Ladies Musical Club: Bach Birthday Celebration
Free
- Lin Chen, soprano
- Adrianna Hulscher, violin
- Jonas Chen, cello
- Emily Riesser, soprano
- Tiina Ritalahti, soprano
- Jan Bleakney, flute
- Karin McCullough, piano
- Emiko Hori, piano
Johann Sebastian Bach — "Bereite dir, Jesu" from Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben ("Heart and Mouth and Deed and Life"), BWV 147
Johann Sebastian Bach — Violin Sonata No. 1 in G minor, BWV 1001 (Fuga)
Johann Sebastian Bach — Duetto No. 3 in G major, BWV 804
Johann Sebastian Bach — Duetto No. 4 in A minor, BWV 805
Johann Sebastian Bach — "Quia Respexit" from Magnificat in D major, BWV 243
Johann Sebastian Bach — "Zerfliesse mein Herze" from St. John Passion, BWV 245
Johann Sebastian Bach / Ferruccio Busoni — "V. Chaconne" from Violin Partita No. 2 in D minor, BWV 1004
About Lin Chen, soprano
Lin Chen is a freelance vocalist, violinist, and music educator in the Greater Seattle area. Growing up in Australia, she was fortunate to study music with esteemed teachers from the Griffith Conservatorium in Brisbane and the Sydney conservatorium. Her experience in vocal performance expands multiple genres including Classical, Musical theatre and Jazz. She currently studies voice with Dr. Kari Ragan. Lin is also a violin coach for the Bellevue Youth Symphony Orchestra (BYSO) and performs with a number of local ensembles including her own string quartet—Quartet Evolution. Her career highlights include performing at the Sydney Opera House, Westminster Abbey and Cologne Cathedral. She enjoys giving regular recitals in Seattle with the Ladies Musical Club.
About Adrianna Hulscher, violin
Adrianna Hulscher performs in the Seattle area, where she is a freelance violinist and member of the Pacific Northwest Ballet Orchestra. She studied at the New England Conservatory and Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. She enjoys performing new music, and has done so as a recitalist and member of the Saint Helens String Quartet. She lives in Seattle with her husband and daughter.
About Jonas Chen, cello
Born in Taiwan, Jonas Chen started learning piano at the age of five. After moving to Seattle in 2005, he picked up the cello at the age of ten. He started his studies in piano and Alexander technique with Richard Asher in 2010, and cello with Page Smith in 2013. While obtaining a degree in finance and accounting at the University of Washington, he performed with various ensembles, such as the UW Symphony Orchestra led by David Alexander Rahbee and Ludovic Morlot, both as a cellist and pianist. He was also principal cellist of the UW Campus Philharmonic for their performance of Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade with Mario Alejandro Torres. He also played in the Seattle Philharmonic Strings, led by Adam Stern and Allion Salvador. After graduating, Jonas continues his playing in orchestras such as the Seattle Collaborative Orchestra, Northwest Mahler Festival, and the Puget Sound Symphony Orchestra. He frequently performs at house concerts, weddings, and churches. Jonas performs on a 2013 cello made by Leo Goujard Spiga in Cremona.
About Emily Riesser, soprano
Emily Riesser's diverse experience encompasses opera, oratorio, theatre, and new works. She recently portrayed Elle in a staging of Poulenc’s one-voice opera, 'The Human Voice' (Ladies Musical Club), sang Frasquita in 'Carmen' (Kitsap Opera), and played a nun in 'Sister Act' (Tacoma Musical Playhouse). In concert, Emily is known for her interpretation of Bach cantatas, including the Wedding Cantata, which she sang recently in several venues. Favorite experiences include singing Iphigenie in Gluck’s 'Iphigenie en Tauride' (Seattle Opera Guild), Violetta in Verdi’s 'La traviata' (Kitsap Opera), Tamiri in Mozart’s 'Il re pastore' (Off-Center Opera), and soprano chorus at Seattle Opera. Emily is a graduate of Goshen College (Goshen, IN) and past participant in Bel Canto Northwest (Portland State University).
About Tiina Ritalahti, soprano
Soprano, Tiina Ritalahti holds degrees in music and vocal performance from the University of Washington. She has performed throughout Washington with Northwest Opera in Schools Etcetera (NOISE), Puget Sound Opera, Ladies Musical Club, and Puget Sound Concert Opera as well as being a featured soloist for the Finlandia Foundation. She has sung such roles as the First Spirit and Pamina in Mozart’s 'The Magic Flute', Despina in 'Cosi fan tutte', Lisa in Bellini’s 'La sonnambula', Änchen in 'Der Freischütz' by Weber, Cis in Britten’s 'Albert Herring', and Olympia in Offenbach’s 'The Tales of Hoffman'. Further she has performed in multiple operas by Menotti: 'Lucy in The Telephone', Monica in 'The Medium', and Laetitia in 'The Old Maid and the Thief'. Her passion for singing also extends to art song repertoire, which she performs regularly in recitals around Western Washington. Tiina has created unique breathing classes for young singers that combine her knowledge and experience as a massage therapist, certified yoga teacher and singer.
About Jan Bleakney, flute
Jan Bleakney has the commonly paired joint interests of math and music. She grew up playing flute and piano in Anacortes, and went on to earn a math degree at the University of Washington. She earned her living as a consulting actuary. Since retiring, Jan has been able to rebalance her time to put music in the forefront, including taking up the celtic harp. Jan regularly performs with her BMW Flute Trio and Music Performance Group, as well as previously participating in Music Northwest, Phinney Ridge Orchestra, and International Artists Carillon. She is so thrilled to have worked with such wonderful teachers, Zart Dombourian-Eby, Mark Andersen, and Gwen Baker.
About Karin McCullough, piano
Karin McCullough took the less-traveled road to a music career. A serious pianist while growing up in Illinois, she suppressed her aspirations and instead became a paralegal. One day she was asked to accompany opera singers at a Fremont Bistro—a weekly engagement lasting 5 years. By then her popularity as an accompanist, soloist and piano teacher let her trade her life as a paralegal for that of a full-time musician. Karin is a Nationally Certified Teacher of Music in Piano. Karin maintains a flourishing piano studio in Ballard and performs frequently in the Seattle area. She is an active volunteer and member of Seattle Music Teachers Association (SMTA), Principal Organizer for the local chapter of Bach in the Subways, and has served on the boards of SMTA and Musical Experiences, a nonprofit classical music education organization. Karin is the pianist for Third Church of Christ, Scientist.
http://Bachinthesubways.comAbout Emiko Hori, piano
Emiko Hori, a native of Japan, graduated from renowned Indiana University Jacobs School of Music in Piano Performance. She studied with Shigeo Neriki, performed at numerous places including Banff Centre, Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival, Germany, and others. Emiko became fascinated with and continued her study in Computer Science at Boston University. Busy working in technology companies such as CommerceHub and Microsoft, Emiko thought she would never play the piano again. She was wrong; Emiko became one of the newest performing members of Ladies Musical Club. Emiko enjoys dividing her time between performing concerts, teaching piano, and working at Starbucks HQ's Digital Commerce team.
http://emikohori.com/