PGN Performers Profile

Karen Bentley is active in the Bay Area as a violinist, violist, conductor and pianist. She has concertized throughout Europe, Asia, the United States and Canada, and recently returned from Russia where she performed Vivaldi’s Four Seasons and the Beethoven Violin Concerto. She is the violinist in the progressive rock band Tesseract and has several recordings of original music including Electric Diamond, Weeping Angel, and her most recent , Ariel View, featuring violin and piano duets which she wrote and recorded in September 1996 with Los Angeles pianist - composer Bruce Hanifan. A champion of contemporary music, she has premiered numerous compositions for violin and piano, solo violin, and violin with electronics. Ms. Bentley has toured with Mikhail Baryshnikov’s White Oak Dance Project, Barbra Streisand’s 1994 concert tour, and the New York Philharmonic. She attended Indiana University where she studied with Josef Gingold and Yuval Yaron- Other teachers include Camilla Wicks, Nathan Milstein, Glenn Dicterow and Jean Jacques Kantorow. She is on the faculty of San Domenico School where she conducts the Vivaldi Orchestra da Camera and is the conductor of the Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra Super Strings.(06/14/98)

Sherbonne Barnes, Soprano, has "glittered" with Diablo Light Opera Company as Cunegonde (Bernstein's Candide), and with Livermore Valley Opera as Roselinde (Die Fledermaus), and (1n 1996) as Adina (L'Elisir d'Amore). She has delighted The Lamplighters' audiences for seven seasons as Mabel (The Pirates of Penzance), Yum-Yum (The Mikado), Phyllis (Iolanthe), Patience (Patience), Valencienne (The Mery Widow), Kitty (Where's Charley?), and Stasi (Kalman's The Czardas Princess), among other roles. She also appears regularly with Pocket Opera, and Most recently to critical acclaim as Princess Hermia (Offenbach's Bluebeard). Ms. Barnes is equally at home on the concert stage, having appeared as soloist in works as diverse as Dubois' Seven Last Words of Christ and Handel's Messiah.(10/13/96)

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Terrie Baune, violin, is concertmaster of the Women's Philharmonic and the Santa Cruz County Symphony. Her past professional credits include 4 years as a member of the National Symphony Orchestra, served as Principal Second violin of the Santa Rosa Symphony, and two years as a member of the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra of New Zealand, where she also toured the country and recorded as part of a National Ensemble for Radio New Zealand. She has performed as concertmaster of the Oakland-East Bay Symphony, the Vallejo Symphony, the west Marin Music Festival, the Redwoods Festival Orchestra, and numerous other ensembles. Her recording of the Lombadini violin concepts #5 is available as the Newport classic label. (04/14/96)

Thomas Bowes has performed as soloist with the London Philharmonic, and has achieved international recognition for his exhilarating work as soloist, chamber musician and director with the most important British ensembles. He has appeared at the BBC Proms and given frequent recitals at London's South Bank. He has been guest concertmaster with such conductors as Michael Tilson Thomas, Sir Georg Solti, Kent Nagano and Colin Davis, and with such orchestras as the Royal Philharmonic, the London Symphony and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. He plays a magnificent 1659 Amati violin.(11/08/97)

David Budd, cellist, is assistant principal cello with the San Francisco Opera Orchestra and is completing his eleventh season with the company. He graduated from the Eastman School of Music, where he earned the bachelor of Music degree and the Performer's Certificate. Upon graduation, he joined the Rochester Philharmonic and later won a position with the National Symphony under Mstislav Rostropovich. While in Washington, he gave solo recitals at the Phillips Collection and the Renwick Gallery, and performed with the Smithsonian Chamber Players. He has appeared throughout the Bay Area in recitals and chamber music concerts, including the San Francisco Opera's Meet the Artist series, and was a member of the Varga cello Quartet. During the summer, he is assistant principal cello with the Cabrillo Festival Orchestra. (02/19/95)

Melissa Burton, cello, performs regularly throughout the Bay Area as both a chamber musician and orchestral player. Currently, she is a member of the California Symphony and the Women's Philharmonic and has also played with the San Jose Symphony, the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra and Western Opera theater. A native of upstate New York, she received a double degree in cello performance and English from Oberlin College and Conservatory, where she studied with Richard Kapuscinski. In addition to performing, she enjoys teaching privately, in the public school and as a faculty member of the San Francisco Community Music Center. (03/24/95)

The Enchanting Singers gave their first public concert for the San Francisco Pui-Ching Alumni Association in June 1993. In the spring of 1994, they performed for the San Francisco International Chinese School for their fund raising. In October 1994, they presented two concerts at San Francisco Jewish Community Center for the fund raising event held by the San Bruno Chinese Church. In June 1995, they performed a benefit concert for the Presbyterian Church in Chinatown towards their chapel remodeling project and the Senior Center Activities. In September of 1996, the group participated in a fund raising concert for American Cancer Society, Northern California Chinese Chapter. They have received exceptional reviews wherever they have appeared.

Joanne Burke Eisler, clarinetist, has held the position of Second and E-flat clarinet with the San Francisco Opera Orchestra since 1981 and frequently performs as Principal clarinet with the orchestra as well. She was born in New Jersey and received the BM degree with distrinction from the University of Michigan. She also received the MM degree from Northwestern University where she studied with Larry Combs, principal clarinet of the Chicago Symphony. While at Northwestern, Joanne was featured on Chicago Public Television and performed with the Chicago Civic Orchestra and the Chicago Symphony. In addition to her duties with the Opera Orchestra, Joanne has performed with the San Francisco Symphony, the San Francisco Chamber Players (ARTEA), and numerous other chamber groups in the Bay Area. She also is the Founder of San Francisco Pro Musica, which performs seldom heard chamber works scored for unusual combinations of instruments. (01/15/95)

Nina Flyer, cellist, is widely respected chamber and orchestral musician, as well as an acclaimed soloist. Ms. Flyer has toured and recorded throughout Europe, Scandinavia and America. She received her musical education in Vienna with Vladmir Orlov, as well as at the Eastman School of Music with Ronald Leonard, and the University of Southern California with Gabor Rejto, at both of which she was a scholarship student. While a student, Ms. Flyer also won scholarships to the Blossom and Tanglewood Music Festivals and was accepted into the Piatagorsky Master Class. Immediately after school, she won a position with the New Jersey Symphony.
Ms. Flyer is the former principal cellist and soloist with the Jerusalem, Icelandic, and Bergen, Norway Symphonies and has held the post of acting principal with the San Diego Symphony Orchestra. She is presently principal cello of the Women's Philharmonic, performs regularly with the San Francisco Symphony, and Maintains a busy schedule of chamber music performances both here and abroad. Her first visit to Israel included a local premiere of the Schnittke cello and piano sonata on a radio live-broadcast concert. Ms. Flyer's solo section of a recent KOCH Internation Classics CD inspired such praises as "eloquent", "expressive" and "beautiful".
As a chamber music participant, Ms. Flyer has been a finalist in both the Coleman and the Colmar, France competitions. Her piano trio in Israel was sent on a government commissioned tour of Norway, Denmark, and Iceland. An active proponent of contemporary music, Ms. Flyer has several compositions dedicated to her, two of which she has recorded on the Icelandic and Jerusalem record labels. She regularly performs with modern music ensembles such as Composers Inc., Earplay, the San Francisco Contemporary Players, and at the Cabrillo Festival. She has also performed as solo cellist with the Biennal in Venice, Italy. Ms. Flyer's new CD out last year on Koch International, includes a cello concerto by Shulamit Ran that she performed with English Chamber Orchestra. (01/26/97)

Karen Hutchinson is a native of Hillsborough who now has a worldwide solo career. She has performed with the San Francisco Symphony, the Los Angeles Philharmonic Institute Orchestra at the Hollywood Bowl, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, the symphony orchestras of Detroit, Denver, Oakland, and Shreveport. She recently made her debut in Lincoln Center, Washington, D.C. and has appeared at Carnegie Recital Hall, Merkin Concert Hall, Herbst Theatre, and the American Cultural Center in Paris. Ms. Hutchinson studied from 1968 to 1972 at the Conservatoire National Superieur de Musique in Paris as a student of Mme. Jeanne-Marie Darre winning highest awards for four successive years. She received her Bachelor and Master of Music at the San Francisco Conservatory. In 1988 Ms. Hutchinson performed a series nationwide recitals of twentieth-century black composers in commemoration of the birth of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (05/03/97)(11/08/97)

Vladimir Khalikulov, viola, received his M.A. in music from Tashkent State Conservatory, U.S.S.R., his Doctorate at the Moscow State Concervatory under F. Druzhinin and Yuri Bashmet, and his post-doctoral studies with members of the Borodin Quartet. Vladimir was the Associate Principal Violist of the Symphony Orchestra of Uzbekistan and Violist with the Uzbek State String Quartet in Tashkent. He served as the Principal Violist of the Bolshoi Theater of Uzbekistan from 1987 to 1990 and performed many times at the Big Hall and the Chamber Hall in the Moscow Concervatory. He is currently the Principal Violist of the Monterey County Symphony and the Performing Arts Chamber Orchestra. As a soloist he has performed four World Premieres and American Premiere Viola Concerto by Russian Composer Marina Kolantarova. He performed with the San Francisco Virtuosi, the Uzbek Philharmonia and the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra. (10/29/95) (03/07/97)

William Klingelhoffer, French horn, began his professional career at age 19 with the Chicago Lyric Opera Orchestra. Since then he has performed as Principal with the Chicago Opera Orchestra, Houston Opera Orchestra and Santa Fe Opera Orchestra. Presently, he is the Principal with the San Francisco Opera Orchestra and performs Summit Brass Quintet. Bill's wife Jill is a cellist with the San Francisco Symphony. (03/24/95)(06/14/98)

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Joshua Law, pastor/teacher and music director, has been Professor of Music and Asian Studies at City College of San Francisco (CCSF) since 1972. Joshua's directing experience began with the Christian choir of Hong Kong Baptist College, the Far East Broadcasting Company's studio band and choir. He came to the Bay Area via City Collegeís appointment as instructor of Music and Chinese Studies. In the Bay Area, he has served as music director of Cumberland Presbyterian Chinese Church, voice instructor of Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary, Associate Paster at Park Presidio Bible Church, and Pastor of Worship at Christian Fellowship Church, Pleasant Hill. Since 1993, Joshua has been Associate Minister of Worship at Church of the Highlands, San Bruno.
Joshua has a M. A. degree in music from Cal State L. A. and a Master of Divinity degree from Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary. While studying with Soprano Miss Susanna Chow in Hong Kong, Joshua won the hightest award of the 1967 Eighth Annual Sing Tao Man Pao singing competition in Hong Kong. He studied voice with Esther Andreas, and William Vennard, conducting with Francis Baxter and Gaylord Browne. (09/21/96)

Steven Lightburn, pianist, graduated from the University of California at Los Angeles with a Bachelor's Degree in Music and earned his Master's Degree in Accompanying at the University of Southern California. He is winner of several awards, including the Frank Sinatra Performance Award. After graduation from U.S.C., Mr. Lightburn toured with soprano Margot Parez-Reyna in Venezuela and New York, where they were finalists in the Young Concert Artist Competition. He was Coach-Accompanist for Anchorage Opera for two seasons, where he teamed with bass-baritone Simon Estes in concert. His teachers have included Edward Auer, Gwendolyn Koldofsky, and Brooks Smith.(10/13/96)

Rena Ling began playing the piano at the age of five and soon surprised the critics with her precocious talents. She made her first orchestral appearance at the age of eleven with the Vancouver Youth Orchestra. Over the years, she has developed and matured into an artist of “...superb technical competence and emotional commitment...” possessing “that marvelous attribute of musicality, of seeing beyond the actual notes to the composer’s underlying ideas.”
Ms. Ling has studied with Maria Curcio in London, who was herself a student of Artur Schnabel. Her teachers have also included Herbert Stessin at the Juilliard School, and Kum-Sing Lee at both the University of British Columbia and the Vancouver Academy of Music.
Her performances have included solo recitals, national radio and television broadcasts, orchestral solo appearances, and chamber music recitals. In 1985, she made her first New York appearance in Alice Tully Hall with the Juilliard Chamber Orchestra. In 1986, Ms. Ling was presented in recital at the Plaza of Nations as part of World Expo 86. In 1997, she performed at the official memorial ceremony of Dr. Shun Chan for whom the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts in Canada is named.
She actively performs and teaches in the San Francisco Peninsula where she resides with her husband and two young children. (06/14/98)

Rebecca Triggs Maggi, soprano, winner of the 1990 Fresno Lyric Opera Theater's Vocal Competition and a finalist in the National Association of Teachers of Singing Competition, is a native of Texas. Her roles include Frasquita in Bizet's "Carmen" with Sacramento Opera; Fiordespina in Cimarosa's "L'impresario in angustie" with Opera Lyrica in Cortina, Italy and Festival due Mondi in Spoletto, Italy; Countess in "Count Ory" and Alice in "Falstaff". Local appearances include performances with the Oakland Symphony & Ballet, the Palo Alto Philharmonic, the University of California at Berkeley, Earplay, and Stanford Baroque Orchestra. Her teachers include Donald Stenberg, Elena Nicholaidi and Arturo Sergi. Currently, Ms. Maggi resides in Burlingame, CA. with her husband and two children. (01/15/95)

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Michael Matson, tenor, received his Masters of Music from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Since then he has performed with West Bay Opera, Pocket Opera, The Lamplighters, the San Francisco Symphony Chorus and the Carmel Bach Festival. He was tenor soloist for the Sing-It-Yourself Messiah at Davis Hall in 1987.
Most recently Mr. Matson (Pirates of Pezance) with The Lamplighters, Freddy (My Fair Lady) at Foothill College, and the title role in Candide with Peninsula Center Stage. Mr. Matson is the choir director and organist at Calvary Lutheran Church in Millbrae and teaches vocal and instrumental music at Mount Tamalpais School in Mill Valley.(10/13/96)

Julie Mckenzie is principal flutist of the San Francisco Opera Orchestra, piccoloist of the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra, and a member of the Anchor Chamber Players and the San Francisco Chamber Symphony. She is a graduate of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music where she earned a Bachelor of Music Degree in 1982. Her principal teacher was Lloyd Gowen. Other teachers have included Julius Baker, Paul Renzi and Peter Lloyd. Julie has participated in summer music festivals at Tanglewood, the Carmel Bach Festival, the Lake Tahoe Music Festival and the Mendocino Music Festival. She has been featured on a PBS television documentary with Jean-Pierre Rampal and has recorded for New Albion Records. (06/05/94) (06/11/94)

Roxanne Michaelian, pianist, comes from a family of musicians, her father a professional violinist played in the San Francisco Symphony for fifty years, and her sister, Patricia, is a concert pianist. Ms. MIchaelian began playing the piano at age five, studying with Claire James at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. At 12, she performed as soloist with San Francisco Symphony Youth Concert Series. She continued her undergraduate studies with Paul Hersh and won numerous awards during this period, including overall winner in the Los Angeles Young Musicians Foundation Competition as well as first prize in the North American Young Artists Competition in Denver. Ms. Michaelian has preformed as soloist with the Denver Symphony, Oakland Symphony, Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra, and San Francisco Chamber Orchestra. She is also an active chamber musician, having participated in such festivals as Chamber Music West, Chamber Music Sundaes, and the Seattle Chamber Music Festival. Ms. Michaelian has toured the United States and Canada with such artists as Sharon Robinson and Heiichero Ohyama. Locally, she performed with the Stanford Woodwind Quintet and various members of the San Francisco Symphony in recital. She has been accompanist for the Irving Klein International Competition since 1990. In addition to performing she teaches at the Nueva Center for Learning as well as privately. (01/26/97)

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Emil Miland was born into a musical family and began his studies in the Alameda public schools. He made his solo debut with the San Francisco Symphony at the age of sixteen. That same year he was selected to perform in the Rostropovich Master Classes at the University of California in Berkeley. In 1983, he graduated with honors from the New England Conservatory in Boston. He has twice received recital grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and was the only recipient of Chamber Music America's first Consortium Commissioning Grant. For the past six seasons he has been a member of the San Francisco Opera Orchestra and most recently was appointed Principal cellist with the New Century Chamber Orchestra. (02/21/94)

Inara Morgenstern is on the faculty at San Francisco State University. She received her Master's degree from San Francisco State and has done doctoral work at Stanford. She has served as Music Director of the Orpheus Opera Company and coached singers in diction and interpretation, working with such luminaries as Boris Goldowsky, Blanche Thebom, and Jess Thomas, as well as collaborating with members of the San Francisco Symphony. (12/03/95)

Sally Munro, Mezzo-soprano, was born in London and has sung with English National Opera, Royal Opera de la Monnaie in Brussels, and as an oratorio soloist in England and Europe. She performed with the BBC Singers on radio and television. In New York, she was soloist with many choirs, her wide repertoire spanning Early Music to 20th Century works, including premieres for New York composers in Alice Tully Hall, Merkin Hall and CAMI Hall. Her opera roles include Dorabella (Cosi Fan Tutte) and Sièbel (Faust) with The Brooklyn Light Opera, and Cherubino (Marriage of Figaro) with Amato Opera. Since Coming to the Bay Area, she has sung with the Pocket Opera, Berkeley Opera, Bear Valley Music Festival and Lake Tahoe Music Festival. (10/13/96)

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William Neely, Baritone, has appeared as soloist with the Berkeley Symphony (Pfitzner's Palestrina), Valley Chorial society (Haydn's Creation) and Bay Area Lutheran Chorale (Bach's B minor Mass). He has also sung lead roles with West Bay Opera, Oakland Opera, Berkeley Opera, Berkeley Contemporary Opera and Diablo Light Opera. In addition, he has performed in most productions of The Lamplighters since 1978, including the roles of Danilo (Marry Widow), Bela (Czardas Princess), Sir Francis Chesney (Where's Charley?), The Pirate King (Pirates of Penzance), Capt. Corcoran (H.M.S. Pinafore), Despard and Roderic(Ruddygore), Strephon, Mountararat and Pvt. Willis (Iolanthe), Grosvenor (Patience), and Giuseppe and Luis (The Gondoliers). He holds a Masters in Music degree from U. Colorado.(10/13/96)

Victoria Neve studied at Illinois Wesleyan University and received her doctorate from the University of Kansas. Her doctoral dissertation has been excerpted in Piano Quarterly. She has also written for Clavier and reviews CD recordings for the Sonneck Society Bulletin. She is a professor at San Francisco State University and has performed as soloist, chamber musician, duo-pianist, and accompanist throughout the U. S. She has been heard as a soloist on National Public Radio and on numerous Northern California radio stations. She is a frequent adjudicator and clinician at piano competitions and festivals throughout California. (12/03/95)

Rufus Olivier is the principal bassoonist with the San Francisco Opera, and the San Francisco Ballet. He was bassoonist with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Olivier has been guest soloist with numerous orchestras throughout the state, and was featured in a live radio recital in Los Angeles in the fall of 1992. As well as being a member of the opera and ballet, he is also a founding member of the Anchor Chamber Players, the Midsummer Mozart Orchestra, the Chamber Symphony of San Francisco and has recorded many movies and T.V. soundtracks including Disney's "Never Cry Wolf". Prior to arriving in the Bay Area, Mr. Olivier performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, and Gololfsky Opera Tours. He studied with David Briedenthal of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and is on the music faculty of Stanford University and San Francisco State University. In the month of February 1993, Mayor Frank M. Jordon Awarded Mr. Olivier The Seal of the City and County of San Francisco, in recognition of Exemplary Accomplishment On the Occasion of Black History Month. (05/03/97)

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Ted Peng started voice training at National Taiwan University where he majored in electrical engineering and spent almost more time singing than studying. For over 20 years, he has sung with many chorus groups and vocal emsembles, frequently as a soloist in concerts and recitals. In 1989, Mr. Peng performed with South Coast Choral Society as a bass soloist in the Verdi's reknown Requiem. Presently, he works at Sprint's Advanced Technology Laboratories in Burlingame as a principal engineer and performs with Harmonic Choir, Northern California Gloria Choir and Enchanting Singers.(09/21/96)

Natalie Pao has studied flute with Leslie Chun the past seven years. Currently she is a member of the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra and performs regularly under conductor Alas Dair Neale at the Davies Symphony Hall. Natalie has also performed at Foothill College and with the Christ Church of the Bay Area Choir. As a student, she has received the MathCounts Award and the National Council Teacher's Association Young Writer's Award. (09/21/96)

Gregory Sauer, born and raised in Davenport, Iowa, began his musical studies at age nine with Ada Marie Synder, and continued at the Eastman School of Music and the New England Conservatory, studying with Paul Katz, Laurence Lesser and Colin Carr. A versatile performer, Sauer is at home as soloist, orchestra musician, and chamber musician. He formerly served as assistant principal cellist of the Sacramento Symphony and cellist of the San Francisco-based Fidelio String Quartet, performing all over the United States, in South America, Italy, Germany and England as well as many locations in the San Francisco Bay Area. Sauer recently performed in the Brahams Sextet with Isaac Stern at Davies Symphony Hall. (02/21/94) (12/23/94) (02/16/96)

Irina Sharogradsky has been an Associated Professor on the Special Performance faculty of he Rimsky-Korsakov Music College of the St. Petersburg Conservatory, and a member of the faculty of the Rishon-Lizion Conservatory in Israel. She has performed as soloist and collaborative artist with internationally known musicians throughout Europe and the former Soviet Union, and with the Kirov and Bolshoi Theaters. Earlier in her career she received a Ph.D. in piano, with post-graduate studies under the supervision of a renowned Russian artist; she graduated magna cum laude from both the Leningrad and Gorky Music Colleges. She worked extensively with doctoral students of Rostropovitch, where she met her husband, Michael Gilfandbein. They are currently residing in Los Altos, California.(10/05/97)

Marty Simonds began her training in the public schools of Washington, D.C. She earned her Bachelor's degree at the Juilliard School of Music and Master's degree at the Eastman School of Music. Ms. Simonds moved to the Bay Area in 1984 to play with the San Francisco Opera, where she is Associate Principal second violin. When not playing opera, Ms. Simonds is Associate Concertmaster of the New Century Chamber Orchestra and performs chamber music concerts and solo recitals. Her hobbies are gardening and improvisional acting. (02/21/94)

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Dan Nobuhiko Smiley, violinist, is a member of the San Francisco Symphony and former Associate Concertmaster of the Oakland Symphony. A frequent chamber musician and soloist in the Bay Area, he graduated from the Juilliard School where he studied with Ivan Galamian and Sally Thomas. Among his solo appearances are performances with the Berkeley Symphony, the San Francisco Chamber Orchestra and the Oakland Symphony. (06/02/95)

Zachariah Spellman was born in Portland Oregon and became principal Tuba of the San Francisco Opera in 1977 and principal Tuba of the Marin Symphony in 1980. He is a member of Golden Gate Brass Quintet and an instructor at San Francisco State University, San Francisco Conservatory of Music and California State University at Fresno. Mr. Spellman is known throughout the Bay Area as a solo and chamber recitalist. (05/03/97)

Marc Teicholz, won first prize winner of the 1989 International Guitar Foundation of America competition, was a winner in New York's 1991 "East-West Artists" competition, the 1986 Paganini competition, and a finalist in the 1992 Pro Musicis competition. A current member of the California Council for the Arts Touring Roster, Marc Teicholz has toured extensively through the U.S. and Canada, receiving critical acclaim for his recitals and master classes. Mr. Teicholz has recently completed a major tour of southeast Asia under the auspices of the U.S.I.A. Artistic Ambassador program. He has appeared with the Lisbon Orchestra, the Maui Symphony, the Oakland East-Bay Symphony, and the Santa Rosa Symphony. He has recorded for Menus and Music, for George Lucas' "Young Indiana Jones," and is now recording for Naxos and Sugo Records. Mr. Teicholz also tours throughout the United States with the group "A Festival of Strings." Marc Teicholz graduated magna cum laude from Yale University, 1985, received a master's degree from the Yale School of Music, 1986, and J.D. from the Boalt School of Law, 1990. (09/09/95) (09/10/95)

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Frank Wang studied violin both in California and New York and made his USA debut performance at Herbst Theater in 1985. After graduated from Bejing Central Conservatory of Music in 1982, he served as associate concertmaster in Central Opera House for two years in China. He made his New York City debut with Brooklyn Phiharmonic Orchestra at Lincoln Center. Mr. Wang was concertmaster with National Orchestra of New York during their 1985-1986 season in Carnegie Hall and concertmaster with New York City Symphony. Frank has been resident artist with Yachats Music Festival in Oregon and has performed for the Today's Artists Concerts in their Music Series both in New York and San Francisco since 1985. Mr. Wang has made two records under the label of CRC. Frank studied with Ms. Dorothy Delay, Mr. Rafael Drurian and Mr. Yao-Jin Lin.(03/24/95)(09/21/96)

Yvonne Wang graduated from Chinese Cultural University, Taipei, Taiwan with a BA in Piano, and San Francisco convervatory of Music with a MA in Vocal Performance. Besides teaching and performing in concerts and recitals, she is currently the Conductor and Voice Coach in San Jose Chinese Choir. Yvonne is also the Music Director and Conductor of House of Christ Chuch Choir. Ms Wang is a Board Member of Chinese Music Teacher Association of Northern California.(09/21/96)

Jonathan Wei, is currently a member of the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra. Previously he held the position of Associate Principal Violinist in the San Diego Symphony. Besides being a orchestral player, Mr. Wei is an active musician in both solo and chamber music. He plays chamber music regularly with other members of the San Francisco Symphony as well as giving solo recitals. A native of China, Mr. Wei began his violin studies with his father at the age of five. He was invited to study at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing as the youngest student when he was thirteen. In 1987, Mr. Wei was awarded a full scholarship to study with Dr. Edward Shmider at the School of Music, University of Southern California. His 1988 performance with the USC Symphony Orchestra was broadcast by the KUSU classical radio station. In 1992 Mr. Wei was invited to give radio broadcasted recitals at the Idyllwild Music Festival in California as well as at the Myra Hess series in Chicago. (12/23/94)

William Wellborn, pianist, has been heard in concert throughout the United States, Mexico, and Europe. Orchestral engagements include performances with the Austin Symphony, the Laredo Philharmonic, and the Sudeten Philharmonie in Walbryzch, Poland. Mr. Wellborn has appeared as guest artist with the American Liszt Society and the New Orleans Institute for the Performing Arts Keyboard Festival. Apperances at European music festivals include the Holland music session, the session mussique international, and the Chopin Chez George Sand Festival de Piano at La Chatre-Nohant.
A native of Texas, Wellborn began his musical studies at the age of twelve, and holds degrees from the University of Texas at Austin and the New England Conservatory. His teachers include Gregory Allen, Patricia Zander, Nancy Garrett, Jerome Lowenthal, and Adam Wibrowski. During his studies at the New England Conservatory, he was chosen as one of five pianists to appear in Boston's Prestigious Jordan Hall. Mr. Wellborn resides in San Francisco and is a faculty member of the San Freancisco Conservatory. Wellborn records for the Naxos Label and is host of the "Piano Legacy" program on San Francisco's radio station KDFC. (02/19/95)

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Douglas Wright, tenor, interrupted his education in the wake of budding career as a singer of sacred music. His first performance in the San Francisco Bay Area was, however contrastingly, Kurt Weills' "Seven Deadly Sins" as a workshop with Kent Nagano conducting and Ross Halper directing. After variations, from synagogue to cathedral, cabaret to Avant-garde theater, he came to land in the ensemble Chanticleer where he continues to sing for audiences young and old in many countries. Last summer he performed as the "Madwoman" in Chanticleers' critically acclaimed production of the Benjamin Britten nor operah, Cerlew River. Most recently Douglas has begun to give workshops in plainchant and vocal improvisation. (03/24/95)

Betty Woo, piano, born in Hong Kong and completed her music education in the Bay Area, at Mills College for her Bachelor's degree, U. C. Berkeley and Holy Name College for her two master's degrees and Stanford University for her doctorate. She also undertook graduate studies at the Royal Academy of Music in London, where she received her Recital diploma and was awarded the MacFarren Gold Medal, the highest award for a pianist. Betty Woo has made major appearances in London and New York, received a special prize for the best performance of a twentieth-century piece in the Gina Dachauer International Competition, and a special award in the International American Music Competition. Ms. Woo has also performed, taught masterclasses and gave lectures in Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong. She has made numerous recital and concerto appearances in California including Sacramento, and University of California at Davis, at Berkeley and Stanford University.
Ms. Woo is known especially for her interpretation of contemporary music, and has given many world and west coast premieres of piano works by such composers as Dan Kingman, Richard Swift, Andrew Imbrie, Donald Martino, Bob Greenbery and Ross Bauer.
As a chamber music player and accompanist, Betty Woo has performed with oboist Heinz Holliger, singers Stephanie Friedman, Susan Narucki and Jeffrey Thomas, cellist Jennifer Culp, members of the San Francisco symphony, and such performing groups as the Earplay and the U C Davis contemporary chamber players. She has also participated in the Olympic Music Festival in Washington State, and in London with the cellist Angela Lee to critical acclaim.
Ms. Woo is an experienced teacher, a former faculty member at Stanford University and currently assistant professor and music coordinator at Holy Names college in Oakland. (04/14/96)

Betty Wu won first prize for soprano solo in the Hong Kong Schools Music Festival during high school. She majored in music at Sir Robert Black Teachers' Training Institute. Upon graduation, she taught music for four years. She continued her studies in the United States at Southen Illinois University and Ohio State University under Ms. Marjoric Lawrence. Ms. Wu performs regularly with the Enchanting Singers. (09/21/96)