Michael Burch-Pesses, Wind Ensemble

Michael Burch-Pesses is Director of Bands at Pacific University in Forest Grove, Oregon, where he conducts the Wind Ensemble, Jazz Band, and Jazz Choir, and teaches courses in conducting and music education. He holds Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees in conducting from the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. Since coming to Pacific University in 1995 he received the Junior Faculty Award (1998) and was named a Wye Fellow of the Aspen Institute (1999). In 2006 he received the S.S. Johnson Foundation Award for Excellence in Teaching and the Citation of Excellence from the National Band Association. He is listed in Who’s Who in America and Who’s Who in American Education.

Loren Pontén, Chorus

Loren Pontén, is founder and artistic director of Opus 7 Vocal Ensemble. Loren has been an assistant conductor for the Cathedral Choir of St. James in Seattle, and currently is a member of the Cathedral Choir, the Cathedral Chant Choir and the professional ensemble, Cathedral Cantorei. As a singer, he has also performed with the Tudor Choir and Choral Arts Northwest. He holds undergraduate degrees in Music and Music Education and completed graduate studies in choral conducting at the University of Washington.

Roupen Shakarian, Orchestra

Roupen Shakarian has been the music director of Philharmonia Northwest since 1986. He has conducted the Seattle Symphony, Victoria Symphony, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Seattle Symphony Chorale, the Seattle Youth Symphony, the California Youth Symphony, the Northwest Chamber Orchestra among other orchestras in the Northwest.

A published composer and recipient of numerous commissions, his works include Whimsy and Chamber Symphony, both works written for Philharmonia Northwest, Flute Concerto, Pastime for chamber ensemble, The Turnip, Clock, and the Kid for The Rainier Chamber Winds, Five Bagatelles for woodwind quintet, Inner Places for brass quintet and organ and choral works for Opus 7, The Esoterics and St Stephen's Episcopal Chuirch, among others.

Currently, Mr. Shakarian is a full-time faculty member at North Seattle Community College.

Darrin Thaves, Festival Flute Choir

Darrin Thaves received his B.A. with Honors in Music from the University of Puget Sound, and is currently a graduate student in Flute Performance at CSULB, where he also serves on the applied flute faculty.
He has studied flute with Dr. John Barcellona, Karla Flygare, Richard Breitstein, Claudia Anderson, Ervin Monroe, Felix Skowronek, and Paula Robison. He has held the position of Principal Flute with the Northwest Sinfonietta and the Pacific Chamber Soloists, as well as the position of Second Flute in the Tacoma Symphony Orchestra.
He has also been a featured soloist with both the Northwest Sinfonietta and the Tacoma Youth Symphony. He is the Co-Director and Founder of the NW Flute Collegium, and serves as a flute coach for the Evergreen Music Festival.
He has also served as director of the Pacific Flute Ensemble and as Flute Specialist for the Tacoma Youth Symphony Association.

Flute: Wendy Wilhelmi

Wendy Wilhelmi is active as a teacher and performer throughout the Pacific Northwest. She has been a regular memeber of the Spokane Symphony since 1995 and frequently performs with many other groups in the region, including the Seattle Symphony, Seattle Opera, Northwest Chamber Orchestra, Chamber Music San Juans and Rainier Chamber Winds.
Wendy can be heard playing flute, piccolo and alto flute on numerous commercial and movie soundtracks including Eloise at the Plaza©, About Schmidt©, Die Hard 3© and Air Bud©. Past engagements have included performances with the Boise Philharmonic, Honolulu Symphony and Northwest Sinfonietta.
In addition to her busy performing schedule, Wendy maintains a large private teaching studio and coaches chamber music for the Seattle Conservatory. Ms. Wilhelmi received her Bachelor of Music in music history magna cum laude from the University of Washington and her Masters of Music in flute performance from Northwestern University where she studied with Walfrid Kujala.
She was principal flute of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and co-principal flute of the Philarmonica de Queretaro (Mexico). In 1998 Ms. Wilhelmi won first place in the NFA Piccolo Artist Competition.

Oboe, Wind Faculty Co-Ordinator: Dan Williams

Bassoon: Susan Hess

Susan Hess performs actively in the Inland Northwest with groups such as the Northwest Wind Quintet, Walla Walla Symphony, Intermontane Bassoon Trio and Con Brio Winds. She has been a member of many musical organizations, including the Colorado Music Festival, Boulder Bach Festival, Colorado Mahler Fest, Ernest Bloch Music Festival, and Colorado Wind Quintet (faculty ensemble at University of Colorado). As a free-lancer, Susan has performed with the Spokane Symphony, Northwest Bach Festival, Delaware Symphony Orchestra, Concerto Soloists of Philadelphia, and with various other groups in the East Coast and Rocky Mountain regions. She earned her doctorate and bachelor's degrees from the University of Colorado and her master's degree from Florida State University. Her principal teachers have been William Winstead, Robert Olson, John Wetherill and Ryohei Nakagawa. She currently is the Assistant Director and Associate Professor of Music at the University of Idaho's Lionel Hampton School of Music. In addition to modern bassoon, Susan also performs on the Baroque bassoon (Mathew Dart's copy of a Denner ca. 1740).

Clarinet: Jennifer Nelson

Jennifer Nelson, Dash Point native, is currently Principal Clarinet with the Pacific Northwest Ballet and the Auburn Symphony Orchestras. She also has a very active freelance career, including playing B roadway-style shows at the Fifth Avenue and Paramount Theaters, occasional extra with the Seattle Symphony and Opera Orchestras, and records for various television and motion picture scores; she is also Affiliate Artist Faculty in Clarinet at the University of Puget Sound. Nelson has also traveled throughout the United States with the national touring companies of Phantom of the Opera and New York City Opera. In addition to her stateside concerts, Jennifer's orchestral and recital performances have also taken her to Mexico, Japan, Germany, Liechtenstein, Austria, Honduras, and most recently, India.

Clarinet & Piano: Anthony Taylor

Anthony Taylor was recently appointed as Assistant Professor of Clarinet in the University of North Carolina at Greensboro School of Music and Principal Clarinet of the Winston-Salem Symphony, and serves as clarinet mentor for the Hot Springs Music Festival in Arkansas. He is also an active solo, chamber, and jazz musician. Recent and upcoming performance highlights include orchestral concerts with Evelyn Glennie and Van Cliburn, a tour in Germany with the UNCG EastWind Quintet, and a performance at the 2008 Ohio University Clarinet Gala. He has been a member of the Spokane Symphony, the Boise Philharmonic, Spokane Opera and professional contemporary music ensemble Zephyr. He has been on the faculties of Washington State University, Eastern Washington University, Whitman College and Gonzaga University. In summer 2007, he completed his doctorate at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and also holds degrees from The Florida State University and Washington State University.

Saxophone & Jazz Ensemble: Gregory Yasinitsky

Gregory W. Yasinitsky, DMA, is Professor of Music and Coordinator of Jazz Studies at Washington State University where he teaches saxophone, composition, arranging, improvisation, jazz history and wind synthesis.

Yasinitsky is nationally known as a composer and arranger of music for big band, combo and vocal jazz ensemble including music written especially for Clark Terry, David Liebman and the USAF "Airmen of Note." Yasinitsky's music has been performed in over 30 countries and he has received grants and awards from the National Endowment for the Arts, The Commission Project of New York, Meet the Composer West, ASCAP, Artist Trust, Washington State Music Teachers Association (WSMTA) and the Washington Music Educators Association (WMEA). Several of his pieces have been recorded and over 120 compositions and arrangements have been published by Kendor Music, Warner Brothers, Hal Leonard, Advance Music (Germany), Walrus Music, University of Northern Colorado Jazz Press, Dorn Music, Daniel Barry Music and Hoyt Editions. Yasinitsky has also accepted numerous commissions for orchestral pieces, solo works and chamber music. Selected orchestral and chamber works can be heard on compact discs released by Vienna Modern Masters, Arizona University Recordings and Open Loop Records. Yasinitsky earned degrees at the Eastman School of Music (DMA) and San Francisco State University (MA, BM) and his teachers in composition include Joseph Schwantner, Wayne Peterson, Lou Harrison, Samuel Adler and Robert Morris.

As a saxophonist, he has appeared with numerous distinguished artists including Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, Ray Charles, Louie Bellson, Stan Getz, Lionel Hampton, Manhattan Transfer, Mel Torme and Clark Terry. Additionally, Yasinitsky is currently Principal Saxophonist with the Spokane Symphony and has performed as a member of the San Francisco Symphony, San Francisco Opera Orchestra and Oakland Symphony. Yasinitsky can be heard with Tom Harrell, Art Lande and others on recordings released by the Musical Heritage Society, Soul Note, Palo Alto and Revelation Records. His playing and compositions can also be heard on compact discs released by his own label, YAZZ Recordings. In addition to his saxophone playing, Yasinitsky performs on Yamaha's digital wind controllers for synthesizers.

Yasinitsky is also in demand as a conductor and clinician, and has presented concerts and workshops throughout the US, Canada, Europe and Japan. Additionally, Yasinitsky has been the subject of articles and reviews in Jazz Player, Saxophone Journal, The Instrumentalist, Jazz Educators Journal and Yamaha's New Ways magazines and has contributed articles to numerous scholarly journals. Yasinitsky is a Yamaha performing artist and clinician.

Trumpet: William Berry

William Berry received his Bachelor of Music Performance in Trumpet in 1982 from Indiana University, where he studied with Louis Davidson, Allan Dean and Charles Gorham. He has been a member of the Spokane Symphony Orchestra since 1988 and is principal trumpet for the Walla Walla Symphony Orchestra.  He has appeared as a soloist with the Spokane Symphony, the Walla Walla Symphony, the Mid-Columbia Symphony, Gonzaga University’s Orchestra and Wind Ensemble, the Spokane Area Children’s Chorus on their 1998 British Isles Tour, and at the 1995 Sacramento Jazz Jubilee, the world’s largest traditional jazz festival.  Berry performs regularly with Spokane’s local groups ranging from Allegro, a baroque and classical period music group, to Zephyr, an ensemble specializing in 20th century chamber music.

Berry has regularly appeared as a soloist with the Air National Guard Band of the Northwest since becoming a member in 1993, including local performances as well as national and international tours.  For six years he served as the leader of that unit’s Dixieland Band, and is currently leader for the Band of the Northwest’s Brass Quintet.  As a member of the Seattle-based Emerald City Brass Quintet from 1983 to 1991, he performed on numerous concert series, television and radio broadcasts, and other venues from Alaska to Montana, including regular guest appearances at the Olympic Music Festival, and as finalist in the Concert Artist Guild Competition in New York.  From 1975 to 1978, Berry was a member of the First U.S. Army Band, stationed at Fort Meade, Maryland, which gave hundreds of performances per year up and down the East Coast.

Winner of the 2003 Artist Trust/Washington State Arts Commission Fellowship for music, William is a musician whose career encompasses every aspect of the field.  He has found success as a performer, composer, arranger, director, producer, writer, and educator. 

Berry is founder and music director of Clarion, a 13-member brass choir, which has been performing since 1992.  In 2000, Clarion recorded a popular compact disc entirely comprised of Berry’s Christmas and holiday arrangements, entitled Nutcracker Suite Dreams. In 2003, they released a second recording, Angels, a large-scale work for 2 choruses, brass, percussion, and organ.  In 2005, Berry produced a third Clarion disc, a sequel to NSD, entitled A Partridge in a Pear Tree.

Cycling Music, a concerto for trumpet with brass, commissioned by the Eastern Washington University Music Department and funded by an Enabling Creativity Grant, was premiered in March of 2004 by world-famous trumpeter Allen Vizzutti accompanied by Clarion Brass as the culmination of a two-day symposium called Brassology.

Other projects involve setting Janell Cannon’s award-winning children’s book, Stellaluna, to music and a commission from Mozart on a Summer’s Eve for a new woodwind nonet to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Manito Park in Spokane.

Berry is also the instigator and music director of two new and experimental groups.  One is String Jam, an electric string orchestra which erases musical boundaries by combining swing, rock, blues, jazz, fiddling, and other popular styles with dazzling virtuosity.  The other is Of A Mind, a consortium of seven multi-instrumentalist creative artists, which performs free and minimal-parameter improvisation in a variety of styles.

In off hours, Berry is an avid long distance cyclist, and with his wife, Carol Dorsett, plays frisbee with a border collie named Figaro and is in the process of renovating a 1901 post-Victorian home.

French Horn: Kathleen Vaught Farner

Kathleen Vaught Farner is Professor of Music at Pacific Lutheran University, where she teaches horn and performs in the Camas Quintet and the Lyric Brass Quintet.

Kathleen's musical interests extend beyond the modern day valved horn to the natural horn and performance practices of the Baroque and Classical period. She enjoys concertizing on both instruments (but not at the same time) with her husband, pianist Richard Farner Her many years at the Midsummer Musical Retreat have fostered a special interest in working with adult amateur musicians.

She received her undergraduate training at the Oberlin Conservatory and Temple University and her Master of Music degree at the New England Conservatory, Boston. She has also studied in Norway with famed hornist Fröydis Ree Wekre and performed with the Oslo Philharmonic.

Mrs. Farner made her solo debut at the age of 17 with he Honolulu Symphony, and has played in the horn sections of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Delaware Symphony, the Boston Opera Orchestra and the Philadelphia Chamber Symphony. She was a member of the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra for eight years under Arthur Fiedler and John Williams, and served two seasons as principal horn in the Richmond Symphony.

Currently principal horn with the Northwest Sinfonietta, Mrs. Farner is in demand as recitalist, chamber musician and clinician.

When not performing or teaching you can find Kathleen walking Bailey (the world‚s most wonderful yellow Labrador) or trail riding on her retired show horse, Blue.

Trombone: Keith Winkle

Keith Winkle is on the faculty of Western Washington University and Pacific Lutheran University where he teaches trombone and performs with the Washington Brass Ensemble and the Lyric Brass Quintet, both resident faculty ensembles.

Keith is a member of the Tacoma Symphony Orchestra, Northwest Sinfonietta, Bellingham Festival Orchestra, Tacoma Opera Orchestra, Mosaic Brass Quintet and the Seattle Choral Company Orchestra.  As a free-lance performer he has appeared with the Seattle Symphony, Seattle Opera, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Rainier Chamber Winds, American Sinfonietta, Seattle Pro Musica and others.  Keith enjoys playing theatre music and jazz when he gets the opportunity.

Keith grew up in Yakima, WA and attended Central Washington University and the University of North Texas.  His teachers include Larry Gookin, Vern Kagarice and Royce Lumpkin.

Tuba and Euphonium: Ryan Schultz

Ryan Schultz is Principal Tubist of the Pacific Northwest Ballet Orchestra and the Auburn and Yakima Symphony Orchestras. Ryan has performed as Guest Principal Tubist for Seattle Symphony on numerous occasions and has also performed in that capacity with many other orchestras, most notably: Seattle Opera, Eugene Symphony, Bolshoi Ballet, the orchestra for the touring musical "Chicago" at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle, and with trombonists from the Oregon Symphony at the Ernest Bloch Festival. An active freelance musician, Ryan has played "cimbasso" with Seattle Opera and has also performed on Bass Trombone with Northwest Sinfonietta, Bellevue Philharmonic, and the Yakima Symphony.

Originally from Wisconsin, Ryan enlisted in the United States Army while finishing his undergraduate studies in 1995. From 1996-1999 he was a member of the U.S. Army's "I Corps Band" (56th Army Band) where he performed as Solo Tubist and also on both Euphonium and Bass Trombone. Ryan has performed and given clinics throughout the United States both alone and with a variety of ensembles ranging from Dixieland Jazz groups to brass quintets. He has performed numerous world- and West-coast premiers of both new orchestral and wind band music under the batons of Maestros Gerard Schwartz, Giancarlo Guerrero and numerous others.

Orchestral "Pops" highlights include performances with "Doc" Severinsen, Empire Brass, the Brubeck Brothers, and conductor/composer of the Lord of the Rings movie music, Maestro Howard Shore. An active recording artist, Mr. Schultz has recorded with Seattle Symphony and can also be heard on numerous motion picture and other commercial recordings. Ryan has performed for numerous dignitaries including President Nelson Mandela, former Vice-President Al Gore, Senator Maria Cantwell and a host of military officials. Ryan enjoys annual performances with the faculty jazz ensemble of the Midsummer Musical Retreat and has also performed with the faculty jazz groups of Central Washington University, Lawrence Conservatory, and the Shell Lake Jazz Camp.

Mr. Schultz has a keen interest in low-brass pedagogy. He holds teaching positions at the University of Puget Sound, Music Works Northwest, Midsummer Musical Retreat and with the Seattle Youth Symphony. Previously, he taught at Central Washington University and at the Lawrence Academy of Music. His students have won awards in National, Regional and Washington State solo competitions; recent highlights include: winner of the International Tuba and Euphonium Association’s Northwest Regional Solo Competition ("Big Brass Bash") in 2005, and the Second Place National Winner, Senior Brass at the Music Teacher’s National Association’s national competition in 2006. A product of the Stevens Point, WI public schools, Ryan is a firm supporter of Music (including Jazz Music) education in our schools.

Schultz earned his Masters (M.M.) degree from Central Washington University in Music Performance/Pedagogy and completed his other musical studies at Lawrence Conservatory, U.S. Navy School of Music, and the Aspen and Tanglewood Music Festivals. Ryan studied primarily with Nick Keelan, Abe Torchinsky, Steve Fissel, and Chris Olka. His chamber music studies were with the American and Empire Brass Quintets. Ryan has also studied privately and/or in master classes with John Rojak, Matt Good, Per Brevig, Chester Schmitz, Kenneth Amis, Ed Diefes, Eric Ruske, Sam Pilafian, Dan Neesley, David Stull and Brian Martz.

Violin: Cecilia Archuleta

Violinist Cecilia Archuleta has performed internationally as an orchestral musician and soloist. Born in Los Angeles, she has appeared as a soloist with the Mexico City Philharmonic. By special request of the First Lady of Mexico, Cecilia was twice invited to play before the President of Mexico. Her freelance performing career in California brought numerous celebrity engagements, including a concert for Princess Grace of Monaco and a performance of the Bach Double with Jack Benny. In the Pacific Northwest, Cecilia is one of the most sought-after violinists for chamber music. She participated in 12 seasons of acclaimed chamber music performances at the Olympic Music Festival. Cecilia is the founding member of the Onyx Chamber Players and is a member of the Northwest Sinfonietta. She has appeared with Gallery Concerts, performing on period instruments and has performed with Seattle Symphony and the Pacific Northwest Ballet.

Violin: Marcia Ott

Marcia Ott attended Oberlin Conservatory, New England Conservatory, and has her Masters of Music degree from Pacific Lutheran University. She has performed as recitalist and soloist throughout the United States and Europe. While living on the east coast she co-founded the Showcase String Quartet which was active in and around the greater New York City area.

She is a member of the Aronoff Trio which performs throughout the Northwest, and is founding member and first violinist of the Tacoma Musical Arts Ensemble. She is a member of The Northwest Pacific Ballet Orchestra, The Northwest Sinfonietta, The Auburn Symphony, and is on the string faculty of Pacific Lutheran University.

Violin: Mary Sokol Brown

Mary Sokol Brown is well known in the Vancouver music community as both a performer and teacher. She has been a member of the Vancouver Symphony since 1979 where she holds the fourth chair position in the first violin section. Mary has performed extensively as a soloist and chamber musician with many of Vancouver's musical ensembles including the Vancouver Symphony, Vetta Recital series, Vancouver New Music, Music in the Morning and on CBC Radio broadcasts. In the summers she has taught and performed at the Courtenay, West Coast AMS, and Marrowstone Music Festivals.

One of Mary Brown's most enjoyable ventures is organizing evenings of chamber music in the intimate atmosphere of people's homes with the likes of the chamber ensemble, Trio Accord, in which she plays along with violist Andrew Brown and cellist Ariel Barnes.

Viola: Thane Lewis

Thane Lewis is Principal Violist of the Tacoma Symphony and Assistant Principal Violist of the Northwest Sinfonietta. He has performed as Assistant Principal Viola of the Boise Philharmonic, and as an extra with the Oregon Symphony, the Anchorage Symphony, the Auburn Symphony, the Pacific Northwest Ballet Orchestra, and the 5th Avenue Theater Orchestra. Mr. Lewis has appeared as soloist with the Eastside Symphony, Octava Chamber Orchestra and the Lake Union Civic Orchestra in Seattle’s Town Hall.

Viola, String Faculty Co-Ordinator: Eileen Swanson

Eileen Swanson serves as principal violist and artistic administrator of the Northwest Chamber Orchestra. She is a member of the Pacific Northwest Ballet Orchestra and on the faculty of Marrowstone Music Festival. Eileen teaches privately in the Seattle area and directs and performs in the Providence Point Chamber Concert series.

Cello: Meg Brennand

Meg Brennand "Stunning" (Seattle Weekly) "Exemplary musicianship and true flair" (The Journal American). Meg is known for her work on both modern and baroque cello. She is currently the cellist of the Onyx Chamber Players, an ensemble based in Seattle and Chicago that recently completed a Beethoven cycle at Town Hall and will begin a Mozart cycle in 2007. Meg Brennand serves on the cello faculty at Seattle Pacific University and she is a member of the Pacific Northwest Ballet Orchestra. For ten years she performed with the Seattle Baroque Orchestra. She is also one of the founding members of Gallery Concerts, performing chamber music of the 18th century on period instruments. Meg is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music.

Cello: Anne Brennand

Cellist Anne Brennand is a member of the Boulder Philharmonic and the Greeley Symphony. She has also played in the Denver Chamber Orchestra, Fort Collins Symphony, Cheyenne Symphony, Springfield Orchestra, Northeastern Philharmonic, Pennsylvania Ballet, Hudson Valley Philharmonic, Albany Symphony Orchestra, and the National Orchestral Association. She has participated in the Domaine School for Conductors and Orchestral Musicians, the Blossom Festival Orchestra in Ohio, and the Peter Britt Festial Orchestra in Ashland, Oregon. Ms. Brennand holds a Master of Music in cello performance from the University of Colorado at Boulder, where she received the Denes Koromzay Chamber Music Award, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the California Institute of the Arts. She is a member of the Serenata String Quartet in Boulder and teaches students of all ages.

String Bass, Midsummer Retreat Manager: Karen Janes

Seattle Native Karen Janes began her double bass studies at age thirteen. In high school she was principal bassist for Thalia Youth Symphony, and also played with Seattle Youth Symphony under Vilem Sokol. As a member of the America's Youth in Concert All-Nation Orchestra, she performed at Carnegie Hall and toured Europe. She received an orchestra scholarship to University of North Texas, where she studied double bass with Dr. Edward Rainbow. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree in piano performance from the University of North Texas.

Pianist, Composer, Coach: Bern Herbolsheimer

Bern Herbolsheimer received both his Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from the University of Washington. His awards include a NEA Composer's Fellowship and a Chamber Music America commission. He was a winner of the National Opera Association's New Opera Competition, named Washington State Music Teacher's Association (WSMTA) Composer of the Year and has been a composer-in-residence for the Seattle Arts Commission. Bern has had works commissioned by the Pacific Northwest, Eugene, Atlanta, and Frankfurt ballet companies, as well as the Seattle Symphony Orchestra and the St. James Cathedral. He has had his compositions performed in Europe, Canada, the United States, Japan and Australia. Berne's music has bee published by Galaxy Publishing Company and Puget Press.

Conductor, Pianist, Composer: Roger Nelson

Roger has been a fixture at Cornish College of the Arts since 1979 where he has done everything from teaching piano and music history to conducting opera. A popular chamber music pianist, Roger performed for years with the New Performance Group, a 7-member ensemble.

For thirteen seasons, Roger conducted the Bainbridge Orchestra. He conducted the Seattle Creative Orchestra, a 40-member group devoted to playing works of living composers. Roger also conducted Minnesota Opera's "New Music Theatre Ensemble" in two world premieres, and was a leader of the "Floating Opera" in Seattle, featuring performances on a barge floating through Puget Sound.

In the 1997-1998 academic year, Roger, with his wife Karen Iglitzin, violinist, were the first foreign music teachers to teach at Qufu University, Shandong Province, China. While in Qufu, Roger established an orchestra to perform Haydn's "Surprise Symphony," filling in as needed with Chinese traditional instruments and accordions — the first western orchestra there since the "Cultural Revolution."

In 1999, 2002 and 2005 he composed a fiddle tune every day of the year. A collection of his "Fiddle Tunes with a Difference" is available in book form, and on his CD "Fiddling on the Yangtze." The CD also includes Chinese music, and features Roger on piano and Karen Iglitzin on violin. The CD is available at www.chambermusicmadness.org under "Support." Roger is also active as a singer and leads a vocal ensemble Canzonetta.

Roger earned a BA in Zoology from Pomona College and an MM in Choral Conducting from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. His early teachers were Adolph Baller and John Steele Ritter.

Percussion: Matt Drumm

Matt is from the Seattle area and is a graduate of University of Washington, where he studied with Michael Crusoe. Matt has been Principal Timpanist for Tacoma Symphony since 1999, Bellevue Philharmonic since 2001 and Cascade Festival of Music since 2006. As a freelance musician, Matt is in demand as a timpanist and percussionist, frequently playing for Seattle Symphony and Opera, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Northwest Sinfonietta and more. He also plays with the Route 66 big band, with chamber ensembles, and for musical theater, including the Village Theatre. Matt can also be heard on numerous movie and video game soundtracks, in addition to teaching percussion lessons, coaching for youth symphonies and contest adjudicating. In 2004, Matt performed the Thärichen Timpani Concerto with Philharmonia Northwest.

Soprano: Lisa Cardwell-Pontén

Lisa Cardwell Pontén is an experienced soloist in the Northwest, performing with professional and community ensembles in Seattle, Tacoma, Portland and Vancouver, British Columbia. Lisa has appeared as soloist with Ensemble Alcatraz of San Francisco as well as many Seattle-based groups such as The Versailles Ensemble, Circa 1600, Seattle Choral Company, St. Mark's Compline Choir and City Cantabile Choir. She has recorded on the Musical Heritage and Focus labels and also for radio and film; and has recently completed a CD with Opus 7. She is Assistant Director of the Women of St. James Schola, a choir of 14 women who have earned critical praise for their performances of chant and medieval music. She sings regularly with professional vocal ensembles Opus 7 and The Tudor Choir, is soprano soloist at St. James Cathedral and teaches privately in Seattle.

Ms. Pontén received her Master's degree in Early Music Performance from Indiana University, where she studied with internationally-know medieval specialist Tom Binkley and studied voice with Paul Elliot (formerly of the Hilliard Ensemble) and Dale Moore.

Soprano: Susan Erickson

Susan Erickson is a member of the Pacific Lutheran University faculty and holds degrees from Central Washington University and Western Washington University. She has taught all levels of public school music and conducted university and community choral groups. As a faculty member of Edmonds Community College, Montana State University, and the Cleveland Institute of Music she has performed often as a guest soloist and recitalist. Miss Erickson appears as soloist on the Carus recording of Scarlatti Sacred Works and as a member of the Robert Shaw Festical Singers recordings. She is presently soloist for Pacific Northwest Ballet.

Mezzo-Soprano: Melody Boyce

Mezzo-Soprano, Melody Boyce, has toured the US and Europe with the famed St. Olaf Choir and has toured extensively in Western Europe, Mexico, Cuba and Scotland with church choirs. She was selected as a member of the Robert Shaw Festival Singers, touring, then making a CD with them in France and singing with them at Carnegie Hall and in the final concert of the American Choral Directors' Association convention in Texas. She sang alto throughout the Pacific Northwest in the successful Portland quartet "Cantabile." She has sung and recorded with Choral Crossties, Oregon Catholic Press, Portland Baroque Orchestra Chorus, Portland Symphonic Choir and Oregon Repertory Singers. Melody is currently alto soloist for Oregon Repertory Singers and was pleased to join Seattle's Opus 7 for their trip to Barcelona, Spain. She currently teaches Spanish, and formerly taught French, to elementary students.

Mezzo-Soprano: Margaret Green

Tenor: Adam Burdick

Tenor, Vocal Faculty Co-Ordinator: Scott Peterson

Baritone: Jason Anderson

Jason Allen Anderson, Baritone, is equally at home on the stage as a performer, singer, and conductor.  He hails originally from Franklin, Indiana and is a graduate of Butler University (Indianapolis, Indiana - B.M. in Music Education) and Portland State University (Portland, Oregon - M.M. in Conducting).  Mr. Anderson is currently a Doctor of Musical Arts student in choral conducting at the University of Washington.

A man of diverse musical interests and talents, Mr. Anderson is currently Director of Music Ministries & Organist/Choirmaster at St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church in Issaquah, Washington.  Prior to arriving in Seattle, he maintained an active career in Portland as soloist and chorister at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, Interim Director of Music Ministries for First Presbyterian Church, and recording artist with Oregon Catholic Press.  He served as chorusmaster for the Bel Canto Northwest Vocal Institute production of Rossini's Barber of Seville and the Portland State University Opera Theater production of Rossini's La Cenerentola.

In addition to his musical abilities, Mr. Anderson is also a collector of hymnals.  His oldest is a Hymn and Tone Book, published in 1886.  Mr. Anderson is an amateur chef in the kitchen and a devotee of dark, complex beers.

Baritone: Charles Stephens