Orion Winds’ fresh approach to diverse repertoire delivers exciting and thought provoking performances. A woodwind quintet based in Los Angeles, California, its members have diverse musical tastes and cultural backgrounds. They come together to deliver a musical experience that pushes the boundaries of traditional woodwind quintet repertoire. Winners of the Laguna Beach Chamber Music Competition and the Young Artist International auditions, Orion Winds strives to bridge the gap between musical genres and traditional instrumentations by creating eclectic programming. Outreach concerts are a major part of the group’s efforts. Performing concerts that assist music education programs in the public school system, and introducing children to classical music and the instruments often associated with the genre are a major part of Orion Winds’ commitments.
Myka’s wide range of musical interests include classical as well as jazz and avant-garde repertoire. Myka has recorded with jazz and R&B musicians Jimmy Haslip of the Yellowjackets, Sandro Albert, Renato Neto, and Leon Ware, producer of Marvin Gaye. As a participant in the Henry Mancini Institute in 1997 and 2001, she has worked with artists including Vince Mendoza, Quincy Jones, Herbie Hancock, Christian McBride, Terrence Blanchard, Paul McCandless and Diane Reeves. She has played under the baton of conductors Esa-Pekka Salonen, Sergiu Commissiona and John Williams. Myka graduated from the studio of Dr. Joel Timm at the USC Thornton School of Music with a Master’s degree in 2004. She freelances in Los Angeles, has played frequently as a soloist with the L.A. Jewish Symphony, and co-founded the Orion Winds.
is an active performer in the Los Angeles area. She has played principal horn with Michael Buble and Diane Reeves, and has performed with Natalie Cole and Frank Sinatra Jr. She also performs regularly with orchestras in the Los Angeles area, including Opera Pacific, the California Philharmonic, Mladi, Redlands, and Downey Symphonies. Danielle is involved in production and arts-administration as well, assembling and producing annual concerts for the Wild Ginger Philharmonic and the Young Musicians Foundation, and the annual fundraiser for the University of Southern California, Thornton School of Music. Danielle’s principal teachers include Richard Todd, Vince de Rosa, and Jerry Folsom. She graduated with honors from the University of Southern California, Flora L. Thornton School of Music, and is also an alumnus of the Henry Mancini Institute.
was born in Honolulu, Hawaii where she spent the first three years of her life. From there her family moved to California where she continues to make her home. Jennifer is an active orchestral and chamber music performer in the Los Angeles area. She performs regularly with Orion Winds and has played with various orchestras such as Santa Monica Symphony, Redlands Symphony, Pasadena Lyric Opera, and the Emerald Opera Company. She has performed in a variety of venues including the Hollywood Bowl, where she played with the Henry Mancini Institute Orchestra, the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, and the Debut Orchestra in conjunction with Michael Kayman, Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks as well as the Walt Disney Concert Hall where she performed with the USC Symphony, Contemporary Ensemble, Mancini Institute and American Youth Symphony. Other performers she has worked with include David Benoit, Shirley Horn, Dianne Reeves, Jerry Goldsmith, Terence Blanchard, Kelsey Grammer, John Lithgow, Quincy Jones, and Herbie Hancock. Jennifer is also an accomplished soloist, and has performed concertos with the California State University at Stanislaus Symphony, the Modesto State Theater Orchestra, the Henry Mancini Chamber Orchestra, The University of Southern California Wind Ensemble, and the Westchester Symphony.
is a freelance bassoonist currently residing in California. Sara has premiered solo bassoon works by Steven Hoey at Zipper Auditorium in Los Angeles and Marc Lowenstein at California Institute of the Arts. She is currently a member of Vinny Golia’s Large Ensemble, the LA contemporary music group: Ensemble Green, Dakah Hip-Hop Orchestra, Adam Rudolph’s Go Orchestra, and the Orion Woodwind Quintet. Sara performs regularly with Mladi chamber ensemble and a variety of orchestras in the greater Los Angeles area. She has also recorded for independent and feature film. Sara has received a Meet the Composer Grant and Durfee completion grant and has performed jazz, improvised music and contemporary music in festivals both nationally and internationally. She received her BFA from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and her MFA from the California Institute of the Arts.
has performed under such conductors as James Conlon, James Depreist, Charles Dutoit, Bernard Haitink, Jukka-Pekka Saraste, and Edo de Waart. She has soloed with many orchestras including the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the Taipei Symphony in Taiwan, and the Cathedral Bluffs Orchestra in Toronto. In addition, she has given a live CBC radio broadcast recital at the Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto with pianist Patricia Parr, and performed in Manhattan Beach and Beverly Hills at the Sundays at Two Recital Series. Many of her performances have been broadcast on radio and television in the U.S., Canada, Europe, Taiwan, and Japan. Lucy Chuang has won numerous awards, including the Sigma Alpha Iota Pasadena Chapter Award and first prizes in the Taiwan National Music Competition, the Canadian Music Competition, the Kiwanis Music Festival, and honorable mention at the Czech Concertino Prague International Competition. She has performed at the Aspen Music Festival for four years, the South Bohemian Music Festival in Czech, and the Pacific Music Festival in Japan for two years. She was selected by Young Artists International to be part of its 7th annual International Laureates Festival this past summer, performing in Los Angeles and Taos, New Mexico. Lucy Chuang in currently a Master’s candidate at USC, studying with Michele Zukovsky, principal of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and Yehuda Gilad.