MISSION STATEMENT
SYNESTHESIA (N) - when the stimulation of one sense triggers an automatic experience in another sense.
At Synesthesia Sinfonietta, our purpose is to evoke in our audiences an experience of orchestral musical selections which goes beyond the mere enjoyment of sound production. By showcasing selections from the familiar to the lesser known, from the past to the relevant present in a thematic format, we invite listeners to find personal connections within the programming that takes them on journeys to imagined sights, smells, and feelings. Additionally, we seek to unite audiences within these multi-sensory experiences while working with up and coming musicians, composers, and artists in our unique programming approach.
PROGRAM
SELECTIONS FROM: SLEEPING BEAUTY SUITE, OP. 66A
Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)
Michael Huynh, conductor
THESE ARE MY FIRST WORDS
Daniela Mars (b. 1991)
Daniela Mars, flute
Michael Huynh, conductor
OS VENTOS DE MARTE (THE WINDS OF MARS), CONCERTO FOR FLUTE(S)
Isaiah Castro (b. 1994)
Daniela Mars, flute
Isaiah Castro, artistic & music director
ROMEO AND JULIET FANTASY OVERTURE
Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)
Isaiah Castro, artistic & music director
HELP US GROW
Support Our Work
Synesthesia Sinfonietta is a community orchestra dedicated to providing our audience with a variety of quality programming. Our organization is thriving thanks to our generous benefactors, and we are highly grateful for the help we get in doing what we love the most. Interested in contributing a helping hand? The sky’s the limit when it comes to all the options.
Synesthesia Sinfonietta has obtained 501(C)3 status under the IRS, making all of our donations tax deductible! Get in touch today and see how you can help!
FEATURED ARTIST
DANIELA MARS
Flute
Daniela Mars, a Trevor James Flutes Artist since 2017, is a Brazilian flautist raised in Japan, South Korea, Brazil, and England.
Daniela enjoys a rich musical life as a chamber musician and soloist in France, where she takes lessons with Boris Grelier and works as a freelance musician. Formerly, Daniela mastered her art at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London under the tutelage of Rowland Sutherland, City University, and Prayner Konservatorium of Arts in Vienna with Reza Najfar.
Daniela has performed in masterclasses by internationally renowned flautists such as Pierre-Yves Artaud, Paul Edmund-Davies, Wissam Boustany, and in 2016 she was a Straubinger Scholarship recipient allowing her to study with Jasmine Choi during her International Masterclass in Bregenz, Austria.
Her diverse upbringing and passion for traveling have sparked her curiosity for other cultures and musical styles, which has taken her to the U.K., Brazil, Germany, Austria, and France as a performer. She has given numerous recitals and has performed with Latin music and Symphonic Orchestras including the Brazilian samba band “Rhythms of the City,” with whom she has performed in venues such as the Emirates Stadium, O2 academy, Circo Voador, and toured in the UK, Poland, and Brazil.
Daniela has always had a special interest in contemporary music. She wrote her undergraduate dissertation on extended flute techniques and has made it her mission as a musician to work with living composers on commissioning projects. During her studies, she took conducting lessons from Anthony Weeden and attended the Sherbourne Summer School of Music Conducting led by George Hurst and Rodolfo Saglimbeni. Her love for conducting gave her the opportunity to serve as the appointed assistant conductor of the City University Symphonic Orchestra, and a founding member of the City University Operatic Society. At City University in the production of Pergolesi’s “La Serva Padrona,” Daniela was the musical director and conductor.
Currently, Daniela is also teaching in Paris and was recently invited to teach a flute masterclass at the Instituto Federal de Goiás back in her hometown in Goiânia. She is the proud owner of a Trevor James bass flute and in her solo performances, she incorporates works specifically written for this instrument in an attempt to bring the repertoire for bass flute to the foreground.
OUR DIRECTORS
ISAIAH CASTRO
Artistic and Music Director
Responsible for overseeing all programs and events, Isaiah Castro is an award-winning conductor, composer, and founding member of the Synesthesia Sinfonietta. Castro studied instrumental conducting and composition at California State University Fullerton’s School of Music. His love for music began at the age of 10 with piano and various brass instruments, later inspiring him to express interest in conducting and composing at the age of 12. His most recent accomplishments feature:
• Commissioned to compose original music for the San Jose Youth Symphony
• Received recognition through the American Harp Society for his work "Love Is" written for harp and choir.
• Scoring music for Embark Dance Theatre's first full-length production, "LOST/find.”
• Achieving status on the Grammy Awards ballot for his piece "Dios Mío", written for award-winning soprano, Sarah Lonsert.
• Writing arrangements for Pacific Symphony Orchestra's program "OC Can You Play?"
Concurrently, Castro enjoys collaborating with solo artists, and ensembles, creating new music one work at a time. He is in high demand by several organizations throughout California as both a composer and conductor. Not only is he artistic and music director of Synesthesia Sinfonietta, but he is also the conductor of Buddha's Light Youth Symphony Orchestra (BLYSO) at Hsi Lai Temple in Hacienda Heights, CA and serves as the primary pianist and organist at International Pentecostal Church in Bellflower, CA. Presently, he rides in Chino, CA where he is dedicated to the development and success of the Synesthesia Sinfonietta.
MICHAEL HUYNH
Associate Conductor
Responsible for overseeing chamber programs, Michael Huynh, conductor and clarinetist, is a recent graduate of Azusa Pacific University where he studied orchestral conducting with Christopher Russell.
As a conductor, Huynh has an interest in the orchestral and operatic repertoire. In 2018, he was selected to appear at the College Orchestra Directors Association National Conference with Alan McMurray in a master class setting. Recent conducting engagements include assistant conducting Opera UCI’s 2019 production of Die Fledermaus, where he also served as the chorus master, leading the California Solisti in collaboration with the Arts at St. Margaret’s, and performances with the Community Youth Orchestra of Southern California. Future engagements are scheduled in 2021 with his new appointment as Associate Conductor of Synesthesia Sinfonietta.
Huynh holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Clarinet Performance from the University of California, Irvine and a Master of Music degree in Orchestral Conducting from Azusa Pacific University where he studied with Christopher Russell. He also holds professional affiliations with College Orchestra Directors Association and Mu Phi Epsilon Professional Music Fraternity.
MARANDA LI
Assistant Conductor
Trained as a cellist, Maranda Li received her B.A. in Music from the University of California, Irvine, where she studied with Dr. Margaret Parkins. She has been deeply engaged with classical music from a young age and has performed both solo and in ensembles of varying size, but her first love is the Symphony Orchestra.
From 2016-2019, Li lived in Amami, Japan where she served as conductor of the Amami Orchestra. There, she oversaw the development of the orchestra through its early formative period, prepared them for performances under guest conductors, created and taught classes for beginner string players, and frequently collaborated with local soloists as both a conductor and a cellist. She also expanded the scope of Amami Orchestra's educational outreach efforts through a series of side-by-side performances with local high school wind bands that continued even after her return to the US.
Li currently studies conducting with Dr. Stephen Tucker. When not on the podium or playing in the orchestra as a cellist, Li enjoys performing chamber music, teaching, and arranging. She concurrently holds a position as community program coordinator for OC Music & Dance, Orange County's premier non-profit music school, which is dedicated to making performing arts accessible to every child.
SPECIAL THANKS TO:
GUERRY COLINS & RENA STONE
BRET IWAN
VANESSA MAEZ
LORETTA MALABY
MARK & NORIKO MALABY
BILL ROGERS & CAMILLE DIXON
ANONYMOUS SUPPORTERS
OUR SUPPORTERS
We thank our sponsors and partners for their contributions towards Synesthesia Sinfonietta.
Without them, our operations would not be possible!
MARK L. MALABY, ART + ARCHITECTURE
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THE ENSEMBLE
☥concertmaster *principal
VIOLIN I
Olga Ivanenko
Cansu Ozyurek
Aaron Tam*
VIOLIN II
Dana Apolonio
Jennifer Jin
Carmen Marquez*
VIOLA
Ioana Istrate
Lawson Madlener
Dani Tam*
CELLO
Emily Balderrama
Connor Bogenreif
Paul Hyun
Maranda Li*
BASS
Andrew De Stakelberg*
PICCOLO
Luis Alvarado
FLUTE
Eyana Fomby
Kaylee Yeon*
OBOE
Erick Aguilon
Karen Hernandez*
ENGLISH HORN
Bennett Kai Imai
CLARINET
David Sanchez
Jenna Tatiyatrairong*
BASSOON
Dan Abrams*
Carlos Herrera
HORN
Alex Delperdang
Timothy Moy*
Cynthia Trostler
Patrick Williams
TRUMPET
Tatiana Giesler
Carl Privette
Troy Sargent*
CORNET
Tatiana Giesler*
Maria Valenzuela
TROMBONE
Luis Gracia Alonso*
Terry Dawson
BASS TROMBONE
Nathan Fulmizi
TUBA
Spencer Hart
TIMPANI
Shota Hanai*
PERCUSSION
Ben Maley
Hiram Rivera*
HARP
Jessica Brizuela*
BEHIND THE SCENES
JUAN UGARTE
Library Visitor Services Coordinator
KENZIE JONES
Recording Engineer
ISAAC CASTRO
Photography
ERIKA ITO
Videography
EXECUTIVE BOARD
ARYAN BLOURCHIAN
President
TATIANA GIESLER
Secretary