| Biographies |
|
|
|
|
Robert Frelly, Founder and Artistic Director/Conductor of the Southern California Youth Philharmonic, is recognized throughout the country as an accomplished conductor and music educator. Dr. Frelly has taught instrumental music at all levels and at present is an Associate Professor within the Conservatory of Music at Chapman University, serving as the Director of Music Education. Additionally, he is serving as Artistic Director and Conductor of ReSound, a regional orchestra of professional musicians, and Music Director and Conductor of the Southern California Philharmonic. His previous orchestral posts include Associate Conductor of the Long Beach Symphony Orchestra, Music Director of the Southern California Pops Orchestra, and Music Director of the University of Southern California Community Orchestra.
Noted for his artistic and visionary leadership, Dr. Frelly’s appointments extend beyond the United States, having recently served as Artistic Director and Festival Conductor of An American Orchestral Salute to the Olympics, an international orchestra festival for ‘Beijing Perform In Harmony - With Olympic Spirit’, the countdown program for the summer games held in China in 2008; and, Artistic Director of Orchestrating Sydney, an international music festival that brought together the best youth and college musicians from around the world for musical and cultural interactions at the famed Sydney Opera House in 2007. Additional international appointments included Artistic Director and Festival Conductor of Follow in Holst’s Footsteps in London in January of 2009; and, Artistic Director and Festival Conductor of Tale of Two Cities, a 2-city event in Vienna and Prague during the summer of 2009. In the summer of 2012, Dr. Frelly will once again take the international stage as Artistic Director and Festival of Olympic Fanfare and Festival, London 2012, an international orchestra festival to be held in conjunction with the summer games to be held in England.
As a music director, Dr. Frelly has established a reputation for developing high quality programs with a breadth of musicality. Orchestras and bands under his director have been featured in numerous international venues, including return visits to the famed Salzburg Music Festival and the renowned Sydney Opera House. His ensembles have also been featured in national and state conferences, including MENC: The National Association for Music Education, the Mid-West International Band and Orchestra Clinic, and CMEA: The California Association for Music Education.
Equally at home in the classical, jazz and pop genres, Dr. Frelly has worked with a number of prominent artists, including Doc Severinsen, Bill Conti, Skitch Henderson, and the Empire Brass. He has conducted for film and opera, and is a frequent guest conductor for all-state and regional honor bands and orchestras, with recent appearances in Arizona, Alabama, Florida, Illinois, and Nevada. On the international stage he has led performances in Australia, Austria, Canada, China, Czech Republic, England, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, New Zealand and Switzerland.
An accomplished conductor and educator, Dr. Frelly is the author of a music instructional video series, An Introduction to the Orchestra and is currently preparing a manuscript devoted to conducting and musical interpretation. Dr. Frelly has also authored numerous articles on music, he has served as Editor of Upbeat, a national publication devoted to the promotion and development of music educational programs for youth, and has been a contributing writer for the Orange County Register. A champion of new music, Dr. Frelly has received national recognition on three occasions with the “First Place ASCAP Award for Programming of Contemporary Music in the category of Youth Orchestras”. He is also the recipient of a Chapman University Faculty Achievement Award, recognizing excellence in teaching and scholarly/creative activity, three Chapman University Scholarly/Creative Grants, and a Subito grant from the American Composers Forum. Recently he was acknowledged by his alma mater as the Chapman University 2008 Alumnus of the Year.
A strong advocate for the arts, Dr. Frelly has presented clinics and workshops for numerous local, regional, and national arts organizations, including MENC, the League of American Orchestras, (LOA) the Mid-West International Band and Orchestra Association, CMEA, and the Southern California School Band and Orchestra Association. At present, Dr. Frelly is a member of the Directors Council of the LAO, and has served as a Mentor for MENC, offering advice for its membership of 130,000 music teachers, university faculty and researchers and college students preparing for the teaching profession. His past leadership roles include President of CMEA/Southern Section and Chairman of the Youth Orchestra Division of the LOA.
Dr. Frelly holds a Doctorate of Music Education from the University of Southern California, and a Master of Music in Instrumental Conducting from California State University, Long Beach, where he was inducted as a member of the Graduates Dean’s List of University Scholars and Artists. He also holds dual Bachelor of Music degrees in Music Education and Music Composition from Chapman University and is a member of “Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers".
______
Monica Cummins is the Clarinet Choir director of the Southern California Youth Philharmonic. She holds a Bachelor's Degree in clarinet performance and music education from Chapman University. She is the music director at Burke Middle School in Pico Rivera and is also an active private teacher and performer in L.A. and Orange County. Monica resides with her husband Donny in Anaheim Hills.
_____
Michelle Wright, Conductor of the Vivace Strings, begins her 17th year on staff of the Southern California Youth Philharmonic. A graduate of University of California, Irvine, she holds a BA in Anthropology and Music. Mrs. Wright is also the Director of the String Program at the Irvine Conservatory of Music and is a private violin teacher and freelance performer. She has served as a string clinician for my schools in the Orange County area and is a faculty member of the Wildwood Music Institute. Mrs. Wright is a member of ASTA, Suzuki Association of the Americas and a board member of the Orange County Branch of the Suzuki Association of California. She resides in Irvine with her husband, Eric (also a musician) and their daughter Miyoko.
_____ Samuel Nordrum Samuel Nordrum begins his 2nd season with the SCYP as Manager. He fills this post in addition to his service for Concordia University, Irvine, as the Music Department Program Administrator as well as his endeavors as Chief Operating Officer and founder of Motive Makers ©, a division of LIVSUN Productions ™.
His career and performance history outlines a life dedicated to music, art and education. His career depicts a passionate arts educator through work on nationally recognized efforts with the Pacific and Detroit Symphony Orchestras, Philharmonic Society of Orange County and Concert Artists Guild. Via his high energy and entertaining instruction, aspiring student musicians of all ages grow in technique and artistry, nutured by Nordrum’s enthusiasm and instruction as a violinist, conductor, jazz ensemble, guitar and music technology specialist.
Nordrum’s experience as a violinist and conductor has taken him on performance tours of the Western United States and central Europe. As a classic guitar instructor, Nordrum has collaborated and convened with world class guitarists such as Maestro Angel Romero and Christopher Parkening. In the arena of music technology, Nordrum frequently can be found in the studios of California Sound and Wright Records (a division of Warner Brothers). Nordrum frequently consults aspiring sound engineers and aspiring music groups on recording arts and live sound reinforcement techniques and equipment.
At the core of Nordrum’s career is the experience of a violinist trained in orchestral music. Mentored by violinists of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Pacific and Detroit Symphony Orchestras, Nordrum has provided private violin instruction for nearly two decades. Nordrum’s experience includes performances in solo violin recital as well as with the Orange County Youth Symphony Orchestra, South Coast Youth Symphony Orchestra, Chapman Chamber Orchestra, Chapman Symphony Orchestra, Pavion Park Bluegrass Folk, Erin Go Brah Duo, Bertea Piano Trio, Eastern Sierra Symphony Orchestra, Detroit Symphony Civic Orchestra, Barefield Quartet, World Youth Symphony Orchestra (Interlochen, Michigan), Northwood Quartet and, most recently, service as Principal Second Violin with the Southern California Philharmonic and Quartet.
Nordrum makes his home and studio in Orange County, California, where he takes on multiple roles as arts advocate, entrepreneur, sailboat enthusiast, foodie and, most passionately, as a husband and as a father of two beautiful children.
_____
Janelle Barrera begins her first season with the Southern California Philharmonic as conductor of the Flute Choir. Equally at home on the stage, in the teaching studio, or at the conductor’s podium, she brings a myriad of skills to the Flute. Janelle has been an active private flute instructor, clinician, and freelance musician for the past sixteen years. As Principal Flute with the La Primavera Orchestra she toured the cities of Kaohsiung and Taipei, Taiwan. She can be seen playing piccolo in the WTIU/PBS special, Sugarplum Dreams: Staging The Nutcracker Ballet. In 2001 she was Principal Flute in the Orquesta Sinfonica UANL in Monterrey N.L. Mexico. Janelle has been under the baton of conductors Zubin Mehta, Meli Mehta, David Zinman, Michael Stern, Alexander Trager, and Sergiu Comissiona. She has attended the prestigious Aspen Music Festival, and is on staff at the Tacoma Youth Symphony Association's Evergreen Music Festival.
Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. While maintaining a large private flute studio, Janelle is Principal Flute of the Southern California Philharmonic, member of the ALLOY Wind Duo, Director of the Los Angeles Flute Guild's "Flüt Än-säm-bəl," serves on the faculty of the Orange County High School of the Arts, coaches for the Orange County Junior Chamber Music Series, and is currently the President of the Los Angeles Flute Guild. Janelle plays on a handmade David Straubinger Flute.
_____
Dan St. Marseille joins the staff of the Southern California Youth Philharmonic as Director of Jazz Studies. A Yamaha Performing Artist, his recordings are heard internationally on jazz radio and have been the subject of articles in such publications as Downbeat, Jazztimes, Los Angeles Times, and Jazz Critic among others. Three of St. Marseille's CD's received four star ratings in the third edition of the All Music Guide To Jazz; The Experts Guide To The Best Jazz Recordings. In addition to local and national tours, Dan has performed in Europe, Canada and many jazz clubs and festivals including a headline performance at the prestigious Coleman Hawkins Festival in Topeka, Kansas.
Dan's own composition "Claxography", written for renowned jazz photographer William Claxton, was chosen as the title of Claxton's new book of photographs in which Dan also appears. In May of 2001, Dan was the music director for an international event entitled "Clickin' with Clax" at the Los Angeles County Museum Of Art.
In April of 1999, he was inducted into the Saddleback Valley School Districts Hall Of Fame which included such other greats as golfer Mark O'Meara and soccer player Julie Foudy. As a Yamaha Performing Artist and educator, Dan St. Marseille has presented workshops at major colleges and universities and maintains a regular teaching studio in Southern California. He is a graduate of Chapman University with a Bachelor of Music in Performance and will soon complete a Master of Music in Jazz Studies at California State University, Fullerton.
|
Monica Cummins.jpg)
.jpg)
Janelle Barrera
Dan St. Marseille