TESSA BRINCKMAN - BIO

Interdisciplinary flutist/composer Tessa Brinckman has been praised for her “chameleon-like gifts” and “virtuoso elegance” (Gramophone), and as "an adroit creator of sound worlds” (Fanfare). Originally from Aotearoa/New Zealand, she has premiered hundreds of new works (commissioning over forty), with prominent classical music creators across the globe. In New York since 2022, she builds work that honors synesthesia, dialect, innate meter and collaboration. Tessa is co-director of the bi-coastal duo, Caballito Negro, with percussionist Terry Longshore, commissioning ground-breaking flute and percussion works, including composers Juri Seo and Baljinder Sekhon. She directs WildLine, a new, interdisciplinary chamber group based in northern Manhattan. Her collaborative videos have won 22 film festival awards for music scoring, animation and experimental film.

Numerous recent projects include her critically acclaimed album Take Wing, Roll Back (New Focus Recordings), AEON (Rattle Records, New Zealand), commissions from flutists Lisa Bost and Lisa Cella, performances at Baltimore's Livewire Festival, Princeton Sound Kitchen, and headlining with Mexico's Duo Duplum at Festival Cervantino and New Music Forum (Mexico City). www.tessabrinckman.com

Kate Jackson’s first job was as a trumpet player in the Royal Canadian Navy. She now lives in Walla Walla, WA, where she performs regularly with the Walla Walla Symphony and other ensembles in the area. She is a founding member of the Blue Mountain Brass quintet.

Violinist Ruby Ro is an active orchestral performer in the San Francisco Bay Area, appearing with ensembles including the San Francisco Ballet, San Francisco Silent Film Festival, I Cantori di Carmel, Berkeley Symphony, Marin Symphony, Modesto Symphony, Stockton Symphony, Livermore Opera, and Bach Millennium Opera production.

Her performance experience includes collaborations with DJ Kygo at the Chase Center, the Hip-Hop Orchestra Experience, the Video Game Orchestra at the Game Developers Conference (GDC), Stewart Copeland at SFJAZZ, a Led Zeppelin tribute production at the Curran Theater, and Green Day at Super Bowl LX.

A full-scholarship graduate of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Ruby earned her Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance, where she studied with Simon James. This fall, she will begin her Master of Music studies at SFCM under Simon James and Chen Zhao also on a full scholarship. 

She has participated in multiple seasons of the University of Michigan’s Center Stage Strings and has performed in masterclasses for distinguished artists including Danielle Belen, Jinjoo Cho, Nathan Cole, Amy Schwartz Moretti, Paul Kantor, and Robert McDuffie.

JENNIFER NELSON received her undergraduate degree in Music Performance from USC as a student of Mitchell Lurie, and continued her clarinet studies at Temple University where she was a student of Anthony Gigliotti. Jennifer plays Principal Clarinet with Pacific Northwest Ballet and Auburn Symphony Orchestras. She also has a very active freelance career, including playing Broadway-style shows at the Fifth Avenue and Paramount Theaters, occasional extra with Seattle Symphony and Seattle Opera orchestras, and records for various television and motion picture scores. Jennifer is an Affiliate Artist in Clarinet at the University of Puget Sound, and maintains a very busy private teaching studio in her home in north Seattle. Ms. Nelson has also traveled throughout the United States with the national touring companies of Phantom of the Opera and New York City Opera. In addition to her stateside concerts, orchestral and recital performances have taken her to Mexico, Japan, Germany, Liechtenstein, Austria, Honduras, Sweden, and India.

Mary Monaghan is currently a doctoral candidate in horn performance with a minor in ethnomusicology, and a University Fellow at the University of Arizona. There, she studies horn with Johanna Lundy. She completed her bachelors of music in performance with Lanette Lopez Compton at Oklahoma State University and her masters of music in performance with Dr. Rachel Hockenberry at Illinois State University. She is currently the fourth horn of the Sierra Vista Symphony in Sierra Vista, AZ, the fourth horn of the Tucson Pops Orchestra, and freelances in southern Arizona. In addition to performing, Monaghan teaches horn, trumpet, trombone, and euphonium lessons. She teaches students of all ability levels, from ages 8 to 88.

As an ethnomusicologist, Monaghan’s background is in ecomusicology, Latin American music, and applied research. For her doctoral research, she focuses on musical accessibility through culturally responsive teaching and integrating culturally specific music. After serving as a graduate instructor of Film and Television History for a year at the University of Arizona, Monaghan served as sabbatical replacement for the spring of 2026 semester at Illinois State University, as the Instructional Assistant Professor of Horn. There, she taught horn lessons, technique classes, studio class, horn choir, and played with the faculty brass quintet.

Hayley Monk is a freelance oboist currently based in the Tacoma area. She has performed in a variety of ensembles throughout the states of Washington and Louisiana including the Mid-Columbia Symphony, Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra. She is also passionate about showcasing works composed by members of underrepresented groups. In 2024, she performed a collaborative recital entitled “Moments from Women” at the International Double Reed Society Conference in Flagstaff, Arizona to highlight lesser known compositions from women.

She received a Bachelor of Music from Central Washington University and a Master of Music degree in Oboe Performance from Louisiana State University. She will be returning to Louisiana State University to pursue her Doctor of Musical Arts in Oboe Performance in the fall.

Suzanne Feinstein is an active French‑hornist based in the Seattle area with a Bachelor of Music from the State University of West Georgia and a Master of Music from the Longy School of Music in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Since relocating to Seattle, Suzanne has performed with regional orchestras and chamber ensembles — including the Symphony Tacoma, Seattle Metropolitan Chamber Orchestra, North Corner Chamber Orchestra, Federal Way Symphony, Village Theatre, and in ballet, opera, and musical theater productions throughout the region. Suzanne serves on the faculty of Music Works Northwest alongside a diverse faculty of professional musicians. She contributes to community music education in the Puget Sound area, coaching and mentoring students of all ages and backgrounds.

Julia McConnachie (she/her) is a master's student on Horn at the Jacobs School of Music studying with Denise Tryon. Originally from Shoreline, Washington, Julia earned her Bachelor of Music in Horn Performance from Central Washington University, where she studied with Dr. Jeffrey Snedeker. During her time there, she was a part of both the Wind Ensemble and Symphony Orchestra, including for the Wind Ensemble’s performance at the 2024 World Association of Symphonic Bands and Ensembles conference. She was also a member of the CWU Horn Ensemble. Julia is working towards a career as an orchestral musician, and has enjoyed getting to work with many orchestras, including the Wenatchee Valley Symphony Orchestra and Yakima Symphony Orchestra. Julia is a two-time winner of the Northwest Horn Society’s University Solo Competition, and the 2025 Central Washington University Concerto Competition winner. She can be heard as a soloist on the recording of the world premiere of Catherine Likhuta’s Bad Neighbours for two horn soloists and symphony orchestra. Outside of the practice room, Julia can be found enjoying long walks, embroidering, and/or thinking about Gustav Mahler.

Born and raised on O’ahu, Hawai’i, Taylor DeCastro is a versatile violinist whose artistry spans period performance and experimental music. Now based in Seattle, she is currently finishing her Master of Music at the University of Washington, where she serves as a graduate teaching assistant.

Her orchestral experience includes recent appointments as Concertmaster of Philharmonia Northwest and Assistant PrincipalSecond Violin of the Olympia Symphony Orchestra. With Philharmonia Northwest, Ms. DeCastro has performed on Classical KING's Northwest Focus Live. She also performs with Philharmonie Austin (TX), a period-instrument ensemble, and appears on their recordings released by Navona Records. Past engagements include performances with Emerald City Music, the Auburn Symphony Orchestra, Yakima Symphony Orchestra, Bellevue Symphony Orchestra, and Fox Valley Symphony Orchestra (WI). In 2024, she was named a finalist in the Musicians Club of Women Competition in Chicago, IL, and has performed across the United States, Canada, and France.

Equally at home in early music and the avant‑garde, she has recently appeared as a soloist in J.S. Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 4 with the Bainbridge Symphony Orchestra. Fascinated by intersections of the past and present, Ms. DeCastro also specializes in new music, previously collaborating with renowned composers inti figgis-vizueta and Michael Gordon. Reflecting her dual interests, Ms. DeCastro has served as the teaching assistant of both the Baroque and the Modern Music Ensembles at the University of Washington.

An advocate for equity and accessibility in music, Ms. DeCastro is continuously striving to create inclusive learning environments and diverse programming. She currently teaches violin and viola at the Epiphany Music Academy and coaches chamber groups and sectionals at UW. As a woman of color, Ms. DeCastro is passionate about bringing the works of underrepresented composers to life. Her performance for the Black Composers Project at the University of Washington has been featured on Minnesota Public Radio. Ms. DeCastro earned her Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance at the Lawrence University Conservatory of Music, summa cum laude, where she also minored in Studio Art. Her primary teachers include Rachel Lee Priday, Samantha George, and Colin Belisle.

Thea Weinbeck is a violinist currently based out of Seattle, Washington, and Amherst, Massachusetts. Thea has given solo performances across the United States and Southern France. Born in Burien, she has given many performances in the Seattle area, notably, a performance on Northwest Focus Live on Classical King 98.1. Thea was a finalist in the Lawrence Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition where she performed Korngold’s Violin Concerto. In Amherst, Thea served as Concertmaster and Principal Second Violin with the University of Massachusetts Symphony Orchestra. An avid chamber musician, Thea has participated in the Zodiac Chamber Music Festival and Lawrence Chamber Music Festival. She is driven by collaboration and exploring as many musical areas as she can. This included involvement with Appleton’s Mile of Music Festival, collaborating with singer Julie Williams; additionally, she participates in jazz combos in addition to being heavily involved in chamber and orchestral studies.

Currently at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Thea is pursuing a Master of Music in Performance, where she is involved in the Graduate String Quartet Program. She received her Bachelor of Music from Lawrence University in 2025, where she studied Violin Performance and minored in Art History and String Pedagogy. Her education has  focused on performing and teaching, including studies in viola, cello, and double bass. Her teachers include Elizabeth Chang, Wen-Lei Gu, Judith Beatie, and April Swansiger.

As a conductor, violinist, composer, pedagogue, philosopher, and musicologist, Dr. Christopher T. F. Hanson enjoys working across a number of disciplines to promote the transformative power of the arts. Dr. Hanson holds three master's degrees from Texas State University, in music history, music theory, and music composition. They also earned a PhD in Education from Texas State University, with a focus on educational research in teacher professional agency. While completing their doctorate, they earned a certificate of professional ethics from the Texas State Philosophy program.

Dr. Hanson has served as music faculty for schools in central Texas and Seattle. They have developed and facilitated a number of courses that explore creativity, imagination, and interdisciplinary pedagogy in grade school as well as higher education. Their research focuses on the transformative power of the arts, student and teacher agency, and the significance of diversity, equity, inclusion, access, and belonging (DEIAB) in education. As a queer scholar, Dr. Hanson uses research platforms to challenge and “queer” professional spaces of teaching and learning, particularly within and through the arts.

Dr. Hanson works with a growing number of diverse organizations to expand and amplify their work in education and the arts. They are frequently requested as a guest conductor and clinician. They are a principal explicator for the Seattle Symphony, offering a number of pre-concert lectures throughout the season, which highlight the significance of historical and cultural context to the experience of listeners and performers. They serve as the artistic director of the annual Wintergrass Festival Orchestra and the conductor for the advanced orchestra of the Japan Seattle Suzuki Institute. They are the artistic director for the Rainbow City Orchestra, a nonprofit community music organization that serves and supports the LGBTQIA+ community in greater Seattle through the study and performance of contemporary and historically marginalized composers.

 Their compositions have enjoyed a number of premieres across the country, and address a wide range of personal and political issues.

Dr. Natasha Kubit is a passionate violinist, educator, and advocate for community engagement through music based in the Seattle area. She has performed with ensembles including the Cleveland Opera Theater, Jackson Symphony Orchestra, Lansing Symphony Orchestra, Battle Creek Symphony Orchestra, and Northbrook Symphony Orchestra. As a performer, Dr. Kubit has appeared at renowned venues including Carnegie Hall and the Severance Music Center, while remaining deeply committed to bringing music into local community spaces. Dr. Kubit began studying violin at the age of three through the Suzuki method and is now a registered Suzuki violin teacher. Dedicated to accessible music education, she has taught with the Cleveland Say Yes to Education program, Sphinx Organization’s Overture program in Flint, Michigan, and currently serves on the faculty of Key to Change in South King County. 

Dr. Kubit recently completed her Doctor of Musical Arts in Violin Performance at Michigan State University. She earned both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Violin Performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music, where she also completed a Master’s degree in Suzuki Pedagogy. Outside of music, she enjoys hiking and exploring the Pacific Northwest.

Anna Elizabeth Gildon is a violinist, violist, music teacher, and music producer in the Pacific Northwest. She has performed with groups such as the Olympia Symphony Orchestra, Wenatchee Valley Symphony Orchestra, and the Masterworks Choral Ensemble. She also founded The Hansen Quartet, which performs for weddings and other events at The Hansen Place in Sumner, WA. In addition to Classical music, Anna enjoys a wide variety of folk and contemporary music. She plays frequently at local Irish, Old-Time, and Klezmer sessions. Her Celtic-influenced band Whiskey Fiasco is set to have their debut performance at the Olympia Porchfest, and she will perform with local singer-songwriter Faith Martin at the Tacoma Porchfest. 

She holds a Bachelor’s Degree of Violin Performance as well as Broad Area Music Education from Central Washington University, and a Master’s Degree of Music Education from Eastern Washington University, graduating Summa Cum Laude from both universities. She has taught a variety of orchestra, guitar, and music theory classes at Graham-Kapowsin High School for nearly five years. She is especially proud to have founded the school’s Mariachi program, which recently performed at the WMEA State Solo and Ensemble competition in Ellensburg. 

Anna loves writing and producing music and sharing her musical creations with others. She has released music on streaming services under the name Anna Elizabeth and posts her various music production projects on her Instagram page, which has 30,000 followers (anna.elizabeth.violin). 

In her free time, Anna enjoys rock climbing, rockhounding, and listening to rock music.

Begin Nora (she/her), violinist and instructor, was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest. With a strong passion for making music for all, she has studied with Emily Bean, Victoria Brown, Walter Schwede, Gennady Filimonov, and Svend Ronning. A graduate of Pacific Lutheran University in 2001, she has performed with several orchestras, including Symphony Tacoma, Seattle Rock Orchestra, Federal Way Symphony, Bellevue Symphony, Seattle Chamber Orchestra, and Seattle Metropolitan Chamber Orchestra. Along with performing, Begin also loves teaching and has worked with many students as a para-professional for the Edmonds and Everett school districts and the Seattle Youth Symphony orchestras. She also manages a private teaching studio in Lynnwood, Washington. Finally, Begin started nannying during the pandemic shutdowns and currently cares for newborn twins!

Sooyean Kim is a professional violinist and music teacher whose career reflects more than 15 years of dedicated performance, orchestral leadership, and artistic collaboration.  She earned her Bachelor's degree in Music performance in Seoul under a merit scholarship, and proceeded to get a Master's in Music Performance and Education from University of Minnesota.

She is an Assistant principal with Yakima Symphony orchestra, a concert master of Federal way chorale orchestra. She is also a member of Tacoma Opera, Tacoma City Ballet, Bellevue Symphony and maintains an active presence within the region's professional orchestra such as Symphony Tacoma, Auburn Symphony orchestra, Walla Walla symphony and Juneau symphony.

A committed chamber musician, she has performed with ensembles inducing NOCCO, ECCO, Seattle chamber orchestra and has collaborated with internationally acclaimed artist such as Josh Groban, Zuili Bailey, Chris Botti, and more. Her performance s are recognized for their refined musicianship, and expressive depth, reflecting a meaningful and thoughtful musical voice.

Kim Plewniak is currently a member of the Spokane Symphony and serves as Assistant Principal Bass.  An active orchestral musician, she’s performed with the Rochester Philharmonic, Virginia Symphony, Billings Symphony, Lancaster Festival Orchestra, Pacific Music Festival, and the National Orchestral Institute. At present, she performs at the McCall MusicFest each summer.  

As an educator, she is currently the double bass instructor at Eastern Washington University, Gonzaga University, jazz bass instructor at Whitworth University and maintains a private studio. Kim also teaches Suzuki bass through the Spokane Youth Orchestra Suzuki program and often coaches middle and high school bassists through the Spokane Symphony’s Youth Mentor Program.  

Originally from Buffalo, NY, she earned her Bachelor of Music from the Eastman School of Music and both her Masters of Music and a Performer’s Certificate from the Manhattan School of Music.  Her main teachers have been Orin O’Brien, Timothy Cobb and James VanDemark. 

Often on stage, you’ll see Kim playing jazz and electric bass for symphony pops shows. She performs locally with the Diva Show, Northwest BachFest, the Inland Northwest Opera, and frequently collaborates with local bands and songwriters around Spokane.   

Hungarian trumpet player Zsófia Simon is currently based in Dubai, UAE. Since 2023, she has performed internationally as Principal Trumpet 2 with the all-female Firdaus Orchestra at Expo City Dubai, taking part in large-scale productions, international concert performances, recording projects, and collaborations with renowned artists and conductors. Together with the orchestra, she has also participated in international tours and performances abroad. Working in a diverse international ensemble has greatly shaped her artistic and musical perspective. Alongside her work in Dubai, she has participated in symphonic and orchestral projects and performances. Alongside her orchestral, band, and recording experience, teaching also plays a significant role in her professional career. She has several years of international teaching experience in trumpet, brass, and music education, working with students of different ages and musical backgrounds in a wide variety of musical styles including classical, contemporary, and Arabic music. Zsófia holds a Master’s degree in Trumpet Teaching from the University of Pécs and is currently also connected to the Doctoral School of Education and Society at the University of Pécs. She is passionate about international artistic collaboration and creating meaningful musical experiences through diverse and inclusive ensemble environments.

Lea Eve Fetterman lives and works as a freelance violinist, session musician (violin/vocals), conductor, public speaker, and teacher in the Pacific Northwest. Alongside her music making, she composes and arranges music for a variety of ensembles and genres, including rock, singer/songwriter, folk, alternative, ambient, and classical. She leads the Vireo String Quartet, a session quartet made up of her local string colleagues. Fetterman is the author of two books, Like Sun Holds Shade and Innocent Skin, both available online at Barnes & Noble and on shelves at Ophelia's Books in Fremont. Her debut double album, Through the Concrete and its spoken word counterpart, and her most recent singles Snow White and Silver Horizon are available on all streaming services and available for download on Subvert and Bandcamp.

Fetterman performs with many regional orchestras and operas, including the North Corner Chamber Orchestra, Seattle Collaborative Orchestra, Vashon Opera, and more. Beyond classical music, Fetterman has performed as concertmaster for Apashe's Philharmonic Orchestra to a sold-out WAMU Theater, regularly plays with Andrew Joslyn & The Passenger String Quartet, and has performed with artists and bands such as the RAISE Choir, Daniel Ho, Sera Cahoone, Typhoon, Moon Fever, Ollella, and The Sam Chase & The Untraditional. Beyond Washington's borders, she has also performed in Oregon, Idaho, California, Pennsylvania, and Alaska. She coaches sectionals and chamber music for Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestras, Seattle Conservatory of Music, and West Seattle Community Orchestras. Fetterman is a proud member of the Seattle Composers Alliance and Momentum Musician.

Fetterman is one of the founding orchestra members of the New Ground Orchestra Festival, an all-women orchestra festival and wellness retreat. July, 2025 was its debut year, lead by Rebekah O'Brien.

In May 2021, Fetterman completed her Master's in Music in Violin Performance at the University of Victoria, BC. She studied with Ann Elliott-Goldschmid, first violinist of the Lafayette String Quartet. Fetterman graduated from Western Washington University with a Bachelor of Music in Music Education in December 2017, Magna Cum Laude.

Fetterman grew up on Bainbridge Island, Washington, and began playing the violin when she was nine years old. Throughout her childhood, Fetterman played instruments from nearly every family: violin, cello, trombone, euphonium, clarinet, piano, and marimba. This affinity with learning a diverse range of instruments and her desire to become an orchestral conductor drove her to complete her undergrad in music education. Fetterman has dedicated her work and livelihood to the violin, composing, conducting and teaching, but still experiments with other instruments in her improvisations and compositions.

Raisa Asriyants received her Master’s degree in Violin Performance from the Western Washington University with honors. She has performed in Europe and the USA, taking part in and winning different solo and chamber competitions across the continents. She is active as a soloist and chamber groups’ performer, having had recitals across the Pacific Northwest, teaching private lessons and group classes, playing with different orchestras, recording music, and scoring music for full feature films. Her music interests range from archaic medieval and baroque, to classical, and to contemporary compositions. As her musical accomplishments are a product of synergy of several different music education systems, Raisa possesses a unique diverse skill set as a strings educator, which gives her students access to the full array of teaching techniques to realize their music potential.

Sara Mayo is a native of the Pacific Northwest who now splits her time between the West and the East Coast, and therefore now mostly lives in the sky.

On the left side of the country, she is the principal trombonist of the Yakima Symphony, and has also previously performed with groups such as the Pacific Northwest Ballet, Symphony Tacoma, Eugene Symphony, and the Spokane Symphony. On the right side of the country, she works as a freelancer in New York City where she is the tenor trombonist of Calliope Brass and regularly performs with other groups such as the Wa Sinfonietta, the Turkish American Orchestra, and anyone else who'll hire her.

She has appeared as a featured soloist with the Yakima Symphony and the Tacoma Community College Concert Band, and has also appeared as a musician extra in Mozart in the Jungle, though she has no idea in what capacity because she refuses to watch the show. If you do watch the show and you see her in the trombone section, please let her know which episodes so she can tell her long-suffering parents.

When not playing trombone, she doesn't really know what to do with herself, but can sometimes be spotted knitting, folding origami cranes, reading genre fiction, and having opinions about coffee.

Christine Bastian, viola, enjoys making classical music relevant to audiences through her work as a performer, educator, and administrator.  Christine has served as associate principal violist with the Flint Symphony, section violist with the Lansing Symphony, and substitute viola with the Grand Rapids, Toledo, and Detroit Symphony. As a member of the ConTempus Initiative, a Michigan-based contemporary music collective, she has released two CDs and been featured as a guest artist with organizations such as the Detroit Institute of Arts, Whitworth University, Eastern Washington University, SUNY Potsdam, Michigan State University, Spring Arbor University, Albion College, Flint Institute of Music, and Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp. In addition to her work as a violist, Christine developed Running Start, the music entrepreneurship program at Michigan State University, teaching courses on career development and financial management, directing several chamber series, and creating outreach and engagement initiatives for MSU students in the Greater Lansing community. She currently freelances in the Seattle area with groups including the Pacific Northwest Ballet, Lake Washington Symphony, and the Arbor Trio. She holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan in Viola Performance and a Master of Music in Viola Performance from Indiana University.

Mary Riles, cello, received her BA in Classics and BM in Cello Performance from Oberlin College and Conservatory of Music, and her Masters of Music from the Esther Boyer College of Music at Temple University. Located in Seattle, Washington, she provides private cello instruction and chamber coaching. Mary has performed with a variety of Seattle-area large ensembles, including NOCCO, Seattle Modern Orchestra, SMCO, the Sound Ensemble, and Thalia Symphony Orchestra. She loves the joys and depths of chamber music, and is also co-founder of an improv/composition group, Das Seattle Improv Orchester. Collaboration is her favorite part of music, and it’s a real pleasure to be a part of this wonderful new organization, Unbound Symphony.

Emma Pease Byron is a flute specialist, playing, teaching and writing about flute. She can be heard playing flute, piccolo and flute-like instruments, including pennywhistle, pan pipes and fife, around the Las Vegas Valley with ensembles like the Nevada Pops Ensemble and Vegas City Opera and in Montana as the piccolo chair with the Helena Symphony. 

Emma has been teaching student flutists since 1999. Her students have won top spots in the Clark County School District Honor Band, the Nevada All-State Honor Band, the Las Vegas Flute Club Young Artist Competition, Silver State Competition and earned music scholarships at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, University of Nevada-Reno, University of New Mexico and Central Washington University. In addition to teaching ages 3 - adult at Studio Flute, she also teaches the Preschool Music Adventures classes at the Silver Springs Recreation Center and is a flute clinician and parapro with the Clark County School District. Emma is a certified teacher through the Music Teachers National Association and the Suzuki Association of the Americans.

Emma's most recent article, about systematically developing a historical context for music study, was published in the Suzuki Association's Journal in spring of 2022. Emma is also on the board of the Nevada Music Teachers Associations and is the Junior Festival Flute Chair for the Las Vegas Federation of Music Clubs.

Shanyse Strickland is a multi-instrumentalist, educator, composer and arranger. Drawing from early experiences across a wide spectrum of genres, Shanyse has developed a distinctive voice on the horn that now defines her focused career.

Originally from Akron, OH, Shanyse has led a multi-faceted career through mediums of performance, composing and educating. She received a BA in Music Performance at Youngstown State University, along with a MM from Duquesne University and an Artist Diploma from Montclair State University. Some highlights of her career include playing trombone and flute for the reuniting Ohio Players, winning the 2016 International Horn Symposium’s jazz competition, performing at the 2019 and 2021 Heisman Trophy Ceremony aired on ESPN. She was the featured artist for the International Horn Symposium 57 in 2024, and performed for two national tours playing principal horn in the production of Into the Spider-verse. She actively plays with the American Composer’s Orchestra in New York and does freelance work in the area as well.

Shanyse has written and published over thirty-five original works, one of which was premiered by the horn section of the New Haven Symphony titled Moods. In early March of 2023, Shanyse’s piece titled Afrofuturism was selected to be performed at the Music by Women Festival at the Mississippi University for Women. The piece won multiple film awards in the greater Ohio area, including acceptance into the Greater Cleveland Urban Film Festival (GCUFF). Shanyse’s work, When I’m Older was commissioned to be inserted in a book highlighting living Black composers that is accessible to beginning horn players in high school or middle school. Shanyse has written works for the Seattle Symphony horn section for their chamber music series, along with working alongside Danielle Kuhlmann, 4th horn of Seattle, and fellow member of the horn quartet Ghengis Barbie, who Shanyse also wrote and arranged music for.

As an educator and influencer, Shanyse has done numerous masterclasses, clinics and lectures across the country. She is currently taking over a sabbatical at Ithaca College as professor of horn for Spring 2026.

Elizabeth McDaniel has created a successful performance, teaching, and arts administration career in the Seattle area. Born and raised in southern California, Elizabeth attended UC Santa Barbara for a degree in Trombone Performance (2010-2014) and moved to Seattle to complete her Master’s degree in Orchestral Brass Performance at The University of Washington (2014-2016). Elizabeth plays with a variety of local performing groups including Puget Brass, Formation Wind Band, and Seattle Rock Orchestra and jumps at every chance to play chamber music.

She has established an effective private lessons studio teaching all ages and levels of experience. Elizabeth also coaches with Bellevue Youth Symphony and presents clinics in public and private schools. Elizabeth is the Managing Director of both Puget Brass and Formation Wind Band. In 2023, she established The Puget Brass Academy, a youth brass ensemble, serving middle and high school students in the greater Seattle area. When not playing trombone, teaching, or attending to arts admin duties, Elizabeth can be found with a book and a cup of coffee. Elizabeth lives in Lynnwood with her husband, two kids (ages 6 and 3), and dog named Xena.

Devin LaMarr is passionate about music education and music performance in her community. She received a full scholarship to study in the studio of Anne Martindale-Williams for her Master’s degree at Carnegie Mellon University, and received her bachelor’s degree in cello performance from Lynn University, where she also received a full scholarship to study in the studio of David Cole. Other important teachers in Devin’s life have been Jonah Kim and Walter Gray. She has also performed in masterclasses with renowned cellists such as Mark Kosower and Brannon Cho.

Devin is also a dedicated chamber musician, having debuted with her quartet, the Kourdisma Quartet, at the Lyric Chamber Music Society in New York, in May, 2022 after winning first prize in Lynn University’s chamber music competition. Other competitions Devin has won include the Pittsburgh Concert Society Major Artist Auditions in 2023, which featured a performance on NPR radio as part of the prize, and the Navaroli Young Musicians competition, where she performed the Elgar Cello Concerto with the South Valley Symphony in her native California. She was also a finalist in the the Big Arts Classical Music Scholarship competition in Sanibel, Florida.

Gabriela Garza Canales (she/her/ella) is a percussionist, conductor, and arts administrator based in Seattle, Washington, and is truly honored to be part of Unbound Symphony’s inaugural performance!

Born and raised in Monterrey, Mexico, Gabriela has spent her life exploring a wide range of musical styles as a performer, including symphonic, band, pop, rock, funk, Latin, experimental, and contemporary music. That variety of experiences continues to shape the versatility and curiosity she brings to her work today.

Gabriela began her percussion studies at the Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León (UANL) under the instruction of Dr. Noel Rafael Savón Favier before moving to the University of New Mexico, where she earned a Bachelor of Music in Percussion Performance under Professor Scott Ney. She currently performs with several ensembles in the Seattle area, including the Lake Washington Symphony Orchestra, Orquesta Northwest, and Thalia Symphony Orchestra.

She later completed a Master of Music in Orchestral Conducting at the University of New Mexico under the mentorship of Dr. Jorge Pérez-Gómez before moving to Seattle to pursue a Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the University of Washington under Dr. David Rahbee and Professor Ludovic Morlot. Gabriela will complete her DMA in June 2026, with research focused on accessibility practices in community orchestra settings and the impactful role music can play in building more inclusive and empowering communities.

As a conductor and guest conductor, Gabriela has worked with a variety of orchestras including the Poulsbo Community Orchestra, Whidbey Island Orchestra, Seattle Collaborative Orchestra, Lake Washington Symphony Orchestra, Sammamish Symphony Orchestra, Bainbridge Symphony Orchestra, Albuquerque Philharmonic Orchestra, the UANL Symphony Orchestra, and more.

Alongside her performing career, Gabriela is also an arts administrator and is currently in her fifth year at the Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra, where she serves as Director of the Seattle Conservatory of Music. She is an alumni of the League of American Orchestras’ Essentials of Orchestra Management program (2024) and recently completed an online Nonprofit Management Certificate through the University of San Diego (2026).

Outside of music, Gabriela loves spending time outdoors paddle boarding, biking, and taking long walks, and can usually be found with a good fiction novel close by.

Alyssa Gaines (she/her) is an active teacher, solo, chamber, and ensemble performer based in La Crosse, Wisconsin. She has served as Artist Faculty at Morningside University (IA) and Lecturer at the University of Wisconsin – La Crosse (WI). Alyssa has performed with many ensembles including the Chattanooga Symphony Orchestra, the Tucson Arts Express Orchestra, the Sioux City Symphony Orchestra, the Illinois Symphony Orchestra, and the La Crosse Symphony Orchestra. She won 1st place in the 2021 San Francisco Flute Society's Artist Competition, was a quarterfinalist in the 2023 National Flute Association Young Artist competition, was named a National Finalist in the 2024 American Prize in Instrumental Performance - Professional Division, and has been a prizewinner in numerous other regional competitions. She has given recitals in Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, Arizona, Iowa, and Wisconsin. Alyssa earned a Master of Music degree in flute performance at Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music where she studied with Professor Kate Lukas and dual Bachelor of Music degrees in flute performance and music industry from Middle Tennessee State University where she studied with Dr. Deanna Little. She was also selected as one of six flutists internationally to attend Trevor Wye's 'The Flute Studio' in Kent, England from 2014-2015. Alyssa is currently a Program Coordinator at the University of Arizona School of Music but is most proud to be known as “Mommy” to her two toddlers. 

Alison Pesacreta is a dynamic and accomplished trumpet artist whose career reflects both artistic distinction and a strong commitment to ensemble leadership. A commanding and expressive performer, she currently serves as Principal Trumpet of the Pacific Northwest Chamber Orchestra and performs with the Centralia College Jazz Band and Hilltop Brass Quintet, where her playing brings clarity, brilliance, and artistic vitality to each performance.

Throughout her career, Alison has held numerous principal and section positions that speak to both her versatility and the trust she earns within ensembles. She has served as Principal Trumpet of the Olympia Chamber Orchestra and Second Trumpet with the Northwest Symphony Orchestra (NWSO). Her chamber experience includes playing principal trumpet with the University of Northern Colorado Brass Choir and with the University of Northern Colorado Brass Quintet, while her early leadership as Principal Trumpet of the Sioux City Youth Symphony helped establish the strong musical foundation that continues to shape her artistry today.

Alison pursued her studies in Music Performance in Trumpet at the University of Northern Colorado under Dr. Robert Murray and at Morningside College with Dr. Peter Wood. Her dedication to growth has remained constant throughout her career, with continued study under distinguished artists including Dr. Scott Meredith, professor of trumpet at Oklahoma City University, as well as Bill Pfund, former Professor of Trumpet at Northern Colorado, and Andrew Plamondon of the Spokane Symphony. She has also participated in the Rafael Méndez Brass Institute and performed in workshops with internationally recognized trumpet artists.

Known for her artistry, leadership, and collaborative spirit, Alison brings both strength and sensitivity to every ensemble she joins. Her work reflects a deep commitment to artistic integrity and to the shared experience of performance, making her a vibrant and inspiring presence on stage.

Ellie Yamanaka (she/her) is a freelance harpist based in Seattle, Washington who regularly performs with ensembles across the Pacific Northwest and Mountain West as an acoustic and electric harpist. She earned her Bachelor of Music and Master of Music from the University of Texas at Austin. She is currently principal harp of Everett Philharmonic, Great Falls Symphony, and a member of The Sound Ensemble.

As a freelancer, she has performed with many ensembles, including Auburn Symphony, Bremerton WestSound Symphony, Density512, Everett Chorale, Federal Way Symphony, Lake Washington Symphony Orchestra, North Corner Chamber Orchestra (NOCCO), Northwest Mahler Festival, Olympia Symphony, Orcas Choral Society, Philharmonia Northwest, Port Angeles Symphony, Puget Sound Symphony Orchestra, Rainier Symphony, Saratoga Orchestra, Seattle Festival Orchestra, Seattle Modern Orchestra, Seattle Philharmonic Orchestra, Seattle Pro Musica, Solstice Symphony Orchestra, Songs of Black Folk Orchestra, Spokane Symphony, Symphony Tacoma, Tacoma City Ballet Orchestra, Tacoma Concert Band, Tacoma Opera, Theatre Battery, Washington Wind Symphony, Wenatchee Valley Symphony, and Yakima Symphony.

Ellie is passionate about environmental and climate justice, and whenever possible curates her creative output with a desire to create experiences that bring together music and environmentalism.