October 24, 2007

CSO Introduces Nouveau Chamber Players

CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra is pleased to announce a new high school chamber music group, CSO Nouveau Chamber Players, comprised of six African-American high school string students.

The 2007-2008 CSO Nouveau Chamber Players include:

Titilayo Ayangade, cello

Kori Hill, violin/viola

Justin Hisle, violin

Patrice Kirksey, violin

Alan Lawson, violin

Timothy Ovia, violin

These students successfully auditioned for the group and will perform locally. The CSO is providing CSO Nouveau Chamber Players with free chamber music lessons and coaching by local violinist Marion Peraza de Webb.

“This is a great new experience for young musicians, and being part of the Nouveau Chamber Players’ first year is an accomplishment that I hold very closely to my heart and I cannot stop repeating how honored and eager I am to be part of this,” said Violinist/Violist Kori Hill. “With this group, we’re not only spreading music played by musicians at a high level, we’re taking our music to every corner of Cincinnati. Any music out into the community is something very important to me and now I’m part of a group whose goal is the same!”

“Nouveau Chamber Players is an important new initiative that can really be a springboard for careers in classical music,” said Kathy Finley, CSO manager for diversity and community engagement, who serves as a parent liaison and mentor for the group. “Nouveau Chamber Players already received invitations to perform from The Excel Club, Urban League of Greater Cincinnati, Zion Baptist Church, Women’s Alliance, Inc. and the Queen City Chapter of The Links Incorporated.”

Five of the CSO Nouveau Chamber Players members are also members of the CSYO, the sixth is a CSYO alternate.

“The idea of the Nouveau Chamber Players grew out of the CSYO and the CSO’s Education programs — both of which have been on the forefront of diversity initiatives,” said Anne Cushing-Reid, CSO manager of educational activities.

CSO Nouveau Chamber Players is a program of Sound Discoveries: Music for Career and is made possible by The Corbett Educational Endowment.

Student Bios

Titilayo Ayangade
Titilayo M. Ayangade, a native Cincinnatian, Cellist and Pianist is a 15-year-old sophomore at Walnut Hills High School. Currently Ayangade’s activities include performing with the Cincinnati Symphony Youth Orchestra, The Starling Chamber Orchestra, a quartet in the Starling project, Walnut Hills High School orchestra and now the CSO Nouveau Chamber Players. She has participated in Ohio Music Education Association’s (OMEA) contest and received a one rating. Her private lesson coach is Yeketrina Janpoladyan.

She began studying music at age five at Schiel Elementary School for the Performing Arts and then attended the School for the Creative and Performing Arts Ayangade first began with cello performance, then piano. She has studied music theory and music history as well. Ayangade has actively pursued music by attending summer camps at the Wyoming Center for the Musical Arts, Accent on Music directed by Dorothea Hoffman at CCM, the Norse Festival at Northern Kentucky University, Cincinnati Junior Strings and Bowdoin University in Maine.

Her personal interests are reading profusely, playing sports (tennis and soccer) and photography. Ayangade is the daughter of Linda McClellan and resides in Amberley Village. Her father, Samuel Ayangade, resides in Nigeria.

Kori Hill
Kori Hill, 17, has played the violin for eight years and recently started playing viola. In addition to playing with the Cincinnati Symphony Youth Orchestra and the CSO Nouveau Chamber Players, she teaches a music reading class and is a private student and assists the music director of the Vision Chamber Orchestra, Gayle Jackson in Wyoming, Ohio. Hill also conducts, and has studied with Ms. Jackson and David Barg (NY). Now in her last year of high school, Hill will attend college as a music performance major next fall and can’t wait to start! Her true musical passion lies in teaching.

Hill’s personal interests include reading, drawing and writing. She is the daughter of Anthony and Brenda Hill and resides in College Hill.

Justin Hisle
Justin Hisle is a junior at Winton Woods High School where he serves as Concertmaster. He has been playing violin for six years, studies with CSO Violinist James Braid and recently won an audition for the Cincinnati Symphony Youth Orchestra. Hisle started playing the violin in the fifth grade at Winton Forest Elementary. In his eighth-grade year he became Concertmaster and also participated in District 14 Honors Orchestra. He has taken lessons with Violist/Violinist Kathy Rodriguez. He then auditioned for and was accepted into the Blue Ash Youth Symphony Orchestra as a First Violin and the Southwest Regional Orchestra. He has participated in Ohio Music Education Association’s (OMEA) contest and received a one rating. Hisle has attended the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp and was part of the Symphonic Orchestra

Hisle has traveled far in his journey to become a violinist. He is a hard worker who is dedicated to achieving his dreams of becoming a violinist. Hisle plans to attend CCM as a performance major. He is the song of Randall and Donita Hisle and lives in Forest Park.

Patrice Kirksey
Patrice Kirksey is a sophomore at St. Ursula Academy High School where she is Concertmaster of the school orchestra.  She currently studies with Gayna Bassin. 

She is a member of the Cincinnati Symphony Youth Orchestra, an educational program of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. In 2005 and 2006, she performed as pre-concert entertainment at Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra concerts. She was a four-year member of Cincinnati Junior Strings Orchestra, a group of 58 string musicians between the ages of 10 and 15.  In July 2004, Patrice traveled with Cincinnati Junior Strings Orchestra to Australia for a three-week tour.

Kirksey is a member of Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Woodlawn. In her spare time, she enjoys going out with friends and listening to music. She is the daughter of Sanford and Karen Kirksey and lives in Forest Park.

Alan Lawson Jr.
Alan Lawson Jr. is a 14-year-old freshman at Walnut Hills High School and has studied violin for 10 years with Yuko Tsujimoto. Lawson is currently serving his second year as co-concertmaster for the Walnut Hills High School Chamber Orchestra, is a member of the Cincinnati Symphony Youth Orchestra, and is a member of the Walnut Hills High School Quartet. Lawson has been a member of several orchestras including Cincinnati Junior Strings and Academy Youth Orchestra. He has played at a number of venues including CSO pre-concert performances, Lincoln Center’s Orchestra Cup in New York, Juneteeth at Eden Park, Kidsfest at Sawyer Point Norsefest at NKU and Accent ‘02 and ‘03 at CCM. Lawson participates in community outreach opportunities whenever they are available. His hobbies include hanging out with friends, watching the Steelers, basketball, soccer, playing Playstation, playing lead and bass guitar, piano, cello and hip hop violin.

Lawson is the son of Alan (deceased) and Lisa Lawson and lives in Silverton.

Timothy Ovia
Timothy Ovia first realized his talent for music when he was six singing in his church choir. Today, Ovia performs in the Finneytown High School Orchestra, participates in the Cincinnati Symphony Nouveau Chamber Players and was selected as an alternate in the Cincinnati Symphony Youth Orchestra. He was one of the first students to be inducted into his school’s Tri-M Honors Society, an organization in which students give back to their community through music. He began to play violin at the age of 9 through Finneytown’s Elementary School Orchestra under the instruction of Heidi Johnson. Tim began private lessons at age 13 with Kelly Hickey. He practiced continuously which led to his achievement of Concertmaster in his 8th grade year at Finneytown Middle School Orchestra. He has participated in the Ohio Music Education Association’s (OMEA) Solo and Ensemble Contest both in his 7th and 8th grade years and achieved three one rating in Solo performance and two one ratings in Ensemble Performance. He plans to attend Miami University and earn his Ph.D. in Music Performance. He is the son of Carla and Alex Ovia and resides in Finneytown.