Ask of Me What the Birds Sang

Patagonia Winds

Patagonia Winds is a professional wind quintet known to Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia audiences since 2010 for its dynamic programming that the whole family can enjoy. Currently Woodwind Ensemble-in-Residence at Washington Adventist University, the group has performed concerts and children’s educational programs throughout the region, and appeared in recital at the Mid-Atlantic Flute Convention and National Flute Association Convention. Committed to promoting chamber music by living composers, the group has commissioned works by Alexandra Molnar-Suhajda and Andrew John Kosinski, and was featured in concert by the Baltimore Composers Forum.

Katie Procell

Soprano Katie Procell has been praised throughout the Baltimore area for her “golden tone and arresting stage presence” (Peter Dayton). Her musical curiosity includes the avant-garde: Pierrot Lunaire, Ginastera’s String Quartet No. 3, Harawi, Berio Sequenza III, and even Kurtàg’s Attila Fragments. Procell’s opera credits include various roles in two-woman collections of operas: Elevator (ENAEnsemble); Susanna (Le nozze di Figaro, Peabody); Krysia (Out of Darkness, Peabody); Rosina (Il barbiere di Siviglia, JMU); Phyllis (Iolanthe, Luray Opera Theater); Despina (Così fan tutte, Luray). She studied at Peabody Conservatory (M.M., 2018) and James Madison University (B.M. 2016) and trained as an apprentice artist at Opera Roanoke. This summer she will be filming the video premiere of Garth Baxter’s opera Lily and sing the title role.

Jeremy Lyons

Guitarist Jeremy Lyons has been performing, teaching, and living in Baltimore for more than 10 years. He is a founding member of the ensemble Pique Collective and the music organization Mind on Fire. In an effort to present both contemporary and period works of art, he regularly collaborates with artists who work in many disciplines. As a composer, Lyons works on projects that combine music and other artistic media such as poetry, theater, and sculpture. He currently teaches at the Baltimore School for the Arts and privately from his home.

Jeremylyonsguitar.com

Christine Thomas

Mezzo-soprano Christine Thomas has performed everything from the motets of J.S. Bach to the melodies of Irving Berlin to the minimalism of Philip Glass. The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel called her voice “an amazing instrument.” The Washington Post said, “her voice is lovely and her stage presence is natural and full of vitality.” Backstage Baltimore called her “a vocal powerhouse.”

Karen Johnson

Karen Johnson, Principal of the Chesapeake Orchestra, and formerly Principal Flutist of the Washington Bach Consort, combines instrumental mastery, great beauty of sound, and a poetic sensibility in her distinctive and memorable performances. The Washington Post has described her playing as “exquisite” and “mesmerizing”; and in another review the Post said “… flutist Karen Johnson wrought unforgettable magic.”

Jennifer Tscheulin

Jennifer Tscheulin is a vibrant clarinetist and bass clarinetist who regularly performs throughout the Eastern seaboard. She teaches clarinet, Music History, and World of Music at Morgan State University, as well as clarinet at the Peabody Preparatory, both located in Baltimore MD.

Bonghee Lee

Pianist Dr. Bonghee Lee is an avid soloist and chamber musician. Her interviews, performances, and recordings have been broadcast across Croatia, South Korea, and throughout the United States. Having participated in numerous international festivals and concert series, Lee has established her excellent virtuosity and musicality. She has performed and presented masterclasses in numerous venues including Lincoln Center, Yamaha Hall, Columbia University, Strathmore Mansion, Baltimore War Memorial, Shriver Hall, Horowitz Visual and Performing Arts Center, Friedberg Concert Hall, Falvey Hall, and numerous acclaimed venues in France, Canada, China, and South Korea.

Valerie Hsu

Valerie Hsu is a collaborative pianist based in Baltimore. A Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition semifinalist, Valerie studied at Vanderbilt University with Craig Nies and Melissa Rose, where she was the inaugural recipient of the Gall/Martin Collaborative Arts Award. Ensemble highlights include a MinEvent performance of the music of John Cage on prepared piano with dancers from the Merce Cunningham Dance Company, the Southeastern United States premiere of George Antheil’s fully-realized Ballet Mècanique, and a 10-day orchestral tour of China. By day, she serves as Executive Director of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Columbia in Columbia MD.

Andrew Stewart

Hailed as a “singer’s dream” by Gramophone Magazine, pianist Andrew Stewart has given thousands of performances across a wide spectrum of musical genres. Currently on the music faculty at Goucher College, he has played at venues including the Lyric Performing Arts Center, An Die Musik, the Engineers Club, and the War Memorial (Baltimore); Sidney Harman Hall and American University’s Greenberg Theatre (Washington, D.C.); Maryland Hall for Creative Arts and the Maryland State House (Annapolis); Opera America (New York City); Cal Poly Performing Arts Center and the Berkeley Piano Club (California); and Sala San Gregorio, Sala San Paolo, and La Sala della Conciliazione in Assisi, Italy. He has also performed with the San Luis Obispo County Symphony, the St. Louis Parish Orchestra, Howard County Concert Orchestra, and the Annapolis Chamber Orchestra, and performed on Maryland Public Television, WBAL News Radio, and jWASH.net. He is a longstanding accompanist for both the Maryland Opera Company and Baltimore Musicales.

Wei-Der Huang

Pianist Dr. Wei-Der Huang is a founder of the Octtava Piano Duo; Howard Community College music faculty member, Piano Coordinator, and Concert Series Coordinator; and Music Director and Organist at Greenbelt (MD) Community Church. He received his D.M.A. from the University of Maryland at College Park and his M.Mus. and Professional Performer Diploma from the Manhattan School of Music.

Mariko Hiller

A native of Japan, Mariko Hiller began studying piano at the age of five. Immigrating to the United States, she continued her classical piano study with distinguished pianists, including Nicholas Zumbro (University of Arizona) and Peter Takács (Oberlin Conservatory of Music). She has been an active chamber musician in the Metropolitan Washington area for over 30 years. Hiller has also studied organ, jazz piano, and music education. She has been Music Director at St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church since 1998. Hiller is the founder and the director of the Odeon Chamber Music Series since 2000. She taught general music for 22 years in the Fairfax County Public Schools. She enjoys performing both classical and jazz, and sharing her love for music with everyone. She also writes arrangements of hymns for church services using both classical and jazz renditions. In addition to music, Hiller enjoys playing tennis, skiing, and swing dancing.