meet the musicians

artistic partners

David Upham, Music Director & Conductor
David Upham is in his first year as music director of the Bainbridge Symphony Orchestra. He is active as a conductor, clinician, and teacher across the country, serving recently as a conductor with the Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra organization for six years. He has also conducted at the Marrowstone Summer Music Festival, the Northwest Mahler Festival, Acushnet Classic Ensemble (MA), and Western Kansas Orchestra Festival.

Having recently completed his doctorate in conducting at the University of Washington under Peter Erös, Upham received prior training at the University of Northern Colorado and Luther College. Additionally, he has worked with Gunther Schuller at the Schweitzer Institute, Gustav Meier and Marin Alsop at the Cabrillo Music Festival, and was awarded a Conducting Apprenticeship at the Hot Springs Music Festival.

Bainbridge Island Youth Orchestra (BIYO) ~ April 20, 2008
An exciting addition to the Symphony’s annual schedule of concerts is a collaboration with the Bainbridge Island Youth Orchestra (BIYO). Many of the Island’s young, talented musicians appear as soloists, accompanied by an ensemble of BIYO and BSO musicians.

George Ramsey, Conductor BIYO Senior Orchestra
George Ramsey lives in Indianola and performs as a solo and ensemble jazz pianist and plays recorder in the Agate Pass Baroque Ensemble. He studied clarinet with Walter Thalin. His music education is from Anderson University where he studied piano, voice, theory, composition and conducting. He also studied recorder and Early Music at Tilburg Conservatory of Music in The Netherlands. He has formerly instructed the string orchestra at Mountain View Middle School in Bremerton and has been the director of orchestral music for Bremerton High School. He directs the Indianola Community Chorus and is director of music ensembles for the Parent Assisted Learning Program in the North Kitsap Schools.

Reid Blickenstaff, Conductor BIYO Sinfonietta
Reid Blickenstaff plays viola and violin and has performed in symphonies, orchestras and chamber groups for over 20 years. He studied viola performance and music education at the University of Minnesota. He was the principal violist of the Minneapolis Chamber Symphony, the Lyra Concert and the Rochester Symphony (all at the same time). He has been teaching orchestra, band, and choir since 1993 in Minnesota, Los Angeles, Pasadena, North India, and now in Kitsap where he and his wife live.

Birgitte Gingold, violin soloist
Birgitte Gingold was born in Seattle and has lived on Bainbridge Island for her entire life. When she was four years old she began studying the violin and has been fortunate enough to be a student of Katherine Davies throughout the fourteen year period. Birgitte is currently a senior at Bainbridge High School and is planning on attending a university in the fall where she hopes to study political science and to continue playing the violin. Birgitte is a member of the Bainbridge Island Youth Orchestra as well as the Bainbridge Symphony Orchestra. When she is not practicing her violin or doing her homework, Birgitte enjoys traveling around the world with her family.

Max Aussendorf, cello soloist
Max Aussendorf is a senior at Bainbridge High School, where his interests are in math, physics and computer science. Max also plays soccer for Bainbridge FC ’89, a Premier 2 State League team, and on the varsity team at BHS. He was born in Germany and moved to Bainbridge Island at the age of 4. Soon after moving, he decided he wanted to play the cello, and has been playing ever since. His teachers include Priscilla Jones, Rajan Krishnaswami, and Zon Eastes. Max currently plays in the Bainbridge Island Youth Orchestra, the Bainbridge Symphony Orchestra and with Cello Mania.

Bainbridge Chorale
May 31 & June 1, 2008

In 1971 on Bainbridge Island, population 11,284, a group of music lovers gathered in the home of Gloria and Lou Goller to discuss forming a choral singing group. They recruited singers and an accompanist, and on Sunday, December 12, 1971, in the Bainbridge High School LGI Room, David Pence directed the first performance of the Bainbridge Chorale. The work performed was Antonio Vivaldi's Gloria.

In the subsequent 35 years, the Island 's population has grown to over 22,250, and the Chorale has grown along with it. We are proud to be a part of this organization, which has brought to our community all forms of music - classical, jazz, spirituals, show tunes, folk songs - in an ever-growing repertoire that includes choral masterworks as well as the music of local composers. Many other groups have joined with us in concert over the years, including our Bainbridge school choirs, the Bainbridge Orchestra, the Northwest Symphony Orchestra, Choral Arts Northwest, and the Cascadian Chorale, as well as string quartets, brass chorales, organists, pianists, banjo pickers, and guitarists.

Dr. Anthony Spain, Bainbridge Chorale Music Director
Anthony Spain has been music director of the Bainbridge Chorale since 1999, and music director of the Northwest Symphony Orchestra in Seattle, Washington since 1987. Spain has guest conducted several choirs and orchestras in America and Europe, including the choir of L’UNESCO (the cultural branch of the United Nations) in Paris, France. He is also a regular guest conductor every summer at the Masterworks Festival held in the Chicago area and recently returned from a sabbatical in London and Paris where he assisted John Nelson at the Ensemble Orchestral de Paris. As a vocal performer, he has performed with many groups in America and England, has sung in studio recording projects, and has a Grammy nomination in vocal jazz.

An active educator, adjudicator, clinician, and guest speaker, Spain graduated in 1990 with a Doctoral Degree in Music from the University of Washington where he studied with noted choral conductor Abraham Kaplan and has studied abroad in Paris, France with conductor and teacher Leon Barzin.