2026-27 V E N T I C O R D I M U S I C I A N S
All Concerts: Artistic Director Kathleen McNerney - Oboe, English Horn, Oboe d'Amore
Oboist and VentiCordi Director Kathleen McNerney has been hailed by critics for her ‘rich, full bodied tone’ and ‘attention to the natural, and enticing timbre of the instrument’. Kathleen finds chamber music to be the ideal outlet for her music making. The founding of VentiCordi has fulfilled a lifelong dream.
She currently teaches oboe at Bowdoin and Bates Colleges and is the woodwind chamber music coach at Bowdoin. She also teaches at the Portland Conservatory of Music. Kathleen has performed with many New England and Maine based performing organizations such as the Portland Symphony, PortOpera, Bay Chamber Concerts, Portland String Quartet, Maine Music Society, Maine Chamber Ensemble, New Hampshire Symphony, New Hampshire Bach Festival and New Hampshire Summer Music Festival.
Before moving to Maine, Kathleen lived in Los Angeles for nineteen years. During those years Kathleen enjoyed a prolific and varied playing career, working in many regional orchestras, playing all positions and appearing as soloist several times. In 2004, she premiered a commissioned piece for English horn, written for her, as a long standing member of the Orchestra of St. Matthews.
She was oboist for two woodwind quintets, Imbroglio and Calico Winds and recorded with both groups. Her recording with Calico Winds was praised in the Los Angeles Times as ‘proceeds from Bach to Zappa…projecting solid musical values all the way…crossed all the style lines and gotten away with it.’ Additional playing experience includes opera, ballet, movie soundtracks and musical theatre. Some of Kathleen's favorite work while in Los Angeles was playing for silent movies and with local pop artists.
While in California, Kathleen held teaching positions at Azusa Pacific University, La Sierra University and Glendale Community College.
Kathleen is a graduate of the Hartt School of Music, where she studied with Humbert Lucarelli, and the University of Southern California. Further studies were with Allan Vogel, former Principal Oboe with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra.
All Concerts: Artistic Director Dean Stein - Violin, Viola
Violinist Dean Stein has performed throughout the world in recital, with orchestras, chamber music
ensembles, and as soloist. His performances frequently garner critical acclaim, as in a recording of which ‘The Strad’ magazine wrote, “Dean Arthur Stein excels in the first violin’s improvisatory cadenza, his fierce yet luxuriant tone setting the mood...”
A passionate performer who expresses himself best through chamber music, Mr. Stein was honored to be chosen as first violinist of the Portland String Quartet in 2013, the first change of personnel in the distinguished PSQ’s history since its formation in 1969, playing with them through 2024, performing in Europe and at home in the U.S.
Mr. Stein, together with oboist Kathleen McNerney, created VentiCordi Chamber Music in 2009, focusing on combining wind and string instruments to create fascinating programs for their audiences. VentiCordi has twice been voted the top musical group in Maine by readers of DownEast magazine. Their performances each year have been enthusiastically received and critically acclaimed.
Mr. Stein also performs in a violin/piano duo with pianist Chiharu Naruse. They have performed Beethoven’s 10 sonatas for violin and piano and were most recently heard performing the music of William Grant Still, Debussy and Prokofiev.
Chamber music audiences have heard Mr. Stein in performances throughout Maine from Ogunquit to Orono, at Music Mountain, Eastern Music Festival, Harvard’s Paine Hall, Bowdoin and Bates Colleges and many more venues.
A highly sought-after teacher and clinician, Mr. Stein is on the faculty of Bowdoin and Bates Colleges. He has coached string quartets with the PSQ in various adult and youth workshops, including at St. Joseph’s College, Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village, and Sebasco Harbor Resort. Mr. Stein has also taught at New England Conservatory’s Preparatory Division, and University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
From 2003 - 08 Mr. Stein directed the Arcady Music Festival in Bar Harbor, Maine. At Arcady, he performed in chamber ensembles, brought internationally renowned artists to perform in Down East Maine, and gave high priority to educational programs, bringing musicians to perform directly for Maine schoolchildren.
Mr. Stein was a violinist in the DaPonte String Quartet from 1996 - 2002, with whom he recorded, performed in Maine, and was profiled, with the Quartet, in the NY Times and CBS Sunday Morning.
He studied first with Margaret Berend at the Henry Street Settlement, then at the Juilliard School with Lewis Kaplan and Ivan Galamian, and with Gerald Fischbach and members of the Guarneri String Quartet at University of Maryland, College Park. He hopes to continue learning all his life.
Fall Fantasy October 3 & 4, 2026
Bassoonist Wren Saunders received a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Southern Maine and a Master of Music. from New England Conservatory of Music in bassoon performance. While at New England Conservatory she studied with Richard Svoboda, other teachers include Richard Ranti, Ben Kamins, and John Hunt. Ms. Saunders is currently a member of the Orchestra of Indian Hill (MA), is principal bassoon of the Bangor Symphony and is a former member of the Knoxville Symphony (TN). In 2007 she was a concerto soloist with the Bangor Symphony.
An active freelancer she has played with the region’s top orchestras including the Boston Symphony Orchestra, BMOP, Portland Symphony Orchestra, Boston Philharmonic, Rhode Island Philharmonic, PORT orchestra, Vermont Symphony, and the ProArte Chamber Orchestra of Boston among others. Ms. Saunders can be heard playing principal bassoon with the Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra performing Violin Concerto No. 6 “Old Brass” on Mark O’Connor’s CD “Americana Symphony” on the OMAC label.
Ms. Saunders has a vibrant and successful bassoon studio where her students are regularly accepted into the Maine All-State and District festivals, the USM Youth Ensembles as well as New England Conservatory’s Youth Orchestras and the Boston Youth Orchestras in Massachusetts. She is currently on the faculty of the University of Southern Maine, Gordon College and the Portland Conservatory of Music.
Fall Fantasy October 3 & 4, 2026
Matthew Watras, Viola
Matthew Watras is a member of the second violin section in the Portland Symphony Orchestra, performing since 1997. Mr. Watras also continues to pursue as many performance opportunities as possible.
Mr. Watras works full time as a public school music educator in Lisbon, Maine, and started that job in 2004. Mr. Watras currently teaches general music for grades K through third grade as well as after school string ensembles for the school district, which include students from third grade through high school.
Mr. Watras graduated from Arizona State University with an undergraduate degree in violin performance in 1991. Mr. Watras finished a Master’s degree in violin performance from Boston University in 1994, under the tutelage of Roman Totenberg.
Mr. Watas also loves to run and has finished several marathons. Mr. Watras realized a thirty year old dream and finally got to run the Boston Marathon as a time qualifier in April 2025.
Fall Fantasy October 3 & 4, 2026
Jing Li, Cello
Martha Uncaged November 7 & 8, 2026
Piano
Martha Uncaged November 7 & 8, 2026
Shion Suzuki is a Japanese flutist based in Boston, Massachusetts. Her expressive and stylistic nuance is a result of her extensive musical upbringing. She began her musical journey at the age of three, studying piano with her mother before taking up the flute at the age of ten. She soon joined the Chiba Prefecture Youth Orchestra, and eventually her studies took her to receive her bachelor's degree from the Tokyo College of Music, and graduate degrees from the Boston Conservatory at Berklee.
Shion has participated in renowned international music festivals, including the Kusatsu International Summer Music Academy, Texas Music Festival, and Flauti al Castello in Italy. She has studied with world-class flutists such as Vincent Lucas, Paul Edmund-Davies, Dieter Flury, Hansgeorg Schmeiser, Lorna McGhee, Aralee Dorough, and Sergio Pallottelli, and has performed alongside Sir James and Lady Jeanne Galway.
Her accolades include first prizes at the All Japan Student Music Competition and the Kanagawa Music Competition, as well as being a semifinalist in the 2024 Padova International Music Competition (Soloist and Orchestra Division). She also earned first prize in the 2024 New York Classical Competition (Master-B Flute Category).
Currently, Shion leads the flute quartet SORA in Japan, a vibrant ensemble known for its innovative performances. She holds a Graduate Performance Diploma from the Boston Conservatory at Berklee, where she studied with Professor Ann Bobo, and has completed a Professional Studies Certificate in the Contemporary Classical Music Program under Professor Sarah Brady.
Following her graduation, Shion made her debut at the 2025 International Computer Music Conference, marking a significant step in her exploration of contemporary and electroacoustic music.
A dedicated artist, Shion is committed to expanding the flute repertoire and fostering cross-cultural dialogue through music.
Martha Uncaged November 7 & 8, 2026
Dana Oakes, Trumpet
Martha Uncaged November 7 & 8, 2026
Cellist Eliza Meyer performs regularly with chamber and orchestral ensembles around Maine, including the Portland and Bangor Symphonies. She is a founding member of the Resinosa Ensemble, a chamber trio formed in 2016 that features music by living composers on all of its programs, and has commissioned works from six Maine-based composers. She teaches at UMaine Augusta and maintains a private teaching studio at her home in Vassalboro. Since moving to Maine in 2009, she has also performed with White Mountain Musical Arts, Maine Pro Musica, Portland Ballet, Opera Maine, Una Voce Chamber Choir, Maine Music Society, ChoralArt, and the Hancock Quartet.
Eliza received her Bachelor of Music Degree and a Performer Diploma from the Indiana University School of Music, where she was a recipient of the Eva Heinitz Scholarship, and her Master of Music Degree from The Boston Conservatory, where she was a member of the Honors String Quartet and a winner of the String Idol contest. Eliza was a core member of Ludovico Ensemble, a new music ensemble-in-residence at The Boston Conservatory, for five years, serving as its Artistic Director for two seasons. She has studied with Andrew Mark, Rhonda Rider, Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi, and Helga Winold.
Sine Nomine April 10 & 11, 2027
Lili Funahashi, Piano
Sine Nomine April 10 & 11, 2027
Helen Goode-Castro has performed regularly with many symphony orchestras throughout Southern California and Europe. Notably the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Los Angeles Opera, Los Angeles Master Chorale, Pacific Symphony, Pasadena Symphony, Long Beach Symphony, Long Beach Opera, The Hollywood Bowl Orchestra and Santa Barbara Symphony. She is a member of the California Philharmonic Orchestra.
While in Europe. Ms. Goode-Castro performed with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra and The Sud- Bayerische Philharmonie.
As a soloist she recorded the Tone Poem for Clarinet by Charles Fernandez with The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, London. She performed Brooklyn Bridge by Michael Daugherty with the Vanderbilt Wind Symphony and again with the Los Angeles Winds in Austria. She performed Black Dog by Scott McAllister with the BCCM Wind Symphony on tour in Seoul, South Korea. She also performed, Concerto#2 by Oscar Navarro with the BCCM Wind Symphony on their UK tour.
As an active studio musician, she has performed on many film and tv productions. Most recently she performed on the hit series, Only Murders in The Building.
Ms. Goode-Castro holds degrees in performance from the Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester, The Royal College of Music, London and an MFA from UCLA where she studied with Gary Gray. She begin studies on a DMA at the University of Southern California and her teachers there included Yehuda Gilad, Michele Zukovsky and David Howard.
In addition to performing, Ms. Goode-Castro is an active educator. She is currently on the woodwind faculty at the BCCM. She is very proud of her students and their many accomplishments.
Sine Nomine April 10 & 11, 2027
Cellist Katherine Cherbas caught the Broadway bug as a child, when she attended A Chorus Line at the Shubert Theatre during a family vacation. Seeing and hearing the musicians in the pit at that performance sparked a dream of becoming a Broadway pit musician herself. She is thrilled to live that dream daily as the cellist of more than 50 other Broadway and off Broadway productions over the last 20 years.
As an orchestral player, she has performed with many of the area’s noted ensembles, including the New York Philharmonic, the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, the Encores! Orchestra at New York City Center, and the American and New Jersey Symphonies. Her interests as a chamber musician range from Baroque continuo playing to collaborations with composers on new works. She has recorded on the Albany, Tzadik, Harmolodic, Delos, Naxos, and Sony labels and has been heard on NBC’s Today Show, BBC3 Radio, Live from Lincoln Center, Great Performances, and other national and international broadcasts.
Katherine holds degrees from Columbia University, The Juilliard School, and Stony Brook University. When not performing, she often can be found dodging foul balls at her son’s college baseball games.
Poetry in Flight May 22 & 23, 2027
Neal Ferreira is a nationally recognized lyric tenor known for his dynamic stage presence and cultivated vocalism. Performing professionally in opera and oratorio for over two decades, he was dubbed a “Boston mainstay” by the Boston Globe and “a model of verbal clarity” by Opera News. Ferreira regularly appears with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Boston Lyric Opera, Boston Modern Orchestra Project, Commonwealth Shakespeare Company, Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras, and Odyssey Opera. Locally, the tenor has also performed roles with the American Repertory Theater, Handel & Haydn Society, Emmanuel Music, and Guerilla Opera.
A much sought-after interpreter of new music, Mr. Ferreira can be heard on the premiere recordings of numerous operas, including Mark Adamo’s Lysistrata, or the Nude Goddess, Charles Wuorinen’s Haroun and the Sea of Stories, James MacMillan’s Clemency, Joseph Summer’s Hamlet and The Tempest, Dominick Argento’s The Voyage of Edgar Allan Poe, and Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s The Importance of Being Earnest. He is a proud student of internationally renowned tenor Frank Lopardo and holds a Master of Music degree from New England Conservatory. In addition to performing, Ferreira is an Assistant Professor of Voice at Berklee College of Music.
Poetry in Flight May 22 & 23, 2027
Pamela Mia Paul is a Steinway Artist and Regents Professor of Piano at the University of North Texas in Denton. A brilliant pianist and dedicated teacher, she received the doctor of musical arts, master of music, and bachelor of music degrees from the Juilliard School.
In 2017 she was chosen to be a member of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition screening committee that traveled around the world auditioning and selecting the top pianists to compete in the event. Pamela has performed with the world’s great orchestras and has given concerts and masterclasses throughout the United States, Europe, the People’s Republic of China, South Korea and Turkey, both as a soloist and as a chamber musician. She has also commissioned and premiered works for piano and orchestra that received critical acclaim.
Dr. Paul has appeared in the world’s major concert halls, including Alice Tully Hall, Carnegie Hall, and the Concertgebouw of Amsterdam. As a chamber musician, she has been an invited guest artist at the Salzburg and Bregenz festivals in Austria, the Aspen Music Festival in Colorado, and the Music Mountain Festival in Connecticut. In addition, she has taught at prestigious summer programs, including the Prague International Master Classes, the Institute for Strings, and the Vienna International Piano Academy. A much sought-after teacher, her award-winning students have won many prestigious competitions and hold teaching positions throughout the United States and Asia.
Poetry in Flight May 22 & 23, 2027
Amy Advocat, Clarinet
Poetry in Flight May 22 & 23, 2027