THECOMPASSCONCERTS

Geri Amori

As a child who danced down the street belting show tunes, and taught by neighbors and nuns to read music which she played on an old upright, music was Geri's friend. Sad or glad; good or bad. It didn't matter. But when encountered by a teacher who told her that she had no business playing the piano because she wasn't serious enough, she closed the lid, brokenhearted, and walked away. Forty- six years later, approaching retirement, she decided to play again as "exercise" for arthritic hands. The path from the hands to the heart was short, and now, three years later, Geri has her friend. She is not a performer. She is a passionate lover of music. She will share her love with you tonight. Geri studies with Tracy Stuchbery and Paul Orgel. She is also an active member of Madeline Bruser's Live Online Workshop.

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Laura Amoriello

Laura Amoriello is a pianist, pedagogy specialist, and meditation instructor. She was a college professor for 18 years and now finds joy in helping students make music mindfully.

Laura teaches with a holistic approach, emphasizing the mind-body connection and collaborating with students on problem-solving and goal-setting. She incorporates mindfulness practices into the lesson to help students ease their movement, calm their thoughts, and focus their minds. At the core of her teaching is collaboration with students, as setting authentic goals is a key to unlocking expressive joy.

Laura has directed teaching studios in three states, where she has taught students ages 3 to 76 privately and in groups. Her students have been admitted to the Eastman School of Music and Berklee College of Music. Laura has served on the faculties of Ithaca College, Westminster Choir College, and The College of New Jersey. She chairs the Wellness Committee for the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy and is an Associate Teacher of the Art of Practicing Institute, where she works closely with Madeline Bruser. Laura has a keen interest in teaching and performing works by new composers, including Higdon, Suesse, and Wallen. She is a MNDFL Certified Meditation Instructor.

Laura holds a Doctor of Education degree from Teachers College, Columbia University, and Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees in piano performance and pedagogy from Penn State University and Westminster Choir College. She lives in Ithaca, NY with her husband, writer Pete Croatto, and their spirited kindergartener, Olivia.

Visit Laura's teaching website here: www.lauraamoriello.com

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Guilherme Andreas

Brazilian flutist Guilherme Andreas received First Place in the 2020 International Music Competition "Paris and London" Grand Prize Virtuoso and 2019 Concert Artists International Virtuoso Competition’s professional division. Andreas began his musical career in Brazil, where he studied at the University of Brasília and then completed his Bachelor’s Degree in Flute Performance at the Brazilian Conservatory of Music, under the guidance of French Professor Odette Ernest Dias. Andreas pursued post-graduate studies in Chamber Music at the same institution being mentored by British cellist David Chew, and studied in parallel with Cláudia Ribeiro do Nascimento (OSESP) and Michel Bellavance (Conservatoire de Genève).

As a soloist of the Brazilian Marines Wind Symphony, Andreas performed in major concert halls throughout Brazil and MERCOSUL. As a chamber musician, his presentations with Trio Gaubert, took place in theaters and museums throughout Rio de Janeiro.

Andreas received numerous prizes at competitions in Brazil including Young Soloists of the Eleazar de Carvalho Festival and the Sargent Borges Medal, granted to the leader of the Sergeant Musicians Course of the Brazilian Marine Corps. He also received a full scholarship to pursue his Masters studies in flute in the USA, awarded in Brazil by the Young Musicians in the Museum Competition in partnership with James Madison University in Virginia.

During his Master’s studies, Andreas won the JMU Concert Competition, culminating in a performance of the Reinecke concerto with the JMU Orchestra. He also won first prize in the Masterclass Competition of the Flute Society of Washington, DC. In 2016, Andreas began studying with Emily Skala (Baltimore Symphony) at the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University, where he received his Graduate Performance Diploma and the Peabody Career Award in 2018.

Andreas has appeared in recitals and presentations throughout the US, including the Global Brazil Conference at Duke University, Symposium on Brazil at Johns Hopkins University, and recent concerts in Nashville, Washington, New York City, Rochester, Boston, Seattle, among other cities. After being invited to perform as Principal Flute with the New England Symphonic Ensemble at Carnegie Hall (2016-2019), Andreas gave a solo performance in 2019 together with fellow CAI Virtuoso Competition winners.

Andreas was recently named Principal Flute of Symphony Number One in Baltimore for the 2018/2019 season and is also a Teaching Artist with Education Through Music in NYC. He was also recently appointed as a Trevor James Alto Flutes Artist, selected to be a member of the 2019 Global Leaders Program, and awarded the SphinxConnect 2019 and 2020 Fellowship and SOPA 2020.

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Pascual Araujo

Pascual Araujo is a classical guitarist/arranger hailing from Barranquilla, Colombia based in Queens, NY. He is a champion of the Latin America/Iberian guitar repertoire and art song. His vision is to bring to light the wonderful music of Latin American/Iberian composers that has been obscured over time. In addition to playing Latin American/Iberian guitar music Pascual is an advocate of the experimental/new music genre, having premiered works from modern composers that push the boundaries of harmony and structure. Pascual has performed in renowned music halls such as Weill Hall, Stanley H. Kaplan penthouse at Lincoln Center and Gilder Lehrman Hall at the Morgan Library museum.

Pascual received his Bachelors degree in music education January 2020 from the Aaron Copland School of Music at CUNY Queens College and teaches full time at Cadenza Music Center located in Bayside, Queens. He currently studies with renowned new music composer and classical guitarist William Anderson.

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Iris Azquinezer

Iris Azquinezer was born in Madrid in 1984. She began her studies of cello at age 3 and piano at age 5 with her mother, the late contemporary composer María Escribano.

In recent years she has recorded two solo albums (Azul y Jade, 2014 and Blanco y Oro, 2019) from a trilogy that includes the Bach Cello Suites and her own works (composed in the same tonalities as Bach Cello Suites). This original work has made her a space in the Spanish classical music scene, where she also gives music appreciation workshops for music lovers and professionals about Johann Sebastian Bach´s works.

With Zaruk, a longstanding duo with the German guitarrist Rainer Seiferth, they have recorded two albums: Hagadá (2016) inspired in Sephardic songs and Agua (2022) and have performed more than 100 concerts in Spain and Germany.

She is the artistic director of “A solas”, a series of concerts, based on the union of word and music, where each artist creates their own connection with the public by explaining their own vision of their instrument, music and programme. Over the years interpreters like Sara Águeda, Pablo Sáinz, Juanjo Guillem, Pablo M. Caminero, and Claudio Constantini have participated in it.

She studied in Germany with Xenia Jankovic in the Hochschule für Musik Detmold, where she graduated with honors in her Konzertexamen degree, a chamber music postgraduate with Auryn Quartett and a Master in Orchestra in Dortmund, Germany. As well as further studies at the Chamber Institute of the Reina Sofía Music School in Madrid, in the department of string quartets, with Günter Pichler where she got a scholarship for studies and residence. With the Con Fuoco String quartet she debuted in festivals in Germany, Switzerland, Italy and Turkey and attended masterclasses with András Schiff, Heime Müller, Hansheinz Schneeberger, Arnold Steinhardt, and Takács quartet.

She has collaborated with artists such as Marco Rizzi, Xenia Jankovic, Gerhard Weinberger, U. A. Mathé, Candida Thompson, Claudius Hermann, Paolo Giacometti, and Gerhild Romberger at chamber music festivals in Switzerland and Germany.

Her strong appeal for Baroque music and historical interpretation led her to perform as a cello soloist at the Barock Akademie in Detmold (led by Gerhard Weinberger and Ulrike A. Mathé) with whom she recorded Handel’s Messiah and interpreted the most important works of J.S. Bach and to be a founding member of Ensemble Sarabande, where she played various concerts as soloist.

However, Iris’ interests are not only in classical music, as she was brought up and trained in the field of contemporary music and new creation. At age 16 she recorded the CD Concerto-Tale, Suite Of the Chinese Zodiac with music and text by María Escribano. Also, she performed in the Festival of Contemporary Music of Alicante, Encontre de Compositors de Mallorca and several diverse tours in Cuba and Spain. She has also performed a great number of Spanish contemporary compositions for solo cello.

In the world music field, she was a member of the Ensemble Vinorosso for six years in Germany, during this time they recorded 4 CDs and performed in Germany, Belgium and China and they got the OWL Kulturförderpreis. She also collaborates with pop artists such as Michael Bublé, Antonio Orozco, Paco Cifuentes, Vanesa Martín, Rozalén, Pablo López, Laura Pausini, and Ana Torroja.

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Cathy Baerg

Cathy Baerg is a graduate of the University of Ottawa performance program where she studied flute with Robert Cram.  As a student, she was awarded the Mrs. O.J. Firestone scholarship and later received a grant from the Floyd S. Chalmers fund which enabled her to study in England with William Bennett and Peter Lloyd.  She held the position of principal flute with the Nepean Symphony Orchestra and also played with the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra and the National Arts Centre Orchestra. As an ensemble player, Cathy has been heard in recital on CBC Radio with the Rollins Duo and the trio Trillium. She continues to play with local musicians and has recorded a CD as a member of the flute quartet, Opus Four. She enjoys teaching, both in her private studio and as a flute performance instructor at Carleton University.

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Shane Barker

Shane Barker enjoys a varied career as chamber musician, orchestral violist and is an in demand teacher. An avid proponent of new music for the viola, Shane has premiered works by living composers Andrea Clearfield, Jeremy Gill, Florence Maunders, and Joseph Hallman. His solo activities have included LGBTViola, a project celebrating works by composers in the LGBT+ community which was sponsored by AARP Lehigh Valley, performances for Viola Societies in New York and Philadelphia as well as being an Emerging Artist for the American Viola Society’s 2021 Festival. Shane has held faculty positions at Lafayette College, Temple Music Prep, Moravian Academy, and the Performing Arts Institute at Wyoming Seminary, and has given guest lectures and masterclasses at Queens College Aaron Copland School of music, Skidmore College, Princeton Chamber Players, and Temple University.

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Esther Bing

In the past few years, Ms. Bing has been interested in movement, as it applies to the life of a pianist. She is certified in Natural Movement (MovNat, L. 1), and also has a Personal Trainer Certificate (ACE). Her goal is to change the way pianists and teachers are taught about pain, strain and injury, through her platform, MoveMuse.

Ms. Bing is an RCM examiner and received her Masters in Piano Performance from The Boston Conservatory, where she attended on a full scholarship. She maintains a Calgary-based piano and movement studio where her students are consistent winners of RCM Medals, ARMTA, APTA and festival scholarships, national and international awards.

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Kristin Barone-Samadi

Kristin Barone-Samadi (Born 1984), a mother of two, pianist and teacher, currently serves on the music faculty at Adelphi University and is the senior choir director and organist at St. Joseph's Episcopal Church in New York. Kristin received her BA in Performance in 2006 from Adelphi. Graduating cum laude, she was the recipient of the James Gould Award for Excellence in Music. While at Adelphi, Kristin was among the featured performers at the college’s chamber music ensemble—playing at graduation recitals, choral performances, and opera workshops. Kristin received her Master's Degree in 2008 at the Aaron Copland School of Music. She continued her studies in the “Artist Diploma Program” (2009), a program for the advanced study of chamber music. Kristin has performed internationally as a soloist and chamber musician. Participating in a series of master-classes overseen by cellist Kalin Ivanov and pianist Tamara Puddabnaya, Kristin then joined them in travels through Eastern Europe resulting in a final signature concert in Plovdiv, Bulgaria in 2008.

Kristin performed with the Adelphi Symphony Orchestra from 2005 to 2008 where she was a featured soloist. She also serves as a substitute organist and music director at various churches in the metropolitan area. She has also studied the pipe organ with David Enlow of Juilliard, Peggo Hsiao of First Presbyterian Church and David Smith (RIP) of Christ First Presbyterian Church.

In collaboration with flutist, Linda Wetherill, Kristin has unveiled new works by contemporary composers, recording and performing them at the “Counterpoint Italy Composition Competition”—an international music festival founded by Ms. Wetherill in 2007. Kristin was the staff accompanist of the Young People's Chorus of NYC in 2011. Having a deep enthusiasm for the music of the Renaissance, Kristin became a keen collaborator with guitarist/lutenist, Daniel Keene—the two of them perform regularly as the Samadi-Keene Duo (formerly, The Barone-Keene Duo).

Kristin and her husband Saman Samadi have created their own international composition competition known simply as “Samadis'.” This festival concluded with a successful winners' concert in March of 2016 and published as a record album. The two also operate a record label known as “Samadis'.”

Kristin enjoys a successful teaching career—she has been a faculty member of the Brooklyn Music House, The Piano School of NYC, Long Beach Music, Oceanside Music, and Adelphi University—she also manages her own private studio. Currently teaching as an adjunct professor at Adelphi University, Kristin teaches courses, there, in Basic Keyboard Skills as well as Form and Analysis. Kristin is a strong advocate of the training programs of Madeline Bruser (author of “The Art of Practicing”), applying this method in her teaching philosophy—having discovered its utility and value as a faculty member during the Sound of Manhattan Music Festival 2018—while teaching several masterclasses and judging the competition there—Kristin saw tangible results in this method and uses it today.

The apple of her eye these days is an ensemble with two other musicians, "Trio de Reínas": they are Kristin (keyboard instruments), Blanca Cecilia-Gonzalez (violin), and Asuka Elias (clarinet). They are a proud Mommies' collective, towing instruments, strollers, and children to their rehearsals.

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www.kristinsamadi.net
www.pajacademy.org

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Margaret Bloomfield

Margaret had early training as a classical pianist in the U.K. and the U.S., then pursued an academic career in German and French language and literature. She holds degrees from Tufts University and the University of Michigan, and taught at university level for several decades. In 2013 she added a graduate certification in Nonprofit Management to her professional portfolio, with a specialty in arts organizations, and currently works to help arts nonprofits, as a Board member, consultant and musician. Margaret is a Director and the Emcee of Classical Revolution PDX (CRPDX), a nonprofit in Portland, Oregon. CRPDX connects amateur and professional chamber musicians in non-hierarchical music-making, and brings both paid and free classical music to underserved audiences.

Margaret is active in Portland's classical music scene, playing for CRPDX, retirement communities, Portland Piano International, Friends of Chamber Music and Big Mouth Society, as well as playing, organizing and hosting house concerts. An avid tango dancer, Margaret also plays tango piano in ensembles for dancers. She co-directs a foundation benefitting underserved communities through arts, humanities, educational and health nonprofits.

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Madeline Bruser

Author of the acclaimed book, The Art of Practicing, New York City based pianist Madeline Bruser has taught musicians from six continents, both in person and online. Her distinct approach uses mindfulness principles to help musicians release physical and mental tension so they can transform their playing and expressive capacities. Her book has sold 90,000 copies in English and has been translated into Korean, Chinese, and Italian. And her popular Art of Practicing Institute summer program provides immersive group learning to bring performers greater joy and confidence onstage. The Institute also trains and certifies teachers to bring this approach to musicians around the world.

Madeline has served on the Adjunct Piano Faculty at Teachers College, Columbia University, and at the New School University. She developed the practice Performing Beyond Fear through her practice of mindfulness meditation, which she began in 1977 to gain more relaxation and confidence in performance.  

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Stephen Burns

Conductor, composer and trumpeter Stephen Burns is the Founder and Artistic Director of the Fulcrum Point New Music Project in Chicago. He has been acclaimed on four continents for his virtuosity and interpretative depth in recitals, orchestral appearances, chamber music, and multi-media performances. He has worked closely with composers John Corigliano, Osvaldo Golijov, Gunther Schuller, Jacob TV, and La Monte Young. Native to Wellesley, Massachusetts, Mr. Burns studied under Carmine Caruso, Armando Ghitalla,  Arnold Jacobs, Vincent Penzarella, Gerard Schwarz, Pierre Thibaud, William Vacchiano, and Roger Voisin at the Tanglewood Music Center, the Julliard School, and postgraduate work in Paris. He won the Young Concert Artists International Auditions, Avery Fisher Career Grant, the NEA Recital Grant, the Naumburg Award, the Charles Colin Award, the Meier Arts Achievement Award, and the Maurice André Concours International de Paris. Mr. Burns is on faculty at DePaul University’s School of Music and The Beinen School of Music at Northwestern University. A former tenured Professor of Music at Indiana University, a certified teacher in The Art of Practicing and Performing Beyond Fear, Prof. Burns is a Visiting Lecturer with Amici della Musica in Florence, Italy. CDs at Naxos, MHS, Dorian, Delos, Essay, Kleos, & Innova. Stephen Burns is a Yamaha performing artist.

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Molly Clementz

Molly Clementz is a mezzo-soprano who made her debut with Pacific Opera Project in the LA Times’ acclaimed La Gazzetta as Doralice. Opera Today stated, “Ms. Clementz has a wonderfully rich tone, gleaming top notes, and a vibrant lower register,” and Schmopra described her as a “mezzo to be reckoned with.” During the 2016 and 2017 seasons, Molly was Opera Santa Barbara’s featured Mosher Studio Artist, performing Mercédès in Carmen, Lapák, and Datel in Janácek's The Cunning Little Vixen, and La Ciesca in Gianni Schicchi.  During her time at OSB, she also covered the lead roles of Carmen, Fox Goldenstripe (The Cunning Little Vixen), and Lisette (La Rondine). In 2016, she competed with two roles in the Dominick Argento Chamber Opera Competition at the NOA Convention. A finalist in the AIMS’ Meistersinger Competition (Graz, Austria), she has sung performances in Austria, Germany, Italy, and Hungary. Pairing her petite figure, zwischen register, and powerful voice, Molly excels in versatility and presenting youthful characters. To that end, she performed the title role of University of North Texas’ 2013 production of Massenet’s Cendrillon. Molly currently studies with Dr. Linda Di Fiore at DePaul University, working toward an artist certificate.

In addition to the classical repertoire, Molly enjoys contemporary music and has received acclaim for the ease at which she learns it. In 2016, she competed with two roles in the Dominick Argento Chamber Opera Competition at the National Opera Association Convention in Santa Barbara. In the 2015 West Coast Premiere of Joel Feigin’s award-winning Twelfth Night, she performed the lead role of Viola. She has been a featured soloist with the Santa Ynez Valley Master Chorale and the UCSB Wind Ensemble. In 2018, she was the recipient of the College of Creative Studies Musical TV Project, in which an entirely new production was written and produce for her. This project culminated in a live performance and recording for television. Her doctoral work and dissertation focus on the gendering of pants roles in opera. She received degrees in both Vocal Performance and English Composition at Luther College. In addition to her Mosher Artist training with Opera Santa Barbara, Molly has trained abroad in Germany, Italy, and Austria. In 2014 she was a Finalist in the American Institute of Musical Studies’ Meistersinger Competition in Graz, Austria.

For more information, please visit mollyclementz.com.

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Marine Cornuet

Marine Cornuet is a poet and a translator based in Brooklyn (NY), and an MFA candidate at Queens College on the literary translation track. Her first poetry chapbook, Keeping the Chaff and the Wheat came out in 2018 with Unsolicited Press. She has translated poems by American writers such as Kaveh Akbar, Monica Youn, and Cynthia Manick for the French magazine Catastrophes. Marine is also a curator and arts administrator at FiveMyles, a utopian not-for-profit arts organization.

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Dianne Davies

Dianne Davies explores the deeper meaning of music and human connection through a shared experience. For some 30 years, since earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Piano Performance and completing the Oregon music education certification for K-12 instruction, Dianne has offered high quality performances, cutting-edge education and engaging compositions and arrangements.

As a composer/arranger, in 2010, Dianne developed her own comedy show titled, Dianne Davies Has Fallen Off Her Bench, a two-hour concert of all her own arrangements from a plethora of Classical favorites and gems from the vernacular, echoing traces of Liberace, Victor Borge and more. In 2016, she created and performed a brand new show titled, Attachments & Detachments Tragedy to Triumph, integrating new compositions with dance, live art and theatre to tell a story. Her original compositions have been performed each year at Portland State University in the “In Good Hands” concert. This regular series is sponsored by Cascadia Composers, Oregon’s local chapter of the National Association of Composers USA which is the largest and most active local organization under the umbrella of NACUSA in the US today.

In 2019, Dianne produced a show titled SOLI DEO GLORIA that featured her original compositions and arrangements for the Christmas season. This concert offered premieres of vocal solos, choral pieces, original piano solos and arrangements. She featured her self-published work, A Romantic Christmas Suite, which adeptly combines six Chopin Nocturnes with well-known Christmas carols.

In addition to her passion for composing and arranging, she operates a professional piano studio spanning ages K-12 to recreational adults. Her curriculum includes hands-on instruction on arranging and composing. At the State level in Oregon, Dianne chairs the annual Composition Celebration Recital for honored student composers who are taught by Nationally Certified Teachers through the Oregon Music Teachers Association. In these trying times of the pandemic, she produced a virtual event for the recognition of these young composers.

Lastly, Dianne is committed to the creation and performance of new music and weaves that into her regular concert performances throughout the year. For upcoming projects, check out Dianne and her music at:
www.musiqPOWER.com

You can purchase her music here:
Romantic Christmas Suite Vol 1
Romantic Christmas Suite Vol 2
Impressionist Christmas Suite Vol. 3

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Joshua Davies

When I was about 3 years old, my mom started me on piano lessons. At 6 years old I decided that piano wasn’t cool enough and I switched to the guitar. When I went through puberty, my guitar did too and I started bass guitar in junior high. I started singing in choir when I was about 13 but wasn’t very serious until I was 15. Three years of high school I sang bass in the All State Choir. While in college I sang in the Klamath Chorale. December of 2022, I graduated from Oregon Tech with a BA in software engineering. I know music will always be a big part of my life.

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Jory Debenham

Dr. Jory Debenham is a musicologist, musician, and educator who works on questions of musical meaning and interpretation. She is also very interested in personal development and performance psychology, incorporating mindfulness and movement analysis in her teaching and performing.

Currently based in Birmingham, UK, Jory’s research focuses on music composed in the Nazi camp of Terezín, where musicians used their music to bolster the spirits of their fellow inmates and express their own feelings of grief and loss, as well as to document their experiences within the camps. She has presented at more than twenty conferences throughout North America and Europe and has presented her work in lecture-recitals, in print, and in online and radio formats. A monograph about the final musical compositions of four composers from Terezín is forthcoming with Indiana University Press

In addition to her academic pursuits, Jory teaches private music students, presents on performance issues for adult learners, and is a practical examiner with the Royal Conservatory of Music (Canada). Jory is originally from Calgary, Alberta and she holds a BMus from the University of Calgary, an MMus from the University of Alberta, and a PhD from Lancaster University.

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Brad Denton

With an early sense of wonder, Brad started piano at the age of 7 and took one year of lessons. Although an abiding love for music continued, formal study did not resume until the last year of high school. It was, however, in University that some talent emerged and quick progression resulted in a deep and enduring love of Classical music. An injury and life circumstances prevented further study and he gave up pursuing further music studies. However, the spark never died. Wanting to complete a formal education in music, Brad returned to music study as an adult completing Level 10 requirements and Pedagogical courses through the Royal Conservatory of Music. Current goals include completing an ARCT diploma and securing a teaching position. Other interests include chess, language study and furthering and expanding his musical education with this year being the year of opera. He is excited and nervous for his first public performance in almost 2 years!

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Baltazar Díaz Dávila

A native of Reynosa, Tamaulipas, MX. Baltazar received a Bachelor's degree of flute performance from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley and a Master's degree in flute performance from the University of Missouri Kansas City's Conservatory of Music and Dance. He is currently a part of the Cohort of the Orchestra of the America's Academy 2021, where he is pursuing an Artist Diploma in Orchestral Performance and Digital Creation as a part of Leone Buyse's flute studio.

He has participated in festivals such as Fresno Orchestral and Opera Summer Academy (FOOSA), Festival de Música de Santiago de Querétaro, Mostly Modern Music Festival, and Orchestra of the Americas.

Baltazar currently holds the position of co-principal flute at the Guanajuato Symphony and is the flute instructor at the Jóvenes Líderes Youth Symphony, in Leon, MX. He also serves as woodwind faculty for the Tamaulipas Symphonic Youth Festival. Baltazar is the official translator for the Puerto Rico Flute Symposium.

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Dan DiPaolo

Musician and educator Dan DiPaolo began formal study of the piano at age 8, French horn at 9, and guitar at age 13. His obsession with music was sealed once his guitar teacher introduced him to chords, scales, and approaches to creating and organizing improvisations, unlocking his ears and imagination.

This curiosity lead him to the academic world, where his graduate work focused on tonal theory, popular music (especially Steely Dan, Brad Mehldau, and Frank Zappa), and the history of theory.

From 2010-2018, Dan taught music theory, ear training, and fundamentals at NYU's Steinhardt School. He also taught Music Humanities at Columbia University, History of Rock and Rap at Montclair State University, and Aural Skills at the Eastman School of Music.

Dan holds advanced degrees in historical musicology and music theory from King's College London and Columbia University. He currently teaches piano lessons and enjoys a collaboration with vocalist Laura Auer. Dan lives in Los Angeles with his wife, daughter, and cat.

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Adam Eason

After many years of humming, whistling, and otherwise making noise as a child (to the chagrin of every elementary school teacher who taught him), Adam Eason graduated from Southern Methodist University in 2008 with a Bachelor of the Arts degree in Music. After that, he immediately jumped into teaching and freelancing around the Dallas/Ft.-Worth area. In 2017, Adam followed his parents to Oregon, and began setting up a similar career in Portland. Most recently, he attended the Oregon Bach Festival Composer’s Symposium as both a composer and a performer, as well as writing and performing for Classical Revolution PDX. He received a BA in music from Lewis and Clark College with piano emphasis and K-12 music education certification

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Keith Ferguson

Keith D. Ferguson, SPC, began studying piano with Elizabeth Glover, and then organ with Betty Stuchul and Monabel Hamilton. Keith also studied composition for keyboards, brass, woodwind quintet, and band under Dr. Jack Stamp, retired Director of Bands at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Keith earned the American Guild of Organists Service Playing Certification while studying with Dr. Christine Clewell, Professor of Organ, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and with the help of the study group led by Joyce Moon-Stobel of the Pittsburgh Chapter of the American Guild of Organists.

Keith currently serves as organist at the Presbyterian Church, Punxsutawney, PA and Mt Zion Lutheran Church in Trade City, PA. and as a substitute Organist at Saints Cosmos and Damian Roman Catholic Church, First English Lutheran Church both in Punxsutawney, PA and Zion Lutheran Church Indiana, PA. In addition to liturgical services, Keith serves as organist at numerous wedding services throughout the area.

Keith was a member of the committee to establish the Indiana, PA Chapter of the American Guild of Organists and is currently serving as Dean of that chapter. Keith also has been a member of the Pittsburgh Chapter of the American Guild of Organists since 1988 and is currently serving on their Executive Board.

Kirk and I recorded a CD “Sacred Reflection” at our residence in Trade City. The CD is Trombone / piano and includes a variety of pieces not just limited to one style.

Keith and his wife Melissa reside in Trade City, PA. They are the parents of two sons, Kirk and Kasey.

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Kirk Ferguson

Kirk Ferguson was named Assistant Principal Trombonist of the Milwaukee Symphony in September, 2011. Prior to joining the MSO, he served as Principal Trombonist with the Spokane Symphony, Co-Principal Trombonist with the Malaysian Philharmonic and Associate Principal Trombonist with the Honolulu Symphony. He is also a former member of the River City Brass Band in Pittsburgh, PA. Kirk has performed with the Seattle Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, Akron Symphony, Wheeling Symphony, Lincoln Center Festival and Clarion Brass Choir. He is a member of the Chicago Trombone Consort.

Kirk is currently adjunct professor of low brass at Wisconsin Lutheran College and an Associate Teacher with the Art of the Practicing Institute. He received his Masters degree from The Juilliard School and his Bachelors degree from Duquesne University.

began studying meditation in graduate school. He is currently a student and practitioner in the Shambhala Buddhist tradition. He serves as Interim Chair of the Governing Council at the Milwaukee Shambhala Center and also holds a teaching role as a Shambhala Guide. Kirk is a native of Punxsutawney, PA. He currently lives in Mequon, WI with his wife Mary and their two dogs, Frank and Annie. Kirk is proud to be a Yamaha Performing Artist.

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Mark Frutkin

Mark Frutkin has published eighteen books of fiction, poetry and nonfiction. His most recent novel, The Artist and the Assassin (Porcupine’s Quill, 2021) is based on the fascinating life of famous Italian painter, Caravaggio. His recent collection of poetry, Hermit Thrush (Quattro), was shortlisted for the Ottawa Book Award. His novel, Fabrizio’s Return (Knopf Canada), won the Trillium Award and the Sunburst Prize, and was shortlisted for the Commonwealth Prize (Canada/Caribbean region). A French translation of Fabrizio’s Return was published by Alto Editions of Quebec City in 2017 (under the title Le Saint Patron des Merveilles). His novel, Atmospheres Apollinaire, was a finalist for the Governor General’s Award for fiction. Many of his novels are historical works set in Italy or China. He has taught creative writing at Carleton University, University of Ottawa, and Naropa Institute in Halifax. He has received numerous grants from Canada Council and the Ontario Arts Council, and the City of Ottawa. His works have been translated and published in French, Spanish, Russian, Dutch, Polish, Turkish, Hindi and Korean. His most recent book, Where Angels Come to Earth: an evocation of the Italian piazza (Longbridge, Montreal), is a work of text and photography (with Toronto photographer, Vincenzo Pietropaolo.)

www.markfrutkin.com

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Nick Gebhardt

Nick Gebhardt is an academic, writer and soprano saxophonist. He is currently Professor of Jazz and Popular Music Studies at Birmingham City University in the United Kingdom and Director of the Birmingham Centre for Media and Cultural Research. He has published widely on jazz and popular music history in the United States, including Going for Jazz: Musical Practices and American Ideology and Vaudeville Melodies: Popular Musicians and Mass Entertainment in American Culture, 1870-1929 (both published by the University of Chicago Press). He also has an interest in music and philosophy, especially how the concept of improvisation might be used as a model for thinking about and understanding our relationship to the world.  

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Rico Gellman

Rico Gellman has spent the major part of his professional career teaching music in the Vancouver Public Schools in Washington State. He has also performed on the clarinet with such organizations as the Oregon Symphony Orchestra, Oregon Ballet Theater, and Portland Opera. In retirement, Rico enjoys playing piano wherever the opportunity may present itself.

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Nancy Good

Nancy has been playing clarinet for over 20 years and was also in a touring band (folk/classical/light rock) singing main vocals. Since 2012, her clarinet focus has been with tango orchestras and trios. She is a psychotherapist, working internationally in trauma healing and resilience, mother of 3 children and 2 grandchildren.

Nancy performs with Isabelle Haulin and other musicians who live close to Portland Oregon. They met through tango dancing, and have been playing tango music together for about 2 years. They particularly like playing for dancers, at local public events and small house parties.

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Julia Grace

Julia Grace is a 15-year-old sensational singer-songwriter. In the past three years, Julia has compiled more than 15 original songs, performing her own material in front of thousands. She began piano lessons at age seven, and is self-taught on the acoustic guitar and ukulele. Julia Grace is coached by the renowned Renee Grant-Williams, considered to be the world’s foremost voice coach (www.myvoicecoach.com), whose former clients include Garth Brooks, Miley Cyrus, Faith Hill, and Carrie Underwood.

Originally from Grand Rapids, Michigan, Julia moved to Florida in August 2019, and entered Miami Beach Senior High School as a freshman. At the school's talent show, and armed only with her ukulele and gifted voice, she quieted a rowdy crowd of high schoolers by performing her debut of "Sand" -- and received a standing ovation. In February 2020, Ms. Grace auditioned for and won a solo performance spot in the prestigious "Miami Beach Youth Music Festival."

In addition to writing poetry and song lyrics, Julia published her first story about the evolution of influential musical artists in the school’s newspaper, “The Beachcomber.” She is an honors student, fluent in Spanish, an award-winning archer, and an accomplished photographer.

Instagram - Music
Instagram - Photography

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Isabelle Haulin

Isabelle has been playing piano as a hobby since childhood, mostly classical music, until about 2 years ago when she decided to focus on tango music. She is a software engineer currently working for Nike, and mother of a 15 year old boy.

Isabelle performs with Nancy Good and other musicians who live close Portland Oregon. They met through tango dancing, and have been playing tango music together for about 2 years. They particularly like playing for dancers at local public events and small house parties.

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Robin Holloway

Robin Ward Holloway is a pianist, songwriter, and piano teacher currently living in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Robin holds two degrees in Jazz Piano Performance - BMus from the Chicago College of Performing Arts / MMus from The Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. He has performed as a pianist across the United States and Europe, and he works as a recording artist across all genres of music.

Robin has composed and co-written several stage musicals including Cosmic Jazz Cabaret, (performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Theatre Festival), and Winning The Future (ongoing live performances and video content – more at: www.upanddowntheatre.com ). He is currently engaged as co-book-writer (as well as Arranger / Music Director) on the upcoming live show MacGyver The Musical. Robin moonlights as an actor, most recently in Seasons 4 & 5 of Better Call Saul (AMC).

As a teacher, Robin recently created the “Mindful Piano Intensive”, a course for students who want to learn to approach piano study as a mindfulness practice. As a long-time practitioner and instructor of Qi Gong physical meditation, he takes a wholistic mind- body approach to the instrument. His goal is to create the conditions for musical excellence by taking a wholistic approach to the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects of music making.

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David Holt

David Holt is a Portland based Cellist and friend of COMPASS producer, Shinichiro Inaji. May 21, 2022 is David's first COMPASS performance and first performance after not playing for four years.

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Derf Hopsecger

Derf Hopsecger has been involved with music for nearly five decades. As a bassist, pianist, synthesist and vocalist he has performed styles as varied as power-trio rock, jazz, classical, big band and opera with various stops in between. He has performed at New York City's legendary Birdland as well as the Chautauqua Institution. He has sung with the Erie Philharmonic Chorus and Presque Isle Chorale, accompanied The Lettermen and been a vocal soloist in Joe Negri's Mass of Hope.

As a composer he has composed and recorded the soundtracks for a number of projects at WQLN Television in Erie, Pennsylvania. These include *Unforgettable Erie*, 'Remembering Erie and 'Pennsylvania Behind Bars", which was nominated for a regional Emmy Award. He has studied piano locally with Vienna Cocuzzi & Basil Ronzitti and voice with Susan Huster, Current involvements include the praise band at Grace Church Erie, the Luther Memorial Bach Festival Choir, a duo with Linda McWilliams/Recorder and DH Jazz Express.

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Drew Hosler

Hailed as "the ideal collaborator for new music" by Brutal New Music Review - saxophonist, and new music curator Drew Hosler (he/him/his) is an advocate for contemporary music. Drew has commissioned, premiered, and collaborated on over 200 pieces by award-winning composers such as Andrew Mead, Jamie Leigh Sampson, David Heinick, Marilyn Shrude, and Quinn Mason.

Drew is an avid performer as a soloist. He has worked with composers such as Griffin Candey, Martin Gaughan, Robert Gross, JaeEun Schermerhorn, and Josh Trentadue on writing new concerti for the tenor saxophone. Additionally, he has performed concerti by Walter Mays and William Albright.

Drew is a saxophonist of the Cleveland Winds, Cleveland Repertory Orchestra, and frequently performs with the Lima Symphony Orchestra. In addition, he has performed with the Saginaw Eddy Concert Band, Hyperius Blake and the Sound Experiment, CUSP Improvisation Orchestra, and the Decho Ensemble. Drew is the saxophonist, and artistic director for the new music ensemble, The _____ Experiment. To date, the ensemble has premiered over 30 works for mixed chamber ensemble.

Drew currently serves as the Manager of Concerts and Events at the Cleveland Institute of Music. Drew holds a MM in Saxophone Performance, MM in Chamber Music, and a Certificate in Arts Entrepreneurship & Leadership from the University of Michigan. He also holds a BM in Saxophone Performance from Bowling Green State University. His primary instructors have been Timothy McAllister and John Sampen.

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Eric Hunter

Eric Hunter is a pianist, composer, arranger, and educator based in New York City. Working in a wide variety of genres including classical, jazz, film, and electronica, his music has been acclaimed by audiences across the world. In 2019 his score for the animated short "Pin and Pon" went viral; it currently boasts over 3.5 million views. He also scored the multi-award winning short film "Run Little Boy," by Dominick Bedasse. He was a prizewinner in the 2012 operamission Cabaret Night songwriting competition, and contributed music to the multimedia piece Connection commissioned by Arts on Site. His music has been featured on the podcasts "Moveable Do" and "The Heart of the Ark." Recently he completed a set of arrangements for Tag Team Productions and the Las Vegas String Quartet.

Mr. Hunter's solo career has taken him to the stages of such venues as Carnegie Hall and Walt Disney Concert Hall, and he has soloed with the Greenwich, University of Rochester, and University of Southern California Symphony Orchestras. Laureate of numerous competitions, he has since become a dedicated proponent of musical outreach and therapy, working with organizations such as the Austen Riggs Center for Mental Health, VISIONS at Selis Manor, DOROT, and Sacred Music New York. In 2008 he played an all-Liszt recital at the home of the renowned Golden-era pianist Earl Wild at his invitation. Since then Mr. Hunter has drawn on Earl Wild's influence for his own arrangements of popular songs from Broadway musicals.

A lifelong educator, Mr. Hunter's private piano studio reflects his creative and innovative approach. He has been Head of Professional Development at The Piano Teachers Congress of New York, where he spearheaded the Open Forum program for teacher enrichment. As guest lecturer at the School for Visual Arts, New York University, and Columbia University, he taught creative process and gave lecture recitals on composers as varied as Liszt, Hindemith, Medtner, Shostakovich, and Cage. Formerly a co-host of "The Piano Pod," a piano-centered podcast, he interviewed industry groundbreakers across the globe. A prolific writer, his thoughts on composition, piano pedagogy, and other topics can be found at erichuntermusicstudio.com/blog.

Mr. Hunter is currently at work on an album of piano and orchestral works to be released in 2023. He lives in Manhattan with his wife and two sons. For more information, please visit www.erichuntermusic.com.

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Mari Hwang

American pianist Mari Hwang believes in creating a safe world where people are inspired to live wholeheartedly. As a co-producer of The COMPASS Concerts (Community Online Meditation Performance and Salon Series), she and her partners, Shinichiro Inaji and Louis Yungling, have established a welcoming, safe environment for music performance where people from all over the world feel a sense of community, support, and healing.

Ms. Hwang’s earlier experiences and challenges with stage fright for solo performances has guided her to share mindfulness awareness practice, easing psychological tension, and connecting heart to music. She performs in variety of venues, in concert halls such as Carnegie Hall, DiMenna Center for Classical Music, Merkin Hall, Walt Disney Hall, and in cathedrals, hospitals, libraries, music schools, and private residences.

Her programming frequently shines light on works by unknown, undervalued, minor works of well known composers, and women composers. Her embodiment of often deeply personal storytelling resonates profoundly with audiences and leads to open and courageous dialogue.

In addition to her private teaching studio and being on the faculty for MSM Summer Program, she serves as a collaborative pianist at Manhattan School of Music in NYC.

Ms. Hwang has moved from a sunny suburb of Los Angeles, CA, to attend Manhattan School of Music, where she has received a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance. Subsequently, she has received a Master’s in Music from Mannes School of Music and a minor in impact entrepreneurship from The New School.

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Shinichiro Inaji

Shin loves piano and has been learning on his own since he was a child, and finally started long-sought piano lessons under teacher and friend Louis Yungling since 2018. Piano and music are a big part of the joy of his life and he is very curious and appreciative to learn the connection of mind and body through piano playing. Currently he works as a freelance illustrator/animator and Licensed Massage Therapist in Portland Oregon where he lives with his husband Walter and Shiba-inu Yuki.

Shin is very happy to be a part of the COMPASS Concerts as a performer, an audience and co-producer with Mari and Louis through which he has been able to meet and interact with wonderful friends and musicians.

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Jessie Isaac

Jessie Isaac holds a Bachelor of Music Performance degree from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, majoring in Flute Performance. He also has a Master of Music degree from Portland State University and has undergone Special Studies at the Sweelinck Conservatory in Amsterdam. Jessie has participated in Master Classes with renowned flutists, such as Jean-Pierre Rampal, James Galway, Julius Baker, Alexa Still, Thomas Nyfenger, Murray Penas, and Bernard Goldberg.

During his career, Jessie has performed with various symphonies and orchestras, such as the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony, All Miami Symphony, Carmen, Naples Symphony, Miami Beach Symphony, Berkeley Promenade Orchestra, and San Francisco Chamber Orchestra.

Jessie is currently based in Portland, Oregon, and has an interest in jazz, salsa, Irish and tango music. His musical journey began at an early age in Miami and has taken him to many venues across Europe and the United States.

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Alexandria Jackson

Alexandria Jackson is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Vocal Performance at Southern Methodist University (SMU), under the tutelage of Dr. Barbara Hill-Moore. Before her arrival at SMU, Jackson appeared in several UC Santa Barbara Opera Theatre productions, including W.A. Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro and the North American premiere of Franz Lehár’s The Mock Marriage. Jackson also competed in numerous competitions, winning first place in the New Century Singer - California and Whittier New Century Singers competitions; second place in the National Association of Negro Musicians - Regional Competition and Mu Phi Epsilon Competition; third place in the National Liszt Competition; and fourth place in the National Association of Teachers of Singers (NATS) Regional Competition. She also received honorable mention in the Performing Arts Scholarship Foundation Competition and has been awarded a $2,000 scholarship by the American Institute of Musical Studies.

Alexandria looks forward to continuing her career at SMU, in order to hone her craft and thus becoming a better artist.

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Jamie Johnson

Since retiring from the corporate world in 2001, Jamie has moved on to far more interesting things. For about 3 years, she was Executive Director of School of Hope, helping to build schools for girls in Afghanistan—and she got to experience Afghanistan first-hand. In 2006, she founded Art Connects New York which, in its 13-year history, placed hundreds of original artworks in over 40 social services throughout all 5 boroughs of New York City.

Since 2007, Jamie has had two key foci: 1) making the artwork of her late husband, William S. Dutterer, available to the public, and 2) creating artwork of her own. For the Dutterer estate she has published a book and has had some success showing, selling, and placing work in various public institutions ( www.WilliamDutterer.com). As for her own work—her leather body-wear has been shown in numerous exhibitions and her Covid-19 project, a quilt made of Dutterer’s studio clothes, is coming along just fine.

She reads widely because she loves to “hear” the wisdom of others.

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AKaiser

AKaiser is the Pushcart Prize nominated author of <glint>, co-winner of the inaugural Milk and Cake Book Prize (www.milkandcakepress.com). Her poem, Shape Shift, was long-listed for the 2020 Fish Publishing Poetry Prize. Her work has placed as finalist for awards such as the North American Review James Hearst Poetry Prize and the Eggtooth Editions Chapbook Prize. Poems and photos can also be found in Harbor Review, Lavender Review, Mudfish, NewSquare, and The Rumpus. She is currently translating the collected works of Catalan poet Anna Gual, and writing the biography and translating the work of the first Iberian translator of Whitman, into Catalan, transatlantic urbanista, Cebrià Montoliu. In February, she was Fellow at the ATLAS Translation Workshop and in April, she curated and participated in events for the Sant Jordi 2020 Festival. These videos, including her reading of Horse Behavior, the subject of her essay, The layered life of a poem, can be viewed at: www.santjordinyc.org/program.

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John Kenney

John Kenney is the New York Times bestselling author of the poetry collections Love Poems for Married People, Love Poems for People with Children, and Love Poems for Anxious People, and the novels Talk To Me and Truth In Advertising, which won the Thurber Prize for AmericanHumor. He has worked for many years as a copywriter. He has also been a contributor to The New Yorker Magazine since 1999. He lives in Brooklyn, NY. Love Poems for Anxious People and all of John’s books can be purchased on Amazon.

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Ae Hee Lee

Born in South Korea and raised in Peru, Ae Hee Lee received her MFA from the University of Notre Dame, where she was winner of the 2016 Billy Maich Academy of American Poets Prize. She is currently a PhD candidate in Literature and Creative Writing at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Her poetry has been published at Narrative, Pleiades, Denver Quarterly, and The Journal among others, and she is the author of two poetry chapbooks: Bedtime || Riverbed (Compound Press, 2017) and Dear Bear, (Platypus Press, forthcoming 2021).

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Mirna Lekić

Pianist Mirna Lekić performs a wide range of repertoire that reflects her interests in intercultural music, historical performance practice, and contemporary works. As a recitalist and chamber musician she has performed in the United States, Canada and Europe, at venues including Carnegie- Weill Hall, Symphony Space, Chicago Cultural Center, St. Martin-in-the-Fields in London, Théâtre de l'Ile Saint-Louis in Paris, and the Hall of the St. Petersburg Union of Composers and the Gorki Leninskiye Museum in Russia. Her performances are featured on Furious Artisans, Centaur, and Romeo Records and have been broadcast on WQXR, WNYC, WFMT, WPRB and Bosnian TV and radio stations. Mirna serves as an Associate Professor of Music at Queensborough Community College, CUNY and as Associate Faculty in Piano at Columbia University.

www.mirnalekic.com

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Francesca Leo

Francesca Leo is a cutting edge flutist, entrepreneur and educator. She has given solo and chamber performances internationally in Italy and France and has performed as a soloist with the New Albany Symphony Orchestra and the Manhattan School of Music Chamber Sinfonia. A Michigan native, she has won top prizes in many competitions including the Manhattan School of Music Eisenberg-Fried Concerto Competition, the Central Ohio Flute Association Young Artist and Collegiate Division Competitions, the Lima Symphony Young Artist Concerto Competition, the New Albany Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition and the MTNA Solo Division Competition.

A fierce advocate of contemporary music, Francesca has appeared as a soloist at the Society for Composers International (SCI) and the Society for Electroacoustic Music in the United States (SEAMUS) Conferences, where her performance won a recording spot on the 2018 Music From SEAMUS, vol. 27 CD. She is the flutist and a founding member of the Quintilia Ensemble, a quintet committed to pushing the boundaries of contemporary chamber music. Francesca has participated in the premieres of many new works in solo, chamber, orchestral and operatic settings, including the Mid-American premiere of Kaija Saariaho's opera Émilie. She is currently working with numerous composers to premiere new repertoire for solo flute.

As an orchestral musician, Francesca has performed under the baton of renowned conductors such as Roderick Cox, George Manahan, and Leonard Slatkin. She specializes in performing arts health and is the founder of www.playingwithoutpain.com, an award-winning interactive web resource designed to provide collegiate music students with information to treat and prevent performance-based injury. She has presented her research at various institutions across the United States including the Manhattan School of Music, West Virginia University, Ohio Northern University, among others. Francesca currently serves as a board member on the National Flute Association Performance Health Care Committee and is a Social Media Assistant for the Art of Practicing Institute.

Francesca holds a masters degree in Classical Flute Performance from the Manhattan School of Music as a former Joseph F. McCrindle scholarship recipient and a bachelors degree in Music Performance and Entrepreneurship from Bowling Green State University. Francesca's primary teachers and mentors include Linda Chesis, Conor Nelson and Jeffrey Zook.

www.francescaleoflute.com
www.playingwithoutpain.com
Instagram: @francescaleoflute
Instagram: @playingwithoutpain

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Allison Loggins-Hull

Allison Loggins-Hull is a flutist, composer and producer with an active career performing and creating music of multiple genres. In 2009 she and Nathalie Joachim co-founded the critically acclaimed duo Flutronix, which was praised by The Wall Street Journal for being able “to redefine the instrument.” Similarly, MTV Iggy recognized Flutronix for “redefining the flute and modernizing its sound by hauling it squarely into the world of popular music.”

Allison has performed at The Mostly Mozart Festival at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, Orchestra Hall (Chicago), World Cafe Live, and several other major venues and festivals around the world. She has performed or recorded with a wide-range of artists including the International Contemporary Ensemble, Imani Winds, Lizzo, The National Sawdust Ensemble and others. With Flutronix, she has released two full studio albums (Flutronix and 2.0), a live album (Live From the Attucks Theatre), an EP (City of Breath) and is signed to Village Again Records in Japan. As a member of The Re-Collective Orchestra, Allison was co-principal flutist on the soundtrack to Disney’s 2019 remake of “The Lion King,” working closely with Hans Zimmer. On the small screen, she has been featured in an internationally broadcast ESPN Super Bowl commercial, the 62nd annual GRAMMYs Award Show and the Black Girls Rock! Awards Show.

Allison has composed for Flutronix, Julia Bullock and others and has been commissioned by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Carolina Performing Arts, Alarm Will Sound and The Library of Congress. She was a co-producer of Nathalie Joachim’s celebrated album “Fanm d’Ayiti,” which was nominated for a 2020 GRAMMY for Best World Music Album.  In support of her work, Allison has been awarded grants from New Music USA and a fellowship at The Hermitage Artist Retreat in Englewood, Florida.

Allison is on the flute faculty of The John J. Cali School of Music at Montclair State University. She’s a teaching artist at The Juilliard School’s Global Ventures and is a former faculty member of The Juilliard School’s Music Advancement Program.

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Ravenna Michalsen

Ravenna Michalsen is a cellist based in New Haven, CT. where she is faculty at Neighborhood Music School and maintains a private studio. She regularly plays with several area symphonies including Bridgeport, Ridgefield, Wallingford and Waterbury. She is the founder of Dignity Music, which brings live classical music to New Haven area soup kitchens and transitional housing center (www.DignityMusic.org). Ravenna hold two degrees from Yale University and one from the University at Colorado, Boulder and has released three original albums of dharma songs available on iTunes / Apple Music.

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David Murray

David is an aspiring brass musician and performer from Batavia, IL. He earned his B.A. in Trumpet Performance from Northern Illinois University where he studied with professors John Fairfield and Mark Ponzo. His other teachers include Mike Brozick (Elgin Symphony), Kirk Lundbeck (Kishwaukee Symphony, Dekalb Municipal Band), and more recently Stephen Burns (Depaul University, Fulcrum Point New Music Project) and Kirk Ferguson (Milwaukee Symphony).

David is currently 3rd trumpet with the Kishwaukee Symphony, 1st trumpet of the Dekalb Municipal Band, and regularly substitutes with the Kishwaukee Brass Quintet and the Lakeview Orchestra in Chicago. In addition, he is also a founding member of the Molten Brass, a newly formed brass quintet based out of Westmont, IL.

In his spare time David works as a brass repair technician at PM Music Center in Aurora, IL.

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Janet Norman

Dr. Janet Norman, originally from Cleveland, Ohio, received the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Arizona State University in 2009 and has dedicated her life to teaching and performing. She has actively participated in and directed professional piano pedagogy events, master classes and conferences, including chairing the Arizona State Music Teachers Association conference in June of 2004 and 2007.  Her performances include solo recitals in Chile, Italy, New York, Ohio, and Arizona.  Honors for her performances include third place in the Klatzkin Piano Competition, the 1999 inaugural ASU Contemporary Music Society Competition for performers, a two-time winner of the Three Arts Club of Lakewood, OH in 1987 and 1988, and the 1986 Baldwin-Wallace College/Conservatory Concerto Competition. She is also a nationally certified member of MTNA (Music Teachers National Association).

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Ruby Norman

Ruby was born in April of 2003 in Scottsdale, AZ and grew up in Tempe, AZ. From the time she was 4, she started formal music lessons, first on violin and then, at age 5, on piano. She has always loved music and was exposed to various genres since she was very young.

At age 7, Ruby was Mesa Metropolitan Youth Symphony (MYS) and made it into Division 4. Throughout the years, she practiced diligently, participating not only in MYS, but also receiving high ratings for violin from ASTACAP, winning concert master for Tempe Middle Schools Honor Orchestra two years in a row, participating every summer in Quartet Camps, and participating in her school orchestras from fifth grade through senior year at McClintock High School. She worked her way through all Divisions of MYS to Violin 1 in Division 1, and graduated from that orchestra in ninth grade. She has been an active participant in the Youth Symphony of the Southwest (YSSW) for 3 years and is in Violin 1. In addition to her participation with MYS Division 1, Ruby was an eager participant in the MYS Fiddlers group for two years. This group traveled to various Community Events, performing Fiddler Music that is completely memorized and requires flexibility and a high level of musicianship and ensemble skill. She is also a dedicated member of the Chamber Orchestra at McClintock Orchestra and has participated in the Arizona State Regional Festival Orchestra for 3 years. With Connolly Middle School Orchestra, she traveled to Disneyland and performed with her classmates in Disney Recording Studios. She also recently toured throughout L.A. with McClintock High School Orchestra and had an opportunity to solo on one of the pieces.

On piano, Ruby is also fairly accomplished, performing as needed as an accompanist with her High School Orchestra and in the school jazz band on piano. She was also the only freshman in her High School to accompany seniors on their instrumental music in their Senior Recitals. She has participated in several community events, including ASP (Arizona Study Program) through ASMTA and ensemble festivals. In May of 2018, she won the Janeen Noble Outstanding Musician award through Desert Valley Music Teachers Association.

In addition to violin and piano, Ruby loves to sing and dance. She had dance lessons from age 3 to 7 and performed in a few community events through the dance group. She has also participated in various Music Theater classes and events such as Childsplay and Seton Summer Music Theater. Last year, she was a volunteer assistant for Seton’s Music theater classes, since she has participated in their events as a singer, actor and dancer for 6 years.

Overall, Ruby loves music and it will forever be an intrinsic part of her life and personality. She hopes to be a Veterinarian in the future but expects to have music in her life wherever she goes.

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Nick Revel

Nick Revel is the founding violist of PUBLIQuartet, whose Billboard Chart- topping 2019 album Freedom and Faith was nominated for a GRAMMYTM Award for Best Chamber Music Performance. PUBLIQuartet served as string quartet in residence for the 2016/2017 Metropolitan Museum of Art's season and has been presented by the Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Carolina Performing Arts, Washington Performing Arts, The national Gallery, Carnegie Hall, Dizzy's Coca Cola Club, the Detroit Jazz Festival, and the Newport Jazz Festival. As a composer, Nick's 2019 Carnegie Hall Play USA commission The Fear was selected as a finalist in the 2020 Golden Hornets String Quartet Smackdown. He tours his 2019 self-produced and recorded Letters to My Future Self (Centaur Records) in live electroacoustic shows across the USA. Nick's 2017 commission In DayDream for viola and guitar was premiered in Carnegie Hall and was a winner of Indiana State University's Music Now Call for scores in 2018. As an educator, Nick has created the scale and arpeggio play-along method, DragonScales, which can be found on iTunes and Amazon. He is artistic and executive director of the Norwalk Youth Chamber Ensembles co-creator of the New York String Studio and currently serves on the board of the Seabury Academy of Music and the Arts in Norwalk, CT.

Album playlist on YouTube
Livestream performances
Arrangements

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Jack Ryfiak

Jonathan Ryfiak who goes by the family nickname of Jack is a non-traditional music student attending the Aaron Copland School of Music as a Music Education major, and has a passion for sharing music with others. He has been studying piano since the age of six, but took time off between highschool and his initial college years, where he began studying pre-medicine at Calvin College in Grand Rapids Michigan. He left Michigan at the age of 19 to pursue a career in modeling which led him to New York City. For two years he was an international model for Re:Quest Model Management, where he walked in New York fashion week, and has appeared in editorial fashion magazines including Taiwan GQ, Squint Homme, Arena, Cosmopolitan, and many more. He went on to become a Director of New Faces for Exxcel Model Management at their satellite office in West Palm Beach, Florida; eventually returning to work in the New York City office. Although the fashion and entertainment industry was exciting, he felt the need to return to a more fulfilling life in the study of music. With the help and guidance of Madeline Bruser he was able to successfully audition and gain acceptance to the Aaron Copland School of Music where he now attends. Here he has been named a Provost Scholar in the academic year of 2018-2019 and has the current standing of a high honors student. He hopes to give back by teaching music and being a mentor to students who may struggle with acceptance and support from their families. Also to nurture and support inner city students who may not have the best resources, whether it be at school or at home, so that they can be lifted to reach their fullest potential.

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Joshua Sevigny

Joshua Sevigny received his Bachelor’s in Music Performance from the Crane School of Music in Potsdam, NY and his Master’s in Music Performance from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee where he was a teaching assistant.

An active freelancer, Joshua holds principal positions with the Sheboygan Symphony Orchestra, and the Lake County Symphony Orchestra. He has also performed with the Southwestern Suburban Symphony Orchestra, Present Music Milwaukee, Northern Symphonic Winds, Racine Symphony, Wisconsin Philharmonic, Antioch Brass Quintet, and The Big Top Circus Band. He can also be heard with a number of local jazz and rock groups in the Milwaukee area. Joshua has placed in and won numerous national and international competitions.

As an educator, Joshua runs a successful private low brass studio. He also teaches general music, music theory, choir, band, and orchestra classes for the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music. He is a frequent clinician at high schools and colleges throughout the Midwest.

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Karen Silverman

Over the years, Karen has performed flute in a variety of venues. Music played includes Classical, Folk, Jazz and World music.  She is currently learning Brazilian Choro, Argentine Tango and American Songbook tunes and performs gigs for senior communities, weddings and special occasions.  Outside of music, Karen is very interested in rainwater harvesting and sustainability

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Alessandro Simoné

Alessandro Simoné studied Classical Piano Performance at Manhattan School of Music. He presented his interpretations at master classes there and at The Juilliard School taught by author David Dubal, and developed an interest in historical music practice.

conservatory studies, he creatively planned and administered piano lessons as a public school teaching artist. Later exploring his path in accompanying as staff pianist with Opera Oggi NY, he contributed to performances of opera including contemporary works that examine social issues of today.

Alessandro has experimented with popular music through an arranging and transcribing collaboration with the lead vocalist of contemporary band 3D2. His background includes teaching piano performance and music theory privately in Elmhurst, Queens; accompanying and advising vocalists, and contributing to piano interpretation seminars mentored by Zelma Bodzin, Professor at Mannes College The New School for Music. He began accompanying movement classes at Eurythmy Spring Valley in October 2018.

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Pamela Smitter

A brilliant and extremely gifted trumpeter who plays with profound expression, Pamela Smitter is greatly admired by her peers for her powerful yet poignant solo appearances around the world. She has captivated audiences with a rare blend of compelling and nuanced musical styles, and highly regarded for her musical orchestral performance leadership and teaching skills.

For more than two decades, Ms. Smitter has been the principal trumpet with the West Michigan Symphony Orchestra and section trumpet in the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra. Pamela has performed internationally in the HornPipes! Duo and released her first album, HARK!, with this ensemble in 2010. Previously, she was the principal trumpet in the Orquesta Sinfónica de Maracaibo, and subsequently, solista with the prestigious Orquesta Sinfónica de Venezuela and the Sinfonietta de Caracas. These associations provided the impetus for numerous solo engagements throughout Venezuela.

As Adjunct Professor of Music, Ms. Smitter most recently served on Purdue University Fort Wayne's brass faculty, and previously was a music instructor at Grand Valley State University, Hope College, and Alma College. Currently a doctoral candidate at Michigan State University, Pamela received her Master of Music degree in Trumpet Performance from the University of Michigan studying under Armando Ghitalla. Her Bachelor of Arts degree in K-12 Music Education led to a permanent teaching certificate after working three years as a fulltime band director. She served as Lead Musician for the Carnegie Hall LinkUP! orchestra educational program from 2004-2012, coaching more than 100 participating area teachers and colleagues as musician-mentor, and interacting in local music classrooms.

Pamela Smitter coordinated and facilitated the high-profile Festival of Trumpets concert for the 2013 International Trumpet Guild conference in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She presented master classes at the Exploring Trumpets in Greece festival, performed and conducted the Michigan State University Graduate Brass Quintet in accompanying world-renowned soloist Vincent DiMartino, and performed as principal trumpet with the Michigan State University Wind Symphony at Carnegie Hall. She has studied at the Art of Practicing Institute, been a frequent soloist at the annual White Lake Chamber Music Festival, and performed with the Miami Symphony Orchestra.

Ms. Smitter greets every opportunity with exceptional purpose, extraordinary spirit, and a zest for unparalleled success.

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Yukimi Song

Yukimi Song is a pianist and educator based in NYC. She has performed solo and chamber concerts at local venues such as Tenri Institute, Frederick Loewe Theatre, and le poisson rouge.

Yukimi has toured Japan annually since 2014, presenting solo and duo concerts with her best friend from high school, Natsuki Arakawa, Tokyo Symphony Orchestra violinist. The repertoire during the tours includes pieces by Albeniz, Franck, Piazzolla, Scarlatti, and Gershwin.

Past projects include a concert-themed “Mating Calls…Liebeslieder/Craigslistlieder” with a vocal quartet and narrator performed at Riverside Church. The project explored and contrasted the definitions of love between the 19th century and the modern day through the performance of two song cycles: Liebeslieder Waltz by Brahms and Craigslistlieder by Gabriel Kahane.

Upcoming projects include “Poems for Insomniacs”--Nocturnes by composers such as Scriabin, Field, Chopin, Liebermann, plus a piano transcription of Radiohead’s Exit Music arranged by Christopher O’Riley to complete the program. This fall, Yukimi plans to give a Broadway-themed piano recital with her colleagues, Eric Hunter and Clara Zhang. The concert will feature its all-time hit songs by Sondheim, Larson, Gershwin, Arlen, and Rodgers/Hammerstein to celebrate Broadway’s reopening in September.

Yukimi is a veteran piano instructor of 25 plus years. Her studio reflects her intuitive, holistic, and broad-ranging approach to the arts. She works with students of all ages and specializes in working with teenagers and adults who seek a lifelong love of music. She is also currently Vice President of The Piano Teachers Congress of New York.

Yukimi also launched a podcast show in August 2020, The Piano Pod, with Clara and Eric to create a larger community through conversations on-air to examine the traditions of the piano, adapt them, and expand its capabilities in this modern era.

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Jonathan Stuchbery

Jonathan is an artist engaged in inspiring and educating audiences as diverse as his musical interests. A specialist in period instruments of the lute and guitar family, and with a background also in classical and electric guitar, his performances offer "exciting and technically brilliant" (Marvin Dickau) displays of the wealth of the musical language.

as a soloist, chamber musician and continuo player, Jonathan frequently distinguishes himself across Canada, the United States, and Europe. He is active in the rich early music scene in Eastern Canada, and can be seen performing music on period instruments, solo and with ensembles such as Les Méandres (Montréal), Theatre of Early Music, Aureas Voces (Halifax), and Cor Unum Ensemble (Toronto). He recently completed a solo tour of British Columbia for Living Room Live, and has been programmed in international festivals such as Espurnes Barroques in Catalunya.

He is a founding member of the Cygnus trio (flute, violin, guitar), whos debut album 'Amalgam' was released in December 2018, and features new works and arrangements written specifically for them.

He also has extensive experience in contemporary classical music, having premiered and performed large-scale works on classical, and electric guitar in series such as Live@CIRMMT and Montréal/Nouvel Musique. He is now working on a program of new music for the theorbo, combining his passion for both early and contemporary music.

He is currently finishing a masters degree in performance of Early Music in Barcelona at the Escola Superior de Musica de Catalunya in the studio of Xavier Diaz-Latorre. Jonathan holds bachelor of music with a double major in guitar and lute performance at McGill’s Schulich School of Music, where he was recognized for outstanding achievement in lute.

www.jonathanstuchbery.com
www.thecygnustrio.com

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Tracy Stuchbery

Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Tracy Stuchbery. I am a wife, mother, grandmother, musician, mentor, teacher, choral conductor, contemplative, friend, and I have been playing the piano for as long as I can remember. My formal training resulted in a BMus from McGill university in piano performance many decades ago. Since then I continue to be a student of life, learning from every person and landscape (both inner and outer) that I encounter.

I have lived in Montreal, Vancouver, Squamish, Penticton and currently reside in Toronto. I am inspired by nature and my fellow humans and spend time contemplating the beauty unfolding within and without. Music gives voice to this unfolding.

I am delighted to be part of this COMPASS community and give thanks to Louis for creating this space.

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Heidi Tsai

Heidi Tsai, equally expressive on the harpsichord, fortepiano and piano, performs regularly on all three keyboard instruments. Her versatile musicality brings life to different genres of repertoire from the 17th to the 21st centuries.

Ms. Tsai holds a doctorate in music in historical keyboards from Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. In addition to having taught for more than 30 years in higher musical institutions in Europe and the US, she also holds a bachelor of arts degree in psychology from Boston University, which she regularly incorporates in her pedagogic approach. She has taught both piano and harpsichord at Boston University, Boston Conservatory, Arizona State University and Indiana University. Between 2002-2019, Heidi Tsai was on the faculty in the early music department at the Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya (ESMUC) in Barcelona, and was both the harpsichord professor and director of the early music ensemble at the Conservatoire in Pau, France.

Ms. Tsai's most recent project involved two performances of the complete sonatas for violin and obbligato harpsichord by J.S.Bach, with Swiss violinist, Gilles Colliard. Ms. Tsai has been invited to play in major concert series and music festivals throughout the United States, Central America, Asia and Europe. In an orchestral setting, she has collaborated with Christian Zacharias, Giovanni Antonini, Leonard Slatkin, Robert King, Stanley Ritchie and Nigel North. Ms. Tsai has co-founded and directs the early music group Barcelona Barroc. Their recording, Chiaoscuro, features the two concerti for the harpsichord, violin and flute, by Johann Sebastian Bach.

Ms. Tsai's live performance of the Goldberg Variations in Spain received enthusiastic and warm feedback, and was recorded and broadcasted by Catalunya Música radio station. She has also been invited and performed on the television program 'El Temps del Picó' (Barcelona).

You can purchase some of Ms. Tsai's recordings on her website: Click here to visit Heidi Tsai's website

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Christina Urner

Christina began her music journey at the age of 7 when her grandma gave her family a piano. From then on, she enrolled in lessons. At 14, Christina still has an amazing love for music and piano. Her teacher, Dan DiPaolo, who also participates in the COMPASS concerts, has been Christina's mentor and teacher for a few years. Christina is an aspiring composer and loves all things art. She especially enjoys playing Beethoven, Chopin, Bach, and many more. She mostly has experience in playing classical pieces but loves a variety of genres.

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Tal Varon

Tal Varon plays in the Israeli Jazz Orchestra, with which he has recorded and performed in Israel, North America, Europe and South Africa. He also leads his own quintet which plays his compositions.

Tal teaches in the Jazz Program at the Israeli Conservatory of Music in Tel Aviv, a program academically affiliated with the New School University (NYC) Jazz and Contemporary Music program, which is where he received his BFA.

Tal is a certified Art of Practicing teacher and teaches an Art of Practicing and Performing course at the Rimon School of Music in Israel.

Tal is also a certified meditation instructor as well as a certified Focusing trainer and coordinator.  He leads online weekly meditation and Focusing classes.

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Paul Walker

Paul Walker is an amateur musician and composer who has been studying piano and other instruments most of his life. As well as playing piano, guitar, and more with family and friends, he composes a variety of music which you can find at SoundCloud. Paul is also active in the open source music software community, maintaining several large open source music software packages, He spends some of his musical time at the intersection of software, synthesis, and composition.

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Obadiah Wright

Originally a cellist, Obadiah only recently dedicated himself to learning bandoneon. Tango had been a secret affection of his ever since childhood, stumbling upon Yo-Yo Ma's Soul of the Tango. It wasn't until undergrad, however, when he finally acted on it and joined Bard College's tango club. After Obadiah graduated with a B.A. in religious studies and a B.M. in music composition, he heard about the Stowe Tango Music Festival where musicians could learn to play tango with renowned artists. Stowe even hosted a bandoneon workshop for all levels, and that's when Obadiah became a bandoneonist.

Obadiah has since moved to Portland with his boyfriend and five cats. He is active in the tango community there, playing bandoneon in several groups. He most recently had the opportunity to perform with Alex Krebs' orchestra as second bandoneonist for the Portland Tango Festival. Unrelated to tango, Obadiah is excited for his collection of short stories and piano miniatures, Short Stories for Cats & Keys, to be featured and performed later this month.

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Louis Yungling

Hello, my name is Louis Yungling and I'm the founder of COMPASS. I'm also a pianist and teacher.

Meditation, mindfulness and awareness exercises are an integral part of my teaching and practice. Musicians benefit greatly from these practices by being able to fine tune their focus and get more out of their practice as well as increase their responsiveness to sound and be more present and confident in performance.

I created COMPASS concerts to extend these practices to audiences and give everyone a moment to pause and go inward. We do this by sharing a brief contemplation exercise before every concert. In this way we practice being aware of one another and give ourselves a chance to feel and appreciate our unique contribution.

Preparing our minds and bodies to receive and make music allows us to be more receptive to the beauty and generosity that goes into a musical performance. And practicing this type of mindful preparation regularly can help us open our hearts more to the experiences of our day to day lives.

I am thrilled to share this journey with you and the very talented, generous artists who perform here. Thank you to all my musician friends for sharing your gifts and creating beautiful programs of music for our COMPASS community. And thank you to all who come and partake in these heart-warming community concerts.

I currently live and teach piano in Valencia, Spain. My teaching website: Yungling Piano Studio.

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Wolf Eliot Zohar

Wolf Zohar got his musical start from his beloved piano teacher Louis Yungling and gleaned a love for music from his family, both immediate and extended. Between piano lessons with Louis he was also a member of the Trinity Choir, in NYC. When Wolf was eight years old his family moved from New York City to Orcas Island (a small island south of Vancouver BC) where he moved onto a 40’ sailboat which no longer allowed him to practice piano. He found the trumpet to be much more portable and boat friendly. He started playing with the Orcas Island Elementary School band in 5th grade and now, in 6th grade, he is the first chair trumpet for the middle school band.

His composition, Medieval Refuge, is an original that was inspired by a song called Aggressivo by Randall D. Standridge and was prepared for an ensemble event in Washington State and will be played at his school’s winter concert.

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