A seasonal music camp for adults - IM leads the way as a non-competitive, non-auditioned, educational orchestra for adult string players.

Sarah Jylkka is a Washington-based professional violinist with over 15 years of experience in classrooms and orchestras. She has directed orchestras at El Sistema Colorado, coached for various student festivals in the Denver metro area, and served as an orchestra director for Mapleton Public Schools in Thornton, CO from 2017-2021. She remains active as an instrumental coach, performer, private teacher, and orchestra clinician.  Sarah holds both a Bachelor's Degree in Music Education from DePauw University in Greencastle, IN as well as an active Washington State Teacher's License endorsed in K-12 instrumental music. Sarah was the 2016 recipient of the DePauw University Music Citizen award granted to a student with outstanding service to the community through music as well as the 2o16 recipient of the Leah Curnutt Prize granted to an outstanding senior Music Education major. Sarah has been featured in Life on Capitol Hill and VoyageDenver. Notably, Sarah has performed with members of Elephant Revival, LVDY, The Blind Cafe Orchestra, Su Teatro, Nordic Daughter, Suhl Ensemble, the Arapahoe Philharmonic, Stratus Chamber Orchestra, recorded SFX for Mt. Mograph, and has designed sound for both The Pandemic Collective and Bewilderment Theater Company. Sarah has studied under Ericka Dicker, Dan Rizner, Tarn Travers, and Julia Taylor. Sarah currently works in Washington public schools. You can see Sarah perform on violin around the US with the Viking rock band, Nordic Daughter.

Violinist and violist Maria Droz started playing the violin in 4th grade orchestra class and strings have been a part of her life ever since. In high school, under the guidance of her private teacher, she taught several high strings students and confirmed her passion for teaching. She went on to earn double B.A.’s in Violin Performance and Broad Area Music Education from Central Washington University, graduating summa cum laude. While there, she performed in various ensembles, including serving as concertmaster for the CWU Symphony’s Halloween concert where she performed the famous Dance Macabre violin solo. Other performance and teaching highlights include: Wenatchee Valley Symphony, Lake Chelan Bach Festival, and coaching for Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra’s (SYSO) summer orchestra camp. Her primary teachers and mentors include Judy Beatie, Carrie Rehkopf, Denise Dillenbeck, and Terry Shade.  After graduating college, she taught orchestra for grades 5-8 in the Bethel School District for six years where she grew the Spanaway Middle School Orchestra program from 80 to 200+ in just four years. Currently, she enjoys teaching her thriving private studio of violin and viola students in Puyallup. Her encouraging nature paired with high standards has helped her students earn superior ratings at regional Solo and Ensemble Festivals. She also coaches for public schools and has been a guest clinician for a local Large Group Festival. When not teaching, she enjoys spending time with her husband (also a violinist), cooking, being in nature, and listening to podcasts. She is very much looking forward to working with everyone at camp this year!

Tricia completed her Bachelor of Arts (2016) with a psychology minor and Master’s degree (2018) in music performance at Portland State University. She studied viola privately under Brian Quincy of the Oregon Symphony and renowned composer Kenji Bunch. Her Portland based private studio consisted of neuro-divergent students in which she brought piano and violin lessons to homes that thought it was inaccessible. Tricia has performed viola and violin professionally with groups such as Columbia River Strings, Portland Columbia Symphony Orchestra, the Zach Banks Quartet, Eastern Oregon Symphony, and Oregon Music Festival. In addition to her live performances, she is credited on professional recordings of artists such as Max Ribner, Joe Kye, June Magnolia, and Eriks Esenvalds. Other conductors Tricia has collaborated with include Ken Selden (Portland State University), Steven Byess (Portland Columbia Symphony Orchestra), Jonathan DeBruyn (Eugene Symphony), and Zach Banks (Grande Ronde Symphony Orchestra). While Tricia’s orchestra experience is extensive she would rather play chamber music in quartets and chamber orchestras. She has played both piano and viola for about 20 years. In addition to being an artist, Tricia has experience in artistic operations under Chamber Music Northwest and other nonprofit organizations solidifying her organizational skills and making her a reliable collaborator and communicator. Her guiding philosophy when teaching is to foster music appreciation. She moved from Portland in 2022 to study at Pima Medical Institute in Renton to study occupational therapy assisting, her other professional area of practice. Her occupational therapy training and previous experience with the neuro-divergent population make her uniquely capable of teaching musical skills that can be generalized beyond the lesson, such as critical thinking and creative problem solving. Her knowledge in this field greatly informs her teaching due to her training in motor skills, task analysis, and occupational models. In her spare time, you can find her reading every genre, drinking boba, and practicing viola.

Chris Burns is principal bassist of Symphony Tacoma.  He is also an active freelance musician, performing regularly with the Seattle Symphony, Seattle Opera, and Pacific Northwest Ballet. Chris has been a featured soloist in concerto performances with Symphony Tacoma, Butte Symphony, and the University of Montana Orchestra, as well as in numerous recitals and chamber music collaborations. Chris earned his Bachelors of Music from the New England Conservatory in Boston, and was a Fulbright Scholar at the Universität für Musik in Vienna, Austria.  In addition to his performing career, Chris is also the orchestra director at Narrows View Intermediate School in the University Place School District, WA, and was the 2015 UPSD “Teacher of the Year.”

Wesley Hunter is a conductor, educator, and violist, currently based in Tacoma, Washington. In 2022, he completed a Master’s in Instrumental Conducting from Central Washington University, where he studied conducting with Nikolas Caoile and viola with Michelle Rahn. While a student at CWU, Wesley routinely conducted the school’s Symphony and Opera Orchestras, gave recitals on viola, served as assistant conductor for the Wenatchee Valley Symphony, and made his debut at the prestigious Midwest Clinic in Chicago. In 2014, he received dual Bachelor’s degrees in Music Education and Performance from Northern Arizona University, earning one of the school’s Gold Axe Awards for outstanding student service. Originally from Southern Arizona, Wesley spent 5 years teaching orchestra and choir for grades 5-12 in Tucson’s Sunnyside Unified School District, where he most recently served as director of both the Desert View and Sunnyside High School orchestras. During his time there, each school’s program experienced growth in both size and quality. Guest engagements directing honor orchestras in southern Arizona followed his successes both at school and in his private studio where he taught various string instruments. Wesley’s students have routinely achieved high marks at festivals, and several auditioned successfully for membership in regional honor ensembles. ​ While teaching, playing, and guest directing, Wesley has continued to hone his conducting skills in orchestral conducting workshops in New York, Illinois, and Maine. Prior conducting teachers include Kenneth Kiesler (University of Michigan) and Toru Tagawa (Music Director of the Tucson Repertory Orchestra). For the last two summers, he has also served as an orchestra pit conductor for Leavenworth Summer Theater.  As a violist, Wesley has participated in summer festivals in Arizona, New Mexico, and British Columbia, and has also performed with professional orchestras in Tucson, Phoenix, Flagstaff, Olympia, and across Central Washington. Wesley is a former board member for Tucson Junior Strings, an alumnus of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity, and has served as an officer for the Arizona chapter of the American String Teachers Association (ASTA). Currently, he directs the Prelude String Orchestra with the Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra (SYSO) organization, teaches middle school orchestra in Tacoma Public Schools, and lives with his two well-fed cats.

“I awna pay a biowin!” Caitlin Olive’s first sentence was the start of a lifelong obsession with orchestra. Caitlin studied the Suzuki Method under Mihoko Hirata (Dr. Shinichi Suzuki’s first ambassador to North America) for 16 years. She then attended DePauw University, studying violin performance and improvisation, before earning a BA from the University of Washington in 2012. In 2020, Caitlin and her husband, Locke Bell, founded Olive Tree Music: a nonprofit designed to bridge the gap between public school music programs and the music education every student deserves. Olive Tree Music provides private lessons year-round and hosts Rock Orchestra Camps on Mercer Island each summer. Scholarships are available for lesson tuition, camp tuition, instrument rentals, and supplies. Currently, Caitlin serves as Orchestra Assistant for the 5th-8th grade orchestra program at Islander Middle School on Mercer Island, WA. She also plays in the Rainbow City Orchestra in Seattle, WA, which highlights and celebrates marginalized artists and identities while sharing their performances with artists that represent, uplift, and excite LGBTQIA+ communities. Caitlin also loves to rock out on her NS 5-string electric violin. On a typical Friday night, you’ll find her out playing a gig with one of her bands - Merchant Mariner, OLIZAR, or Casting Shadows. Merchant Mariner’s sophomore album, We Are Why We Can’t Have Nice Things, is set for release in 2025. Caitlin’s hit single, Paper Bag, is available on all streaming platforms. On those rare sunny Saturdays with no commitments, Caitlin loves to cuddle Napoleon the Orange (tabby), free jam with her niece, Jackie, on drums, and watch 90 Day Fiancé. www.olivetreemusic.org | www.caitlinolive.com

Marisa Robbins is a cellist and music educator in training based in the Tacoma area. She is currently a senior at Pacific Lutheran University, where she is pursuing a double major in Music Education (with a concentration in secondary orchestra) and Cello Performance. With over ten years of playing experience, Marisa has served as principal cellist of the PLU Symphony Orchestra and performed in a variety of chamber ensembles. Her performance background also includes playing in pit orchestras for PLU opera and musical theatre productions, as well as serving as an orchestral musician for regional events such as the Tacoma Music Collaborative Concerto Festival and the Cascade Conducting Orchestral Masterclass. In addition to performing, Marisa teaches private cello lessons and enjoys helping students build confidence and strong foundational skills through clear, supportive instruction.