The DreamWinds and DreamStrings programs are provided through the joint collaboration between the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District and the Santa Monica Education Foundation. Music students at the district's four Title I elementary schools as well as instrumentalists at John Adams and Lincoln Middle Schools receive weekly coaching sessions to supplement curricular instruction and rehearsals.
2023 - 24 DREAMWINDS CLINICIANS
Emily Senchuk, originally from Detroit, is a versatile woodwind performer and teacher, who performs in a variety of musical styles ranging from symphony orchestra and chamber ensembles to musical theatre and jazz big bands. She earned a Bachelors Degree in Music Composition from Wayne State University where she also studied flute, clarinet, saxophone and piano with Detroit Symphony musicians such as Clement Barone and Theodore Oien, along with top jazz performers in the Metro Detroit area like Chris Collins. Emily has performed with Johnny Mathis, Steve Lawrence & Edie Gourmet, the Fox Theatre Motown Revival, Rick Marghiza, and many ensembles including Torrance and Antelope Valley Symphonies, Composers Ensemble of Los Angeles, and has been a featured soloist with the Palisades Symphony. Emily performs regularly with several ensembles including the Golden State Pops Orchestra and the Orchestra Santa Monica Woodwind Quintet which brings educational programs to hundreds of school children each year and promotes new music by local composers in their chamber music concerts. She also performs with, manages and composes for the Los Angeles Flute Orchestra. Many of her works for flute ensemble have been performed at the National Flute Association’s National Conventions and have received honors in the NFA’s Newly Published Music Competition.
Her love of teaching is equal to that of performing and she has taught privately and in many schools in Michigan and California for over fifteen years. Like her performance resume, her teaching experience is multifaceted and includes private lessons, small group lessons, general music classes, chamber ensemble coaching, and band and orchestra classes. She is a member of Music Teachers’ Association of Calfornia and in addition to teaching privately, she also teaches instrumental music classes at the UCLA Lab School and is a woodwind coach for St. Matthew’s School and the Elemental Band program.
Mrs. Senchuk impresses our Concert Band by performing excerpts from Adrienne Albert's "Fantasia for Flute and Piano."
Ellen Shinogle is an international award-winning trumpet player and educator who has become distinguished in her field as a dynamic performer of exceptional artistry. This led her to winning the Performer’s Certificate of Distinction from the Eastman School of Music. In 2019, Ellen was awarded first place in the graduate division of the National Trumpet Competition after three rounds of judged solo performances. She is the recipient of the Stanley Wilson Memorial and the Mimi Alpert Feldman Awards. Ellen is also a three-time winner of the Gluck Fellowship Award.
Ellen is an advocate for diversifying presumably standard chamber and trumpet repertoire through commissions and performances. She enjoys working with composers and has premiered many pieces internationally, most recently at the Rudolfinum in Prague, Czechia.
Dr. Shinogle’s passion for music of all genres can be heard in a multitude of venues. As principal trumpet, she has performed in operas, orchestras, and musical theatre productions internationally and domestically. Ellen can frequently be heard performing in multiple productions at the Disneyland Resort, films, and in television shows, such as Jimmy Kimmel Live! Ellen recently earned a Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of California, Los Angeles Herb Alpert School of Music, studying with Jens Lindemann. She earned her Master of Music degree at the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music under the tutelage of Boyde Hood. Ellen is also a graduate of the Eastman School of Music, where she received Bachelor of Music degrees in Trumpet Performance and Music Education, having studied with James Thompson, Douglas Prosser, and Clay Jenkins.
Dr. Shinogle introduces herself to our Symphonic Band with a dramatic performance of the Introduction and Theme from "The Carnival of Venice" by Jean-Baptiste Arban.
Born in Taiwan and raised in Southern California, trombonist Fuchou Chiang began playing the trombone in middle school in Los Angeles, California, where he also attended the Hamilton High School Academy of Music. After graduating from Covina High School in Covina, CA, he began his musical career as a member of the U. S. Marine Corps Bands in 29 Palms, California and Okinawa, Japan. He then earned his Bachelor of Music (2002) and Master of Music (2004) degrees in trombone performance at California State University, Long Beach where he studied with Jeffrey Reynolds, former bass trombonist of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. After studying briefly at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, he completed his Doctor of Musical Arts Degree in 2009 from the University of Southern California under the tutelage of Dr. Terry Cravens, where he was the recipient of the Robert Marsteller Memorial Scholarship.
Currently an active performer and teacher based in the Los Angeles area, Dr. Chiang has performed at many different venues across Southern California, including the Walt Disney Concert Hall, Wilshire Ebell Theater, Ford Amphitheater, Warner Brothers Studios, and Sony Picture Studios. His performing experience includes appearances with the Debut Orchestra, American Youth Symphony, Torrance Civic Chorale, Golden State Pops Orchestra, Whittier Regional Symphony, Brentwood-Westwood Symphony, Los Angeles Jewish Symphony, Antelope Valley Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the New World Symphony in Miami Beach, Florida. His teaching experiences include the Harvard-Westlake School for the Performing Arts, Whittier Christian High School, and California State University, Long Beach.
Our young musicians enjoy the artistry of Dr. Chiang's performance of two movements from J.S Bach's Cello Suites.
Chris Parise began playing the drums at the age of 11. He attended John Adams Middle School and Santa Monica High School where he was active in the respective music programs. Since then, he has played at a variety of concert venues ranging from the Jazz Bakery to Walt Disney Concert Hall. His resume includes performances with the Young Musicians Foundation Debut Orchestra, the Los Angeles Master Chorale, the American Youth Symphony, the UCLA Wind Ensemble, and Grammy-nominated baritone Jubilant Sykes (also a JAMS alumnus). In 2010, Chris received his Bachelor of Arts in percussion performance from UCLA under the guidance of Mitchell Peters. Aside from performing and teaching music privately, Chris currently has a residency with the Q-Bet Quartet at the world famous Culver Hotel in Culver City.
Mr. Parise (JAMS '02, Samohi '06) puts everyone in a happy mood with his performance of a xylophone rag!
2023 - 24 DREAMSTRINGS CLINICIANS
A Santa Monica native, Finn Bordal began his violin studies in 4th grade at John Muir Elementary School. He continued to develop his passion for the instrument throughout his time playing in the top orchestras at John Adams Middle School and Santa Monica High School. Immediately after graduating from SAMOHI, Finn began to teach violin sectionals at his alma mater during a gap year, while pursuing other teaching engagements and performing with the American Youth Symphony and Young Musicians Foundation Debut Orchestras. Now, after finishing his undergraduate degree at Oberlin College, Finn is back teaching violin at SMMUSD schools.
Mr. Bordal (JAMS '10, Samohi '14) demonstrates contrasting styles in his performances from Eugène Ysaÿe's Violin Sonata No. 2.
Betsy Rettig is a cellist and educator dedicated to innovation and experimentation in musical practice. Equally active in music performance and education, Betsy maintains a private cello studio while also coaching chamber music and sectional strings through organizations including Millikan Middle School Performing Arts Magnet, Elemental Music and the Neighborhood Community Music School. She is a founding member of the Isaura String Quartet, and has collaborated with diverse composers and artists including Sofia Gubaidulina (The Journey Back to the Beginning, presented with the composer at REDCAT), Alan Smith (Vignettes: Covered Wagon Woman at USC), Lily Hadyn (video performance for Kashmir, Lobsterfest), and Jose Gurria’s Gurrisonic Orchestra (Angel City Jazz Festival at the Ford Amphitheater). As cello soloist, she has recently created and performed the music for the opening exhibition of Circa Trilogy by celebrated conceptual artist Mary Kelly with artist collective My Barbarian and BESSIE LECTURE by multimedia artist Ursula Brookbank, a live performance from her She World Archive series. Betsy is featured on the albums of Malachi (Milwaukee) Universalia Jane (Humboldt) and can be heard on the upcoming albums of LA-based bands Man Man and Chances. Betsy holds a Master of Fine Arts from California Institute of the Arts (2013) and a Bachelor of Music from Cleveland State University (2005).
With her captivating carbon fiber cello, Ms. Rettig performs a beautiful rendition of the well-known English ballad, "Scarborough Fair."
Elissa Moser Linowes grew up in Wisconsin where she began studying piano at age 6 and started playing upright bass in the school strings program at the age of 9. She played in the Wisconsin Youth Orchestra throughout middle school and high school. After receiving a BA in Drama/Dance at Bard College, she moved to NYC as a modern dancer. Picking up electric bass as well as upright bass, Elissa performed with varied rock bands and cabaret acts at venues ranging from CBGB’s, La Mama, The City Winery, to performing at the Kennedy Center.
Elissa now plays both upright bass and electric bass around LA. She is a member of the Santa Monica Symphony, plays in the band Abby and the Myth, and sits in with such venerable blues musicians as Rick Holmstrom and Jeff Turmes. As a private bass teacher, she feels strongly that classical bass players learn theory and often teaches it through a jazz/rock lens. Elissa is delighted to be working with the bass players at JAMS.
Ms. Linowes offers our students a "double feature" by performing a bass etude followed by some 12-bar blues!
