Chamber Concert Series

The University of Portland (UP) String Quintet is comprised of UP students, who are all part of the UP orchestra and chamber ensembles. Brought together by their love of music, each individual brings forth a wide range of talent and interests. Marshall Zhang, first violinist, organized the quintet for his senior recital.

Marshall Zhang (1st Violin)a senior from Tamuning, Guam. He is currently pursuing a double major in music and computer science. He has been playing the violin for 15 years. He was part of the Guam Symphony Orchestra and played with the Honors Performance Series in Sydney, Australia in high school. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his friends, playing tennis, and skiing.

Emily Todd (2nd Violin)is a sophomore from Camas, Washington. She is currently pursuing a double major in music and civil engineering. In addition to playing with the UP chamber and symphony orchestras, she participates as an alumni violinist with the Metropolitan Youth Symphony. When not practicing, she can be found baking or long-boarding.

Rowan Lowery (Viola) is a sophomore from Newburg, Oregon. He is currently pursuing a double major in music arts administration and theater sound design. He has been playing viola for 15 years. In his free time, he enjoys rock climbing, photography, and exploring nature.

Ian Carlos (1st Cello) is a junior from Hayward, California. He is currently pursuing a degree in electrical engineering with a minor in music. He has studied cello for 12 years as a student of Allen Gove, Joey Hebert, Dr. Hannah Harrington, and most recently Heather Blackburn. He has received recognition and awards from the East Bay Youth Orchestra, the California Orchestra Director’s Association, and the California Music Educators Association. He serves at his home parish in the music ministry and has volunteered his music talents with Melody Connects (a non-profit providing music mentoring to students) and the Golden Gate Boys Choir. When not practicing, he can be found tinkering with robotics and playing video games.

Laney Mohr (2nd Cello) is a junior from Seattle, Washington. She is currently pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering with minors in music and physics. She has been playing the cello for 11 years. In addition to her music career and academic pursuits, she also conducts personal research in the medical field.

The South Eugene Piano Trio has been playing together for the past year and are a group dedicated, young musicians from South Eugene. Each member has over 10 years of music experience and shares a passion for music in their community. In addition to playing as a piano trio, the members also participate in school orchestras, youth symphonies, chamber music institutes, and have competed at the state level in solo competitions and honor ensembles.

Zoe Kramer, Piano, is a student of Dr. Brian Hsu at the University of Oregon and has been playing piano for 11 years. She is the first prize winner of the Gottlibe, Chase, and Brown competitions, as well as the Maryland piano state solo competition. In addition to piano Zoe enjoys swimming, hiking, and traveling.

Pearl Carter, Cello, has been playing cello for 12 years and studies with Anne Riddlington, the principal cellist of the Eugene symphony as well as the Corvallis symphony. In addition to cello, Pearl plays piano and is an avid member of the Celeste String Quartet. Apart from music she leads the Feminist Student Union at South Eugene High School and volunteers at Women’s Advocacy Council for Youth.

Nina Vivek, Violin, has been playing for over 10 years and studies with Lillie Manis in Eugene. She has competed in multiple violin competitions and placed 3rd in the OMEA competition in 2023. Nina also is an active member of the Celeste string quartet and is a captain of the South Eugene girl’s tennis team. In addition to violin, Nina plays viola and participates in many clubs such as Rotary and Bridge USA.

The Sequana String Quartet was founded at the University of Oregon in 2022. As a Graduate String Quartet ensemble, Sequana String Quartet has given performances, lectures, masterclasses, and panels across Oregon state. With a focus on outreach, the quartet maintains the goal of creating a classical music environment in Eugene, Oregon that is accessible, educational, and inspiring. They have performed masterclasses for quartets such as Kontras String Quartet, and are regularly coached by Professor Hal Grossman, former member of the award-winning Casella, Oxford and Chester string quartets.

Cellist Austin Bennett originally hails from Bend, Oregon. He is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in cello performance and a concurrent master’s in music theory at the University of Oregon in Eugene, where he is a graduate employee in teaching and performing. Austin is passionate about chamber music and collaboration, with recent appearances at the Columbia River Chamber Music Festival in Longview, WA. As an orchestral performer, he has played with the Eugene Symphony and the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra. While completing his master’s at Florida State University (FSU), Austin was a member of the Eppes String Quartet and principal cellist of the FSU Symphony Orchestra. With the FSU Symphony Orchestra, Austin recorded Ernő Dohnányi’s Second Symphony and the premiere recording of his Two Songs featuring baritone Evan Jones for Naxos Records. Outside of music, some of his hobbies are hiking and photography.

Adam Fishburn is a violist, violinist, teacher, and arranger highly sought after across the Willamette Valley of Oregon. He was recruited as a graduate employee for the University of Oregon in Eugene where he is studying his Doctorate in Viola performance under the mentorship of Arnaud Ghillebaert. Adam is a violist in the Eugene Symphony. His passion for music leads him across the state: anywhere from performing a wedding ceremony in Portland as co-founder of Black Bear Strings, to teaching lessons at home in Eugene. The beautiful flora, fauna, and biomes of the Pacific Northwest inspire Adam. He enjoys video games and singing in his spare time. He loves to chill with his (very) large Bernese mountain dog mix Charlie, and tuxedo cat Nicki.

Originally from Phoenix, Arizona, Megan Fraser began playing the violin at the age of ten. She is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Music under the tutelage of Professor Hal Grossman at the University of Oregon. Megan has played in orchestras across the country including the Southwest region, New York, and Oregon and performed a two week long tour of Northwest China including Tibet. She is a founding member of the Sequana String Quartet and has had positions with numerous ensembles including the Flagstaff Symphony, Eugene Concert Choir Orchestra, OrchestraNEXT, and Texas Festival Orchestra at Round Top where she served as Assistant Concertmaster. She has performed in masterclasses for artists such as Elena Urioste, Andrew Sords, Jung-Min Amy Lee, Jasper Wood, and the Kontras String Quartet. She was a finalist in the Northern Arizona University Concerto Competition and winner of the White Mountain Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition.

Madison Vanderwall is an accomplished violinist pursuing a doctoral degree at the University of Oregon, where she also completed her master’s degree under the tutelage of Professor Hal Grossman. Madison plays with several ensembles including Rogue Valley Symphony, Eugene Symphony, Newport Symphony Orchestra, and Eugene Concert Choir Orchestra. She currently holds a position with Eugene Ballet Company’s OrchestraNEXT. Madison has worked with the Escher String Quartet, Dover Quartet, and Kontras Quartet, and has also studied with the Fry Street Quartet member Anne Francis Bayless, winning first place in the Chamber Music Competition in Logan, Utah. Starting her own music education at the age of 5 in Northern Idaho, Madison spends her time offering the same opportunities she was given growing up. She teaches and coaches through the Community Music Institute and the Suzuki Strings Program in Eugene. Madison loves to explore the dense forests of Oregon, going out to coffee, and spoiling her cat, Birdy.

The Evergreen Quartet from Forest Grove High School has been playing together for only a few months. They had their first debut as a group at the Arlene Schinzter on February 10th, as part of the Oregon Symphony Prelude Series. They all enjoy gathering for rehearsals and the process of making musical decisions as a team. Each one of the members have competed at the state level in solo and group competitions.They each hope to continue music beyond high school whether it is minoring in music, playing professionally or participating in community groups.

Ava Forn is a senior from Forest Grove High School. They have been playing the cello for 10 years, and are currently playing in the Forest Grove High School Chamber Orchestra as well as the Pacific University Philharmonic Orchestra. They study with Noah Seitz, an instructor at Pacific University and a member of the Eugene Symphony. Ava has also been selected to play in Music in May for the past two years.

Sophia O’Shea is a senior from Forest Grove High School. They have played the violin for 9 years and play in the Forest Grove High School Chamber Orchestra. They qualified and competed at the state level, as a soloist, of OMEA Solo and Ensemble competition as a Sophomore and Junior. They placed in the top ten in their junior year. Sophia played in the Pacific University Philharmonic Orchestra as a first violinist in their Junior year. They study with Keiko Araki, a member of the Oregon Symphony. They were selected to attend the Music in May orchestra camp at Pacific University three times, and lead the orchestra in their Junior year.

Kayden Samuel is a sophomore from Forest Grove High School. He is both a violist and violinist, has been playing for over 6 years, and studies with Kevin Lefohn in Tigard. He has competed in multiple ensemble competitions most recently placing 1st in the OSAA Large String Ensemble. He is the principal viola of the Metropolitan Youth Symphony (Hillsboro) and was a 1st violinist in the Pacific University Philharmonic for 2 years. An All-State Orchestra qualifier, Kayden is also an avid violinist with Mariachi Tradición (FGHS), performing for multiple Latin Grammy-award winning ensembles.

Dulceluna Cebrera is a junior at Forest Grove High School and has been playing violin for seven years. She is an active member of the FGHS Chamber Orchestra and the Pacific University Philharmonic. Since joining (FGHS) Mariachi Tradicion in eighth grade, she has been dedicated to the ensemble, taking on a leadership role since 2022. Dulceluna has also participated in various string competitions and, along with her mariachi ensemble, was honored to place first in the OSAA Large String Ensemble category in 2024, the mariachi has also opened for various grammy winning artists like Mariachi Vargas, Flor de Toloache, and actor/comedian George Lopez.