Concert III: Narrow Sea

GUEST SOLOIST: YUKI YASUDA - KOTO

Japanese koto player Yuki Yasuda is based in Los Angeles, California. She was born in Japan and began playing the koto at age twelve. She later majored in koto music at the Takasaki Junior Arts College and also received rigorous koto instruction under the tutelage of Tadao Sawai and Kazue Sawai, the masters of great modern koto music. Yuki served as an uchi-deshi (live-in apprentice) at the Sawai Koto Institute for three years and is a graduate of the NHK (Japanese National Broadcasting Company), traditional Japanese School of Music. Yuki has an extensive concert performance track, highlighted with numerous, recordings, and TV appearances throughout Japan.

Since moving to New York in 2009, and to Los Angeles in 2014, Yuki performed extensively as a soloist, with ensemble groups and collaborated with musicians and composers of various genres.

SAMANTHA BOUNKEUA - VIOLIN

Samantha Bounkeua is a violinist, composer, and producer specializing in multi-media collaborations with queer and femme artists. Since graduating from Oberlin Conservatory in 2010, she has performed internationally with the Britten-Pears New Music Festival, Festival de Opera San Luis, and more. Recent projects include her debut album “Etudes,” commissions for ChamberLab, LuftBassoon, Hawkins Dance Company, compositions for film and synch licensing, and new work premieres at Indexical and Stanford University. www.rogueviolin.com

SHANNON D’ANTONIO - VIOLIN

Shannon D’Antonio, violinist, is an accomplished local musician. She has recently performed with Ensemble Monterey, Cabrillo Stage, and the Monterey Bay Symphony and New Music Works.  Shannon holds a B.A. degree in Violin Performance from Stanford University, where she studied with Gennady Keyman, Barry Schiffman, and members of the St. Lawrence String Quartet. In addition, Shannon holds a M.A. degree in Education from the University of California, Santa Cruz and is currently a public school teacher at Westlake Elementary School in Santa Cruz, where she has been a faculty member since 2005.

NILES FLYNN - PERCUSSION

Niles Flynn graduated Cum Laude from San Jose State University, College of Music and Dance with a degree in Music Education and Percussion Performance. Niles has worked with many great teachers such as Jake Nissly, Galen Lemmon, John Kinzie and Aiyun Huang. Throughout the years Niles has performed regularly with many groups around the Bay Area such as, Cambrian Symphony, Mission Chamber Orchestra, Master Sinfonia Chamber Orchestra, and many others. When not performing, Niles teaches privately.

KRISTIN GARBEFF - VIOLONCELLO

Kristin Garbeff, cellist, is a versatile chamber, solo and orchestral musician. She has performed with many groups in the San Francisco and Monterey Bay areas including the Monterey Symphony, Santa Cruz Symphony, West Bay Opera, New Music Works, and Hidden Valley String Orchestra. Kristin has collaborated with various groups in the S.F. Bay Area including indie band Blue Rabbit, and others.

Kristin received her Master of Music degree in 2007 at the Longy School of Music in Cambridge, MA where she studied with Dr. Terry King. In addition to performing, Kristin maintains a teaching studio at her home in Scotts Valley, CA.

LARS JOHANNESSON - FLUTE

Lars grew up in a Swedish family and has lived in Liberia, Sweden,
Holland and the United States. Lars studied modern and baroque flute at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague, Holland. His teachers include Tim Day and Wilbert Hazelzet. Residing in Santa Cruz California, he performs with a variety of orchestras and chamber ensembles on both modern and period flutes. Lars has recorded for numerous CD releases, including many on the Gourd Music label as well as collaborations with Linda Burman-Hall at University of California, Santa Cruz.

MICHAEL McGUSHIN - PIANO

Michael McGusin is a composer, conductor and pianist based in Santa Cruz County.  He is the conductor of the UCSC Chamber Singers.  He serves as the coach/accompanist for the music department at UCSC, and also works extensively as a pianist with various ensembles and soloists in the Monterey and San Francisco Bay areas.  His long association with Cabrillo Stage, serving as one of the music directors for their productions, has included musical preparation and performance on the shows Rent, The Addams Family, along with numerous others. 

A number of Michael’s compositions have been featured in recent seasons with New Music Works who last year premiered his A Queer Alphabet and in recent seasons presented his Malagasy Songs and String Quartet.  His work has also recently been performed by San Francisco Choral Artists and his A Queer Alphabet was performed by Ensemble Monterey.

SHOTA OTAGURO - PERCUSSION

Shota is a multi-talented percussionist based in San Jose, California whose artistic versatility extends to numerous professional ensembles. He serves as the tuned percussionist for The Stinkfoot Orchestra, a band dedicated to performing the works of Frank Zappa. He also serves as the principal percussionist for the Monterey Pops Band.

In 2023 and 2024 as part of the S.F. Brass Band, he achieved first place in the solo percussion category at the North American Brass Band Association.

In addition, Shota conducts the San Jose Youth Symphony’s Percussion Ensemble. He also teaches and organizes the percussion sections across all orchestral ensembles in SJYS.
He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Music Performance from San Jose State University under the guidance of Galen Lemmon.

KELLI REYNOLDS - FRENCH HORN

Kelli Reynolds is a French Horn player and private instructor based in the Santa Cruz Mountains. She holds a Master of Music degree in French Horn Performance from UCSB where she studied with Dr. Steven Gross. She earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Music from Cal Poly, SLO, studying with Jane Swanson. Kelli has performed with orchestral, chamber, and theater groups throughout the Central Coast and Bay Area, including the Santa Cruz Symphony, Cambrian Symphony, Palo Alto Philharmonic and PCPA Theatrefest.
Kelli is a proud mother of two sons and works at their schools as an employee and volunteer, supporting art and music education in the San Lorenzo Valley.

ALISSA ROEDIG - FLUTE

Alissa is a flutist performing on historic and modern flutes. Originally from Germany, she came to the United States to study at Cornell University, completed a B.A. in Music, and then earned her M.A. in Music from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Since then she has concentrated her performance activities on the baroque flute and has participated in the American Bach Soloists Academy. As a free-lance musician Alissa performs regularly with ensembles in the Bay Area, including Carmel Bach Festival, California Bach Society, New Music Works, San Francisco Bach Choir, SF Choral Society, and others. Alissa teaches music at the German International School of Silicon Valley.

RICHARD ROPER - TRUMPET

Dr. Richard Roper, trumpet, serves on the music faculties of UC Santa Cruz, Santa Clara University, West Valley College, and College of San Mateo. He currently serves as the Director of the El Camino Wind Orchestra. Richard holds degrees from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Yale School of Music, and the University of Maryland. As a Harriet Hale Woolley Scholar, he spent a year studying and performing in Paris.
 
Richard has performed with many Northern California ensembles including Symphony San José, Opera San José, Santa Cruz Symphony, and the Mendocino Festival Orchestra. His arrangements and editions of early music for brass are available through Charles Colin, Cherry Music, and BVD Press. In addition, Richard has studied and performed at the Aspen Music festival, and the Music Academy of the West. His teachers are Antoine Curé, Allan Dean, James Dooley, Glenn Fischthal, Chris Gekker, and Raymond Mase.

SHEILA WILLEY - SOPRANO

Sheila Willey, soprano, is well known to Santa Cruz audiences, having appeared frequently with New Music Works, Santa Cruz Chamber Players, and the Santa Cruz Baroque Festival. On the operatic stage, she has sung diverse roles throughout the San Francisco Bay area including Cunegonde in Leonard Bernstein's Candide (Cinnabar Theater), and Cornelia in Lou Harrison's Young Caesar (Opera Parallèle).

In musical theater, she has appeared in roles such as Marian in The Music Man (Cabrillo Stage) and Amalia Balash in She Loves Me (Cinnabar Theater). As a stage director, Willey has directed productions of Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors, new works by Chris Pratorius Gómez (My Head is Full of Colors and Xochitl and the Flowers) and Offenbach’s Orpheus in the Underworld.

An Iowa native, she holds degrees from the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore and the University of California Santa Cruz, where she now serves as a lecturer in voice and directs the opera program. She conducts both the Mount Calvary Lutheran Church Choir and the University Women’s Club choir. She is mother to Kai, four and Lia.