YOUR 2026 FOOSA FACULTY & STAFF

Leadership Keeps Us Going

Managing an organization like Fresno Summer Orchestra Academy takes strong leadership. We are fortunate to have an amazing staff and board of directors to guide our current programs and future growth.

Fresno Summer Orchestra Academy Board of Directors

  • Carmela Sosa, MD
    President

    Derrick Peckham
    Vice President

    Julie Han
    Treasurer

    Karen Hau
    Secretary

    Dee Lacy, MD
    Past President

    Maria Briggs, PhD

    Issma Clark

    Isaac Fregoso

    Lilli Goishi-Bessey

    JoAnn Hallum

    Sergio La Porta

    Marta Obler, MD

    Gerald Palladino

    Kristy Sun, PhD

    Kathryn Whitehouse

  • Patrick Balakian

    R. Emeterio Castro

    Kaye Bonner Cummings

    Humberto Enriquez

    Maureen Golden

    Kathleen McKinley

    Susan Mullanax

    Donald Munro

    Claudia Shiuh

    K.C. Simba-Torres

Fresno Summer Orchestra Academy Staff

Thomas Loewenheim, DM
Artistic Director, Conductor, Cello Faculty

Catherine Marchese, DMA, NBCT
Executive Director, Bassoon Faculty

  • Thomas Loewenheim, DM
    Music Director 

    Catherine Marchese, DMA, NBCT
    Executive Director

    Julie Han, Treasurer (yoofbilling@gmail.com)

Your 2026 FOOSA Philharmonic Faculty

Strings

  • Thomas Loewenheim is Head of Strings, Professor of Cello, and Conductor of the University Orchestra at California State University Fresno. He is also Music Director of the Youth Orchestras of Fresno and Artistic Director of the FOOSA Festival/Fresno Summer Orchestra Academy. Dr. Loewenheim enjoys an international career, combining cello performance, conducting, and teaching. He has toured North America, Europe, the Middle East, and the Far East, performing as a soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician. Dr. Loewenheim earned a doctorate in cello performance from the renowned Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, where he studied with Janos Starker and Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi, and was mentored in conducting by David Effron. He received a master’s degree from the University of Michigan under Erling Blöndal Bengtsson and a bachelor’s degree from the Rubin Academy for Music and Dance in Jerusalem. He also participated in master classes with Yo-Yo Ma, Mischa Maisky, Antonio Meneses, Arto Noras, Aldo Parisot, William Pleeth, and Menahem Pressler. He plays a Jean Baptiste Vuillaume cello, made in 1848.

  • American cellist Jonathan Ruck enjoys an extensive and balanced career, performing as a soloist, chamber and orchestral musician. Born in Wisconsin to a musical family, he has been heard in venues throughout North America, Europe, Australia and the Caribbean. Festival appearances include recent engagements at the Oregon Bach Festival, Sanibel Island Festival, OK Mozart, Unruly Music, and as principal cellist of the International Chamber Orchestra of Puerto Rico. Jonathan currently serves as the principal cellist of the Oklahoma City Philharmonic. An avid chamber musician, Jonathan Ruck is a core member of Brightmusic, Oklahoma City’s resident chamber music ensemble. In addition to offering a regular season of chamber music performances, Brightmusic presents a yearly summer festival, the first and only multi-concert classical music festival in Oklahoma City. Jonathan Ruck has performed as a guest cellist with the American Chamber Players and the Penderecki String Quartet, and alongside prominent artists such as David Shifrin, Rostislav and Luba Dubinsky, James Campbell and Daniel Blumenthal. He has given world-premiere performances of chamber works by Christopher Theofanidis and Sydney Corbett. As a founding member of the Dubinsky String Quartet, Jonathan was a prizewinner in the Fischoff and Coleman national chamber music competitions. Jonathan Ruck earned three academic degrees from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, where his primary teachers were Janos Starker and Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi. He had the privilege to serve as the teaching assistant to both cellists between 2002-2005. Jonathan was a winner of the Indiana University cello concerto competition, and was twice awarded the school’s coveted Kuttner String Quartet Fellowship. Ruck joined the faculty of the University of Oklahoma School of Music in 2006. He previously held academic appointments at Depauw University and Hampden-Sydney College, and has served as a guest faculty member at Indiana University, the University of Michigan and the University of Illinois. He has served on the faculties of the Fresno Summer Orchestra and Opera Academy (FOOSA), the Zodiac Festival in Southern France and the Indiana University Summer String Academy. Ruck performs on a cello built by Thomas Kennedy in London in 1820.

  • Dr. Sonja Kraus, a native of Germany, is an internationally acclaimed cellist, teacher, and music scholar, whose concertizing and teaching career has taken her through Europe, Asia, Latin America, and the United States.

    Currently, Kraus holds the position of Assistant Professor of Cello/Bass at the University of South Dakota and is the cellist in the renowned Rawlins Piano Trio. Prior to joining the faculty at the University of South Dakota, Kraus was the cello professor at the Universidad de Especialidades Espíritu Santo as well as the principal cellist of the Orquesta Filarmónica Municipal de Guayaquil in Ecuador. Since 2023, Kraus has been the orchestra manager of the International Chamber Orchestra of Puerto Rico and the artistic director of the Ensemble Zusammen.

    Kraus received her bachelor’s degree in cello performance and pedagogy from the State University of Music and Performing Arts in Stuttgart (Germany) as well as a master’s and doctoral degree from the Jacobs School of Music – Indiana University Bloomington where she studied with Prof. Emilio Colón.

    Kraus is a sought-after performer, clinician, and instructor of masterclasses throughout the US and Latin America with invitations to the Colegio Universitario San Gerónimo de La Habana (Cuba), Conservatorio de Música de Puerto Rico, Jacobs School of Music – Indiana University (IN), Chapman University (CA), University of Missouri – Kansas City (MO), and the University of Oklahoma (OK). Kraus participated in several music festivals around the world including Habana Clásica, the International Chamber Orchestra of Puerto Rico, the Fresno Summer Orchestra Academy, and the California Orchestra Academy.

Francisco Cabán

  • Violinist Limor Toren-Immerman has won numerous regional and national competitions and has appeared as a soloist with orchestras throughout Russia, Israel, and the United States. Currently, Dr. Toren-Immerman is on the faculty at California State University Fresno. Previously she has served on the faculties of Shepherds University School of Music in Los Angeles and Luther College in Iowa. Dr. Toren-Immerman has also served on the faculties of the International Music Academy and Competition in Cremona, Italy, Chamber Music Unbound in Mammoth Lakes, California, Fresno Opera and Orchestra Summer Academy in Fresno, CA, Chamber Music Roundup in Fort Worth, Texas, Music in the Mountains Festival and Conservatory in Durango, Colorado, InterHarmony International Music Festival in Arcidosso, Italy, and CSU Summer Music. She also serves as concertmaster for the Mozart Classical Orchestra and Opera in the Park and performs as a guest concertmaster with the Fresno Philharmonic and many Southern California orchestras. She is a multifaceted chamber player, performing music from Baroque to the twenty-first century, and is a member of the Fresno State Piano Trio and Trio Accento. She is often a guest performer with other groups nationwide, such as Southwest Chamber Music and the Chamber Music series at the Montgomery Arts House for Music and Architecture. Ms. Toren-Immerman began her formal musical education in Russia, at the Moscow Gnessins College of Music. She holds a Bachelor of Music and Artist Diploma from Jerusalem Rubin Academy of Music and Dance, Israel, and a Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music.

  • Violinist Miroslav Hristov was hailed by Fanfare Magazine for his "razor sharp technique" and a "full palette of tonal colors." He presents master classes and performs extensively throughout the United States, Europe, Latin America, and Asia. As a soloist and chamber musician, he has performed in several international festivals and concert series, including the Musical Treasures series in Carnegie Hall, the Interharmony International Music Festival in Arcidosso, Italy, the Sofia Music Weeks International Festival, the Balabanov House Music Days, the Big Arts Concert Series in Florida, and the Fredell Lack Series in Houston, Texas. Recent performances include solo and chamber performances in the national recital halls of Taiwan and Singapore. Hristov was First Prize winner of the International Violin Competition "Dobrin Petkov," and a prizewinner for the MTNA Collegiate String Performance Competition. Hristov has recorded for Centaur Records, Romeo Records, Blue Griffin Records, the Divine Arts Record label, Bulgarian National Radio and WUOT Knoxville. His recordings are broadcast on NPR stations across the United States and abroad. As part of the internationally acclaimed Kaleidos Duo with pianist, Vladimir Valjarevic, Dr. Hristov's recordings and performances have received rave reviews from The Strad Magazine, Fanfare, DUMA (Sofia, Bulgaria), and Lucid Culture (New York).

    With over twenty years of teaching experience, Dr. Miroslav Hristov has gained recognition as one of the leading violin pedagogues in the country. In the last several years, students from Dr. Hristov’s studio have earned top prizes at national and international competitions, including the American Protégé International Concerto Competition, The ENKOR International Solo Violin Competition, the Music Teachers National Association (National Finalist), the Cleveland Orchestra of Tennessee Aria and Concerto Competition, among many others. Recent teaching awards include the Tennessee Music Teachers Association Teacher of the Year, the Tennessee Governor's School for the Arts Outstanding Teacher Award, the University of Tennessee Chancellor’s Excellence in Teaching Award, and the University of Tennessee School of Music's Faculty Distinguished Teaching Award, an award nominated by and voted on by the UT School of Music Student Advisory Board.

    Recent graduates from the Dr. Hristov’s studio have received full scholarships and assistantships to attend prestigious graduate programs around the country, including Indiana University, Boston Conservatory, University of Houston, Arizona State University, the University of Nevada Las Vegas, Appalachian State University, and Columbus State University. Others have secured competitive jobs, including appointments to the violin faculty of the Universidad Pontifica Católica de Puerto Rico, Crown College, as well as performing arts organizations, such as the National Symphony of Ukraine, the Lexington Philharmonic, Albany Symphony, among others. Many of his students participate in prestigious festivals, such as the Aspen Music Festival, Meadowmount Music Festival, Roundtop, and Yo-Yo Ma’s Winter Music in China.

    Miroslav Hristov is Professor of Violin and String Area Coordinator at the University of Tennessee. He is also Founder and Director of the University of Tennessee's Ready for the World Music Series, which brings renowned artists to perform and talk about musical styles and literature from diverse regions around the world, emphasizing each region's contribution to western classical music.

  • Sharan Leventhal has toured four continents as a soloist, chamber musician and teacher. She has received grants from the NEA, the Aaron Copland Fund for Music Recording, Chamber Music America, New Music USA, and the Fromm and Koussevitzky Foundations. She has premiered well over 160 works.  Leventhal has appeared as a soloist with numerous orchestras, is a founding member of Marimolin, the Kepler Quartet, and Gramercy Trio, and can be heard on the New World, Northeastern, Newport Classic, Naxos, Parma, Navona, GM, and Catalyst labels. She is a professor at Boston Conservatory at Berklee and Berklee College of Music. She is the founder and director of Play On, Inc., a non-profit supporting chamber music programs for children. Her current interests include composition and interdisciplinary work.

  • Puerto Rican violinist Francisco Cabán is a professor at the Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico. A frequent soloist in the United States, Spain, Mexico, Peru, and Puerto Rico, he also serves as a member of the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra. His intensive pedagogical work includes the creation and artistic direction of the Conservatory’s annual violin festival. As a visiting professor Cabán has conducted workshops, master classes, and recitals at various universities in the United States (New Mexico, Texas, Tennessee), at Music School of Queretaro in Mexico, at the National Conservatory of Peru, and at the Latin American Academy of Violin in Venezuela. Cabán studied violin and chamber music at the Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico with professors José Figueroa and Joaquín Vidaechea. He continued his studies in the United States, where he earned a Master’s degree at Temple University in Philadelphia and a doctorate in violin performance at the University of Texas at Austin. He pursued further studies in Europe and the United States with teachers Eugene Gratovich, Helen Kwalwasser, Gerárd Poulet, and José Luis García Asencio. In the award-winning album Ola Nocturna, Professor Cabán, together with the distinguished pianist Ivonne Figueroa, has captured important works of Latin American repertoire for violin and piano. His most recent album, Ola Diurna, includes music from the Americas for violin. Pianist Kevin Class and violinist Cármelo de los Santos collaborate in this CD production.

Richard Cassarino

  • San Diego native Richard Cassarino began his journey with the double bass at the age of 14, studying under Margaret Johnston of the San Diego Symphony throughout high school. His passion for the instrument led him to study with prominent bassists Neil Garber at UC Santa Barbara, Nico Abondolo and Timothy Eckert at Azusa Pacific University, Bruce Bransby at Indiana University, and privately with Jeffrey Turner. Richard further honed his skills at prestigious summer programs, including the Aspen Music Festival, the Music Academy of the West, and the Pacific Music Festival.

    Before joining Pacific Symphony, Richard spent twelve years as the Assistant Principal Double Bass of the Alabama Symphony. During his tenure in Alabama, he also taught at Samford University and the Alabama School of Fine Arts. Richard's commitment to community engagement led him to establish "Inspire," a volunteer outreach initiative that has brought music to thousands of students in classrooms across Alabama.

    With a blend of performance expertise and a dedication to music education, Richard Cassarino continues to inspire both audiences and young musicians alike.

  • Violist Wendy Richman has been celebrated for her compelling sound and “absorbing,” “fresh and idiomatic” interpretations with “a brawny vitality” (The New York Times, The Washington Post). As soloist and chamber musician, she has performed at major venues across the U.S. and around the world. She is a founding member of the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE).

    Wendy collaborates with a wide range of composers and has commissioned a body of work for singing violist. Her album of these works, vox/viola, was released on New Focus Recordings in 2020. She frequently performs with Los Angeles Philharmonic and was previously a regular guest with Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and the orchestral viola sections of Atlanta, Minnesota, and St. Louis.

    Wendy serves as Lecturer in Performance Studies at UCLA and Lecturer of Viola at Cal State Northridge (CSUN), and she has mentored hundreds of student composers through readings, residencies, recordings, and performances. She regularly offers classes on viola repertoire and technique, lectures on string notation, and workshops on contemporary string techniques.

    Wendy holds degrees from Oberlin Conservatory (BM), New England Conservatory (MM), and Eastman School of Music (DMA with Diploma in Ethnomusicology). Her teachers include Carol Rodland, Kim Kashkashian, Jeffrey Irvine, Peter Slowik, and Sara Harmelink; she was also mentored by Karen Ritscher and Roger Tapping. Wendy’s academic interests address musicians’ communities, stemming from her own experiences with composer-performer relationships, gender-based discrimination, and disability.

    Recent and upcoming seasons’ highlights include performances of Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante with violinist Lorenz Gamma and the CSUN Symphony Orchestra at The Soraya in Los Angeles; Harold in Italy with conductor Christian Baldini and the UC Davis Symphony Orchestra at the Mondavi Center; and recital programs at Lawrence Conservatory, Oberlin Conservatory, UC Santa Barbara, and venues in Boston, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, New Orleans, and NYC.

  • Bruce Bransby, recently retired professor of double bass at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, was principal double bass with the Los Angeles Philharmonic under Zubin Mehta, Carlo Maria Giulini, and Andre Previn, having served as principal double bass with the Kansas City Symphony before that. He studied with Nat Gangursky, Peter Mercurio, and Stuart Sankey. Professor Bransby performs widely as soloist and chamber player and has premiered numerous works, including several concertos for the double bass. While in Los Angeles, he was active in studio recordings for motion pictures and television. He was a faculty member at California State University Northridge, the University of Missouri at Kansas City, the California Music Center, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic Institute, and was a performing member of the faculty of the Aspen Music Festival from 1987 through 2017. His students hold positions in many of the world's finest symphony orchestras, among them the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Chicago Symphony, the Indianapolis Symphony, the Atlanta Symphony, the St. Louis Symphony, the San Diego Symphony, and the San Francisco Symphony.

Winds

  • Catherine Marchese is a solo and chamber bassoonist. She earned her BM and MM degrees at the Juilliard School where she studied with both William Polisi and Loren Glickman. She earned a DMA from the Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris, and a certificate of advanced bassoon studies at the Mozarteum in Salzburg where she studied with Milan Turkovic and played under the baton of Nikolaus Harnoncourt. An active solo and chamber musician, she is the first woman soloist to have performed on the Vienna Opera stage, and has performed as a soloist throughout the US and Europe. Her performance of the Mozart Bassoon Concerto was recorded live from the Salle Pleyel in Paris, as was her performance with the RAI in Naples. In Paris, Jean Francaix chose her as the soloist for his Bassoon Concerto and subsequently wrote a piece for her. Other composers who have written for her include Emile Naoumoff, Francoise Choveaux, David Canfield, and Adrian Williams. She premiered the Glenn Gould Bassoon Sonata both on French radio and for Sony Classical. Other recordings can be found on the Sony, Sude, Saphir, and Gega labels. She is presently principal bassoon with the Bloomington Symphony Orchestra and the Lafayette Symphony Orchestra, and enjoys frequent freelance engagements in the Indianapolis area. She was a founding member of the Glickman Ensemble, a touring bassoon quintet based in New York City. Dr. Marchese is Executive Director of Youth Orchestras of Fresno and FOOSA.

  • Hailed by the Washington Post for his ‘sophisticated and precise playing’, violist Jaime Amador has distinguished himself among the latest generation of musicians to emerge from Puerto Rico.

    Before joining the Harlem Quartet, Mr. Amador has had a successful career as a member of the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra were he won first prize at the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra Solo Competition for his interpretation of Béla Bártok’s concerto for viola and orchestra. The newspaper El Nuevo Día praised his performance as “outstanding, having displayed sound technical mastery and a sobriety most appropriate to the nature of the piece.  From the moment the viola alone is introduced, this young musician exuded confidence and aplomb, which was mirrored in the precision of his execution throughout the entire performance.”

    Born in San Juan, Jaime Amador began his career at the Children String Program of the Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music. He continued his studies at the Juilliard School of Music, the Manhattan School of Music under the guidance of Toby Appel and Isaac Malkin.

    Mr. Amador is currently a visiting artist at the Royal College of Music in London. Throughout his career, he has collaborated with the Shangai String Quartet, Chick Corea, Ida Kavafian, Fred Sherry, Emanuel Borok, Mikhail Kopelman, Misha Dichter, and Emilio Colón among others.

    Mr. Amador has participated in important international music festivals such as the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena, Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofía in Santander, Music from Angel Fire in New Mexico, and the Carl Flescsh Akademie in Baden-Baden. He is currently the violist of the acclaimed Harlem Quartet.

  • Taiwanese American oboist Rong-Huey Liu, a Marigaux Artist, is a California-based high-demand multi-faceted artist.

    As a soloist, she has performed concertos of Bach, Corigliano, Daugherty, Ferran, Kalliwoda, Lebrun, Marcello, Mozart, Navarro, Saul, and Strauss. Her world premiere performance of Saul’s "Kiev 2014: Rhapsody for Oboe and Orchestra", garnered critical acclaim for "sublime playing and crisp performance, filled with quiet perseverance and passion." Her playing in the Lebrun Oboe Concerto with the Long Beach Symphony was commended for “radiant tone easily filled the cavernous Terrace Theater….played with consummate grace and musicality... awesome technical display." Rong-Huey was a guest artist of the Ojai Summer Music Festival, Nevada Chamber Music Festival, Southwest International New Music Festival, and Chamber Music Unbound. At the Cactus Pear Music Festival, her Mozart Quartet was noted by San Antonio critics for "sweetness shaped by a sense of crisp articulation "and for leading a performance of Daugherty's “Firecracker ”with a razzle

    dazzle ...the audience was thrilled".

    As a Hollywood recording studio musician, Rong-Huey has collaborated with celebrities such as Paul ShaVer, Jennifer Lopez, Jennifer Hudson, Carrie Underwood, Chris Botti, Andrea Bocelli, Josh Groban, Spinal Tap, The Who, and Weird Al. Her cinema credits include “Star War VIII”, “Hocus Pocus II”, “Disenchanted”, “Agents of SHIELD”, “Star Trek”, and “A Jazzman’s Blues”, to name a few.

    Deeply committed to music education, Rong-Huey builds a diverse oboe studio with students from various cultures and frequently serves as a guest artist at numerous institutes. She holds Bachelor's and Master of Music degrees from the Manhattan School of Music and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music. She is currently the oboe professor at California State University Fullerton, La Sierra University, Riverside City College, and is the principal oboist and faculty at the Fresno Opera & Orchestra Summer Academy.

    Rong-Huey holds the principal oboe positions in the Long Beach Symphony, Los Angeles Ballet Orchestra, Fresno Philharmonic, and Riverside County Philharmonic and frequently plays with Pacific Symphony.

  • Flutist Mihoko Watanabe, a native of Japan, is a Professor of Flute at Ball State University and chair of Entrepreneurial Studies in Music. Before joining the School of Music, Dr. Watanabe taught at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, the Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada, and the University of Windsor, Canada.

    Dr. Watanabe has won competitions sponsored by the Japan Flute Association and the National Flute Association (NFA) and has appeared in Japan, Israel, Canada, England, and the USA as a celebrated and versatile international performer, recitalist, chamber musician, and concerto soloist. She has been a member of the faculty woodwind quintet, the Musical Arts Quintet (MAQ). The MAQ has been awarded the prestigious 2010 American Masterpieces grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to support a performance tour and CD entitled "American Breeze," which was released in 2012 from Albany Records. She was the founding member of the HIBIKI (響) Trio, comprised of Ball State faculty (flute, viola, and harp). The Hibiki Trio was invited by the College Music Society (CMS) to present a performance and lecture-recital in 2015 and 2016 nationally. She was a member of TRIO FLURINETO (flute, clarinet, and piano) at Ball State, and the Trio performed nationally at various universities, the 2010 NFA Convention, and the 2011 International Clarinet Association Convention. Independent of her participation in Ball State chamber ensembles, she is a founding member of TRIO PIACERE (flute, cello, piano), which has performed internationally, and a member of DUO VIVA (two flutes). In 2006, DUO VIVA recorded "Doppler Effect," a CD released by and available from Little Piper. TRIO HARMONIA (flute, viola, and piano) was invited to perform at the 2017 NFA Convention in Minneapolis, MN.

    Dr. Watanabe has held several principal flute positions and performed with American and Canadian orchestras. Currently, she is the principal flutist of the Orchestra Indiana (former Muncie Symphony Orchestra) and has performed with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and Fort Wayne Philharmonic. Previously, she has performed with the Aspen Music Festival Orchestra, Lansing Philharmonic Orchestra, Farmington Area Philharmonic, Warren Symphony Orchestra, Pontiac-Oakland Symphony, Oshkosh Symphony Orchestra, Brevard Music Center Orchestra, Windsor Symphony Orchestra (Canada), Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra (Canada). In 2012, she premiered From Days of Yore, a flute concerto written by Jody Nagel, with the Muncie Symphony Orchestra. In 2007, she was invited to perform CPE Bach Flute Concerto in d minor with Mt. Carmel Chamber Orchestra in Israel.

     

    Dr. Watanabe has performed numerous lecture recitals, panel discussions, and workshops at conferences nationally and internationally, such as the annual conferences of the National Flute Association (NFA), Deutsche Gesellschaft für Flöte e.V. (DGfF e.V.), British Flute Society, International Double Reed Society, International Clarinet Association, and College Music Society (CMS). She has also been invited to perform for regional flute festivals in the USA. Dr. Watanabe is an enthusiastic teacher and travels widely as a clinician, presenting master classes throughout the United States, Canada, and Japan. She has adjudicated at national and international competitions, including the Kiwanis Music Festival in Canada, Regional Flute Festival competitions in the USA, and various NFA Competitions (Young Artist, Performers, Masterclass, Arts Venture, and Graduate Research). She was appointed to be on the Brevard Music Center summer festival faculty in 2005, and she has been on the Music for All Summer Symposium faculty from 2012-2021, the Benefic Chamber Music Camp faculty since 2013, and the Fresno Opera & Orchestra Summer Academy since 2015. As a pedagogue, she was featured in the December issue of Flute Talk magazine in 2009.

    In addition to being a gifted flutist, Dr. Watanabe is also devoted to ethnomusicology, which she studied extensively at the University of Michigan. Her interest in Japanese traditional music led to a faculty development grant from the University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh, to research Kazuo Fukushima's Mei for solo flute in Japan. Her research resulted in a feature article in the Spring 2008 issue of The Flutist Quarterly. It led to lecture-recitals at the 2007 NFA Convention, the 2010 British Flute Association Convention in England, and the 2013 International Flute Festival at the Hochschule für Musik Freiburg in Germany. In 2011, her article was translated into Dutch and published in the Nederlands Fluit Genootschap's Fluit, the official journal of the Dutch Flute Association. In 2013, the article was translated into German for the DGfG e. V.'s Flöte aktuell, an official journal.

    As an advocate of studies in entrepreneurial music, Dr. Watanabe participated in the Savvy Musicians in Action Workshop in 2015 and received the top prize, "the 2015 SAVVY Arts Venture Challenge," with Janet's band. In 2016, she was invited to present at the CMS National Conference in Santa Fe, NM, and at the National Association of School of Music (NASM) Conferences in Dallas, TX, 2016. She was invited to be a panelist and a facilitator for a meeting for the 2019 Carolina/CMS Summit 2.0: 21st Century Music. She presented at the Network of Music Career Development Officers (NETMCDO) 2021 Virtual Conference.

    Dr. Watanabe served as the Greater Indianapolis Flute Club president from 2010-2013 and is currently a board member. She is also a member of the NFA flute club committees and the program chair for the College Music Society's 66th National Conference in Miami, Florida, in 2023. 

    Dr. Watanabe has Mindful Meditation certificates from the School of Positive Transformation—Teachers Training and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction. She has been incorporating mindfulness into her teaching. Currently, she is planning a retreat for the music teacher program. 

    Dr. Watanabe received her doctorate from the University of Michigan, her master's degree and performer's certificate from the Eastman School of Music, and her bachelor's degree from the Musashino Academia Musicae in Tokyo, Japan. Her teachers have included Bonita Boyd, Leone Buyse, Fenwick Smith, and Takao Saeki. She attended the Aspen Music Festival and studied with Martha Aaron and Mark Sparks, Julius Baker's Summer Masterclasses, Orchestral Institute studied with Ervin Monroe, and Domaine Forget International Music and Dance Academy studied with Alain Marion, Emmanuel Pahud, Lise Daoust, André Papillon, and Jean Morin. Also, she participated in Jeanne Baxtresser's Orchestral Masterclass in Maryland and Walfrid Kujala's Orchestral Masterclass in Chicago. She also has privately studied with Jeff Zook.

Guy Yehuda

  • Guy Yehuda is associate professor of clarinet at the Michigan State University College of Music and principal clarinetist with the Lansing Symphony. He is the winner of several international competitions including the Heida Hermanns International Woodwind Competition and the Fischoff Chamber Music Competition. Yehuda has soloed extensively in Europe, North America, and Israel. As principal clarinetist, he has performed with the Lucerne Contemporary Festival, Chicago Civic, Spoleto Festival, Haifa Symphony, and the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestras, as well as the Israel Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, and the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestras as guest clarinetist. An avid contemporary musician, he premiers new works on a regular basis and has had several concerti and chamber works written for him by renowned composers such as Haim Permont, Gary Smart and Jim Stephenson. He has performed as soloist and chamber musician at many festivals such as Spoleto, Verbier, Lucerne, Parry Sound, Domain Forget, Vianden, and Israel's Kfar Blum. Currently, he is the clarinet faculty artist in residence at the Vianden Summer Festival in Europe, Aria International Music Festival in Massachusetts, and our own FOOSA Festival. He is also a published composer and winner of the prestigious America-Israel composition award. Yehuda received his doctorate and master’s degrees from Indiana University Jacob School of Music, and received his artist diploma and bachelor’s degree from the Glenn Gould Professional Music School at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto.

Brass

  • Dr. Luis F. Fred is an Associate Professor at the University of Central Florida (UCF). He was Principal Trombone of the Puerto Rico Symphony (1998-2017) and Associate Professor at the Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music (2001-2017). He has extensive symphonic experience having played with organizations such as the Chicago Symphony, New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Atlanta Symphony, and Houston Symphony orchestras. He was the co-principal trombone of the OrquestaSinfónica de Madrid (Madrid Opera) and Orquesta Sinfónica de Sevilla in Spain. He has worked with renowned conductors such as Bernard Haitink, Jaap van Zweden, Esa Pekka-Salonen, Charles Dutoit, Christoph Eschenbach, Michael Tilson Thomas, Robert Spano, Donald Runnicles, Yuri Temirkanov, Jane Glover, Nicolas Kraemer, Maximiano Valdés, Antoni Ros Marbá, and Roselín Pabón.

    Dr. Fred is a member of Trombones de Costa Rica (TCR), a quartet specializing in bringing Latin American music to international audiences. He has toured with TCR in Argentina and the United States. Other activities as a chamber musician include performances with the Chicago Music of the Baroque(Chicago, US), and the Casals Festival Chamber Players (San Juan, PR). He was a resident artist at the Harlaxton Chamber Music Festival in the United Kingdom and, recorded with Puerto Rico Symphony's principal clarinetist Kathleen Jones in Caribe Clarinete.

    As a soloist, Luis Fred has been a sought artist for multiple premieres. His latest was William Pagán-Pérez’s Three-Afro Hispanic Movements, a work that includes the recitation of Afro-Caribbean poetry, premiered on UCF Celebrates the Arts in the Spring of 2021. Other solo credits include ensembles such as the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional of Colombia, Orquesta Sinfónica de Puerto Rico, US Army Orchestra (American Trombone Workshop, DC), Banda Sinfónica de Santa Fe (Trombonanza, Argentina), and multiple university ensembles in the United States. He is sought after as a clinician having done seminars in Argentina, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Peru, Puerto Rico, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Venezuela.

    He has recorded with a variety of ensembles. His latest release will be the 30th-anniversary recordings with Trombones de Costa Rica. This project was partially released on FB-Live in July 2021 and has reached over 25,000 viewers. His orchestral recordings include a Latin-Grammy nominated production of Rafael Hernández’s opera Cofresí with the Orquesta Sinfónica de Puerto Rico. Other recording credits include the Orquesta Sinfónica de Madrid recording of Manuel Penella's El Gato Montés for the Deutsche Gramophone Label, and with the Orquesta Sinfónica de Sevilla, Amadeo Vives' Doña Francisquita, for the Sony Classical label.

    Dr. Fred holds degrees from Northwestern University (DMA), Manhattan School of Music (MM), and Indiana University (BM). His former teachers include Michael Mulcahy, Timothy Higgins, Douglas Wright, Randy Hawes, Christopher Davis, Steve Norrell, David Finlayson, Joseph Alessi, Keith Brown, Edwin Anderson and Antonio Salcedo.

    Mr. Fred is a member of Trombones de Costa Rica (TCR), a quartet specializing in bringing Latin American music to international audiences. He has toured with TCR, having traveled to Argentina and the United States. Other chamber music credits include performances with the Chicago Music of the Baroque and the Casals Festival chamber players, a residency in the United Kingdom with the Harlaxton Chamber Music Festival, and a recording in Caribe Clarinete with Puerto Rico Symphony principal clarinetist Katherine Jones. 

    As a soloist, he has performed with ensembles such as the Puerto Rico Symphony, US Army Orchestra (American Trombone Workshop), Banda Sinfónica de Santa Fe (Argentina), and multiple university ensembles in the United States and Latin America. He is a sought-after clinician, having given seminars in the United Kingdom, United States, Argentina, Costa Rica, Peru, Venezuela, the Dominican Republic, and his native country, Puerto Rico.

    Mr. Fred holds degrees from Indiana University, and Manhattan School of Music, and is completing a DMA from Northwestern University. His former teachers include Michael Mulcahy, Timothy Higgins, Doug Wright, Randy Hawes, Chris Davis, Steve Norrell, David Finlayson, Joseph Alessi, Keith Brown, Edwin Anderson and Antonio Salcedo. 

    Luis F. Fred is a graduate of the Free School of Music in San Juan where he studied with Antonio Salcedo. He studied for his Bachelor of Music at Indiana University under the tutelage of Keith Brown and Edwin Anderson. He is a Performer's Certificate recipient from Indiana. His graduate work was done at the Manhattan School of Music in the Orchestral Performance Program, where he studied with David Finlayson (New York Philharmonic). He is a recipient of the John C. Clark Award as an outstanding brass student at MSM.  Having completed his graduate work, Mr. Fred did extensive additional work with Steve Norrell, (MET Opera), Joseph Alessi (New York Philharmonic), Manny Laureano (Minnesota Orchestra), and Michael Mulcahy (Chicago Symphony Orchestra). Mr. Fred is currently on sabbatical leave from both the Puerto Rico Symphony and Conservatory to pursue doctoral work at Northwestern University.

  • Dr. Brian Walker is currently the Associate Professor of Trumpet at the University of North Texas. Before his appointment at UNT, Brian Walker was a Professor of Trumpet at Tarleton State University in Stephenville, Texas for twelve years. As a teacher, his students have been accepted into many undergraduate and graduate music programs and currently perform in orchestras and premier military groups throughout the United States. His students are frequently featured at the National Trumpet Competition and International Trumpet Guild Conferences as competitors, presenters, and performers.

    As a performer, he has appeared with various orchestral groups in the DFW region and is currently Second Trumpet with the Richardson Symphony Orchestra. As a commercial musician, Dr. Walker has played for various Broadway and Musical Theater organizations in Dallas and Fort Worth. As a soloist, Dr. Walker has given recitals throughout the United States and in Greece, France, China, and Brazil. He was featured soloist on the Tarleton State Wind Ensemble’s performance at Carnegie Hall in 2014 and this ensemble's performance at the Texas Music Education Association Conference in 2022.

    Brian is active in the International Trumpet Guild where he serves on the Board of Directors, on the Recording Projects Committee, Chairs the Conference Golf Scramble Scholarship Fundraiser Committee, and Chairs the Financial Investments Committee. Dr. Walker also serves as an adjudicator for the National Trumpet Competition and ITG Competitions and is often sought as a pedagogue for masterclasses throughout the United States.

    Dr. Walker holds degrees from the University of North Texas (DMA), The Florida State University (MM) and Southeastern Oklahoma State University (BM) where he studied with Michael Miles, Christopher Moore, and John Holt, respectively.

    He is a Yamaha Performing Artist and plays exclusively on Yamaha trumpets.

  • Lanette López Compton is the Professor of Horn at Oklahoma State University, where she has been since 2005. She is presently a member of the Tulsa Symphony Orchestra and the Tulsa Opera Orchestra and has performed with groups in Texas, Arkansas, New Mexico, and Argentina. Lanette has performed on more than a dozen CDs, including the critically acclaimed CD The Manne We Love: Gershwin Revisited, featuring the Steve Houghton Quintet and the University of North Texas Two O’clock Lab Band. She has performed at the International Women’s Brass Conference, International Horn Symposium, Mid-South Horn Workshop, Texas Music Educators Association Convention, College Band Director’s National Association Convention, World Association of Symphonic Bands and Ensembles Convention, and the American Bandmasters Association Convention.

    Lanette is the 2022 and 2014 recipient of the Wise-Diggs-Berry Award for Teaching Excellence in the Arts and the 2023 Friends of Music Distinguished Faculty Award. Most recently she received the 2023 Inspiring Excellence Award in recognition of Outstanding Professional Achievement and Mentorship of Women. During her tenure at OSU, she has had three Presser Scholars in her studio. Students in the OSU Horn Studio have placed in regional and international competitions and have made several summer music festivals such as National Music Festival, Round Top Music Festival, Sarasota Music Festival, Brevard Summer Institute, Eastern Music Festival, Hot Springs Music Festival, Banff Masterclass Program, and Texas Music Festival. Studio members have also been accepted for graduate study at Rice University, Frost School of Music, Northwestern University, Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, University of Texas–Austin, University of Colorado, Eastman School of Music, Southern Methodist University, Bowling Green State University, and Arizona State University. Graduates of Lanette’s studio have won professional orchestral positions throughout the United States including the Philadelphia Orchestra, Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Santa Fe Symphony, Dubuque Symphony Orchestra, and Round Rock Symphony.

    Lanette has been on faculty of the Western Chamber Music Institute held at Western State College in Gunnison, Colorado and is currently on faculty at the FOOSA Festival/Fresno Summer Orchestra Academy, which performs a concert in Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, California.

    Professor Compton is in high demand as a clinician and adjudicator. Lanette was a guest artist for the 2021 AZ CornoCon and the 2020 SEMO Horn Day. She was a contributing artist and clinician at the 2019 International Horn Symposium in Ghent, Belgium, and has also been a clinician or performer at the 2021, 2022, and 2023 International Horn Symposiums. Her “Drop the Beat” warm-up has been a popular and unique presentation at several regional and international horn conferences. Lanette has judged several regional horn workshop competitions, as well as the 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2022 International Horn Competition of America.

    Lanette has been co-director of the very popular Noon Concert Series at the OSU Library since 2007 and she has also servedas faculty advisor for the OSU Hip Hop Dance Crewand OSU Dance Company. OSU Athletics selected Lanette as an honorary assistant football coach for her dedication to helping OSU athletes succeed academically.

Piano

Matt Harikian

  • A native of Fresno, California, Dr. Matthew Harikian has extensive performance and teaching experience including performing nationally as a soloist with symphony orchestras and holding faculty appointments at several institutions.

     Matthew maintains an active solo performance career and has performed concertos with the Lompoc Pops, Opera San Luis Obispo and Buffalo Community orchestras. His greatest passion, however, is found in making music with others and he frequently concertizes with other instrumentalists and vocalists in the Central Valley and Los Angeles areas. In 2022, he attended Music Academy of the West as one of the nine selected collaborative piano fellows, during which he was a finalist in the festival’s Duo Competition. One of the many ways he showcases his versatility is through performing his own arrangements of the music of artists such as Coldplay, Hans Zimmer and Elton John at a candlelight concert series in which he is actively involved.

    Harikian is a member of Trio Palmera, a group comprising violin, clarinet, and piano music that aims to explore the lesser-known repertoire for that instrumentation. In March 2024, Trio Palmera was listed as a semifinalist in the Coltman Chamber Music Competition in Austin, TX.

    His research interests involve early 20th-century neotonality in the music of Sergei Prokoviev and Sergei Rachmaninoff, as well as American serialism with special emphasis in the music of Elliott Carter and Ursula Mamlok. Equally passionate about education, both in regard to music theory and piano performance, Matthew has held appointments teaching theory at St. Olaf, Gustavus Adolphus, and Augsburg colleges, as well as staff pianist positions at Fresno State University and Clovis Community College.

    Matthew obtained his DMA from the Thornton School of Music at USC in collaborative piano with an academic emphasis in Music Theory and elective studies in Instrumental Conducting and Organ Performance. Previous teachers include Kevin Fitz-Gerald, Lydia Artymiw, Kent McWilliams, Ick-Choo Moon, and Arlene Steffen. He holds a bachelor’s degree in piano performance from St. Olaf College and master’s degrees in both piano performance and music theory from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities.

Harp

  • Hailed as the leading harpist in the region, Laura Porter is Principal Harp with the Fresno Philharmonic Orchestra. She is equally versatile as a soloist, a free-lancer, an orchestral harpist, a choral accompanist, and a chamber musician. She is the harpist of the Figarden Trio, a group dedicated to exploring repertoire for flute, bassoon, and harp. Porter teaches extensively, both privately and as harp instructor for Fresno Pacific University and Fresno State. Her students have won national and regional competitions, including the AHS National Competitions, ASTA (local and state), Young Artist’s Harp Competition, and have been awarded honors such as the Jack Kent Cooke Award, the Presidential Scholar Award, and All-State Band and Orchestra positions. Her students have gone on to attend schools such as the Juilliard School, Carnegie Mellon University, the Thornton School of Music at USC, as well as UC Berkeley and UC Davis. Porter is also the founder and leader of the Fresno Harp Circle. Raised in Tucson, Arizona, Laura attended Mills College in Oakland for her Bachelors, then the University of Southern California for her Masters and other post-graduate work in music performance. She was a fellow for three years at the Los Angeles Philharmonic Institute. Among her major teachers are Nancy Allen, Catherine Michel, Anne Adams, and JoAnn Turovsky. Laura performs on a Camac Atlantide Prestige, made in France in 2007.

Percussion

  • Percussionist Scott Ney is recognized for his versatility and genre-crossing work as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral performer. Based in Albuquerque, NM, Ney performs with the Santa Fe Opera Orchestra, Santa Fe Symphony, New Mexico Philharmonic, Opera Southwest Orchestra, Santa Fe Pro Musica, Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, and Chatter ABQ. He can be heard on the Grammy Award winning recording, The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs with the Santa Fe Opera Orchestra, video production of L’Histoire du Soldat with the Santa Fe Symphony, Jungle Book II with the Seattle Symphony Recording Orchestra, and most recently on the documentary, A Long March by TS Botkin.

    As a sought-after clinician and performer, Ney has numerous appearances at festivals and universities throughout the United States and Europe, including multiple Percussive Arts Society International Conventions, the International Festival of Percussive Arts Perkusja in Warsaw, World Saxophone Conference in Strasbourg, and mixed chamber ensemble concerts in Köln, Nürnberg, and Würzburg. He will be performing with pianist, Falko Steinbach and violinist, Cármelo De Los Santos at the upcoming Internationales Klavierfestival Lindlar 2024.

    A faculty member at the University of New Mexico since 1998, Ney appreciates being a part of the larger university community. He currently serves as Professor of Music and Director of Percussion in the Department of Music, is a past drumming facilitator at the UNM Psychiatric Hospital for the UNM Arts-In-Medicine Program, and recently finished a term as Interim Associate Dean of Faculty and Students in the College of Fine Arts.

    Scott Ney is a performing artist and educator endorser with Pearl/Adams Percussion, Zildjian Cymbals, Vic Firth Sticks and Mallets, Remo Drumheads, and Black Swamp Percussion. His principal teachers include Arthur Press - The Boston Conservatory, Johnny Lane - Eastern Illinois University, and Tom Collier - University of Washington. Past teaching positions include California State University-Fresno, University of Washington, Fresno City College, Buchanan Educational Center, and Clovis High School.

    In addition to his varied career in music, Scott Ney and wife, Stephenye Avery have a passion for helping and assisting dogs. In 2023, they moved their business, MerMutts llc. to a facility in Sequim, WA where, through warm water swimming, dogs are treated for conditions such as IVDD, muscle loss, and weight/mobility issues.

Your 2026 FOOSA Symphony and Chamber Orchestra Faculty

Conductor

Charles Latshaw

  • American conductor Charles Latshaw is in his eighth season as Music Director of the Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra in Arizona and maintains his position as Music Director of the Grand Junction Symphony Orchestra in Colorado, a post he has held since 2016.

    In 2023, Latshaw won the 2nd Prize and Audience Choice in the Orchestra’s Conductor competition in Ploiești, Romania. Prior to 2016, Latshaw was director of the Kent Blossom Music Festival and the Kent State University Orchestra and formerly Artistic Director and Conductor of the Bloomington Symphony Orchestra in Indiana.  Latshaw has also held positions with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, the Columbus Indiana Philharmonic, the Washington Sinfonietta, and the Ars Nova Chamber Orchestra.  He holds the distinction of being selected by members of the Vienna Philharmonic as their Herbert von Karajan Conducting Fellow in 2007. He has conducted orchestras internationally in Spain and Romania, and across the USA including the Cincinnati Symphony, Dallas Symphony, Boise Philharmonic, Evansville Philharmonic, Amarillo Symphony, Portland (ME) Symphony, Jackson (TN) Symphony, Erie Chamber Orchestra, BlueWater Chamber Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra, Butler County (PA) Symphony, Holland (MI) Symphony, and more.  

    Firmly dedicated to bringing orchestral music to new audiences, particularly the young, he has taught band, choir, general music, and musical theatre to students of all ages. In this capacity, he served as faculty for numerous summer programs including the Rocky Ridge Music Center, the Columbus Indiana Philharmonic Strings Camp, and the Palace Theatre summer programs. Additionally, he has led “Side by Side” concerts for high school students with the Indianapolis Symphony, the Columbus Indiana Philharmonic, and the Bloomington Symphony Orchestra.

    In his efforts to expand audiences for newly-created, accessible contemporary compositions, Latshaw has premiered more than thirty new works for chamber groups, youth orchestras, and full symphony orchestras, many of his own commissioning.

    Off the podium, he has held positions as principal trumpet in orchestras in Ohio, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts, performing also with jazz bands as trumpeter, vocalist, and band leader.   He has appeared in acting and singing roles on the stage with the Palace Professional Theatre of Manchester and the New Hampshire State Opera.  These various activities have led to touring in Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, and the U.S.

    Charles Latshaw holds a master’s and doctorate in instrumental conducting from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. Now living in Colorado with his wife Kelley, they spend their free time in the woods, camping, hiking, and skiing in the beauty of the Rockies.

    William Reinert Associates, Inc.
    Post Office Box 1049, Millerton, NY  12546-1049
    646 236 9702 phone 775 259 5585 fax
    www.williamreinert.com

Brass

  • Dr. Nathan Sobieralski is Assistant Professor of Trumpet at the School of Music at California State University, Fresno, where he oversees the trumpet studio, brass chamber music, and brass pedagogy courses.

    An active performer throughout California, Dr. Sobieralski holds Principal Trumpet positions with the Sequoia Symphony and the Fresno Master Chorale Orchestra, and serves as Acting Third/Associate Principal Trumpet with the Fresno Philharmonic. He has also performed with the Merced Symphony, Modesto Symphony, Fresno Grand Opera, Gold Country Chamber Orchestra, Sacramento Choral Society Orchestra, San Luis Obispo Symphony, and others.

    Dr. Sobieralski is a sought-after soloist throughout Central California, having performed with ensembles such as the Sequoia Symphony, Merced Symphony, Kingsburg Summer Band, Fresno Community Band, and others.  A highlight of his career was performing at the West Coast premiere of Kevin McKee’s Centennial Horizon with the CSU Sacramento Wind Orchestra

    Dr. Sobieralski is the founder and creator of S-Mute, a line of innovative brass instrument mutes born from his patented work in mute and accessory design. Drawing on his background in computer-aided design and advanced manufacturing, he develops cutting-edge mute designs that have quickly become a notable part of the brass soundscape.

    As a member of the CSU Fresno Music Faculty, Dr. Sobieralski regularly performs on faculty recitals and has been featured as a soloist with the CSU Fresno Wind Orchestra.   He is also an active clinician and adjudicator, serving as trumpet clinician for the CASMEC Honor Bands, the Fresno Summer Orchestra Academy, and adjudicator for the CMEA Solo-Ensemble Festival, among other events.   Dr. Sobieralski is the organizer and host of the semi-annual Fresno State Trumpet Festival, an event that brings trumpet players from across the Central Valley together for a day of clinics, masterclasses, and performances.

    Dr. Sobieralski’s students have garnered international recognition, with his CSU Fresno Trumpet Ensemble placing in the top three at the 2024 International Trumpet Guild Conference. His former students hold teaching and performing positions across the U.S.

    Dr. Sobieralski earned his B.A. from CSU Fresno (2002), his M.M. from the University of British Columbia (2004), and his D.M.A. from UCLA (2007). His primary teachers include Jens Lindeman, Larry Knopp, W. Ritchie Clendenin, Paul Shaghoian, Brian Recht, and Jim Kusserow.

Strings

  • Antonio Sarzi’s Bio Coming Soon!

Percussion

  • Dr. Darin Wadley is the Director of Percussion Studies and Associate Professor of Music at The University of South Dakota. An active performer, Darin is the principal timpanist with the Sioux City Symphony Orchestra and performs regularly with other regional orchestras as both timpanist and percussionist.  He has also held professional engagements with the Tony® Award winning Utah Shakespearean Festival, South Dakota Symphony Orchestra, Tucson Symphony Orchestra, Arizona Opera, and the Nevada Symphony Orchestra. Darin is a very active jazz and rock musician playing in many regional bands.  He also leads the steel band quartet, Steel Groove, in performances throughout the area. He holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in percussion performance from The University of Arizona.  He also holds a Master of Music from the University of Nevada-Las Vegas and a Bachelor of Music from Northern Illinois University, both in percussion performance.

Conductor

Duncan Smith

  • Duncan Smith is Director of Instrumental Music at Clovis West High School in Clovis, California, where he teaches orchestra, marching band, and AP Music Theory while overseeing the school’s instrumental music program. He directs multiple ensembles and coordinates performances throughout the academic year.

    He is currently pursuing a Master of Music in Orchestral Conducting at California State University, Fresno, studying under Thomas Loewenheim, Artistic Director of the FOOSA Festival/Fresno Summer Orchestra Academy. His graduate studies focus on orchestral literature, score study, and rehearsal technique, with particular interest in the artistic development of young musicians.

    Smith holds both a Bachelor of Music in Performance and a Bachelor of Arts in Music Composition from University of California, Los Angeles, where he received the Dean’s Medal for achievement in composition. He completed his teaching credential at California State University, Northridge and was named an Outstanding Student Teacher.

    As a performer, he has appeared with the American Youth Symphony and participated as a student performer in Los Angeles Philharmonic’s presentation of Mass by Leonard Bernstein. He is committed to fostering disciplined rehearsal habits, musical curiosity, and a positive ensemble culture for students of all levels.

Alicja Banquart

  • Alicja Blanquart was born in Warsaw, Poland. She graduated from Eastman School of Music and earned her master’s degree in Cello Performance at the University of Southern California. She is an avid chamber musician who has collaborated with distinguished artists including  Sarah Chang. She is a co-founder and a cellist of up close and classical chamber music series in Long Beach. In addition, Alicja  was a guest artist in a solo performance at the Chopin to Gorecki Festival in Warsaw Conservatory in Poland. Alicja currently freelances with several orchestras in California: Fresno Philharmonic, Long Beach Symphony, Santa Barbara Symphony and Pasadena Symphony as well as maintains a thriving cello studio in Long Beach.

  • Dr. Nicholaus Yee is an accomplished violist, educator, and conductor. He completed his doctoral studies at the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music, where he was a full fellowship recipient and served as a teaching assistant to Dr. Pamela Goldsmith and Professor Donald McInnes. His diverse training includes instrumental conducting, early music, and music education, which he pursued as minors within USC’s rigorous program.

    A passionate chamber musician, Nick had the privilege of performing with renowned violinist Midori Goto following her faculty appointment at USC. He has also appeared in chamber and orchestral performances broadcast on KUSC 91.5. Throughout his career, he has performed with musical icons such as Yo-Yo Ma, Bobby McFerrin, Lynn Harrell, Doc Severinsen, Gary Graffman, and David Shifrin. He has performed under esteemed conductors, including John Williams, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Carl St. Clair, Sergiu Comissiona, Stanisław Skrowaczewski, and Lucinda Carver. Nick has been a member of the Redlands Symphony Orchestra since 2009.

    As principal violist of Del Gesù Strings, Nick toured South America in 2009 and 2010, performing in Panama, El Salvador, Ecuador, and Chile. Locally, he remains an active chamber musician and has recently begun a chamber music collaboration with Up Close and Classical, based out of Long Beach.

    An educator with over 30 years of teaching experience, Nick is dedicated to fostering musical excellence. Since 2018, he has served as Coordinator of the Strings & Orchestra Program at the Orange County School of the Arts, where he teaches chamber music, conducts the String Orchestra, and oversees the program’s development. His teaching philosophy emphasizes a love of music, disciplined practice, and a collaborative approach to learning. Previously, he was a conductor for the Irvine Young Concert Artists orchestra (2008–2011) and served as viola coach for the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s Youth Orchestra Los Angeles (YOLA) at the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts (2015–2018). He also teaches private viola lessons, and several students have gone on to successful careers of their own.

    Beyond music, Nick is an avid sports fan who follows college football and Major League Baseball. He also enjoys billiards, cycling, tennis, softball, attending concerts, reading, and exploring diverse cuisines. He resides in Orange County with his wife Grace, two children Juliana and Sebastian.

Winds

  • Dr. Amelia Smith, a dedicated clarinet performer and educator, hails from a small town outside Minneapolis and has taught clarinet across the United States. She is currently a Lecturer of Clarinet at the Fresno State School of Music and has previously taught at the University of Mississippi and Anoka-Ramsey Community College in Coon Rapids, MN.

    In addition to her teaching, Dr. Smith is an accomplished performer who has played both nationally and internationally. She has performed with the Fresno Philharmonic, Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra, Memphis Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Santa Monica, and in a masterclass with members of the Mozarteum Orchestra, performing the Mozart Clarinet Quintet. She was invited to perform the Mozart Clarinet Concerto with the Sinfonietta Orchestra of Memphis and the Copland Clarinet Concerto with musicians from USC's Thornton School of Music. Dr. Smith has earned several competition placements, including first prize in the graduate division of the five-state Schubert Club Scholarship Competition in the Twin Cities, MN.

    Dr. Smith teaches and performs in both Fresno and Los Angeles. In LA, she worked with Youth Orchestra Los Angeles (YOLA), a program funded by the Los Angeles Philharmonic and inspired by El Sistema. As YOLA Inglewood’s first Clarinet Teaching Artist, she not only cultivated students' musical skills but also fostered a strong sense of community. An activist committed to social justice; Dr. Smith believes in the transformative power of music education at all levels.

    Dr. Smith holds degrees from the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University (BM), the Rudi E. Scheidt School of Music at the University of Memphis (MM), and the University of Minnesota Twin Cities (DMA). Her former instructors include Howard Klug, Dr. Robyn Jones, Alexander Fiterstein, and Timothy Zavadil.

  • Erin Adams is an accomplished violinist who has performed extensively throughout California with ensembles such as the Fresno Philharmonic, Monterey Symphony, San Luis Obispo Symphony, and Stockton Symphony. She has served as Concertmaster of the Sequoia Symphony and California Opera, as well as held principal positions with the St. John’s Chamber Orchestra and Fresno Grand Opera. A dedicated chamber musician, she is a founding member of the Tower Quartet (2018-present.) Her performances have taken her to prestigious venues, including Carnegie Hall, the Palace of Fine Arts, Walt Disney Concert Hall, and the Sydney Opera House.

    Ms. Adams earned both her Bachelor’s and Graduate degrees in Violin Performance, graduating Magna Cum Laude from Fresno State University under the mentorship of Dr. Limor Toren-Immerman. She has collaborated with and performed for esteemed musicians and pedagogues such as Vadim Gluzman, Paul Kantor, Rachel Barton Pine, Guillaume Sutré, Grigory Kalinovsky, Leor Maltinski, and Federico Agostini.

    From 2011 to 2014, Ms. Adams played a key role in developing and implementing Accent on Access, a Fresno-based after-school violin program inspired by the El Sistema method. With over a decade of private teaching experience she transitioned to classroom instruction and, as of 2024, serves as the Orchestra Director at Edison High School and Computech Middle School in Fresno Unified School District.