This Season's Featured Soloists (in order of appearance, with upcoming soloists featured first)
Maria Pérez, piano
Pianist Dr. Maria Pérez, originally from San Juan, Puerto Rico, has built a diverse and fulfilling career in music. Her early musical training took place in Puerto Rico before she earned a Bachelor of Music degree in Piano Performance with distinction from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York. She continued her studies with Master’s and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees from the University of Washington in Seattle, where her doctoral dissertation explored American pianist/composer Louis Moreau Gottschalk and his Caribbean-based compositions.
As a soloist, Dr. Pérez has performed a range of concertos and recitals, including a notable debut with the Orquesta Sinfónica de Puerto Rico, where her interpretations of Mendelssohn's Concerto in G minor and Gottschalk's Grande Tarantelle were well-received. She has also made appearances with various orchestras such as the Claremont Symphony Orchestra, Puerto Rico Conservatory Orchestra, Beach Cities Symphony, Ontario/Chaffey Concert Band, Rancho Belago Symphony, Laguna Woods Symphony, and the Hour of Power Orchestra of the Crystal Cathedral.
Dr. Pérez has collaborated with a variety of musicians, including Martin Chalifour, Lev Polyakin, Tenor Daniel Rodriguez, Irish Tenor Ronan Tynan, Sopranos Ursula Kleinecke and Hayley Westenra, arranger Tom Scott, film composer John Debney, and Chinese Erhu player Ma XiaoHui. She has been featured on several television programs and live radio talk shows, highlighting her versatile musical skills. In addition to her performance career, Dr. Pérez is an active member of the Music Teachers' Association of California (MTAC) and has been on the faculty of the Claremont School of Music since 1993, where she teaches and mentors young musicians.
Outside of music, Dr. Pérez enjoys hiking and backpacking, practices meditation, loves dancing to Latin music, and is learning Mandarin, reflecting her diverse interests and commitment to personal growth. She currently resides in Southern Utah.
As a soloist, Dr. Pérez has performed a range of concertos and recitals, including a notable debut with the Orquesta Sinfónica de Puerto Rico, where her interpretations of Mendelssohn's Concerto in G minor and Gottschalk's Grande Tarantelle were well-received. She has also made appearances with various orchestras such as the Claremont Symphony Orchestra, Puerto Rico Conservatory Orchestra, Beach Cities Symphony, Ontario/Chaffey Concert Band, Rancho Belago Symphony, Laguna Woods Symphony, and the Hour of Power Orchestra of the Crystal Cathedral.
Dr. Pérez has collaborated with a variety of musicians, including Martin Chalifour, Lev Polyakin, Tenor Daniel Rodriguez, Irish Tenor Ronan Tynan, Sopranos Ursula Kleinecke and Hayley Westenra, arranger Tom Scott, film composer John Debney, and Chinese Erhu player Ma XiaoHui. She has been featured on several television programs and live radio talk shows, highlighting her versatile musical skills. In addition to her performance career, Dr. Pérez is an active member of the Music Teachers' Association of California (MTAC) and has been on the faculty of the Claremont School of Music since 1993, where she teaches and mentors young musicians.
Outside of music, Dr. Pérez enjoys hiking and backpacking, practices meditation, loves dancing to Latin music, and is learning Mandarin, reflecting her diverse interests and commitment to personal growth. She currently resides in Southern Utah.
John Barcellona, flute
John Barcellona is Professor Emeritus of Flute at California State University Long Beach and is flutist with the internationally acclaimed Westwood Wind Quintet (recordings on Columbia, Crystal, and WIM labels), the Caliendo Trio (recording on Ardus Gramophone), and the Caliendo/Barcellona Duo. He is the former Principal Flutist with the Pacific Symphony and piccolo with the Long Beach Symphony. An active freelance musician in Southern California, he has played Principal Flute with many international ballet companies.
Dr. Barcellona recently released a solo CD on Crystal Records, entitled Silverheels. His other solo album Is this the way to Carnegie Hall? (with Calvin Smith on horn) was nominated for a Grammy award. Mr. Barcellona is a former member of the Moyse Duo with pianist Louis Moyse. He was also a member of the West Point Military Academy Army Band during the Vietnam War Era. He has taught and performed in many music festivals, including the Rio International Cello Encounter in Brazil and the International Flute Festival in Lima, Peru, and he has taught and performed at the Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival for 30 years.
Dr. Barcellona received his Bachelor of Music from the Hartt School of Music, Master of Arts from California State University Long Beach, and Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Southern California. His principal teachers were Harold Bennett (Principal Flute of New York Metropolitan Opera), Carl Bergner (Principal Flute of Hartford Symphony), Roger Stevens (Los Angeles Philharmonic), and John Wummer (Principal Flute of New York Philharmonic).
Dr. Barcellona recently released a solo CD on Crystal Records, entitled Silverheels. His other solo album Is this the way to Carnegie Hall? (with Calvin Smith on horn) was nominated for a Grammy award. Mr. Barcellona is a former member of the Moyse Duo with pianist Louis Moyse. He was also a member of the West Point Military Academy Army Band during the Vietnam War Era. He has taught and performed in many music festivals, including the Rio International Cello Encounter in Brazil and the International Flute Festival in Lima, Peru, and he has taught and performed at the Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival for 30 years.
Dr. Barcellona received his Bachelor of Music from the Hartt School of Music, Master of Arts from California State University Long Beach, and Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Southern California. His principal teachers were Harold Bennett (Principal Flute of New York Metropolitan Opera), Carl Bergner (Principal Flute of Hartford Symphony), Roger Stevens (Los Angeles Philharmonic), and John Wummer (Principal Flute of New York Philharmonic).
Robert Sage, piano
Robert Sage has been Music Director of the Claremont Symphony Orchestra since 2011. He presently also conducts the Buddha's Light Youth Symphony Orchestra, and he has conducted a number of other orchestras in both symphonic and operatic repertoire. Dr. Sage has soloed with CSO many times over the past nearly 40 years, including the complete cycles of piano concerti by Brahms and Rachmaninoff. His Master and Doctorate degrees in Piano Performance were taken at the University of Southern California, where he studied with Lillian Steuber. He has also worked with Richard A. Jeandin and Harry Datyner of the Geneva Conservatory (Switzerland).
Marek Szpakiewicz, cello
Polish-born cellist Marek Szpakiewicz has been described by Yo-Yo Ma as an artist whose “energy, motivation, earnestness and generosity of spirit are evident through his work.” Pulitzer Prize-winning composer John Corigliano stated, “[Szpakiewicz’s] performance of my ‘Fancy on a Bach Air’ is absolutely gorgeous.” Dr. Szpakiewicz gained rapid recognition in the United States when he won the 16th Mu Phi Epsilon International Competition in 2003. His work as a soloist with various orchestras in Europe and in the United States has drawn praise from critics, who have described him as “a gifted player,” “with expansive vision and immense authority,” and “no technical limitation.” Polish and American radio stations have broadcasted his live performances, including a one-hour special program dedicated solely to his music on KUSC-Los Angeles, the largest non-profit classical music station in the country. Strad Magazine commented on his live recording of Ernest Bloch’s Schelomo as “remarkably accurate realisation of the score.”
Dr. Szpakiewicz began cello lessons at the age of six in Lublin, Poland. In his early years, he studied with Ryszard Losakiewicz and Stanislaw Firlej. He later studied with Stephen Kates at the Peabody Conservatory of Music in Baltimore. Dr. Szpakiewicz completed his doctorate degree under the tutelage of Eleonore Schoenfeld at the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California. He also studied with such distinguished cellists as Daniil Shafran, Lynn Harrell, and Siegfried Palm. He currently teaches cello and chamber music at Azusa Pacific University. His students have won top prizes at numerous international and national competitions, including International Cello Competition in Chile, the American Protégé International Piano and Strings Competition, ASTA South Bay Competition, SYMF Young Cellist Concerto Competition, and Bellflower Young Artist Competition. In addition, his former students have been accepted by such schools as Juilliard School, Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University, New England Conservatory, Manhattan School of Music, and USC Thornton School of Music.
Dr. Szpakiewicz has also contributed his talent to film orchestration as a collaborator with Polish composer Jan A.P. Kaczmarek. Among the scores he has worked on are the music for the critically acclaimed movie Finding Neverland, which received the 77th Academy Award for Best Original Score in 2005. In March 2008, Dr. Szpakiewicz earned permanent residency from the U.S. government as an “Extraordinary Ability Artist.” The title means that he has “sustained national or international acclaim and the achievements have been recognized” in his field, according to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. In June 2011, Dr. Szpakiewicz, along with his wife Keiko Mori, received recognition from Los Angeles County Supervisors Zev Yaroslavsky and Michael Antonovich for organizing a musical event to raise relief funds for the March 11 earthquake and tsunami victims in Japan.
Dr. Szpakiewicz began cello lessons at the age of six in Lublin, Poland. In his early years, he studied with Ryszard Losakiewicz and Stanislaw Firlej. He later studied with Stephen Kates at the Peabody Conservatory of Music in Baltimore. Dr. Szpakiewicz completed his doctorate degree under the tutelage of Eleonore Schoenfeld at the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California. He also studied with such distinguished cellists as Daniil Shafran, Lynn Harrell, and Siegfried Palm. He currently teaches cello and chamber music at Azusa Pacific University. His students have won top prizes at numerous international and national competitions, including International Cello Competition in Chile, the American Protégé International Piano and Strings Competition, ASTA South Bay Competition, SYMF Young Cellist Concerto Competition, and Bellflower Young Artist Competition. In addition, his former students have been accepted by such schools as Juilliard School, Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University, New England Conservatory, Manhattan School of Music, and USC Thornton School of Music.
Dr. Szpakiewicz has also contributed his talent to film orchestration as a collaborator with Polish composer Jan A.P. Kaczmarek. Among the scores he has worked on are the music for the critically acclaimed movie Finding Neverland, which received the 77th Academy Award for Best Original Score in 2005. In March 2008, Dr. Szpakiewicz earned permanent residency from the U.S. government as an “Extraordinary Ability Artist.” The title means that he has “sustained national or international acclaim and the achievements have been recognized” in his field, according to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. In June 2011, Dr. Szpakiewicz, along with his wife Keiko Mori, received recognition from Los Angeles County Supervisors Zev Yaroslavsky and Michael Antonovich for organizing a musical event to raise relief funds for the March 11 earthquake and tsunami victims in Japan.
