Mitch holds a BA and MA in Music from the Eastman School of Music. He has performed with the Greece Symphony Orchestra, the Oregon East Symphony Choral, the Grande Ronde Symphony, and the Rochester Broadway Theatre League.
Nicole Buetti, Adjunct Professor, Bassoon
Nicole Buetti is a bassoonist, contrabassoonist and composer. She is the contrabassoonist for the Vancouver (WA) Symphony, Oregon East Symphony, and the Oregon Coast Music festival, and a bassoonist in the Portland Columbia Symphony and Chameleon Wind Quintet. She is also an active freelance performer.
She has performed with the Haydn Music festival orchestra in Vienna, and as a soloist and chamber music artist with the Assisi Performing Arts Festival in Italy. When she is not performing or teaching, Nicole composes children’s music for the popular YouTube channel “In A World Music Kids” and composes concert works for chamber ensembles, wind symphonies and orchestra.
Rachel Rencher, Adjunct Professor, Flute
Rachel Rencher, flute, is a freelance flutist in the Portland, Oregon area. She is the principal flutist for the Vancouver (USA) Symphony Orchestra and is a member of the Portland Opera and the Bach Cantata Choir Orchestras. She has performed with the Oregon Symphony, Oregon Ballet Theater, Eugene Symphony, Portland Chamber Orchestra, Portland Columbia Symphony (Orchestra Nova Northwest) and several area summer music festivals, including the Astoria Festival of Music, Sunriver Music Festival and the McCall Summer Music Festival. She teaches flute at George Fox University and University of Portland, maintains an active flute studio in the Portland area and is in demand as a clinician and adjudicator.
Mitch Iimori aka “Mitch the Ultimate Multi- Instrumentalist” was born in the city of Kamakura in Japan. His parents were avid fans of foreign movies and music. They had many vinyl record of mostly American music. Mitch learned to drop the needle onto vinyls at age 3 and started listening to those American vinyls. Among them were Peter Paul & Mary, The Brothers Four, Pete Seeger, New Christy Minstrels, Judy Collins, Simon & Garfunkle. He was particularly drawn to the sounds of guitar and banjo, and decided to learn to play them. As his brother was already playing the piano, he decided to give it a try at age 7, but soon discovered doing the same thing as his brother, who was a high achiever, was not a good way to go. So he picked up the guitar.
Mitch holds a BA and MA in Music from the Eastman School of Music. He has performed with the Greece Symphony Orchestra, the Oregon East Symphony Choral, the Grande Ronde Symphony, and the Rochester Broadway Theatre League.
Don Norton, Assistant Professor, Director of Jazz Studies, Saxophone
Don Norton is an assistant professor of music and director of jazz studies at the University of Portland. As a saxophonist, he has performed extensively in a variety of styles that include jazz, classical, world music, and musical theatre, and he has performed throughout the United States and abroad, including a tour of Costa Rica with world music group Panoramic. His research interests include jazz history and pedagogical methods for jazz and saxophone performance, and he has presented research at conferences of the Jazz Education Network and the North American Saxophone Alliance.
Don previously taught at Gustavus Adolphus College, Minnesota State University-Mankato, Spoon River College, and Laramie County Community College, and he served as a graduate assistant in the Jazz Studies Department at the University of Northern Colorado. Additionally, he has taught at the Northern Illinois University Community School of the Arts, as well as the summer jazz camps of Northern Illinois University, Western Illinois University, and the Birch Creek Music Performance Center. He is also a clinician with the Vandoren Regional Artist program. More information can be found at www.donniesax.com.
Don holds degrees from the University of Northern Colorado, the New England Conservatory of Music, and Northern Illinois University. Outside of music, his interests include running, reading, watching sports and other television shows, and hanging out with his dog, Buddy.
Education:
Doctor of Arts, University of Northern Colorado
Master of Music, New England Conservatory of Music
Bachelor of Music, Northern Illinois University
Igor Shakhman, Adjunct Professor, Clarinet
As a chamber musician and soloist, Igor has played in international music festivals in Oregon, Colorado, France, Greece, Russia and Switzerland. Igor has participated in two critically acclaimed Broadway tours: the first national tour of Oklahoma! and as principal clarinetist and on-stage soloist in the North American tour of Fiddler on the Roof. He received his B.A. in Music from Kharkov Music College, his Master’s from the Moscow Conservatory and his Doctorate from the University of Colorado.
He teaches at the University of Portland and is the Oregon state chair for the International Clarinet Association. In addition to being principal clarinet, he’s also the orchestra’s Executive Director.
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