WASHINGTON ISLAND MUSIC FESTIVAL August 2-19, 2010
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Meet the Ensemble!

Oboist and Director of the Washington Island Music Festival, Stephen Colburn comes to us from the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, where he has performed as Principal Oboe since 1966. He has also been Principal Oboe with the Santa Fe Opera and guest principal oboist with Chicago's Grant Park Music Festival. He has been a featured soloist with the Ojai Festival in California, performing the American premiere of Sir Peter Maxwell Davies' Oboe Concerto under the composer's direction. As a conductor, Mr. Colburn served as Music Director of the Milwaukee Chamber Orchestra from its founding in 1974 through the 2002 season, and was also Music Director and Conductor of the Racine Symphony Orchestra. He has served on the faculty of the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music, Alverno College, UW-Whitewater, was a visiting professor at Lawrence University, and is currently an Adjunct Professor at UW-Milwaukee. Mr. Colburn holds degrees from Indiana University and UW-Milwaukee. He was the recipient of the 2002 Distinguished Citizen Award given by the Civic Music Association of Milwaukee and was presented the 2003 Outstanding Service to Music Award by the Association of Wisconsin Symphony Orchestras.

Flutist, Madelene Campos, has performed with the Lyric Opera of Chicago for the past seven years, including performing 2nd flute in the entire Ring Cycle, and was offered a one-year position as 2nd flute/piccolo for the entire 2008-2009 season. She has performed with the Milwaukee Symphony, American Ballet Theatre, Chicago Philharmonic, Grant Park Symphony, and has been a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, the Spoleto USA Festival, and the Immanuel and Helen Olshan International Texas Music Festival. In 2008, Ms. Campos gave a solo recital at the Chicago Cultural Center for the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert Series. This summer, she is looking forward to performing as the Festival Artist on flute and piccolo at the Washington Island Music Festival for the first time.

Teresa Drews, chair of the piano department at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music, is appearing for the first time at the Washington Island Music Festival. An active performer in the Milwaukee area, she often collaborates with WCM faculty and fellow Washington Island Ensemble members. Ms. Drews received a B.M. degree, with honors, from Northwestern University and a M.M. degree from the Peabody Conservatory of Music. She has studied with Sylvia Wang, Ann Schein and Seth Knopp and performed in master classes by David Burge and Menahem Pressler. A committed music educator, Ms. Drews maintains a large piano studio, has taught general music and piano at several Milwaukee area schools and currently serves as staff accompanist at Alverno College.

Samantha George is an Associate Professor of Music at Lawrence University, where she teaches violin, chamber music, and performs with the Lawrence Chamber Players. Formerly Associate Concertmaster of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, she had been Assistant Concertmaster of the Colorado Symphony Orchestra (1998-99) and Co-Concertmaster of the Hartford Symphony Orchestra (1995-98). She has also attended the Grand Teton Music Festival (WY), Norfolk Chamber Music Festival (CT), Heidelberg Castle Festival (Germany), and has studied chamber music with members of the Emerson, Muir, Fine Arts, and Cleveland Quartets. Ms. George received a high school diploma from the Interlochen Arts Academy and the degrees Bachelor of Music and Master of Music, as well as the Performer's Certificate, from the Eastman School of Music. In addition, she holds a Doctorate in Violin Performance and Theory from the University of Connecticut.

Beth Giacobassi was appointed to the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra in 1982 as bassoonist and contra-bassoonist. In the fall of 2001, she joined the faculty at UW-Milwaukee and became Principal Bassoon of the Milwaukee Chamber Orchestra. She was acting Assistant Principal in the MSO from Jan. 2002-June 2005. She has performed in the Washington Island Music Festival each summer since 1994. Ms. Giacobassi received her Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Michigan. She has performed in the Rome Festival Orchestra, the Colorado Music Festival, the Bedford Springs Music Festival, the Ohio Light Opera Company, and the Berea Summer Theater. As a soloist she has appeared with the Milwaukee Symphony, UW-Milwaukee Wind Ensemble, the University of Michigan Philharmonic and Wind Ensemble, UW-Parkside, and the Tahlia Chamber Music Concerts. She has also served on the faculty of UW-Parkside and Alverno College, is active in the MSO ACE program, works with the Milwaukee Youth Symphony, and teaches privately in her home. Beth is married to violinist Michael Giacobassi; their three children are Mario, Dante, and Gina.

Violinist Michael Giacobassi grew up in Muskegon, Michigan, and began studying the violin at age nine. He received his Music Degree from Michigan State University, where he studied with Walter Verdehr. In 1974, Mr. Giacobassi became a member of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, subsequently appearing as soloist in statewide performances of Mozart's Violin Concerto No. 4 under the direction of conductor Lukas Foss. He also joined the Milwaukee Chamber Orchestra in 1975, with which he performed the Violin Concerto No. 2 of Mozart. He has further appeared in recital at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp and has performed in the Washington Island Music Festival since 1994. In addition to orchestral playing, Mr. Giacobassi teaches aspiring young musicians and coaches violinists of the Milwaukee Youth Symphony.

Mary Barnes Gingrich, hornist, is a resident of Wilmette, Illinois. She has performed on tours with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in over 10 countries as an extra player and may be heard playing horn and Wagner tuba on CSO recordings of large scale Bruckner and Mahler symphonies with Solti and Barenboim conducting. Mary also played extra horn and Wagner tuba for the Chicago Lyric Opera during its four year production of Wagner's "Ring" with Zubin Mehta conducting. Currently in Chicago, she plays with Ars Viva, and has subbed with The Chicago Symphony Orchestra, The Grant Park Symphony, The Chicago Sinfonietta, The Southwest Michigan Symphony Orchestra and Lake Forest Symphony. This year Mary also performed with the Joffrey and American Ballet Theater orchestras. An active chamber musician, she plays with The Edens Brass Trio and helps organize the Chicago Horn Consort, a group of professional hornists with a roster of over thirty players devoted to playing ensemble music for the horn. For a change of pace, she performs as solo tenor hornist with The Prairie Brass Band. Mary is also an active painter and print maker (MBGingrich.com), showing her artwork in Chicago, Firemouth Pottery and Gallery in Boulder Junction, Wisconsin and the Washington Island Art and Nature Center!

Kari Sena Gordon has been a music educator, teaching choral music, general music, and musical theatre, for 28 years, in public school, church, and community settings. She has taught levels from Pre-Kindergarten through 12th grade at Southern Door Schools in Brussels, WI, Tippecanoe School Corporation, Lafayette, IN, and Kenosha Unified Schools, Kenosha, WI. She is also the director of Washington Island's Scandinavian Festival and has done choreography for Island Players. In 1994, she led a group of dancers, representing Norway, in performance for the Opening Ceremonies of the World Cup Soccer Tournament in Chicago. A graduate of Luther College, she has also studied Scandinavian folk music and dance in both Norway and Sweden.

Nathan Hackett, viola, is currently a member of Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, principal violist of the Milwaukee Ballet Orchestra, and assistant principal violist for the Milwaukee Chamber Orchestra. Also active as a chamber musician, Mr. Hackett has performed in numerous recitals with some of the Milwaukee area's leading players in series at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music, Wisconsin Lutheran College and UWM. For ten summers Mr. Hackett was principal violist with the Woodstock Mozart Festival where his frequent chamber music partner had been Russian violin virtuoso Marc Peskanov. He has performed in the Washington Island Music Festival for four years. During his student years Mr. Hackett was principal violist with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and the National Orchestral Institute in College Park, Maryland. His teachers have been Jerry Horner of the Fine Arts Quartet, Peter Slowick of Northwestern University and Burton Kaplan of the Manhattan School of Music.

Julian Hagen, fourth generation Islander, was raised in a musical family during a magical, musical time here on the Island. Songwriter, singer and all-around musician, this popular Island entertainer knows how to draw his audience in with his delightful, Island-flavored music and his warm sense of humor. Julian performs often with his multi-generational family and Door County friends in the area and elsewhere. He has his own recordings of originals mixed with covers and has been part of recording compilations with other artists.

Sponsored by the Washington Island Music Festival, Dan Hansen is a music educator in the Washington Island School. He serves as a mentor and teacher to many young Island musicians. Dan is director of the Red Barn summer entertainment programs and is known in the community for planning musical programs, composing, arranging and performing. He directs the choir at Trinity Lutheran Church and performs regularly at T. Ashwell's restaurant in Ellison Bay and often at the Washington Hotel on Washington Island. He has composed many songs and several large-scale choral works, including "Make A Joyful Noise", commissioned by the Washington Island Music Festival for the christening of the new ferry, the Arni J. Richter in 2003.

William Helmers, Clarinet
Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra

William Helmers lives in Milwaukee, where he has been a member of the Milwaukee Symphony since 1980. Mr. Helmers also performs with the Milwaukee Chamber Orchestra, and Present Music, one of the leading ensembles specializing in new music in the United States. He has been a guest artist with several other Midwestern ensembles and orchestras, including the symphonies of Madison, Green Bay, the Ravinia Festival, and Pittsburgh. In summers, he has been a member of the Santa Fe Opera Orchestra, the Washington Island Chamber Music Festival, the Colorado Music Festival, and the Token Creek Festival. He has been a clinician and recitalist at colleges and universities around the country. Mr. Helmers is active in the performance and recording of new music; he gave the North American premiere of John Adams' clarinet concerto Gnarly Buttons in 1997, and the world premiere of James Grant's Concerto for Bass Clarinet in 2004. Mr. Helmers has performed internationally, including appearances at music festivals in Japan, Korea, Turkey, France, China, and Canada. Recently, he completed three volumes in the first complete American recording of the cycle of quintets by Anton Reicha with the Westwood Wind Quintet. During the past concert season, he has enjoyed working in the saxophone section of Milwaukee's All-Star Superband, and as soloist with Present Music and the Milwaukee Chamber Orchestra, playing concerti by Adams and Copland.

An enthusiastic supporter and choral participant of the Music Festival since its first year, Cindra returns for her 10th year as MC and coordinator of the popular "Under The Big Top" Concert. A Washington Island native, she brings her own special charm and is a favorite performer, whether it be at the Red Barn, in an Island Players production, singing at Trinity Lutheran Church as cantor or in choir, or teaming up with friend and fellow Islander Dan Hansen at the TPAC. Cindra is an active community member and has served on numerous local boards and committees, in addition to working full-time at the Sievers School of Fiber Arts.

Stefanie Jacob, pianist, made her solo debut with the Boston Pops at age 17 and her Carnegie Recital Hall debut in 1984. An avid chamber musician, she was twice awarded second prize at the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition and was awarded Indiana University's Leo Weiner Prize for Chamber Music. Ms. Jacob has performed as soloist with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, the Milwaukee Chamber Orchestra, and the Waukesha Symphony. She has twice appeared as a collaborating artist on Milwaukee's nationally recognized Artist Series at the Pabst and has performed on WFMT-Chicago's nationally broadcast Dame Myra Hess Series. She has recorded for the Arundax, CRI, Fleur de Son, and the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music labels. A graduate of Harvard and Indiana Universities, Ms. Jacob taught at the University of Tampa, and is currently a member of the faculty of the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music, where she is a member of the resident Prometheus Trio with Scott Tisdel and Tim Klabunde. She also performs as the Duo Coriolan with husband Scott, and as the Duo Cosi with violinist Susan Waterbury.

Timothy Klabunde has been a member of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra since 1980 and is Assistant Principal Second Violin. He has served as concertmaster for the Milwaukee Ballet and Milwaukee Civic Orchestras and has appeared as violin soloist with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Milwaukee Chamber Orchestra and the Manitowoc Symphony. He studied with Leonard Sorkin, George Sopkin, Bernard Zaslav, and Abram Loft of the Fine Arts Quartet. Mr.Klabunde's international appearances include the Festival de Belles Artes in San Miguel, Mexico and the Fourth Annual International String Quartet Competition in Evian, France. In addition, he has performed live on WFMT Chicago's Dame Myra Hess Series as well as Wisconsin and National Public Radio. He is currently a member of the Prometheus Trio at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music and is an adjunct violin instructor and member of the Clarus Piano Trio at Cardinal Stritch University.

Catherine McGinn, double bass, was a student of Lawrence Hurst at the University of Michigan where she received her Bachelor of Music degree in performance. Upon graduation, she joined the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra as a member of the bass section. During her tenure with that orchestra, Catherine has performed with the Peninsula Music Festival in Door County, served as Principal Bass of the Milwaukee Chamber Orchestra, and is a founding member of the Bach Babes. In addition, she was a lecturer in Double Bass at Lawrence University for five years, an Adjunct Professor of Double Bass at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee for five years, and is currently an Adjunct Professor at Cardinal Stritch University.

Since moving to Washington Island in 1999, Kathi O'Connor has participated in the Washington Island Music Festival as rehearsal choral director and accompanist. After earning a Bachelors Degree in Organ Performance, she served as Organist for St. Francis Xavier Cathedral, Green Bay and was Diocesan Choir Director and Liturgist for the Catholic Diocese of Green Bay. She currently assists in providing music for the Trinity Lutheran and Stella Maris Faith Communities and enjoys taking part in the many musical opportunities available on the Island. A part-time resident (she also lives in Green Bay half of each week), she is a Brown County (Green Bay) Deputy Clerk of Circuit Courts.

Soprano Marlee Sabo is an Artist Faculty member of the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music where she received the first Faculty Honors Award in May of 2002. She is also the first faculty member to have a scholarship permanently endowed in her name. A recent honor for Marlee has been her induction into the Stark County Citizens Wall of Fame in the McKinley Museum and National Memorial in her hometown of Canton, Ohio. Marlee received a B.M. degree from Oberlin Conservatory and a M.M. degree, with honors, from Indiana University School of Music. She also was awarded a certificate from the Akademie Mozarteum in Salzburg and was a Fulbright Scholar in Stuttgart, Germany, receiving further grants from that country. Ms. Sabo has performed in Europe as soloist at the Salzburg Festival, the Stuttgart Staatstheater, and on German television. In the U.S. she has soloed with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra (with whom she has also recorded), the Atlanta Lyric Opera, and at Chicago's Grant Park. In Milwaukee she has appeared as soloist with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, the Florentine Opera, and the Milwaukee Chamber Orchestra, as well as performing solo Art Song recitals, premiering newly composed music, and singing in oratorios and chamber music. Along with Stephen Colburn, Marlee is co-founder of the Washington Island Music Festival.

Flutist Julie Duncan Thornton is currently Principal Piccolo of the Colorado Symphony Orchestra. She played the 1998-99 season with the New York Philharmonic, recording and touring with them, and has also performed with the Houston Symphony, the Minnesota Orchestra and the Grand Tetons Festival Orchestra. A native of Mercer Island, Washington, Julie graduated from the Eastman School of Music and Northwestern University, pursuing doctoral studies at Rice University. In addition, Julie has performed with Strings in the Mountains, Aspen Festival Orchestra, Solti Orchestral Project at Carnegie Hall, Denver Opera, Houston Grand Opera, National Repertory Orchestra, National Orchestral Institute, and the Music Academy of the West. A winner and finalist of several competitions, she has studied with Walfrid Kujala, Bonita Boyd, Carol Wincenc, Anne Diener-Giles, and Leone Buyse. Julie is the wife of Michael Thornton, Principal Horn of the Colorado Symphony, and they enjoy performing chamber music together. Michael and Julie are the proud parents of their daughters, Lauren and Amanda.

Michael Thornton joined the Colorado Symphony Orchestra as Principal Horn in September 1997 and has appeared as soloist with the orchestra in the Concerto in E-flat, Op. 11, by R. Strauss, the Sinfonia Concertante (K.297b) of Mozart, and Messiaen's Des Canyons aux Étoiles. Prior to his present position, he was Principal Horn of the Honolulu Symphony and has performed with the Philadelphia Orchestra, Chatauqua Institute Festival Orchestra, Concerto Soloists Orchestra of Philadelphia, Spoleto Festival Orchestra, New York Wind Soloists Quintet, and the members of the New York Philharmonic Brass Section. He has recorded on the Angel/EMI, Koch International, Vox Classics, and Albany labels. Mr. Thornton attended The Juilliard School, Manhattan School of Music, and Temple University, studying horn with Jerome Ashby, Randy Gardner, Julie Landsman, and J.C. Leuba. He is a member of the faculty at the University of Colorado in Boulder, and has presented master classes at the Manhattan School of Music, Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music, University of Washington, and the Chatauqua Institute.

Scott Tisdel, Associate Principal Cellist of the Milwaukee Symphony, has also served as Principal Cellist of the Milwaukee Chamber Orchestra since his arrival in Milwaukee in 1987, and has appeared as soloist with both ensembles, as well as with the Waukesha and Manitowoc Symphonies and the Wisconsin Wind Orchestra. Prior to his arrival in Milwaukee, Mr. Tisdel served as Principal Cello of the Florida Orchestra in Tampa and was a member of both the Oakland and San Jose Symphony Orchestras in California. In addition to being the founding cellist of the Prometheus Trio, he was a founding member of the Conservatory's Paganini Trio and the Strings in the Mountains Chamber Music Festival in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Mr. Tisdel has recorded for Arundax, CRI, Fleur de Son, the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music and Oris Records.

Dr. Anderson has been a soloist with Chicago's Music of the Baroque for more than ten years. He has had several solo roles, including the Chicago premiere of Handel's Alcina, and has performed the Bach Cantata 82, "Ich habe genug," for baritone solo. He is also a featured soloist on the Music of the Baroque's compact disc release of Day of Judgment by Georg Philip Telemann. Dr. Anderson has been the baritone soloist for the Grace Lutheran Church Bach Cantata Series in River Forest, Illinois, since 1978, and in 1989 he was soloist at a White House Christmas party. Dr. Anderson has appeared with many Chicago area ensembles and has performed several times in Evanston's Bach Week Festival. He is an Associate Professor of Neurological Surgery at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, Illinois, and lives with his wife and four children in Oak Park.

Sara Colburn, soprano, is a member of the San Francisco Opera Chorus, and has performed with many San Francisco bay area ensembles, including American Bach Soloists and Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra. She is a co-founder of the baroque ensemble Florilegia, with whom she has performed at the Boston, Berkeley and Bloomington early music festivals. She earned masters' degrees from Indiana University in voice and early music. She has also studied at the Sorbonne and holds undergraduate degrees from Northwestern University in French and voice. Sara's recent solo performances include Galatea in Handel's Acis and Galatea, an all-Telemann chamber music program, Mozart's Requiem, and Charpentier's Te Deum with the San Francisco Boys' Chorus at the Grand Teton Music Festival in Wyoming. Sara and her husband Anthony make their home in Berkeley, California, where they recently welcomed their baby girl, Rose, into the world. Sara is extremely thrilled to be making her Washington Island debut this summer!

Soprano Jenny Gettel was a member of the Bach Babes. She also served as principal soprano soloist with Ensemble Musical Offering, where she worked with Stanley Ritchie, Marion Verbruggen, Joshua Rifkin, and other Baroque specialists. Ms. Gettel has appeared as soloist with Present Music, Bach Chamber Choir, Lutheran A Cappella Choir, Racine Symphony, and Skylight Opera, where she performed in a cycle of Monteverdi operas under the direction of Stephen Wadsworth. She teaches private voice lessons at UW-Milwaukee, at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music, and at her home in Grafton, where she lives with her husband and two daughters and their dog, Mozart. She is currently director of the Jubilate Choir of the Milwaukee Children's Choir and Director of Music at St. Boniface Episcopal Church in Mequon.

Having been surrounded by dedicated musicians all of her life, Clarinetist Anna Najoom of Chicago, IL maintains a diverse performing and teaching career. An avid chamber musician, Najoom is a member of The Sapphire Woodwind Quintet, Claraconbrio, The Chicago Clarinet Ensemble, and performs with Jason Seed and the Elixor Ensemble, and The Chicago Jazz Philharmonic Chamber Music Project. She was appointed Principal Clarinet of the Dubuque Symphony Orchestra for the 2008-2009 season, and appears frequently with orchestras throughout Chicago-land and the Midwest including the Milwaukee Chamber Orchestra, Chicago Philharmonic, and many other Midwestern orchestras. She earned a Master of Music in Clarinet Performance from the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis where she studied with Burt Hara, the highly acclaimed Principal Clarinet of the Minnesota Orchestra, having previously earned a Bachelor of Music degree from Lawrence University in Appleton, WI. Over the years, Najoom has studied with or has been coached by some of the top clarinet players in the country including William Helmers, John Bruce Yeh, Lawrence McDonald, Scott Andrews, Ricardo Morales, Russell Dagon, Diana Haskell, Mark Nuccio, Lawry Bloom, and Charlene Zimmerman. Najoom comes from a family of devoted teachers. She has been on the faculty of the Merit School of Music since 2003 and maintains her own private teaching studio.

"Rich," "Glorious," "Lovely" are just a few adjectives that critics have used to describe Kathleen's mezzo-soprano voice. Kathleen is the recipient of the prestigious Eleanor Steber Award for Excellence in the Concert Field. She has been heard in Handel's Messiah in well over fifty performances from Chicago's Orchestra Hall to Tokyo's Hitomi Memorial Hall. Recently she sang the world premier of Samuel Barber's Mother, I cannot mind my Wheel at the National Association of Teacher's of Singing Convention in Nashville, Tennessee. A frequent soloist with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, she has sung Bach's Magnificat, Beethoven's Mass in C, Bruckner's Te Deum and Bernstein's Trouble in Tahiti, among others. She has sung with the Japan Shinsei Symphony in Mendelssohn's Paulus, the Virginia Symphony in Mozart's Requiem, the Dayton Philharmonic in Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, the Southwest Florida Symphony in Handel's Messiah and numerous orchestras throughout the Midwest. Excelling in opera as well, she has sung leading roles in Carmen, La Cenerentola, Hansel and Gretel, and The Marriage of Figaro. Opera News praised her as "vocally commanding" for her role of Maddalena in Rigoletto. Ms. Sonnentag was selected by Marilyn Horne to sing in her first master class series at Carnegie Hall in New York. She was the First Place winner of the district Metropolitan Opera Auditions and a finalist in the International Belvedere Competition in Vienna. Ms. Sonnentag records extensively for the Hal Leonard Corporation (the world's largest music publisher) and served as repertoire consultant for the Mezzo-Soprano Oratorio Anthology, published in 1994. She currently teaches on the voice faculty of the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music.