John Burkhardt (guest artist, Mar 9), principal accompanist and chorus master, and current Board President for Puget Sound Concert Opera, is musically active in the Unitarian Universalist church and has been an opera and musical theater pianist for many years in Seattle and elsewhere. Other operatic work includes rehearsal accompanist for Skagit Opera (now Pacific Northwest Opera) and long-time chorus master for Bellevue Opera. In addition to his musical life, John manages communications for University of Washington, Tacoma and resides in Tacoma, Washington with his husband, abstract artist, J.W. Harrington.
Lin Chen (Mar 9) is a freelance vocalist, violinist and music educator in the Greater Seattle area. Growing up in Australia, she was fortunate to study music with esteemed teachers from the Griffith Conservatorium in Brisbane and the Sydney conservatorium. Her experience in vocal performance spans multiple genres including Classical, Musical theatre and Jazz. She currently studies voice with Dr Kari Ragan. Lin is also a violin coach for the Bellevue Youth Symphony Orchestra (BYSO) and performs with a number of local ensembles including her own string quartet—Quartet Evolution. Her career highlights include performing at the Sydney Opera House, Westminster Abbey and Cologne Cathedral. She enjoys giving regular recitals in Seattle with the Ladies Musical Club.
Lawrence Chu (Mar 26) is a native of the Seattle area, and currently resides in Bellevue with his family. His former instructors include Phyllis Allport, Frances Walton and Eva Heinitz. After completing 34 years of practice in Emergency Medicine locally, he has begun to reexplore the cello under the guidance of Nathan Chan. He is delighted to have been accepted as an official member of the Ladies Musical Club.
Erika Fiebig (Mar 26) is a Seattle native and started cello at five. She studied at Oberlin College, coaches the Bellevue Youth Symphony, and plays in the Ballard Civic Orchestra and subs with Yakima Symphony Orchestra. Teachers are Richard Aaron and Rajan Krishnaswami. Find her in the pit at many local theaters and in a quartet at many local weddings!
Katie Hochman (Mar 9), soprano, can be heard regularly giving recitals with Ladies Musical Club of Seattle. She has also enjoyed singing opera and oratorio with Puget Sound Concert Opera (PSCO), Opera Theater Oregon, Portland Opera, Utah Opera, Columbia Chorale and Southwest Washington Symphony (SWS). Highlights include the title role of Massenet’s Cendrillon and Héro in Berlioz’s Beatrice et Bénédict performed with PSCO and Exultate, jubilate performed with SWS.
Violinist Angie Kam (Mar 18) is an established teacher and performer in the Seattle area. As an orchestral musician, Angie plays with the Auburn Symphony Orchestra, Symphony Tacoma, and the Tacoma City Ballet. As a pop violinist, Angie has performed with many artists including the Eagles, Andrea Bocelli, the Trans Siberian Orchestra, The Who, Ramin Djalwadi, Amy Grant, Il Divo, Idina Menzel, Evanescence, Lindsey Stirling, Sarah Brightman, and Michael Buble. She is also an active studio-recording musician for movies and video games. Angie maintains a successful violin studio of over 30 wonderful students in Bellevue. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Violin Performance from the University of Oregon, and a Master’s Degree in Violin Performance and String Pedagogy from the Boston Conservatory. In her spare time Angie enjoys mountaineering, skiing, trail running, yoga, and eating.
Stasia Kulsa (Mar 9, 15, 26), flutist, has a Master of Arts in Music from Washington State University that she completed under the guidance of Dr. Sophia Tegart. In addition, she has undergraduate degrees in Music Performance and Mechanical Engineering from WSU. While at WSU, she performed with the Symphonic Wind Ensemble, Orchestra, the Latin Jazz Ensemble, and the Crimson Flute Choir. Since graduating, she has been performing with the Bremerton WestSound Symphony and working as an Acoustics Engineer at Blue Origin.
Mariya Ksondzyk (guest artist, Mar 26) has a busy career as a performance violinist and violist. She has served as principal and associate principal violist of several symphonies in Washington, Massachusetts, and Montana. She has also embarked on several recital tours as a soloist throughout Washington State and runs a project that brings classical music to Washington’s prisons. As a professional event soloist, she has partnered with prominent local businesses, such as Bloodworks Northwest, Seattle Junior League, and Dick’s Drive In, and performances at venues such as The Fairmont Hotel, Seattle Art Museum, and the Chihuly Museum of Glass. Her playing can also be heard on various artists’ tracks on Spotify and Apple Music, most recently with composer Dmytro Gordon on his single, “To Ukraine with Hope.” An avid teacher, Mariya runs a private studio and serves on the faculty of the Bellevue Youth Symphony. Mariya holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from The Boston Conservatory, where she studied with Rictor Noren.
Emily Yujin Lee (Mar 12) is a flutist who finds joy in sharing music that warms the heart and soothes the soul. She graduated from the New England Conservatory of Music under Paula Robison and Northwestern University under John Thorne, with additional years of study under Zart Dombourian-Eby and Eun Cho. Emily believes that music has the power to bring comfort and connection, and she hopes to fill the air with melodies that create a sense of warmth and togetherness for all who listen.
Joan Lundquist (Mar 15) has served as a collaborative pianist for Seattle area musicians and organizations for 30 years. Since moving to the area from Humboldt State University in northern California, where she was staff accompanist, Joan has worked with the Northwest Boychoir, Seattle Choral Company, has taught at Seattle University and Northwest University, and has worked with several area private music teachers. Ms. Lundquist is the retired Director of Music at Immanuel Lutheran Church in downtown Seattle and currently is the rehearsal accompanist for the Seattle Choral Company.
Gail Perstein (Mar 12) has a Bachelor of Science from Springfield College, a Bachelor of Music from P.L.U., a Master of Music from U.W. (both in oboe performance) and a Master of Arts in Historical Musicology, also from U.W. She splits her time between teaching oboe privately, performing on oboe/English horn, and performing early music. She played in both early and classical music groups at P.L.U. and U.W., and continues performing in various settings, ranging from Tacoma Opera to local church services. Ms. Perstein performed for many years with her own medieval group, Chansonnier, using period instruments. She was a member of the Board of Trustees of the Ladies Musical Club of Seattle for 22 years and chair of the Frances Walton Competition Committee for 23 years.
Emily Riesser‘s (Mar 15) diverse experience encompasses opera, oratorio, theatre, and new works. She recently portrayed Elle in a staging of Poulenc’s one-voice opera, The Human Voice (Ladies Musical Club), sang Frasquita in Carmen (Kitsap Opera), and played a nun in Sister Act (Tacoma Musical Playhouse). In concert, Emily is known for her interpretation of Bach cantatas, including Wedding Cantata, which she sang recently in several venues. Favorite experiences include singing Iphigenie in Gluck’s Iphigenie en Tauride (Seattle Opera Guild), Violetta in Verdi’s La traviata (Kitsap Opera), Tamiri in Mozart’s Il re pastore (Off-Center Opera), and soprano chorus at Seattle Opera. Emily is a graduate of Goshen College (Goshen, IN) and past participant in Bel Canto Northwest (Portland State University).
Benjamin Sawrey (Mar 26) is a Seattle-based pianist and teacher who has over 15 years of musical experience in various genres, including: Classical, Jazz, and Musical Theatre. He has performed in both the U.S. and Europe and has received awards for his participation in competitions on both continents. Notable Seattle venues played include The 5th Avenue Theatre and Classical KING FM’s Northwest Focus Live. Benjamin has also participated in lessons and masterclasses with renowned instructors throughout the world, including Boris Berman, Seymour Lipkin, and Lily Dorfman. Benjamin holds a B.A. in Piano Performance.
Julie Shankland (Mar 12) has played clarinet since marching band in the Ohio snow. Since moving to Washington, Julie has played in the UW Concert Band, Eastside Symphony, West Seattle Community Orchestras, Rain City Symphony, and various chamber music camps. Julie is an adult student of Jennifer Nelson and recently learned to play bass clarinet. Julie works in the Office of General Counsel at the Washington State Bar Association.
Bernard Shapiro (Mar 12) was principal oboe of the Seattle Symphony and Seattle Opera from 1961-2004, participating in over 80 Seattle Symphony recordings. He appeared as soloist with the Seattle Symphony, Philadelphia Quartet, Balamian Quartet, Seoul Symphony, Korean Broadcast Symphony, and Bellevue Symphony. He was co-founder of the New York Baroque Quintet, English horn with the Royal Ballet Touring Orchestra (London), and received the Fromm foundation Fellowship for Contemporary Music Performance at Princeton University and Tanglewood (1960). Mr. Shapiro has been a member of the faculty at University of Washington, Cornish School, Pacific Lutheran University, Western Washington University, and Seattle Pacific University. At PLU, he participated in many programs as a member of the faculty wind quintet, the Camas Quintet. He graduated from the Music and Art High School of New York City, and holds both a Bachelor of Music and Master of Music Education from Manhattan School of Music. In addition to oboe, he also enjoys playing cello.
An outstanding member of the Northwest musical community for over 20 years, Regina Thomas (Mar 9) has performed with a variety of companies including Kitsap Opera, Willamette Concert Opera, Bellevue Opera, Puget Sound Concert Opera, Seattle Opera, and the Seattle Opera Guild. Currently Artistic Director of Puget Sound Concert Opera, Regina has served as Seattle Opera Guild’s VP of Education and is a past President and trustee of concerts for LMC. Favorite operatic roles include Adriana Lecouvreur, Suor Angelica, Tosca, and Judith (Bluebeard’s Castle). Concert work includes Schumann’s Frauenleibe und-leben, Elgar’s Sea Pictures, and Wagner’s Wesendonck-Lieder; soprano solos in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, Fauré Requiem, and Berio’s Folk Songs for voice and chamber ensemble.
Rob Toren (Mar 18, 26) has been a professional singer for most of his musical life, including most recently undertaking several small roles at Seattle Opera 1998-2014. After retiring from both singing and as a non-profit executive, he has returned to his first love, the piano. Because of his background as a singer and his earlier career days in NYC, he now gravitates towards the art song literature, with programs focusing on both the French (Debussy and Faure) and German traditions (Schubert, Schumann, Brahms, Strauss). He most recently studied with Joyce Gibb.
Nicole Truesdell (Mar 18) is a pianist and composer living in Seattle, Washington. She is a member of the Ladies Musical Club Composers’ Group and enjoys cultivating community and creating performance opportunities for past and present LMC composers’ works. Over the past several months, Nicole has been working on realizing several scores from a series titled Blueprints, written by Seattle composer, Garrett Fisher. Each of Fisher’s scores gives a unique modal scale and directions describing rhythm patterns, note range, and events that should happen throughout the piece. It is the pianist’s job to interpret these directions and realize or create a piece, much like a builder would construct a house from a set of drawings. Nicole graduated summa cum laude from Cornish College of the Arts in 2007 with an emphasis in music composition. She currently studies composition privately with composer John Muehleisen.
Colin Ward (Mar 9) is an alumnus of Western Washington University, having performed with the WWU Concert Choir and appearing in many opera productions, including as Conte Almaviva in Le Nozze di Figaro. Colin has also appeared in many productions with Puget Sound Concert Opera and with the Seattle Opera Chorus, and is a regular soloist at Christian Science churches in the Seattle area.
Melet Whinston (Mar 26) studied under Maria DeRungs, and was first chair in the Portland Junior Symphony and Princeton University Orchestra. She has presented school performances as a member of the Leschi Trio and as a duo with Michael Housley, pianist. She has many years of experience as a chamber musician and solo performer, and performs regularly at St Andrew Presbyterian Church and local recitals.
Dhanushi Wijeyakulasuriya (Mar 9, 18, 26), originally from Sri Lanka, holds a Licentiate Diploma in Singing from Trinity College of Music, London. She began voice lessons in 2004, in Sri Lanka with Menaka Sahabandu and also studied with Asitha Tennekoon. At age 17, she made her debut with the Symphony Orchestra of Sri Lanka, performing selections from operas and operettas. Dhanushi has performed extensively in Sri Lanka. Some highlights include soprano soloist in Vivaldi’s Gloria with the Chamber Music Society of Colombo, scenes from The Marriage of Figaro (Susanna) and The Barber of Seville (Rosina) with the Menaka Singers Opera Ensemble and The Phantom of the Opera (Christine Daae) by the Workshop Players. After moving to the U.S. in 2015 she studied voice with Timothi Williams and Dr. Rachel Copeland at Penn State. Dhanushi has since presented several solo recitals in the U.S. She currently continues her vocal studies with Rachel Anne Moore and Barbara Bonney. In addition to her musical pursuits, she holds a Ph.D. in Statistics from Penn State and works as a Senior Data Scientist at Microsoft.