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Yu-Lien The, piano
Yu-Lien The has appeared throughout the US, Europe, and Southeast-Asia, soloing with the Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie, the Kammerorchester Hannover, and the Baroque Orchestra L'Arco. As a recitalist and chamber musician, she has performed at the Gilmore Keyboard Festival and venues such as Detroit Symphony Hall and Carnegie Hall. A prizewinner of the 12th International Piano Competition Viotti-Valsesia (Italy) and the Deutsche Musikwettbewerb, she was admitted to the National Concert Podium for Young Artists (Germany), which led to several concert tours with violinist Tomo Keller. Dr. The has been involved in many commissions and world premieres. She frequently collaborates with saxophonist Joe Lulloff and champions new works by composers such as Dorothy Chang, Stacy Garrop, and Carter Pann.
Born in the Netherlands, Yu-Lien The received most of her musical training in Germany, where she obtained degrees in both piano and recorder performance and pedagogy from the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hannover. She has earned an Artist Diploma from the Hochschule für Musik Detmold as well as a D.M.A. in piano performance from Michigan State University. Her principal piano teachers were Arie Vardi, Anatol Ugorski, and Deborah Moriarty.
A dedicated pedagogue and sought-after clinician, Yu-Lien The is an Assistant Professor of Keyboard Studies at Western Michigan University and has previously served on the faculties at Bowling Green State University, Valparaiso University, and Kalamazoo College.
Julie Shier, bassoon
Bassoonist Julie Shier has been a member of the Windsor Symphony Orchestra since 1992. She is also a core member of London Symphonia and has played with the Stratford Festival, Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony and Hamilton Philharmonic. When not playing bassoon, she enjoys cycling, swimming, hiking and cross-country skiing.
Peter Shackleton, clarinet
Peter Shackleton is principal clarinetist of the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra and a member of Music in Common and INNERchamber. He has served as principal clarinetist of Orchestra London Canada, and has performed with Tafelmusik (on historical clarinet) and Les Violons du Roy, as well as with the Milwaukee Symphony, Winnipeg Symphony, Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony and Stratford Festival Orchestras. Peter is currently on the faculty at Wilfrid Laurier University and in the past has held teaching positions at Western University and Lakehead University. Awarded First Prize at the 27th CBC Radio Competition, he has performed as a soloist with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, National Arts Centre Orchestra, CBC Radio Orchestra (Vancouver), Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra and Tafelmusik. Peter received his Honours Bachelor of Music from Northwestern University and a certificate in Chamber Music Performance from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.