Winter/Spring 2009 Musician Biographies

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January 18

Bevan Manson has performed with Gunther Schuller, Cecil McBee, Bob Shepard, and George Garzone and many others. A pianist and composer, he has served on the faculty of the New England Conservatory and the Berklee School of Music in Boston and at the Thelonius Monk Institute. He headed the jazz program at UC Berkeley. He has appeared at the Montreaux and Pacifica Jazz Festivals and recorded for Flying Fish and Elixer labels. Bevan is in demand as an arranger for film and television and has had his chamber music works performed nationally, including a recent concert at the Phillips Gallery in Washington, D.C.. His compositions have drawn accolades, including his piano quartet and his "Concerto for Viola and Orchestra". In the summer of 2008, Bevan was invited to perform as the solo pianist and was the driving force behind the San Fransisco Symphony Jazz Sextet.

Margaret Zhou is a student of the outstanding cellist Ruslan Biryukov. Under his guidance she has dominated student music competitions throughout Southern California. Among her many awards are a first place award in the 2008 Torrance Symphony Young Artists Concerto Competition, first place in the San Diego Symphony Young Artist Competition, and first prize in the Los Angeles Violoncello Society Scholarship Audition. As a two time winner of the La Jolla Symphony Young Artists Competition she has enjoyed her repeat collaboration as soloist with this fine orchestra. This concert on the San Diego Public Library Concert Series of 2009 marks her first appearance with Odyssey Tango.

Chris Woods is a notable young violinist whose playing is distinguished by his fluid technique, purity of tone and improvisational flights of fancy covering many genres, including bluegrass, hip-hop, and jazz. A new member on the roster of the Hutchins Consort, he is featured in the octet of New Violin Family instrumentalists - on instruments uniquely designed for their tonal synergy and depth of projection - as the trebel violinist extraordinaire. While studying at the Manhattan School of Music he was among the elite violin class of Pinchas Zukerman. Chris is sought after studio musician in Los Angeles and is an active composer. He has worked closely with major recording artists in close collaboration with violist and producer Miguel Atwood Ferguson.

Joe McNalley is a bassist, composer and arranger who has a broad range of musical abilitites that he brings to his concerts as founder and Artistic Director of the Hutchins Consort. Undergraduate study at the New England Conservatory and, later, advanced work at UCSD under Bertram Turezky honed his skill as one of the world's foremost advocates of contemporary music on an awesome variety of stringed bass instruments. He has performed at the Monterey Jazz Festival to acclaim, and appeared with Jay McShann, Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson and Thad Jones. In collaboration with his cousin, Tim McNalley, they were heralded as outstanding musicians who presented a top jazz concert of the year by the LA Weekly. Joe has served as an Associate Professor of Music at U.C. San Diego.

February 1

Chanson du Soir is comprised of soprano Chelsea Camille and classical guitarist David Isaacs, both Southern California natives. Established in 2005, they have quickly garnered national recognition as a premier guitar and voice duo by being featured artists on concert series throughout the United States. In April of 2007, Mélancholie et Espoir, their debut studio recording, was released on Abet Music and has been receiving airplay on KIRN in Los Angeles and on Dayton Public Radio's "The Intimate Guitar."

Ever since she began to form her own thoughts, Chelsea Camille always adored the arts of storytelling and entertainment. Back then it merely involved keeping her family in stitches, whereas now she is comfortable with audiences much larger in size. She completed her Bachelor's degree in Acting at California State University, Fullerton and has been the professional soprano soloist at Belmont Heights United Methodist Church in Long Beach since 2001. She is currently developing her music theory and history background and studying voice with Dr. Nicole Baker en route to earning her Master's degree in Vocal Performance. In addition to her extraordinary voice, Ms. Camille is a masterful seamstress, the creator of her own line of jewelry, and can be found performing as an actress on Southern California stages.

David Isaacs has performed throughout the U.S. and Greece as a soloist, in a guitar duet, in a guitar and voice duet, and as part of the California State University, Fullerton Guitar Orchestra. In October of 2006, he was signed to Eroica Classical Recordings and in November of 2006 released his debut studio recorded solo classical guitar CD, Structures. This CD has been featured on KIRN in Los Angeles, "The Intimate Guitar" on Dayton Public Radio in Dayton Ohio, on Wisconsin Public Radio, and on WGTE FM91 in Northwest Ohio. He earned his Master's and Bachelor's degrees in Classical Guitar Performance at California State University, Fullerton under the tutelage of David Grimes. Now residing in Long Beach, Mr. Isaacs runs the Long Beach Classical Guitar Society, Long Beach Classical Guitar Academy, and Southern California Classical Guitar Workshop with his co-founding partner Michael Nigro; writes sheet music reviews for Soundboard; judges for guitar festivals and competitions; and teaches at Cerritos College, Morey's Music, International Music School, Oakwood Academy, Masterclasses and at his home studio.

March 15

Praised for their 'extraordinary commitment and maturity' (Montreal Gazette) and 'talent, passion and mastery' (Jacques Robert, JR Multimedia), the Cecilia String Quartet (CSQ) is one of Canada's most exciting emerging ensembles today. Second Prizewinners of the 2008 Osaka International Chamber Music Competition and winners of the 2007 Galaxie Rising Stars Award in Canada, they are currently recipients of the Joseph Fisch and Joyce Axelrod String Quartet residency at San Diego State University in association with the La Jolla Music Society.

Since their inception in 2004, the quartet has held residencies at Laurier University, the Glenn Gould School of the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, and at the University of Toronto where the quartet was formed. Their debut performance at the Arts and Letters Club in Toronto was met with high praise, and their first season culminated in the receipt of the Felix Galimir Award for Chamber Music Excellence after only 6 months as a quartet. Subsequently they participated in the Juilliard String Quartet Seminar in New York, the Stanford Chamber Music Seminar in California, and the Schleswig-Holstein Chamber Music Festival in Germany. One of two quartets invited to attend the 2006 Deer Valley Music Festival's Emerging Quartets and Composers Program in Utah, the CSQ worked extensively with the Muir Quartet and Joan Tower to premiere Belinda Reynolds' Static Motion, a work commissioned for the CSQ by the festival. In summer 2007, the CSQ were fellows at the Aspen Music Festival and School in the prestigious Advanced String Quartet Studies Program.

The CSQ has performed across North America on series such as the Barrie Colours of Music Festival, the Toronto Music Garden, the Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Music Society, Chamber Music Hamilton, the Northern Lights Music Festival in Ajijic, Mexico, and the Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival. They also recently toured Ontario, Quebec, and British Columbia with Jeunesses Musicales Canada on their Desjardins Concert Series. This past summer the CSQ were Shouse Artists at the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival in Michigan and the Resident String Quartet at the Austin Chamber Music Festival in Texas. Upcoming highlights include a debut performance for the La Jolla Music Society in California and the third of a three-concert appearance on Music Toronto's Discovery Series.

The Cecilia String Quartet takes its name from St. Cecilia, the patron saint of music. They have worked with members of the Juilliard, Emerson, Tokyo, Takacs, St. Lawrence, Ying, American, Penderecki, and Orford Quartets. Members of the CSQ have attended the University of Toronto, the Glenn Gould School of the Royal Conservatory of Music, the HARID Conservatory of Music, the New England Conservatory, the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University, and the Hochschule für Musik und Theatre München in Munich, Germany.

Sarah Nematallah has been delighting audiences with her violin playing since the age of three. She has been awarded numerous scholarships and awards, such as the Canadian Millennium National Excellence Award, the University of Toronto Felix Galimir Chamber Music Award, and the University of Toronto William and Phyllis Waters Graduating Scholarship. Her performances have led her to collaborate with such esteemed Canadian musicians as Scott St. John, Erika Raum, Steven Dann, Annalee Patipatanakoon, and Roman Borys.

Over the past six years, Ms. Nematallah has appeared as a guest soloist with the Brampton Symphony Orchestra, the Cathedral Bluffs Symphony Orchestra, and the Mooredale Chamber Orchestra on several occasions. Her orchestra experience includes a tour of Europe and South America with the UBS Verbier Festival Orchestra under maestro Yuri Behlolavek, appearances as concertmaster of the University of Toronto Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Raffi Armenian, and an appearance as concertmaster of the Banff Summer Arts Festival Orchestra under direction of Gary Kulesha. Ms. Nematallah has participated in many international festivals, such as the Banff Summer Arts Festival (Alberta), AIMS in Graz Festival Orchestra (Austria), Domaine Forget (Quebec), and the Music Masters Course in Kasuza (Japan).

Ms. Nematallah has studied chamber music intensively with Roman Borys of the Gryphon Trio, Terrence Helmer of the Orford Quartet, and the late Lorand Fenyves. She has performed in master classes for world-renowned violinists such as Pinchas Zukerman, Sylvia Rosenberg, and Hiroko Yajima. She holds a Bachelor in Violin Performance from the University of Toronto, where she studied with Scott St. John, and an ARCT in Violin Performance from the Royal Conservatory of Music.

Min-Jeong Koh, violin. 2nd Prize winner of the 2006 Eckhardt-Gramatte Competition, Korean Canadian violinist Min-Jeong Koh is a young artist currently garnering much attention throughout Canada. In addition to the second prize, she was also awarded the Prize for Best Performance of the Commissioned Piece.

As a soloist, Ms. Koh has appeared as guest violinist with the Banff Festival Orchestra, Toronto Youth String Orchestra, North York Concert Orchestra, Mooredale Concerto Players, and as winner of the Kathleen Parlow Concerto Competition, she performed with the University of Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Ms. Koh has been invited to participate and perform at Banff Summer Arts Festival, Domaine Forget, Music Bridge, Killington, Sarasota Music Festival, and at Stanford University's St. Lawrence String Quartet Seminar. Recently, Ms. Koh performed chamber music at Toronto's Arts and Letters Club, Brandon University's Pro Series, McGill University, Mooredale Concert Series, Kitchener Waterloo Chamber Music Society, Maureen Forrester Young Canadian Artist Series at the Stratford Summer Music Festival, Syrinx Series, Toca Loca, and at University of Toronto's New Music Festival.

At eighteen, she was invited to be a member of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra where she served for a full season. Since then, her extensive orchestral experience includes Concertmaster appointments with the Banff Festival Orchestra, Banff Festival Opera Orchestra, Royal Conservatory Orchestra, University of Toronto Symphony Orchestra, and a member of the New York String Orchestra for its annual String Seminar in Carnegie Hall.

Ms. Koh has studied with Scott St. John, Lorand Fenyves, Erika Raum, and Mayumi Seiler at the University of Toronto and Lucy Chapman at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston. A dedicated teacher, Ms. Koh has taught at Cardinal Carter Academy for the Arts and at the Young Artist Performance Academy at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, where she is an alumna.

Caitlin Boyle, viola, is a native of Dundas, Ontario, where she was born in 1980. She began playing the viola at age three at the Hamilton Suzuki School of Music. Subsequently she studied at the New England Conservatory of Music with James Dunham, at the Glenn Gould School with Steven Dann, and in June 2005 completed a Performance Diploma with Hariolf Schlichtig in Munich, Germany. While in Europe she attended the Prussia Cove Masterclasses with Thomas Riebl. She has been a member of the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra, the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, the National Academy Orchestra, and the Schleswig Holstein Festival Orchestra. In the fall of 2005 she participated in a tour of the East Coast of the United States with the Munich Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Phillippe Entremont. Her passion for chamber music was fostered at the Southern Ontario Chamber Music Institute and the Domaine Forget Chamber Music Sessions and continued to grow through the support of such artists and teachers as Richard Lester, Terrence Helmer and the St. Lawrence String Quartet. In 2001 and 2003 Caitlin received the Felix Galimir Chamber Music Award through the University of Toronto.

Rebecca Wenham, cellist and composer. An individual with a vision spanning many varied artistic horizons, Rebecca Wenham has found her own voice playing the piano and cello. Her interest in diverse cultures has taken her to the United States and Mexico, Denmark, Holland and the Czech Republic, as well as the music festivals at Kent/Blossom, Schleswig-Holstein (Germany), and the Banff Centre. A prizewinner in the 4iemme Concours International d'Orford in 1999 in Quebec, Ms. Wenham was invited back in 2000 and 2001 on scholarship.

In 2002, Ms. Wenham was Artist in Residence at the Banff Centre. This led to extensive interdisciplinary work, collaborating with composers, dancers, writers and visual artists, as well as jazz, folk and world musicians. She has recorded compositions and improvisations for the Banff Centre's Aboriginal Arts Festival, and has performed with world music/fusion ensemble Dohnava. She has performed with violinist Lorand Fenyves, pianists Anton Kuerti and John Stetch, and jazz trombonists Hugh Fraser and Josh Roseman. Her original compositions have been heard in Calgary as part of the multi-disciplinary production Body of 3, which incorporated the three artistic mediums of dance, music and visual arts. In addition to expanding her musical boundaries, Ms. Wenham continues to nourish her classical roots as a member of the Cecilia String Quartet. She holds a bachelor of music degree (magna cum laude) from the HARID Conservatory of Music and a master of music degree from the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University. She currently plays on an unlabeled English cello and Hill bow on loan from the Banff Centre.

March 29

Long ago four people used to meet every year under a tree on top of Mount Palomar to sing madrigals. In 2003, it suddenly occurred to them that they could meet more frequently outside the context of the San Diego Early Music Society Workshop, and so they arranged to get together "down the mountain". They were joined by two more friends, and Courtly Noyse was born. This lively mix of personalities soon developed the blend of humor, imagination and versatility in the performance of Renaissance music that has become their trademark.

You might say that some members of Courtly Noyse are instrumentalists who sing, and others are singers who play instruments. Their goal is to be true "Renaissance men"-in other words, to derive pleasure from engaging in a wide variety of musical activities without necessarily being technically superlative in every area. Just like their our forebears in the sixteenth century, they enjoy whiling away an evening or a Sunday afternoon with music, storytelling and jokes-and their hope is that their audience will derive as much pleasure from their collaboration as they do.

Courtly Noyse plays recorders, viola da gamba, vielle, krummhorns, cornamuse, cornetti, bowed psaltery, mandolin, gemshorns, rackett, and various percussion instruments (although this list is constantly growing!). They can also cast our instruments aside at the drop of a (Tudor) hat, and burst into six-part vocal harmony.

John Cassaboom plays recorder, krummhorn and mandolin, and sings bass. He sings with Janet Hammer's Full Measure Carolers, an a cappella ensemble which performs holiday music in San Diego and Orange Counties. He was a member of Jazzapella, an a cappella jazz octet, studied harpsichord under Ken Fox of San Diego and early music performance with Dr. Robert Forman at San Diego State University. He is currently restoring a tabletop harpsichord of 31 notes from an unknown craftsman, and enjoys exploring the subtle charms of a Melodica quartet when he can coax enough people to join him. John's degrees are in Electronic Engineering from San Diego State University.

Laury Flora started his musical career with piano lessons at age 5. He went on to study French horn and other brass, guitar and violin, and performed vocally with various choirs and madrigal groups, and founded several barbershop quartets. He plays recorder, krummhorn, rackett, psaltery, clavichord and cornetto, and sings. He also sings with Janet Hammer's Full Measure Carolers (a Dickens caroling group) and Pacific Camerata (a vocal ensemble specializing in music of the Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque periods). Laury built the krummhorns, psalteries and rackett that Courtly Noyse use.

Penny Hawkins plays recorder, sings, and occasionally hits things with sticks. She began the recorder in Miss Jones' class at the age of seven, and is enjoying revisiting it as an adult. Her Master of Music degree is in vocal performance, and her long-standing involvement with early music includes vocal studies with Mary Nichols at the London Early Music Centre. Having taught at various local colleges, she currently maintains a private vocal studio-and spends much of her time on the day-to-day operations of San Diego Early Music Society, of which she is President.

Vickie Jenkins plays recorder, cornamuse and percussion, and sings soprano. As a young musician she studied voice and piano at the Aspen Summer Music Festival. She has performed at Scripps College, Claremont Children's Theater and Covenant Ark Theater. Vickie has a music degree from Scripps College, and teaches music. She also performs with Janet Hammer's Full Measure Carolers, Pacific Camerata, Madonna non Papa and Melismata.

Jay Sacks plays recorder, cornetto and krummhorn, and sings tenor and alto. He has played with the Los Angeles Junior Philharmonic Orchestra, the UCLA Symphonic Band, the UCSD Wind Ensemble, Merrye Windes and the Westwynd Consort. He has sung with the La Jolla Symphony Chorus, the San Diego Master Chorale, Musique Classique, Schola Pacifica, Janet Hammer's Full Measure Carolers, Kaleidoscope Carolers and Goode Companye.

Sandra Stram plays viola da gamba, vielle, recorder and krummhorn, and sings soprano. Sandra began playing early music in 1983 as a member of the Collegium Musicum at SDSU, playing violin and recorder. She later began viol studies with Peter Farrell and John Dornenburg. She completed a Master of Music Degree in Viol Performance at SDSU in 1996. Sandra has taught strings/orchestra for Sweetwater Union H.S. district, Poway Unified, Arrowbear music camp and Civic Youth Orchestra. She currently teaches string and recorder classes in San Diego City Schools. She performs on violin and viol throughout the San Diego area, and fiddle with the Bayou Brothers, the Swamp Critters and Judy Taylor's Wild Oats.

April 26

Almondine Woodwind Quintet
The Almondine Woodwind Quintet-Cathy Blickenstaff, flute; Scott Paulson, oboe; Robert Zelickman, clarinet; Jane Zwerneman, French horn; William Propp, bassoon-is a new ensemble composed of players from the San Diego Chamber Orchestra, Lyric Opera San Diego and the La Jolla Symphony Orchestra. The group's repertoire extends from 18th-century wind music to new compositions of the 20th and 21st centuries.

May 10

Jennie Jung, piano; Ellen Jung, violin; Julie Jung, cello
Hailed for its soul-stirring, captivating performances of supreme artistry, The Jung Trio, "a spectacular group with wonderful musicality at their fingertips," (Ezra Laderman, composer and Dean Emeritus of Yale University) has established its status as one of the most notable rising young ensembles of today. The group is comprised of sisters Jennie, Ellen, and Julie Jung, who each contributes her own singular warmth and impassioned sensibility to the collaborative force. The trio has appeared in concerts all across North America as well as around the world. In April, 2007, they swept the auditions held in the City of Beverly Hills. As a result, the Trio was presented on Los Angeles County Museum of Art's "Sundays Live," the Beverly Hills "Music in the Mansion," and the Trinity Lutheran, Manhattan Beach "Previews" concert series last season, and have return engagements this season. The Jung Trio was also selected to make its debut at the 10th International Laureates Festival, presented each summer in Los Angeles by Young Artists International.

Highlights from past seasons include a concert tour of South Korea, debut performance in Disney Hall, performances of the Beethoven Triple Concerto with the Korean-Canadian Symphony Orchestra in Toronto, Canada, as well as engagements in Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Maryland and Toronto.

The sisters were born and raised in Toronto, where they received their early music training as scholarship students in the Young Artist Performance Academy at the Royal Conservatory of Music. Initial successes include top prizes at the Canadian Music Competition, Kiwanis Music Festival, and the CIBC National Music Festival, and were marked by numerous performances throughout Canada in the Music and Sound Festival at the Banff Centre for the Arts, Orford Arts Festival, Debut-Young Concert Artist, Mooredale Concert, Canadian Chamber Music Academy, and CBC's Music Around Us series. Broadcasts of the group's performances have included CBC Radio and Television, CJRT Radio, CFMT Television, TV Ontario, KBS Radio, and EBS Radio. The Jung Trio has been featured in Strad, Strings, and Auditorium (Korea) magazines, in the Korea Times, as well as on the South Korean television program, A Classical Odyssey.

Today, the ensemble is no stranger to the limelight. It was awarded the Grand Prize at the 2002 Yellow Springs Chamber Music Competition in Yellow Springs, Ohio, and the Bronze Medal at the 2002 Fischoff Competition in South Bend, Indiana. Following a series of successful concerts at the Kumho Art Hall in Seoul, the trio was invited by the Kumho Cultural Foundation in 2003 to give a recital tour of Kenya and Mauritius, where it was the first musical group ever to perform at the United Nations (UNEP) in Nairobi. Additional highlights of past performances include recital tours of South Korea, a performance of the Beethoven Triple Concerto, with the State Symphony Orchestra of Tatarstan in Kazan, Russia, in Los Angeles with the Korean Symphony Orchestra, and with the Taejon Symphony Orchestra in Taejon, South Korea. The Trio has appeared in recitals in New York, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Detroit, Connecticut, Ohio, and Indiana. In addition, The Jung Trio has appeared at numerous festivals including the Great Lakes, Norfolk, and Orford Chamber Music Festivals, Songfest, and the Banff Centre for the Arts, where they served as Trio-in-Residence in 1998.

Jennie Jung received her Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Toronto as a pupil of Marietta Orlov. Following studies at Yale School of Music (Master of Music and Artist Diploma) with Claude Frank, she went on to receive a Doctor of Musical Arts at the Juilliard School in May, 2008. Ellen Jung completed studies in the Bachelor of Music program at the University of Toronto with Lorand Fenyves and David Zafer. She received her Master of Music and Artist Diploma from Yale as a student of Syoko Aki. Julie Jung studied with Shauna Rolston at the University of Toronto, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Music. She received her Master of Music from the New England Conservatory of Music as a student of Laurence Lesser, before joining her sisters at Yale, where she completed the Artist Diploma as a student of Aldo Parisot. Jennie is currently on faculty at Vanguard University, and a collaborative pianist for the prestigious Colburn School in Los Angeles. Ellen is also teaching at Vanguard University, and all three have private studios.

The Jung Trio recently recorded the music of Dvorak and Shostakovich for Groove Note Records.

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