Allyson Kramer, piano - Allyson is the founder of Vivace! Chamber Players. Allyson completed her undergraduate work at Western Washington University while studying with Ford Hill, and received her Master of Music degree in performance from the University of Minnesota. Allyson loves working with children and has been teaching piano in her private studio for over 20 years. She also homeschools her two daughters, Rachel and Carlin, who regularly perform solo and chamber music at their church and for community events. An active performer and accompanist, Allyson will serve as Music Director for Vivace! Chamber Players.
David Upham, Conductor - David currently serves as the Music Director of the Bainbridge Symphony Orchestra in Bainbridge Island, Washington. In his brief tenure with the orchestra, he has invigorated the ensemble with both his musicality and his selection of diverse and engaging programs. Audiences have responded to his leadership, resulting in complete sellouts of the final concerts of the 2007-2008 Season.
David’s recent guest conducting engagements have included appearances with Ballet Bellevue, Marrowstone Summer Music, and the Northwest Mahler Festival. He will make his international debut in November, 2008 at the contemporary music festival, Aujourd’hui musiques in Perpignan, France. He is in demand across the region and country as a conductor and clinician, performing at festivals in Massachusetts, Arkansas, and Kansas. David has a long and successful history as a music educator as well, serving for ten years as the conductor of various student ensembles, including a long tenure with the prestigious Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestras. His students have routinely won top prizes in both orchestral and chamber music competitions.
David has received degrees from Luther College (Decorah, Iowa), the University of Northern Colorado, and most recently completed his doctoral degree at the University of Washington. His principle teachers include Maestro Peter Erös, Dr. David MacKenzie, Germán Augusto Gutiérrez, and Douglas Diamond. David has undertaken additional musical studies with Richard Rosenberg, Gunther Schuller, and Marin Alsop.
Tim Fitzpatrick, piano - A versatile musician with many areas of expertise, Tim Fitzpatrick has pursued a career that is supported by outstanding academic achievements and diverse musical endeavors. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in piano from Western Washington University in 1982. His areas of focus included piano, harpsichord, choral music and accompanying. In 1985, Tim received his Master of Music in Piano Performance from The University of Texas in Austin where he studied piano performance and pedagogy. After three years of teaching at Summerstar, a private music school in Bellingham, Tim moved to San Francisco. While there, he conducted a male chorus entitled The Songbirds, worked as Minister of Music at St. Bartholomew’s Church in San Mateo, received voice training and studied choral conducting at San Francisco State University where he also accompanied, coached private voice and taught singing classes. Tim coached voice and taught piano privately, prepared singers for the San Francisco Symphony Chorus, coached numerous vocal ensembles and performed at Max’s Opera Cafe, a popular San Francisco restaurant that featured opera, classical, jazz, Broadway and pop music. In 1996, Tim was offered a position in WWU’s music department as professional accompanist and worked there until 1998. Since his return to Bellingham, he has established a private teaching studio and worked as Director of Music with the Bellingham Unitarian Fellowship. In the summer of 2002, Tim completed a Master of Music degree in Choral Conducting from WWU and has served there as adjunct choral faculty, directing the University Women’s Chorale, Men’s Ensemble and University Choir. In March 2006, he was hired to the position of Assistant Professor of Choral Music/ Vocal Education. His choirs have toured Canada and recently been featured at the Northwestern ACDA Division Convention. Tim serves as ACDA R & S Chair for Men’s Music, and is active as a choral and vocal adjudicator around the Northwest. He is also founder and artistic director of the Bellingham Chamber Chorale, established in 2003.
Jennifer Hammill, piano - Jennifer began the piano first with her mother, and then with Ford Hill at Western Washington University. She received a Master's degree in piano performance at Arizona State University. In 1991 she completed a doctorate with Bela Siki at the University of Washington. She has been the recipient of several awards and graduate scholarships. Jennifer is active as a chamber musician and accompanist. She adjudicates throughout the state, presents many pedagogical workshops for the Washington State Music Teachers Association, and teaches privately in Seattle. In her spare time, she likes to garden, cook, work in wood, and play with her cats.
Mark Salman, piano - Mark Salman's performances have been described as "powerful", "dramatic", "wildly imaginative", and "touchingly lyrical"; of his performance of Beethoven's Hammerklavier sonata one authority stated, "there are probably only five or six pianists in the world who can play [it] as perfectly". Mr. Salman is perhaps best known for his expertise on Beethoven, having performed the complete cycle of thirty-two piano sonatas on both coasts. With his New York performances of the sonatas in 1990-91, Mr. Salman joined the ranks of the handful of master pianists to perform the complete cycle - and at the age of twenty-eight, he was one of the youngest. During the 1996-97 season he repeated the Beethoven Cycle in Seattle, co-sponsored by Orchestra Seattle, Sherman Clay Pianos and KING-FM. The performances were repeated in a series of eighteen live broadcasts on KING, the first broadcast performance of the cycle in the northwest, heard by a listening audience of 125,000. An upcoming project is to record the Beethoven sonatas on CD, and his book of commentary and analysis on the Beethoven Sonatas is also forthcoming.
Mr. Salman also regularly presents series of recitals devoted to explorations of the music for piano, often featuring neglected masterpieces, and has performed in Europe and Asia as well as in the United States. In the 1997-98 season, Mr. Salman performed in the Peoples' Republic of China; his appearances included solo recitals, duos with cellist Rajan Krishnaswami and master classes. In 1995 he performed a two concert series in Seattle, "The Unexpected Piano," and in 1991-92 he presented "Three Centuries of Piano Music," three recitals in New York. Mr. Salman is a co-founder of the Delmarva Piano Festival in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, which recently completed its seventh season. Other recent and upcoming engagements include solo recitals in the United States and Canada and appearances with the Olympia Symphony, Orchestra Seattle, the Northwest Sinfonietta and the Whatcom Symphony.
Mr. Salman's artistry can be heard on a critically praised Titanic Records CD featuring works by Alkan, Beethoven and Liszt. Upcoming recording projects include CDs of Beethoven Sonatas and a concerto recording with the Northwest Sinfonietta under Maestro Christophe Chagnard. His account of his meetings with and playing for Vladimir Horowitz appears in David Dubal's book, Evenings with Horowitz.
Marissa Rebadulla-Ramos, piano - Marissa, a native of the Philippines, holds a Masters of Music in Piano Performance from the University of Washington where she studied under Patricia Michaelian. She has also studied voice under Tom Harper for her post baccalaureate degree in vocal performance. Among her major achievements include winning in the 1995 National Music Competition for Young Artists (NAMCYA) in the Philippines and being chosen the official pianist for the US, Canadian and Australian tour of the internationally-acclaimed University of the Philippines Concert Chorus in 1996. Ms. Rebadulla-Ramos is the owner of the Allegro Suzuki Piano Studio where she has numerous award-wining students. She is also the music specialist at the St. George School in Seattle where she teaches the Dalcroze and Kodaly method. Among her affiliations include the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA), the Ladies Musical Club of Seattle and the Honor Society of the University of the Philippines. Seattle has been home to Ms. Rebadulla-Ramos since 1997 where she lives happily with her loving husband, Mario and their two giant dogs.
Tracy Helming, violin - Tracy received a master's of music from the Yale School of Music in 1994. She completed two years of Suzuki training at the Hartt School of Music with Teri Einfeldt and has been a devoted Suzuki violin teacher ever since. She teaches at the Oregon Suzuki Institute, the Anchorage Suzuki Institute, and is delighted to teach at Vivace! Chamber Players for a fourth year! She has a violin studio in Seattle, Washington. She freelances with orchestras around the Northwest, including the Boise Philharmonic, the Northwest Sinfonietta, is a member of the Cameo String Quartet, and frequently gives recitals.
Gaye Detzer, violin, has been a Suzuki teacher for 30 years, currently maintaining a studio on Vashon Island with more than 50 students. She has taught violin classes and chamber music at Suzuki institutes in Washington, Oregon, and Alaska, as well as at Vivace! Chamber Players. Her family has four "Suzuki" children, one of whom graduated from Cleveland Institute of Music and is now making a career as a cellist. The others find music to be an important part of their non-professional lives. She plays violin and viola with the Arioso Ensemble and loves to ride horses.
Satoko Robert, viola/violin - Satoko has been the director of large Suzuki programs both on the east coast and in the midwest. Most recently, she was an assistant professor of music education at Westminister Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey. Satoko received a M.M. in violin performance from the University of Massachusetts and an Artist diploma from the Kyoto University of Art and Music. She has been performing for over 40 years and teaching for almost that long. Ms. Robert serves as bi-lingual liaison to both the Suzuki Association of the Americas and the International Suzuki Association. She has been an active clinician to many Suzuki programs at summer institutes and weekend workshops throughout the United States.
Heather Bentley, viola - Heather is Director of Seattle Conservatory of Music’s Chamber Music Program; BM and MM in Viola Performance and Chamber Music, (San Francisco Conservatory of Music). Indiana University chamber music with Rostislav Dubinsky, Joseph Gingold and Menachem Pressler. Fellow and Principal Viola, Tanglewood Music Festival; Associate Principal Viola, the New York String Orchestra with Alexander Schneider. Soloist with Pacific Northwest Ballet Orchestra, Northwest Sinfonietta, the San Francisco Conservatory Orchestra and the Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra. Guest appearances with Seattle Chamber Players, Olympic Music Festival, Second City Chamber Music Series, Bell’ Arte Series, The New Performance Group at Cornish College of the Arts. Currently Ms. Bentley serves on the Music Faculty of the Northwest School, is violist with the Odeon Quartet and teaches violin.
Kim Zabelle, violin - Kim brings to her performances both a solid background in medieval and renaissance improvisation and a command of repertoire from Biber to Boulez. Currently a member of the Pacific Northwest Ballet Orchestra and the Iris Quartet (a period instrument flute quartet), Ms. Zabelle has performed internationally at festivals such as Tanglewood, Salzburg, Victoria and Vancouver and has been featured in broadcasts on NPR, Performance Today, and CBC Radio. She received her musical training at the Universities of Michigan & Washington and at Indiana University. Her teachers have included Camilla Wicks, Steven Staryk and Stanley Ritchie. Joining the faculty at Seattle Pacific University in the fall of 2000, she also maintains an active teaching studio in Seattle and has also taught at Marrowstone-in-the-City, the Music Center of the Northwest, the Northwest Center for Early Music Studies, as Artist-in-Residence at Bowling Green State University in Ohio and as a coach for the Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestras. She has recorded for Centaur, CBC Radio, Geffen, Focus & Wildboar records. In her spare time she works in her garden with her cat and chickens.
Rajan Krishnaswami, cello - After sampling just about all there is to sample in the world of classical music, from touring as soloist with orchestra to playing pick-up gigs at parties where you can’t even hear yourself, I’ve come to realize that Chamber Music is, for me, the pinnacle. Ah, Chamber Music! Learning to communicate with others who share your joy at music making… finding the satisfaction of getting that passage exactly together for the first time… sharing what you have learned with others who appreciate what it takes to do what you do… there is little in this world that satisfies and feeds the soul in the way that Chamber Music can. That’s why I’ve started Simple Measures, an intimate, neighborhood based Chamber Music series in the Seattle area. www.simplemeasures.org. It is special, and crucially important to pass on what we know to young people, to help foster a love of classical music as broadly as possible. I am very happy to be participating in this summer camp so that I can help spread the appreciation of this great music.
Claire Garabedian, cello, - Claire is well known as an accomplished baroque and modern cellist who has performed and recorded with many of the foremost orchestras and chamber ensembles in this country. She is now focusing exclusively on solo and chamber music. After spending her formative years in Venice, California during the 60's, she has lived in Berkely, Carlifornia; Boston, Massachusetts; Yamagata, Japan; Miami, Florida; and now fervently hopes she has finally settled in Seattle! Claire received her BM from the New England Conservatory of Music, and her Masters in Historical Performance at the Longy School of Music. She can be heard on the Harmonia Mundi, Centaur, Diaphonica, BMG, Dorian, and Koch International record labels. She currently works at the Battelle Centers for Public Health Research and Evaluation as an occupational health scientist. She currently lives in Rainier Valley.
Janet Neumann, cello - Janet received her early musical training in Seattle with Claire Sokol, Nina de Veritch Smith and the Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestras. She graduated from the University of Southern California with Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Cello Performance. While there, she studied with Eleonore Schoenfeld and Gabor Rejto. Janet has played in the Sinfonica de Venezuela, Sinfonietta de Caracas, Bellevue Philharmonic, Pacific Northwest Ballet Orchestra, and the Salieri String Quartet. She has been teaching private cello lessons in the Seattle area since 1990, and is currently teaching Suzuki cello at the Pacific Northwest School of Music in Bellevue, Washington.
Mary Walters, cello - Mary earned her master’s degree in cello performance and pedagogy from Northern Illinois University and her bachelor’s degree in music cum laude from the University of Oregon Honors College. She performs as an active studio musician and extra with the Seattle Symphony, and has also been a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, the Northwest Indiana Symphony, the Spoleto USA Festival Orchestra, and has served as an extra cellist with the Milwaukee Symphony and the Oregon Mozart Players. Mary has also taught at the Music Institute of Chicago, Chicago Suzuki Institute, as teaching assistant to Vermeer Quartet cellist Marc Johnson at the Bowdoin Summer Music Festival, and as director of the string ensemble at the University Child Development School in Seattle. She maintains a large private teaching studio in Capitol Hill.
Peter Williams, cello - Peter is a Seattle native who began studying cello at the age of five as a student of the Suzuki method. His teachers have included Carla Lumsden, Richard Aaron, Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi and Rajan Krishnaswmi. After beginning his musical studies at Indiana University, he graduated with a BA in cello performance from the University of Washington in 1998. He has been the head of the cello department at the Suzuki Institute of Seattle since 2000 and currently has over 30 students. Peter coaches at Marrowstone in the City and is very excited to begin his second year at Vivace!! When not doing music, Peter enjoys giving “blanket rides” and playing “hot lava” with his three year old son.
Jennifer Nelson, clarinet - Jennifer is currently Principal Clarinet with the Pacific Northwest Ballet and the Auburn Symphony Orchestras. She also has a very active freelance career, including playing Broadway-style shows at the Fifth Avenue and Paramount Theaters, occasional extra with the Seattle Symphony and Opera Orchestras, and records for various television and motion picture scores; she is also Affiliate Artist Faculty in Clarinet at the University of Puget Sound. Nelson has also traveled throughout the United States with the national touring companies of Phantom of the Opera and New York City Opera. In addition to her stateside concerts, Jennifer’s orchestral and recital performances have also taken her to Mexico, Japan, Germany, Liechtenstein, Austria, Honduras, and most recently, India.
Wendy Wilhelmi, flute - Ms. Wilhelmi is active as a teacher and performer throughout the Pacific Northwest. She has been a regular memeber of the Spokane Symphony since 1995 and frequently performs with many other groups in the region, including the Seattle Symphony, Seattle Opera, Northwest Chamber Orchestra, Chamber Music San Juans and Rainier Chamber Winds. Wendy can be heard playing flute, piccolo and alto flute on numerous commercial and movie soundtracks including Eloise at the Plaza©, About Schmidt©, Die Hard 3© and Air Bud©. Past engagements have included performances with the Boise Philharmonic, Honolulu Symphony and Northwest Sinfonietta. In addition to her busy performing schedule, Wendy maintains a large private teaching studio and coaches chamber music for the Seattle Conservatory. Ms. Wilhelmi received her Bachelor of Music in music history magna cum laude from the University of Washington and her Masters of Music in flute performance from Northwestern University where she studied with Walfrid Kujala. She was principal flute of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and co-principal flute of the Philarmonica de Queretaro (Mexico). In 1998 Ms. Wilhelmi won first place in the NFA Piccolo Artist Competition.
Darlene Franz, oboe - Darlene enjoys an active freelance career, appearing as oboe soloist, chamber music collaborator, and orchestral musician throughout the Pacific Northwest. She is a highly sought-after performer on both modern and historical oboes. Recent and upcoming highlights include solo oboe appearances in services at Temple de Hirsch Sinai, Phinney Ridge Lutheran Church, Seattle First Baptist Church, and St. Bridget's Catholic Church, and solo recorder at Bellevue Presbyterian church, as well as playing oboe and English Horn for Village Theatre's recent production of Aida. She also was delighted to have played Baroque oboe this past season with Seattle Baroque in Handel's Messiah, and in Bach's St. John Passion with Choral Arts Northwest. Darlene is a member of Philharmonia Northwest, and has been engaged by numerous local and regional ensembles, including Seattle Pro Musica, the Northwest Sinfonietta, Seattle New Music Ensemble, Vancouver (B.C.) Cantata Singers, Village Theatre, and Baroque Northwest. She has performed at the Oregon Coast Music Festival, Seattle's Folklife and Bumbershoot Festivals, and the Lopez Island Performance Seminar. Recent chamber music collaborations include appearances with the Bella Music Quartet and the Convergence Chamber Players. She is also a frequent soloist at churches through the greater Puget Sound region. Darlene's performance of Baroque music on modern oboes has been noted for its nuanced expressiveness, and in recital she has received acclaim for for her unique presence and ability to connect with audiences. Darlene is also in demand as a music educator throughout the greater Seattle area. As a member of the Philharmonic Wind Quintet, she has introduced the oboe to over 100,000 Western Washington schoolchildren, and each Spring she serves as Artist in Residence to the West Woodland Elementary School Recorder Program. She is a faculty member at Music Works Northwest, where she teaches oboe and recorder, in addition to maintaining an independent private studio. She has taught at the University of Washington. Darlene holds degrees in music and chemistry from the University of California, Davis, and in oboe performance from the University of Washington, where her teachers included Alex Klein and Rebecca Henderson.
Robert Vierschilling, guitar - Robert earned Bachelor and Master of Music degrees in classical guitar at the Peabody Conservatory, where he studied with Ray Chester, Julian Gray, and Manuel Barrueco, and has performed in Master Classes for artists such as David Leisner, David Starobin, and Dennis Koster. He completed Suzuki guitar teacher training through unit 6, and is a member of the Suzuki Association of the Americas. He currently teaches private lessons and group classes at Rosewood Guitar in Seattle and at Pacific Northwest School of Music in Bellevue.
