THE BERGEN SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
The Bergen Symphony Orchestra comes to Fort Lee Jan 27
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The Bergen Symphony Orchestra, one of the pre-eminent classical orchestras in the county, presents a concert with works from Salieri, Beethoven, and Mendelssohn. This exciting concert, called “A Winter Promise,” takes place on Saturday, January 27 at 7:30 at the Fort Lee High School Auditorium, 3000 Lemoine Ave, Fort Lee, NJ and features guest soloists Mitzy Nonaka, flute, and Cat Cantrell, oboe.
Woomyung Choe, the conductor and driving force behind the TBSO, said, "I enjoy bringing serious classical music, affordable to everyone, to people of all ages in the local community." Choe continued, "My vision for the TBSO is for it to continue to grow in Bergen County and include more young people, both in the audience and as performers."
The program's first piece, by Antonio Salieri (1750-1825), Concerto for Flute and Oboe in C Major highlights the two soloists, Mitzy Nonaka on the flute and Cat Cantrell on the oboe playing simultaneously with the orchestra
The concert continues with Symphony No. 1 in C Major, Opus 21 by Ludwig Van Beethoven (1770-1827) which introduced his talents as a symphonic composer. It is followed by Symphony No. 4 in A Major, Opus 90 by Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) also called the Italian Symphony inspired by his visit to Italy.
The evening's soloists
Cat Cantrell, Oboist
Oboist and English hornist Cat Cantrell is a nomadic musician – as an active freelancer in New York City, and 3rd Oboe and English horn for the Tucson Symphony, she performs regularly across the US.
Enamored with the range of opportunities in the Big Apple, Cat has performed with the New York Philharmonic, for movie soundtracks, and on “America’s Got Talent”. She can be heard with groups around the city including the Bergen Symphony, Double Entendre Music Ensemble, and New Amsterdam Opera. A frequent flier, Cat has played with the Sarasota Orchestra, Virginia Symphony, and Louisiana Philharmonic, in addition to her tenured position in Arizona.
As a Britten-Pears Young Artist for four years, she travelled to the UK to work with esteemed conductors including Semyon Bychkov, Oliver Knussen, and Mark Wigglesworth on concerts for the Aldeburgh and Edinburgh Festivals and the BBC Proms. In the US she has participated in the Brevard Music Festival, Chelsea Music Festival, the Immanuel and Helen Olshan Texas Music Festival and Eastern Music Festival.
As a chamber musician, Cat seeks out new works and loves performing with unusual instrument combinations, most recently forming the Central Avenue Trio with Ryan Walsh and Jason Smoller, also oboe/English horn players. She has worked with C4, the Choral-Composer-Conductor Collective performing alone with mixed choir, and has premiered multiple pieces for the English horn.
Excited about all forms of music, she performs outside the classical genre and concert hall on multiple woodwinds. She can be heard regularly both live and in recordings with Terry Barber, internationally performing countertenor and past member of Chanticleer.
Cat Cantrell holds a Bachelor’s degree in Oboe Performance from Florida State University, studying with Dr. Eric Ohlsson and earned a Master’s of Music from Mannes College the New School for Music, studying with Sherry Sylar, Associate Principal Oboe of the New York Philharmonic.
Mitzy Nonaka Collates, Flute
Dynamic flutist Mitzy Nonaka is currently a student of Thomas Robertello at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, where she is the recipient of the Graduate Tuition Award and Dean's Scholarship. Previous to moving to Indiana, Mitzy enjoyed a varied freelance career in New York, with highlights including performing traditional and contemporary Japanese music with Koto artist Sumie Kaneko, recitals with the Mosaic Flute Duo, and performances at Symphony Space with Light Opera of New York, culminating in the first professional recording of Victor Herbert’s “The Only Girl” for Albany Records.
Originally from Mogi das Cruzes, Brazil, Mitzy was primarily self-taught before beginning her undergraduate studies at SUNY Purchase Conservatory of Music under Tara Helen O’Connor. She completed graduate work at both New York University and Rutgers University, studying with Kathleen Nester and Bart Feller, and has performed in masterclasses for William Bennett, Karl-Heinz Schutz, Keith Underwood, among others.
Mitzy is passionate about teaching, and has maintained a private studio for several years in addition to serving on the faculty of Arete Music Academy and as a teaching artist for the Harmony Program.