All Classical Portland | On Deck with Young Musicians: Recent Episodes
All Classical Portland
Each Saturday All Classical Portland celebrates what’s next in our community, with profiles of young musicians and explorations of musical opportunities for young people in the northwest.
Sophie Ohle is a 16-year-old junior at Parkrose High School in Portland, Oregon. She has been playing the oboe for 4 years and currently studies with Karen Wagner. She is the Assistant Principal oboist of the Metropolitan Youth Symphony and also plays oboe in the Pacific Rose Ensemble, a student founded and student led chamber group. At Parkrose, she inspires her peers as the Drum Major of her marching band and the Vice President of the Tri-M Music Honor Society. In her free time, she loves to play tennis, snowboard, and do her and her friend’s nails!
Elishiya Crain-Keddie is a senior at the Vancouver School of Arts and Academics and is in her third year at the Young Composers Project. She plays principal cello for both of her school’s top orchestras and has been selected for the LCRMEA Honors Orchestra every year she has been eligible. Elishiya’s compositions have been awarded by Luna Composition Lab and the Washington State MTA, and played by the Oregon Symphony, Metropolitan Youth Symphony, and the NYC-based contemporary ensemble Bang on A Can. Additionally, she participated in the NowBeat Project and composed a string duet performed by Juilliard students. In her free time, she enjoys doing math, drinking boba tea and travelling, especially to Disney parks.
Jadelyn Donoho is an 18-year-old flutist who is currently a Senior at Arts and Communication Magnet Academy. She started playing the flute at the age of 12 and now studies under Dr. Sydney Carlson and Zach Galatis. She is currently assistant principal flutist in the Portland Youth Philharmonic and previously played in the Conservatory Orchestra and Wind Ensemble. She also qualified for the 2024 OMEA All State Symphony Orchestra and has recently placed third in the GPFS Young Artist Competition.
James Lee is a 16-year-old classical and jazz pianist, composer, and multi-instrumentalist. A junior at Wilsonville High School, James is an active member of the Symphonic Band/Pep Band as a percussionist, the Jazz Band as a pianist and drummer, and regularly accompanies classmates for OMEA competitions. This summer, he graduated from the OMTA Syllabus program “with distinction” under Heidi Evans, having also participated in solo and concerto piano festivals, masterclasses with renowned pianists Jeeyoon Kim and Kate Boyd, and recently earned honorable mention in the 2024 OMTA State Composition Festival.
Della Simone is a jazz, pop, and classically trained vocalist hailing from Portland, Oregon. She has traveled all over the world with the Portland State Chamber choir, of which she is currently co-president. She performs regularly at local venues including The Old Church (TOC) Concert Hall, Mendelssohn’s, and Corkscrew Wine Bar. She is set to graduate from Portland State in June 2025 with her degree in Jazz Studies. She is a student of Sherry Alves (vocals) and George Colligan (piano)… and she also bakes! We get to hear all about her growth in music and about some special musical inspirations including John Prine. This interview was conducted by Lisa Lipton.
Andrew Lee is a 17-year-old junior at Sunset High School in Portland, Oregon. He has been playing the violin for ten years and currently studies with Carol Sindell. Andrew joined the Portland Youth Philharmonic in 2021, serving as assistant principal second violin, and before that, as the concertmaster of PYCO. As a soloist, he was featured as a soloist in the Eugene Symphony Park Concert Summer Series, has won the third place winner of the 2023 Oregon State Solo Contest and the 2023 ASTA Competition, and an alternate winner of the MTNA Junior String Competition. Andrew also is the co-founder of Euphonos Ensemble, a nonprofit organization dedicated to bettering the community through music. Andrew is a 2023 graduate of the National Symphony Orchestra Summer Music Institute at the Kennedy Center, where he studied with Jennifer Kim. He served as associate concertmaster of the 2023 Oregon All-State Orchestra and was a member of the 2023 All-Northwest Orchestra. This summer he attended the Center Stage Strings Institute at the University of Michigan.
Natalie Alexander is a 17-year old clarinetist with both the Metropolitan Youth Symphony and Portland Youth Philharmonic, and she envisions a future full of music. She wants to do it all: orchestra, chamber music, teaching. In this episode of On Deck, Lisa Lipton talks with Natalie about her interest in women composers, about leadership, and about taking advantage of every moment left in her high school career.
Rohan Focer is a Senior at Tigard high school and has been playing the flute for 6 years. He has been a member of the Metropolitan Youth Symphony‘s Flute Ensemble for two years now and took lessons from Denise Westby. He has participated in the Flute Alliance Flute Boot Camp for two summers and enjoys composing and robotics
Annie Rhew is a 16-year cellist with the Portland Youth Philharmonic. She’s been playing cello since age 8 and has since won MANY awards. Annie was also the “Healing Through Music” volunteer at OHSU for 2 summers and is currently working as a music therapy volunteer at a local hospice care group. Lisa Lipton chats with Annie about why music is the central focus of her life, and about her interest in health care.
Marcus Hanlon has loved music since before he knew what an instrument was. He’s played the bassoon for over six years, three of which have been with the Metropolitan Youth Symphony. He also loves science and is combining his love of electrical engineering and music by transcribing various pieces of music for Tesla coils. In the time and space between the notes, he tells host Adam Eccleston that he enjoys kite flying, stargazing, and scooter rides around his hometown: Portland, Oregon. He has been accepted to Colorado School of Mines and is ready for the next adventure around the corner! Many thanks go to his parents for pushing him to always strive for more.
18-year old oboist Mia Hale started off playing music with the violin and piano, but has made the switch to the double reed family! In this interview with Lisa Lipton, we dive deeper into finding what inspires her in music. Mia is a recent graduate of Parkrose High School and will be attending the University of Oregon School of Music and Dance this fall as an oboe performance major. Mia’s current teacher is Oregon Symphony Assistant Principal Oboe, Karen Wagner. As a recent winner of the Metropolitan Youth Symphony annual concerto competition, Mia details what she enjoys most about playing the oboe.
Emory Yu Guyer is an incoming freshman at University of Oregon Honors College. They will major in Music Education, and double minor in Spanish and Finance. Having graduated recently from Lakeridge High School, they were the jazz band’s bassist, wind ensemble’s flute section leader, and pep band’s student director. This year, both their jazz rhythm section and jazz combo won first in the All State Competition. They have played flute for 7 years and bass for 5. Outside of music, they enjoy spending time in nature with friends, as well as crafting. Emory would like to thank their family for sitting through all their performances. And Emory wants to give a special thanks to their mom for all the love and support.
Emily Wen, a junior at Sherwood High School, plays in her school Wind Ensemble and marching band, and the Portland Youth Conservatory Orchestra. This is Emily’s 6th year playing the flute and 5th year studying under Denise Westby. She is the principal flute of the Sherwood High School Wind Ensemble and the Portland Youth Conservatory Orchestra and recently placed fourth at the OSAA state solo contest.
Charles Martin is an 18-year old composer, pianist, actor, entrepreneur and writer. In this episode of On Deck, Raul Gomez-Rojas talks with Charles about all of his interests, as well as his decision to perhaps skip college and make a living in the music world without a degree.
Charles began taking piano lessons when he was 4, and since then has discovered a passion for composing and performing. Charles has had his music performed by numerous groups around Portland including the Portland Youth Philharmonic, the Metropolitan Youth Symphony, Chamber Music Northwest’s “Young Artist Institute”, the Pacific Rose Ensemble, as part of an organization he has founded called “The Young Composer’s Concert Series”, Fear No Music’s “The Young Composers Project” workshops, and others.
Beyond being an accomplished young composer, Charles has a passion for musical theater. Since he was 7 years old he has performed in Annie, Peter Pan and other premiere plays around Portland. He is also actively involved with a local theater group called Commission Impact Theater, for which he will be scoring their next play “Saul: Son of Kish”. In the meantime, he is an active composer, writing for Michael Allen Harrison’s “The Ten Grands”, Commission Impact Theater, Chamber Music Northwest’s Young Artist Institute, as well as his own concert series.
Anika Gupta is one of All Classical’s 2024 Young Artist Ambassadors. She is currently a sophomore at Sunset High School. She has always loved music and picked up the guitar during middle school. Since then, her passion for guitar has only grown! She currently studies under Travis Johnson and loves to spread music in various ways. She has won several music competitions, attended festivals and camps, and likes to play at retirement homes in her free time. She enjoys everything about the world of music and truly believes that learning an instrument is an opportunity that should be accessible to everyone. Outside of music, Anika loves STEM and always seeks new ways to combine her love of engineering and music
Miranda Newman is a third-year political science major and music minor at Reed College. Her first year of college she received the Kaufman Fellowship for violin performance and has been a part of many of Reed’s music local ensembles including orchestra and chamber music. She started violin at 4 years old and participated in countless musical endeavors throughout her life including solo and ensemble competitions, summer workshops, local youth symphonies, and professional gigs such as Eugene Ballet’s production of “The Nutcracker”. She wants to pursue law and tries to maintain a good school/practice/hobbies balance which can be challenging as a full-time liberal arts college student.
Haruka Sakiyama is a 17-year old junior at West Linn High School, and one of All Classical Radio’s 2024 Young Artist Ambassadors. Haruka is a French horn player, a violinist, a composer… and she also plays the koto. In this episode of On Deck, Raul Gomez-Rojas talks with Haruka about all of these talents, and what her plans for the future might be.
Ian Sage is a 21-year-old junior at Portland State University currently studying composition and percussion. In college, composing has become a natural extension of his love for playing and listening to music. In this episode hosted by Adam Eccleston, Ian talks about taking influences from classical, jazz, film, and video game music in his works as well as the pieces he performs.
Raul Gomez-Rojas talks with 18-year old cellist Pearl Liao, a cellist with the Portland Youth Philharmonic. Pearl has some wisdom to share about practicing, and she also tells us about her future goal to be a surgeon.
Christa Wessel chats with 17-year old pianist Nikita Istratov, a senior at Sunset High School and one of the winners of Cognizart’s Young Artist Debut Concert on May 17th. In this episode of On Deck, Nikita talks about his love of classical music, his curiosity about how creative people became creative, and about getting his pilot’s license before he got his driver’s license.
Raul Gomez-Rojas chats with 17-year old bassoonist Katelyn Nguyen, one of All Classical Radio’s 2024 Young Artist Ambassadors. In this episode of On Deck, we’ll learn not only why she chose the bassoon, but why she has chosen to play in both the Metropolitan Youth Symphony AND the Portland Youth Philharmonic. As she heads to the Curtis Institute next year, she also shares some advice for her younger self.
Sophie Bergkvist is in the midst of her first season with the Metropolitan Youth Symphony (MYS), where she plays trumpet with the Concert Orchestra and Symphonic Wind Ensemble. She began playing trumpet at the age of 10 by joining her school band. She enjoyed it so much, that she decided to study under Jim Kvech, and currently with Gerald Webster. Musical honors include selection to the 2023 Oregon All-State Symphonic Band and the 2023 Western International Band Clinic.
Eden Warmflash is a 16-year old junior at Portland’s Cleveland High School, and a percussionist with the Metropolitan Youth Symphony. In her chat with Raul Gomez-Rojas, Eden talks about the various categories of percussion instruments, some misconceptions about percussionists, and how playing in musical ensembles helps her as a dragon boat captain.
Kaden Prichard is a freshman at Rex Putnam High School where he plays in the Wind Ensemble under Jeff Wilson. He started playing clarinet in the third grade and has been a student of Dunja Marcum since then. When he's not gaming or relacing a pair of sneakers, he enjoys cooking, swimming and will be trying out the golf team this spring. He's been an active member of MYS ensembles since 2018 and has been performing as part of the Metropolitan Youth Symphony Orchestra for the past two seasons. Adam Eccleston hosts.
Amy Faust gets to know Maya Hausman, a senior at Cleveland High school who plays flute and piccolo (plus a little bit of clarinet!) for various school ensembles as well as the Metropolitan Youth Symphony. Maya started playing the piano at age 5, but as a member of the Cherokee Nation she was drawn early on to the native flute playing at the tribal gatherings her family would attend each summer. Her passion for classical music is matched by her drive to bring attention to indigenous history and justice. At Cleveland, she co-founded a native student union and is part of the campaign to change the school’s name due to Grover Cleveland’s anti-indigenous policies. For this segment, Maya plays a contemporary piece (Homeland, by Allison Loggins-Hull) that evokes her people’s history of displacement.
Christa Wessel chats with 18-year old pianist Joshua Hahn. Joshua loves how music demands perseverance and dedication, and also how it can connect us to emotion and memory deep inside us.
All Classical Radio celebrates the 10th anniversary of On Deck with Young Musicians by following up with 10 of the musicians who were interviewed in the first season of the show. The series is hosted by All Classical intern Jahlysa Azaret.
Daniel Rodricks is a resident physician and pianist based in Newport News, Virginia. In this bonus “Where Are They Now” episode Daniel shares his thoughts about his past interview and the moving impact it made. We also discuss more about his gratitude toward his community in supporting him with his career and the importance of maintaining music in one’s life.
Violinist Leena Karmarkar was only 4 years old when her parents signed her up for music lessons. Now at 17, she’s the concertmaster at the Metropolitan Youth Symphony. Leena talks about losing motivation during the pandemic, and how she got her joy back. A junior at Portland’s Lincoln High School, she enjoys being challenged. Leena is working toward an IB diploma, and in her spare time she runs cross country and volunteers at YouthLine, a teen-to-teen crisis line. Raul Gomez-Rojas hosts.
Rachel Modlin is a senior at Reed College, studying collaborative piano performance and French. She studies piano privately with Jean-David Coen and Monica Ohuchi. She is a member of the Reed Piano Trio, has soloed with the Reed orchestra, and frequently performs collaborative works with Reed students. As a collaborative pianist, Rachel performs a variety of gigs from musical theater auditions at Portland Playhouse to subbing cantata rehearsals for the Bach Cantata Choir. Outside of her studies, Rachel is the Administrative Assistant for Fear No Music and teaches ballet at Classical Ballet Academy.
All Classical Radio celebrates the 10th anniversary of On Deck with Young Musicians by following up with 10 of the musicians who were interviewed in the first season of the show. The series is hosted by All Classical intern Jahlysa Azaret.
Saori DeBruyn is an opera singer based in Eugene, Oregon. In this bonus “Where Are They Now” episode Saori shares her thoughts about her past interview, her career, and talks more about her special performance with her husband, conductor Jonathan Debruyn. Saori also shares advice for young musicians.
All Classical Radio celebrates the 10th anniversary of On Deck with Young Musicians by following up with 10 of the musicians who were interviewed in the first season of the show. The series is hosted by All Classical intern Jahlysa Azaret.
Jonathan DeBruyn is a conductor and violinist based in Eugene, Oregon. In our tenth episode, Jonathan shares his thoughts on his past interview, his career, and a special performance with his wife, Saori Debruyn. He also shares advice for aspiring conductors.
All Classical Radio celebrates the 10th anniversary of On Deck with Young Musicians by following up with 10 of the musicians who were interviewed in the first season of the show. The series is hosted by All Classical intern Jahlysa Azaret.
PJ Hummelt is a data analyst and French horn player based in Berkeley, California. In our ninth episode, PJ discusses his thoughts on his past interview and his career. He also talks about thoughts on his upcoming performance at the Portland Youth Philharmonic’s Concert-at-Christmas on December 26 and then he shares advice for young musicians.
All Classical Radio celebrates the 10th anniversary of On Deck with Young Musicians by following up with 10 of the musicians who were interviewed in the first season of the show. The series is hosted by All Classical intern Jahlysa Azaret. Daniel Kim is a former cellist, now photojournalist based in Seattle, Washington. In our eighth episode, Daniel talks about how he became a photojournalist and the art of storytelling through photography. He shares a story about a photo that helped him to connect with his Seattle community and then he shares advice for young musicians.
Dina Biggs is a 14-year old clarinetist, and a freshman at West Linn High School. Though Dina has only been playing clarinet for 3 years she is already quite good: she is the only freshman in her school’s Symphonic Band, and she plays first clarinet in the Portland Youth Philharmonic. Fun fact: her first clarinet was purchased for $49 on Amazon.com.
All Classical Radio celebrates the 10th anniversary of On Deck with Young Musicians by following up with 10 of the musicians who were interviewed in the first season of the show. The series is hosted by All Classical intern Jahlysa Azaret.
Anna Louise is an opera singer based Rochester, New York. In our seventh episode, she shares her thoughts on her interview from 10 years ago and also talks about her work with nonprofits to create positive change in the arts community. Anna Louise also shares advice with young musicians on finding a community of trusted advisors.
All Classical Radio celebrates the 10th anniversary of On Deck with Young Musicians by following up with 10 of the musicians who were interviewed in the first season of the show. The series is hosted by All Classical intern Jahlysa Azaret.
Emma Simmons is a violinist based in Eugene, OR. In our sixth episode, Emma shares her thoughts on her interview from 10 years ago. She also talks about her interest in baroque music and advocating for herself as a queer, neurodivergent artist.
All Classical Radio celebrates the 10th anniversary of On Deck with Young Musicians by following up with 10 of the musicians who were interviewed in the first season of the show. The series is hosted by All Classical intern Jahlysa Azaret.
Jimmy Brown is a baritone singer and Elementary Music Educator based in Portland, OR. In this episode, Jimmy shares his thoughts on his “On Deck” interview from 10 years ago. He also talks about his work as an educator, his favorite performance, and advice to young musicians to find their place in the music world.
Software engineer (and former violinist) Emily Wu reacts to her interview from 10 years ago, and shares about her work as a software engineer, getting involved in the dance community, and sharing advice with young musicians on overcoming their obstacles.
Bassist Nick Arredondo reacts to his interview from 10 years ago, and shares about finding community in the Colburn School of Music, playing for the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and sharing advice with young musicians to prioritize self-care.
Vocalist Geetha Somayajula reacts to her interview from 10 years ago, and shares her journey since then (which includes a degree from USC, a Fulbright year in South India, a stint at Price Waterhouse Cooper, and a current path to a dual Masters degree at Northwestern University). Geetha also shares that as a South Asian she has often felt misunderstood; she now finds purpose in helping people communicate and find a sense of belonging.
All Classical Radio celebrates the 10th anniversary of On Deck with Young Musicians by following up with 10 of the musicians who were interviewed in the first season of the show. The series is hosted by All Classical intern Jahlysa Azaret.
In our first episode, pianist Ruta Kuzmickas reacts to her interview from 10 years ago and talks to Jahlysa about her rebellious nature which pushes her to create both music AND visual art, and about her commitment to expressing gratitude. Ruta will also share her advice for young musicians.
Olivia Turk is a classical saxophonist who just started their senior year at Ida B Wells high school where they play clarinet and saxophone. They started music over ten years ago and have been playing saxophone for three. Currently, Olivia plays in Portland Youth Philharmonic Wind Ensemble and sits first chair in their school band. Adam Eccleston talks with Olivia about their drive to pursue music as a career.
Naomi Margolis is a 16-year old cellist who not only plays in the Metropolitan Youth Symphony, but she also -as a freshman- started a chamber orchestra at Lincoln High School. Raul Gomez-Rojas talks with Naomi about leadership, about being the youngest member of almost every ensemble she’s been a part of, and about how orchestra is like a sports team. Naomi also loves learning languages (Mandarin, Spanish & German) and appreciates how those languages foster connections.
Eunji Ryu is a rising senior at Westview High School in Beaverton. She has been playing the cello for almost 10 years and currently plays in the Portland Youth Philharmonic. In 2022 and 2023, she played in Oregon's All-State High School Ensemble and in 2023, played in the All-Northwest Ensemble. In 2022, she performed at Weill Recital Hall in New York for the Winners Recital of the American Protégé International Strings Competition. Other than music, her interests lie in creative writing. She enjoys teaching about writing through Ad Meliora, a youth organization promoting a love of literature to younger students.
Rhys Phillips is an 18-year old multi-genre, multi-instrumentalist, and a senior at West Linn High School. His principal instrument is the piano, but he also sings and plays the cello, guitar and bass. He loves playing classical, jazz and pop. He deeply loves music, and in intently focused on music as a career: he is headed to Berklee College of Music in the Fall. Throughout this high school career, though, Rhys has found it a bit difficult to connect with his peers about his love of classical music. We’ll talk with Rhys about the struggle to find his tribe.
Lilia Niebuhr is a 14-year-old multi-instrumentalist, who will start her sophomore year at Westview High School in the fall. Lilia started learning piano when she was only 4, and started flute in 4th grade. Recently, she also picked up the oboe, and within just a few short months, she qualified for the State Solo and Ensemble Competition. Currently she plays both of her woodwind instruments with Metropolitan Youth Symphony. In this episode of On Deck, Lilia chats with Raúl Gómez-Rojas about her drive to seek new challenges and stick to efficient practicing habits.
Sal Wallin is a classical guitarist and composer at Reed College, where he is majoring in music with a focus on composing. He has studied guitar with multiple teachers including Cameron O’Connor, Mario Diaz and John Mery, and additionally studies voice and composition with Emily Lau. He also sings with the Big Mouth Society, a community-supported collective of musicians which performs multiple unique, wide-ranging concerts each year.
15-year old Alexis Zou attends Lake Oswego High School and 16-year old Hansen Barrett goes to West Linn High School. Their piano teacher, Renato Fabbro, suggested that they might both benefit from being in a piano duo together. They’ve been a duet for just one year, but they’ve already amassed quite a list of accomplishments. The two talk this week with Christa Wessel about the challenges of playing with another pianist, and what resulting benefits they’ve seen in their own musicianship.
In this episode of On Deck, 17-year-old cellist Andrew Sickler speaks with Raúl Gómez-Rojas about finding the cello at a young age, and how a recent switch in his approach to practicing allowed him to discover a future in music. Andrew is on his way to the University of Oregon for a major concentration in music performance under the tutelage of Steven Pologe. In Portland, Andrew played with the Portland Youth Philharmonic and with his school orchestra at Tualatin High School.
Roberto Moo-Julian is a rising senior at Roosevelt High School and a trumpeter in the BRAVO Community Orchestra. He started music in the 4th grade in BRAVO Youth Orchestras and has performed at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, the capitol building in Salem, the YOLA National Symposium in Los Angeles, and has even made a guest appearance in one of the recitals of this episode’s host, Adam Eccleston. Roberto dreams of attending college to study physical therapy to help athletes while also maintaining his love of music.
Keean Balsiger is an 18-year-old senior at Tualatin HS who plays viola, violin and guitar in classical, jazz and rock ensembles. In this episode of On Deck, Keean chats with Raúl Gómez-Rojas about the similarities and differences between his different instruments and the genres that he enjoys exploring. Over the course of his musical career, Keean has been a member of many school ensembles as well as the Portland Youth Philharmonic and Metropolitan Youth Symphony. Additionally, he plays guitar with his school’s Jazz Ensemble, and has a rock band with friends.
Amy Faust chats with singer Sam Decker, a senior at Rex Putnam High School and a member of the Pacific Youth Choir. Sam is a section leader at PYC and tells us about his approach to mentoring, which largely focuses on bonding and having fun. Sam will be attending University of Oregon next year as a music major.
In this episode of On Deck, Raul Gomez-Rojas speaks with violinist Ryan Jun, a junior at Mountainside High School. He has been playing the violin for eight years, and currently studies with Carol Sindell. He won the Young Artists Competition and soloed with the Jewish Community Orchestra in 2022, and was chosen as a 2023 winner of Cognizart’s Young Artists Debut! Competition,which takes place May 26 at the Reser in Beaverton. Ryan has also been a member of the Portland Youth Philharmonic for the past 4 years. Besides music, he enjoys playing on his school’s varsity golf team and sees some parallels between golf and music.
Luke D’Silva is a sophomore at Westview High School. His musical journey began at 6 years old with the violin. Three years later, he decided to play the viola with Andrea Hawkins as his teacher. Luke joined the Young String Ensemble of PYP (Portland Youth Philharmonic) as the Assistant Principal Violist and became the Principal Violist the following year. Luke is currently the Co-Principal Violist of the PYP Orchestra. In 2022, he joined Oregon’s All-State Honor Orchestra, and in 2023, he served as Principal Violist of both All-State and All-Northwest Honor Orchestras. He plans to attend college and double major in music and engineering.
Sarah Lee, age 16, is a sophomore at Westview High School and an award-winning cellist. In this episode of On Deck, Sarah chats with Raúl Gómez-Rojas about her journey and accomplishments, including being one of the winners of Cognizart’s 2023 Young Artists Debut! Competition. Sarah is also a member of the Portland Youth Philharmonic, and has participated in numerous master classes and summer programs.
In addition to playing cello, she is a competitive soccer player, and enjoys teaching with Project Prelude, a student-led organization that introduces elementary-school kids to string instruments.
Amy Faust chats with Andy Shin, the youngest of this year’s Metro Arts Cognizart Young Artists Debut winners. He’s an 8th grader at Beaverton Academy of Science and Engineering. Andy has played the cello for 4 years after making the switch from piano. (It was a live performance of a Saint-Saens cello concerto that got him.) He currently plays with the Portland Youth Philharmonic and plans to continue doing so in high school. You can see Andy with his fellow winners at a special Cognizart Young Artists Debut performance on May 26th at the Reser Center in Beaverton.
Raúl Gómez-Rojas chats with Minntah Haefker, a 16 year old Junior enrolled at Lincoln High School in Portland, Oregon. Minntah often sings as a guest vocalist with the band “3 Leg Torso,” studies Opera with her voice coach Angela Niederloh, and competes in state/regional competitions singing in multiple languages. She also loves to perform gigs at the restaurant “Carruthers” in Astoria, Oregon and enjoys creating music with her friends. Minntah sang in the Lincoln HS Choir and Cardinal Choir her freshman and sophomore years and recently won the Soprano Soloist Category for District 1.
Sophia Folawn is a junior at St. Mary’s Academy. She’s been playing flute with the Metropolitan Youth Symphony for 3 years and enjoys it very much; she first started out in the Flute Ensemble led by Adam Eccleston and has recently joined one of the top orchestras in the organization. A proud student of Liberty Broillet, Sophia enjoys listening to mainstream flute sensation Lizzo, who also happens to be an inspiration of hers.
18-year old saxophonist Aria Morgan spent her first three years of high school at Portland’s Ida B. Wells-Barnett High School, then her senior year at the Interlochen Arts Academy. Now a freshman at USC’s Thornton School of Music, she speaks with Raul Gomez-Rojas about her love of music as well as the importance of activism in her life, saying “seeing musicians on stage that look like you is powerful.”
17-year old pianist Chloe Zhang (“zang”) was a finalist in Portland Piano International’s Concerto Competition, and also was one of the winners in the Beaverton Symphony’s Young Artist Competition. She deeply adores music, but interestingly -given her successes- it’s not going to be the focus of her life. She engages in music purely for the love of it. We’ll hear her story -and learn about her environmental non-profit (Next-Gen Innovators)- in this episode of On Deck with Young Musicians.
Alessandro Diaz Ayala is a cellist and conductor who hails from BRAVO Youth Orchestras. He’s a 9th grader at Jefferson high school and enjoys classical music very much. Lately, he’s been exploring other instruments like the flute and quickly realized how much air is needed for the instrument, but he still enjoys playing it in the school band. Alessandro plans to attend college (Harvard is his #1 school) to major in medicine and minor in music with the dream of becoming a surgeon. Check him out at the next BRAVO Community Orchestra concert at the University of Portland. You'll see him in the cello section and conducting a piece on the program! You can learn more about BRAVO at www.oregonbravo.org.
Ben McHarris is a 17-year-old senior at Cleveland High School in Portland, and a clarinetist with Metropolitan Youth Symphony, where he has played since 2020. In this episode of On Deck, Ben speaks with Raúl Gómez-Rojas about his initial inspiration to choose the clarinet and his journey at MYS. Also, Ben shares about his other musical explorations, including playing electric guitar in a band with his friends (named Miter Saw!), in the genres of screamo, hardcore and slowcore.
Sarah Hohndel is an 18-year-old tuba player with the Metropolitan Youth Symphony. In this episode of On Deck, she chats with Raúl Gómez-Rojas about starting to learn the tuba when she was only in fifth grade, horseback riding and earning her third degree black belt in Taekwondo. In addition to those passions and skills, Sarah enjoys reading, playing with her pets, and hanging out with her family. She is passionate about helping others, solving problems, drawing, and baking. In addition to playing with MYS, Sarah has been a member of the Oregon All-State Wind Ensemble.
Amy Faust gets to know Maya Hausman, a senior at Cleveland High school who plays flute and piccolo (plus a little bit of clarinet!) for various school ensembles as well as the Metropolitan Youth Symphony.
Maya started playing the piano at age 5, but as a member of the Cherokee Nation she was drawn early on to the native flute playing at the tribal gatherings her family would attend each summer. Her passion for classical music is matched by her drive to bring attention to indigenous history and justice. At Cleveland, she co-founded a native student union and is part of the campaign to change the school’s name due to Grover Cleveland’s anti-indigenous policies. For this segment, Maya plays a contemporary piece (Homeland, by Allison Loggins-Hull) that evokes her people’s history of displacement.
Sam Lines is a 17-year-old junior at Lake Oswego High School. He has been a member of the top orchestra at the Metropolitan Youth Symphony since 2020, where he often plays principal horn.
In this episode of On Deck, Sam chats with Raúl Gómez-Rojas about the joys and challenges of being a horn player, plus his passion for his other instruments: piano, guitar and trumpet. Sam is also a successful soccer player, currently on the roster of his school’s varsity team.
Aili Deibert is a Junior at PorRoosevelt High School. She’s been playing flute with BRAVO Youth Orchestras (an El Sistema inspired afternoon music program based in North Portland) since 2015. She has performed at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall and was selected to perform in the National Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles (YOLA).
Aili is an active performer and teacher and has been a part of the BRAVO Community Orchestra for several years. After high school, she plans to attend college and major in law while still keeping up with music.
Soren Cowell-Shah has been singing his whole life. Now a 17-year-old senior at Catlin Gabel, he joined Pacific Youth Choir when he was only five years old.
In this episode of On Deck, Soren shares with Raúl Gómez-Rojas how he loves the breadth of music he gets to sing in PYC, as well as the additional opportunities like performing with the Oregon Symphony.
A big fan of Broadway musicals, Soren has acted in all of his school’s productions. Outside of music, he enjoys participating in Model UN, Science Bowl, and playing Dungeons & Dragons. He’ll be attending Harvard University in the fall, where he plans to study linguistics or political science, and looks forward to singing with the school’s a capella groups.
Multi-instrumentalist, Tristan Kriz is a sophomore at Roosevelt High School. He started playing flute in the 5th grade while already playing the guitar. He picked up the clarinet and saxophone as well and loves jazz and classical music.
Tristan joined the Metropolitan Youth Symphony’s Flute Ensemble last year and enjoys it very much. He is filled with so many inspirations and he hopes to continue music in college to become a music teacher.
Amy Faust chats with Mia Williams, a senior at Sam Barlow High in Gresham who is a lead soprano with the Pacific Youth Choir and a passionate participant in her high school theater program. (She’s starring in the title role of “Mary Poppins” this month, in fact!)
Mia has been singing since she can remember — in the kitchen with her very musical family, on various stages in musical theater productions, and most recently at the Keller with the Oregon Ballet Theater in their production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”
Ishan Ghosh is a 16-year-old junior at Westview High School. He is a highly accomplished oboist and violinist who plays with Metropolitan Youth Symphony’s top ensembles: Symphony Orchestra (oboe) and MYSfits (violin). In this episode of On Deck, Ishan chats with Raúl Gómez-Rojas about his beginnings in music, learning to play the tabla and being immersed in classical Indian music before learning his current instruments.
In addition to performing with his school ensembles, MYS and various honor ensembles in Oregon, Ishan teaches for Project Prelude, a student-run organization that brings violin lessons to elementary school students in Beaverton. Outside of music, Ishan is co-president of the Westview History and Quiz Bowl Club and enjoys hiking and biking.
Claudio Chung is a 17-year-old pianist at Lakeridge high school. He is a student of Linda Barker and a recent winner of Cognizart's Young Artist Debut Competition. You can hear him along with the five other winners of the competition on November 18, 2022 at The Reser in Beaverton.
At the tender age of five, Claudio embarked on his musical journey. On top of playing the piano, he also studied the violin for seven years with Ruth Sadilek. After high school, Claudio has dreams to attend Oberlin Conservatory of Music studying piano and hopes to become a professor of piano one day.
Eliana Choi is a senior at Lake Oswego High School who has been playing the piano since she was five years old. In this episode of On Deck, Eliana speaks with Raúl Gómez-Rojas about her experience becoming one of the winners of Cognizart’s Young Artist Debut! Competition, and how she’s using her music making to bring joy to people in senior living homes. Eliana is currently a student of Linda Barker, and enjoys training in parkour and rock climbing in her free time.
Kristen Kim is a 13-year old cellist and the youngest winner of a spot on this year’s Young Artist Debut concert (November 18th at the Reser in Beaverton). While she enjoys reading and cooking, most of Kristen’s time is dedicated to music. She plays in 3 ensembles with the Portland Youth Philharmonic and is also a mentor for PYP’s Young String Ensemble. Kristen’s older sister Ellie will also be performing on this upcoming Young Artist Debut concert; it’s the first time in the competition’s history that two siblings will be performing on the same stage.
Violinist Timothy Lee, 17, chats with Raúl Gómez-Rojas about his musical journey and how he is giving back to the community through not one, but two non-profits. As one of this year’s six winners of Cognizart’s Young Artist Debut competition, Timothy is grateful for the opportunities he has had so far. That is why he started Gratis Music (gratismusic.org), which donates violins to children in underprivileged communities. Timothy also teaches with Project Prelude, a non-profit sponsored by Metropolitan Youth Symphony which provides violin lessons to elementary school kids in Beaverton/Aloha.
Amy Faust gets to know Ellie Kim, one of this year’s six winners of Cognizart’s Young Artist Debut competition. A junior at Westview High in Beaverton, Ellie has been playing violin since age 5. With her younger sister, Kristen Kim, also being recognized by Cognizart this year for her cello playing, it’s surprising to hear that Ellie’s parents aren’t musicians themselves, but just wanted their daughters to find something to feel passionate about.
Although Ellie normally prefers romantic-era compositions, she won her Cognizart slot performing Ernest Bloch’s “Baal Shem”, a contemporary piece she connected to through her teacher Carol Sindell. Along with the other finalists Ellie will perform this piece live on November 18th at the Reser Center in Beaverton with members of the Oregon Symphony and the Oregon Ballet Orchestras.
Clara Dyson is an 18-year-old oboist who recently graduated from Ashland High School and is now attending Oberlin College in Ohio. In this episode of On Deck, Clara chats with Raúl Gómez-Rojas about her experience growing up in Ashland, playing in youth orchestra and transferring skills learned in music to other aspects of her life. While she is not fully decided yet, Clara plans to major in a STEM-related subject and potentially minor in music. Outside of music, Clara likes to draw and sew. She was captain of her high school’s robotics team, and principal oboe in the Youth Symphony of Southern Oregon. She is also a recent winner of the Concerto Competition at YMA: Young Musicians and Artists.
Cami Arbella spews inspiration in every word she says. This talented and heartwarming 16-year-old cellist is a student at Jefferson high school and has a 4.0 GPA. A proud Cuban American, Cami is bilingual in Spanish and English. She’s been in BRAVO Youth Orchestras since its conception in 2013. Cami now serves as a high school mentor for BRAVO’s younger students and is a member of the BRAVO Community Orchestra playing principal cello. She spends a lot of her time playing her cello and making origami!
Amy Faust chats with Ayush Wynkoop about music, cooking, and….trains! A rising junior at Valley Catholic High School, Ayush plays flute with Metropolitan Youth Symphony, flute and piccolo with the Westside Youth & Community Orchestra, and saxophone with his high school band. As passionate and dedicated as he is to music, he also loves everything about trains: reading about them, riding them, photographing them, and more. (Would he ever hop a freight train? You’ll have to listen to find out.) He’s also a fan of cooking, which he has learned from his professional chef parents, and he speaks English, Japanese and Marathi, the language from his mother’s region of India.
“It is very much a part of me.” That’s how 16-year-old George Miller describes his relationship with music. This pianist and multi-instrumentalist is a student at Rex Putnam HS, and in this episode of On Deck, he describes to Raúl Gómez-Rojas how music served as a safe space for him after personal struggles when he was only 8 years old. Thanks to the help of Play It Forward, which provided George with lessons and instruments, he is today an avid music-maker who plays more than a handful of instruments and plans to pursue a career in music
Isaac Schultz is a 17-year-old violist with the Portland Youth Philharmonic. In this episode of On Deck, he chats with Raúl Gómez-Rojas about his involvement with PYP, his passion for orchestral and chamber music, and other passions such as baking. At school (Northwest Academy), Isaac is also involved in theatre productions and musical theater.
14-year-old Daphne Tran shares with us her fascinating life with the harp. In this episode of On Deck with Young Musicians, Daphne opens up with Adam Eccleston about her musical inspirations, the different styles of harps, and even shares two of her hidden talents with us.
Benjamin Hosking is a nineteen year-old flute player living in Lake Oswego. In this episode of On Deck, Ben speaks with Raúl Gómez-Rojas about moving to the U.S. from New Zealand when he was 10 years old. Soon after, he discovered music in his elementary school and immediately gravitated towards the flute. Ben is currently a second-year student of Flute Performance at Portland State University under the guidance of Sydney Carlson. In his spare time, he enjoys musical theatre and reading novels, including his all-time favorite series: The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan.
Amy Faust covers a lot of musical territory with 16 year-old clarinetist Joseph Baik, who will be performing a solo piece at Carnegie Hall this fall.While he loves classical and contemporary music, he is also a passionate fan of hip hop, fashion, and swimming, which he does competitively. This combination keeps him so busy that he says he can literally fall asleep anywhere. Joseph's parents both come from very musical families in Korea, and he's grateful for the way they encourage him but allow him to make his own decisions.
Klara Kjome Fischer, 18, is a recent graduate of the IB program at Cleveland High School and a violinist with the Metropolitan Youth Symphony. In this episode of On Deck, Klara speaks with Raúl Gómez-Rojas about her experience learning, rehearsing and performing Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 with MYS. In the fall, Klara plans to attend Carleton College, where she will not major in music, but hopes to continue playing in chamber and orchestral ensembles. In Portland, Klara is a violin student of Endrew Ehrlich, and enjoys biking, hiking and climbing trees.
In this episode of On Deck, 16-year-old violinist Derek Choi chats with Raúl Gómez-Rojas about his beginnings in music, playing piano and classical guitar before he ever picked up a violin. Starting a couple of years ago, a shift in his approach to competitions enabled him to start cultivating prizes more consistently: In the spring of 2022, Derek was a winner of the MetroArts Young Artists Debut and the Oregon Mozart Players Young Soloist Competition Senior Division, soloing with their orchestra under the direction of Kelly Kuo. In 2021, he was the First Prize winner of the Grand Metropolitan International Music Competition as well as the American Protégé Music Talent Competition where he was awarded a performance at Carnegie Hall in 2023.
At home, Derek plays with the Portland Youth Philharmonic and teaches with Project Prelude, a student-led program that brings music lessons to elementary school students in Beaverton.
Amy Faust gets to know Koharu Sakiyama, a composer whose piece “Untold Tales,” a collaboration with local young poet Laila Vickers, just premiered at the Metropolitan Youth Symphony‘s spring concert.
Koharu, who also plays violin with the Portland Youth Philharmonic, alto sax with her high school band, as well as the Japanese koto, has won or been recognized by numerous composers’ competitions. Her work has been performed by PYP, her high school band, and other ensembles around the city. This latest piece comes to us through her work with fEARnoMUSIC’s Young Composer’s Project.
Aside from her koto playing, Koharu’s Japanese roots are reflected in a recent composition she created for her grandfather called “Maturi” that was inspired by the many festivals she attended with him in Japan.
Koharu heads to University of California at Berkley this fall where she plans to study cellular and molecular biology.
In this episode of “On Deck,” Margot chats with Raúl Gómez-Rojas about her artistic journey, as well as her leadership roles in her school’s Gender and Sexuality Alliance and the program “No Place for Hate,” which seeks to combat discrimination in schools through peer-based education.
15-year old high school sophomore Lorelei Gorton loves the term ‘artist’ because of its range, and that’s exactly how she describes herself. She’s primarily a dancer and musician, but she also has a passion for writing, singing, acting, and visual art. That’s why she loves being able to go to the Arts & Communication Magnet Academy in Beaverton.
In this episode of “On Deck” Lorelei tells Christa Wessel that she believes the arts provide an amazing means of catharsis and a place where she can transform her interior emotions into something externally powerful.
Adam Eccleston shares a heart-to-heart moment with flutist and All Classical Portland Young Artist Ambassador, Diego Fernandez. This joyous junior of South Salem High School has already contributed much to our greater Portland community. Diego is a well-rounded musician supporting works of modern living composers of diverse background. He has aspirations to become a leading professional flutist in order to inspire others like him.
Amy Faust chats with Joey Young, a senior at Mountain View High School in Vancouver. After picking up a viola for his school music program in the 5th grade, Joey's love of classical music led to an interest in composing, which he has been doing now for several years.
Christa Wessel chats with Paul Zupan. A sophomore at Franklin High School, Paul loves nothing more than being with friends in band (Paul plays saxophone) and in the Pacific Youth Choir (Paul sings bass). Paul has been making music since 5th grade, but says it has only gotten more difficult the older they get. When Paul is not making music, which is most of the time, they enjoy computer coding.
Amy Faust gets to know Cael Farrow, a senior at Grant High School in Portland and a passionate advocate for classical music. Cael started playing the cello at age 4, and very soon was entertaining crowds at the Hollywood Farmer’s Market, playing for tips while sitting in her car seat. Now a member of the Metropolitan Youth Symphony, Cael is their principal cellist and studies with Hamilton Chaefetz at Portland State.
Her love for classical music started before she was born, she says, when her mom played Mozart while pregnant. While Cael admits she had a Taylor Swift phase, her musical idols have always been Mozart, Bach, and Beethoven. She plans to attend PSU and may pursue a career in medicine, but hopes to keep performing music by her idols indefinitely
Amelia Kotamarti is a 16 year old flutist at Grant High School, who plays with the Metropolitan Youth Symphony and her high school Wind Ensemble. Amelia spoke with Raúl Gómez about how music has been a part of her life since before she can remember, and how she attributes her love of music to her mom. Since she started playing in fourth grade, Amelia has participated in district and state Solo and Ensemble competitions, played in the pit orchestra for Grant's spring musical, and picked up a love for choir as well. Amelia also loves the STEM field and would love to pursue a career in health science, while keeping music an integral part of her life.
Christa Wessel speaks with 15-year-old violinist Mindy Moradi about perseverance, about playing with adults in the Westside Community and Youth Orchestra, and about what music does to her brain.
Raúl Gómez chats with Henry Pappas, a 16 year-old junior at Crescent Valley High School in Corvallis, OR. Henry has been playing the violin since he was 8 years old, and along the way, he’s picked up clarinet, percussion, jazz, conducting, and most recently, podcasting. Henry started a podcast for the Corvallis Youth Symphony entitled “Notes from Within,” through which he aims to explore his community through classical music. Henry’s violin teacher, Anthea Kreston, inspired Henry to create this podcast and offered guidance for the project.
Amy Faust chats with Heaven Fay Scroggins, a pianist, viola player and composer who’s in the seventh grade. In the second grade, Heaven Fay was introduced to classical music by Bravo Orchestras when they came to her elementary school, Rosa Parks in North Portland. After several years playing the viola, her perfect attendance earned her a slot with Play It Forward, a program that provides pianos and tuition-free lessons to students. The founder of the program, pianist Michael Allen Harrison, is Heaven Fay’s teacher, mentor and now family friend.
Heaven Fay’s composition “H9” is now in the Bravo curriculum, and she intends to keep composing and performing music, even possibly writing a children’s book someday about her musical experiences
Paul Lee is an 18-year-old pianist and violinist with an already long list of awards and accomplishments. In this episode of On Deck, Paul shares with Raúl Gómez how he went from being a “competition guy” to an “outreach guy,” putting his music to the service of others. He and his brother Timmy -also a violinist and pianist- regularly play for their church, nursing homes, the Korean Society of Oregon, Portland Rescue Mission, the Ronald McDonald Charity Home, and the Wilsonville Korean War Memorial.
Violist Elijah Zacharia was only 11-years old when he joined the most advanced ensemble at the Portland Youth Philharmonic, a remarkable achievement at such young age. Now a 16-year-old homeschooled junior, he chats with Raúl Gómez-Rojas about the reasons why he chose the viola when he was only 3 years old, the importance of youth orchestra and chamber music, and his favorite moments on stage.
Jackson Grace is a 17-year-old senior at Franklin High School. In this episode of On Deck, Jackson chats with Raúl Gómez-Rojas about his beginnings in piano (which involve playing a video game!) as well as his current musical adventures: playing jazz with the Metropolitan Youth Symphony Jazz Ensemble, and writing music with FearNoMusic’s Young Composers Project.
In his spare time, Jackson designs roller coasters in a simulator called NoLimits 2, where he was won design competitions. Jackson is passionate about math and physics and plans to go into mechanical engineering in college. His dream Job: roller coaster designer.
Amy Faust checks in with composer and multi-instrumentalist Elaina Rae Stuppler, and then finds it’s impossible to squeeze all of her career highlights into a 9-minute episode, even though she’s only in the 8th grade!
A recent transplant from the Los Angeles area, Elaina is the first recipient of the Luna Lab fellowship, a new program sponsored by the Oregon Symphony for young composers. She’s also a member of Fear No Music’s Young Composer Project, and her original composition is featured in Metropolitan Youth Symphony‘s Fall concert this season.
She loves to write and perform original pop music, and frequently sings the National Anthem at local sporting events (perhaps you saw her on NBC at the Portland Grand Prix last summer?) Elaina attends Lakeridge Middle School and plans to head to Lakeridge High next year.
19-year old pianist Trinity Goff chats with Christa Wessel about stage fright, improvisation and about her upcoming performance on Cognizart’s Young Artists Debut concert.
Trinity is a freshman at Willamette University and is majoring in music and in German. In addition to focusing on her goal of becoming a professional concert pianist, she is also a piano teacher, with a studio of 14 students.
Adrian Hsieh is a junior at Corvallis High School who has been playing cello since the age of four and piano since the age of six. On this episode of On Deck, Adrian speaks with Raúl Gómez-Rojas about being one of the winners of the 2021 Young Artists Debut! Van Buren Concerto Competition by Cognizart, with Antonin Dvorak’s cello concerto. Adrian has won several other competitions, including one that allowed him to play as a soloist with Oregon Mozart Players when he was only in sixth grade.
When he’s not playing cello or piano, Adrian enjoys participating in musical theater performances: he has played the lead in West Side Story and Beauty and the Beast and was the music director and conductor in a production of Spitfire Grill presented by the Corvallis School District Theaters. Adrian also enjoys plays Magic: the Gathering in his spare time.
Amy Faust gets to know Katie Liu, who, as a winner of the Cognizart competition, will be performing with members of the Oregon Symphony at the Young Artist Debut Concert on November 19th.
A freshman at St. Mary’s Academy and a violinist and pianist with the Portland Youth Philharmonic, Katie loves to perform for any audience, big or small, young or old. Since the third grade, she has taken the initiative to arrange regular performances at retirement centers, and has also played several times at Doernbecher Children’s Hospital.
A passionate and compelling musician who puts tons of emotion into her performances, Katie is naturally drawn toward romantic pieces and composers, but she’s also interested in computer science…go figure!
Grace Applegate, 17, is a high schooler at Sherwood High School who plays piano, clarinet, and sings. On this episode of On Deck, she chats with Raúl Gómez-Rojas on topics ranging from practicing habits to advocacy and life goals. Outside of music, Grace is passionate about philosophy, psychology, art, and activism. She also enjoys reading and writing. Grace wishes to pursue a career in psychotherapy and will always hold music close to her heart.
Christa Wessel chats with 16-year old violinist Kate Stange, a junior at Roosevelt High School. As a youngster, she found her way to the violin after becoming obsessed, as a 4-year old, with a purple toy violin. Now a member of the Metropolitan Youth Symphony’s Concert Orchestra, music has become a huge priority in her life. In fact, when Kate was hospitalized for a heart-related issue last year, she found that being able to have her violin in her hospital room was a huge comfort to her.
Raúl Gómez-Rojas chats with Kaisa Amer, a 13 year-old eighth grader at Sherwood Middle School. Kaisa was born in Michigan, and before moving to Oregon, she lived with her family in Bangkok, Thailand. Her primary musical interest is percussion, but she has also taken piano lessons and enjoys singing in choir. As a percussionist, Kaisa’s favorite instrument is the marimba, and she also enjoys playing vibraphone in jazz band and any instruments she is assigned in band or orchestra.
In this episode of “On Deck,” Cyrus speaks with Raúl Gómez-Rojas about his musical pursuits, as well as his passion for competitive swimming and tennis.
In this episode of "On Deck," Amy Faust chats with Audrey Opsahl, a 17 year-old singer with the Pacific Youth Choir and the Cleveland High School Choir.
Makenzie Monson is a 15-year-old vocalist and pianist who deeply cherishes music in her life. In this episode of On Deck, Makenzie chats with Raúl Gómez-Rojas about how performing for others gives her a sense of purpose, as well as an opportunity to bring hope and joy to her audiences.
Evelyne Knight knows what it’s like to count lots of rests. She also knows that being an orchestral percussionist is A LOT more complex (and fun!) than most people think. In this episode of “On Deck,” Raúl Gómez-Rojas chats with Evelyne, who is 17 years old and a member of the Portland Youth Philharmonic, where she has been principal percussionist since 2019.
Raúl Gómez-Rojas chats with 16-year-old Catherine Hartrim-Lowe, a self-described “homeschooled, homesteading, high school sophomore, cellist, vocalist, and amateur pianist living near Vancouver, Washington.”
In this episode of “On Deck,” Amy Faust chats with Erika Metzenberg, a 15 year old violin player with the Metropolitan Youth Symphony. Erika has been playing with MYS for almost 8 years, and has recently picked up the viola as well, taking regular lessons from MYS director (and On Deck host) Raul Gomez.
In this episode of “On Deck,” Christa Wessel talks with 16-year old Arthur Khamkhosy, a junior at Clackamas High School.
Though he began his musical journey with piano, he now sings with three choirs (including the Pacific Youth Choir and Portland’s Singing Christmas Tree). He loves the sense of community -and the vibrations- that choir provides. However, in this pandemic year, “Zoom choir” has been the new norm, and we’ll talk with Arthur about the ups and downs of that experience.
Christa Wessel chats with 18-year old Kaleb Hall. He discovered classical music through ballet. He then began playing clarinet, but it wasn’t until he started singing that he fell deeply in love with the genre. Kaleb and Christa have an interesting conversation this week, ranging from regret and fear, to pride and humility. We’ll also learn why Kaleb wants to pursue a career in music.
In this episode of “On Deck,” George speaks with Raúl Gómez-Rojas about another one of his passions: graffiti art, as well as the importance of making mistakes, embracing failure and pushing your own limits.
Amy Faust gets to know Leo Trajano, a 7th grader at Evergreen Middle School in Hillsboro whose passion for playing violin is only matched by his passion for piano. (Oh, and ping pong!)
Ted Ekstrand was inspired to take up an instrument when his older brothers started learning violin and French horn, but Ted wanted something louder and brighter, so, naturally, he picked the trumpet.
Christa Wessel chats with 16-year old violinist Audrey Wallace. Audrey, as a young girl, overcame her shyness to demand violin lessons; she is now a member of the Metropolitan Youth Symphony. Audrey tells us about the highs and lows along the way: wanting to quit violin, but then rediscovering her love of it once again. Audrey also tells us how the dialogues of the Greek and Roman thinkers inspire her today.
In this episode of On Deck, Raúl Gómez-Rojas chats with flutist Macy Gong, a 15-year-old freshman at Oregon Episcopal School and a member of the Portland Youth Philharmonic.
In this episode of “On Deck,” Amy Faust gets to know Issa Okamoto, a 17 year old coloratura soprano who serves as Executive Director of Portland Concert Opera.
Raúl Gómez-Rojas chats with Irie Page, a 17-year-old singer and actor with an already impressive résumé.
In this installment of “On Deck,” Raúl Gómez-Rojas chats with 18-year-old French horn player Kelson Gipp, a member of the Metropolitan Youth Symphony and his school band at the Ida B. Wells High School in Portland, OR.
Avery Hsieh, a Corvallis native, is currently a freshman studying Violin Performance at Vanderbilt University’s Blair School of Music. In this episode of “On Deck,” she speaks with Raúl Gómez-Rojas about her passion for the two instruments that she has played since she was little (violin and piano).
Amy Faust gets to know Bella Klucevek, a junior at Jesuit High School who sings soprano with their chamber choir as well as with Pacific Youth Choir.
Raúl Gómez-Rojas chats with Galilea Rios Schulz, a 17-year-old violinist with the Metropolitan Youth Symphony. Music has always been a part of Galilea’s life, dating all the way back to her dad playing guitar and ukulele for her as a baby.
In this episode of “On Deck,” Christa Wessel chats with violinist Lydia Downs. Lydia is a senior at Cleveland High School, and is slated to graduate as one of the valedictorians of her class.
Addison Domenigoni, a 17-year-old junior from Clackamas High School, chats with Raúl Gómez about her biggest passion: choral singing.
Amy Faust gets to know Ella Dorsey, a versatile musician who plays classical bass with the Metropolitan Youth Symphony.