Thank you for attending this year’s Honor Orchestra for Strings!
Check back soon for more details on the 2026 Honor Orchestra!
PLU Honor Orchestra for Strings
January 2026
Mary Baker Russell Music Center
The annual PLU Honor Orchestra for Strings brings together outstanding high school string players from across the country, offering them the opportunity to perform exceptional string orchestra literature under the direction of a nationally recognized guest conductor. Nominated by their high school orchestra directors, these young musicians gain valuable experience through two days of intensive rehearsals and sectionals with expert string clinicians, culminating in a final performance by the Honor Orchestra.
Benefits of Honor Orchestra Attending:
- Prestigious Venue: Perform in Lagerquist Hall, one of Washington’s most prestigious concert venues, providing an exceptional performance experience.
- Fellowship and Networking: Spend two enriching days with string players from across the region in a supportive, non-competitive environment.
- Expert Guidance: Work with a nationally recognized guest conductor through daily rehearsals, enhancing your musical skills and experience.
- Skill Development: Improve your technical abilities through daily sectionals and an optional master class with distinguished members of Carpe Diem.
- Affordable Participation: Enjoy a low entry fee, making this opportunity accessible.
- Performance Broadcast: Receive a live stream link to the final performance.
- Masterclass Participation: Up to 9 students will be selected for a public masterclass based on a recorded audition submitted by the registration deadline. Each selected student will receive 20 minutes of stage time, divided into 5 minutes for performing a solo excerpt and 15 minutes for feedback and guidance during the masterclass.
Important Dates:
- Nomination Deadline: December 3, 2024, 2:00 pm — Please check with each student concerning their availability prior to nominating.
- Registration and Payment Deadline: January 1, 2025, 2:00 pm — There will be a non-refundable fee of $140 for each student musician participating in the Honor Orchestra for Strings. This fee includes dinner on Saturday and lunch on Sunday.
- Check in and Seating Auditions: January 18, 2025, 9:00 am
- PLUHO Final Performance: January 19, 2025, 6:00 pm
GUEST CONDUCTOR
As a music director and conductor who is committed to diversity, collaboration, innovation and education, Sarah Ioannides invigorates programming and inspires audiences. Praised by the New York Times for her “unquestionable strength and authority”, she is Music Director of Washington State’s Symphony Tacoma. As newly appointed Director of Orchestral Activities and Professor of Orchestral Conducting at the School of Fine Arts with Boston University she is also the Founding Artistic Director of Cascade Conducting & Composing, held at the Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, WA.
Born in Australia of Cypriot and Scottish descent, Sarah Ioannides trained in the UK (Oxford University, Guildhall School) and USA (Juilliard School and Curtis Institute) on a Fulbright Scholarship receiving degrees including a Masters in Music and a Master of Arts. Before assuming her role at Symphony Tacoma, she established a reputation as the dynamic music director of both the El Paso Symphony Orchestra and the Spartanburg Philharmonic.
Since becoming the first woman to hold a full-time conducting position as Assistant Conductor of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, her conducting career has taken her to six continents. She has appeared as a guest conductor with major orchestras across North America, among them the Buffalo Philharmonic, Charleston Symphony, Florida Orchestra, Hawai’i Symphony, Louisville Orchestra, North Carolina Symphony, Orchestre Symphonique de Québec, Rochester Philharmonic, San Antonio Philharmonic, Seattle Symphony (untitled series) and the Toledo Symphony.
Beyond North America, Sarah Ioannides’ engagements include the Bilbao Symphony, Brussels Philharmonic, Daejeon Philharmonic, Gothenburg Symphony, Konzerthausorchester, Malmö Symphony, Nordic Chamber Orchestra, Tonkünstler-Orchester, Orchestre National de Lyon, Royal Philharmonic and Simón Bolívar Orchestra.
Her extensive repertoire, which spans four centuries, has been enriched through her work with living composers, not least as the conductor of over 60 world, North American and European premieres. She has collaborated with such figures as John Corigliano, Aaron J Kernis, Zosha Di Castri, Patrice Rushen, Bernard Roumain, Dario Marianelli and Tan Dun, notably taking charge of the Australian and Greek premieres of his Water Passion after St. Matthew and acting as his assistant conductor with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and BBC Symphony Orchestra. One of her earliest operatic projects was the European premiere of Stephen Paulus’s The Woodlanders.
Among the conservatory orchestras she conducts are those of Yale University, Philadelphia’s Curtis Institute of Music and Bloomington’s Jacobs School of Music, in addition to conducting and training young orchestras including NYO-USA (resident conductor), South African National Youth Orchestra, Youth Orchestra of Andalusia and the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra.
Ioannides sits on numerous advisory and community boards and served as panelist of the National Endowment for the Arts and delegate at the World Culture Summit in Abu-Dhabi. In 2024 she will return to the Dallas Symphony Orchestra’s Women in Classical Music Symposium.
CARPE DIEM STRING QUARTET
One of the most unique and sought-after ensembles on the concert stage today, the Carpe Diem String Quartet is a boundary-breaking ensemble that has earned widespread critical acclaim for its performances of traditional repertoire, new music, genre-bending collaborations, and community engagement. The Quartet appears regularly on traditional concert series stages like Carnegie Hall in New York City, Jordan Hall in Boston, The National Gallery of Art in Washington DC, The Accademia Chigiana in Siena, Suntory Hall in Tokyo, National Library Concert Hall in Beijing, and The BinHai Performing Arts Center in Tianjin, as well as in unconventional venues like Poisson Rouge in NYC, the Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society of Half-Moon Bay, CA, and the Mug & Brush in Columbus, OH.
Carpe Diem defies classification with programming and collaborations that encompass and blend new and old classical, tango, folk, pop, rock, jazz, and multicultural music. The Quartet has contributed to and premiered works by composers from a variety of backgrounds and traditions, including Korine Fujiwara, Jonathan Leshnoff, Reza Vali, and Erberk Eryilmaz. Carpe Diem has also appeared in concert playing original charts by folk icons Jeff Midkiff and Jayme Stone and rock singer-songwriter Willy Porter.
Devoted to expanding the reach and impact of community engagement, Carpe Diem has been awarded six transformative outreach grants from the PNC Foundation ArtsAlive Awards. The Quartet’s outreach performances incorporate diverse and eclectic repertoire tailored to specific audience demographics; use cameras, video, and artistic contributions to enrich presentations visually; rely on communication from the stage to introduce music and engage the audience; and explore fun, imaginative, and thought provoking themes to connect audiences to chamber music. These carefully crafted performances have allowed the Quartet to reach underserved audiences including The Apache Nation, Ohio Women’s Reformatory residents, and families at the Columbus Museum of Art.
Sam Weiser, violin, formerly a member of the award-winning Del Sol Quartet, is a lifelong chamber musician and advocate of contemporary music. Sam has performed all over the country, from the Herbst Theater and the Kennedy Center to a raft floating along the Yampa River. He has premiered over 150 new works by composers such as Vijay Iyer, Huang Ruo, and Chen Yi. Sam is the violinist in sfSound, a member of One Found Sound, and the Assistant Concertmaster of the California Symphony. He studied with Ian Swensen, Lucy Chapman, James Buswell, and Patinka Kopec. He holds bachelors’ degrees from Tufts University (computer science) and the New England Conservatory (violin), as well as a master’s degree from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music (chamber music).
Dr. Marisa Ishikawa is a performer, entrepreneur, and educator located in Houston, TX. She serves as the second violinist of the internationally recognized Carpe Diem String Quartet. She has performed nationally in venues such as Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, and Jordan Hall, and internationally in Italy, Switzerland, and China. With degrees in both music and business administration, she co-founded the nonprofit chamber music organization Austin Camerata. Since 2016, Austin Camerata has been dedicated to broadening the audience for chamber music through creative artistic collaborations, performing in unique venues, and inclusive concert experiences. She is also the co-founder of Opus 1 Chamber Music School, Houston’s chamber music program for pre-collage and adult students. Dr. Ishikawa holds music and business administration degrees from the University of Colorado Boulder and University of Texas Austin. In her free time, Dr. Ishikawa enjoys yoga and cooking her favorite recipes from NYT Cooking.
Korine Fujiwara is professor of violin, viola, and composition at Pacific Lutheran University. She served for many years on the music faculty of Ohio Wesleyan University and is in great demand for master classes and clinics throughout the United States. She is a founding member of the Carpe Diem String Quartet, a devoted and sought-after chamber musician and teacher, and a gifted composer and arranger.
Named as one of Strings Magazine’s “25 Contemporary Composers to Watch,” Korine has received multiple commissions including works for opera, chamber ensembles, chorus, concerti, and music for modern dance. Her works have been performed throughout the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Italy, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Spain, Australia, China, and Japan.
Critics have remarked of Ms. Fujiwara’s music, “The ear is forever tickled by beautifully judged music that manages to be sophisticated and accessible at the same time” (Fanfare Magazine); “She knows how to exploit all the resources of string instruments alone and together” (Strings Magazine). “Fujiwara beautifully meets the challenge of weaving together different emotions across generations that make sense musically while delighting the ear.” (WOSU Classical 101 by Request) “Fujiwara’s music is rich and beguiling throughout.” (The Columbus Dispatch) “Artfully layered and knitted together” (The Wall Street Journal).
Korine is a recipient of an Opera America Commissioning Grant from the Opera Grants for Female Composers program, made possible through the generosity of The Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation, for her award-winning composition “The Flood,” with Stephen Wadsworth, librettist, premiered in full production by Opera Columbus and ProMusica Chamber Orchestra in February 2019.
Ms. Fujiwara holds degrees from The Juilliard School and Northwestern University and began her orchestral career with the Brooklyn Philharmonic and the ProMusica Chamber Orchestra of Columbus. She was also a member of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, where she held the position of Acting Assistant Principal Second Violin.
Korine performs on a 1790 Contreras violin, 2004 Kurt Widenhouse viola, and bows by three of today’s finest makers, Paul Martin Siefried, Ole Kanestrom and Charles Espey, all of Port Townsend, WA, USA. Outside of her musical endeavors, she enjoys chocolate, ramen, and geocaching.
Ariana Nelson, cellist, is primarily based in Houston where she was a member of the Houston Grand Opera Orchestra. She frequently performs with other ensembles in the Houston area, including the Houston Symphony, Houston Ballet, and is a core member of the new music collective Loop38. She is an avid proponent of new music and loves experimenting with different styles, including improvisation and folk music. Her eclectic tastes have led her to appearances at Jazz at Lincoln Center, performances for patients recovering in Mount Sinai Hospital’s transplant ward, and a performance with Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Ensemble at Tanglewood.
In recent summers Ariana has performed at Grand Teton Music Festival, Strings Music Festival, Fontainebleau Conservatoire Américain, Spoleto Festival USA, Tanglewood Music Center, Aspen Music Festival and School, Le Domaine Forget Chamber Music Festival, the Olympic Music Festival and the Zephyr International Chamber Music Festival in Italy.
A graduate of the Juilliard School and Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music, Ariana is an adjunct faculty member at Texas Southern University, maintains a private cello studio, and is a coach for AFA’s Chamber Music Academy. She is originally from Seattle, Washington, and when not making music enjoys hiking, yoga, and podcasting.
GUEST CLINICIAN, DOUBLE BASS
Chris Burns is principal bassist of Symphony Tacoma. He is also an active freelance musician, performing regularly with the Seattle Symphony, Seattle Opera, and Pacific Northwest Ballet.
Chris has been a featured soloist in concerto performances with Symphony Tacoma, Butte Symphony, and the University of Montana Orchestra, as well as in numerous recitals and chamber music collaborations. Chris earned his Bachelors of Music from the New England Conservatory in Boston, and was a Fulbright Scholar at the Universität für Musik in Vienna, Austria.
In addition to his performing career, Chris is also the orchestra director at Narrows View Intermediate School in the University Place School District, WA, and was the 2015 UPSD “Teacher of the Year.”
Nominations:
High school directors or youth symphony directors, please use the link provided below to nominate and recommend your outstanding students to participate in the PLU Honor Orchestra for Strings. There is a participant fee of $140 for each student participating in the Honor Orchestra.
- The window for Nomination Forms will open on September 6, 2024.
- Nomination deadline: December 3, 2024, 2:00 pm
Notification of Results:
High school directors will receive notifications of selected students accepted by December 5, 2024.
Registration:
Honor Orchestra Registration will be made available following the designated nomination period.
Once nominations have been reviewed, participants will be notified of acceptance via email and provided access to the online Registration form. Once received, please complete registration and payment using the link provided by the deadline. Each student must register on their own even if the payment is going through the school.
- Participant fee: $140 (non-refundable)
- Payment Deadline: January 1, 2025, 2:00pm
Please note that no refunds will be allowed after registration has been completed, and no registration or payment will be accepted following the deadline of January 1, 2025.
Performance Attire:
For the final performance, students should plan on wearing standard black concert attire that they would normally wear for school performances. Aside from the concerts, casual dress is appropriate.
Music and Audition Material:
Seating will be determined by auditions on January 18 just before the first rehearsal. The audition material will be chosen from the repertoire for the orchestra but we will not publish which passages they will be asked to play ahead of time. It is important that everyone have all of the parts prepared in their entirety. Please find the program list below. Parts will be added soon.
Program
- Danzas de Panama by William Grant Still
- I. Tamborito
- II. Mejorana Y Socavon
- III. Punto
- Pavane pour une infante défunte by Maurice Ravel/arr. Jeff Manookian
- Andante from Symphony No. 9, D. 944 by Franz Schubert/arr. Jeff Bailey
- Pizzicato Polka by Johann Strauss Jr and Josef Strauss/arr. Robert D. McCashin
- Walts No. 2 by Dimitri Shostakovich/arr. Paul Lavender
Audition Materials
Coming soon
Schedule:
A detailed schedule will be available soon.
The two-day event culminates in a public performance in the Lagerquist Concert Hall in the Mary Baker Russell Music Center. A link to the live stream performance will be shared with participants. Admission is free and no tickets are required.
More Information:
Performance
PLU Honor Orchestra for Strings
January 19, 2025 at 6:00 pm
Lagerquist Concert Hall
Mary Baker Russell Music Center
Featuring:
PLU Honor Orchestra for Strings (Sarah Ioannides, Guest Conductor)
Carpe Diem String Quartet
For Questions:
Asieh Mahyar, Director of Orchestras
School of Music, Theatre & Dance; Pacific Lutheran University
(253) 535-7602 e-mail: asieh.mahyar@plu.edu
Abby Deskins, Coordinator of Educational Outreach Programs
College of Professional Studies; Pacific Lutheran University
(253) 535-7877 e-mail: adeskins@plu.edu
Korine Fujiwara, Visiting Instructor of Music, Strings and Composition
School of Music, Theatre & Dance; Pacific Lutheran University
(253) 535-7602 e-mail: korine.fujiwara@plu.edu
School of Music, Theatre & Dance
Mary Baker Russell Music Center
(253) 535-7602 e-mail: music@plu.edu
Music at PLU Additional Information:
School of Music, Theatre & Dance
Music participation and study is open to all students at PLU, regardless of major.
String Studies
String majors and non-majors alike have access to a rich culture of opportunities.
PLU Orchestras
The Orchestras at PLU have long been an important centerpiece of a stunningly rich musical calendar.
2023-24 Scholarship Auditions
Application deadline: Thursday, February 15, 2024
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