All Classical Portland | On Deck with Young Musicians

Nicholas Peterson-Hunt is currently pursuing his Bachelor of Music degree in trumpet performance at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University in Houston, Texas with Barbara Butler. Recently, he performed Légende by George Enescu with the Salem Youth Symphony after winning the concerto competition. Some of his accomplishments include winning the Oregon Solo Trumpet Championship three years in a row, advanced into semi-finals at the National Trumpet Competition in the high school solo division and placing second at the National Trumpet Competition in the high school ensemble division.

Cadyn Lanier, a senior at Hockinson High School, has been principal flute in their school's Wind Ensemble for three years and plays piccolo in the marching band. They have been involved with the Metropolitan Youth Symphony for seven years, including touring Spain and Portugal this summer. Cadyn hopes to pursue a career in the music industry and is passionate about the behind-the-scenes, especially audio engineering and recording & production.

Kaylee Nah, 15, is a sophomore at Sunset High School studying the violin under Hae-Jin Kim since the age of five. She has been a member of Portland Youth Philharmonic (PYP) since 2018 and currently serves as co-concertmaster of the PYP orchestra. Kaylee is a recipient of the Monday Musical Club Phillips Award for best instrumental performance and has won first place in many competitions such as the OMEA State Championships, MetroArts Young Artists Debut! Competition, and the MTNA Junior String competition, placing as one of the seven national finalists. Kaylee has participated in masterclasses of Ray Chen, Vadim Gluzman, and Benjamin Beilman, to name a few. She attended the Heifetz International Music Institute and the Interlochen Arts Camp, where she served as concertmaster of the World Youth Symphony Orchestra on a full scholarship. She was also concertmaster of the 2024 OMEA All-State Symphony Orchestra. In addition to her violin studies, Kaylee has been studying piano since the age o

Samuel Tselnik is a senior percussionist from Grant High School, where he leads the percussion ensemble and drumline. He started out playing classical piano but split his interests into jazz piano and concert percussion in middle school. Outside of school band, he participates in the Metropolitan Youth Symphony as well as honor bands including WIBC, All-State, and All-Northwest, and also hosts jam sessions for young, beginner jazz musicians. Once the school year ends, Sam goes to spend the summer performing with Drum Corps International

Luka Schrock is a 16-year-old multi-instrumentalist that's been surrounded by music his whole life. Attending Roosevelt High School in North Portland, he actively participates in the Jazz and Concert bands that the school has to offer. Additionally, he takes part in a community orchestra outside of that. He looks forward to what music has to bring him in the future.

Miriam Haralson, a senior at St. Stephen's Academy, has enjoyed playing flute for the past eight years and is a member of the Metropolitan Youth Symphony's Concert Orchestra and has played with their flute ensemble in previous years. Miriam first began learning piano, but when given the opportunity to try flute, she focused her time on the one she loved more. Alongside music, Miriam loves to read about practically any subject and tries her best to stay on top of school, working at Chick-fil-a, and hanging out with friends. She is currently applying to Hillsdale College to study Physics and Philosophy.

Sophie Ohle is a 16-year-old junior at Parkrose High School in Portland, Oregon. She has been playing the oboe for 4 years and currently studies with Karen Wagner. She is the Assistant Principal oboist of the Metropolitan Youth Symphony and also plays oboe in the Pacific Rose Ensemble, a student founded and student led chamber group. At Parkrose, she inspires her peers as the Drum Major of her marching band and the Vice President of the Tri-M Music Honor Society. In her free time, she loves to play tennis, snowboard, and do her and her friend's nails!

Elishiya Crain-Keddie is a senior at the Vancouver School of Arts and Academics and is in her third year at the Young Composers Project. She plays principal cello for both of her school's top orchestras and has been selected for the LCRMEA Honors Orchestra every year she has been eligible. Elishiya's compositions have been awarded by Luna Composition Lab and the Washington State MTA, and played by the Oregon Symphony, Metropolitan Youth Symphony, and the NYC-based contemporary ensemble Bang on A Can. Additionally, she participated in the NowBeat Project and composed a string duet performed by Juilliard students. In her free time, she enjoys doing math, drinking boba tea and travelling, especially to Disney parks.

Jadelyn Donoho is an 18-year-old flutist who is currently a Senior at Arts and Communication Magnet Academy. She started playing the flute at the age of 12 and now studies under Dr. Sydney Carlson and Zach Galatis. She is currently assistant principal flutist in the Portland Youth Philharmonic and previously played in the Conservatory Orchestra and Wind Ensemble. She also qualified for the 2024 OMEA All State Symphony Orchestra and has recently placed third in the GPFS Young Artist Competition.

James Lee is a 16-year-old classical and jazz pianist, composer, and multi-instrumentalist. A junior at Wilsonville High School, James is an active member of the Symphonic Band/Pep Band as a percussionist, the Jazz Band as a pianist and drummer, and regularly accompanies classmates for OMEA competitions. This summer, he graduated from the OMTA Syllabus program “with distinction” under Heidi Evans, having also participated in solo and concerto piano festivals, masterclasses with renowned pianists Jeeyoon Kim and Kate Boyd, and recently earned honorable mention in the 2024 OMTA State Composition Festival.

Della Simone is a jazz, pop, and classically trained vocalist hailing from Portland, Oregon. She has traveled all over the world with the Portland State Chamber choir, of which she is currently co-president. She performs regularly at local venues including The Old Church (TOC) Concert Hall, Mendelssohn's, and Corkscrew Wine Bar. She is set to graduate from Portland State in June 2025 with her degree in Jazz Studies. She is a student of Sherry Alves (vocals) and George Colligan (piano)… and she also bakes! We get to hear all about her growth in music and about some special musical inspirations including John Prine. This interview was conducted by Lisa Lipton.

Andrew Lee is a 17-year-old junior at Sunset High School in Portland, Oregon. He has been playing the violin for ten years and currently studies with Carol Sindell. Andrew joined the Portland Youth Philharmonic in 2021, serving as assistant principal second violin, and before that, as the concertmaster of PYCO. As a soloist, he was featured as a soloist in the Eugene Symphony Park Concert Summer Series, has won the third place winner of the 2023 Oregon State Solo Contest and the 2023 ASTA Competition, and an alternate winner of the MTNA Junior String Competition. Andrew also is the co-founder of Euphonos Ensemble, a nonprofit organization dedicated to bettering the community through music. Andrew is a 2023 graduate of the National Symphony Orchestra Summer Music Institute at the Kennedy Center, where he studied with Jennifer Kim. He served as associate concertmaster of the 2023 Oregon All-State Orchestra and was a member of the 2023 All-Northwest Orchestra. This summer he attended the Center Stage Strings Institute at the University of Michigan.

Natalie Alexander is a 17-year old clarinetist with both the Metropolitan Youth Symphony and Portland Youth Philharmonic, and she envisions a future full of music. She wants to do it all: orchestra, chamber music, teaching. In this episode of On Deck, Lisa Lipton talks with Natalie about her interest in women composers, about leadership, and about taking advantage of every moment left in her high school career.

Rohan Focer is a Senior at Tigard high school and has been playing the flute for 6 years. He has been a member of the Metropolitan Youth Symphony‘s Flute Ensemble for two years now and took lessons from Denise Westby. He has participated in the Flute Alliance Flute Boot Camp for two summers and enjoys composing and robotics

Annie Rhew is a 16-year cellist with the Portland Youth Philharmonic. She's been playing cello since age 8 and has since won MANY awards. Annie was also the “Healing Through Music” volunteer at OHSU for 2 summers and is currently working as a music therapy volunteer at a local hospice care group. Lisa Lipton chats with Annie about why music is the central focus of her life, and about her interest in health care.

Marcus Hanlon has loved music since before he knew what an instrument was. He's played the bassoon for over six years, three of which have been with the Metropolitan Youth Symphony. He also loves science and is combining his love of electrical engineering and music by transcribing various pieces of music for Tesla coils. In the time and space between the notes, he tells host Adam Eccleston that he enjoys kite flying, stargazing, and scooter rides around his hometown: Portland, Oregon. He has been accepted to Colorado School of Mines and is ready for the next adventure around the corner! Many thanks go to his parents for pushing him to always strive for more.

18-year old oboist Mia Hale started off playing music with the violin and piano, but has made the switch to the double reed family! In this interview with Lisa Lipton, we dive deeper into finding what inspires her in music. Mia is a recent graduate of Parkrose High School and will be attending the University of Oregon School of Music and Dance this fall as an oboe performance major. Mia's current teacher is Oregon Symphony Assistant Principal Oboe, Karen Wagner. As a recent winner of the Metropolitan Youth Symphony annual concerto competition, Mia details what she enjoys most about playing the oboe.

Emory Yu Guyer is an incoming freshman at University of Oregon Honors College. They will major in Music Education, and double minor in Spanish and Finance. Having graduated recently from Lakeridge High School, they were the jazz band's bassist, wind ensemble's flute section leader, and pep band's student director. This year, both their jazz rhythm section and jazz combo won first in the All State Competition. They have played flute for 7 years and bass for 5. Outside of music, they enjoy spending time in nature with friends, as well as crafting. Emory would like to thank their family for sitting through all their performances. And Emory wants to give a special thanks to their mom for all the love and support.

Emily Wen, a junior at Sherwood High School, plays in her school Wind Ensemble and marching band, and the Portland Youth Conservatory Orchestra. This is Emily's 6th year playing the flute and 5th year studying under Denise Westby. She is the principal flute of the Sherwood High School Wind Ensemble and the Portland Youth Conservatory Orchestra and recently placed fourth at the OSAA state solo contest.

Charles Martin is an 18-year old composer, pianist, actor, entrepreneur and writer. In this episode of On Deck, Raul Gomez-Rojas talks with Charles about all of his interests, as well as his decision to perhaps skip college and make a living in the music world without a degree. Charles began taking piano lessons when he was 4, and since then has discovered a passion for composing and performing. Charles has had his music performed by numerous groups around Portland including the Portland Youth Philharmonic, the Metropolitan Youth Symphony, Chamber Music Northwest's “Young Artist Institute”, the Pacific Rose Ensemble, as part of an organization he has founded called “The Young Composer's Concert Series”, Fear No Music's “The Young Composers Project” workshops, and others. Beyond being an accomplished young composer, Charles has a passion for musical theater. Since he was 7 years old he has performed in Annie, Peter Pan and other premiere plays around Portland. He is also actively involved with a local theater group called Commission Impact Theater, for which he will be scoring their next play “Saul: Son of Kish”. In the meantime, he is an active composer, writing for Michael Allen Harrison's “The Ten Grands”, Commission Impact Theater, Chamber Music Northwest's Young Artist Institute, as well as his own concert series.

Anika Gupta is one of All Classical's 2024 Young Artist Ambassadors. She is currently a sophomore at Sunset High School. She has always loved music and picked up the guitar during middle school. Since then, her passion for guitar has only grown! She currently studies under Travis Johnson and loves to spread music in various ways. She has won several music competitions, attended festivals and camps, and likes to play at retirement homes in her free time. She enjoys everything about the world of music and truly believes that learning an instrument is an opportunity that should be accessible to everyone. Outside of music, Anika loves STEM and always seeks new ways to combine her love of engineering and music

Miranda Newman is a third-year political science major and music minor at Reed College. Her first year of college she received the Kaufman Fellowship for violin performance and has been a part of many of Reed's music local ensembles including orchestra and chamber music. She started violin at 4 years old and participated in countless musical endeavors throughout her life including solo and ensemble competitions, summer workshops, local youth symphonies, and professional gigs such as Eugene Ballet's production of “The Nutcracker”. She wants to pursue law and tries to maintain a good school/practice/hobbies balance which can be challenging as a full-time liberal arts college student.

Haruka Sakiyama is a 17-year old junior at West Linn High School, and one of All Classical Radio's 2024 Young Artist Ambassadors. Haruka is a French horn player, a violinist, a composer… and she also plays the koto. In this episode of On Deck, Raul Gomez-Rojas talks with Haruka about all of these talents, and what her plans for the future might be.

Ian Sage is a 21-year-old junior at Portland State University currently studying composition and percussion. In college, composing has become a natural extension of his love for playing and listening to music. In this episode hosted by Adam Eccleston, Ian talks about taking influences from classical, jazz, film, and video game music in his works as well as the pieces he performs.

Raul Gomez-Rojas talks with 18-year old cellist Pearl Liao, a cellist with the Portland Youth Philharmonic. Pearl has some wisdom to share about practicing, and she also tells us about her future goal to be a surgeon.

Christa Wessel chats with 17-year old pianist Nikita Istratov, a senior at Sunset High School and one of the winners of Cognizart's Young Artist Debut Concert on May 17th.  In this episode of On Deck, Nikita talks about his love of classical music, his curiosity about how creative people became creative, and about getting his pilot's license before he got his driver's license.

Raul Gomez-Rojas chats with 17-year old bassoonist Katelyn Nguyen, one of All Classical Radio's 2024 Young Artist Ambassadors. In this episode of On Deck, we'll learn not only why she chose the bassoon, but why she has chosen to play in both the Metropolitan Youth Symphony AND the Portland Youth Philharmonic. As she heads to the Curtis Institute next year, she also shares some advice for her younger self.

Sophie Bergkvist is in the midst of her first season with the Metropolitan Youth Symphony (MYS), where she plays trumpet with the Concert Orchestra and Symphonic Wind Ensemble. She began playing trumpet at the age of 10 by joining her school band. She enjoyed it so much, that she decided to study under Jim Kvech, and currently with Gerald Webster. Musical honors include selection to the 2023 Oregon All-State Symphonic Band and the 2023 Western International Band Clinic.

Eden Warmflash is a 16-year old junior at Portland's Cleveland High School, and a percussionist with the Metropolitan Youth Symphony. In her chat with Raul Gomez-Rojas, Eden talks about the various categories of percussion instruments, some misconceptions about percussionists, and how playing in musical ensembles helps her as a dragon boat captain.

Kaden Prichard is a freshman at Rex Putnam High School where he plays in the Wind Ensemble under Jeff Wilson. He started playing clarinet in the third grade and has been a student of Dunja Marcum since then. When he's not gaming or relacing a pair of sneakers, he enjoys cooking, swimming and will be trying out the golf team this spring. He's been an active member of MYS ensembles since 2018 and has been performing as part of the Metropolitan Youth Symphony Orchestra for the past two seasons. Adam Eccleston hosts.

Amy Faust gets to know Maya Hausman, a senior at Cleveland High school who plays flute and piccolo (plus a little bit of clarinet!) for various school ensembles as well as the Metropolitan Youth Symphony. Maya started playing the piano at age 5, but as a member of the Cherokee Nation she was drawn early on to the native flute playing at the tribal gatherings her family would attend each summer. Her passion for classical music is matched by her drive to bring attention to indigenous history and justice. At Cleveland, she co-founded a native student union and is part of the campaign to change the school's name due to Grover Cleveland's anti-indigenous policies. For this segment, Maya plays a contemporary piece (Homeland, by Allison Loggins-Hull) that evokes her people's history of displacement.

Christa Wessel chats with 18-year old pianist Joshua Hahn. Joshua loves how music demands perseverance and dedication, and also how it can connect us to emotion and memory deep inside us.

All Classical Radio celebrates the 10th anniversary of On Deck with Young Musicians by following up with 10 of the musicians who were interviewed in the first season of the show. The series is hosted by All Classical intern Jahlysa Azaret. Daniel Rodricks is a resident physician and pianist based in Newport News, Virginia. In this bonus “Where Are They Now” episode Daniel shares his thoughts about his past interview and the moving impact it made. We also discuss more about his gratitude toward his community in supporting him with his career and the importance of maintaining music in one's life.

Violinist Leena Karmarkar was only 4 years old when her parents signed her up for music lessons. Now at 17, she's the concertmaster at the Metropolitan Youth Symphony. Leena talks about losing motivation during the pandemic, and how she got her joy back. A junior at Portland's Lincoln High School, she enjoys being challenged. Leena is working toward an IB diploma, and in her spare time she runs cross country and volunteers at YouthLine, a teen-to-teen crisis line. Raul Gomez-Rojas hosts.

Rachel Modlin is a senior at Reed College, studying collaborative piano performance and French. She studies piano privately with Jean-David Coen and Monica Ohuchi. She is a member of the Reed Piano Trio, has soloed with the Reed orchestra, and frequently performs collaborative works with Reed students. As a collaborative pianist, Rachel performs a variety of gigs from musical theater auditions at Portland Playhouse to subbing cantata rehearsals for the Bach Cantata Choir. Outside of her studies, Rachel is the Administrative Assistant for Fear No Music and teaches ballet at Classical Ballet Academy.

All Classical Radio celebrates the 10th anniversary of On Deck with Young Musicians by following up with 10 of the musicians who were interviewed in the first season of the show. The series is hosted by All Classical intern Jahlysa Azaret. Saori DeBruyn is an opera singer based in Eugene, Oregon. In this bonus “Where Are They Now” episode Saori shares her thoughts about her past interview, her career, and talks more about her special performance with her husband, conductor Jonathan Debruyn. Saori also shares advice for young musicians.

All Classical Radio celebrates the 10th anniversary of On Deck with Young Musicians by following up with 10 of the musicians who were interviewed in the first season of the show. The series is hosted by All Classical intern Jahlysa Azaret. Jonathan DeBruyn is a conductor and violinist based in Eugene, Oregon. In our tenth episode, Jonathan shares his thoughts on his past interview, his career, and a special performance with his wife, Saori Debruyn. He also shares advice for aspiring conductors.

All Classical Radio celebrates the 10th anniversary of On Deck with Young Musicians by following up with 10 of the musicians who were interviewed in the first season of the show. The series is hosted by All Classical intern Jahlysa Azaret. PJ Hummelt is a data analyst and French horn player based in Berkeley, California. In our ninth episode, PJ discusses his thoughts on his past interview and his career. He also talks about thoughts on his upcoming performance at the Portland Youth Philharmonic's Concert-at-Christmas on December 26 and then he shares advice for young musicians.

All Classical Radio celebrates the 10th anniversary of On Deck with Young Musicians by following up with 10 of the musicians who were interviewed in the first season of the show. The series is hosted by All Classical intern Jahlysa Azaret. Daniel Kim is a former cellist, now photojournalist based in Seattle, Washington. In our eighth episode, Daniel talks about how he became a photojournalist and the art of storytelling through photography. He shares a story about a photo that helped him to connect with his Seattle community and then he shares advice for young musicians.

Dina Biggs is a 14-year old clarinetist, and a freshman at West Linn High School. Though Dina has only been playing clarinet for 3 years she is already quite good: she is the only freshman in her school's Symphonic Band, and she plays first clarinet in the Portland Youth Philharmonic. Fun fact: her first clarinet was purchased for $49 on Amazon.com.

All Classical Radio celebrates the 10th anniversary of On Deck with Young Musicians by following up with 10 of the musicians who were interviewed in the first season of the show. The series is hosted by All Classical intern Jahlysa Azaret. Anna Louise is an opera singer based Rochester, New York. In our seventh episode, she shares her thoughts on her interview from 10 years ago and also talks about her work with nonprofits to create positive change in the arts community. Anna Louise also shares advice with young musicians on finding a community of trusted advisors.

All Classical Radio celebrates the 10th anniversary of On Deck with Young Musicians by following up with 10 of the musicians who were interviewed in the first season of the show. The series is hosted by All Classical intern Jahlysa Azaret. Emma Simmons is a violinist based in Eugene, OR. In our sixth episode, Emma shares her thoughts on her interview from 10 years ago. She also talks about her interest in baroque music and advocating for herself as a queer, neurodivergent artist.

All Classical Radio celebrates the 10th anniversary of On Deck with Young Musicians by following up with 10 of the musicians who were interviewed in the first season of the show. The series is hosted by All Classical intern Jahlysa Azaret. Jimmy Brown is a baritone singer and Elementary Music Educator based in Portland, OR. In this episode, Jimmy shares his thoughts on his “On Deck” interview from 10 years ago. He also talks about his work as an educator, his favorite performance, and advice to young musicians to find their place in the music world.

Software engineer (and former violinist) Emily Wu reacts to her interview from 10 years ago, and shares about her work as a software engineer, getting involved in the dance community, and sharing advice with young musicians on overcoming their obstacles.

Bassist Nick Arredondo reacts to his interview from 10 years ago, and shares about finding community in the Colburn School of Music, playing for the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and sharing advice with young musicians to prioritize self-care.

Vocalist Geetha Somayajula reacts to her interview from 10 years ago, and shares her journey since then (which includes a degree from USC, a Fulbright year in South India, a stint at Price Waterhouse Cooper, and a current path to a dual Masters degree at Northwestern University). Geetha also shares that as a South Asian she has often felt misunderstood; she now finds purpose in helping people communicate and find a sense of belonging.

All Classical Radio celebrates the 10th anniversary of On Deck with Young Musicians by following up with 10 of the musicians who were interviewed in the first season of the show. The series is hosted by All Classical intern Jahlysa Azaret. In our first episode, pianist Ruta Kuzmickas reacts to her interview from 10 years ago and talks to Jahlysa about her rebellious nature which pushes her to create both music AND visual art, and about her commitment to expressing gratitude. Ruta will also share her advice for young musicians.

Olivia Turk is a classical saxophonist who just started their senior year at Ida B Wells high school where they play clarinet and saxophone. They started music over ten years ago and have been playing saxophone for three. Currently, Olivia plays in Portland Youth Philharmonic Wind Ensemble and sits first chair in their school band. Adam Eccleston talks with Olivia about their drive to pursue music as a career.

Naomi Margolis is a 16-year old cellist who not only plays in the Metropolitan Youth Symphony, but she also -as a freshman- started a chamber orchestra at Lincoln High School. Raul Gomez-Rojas talks with Naomi about leadership, about being the youngest member of almost every ensemble she's been a part of, and about how orchestra is like a sports team. Naomi also loves learning languages (Mandarin, Spanish & German) and appreciates how those languages foster connections.

Eunji Ryu is a rising senior at Westview High School in Beaverton. She has been playing the cello for almost 10 years and currently plays in the Portland Youth Philharmonic. In 2022 and 2023, she played in Oregon's All-State High School Ensemble and in 2023, played in the All-Northwest Ensemble. In 2022, she performed at Weill Recital Hall in New York for the Winners Recital of the American Protégé International Strings Competition. Other than music, her interests lie in creative writing. She enjoys teaching about writing through Ad Meliora, a youth organization promoting a love of literature to younger students.

Rhys Phillips is an 18-year old multi-genre, multi-instrumentalist, and a senior at West Linn High School. His principal instrument is the piano, but he also sings and plays the cello, guitar and bass. He loves playing classical, jazz and pop. He deeply loves music, and in intently focused on music as a career: he is headed to Berklee College of Music in the Fall. Throughout this high school career, though, Rhys has found it a bit difficult to connect with his peers about his love of classical music. We'll talk with Rhys about the struggle to find his tribe.