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BEN BATTEN, CELLO
Ben is a cellist of twelve years in the making and will be graduating from PSU with a BA in philosophy. Outside of his studies he is involved in various chamber ensembles, projects in new music, and the PSU symphony orchestra. After university, he aims to return for a masters in music, perhaps in Germany where he can finally claim himself as fluent and experience the history of music making there. Benis a student of Hamilton Cheifetz, who has described him as “the tallest cellist I’ve ever seen.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LAUREN GRANT, VIOLIN
Lauren Grant has been playing the violin for 14 years and is in her 5th year of her undergraduate studies studying violin performance with Dr. Tomas Cotik. Along with playing in the PSU orchestra and various chamber music groups at school, she has also played with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, the Oregon Sinfonietta, and Metropolitan Youth Symphony.  After she graduates, she plans to continue performing in large and small ensembles as well as privately teach violin.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TAYLOR LONG, PERCUSSION
Taylor Long is a performer specializing in contemporary percussion in Portland, Oregon. He has appeared at the Darmstadt Summer Course for New Music (Germany), Oh My Ears New Music Festival (Phoenix), Avaloch Farm Music Institute (New Hampshire), Summer Institute for Contemporary Performance Practice (Boston), So Percussion Summer Institute (Princeton), and regionally at the Northwest Percussion Festival, Portland Design Week, Oregon/Washington Music Teacher’s Association Conference, etc. He has performed with ensembles and collectives including Speak Percussion, FearNoMusic, Sound of Late, Delgani String Quartet, Burn After Listening, Black House Collective, and Cascadia Composers.  Taylor is the co-founder of Burnside Percussion, a flexible, Portland-based contemporary percussion project.
                Recent activities include the European premiere of Liza Lim’s 75-minute work Atlas of the Sky alongside Speak Percussion; the American premiere of Kate Neal’s Self Accusation for solo percussionist with text; close collaboration with composer John Colpitts (AKA Kid Millions) for the score to the experimental chamber play Hoaxers by playwright Dan O’Brien; a Midwestern tour of various universities with Ensemble Impromptu; and a series of school and library chamber concerts with Burnside Percussion supported by the Beaverton Arts Program.
                Taylor holds a BM from Portland State University and an MM from the University of Kansas; principal teachers include Michael Compitello, Ji Hye Jung, Jon Greeney and Joel Bluestone.

 

 

 

 

 

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KEELY MCMURRY, VIOLA
Keely McMurry was born and raised in Portland Oregon and began playing the violin at the age of six. She began her studies with violinist/violist Stefana Berceanu. In addition to taking private lessons she was also a member of the Pacific Crest Youth Sinfonietta, which Berceanu founded.
                When Keely was in 7th grade the youth sinfonietta was short on violists and Berceanu introduced her to the viola. Eventually viola would become her primary instrument.
                Keely played with the Metropolitan Youth Symphony for 2 years and at that time studied with violinist/violist Amber Blubaugh.
                In high school Keely studied with Angelika Furtwangler who inspired and encouraged her to focus her musical studies on viola. Currently Keely is pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in viola performance at Portland State University and studies with Kenji Bunch.
                Keely has been a member of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra since 2014 and frequently plays chamber music with fellow PSU students for weddings and other private events.

 

 

 

 

 

 

MATT MEEKS, VIOLA
Matt Meeks is a violist and a senior mechanical engineering student at Portland State University. He has performed with the Ohio-All State Orchestra, the Lima Symphony Orchestra, the Fort Wayne Symphony Orchestra, and the William & Mary Symphony Orchestra. He has also served as principal or acting principal in several orchestras in the area, including the PSU Symphony Orchestra, the Portland Chamber Orchestra, and the Oregon East Symphony.
                Matt currently performs regularly with several chamber music ensembles as part of PSU's String Ensemble Community Outreach program, a program funded through the Renaissance Foundation with the goal of presenting high-quality concerts to the wider Portland area and communities who might not typically have a chance to enjoy such wonderful classical music.
                Matt is an Aries and hates spiders.

 

 

 

 

 

 

ANDY SHARMA, CLARINET
Andy Sharma is a conductor, educator, and clarinetist based in Portland, Oregon. He has performed with the Vancouver Symphony (WA), Newport Symphony, Bravo! Concerts Northwest Orchestra, Orpheus Academy Orchestra, Oregon Mahler Festival, and Indiana University Philharmonic Orchestra, and frequently collaborates in chamber groups and with various composers. He has recorded for the NAXOS label with the IU Philharmonic in David Diamond's Symphony No. 6, and has performed throughout the United States as well as Canada, U.K., France, Switzerland, Austria, and Germany. Andy holds an MM in Performance from Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, and a BM in Performance from Portland State University, where he studied with James Campbell, Howard Klug, and Barbara Heilmair.
                As a conductor, Andy has worked with the Tualatin Valley Symphony, Indiana University Symphonic Band, Portland State University Concert Band, Mt. Hood Community College Symphonic Band, Clackamas Community Band, and was an auditor for the 2019 Charleston Symphony Conducting Workshop.
                As an educator, Andy has held positions in the Elkton School District and Forest Hills Lutheran Christian School, is an active private/group instructor and instrumental coach, having taught students in Portland Public Schools, Beaverton, Sherwood, and Tigard/Tualatin School Districts, and serves as an adjudicator for solo/ensemble festivals at the high school and middle school level.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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MELISSA TERRALL, PIANO
Melissa Terrall is an award-winning pianist from Portland, Oregon. She has performed as a soloist with the Oregon Sinfonietta and Portland’s Jewish Community Orchestra. In 2015 and 2016, she was an alternate in the Music Teachers National Association’s Young Artists state competition. She has participated in master classes with many international artists, including Jon Kimura Parker, Inna Faliks, Peter Serkin, and Nelson Goerner. Her awards include the Portland Monday Musical Club, Gladys Strong, and International Keyboard Institute scholarships.
                 In 2014, Melissa Terrall and Colleen Carney formed a piano duo and went on to place first at the 2016 US International Duo Piano Competition in Colorado Springs. Most recently, they placed first in the 2019 National Federation of Music Clubs’ Ellis Duo Piano Competition and were also awarded the competition’s American Music Prize for their performance of Aaron Copland’s two-piano version of his iconic work, Billy the Kid. Coached by Dr. Jill Timmons, the Carney-Terrall duo has performed throughout the US for Classic Pianos and Yamaha Corporation of America.
                 In 2017, Melissa participated in a study abroad program in Barcelona where she received coaching from renowned Italian pianist, Ludovica Mosca. A Jacqueline Olsson scholar, Melissa completed her Bachelor of Music degree in piano performance at Portland State University, where she studied with Dr. Julia Lee. Melissa maintains a private piano studio in the greater Portland area and frequently works as a collaborative pianist with choirs, chamber music ensembles, and soloists.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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SHION YAMAKAWA, VIOLIN
Shion Yamakawa has recently graduated from Portland State University with Masters of Music in violin performance, where she studied with Dr. Tomas Cotik. While pursuing her Master’s degree, Shion has studied Alexander Technique with Eve Bernfeld, and she has also been studying violin with Carol Sindell. Currently, she serves as a section violinist at Portland Columbia Symphony Orchestra, and substitutes with Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. Shion also plays chamber music with Lauren Grant (violin), Matt Meeks (viola), Keely McMurry (viola), and Cecelia Monroe (cello) for PSU String Ensemble Outreach Concerts. Aside from performing, Shion teaches group violin lessons at Metropolitan Youth Symphony Preparatory String Program, and also provides individual violin lessons in Portland area. Shion has graduated from Central Washington University with Bachelor of Music in Music Education in Instrumental Specialization, and studied violin with Carrie Rehkopf. She has done student teaching at Odle Middle School Orchestra in Bellevue, Washington, and is a certified K-12 performing arts educator.

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