Striving to bring joy in all she does, Haley Houk is an active performer and educator in Houston, Texas. Haley has performed with the Houston Grand Opera, TUTS (Theatre Under The Stars), and serves as principal bassoon with local symphonies, as well as a collaborator in the Ladies’ Reeding Society, a chamber music collective dedicated to performing works by women and other marginalized composers. Haley is pursuing her Doctorate of Musical Arts with a minor in Arts Leadership at the University of Houston under the guidance of Elise Wagner, affiliate artist of bassoon at UH and second bassoonist of the Houston Symphony. As well as owner of TheJoyousBassoon, a small business which provides functional art products for the double reed community, Haley is the Adjunct Professor of Bassoon at Lone Star College-University Park.
For her undergraduate studies, Haley attended Texas Christian University where she earned her Bachelor of Music Education degree in 2015. While at TCU, she had the privilege of performing at CBDNA and PASIC, touring Europe with the International Harmony Symphony, and performing world premieres for several wind pieces and bassoon repertoire. Haley gained her Master of Music degree in Bassoon Performance at Baylor University in 2020, where she performed with a wide variety of ensembles- notably the nationally award-winning Baylor Symphony Orchestra and Wind Ensemble.
Haley was one of the few instrumentalists accepted into the 2024 Akropolis Chamber Music Institute held by the grammy-winning ensemble the Akropolis Reed Quintet, and has had the opportunity to attend the Texas Music Festival and Fresno Orchestra/Opera Summer Academy.
A promising musician, Julia Bobell makes her home on stage as a stunningly versatile oboist. Ms. Bobell made her solo debut with the Southern Adventist University Orchestra in 2020 as a winner of their concerto competition. She received third prize in the Cleveland Orchestra of Tennessee Concerto Competition that same year. In 2021, she was selected to perform in Lee University’s Senior Honors Concert and then went on to win their concerto competition.
Julia holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Oboe Performance from Lee University, where she studied with Robert Burks of the Chattanooga Symphony Orchestra. She pursued her Master of Music degree in Oboe Performance at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, where she is currently working on her Doctor of Musical Arts degree. She studies with the world-renowned Titus Underwood of the Nashville Symphony Orchestra. Other primary instructors have included Dwight Parry and Chris Philpotts of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.
Outside of performing, Ms. Bobell has a heart for teaching young aspiring oboists. Since her studies at Lee University, she has maintained a private studio while keeping up with her own full schedule. Students rely on her for help with music and reed making. Julia also aided with the double reed technique classes required of the education majors at Lee University.
Other than playing the oboe, Ms. Bobell enjoys topics related to music theory and instrument repair. Along with her DMA, she is working towards a cognate in music theory. Currently, she holds a TA position at CCM which requires her to teach undergraduates theory courses. Instrument repair is something she enjoys in her spare time whenever her colleagues have questions or concerns regarding their instruments. She plans on releasing her repair website soon!
After graduating from the University of Cincinnati, Julia plans on pursuing a degree in instrument repair while searching for university teaching positions.
Sebastian Quesada is a Costa Rican composer interested in exploring the ambiguous and subjective nature of music to evoke specific imagery. Through a blend of diverse genres and processes, his compositions aim to address musical narratives that are connected to our cultural and social perceptions.
His work typically uses music as a vehicle to metaphorically delve into concepts outside of the musical realm, integrating both traditional and modern languages and techniques.
Quesada’s pieces span a variety of media, including large and chamber ensembles, solo pieces, incidental works, installations, and more. His music has been performed in North, Central and South America, Europe, and Asia by different ensembles such as the Harlem String Quartet, the National Symphony Orchestra of Costa Rica, the Oberlin Symphony Orchestra and Reverso Trio, among others.
Quesada’s pieces have been selected for performance at the SOLI Chamber Ensemble’s 30x30x30 Project, Leonard Falcone International Euphonium and Tuba Festival, and the International Trombone Festival. His music has also been recorded. Particularly noteworthy are the projects with Thomas Mesa and Michelle Cann through a grant from PARMA Recordings and the Sphinx Organization, as well as the recording with Latin-Grammy Award winner Eddie Mora. Among his awards and honors are the first place in the 2020 Barbara Wagner Composition Commission Competition, the winner of the 2014 Orchestra Readings for Young Composers by the National Symphony Orchestra of Costa Rica and a runner-up of the 2020 Guitar Composition Contest “Promises of the Guitar.” In addition, he is a Future of Music Faculty Fellow through the Cleveland Institute of Music with support from the Sphinx Venture Fund and was the composer in residence for Willapa Bay AiR in June 2023.
Quesada holds degrees in composition from Michigan State University (D.M.A.), Truman State University (M.M.) and University of Costa Rica (B.A.). He has studied with Ricardo Lorenz, Zhou Tian, Charles Gran, Victor Marquez-Barrios, Carlos Castro and Luis José Herra. He also holds a M.M. in Music Theory from Michigan State University.
Catherine McMichael, pianist, is a composer, arranger, performer, teacher, coach, clinician and founder of Camellia Music, which publishes much of her music. Her degrees from the University of Michigan are in piano performance and chamber music. Performing, composing and teaching comprise her professional musical life in Saginaw, Michigan. She is the pianist for the Saginaw (MI) Bay Symphony Orchestra and Ann Arbor based River Raisin Ragtime Revue, co-directs the Bay City based Bijou Theatre Orchestra, accompanies the Saginaw Choral Society, directs Bells on High at First United Methodist Church of Saginaw and occasionally music directs shows at Bay City Players Community Theater. Her compositions are represented by six publishers and appear on recordings made and programs presented world-wide by orchestras, bands, choirs, handbell and chamber ensembles of all types, soloists on many instruments and voice, performed by professional touring artists, college professors and students, avid amateurs and young musicians. Her music has a strong presence on YouTube. To hear some, type in “Catherine McMichael” to find page after page of posted performances. She maintains a private piano studio and often teaches at piano and composition seminars around the country.
Catherine’s numerous compositions span a diverse range of styles, from neo-romantic symphonic works to eclectic mixed ensembles. Five of her works for flute have won the Best Newly Published Music award from the National Flute Association. Many of her works have premiered at international music festivals. She is also a prolific arranger for several publishers and many individuals who request her special stylistic flair.