d.i.e. all-stars

our current lineup is very special because we all are alumni of the d.i.e. (diverse instrument ensemble) at csuf. next year many of them will be leaving for grad school so i asked them to play with the pbe for this show. they are all too talented to hang around southern california much longer and its been great to have them in the group. regular bios in the program do not do justice to why they are important.

they are:

xico castano, clarinet
has developed into a great musician who has a real bright future ahead. its hard to believe he that he hadn't had lessons until college. xico will be applying for grad schools in the fall and is spending two weeks this summer playing in vienna.

ryan nunes, marimba
has not given up on playing even though he is pursing an academic career in philosophy. i'm glad that he is going to stay on for the next year while he applies to grad school.

veronica paez, oboe
i never thought oboe and trombone would work in this group, but in our last rehearsal i think we decided that our personalities have transcended the limitations of our instruments. veronica is one of the most determined and scholarly minds to grace csuf, and next fall she will be pursing her masters in musicology at the royal holloway school of music in london.

jon brenner, bass
i first met john when he was a freshman at csuf. because of our age difference we never really hung out, but i always bugged him to send me his music. he finally did (just this summer) and i was shocked. i don't expect much from anybody under 30 (i know its bad to assume), but his music is really good.he is now back for the summer from mills college where he is getting his masters in composition. its been a real joy with him in the group and i'm are going to try and play some of his pieces in the future.

carl stronach, vibraphone
it was a year ago on this gig when carl first joined the group. he jumped into playing a concert that he probably had no business playing (in theory), but he put in the time and learned the parts (the summerland vibe parts are really not easy), and has nailed every performance since then (i'm not sure if he every has had an "off" night). this past year has been inspiring watching him discover the joys of tuning and temperament, and by the end of the semester he passed my basic understanding and has found a "sandbox" that will keep him busy for some time. carl is going to finish his bachelor's this next year and has a great future ahead. i'm not sure what we will do when he leaves, but i'm really glad to have had him around.