OREGON BACH FESTIVAL
Guest Artists
Ricardo Zohn-Muldoon
Composer-in-Residence
Eastman School of Music
Ricardo Zohn-Muldoon was born in Guadalajara, México, in 1962. Literature has been a source of inspiration for many of his compositions, such as the extended song cycle Songtree, on poetry by Raúl Aceves and William Shakespeare, the miniature opera NiñoPolilla, on a libretto by Juan Trigos senior, and the scenic cantata Comala, based on the novel Pedro Páramo, by the great Mexican author Juan Rulfo. Comala was selected as a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 2011.
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Zohn-Muldoon’s compositional voice has also been shaped by a steady collaboration with the particular group of musicians for whom he writes, including Tony Arnold, Molly Barth, Stuart Gerber, Dieter Hennings, Hanna Hurwitz, Daniel Pesca, Paul Vaillancourt, and Tim Weiss, among others. On occasion, he has also collaborated with artists across disciplines, including cartoonist José Ignacio Solórzano (Jis), songwriter Alfredo Sánchez, PUSH Physical Theater, Garth Fagan Dance, and puppet company La Coperacha.
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His works have been performed internationally, and supported by the American Academy of Arts and Letters, Koussevitzky Foundation, Fromm Foundation, Barlow Endowment, Guggenheim Foundation, and México’s Sistema Nacional de Creadores de Arte, among other institutions in the U.S. and abroad. His works have been recorded on the Bridge, Oberlin Music, Verso, CRI, Quindecim, Innova, Ravello, and Tempus labels. He studied at the University of California, San Diego (BA, 1986), and at the University of Pennsylvania (PhD, 1993), where his principal teacher was George Crumb. He is currently Professor of Composition at the Eastman School of Music. Previously, he taught at the College-Conservatory of Music, University of Cincinnati, and the Escuela de Música, Universidad de Guanajuato.
Craig Hella Johnson
OBF Artistic Partner
OBFCS Composer-in-Residence
Conspirare Company of Voices
Renowned as one of today’s most influential voices in choral conducting, Craig Hella Johnson brings unparalleled depth of knowledge, artistic sensitivity, and rich imagination to his programs. As Grammy®-winning founder and Artistic Director of Conspirare, Johnson assembles some of the finest singers in the country to form a world-class, award-winning ensemble committed to creating dynamic choral art. Beloved by audiences, lauded by critics and composers, and revered by singers, Johnson is known for crafting musical journeys that create deep connections between performers and listeners.
The Wall Street Journal praised his ability to “find the emotional essence other performers often miss,” and Fanfare wrote that “Craig Hella Johnson has assembled and molded a first-rate choir to be respected as highly as the best we have had.” Distinguished composer John Corigliano wrote, “I believe that [Johnson] has understood my music in a way that I have never experienced before. He is a great musician who understands everything about the music he conducts.” Composer and collaborator Robert Kyr observed, “Craig’s attitude toward creating a community of artists who work together to interpret the score … goes beyond technical mastery into that emotional depth and spiritual life of the music.” Of Johnson’s performance of Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis, the San Antonio Express-News wrote: “Through all the amazing ebbs and flows of dynamics, the radiant balances, the seamless connection of episodes, the theatrically astute tempo relations, the unified structural arc, the music shone forth with organic naturalness. Nothing sounded fussed over. Everything just sounded right.”
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Johnson is also Music Director of the Cincinnati Vocal Arts Ensemble and conductor emeritus of the Victoria Bach Festival. He was Artistic Director of San Francisco-based Chanticleer (1998-1999) and has served as guest conductor with the Austin Symphony, San Antonio Symphony, and many others in Texas, the U.S., and abroad. As the Director of Choral Activities at the University of Texas at Austin from 1990-2001, Johnson led the graduate program in choral conducting. He remains an active educator, teaching nationally and internationally with professionals and students at conferences and universities. He is also a frequent speaker at regional and national conferences of the American Choral Directors Association. In Fall 2012, he became the first Artist in Residence at the Texas State University School of Music.
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A composer and arranger, Johnson works with G. Schirmer Publishing on the Craig Hella Johnson Choral Series, featuring specially selected composers as well as some of his original compositions and arrangements. His works are also published by Alliance Music Publications. A unique aspect of Johnson’s programming is his signature “collage” style: through-composed programs that marry music and poetry to blend sacred and secular, classical and contemporary, classical and popular styles. In 2006 he was engaged to create a special peace-themed collage program for the North Central ACDA convention, and in 2007 by the famed St. Olaf Choir to create and conduct a collage program during a five-week residency.
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Johnson has been honored with numerous awards, including 2008 induction into the Austin Arts Hall of Fame, Chorus America’s 2009 Louis Botto Award for Innovative Action and Entrepreneurial Zeal, and the 2011 Citation of Merit from professional music fraternity Mu Phi Epsilon, the organization’s highest honor for a non-member. In 2012 he was an invited speaker for TEDxAustin. He was one of seven panelists for the Fetzer Institute and Eranos Foundation’s “Love and the Musical Arts” gathering in Switzerland in 2011. In April 2013 Johnson was designated the official Texas State Musician for 2013 by the Texas Legislature. The designation was recommended by the Texas Commission on the Arts after a competitive nomination process, and he is only the second classical musician to receive the honor in its eleven-year history. Johnson was awarded the 2015 Best Choral Performance Grammy® for conducting Conspirare on the CD The Sacred Spirit of Russia (Harmonia Mundi label). In June 2015 Johnson received The Michael Korn Founders Award for Development of the Professional Choral Art, Chorus America’s lifetime achievement award.
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A Minnesota native, Johnson studied at St. Olaf College, the Juilliard School, and the University of Illinois and earned his doctorate at Yale University. As the recipient of a National Arts Fellowship, Johnson studied with Helmuth Rilling at the International Bach Academy in Stuttgart, Germany. He has been a Texas resident since 1990.
David Crumb
Composer-in-Residence
University of Oregon
David Crumb is a professor in composition and theory and has been a member of the UO faculty since 1997. Prior to UO, he served as visiting professor at Duke University, UCLA, St. Mary's College of Maryland, and West Chester University.
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Born in 1962 into a musical family, Crumb studied both cello and piano from an early age. His father is world-renowned composer George Crumb, and his sister Ann Crumb is well known as a singer and actress who has performed extensively on Broadway.
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Crumb holds degrees in composition from the University of Pennsylvania and the Eastman School of Music, where he also studied cello. His principal composition teachers were Mark Kopytman, Jay Reise, Richard Wernick, and Samuel Adler. During these formative years, he also studied with Chinary Ung, Lukas Foss, Joseph Schwantner, Stephen Albert, and Stephen Jaffe.
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Crumb’s music has been performed throughout the United States and abroad. His orchestral music has been programmed by the Baltimore Symphony, Utah Symphony, Riverside Symphony, Cleveland Chamber Symphony, and Chicago Civic Orchestra. Chamber works have been presented by the Los Angeles Philharmonic New Music Group, Orchestra 2001, Cassatt Quartet, Parnassus Ensemble, Voices of Change, Music at the Anthology, The Chicago Ensemble, Nextet, Musiqa, Bent Frequency, Network for New Music, Percussion Plus Project, Cafè MoMus, and Quattro Mani.
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Crumb is the recipient of numerous honors, including a Guggenheim Fellowship, a John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Residency Award (Yaddo Artist Colony), an Aaron Copland Award, a Los Angeles Symphony "L.A. Composers Project 2" Award, and an Aaron and Abby Schroeder Fellowship/Margaret Lee Crofts Fellowship (Tanglewood Music Center). He has also received grants from the Fromm Music Foundation at Harvard and the Barlow Endowment for Music Composition.
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Crumb has been commissioned by Cassatt in the Basin, Chintimini Chamber Music Festival, University of Houston Moores School Percussion Ensemble, Bowdoin International Music Festival, Third Angle, Orchestra 2001, National Association of College Wind and Percussion Instructors, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic New Music Group.
Scott Ordway
Composer-in-Residence
Rutgers University
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Scott Ordway (b. 1984, California) is an American composer and multimedia artist whose widely acclaimed music and mixed-media projects have been called “exquisite” (New York Times) and “arresting” (Gramophone), “hypnotic” (BBC) and “a marvel” (Philadelphia Inquirer). His works are presented on major concert stages around the world with recent and upcoming performances at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Wigmore Hall, Hong Kong City Hall Theater, Bing Concert Hall of Stanford University, and the Beijing Modern, Hong Kong Arts, Bang on a Can, and Aspen Music Festivals.
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Drawing on his deep interest in literature, languages, and the humanities, Ordway’s remarkably diverse works often fuse his music with text (frequently his own), video, and photography to explore an eclectic array of contemporary themes including ecology, religion and philosophy, and the landscape and culture of the American West. In 2023, he presented his first solo photography exhibition at the Kunstverein Familie Montez in Frankfurt am Main with an upcoming solo show at Boston’s Laconia Gallery in 2025.
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Recent projects include The End of Rain, a multimedia symphony for Roomful of Teeth and the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music; The Outer Edge of Youth, a choral opera for The Thirteen; The Clearing and the Forest, an evening-length theater of music for SOLI Chamber Ensemble; and Nineteen Movements for Unaccompanied Cello, a program-length collection of works for Grammy-winning Canadian cellist Arlen Hlusko.
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Hailed as “an American response to Sibelius” by the Boston Globe, his music has been performed by the Hong Kong, Buffalo, and Colorado Springs Philharmonics; Tucson Symphony; vocal ensembles Roomful of Teeth, Lorelei, and The Thirteen; and Grammy-winning soloists including Sasha Cooke and Arlen Hlusko, among many others.
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His work is supported by numerous awards, fellowships, and grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, NewMusicUSA, the American Composers Orchestra, Alice M. Ditson Fund of Columbia University, American Music Center, Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, American Composers Forum, and American Opera Projects. A recipient of the Tuttle Creative Residency Award from Haverford College’s Hurford Center for the Arts and Humanities, he has also been invited for residencies at Copland House, Visby International Center for Composers (Sweden), Brush Creek Foundation for the Arts (WY), Willapa Bay AiR (WA), and Hambidge Center for Creative Arts & Sciences, where he was a Distinguished Fellow.
Nancy Ives
Composer-in-Residence
Principal Cello, Oregon Symphony
Composer and cellist Nancy Ives is a musical icon, having “built a career of such spectacular diversity that no summation will do her achievements justice.” (Artslandia) As “one of Oregon’s most prominent and accomplished classical musicians,” (The Oregonian) Ives offers both depth and approachability with enduring and eloquent music inspired by the natural world. “Modernistic but melodic and compelling… [with] a refreshing musical breadth… [her work communicates] a uniquely personal voice.” (Oregon ArtsWatch)
Ives’ music features in recent and upcoming performances by the Oregon Symphony, Denver Philharmonic Orchestra - International Conductor's Workshop, Orchestre National de Bretagne, Northwest Sinfonietta, Lake Chelan Bach Festival Orchestra, Greater Rochester Women’s Philharmonic, Yakima Symphony, York Symphony, Portland Chamber Orchestra, Alaska Resounding, Fear No Music, Siletz Bay Music Festival, Oregon Bach Festival, OBF Composers Symposium, Portland Cello Project, and Friends of Rain as well as broadcasts on All Classical Portland and KBBI (Alaska). She is the Composer-in-Residence for Friends of Pando (2024-25) and for the Lake Chelan Bach Festival (2025).
A relative of the legendary composer Charles Ives, she carries on the tradition of her namesake with modern relevance, connecting historical narratives to current social and environmental issues. Ives’ projects involve working with Indigenous communities to authentically capture, amplify, and relay their stories to wider audiences. Her recent multimedia orchestral work, Celilo Falls: We Were There, traces geologic and human history with “stunning, assiduously crafted, and mostly melodic music… a many-splendored artistic experience… universal in [its] artistic, social and political impact.” (Oregon ArtsWatch) She is a Musical America New Artist of the Month (September 2024). With a DMA from the Manhattan School of Music, Ives is the Principal Cellist with the Oregon Symphony and serves on the Board of Directors for All Classical Portland.
Robert Kyr
OBFCS Director & Composer-in-Residence
University of Oregon
Robert Kyr (b. 1952) is a composer, writer, photographer, videographer, filmmaker, and interdiscplinary artist who has composed twelve symphonies, three chamber symphonies, three violin concerti, a piano concerto, chamber music, and more than 100 works for vocal ensembles of all types, including nine oratorios, fifteen cantatas, two passions, five motet cycles, and an All-Night Vigil. His music often explores themes related to conflict and reconciliation (peace-making), the environmental crisis (living in harmony with nature), and spiritual issues such as love, compassion, and forgiveness. His Songs of the Soul was premiered and recorded on Harmonia Mundi by Conspirare (Craig Hella Johnson, director), and hailed as “a powerful new achievement in American music that vividly traces a journey from despair to transcendence” (Wall Street Journal) and named by NPR on its “Best of the Year” list.
Kyr’s music was recognized with an Arts and Letters award for distinguished artistic achievement by the American Academy of Arts and Letters. The award citation stated, "Robert Kyr's powerful vision of fostering peace through music shines brightly and steadily in all his work, from the passionate and often ecstatic polyphonic motets of his Songs of the Soul, to the triumphant close of his trilogy of violin concertos, On the Nature of Peace. Kyr's music is intensely concerned with the human condition and the soul in its search for beauty and transcendence."
In 2021-2022, the premieres of Kyr’s music included two large-scale works: Earth Ritual with Conspirare Company of Voices (Craig Hella Johnson, conductor), and All-Night Vigil with Cappella Romana (Alexander Lingas, conductor). And during 2019-2020, his oratorio, Resurrection, was premiered by Marsh Chapel Choir and Collegium (Scott Jarrett, conductor), and his Passion according to an Unknown Witness, was premiered by The Ensemble of Oregon, Trinity Choir, and 45th Parallel (Patrick McDonough, conductor). All of these works are being recorded for compact disc, and in 2021, Bridge Records will release a recording of ten choral works by Kyr (“In Praise of Music”), performed by the Antioch Chamber Ensemble (NYC). All of his music is published by ECS Publishing and recordings are available on the Bridge, Harmonia Mundi, Telarc, New Albion, Albany, and Cappella Romana labels.
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Kyr’s music has been performed widely around the world and he has been commissioned by numerous ensembles, including Conspirare Company of Voices (Austin), Yale Camerata, Chanticleer (San Francisco), Cappella Romana (Portland), Cantus (Minneapolis), San Francisco Symphony Chorus, New England Philharmonic, Oregon Symphony, Yale Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Chamber Symphony, New West Symphony (Los Angeles), Harvard-Radcliffe Collegium Musicum, Harvard Glee Club, Radcliffe Choral Society, Oregon Repertory Singers, Cappella Nova (Scotland), Revalia (Estonia), Putni (Latvia), Moscow State Chamber Choir (Russia), Ensemble Project Ars Nova, Back Bay Chorale (Boston), and San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra among others.
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Many compact discs of Kyr’s music are currently available on Harmonia Mundi, New Albion Records and other prominent labels:
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Earth Vigil (Delos Records) performed by Conspirare Company of Voices under the direction of Craig Hella Johnson;
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In Praise of Music (Bridge Records) performed by the Antioch Chamber Ensemble (Joshua Copeland, conductor);
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All-Night Vigil (Cappella Records) performed by Cappella Romana directed by Alexander Lingas;
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Songs of the Soul and The Cloud of Unknowing (HMU 807577) performed by Conspirare under the direction of Craig Hella Johnson;
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Kyr's chamber version of Barber’s “The Lovers” (HMU 807522) performed by Conspirare under the direction of Craig Hella Johnson;
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Paradiso (Albany Records) performed by Notre Dame Vocale directed by Carmen-Helena Téllez;
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Unseen Rain (NA 075), a disc of vocal music commissioned and recorded by Ensemble PAN (Project Arts Nova);
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The Passion according to Four Evangelists (NA 098), commissioned and recorded by the Back Bay Chorale (Boston) under the direction of Beverly Taylor;
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Violin Concerto Trilogy (NA 126) recorded by the Third Angle New Music Ensemble with Ron Blessinger and Denise Huizenga, and the composer conducting.
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In addition, his music has been featured on several compilation discs recorded by women’s vocal ensemble, Tapestry (Laurie Monahan, director): Celestial Light: Music by Hildegard von Bingen and Robert Kyr (Telarc CD 80456); Faces of a Woman (MDG 344-1468); and The Fourth River: The Millennium Revealed (Telarc CD 80534).
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Kyr's music has been performed widely around the world. He has been commissioned by numerous ensembles, including Conspirare (Austin), Cappella Romana (Portland), Chanticleer (San Francisco), Antioch Chamber Ensemble (NYC), Concerto Palatino, Washington (D.C.) Master Chorale, The Ensemble of Oregon (Portland), Chorus Austin, Cantus (Minneapolis), Harvard-Radcliffe Collegium Musicum, Harvard Glee Club, Radcliffe Choral Society, Yale Camerata, Notre Dame Vocale, Oregon Repertory Singers, Santa Fe Desert Chorale, Pacific Youth Choir (Portland), San Francisco Symphony Chorus, New England Philharmonic, Oregon Symphony, Eugene Symphony Orchestra, Yale Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Chamber Symphony, New West Symphony (Los Angeles), Cappella Nova (Scotland), Revalia (Estonia), Putni (Latvia), Moscow State Chamber Choir (Russia), Ensemble Project Ars Nova, Back Bay Chorale (Boston), and San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra, among many others.
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Kyr’s projects have been supported by major foundations and institutes, including the Mellon Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), Paul G. Allen Foundation, the Fetzer Institute, the Robert D. Baker Memorial Fund for Sacred Music at the Yale Institute of Sacred Music, Boston University/Marsh Chapel, University of Chicago/Rockefeller Chapel, Ann Stookey Fund for New Music, Oregon Regional Arts and Cultural Council, Hult Endowment for the Arts, Collins Foundation, and Templeton Foundation.
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In 1974, Kyr graduated summa cum laude from Yale University (B. A. with exceptional distinction in Scholar of the House) and continued his education at the Royal College of Music (London), and at Dartington Summer School for the Arts, where he studied with Sir Peter Maxwell Davies. Kyr completed his M. A. at the University of Pennsylvania in 1978, studying with George Rochberg and George Crumb. In 1989, he received his Ph. D. from Harvard University, where he studied with Donald Martino and Earl Kim. He has held teaching positions in composition and theory at Yale University, UCLA, Hartt School of Music, and Justus-Liebig-Universität Giessen, Aspen Music School, and the Longy School of Music in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
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A dedicated mentor and teacher of composition, Kyr is Philip H. Knight Professor of Music at the University of Oregon School of Music and Dance, where he directs the Oregon Bach Festival Composers Symposium (since 1994), the Music Today Festival (since 1993), the Vanguard Concert & Workshop Series (since 1991), and the Pacific Rim Gamelan & World Orchestra (since 1991). Moreover, he is mentor and composer-in-residence for the Harvard Choruses New Music Initiative (2016- ) directed by Andrew Clark, which is committed to developing a comprehensive pedagogy for composers of choral music.
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Beyond his artistic and scholarly endeavors, Kyr has taken a leadership role in faculty governance, both in Oregon and nationwide. He served three terms as President of the University of Oregon Senate, a legislative body that includes faculty, students, Officers of Administration, Officers of Research, and Classified Staff. Moreover, for two terms, he was President of the Interinstitutional Faculty Senate of Oregon, a body representing the senate leadership of all eight Oregon public institutions of higher education, as well as the founding president of the PAC12 Academic Leadership Coalition (two terms), which is comprised of academic leaders from all of the PAC-12 universities.
Andrew Clark
Conductor, Mentor
Harvard University
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Andrew Clark is the Director of Choral Activities and Senior Lecturer on Music at Harvard University. He serves as the Music Director and Conductor of the Harvard-Radcliffe Collegium Musicum, the Harvard Glee Club, the Radcliffe Choral Society, the Harvard Summer Chorus, Cambridge Common Voices, and teaches courses in conducting, choral literature, and music and disability studies in the Department of Music.
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​​​Clark’s work with the Harvard Choral Program empowers individuals and communities through active engagement
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with choral music: fostering compassion, community-building, and joy. As an artist- educator devoted to advancing equity, justice, and access to the arts, Clark has developed community partnerships with youth music education programs, correctional institutions, health care facilities, overnight shelters, senior-care communities, and other service organizations operating beyond the normalized conventions of arts practice. Clark has organized Harvard residencies with distinguished conductors, composers, and ensembles, including Sweet Honey in the Rock, the Lorelei and Antioch ensembles, Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Maria Guinand, Harry Christophers, Craig Hella Johnson, and Maasaki Suzuki, among others.
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Since arriving at Harvard in 2010, Dr. Clark has led the Harvard Choruses in performances at the Kennedy Center, Boston Symphony Hall, New York’s Carnegie Hall and Metropolitan Museum of Art, and venues across the United States, Europe, Asia, Africa, and South America. His choral-orchestral performances with the Harvard Choruses have received critical acclaim, ranging from the Baroque era to seminal 20th- and 21st-century works. Clark has commissioned and premiered over fifty compositions and recently launched the Harvard Choruses New Music Initiative, supporting the creative work of undergraduate composers.
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His choirs have been hailed as “first rate” (Boston Globe), “cohesive and exciting” (Opera News), and “beautifully blended” (Providence Journal), achieving performances of “passion, conviction, adrenalin, [and] coherence” (Worcester Telegram). He has collaborated with the National Symphony, the Pittsburgh and New Haven Symphonies, the Boston Pops, the Handel and Haydn Society, the Rhode Island Philharmonic, the Boston Philharmonic, the Boston Modern Orchestra Project, the Trinity Wall Street Choir, the Washington Chorus, Stephen Sondheim, Ben Folds, and the late Dave Brubeck, among others.
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Prior to his appointment at Harvard, Clark was Artistic Director of the Providence Singers and served as Director of Choral Activities at Tufts University. Clark continues his work as a founding faculty member of the Notes from the Heart music program near Pittsburgh, a summer camp for children and young adults experiencing disabilities and chronic illness. He earned degrees from Wake Forest, Carnegie Mellon, and Boston Universities, studying with Ann Howard Jones, David Hoose, and the late Robert Page. He lives in Medford, MA, with his wife Amy Peters Clark, and their daughters, Amelia Grace and Eliza Jane.
James Shields
Director, Chatter PDX
Principal Clarinet, Oregon Symphony
James Shields joined the Oregon Symphony as Principal Clarinet 2016. Before relocating to Portland, James served as principal clarinet of the Canadian Opera Company in Toronto, as well as the New Mexico Philharmonic in Albuquerque. A graduate of The Juilliard School, James studied with Ricardo Morales, principal clarinet of the Philadelphia Orchestra.
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James has appeared as a soloist with the Oregon Symphony, New Mexico Philharmonic, and the Albuquerque Philharmonic, and as guest principal clarinet with the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, and Santa Fe Pro Musica. In addition to his orchestral and solo activities, James is increasingly becoming known to North American audiences as a dynamic and passionate performer of chamber music, regularly performing with ensembles in Oregon, New Mexico, and throughout the US and Canada.
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For 15 years James has been the co-artistic director of Chatter, an Albuquerque-based chamber music organization that presents more than 100 concerts annually. As Artistic Director and General Manager of Chatter PDX, Shields has helped to establish a branch of this New Mexico-grown phenomenon in Portland. Now presenting its second full year of weekly concerts, Chatter PDX’s blend of chamber music, poetry, and coffee has been an instant hit with Portland audiences. In addition to his performing activities, James holds a master’s degree in composition from the University of New Mexico and continues to compose regularly.
David Felberg
Co-founder & Director, Chatter ABQ
Violin & Conductor
Praised by The Santa Fe New Mexican for his “fluid phrases, rich focused tone, rhythmic precision, and spot-on intonation,” violinist David Felberg, an Albuquerque native, is the co-founder and artistic director of Chatter, a groundbreaking series exploring both new and old music, and producing over 100 performances per year. David plays in, and conducts, many of the shows—often premiering twentieth- and twenty-first-century pieces of music that have never before been heard in New Mexico.
Chatter was recently mentioned in The New York Times in an article about curated silence, one of the main features of Chatter’s performances. David is also Concertmaster of The Santa Fe Symphony and performs with Santa Fe Pro Musica. He also directs New Music New Mexico, a contemporary ensemble at the University of New Mexico.
David has been a featured soloist with The Santa Fe Symphony Orchestra, New Mexico Philharmonic, New Mexico Symphony, Albuquerque Philharmonic, Los Alamos Symphony, Palo Alto Philharmonic, Balcones Orchestra, and the Chatter Orchestra. He has performed recitals and chamber music throughout New Mexico and the Southwest and most recently has performed at the Oregon Bach Festival, including as a featured guest artist for the Oregon Bach Festival Composers Symposium. David made his New York violin recital debut in Merkin Concert Hall in the spring of 2005. He specializes in contemporary solo violin music, having performed solo works of Berio, Boulez, Sciarrino, John Zorn, and Luigi Nono.
As a conductor, David recently made his debut with Santa Fe Pro Musica. He regularly conducts the New Mexico Philharmonic, The Santa Fe Symphony and Chatter, and has collaborated with such soloists as Rachel Barton Pine, Conor Hanick, and Benjamin Hochman. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from the University of Arizona and a Master of Music degree in Conducting from the University of New Mexico. In addition, he took advanced string quartet studies at the University of Colorado with the Takacs Quartet. David has also attended the prestigious American Academy of Conducting at the Aspen Music Festival.
David plays an 1829 J. B. Vuillaume violin with a c. 1830 Claude Joseph Fonclause violin bow.
Chatter
David Felberg, co-director & violin
James Shields, co-director & clarinet
Chatter is a musical ensemble, a concert
series, and a beloved community
happening. Chatter presents weekly
Saturday and Sunday morning concerts
in a durable one-hour format pairing
music with poetry, a two-minute
celebration of silence, and a full-service
coffee bar. Led by Artistic Director,
violinist/conductor David Felberg, and
Associate Artistic Director, clarinetist
James Shields, the group presents
intrepid combinations of repertoire new
and old, envisioning an unbroken fabric
of musical culture across eras and genres.
Chatter has commissioned and premiered works by composers such as Pierre Jalbert, Sarah Hennies, Roberto Sierra, and Raven Chacon. Between its multiple series, Chatter presents over 120 concerts annually to often sold-out audiences in Albuquerque and Santa Fe, while remaining organizationally nimble and artist-led. As Mark Tiarks wrote for the Santa Fe New Mexican, "By challenging almost every norm in an industry that sometimes focuses on safe repertoire and conventional marketing, Chatter has gotten ahead of the curve.”​
Chatter ABQ
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Chatter ABQ is a dynamic chamber music organization based in Albuquerque, New Mexico, known for its innovative approach to classical performance and adventurous programming. Founded in 2002 by acclaimed violinist David Felberg, Associate Concertmaster of the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra, and cellist/composer Eric Walters, Chatter ABQ was created to explore contemporary repertoire and unconventional instrumentations that challenge both musicians and audiences. From its inception, the organization has embraced a spirit of experimentation, blending traditional chamber music with modern works to create unexpected and engaging performances.
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In its early years, Chatter ABQ developed a close association with the Church of Beethoven, a celebrated performance series initiated by the late cellist Felix Wurman. After Wurman’s passing in 2009, Chatter ABQ carried forward his legacy by integrating innovative ideas and diverse musical influences. Today, the ensemble offers a variety of performance series, including Chatter Sunday—featuring intimate concerts with live music, poetry readings, and reflective moments—Chatter North, which brings classical music to Santa Fe’s contemporary venues, and evening programs such as Chatter Late Works and Chatter Cabaret that highlight bold, modern compositions.
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Committed to community engagement, Chatter ABQ adapts its programming to reach new audiences. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the organization successfully transitioned to online concerts, ensuring that its creative vision continued to thrive. Now operating under Ensemble Music New Mexico, Chatter ABQ remains a vital and transformative presence in the region’s cultural landscape, continually redefining the chamber music experience. Dedicated to artistic excellence and community outreach, Chatter ABQ inspires audiences and truly enriches Albuquerque’s cultural fabric for a vibrant future.
Chatter PDX
Portland, Oregon
Chatter PDX is a Portland-based offshoot of the original Chatter ensemble from New Mexico, carrying forward a spirit of accessible, adventurous chamber music with a distinctive local twist. Established by key figures connected to the original group—such as James Shields, principal clarinetist with the Oregon Symphony—and enriched by the creative input of cellist Trevor Fitzpatrick, Chatter PDX offers a relaxed yet inspiring musical experience every Sunday morning at 10:30 am at the Pacific Center in downtown Portland.
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At its core, Chatter PDX blends classical chamber music with spoken word, presenting one-hour concerts that span the masterpieces of the Classical, Romantic, and Baroque eras, alongside contemporary compositions and new works by local composers. Shields and Fitzpatrick work collaboratively to curate a diverse repertoire, pairing timeless pieces with modern compositions to challenge traditional notions of classical performance. Their innovative programming breaks down the elitism often associated with the genre, inviting audiences to engage directly with the performers through informal conversations and poet interludes.
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Tickets are affordably priced—typically $20 for general admission, with discounted rates for students and youth—and include free coffee and baked goods, reinforcing the series’ commitment to making live classical music both enjoyable and accessible. For more details and to view upcoming event schedules, visit their official website at chatterpdx.org.
Luke Gullickson
Piano
Pianist/composer Luke Gullickson (b. 1985) is a rangy interpreter of music new and old, a virtuosic collaborator bridging disciplines, and an intrepid explorer of the unmapped space between styles and genres. He is Company Manager and a core performer with New Mexico’s innovative Chatter ensemble, which presents 120+ concerts annually. As a member of the mercurial Grant Wallace Band (“spidery original bluegrass” — New York Times) he has worked with Houston Grand Opera, Ensemble Dal Niente, and Chicago Composers Orchestra, and performed in art spaces, jazz clubs, and barns across the country. Luke has recorded extensively as a singer-songwriter (“charmingly mysterious” — Bandcamp Daily) and bandleader. Many of his releases have appeared on the shadowy imprint Two Labyrinths Records, commencing with 2014’s Open, which the Chicago Reader hailed as a “minimalist gem.” Luke holds degrees in composition (University of Texas-Austin) and piano (University of New Mexico), and has been awarded artist residencies at the Banff Centre, PLAYA, High Concept Labs, Brush Creek Arts, the Ucross Foundation, Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, and Joshua Tree National Park. He is a frequent performer with the New Mexico Philharmonic, Opera Southwest, and the Santa Fe Symphony.
Judith Gordon
Piano
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Pianist Judith Gordon explores diverse repertoire as both a soloist and in collaboration with a wide range of instrumentalists and singers. Heard often at festivals and on series including Apple Hill, Charlottesville, Music Mountain, Santa Fe, Spoleto, Tanglewood, Music from Salem, and Chatter, she has also performed with the Boston Pops, Boston Modern Orchestra Project, and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, and was a member of the percussion-based ensemble Essential Music. A Boston Globe 'Musician of the Year’, Gordon was an associate professor of music at Smith College from 2006-20, and is now based in Albuquerque.
Zachariah Galatis
Flute & Solo Piccolo
Oregon Symphony
Zachariah Galatis’ “irresistible energy, appealing tone, and dazzling technique” (The Oregonian) have cemented his place in Portland’s music community. Serving as solo piccolo of the Oregon Symphony since 2012, Zach also frequently appears with Third Angle New Music and 45th Parallel.
A native of LaGrange, NY, Zach graduated summa cum laude with performance honors from the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam, where he studied with Kenneth Andrews. Zach received an M.M. from Peabody Conservatory, studying with Baltimore Symphony’s Laurie Sokoloff (solo piccolo) and Emily Skala (principal flute), and also pursued doctoral studies with Marina Piccinini at Peabody.
In 2009, Zach won first place in the Mid-Atlantic Young Artist Piccolo Competition and was a winner of the National Flute Association’s 2009 Piccolo Masterclass Competition. Zach was a fellow at the National Orchestral Institute in 2010 and 2012, and in 2011 was awarded the Piccolo Fellowship at the Aspen Music Festival. Zach also won first prize in the National Flute Association’s 2012 Piccolo Artist Competition, a competition for which he now serves as coordinator.
In addition to performing, Zach is a passionate educator, having given various masterclasses and seminars on piccolo technique, including at the 2012 Hampton Roads Flute Faire, the 2012 International Flute Symposium in West Virginia, and the 2013 Iowa Piccolo Intensive Workshop. For the 2014-2015 school year, Zach served as the Interim Instructor of Flute at Willamette University. He also maintains a private studio in Portland, working with students of all ages.
Zach has played as guest piccolo with orchestras including Baltimore, Detroit, and Seattle, and has appeared as guest principal flute with the Buffalo Philharmonic. He has also performed at various summer festivals, including the Astoria Music Festival and Oregon Bach Festival. Before joining the Oregon Symphony, Zach played piccolo/third flute in the Virginia Symphony Orchestra, under music director JoAnn Falletta.
Alicia Paulsen
Flute, Assistant Principal
Oregon Symphony
Originally from Stoneham, Massachusetts, Alicia DiDonato Paulsen is the Assistant Principal Flute of the Oregon Symphony. Prior to moving to Portland, Alicia had a long and varied freelance career in Boston, where she was a member of the Boston Modern Orchestra Project and Opera Boston orchestras. In-and-around Boston, Alicia was also the Principal Flute for Boston Musica Viva, Radius Ensemble, the Firebird Ensemble, and frequently appeared with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and Boston Pops.
From 1998 to 2001, following her studies at the Hartt School with John Wion, Alicia was a member of the New World Symphony. She was a Tanglewood Music Center Fellow during the 1999 and 2000 summer seasons, and appeared as a New Fromm Player at Tanglewood in 2005. In 2003, she obtained her M.M. from the New England Conservatory, where she studied with Fenwick Smith. She has participated in the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, the Aspen Music Festival, and the Rockport Chamber Music Festival, and has performed internationally in Costa Rica, Russia, and the Netherlands.
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Alicia’s chamber music collaborations include appearances with the Emerson String Quartet and the Borromeo String Quartet. Additionally, she has appeared as a concerto soloist with the Boston Modern Orchestra Project, the Santa Fe Symphony, and the New World Symphony. She won first prize at the 2005 Mid-South Flute Society Young Artist Competition, the 2003 James Pappoutsakis Memorial Flute Competition, and the 1999 Frank Bowen Competition. In 2006, Alicia won third prize in the National Flute Association Young Artist Competition.
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When she’s not performing with the symphony, Alicia can be found gardening, eating chocolate, reading science fiction, yelling karaoke, and running after her two kids. She and her husband Dwane love the Oregon craft brewing scene, and make their home in NE Portland.
Melissa Peña
Oboe & English Horn
Melissa Peña is the Associate Professor of Oboe at the University of Oregon. Prior to joining the Oregon faculty, Peña held the positions of Associate Principal Oboe/English Horn with the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra (2002-2011), 2nd Oboe with the Sarasota Orchestra (2001-2002), and Assistant Professor of Oboe at the University of Northern Colorado (2010-2012).
Peña has performed with the Oregon Symphony, Seattle Symphony, Santa Fe Opera, Oregon Bach Festival, Astoria Music Festival, Opera Colorado, Kansas City Symphony, Jacksonville Symphony, The Florida Orchestra, Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, and Music from Angel Fire among others. Peña continues to perform regularly with the New Mexico Philharmonic where she holds the position of Associate Principal Oboe/English Horn.
As a chamber musician, Peña is a member of the Oregon Wind Quintet and is a core member/performer of Chatter—an innovative weekly chamber series in Albuquerque, NM. She has appeared as a soloist with the New Mexico Symphony, New Mexico Philharmonic, and the Southwest Florida Symphony. An enthusiastic performer of contemporary music, Peña can be heard performing with Molly Barth and Jeffrey Ziegler on David Lang’s thorn (Cantaloupe Music 2017) and has contributed performances to these albums: David Crumb: Red Desert (Bridge Records 2015), and New Millennium Music for Horn (Quadre Records 2014).
Will Pyle
Saxophone (Soprano & Alto)
Will Pyle is a saxophonist and media artist based in Portland, OR. He is driven by a love of connecting people with each other, art and the world around them.
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Will is a member of the Aruna Quartet which has garnered national and international acclaim, including the Grand Prize of the 46th Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition. As a member of Aruna, he recently premiered Second Nature by Viet Cuong for Saxophone Quartet and Wind Ensemble with Sarah McKoin and the Texas Tech University Symphonic Wind Ensemble. Will also makes music with Anne Kunkle (saxophone) and Elizabeth W. Mayo (harp) as a part of the unusual trio, keystring. He has performed as a fellow at the Divergent Studio festival and at the 2023 Bang on a Can Summer Festival.
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Will first fell in love with chamber music when he formed the Quid Nunc Saxophone Quartet with his best friends in high-school. He pursued music with professor David Dees at Texas Tech University where he won the concerto competition and performed Florent Schmitt’s Légende under the baton of David Cho. He continued his studies with professor Chein-Kwan Lin at the Eastman School of Music where he performed with the Eastman Saxophone Project.
As an arts administrator, Will manages communications, among other duties, for Third Angle New Music in Portland, OR. He serves as Executive Director of the Aruna Quartet’s non-profit organization and takes a lead role in managing commissions, fundraising, and community outreach efforts. He has also worked for acclaimed new music chamber ensembles loadbang and fivebyfive.
As a multimedia artist, Will creates video, digital art and photographs that draw on wide-ranging inspiration. He loves the look of bauhaus, deathcore tee-shirts, mid-century modern chairs, Kodak Portra 800 film, Gaspar Noé, and Edward Hopper paintings.
Andrew Brown
Bass Clarinet & Clarinet
Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra
Andrew Brown joined the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra in 2006 as a bass clarinetist. He also regularly performs with the Buffalo Philharmonic and has appeared with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra, and the Albuquerque Philharmonic.
As a chamber musician, Brown has performed around upstate New York and in New Mexico’s “Chatter” concert series. As a member of The Eastman Broadband Ensemble, a new music ensemble based at Eastman, he has toured Europe and Mexico, participated in two recording projects, one of which was a Pulitzer-Prize Finalist, and performed in the Zankel Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall.
Brown earned his Bachelor of Music Degree from The Ohio State University and master’s degree from the Eastman School of Music. He spent four summers at the Aspen Music Festival. His principal teachers have been Bob Lehner, James Pyne, and Kenneth Grant.
In addition to his performing activities, Brown also maintains an active studio as Instructor of Clarinet at the Eastman Community Music School.
Emily Cole
Violin
Oregon Symphony
Emily Cole joined the Oregon Symphony in 2011. An avid chamber musician, Emily is a member of the Mousai Remix string quartet with fellow Oregon Symphony musicians Shin-Young Kwon, Jennifer Arnold, and Marilyn de Oliveira. She has also performed locally with Third Angle Ensemble, fEARnoMUSIC, 45th Parallel, and Northwest New Music. During the summer months, Emily has performed with the Oregon Bach Festival, the Seattle Opera, and the Apollo Music Festival. Emily is on the faculty at Lewis & Clark College; she also coaches chamber musicians with Portland Summer Ensembles and Seattle’s Music Northwest.
Emily earned her M.M. from the University of North Texas, where she held a teaching fellowship and studied with Emanuel Borok. She received her B.M. from the University of Texas at Austin, studying with Brian Lewis. A native of Seattle, Emily was also a longtime student of former Seattle Symphony concertmaster Ilkka Talvi.
Ronald Blessinger
Violin
Oregon Symphony
Violinist Ron Blessinger is an Oregon native and a proud graduate of Hermiston High School. He received his degrees from Oberlin Conservatory and the New England Conservatory of Music, and in 1990 joined the Oregon Symphony.
From 2018 to 2023, Ron became 45th Parallel’s first executive director, bringing 17 years of experience as a producer of innovative chamber music events in the Portland area to the position. Between 2018 and 2020, 45th Parallel expanded its season from four performances to ten and quadrupled its operating budget.
Due to the COVID 19 pandemic, concert halls across the globe went dark. Musicians across the country were furloughed and struggled to make ends meet. 45th Parallel Universe responded to the calamity with characteristic creativity; it harnessed the passion and energy of its musicians and pivoted to live-streamed concerts, producing a total of 54 concerts that year, which connected music lovers with top Portland artists and musicians worldwide. In so doing, 45th Parallel was the only gig in town, distributing over $100,000 to furloughed musicians.
Ron is also a passionate advocate for the music of living composers, and for seventeen years was artistic director for Third Angle New Music, producing 12 critically acclaimed recordings, creating a commissioning fund and recording label, and producing residencies with leading composers, including Pulitzer Prize and Grammy winners Steve Reich, Jennifer Higdon, David Lang, Julia Wolfe and Zhou Long, among many others.
Laura Steiner
Viola
Santa Fe Symphony
Laura Steiner, violinist and violist, is a member of the New Mexico Philharmonic and the Santa Fe Symphony. She also performs regularly with Chatter, Santa Fe Pro Musica, and other New Mexican performing arts organizations. Laura has performed solo works with the New Mexico Philharmonic, Santa Fe Pro Musica, the Masterworks Festival Philharmonic Orchestra, the University of Alabama Huxford Symphony Orchestra, and the Albuquerque Youth Symphony. She maintains a private studio of violin and viola students and has taught several levels of collegiate music theory.
Laura earned a Master of Music degree (with distinction) in Viola Performance, String Pedagogy, and Music Theory from the University of New Mexico in 2020, and a Bachelor of Music (summa cum laude) in Viola Performance from the University of Alabama in 2015. Her principal teachers include Kim Fredenburgh, Susan Kempter, Wendy Richman, Daniel Sweaney, Gabriel Gordon, and Derek Reeves. When not practicing, Laura enjoys knitting, reading and video gaming.
Trevor Fitzpatrick
Cello
Oregon Symphony
Canadian/American cellist Trevor Fitzpatrick joined the Oregon Symphony in 2005 and has since embedded himself into the musical community around him. He is an avid chamber musician, collaborating with groups such as 45th Parallel Universe, Fear No Music, Third Angle New Music, Chatter New Mexico, and his own RTK Piano trio.
Trevor is a graduate of the Glenn Gould School in Toronto, the Cleveland Institute of music, and the New World Symphony in Miami, Trevor has performed in major concert halls throughout the USA, Canada, South America and Europe. In addition to his orchestral and chamber career, Mr. Fitzpatrick now has fun teaching his own batch of future cellists with a private studio in Portland. He is the proud father of 2 little cellists, and lucky husband to cellist Marilyn de Oliveira.
Ian Kerr
Percussion
Acting Assistant Principal, Oregon Symphony
Ian Kerr joined the University of Oregon percussion faculty in the fall of 2021. He previously held teaching positions at Pacific University, George Fox University and Portland State University where he taught percussion, music theory and music history.
As an active orchestral musician, Ian has been Principal Timpanist of the Eugene Symphony since the 2013-14 season, serves as Principal Percussionist/Timpanist of the Oregon Mozart Players and is a frequent substitute with the Oregon Symphony performing as percussionist and Principal Timpanist. Participation in summer music festivals include Oregon Coast Music Festival, Sunriver Music Festival, Astoria Music Festival and the Oregon Bach Festival where he has served as Principal Timpanist. His orchestral experience includes collaboration with many top conductors and soloists such as Marin Alsop, Giancarlo Guerrero, Jeff Tyzik, Carlos Kalmar, Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman, Emanuel Ax, Andre Watts, Branford Marsalis, Inon Barnatan, Jeffery Kahane and Renee Fleming.
In addition to his symphonic orchestral work, Ian has performed in the popular music idiom sharing the stage with such stars as Smokey Robinson, Styx, Clay Aiken, Judy Collins, Boyz II Men, Pink Martini, Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme.
An advocate of contemporary music, Ian has formed partnerships with leading composers and ensembles across the country. In 2007 Ian performed as a soloist for the International Robert Helps Festival and Composition Competition, premiering the winning composition at New York City’s Merkin Hall as part of the festival. Notable composers Ian has collaborated with include Augusta Read Thomas, David Del Tredici, Christopher Rouse, Stuart Saunders Smith and Mason Bates. Contemporary music ensembles Ian has played for include New Music Tampa, Northwest New Music, McCormick Percussion Ensemble and 45th Parallel Universe.
Ian can be heard on multiple albums on the Capstone label including Marimba Concerti, Culture Samples: Flute Concerti with Percussion Orchestra, and Cross-Cultural Collisions, Reinventions, and Fertilizations: The Compositions of Michael Sidney Thomson as a member of the McCormick Percussion Ensemble.
Daniel De Togni
Shakuhachi & Piano
Assistant Director, OBFCS
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As a composer and artist who primarily works with sound, Daniel De Togni [pronounced Deh-TOH-nyee] is fascinated with the concept of space in sound/music. The psychological space that music inhabits in our minds as listeners, performers and/or creators, how sonic objects interact with each other in real-time and space, as well how a sound can evoke an image or landscape in our minds. It is truly astonishing how music can act as a catalyst between memory and real-time, how by listening to a piece of music, or hearing a sound, a world/memory (that perhaps no longer exists) from many years ago can be recalled in the mind of the listener and be relived in, if only for a brief moment.
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Daniel's compositional style has been praised for its breadth and his ability to integrate a variety of soundworlds and influences into his music. Drawing from his Japanese and Italian heritage, Daniel's music is that of cross-pollination between genres and styles, and the exploration of sonic environments and the musical organisms that dwell in them. His focus is that of creating emotionally moving, auditory experiences for the listener.
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His works have been performed by the Berkeley Symphony Orchestra, the Julius String Quartet, Hypercube, and the Delgani String Quartet, among others. His works have also been performed in Japan, Taiwan, at the International Reed Society, June in Buffalo, the Alba Music Festival, the Hot Air Music Festival in San Francisco, Connecticut Summerfest, Fresh Inc Festival, New Music on the Point, Bowdoin International Music Festival, the American Music Festival, the UNK New Music Festival, as well as throughout the United States. Daniel's music is featured by Ravello, ARIAM, and Kalamine Records. In November of 2020, Daniel's music was featured on NPR's Arts & Letters with J. Bradley Minnick, in a feature regarding a multi-media collaboration with poet and visual artist Terry Wright, in which they discuss their interdisciplinary project Iterations: 4 Pieces for Narrator, Oboe and Piano.
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Daniel is the winner of the William Thomas McKinley Alba Alumni Commission Award, 2022 Aural Compass Projects Emerging Composers Competition for his art song Look to this Day, the 2018 Highsmith Composition Award for his piece Tsuioku: On the Internment of Japanese Americans, the !BAMM! Composers Inc. Student Composers Competition Award for his piece, This is a Flower, not a gun, the Tribeca New Music-Merit Award for Unbreakable: Music for Big Spaces and Postcards from Veneto, as well as the Southwest American Prize for his fixed electronic piece, Sunset Rain in the Distance.
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Daniel completed a Ph.D in music composition at the University of Oregon where he studied composition with Robert Kyr and David Crumb, as well as theory with Jack Boss. Daniel has a Master of Music Degree in Composition from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where he studied under Grammy winning, composer of symphonic music, Mason Bates.
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Daniel is currently serving as an adjunct professor at the University of Central Arkansas and at Hendrix College, where he teaches music theory, ear training and music technology.