This Season's Featured Soloists (in order of appearance, with upcoming soloists featured first)
Alexis Cai, flute
Alexis Cai is currently a Senior at Marlborough School in Los Angeles, and has studied the flute under Jim Walker and Catherine Karoly. She has been a member of the Claremont Youth Symphony Orchestra, Colburn Youth Orchestra, and Ed and Mari Edelman Chamber Music Institute, and has won prizes in the National Flute Association High School Competition, Lansum International Music Festival, and San Diego Flute Guild Competitions, among others. In addition to playing the flute, Alexis is also a skilled pianist, vocalist, and composer.
Emily Linlo, harp
Emily Linlo is currently pursuing a master's degree in harp performance at the University of Redlands under the guidance of Jillian Risigari-Gai Lopez. She has taken masterclasses with Elzbieta Szmyt, Elizabeth Volpé Bligh, Sasha Boldachev, Emmanuel Ceysson, and Claire Jones. As a graduate student, she was awarded a teaching graduate assistantship. She holds a bachelors in music, a DipABRSM & ARSM in piano performance and was a recipient of the Valeria Finzi Memorial Scholarship along with the Promising New Harpist Award. Currently Ms. Linlo is principal harpist of the Claremont Symphony Orchestra, as well as harpist with different ensembles at University of Redlands. She was a harpist for Claremont Young Musicians Orchestra (CYMO) and has played in California State University-Fullerton Symphony Orchestra and various other orchestras. Aside from the harp, she serves as a piano accompanist, an organist at various churches, and was a former handbell ringer.
Gloria Cangahuala, piano
Gloria Cangahuala has played both piano and violin since the age of four. She has been a violinist with Claremont Symphony Orchestra for 22 years and is in her 14th season as its concertmaster; she is also an on-call violinist with various other ensembles in the Los Angeles/Inland Empire area, including Redlands Symphony Orchestra. Ms. Cangahuala has been the featured piano soloist twice before with CSO, performing Schumann's Piano Concerto in A minor and Mendelssohn's Piano Concerto No. 2. She is the former Executive Director of CSO; former Executive Director of the Claremont Youth Symphony Orchestra; and pianist, violinist, and cantor at Our Lady of the Assumption Church (OLA) in Claremont. She is also a composer and in March 2020 attended the world premiere of one of her choral compositions in upstate New York. She also writes psalm and Mass settings, which are used regularly at OLA and at other local Catholic churches.
Ms. Cangahuala is a competitive crossword puzzle enthusiast, and she and her husband Alberto are the 2017 and 2018 doubles champions of the Los Angeles Crossword Puzzle Tournament; the 2019 doubles champions of the Boswords (Boston) Crossword Puzzle Tournament; and the 2020, 2021, and 2022 doubles champions of the Finger Lakes (Ithaca) Crossword Competition. Ms. Cangahuala graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a B.S. in Management Information Technology and a Minor in Music and holds an MBA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She lives in Claremont.
Ms. Cangahuala is a competitive crossword puzzle enthusiast, and she and her husband Alberto are the 2017 and 2018 doubles champions of the Los Angeles Crossword Puzzle Tournament; the 2019 doubles champions of the Boswords (Boston) Crossword Puzzle Tournament; and the 2020, 2021, and 2022 doubles champions of the Finger Lakes (Ithaca) Crossword Competition. Ms. Cangahuala graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a B.S. in Management Information Technology and a Minor in Music and holds an MBA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She lives in Claremont.
Members of Salastina:
Kevin Kumar, violin Yoshika Masuda, cello HyeJin Kim, piano
Kevin Kumar, violinist, has been a soloist with orchestras such as the Los Angeles Philharmonic and guest concertmaster of symphonies on the U.S. West Coast and around Europe. He has performed as a chamber musician around the world and is also a studio musician, having played on countless Hollywood movies, tv shows, and albums. He benefited from a supportive family as well as amazing teachers and colleagues, which led him to understand that building community is just as important as individual artistic excellence. For that reason, Mr. Kumar co-founded and co-directs a local non-profit concert series called Salastina (salastina.org). He is also the co-artistic director of ChamberFest Canandaigua in the Finger Lakes region of NY. Mr. Kumar is a graduate of Stanford and attended USC, Manhattan School of Music, and Columbia University. He is based in Southern California, where he lives with his wife and dotes on his young kids. Mr. Kumar grew up in Diamond Bar and attended high school in Claremont. This is his second solo appearance with the Claremont Symphony.
Yoshika Masuda has performed throughout Australia, Japan, China, South Korea, Mexico, the US, and much of Western Europe as a soloist and chamber musician. He is the winner of national competitions in Australia, Japan, and the US and was also awarded the prestigious YAMAHA Music Foundation of Europe String Award. Chamber music forms the core of Mr. Masuda's musical endeavors, and he has performed alongside Peter Frankl, Bruno Giuranna, Gil Kalish, Cho-Liang Lin, Roger Tapping, Don Weilerstein, and the Kronos Quartet. He is the co-founder of the SAKURA cello quintet and the resident cellist for Salastina. He was also the former cellist of the Rolston Quartet, with whom he toured throughout the US, Canada, and Europe. Mr. Masuda studied with Hannah Roberts at the Royal Northern College of Music and Ralph Kirshbaum at the USC Thornton School of Music. He is currently the Assistant Professor of Cello and Director of String Studies at Chapman University Hall-Musco Conservatory of Music and has also served on the summer faculty of the Montecito International Music Festival, Heartland Chamber Music Festival and the Yellow Barn Young Artist Program.
Born in Seoul, pianist HyeJin Kim studied at the prestigious Yewon Arts School and Berlin’s Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler, where she earned her MA in Musical Arts as a “Konzertexamen.” She received an artist diploma at the Colburn School in its Conservatory of Music, where she studied with Fabio Bidini. Ms. Kim first attracted international attention at age 17 when, as its youngest participant, she won third prize in the prestigious Ferruccio Busoni International Piano Competition in Italy. Since then, Ms. Kim has been a prizewinner at numerous other international competitions including the 2008 Hong Kong International Piano Competition, the German Academic Exchange Service Prize, the Steinway & Sons Advancement Award Competition, and the Toronto International Piano Competition. In 2013, HyeJin made her recording debut performing Rachmaninoff Piano Concertos No. 1 & 2 with the Armenian National Philharmonic Orchestra and Maestro Eduard Topchjan on Sony Classical. She has collaborated and toured internationally with numerous orchestras. In 2021, her first solo album Miroirs was released on Navona Records, and a recording of Clementi early sonatas on Naxos was released recently as well.
Ms. Kim is a resident pianist of Salastina, as well as artistic director of Rendezvous de la Musique Festival. She continues her musical performances in various venues as a soloist, a recitalist, and a chamber musician. An appreciative recipient of generous support by the Amron-Sutherland Grant for Young Pianists from the Colburn School, Ms. Kim has served as a professor in the international division at Chugye University of the Arts and is currently a faculty member at the Colburn School.
Salastina invites listeners to join with composers, musicians, and artists to celebrate the beauty of the past and present, and to carry it into the future with a spirit of inclusiveness. Founded in 2010 by violinists Maia Jasper White and Kevin Kumar, Salastina's roster consists of Resident Artists and special guests. In 2022, Salastina was voted "Best Chamber Ensemble" by San Francisco Classical Voice's Audience Choice Awards. Salastina brings the joy and intimacy of chamber music to in-person and online audiences. Live performances take place in Pasadena and West Los Angeles and occasionally in Orange County. On its Main Series, Salastina presents repertoire ranging from the Renaissance to the present day. Salastina's popular online Happy Hour series gives audiences a peek behind the creative curtain. These 21st-century salons give audiences access to music-makers normally kept at a distance. Since April 2020, Salastina has produced over 100 such events. Past guests include violinist Hilary Hahn, EGOT-winning composer Alan Menken, mandolinist Chris Thile, multiple Grammy-award winning composer Eric Whitacre, Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Caroline Shaw, and many more. As of October 2022, Happy Hours now occur with the option to attend in-person. Outside of live performances, Salastina offers a tuition-free Young Artist Program. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday since the COVID-19 pandemic began, Salastina musicians have played private, virtual bedside concerts for patients in UCLA's ICU. Salastina is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. To learn more, visit www.salastina.org.
Yoshika Masuda has performed throughout Australia, Japan, China, South Korea, Mexico, the US, and much of Western Europe as a soloist and chamber musician. He is the winner of national competitions in Australia, Japan, and the US and was also awarded the prestigious YAMAHA Music Foundation of Europe String Award. Chamber music forms the core of Mr. Masuda's musical endeavors, and he has performed alongside Peter Frankl, Bruno Giuranna, Gil Kalish, Cho-Liang Lin, Roger Tapping, Don Weilerstein, and the Kronos Quartet. He is the co-founder of the SAKURA cello quintet and the resident cellist for Salastina. He was also the former cellist of the Rolston Quartet, with whom he toured throughout the US, Canada, and Europe. Mr. Masuda studied with Hannah Roberts at the Royal Northern College of Music and Ralph Kirshbaum at the USC Thornton School of Music. He is currently the Assistant Professor of Cello and Director of String Studies at Chapman University Hall-Musco Conservatory of Music and has also served on the summer faculty of the Montecito International Music Festival, Heartland Chamber Music Festival and the Yellow Barn Young Artist Program.
Born in Seoul, pianist HyeJin Kim studied at the prestigious Yewon Arts School and Berlin’s Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler, where she earned her MA in Musical Arts as a “Konzertexamen.” She received an artist diploma at the Colburn School in its Conservatory of Music, where she studied with Fabio Bidini. Ms. Kim first attracted international attention at age 17 when, as its youngest participant, she won third prize in the prestigious Ferruccio Busoni International Piano Competition in Italy. Since then, Ms. Kim has been a prizewinner at numerous other international competitions including the 2008 Hong Kong International Piano Competition, the German Academic Exchange Service Prize, the Steinway & Sons Advancement Award Competition, and the Toronto International Piano Competition. In 2013, HyeJin made her recording debut performing Rachmaninoff Piano Concertos No. 1 & 2 with the Armenian National Philharmonic Orchestra and Maestro Eduard Topchjan on Sony Classical. She has collaborated and toured internationally with numerous orchestras. In 2021, her first solo album Miroirs was released on Navona Records, and a recording of Clementi early sonatas on Naxos was released recently as well.
Ms. Kim is a resident pianist of Salastina, as well as artistic director of Rendezvous de la Musique Festival. She continues her musical performances in various venues as a soloist, a recitalist, and a chamber musician. An appreciative recipient of generous support by the Amron-Sutherland Grant for Young Pianists from the Colburn School, Ms. Kim has served as a professor in the international division at Chugye University of the Arts and is currently a faculty member at the Colburn School.
Salastina invites listeners to join with composers, musicians, and artists to celebrate the beauty of the past and present, and to carry it into the future with a spirit of inclusiveness. Founded in 2010 by violinists Maia Jasper White and Kevin Kumar, Salastina's roster consists of Resident Artists and special guests. In 2022, Salastina was voted "Best Chamber Ensemble" by San Francisco Classical Voice's Audience Choice Awards. Salastina brings the joy and intimacy of chamber music to in-person and online audiences. Live performances take place in Pasadena and West Los Angeles and occasionally in Orange County. On its Main Series, Salastina presents repertoire ranging from the Renaissance to the present day. Salastina's popular online Happy Hour series gives audiences a peek behind the creative curtain. These 21st-century salons give audiences access to music-makers normally kept at a distance. Since April 2020, Salastina has produced over 100 such events. Past guests include violinist Hilary Hahn, EGOT-winning composer Alan Menken, mandolinist Chris Thile, multiple Grammy-award winning composer Eric Whitacre, Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Caroline Shaw, and many more. As of October 2022, Happy Hours now occur with the option to attend in-person. Outside of live performances, Salastina offers a tuition-free Young Artist Program. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday since the COVID-19 pandemic began, Salastina musicians have played private, virtual bedside concerts for patients in UCLA's ICU. Salastina is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. To learn more, visit www.salastina.org.
Albert Rice, clarinet
Albert R. Rice studied clarinet with Kalman Bloch, Mitchell Lurie, and Rosario Mazzeo and completed an M.A. in Music Performance and a Ph.D. in Musicology at the Claremont Graduate School. He has played principal clarinet with the Claremont Symphony Orchestra since 2018 and chamber music in several groups locally and at Tuesday Musicale meetings in Altadena. Dr. Rice's passion for early clarinets and music resulted in the publication of five books from 1992 to 2020, four on the history of the clarinet and one on clarinet solo literature, published by Oxford University Press; another book is a catalogue of an important instrument collection entitled Four Centuries of Musical Instruments: the Marlowe A. Sigal Collection, published by Schiffer in 2015. The American Musical Instrument Society honored Dr. Rice in 2011 with their Curt Sachs Award for lifetime devotion to scholarship related to musical instruments.
David Sage, viola
David Sage is a familiar face to patrons of the Claremont Symphony Orchestra, having appeared on the Little Bridges stage with varied ensembles for over forty years. He has served as Principal Violist for several Los Angeles-based orchestras, including the St. Matthews Chamber Orchestra, Riverside Philharmonic, Mozart Classical Orchestra, Burbank Philharmonic, San Bernardino Symphony, and many others. Mr. Sage has also been privileged to lend his versatility and artistry to recording sessions for studio albums and movie soundtracks with many popular music stars and classical ensembles, and to have performed in esteemed local venues like Disney Hall, Segerstrom Center, and the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.
Mr. Sage graduated from the California Institute of the Arts with a dual emphasis on viola performance and composition, and was a recipient of the prestigious Colburn scholarship. As an arranger and educator, he brings a deep understanding of musical form, texture, and function to his compositions and his teaching style. Beyond his orchestral pursuits, Mr. Sage explores a range of interests, including cartography, home improvement projects, and bass guitar.
Mr. Sage graduated from the California Institute of the Arts with a dual emphasis on viola performance and composition, and was a recipient of the prestigious Colburn scholarship. As an arranger and educator, he brings a deep understanding of musical form, texture, and function to his compositions and his teaching style. Beyond his orchestral pursuits, Mr. Sage explores a range of interests, including cartography, home improvement projects, and bass guitar.
Natalie Salins, soprano
Natalie Salins is originally from the New York stage and has starred off-broadway in such roles as Antigone in Antigone; Hodel in Fiddler on the Roof; and Mary in Jesus Christ Superstar. After moving to Los Angeles, she starred in the award-winning show The Beastly Bombing and played Musetta in La bohème; The Countess in The Marriage of Figaro; Micaela in Carmen; Violetta in La Traviata; Suor Angelica in Suor Angelica; Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni; Liu in Turandot; Nedda in Pagliacci; Fiordiligi in Cosi Fan Tutte; and Gilda in Rigoletto. Ms. Salins has also done considerable work on screen and was seen in the 2017 Hallmark Christmas move Switched For Christmas. Other television roles included Heroes (Sylar’s mother, NBC); Criminal Minds (guest star, CBS); The Ascent (Lifetime); Heatwave (Regent Entertainment); The Believers (Warner Bros); Hummer (Sundance Selection); and My Wife and Kids (costar, ABC). Before receiving her BFA at New York University, she won the prestigious award of Presidential Scholar; was given the title of most promising musical theater student in the country; and sang at The Kennedy Center for Clinton/Gore.
Jessica Mamey, mezzo-soprano
Jessica Mamey is a mezzo-soprano, performing a variety of musical styles from Cabaret to Classical. She has been noted for her wide dramatic and musical range across a variety of roles including Dinah in Trouble in Tahiti, Despina in Cosi fan tutte, Zerlina in Don Giovanni, Flora in La traviata, Prince Orlofsky in Die Fledermaus and Martha in Faust. Ms. Mamey has performed throughout California, including with Pacific Opera Project, Long Beach Opera, Center Stage Opera, Townsend Opera, Chamber Opera Players of L.A., Repertory Opera Company, Mesopotamian Opera Company, and Celestial Opera Company. She has been a featured soloist in Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy and Symphony No. 9 with the Pasadena Master Chorale and L.A. Daiku Singers. Ms. Mamey graduated from Occidental College, where she began her vocal studies with Scott Blois. She continues her studies with teacher Joann Zajac and coaches Zeffin Quinn Hollis, Frank Fetta, and Iris Malkin.
Marco Antonio Lozano, tenor
Marco Antonio Lozano, tenor, is in demand as an artist in both the United States and on the international stage. His numerous roles include Ernesto in Don Pasquale, Rodolfo in La boheme, Duca in Rigoletto, Alfredo in La traviata, Edgardo in Lucia di lammermoor, Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni, Conte Almaviva in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Tamino in Die Zauberflöte, Achill in Iphigénie en Aulide, Gunther in Die Feen, Tito in La Clemenza di Tito, Macduff in Macbeth, and Ruiz Alonso in Ainadamar with companies such as Theater Ulm, Theater für Niedersachsen, Oper im Berg Festival - Salzburg, Opernfestival Schloss Amerang, Opera Royale, Lyric Opera of Los Angeles, and Kammeroper Frankfurt. Mr. Lozano has also been seen onstage with the Los Angeles Opera chorus and in concert with Opera en Castellano and Musik Festival Saalbach. Recently, he was the rehearsal cover for the title role in L'amico Fritz with the Tiroler Festspiele Erl.
Mr. Lozano was the first place winner in the Grandi Voci International Vocal Competition in Salzburg and has been engaged in Germany, the Czech Republic, Canada, Spain, Italy, and Austria. As an active concert singer, he has been engaged for numerous programs in the United States and Mexico, including several concerts with pianist Robert Thies for the late writer Gore Vidal and gala performances with Kammersängerin Grace Bumbry. He has worked with conductors such as James Conlon, Plácido Domingo, Edoardo Mueller, Grant Gershon, and Brent McMunn, among others. Mr. Lozano obtained a Bachelor of Music Degree in Composition from California State University, Northridge and a Master of Music Degree in Voice Performance at the University of Southern California. He is fluent in English, Spanish, and German.
Mr. Lozano was the first place winner in the Grandi Voci International Vocal Competition in Salzburg and has been engaged in Germany, the Czech Republic, Canada, Spain, Italy, and Austria. As an active concert singer, he has been engaged for numerous programs in the United States and Mexico, including several concerts with pianist Robert Thies for the late writer Gore Vidal and gala performances with Kammersängerin Grace Bumbry. He has worked with conductors such as James Conlon, Plácido Domingo, Edoardo Mueller, Grant Gershon, and Brent McMunn, among others. Mr. Lozano obtained a Bachelor of Music Degree in Composition from California State University, Northridge and a Master of Music Degree in Voice Performance at the University of Southern California. He is fluent in English, Spanish, and German.
Patrick Blackwell, bass-baritone
Patrick Blackwell continues to expand his impressive repertoire in opera, oratorio, and musical theater. His career has seen him engaged by many of the leading opera companies and orchestras of the U.S. and Europe, including appearances with the Boston Symphony Orchestra at the Tanglewood Festival, Munich Philharmonic, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and LA Opera. He trained at the Juilliard School and began his career as a young artist with the Santa Fe Opera, Houston Opera Studio, the Merola Opera Program with San Francisco Opera, Opera Music Theatre International with Jerome Hines, and Aspen Opera. He has appeared in concert with the Munich Philharmonic in Porgy and Bess, conducted by Lorin Maazel, and in the title role of Porgy on a European tour with NY Harlem Productions. His association with this piece is extensive, having appeared as Porgy and other roles with Utah Opera, the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood, Fresno Grand Opera, the Castleton Festival, and on tour throughout the United States.
On the concert platform, Mr. Blackwell is highly sought after as the bass soloist in Verdi’s Requiem. He made his Carnegie Hall debut in the world premiere of Earnestine Rodgers Robinson’s Crucifixion, in addition to performing works by Mozart at the Arts Festival in North Korea, the Fauré Requiem with the Fresno Philharmonic, and the role of Osride in Mose in Egitto by Rossini with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra at Lincoln Center. In the United States, his operatic engagements have included Leporello in Don Giovanni, Colline in La Boheme, Zuniga in Carmen for New York City Opera, First Nazarene in Salome and Bartolo in The Marriage of Figaro for Utah Opera, Sarastro in The Magic Flute for Fresno Grand Opera, Ferrando in Il Trovatore for Knoxville Opera, the King in Aïda, Melitone in La Forza del Destino for New Jersey State Opera, and Tom in Un Ballo in Maschera for New Orleans Opera. With Chicago Lyric Opera Mr. Blackwell’s roles have included Burnah in Amistad, Henry Davis in Street Scene, Cal in Regina, and the Duke of Verona in Roméo et Juliette.
Recent engagements have included Zuniga in Carmen with San Diego Opera, Méphistophélès in Faust with Valley Opera & Performing Arts, and Leone in Verdi's Attila. Mr. Blackwell's upcoming appearances for 2023/2024 include a return to LA Opera as Baron Douphol in La Traviata and a debut with the Los Angeles Philharmonic as Don Fernando in Fidelio.
On the concert platform, Mr. Blackwell is highly sought after as the bass soloist in Verdi’s Requiem. He made his Carnegie Hall debut in the world premiere of Earnestine Rodgers Robinson’s Crucifixion, in addition to performing works by Mozart at the Arts Festival in North Korea, the Fauré Requiem with the Fresno Philharmonic, and the role of Osride in Mose in Egitto by Rossini with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra at Lincoln Center. In the United States, his operatic engagements have included Leporello in Don Giovanni, Colline in La Boheme, Zuniga in Carmen for New York City Opera, First Nazarene in Salome and Bartolo in The Marriage of Figaro for Utah Opera, Sarastro in The Magic Flute for Fresno Grand Opera, Ferrando in Il Trovatore for Knoxville Opera, the King in Aïda, Melitone in La Forza del Destino for New Jersey State Opera, and Tom in Un Ballo in Maschera for New Orleans Opera. With Chicago Lyric Opera Mr. Blackwell’s roles have included Burnah in Amistad, Henry Davis in Street Scene, Cal in Regina, and the Duke of Verona in Roméo et Juliette.
Recent engagements have included Zuniga in Carmen with San Diego Opera, Méphistophélès in Faust with Valley Opera & Performing Arts, and Leone in Verdi's Attila. Mr. Blackwell's upcoming appearances for 2023/2024 include a return to LA Opera as Baron Douphol in La Traviata and a debut with the Los Angeles Philharmonic as Don Fernando in Fidelio.
Phineus Choi, cello
Phineus Choi is a senior at Claremont High School and co-winner of Claremont Youth Symphony Orchestra's 2023 Concerto Competition. He has been studying cello for ten years under the tutelage of Rick Mooney and Maggie Parkins. In addition to his solo repertoire, he most enjoys performing in chamber groups and larger ensembles. Phineus currently forms a piano trio with pianist Sebastian Quadrini and violinist Caleb Fong through Junior Chamber Music. He was last year's CYSO principal cellist and is currently participating in CYSO as cello section coach. Outside of music, he enjoys playing soccer for both his club and school team, playing chess, cooking, and exploring life’s novelties with his closest friends. He would like to dedicate this performance to his late cello teacher, Rick Mooney, who passed away last spring. Phineus will perform Max Bruch's Kol Nidrei.
Meghan Linnington, mezzo-soprano
Meghan Linnington, 17, is an award-winning Mezzo-Soprano living in Claremont. She is a student of the Royal Conservatory of Music and has completed 9 of 10 levels of study in voice, receiving First Class Honors with Distinction and earning two National Gold Medals to be presented in a Carnegie Hall performance in January 2024. Her current voice instructor is Maria Maxfield of the Met Chorus, and her prior voice instructors have included Devon Guthrie (Claremont Community School of Music) and Dr. Michelle Eiler (Oral Roberts University). Meghan’s passion for performance began with the Children’s Chorus in Tulsa Opera’s La Bohème (2015). Since that time, she has performed in several operas, including: Elf Maiden in Dean Burry’s The Hobbit (2016); Shepherd Boy in Puccini’s Tosca (2016); Fox in Valtinoni’s Pinocchio (2018); Little Prince cover in Rachel Portman’s The Little Prince (2019); Hansel in Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel (2019); Mother in Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors (2021) and Children’s Chorus for Valtinoni’s Snow Queen (2017) and Bizet’s Carmen (2019). Other performances include: Little Red Ridinghood in Sondheim’s Into the Woods at Tulsa Opera (2023); Cherubino (shared role) in a Figaro Opera Camp production of the Salzburg Festival in collaboration with members of the Vienna Philharmonic at the Universitat Mozarteum (2023); Maddelena in The Tinker of Tivoli with National Children’s Chorus, Vail Opera Camp at the Avon Performance Pavilion (2023); Raven in Caroline Altman’s A Splinter of Ice with San Francisco Opera Summer Conservatory at Herbst Theatre (2017); Singing Coyote in The Prospector (based on Puccini’s The Girl of the Golden West) with LA Opera Camp at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion (2018).
Meghan was a Young Artist with Summer Performing Arts with Juilliard at College du Leman in Switzerland (2019). She has participated in summer institutes with the Met (2020) and the Washington National Opera (2021). Beyond voice, Meghan is an accomplished student of piano, violin, and ballet, and she performs as solo and ensemble instrumentalist and dancer as well. Meghan aspires to a career in opera and eagerly looks for opportunities to share her vocal gift through performance.
Meghan was a Young Artist with Summer Performing Arts with Juilliard at College du Leman in Switzerland (2019). She has participated in summer institutes with the Met (2020) and the Washington National Opera (2021). Beyond voice, Meghan is an accomplished student of piano, violin, and ballet, and she performs as solo and ensemble instrumentalist and dancer as well. Meghan aspires to a career in opera and eagerly looks for opportunities to share her vocal gift through performance.
Jammie Park, cello
Jammie Park is a freshman at Claremont High School and co-winner of Claremont Youth Symphony Orchestra's 2023 Concerto Competition. She has been playing cello for six years. Before joining CYSO, Jammie was a member of Prelude Symphonic Ensemble (then called Prelude String Ensemble) for four years. She will perform the first movement of Camille Saint-Saëns's Concerto No. 1 in A minor, Op. 33.
2023 Claremont Mayor Ed Reece, narrator
Ed Reece is currently serving his second term on the Claremont City Council, serving as Mayor in 2023. He is Founder, President, and CEO of ISN Global Enterprises, an international technology firm that he founded out of his father's home over 28 years ago. In recognition of his work with the business community, Mr. Reece was awarded the Claremont Chamber of Commerce's Business of the Year and Businessperson of the Year. The United States Congress, California State Legislature, and County of Los Angeles have also recognized his business achievements. Mr. Reece has been a voice for expanding regional transit and transportation in Southern California and has been instrumental in advocating for the Gold Line Extension through Montclair. He serves as Chair of the Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority Board of Directors and an executive member of the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments Governing Board.
Kyle Champion, cello
Kyle Champion has been Artist Teacher of cello at the University of Redlands since 1995 and has served on the faculties of La Sierra University, California State Polytechnic University (Pomona), Oklahoma City University, and Oklahoma Baptist University. He was appointed Director of the University of Redlands String Project in Fall 2011. He serves as principal cellist with the Redlands Symphony and was former principal cellist with the Riverside County Philharmonic and the Chamber Orchestra of Oklahoma City. He is a member of the Long Beach Symphony and regularly performs with numerous area orchestras, including Pacific Symphony, Los Angeles Opera, and San Bernardino Symphony. He rounds out his performing schedule in recording studios and playing chamber music recitals. In 2011 he was appointed String Specialist at the Webb Schools of California in Claremont, California. A long-time member of the American String Teachers Association, Mr. Champion volunteered as a chairperson for the annual CalASTA-LA Bowed Strings Competition for over 20 years, including two years as chairperson for the L.A. regional final competition. He headed the CalASTA State Competition in October 2020. He also served as President of the CalASTA-LA section for 2013-14 and continues as a member of the board of that organization. Mr. Champion was a student of Ronald Leonard at USC and has studied chamber music with Donald McInnes, members of the New Hungarian String Quartet, and the contemporary music performers Voices of Change.