In this episode of On Deck, 17-year-old cellist Andrew Sickler speaks with Raúl Gómez-Rojas about finding the cello at a young age, and how a recent switch in his approach to practicing allowed him to discover a future in music. Andrew is on his way to the University of Oregon for a major concentration in music performance under the tutelage of Steven Pologe. In Portland, Andrew played with the Portland Youth Philharmonic and with his school orchestra at Tualatin High School.

On Deck with Andrew Sickler

Roberto Moo-Julian is a rising senior at Roosevelt High School and a trumpeter in the BRAVO Community Orchestra. He started music in the 4th grade in BRAVO Youth Orchestras and has performed at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, the capitol building in Salem, the YOLA National Symposium in Los Angeles, and has even made a guest appearance in one of the recitals of this episode’s host, Adam Eccleston. Roberto dreams of attending college to study physical therapy to help athletes while also maintaining his love of music.

On Deck with Roberto Moo-Julian

Keean Balsiger is an 18-year-old senior at Tualatin HS who plays viola, violin and guitar in classical, jazz and rock ensembles. In this episode of On Deck, Keean chats with Raúl Gómez-Rojas about the similarities and differences between his different instruments and the genres that he enjoys exploring. Over the course of his musical career, Keean has been a member of many school ensembles as well as the Portland Youth Philharmonic and Metropolitan Youth Symphony. Additionally, he plays guitar with his school’s Jazz Ensemble, and has a rock band with friends.

On Deck with Keean Balsiger

Sam Decker

Amy Faust chats with singer Sam Decker, a senior at Rex Putnam High School and a member of the Pacific Youth Choir.  Sam is a section leader at PYC and tells us about his approach to mentoring, which largely focuses on bonding and having fun.  Sam will be attending University of Oregon next year as a music major.

On Deck with Sam Decker

In this episode of On Deck, Raul Gomez-Rojas speaks with violinist Ryan Jun, a junior at Mountainside High School. He has been playing the violin for eight years, and currently studies with Carol Sindell. He won the Young Artists Competition and soloed with the Jewish Community Orchestra in 2022, and was chosen as a 2023 winner of Cognizart’s Young Artists Debut! Competition,which takes place May 26 at the Reser in Beaverton. Ryan has also been a member of the Portland Youth Philharmonic for the past 4 years. Besides music, he enjoys playing on his school’s varsity golf team and sees some parallels between golf and music.

On Deck with Ryan Jun

Luke D’Silva is a sophomore at Westview High School. His musical journey began at 6 years old with the violin. Three years later, he decided to play the viola with Andrea Hawkins as his teacher. Luke joined the Young String Ensemble of PYP (Portland Youth Philharmonic) as the Assistant Principal Violist and became the Principal Violist the following year. Luke is currently the Co-Principal Violist of the PYP Orchestra. In 2022, he joined Oregon’s All-State Honor Orchestra, and in 2023, he served as Principal Violist of both All-State and All-Northwest Honor Orchestras. He plans to attend college and double major in music and engineering.

On Deck with Luke D’Silva

Sarah Lee

Sarah Lee, age 16, is a sophomore at Westview High School and an award-winning cellist. In this episode of On Deck, Sarah chats with Raúl Gómez-Rojas about her journey and accomplishments, including being one of the winners of Cognizart’s 2023 Young Artists Debut! Competition. Sarah is also a member of the Portland Youth Philharmonic, and has participated in numerous master classes and summer programs.In addition to playing cello, she is a competitive soccer player, and enjoys teaching with Project Prelude, a student-led organization that introduces elementary-school kids to string instruments.

Sarah Lee, age 16, is a sophomore at Westview High School and an award-winning cellist. In this episode of On Deck, Sarah chats with Raúl Gómez-Rojas about her journey and accomplishments, including being one of the winners of Cognizart’s 2023 Young Artists Debut! Competition. Sarah is also a member of the Portland Youth Philharmonic, and has participated in numerous master classes and summer programs. In addition to playing cello, she is a competitive soccer player, and enjoys teaching with Project Prelude, a student-led organization that introduces elementary-school kids to string instruments.

On Deck with Sarah Lee

Andy Shin

Amy Faust chats with Andy Shin, the youngest of this year’s Metro Arts Cognizart Young Artists Debut winners. He’s an 8th grader at Beaverton Academy of Science and Engineering. Andy has played the cello for 4 years after making the switch from piano. (It was a live performance of a Saint-Saens cello concerto that got him.) He currently plays with the Portland Youth Philharmonic and plans to continue doing so in high school. You can see Andy with his fellow winners at a special Cognizart Young Artists Debut performance on May 26th at the Reser Center in Beaverton.

On Deck with Andy Shin

Raúl Gómez-Rojas chats with Minntah Haefker, a 16 year old Junior enrolled at Lincoln High School in Portland, Oregon. Minntah often sings as a guest vocalist with the band “3 Leg Torso,” studies Opera with her voice coach Angela Niederloh, and competes in state/regional competitions singing in multiple languages. She also loves to perform gigs at the restaurant “Carruthers” in Astoria, Oregon and enjoys creating music with her friends.  Minntah sang in the Lincoln HS Choir and Cardinal Choir her freshman and sophomore years and recently won the Soprano Soloist Category for District 1.

On Deck with Minntah Haefker

Sophia Folawn is a junior at St. Mary’s Academy. She’s been playing flute with the Metropolitan Youth Symphony for 3 years and enjoys it very much; she first started out in the Flute Ensemble led by Adam Eccleston and has recently joined one of the top orchestras in the organization.  A proud student of Liberty Broillet, Sophia enjoys listening to mainstream flute sensation Lizzo, who also happens to be an inspiration of hers.

On Deck with Sophia Folawn

Each Saturday All Classical Radio celebrates what’s next in our community, with profiles of young musicians and explorations of musical opportunities for young people in the northwest.

Aria Morgan

18-year old saxophonist Aria Morgan spent her first three years of high school at Portland’s Ida B. Wells-Barnett High School, then her senior year at the Interlochen Arts Academy.  Now a freshman at USC’s Thornton School of Music, she speaks with Raul Gomez-Rojas about her love of music as well as the importance of activism in her life, saying “seeing musicians on stage that look like you is powerful.”

On Deck with Aria Morgan

Chloe Zhang

17-year old pianist Chloe Zhang (“zang”) was a finalist in Portland Piano International’s Concerto Competition, and also was one of the winners in the Beaverton Symphony’s Young Artist Competition.   She deeply adores music, but interestingly -given her successes- it’s not going to be the focus of her life. She engages in music purely for the love of it.  We’ll hear her story -and learn about her environmental non-profit (Next-Gen Innovators)- in this episode of On Deck with Young Musicians.

On Deck with Chloe Zhang

Alessandro Diaz Ayala is a cellist and conductor who hails from BRAVO Youth Orchestras. He’s a 9th grader at Jefferson high school and enjoys classical music very much. Lately, he’s been exploring other instruments like the flute and quickly realized how much air is needed for the instrument, but he still enjoys playing it in the school band. Alessandro plans to attend college (Harvard is his #1 school) to major in medicine and minor in music with the dream of becoming a surgeon.  Check him out at the next BRAVO Community Orchestra concert at the University of Portland.  You'll see him in the cello section and conducting a piece on the program! You can learn more about BRAVO at www.oregonbravo.org.

Alessandro Diaz Ayala is a cellist and conductor who hails from BRAVO Youth Orchestras. He’s a 9th grader at Jefferson high school and enjoys classical music very much. Lately, he’s been exploring other instruments like the flute and quickly realized how much air is needed for the instrument, but he still enjoys playing it in the school band. Alessandro plans to attend college (Harvard is his #1 school) to major in medicine and minor in music with the dream of becoming a surgeon.  Check him out at the next BRAVO Community Orchestra concert at the University of Portland.  You'll see him in the cello section and conducting a piece on the program! You can learn more about BRAVO at <a href="http://www.oregonbravo.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.oregonbravo.org</a>.

On Deck with Alessandro Diaz Ayala

Ben McHarris is a 17-year-old senior at Cleveland High School in Portland, and a clarinetist with Metropolitan Youth Symphony, where he has played since 2020. In this episode of On Deck, Ben speaks with Raúl Gómez-Rojas about his initial inspiration to choose the clarinet and his journey at MYS. Also, Ben shares about his other musical explorations, including playing electric guitar in a band with his friends (named Miter Saw!), in the genres of screamo, hardcore and slowcore.

On Deck with Ben McHarris

Sarah Hohndel is an 18-year-old tuba player with the Metropolitan Youth Symphony. In this episode of On Deck, she chats with Raúl Gómez-Rojas about starting to learn the tuba when she was only in fifth grade, horseback riding and earning her third degree black belt in Taekwondo. In addition to those passions and skills, Sarah enjoys reading, playing with her pets, and hanging out with her family. She is passionate about helping others, solving problems, drawing, and baking. In addition to playing with MYS, Sarah has been a member of the Oregon All-State Wind Ensemble.

On Deck with Sarah Hohndel

Amy Faust gets to know Maya Hausman, a senior at Cleveland High school who plays flute and piccolo (plus a little bit of clarinet!) for various school ensembles as well as the Metropolitan Youth Symphony.Maya started playing the piano at age 5, but as a member of the Cherokee Nation she was drawn early on to the native flute playing at the tribal gatherings her family would attend each summer. Her passion for classical music is matched by her drive to bring attention to indigenous history and justice. At Cleveland, she co-founded a native student union and is part of the campaign to change the school’s name due to Grover Cleveland’s anti-indigenous policies. For this segment, Maya plays a contemporary piece (Homeland, by Allison Loggins-Hull) that evokes her people’s history of displacement.

Amy Faust gets to know Maya Hausman, a senior at Cleveland High school who plays flute and piccolo (plus a little bit of clarinet!) for various school ensembles as well as the Metropolitan Youth Symphony. Maya started playing the piano at age 5, but as a member of the Cherokee Nation she was drawn early on to the native flute playing at the tribal gatherings her family would attend each summer. Her passion for classical music is matched by her drive to bring attention to indigenous history and justice. At Cleveland, she co-founded a native student union and is part of the campaign to change the school’s name due to Grover Cleveland’s anti-indigenous policies. For this segment, Maya plays a contemporary piece (Homeland, by Allison Loggins-Hull) that evokes her people’s history of displacement.

On Deck with Maya Hausman

Sam Lines is a 17-year-old junior at Lake Oswego High School. He has been a member of the top orchestra at the Metropolitan Youth Symphony since 2020, where he often plays principal horn.In this episode of On Deck, Sam chats with Raúl Gómez-Rojas about the joys and challenges of being a horn player, plus his passion for his other instruments: piano, guitar and trumpet. Sam is also a successful soccer player, currently on the roster of his school’s varsity team.

Sam Lines is a 17-year-old junior at Lake Oswego High School. He has been a member of the top orchestra at the Metropolitan Youth Symphony since 2020, where he often plays principal horn. In this episode of On Deck, Sam chats with Raúl Gómez-Rojas about the joys and challenges of being a horn player, plus his passion for his other instruments: piano, guitar and trumpet. Sam is also a successful soccer player, currently on the roster of his school’s varsity team.

On Deck with Sam Lines

Aili Deibert is a Junior at PorRoosevelt High School. She’s been playing flute with BRAVO Youth Orchestras (an El Sistema inspired afternoon music program based in North Portland) since 2015. She has performed at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall and was selected to perform in the National Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles (YOLA).Aili is an active performer and teacher and has been a part of the BRAVO Community Orchestra for several years.   After high school, she plans to attend college and major in law while still keeping up with music.

Aili Deibert is a Junior at PorRoosevelt High School. She’s been playing flute with BRAVO Youth Orchestras (an El Sistema inspired afternoon music program based in North Portland) since 2015. She has performed at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall and was selected to perform in the National Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles (YOLA). Aili is an active performer and teacher and has been a part of the BRAVO Community Orchestra for several years. After high school, she plans to attend college and major in law while still keeping up with music.

On Deck with Aili Deibert

Soren Cowell-Shah has been singing his whole life. Now a 17-year-old senior at Catlin Gabel, he joined Pacific Youth Choir when he was only five years old.In this episode of On Deck, Soren shares with Raúl Gómez-Rojas how he loves the breadth of music he gets to sing in PYC, as well as the additional opportunities like performing with the Oregon Symphony.A big fan of Broadway musicals, Soren has acted in all of his school’s productions. Outside of music, he enjoys participating in Model UN, Science Bowl, and playing Dungeons &amp; Dragons. He’ll be attending Harvard University in the fall, where he plans to study linguistics or political science, and looks forward to singing with the school’s a capella groups.

Soren Cowell-Shah has been singing his whole life. Now a 17-year-old senior at Catlin Gabel, he joined Pacific Youth Choir when he was only five years old. In this episode of On Deck, Soren shares with Raúl Gómez-Rojas how he loves the breadth of music he gets to sing in PYC, as well as the additional opportunities like performing with the Oregon Symphony. A big fan of Broadway musicals, Soren has acted in all of his school’s productions. Outside of music, he enjoys participating in Model UN, Science Bowl, and playing Dungeons &amp; Dragons. He’ll be attending Harvard University in the fall, where he plans to study linguistics or political science, and looks forward to singing with the school’s a capella groups.

On Deck with Soren Cowell-Shah

Multi-instrumentalist, Tristan Kriz is a sophomore at Roosevelt High School. He started playing flute in the 5th grade while already playing the guitar. He picked up the clarinet and saxophone as well and loves jazz and classical music.Tristan joined the Metropolitan Youth Symphony’s Flute Ensemble last year and enjoys it very much. He is filled with so many inspirations and he hopes to continue music in college to become a music teacher.

Multi-instrumentalist, Tristan Kriz is a sophomore at Roosevelt High School. He started playing flute in the 5th grade while already playing the guitar. He picked up the clarinet and saxophone as well and loves jazz and classical music. Tristan joined the Metropolitan Youth Symphony’s Flute Ensemble last year and enjoys it very much. He is filled with so many inspirations and he hopes to continue music in college to become a music teacher.

On Deck with Tristan Kriz

All Classical Radio | On Deck with Young Musicians

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