Sounds of Storytelling: From Venice to Seattle | Skyros Quartet Presents: Constellation Creatives Fundraiser

• Sarah Pizzichemi, violin
• Brandon Vance, violin
• Justin Kurys, viola
• Timothy Pizzichemi, cello
• Linda Tsatsanis, soprano
• José Luis Muñoz, countertenor
• Nathan Wasner, harpsichord & trumpet

Join us for an enchanting evening featuring:

- A sneak preview of the exciting new chamber opera, Maddalena, by composer Nathan Wasner and librettist Alan Olejniczak, featuring performances by singers Linda Tsatsanis and José Luis Muñoz, and the Skyros Quartet
- Delicious desserts, hors d'oeuvres, and drinks
- Silent auction items and fun surprises

All proceeds benefit Constellation Creatives, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that fosters illuminating performances and experiences in the Seattle area, blending diverse content to engage the community through the lens of storytelling in music.

About Skyros Quartet

Sarah Pizzichemi, violin |
Brandon Vance, violin |
Justin Kurys, viola |
Willie Braun, cello

About Constellation Creatives

Constellation Creatives is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based in the Seattle area. Founded by Skyros Quartet, Constellation Creatives champions innovative experiences of storytelling in music.

About Sarah Pizzichemi, violin

Dr. Sarah Pizzichemi (DMA, MM, BM) is a versatile and passionate violinist and educator with a global presence as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral performer. She is a founding member of the Skyros Quartet, established in 2010, and co-creator of the nonprofit Constellation Creatives. The quartet has performed across Asia and North America and is active in teaching in the Pacific Northwest.
Sarah co-directs Chamber Music Guild, a nonprofit with many educational programs, and co-hosts The Counterpoint Club podcast. She is also the co-founder and owner of Evergreen Music Press, which aims to broaden string and chamber music education.

Sarah maintains the award-winning Pizzichemi Violin Studio, where her students regularly achieve significant accolades. She has held key positions with several orchestras, including concertmaster of the Saratoga Orchestra and Seattle Collaborative Orchestra, and co-concertmaster of the Pacific Northwest Conducting Institute.

Sarah earned her Bachelor of Music and Master of Chamber Music from the University of Texas at Austin and her Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, focusing on string quartet performance. Her research on violinists Maud Powell and Maddalena Lombardini contributes to feminist musicology and pivotal moments in music history, and her mentors include many of the world's leading violinists and string quartets.

About Brandon Vance, violin

Internationally acclaimed Scottish fiddler and violinist Brandon Vance is the recipient of Scotland's 2017 Royal National Mòd "Sutherland Cup" in Scottish Fiddle, as well as being the youngest to win the U.S. National Open Scottish Fiddling Championship in both 1999 and 2001.

Vance has performed and taught internationally, serving as a guest lecturer at the University of Limerick's Irish World Academy, appearing as guest artist for the 50th Anniversary of the Armagh Piper's Club at the William Kennedy Piping Festival, and being selected as a featured soloist at the 2017 Scottish Royal National Mòd in Fort William.

Vance holds a B.M. and M.M. in Violin Performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music. Vance is the second violinist of the Skyros Quartet, and fiddler for folk ensembles Keltoi, as well as being a founding member of Celtic ensemble Dréos, and crossover ensemble Crossing the North Sea. He is a member of the chamber orchestra Northwest Sinfonietta and baroque ensemble Pacific MusicWorks, as well as having a vibrant career as a recording artist and composer. Vance had the honor of performing his own composition, Gael Storm, with the Cleveland Pops Orchestra at Severence Hall and premiering his Shetland Fantasia for String Quartet as part of the Auburn Symphony Orchestra Chamber Series.

About Justin Kurys, viola

https://www.seattleu.edu/artsci/about/directory/profile/justin-kurys.html

About Timothy Pizzichemi, cello

https://www.timpizzichemi.com/

About Linda Tsatsanis, soprano

http://www.lindatsatsanis.com/

About José Luis Muñoz, countertenor

José Luis Muñoz has been described as "a fabulous countertenor" with "amazing, powerful expression." He is often heard premiering and creating new works and principal roles in such works as Mauricio Sotelo’s opera Dulcinea (Modesto), Bless Me, Ultima (Albuquerque), Juana (San Francisco), Monticello Wakes (Los Angeles), Yoshinaka (Seattle), Kakitsubata (Cologne, Germany), and Magda G for which he was featured in the Los Angeles Times. A versatile performer, Muñoz's other work includes: Melissa in Caccini's La Liberazione di Ruggiero dall'Isola d'Alcina, Handel's Messiah, Mozart's Requiem and Missa Brevis K. 275, Bach's B minor Mass, St Matthew's Passion, Magnificat, Orff's Carmina Burana, and Bernstein's Missa Brevis.

About Nathan Wasner, harpsichord & trumpet

Nathan Wasner is a composer, songwriter, pianist, trumpeter, vocalist, and electronic musician from Seattle, WA. He is most at home writing music for the voice, including opera, art song, and choral music, though his interests extend to EDM, pop, ambient music, and other genres.

Nathan grew up playing trumpet in concert/jazz bands, took private piano lessons with Warren Kunz, and learned composition in the David Diamond Young Composers Workshop, where his music was played by musicians of the Seattle Symphony.

He was the only student admitted to the University of Michigan School of Music's undergraduate composition program in 2006. While there, he studied with renowned faculty members Bright Sheng (a former pupil of Leonard Bernstein) and Evan Chambers, and sang in University Choir under the baton of Paul Rardin.

When not making music, he can be found trying out new plant-based recipes, playing Magic: The Gathering, or getting out in nature that the Pacific Northwest has to offer.