Allen Chang (Oct 3, 13) is a pianist originally from Ann Arbor, Michigan. He graduated from Yale University in 2019, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in statistics and was co-president of the Yale Undergraduate Piano Collective. Allen has studied piano with Logan Skelton, Elizabeth Parisot, Donald Morelock, Sonoko Kambara, and Chao-Li Tsai. He also plays the clarinet and is currently the principal clarinetist of the Seattle Philharmonic. Outside of music, Allen enjoys traveling, eating, skiing, playing tennis, playing chess, and petting dogs.
Hilary Field (Oct 8) is a past winner of the Northwest Young Artist Series Competition and was the first guitarist to win the Ladies Musical Club Frances Walton Competition. She has held faculty positions as the head of the Guitar department at Seattle Pacific University and Pacific Lutheran University. In 2024, Hilary was awarded a USArtists International Grant to perform a concert tour throughout Chile with the International Guitar Festival Entrecuerdas, and has performed concerts throughout North and South America. Her latest CD, Premieres, features new works for guitar that were composed and dedicated to her. She has received grants for composing and performing new music by the Seattle Office of Arts and Culture, 4Culture, and Artist Trust. The Seattle Times exclaims that classical guitarist, “Hilary Field, is a dynamic player. She doesn’t just recite what can often be complex work, but imbues it with fire and grace.” www.hilaryfield.com
Katie Hochman (Oct 7), 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.
Sharon Jung (Oct 13) was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest. Her parents were Juilliard graduates, and she was exposed to classical music from the time she was born. She started playing the oboe when she was ten years old at the request of her father. She pursued a career in nursing but has kept playing the oboe as a passion. She has studied with LMC members Gail Perstein and Bernard Shapiro. She currently studies with Dan Williams. Along with LMC performances, she plays in small ensembles and in orchestras in several churches in Pierce County.
Hailed as “dazzling” by Peninsula Reviews, violinist Caitlin Kelley (Oct 3) enjoys a diverse career as a soloist, chamber musician, orchestral player, and teaching artist. Caitlin has soloed with orchestras across the country and presented recitals in both the United States and Europe. An avid chamber musician, Caitlin is a member of Wild Up, an LA-based modern music collective, and is the co-founder and co-artistic director of Nightjar, Seattle’s newest chamber music society. She has performed as Guest Concertmaster and Interim Assistant Concertmaster of the Louisville Orchestra, and is the former concertmaster of the Colburn and YMF Debut Orchestras. Caitlin performs frequently with the Seattle Symphony, Seattle Opera, and North Corner Chamber Orchestra (NOCCO). Caitlin received a Bachelor of Music degree and Professional Studies Certificate from the Colburn School in Los Angeles, and a Master of Music degree from the Juilliard School in New York.
Kayleigh Miller (Oct 8) was a member of the San Antonio Symphony and is a current member of the Pacific Northwest Ballet Orchestra and Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra. She has additionally performed with the Oregon Symphony, Seattle Symphony, Seattle Opera, the Britt Festival, and National Arts Centre Orchestra. She holds degrees from the New England Conservatory and Eastman School of Music, and has certifications in Pilates, yoga, strength training, and Body Mapping. In her spare time, she enjoys strength training, running, hiking, and spending time with her two chihuahua mixes, Milo and Mortimer.
Rachel Anne Moore (Oct 21) is a Seattle-born coloratura soprano who has traveled the U.S. and Europe singing musical theater and opera professionally. She trained at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, receiving a Bachelor of Music. After undergraduate studies, she went on to pursue her Master of Music degree at the University of Tennessee Knoxville as the 2008/2009 Spivey Humanities Fellowship recipient. During her time at UTK, Ms. Moore understudied and performed roles with the Knoxville Opera. After graduating, Moore relocated to Germany, where she had a successful musical theater career performing the role of Carlotta in The Phantom of the Opera and Christine in its sequel Love Never Dies. Upon returning to the U.S., she toured with Love Never Dies and eventually debuted on Broadway in The Phantom of the Opera. In 2020, Moore opened her private voice studio, “Moore Than Music,” teaching budding musical and opera singers.
Mezzo-soprano Gail Neil (Oct 7) has been a featured soloist with symphony orchestras, chorales, ballet and opera companies, in addition to her performances as a concert recitalist. Her “Opera to Broadway” and “Christmas” recitals for Columbia Artists Community Concert Association audiences have included tours in Idaho, Washington, Oregon and California. She sang in over 50 productions with the Seattle Opera Company as a Regular Chorister and preview artist in seasons 1999–2022. Symphony engagements include Orchestra Seattle, the Tacoma, Bremerton, Vancouver, Whatcom, Federal Way, Oregon East and Yakima Symphonies, as well as several repeat engagements with the Everett Symphony Orchestra, which included performances at the Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery. She has been a soloist with the Pacific Northwest Ballet, Seattle Choral Company, Bellevue Chamber Chorus, Seattle Bach Choir, Eugene Concert Choir and Oregon Mozart Players. Additional information, please visit: www.gailneil.com
Susan Payne O’Brien (Oct 7) is a poet, performer and opera director living in Seattle. Her writing for theater has been seen on the stages of 2nd Story Chicago, Around the Coyote, Links Hall, The Piven Theatre Workshop and The International Puppetry Festival. She is the founding artistic director of Forte, an all-female improvisational comic opera troupe. In her teaching and work with theatrical and operatic ensembles she is committed to helping students and artists of all levels access authenticity of voice. Recently, she has worked with emerging operatic performers at The Santa Fe Opera, Chicago Opera Theater, DePaul University and The Chicago College of Performing Arts. She is a frequent soloist with Seattle Pro Musica and will be featured in their Spring performances of Ralph Vaughan Williams’ The Sea Symphony in conjunction with The Auburn Symphony.
Gail Perstein (Oct 13) 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.
Soprano Tiina Ritalahti (Oct 7) holds degrees in music and vocal performance from the University of Washington. She has performed throughout Washington with Northwest Opera in Schools Etcetera (NOISE), Puget Sound Opera, Ladies Musical Club and Puget Sound Concert Opera, as well as being a featured soloist for the Finlandia Foundation. She has sung such roles as the First Spirit and Pamina in Mozart’s The Magic Flute, Despina in Cosi fan tutte, Lisa in Bellini’s La sonnambula, Änchen in Der Freischütz by Weber, Cis in Britten’s Albert Herring, and Olympia in Offenbach’s The Tales of Hoffman. Further, she has performed in multiple operas by Menotti: Lucy in The Telephone, Monica in The Medium, and Laetitia in The Old Maid and the Thief. Her passion for singing also extends to art song repertoire, which she performs regularly in recitals around Western Washington. Tiina has created unique breathing classes for young singers that combine her knowledge and experience as a massage therapist, certified yoga teacher and singer.
Benjamin Sawrey (Oct 7) 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.
Jake Sele (guest artist, Oct 3) is a Seattle-based pianist/keyboardist who plays in a wide variety of genres. When not on stage serving as Music Director at CSL Seattle, you can catch him in local and touring groups playing anything from jazz to classical, Latin to funk, pop to experimental, rock to reggae, and more. He’s toured throughout North America and Europe, appears on over 30 albums, and is a regular keyboardist with the Seattle Symphony.
Bernard Shapiro (Oct 13) 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.
Jonathan Shih (Oct 11) began his piano studies with various Chicago-area teachers (most notably Emilio del Rosario), and continued briefly at Northwestern University under James Giles before a minor hand injury and recession-induced career introspection led him to forgo piano for an engineering degree. After a decade-long hiatus due to work travel, he resumed playing and now studies with Peter Mack. Jonathan has performed live on 98.7 WFMT (Chicago) and won first prize in the 2025 Oberlin International Adult Amateur Piano Competition. He was also a finalist in the 2024 Washington International Piano Artists Competition, where he received special awards for “Best Classical Performance” and “Most Imaginative Programming.” When not at the piano, Jonathan works as a product designer at a small startup and enjoys cooking, traveling, and collecting other hobbies.
Rob Toren (Oct 21) 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.
Melet Whinston (Oct 11) 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 is a performing member of the Ladies Musical Club, the Music Performance Group, and the Performers Only Night—Everyone Welcome! monthly musical nights. She has many years of experience as a chamber musician and solo performer, gives recitals regularly, and performs weekly at St. Andrew Presbyterian Church.
Dhanushi Wijeyakulasuriya (Oct 21), originally from Sri Lanka, holds a Licentiate Diploma in Singing from Trinity College of Music, London. She started her vocal studies with Menaka Sahabandu and made her debut with the Symphony Orchestra of Sri Lanka in 2007, performing a selection of operatic arias. Dhanushi has performed extensively in Sri Lanka. Some highlights include soprano soloist in Vivaldi’s Gloria with the Chamber Music Society of Colombo (CMSC) and scenes from The Marriage of Figaro (Susanna) and The Barber of Seville (Rosina) with the Menaka Singers Opera Ensemble. She most recently returned to Colombo in 2024 to sing two recitals of Schubert Lieder in collaboration with the CMSC. After moving to the U.S. in 2015 she studied voice with Timothi Williams and Dr. Rachel Copeland at Penn State. She currently continues her vocal studies with Rachel Moore and Barbara Bonney. In addition to her musical pursuits, she holds a PhD in Statistics from Penn State and is a Principal Data Scientist at Microsoft.
Daisy Sánchez Zajonc (guest artist, Oct 11) began taking piano lessons when she was seven years old in Guadalajara, Mexico and has continued taking lessons throughout her life. In college she studied with Leonard Richter at Walla Walla College, John Terry Moore at University of Washington, and Donald Walker at Northern Illinois University. She began teaching piano lessons to expat children in Kathmandu, Nepal in 1989 and has been teaching private music and piano lessons ever since. Daisy has been an accompanist for church, choir, vocal and instrumental lessons and recitals, adjudications, dance, musicals, and theater productions. She played orchestral piano with the Mexico City Filharmonia starting a week before the 8.1 magnitude earthquake of 1985 and continued until the spring of 1986. She particularly enjoys playing piano duets as well as duets and trios with cellists and violinists.