Upcoming — Orca Concerts - Chamber Music for All

Orca Concert Series Director Sean Osborn has traveled the world as soloist and chamber musician, and during his eleven years with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. He has also appeared as guest principal clarinet with the New York Philharmonic, Pittsburgh Symphony, Seattle Symphony, and the American Symphony Orchestra. The New York Times dubbed him “…an excellent clarinetist,” the Boston Globe called him “…a miracle,” and Gramophone “…a master.”

With over forty concertos in his repertoire, Sean has also recorded dozens of CDs for London, Deutsche Grammophon, Sony, Albany, and others, as well as premiering works by Philip Glass, John Adams, John Corigliano, Chen Yi, and Jennifer Higdon to name a few. He has performed at many festivals including Marlboro, Seattle Chamber Music, Aspen, Zagreb Bienalle, Pacific Rims, and Colorado.

Sean has received grants from many organizations, including the NEA and the Aaron Copland Fund. He is also an award-winning composer whose works have been played by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, and members of the New York Philharmonic, Metropolitan Opera, Marlboro Music Festival, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic among others. As an educator, he has presented over 100 master classes around the world, developed many multi-media educational series, and served on the faculty of the University of Washington and the Cornish College of the Arts.

Violinist and violist Timothy Christie enjoys a multifaceted career as performer, teacher, public speaker and recording artist. He is the Founder and Artistic Director of the Walla Walla Chamber Music Festival (WWCMF), a nonprofit organization in southeastern Washington presenting more than 40 public chamber music events annually. He serves on the faculty of the Community Music Department at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, WA, and is a member of IRIS Orchestra in Memphis, TN.

In demand as a recitalist and chamber musician, Christie regularly collaborates with some of the most exciting artists and ensembles in the industry, including Third Coast Percussion, Spektral Quartet, PRISM Quartet, PROJECT Trio, Sybarite5, Turtle Island Quartet, the Harlem Quartet, and The Westerlies. The solo violist of new music ensemble, Brave New Works, since the group’s inception in 1997, Christie can be heard on recordings of William Bolcom’s Piano Quintet and William Albright’s Clarinet Quintet on AMP Records.

Jeffrey Fair has been Principal Horn of the Seattle Symphony Orchestra since 2013 and a member of the Orchestra since 2003. His playing has most recently been described as having a “stunning presence and power.” He also performs as Principal Horn of the Seattle Opera and has served as guest Principal of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, National Symphony Orchestra, Dallas Symphony and New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. Music festival appearances as Principal Horn include the Aspen Music Festival, Eastern Music Festival, Arizona Music Festival, Mainly Mozart Festival, and Festival Mozaic. Mr. Fair is a former faculty member at the University of Washington, and he appears throughout the country as a soloist, chamber musician, clinician, and teacher. Prior to moving to Seattle, he was Principal Horn of the San Antonio Symphony for three seasons, appearing as soloist on several occasions. Mr. Fair holds degrees from The Juilliard School and the University of Oklahoma.

Travis Gore, orchestral musician and recording artist, has held a bass position with the multiple Grammy Award winning Seattle Symphony since 2007. He has performed with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, the LA Philharmonic, Atlanta Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, Verbier Festival Orchestra and chamber series, and before Seattle-held a position with the San Diego Symphony. Remaining an active studio musician, he can be heard on major film and game soundtracks such as Men Who Stare at Goats, Valkyrie, Halo, Dragon Age and more. He has appeared with some of today's highly sought after chamber musicians: the Grammy award winning Parker Quartet, St. Petersburg Quartet, and more, and on live concerts and indie albums as an upright and electric bassist with recording artists such as Bryan John Appleby, Hey Marseilles, Alice Sandahl of La Luz, Wall of Ears, and as a lead singer, guitarist and songwriter for his own music as Feeds On Majesty.

A member of the Seattle Symphony and Seattle Opera Orchestra since 1992,
bassoonist Paul Rafanelli has performed frequently on the orchestra’s
Chamber Music Series; he has also performed with the Walla Walla
Chamber Music Festival, Seattle Chamber Music Society, and Seattle
Chamber Players. Before joining the Seattle Symphony in 1992, Mr. Rafanelli
was a member of the Charleston (SC) Symphony Orchestra, and played at
the Festival dei Due Mondi in Italy and the Spoleto Festival USA. For 16
years he served on the faculty of the University of Puget Sound, where he was
the Affiliate Artist in bassoon. In October of 2021 he joined the faculty of the
University of Washington as Artist in Residence. Mr. Rafanelli was born in
Seattle in 1963 and received his training at the University of Washington,
Manhattan School of Music and The Juilliard School. He is fluent in Italian
and also speaks some German. His bassoon was custom made by the
Wilhelm Heckel Co. in Wiesbaden, Germany, in 1986.

Seattle-based cellist Eli Weinberger cultivates an enterprising career as one of the Pacific Northwest’s most versatile performing and recording artists. Working regularly out of Seattle’s infamous recording venues as well as his home studio, C Monster Music, Eli has recorded on the soundtracks for film scores, television shows, video games, music videos, commercials and music albums in a wide array of genres from classical to country. He has performed with ensembles and as a soloist across the United States, Canada and Europe, including appearances on NBC’s Tonight Show and ABC’s drama Station 19.
Eli has a deep passion for creating opportunities where audiences and musicians can come together to experience the unique connectivity of live music. In this spirit, he was a founding member and is currently the principal cellist of Seattle’s acclaimed conductorless ensemble North Corner Chamber Orchestra (NOCCO). While living in Montreal, he established the non-profit, professional training orchestra Pronto Musica, the first of its kind in Canada. Eli has a passion for improving equal access to both traditional and innovative musical experiences, often performing in underserved communities around the Puget Sound.