Download 5HE artist bios - Fifth House Ensemble

332 S Michigan Ave, Ste
1032-F501
Chicago IL 60604
Artist Biographies
Melissa Ngan Snoza, flute
A passionate advocate for chamber music, Melissa Snoza is a founding member of Fifth House Ensemble.
A dynamic educator and coach, Melissa currently teaches a music entrepreneurship course at DePaul
University, and has served as professor of flute at Carthage College. As 5HE’s Executive Director, Melissa
drives the organization’s entrepreneurship programs, having created workshops for New England
Conservatory, the Colburn School, Indiana University, the Eastman School of Music, TEDx Michigan Ave, and
the fresh inc festival on arts entrepreneurship and creative programming. Her writing has been featured on
the Entrepreneur the Arts blog and Huffington Post.
Having held positions with the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, Civic Orchestra of Chicago and the Peninsula
Music Festival, Melissa’s performance activities have spanned South America, Europe, Russia and Japan.
Previous award credits include First Prize at the National Flute Association’s Orchestral Audition Competition.
Melissa is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music and Northwestern University, with principal teachers
including Bonita Boyd and Walfrid Kujala. Melissa is not only a well-known flutist and educator – she also
makes a mean spread of Brazilian food and a mouth-watering chocolate pecan bourbon pie.
Grace Hong, oboe
A native of Seoul, Korea, oboist Grace Hong enjoys a diverse career as soloist, chamber musician and
teacher. She had the honor of performing with the Chicago Symphony for their 2008 European tour under
maestro Bernard Haitink, the LA Opera’s Ring Festival LA, and as a guest artist with Prairie Winds Quintet.
Grace has appeared at the Colorado College Music Festival, Pacific Music Festival, and Festival Mozaic
WinterMezzo Series in San Luis Obispo, CA, and the Aspen Music Festival as a New Horizon Fellow.
Grace is a dedicated educator, currently serving on the faculty of DePaul University, Concordia University
Chicago and the New Music School. She holds degrees from the Oberlin Conservatory, Roosevelt University
and Depaul University under the tutelage of John De Lancie, Louis Rosenblatt, James Caldwell, Robert
Walters, Jelena Dirks and Eugene Izotov.
Grace lives in Chicago with her husband and a beautiful daughter, Isabella.
Elizandro Garcia-Montoya, clarinet
Elizandro Garcia-Montoya is an active performer and educator who has performed with the Cleveleand
Orchestra, Sarasota Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Jacksonville Symphony, and was Principal Clarinet of
the State of Mexico Orchestra in Toluca, Mexico. A silver prizewinner in the 1999 Fischoff National Chamber
Music Competition, Elizandro continues to pursue his chamber music career and performs regularly with the
Chicago Ensemble and Midsummer’s Chamber Music Festival. He has also performed with the Chicago
Chamber Musicians, Fulcrum Point New Music Project, Pilgrim Chamber Players and the Ondas Ensemble, a
group that specializes in Latin American Music.
Elizandro has performed at numerous music festivals including Tanglewood, National Repertory Orchestra,
Kent/Blossom Music, International Festival at Round Top, Spoleto/USA and Yale University’s Norfolk Chamber
Music Festival. During the summers, he performs at the New Hampshire Music Festival and travels abroad for
international outreach projects with Sound Impact. He completed his Master’s degree at Rice
University and also holds a Bachelor’s degree from Baylor University and a Professional Studies diploma from
the Cleveland Institute of Music.
Elizandro lives in Chicago and teaches clarinet at The Chicago Academy for the Arts, Elmhurst College,
DePaul University Community Music and The People’s Music School.
phone: 224.715.6455
email: [email protected]
website: www.fifth-house.com
Eric Heidbreder, bassoon
Originally from Merrillville, IN, Eric Heidbreder holds a Bachelor of Music Degree from Ball State University and
a Masters in Music Degree from DePaul University. Eric has previously held positions in the Civic Orchestra of
Chicago, Muncie Symphony Orchestra, and the Laporte County Symphony Orchestra. Eric has performed
as a substitute musician with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and MusicNOW. Outside of performing, Eric
is a casual arranger of 1990s power ballads and a skateboarding enthusiast. Over past summers, Eric has
attended the Aspen Music Festival and the Pacific Music Festival. Eric’s primary teachers are Steve Ingle,
Keith Sweger, William Buchman, and Robert Barris.
Parker Nelson, horn
Parker Nelson is a horn player currently based in the greater Chicago area. As a fervent soloist, chamber
musician, and orchestral player, Parker has given performances in six countries on four continents. Parker is
a dynamic soloist, frequently performing in concerts and recitals and has recently appeared with the
DePaul University Chamber Orchestra and New England Repertory Orchestra. Awarded a fellowship to the
Tanglewood Music Center in 2014, Parker has studied with members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and
performed under such prolific conductors as Andris Nelsons, Charles Dutoit, Leonard Slatkin, Stephane
Denéve, Marcelo Lehninger, Stephan Asbury, and many others. Parker also performs with a variety of
professional orchestras that include multiple appearances with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, among
others. He recently premiered works by American composers Augusta Reed Thomas and Thomas Weaver.
Parker’s primary teachers have been soloist and chamber musician, Eric Ruske, James Smelser, Second
Horn of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and Dale Clevenger, former Principal Horn of the Chicago
Symphony Orchestra.
An active educator, Parker has given lectures and master classes at a variety of events throughout the
United States. He particularly enjoys community outreach such as making appearances at local institutions
and inspiring the next generation of musicians, as well as teaching individual lessons out of his private studio.
Parker credits his love of education to his membership and close relationships with organizations such as the
Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras and Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp in Muskegon, Michigan.
Parker is an ardent fan of the Green Bay Packers and loves supporting them at his favorite Chicago bar,
Will’s Northwoods Inn in Lakeview.
Charlene Kluegel, violin
Violinist Charlene Kluegel is an active soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician. A young artist with the Ruth
and Ernst Burkhalter Stiftung since 2004, she went on to win first prize at the German Youth Music
Competition “Jugend Musiziert” Lower Saxony, first prize with distinction at the Swiss National Youth Music
Competition, and the Cornell University Concerto Competition.
Charlene has appeared in concert throughout Germany, Switzerland, Canada, China, and the US. As a
soloist, she performed with the Meilemer Symphony Orchester (Switzerland), and the Cornell Symphony
Orchestra. As a chamber musician, she has collaborated with artists like the Cuarteto Casals, Frank Huang,
Joseph Lin, Frank Morelli, and Michael Kannen. Her performances have taken her to the Kennedy Center,
the Zurich Tonhalle, the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, and has appeared for the Journees de la
Culture de Quebec, the Kasseler Musiktage and the Cornell University’s Chamber Music Festival “Mayfest.”
As part of her musical training, Charlene has had the privilege to perform in masterclasses for the Juilliard
String Quartet, the Tokyo String Quartet, the Orion String Quartet, Igor Oistrakh, Pamela Frank, and Leon
Fleischer. At the Aspen School and Festival of Music, the Summer Academy of the Mozarteum Salzburg
(Austria), the Banff Centre and the Heifetz Summer Institute of Music, she received further instruction from
Igor Oistrakh, Pamela Frank, Joel Smirnoff, Daniel Phillips, and Soovin Kim.
Prior to graduating from Cornell University with a BA cum laude, Charlene studied at the Central
Conservatory (Beijing, China), the Hochschule der Künste Bremen (Germany) with Prof. Katrin Scholz, and
the Hochschule der Künste Bern (Switzerland) with Prof. Monika Urbaniak Lisik. Charlene completed the
Masters of Music and a Performance Diploma at the Peabody Institute of Music under Pamela Frank. As a
recipient of the Indiana University Artistic Excellence Award, she is currently pursuing a Doctor of Music at
Indiana University under Jorja Fleezanis.
phone: 224.715.6455
email: [email protected]
website: www.fifth-house.com
Michael Lieberman, viola
Violist Michael Lieberman pursues a busy and varied career as a chamber musician, orchestral player and
teacher. During the 2000/01 season, he performed for the World Premier production of Philip Glass’s opera,
“In the Penal Colony” written for a single string quintet that was on stage and in costume during the entire
performance. With over a hundred performances in New York, Chicago and Seattle, the production was
reviewed to critical acclaim. In 2007 Michael was the Violist and Music Director for “Tempo of Recollection,”
an innovative collaboration of Chamber Music, Dance, Drama, Projected Images and Sound set in a 1920s
Prague dance-hall bringing to life the music of Czech composer and holocaust victim, Erwin Schulhoff. From
2011-2013, he was the Assistant Music Director and Violist for Cirque Du Soleil’s “IRIS” at the Dolby Theatre in
Hollywood. With the musical score written by Danny Elfman, Michael is featured as the solo violist on the
Soundtrack Recording. The production ran for over 500 performances including an appearance on the
Tonight Show.
Since 2013, Michael has been composing, arranging, writing and performing as the violist in Wet the Hippo.
Wet the Hppo, nominated for Best Comedy in the 2013 Hollywood Fringe Festival, is a collection of LA’s most
twisted and uncontrollable performers in sublimely irreverent and beautifully chaotic live performance.
Michael has played principal Viola with the Santa Barbara Symphony, Santa Barbara Chamber Orchestra
and Opera Santa Barbara in addition to performances with the Los Angeles Opera, Pacific Northwest Ballet
and Oregon Symphony among many others. For 10 years he was Violist in the Saint Helen’s String Quartet
with performances in every major venue, on television and radio throughout the Pacific Northwest including
a residency at Cornish College of the Arts. The Saint Helen’s String Quartet released its debut recording in
the fall of 2015. Michael has taught at Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle and Westmont College in Santa
Barbara. Michael studied at the Peabody Conservatory and currently lives in Evanston.
Herine Coetzee Koschak, cello
Cellist Herine Coetzee, originally from South Africa, holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the Indiana
University School of Music, where she was a student of Janos Starker and Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi. Ms. Coetzee has
appeared as a features soloist with numerous orchestras, including the Nittany Valley Symphony and the
National Repertory Orchestra, as well as in recital as a soloist and chamber musician throughout the East
Coast and the Midwest. Her master class performances include those for Yo-Yo Ma, Anner Byslma, Truls
Mork and Orlando Cole. In 2002 she was a prizewinner in the Indiana University Cello Concerto Competition,
playing Ernest Bloch’s Schelomo-Hebraic Rhapsody for Cello and Orchestra. Herine has held titled positions
in such groups as the National Repertory Orchestra and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. As a teacher, she
serves on the faculty of the Merit School of Music. She resides in Evanston and enjoys taking on the Viking
Breakfast at Svea’s in Andersonville.
Eric Snoza, double bass
Eric Snoza has been a double bass performer before he could even properly reach the fingerboard. He
received his Bachelors and continuing Masters degrees from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY.
At Eastman, Eric studied solo performance with one of the world’s leading double bass performers, James
VanDemark. He has performed with many leading new music ensembles including OSSIA, Musica Nova,
and Ensemble X. Eric’s solo accomplishments include the Rochester debut of the Eduard Tubin Double Bass
Concerto and his own world premier transcription of the Elgar Cello Concerto for Double Bass led by
Rochester Philharmonic Pops Conductor, Jeff Tyzik. Also a fourth degree black belt, Eric is a visiting instructor
with the American School of Karate and Judo. As well as performing with Fifth House he also owns and
operates SnoStudios Photography and provides much of the marketing and promotional material for the
group.
phone: 224.715.6455
email: [email protected]
website: www.fifth-house.com
Katherine Petersen, piano
Described as a “strong and exciting performer” who plays with “musical feeling and great technical skill” by
the New York Classical Review, Katherine Petersen enjoys a versatile career as a chamber musician and
soloist. She has collaborated with artists such as Charles Castleman, Matt Haimovitz, Sara Laimon, and
Michal Schmidt, and has appeared at venues such as the Hynes Convention Center in Boston, the Empire
Saal at Esterhazy Palace in Eisenstadt, Austria, Jordan Hall, and Carnegie Hall’s Weill Hall. Additionally she
was invited to perform the inaugural concert of the Abramson Family Recital Hall at the American University.
A founding member of ensemble Duo FAE, Ms. Petersen collaborates frequently with violinist Charlene
Kluegel. The duo has recently been featured on the Journées de la Culture Series in Quebec, and many
other series across Canada and the United States.
An active collaborative pianist, Petersen has held staff positions at Conservatory and Schulich School of
Music of McGill University, Killington Music Festival, and the Bowdoin International Music Festival. Recently
she was also a competition pianist for the Montreal Symphony Orchestra’s Standard Life Competition.
Additional summer festival performances include those at the Maine Chamber Music Seminar, Castleman
Quartet Program, Yellow Barn YAP, Heifetz Institute, and the Aspen Music Festival and School.
Ms. Petersen received her Bachelor of Music degree from the New England Conservatory of Music, where
she studied with Vivian Weilerstein. She went on to attend the Schulich School of Music of McGill University
for her Masters and DMus under the tutelage of Stéphane Lemelin and Sara Laimon, where she was a
recipient of the Harold Helm and Provost Fellowships, the Schulich and Graduate Excellence Scholarships,
the Susan Tajra Scholarship for pianists, harpsichordists and organists, and the Dale Bartlett Prize for
Collaborative Pianists.
In her free time, she is an avid cyclist and enjoys watching sci-fi movies. She also makes a mean
cheesecake.
Dan Visconti, composer
Dan Visconti composes concert music infused with the directness of expression and maverick spirit of the
American vernacular. His compositions often explore the rough timbres, propulsive rhythms, and
improvisational energy characteristic of jazz, bluegrass, and rock—elements that tend to collide in
unexpected ways with his experience as a classically-trained violinist, resulting in a growing body of music
the Plain Dealer describes as “both mature and youthful, bristling with exhilarating musical ideas and a
powerfully crafted lyricism.”
In addition to collaborating closely with his fellow Fifth House Ensemble artists, Dan’s commission credits
include works written for the Kronos Quartet, Da Capo Chamber Players, Scharoun Ensemble of the Berlin
Philharmonic, Silk Road Ensemble percussionist Shane Shanahan, soprano Tony Arnold, and many others.
New music supergroups such as eighth blackbird and orchestras including the Albany Symphony and
Minnesota Orchestra have also performed Dan’s works around the world at venues including Carnegie Hall,
the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, London’s Barbican Theatre, and Sydney Opera House.
Dan’s music has been recognized with the Rome Prize, Berlin Prize, and awards from the Fromm Foundation,
Naumburg Foundation, and the American Academy of Arts and Letters. When he’s not composing music
into the wee hours or cooking up mischief with other 5HE artists, Dan loves to lay down some blues licks on
his ’57 Stratocaster or indulge in his passion for baking traditional Italian biscotti.
phone: 224.715.6455
email: [email protected]
website: www.fifth-house.com