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Arwen Meyers

Praised for her “crystalline tone and delicate passagework” (San Francisco Chronicle), soprano Arwen Myers captivates audiences with her timeless artistry and exquisite interpretations. Transmitting a warmth and “deep poignancy” (Palm Beach Arts Paper) onstage, Arwen shines in solo performance across the US and beyond. With outstanding technique and mastery of a wide range of vocal colors, Arwen’s dazzling oratorio and solo appearances feature repertoire from the baroque to modern day, and everything in between. Her history includes appearances with Portland Baroque Orchestra, Early Music Vancouver, Pacific MusicWorks, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra & Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, working with such notable conductors as Nicholas McGegan, Monica Huggett, David Fallis, John Butt, David Hill, Scott Allen Jarrett, Erick Lichte & Matthew Dirst.

Recent highlights include Handel with Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra; Bach & Purcell with Portland Baroque Orchestra; Vivaldi, Monteverdi & Gabrieli with Early Music Vancouver; Handel with Oregon Bach Festival; Fauré with Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra; and in the world premiere of Zachary Wadsworth’s When There is Peace with Chor Leoni, which received national broadcast across Canada. Of her title role in Handel’s Semele with American Bach Soloists Academy in 2018, San Francisco Classical Voice noted, “some of these star turns were shiny indeed, with soprano Arwen Myers leading the way… her musicality and demure demeanor remained a renewable pleasure.” An exceptionally talented and generous chamber musician, Arwen features with some of the nation’s premiere ensembles, including Seraphic Fire, Bach Akademie Charlotte, Spire Chamber Ensemble, and Bach Collegium San Diego, and Fear No Music. More at arwenmyerssoprano.com.

Inés Voglar Belgique

Violinist Inés Voglar Belgique, in her fourteenth season with Fear No Music, served as Artistic Director from 2005-2011. She studied music under “El Sistema,” and came to the States in 1996 to complete her BM and MM from Duquesne and Carnegie Mellon Universities. After playing two seasons with the Pittsburgh Symphony as a substitute musician, Inés joined the Oregon Symphony in 2004, and is a faculty member at Lewis and Clark College, the Interlochen Adult Chamber Music Camp and OSU Chamber Music Camp. In September of 2012, Inés won a national audition for the title chair of Assistant Principal Second Violin with the Oregon Symphony. She has been the conductor of the Young String Ensemble of PYP since 2015, and regularly performs chamber music around Portland with Palatine Piano Trio. Her most influential violin teachers have been Roberto Valdes and Andrés Cárdenes. You can hear her in FNM’s latest CD “Somewhere I’ve Never Traveled,” music by Bonnie Miksch. Inés has been part of Venezuela’s Voice in Oregon since September of 2018, a nonprofit organization of volunteers dedicated to providing aid to centers in need in Venezuela by collecting primarily food and hygiene items throughout the year.

James Shields

James Shields joined the Oregon Symphony as principal clarinet in the autumn of 2016. Before relocating to Portland, Shields served as principal clarinet of the Canadian Opera Company in Toronto as well as the New Mexico Philharmonic in Albuquerque.

A graduate of The Juilliard School, Shields studied with Ricardo Morales, principal clarinet of the Philadelphia Orchestra. Shields has appeared as a soloist with the Oregon Symphony, New Mexico Philharmonic, Interlochen’s World Youth Symphony Orchestra, and Albuquerque Philharmonic Orchestra, and as guest principal clarinet with the Philadelphia Orchestra, Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, Aspen Music Festival, and Santa Fe Pro Musica.

In addition to his orchestral and solo activities, Shields is increasingly becoming known to North American audiences as a dynamic and passionate performer of chamber music, making over 30 appearances annually in intimate settings throughout the United States and Canada. Shields is co-artistic director of Chatter, an Albuquerque-based chamber music organization that presents more than 60 concerts per year, and a core member of the Portland-based chamber music collective 45th Parallel Universe. In addition to his performing activities, Shields holds a Master of Music in Composition from the University of New Mexico, and continues to compose regularly.