The Campus Philharmonia Orchestras and UW Choirs presents a shared Winter Quarter concert. Daren Weissfisch and Ryan Farris conduct. With guest conductors Cee Adamson, David Ferguson, Michael McKenzie, and Egija Ungure, and guest soloists Sydney Belden, Cassidy Cheng, Vivi Ochoa, Dustin Peng, Jaden Ritscher, Alexander Trias, and Danny Vizenor.
Program
Beach: Bal Masqué
Schubert: Mass No. 2, D. 167 in G Major
Coleridge-Taylor: Novelette No. 1, Op. 52
Dvorák: Symphony No. 8, Op. 88 in G Major
Campus Philharmonia Section A
Flute & Piccolo Elizabeth Nilles Hana Sugihara Nate Widmann
Oboe & English Horn Tressa Paulson Katherine Dawson
Clarinet Oskar Abian Ramona Moon
Bassoon Pascal Lovre Isabelle Lavoie
Horn Sydney Jackson Dhruv Ashok Ethan Fang Nicole Bogner I-Tung Chen
Trumpet McKenna Sweet Felix Chao
Trombone Abigail Paul Dion Archer-Roll Peter Lin Maxx Ferrian
Bass Trombone Duncan Weiner
Tuba Johnathon Lopez
Timpani Jack Sanford
Percussion Jaden Wang Delanie Montoya
First Violin Scott Li Cristina Kosilkina Lucia Brady Kate Tseng Paige Monsod Cora Taylor Ling Yang Mia Kim Anthony McKeirnan Baker Wong Kohei Tamura Iska Popovic Wenjun (Angelina) Jiang Andrea Yu Emma Wong Lisel Shyam Tejaaswini Jayaprakash Anirudh Kumar Audrey Ayers Sandy Huang
Second Violin Claire Li Emma Lee Freeman Snigdha Mahankali Mikayla Nicole Samonte Sage Jacobs Andrew Gladnick Gabrielle Morris Eric Ye Kendra Del Rosario Arias Danielle Wilson Abigayle Cariño Armand Meyer Emily Chen Kyra Harding Elaine Chai Karien Tadros Brendan Knox Xixi Li Fangzhou Xie Kyra Harding
Viola Joseph Young Owen Wong Lucia Lin Jolene Nguyen Colin Watson Hibbah Khan Imogen Rich Keira Morrissey Aya Alayli Ariel Lin Laura Vonessen
Cello Edward Qin Ann-Marie Vo Ping Wang Abigail McClure Ethan Hynes Ziyu (Ruby) Xia Shannon Hamilton Remi Vernon Aubrianna Hohmann Juhee Kuk Nadia Hammon
Bass Joseph Henry Esteban Gracious Wyatt Draher Campus Philharmonia Section B
Flute & Piccolo Johnathan Mikosz Sam Ross Keila Uchimura Garcia Sun
Oboe Jocelyn Kunze Sam Syberg Vichet Ros
Clarinet Matthew Shell Rohan Vokkarne Neha Arunkumar
Bassoon Annika Fisher Parker Green
Horn Kiyoshi Colon Sam Nutt Chinmay Murthy Nicole Bogner
Trumpet Theo Llewelyn Nico Masputra
Timpani & Percussion Jaden Wang Delanie Montoya
First Violin Chelsea Xian Claire Park Renee Yeung Steven Li Simar Khanuja Tanya Naveen Nathan Yu Naomi Kern Rylan Ferron-Jones Nicole Privat Angela Wei Alisa Coyne Grace Davis Elias Graham Abigail Reed Maia Nix Sahiti Peddibhotla Luna Jacobs Oliver Zeng Klae Howard Jacob Berg
Second Violin Stephen White Ara Zaratsyan Allyssa Vandi Cyndee Li Tiffany Do Amelie Lin Narumi Umemoto Lindsay Han Shivani Kottantharayil Michael Skripalsh Rachel Berg Imraa Omar Kendra Stauffer Kelly Perea Garnica Hannah Ditto Namrata Harish Kate Lynn Kurosky Allegra McAlpin Laura Schubert Ammara Touch
Viola Adriana Ching Shea Lee Dennise Aguilar Cano Samantha Trinh Adam Nixon Denby Frank Henry Hess Heidi Chang Penelope Crichton Solana Cruz Gabriel Lewis Zoey Cain Erik Petersen
Cello Hazel Abrahamson-Amerine Anderson Yuan Violet Monserate Aurora Cong Isobelle O’Reilly Chanssen Pineda Ella Gebers Jenna Miller Freya Salsbury Seya Masalkar Miranda Nayak Vivienne Wang
Bass Kalee Verd
ChoirEzra Acevedo Chow Alvarado Lukas Anstett Mallak Attwa Sydney Belden Olivia Beringer Cassidy Cheong Esra Grathoff Lauren Heinen Christoph Heller Ava Herman Caixin Huang Sydney Jordan Cynthia Lin Tommy Mac Matthew Emerson Magbanua Sophie Mansour Isadora Miller Tatiana Miranda Lilian Nguyenphuoc Vivi Ochoa Dustin Peng Pillar Quinn Jaden Ritscher Madeline Rivera Nathanial Rodrigue Gage Santa Cruz Quinn Schmidt Jackie Smith Jenny Speelmon Sixing Tao Alexander Trias Jeroen Van Loon Megan van Meurs Danny Vizenor Adrienne Wegerer Andy Wen Lexie Yingst |
Daren Weissfisch has conducted professional and student ensembles in the United States, Mexico, and Europe for over a decade. He is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in Orchestral Conducting at the University of Washington under the tutelage of Dr. David Alexander Rahbee where he is the conductor of the Campus Philharmonia Orchestras, the assistant conductor of the University of Washington Symphony Orchestra, and conductor of the University of Washington Modern Music Ensemble and Opera Theater Works Orchestra. Daren was recently named House Conductor of the Tacoma Opera and he previously conducted the University of Washington’s opera production of Vinkensport by David T. Little and Joseph Haydn’s opera Philemon und Baucis. Daren has also served as cover conductor for the Harmonia Orchestra Seattle and the Issaquah Philharmonic Orchestra. From 2013 to 2019 Daren was the Artistic Director of the Orquesta Sinfónica Esperanza Azteca Sinaloa, which is an El Sistema based youth orchestra and choir in Culiacán, Sinaloa, Mexico. While in Mexico he was the assistant director for the 2016 production of Charles Gounod’s opera Romeo and Juliet with the Orquesta Sinfónica Sinaloa de las Artes under Sinaloense conductor Enrique Patrón de Rueda and the same year he collaborated with French guitarist Jean Bruno Dautaner to record the guitar concerto Tres en Raya by Spanish composer Antonio Ruíz Pipó under the AdLib MusicMX record label. In 2017 Daren conducted the Sinaloa premier of Horizontes, a work by Mexican composer Samuel Zyman, again with the Orquesta Sinfónica Sinaloa de las Artes, and for the 2017 Sinaloa Cultural Festival Daren founded the ensemble Sinaloa Players which presented Stravinsky’s masterpiece Histoire du Soldat in collaboration with renowned Mexican choreographer Mauricio Nava. Daren was a conducting student of Michael Jinbo at the Pierre Monteux Festival and School for several summers and he also studied with many notable conductors including Ludovic Morlot, Donald Schleicher, Kensho Watanabe, Lior Shambadal, Edward Cumming, Charles Olivieri-Munroe, Gábor Hollerung, Linus Lerner, Carlos Spierer, Sandro Gorli, Glen Adsit and Timothy Salzman among others.
Daren is also an oboist and was the second/assistant principal oboist of the Orquesta Sinfónica Sinaloa de las Artes in Sinaloa, Mexico from 2010-2019 as well as soloist playing oboe concertos by Mozart, Strauss and Bach. He is also a substitute player in the Seattle area with the Bainbridge Island Symphony Orchestra, Harmonia Orchestra Seattle and the Lake Union Civic Orchestra among others.
Ryan D. Farris is an up-and-coming conductor and performer in the Pacific Northwest community. He is currently pursuing his doctorate in Orchestral Conducting at the University of Washington where he is the conductor of the Campus Philharmonia Orchestras and assistant conductor of the University of Washington Symphony Orchestra. Ryan has served as cover conductor for professional orchestras across the country, including the Auburn Symphony in Washington and the Boulder Philharmonic in Colorado. He has also served as an assistant conductor for the Greater Boulder Youth Orchestras and as a sectional conductor for Harmonia Seattle. Ryan was a proud student of the late maestro Michael Jinbo at the Pierre Monteux School and Music Festival in Maine for five summers. He has also studied with many notable conductors including Ludovic Morlot, David Rahbee, Gary Lewis, Nicholas Carthy, Donald Schleicher, Kensho Watanabe, Kirk Trevor, and Tiffany Lu.
Ryan has served as principal cellist with the Boulder Opera Company, Seattle Philharmonic Strings, and the University of Washington Symphony. He has appeared as a featured soloist with the South Pudget Sound College Orchestra, and regularly performs in chamber music groups across the region. Before moving to Seattle, he performed regularly with some of Colorado’s best orchestras, including the Boulder Philharmonic, Fort Collins Symphony, and Colorado MahlerFest. Ryan also performs on viola da gamba with the UW Baroque Ensemble and traditional Irish fiddle and pennywhistle with the acclaimed Seattle-based Celtic group Cavort.
In the distinguished sphere of classical music, Cee E. Adamson (she/they/Mx.) stands as a beacon of versatility and excellence, seamlessly weaving together her roles as an opera singer, voice teacher, choral director, arts administrator, and student affairs practitioner with grace and passion.
As a mezzo-soprano, Cee occupies a fluid place as an operatic talent, capable of treading the beguiling and liminal space between the countertenor and mezzo-soprano, and her vocal versatility has been well showcased in roles as Oberon in Benjamin Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream, Giulio Cesare in Handel's Giulio Cesare, The Sorceress in Purcell's Dido and Aeneas, and tragic and comic roles from Mercedes in Carmen to Florence Pike in Albert Herring. Cee was also requested to appear as a featured supernumerary in Glimmerglass Opera’s production of Philip Glass’s Orphée.
A relentless pursuit of artistic growth and expression has marked her journey as an opera singer. From her early days honing her craft in conservatories to gracing international stages, Cee has consistently captivated audiences with her powerful performances and nuanced interpretations. Moreover, she brings a profound authenticity to each character she embodies, leaving audiences spellbound in her wake.
As a choral educator, Mx. Adamson assumes the role of a visionary choral director whose leadership has transformed vocal ensembles into beacons of musical excellence. Cee is known for her meticulous attention to vocal technique and ensemble precision and her ability to cultivate a deep emotional connection within her choirs, resulting in authentic performances that resonate deeply with audiences and performers alike.
But Mx. Adamson's talents extend far beyond the realm of performance. As an arts administrator, she is a driving force behind the scenes, working tirelessly to cultivate the next generation of artists and administrators alike. Her roles in higher education and student affairs have provided her with a platform to inspire and mentor aspiring musicians, instilling within them a passion for the arts and a commitment to excellence that will resonate throughout their careers. Whether advocating for the importance of arts education, spearheading innovative programming, or fostering meaningful collaborations within the arts community, Cee is dedicated to ensuring that the transformative power of music continues to enrich lives for generations to come.
Throughout her journey, Cee has remained steadfast in her dedication to the power of music to uplift, inspire, and unite. Her contributions to the world of classical music, both as a performer and as a mentor, serve as a testament to her unwavering commitment to artistic excellence and her profound belief in the transformative potential of the arts.
Cee is completing the Doctor of Musical Arts in Vocal Performance at the University of Washington, where she studies with Dr. Carrie Shaw and is undertaking Choral Conducting as a secondary proficiency area with Geoffrey Boers and Giselle Wyers. Before the University of Washington, Cee studied at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama (UK), where she earned the Master of Music and the Master of Performance degrees and was designated a Guildhall Artist. Her other education includes coursework towards the MBA in Leadership & Legal Studies from Northern Kentucky University, the Advanced Artist Diploma and Master of Music from Shenandoah Conservatory at Shenandoah University, and undergraduate degrees in music, theatre arts, accounting, and management from Franklin Pierce University.
Michael McKenzie is a national award-winning conductor and music educator, whose work centers around the power that choral music has to affect social change. They serve as a Managing Director of Voices for Social Justice, a national nonprofit organization whose work combines social activism with justice-centered artistic expression through performance, resources, and community collaboration. Outside of VFSJ, Michael serves as the Director of Music at Magnolia United Church of Christ.
Michael is currently pursuing their DMA in Choral Conducting at the University of Washington School of Music. Prior to this, they graduated with an MM in Choral Conducting, with honors, from the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music at California State University – Long Beach. There, Michael served as the director of ConChord, a student community chorus, and as a teaching assistant for the University Choir and Bob Cole Chamber Choir.
Michael was the Founder and Director of two Social Justice Choirs at Gustavus Adolphus College, and their performances earned them 2nd place in The American Prize for Choral Conducting - Community Division and an invitation to present a concert at The 2020 Nobel Conference. Michael graduated from Gustavus Adolphus College, summa cum laude, in 2019 with a BA in Music Education and certification in K-12 Vocal, Instrumental, and Classroom music. Michael is a member of the Music Honors Society Pi Kappa Lambda and the Education Honors Society Kappa Delta Pi, and holds professional affiliations with the American Choral Director’s Association, the National Collegiate Choral Organization, and the National Associate for Music Education.
Egija’s first musical memory is being on the stage as a three-year-old kid in a small town in Latvia, called Aloja, singing “Vār, māmiņa, piena putru” in front of an audience, wearing her nicest dress and fanciest shoes. That is where her musical story began.
As a child, she pursued this passion. As she started to sing at such a young age, she really enjoyed being on the stage, performing. After lots of solo singing competitions and concerts with the kids' music group, at the age of seven, she decided to attend Music School, specializing in Choir. The School showed her the other opportunities that music can give - she started to learn how to play piano and attended her first choir.
Latvia has a huge choir culture - choral singing has been part of music education in schools for generations. Every five years, Latvians come together to celebrate the culture by attending a Song and Dance festival called “Dziesmu svētki,” a show that is so strong that it is included in the UNESCO List of Masterpieces of the Oral and Heritage and Humanity. Egija’s first experience in this festival was in 2013, as a choir singer of Jazeps Medins Riga 1st Music School Girls' choir “VIVACE.”
She has always been very interested in different cultures and traditions. The 8th World Choir Games in 2014, which happened in Riga, Latvia, was an event that gave her a first chance to learn more about choirs all around the world, not only nationally.
After graduating from Music School at age 14, Egija joined the Chamber Choir “Tonika,” and they received many awards - Gold medalist of the International Youth Choir Festival and Competition in Bratislava, Slovakia (2015), participant in the Choir Festival in Aveyron, France (2016) and winner of the Gold Diploma in the International Choir Competition “Silver Bells 2017” in Daugavpils, Latvia. This expanded her experience internationally, as she heard other choir performances and met singers from all around Europe.
Egija’s hunger for music education and learning something new all the time led her to study in Jazeps Vitols Latvian Academy of Music. She was deeply inspired and motivated by her professor Romans Vanags, who is a well-known choir conductor and the Artistic Director of Interkultur (Germany) organization.
With individual conducting lessons twice a week, piano, solo singing, guitar, solfeggio, music composition, and others, she got the confidence that she needed to teach music. A month after she started her studies, she got her first job as a choir conductor at Riga Teika Secondary School, with high school-aged kids. Later she started to lead Girls and Boys choirs too, while still in the Academy and singing in one of the best youth choirs in Latvia - “Balsis.” In 2018, Egija had her first experience with Latvians in the United States when she participated in a summer camp with the New York Latvian choir singers. At the end of the camp, they had a choir concert with Latvian music and folk songs.
As the pandemic started, and all the choirs shut down, Egija decided to use the time to try something new and different. She came to the USA as an Au Pair, where she spent almost two years working with kids, living in an American host family, and having an adventure of a lifetime. She really enjoyed this experience and was happy to share her knowledge about music with her host kids by teaching piano and singing. Egija also joined the Northwest Chamber Chorus in Seattle and spent two years singing in it, as she was passionate about learning new composers and music that she had not heard while singing or leading choirs in Latvia. Last year, Egija performed “My Song” by Eriks Esenvalds in Seattle as a guest conductor and shared her story with the choir singers.
She has also shared and developed her passion for music in other ways. One of the truly inspirational personalities that she has met in Seattle is Heather MacLaughlin Garbes. Last year she joined The Magi Ensemble – a professional SA vocal ensemble that specializes in music from the Baltic region of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, led by her. Their values of cultural understanding, community, and quality, and their philosophy to show people how music can empower them inspired her.
One of the things that Egija is most proud of is re-establishing and conducting the Seattle Latvian Choir. In the summer of 2023 choir went to Riga, Latvia to participate in the Song and Dance festival. Egija has worked hard and patiently to make sure that she shows the singers the values and philosophy that she has as a choir conductor.
Starting Fall 2023, Egija is a Graduate student at the University of Washington, in the Choral Conducting program, as well as an Assistant Conductor of the University Singers.