THECOMPASSCONCERTS

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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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.

Margaret also has graduate certification in Non-Profit Management with a focus on arts organizations, and draws on this background in her arts nonprofit roles as a Board member, consultant, and musician. She 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 produces affordably-priced and free classical music events for underserved audiences. Margaret also co-directs a foundation benefitting underserved communities through arts, humanities, educational and health nonprofits.

As a pianist, Margaret is active in Portland's classical music scene, currently performing at house concerts, for CRPDX, and for Friends of Chamber Music. An avid tango dancer, Margaret is the founding bandleader and pianist of the tango dance band PorTango. Bringing her love of literature back into her work, she is also developing tango poetry-focused duo programs with singers, and translating tango lyrics for more intimate wine bar performances.

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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 is a piano teacher and freelance pianist in Los Angeles, where he lives with his wife, daughter, and cat.

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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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Lily Li

Lily Li is a piano teacher, music educator, collaborative pianist, and festival adjudicator. She has been recognized by the International Prominent Pianist Festival with an Excellence in Piano Pedagogy Award for her outstanding instruction and student achievement in piano education. In addition, she is a Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM) Certified Teacher.

Lily is currently based in Fredonia, New York, where she runs a private piano studio established in 2013. With over 25 years of teaching experience, she has worked with students of all ages and levels, from ages 4 to 84. She is also the music director at the First Presbyterian Church in Fredonia, fulfilling her dream of performing while helping others enjoy and appreciate music.

During her time in the U.S., Lily earned a Master's degree in Music Performance with a concentration in collaborative piano at the State University of New York at Fredonia. She was the recipient of the Max and Anne Davis Scholarship for Excellence in Accompanying. At Fredonia, she worked with the College Choir, toured with the Wind Ensemble, and accompanied students for instrumental juries, vocal recitals, opera scenes, and performances.

In 2016, Lily was selected as one of the pianists from across North America to participate in the Schubert Art Song Repertoire Program, where she studied with Graham Johnson at the Vancouver International Song Institute. She also attended the Miami Music Festival as a collaborative pianist, specializing in chamber music. She has performed public recitals at both venues.

Prior to her time in the U.S., Lily was born in Guangzhou, China, and earned her BA in Music Education with a piano concentration from the Xinghai Conservatory of Music. She worked extensively as a collaborative pianist with various ensembles and toured throughout Southern China.

Lily's achievements in China include receiving a gold medal in the World Chinese Youth Arts Festival Piano Competition in Macao and a Certificate of Appreciation for accompanying the choir at the 2010 Asian Paralympic Games in Guangzhou. She also worked as a piano instructor and collaborative pianist for over a decade, inspiring countless students and earning numerous awards for her excellence in piano teaching.

Lily's teaching philosophy emphasizes fostering a lifelong love of music. Her students in both Asia and North America have benefited from her deep dedication to their growth and development as musicians.

Lily Li's website: www.pianistlilyli.com

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David Murray

David Murray is a trumpet player and educator based in the Western suburbs of Chicago.Revered for his vibrant and musically informed sound, he is known primarily as a chamber and orchestral musician. David is a member of the Dekalb Brass Quintet and has served as 3rd trumpet with the Kishwaukee Symphony since 2018. In addition, David has performed with several regional orchestras including the Rockford Symphony, Lakeview Orchestra, and Lake County Symphony. In May 2024 David performed as guest principal trumpet on the World Ballet Company's Midwest and California tours of Swan Lake. Most recently David performed in a production of Bernstein's Chichester Psalms and Beethoven's 9th Symphony in collaboration with the Lake County Symphony and several Dekalb-based choral groups.

In the summers, David can be heard performing with the Dekalb Municipal Band as 1st trumpet. He has been performing with the group since the summer of 2011 and made his solo debut with the band in 2021. In addition, he has given several solo recitals performing music primarily from the French repertoire. His most recent recital performance was at the Fulton Street Collective in Chicago. In addition to his career as a performer, David currently serves as professor of trumpet at Elgin Community College teaching college aged musicians as well as several talented young trumpet players at Larkin High School.

David is a recent graduate of DePaul University where he earned his Master of Music in Trumpet Performance. During his time at DePaul, he studied trumpet with Professor Stephen Burns, chamber music with Mark Fisher and Scott Tegge, and received several coachings from CSO principal trumpet, Esteban Batallán. Prior to his studies at DePaul, he received his Bachelors of the Arts in Trumpet Performance from Northern Illinois University where he studied with Dr. Mark Ponzo and Professor John Fairfield. He has performed in masterclasses for Tom Hooten, Brandon Ridenour, John Hagstrom, and was a masterclass participant in the 2020 virtual Art of Practicing Summer Institute and was coached by Milwaukee Symphony trombonist, Kirk Ferguson.

David currently resides in the Western suburbs of Chicago with his partner Madison and Fran the cat. In his spare time, he works as a brass instrument repair technician at PM Music Center in Aurora, IL

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Birce Polat

Born in 1989 in the idyllic province Balikesir, Turkey, Birce began to play the piano at the age of 5. She was accepted to the State Conservatoire of Istanbul University at 7 and was selected a mere three years later as the student ambassador to perform live on visual media across the country. She continued with her high school education at the respected Uskudar American Academy in Istanbul for five years.

She then advanced her piano education in Germany at the Lübeck Academy of Music with Pianist David Meier and Professor Konstanze Eickhorst. Along with Gulnare Shekinskaya – who introduced her the Russian Technical Regimen, her most important guide, the great pedagogue Vassilia Efstathiadou – who influenced several generations of musicians – is a lifelong mentor to Polat.

At just 21 she gave her first celebrated performance at Bosch Young Artists Festival, Istanbul. Also a chamber musician, she has performed together with her cellist friends’ circle, especially works of Turkish composers.

Always a committed pupil in her heart, she found time to pursue masterclass events during long Mediterranean summers such as the Gumusluk Classical Music Festival Academy in Bodrum, Turkey – working with State Artist Pianist Gulsin Onay. This prestigious festival invited Birce Polat to perform live & online for them during tough times in 2020 – for classical music lovers at home.

Birce Polat is a multi-faceted artist. Her profound devotion to her artistic career is mirrored in her intellectual questioning and evergreen curiosity.

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Louis Yungling

Hello, my name is Louis Yungling and I'm a co-founder of COMPASS Concerts. I'm also a pianist and piano 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 focus better, get more out of their practice, increase their responsiveness to sound and be more present and confident in performance.

At COMPASS Concerts everyone benefits from the practice of pausing and going 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 gifted, generous artists who perform here. Thank you to all my musician friends for sharing your gifts and creating beautiful programs of music for your 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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