About the Gateways Chamber Players
The Gateways Chamber Players, an ensemble of the Gateways Music Festival, features some of the nation’s leading classical musicians in a performance of Igor Stravinsky’s The Soldier’s Tale Suite and Wynton Marsalis’s A Fiddler’s Tale. The ensemble makes its Kilbourn Hall (Rochester) and Carnegie Hall (New York City) debuts in October 2023, Kennedy Center (Washington, DC) debut in February 2024 and Pick-Staiger Concert Hall (Evanston/Chicago) debut in April 2024.
Featuring violinist and Avery Fisher Career Grant winner Tai Murray, described by The Philadelphia Inquirer as a musician of “exceptional assurance and style,” the all-star ensemble includes Monica Ellis (bassoon) of the Imani Winds, Weston Sprott (trombone) and Billy Hunter (trumpet) of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Jauvon Gilliam (timpani) of the National Symphony Orchestra (Washington, DC performance), Wesley Sumpter (percussion) formerly a Los Angeles Philharmonic fellow (Rochester, New York City, and Chicago performances), Patricia Weitzel (double bass) of the Columbus Symphony (GA), and Alexander Laing (clarinet) formerly of The Phoenix Symphony.
The Chamber Players is thrilled to welcome guest artist Phylicia Rashad, Tony Award-winning actress and dean of the Chadwick A. Boseman School of Fine Arts at Howard University as A Fiddler’s Tale narrator along with multi-genre award-winning pianist, vocalist, composer Damien Sneed as conductor.
TAI MURRAY, violin
Violinist Tai Murray has been described by The Philadelphia Inquirer as “a violinist with more than technique on her mind” and a musician of “exceptional assurance and style.”
A winner of the 2004 Avery Fisher Career Grant, Murray has appeared in recital and with major ensembles around the world including the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and Los Angeles Philharmonic. She has been named a BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artist and has been a member of Chamber Music Society II at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. In addition to touring with Musicians from Marlboro, Murray has performed at the BBC Proms, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival, IMS Prussia Cove, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival, and West Cork Chamber Music Festival.
A 2012 recipient of the Sphinx Organization’s Sphinx Medal of Excellence, Murray is dedicated to championing music by living composers. “Celebrating the music of today is hugely important, and making heard contemporary composers of every visual colour and every invisible one, on every concert programme, I consider a responsibility towards the future.” she wrote in The Strad.
Murray’s recordings include an album of Ysaÿe sonatas (Harmonia Mundi, 2014), 20th Century: The American Scene (eaSonus, 2014), and a recording of Bernstein’s Serenade (after Plato’s Symposium), which was released in 2014 on the Mirare label.
Murray is an Assistant Professor, Adjunct, of Violin at the Yale School of Music, where she teaches applied violin and coaches chamber music. She earned artist diplomas from Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music and The Juilliard School.
Murray performs on a Tommaso Balestrieri violin, fecit Mantua circa 1760, on loan from a charitable trust.
MONICA ELLIS, bassoon
Bassoonist Monica Ellis is a founding member of the wind quintet, Imani Winds who, for over a quarter century, has dazzled audiences around the world with dynamic playing, adventurous programming and commitment to new works and collaborations. In 2022, Imani Winds was nominated for a second GRAMMY award for its 9th studio recording entitled BRUITS.
As the daughter of a jazz saxophonist father and fashionista mother, Monica was raised in a house full of go-getters. A natural organizer, Monica is the co-artistic and executive director for Imani Winds and their annual Chamber Music Festival and treasurer for their non-profit Foundation.
Influential teachers include Mark Pancerev of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, where she was raised, George Sakakeeny at Oberlin Conservatory of Music (Bachelor of Music), and Frank Morelli at The Juilliard School (Master of Music) and Manhattan School of Music (Professional Studies).
She has performed and recorded with dozens of world-renowned artists and organizations spanning genres and styles from the likes of Wayne Shorter to the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. A celebrated educator, Monica has given masterclasses and solo performances across the country and is on the faculty at Manhattan School of Music and Curtis Institute of Music.
Monica is a sought-after commentator on important discussions regarding race, gender and entrepreneurship in classical music. She is on the Orchestra of St. Luke’s Educational Advisory Committee and is a board member for Concert Artists Guild and the International Double Reed Society (IDRS).
Monica religiously watches Jeopardy!, loves home decorating and resides in the historic village of Harlem in New York City with the greatest joy of her life, her 9-year-old son, Oden.
Monica is a Fox Bassoon Artist and plays exclusively on a Model 201.
JAUVON GILLIAM, percussion
Hailed as “note perfect” and “Zeus-like” (BBC Radio), Jauvon Gilliam was named principal timpanist of the National Symphony Orchestra in 2009, the first African-American principal in the Orchestra’s history. Gilliam is also currently Director of Percussion Studies at the University of Maryland.
Gilliam has also performed with the Cleveland Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Detroit and Indianapolis Symphony Orchestras, Budapest Festival Orchestra, the Chineke! Orchestra, the Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra, and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, among others.
A native of Gary, Indiana, Gilliam began his studies at Butler University and graduated with honors with a degree in Arts Administration with a percussion focus. He then continued his graduate studies at the Cleveland Institute of Music.
Gilliam is a founding board member of the Alliance of Black Orchestral Percussionists, and a contributing member to the Black Orchestral Network and the Network for Diversity in Concert Percussion. In the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd, Gilliam co-founded We Over Me Productions, a production company created to use the arts to tell a story that will keep the conversation of systemic racism, social inequities and injustices at the forefront of people’s consciousness in an effort to create lasting change through tangible actions.
To make music and the arts more accessible to underserved communities throughout the DC, Maryland, and Virginia region, in February 2021, he opened The Shed DMV, a 24/7 multi-studio rehearsal facility aimed at providing artists of all levels and from every walk of life the space, resources, time, and opportunity to create, collaborate, and grow. The Shed is also home to Gilliam’s instrument rental company, Capitol Percussion + Backline Rentals.
Gilliam proudly endorses Yamaha musical instruments, Remo drumheads, and Sabian cymbals, and has his own signature line of timpani mallets made by Innovative Percussion.
BILLY HUNTER, trumpet
A native of Austin, TX, Billy Hunter has been principal trumpet of the Metropolitan Opera Theater Orchestra (MET) since 2004. He enjoys a versatile career in the classical music world that includes Orchestral, Chamber, and Solo performances. He has recently joined the faculty at the University of Texas at Austin’s Butler School of Music.
In addition to his yearly work with the Metropolitan Opera, Mr. Hunter has appeared as Guest Principal Trumpet with The Philadelphia Orchestra, The Malaysian Philharmonic in Kuala Lumpur, The Frankfurt Radio Symphony in Germany, The Spoleto Festival Orchestra in Italy, the Charleston Symphony Orchestra in South Carolina and the Chineke! Orchestra in London. He has also performed with the New York Philharmonic, New Jersey, Dallas, and Boston symphonies throughout his professional career. He has held previous positions with the New World, Baltimore, and Grant Park Symphony Orchestras.
As a chamber musician, Mr. Hunter has concertized with the MET Chamber Ensemble, Classical Tahoe Chamber Orchestra, Stellenbosch International Chamber Music Festival, Martha’s Vineyard Chamber Music Festival, Walla Walla Chamber Music Festival Napa Valley Chamber Orchestra, and the Music Kitchen concert series in Lower Manhattan, which
features free lunchtime performances of various types of music for different homeless shelters across Manhattan.
As a soloist, Mr. Hunter has performed with several different ensembles including the UT Wind Ensemble and Symphony, Chattanooga Symphony, NJCU wind ensemble and Symphony, Lake Tahoe Chamber Orchestra, Prizm Festival Orchestra, the New World Symphony, Serafic Fire and Firebird Chamber Orchestra, Stellenbosch International Chamber Music Festival, and the Chineke! Orchestra.
ALEXANDER LAING, clarinet
Shaped by the belief that “Music is more than just sounds; Music is sounds, words, and people.” Alex Laing's practice is committed to exploring the push and pull between a legacy art form and its unfixed future.
His artistic output (Gateways Music Festival, principal clarinet of The Phoenix Symphony, various collaborations) and his contributions to music making (faculty for Juilliard Extension, The League of American Orchestras, co-founder Black Orchestral Network) have been recognized by Musical America and with a Sphinx Medal of Excellence.
A graduate of Northwestern University, he received his master's degree in Orchestral Performance from the Manhattan School of Music, an artist's diploma from the Sweelinck Conservatorium Amsterdam and a certificate in nonprofit management from Arizona State University's Lodestar Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Innovation.
DAMIEN SNEED, conductor
As a multi-genre recording artist and instrumentalist, Damien LeChateau Sneed is a pianist, vocalist, organist, composer, conductor, arranger, producer, and arts educator whose work spans multiple genres. He has worked with jazz, classical, pop, and R&B legends, including the late Aretha Franklin and Jessye Norman, Wynton Marsalis, Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, Ashford & Simpson, Lawrence Brownlee, The Clark Sisters and many others. Sneed is a recipient of the 2014 Sphinx Medal of Excellence and the 2020 Dove Award. He has served on several faculties including the Manhattan School of Music, Berklee College of Music, and New York University.
In 2018, Sneed was commissioned by Houston Grand Opera to compose MARIAN’S SONG, an opera about the life of Marian Anderson. In 2020, Alvin Ailey Dance Theater commissioned Sneed to create an original score for Testament. In 2021, he was commissioned by Opera Theatre of Saint Louis to compose the opera, THE TONGUE & THE LASH. OTSL recently commissioned Sneed to compose a reimagined adaptation of Scott Joplin’s opera, TREEMONISHA, which premiered in May 2023. During the 2022 – 2023 season, he conducted Nathaniel Dett’s Ordering of Moses at Riverside Cathedral with orchestra and his own, Chorale Le Chateau, for the Harlem Renaissance Centennial; Sneed had his LA Philharmonic debut as vocal soloist in Marsalis’ ALL RISE Symphony for Hollywood Bowl’s Centennial; he conducted the Flint Symphony Orchestra for Patti Austin’s final performance; and Sneed presented his ‘Our Song Our Story Tour’, featuring Justin Austin, Raehann Bryce-Davis, Janinah Burnett, Jacqueline Echols and Raven McMillon with the Griot String Quartet and Sneed at the piano.
Sneed was recently signed to Apple Music’s Platoon Records (London) with a single released exclusively on Apple Music’s digital platforms of his original classical composition, Sequestered Thoughts, commissioned by the Library of Congress with Sneed on solo piano.
WESTON SPROTT, trombone
Weston Sprott is a prominent thought leader, administrator, performer, and educator in classical music. He is Dean and Director of the Preparatory Division at The Juilliard School, leading the Pre-College and the Music Advancement Program (MAP), and a trombonist in the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra.
Sprott is a champion of diversity and inclusion efforts. His work contributed to the creation of the Black Orchestral Network, the National Alliance for Audition Support, Sphinx Orchestral Partners Auditions Excerpt Competition, and Classical Tahoe Academy, as well as numerous other initiatives that are shifting the classical music landscape. He is a recipient of numerous awards including the Sphinx Medal of Excellence and Atlanta Symphony’s Aspire Award. He is an active speaker, writer, and consultant for various organizations, conferences, universities, and publications.
His performance career includes orchestral, chamber, and solo work. He has performed with several of the world's leading ensembles and has been a soloist throughout the United States, Europe, South Africa, and Asia. Sprott appears frequently with the Philadelphia Orchestra and held positions with the Zurich Opera, Pennsylvania Ballet, and Delaware Symphony. An artist/clinician for the Antoine Courtois Instrument Company, he designed and performs exclusively on their Creation New York trombone.
Sprott holds faculty positions at The Juilliard School, Bard College, Aspen Music Festival and School, and Music Academy of the West.
WESLEY SUMPTER, percussion
Wesley Sumpter is a musician, producer and educator based in Los Angeles, California. As percussionist and timpanist, Wesley has performed with some of the world’s leading orchestras including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, National Symphony, Atlanta Symphony, Mainly Mozart Festival Orchestra, Cabrillo Festival Orchestra, and the BBC Philharmonic (UK).
As a Resident Fellow (2018–2022) with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, he played in concert halls and music festivals in Japan, South Korea, London, Scotland, Mexico City, New York and Boston. As a recording musician, he can be heard on a number of the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s recently released recordings including their 2021 Grammy-Award winning Charles Ives symphony cycle, the BBC Phil’s upcoming recordings of the music of Pierre Sancan, the original motion picture soundtracks for West Side Story (2021) and Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.
PATRICIA WEITZEL, double bass
Brazil native Patricia Weitzel has appeared as soloist, chamber musician, orchestral performer, teacher and clinician in several countries including Argentina, Brazil, Belgium, Canada, Chile, China, England, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Uruguay, the Netherlands and the United States.
Prior to her appointment as Assistant Teaching Professor of Double Bass at Penn State University, Weitzel served as the Lecturer of Double Bass at Columbus State University. She has held faculty positions at Augustana College, Central College, Grinnell College, St. Ambrose University, and Drake University. She is a former member of the Columbus, Des Moines and Quad City Symphonies.
Weitzel has collaborated and worked with renowned artists such as the Daedalus Quartet, pianist Soyeon Kate Lee, bassist Volkan Orhon, and pop singer Lizzo. She spends her Summers performing worldwide, teaching at the Sphinx Performance Academy at The Juilliard School and the University of Colorado, and participating in the Wintergreen Music Festival.
In addition to being a performing artist and educator, Dr. Weitzel continually receives recognition for her leadership and advocacy of diversity, excellence, and inclusion in the arts. As a member of the 2019 Global Leaders Program Cohort and one of the recipients of a Sphinx Organization’s Mpower Artist Grant, she was involved in the development of initiatives that offer opportunities of music education to underserved youth.
Weitzel is the former membership chair and current marketing chair of the International Society of Bassists, an organization with approximately 3000 members in over 40 countries whose mission is to encourage excellence in bass performance, pedagogy, research, composition, and lutherie.