Meet the Artist

Many people believe we are fated to become what we eventually become. In Reiko Niiya’s case, the instrument of fate was the combined will of her mother and aunt, who decided early on that the child would grow up to be a fine violinist.

Brian Duprey was born in Woonsocket, R.I., once a landing point for French Canadians relocating in the United States. Though Brian’s family didn’t descend from due North. “Everybody thinks Duprey is French. It’s actually Polish. They didn’t know how to spell the name in English when my family came here. It was actually Dypry.”

Tenor Mark Sanders was one of those kids who moved around a lot. He was born into a military family at Tyndall Air Force Base near Panama City, FL.; Though the family moved to Chicago six months later for a few years, before hitting the road again, this time to Wichita, KS.

Violinist Mark Wood was a founding member of Trans-Siberian Orchestra, a platinum-record rock group that blends heavy metal music with orchestral sounds. Mark has his own band now and is on a mission to revitalize the symphony orchestra in popular culture.

Tyler Putnam grew up on Chebeague Island, Me., into a musical family. His father was one of that state’s fabled lobstermen.

The town of Chebeague Island (pronounced she-big) sits in Casco Bay in what originally was a fishing ground for the Abenaki native Americans. It lies 10 miles northeast of Portland, and according to Wikipedia, had an estimated population of 415 people in 2019.

Operatic mezzo soprano Sarah Nordin grew up in Crystal River, FL. She comes from a musical family, in which her mother Barbara is active in church music and her sister Katey has a lovely voice she reserves for family events, while brother Joe is a rock musician and songwriter.