Armand Ambrosini, clarinet (Session I & II) has
been a recitalist, chamber musician and teacher throughout the United
States. He is a founding member of the Cordier Chamber Ensemble, which
has commissioned several new compositions and toured extensively throughout
the east coast. He has served on the faculty at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln,
Humboldt State University and is currently on the faculty at the University
of Oklahoma. He holds a BFA and MFA degree from the California Institute
of Arts, a MM degree from Yale University, and a DMA degree from the
State University of New York at Stony Brook. He recently coauthored
a music appreciation textbook entitled An Introduction to Concert Music
in Society.
Terrie
Baune, violin (Session I) is currently Concertmaster of the
North State Symphony based in Chico and Redding, CA, and co-Concertmaster
of the Oakland East Bay Symphony. She is also a member of two professional
new-music chamber ensembles — the Earplay Ensemble and the Empyrean
Ensemble, in residence at UC Davis. Ms. Baune’s professional orchestral
credits include four years as a member of the National Symphony Orchestra
of Washington D.C. and concertmaster positions with the Fresno Philharmonic
and the Santa Cruz County Symphony. For over twenty years, Ms. Baune
held the position of Concertmaster of The Women’s Philharmonic.
The Women’s Philharmonic disbanded in 2004, but through her ongoing
work with living composers Ms. Baune continues to be regarded as a strong
advocate for new music as well as a fine interpreter of the classic
repertoire.
Lisa
Byrnes, flute (Session I & II) is a graduate of the Curtis
Institute, where she studied with Julius Baker and Jeffrey Kahner; and
holds a masters degree from the San Francisco Conservatory, where she
studied with Tim Day. For many years a free-lance chamber and orchestral
player, soloist and teacher in the Bay Area, she is currently assistant
principal flutist of the Utah Symphony in Salt Lake City.
Dr. Deborah Clasquin, piano (Session I) is a Professor of Music and senior member of the keyboard area at Humboldt State University, where she teaches studio piano, piano performance seminar, piano pedagogy, accompanying and Music History.
Dr. Clasquin enjoys an active career as an orchestral soloist, as well as recitalist and chamber musician, and has appeared in recital in Paris, Moscow, Kiev, Chicago, Boston, Washington D.C. and throughout Northern California. Numerous awards and prizes have marked her performing career, including a gold medal at the International Piano Recording Competition and second prize at the International Bartok Competition.
Dr. Clasquin holds degrees from Smith College, New England Conservatory of Music and a Doctorate in Piano Performance from Indiana University, where she studied with Menahem Pressler, pianist of the renowned Beaux Arts Trio.
Her students have won numerous competitions, including the gold medal in
both the Senior and Concert Artist divisions of the Magin International
Competition in Paris, France, silver medals at the Virginia Waring
Competition, as well as an appearance on NPR's "From the Top".
The third generation bassist in his family, Charles DeRamus,
bass (Session I & II) is currently a member of Sweden’s
national orchestra, the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra. Previously he
has served as principal bass of the NorrlandsOperan (Sweden), been a
member of the New World Symphony, and worked extensively with the Atlanta
Symphony Orchestra, Houston Symphony, and Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra.
His Studies include degrees from Indiana University, Rice University,
and participation in numerous summer festivals. Charles is currently
a faculty member at the Idyllwild Arts Summer festival, has served on
the faculties of All-State at Interlochen and the University of Michigan
Summer Arts Institute, and has given guest masterclasses in England
at the Royal College of Music and the Yehudi Menuhin School.
Courtney
Sedgwick Filner, Assistant Director and Viola (Session I & II) is a native of Minnesota and is currently a member of the San Antonio and Austin Symphonies, and has previously been a member of the Richmond Symphony, the Florida Philharmonic, the New World Symphony, and the San Diego Symphony. She has been a member of the Colorado Music Festival viola section since 2001, and has been coaching, performing and doing a wide variety of administrative work for the Sequoia Chamber Music Workshop since 2004. She is also the violin and viola instructor at Texas Lutheran University and a registered Suzuki teacher of violin and viola.
As a member of the Ansonia Quartet and the New World Symphony Chamber Players, Courtney has performed chamber music in such venues as the Guggenheim in Bilbao, Spain, the Isabella Stuart Gardener Museum in Boston, Teatro Nationale in San Jose, Costa Rica, and Carnegie Hall in New York. Courtney holds a Bachelor of Music from Oberlin Conservatory, and a Master of Music from U.C.L.A.
David
Filner, Executive and Artisitic Director/Viola (Session I & II) was named director
of Sequoia in November 2002, having been a participant, dorm monitor
and coach since first attending Sequoia in 1986. He received undergraduate
degrees in English and Viola Performance from Oberlin College and a
Masters Degree in Viola Performance from Rice University. As a chamber musicians he won prizes
in both the Coleman and Fischoff Chamber Music Competitions with the
Basmati String Quartet. As an orchestral musician he has held positions as Assistant Principal
Violist of both the Alabama and Charlotte Symphony, Principal Viola of the Knoxville Symphony and as a member of the New World Symphony. More recently he
was the Director of Education and Community Engagement for the
San Antonio Symphonyn from 2005 until his promotion to Vice President and General Manager in 2007.
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Leighton
Fong, Cello (Session I & II) A
longtime member of the Left CoastChamber Ensemble, Mr. Fong also serves as Principal Cellist with the California Symphony and teaches cello and chamber music at UC Berkeley.
He plays regularly with the SF Contemporary Music Players and the Empyrean Ensemble. A recipient of grants from the Beebe Foundation and the American-Scandanavian Foundation, he studied in Copenhagen, Denmark
and Bern, Switzerland. Mr. Fong is a graduate of the New England Conservatory and the San Francisco Conservatory, where his teachers included Bonnie Hampton, Timothy Eddy and Gary Hoffman. Mr. Fong has also attended the Tanglewood Festival and performed at music festivals in Banff and Blue
Hill,
Maine.
William
Harrington, horn (Session I & II) performs regularly with
the Modesto Symphony and Brassworks of San Francisco, and frequently
with the San Jose Symphony, San Jose Opera, and the American Musical
Theater. A graduate of the San Francisco Conservatory and CSU-Hayward,
he also teaches music at Patton College, Oakland. He has been attending
Sequoia since 1993.
Carol
Jacobson, cello (Session I & II) holds a BA from HSU, with
further studies at the Salzburg Mozarteum, the Royal Danish Conservatory
and the Royal Conservatory-the Haugue. She was formerly a member of
the Dutch National Ballet Orchestra, the Netherlands Radio Symphony,
and the North Coast Chamber Players. She presently directs the Eureka
Symphony Orchestra as well as the Arcata High School Orchestra. She
also teaches studio cello at Humboldt State University.
Cindy
Moyer, violin (Session I & II) attended the Eastman School
of Music where she earned a Bachelor, Master and D.M.A in performance
and a MA in Music Theory. Currently Cindy is an Associate Professor
of Music at Humboldt State University in Arcata, CA, where she teaches
violin, viola, chamber music, theory, ear training, and music appreciation.
Her orchestral performance experiences include playing in the Rochester
Philharmonic, the New Haven Symphony, and the Sinfonia da Camera (Urbana,
Illinois) In addition, she is a frequent presenter at the California
Music Educators Conference, was one of the authors of the American String
Teachers Association String Syllabus, and has served as president of
the California Orchestra Director’s Association.
Nic Kuster, bassoon (Session I & II)Nicolasa Kuster is joining the faculty of University of the Pacific Conservatory of Music in the Fall of 2008. She is a Founding Director of The Meg Quigley Vivaldi Competition, an international competition for young women bassoonists from the Americas. From 2000 to 2008, she was Principal Bassoonist of the Wichita Symphony Orchestra, on the faculty at Wichita State University?s School of Music, and bassoonist with the Lieurance Woodwind Quintet.
Nicolasa has held positions in the Tulsa Philharmonic Orchestra, the Rhode Island Philharmonic, the Virginia Symphony, the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. She is Principal Bassoonist of the New Hampshire Music Festival and has been a guest artist at the Anchorage Music Festival, Ameropa Chamber Music Festival and Solo Course in Prague, Czech Republic and the Spoleto Festival, Italy, making multiple recordings on the Chandos label with the Spoleto Festival Orchestra. She was Visiting Professor of Bassoon at the Oberlin Conservatory in Fall of 2003. Nicolasa holds a B.M. and B.A. from Oberlin College and Conservatory and did graduate work at DePaul University.
Thomas
Nugent (oboe I & II) holds a Bachelor of Music from the
San Francisco Conservatory of Music where his major teacher was Marc
Lifschey. He is currently visiting professor of Oboe at University of
the Pacific, principal oboe with the Sacramento Philharmonic Orchestra,
a founding member of the Left Coast Chamber Ensemble, and a member of
the Pacific Arts Woodwind Quintet. He has performed with the San Francisco
Symphony, San Francisco Opera, San Francisco Ballet, San Jose Symphony,
and Oakland Symphony. He has performed as a soloist with the Diablo
Ballet, San Francisco Choral Artists, and for the American Guild of
Organists.
Shalini
Vijayan violin (Session II) received her Bachelor and
Master of Music degrees from the Manhattan School of Music. Shalini
is a founding member and Principal Second Violin of new music group
Absolute Ensemble and has recorded several albums with them including
the 2001 Grammy nominated Absolution. Now living in Los Angeles,
Shalini is a member of the Pacific Symphony and Principal Second Violin
of Opera Pacific Orchestras, and is concertmaster of the conductorless
chamber orchestra, Mladi.
Lisa
Vaupel, violin (Session I & II) received her Bachelor of Music
degree from Indiana University, Bloomington, studying under Paul Biss, and Master
of Music degree from the Peabody Conservatory studying with Herbert Greenberg. Currently, she the Principal Second Violinist of the Delaware Symphony Orchestra, Assistant Concertmaster of Opera Delaware, and a member of the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra and Baltimore Opera Orchestra. Lisa served on the faculty of Friends School
of Baltimore for six years as a private violin and viola teacher, as well
as writing and performing interactive chamber music concerts for elementary level music education. She has also performed regularly in elementary
and middle school curriculum- integrated concerts as the First Violinist
of the Live Wire String Quartet, under the auspices of the Baltimore Symphony's Arts Excel program.
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