UVU Chamber Orchestra Program

UTAH VALLE Y UNIVERSIT Y

CHAMBER ORCHESTRA UVU CHAMBER ORCHESTRA Cheung Chau, Director

November 18, 2025 7:30 p.m.

Nu Skin Recital Hall

PROGRAM Concerto for Two Cellos in G minor I. Allegro II. Largo III. Allegro

Antonio Vivaldi (1678–1741)

Natalie Browning, cello Noah Guzman, cello

Adagietto from Fifth Symphony

Gustav Mahler (1860–1911)

Colas Breugnon I. Preludium (Prélude) II. Kantylena miłosna (Cantilène d’amour) III. Taniec I (Basse danse) IV. Smutna pieśń (Chant triste) V. Taniec II (Gaillarde) VI. Postludium (Postlude)

Tadeusz Baird (1928–1981)

Rachel Christensen, flute

Prelude and Scherzo op. 11

Dmitri Shostakovich (1906–1975)

UVU Chamber Orchestra Cheung Chau, director and conductor 1st Violins Valentin Torres Elsa Saunders

Violas McKinley Lucas Hailey Staker

Basses AJ Peery Max Hansen

2nd Violins Brian Rowe Kayla Billings

Cellos Elise Johnson Andrew Marett Rosamae Norton

Harp Travis Lund

GUEST PERFORMER BIOS Rachel Christensen is a flutist based in Utah, performing regularly with local ensembles, including the Utah Metropolitan Ballet Orchestra and Salt Lake Symphony. She teaches flute at both Brigham Young University and Utah Valley University, mentoring students in solo and chamber performance. Active in the local music community, Rachel serves on the Utah Flute Association board, helping organize educational programs and competitions for young flutists.

A graduate of Brigham Young University in flute performance, she studied with April Clayton and continues to perform and teach throughout the region. When she’s not performing, Rachel enjoys life in Vineyard with her husband and two young sons.

Natalie Browning is a multifaceted cellist, chamber musician, and pedagogue.

She made her solo debut at age 22 with Sinfonietta Vidin in Bulgaria, and she currently serves as President and Artistic Director of the Mountain Springs Music Festival, a non-profit organization that is committed to enhancing the accessibility of high-quality music education and performance. She is currently pursuing her Doctor of Musical Arts degree with an emphasis in Cello Performance at Arizona State University, where she studies with Tom Landschoot.

Natalie has performed with a variety of notable groups and musicians. She performed as a guest with Sinfonietta Polonia on their tour of the Greater Poland area, and she was the featured soloist for the United States premiere of Mongolian Boots, II: Steeds at the 2020 ACDA Western Division Conference. She was also the featured cellist for the world premiere of pre-Broadway musical Fly More Than You Fall, starring Sony-signed artist Lexi Walker. She has performed with

singer/songwriter Cassie Clarke Lee, the Solstice Singers, the Brigham Young University Opera, Utah Valley University’s jazz band and percussion ensemble, and Arizona State University›s Pierrot Ensemble, among others. She has led numerous masterclasses and workshops at festivals and in university settings, as well as having appeared as faculty at the Lyceum Music Festival.

She received her Master of Music degree in Cello Performance at Arizona State University, and she holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Cello Performance from Utah Valley University, where she studied with Dr. Cheung Chau. She has been the recipient of multiple awards and scholarships at both Arizona State University and Utah Valley University, including ASU’s Special Talent Award and UVU’s Award of Merit in Music Performance, as well as having the distinction of being appointed to the Student Advisory Committee of ASU’s esteemed Visiting Quartet Residency Program. Natalie has served as the principal cellist of ASU’s Chamber Orchestra and UVU’s symphony and chamber orchestras, and she has performed in solo masterclasses with numerous internationally renowned musicians, including cellists Johannes Moser and Yeesun Kim. She has also performed in chamber masterclasses for Trio Zimbalist, and the Brooklyn Rider, Borromeo, and St. Lawrence string quartets.

Noah Guzman is a music teacher at Franklin Discovery Academy in Vineyard, where he teaches band, orchestra, and general music. He graduated from UVU with a Bachelors of Science in Music Education earlier this year and studied cello with Dr. Cheung Chau and Walter Haman.

His crowning achievement as a performer was playing in Carnegie Hall as a member of the Wolverine Piano Trio in 2023. The ensemble took first place in the American Protege International Competition and second in the Charleston International Music Competition. Other recent exciting performance opportunities have been with the Lux Choral Society, the Utah Valley Opera Festival, and Ensemble Mik Nawooj. His proudest moment as a musician and teacher was watching a student get back on stage after they had fled in terror.

Outside of cello and teaching, Noah is also an amateur pianist and organist, and enjoys fumbling the occasional sea-shanty on the accordion. He likes hiking and cooking, (though not simultaneously), and takes unwarranted pride in his collections of tea and obscure sheet music.