2011-2012 Personnel
Click on Principal Chair Name for more information
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VIOLIN I: VIOLIN II VIOLA |
CELLO: BASS: FLUTE: OBOE: CLARINET: BASSOON: |
HORN: TRUMPET: TROMBONE: TUBA: PERCUSSION: KEYBOARD: HARP: |
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* Principal |
Piano Principal Chair
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Michael Refvem Originally from Sammamish, Washington, pianist Michael Refvem is an alumnus of Western Washington University where he graduated in 2011 with a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance. He studied piano with Jeffrey Gilliam, first at the Marrowstone Music Festival and subsequently at Western. In addition to receiving a Marrowstone Fellowship, Michael was a recipient of the William Sanford, the Arthur Hicks and the Ford Hill Piano Scholarships. In February 2011, Michael was selected as the very first Western student pianist to perform on the brand new Ford Hill Steinway the night of its unveiling. He has performed in master classes with many esteemed artists such as Alexander Ardakov, Stephen Beus, Orion Weiss, Ian Parker, Di Wu, Margo Garrett, Jeremy Denk, Christina Dahl and Frederic Rzewski. Among other honors, Michael has been a top prizewinner in 2007, 2008 and 2010 at the collegiate MTNA Young Artist Performance Competition. As winner of the WWU Concerto Competition in 2009, Michael performed Rachmaninoff’s 2nd Piano Concerto with the University Symphony Orchestra. In July 2011, he was invited by the Bellingham Festival of Music to collaborate with violin virtuoso Stefan Jackiw in a special benefit concert. Michael was appointed as principal pianist for the Whatcom Symphony Orchestra in 2011. Michael’s favorite composers include Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Ravel, Prokofiev and especially Liszt, for whom he has a special affinity. He intends to pursue admission to a distinguished graduate school in Piano Performance at the Master’s Degree level, and aspires to a solo performing career. Michael currently maintains a private teaching studio in Bellingham. |
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