Icicle Creek Summer Symphony Faculty

2008 Summer Symphony Faculty List & Bios:

Jeremy Briggs Roberts Music Director and Conductor
Jeremy Briggs Roberts is currently Music Director and Conductor of the Icicle Creek Youth Symphony in Leavenworth, Washington. Prior to this appointment, Dr. Briggs Roberts served as Associate Conductor of the Philharmonisches Kammerorchester Berlin, Music Director of the University of Washington Opera for the 2004-2005 season, Associate Conductor of the University of Washington Symphony Orchestra, and Music Director of the University of Washington Baroque Ensemble and Contemporary Group. He has conducted such ensembles as the Ensemble Orchestral de Paris, London Soloists Chamber Orchestra, Moscow Symphony Orchestra, Thüringen Philharmonie, Sofia Festival Orchestra and the Bacau Philharmonic Orchestra, among others. His opera credits include productions of Cimarosa’s Il Matrimonio Segreto, Poulenc’s Dialogues des Carmélites, Offenbach’s Orphée aux Enfers, Britten’s Turn of the Screw, Ravel’s L’enfant et les Sortilèges, Mozart’s Cosi fan Tutte, Die Zauberflöte, Le Nozze de Figaro,and Der Schauspieldirektor, and Smetana’s Bartered Bride. Dr. Briggs Roberts was a prize-winner at the 2006 Vendôme Academy of Orchestral Conducting in Paris. He has studied and worked closely with many of today’s leading conductors including Peter Erös, Gianluigi Gelmetti, John Nelson, Janos Fürst, Gennady Rozhdestvensky and Gerard Schwarz. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Music from the University of Puget Sound and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Orchestral Conducting from the University of Washington.
Kara Hunnicutt
Kara Hunnicutt, cellist and teacher in Central Washington, has been principal cellist of the Yakima Symphony since 1990. She has been a featured soloist with seven orchestras in the Northwest, performing concertos by Dvorak, Schumann, Bloch, Saint-Saëns and Haydn, and most recently a cello concerto written for her by Dr. Gwyneth Walker, performed with the Mid Columbia Symphony in 2007. Recent chamber music performances have been at Cascadia Sounds of Summer in Twisp, the Icicle Creek Chamber Music Festival in Leavenworth and the Methow Music Festival in Mazama. With fellow chamber musicians Duane Funderburk and Alex Russell, Kara has founded The Cascades Trio that performs yearly in Los Angeles and throughout North Central Washington. A founding member of the Education Outreach program in Yakima, Kara and other Yakima Symphony members provide chamber music concerts and ‘informances’ to schools in the Yakima area. Awarded the Outstanding Performing Artist Award by NCW Allied Arts, she has played with the Northwest Chamber Orchestra, Pacific Northwest Ballet Orchestra, Spokane Symphony, and as principal cellist of the Federal Way, Everett, Tacoma, Omak, Orchestra Seattle. Wenatchee, and Seattle Bach Choir orchestras. She has toured with the Pacific Northwest Ballet and soloed with Seattle Repertory Theatre. Kara founded a summer camp for young string players and served on the faculty of the Woods House Conservatory of Music. A native of Wenatchee, she attended Oberlin Conservatory, summers at Music Academy of the West and Aspen Music Festival, studying with Fred Zlotkin and Juilliard String Quartet cellist Claus Adam, and received her bachelors and masters degrees in cello performance from the University of Southern California where she studied with Gabor Rejto and Ronald Leonard. She earned a masters degree in education from Central Washington University in 2000 and moved to Ellensburg in 2007 to start a new orchestra program in the public schools. Kara conducts Icicle Creek Music Center’s Academy Orchestra at Wenatchee’s Performing Arts Center.

Adam LaMotte is becoming well known to audiences in the Northwest as a leader of both period and modern ensembles. He has appeared as soloist, concertmaster, and conductor of numerous orchestras throughout the country, including the Northwest Sinfonietta in Seattle, American Virtuosi of New York, Astoria Festival Orchestra, Portland Baroque Orchestra, and the Maggini String Orchestra in Houston. Mr. LaMotte recently returned from studying under Maestro Dumitru Goia in Bucharest, Romania, and continues his study of conducting with Gregory Vajda, Resident Conductor of the Oregon Symphony.

As violinist and violist, Adam has been hailed by critics as an "especially compelling" and "superb violinist" with "exceptional talent," whose performances are "energetic and exquisite." This past season he performed as soloist in the Beethoven Violin Concerto, as well as both of Felix Mendelssohn's Violin Concerti. He has co-founded two critically-acclaimed ensembles, in Portland and in Houston, and continues to produce many chamber music and chamber orchestra performances. As Artistic Director of the Montana Baroque Festival, Adam brings fine period performance to rural Montana. In collaboration with ensembles such as American Bach Soloists, Portland Baroque Orchestra, and Trinity Consort, Mr. LaMotte performs on period instruments, using a fine Italian instrument made in 1730 by Bernardo Calcagni, for which he is indebted to his generous patrons who made the purchase possible.

Heather Bentley, violinist, violist and conductor, has made her home in the Seattle area since 1988. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Viola Performance and a Master of Music degree in Chamber Music from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. She also attended the Indiana University School of Music where she was violist in the Micheal J. Kuttner Graduate String Quartet. She has performed at Carnegie Hall in New York City as Associate Principal Violist of the New York String Orchestra and also with the Kuttner String Quartet. Ms. Bentley has appeared as viola soloist with the Pacific Northwest Ballet Orchestra, the Northwest Sinfonietta, the San Francisco Conservatory Orchestra, and the Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra. She is violist of the new music quartet odeonquartet which will travel to Odessa, Ukraine, next fall for a series of performances. Ms. Bentley is currently Principal Violist for the Northwest Sinfonietta and Director of the Seattle Conservatory Chamber Music Program. She conducts the Northwest School Chamber Orchestra and is on the music faculty of the Lakeside School. A frequent guest artist in the Puget Sound region, she has performed at the Olympic Music Festival, with the New Performance Group at Cornish College of the Arts and the Seattle Chamber Players, and at the Second City Chamber Music Series in Tacoma.

Jennifer Caine, violinist, was the first prize winner of the Yamaha Music Foundation of Europe Competition in 2004 and recipient of several awards including the Isolde Menges Prize, Polonsky Foundation Grant and Frank Huntington Beebe Grant for Musicians. She has performed in concerts throughout the U.S. and Europe, and at music festivals including the Olympic Music Festival, Soesterberg International Music Festival, Music@Menlo, and Norfolk, Yellow Barn and Sarasota Music Festivals. In the U.K., she performed extensively as a recitalist and chamber musician, and co-founded the Knox Piano Trio, which toured England and Northern Ireland. As an orchestral musician, she has appeared in concerts with the London Symphony Orchestra, Oxford Philomusica, and Seattle Symphony.

Ms. Caine is Resident Violinist at Icicle Creek Music Center and violinist of the Icicle Creek Piano Trio. Her recent collaborations in the Seattle area have included the odeonquartet, Seattle Chamber Players, and Sanssouci Chamber Ensemble, and she regularly performs on the Simple Measures and Second City Chamber Series. Jennifer is a graduate of Harvard University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music and Slavic Languages and Literatures, and holds Master of Music degrees from the Royal College of Music and Oxford University. Her teachers and coaches have included Grigori Zhislin, Zinaida Gilels, Olga Yanovich, Robert Lipsett, Elisabeth Adkins, Robert Levin and Daniel Stepner.

Kim Roy, violinist and violist, is in her first year of graduate study at Central Washington University, pursuing a Master of Music degree in Orchestral Conducting. In Spring of 2007, Kim completed a Bachelor of Music degree in String Performance from CWU. Currently, Kim is the Director of the Kittitas Valley Youth Orchestra and the Assistant Conductor of the CWU Symphony Orchestra. Kim is a founding member of the Pike String Quartet, based in Seattle. Beyond music, Kim enjoys drinking coffee and spending time with her German Short-haired Pointer, Nora.

Michelle Vaughn, violinist, is a student at Central Washington University (CWU). She will be graduating in the Spring of 2008 with a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education and Violin Performance. While at CWU, Michelle played violin in the CWU Symphony and Chamber Orchestras and performed frequently with the Abraxas String Quartet in 2004 and the Stretta String Quartet in 2007. Michelle has worked for the String Preparatory Program for four years. During her last two years with the Preparatory Program, she directed Beginning Strings. In the Spring of 2008, she is student-teaching in Yakima with Nancy Chott, the director of ten fifth-grade orchestras. After graduation, Michelle will coach violin with the Icicle Creek Summer Symphony and teach Beginning Strings with the Laughing Horse Youth Orchestra Festival. Michelle will continue to live in Ellensburg in the fall and build her private violin studio.

Pam Hunt, violist, along with her husband Terry, is the founder and musical director of Pipestone Music Institute in Twisp, Washington. She teaches the strings program at the Methow Valley public schools, as well as the alternative elementary "Community School". She also has a private studio of 30 students. Pam plays viola in the Okanogan orchestra, the Pipestone Orchestra, the Tamarack String Quartet, and is a frequent member of the Chelan Bach Fest orchestra.

Hayley Neher, violinist and violist, is a native of Wenatchee, WA. She began studying at the age of 4 with Betty Ritter, and continued through high school with Scott Hosfeld. She earned a Bachelor of Music degree in Viola Performance from the Manhattan School of Music in 2004, where she studied with Karen Dreyfus, and a Master of Music degree from The Juilliard School in 2006, where she studied with Heidi Castleman and Misha Amory. Ms. Neher has been privileged to participate in many summer festivals including The Quartet Program at the State University of New York at Fredonia, and the Tanglewood, and to have served as Principal Violist in the following orchestras: The Tanglewood New Music Orchestra, The Manhattan School of Music Philharmonia, The MSM Chamber Sinfonia, and The Juilliard Orchestra. Ms. Neher is currently based in Wenatchee, where she teaches private lessons at the Woods House Conservatory of Music.

Andrea Chandler, cellist, was raised in Seattle, where she benefited from the excellent cello teaching of Ray Davis and Toby Saks, and played under the direction of Vilem Sokol in the Seattle Youth Symphony organization. She won full Brechemin Scholarships to the University of Washington and following graduation went on scholarship to the Banff School of the Arts and then to the Royal Northern College of Music in England. She lived and worked in Lisbon, Portugal for 4 years as a member of the Gulbenkian Orchestra, touring with the orchestra and chamber music groups in Portugal, Spain and France. Following two years in the Vermont Symphony, she returned to Seattle, where she has been a member of the Pacific Northwest Ballet Orchestra since 1992. She is active as a teacher, coach in the Seattle Youth symphony program, on the faculty of the youth symphony summer camp "Marrowstone- in- the -City," and plays chamber music with many local groups. She is looking forward to joining the faculty at Icicle Creek this summer.

Sally Singer, cellist from the United Kingdom, has an extensive background in solo and chamber music performance. She has toured in Britain, France, Italy, Austria and Germany and has played in the major concert halls of London, New York, Salzburg, and Vienna.

As a soloist, Sally appeared recently with the Danbury Symphony Orchestra, Connecticut, the Stony Brook Symphony Orchestra and the Pleven Philharmonic, Bulgaria, where the Polemics of Art Journal review referred to her interpretation of Elgar's cello concerto as "a performance of the highest caliber, which will leave life-long memories for every person in the audience." Ms. Singer was a top prizewinner in the Corpus Christi International Young Artists competition, won the John Ireland Chamber Music Competition and received two fellowships to the Tanglewood Music Center in Lenox, Massachusetts, as well as many awards and scholarships from her institutions of study. She has appeared on British National Television several times and has performed and interviewed live for National Public Radio, Seattle, KING FM Radio, KOHO Radio, and KUT Radio in Austin, Texas.

Ms. Singer was awarded First Class honors at the Royal Northern College of Music, has a Master of Music degree from the University of Texas at Austin, and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the State University of New York, Stony Brook, where she studied cello performance with Timothy Eddy. She has given master classes in New York, Texas, Washington and Australia, and has a flourishing private studio. Formerly a member of the Vovka Ashkenazy and Klimt Piano Trios, Sally is now a member of the Icicle Creek Piano Trio. In addition to maintaining a busy performing schedule, Ms. Singer is Co-Artistic Director of the Icicle Creek Music Center and Co-Director of the Center's summer Chamber Music Institute.

Anna Jensen, double bassist, recently moved back to Washington after completing her Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Double Bass Performance at the University of Michigan where she studied with Dr. Diana Gannett and was a graduate student instructor. She holds a Master of Music degree from the University of Michigan and a Bachelor of Music degree from Central Washington University and has been the recipient of the Mildred Tuttle Fellowship, the Farrell Merit Scholarship-Grant, the Presser Scholar in Music, and graduated magna cum laude as a Dean's Scholar from Central Washington University. As an active orchestral musician, Anna is the principal bassist of the Wenatchee Symphony Orchestra and performs with the Yakima Symphony Orchestra and the Shenandoah Bach Festival Orchestra. Dr. Jensen regularly performs with regional orchestras across Washington, including the Spokane, Tacoma, and Federal Way Symphonies. A sought after chamber musician, Anna has performed with the Icicle Creek Chamber Music Festival, the Kairos Music Festival and Lyceum, the Rackham Chamber Music Series, and the All Rivers at Once contemporary music series. Her interest in contemporary music has brought about numerous new chamber music works for the double bass and she has presented the world premieres of these works. Anna has won the Spokane Allied Arts Young Artist Competition, the Helen Snelling Crowe Competition, and was a finalist in both the Seattle Ladies Musical Club Young Artist Competition and the American String Teachers Association National Solo Competition. In 2007, she was the featured soloist with the Wenatchee and Lake Chelan Bach Fest Orchestras. Prior to moving back to the area, Anna was an instructor of double bass at Bowling Green State University. Anna is currently the education specialist for the Tacoma Youth Symphony Association.

Scott Teske, double bassist, is a dynamic bassist and educator active in nearly every niche of the Pacific Northwest music scene. As a solo artist, Scott delights audiences with his unique blend of classical, jazz, folk and world music. In addition to freelance work, he is principal bass with the Northwest Symphony Orchestra and performs regularly with Rhythm Syndicate, SpeakEasy, TangoFusion and the Ragtime Waltz Orchestra. When not performing, Scott teaches lessons in public schools, as a coach for the Icicle Creek & Seattle Youth Symphonies, and for his own private studio of students.

Jennifer Rhyne, flute, is an Affiliate Artist and Lecturer at Pacific Lutheran University where she teaches flute and directs the Sølvvinden Flute Ensemble. She also serves as Vice President and Program Chair of the Seattle Flute Society. She studied at the Oberlin Conservatory, the University of Michigan, Stony Brook University, and at the Ecole Normale de Musique in Paris. She has been a prize winner in competitions sponsored by the National Flute Association, the Texas Flute Society, the Albuquerque Flute Association, and the Washington, DC Flute Society. She performs frequently with ensembles such as the Tacoma Symphony, the Camas Woodwind Quintet, Choral Arts, and on concert series at Tacoma's Second City Chamber Music, Walla Walla Baroque, and the Icicle Creek Music Center.

John Dimond, oboe, holds a Bachelor and Master of Music degree in Oboe Performance from the University of Illinois. After graduating, he attended the Tanglewood Music Festival where he studied with Ralph Gomberg of the Boston Symphony and performed with the Tanglewood Fellowship Orchestra. John played Principal Oboe with the Savannah Symphony for three years, and went on to study with Ray Still of the Chicago Symphony for another three years. He has played under the direction of Michael Tilson-Thomas, Geoffrey Simon, Colin Davis, Carl Maria Giulini, Seiji Ozawa, and Leonard Bernstein. Since moving to Seattle in 1994, John has played Principal Oboe with four area orchestras, including Orchestra Seattle, the Northwest Symphony, Rainier Symphony and the Lake Union Civic Orchestra, and has performed on oboe and english horn with Philharmonia Northwest, the Seattle Philharmonic and the Eastside Symphony. John also plays Principal Oboe with the Northwest Mahler Festival. He has been a teacher in one capacity or another since college, when he taught oboe and reedmaking at the Illinois Summer Youth Music. He has taught a wide array of other subjects, including math and computer applications, and has written a government instruction manual for On-The-Job Instructors.

Mac Cantrell, clarinet, teaches clarinet and is Principal Clarinetist with the Washington Idaho Symphony. He is a member of the chamber music group Con Brio Winds and while in the Seattle area, was a member of Rainier Chamber Winds and the Cascade Trio. He has been Principal Clarinetist with the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, the Madison Symphony, and Seattle Pro Musica. Extensive freelance work has included performances with the Seattle Choral Company, Chaspen Symphony Orchestra, the McCall Chamber Orchestra, the Rendezvous Chamber Orchestra and the Walla Walla Symphony, plus recording sessions for National Public Radio and PBS. He has appeared as a soloist with the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, the Oregon State University Symphony Orchestra, and Rainier Chamber Winds.

His principal teachers have been William McColl (University of Washington), Russell Dagon (Milwaukee Symphony), and Austin McDowell (University of Illinois). Mac recently retired from the University of Idaho where he was a Research Associate Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences. He lives in Moscow, Idaho with his wife, two kids, and dog. When there is spare time he enjoys backcountry skiing, hiking, and boating on the area's rivers.

Ann Kosanovic-Brown, bassoonist, received her Bachelor of Music degree from the Oberlin Conservatory. She has also studied at the Mozarteum Hochschule in Salzburg and received a three year scholarship to the Karajan Akademie in Berlin. Her teachers include Gunter Piesk, Milan Turkovic, Ken Moore and Mark Eubanks.

Most recently, Ann performed the Richard Strauss "Duet Concertino" with the Bravo! Chamber Orchestra in Vancouver, WA in May, 2008. She has been an acting member of the Oregon Symphony for the 2006-2007 season, and has held the Principal Bassoon chair with the Bellevue Philharmonic, The Natal Philharmonic in Durban, South Africa; Das Symphonie Orchester in Berlin; and the Camerata Akademica in Salzburg. Ann has also performed with the Honolulu Symphony, Berlin Philharmonic, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Mozarteum Orchestra, Seattle Opera and Seattle Symphony Orchestra. She has appeared as soloist with Rainier Chamber Winds, Philharmonia Northwest, Rainier Symphony, Natal Philharmonic Orchestra in South Africa, Jeunesse Orchester Linz, Capella Salisburgensis, Round Top Festival Orchestra-Texas, and the Oberlin Chamber Orchestra.

Ms. Kosanovic-Brown is a founding member of the clarinet, bassoon, and piano trio Ensemble Vindobona. She has recorded many chamber music CD's with Rainier Chamber Winds, and has done extensive recording sessions for numerous film scores. Ann was the associate professor of bassoon at the University of Natal, in Durban, South Africa, and has taught music minor students at the Oberlin Conservatory. She enjoys teaching bassoon lessons and maintains a private studio at her home in Newberg, Oregon.

Danielle J. Lemieux, horn, is a freelance horn player, currently playing with the Pacific Northwest Ballet Orchestra (Seattle, WA) and the Auburn Symphony (Auburn, WA). She also performs solo recitals and has soloed with groups such as the Tacoma Concert Band and Brass Unlimited. She is a frequent substitute with the Northwest Sinfonietta as well.

Ms. Lemieux is also Director of Music Ministry at St. Mark's Lutheran Church in Tacoma where she is responsible for all music for Sunday morning and special services, as well as organizing the music program which includes rehearsing and directing nine children's, youth, and adult bell, vocal and drama ensembles. She leads 3 musicals a year with children and youth between the ages of 4 and 18 and leads various other programs such as bell choir concerts and choir exchanges with other local churches. Ms. Lemieux received a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education (instrumental and choral) while also focusing on horn performance at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, WA (1998), and a Master of Music degree in Horn Performance at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, MA (2003). She lived in Oslo, Norway for a year (2001-2002) on a Fulbright Scholarship, studying Norwegian-composed horn solo music under renowned player and teacher, Frøydis Ree Wekre.

Jerry Oram, trumpet, is Principal Trumpet with the Pacific Northwest Ballet, Auburn Symphony Orchestra and the Peter Britt Festival Orchestra. He also plays at the 5th Avenue Theatre and other venues. Jerry has also performed with the Seattle Symphony, the Seattle Opera, the Northwest Chamber Orchestra and recorded movie and music scores, including Die Hard, Scary Movie, The Score and House on Haunted Hill. He has toured or performed with Johnny Mathis, Sammy Davis, Lou Rawls, Lena Horne and others. As a leading player in the Northwest, Jerry works with the best musicians in the Seattle area. Jerry graduated from the University of Washington and was the recipient of Rockefeller and Brechemin Foundation scholarships. As a trumpet instructor, he has previously taught at Western Washington University, Pacific Lutheran University, Breckenridge Music Institute and currently offers trumpet lessons in his studio in North Seattle.

Dr. Ron Babcock, trombone and low brass, received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Louisiana Tech University, a Master of Music degree in Trombone Performance at the University of Oklahoma, and his Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Trombone Performance at the University of North Texas. Before moving to Portland in 1988, Dr. Babcock was an active performer and teacher in northern Texas and Louisiana. He performed with the Shreveport Symphony Orchestra and organized as well as performed with the Mid-South Trombone Ensemble and the Shreveport Sackbut Consort. As a specialist in the performance of early trombone literature, Mr. Babcock has played alto sackbut under the direction of well-known conductors such as Christopher Hogwood, Ton Koopman and Jan Kleinbussink.

As an active member of the International Trombone Association, Dr. Babcock has written reviews and a cover article for the ITA Journal. He has also performed and given presentations at several of the International Trombone Festivals. Dr. Babcock has been an active soloist in the Portland area and has performed regularly with ensembles such as the Portland Baroque Orchestra, Yaquina Chamber Orchestra, Columbia Symphony, the Woody Hite Big Band, The Big Horn Brass and the Oregon Symphony Orchestra. He has served on the music faculty of Portland State University since 1988.

Memmi Ochi, percussion, is currently pursuing her Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Percussion Performance at the University of Washington, where she has been the only marimbist/percussionist ever to win the University of Washington Concerto Competition. She serves as Principal Timpanist and Percussion Coach for the Lake Union Civic Orchestra, as Principal Timpanist for the Evergreen City Ballet Orchestra, and as a percussionist with Philharmonia Northwest and the Rainier Symphony. As a founding member of the Mexican marimba ensemble, Palomas Del Norte, she had given community outreach performances at hospitals and farmers' markets throughout the Pacific Northwest. Her diverse musical interests have led her to study musical instruments and techniques of various cultures such as the Caribbean steel drum, Ghanaian Gyil, Venezuelan Gaita drumming, and North Indian Dhrupad singing. In addition, she directs the Evergreen Glee Club, the Japanese Baptist Church Cancel Choir, and a contemporary praise band.

~ Current List as of 5/15/08 ~

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