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William Bloomquist
American pianist, William Bloomquist has performed in many of the nation’s major concert halls, including the Kennedy Center, Boston’s Jordan Hall and New York City’s Merkin Concert Hall. His international touring has included Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Germany, Portugal, Russia, Spain and Venezuela. The Washington Post has described his playing as “sparkling”, “breathtaking”, and “demonstrating an exquisite sense of vocal phrasing.” The Post review of his recital at the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC mentioned his "deft musicianship and enormous technical prowess.....resulted in a cheering standing ovation." A versatile chamber musician, Dr. Bloomquist’s collaborations have included cellists Bernard Greenhouse, Leslie Parnas, saxophonist Gary Louie, and clarinetist Charles Stier, with whom he recorded two CD’s, which include works by Brahms, Reger and Weber.
William Bloomquist won first prizes in the National Symphony Collegiate Artists Competition and the Shreveport Symphony’s Wideman Competition. He was also a prize winner in the New Orleans International Piano Competition and semifinalist in the San Antonio International Piano Competition. He has been a staff accompanist for the Wideman Competition for many years.
Dr. Bloomquist is Worship Pastor at Riva Trace Baptist Church in Annapolis, Maryland. He is also immediate past president of the Anne Arundel County Music Teachers Association and maintains a private teaching studio. ____________________ Dr. Marc F. Boensel, DMA
Dr. Boensel has been Director of Music for First Presbyterian Church of Annapolis since the fall of 1996, where he directs the 40-voice Chancel Choir, Handbell Choir and children's choirs. He has also been the recording orchestra conductor for local musical theater for the past 20 years, as well as a substitute conductor for professional, collegiate and high school bands and orchestras throughout the mid-Atlantic.
In addition to being the Symphonic Band Conductor-in-Residence and Adjunct Professor of Music at American University, Marc currently serves as Concert Band director and Assistant Professor of Music at Anne Arundel Community College, where he teaches courses in music history and music theory. He continues a career as a professional oboist that has spanned three decades, including 22 years in Navy and Air Force bands as well as various orchestras in California, Virginia and Maryland.
He holds a Bachelor of Music degree from California State University Fullerton, a Master of Music degree from San Diego State University, and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Maryland. He has studied conducting with Benton Minor, Edmund Williams, Robert Gilson, John Wakefield and James Ross and studied oboe with Larry Timm and Peggy Michel. ____________________ Solomiya Ivakhiv
Ms. Ivakhiv has performed at major festivals including Steamboat Springs, Normandy Chamber Music Festival, Prussia Cove; and her performances have aired on National Public Radio, Voice of America Radio, Ukrainian National Radio and Television, and China's Hunan Television. As a chamber musician, Ms. Ivakhiv collaborates with many of today's finest artists including Joseph Silverstein, Claude Frank, and Steven Isserlis, and was recently appointed Artistic Director of Music at the Institute Chamber Music Series (MATI) in New York City. A consummate orchestral musician, she regularly performs with the Philadelphia Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony, and as guest concertmaster with the Fresno Philharmonic and Augusta Symphony.
Ms. Ivakhiv is a graduate of the world-renowned Curtis Institute of Music and holds a Doctorate of Music Arts Degree from Stony Brook University. Her principal teachers have been Joseph Silverstein, Pamela Frank, the late Rafael Druian and Philip Setzer. ____________________ Kerry Willingham
____________________ James Nickel
Mr. Nickel has been featured as a soloist with the National Symphony, the Dallas Symphony, the Florida Orchestra, the Southeast Iowa Symphony Orchestra, and the New England Conservatory Symphony Orchestra. While performing with the SE Iowa Symphony he participated in a two week residency of Iowa performing 3 school concerts a day, recitals, and soloing with the orchestra.
In the summertime Mr Nickel has participated in the Stellenbosch International Chamber Music Festival in Stellenbosch, South Africa, the Music in the Mountains festival in Durango, CO, the Sun Valley Summer Symphony in Idaho, the National Repertory Orchestra, the Spoleto festival, the American Wind Symphony, the Texas Music Festival, the and Sarasota Music Festival.
In addition to his performing, Mr. Nickel is on faculty at both Catholic University in Washington, D.C., and, starting in Fall 2011, George Mason University in Fairfax, VA.
Mr. Nickel earned his B.M. from the New England Conservatory of Music. He is a native of St.Petersburg, Florida, but now lives in Virginia with his wife Julianna and their two children. |
Dr. Marc F. Boensel, DMA, has been conducting bands, orchestras and choruses in California, Virginia and Maryland for more than 25 years. In 1999, he founded and is currently the conductor of the Annapolis Wind Symphony, a 45-piece professional symphonic band and philanthropic organization. He received a 2005 distinguished fund raiser award from the American Red Cross and the 2006 Community Champions Award from Sandy Spring Bank for his charity fund raising work with the Annapolis Wind Symphony, which, since its founding, has raised more than $14,000 for local charities.
Solomiya Ivakhiv has quickly earned a reputation for performing with "a distinctive charm and subtle profundity..." Daily Freeman. Born in Ukraine, she made her debut with the Lviv Philharmonic Orchestra at the age of thirteen and has won top prizes in competitions including the Sergei Prokofiev Competition, Fritz Kreisler Charles Miller Award from the Curtis Institute of Music, and the Award from the President of Ukraine.
A native of South Texas, Mr. Willingham attended Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana studying with Jerry Sirucek receiving a Bachelors degree in Oboe performance. In 1977, he attended Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Ft. Worth, TX, receiving a Masters degree in church music. He accepted a position as instructor of music at Missouri Baptist University in St. Louis, MO while working on a Ph. D. at Washington University in Historical Performance Practice, studying baroque oboe with Nora Post and baroque flute with Nicholas McGegan and performance practice master classes with Wieland Keujken. In 1984, Mr. Willingham won the position as principal oboist with the United States Army Field Band of Washington D. C. where there were many opportunities for solo and ensemble performance as a free lance musician in the Washington D.C. area. He performed with "Prevailing Winds" woodwind quintet and made his debut at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in the Washington Performing Arts series. Mr. Willingham is active in chamber music and with wife Donna, formed the Annapolis Baroque Ensemble which performs in many historic houses in the Annapolis, MD area. Mr. Willingham is also a professional oboe reed maker.
James Nickel has served as Third horn with the National Symphony Orchestra since 2008. Previously, he was the Assistant Principal horn with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, and Associate Principal Horn with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra. He has also served as guest Principal hornist with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra on their European tour in 1998, and performed with the orchestras of Houston, Detroit, Fort Worth, Rhode Island, and the Boston Philharmonic. He can be heard on recordings by the National, Dallas, Detroit, and Montreal symphonies, and also with his horn colleagues from the Dallas and Houston symphonies on their Crystal records CD Texas Horns.
