STAGE & SOUND

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.

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

MIRIAM RAHWA

Vocalist

Miriam Rahwa studies music at Cal State Long Beach with a passion for music ranging from classical to jazz and contemporary. Awarded a top Bob Cole scholarship for Music Education and Vocal Performance, she studies voice privately with Dr. Katharin Rundus. She has a versatile background as a vocalist and educator. As a performer, she has sung in professional choral groups, opera scenes, vocal jazz groups, pops orchestras, and churches, both as a soloist and ensemble member. She currently teaches at the All-American Boys Chorus in Santa Ana and as a private teacher at the North Orange County Conservatory of Music. She grew up taking piano lessons throughout her childhood and played in church with praise teams. She is a fierce advocate for inclusion and change as a performer and educator.

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:

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• 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.

GUERRY COLINS & RENA STONE

BRET IWAN

LORETTA MALABY

MARK & NORIKO MALABY

BILL ROGERS & CAMILLE DIXON

ANONYMOUS SUPPORTERS

BALLET KUKAN ACADEMY

BELLFLOWER MUSIC CENTER

BUNGALOW MODERN

CHRISTINE ARAOKA MUSIC STUDIO

THE DOMINGUEZ FIRM

EMB MUSIC STUDIO

INTERNATIONAL PENTECOSTAL CHURCH

MARK L. MALABY, ART + ARCHITECTURE

MOREY'S MUSIC STORE INC.

ORANGE COUNTY MUSIC & DANCE

ORANGE EMPIRE MODEL TRAINS

SANTA FE HIGH SCHOOL

SUPPORT US WHEN YOU SHOP THROUGH AMAZON SMILE

Do you shop on Amazon? What better way to support us than to do it while you shop! Simply go to Amazon Smile, choose "Synesthesia Sinfonietta" as your charity of choice, and a portion of all orders placed through Amazon Smile will go towards Synesthesia Sinfonietta.

SULEEN MENCHACA

Audio Technician

ISAAC CASTRO

Photography

RICKY HURTADO

Videography

ARYAN BLOURCHIAN

President

TATIANA GIESLER

Secretary