ABOUT US

Mission

To inspire people through music and invigorate the concert experience.

Vision

Rooted in classical music, Northwest Sinfonietta seeks to serve diverse audiences, to strengthen its community connections through education and collaboration, and to broaden its influence in the artistic and cultural fabric of the region.

HISTORY

Founded in 1991 by harpsichordist Kathryn Habedank and conductor Christophe Chagnard, Northwest Sinfonietta is the premiere, professional chamber orchestra in the Puget Sound area. As an ensemble of 34 musicians, the Sinfonietta (meaning 'little symphony' in Italian) is smaller than a symphony orchestra and flexible in size, able to fit in any size 'chamber.' We draw from over 400 years of art music, and program a wide array of works with a focus on our role in our community and featuring new works and artists from marginalized parts of the music world.

The Sinfonietta was honored to be the third American orchestra to tour and perform in Cuba since the 1959 revolution. In 2012 and 2013 the orchestra performed throughout the island nation, including a concert in Cienfuegos (Tacoma’s sister city). In 2015 the Sinfonietta became one of the few orchestras in the world to move to an Artistic Partner model of operations. This allows our musicians to take a larger role in the vision and programming of the season, working closely with multiple talented conductors and performers. In 2017 the orchestra also added a series of unconducted performances led by members of the orchestra in new spaces throughout our region. Northwest Sinfonietta currently works with three phenomenal conductors as Artistic Partners, Mei-Ann Chen, Yaniv Attar and Jeffery Meyer. Other past Artistic Partners include Eric Jacobsen, Joseph Swensen and David Lockington, who served as Principal Artistic Partner for seven years.

Beyond the concert stage, NWS provides a variety of education and community engagement opportunities throughout Pierce County. NWS's robust education programs serve youth of all ages, from pre-school through college with Musical Storytelling and low-sensory programs for young children, classroom coaching, open rehearsal field trips, side-by-side playing opportunities and a Youth Concerto Competition for middle- and high-school students, and masterclasses, side-by-side playing and open rehearsals for college music students. 

Northwest Sinfonietta performs several concerts each season in collaboration with local arts and culture organizations at a variety of venues, expanding the reach and impact of our programs in the community. 

Mei-Ann chen

artistic partner

Maestra Chen joins the Sinfonietta as Artistic Partner in the 2022-23 season after a spectacular guest conductor appearance in May 2021 conducting a program of Reena Esmail’s Teen Murti, Mozart’s Prague Symphony and Joaquin Rodrigo’s Concierto Pastoral.

Mei-Ann Chen has been praised for her passionate and dynamic conducting style. She is highly regarded as a compelling communicator and innovative leader on and off the podium and is a sought-after conductor nationally and abroad who continues to expand her relationships with orchestras worldwide (over 120 orchestras to date). 

yaniV Attar

artistic partner

Maestro Attar joined the orchestra as a guest conductor in November 2017, in a program featuring Beethoven's Eroica symphony and a contemporary concerto for Cello and Narrator by Sharon Farber, telling the story of Holocaust survivor-turned-war hero Curt Lowens.  He was named as the newest Artistic Partner in 2018

A native of Israel, Yaniv Attar is the 1st prize winner of the Duna Szimfonikus Conducting Competition Budapest, two-time recipient of the Georg Solti Foundation US Award, and the 2009 Bruno Walter…

Jeffery Meyer

artistic partner

Maestro Meyer joins Northwest Sinfonietta as Artistic Partner in the 2022-23 season after leading an impactful program of Beethoven, Anna Clyne’s Sound and Fury and Jessie Montgomery’s Source Code as guest conductor in January 2021.

Jeffery Meyer is a sought-after conductor, pianist and educator who has worked extensively throughout Europe, Asia and North America, and is known for his passion for championing contemporary orchestral music and groundbreaking collaborations. He is professor of music in orchestral conducting at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music and…

Denise
Dillenbeck

Concertmaster

Denise Dillenbeck is the concertmaster of Northwest Sinfonietta, and has played with us for over 10 years. She is also concertmaster of the Yakima Symphony, York Symphony in Pennsylvania, Lake Chelan Bach Festival Orchestra, and the Siletz Bay Music Festival Orchestra.

Karen
Sorenson

Violin

Karen Sorenson has been a violinist with the Northwest Sinfonietta since the very first All-Mozart concert in 1990, and has since enjoyed countless musical adventures with her amazing NWS colleagues. “It is exciting to be part of a true classical chamber orchestra with such a high caliber of artistry and strong musical identity.”  

mary manning

Violin

Mary Manning joined Northwest Sinfonietta in 1995, and performed for over 20 years as Principal Second Violin. She enjoys freelancing in the opera, choral, orchestral, and baroque fields as well as tutoring her crop of private students at her home in Gig Harbor.

mara finkelstein

principal Cello

Mara Finkelstein has been Principal Cellist of Sinfonietta for 30 years. She is an avid teacher and performer in the area, and loves Sinfonietta because with its small size, every musician counts and makes a difference.

darrin thaves

principal flute

Darrin won the Principal Flute position with NWS at the age of twenty-four. “I travel from California to play with the most outstanding musicians in the Pacific Northwest. Always an absolute pleasure!”

noelle burns

oboe

Noelle has held the position of 2nd Oboe/English Horn for over 10 years with Northwest Sinfonietta. She is also a member of Symphony Tacoma and the Tacoma Opera Orchestra. Noelle teaches at the University of Puget Sound as co-instructor for the Woodwind Techniques Course and as the oboe lessons instructor for the Community Music Program.

sandon lohr

2nd horn

Sandon Lohr joined Northwest Sinfonietta in 2023. He is also a member of the Yakima Symphony, Boise Philharmonic and Symphony Tacoma, and plays with many groups in the area.

Dawn Posey

associate concertmaster

Dawn recently moved to the Pacific Northwest after living in Pittsburgh, where she held principal positions with the Pittsburgh Opera and Pittsburgh Ballet Theater orchestras. She also co-founded Kassia Ensemble, an all female chamber ensemble. Dawn is excited to join the Northwest Sinfonietta Orchestra, and is also serving as Concertmaster of the Bellingham Symphony Orchestra.

Karin
Choo

Violin

Karin Choo became a member of Northwest Sinfonietta’s violin section in 2012. She is also now Executive Director of this fabulous organization! Karin is also Co-Concertmaster of Olympia Symphony, a member of Symphony Tacoma, and Concertmaster of Vashon Opera.

caitlyn fukai

principal ViolA

Caitlyn Fukai joined Northwest Sinfonietta as Principal Viola in the 2021-22 season. Caitlyn completed Performance Diploma and Masters Degree in viola performance from Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University. She has two Shiba Inu monsters (Nugget and Simba) and in her spare time is marathon training and river raft guiding. Her favorite thing to do is play string quartets on Grand Canyon rafting trips.

holly reeves

Cello

Holly joined the cello section of Northwest Sinfonietta in the fall of 1998. She is also the Principal Cellist of the Olympia Symphony Orchestra and has a large private teaching studio in Olympia.

evan pengra sult

flute

Evan joins NWS in the 23-24 season as our new Second Flute. Evan has been principal flutist of the Pacific Northwest Ballet Orchestra since 2019, and performs with a panoply of Pacific Northwest ensembles including the Seattle Symphony and Seattle Opera.

Aric macdavid

principal bassoon

Aric MacDavid is a versatile multi-instrumentalist, arranger, and composer who is thrilled to be playing his first season with the Northwest Sinfonietta this year. He has played with local PNW ensembles such as the Bainbridge and Bremerton Symphonies as well as the Great Bend Center for Music. Aric graduated from the University of Puget Sound in 2020 with a degree in Bassoon Performance, studying under the wonderful Francine Peterson.

judson scott

principal trumpet

Judson Scott is Northwest Sinfonietta’s Principal Trumpet. He is at home in a wide variety of styles ranging from playing lead in West Side Story to performing Bach’s Magnificat on a valveless natural trumpet, and he performs with numerous ensembles in the area.

quinn price

principal 2nd violin

Quinn recently returned to the Pacific Northwest after studying violin performance at Cleveland Institute of Music and University of Texas. He joined Northwest Sinfonietta in 2021 as our new Principal Second Violin.

Brandon
Vance

Violin

Brandon Vance has been playing violin with Northwest Sinfonietta for over 10 years.   He is a graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Music, and is has garnered national and international awards in Scottish fiddling.  He currently pursues a busy career as a performer, violin instructor, composer, and recording artist.   

padua canty

ViolA

Padua Canty recently returned to her northwest roots and promptly joined Northwest Sinfonietta in 2018. When not performing with NWS and various other regional orchestras, Padua spends the majority of her time teaching violin and viola to students of all ages beginning as young as 2 years old.  

gretchen yanover

cello

Gretchen Yanover is a locally-grown Seattle cellist who enjoys playing both acoustic and electric cello. She has been a member of Northwest Sinfonietta since 1998, and has 3 solo albums.

kevin morton

principal clarinet

Kevin Morton began playing the NWS in 2001 after moving to Washington from California in that same year. In addition to playing and teaching clarinet, Kevin has a full time corporate job at the Issaquah home office of Costo Wholesale and is a self-taught chocolatier.

John ruze

bassoon

John Ruze joined Sinfonietta as second bassoonist in 2001. Best thing about Sinfonietta for John? “I met my partner in Sinfonietta, fellow wind player and flutist Jeannie Hill, at the center of the Pantages stage during an all Mozart week with Richard Stolzman.’

Robert Gale

trumpet

Robert Gale joined Sinfonietta as Second Trumpet in 2003. He began playing when his father brought home a cornet to try. “I thought the cornet was defective because I couldn’t make a sound at first, but he said he’d already paid for it, so I was going to learn it!”

David Lockingon

Founding artistic partner and principal artistic Partner

2015-2018, 2018-2022

Eric Jacobsen

Founding Artistic Partner

2015-2018

Joseph SwensEn

Founding Artistic Partner

2015-2018