Concert 1, 1PM: Camerata and Symphony
The Camerata Strings
Kimberly Blake-Kilgore, Conductor
Since 1991, the Camerata Strings under the direction of Kimberly Blake-Kilgore, has provided string musicians with the opportunity to participate in an outstanding and rewarding intermediate string orchestra program. The orchestra is composed of approximately 40 auditioned musicians from the San Fernando Valley, Simi Valley, Conejo Valley and surrounding communities. In this group we offer the opportunity for string musicians to learn the skills necessary for successful orchestral playing. Orchestral techniques are taught with special emphasis on the following: developing more advanced musicianship skills, blending with others, following the conductor, bow technique, dynamics, learning to work with other musicians, weekly practice techniques, auditioning skills, and learning to polish orchestral music as a cohesive ensemble ready for performance. The repertoire for Camerata Strings includes arranged and original classical symphonic works from various style periods ranging from Baroque to Contemporary, as well as familiar themes from movie scores.
Kimberly Blake-Kilgore earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from California State University, Northridge, where she studied violin performance with Kathleen Lenski. She has built a reputation as a renowned private teacher for young violinists since 1980. As the founder of the CSUNYO Camerata Strings, Mrs. Kilgore has been conducting the ensemble since 1991. As a professional freelance violinist, she has performed with numerous orchestras throughout the Los Angeles area, including the Santa Barbara Symphony Orchestra. She was privileged to tour with conductor Kent Nagano throughout the Caribbean and the British Isles. In 1983, Kimberly was a member of the International Philharmonic, performing at the prestigious Edinburgh Music Festival in Scotland. She has toured throughout Europe, Australia, Mexico, Australia, and the Caribbean performing with her violin. Kimberly has enjoyed a diverse career in the LA studios which includes recording for TV, motion pictures, and various pop, jazz and classical recording artists. As violin soloist, she toured and recorded with R&B singer Teena Marie. She has performed and recorded with such greats as Jazz artist Ray Charles, Placido Domingo, Michael Bolton, Laurie Anderson, Rod Stewart, Everette Harp, and others.
Kimberly is highly motivated to provide opportunities for children to experience music. As a young violinist, she had the opportunity to perform under several great conductors including Kent Nagano, Yehudi Menuhin, Calvin Simmons and Denis de Coteau. These conductors influenced her life and made a huge impact on her approach to teaching music. She has been successful in helping create a strong strings program in the elementary schools in Thousand Oaks where she lives with her husband studio percussionist Brian.
The Symphony
The Symphony is an intermediate orchestra of 70-90 members and plays both standard works and arrangements. Players are expected to have approximately four years or more of experience. Auditions take place through video auditions between July 1 and August 31 of each year.
Elizabeth Blake, Conductor
Elizabeth Blake is a Pasadena native who began her violin studies at the age of three. She earned a Bachelor of Music Performance in violin from Northwestern University in 1989, and moved to Tennessee, where she served as Assistant Principal Second Violin in the Knoxville Symphony and Chamber Orchestras for seven years. During that time, Ms. Blake appeared several times as the featured soloist with the Chamber Orchestra, as well as in frequent performances for the Knoxville Symphony Chamber Music Series and on local radio broadcasts.
In 1997 Mrs. Blake returned to California, where she pursued a freelance performance career. She has toured with Michael Crawford, Yanni, and other international artists, and has performed as principal second violin for the Thousand Oaks Philharmonic, the California Philharmonic, the Santa Maria Philharmonic, and the West Coast Chamber Orchestra, as well as in the sections of the New West Symphony and other orchestras throughout the Los Angeles area. She can also be heard on soundtracks for Sony, Warner Brothers and Castle Rock Entertainment.
Ms. Blake began her teaching career in 1981 at the age of 15, giving private violin and viola instruction. While with the Knoxville Symphony, she was an active member of the KSO Youth Education and Outreach Program, bringing classical music into the Knox County public schools. In 2001 she founded the String program at Los Cerritos Middle School in Thousand Oaks, and in 2007 took over the Orchestra program at Westlake High School. Both schools have thriving orchestras, and have received superior ratings at more than 75 festival appearances over the past twenty years.
Concert 2, 4PM The Philharmonic
Dr. Dean Anderson, Conductor
Dean Anderson is frequently engaged as a guest conductor with professional orchestras around the globe. Most recently, he conducted Il Barbiere di Siviglia in Pisa, Italy and previously orchestras such as the Orquesta del Festival Gaudix Clásica in Spain, and the Orchestra Filarmonica Campana in Cervinara, Italy. He has been the Music Director and Artistic Director for the Dana Point Symphony for more than a decade.
In addition to his professional engagements. Dr. Anderson enjoys working with students and community members to help them strive for higher levels of artistic excellence. He constantly bridges the gap between professional organizations and educational institutions. He served on an international jury for the Hong Kong International Music Festival and is often invited as guest clinician with local school districts, including those in Riverside, Santa Ana, and Irvine. He has initiated collaborative events between his orchestral ensembles and local schools and churches in order to help fund their special programs. Mr. Anderson is also the Artistic Director for Symphony Irvine and the Director of Orchestral Studies at La Sierra University.
Dr. Anderson completed his Doctor of Musical Arts degree at UCLA under the mentorship of Neal Stulberg. He studied conducting with Edward Dolbashian and violin with John McLeod at the University of Missouri – Columbia. Additionally, he has participated in conducting workshops with Gustav Meier, Mark Gibson, Marin Alsop, Mihail Agafita, Don Thulean, and Lawrence Golan.
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