Tuesday, May 3rd at 7:00 pm in Milbank Memorial Chapel, TC Chamber Music will present works by Bach, Debussy, Dvorak, Handel, Mozart, Schubert, Piazzolla, Poulenc, and others.
- Chamber Musicians include:
A First Class Honors music graduate of Trinity College, Dublin, Marie-Louise Bowe is a violist, fiddle player, piano accompanist and music educator. She holds a Licentiate Diploma from the Royal Irish Academy of Music in piano and viola and is also an Irish Language Teacher. Her degrees include a Higher Diploma in Education (Trinity) and a Masters Degree in Arts Management and Cultural Policy (University College Dublin). Marie-Louise performs regularly with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra and the National Symphony Orchestra in Ireland and has toured extensively throughout Europe and the United States. Her television appearances include the MTV Awards and Ireland’s Meteor Awards. She has performed and recorded with Pavarotti, José Carreras, Cliff Richard, The Corrs, Katherine Jenkins, Sean Combs, Enrique Iglesias, Westlife, Rónan Keating, Katie Melua, Frankie Gavin, Colm Wilkinson, Mícheál O Súilleabháin and Josh Groban. An All-Ireland Fleadh Ceoil winner, Marie-Louise is a traditional fiddle player performing at major international folk festivals. In 2004, while Music Director for the Centenary Bloomsday 14-hour marathon performance at Symphony Space, she was invited by Manhattan Comhaltas (Irish Music Organization) to perform at throughout Manhattan. Marie-Louise is on leave from Belvedere College, Dublin where she founded and conducted an award winning Instrumental Wind Band Program and created a music course entitled “Music for Fun.” She also teaches at the National University of Ireland, Maynooth (music methodology teacher on the post-graduate training program). Currently a Fulbright scholar, Marie-Louise is studying for a Doctorate in Music and Music Education at Columbia University, New York.
David Chidsey is a classical guitarist and music teacher residing in Manhattan, NY. David teaches guitar and chamber music at Monticello High School in NY State and is a graduate assistant guitar instructor at Teachers College, Columbia University where he is pursuing the Ed.M. David has taught a Jazz Studies course at Columbia University and taught guitar at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. David studied with Sharon Isbin at the Aspen Music School; his degrees come from the Lawrence Conservatory, UW-Madison and Teachers College, Columbia University. David’s repertoire ranges from classical arrangements, Spanish and South American music to jazz and chamber music.
Sara Clark, soprano, is currently studying for her Master’s in Music Education at Teachers College, Columbia University. Previously, she received her Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from The Boston Conservatory. While studying in Boston, she enjoyed playing many roles including Peasblossom in Midsummer Night’s Dream, Papagena in The Magic Flute, Ilia in Idomeneo, and Sor Isabel in With Blood, With Ink (a contemporary opera by Daniel Crozier and Peter M. Krask). Upon moving back to New York City, Sara has performed with the Village Light Opera Group, The Amore Opera, Light Opera of New York, The Amato Opera, and The Broadway to Bach Ensemble. Her most favored roles include Adele in Die Fledermaus, Rose Maybud in Ruddigore, and Yum-Yum in The Mikado. In 2009, Sara was asked to sing at the International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival in Buxton, England. There she was presented with the Best Supporting Actress Award for her role as Lisa in The Grand Duke.
Alexandra Hamilton is a freelance flutist in New York City where she has performed contemporary music, chamber music, and orchestral works. At the heart of New York’s contemporary classical music scene, Ms. Hamilton has played with Alarm Will Sound, TACTUS Contemporary Ensemble, Red Light New Music, and Amp Music. As principal flute with the New York Youth Symphony, she performed many times at Carnegie Hall. She has performed in England, Italy, France, Germany and Canada, with the Greenwich Symphony Orchestra, and has made appearances at the Aspen Music Festival, Symphony Academy of the Pacific, International Academie of Music in Nice, France, and the Darmstadt International New Music Festival in Germany. She has studied with master flutists including Mark Sparks, Phillipe Bernold, Timothy Day, Fenwick Smith, Robert Dick, Paula Robison, Amy Porter, Bradley Garner, Randy Bowman, and Jill Felber. A winner of the Manhattan School of Music Lilian Fuchs Competition, she was also finalist for several competitions including the National Flute High School soloist competition, the New York Flute Club competition, and the New York Koussevitzky Woodwind and Brass competition. She has played under conductors James Conlon, Kurt Masur, David Zinman, David Robertson, and George Manahan. Ms. Hamilton studied flute under Linda Chesis at the Manhattan School of Music where she received her Bachelor of Music with academic honors. She earned the M.M. in McGill University’s Schulich School of Music, and is currently completing her Masters in Music Education from Columbia University’s Teachers College.
YounSoo Kim is currently pursuing the M.A. in Music and Music Education at Teachers College, Columbia University. She received her Bachelor of Music in Composition at Oberlin Conservatory where she studied composition with Lewis Nielson and Josh Levine, and piano with Lydia Frumkin. While at Oberlin, she wrote a number of solo and ensemble pieces which were performed at Composition Department Concerts. Her compositions include Emille Bell for chamber orchestra, Atmospheric Tides for solo harp, The Sea and the Butterfly for woodwind quintet, In the Void for oboe, 2 violins and viola, Movements for flute, violin and harp, and Piano Etudes for the Young.
Yoonjean Lee, violin, has won awards including 1st Prize, Korean Students Music Competition; 1st Prize, Saejong Music Competition; and 3rd Prize, Korean Music Competition. She was Concert Master of Hyundae Youth Orchestra in Korea and has performed in the Suwon University Music Camp and the Korean Chamber Ensembles Music Camp. Yoonjean earned the Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance from the College-Conservatory of Music, University of Cincinnati where she was a member of the Concert Orchestra and presented several chamber music and solos recitals. She is pursuing the Master of Music Education (Ed.M.) at Teachers College and has taught violin students from age six to sixteen at church and summer camps.
Nate Olson is a doctoral student in the music education program at Teachers College, Columbia University. Before coming to TC he was Assistant Director of the Folk Music Program at Brigham Young University, coaching ensembles in Bluegrass, Irish, Klezmer, and other world musics. His students performed throughout the South Pacific, Asia, Europe, North and South America. Nate was also Assistant Director of the Institute for American Music which produces instructional materials and provides ensemble experiences for youth and families in Utah. A competitive fiddler since his youth, Nate was a two-time Utah State Fiddle champion and has been ranked in the top twelve fiddlers nationally for his age group. Nate has transcribed hundreds of fiddle tunes, and recently completed Championship Contest Fiddling (MelBay, 2010) featuring his transcriptions and interviews with contest champions. Nate has been a member of several award-winning Bluegrass and eclectic acoustic ensembles, including Cold Creek, Lincoln Highway, and Enoch Train, all of which have recorded and performed extensively throughout the intermountain West and abroad. He is featured on seven albums with Geslison and Groberg for Covenant Communications, and can also be heard on the Deseret and Pitchfork labels. Nate earned his Bachelors degree from BYU and his Master of Music in Bassoon Performance from the University of Michigan. His academic research focuses on cultural diversity in music education, and he has presented at conferences in Utah and abroad. He lives in New York with his wife Morgan and their sons Asher, Sayer, and Bart.
Alison Soccio is a first year Masters student of Music and Music Education at Teachers College, Columbia University. She received her Bachelor of Music in Music Education from Syracuse University in May of 2010. While at Syracuse University, Alison performed flute with the orchestra, wind ensemble, symphony band, contemporary music ensemble, and Brazilian ensemble in addition to giving two solo flute recitals. Alison currently teaches music part time at The River School, a daycare for one- through five-year-olds in Jersey City, NJ. Her paper on the impact of culture and musical play in early childhood settings, co-authored with Dr. Emma Rodriguez Suarez of Syracuse University, has been presented at the Educating the Creative Mind conference at Kean University and is currently being prepared for publication.
Rebecca Straayer has been teaching music for young children, as well as piano, since 1999. She maintains a private piano studio on the upper west side of Manhattan, and teaches early childhood music at the Rita Gold Center at Teacher College. Ms. Straayer holds a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from the Eastman School in Rochester, New York, and a Masters of Arts degree from Teachers College, Columbia University. Ms. Straayer studies piano with Paul Sheftel. Ms. Straayer is also trained in the Kodaly and Orff Schulwerk philosophies. She participated in the 2002 Umculo!, Kimberley Project, where she taught preschool and elementary music at Molehabangwe Primary School in Galashewe Township, South Africa, and has presented workshops in music education for the Los Angeles City Elementary School Music Association and the Northern Cape Province Department of Education in South Africa. Ms. Straayer also holds K-12 music teacher credentials from New York State and the State of California.
Cynthia Elise Tobey received her Bachelors of Music in 2007 from The Curtis Institute of Music after studying six years at The Juilliard School, Pre-College Division. Cynthia has performed abroad in Spain, Germany, and Austria, also studying at the Konservatorium Wien. Her teachers have included Blanca Uribe, Herbert Stessin, Seymour Lipkin, & Gerald Stofsky, among others. Cynthia is in the M.A. in Music Education Program at Teachers College, Columbia University. Cynthia performs extensively in many concert halls including Carnegie Hall, Caramoor, Merkin Concert Hall, Zankel Hall, Alice Tully Hall, The Juilliard Theater, The 92nd Street Y, Troy Savings Bank Music Hall, Eisenhower Hall, The Bardavon, Jordan Hall, Olin Hall, The University of Connecticut, Miami University, and many others. Cynthia has performed with orchestras including The New York Pops, Camerata New York, Juilliard Symphony, The Hudson Valley Philharmonic, and the U.S. Military Orchestra. She won first place in the Gifted Pianists Competition, the Juilliard Concerto Competition, and the Leschetizky Piano Competition. She is a top prizewinner of The New York Piano Competition, Jacob Flier International Piano Competition, The Frederick Chopin International Piano Competition, and is a NFAA Presidential Scholar in the Arts. Cynthia is also the recipient of the U.S. Academy Award, Bard College Humanities Award, the Michael & Cecilia Iacovella Capuzzi Fellowship (Curtis Institute), and the Festorazzi piano prize. Cynthia is on the piano faculty at the Luzerne Music Center, a summer institute for young musicians in Lake Luzerne, N.Y.
Elizabeth Weissman is currently pursuing her Masters of Arts in Music Education with Initial Certification. Prior to coming to Teachers College, Elizabeth received her Bachelor of Music in Bassoon Performance from the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam. Elizabeth is currently a member of the Chelsea Symphony. She has performed professionally in The Orchestra Of Northern New York, The Northern Symphonic Winds, and The St. Lawrence University Orchestra. While pursuing her undergraduate degree, Elizabeth performed in various ensembles at the Crane School of Music including Concert Band, Wind Ensemble, Symphony Orchestra, Opera Orchestra, and Contemporary Music Ensemble in addition to participating in two student-created chamber orchestras. Elizabeth is an avid lover of chamber music and has experience playing in chamber ensembles ranging from duos to chamber orchestras. Elizabeth was accepted to and participated in the Windfest Chamber Music Festival in Waterloo, Ontario in 2006 and won 1st place in the Crane School of Music Chamber Music Competition in 2006, 2007, and 2009. In 2010, Elizabeth performed her Masters Recital comprised of chamber works for varying combinations of double reeds. Currently, Elizabeth is pursuing an independent study in chamber music for bassoon and voice.
Born and raised in Korea, In Young Yu moved to the United States in 1998. To pursue her dream of becoming a music educator, she resumed her piano studies in 2005. Having attended Binghamton University for a year, she transferred to Bergen Community College and studied piano with Kyoung-Ah Yeom. Subsequently, In Young studied piano with Dr. Deirdre O’Donohue at New York University and graduated with the Bachelor of Music in Music Education. Currently she is a 1st-year student pursuing the Master of Arts with Professional Certificate in the Music and Music Education program at Teachers College. In Young’s passion includes singing – as she has sung in many a capella groups and chorus such as the University Chorus and NYU Madrigal Singers – and composing. Her mission in life is to share music and her love of children.
TCCM is coached by Dr. Dwight Manning