Sunday, November 3rd

Tchaikovsky Serenade for Strings

Christ the King Lutheran Church

3:00 to 4:30pm

Join us for our first-ever string fling, with featured guests Robert Rocheteau and musicians from Galatea Chamber music performing a program of evocative American works alongside a treasured classic. Robert Rocheteau is the most recent winner of the University of Maryland School of Music Concerto Competition and we are thrilled to present his award-winning performance on our season. The program concludes with Tchaikovsky’s iconic Serenade for Strings in C major.

Montgomery: Banner for String Quartet and String Orchestra

Sejourné: Concerto for Marimba and Strings

Tchaikovsky: Serenade for Strings in C major

Tickets Available Here

Meet the Artists

Robert Rocheteau, Marimba

An artist in contemporary classical music, percussionist Robert Rocheteau is known for diverse and engaging performances. Robert is an in-demand artist based in the Greater Baltimore/Washington D.C. area who performs with artists from across the globe. Recent highlights include performances in Washington D.C. at the Fête de la Musique Festival at the French Embassy, the Sound Scene Festival at the Hirschorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, and performances at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

Robert is a founding member of the Pierrot plus Percussion Ensemble The Victory Players, the ensemble-in-residence to the historic Victory Theatre in Holyoke, Massachusetts. The ensemble prides itself in being a diverse new voice in contemporary classical music that reaches a broad range of audiences. The Victory Players recorded their debut album in 2021 titled El Puerto Rico. The album was also video recorded for use on TV and radio broadcasts by New England Public Media. The Victory Players commission new music, present masterclasses, and perform outreach concerts throughout the United States.

Robert holds degrees from the Peabody Conservatory, University of Maryland College Park, and the University of Massachusetts Amherst. His teachers were Robert van Sice, Ayano Kataoka, Jon Bisesi, Jauvon Gilliam, Shaun Tilburg, and Thomas Hannum.

Johnathan Spence, Violin

Violinist Johnathan Spence received his Doctorate of Music in Violin and Viola under the study of Hagai Shaham at Stony Brook University in 2017. He is also a graduate of East Carolina University, where he studied with Ara Gregorian. Focusing on his passion for teaching and performing chamber music, Spence returned to his home town and founded his strings academy now known as Galatea Chamber Music. Through Galatea he is mentoring musicians, creating and engaging in community enrichment programs, and bringing chamber music concerts to the east coast each season.

Spence also performs as concertmaster of The New Carolina Sinfonia, participates in the Next Generation Series of the Four Seasons Chamber Music Festival, and curates Galatea's summer chamber music week during which the students selected for this program receive opportunities to play side-by-side with accomplished artists. He continues to play and perform in various chamber music festivals across the country. Spence is passionate about performing chamber music, health and nutrition, connecting with nature, swimming in the ocean regardless of the time of year, and spending time with family.

Hoorig Taline Poochikian, Violin

Armenian- American violinist Hoorig Taline Poochikian has performed at a number of prestigious venues across North America including Carnegie Hall, Merkin Hall, the Kennedy Center, and the National Arts Center in Canada. She received her doctoral degree in violin performance in May 2020 from Stony Brook University studying with Hagai Shaham. She also earned degrees from University of Maryland studying with Dr. James Stern, and the University of Ottawa studying with Yehonatan Berick. An avid chamber musician, Hoorig has collaborated with members of the Emerson String Quartet, Avalon String Quartet, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, pianist Christina Dahl and composer Vache Sharafyan. She made her live radio broadcast debut on Classical KING FM in Seattle, performing with pianist Oksana Ejokina. With a special passion for education, Hoorig currently teaches privately and at several music schools in the DC metro area. She also maintains an active career as a freelance chamber musician performing at various concert series around the country.

Florrie Marshall, Viola

Florrie Marshall is an acclaimed violist celebrated for her performances, teaching, and arts advocacy. Founder and artistic director of Sound Bridges International Company, Florrie premiered "A Tale of One Viola" at the 2022 International Viola Congress and American Viola Society festival. Marshall has participated in esteemed chamber music festivals like the ClasClas Chamber Music Festival in Spain under Guy Braunstein and the Four Seasons Chamber Music Festival’s “Winter Workshop” under Ara Gregorian. Recent performances include Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, the United Nations Headquarters, and the Paax Festival in Cancun, Mexico, under Maestra Alondra de la Para.

Under mentorship from Ettore Causa and Steven Tenenbom, Marshall earned her master’s from Yale School of Music in 2018 and is now a Doctor of Musical Arts candidate degree, also at Yale. Marshall received the 2017 Graduate Music Award and the 2018 Philip Nelson Prize and completed the 2022 Plank Foundation Artist Residency in Sheridan, Wyoming. Marshall serves on faculty at Indiana University of Pennsylvania and Towson University, inspired by her lifelong teachers, including Dora Mullins, Hye-Jin Kim, and Ara Gregorian.

Emma Hays Johnson, Cello

A native of Central Virginia, cellist Emma Hays Johnson is a performing artist, private instructor, and co-founder of the original concert series, Empath Concerts. Currently residing near the D.C. and Baltimore areas, she performs chamber concerts regularly with Washington Musica Viva, SoloX, and Galatea Chamber Music and has worked alongside artists such as two time grammy winning violinist from the Attacca Quartet, Domenic Salerni as well as Michael Buble, Il Divo, and the Transiberian Orchestra. During her Quartet Fellowship at UMass Amherst she had the opportunity to be coached by members of world renowned ensembles including the Ying Quartet, the Dover Quartet, and the Juilliard Quartet. Through her invitations to be a Next Generation Alumni Artist at East Carolina University, she has worked alongside Xiao-Dong Wang, Hye-Jin Kim, Ara Gregorian, Colin Carr, Emanuel Gruber, and Raman Ramakrishnan. She has been a member and sub of several notable orchestras including the Richmond Symphony Orchestra, the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra, the Apollo Orchestra, and the American Festival Pops Orchestra.

Prior to receiving her second Masters in Music Performance at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst under the tutelage of Edward Arron, she held the position of adjunct professor at Beaufort County Community College in North Carolina. Emma Hays studied at Converse College and George Mason University under the tutelage of Kenneth Law where she received her Bachelor's Degree, and she graduated with her first Master’s Degree from East Carolina University under the instruction of Emanuel Gruber. Emma Hays likes to spend her free time outdoors rock climbing, backpacking and backcountry camping.

Galatea Chamber Music is a vibrant organization dedicated to the art of chamber music. We bring exceptional musicians to the East Coast to perform and share their passion with our community. Our mission is to empower our community through the joy and and inspiration of chamber music, creating memorable performances that enrich and engage our audience. We are committed to fostering a love for chamber music through dynamic performances and innovative community outreach programs. These programs are designed to inspire and educate the younger generation and the broader community, making chamber music accessible and impactful for all.