, oboe, and bassoon.  Listen to the wind ... and enjoy the musical journey as these classic enchanting melodies float freely through your soul!                                  More       Press

 

Wednesday
May 11, 2011
7:30 pm

 

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Concert Locations

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Concert Locations

Community Concert locations are:

Faith Assembly Auditorium - 1800 Road  72 (Near Court Street), Pasco, WA 

(Take Court Street to Road 72)

Foothills Brass and Wind Soloists of NY. 

Richland High School  Auditorium -  930 Long, Richland, WA 

Portland Taiko and Swingle Singers

Kennewick High School Fuller Auditorium - 500 S. Dayton, Kennewick, WA

Idaho Dance Theatre

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Idaho Dance Theatre

This Professional Contemporary dance company creates and performs original artistic works to advance and promote the art of dance. The members are strong, athletic performers. 

Idaho Dance Theatre creates and performs educational outreach and rural touring to introduce dance to a wide spectrum of people throughout the state of Idaho and in the Northwestern region of the US.  It is important to them that all people are introduced to dance as an art form, no matter where they live. Creating dance audiences in the future is important to the survival of all performing arts groups, and part of their mission includes performing in the schools and communities where they live.  

Their goal is to have all people experience a dance concert in their lifetimes. While not everyone may become a fan, they believe that once they experience a performance they will become a better person for it.  They maintain the most professional performance at very reasonable price.

Idaho Dance Theatre is a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation, incorporated in July of 1990. Their mission is supported solely from donations from individuals, businesses and grants from a wide variety of state and local organizations.  Membership are available for individuals.

In the fall of 1989 Marla and Fred Hansen, former dancers with the American Festival Ballet, were invited to do a concert in Jackson, Wyoming at the Red Garter Theater. Fred and Marla invited Carl Rowe, a modern dancer living in Sun Valley, to join them as a performer and choreographer. The three dancers collected a group of Boise dancers, rehearsed in donated space, and presented a full evening of eclectic dance to an enthusiastic Jackson audience.

The company collaborates with all of the performing arts. Its choreography is original, compelling and diverse featuring both ballet and all varieties of modern dance.  Its three original founders have been awarded four Fellowships from the Idaho Commission on the Arts and one Governor's Award for Excellence in the Arts. Their commitment to dance and Idaho Dance Theatre is as strong as when the company was founded. They continue to pursue their dream of building an Idaho contemporary dance company of the highest caliber.

After all the work of preparing that concert, the company decided to perform the same concert in Boise. That, too, went well. In the spring of 1990 they again assembled dancers and joined forces to present their 2nd Boise concert, featuring the choreography of all three. They secured 501 (c) (3) status in 1991, adopted the Idaho Dance Theatre name, and began to seriously operate a contemporary dance company.

In 1991 Carl Rowe became a co-artistic director along with Marla and Fred. The early years were a mix of exciting performances and difficult times for the three directors. After enduring an injury that failed to heal, Fred retired from the stage and took up lighting design, becoming the company's technical director. Marla became a full-time, tenured professor at BSU. Carl took an interest in fine arts painting and eventually became a professional painter. During this time Carl and Marla continued to choreograph, direct, and manage the company, expanding their seasons to three annual concerts and touring Idaho and Oregon.

In 1996 the company was able to hire its first full time managing director. Idaho Dance Theatre is the first professional dance company to be founded in Boise, and it is the only Boise arts organization still being directed by its original founding artistic directors. It is also the only anchor arts organization that creates its own body of work. The company, now celebrating its 18th season, has engaged over 100 Idaho dancers and numerous guest choreographers, musicians, actors, and designers.

Idaho Dance Theatre has professional management staff, an energetic board of directors, and an artistic staff that meets the highest standards of the dance worldIts three original founders have been awarded four Fellowships from the Idaho Commission on the Arts and one Governor's Award for Excellence in the Arts. Their commitment to dance and Idaho Dance Theatre is as strong as when the company was founded. They continue to pursue their dream of building an Idaho contemporary dance company of the highest caliber.

A Boise native, Yurek has received all his training in the city of trees, particularly with his parents, Fred and Marla Hansen, the BSU Summer DanceFest workshop with numerous guest instructors, and study in multiple martial arts and dance forms: capoeira, break dancing, tai chi, aikido, and hip hop. Most recently Yurek has been training in West African dance and drum with Manimou Camara from Guinea. This is Yurek eleventh season with IDT during which time he has performed in over sixty-five works, choreographed six, and performed nine years in Idaho’s Educational Outreach Program, illuminating dance for thousands of Idaho’s youth. He is an adjunct instructor of ballet at Boise State University and also teaches for Treasure Valley Institute for Children’s Arts and Ballet Idaho. He has also taught a ballet intensive and choreographed for Columbia Dance in Vancouver, WA, appeared as a guest artist in Kodiak, Alaska and with Ballet  Idaho. Yurek enjoys broadening his experiences and recently performed in Pippin, where he sang and danced, acted in an original play, Robots in the Ring, for the Boise Experimental Music Project 2009 and studied with SITI Company from NYC in Suzuki actor training and Viewpoints. Yurek is a barrista, a musician, a sculpture, a composer, choreographer, an energy worker, but most of all a dancer. 

Alia Kelley

 Alia is an Idaho native who started pre-professional training at the age of thirteen at Ballet Idaho and Eagle Performing Arts Center and has been a member of both performing Ensembles. She also trained in Seattle at Pacific Northwest Ballet and on scholarship in the Professional Division of Houston Ballet Academy. Summer training includes BSU Summer DanceFest, Ballet Idaho, Alonzo King LINES Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, National Ballet School of Canada, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Houston Ballet, and Ballet Adriatico in Italy. In addition to her performances with IDT, Alia has performed with Ballet Hawaii in their production of Cinderella under the direction of Victoria Morgan, Ballet Adriatico under the direction of Anna-Marie Holmes, and Ben Stevenson’s Nutcracker with the Houston Ballet. She has been a Dance Intern for the Usdan Center for Creative and Performing Arts in New York where she trained with and performed under the direction of Dennis Nahat. Last summer Alia was back in Hawaii performing with Ballet Hawaii in Peter Pan under the direction of Johanna Bernstein Wilt and Septime Webber. This is Alia’s third year with Idaho Dance Theatre.

Mary Kate Sickel

 Mary Kate Sickel was born and raised in Green Bay, Wisconsin where she began her training in classical ballet. She spent the last two years of high school at Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan where she had the chance to perform lead roles in classical works while developing a love of modern dance. Mary Kate attended Mercyhurst College in Erie, Pennsylvania to focus on classical ballet technique, and then transferred to the University of Utah to fulfill her movement potential. She graduated from the University of Utah cum laude BA Anthropology and BFA Modern Dance in 2009. Her summer was spent working with internationally recognized teachers and choreographers at the American Dance Festival in Durham, NC. This is her first season with Idaho Dance Theatre. She would like to thank her family for their continued support in all of her pursuits.

Caitlin Stanley

 Caitlin is happy to return to the company for her third year. Beginning at the age of four Caitlin has experienced many wonderful opportunities in dance along the years. She began training at Mauldin’s Dance Academy in Twin Falls, Idaho with Kelli Turner where she developed her passion and drive for dance particularly in tap and jazz. While dancing with Turner until her senior year, Caitlin attended workshops, master classes, summer camps, and served as the choreography captain of her high school dance team. After graduation Caitlin trained with Carol Roderick as a Ballet Idaho trainee, studied at Eagle Performing Arts Center, and then began comprehensive training with Marla Hansen at Boise State. Idaho Dance Theatre has given Caitlin the career in dance that she has strived for while also providing her with scholarships for her pursuit of a Bachelors Degree in Elementary Education. Caitlin loves to laugh, watch and later quote movies, read great books, and play in the great outdoors. Above all she enjoys spending time with her friends and family.

Gonzalo Valdez

 Gonzalo returns to IDT for a fifth year. He began dancing as a senior in high school after the persuasion of a classmate to take a couples swing class. After that one class he discovered his passion for dance and began to train with the local studios in his hometown of Wendell, Idaho. Along with local and national competitions, he has also attended dance workshops and master classes including Regina Williams, Tremaine in Las Vegas and BSU Summer DanceFest in Boise. Currently, he is under the direction of Marla Hansen at Boise State. In his four years with the company he has been featured in new original pieces such as 1964, Ties That Bind, Silent Past, Tenacious and The Journey Home among others. Gonzalo has also begun a new facet in his dance career as a choreographer. He has set two new pieces on the company, one of which was selected to take on a Northern Idaho tour, and will premiere a new piece this season. Gonzalo also performs in Idaho Dance Theatre’s Educational Outreach Program Leaps and Bounds. In addition to dancing, Gonzalo enjoys photography and spending time with family, friends and his pet Chihuahua, Daisy.

Jeremiah Robert Wierenga

 Sometimes a homecoming begins far away. Born and raised in Boise, he began his life on the stage playing Michael Darling in Boise Music Week’s 1992 production of Peter Pan. He continued to be active in the community theater scene, playing Winthrop Paroo in Boise Music Week’s The Music Man (1995), and was a member of the Opera Idaho Children’s Chorus, appearing in Madama butterfly, H.M.S. Pinafore, Tosca, and Hansel and Gretel. An accomplished cellist, he was a member of the Meridian Symphony of Idaho between 1997 and 2000. After moving to Oregon in 2001, he stayed active in theater, performing with Lane Musical Arts, Lord Leebrick Theatre, and the Very Little Theatre of Eugene. He began dancing in the fall of 2002 and has studied on scholarship at the Eugene Ballet Academy, LINES Ballet School, and Ballet Nouveau Colorado. In Oregon, he performed with Dance Theatre of Oregon, Traduza Dance Company, and Rita Honka Dance. Now back in his home state, Jem works as a freelance writer for the Boise Weekly and is a bookstore clerk. He wishes to thank his sister Sarah for her encouragement to take residence in this exciting world of dance.

Apprentices

Lia Mrazek (apprentice)

 Lia was born and raised in Vancouver, WA where she graduated from Prairie High School in June, 2009 while attending Running Start classes at Clark College. Lia began taking ballet, jazz, modern and tumbling at age six. She joined Columbia Dance Company in 2000 where she performed lead roles such as Snow Queen and Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker, the Black Swan pas de deux, excerpts from Coppelia and other original works, including a Bob Fosse piece set by Laura Haney. Lia’s experience has been enriched by participating annually in Regional Dance America festivals and attending summer intensives with Summer Dance Lab (Walla Walla, WA), Joffrey Ballet (New York), International Ballet Competition and Summer Dance Program (Jackson, MS), Ballet Idaho, Long Beach Ballet’s Ambassadors to China program during the Beijing Olympics (2008) and Milwaukee Ballet. She also had the opportunity to perform with the professional modern company BodyVox of Portland, OR. Lia enjoys creating choreography and has entered several competitions receiving first place in the Weiler Choreography Competition 2009. Lia is thankful for the professional training she received from Columbia Dance artistic director, Jan Hurst, who encouraged her to pursue her passion for dance. As an IDT apprentice, Lia is enrolled at BSU as a full time student, thanks to the IDT/BSU President’s scholarship and the Kathy Troutner Dance scholarship. She is excited to have this opportunity to explore contemporary dance. Someday she hopes to also become an interpreter in American Sign Language.

Melynda Fischer (apprentice)

 Melynda Fischer grew up in Idaho and is very happy to join IDT as an apprentice this year. Melynda has enjoyed dance since she was three years old. For the past five years Melynda was a member of the Ballet Idaho Academy Ensemble where she had the opportunity to dance in a variety of performances. She also appeared in The Nutcracker, Carmina Burana, and Carnival of the Animals with Eugene Ballet’s Artistic Director Tony Pimble In the last few years she has been exploring modern dance. She is currently a freshman at Boise State University, is a dance scholarship recipient and is pursuing a Dance Minor and a Major in Interior Design. In addition to dancing Melynda enjoys camping, painting, and spending quality time with her family.  

 

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What the press is saying about

Idaho Dance Theatre  

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Swingle Singers  

The Swingle Singers are an international a cappella phenomenon. For over four decades, the unmistakable sound of "Swingle singing" has defined the art form: virtuosic vocal agility and blend demonstrated by their signature close-microphone technique, combined with high-level entertainment that has thrilled audiences around the globe. The latest lineup of young and talented voices represents the group's transformation from pioneering classical/jazz crossover artists to contemporary vocal super-group. Their repertoire encompasses classical, jazz, Latin, pop and rock, all accompanied by their own vocal rhythm section. The Swingle Singers have performed all across the UK , America , Asia , and virtually every country in Europe , have released over 50 recordings, and have won five Grammy Awards.

It is hard to comprehend that it all began as an exercise in sight-reading, to alleviate the monotony of sixties backing vocals. Eight Paris-based jazz session singers worked their way through some Bach keyboard repertoire one day and discovered a natural swing to the music. Without changing a note of the original score, they adapted the music for voice, added a rhythm section and persuaded Philips record company to record it for them as Christmas presents for family and friends. Little did they know the level of fame to which this record would elevate them: Jazz Sébastien Bach reached number one in the charts and won several Grammy awards.

Today, there are few music lovers who haven't heard the name the Swingle Singers. Since the release of that ground-breaking debut album in 1963, this virtuosic eight-voice a cappella group (complete with their own vocal rhythm section) has performed on the world's most famous stages, sustaining over four decades a level of international popularity beyond the dreams of its founder, American-born Ward Swingle. The current London-based line-up of young and talented singers is, of course, several incarnations of "Swingles" older than the original team (Ward Swingle affectionately refers to them as his "grandchildren").

They represent a modern incarnation of an ensemble whose music has evolved and expanded to encompass styles far and beyond the swung Baroque and infamous "ba va da" of the 1960s, although audiences will usually hear a tribute to the original French group. Along with the repertoire, the stage show has also grown into a full-blown lights-and-choreography spectacle. The beauty is that however the group has changed, the sound remains unmistakeably that of the Swingle Singers, the same sound which caught the world's attention all those years ago.

The Swingle Singers offer a variety of shows, from the current a cappella programme entitled "Ferris Wheels" to contemporary opera to light orchestral works. This adaptability across the musical spectrum has resulted in many opportunities for collaboration. The late Luciano Berio was one of the first composers who recognised in the sound an opportunity to explore the combination of amplified voices and acoustic instruments. More recent commissions have been penned by such names as British Jazz legend John Dankworth, Michael Nyman, French composer Pascal Zavaro, and Berio's protégé, Azio Corghi.

Joanna Goldsmith-Eteson (soprano)

Joanna started singing at school in various groups including a madrigal ensemble and later an a cappella group which she conducted herself. Whilst still at school she joined the Ionian Singers, recording several contemporary music albums. She was a member of the National Youth Choir of Great Britain from 2001 to 2006, serving as the soprano 1 section leader for four years. She has been a member of Laudibus (the National Youth Chamber Choir) since 2002. Joanna studied singing at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London and has sung with numerous professional ensembles in London as a session singer including everything from church services to CD recordings to film soundtracks. She joined the Swingle Singers in 2006.

Sara Brimer (soprano)

Sara Brimer was born and raised in East Tennessee in the United States . Throughout her high school and college years she was active in her school choir and community productions. While in high school she took part in The Music Man, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and played the role of Eliza in My Fair Lady. During her years at East Tennessee University where she studied Music Education, Sara was given the roles of Suzanna in Le Nozze di Figaro, Mabel in Pirates of Penzance, The Diva in La Divina, and also took part in productions of Carmen and Dido and Aneas. In 2006 Sara toured in Germany as a soloist and ensemble singer with the ETSU Chorale lead by Dr. Thomas Jenrette. In the summer of 2008 she auditioned for the Swingle Singers, and moved to London in January 2009 to begin touring with the internationally acclaimed group.

Clare Wheeler (alto)

Clare grew up in Kenya before moving to Manchester to attend Chethams School of Music, where she trained as a classical violinist and also studied classical voice. During this time she met bassist Steve Berry of Loose Tubes, and started getting into jazz. She followed on to Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London to study composition and voice on the jazz course under Lee Gibson, Pete Churchill and Tim Garland, as well as classical singing with Penny Mackay. Clare freelanced in London as a jazz singer, composer and arranger, and taught Music Theory and Harmony at the Academy of Contemporary Music , before joining the internationally renowned Swingle Singers in the summer of 2007. Although the group takes her abroad for much of the year, she still writes prolifically for her own ensembles.

Lucy Bailey (alto)

Lucy studied music at Southampton University , graduating in 2007. She spent four years as a member of the National Youth Choir of Great Britain, where she took part in the recording of 'Convocation' by Giles Swayne, and 'Sanctum Est Verum Lumen', a CD of multi-part music for choir. With the choir she toured extensively around the world, including concerts in Vienna , Leipzig , Dresden and Prague . Lucy joined the Swingle Singers in 2008 and is delighted to be touring the world again.

Richard Eteson (tenor)

Richard has been singing all his life. After singing in his local parish church choir in Bingley, Yorkshire from the age of seven, he became a chorister at King's College, Cambridge . Whilst a music scholar at Shrewsbury School , he formed and directed several a cappella groups and sang in the school's choirs and big band. He returned to King's College Cambridge whilst at University, reading Japanese and English and singing again in King's College Choir this time as a tenor. After a few years as a professional freelance tenor in London , a chance meeting in a pub after a concert led to Richard joining the Swingle Singers.

Christopher Jay (tenor)

Christopher graduated as a Manufacturing Engineer from Nottingham University before training in Musical Theatre at the Royal Academy of Music. He began singing as a chorister at New College Oxford before joining the National Youth Choir of Great Britain. Shortly after, he secured a place in its fantastic chamber choir Laudibus. Christopher now sings Tenor 2 in the Swingle Singers, and in his spare time is a session singer for Annie Skates, Capital Voices. Theatre credits include Sweeney Todd cover in John Doyle's Sweeney Todd, Jacob in Joseph and The Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat ( UK tour), also Swing/Jacob understudy (New London Theatre), and Count Ludovic/Lieutenant Barri in Passion (Bridewell Theatre).

Kevin Fox (baritone/vocal percussion)

Toronto native Kevin Fox is a recognized voice in the North American a cappella scene. He studied Anthropology and Archaeology in university while directing and producing several albums for the award-winning collegiate choir WIBIJAZZ'N'. During this time he co-founded the Juno-nominated vocal band CADENCE. After nine years as the quartet's bass and vocal percussionist, Kevin relocated to London , England in 2007 to join the Swingle Singers. In his spare time, Kevin continues his work as a sought-after arranger and clinician. He is also a resident composer for the Driftwood Theatre Group, Toronto 's acclaimed summer Shakespeare company.

Tobias Hug (bass/vocal percussion)

Tobias has been doing music for most of his life but only started singing at the age of 18. He first chose to pursue a career in Anthropology while running his own business. Then at the age of 23 he decided to change paths and study music education, majoring in French horn at the Musikhochschule Trossingen. Before joining the Swingle Singers in 2001, Tobias was a member of the award-winning Jazzchor Freiburg, the a cappella jazz group "SiX", the State Youth Big Band of Baden-Wuerttemberg and many other ensembles. Upon joining the Swingles, Tobias relocated to London and soon got involved in the booming beatbox scene. After striking up a partnership with Björk collaborator Shlomo, the Swingle Singers subsequently founded the world's first beatbox choir, joining forces with Britain 's finest beatbox talent.

 

 




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What the press is saying about

Swingle Singers


"Everything about the Swingles is flawless"
Los Angeles Times

"The Swingle Singers pitched those mysteriously lovely chords with laser-like precision... on a 

purely musical level this performance was a triumph"
The Telegraph

"This renowned group are still the absolute best and unbeatable"
La Stampa, Italy

"The present octet doo-be-doo with authentic cool"
Evening Standard, London

"Musical textures tickled the ear with amazing feats of voice... Divine"
The Commercial Appeal-Memphis , USA

"Only after the 3rd encore were the cheering and foot stamping crowd satisfied"
 Dienstag , Germany

"The seamless fusion of treble, bass and flawlessly breathed sounds

swelled to fill the hall"
Fort Worth Star-Telegram, USA

 

"One of the most memorable concerts ever presented at the festival... superb musicianship, 

versatile vocal virtuosity and exquisite, eye-catching choreography"
Cork International Choral Festival

"One of the few great shows which are really worth seeing these days; a classy show that is inspiring, exciting and entertaining when an audience responds like it did, you know that the Swingle Singers have really reached and touched their hearts"
 IdeaNove. Varese , Italy

"Mehta and Swingle Singers - a winning combination... the magnificent eight voices of the Swingle Singers stood out, 

always perfectly in tune, rhythmically flawless and  capable of realizing in a perfect fashion the timbral effects

and the more unusual requests from Berio's score"
 Berio's Sinfonia, Il Giornale, Italy

 "A contemporary classic, ever fresh, ever powerful, ever provocative... a running commentary of speech, song and 

a kind of scat-crooning, an assignment literally made to order for the Swingle Singers... virtuosic feats"
 Berio's Sinfonia, Chicago Tribune

"Whether performing with the National Symphony Orchestra or in a cappella settings, the Swingle Singers were never less than dazzling"
Washington Post

"Performers included the British violinist Nigel Kennedy, the American rock singer Patti Smith and the Swingle Singers, 

with their rendition of "Ciao Bella Ciao" which got one of the biggest ovations of all"
 BBC News (covering opening of Parco della Musica, Rome )

 

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Foothills Brass

A group of five versatile musicians from across north America were founded in 1981 in Calgary.  This superb Canadian quintet is dedicated to exceptional artistic presentation, meaningful educational activities, and innovative leadership in the artistic community.  A Yamaha performing ensemble, Foothills Brass presents up to 200 events each year in concert halls, universities, classrooms and cathedrals.

 

Foothills Brass is serious Fun!  Quality, Entertainment, Variety, and High-Energy have been trademarks of this rare ensemble for 3 decades.  An exciting exploration of the beginnings of jazz – from ragtime to Dixie , show tunes to swing. Audiences will be inspired by the sounds of some of the greatest jazz composers of all time, such as George Gershwin and Jelly Roll Morton, and will be tapping their toes to classic favorites The Entertainer, Old Man River, Darktown Strutter’s Ball, and even a Beatles tune or two!

 

Tours have taken them as far as Israel, where they began a three week tour with performances in Bethlehem on Christmas eve, the Jerusalem Threatre on Christmas Day and Rubin Academy in Tel Aviv.  They were featured guests in the "Canada in the City" festival sponsored by the Canada High Commission, and at the first annual Covent Garden Festival, both in London, England.  

 

Chris Morrison, trumpet

    ·         Co-founder of Foothills Brass with Rosalee in 1981

    ·         Born Trail, BC, grew up in the Northwest Territories

   ·        Musical studies at University of ALberta , University of Toronto (B. Mus.), The Banff Centre, Keystone Brass Institute, National Youth Orchestra

   ·        Performed with the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra (principal trumpet for five years), Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Edmonton Symphony, Calgary Philharmonic, Banff Festival Orchestra

   ·        Enjoys camping, hiking, and riding his horse, bicycle, and vintage motorcycles

 

Jay Michalak, trumpet  

Joanna Schulz, French horn

Mike Tutton

Bob Nicholson, tuba

Elizabeth Mann, flutist

Elizabeth Mann has served as principal flute of the St. Luke's Chamber Ensemble for the past seventeen seasons. She has toured the United States performing the Mozart Flute Concerto under the baton of Andrè Previn; traveled throughout Spain and Japan performing the Brandenburg Concerti with renowned violinist/conductor Jaime Laredo; and was guest artist at the Lochenhaus Festival in Austria under the direction of Gidon Kremer. In 1998, Ms. Mann and Mr. Kremer played the U.S. premiere of the Gubaidalina Concerto for Flute and Violin with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra at Carnegie Hall. She has appeared in recital at the Aldeborough Music Festival in England, the Library of Congress and at Carnegie Hall. Other solo performances include concertos with the Boston Symphony, the Buffalo Philharmonic and the National Chamber Orchestra of Baltimore.

 

In past seasons, Ms. Mann has played principal flute with the Minnesota Orchestra, the New Jersey Symphony, and acting associate principal flute with the Boston Symphony. She performs regularly with the Orpheus Chamber Ensemble, and as principal flute of the Orchestra of St. Luke's, Ms. Mann has been highlighted in many of the concerts. She has received critical acclaim for performances with Samuel Ramey, Joan Sutherland and Victoria de Los Angeles, among others.

Elizabeth Mann began studying flute at age eight. She won the Boston Young Artist Concerto Competition at age 12, performing as soloist with the Boston Symphony. Ms. Mann is a graduate of The Juilliard School, where she was a student of Julius Baker. She can be heard on recordings by CBC Masterworks, Deutsche Grammophon, Angel Records, MusicMasters and New World Records. She, along with Deborah Hoffman, principal harpist of the Metropolitan Opera, has released the CD Reflections: Transcriptions for Flute and Harp.

Thomas Gallant, oboist

Award-winning artist, Thomas Gallant is one of the world’s few virtuoso solo and chamber music performers on the oboe.  Mr. Gallant has been praised by the New Yorker magazine as “a player who unites technical mastery with intentness, charm and wit.”

Mr. Gallant is a First Prize Winner of the Concert Artists Guild International New York Competition.  His performances have taken him to Avery Fisher Hall and Carnegie Hall in New York City, to Washington, DC, Los Angeles, Chicago, as well as to the Salle Pleyel in Paris, Vienna Konzerthaus in Austria, to the Spoleto Festival in Italy and to the Mostly Mozart Festival at Lincoln Center. He has appeared as guest soloist with the Kronos Quartet at the Ravinia Festival and has collaborated with flutists Jean-Pierre Rampal and Paula Robison and with many string quartets, including Cuarteto Casals, Cuarteto Latinoamericano, and  the Colorado and Lark Quartets. Recent performances include a concert of solo and chamber music works for the oboe at the Library of Congress in Washington, DC, and tours across the United States as soloist with  Camerata Bariloche from Argentina, performing concerti by Bellini and Vaughan-Williams, as well as performances for the Cleveland Chamber Music Society  and recitals for the University of Vermont Lane Series and the Flagler Museum of Art in Palm Beach.

Thomas Gallant is known for his unique performance style, which combines the American and European traditions of oboe playing.  He plays on an “Evoluzione” oboe made by the Italian maker Fratelli Patricola.

Jo-Ann Sternberg, clarinetist

Jo-Ann Sternberg lives a varied musical life in New York, currently performing and touring with a wide array of groups, including Sequitur, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Musicians from Marlboro, New York Philomusica and the New York Chamber Ensemble, and several of New York City's leading orchestras, including the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and the Orchestra of St. Luke's.  Her summer festivals have included Marlboro, Tanglewood, Caramoor, Norfolk and Schleswig-Holstein.  In addition to performing, Ms Sternberg maintains an active teaching studio, and serves on the faculties of Princeton University, Western Connecticut State University, and the Chamber Music Conference and Composers' Forum of the East.  After receiving a B.A. in English from Tufts University and a B.M. in Clarinet Performance from the New England Conservatory, Ms. Sternberg continued her studies at Yale University with David Shifrin and at the Juilliard School with Charles Neidich, receiving an M.M. from Juilliard.  In addition to several recordings with Orpheus for Deutsch-Grammophon, Ms. Sternberg's discography includes recordings on the Nonesuch, Troy, CRI, Archetype and St. Cyprien labels. 

Cynde Iverson, bassoonist

Cynde Iverson is recognized as one of the finest bassoonists today.  She has held the Principal Bassoon Chair of the New Haven Symphony for the past fourteen seasons, as she has continued to perform with many of New York’s most prestigious ensembles, including the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, the American Symphony Orchestra, New Jersey Symphony and New York City Opera among many others.  As a soloist Ms. Iverson recently completed highly successful tours of the US, Europe, Japan, and Southeast Asia with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra.  In the summer months, she has performed at the Caramoor Music Festival, North Country Chamber Players Festival, Moab Music Festival, Waterloo Music Festival, Summer Music at Harkness, and the Colorado Music Festival.  In addition, she has held principal positions with the Rhode Island Philharmonic and the Connecticut Orchestra.  

As an advocate for contemporary music, Ms. Iverson has performed and recorded numerous compositions with the chamber ensembles, Continuum and Musical Elements, and has explored the medium of jazz with such artists as Steve Lacy, Anthony Davis and James Newton.  Her unique talents were highlighted as a member of the improvisational group, Episteme, which has toured extensively both here and abroad.  She has recorded for several commercial labels and most recently she recorded the Ravel Piano Concerto with Orpheus and jazz legend, Herbie Hancock.

Cynde Iverson received her B.M. (cum laude) from Indiana University as a student of Leonard Sharrow and her M.M. (cum laude) from the Juilliard School as a student of Stephen Maxym. Ms. Iverson is on the Faculty at Rutgers University.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

06/16/10