Music Ambassador Ensembles
The BrassWind ensembles are the music department’s flagship wind chamber quintets. Members are selected from a competitive annual audition and act as ambassadors for Western’s wind chamber program into the regional community.
Charlie Burns
Benjamin Medranda Lentz
He/Him
What do your friends call you?
Ben
Where were you before attending Western?
Snohomish High School
Year in school?
Senior
What's your major(s)?
Music Performance, Education
What's your main instrument?
Horn
Do you play any other instruments?
Tenor Saxophone
Who are your favorite "classical music" composers?
Debussy, Tchaikovsky
Who are your favorite "non-classical music" artists?
Finneas, Abba
What is the most recent thing you listened to?
Bo Burnham's Inside
Why is chamber music important to you?
Chamber music to me is essential to becoming a well rounded musician. Playing in small group trains your ear and can help your collaboration skills. Beyond that brass quintet music is a blast.
How do you motivate yourself to practice your instrument?
I remind myself of all the progress I've made over the years, and how happy I am to have stuck it out even when I felt discouraged.
What do you like most about Western?
I love how positive and supporting the culture of music program is
What's a good spot on campus to eat lunch?
Behind the Pac on the wooden art piece, it has great view of the bay.
What advice would you give to your past 17-year old self?
Computer Science is not your dream, music is
Complete this sentence: "10 years from now I'll be..."
Performing in orchestras across Europe
Elijah Yost
He/Him
What do your friends call you?
Eli
Where were you before attending Western?
Blaine High School
Year in school?
Junior
What's your major(s)?
Music Education
What's your main instrument?
Euphonium
Do you play any other instruments?
I also play guitar and bass
Who are your favorite "classical music" composers?
Percy Grainger, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Gustav Holst
Who are your favorite "non-classical music" artists?
Mac Demarco, Chet Baker, Elton John
What is the most recent thing you listened to?
The Incredibles Soundtrack
Why is chamber music important to you?
I enjoy the more intimate soloistic musical experience
How do you motivate yourself to practice your instrument?
Every time I practice, I try to allot time to play music that I enjoy
What do you like most about Western?
The strong sense of community
What's a good spot on campus to eat lunch?
On the PAC's boardwalk sculpture
What advice would you give to your past 17-year old self?
Don't get a degree in Bio
Complete this sentence: "10 years from now I'll be..."
teaching a high school band program
Jared Johnson
Cameron Nielson
He/Him
What do your friends call you?
Cameron
Where were you before attending Western?
Vancouver, WA
Year in school?
Junior
What's your major(s)?
Music Education/Composition
What's your main instrument?
Trumpet
Do you play any other instruments?
Most of them, from a scale of 6th grade level to high school!
Who are your favorite "classical music" composers?
Rimsky-Korsakov, Holst, John Williams
Who are your favorite "non-classical music" artists?
Cody Fry, Ben Rector, Hozier
What is the most recent thing you listened to?
Mahler’s Symphony no. 2
Why is chamber music important to you?
Chamber music, especially brass quintet music, is a far more intimate and involved experience than a larger ensemble. The musicianship achievable is, in my opinion, the highest you can.
How do you motivate yourself to practice your instrument?
After a 10 hour block of classes and other school commitments, it gets incredibly difficult to do this. Outside of every day warmups, the goal is to always have solo rep that is incredibly interesting and challenging, that makes me *want* to unravel and master it.
What do you like most about Western?
I love the community, especially in the music department.
What's a good spot on campus to eat lunch?
The PAC instrumental library.
What advice would you give to your past 17-year old self?
Be okay with being yourself! The people worth being around will accept it and stick around.
Complete this sentence: "10 years from now I'll be..."
Teaching at a high school, writing pieces for commission, and have a family.
Rain Staser
He/Him
What do your friends call you?
Rain
Where were you before attending Western?
Shoreline, Washington
Year in school?
Senior
What's your major(s)?
Music Performance, French
What's your main instrument?
Oboe
Do you play any other instruments?
Harp, Piano
Who are your favorite "classical music" composers?
Debussy, Ravel. Salzedo, Tchaikovsky, Chopin
Who are your favorite "non-classical music" artists?
bohren and der club of gore
What is the most recent thing you listened to?
You're in a dream for 11 hours in Wonderland
Why is chamber music important to you?
Chamber music is important to me because it is an opportunity to connect deeply to music through team-work and delicate exposed musicality.
How do you motivate yourself to practice your instrument?
To keep my passion for music alive, I play pieces of music that I have hand selected out of pure love.
What do you like most about Western?
I cherish the sense of understanding and care that envelops the music department.
What's a good spot on campus to eat lunch?
At the music department's designated table of companionship and banter on lower level two.
What advice would you give to your past 17-year old self?
la vie est belle
Complete this sentence: "10 years from now I'll be..."
10 years from now will be a beautiful time like any other. I will always continue to do the things that light up my heart so that I can bring joy to the world.
Connor Garrod
She/Her
What do your friends call you?
Connor
Where were you before attending Western?
Flagstaff, Arizona
Year in school?
Senior
What's your major(s)?
Freshwater and Terrestrial Ecology major, Spanish minor
What's your main instrument?
Clarinet
Do you play any other instruments?
No
Who are your favorite "classical music" composers?
Bach, Vivaldi, Tchaikovsky, Julie Giroux
Who are your favorite "non-classical music" artists?
Flor, Caamp, half.alive, COIN, Leon
What is the most recent thing you listened to?
Worship music
Why is chamber music important to you?
Chamber music is important to me because I get to connect with other musicians on a more personal level. Being in a small setting allows all of the players a say in how we should play certain things, which you don't normally get in a bigger band setting.
How do you motivate yourself to practice your instrument?
Music is my relief from all of my other classes. I get to use a different part of my brain than I'm used to.
What do you like most about Western?
I love all of the connections I've made with so many people across campus.
What's a good spot on campus to eat lunch?
The Miller Market Collab Space
What advice would you give to your past 17-year old self?
Stop worrying so much about your grades. Do your homework, but not in a way that stresses you out to no end. College isn't as scary as you think; everything works out.
Complete this sentence: "10 years from now I'll be..."
10 years from now I'll hopefully be working for a non-profit or government-based environmental organization while still playing clarinet in a community band. I will hopefully still be in Washington state.
David Pike
He/Him
What do your friends call you?
David, although you may call me Pike if you want.
Where were you before attending Western?
I was at Olympia High School, in Olympia,WA
Year in school?
Sophomore
What's your major(s)?
Environmental Science
What's your main instrument?
French Horn
Do you play any other instruments?
No
Who are your favorite "classical music" composers?
John Williams (if he counts), Maslanka, R. Strauss
Who are your favorite "non-classical music" artists?
Michael Jackson, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar
What is the most recent thing you listened to?
Family Ties by Baby Keem and Kendrick Lamar
Why is chamber music important to you?
Chamber music is fun. I like having the opportunity to play music that's different compared to music that's typically played in an orchestra or band.
How do you motivate yourself to practice your instrument?
I don't like to fall behind, and I don't want to let my colleagues down.
What do you like most about Western?
The convenience of it. It's not too far away from home for me, the campus isn't too large, and it's easy to go downtown.
What's a good spot on campus to eat lunch?
I don't know to be honest. Perhaps on the tables outside near the performing arts center, if it's not windy.
What advice would you give to your past 17-year old self?
Put your mental and physical health first, and keep it that way.
Complete this sentence: "10 years from now I'll be..."
Hopefully, doing whatever I want to be doing, and this can apply to my job/career, my social life, my health, possibly all of the above.
Taylor-Marie Mocorro
They/Them
What do your friends call you?
My friends normally call me either Taylor or MaeMae! I got the nickname MaeMae from an old friend who didn't want to call me TayTay. She ended up taking my second name and shortening it to get MaeMae instead.
Where were you before attending Western?
Before attending Western I was actually a music major at Central Washington University! I decided Western was a better fit for me and I ended up transferring
Year in school?
Junior
What's your major(s)?
I'm majoring in Music Education and Bassoon Performance!
What's your main instrument?
My main instrument is Bassoon!
Do you play any other instruments?
I actually just started learning baroque bassoon recently! It's very different than normal bassoon. I also play ukulele! I started learning it when I was back visiting family in Hawaii.
Who are your favorite "classical music" composers?
I really love Vivaldi! It took me a really long time to really appreciate baroque music. Some of my favorite baroque pieces on bassoon all happen to be by Vivaldi! But one composer that has my absolute heart is Lucrecia Roces Kasilag! Kasilag is a Filipina composer and she is known for incorporating indigenous Filipino instruments in her orchestral works!
Who are your favorite "non-classical music" artists?
This is a really hard question to answer because I listen to so many genres of music it's hard to choose a favorite. But I can narrow it down to three! First is Vulfpeck, their music literally can get me out of any bad mood I'm in! My second is Greta Van Fleet. I saw them live this past September and that concert was absolutely life changing! Picking this last one was hard because I wanted to choose another artist that represents a part of me, so I'd have to go with Excision, his festival (Bass Canyon) was the first rave I ever went to with my best friend and I have so many fond memories of listening to his music with her!
What is the most recent thing you listened to?
The most recent thing I listened to was Da Mystery of Chessboxin' by Wu-Tang Clan! Wu-Tang is a group I grew up listening to because of my uncles, they gave me a true appreciation for dj'ing and kung fu movies (since Wu-Tang uses samples from Old-School kung fu movies)!
Why is chamber music important to you?
I find chamber music very different to large ensemble and solo playing! I think there is something very special about being able to make connections within the music with my group members. Sometimes those connections that happen when we play can feel like pure magic.
How do you motivate yourself to practice your instrument?
I think of my grandpa. He was my best friend growing up and he passed away when I was very young. But I always think of how proud he would be of me, and that motivates me to practice so I can improve!
What do you like most about Western?
I think that everyone has been so welcoming! Even when I started during the pandemic everyone was so welcoming! It really helped build up the confidence that I lost as a bassoonist!
What's a good spot on campus to eat lunch?
I love eating outside behind the PAC! When it's nice out it's an amazing place to sit, enjoy the weather and get out of LL2!
What advice would you give to your past 17-year old self?
Things are going to get better, it may seem rough but you're working so hard and even the smallest progress is something to be proud of. Change won't happen over night so keep pushing.
Complete this sentence: "10 years from now I'll be..."
In 10 years from now I'll be teaching! I don't know at what capacity but I know I want to be teaching young bassoonist and help them find their confidence as a musician.
Looking for more information?
If you have any questions, we're happy to find you an answer. Call the Music Department Office 360-650-3130, or view the directory of faculty and staff.