Artist Faculty
The Summer Music Festival features experienced Teaching Artists from all over the globe.
Directors
Gene Wie, Artistic Director
Gene is Principal Conductor of the California Solisti Chamber Orchestra, Music Director of the Community Youth Orchestra of Southern California, and in the Fall of 2020 begins a new position as Orchestra Director at Choate Rosemary Hall. He previously taught at St. Margaret's Episcopal School and the Orange County School of the Arts. As an ensemble conductor and performer on violin, viola, clarinet, and saxophone, his professional appearances across North America, Europe, and Japan include collaborations in a diverse range of fields including classical and contemporary ensembles as well as musical theater, modern dance, ballet, and electronic music. He earned M.F.A. Music and B.S. Information and Computer Science degrees from the University of California, Irvine.
Gene is Principal Conductor of the California Solisti Chamber Orchestra, Music Director of the Community Youth Orchestra of Southern California, and in the Fall of 2020 begins a new position as Orchestra Director at Choate Rosemary Hall. He previously taught at St. Margaret's Episcopal School and the Orange County School of the Arts. As an ensemble conductor and performer on violin, viola, clarinet, and saxophone, his professional appearances across North America, Europe, and Japan include collaborations in a diverse range of fields including classical and contemporary ensembles as well as musical theater, modern dance, ballet, and electronic music. He earned M.F.A. Music and B.S. Information and Computer Science degrees from the University of California, Irvine.
Chika Wie, Program Director
Chika is a prominent string pedagogue in Orange County, and has appeared as a violin soloist with ensembles throughout the United States and Europe. She earned her Bachelor of Music degree in Violin Performance from Cole Conservatory of Music at California State University at Long Beach, where she also completed a California teaching credential in Mathematics . Her extensive pedagogical training includes Suzuki and Dalcroze, and she maintains a private studio with over thirty students. Her former students have gone on to participate in the Classics Alive Young Artist Auditions and the Aspen Music Festival. Mrs. Wie currently serves as Executive Director of the non-profit Community Youth Orchestra of Southern California, and developed the current model for CYOSC and SMF2020 online play-in sessions.
Chika is a prominent string pedagogue in Orange County, and has appeared as a violin soloist with ensembles throughout the United States and Europe. She earned her Bachelor of Music degree in Violin Performance from Cole Conservatory of Music at California State University at Long Beach, where she also completed a California teaching credential in Mathematics . Her extensive pedagogical training includes Suzuki and Dalcroze, and she maintains a private studio with over thirty students. Her former students have gone on to participate in the Classics Alive Young Artist Auditions and the Aspen Music Festival. Mrs. Wie currently serves as Executive Director of the non-profit Community Youth Orchestra of Southern California, and developed the current model for CYOSC and SMF2020 online play-in sessions.
Instrumental Play-In Leaders
Kania Gandasetiawan, Violin
Kania is the Director of the Academy Ensemble of Community Youth Orchestra of Southern California, and an Elementary music teacher at multiple school sites in Monterey Park, California. She earned B.M. Music Performance and B.S. Genetics degrees from the University of California, Irvine, and her California Teaching Credential at California State University, Long Beach. During her undergraduate degree, she studied viola with Jerzy Kosmala, and she took post-graduate studies in violin performance and string pedagogy with Chika Wie. She is a Registered Suzuki Teacher and an alumna of the Summer Music Festival.
Kania is the Director of the Academy Ensemble of Community Youth Orchestra of Southern California, and an Elementary music teacher at multiple school sites in Monterey Park, California. She earned B.M. Music Performance and B.S. Genetics degrees from the University of California, Irvine, and her California Teaching Credential at California State University, Long Beach. During her undergraduate degree, she studied viola with Jerzy Kosmala, and she took post-graduate studies in violin performance and string pedagogy with Chika Wie. She is a Registered Suzuki Teacher and an alumna of the Summer Music Festival.
Timothy Paek, Cello
Tim is a founding member of the Meadowlark Piano Trio, semifinalists in the Fischoff International Chamber Music Competition, and artist fellows for the Music for Food organization, a musician-led initiative to fight hunger in local communities. He serves as principal cellist of the Cape Cod Chamber Orchestra, and is a member of the Boston-based Phoenix Orchestra. He completed his Suzuki teacher training at the Cleveland Institute of Music, and has studied withMihail Jojatu, Anne Martindale Williams, Melissa Kraut, Gregory Beaver, Jermone Carrington, and Andre Emelianoff. An enthusiastic performer and educator, he also holds degrees from Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Tim is a founding member of the Meadowlark Piano Trio, semifinalists in the Fischoff International Chamber Music Competition, and artist fellows for the Music for Food organization, a musician-led initiative to fight hunger in local communities. He serves as principal cellist of the Cape Cod Chamber Orchestra, and is a member of the Boston-based Phoenix Orchestra. He completed his Suzuki teacher training at the Cleveland Institute of Music, and has studied withMihail Jojatu, Anne Martindale Williams, Melissa Kraut, Gregory Beaver, Jermone Carrington, and Andre Emelianoff. An enthusiastic performer and educator, he also holds degrees from Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Jillian (Risigari-Gai) Lopez, Harp
JJillian earned degrees from the California Institute of the Arts and California State University at Long Beach, and is pursuing a DMA degree in Harp Performance at UCLA. Film credits include ‘Papa Hemingway in Cuba’ (2015), and ‘The Ground Beneath Their Feet’ (2014), and ‘With Great Power: The Stan Lee Story’ (2010). She was a featured performing artist for PBS “Artbound Special Episode: Invisible Cities” (2015) composed and adapted by Christopher Cerrone (Pulitzer Prize Finalist), directed by The Industry’s founder and artistic director Yuval Sharon, with choreography by Danielle Agami. She is currently Principal Harpist & Co-Founder of the Los Angeles Chamber Music Co. (LACMC), Long Beach Ballet Company, Pacific Opera Project, Pasadena Opera, and The Contemporary Performance Collective.
JJillian earned degrees from the California Institute of the Arts and California State University at Long Beach, and is pursuing a DMA degree in Harp Performance at UCLA. Film credits include ‘Papa Hemingway in Cuba’ (2015), and ‘The Ground Beneath Their Feet’ (2014), and ‘With Great Power: The Stan Lee Story’ (2010). She was a featured performing artist for PBS “Artbound Special Episode: Invisible Cities” (2015) composed and adapted by Christopher Cerrone (Pulitzer Prize Finalist), directed by The Industry’s founder and artistic director Yuval Sharon, with choreography by Danielle Agami. She is currently Principal Harpist & Co-Founder of the Los Angeles Chamber Music Co. (LACMC), Long Beach Ballet Company, Pacific Opera Project, Pasadena Opera, and The Contemporary Performance Collective.
Professional Orchestra Artists
Mary Ellen Goree, Orchestral Excerpts Sessions (Violin)
Mary Ellen Goree, principal second violin of the San Antonio Symphony, received the BM in violin performance and BA in mathematics from Oberlin College, where she studied violin with Stephen Clapp, piano with Sanford Margolis, and chamber music with Marilyn McDonald, Stephen Clapp, and Denes Koromzay. She continued her education at Indiana University as a student of Paul Biss, receiving the MM with distinction in violin performance. In 1988, she joined the San Antonio Symphony as a member of the second violin section, moving to the assistant principal second chair in 1989 and receiving her current appointment as principal second violin in 1991
Mary Ellen Goree, principal second violin of the San Antonio Symphony, received the BM in violin performance and BA in mathematics from Oberlin College, where she studied violin with Stephen Clapp, piano with Sanford Margolis, and chamber music with Marilyn McDonald, Stephen Clapp, and Denes Koromzay. She continued her education at Indiana University as a student of Paul Biss, receiving the MM with distinction in violin performance. In 1988, she joined the San Antonio Symphony as a member of the second violin section, moving to the assistant principal second chair in 1989 and receiving her current appointment as principal second violin in 1991
Sifei Cheng, Orchestral Excerpts Sessions (Viola)
Born in Taiwan and raised in California, violist Sifei Cheng joined the Minnesota Orchestra in 1995. He has served as principal viola of the Charleston Symphony, New World Symphony, Juilliard Orchestra and has led sections under Michael Tilson Thomas, Eiji Oue and Christoph Eschenbach. Cheng has recorded with the late legendary Prince and his backing band 3rdEyeGirl. He was also principal viola of the Game of Thrones in Concert Orchestra that debuted in 2017 at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota. He holds a degree from the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia and has also studied at The Juilliard School in New York. His past teachers include Karen Tuttle, Michael Tree and William Kennedy.
Born in Taiwan and raised in California, violist Sifei Cheng joined the Minnesota Orchestra in 1995. He has served as principal viola of the Charleston Symphony, New World Symphony, Juilliard Orchestra and has led sections under Michael Tilson Thomas, Eiji Oue and Christoph Eschenbach. Cheng has recorded with the late legendary Prince and his backing band 3rdEyeGirl. He was also principal viola of the Game of Thrones in Concert Orchestra that debuted in 2017 at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota. He holds a degree from the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia and has also studied at The Juilliard School in New York. His past teachers include Karen Tuttle, Michael Tree and William Kennedy.
Warren Hagerty, Orchestral Excerpts Sessions (Cello)
Warren is the principal cellist of the Pacific Symphony Orchestra. He was the founding cellist of the Verona Quartet, which earned top prizes in international chamber music competitions including the Wigmore Hall International String Quartet Competition, Osaka International Chamber Music Competition, Melbourne International Chamber Music Competition, Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition and Concert Artists Guild’s Victor Elmaleh Competition. Warren holds degrees from The Juilliard School and Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, and his primary mentors have included members of the Juilliard String Quartet, Pacifica Quartet, Eric Kim and Sharon Robinson.
Warren is the principal cellist of the Pacific Symphony Orchestra. He was the founding cellist of the Verona Quartet, which earned top prizes in international chamber music competitions including the Wigmore Hall International String Quartet Competition, Osaka International Chamber Music Competition, Melbourne International Chamber Music Competition, Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition and Concert Artists Guild’s Victor Elmaleh Competition. Warren holds degrees from The Juilliard School and Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, and his primary mentors have included members of the Juilliard String Quartet, Pacifica Quartet, Eric Kim and Sharon Robinson.
Interactive Q/A Session Artists
William Fitzpatrick - Violin Melodies (Publication)
William is the Temianka Endowed Professor of Violin at Chapman University. From Founder and First Violinist of the New York String Quartet, to Director of Chamber Music at the American Conservatory in Fontainebleau, France, he has taught many of today's leading violinists and chamber musicians. A graduate of the Juilliard School, he studied with Dorothy DeLay and served as teaching assistant to Robert Mann and Claus Adam of the Juilliard String Quartet. Prior, he was a student of Stephen Clapp at the Blair School of Music in Nashville, Tennessee. Mr. Fitzpatrick has recorded for Jubal, CRI, Sine Qua Non and Delos record labels, as well as for the BBC and FR2 broadcasts. His premiere performance of Albert Glinsky’s “Rhapsody“ for Violin solo and Orchestra, choreographed by Leslie-Jane Pessemier in “Flights” for the Joffrey II ballet company gave more than 100 performances across the United States and Hong Kong.
William is the Temianka Endowed Professor of Violin at Chapman University. From Founder and First Violinist of the New York String Quartet, to Director of Chamber Music at the American Conservatory in Fontainebleau, France, he has taught many of today's leading violinists and chamber musicians. A graduate of the Juilliard School, he studied with Dorothy DeLay and served as teaching assistant to Robert Mann and Claus Adam of the Juilliard String Quartet. Prior, he was a student of Stephen Clapp at the Blair School of Music in Nashville, Tennessee. Mr. Fitzpatrick has recorded for Jubal, CRI, Sine Qua Non and Delos record labels, as well as for the BBC and FR2 broadcasts. His premiere performance of Albert Glinsky’s “Rhapsody“ for Violin solo and Orchestra, choreographed by Leslie-Jane Pessemier in “Flights” for the Joffrey II ballet company gave more than 100 performances across the United States and Hong Kong.
The Telegraph Quartet - Chamber Music Career Development
The Telegraph Quartet (Eric Chin and Joseph Maile, violins; Pei-Ling Lin, viola; Jeremiah Shaw, cello) formed in 2013 with an equal passion for the standard chamber music repertoire and contemporary, non-standard works alike. Described by the San Francisco Chronicle as “...an incredibly valuable addition to the cultural landscape” and “powerfully adept... with a combination of brilliance and subtlety,” the Telegraph Quartet was awarded the prestigious 2016 Walter W. Naumburg Chamber Music Award and the Grand Prize at the 2014 Fischoff Chamber Music Competition. The ensemble is currently on the chamber music faculty at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music as the Quartet-in-Residence.
The Telegraph Quartet (Eric Chin and Joseph Maile, violins; Pei-Ling Lin, viola; Jeremiah Shaw, cello) formed in 2013 with an equal passion for the standard chamber music repertoire and contemporary, non-standard works alike. Described by the San Francisco Chronicle as “...an incredibly valuable addition to the cultural landscape” and “powerfully adept... with a combination of brilliance and subtlety,” the Telegraph Quartet was awarded the prestigious 2016 Walter W. Naumburg Chamber Music Award and the Grand Prize at the 2014 Fischoff Chamber Music Competition. The ensemble is currently on the chamber music faculty at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music as the Quartet-in-Residence.
Jay Tilton, Cello - Musical Theater Performance
A graduate of Rice University and Vanderbilt University, Mr. Tilton has been privileged to perform under some of the world's leading conductors, including James Levine, Bernard Haitink, André Previn, Sir Andrew Davis, Raphael Frühbeck de Bergos, Oliver Knussen, Herbert Bloomstedt and John Williams. He has played in master classes for Yo-Yo Ma, Ronald Leonard, Richard Aaron, Joseph Silverstein, Lynn Harrell and members of the Juilliard, Cleveland, Orion, Turtle Island and Emerson String Quartets. Jay has appeared with popular artists such as Brian McKnight, Quincy Jones, Bobby McFerrin, Ricky Skaggs and Josh Groban. Mr. Tilton is currently the cellist for the National Broadway Tour of the award-winning musical theater production of Miss Saigon, and has served as a faculty member at the Summer Music Festival for the past five seasons.
A graduate of Rice University and Vanderbilt University, Mr. Tilton has been privileged to perform under some of the world's leading conductors, including James Levine, Bernard Haitink, André Previn, Sir Andrew Davis, Raphael Frühbeck de Bergos, Oliver Knussen, Herbert Bloomstedt and John Williams. He has played in master classes for Yo-Yo Ma, Ronald Leonard, Richard Aaron, Joseph Silverstein, Lynn Harrell and members of the Juilliard, Cleveland, Orion, Turtle Island and Emerson String Quartets. Jay has appeared with popular artists such as Brian McKnight, Quincy Jones, Bobby McFerrin, Ricky Skaggs and Josh Groban. Mr. Tilton is currently the cellist for the National Broadway Tour of the award-winning musical theater production of Miss Saigon, and has served as a faculty member at the Summer Music Festival for the past five seasons.
Mason Yu, Violin - Community Service Outreach in Music
Mason received his Bachelor of Music degree at the Cleveland Institute of Music in 2013 as a student of Paul Kantor, Joel Smirnoff and Ivan Zenaty, and graduate degrees from New England Conservatory studying with Donald Weilerstein. Now, he is pursuing a doctorate degree at the University of Maryland mentored by David Salness. A founding member of the award-winning Omer String Quartet, he has been featured soloist of the Lucerne Festival Academy orchestra, the Aspen Music Festival Philharmonic Orchestra, the Cleveland Institute of Music orchestra, and the Cleveland Philharmonia. In 2015 he was Music for Food's first educational fellow in which he helped the musician-led hunger-relief organization spread its mission to high school students. In 2018, he was accepted to the Non-Profit Leadership Certificate program at the University, where he plans to acquire ideas and knowledge from non-profit organizations in other sectors and industries.
Mason received his Bachelor of Music degree at the Cleveland Institute of Music in 2013 as a student of Paul Kantor, Joel Smirnoff and Ivan Zenaty, and graduate degrees from New England Conservatory studying with Donald Weilerstein. Now, he is pursuing a doctorate degree at the University of Maryland mentored by David Salness. A founding member of the award-winning Omer String Quartet, he has been featured soloist of the Lucerne Festival Academy orchestra, the Aspen Music Festival Philharmonic Orchestra, the Cleveland Institute of Music orchestra, and the Cleveland Philharmonia. In 2015 he was Music for Food's first educational fellow in which he helped the musician-led hunger-relief organization spread its mission to high school students. In 2018, he was accepted to the Non-Profit Leadership Certificate program at the University, where he plans to acquire ideas and knowledge from non-profit organizations in other sectors and industries.
Advisory Team
Jennifer Visick, Early Childhood Education
Jenny leads Suzuki Group Courses at the Pasadena Suzuki Music Program and St. Margaret's Episcopal School, and directs the Community Service Program of Community Youth Orchestra of Southern California. She has taken Suzuki Teacher Training with Danette Schuh, Julia Hardie, Kerstin Wartberg, William Preucil Sr., Rick Mooney, Susan Kempter, Christie Felsing, Laurie Scott, Ronda Cole, Ezliabeth Stuen-Walker, Edward Kreitman, Ed Sprunger, and Lorraine Fink, and seminars by Charles Krigbaum, Barbara Barber, Mimi Zweig, John Kendall, and William Fitzpatrick. Jennifer co-authored "Got Group? Small and Mixed-Group Class Ideas" (American Suzuki Journal Vol. 43, #2),. She earned her B.M. Viola Performance from the University of California, Irvine, where she studied with John Scanlon, Jerzy Kosmola, Yvonne Creanga, and Laura Kuennen-Poper. She began her studies on violin with Margaret Shimizu.
Jenny leads Suzuki Group Courses at the Pasadena Suzuki Music Program and St. Margaret's Episcopal School, and directs the Community Service Program of Community Youth Orchestra of Southern California. She has taken Suzuki Teacher Training with Danette Schuh, Julia Hardie, Kerstin Wartberg, William Preucil Sr., Rick Mooney, Susan Kempter, Christie Felsing, Laurie Scott, Ronda Cole, Ezliabeth Stuen-Walker, Edward Kreitman, Ed Sprunger, and Lorraine Fink, and seminars by Charles Krigbaum, Barbara Barber, Mimi Zweig, John Kendall, and William Fitzpatrick. Jennifer co-authored "Got Group? Small and Mixed-Group Class Ideas" (American Suzuki Journal Vol. 43, #2),. She earned her B.M. Viola Performance from the University of California, Irvine, where she studied with John Scanlon, Jerzy Kosmola, Yvonne Creanga, and Laura Kuennen-Poper. She began her studies on violin with Margaret Shimizu.
