THE LADIES OF THE QUADRAPHONNES Personal Bios

MARY-SUE TOBIN Soprano/Alto Sax Mary-Sue Tobin received a Masters of Music in Saxophone Performance and a Bachelor of Music in Studies from Portland State University where she served as the graduate teaching assistant for the jazz studies department. She has played and studied with many of the Portland jazz luminaries (including: , Darrell Grant, Thara Memory, Alan Jones, Rob Scheps and many others) in addition to leading her own groups. MST is a busy professional musician and performs regularly with: Paxselin Quartet, Portland Jazz Orchestra, Soul Vaccination, Art Abrams Swing Machine, Andrew Oliver Sextet, Lily Wilde Orchestra, Portland Jazz Composers’ Ensemble, Quadraphonnes, PDX Saxophone Quartet, Chamber of Commerce and Sound for the Organization of Society. She also appears on recent recordings with many of these groups. She performs regularly with The Oregon Symphony Pops (Pointer Sisters, Johnny Mathis) and has performed at numerous Jazz Festivals (Portland Jazz Festival, The Mount Hood Jazz Festival, Cathedral Park Jazz Festival The Vancouver Wine and Cheese Jazz Festival, The Banff International Jazz Festival) and has shared the stage with international jazz and R&B stars such as Dave Douglas, The Temptations, James Moody and Esperanza Spalding. She appears in the movie "Hear No Evil" with the group Dub Squad and has toured internationally with the groups Flatland and Dub Squad, opening up for legends like Herbie Hancock, Steel Pulse and Third World. She has recorded and performed with numerous Regional and International artists. MST maintains a full studio of students through Beacock’s Music Education Center where she also directs band and teaches jazz improvisa- tion seminars. She also serves as an adjudicator for NW solo/ensemble festivals and a clinician for school seminars. She has performed classical concerts with her saxophone quartets multiple times at the North American Saxophone Alliance Conference and also performs with the Portland Center Stage Orchestra for their musical productions. In 2009-10 MST was adjunct saxophone instructor at George Fox College. She and her family live in Portland, OR where she teaches, records and performs professionally.

CHELSEA LUKER Soprano/Alto Sax Originally from Portland, OR, Chelsea Luker was exposed since pre-birth to a plethora of musical influences. Her father being a performing rock and jazz guitarist, she grew up to the sounds of Frank Zappa, Miles Davis, Joni Mitchell, and SunRa to name a few. Despite this influence of rock and jazz, Chelsea began serious classical training on saxophone at the age of 11. She finished her high school years in Spokane, WA, where she studied saxophone, voice, and visual art with some of the northwest’s most prominent teachers. In these formative years, she had the wonderful opportunity to travel the U.S., attending week long workshops by such greats as Eugene Rousseau, Frederick Hemke and the Rascher Quartet. By the end of high school, she had achieved top scores at regional college competitions, and given numerous recitals at local colleges and halls, two highlights being a performance of the Glazounov Saxophone Concerto with Orchestra in 1999 at the Met in Spokane, and being featured in a guest artist recital at a Frederick Hemke workshop in Montana. After 8 years of studying with teacher, Sylvia Baker, Chelsea went on to receive her B.A. in Saxophone Performance at Florida State University with Patrick Meighan, participating in various classical festivals, and winning the Florida State solo competition her senior year. Chelsea also discovered her love for performing in live bands, and joined her first professional rock/fusion group, Xingu. Xingu toured much of the Southeast US in their yellow school bus, recorded their debut album, Xinguism, and shared stages with such greats as the Robert Randolph Band and Colonel Bruce Hampton. After school, Chelsea returned to her birthplace, Portland, OR, in search of other musicians to collaborate with. She currently writes, sings and plays sax and flute in her own band, Mars Retrieval Unit, teaches, and enjoys playing in The Quadraphonnes.

MICHELLE MEDLER Tenor Sax Michelle Medler is a multi-instrumentalist, music educator, composer & arranger from the Pacific Northwest, USA. She leads a Jazz/funk quartet-MMQ performing at area Jazz Festivals, clubs, and events and released a CD, Michelle Medler Quartet, Balance, in 2006. Currently she is a member of the Quadraphonnes, The Medler Septet, Lily Wilde’s Orchestra, The Heavy Brothers, and active in area Salsa, Jazz, RnB, & African bands. Michelle is the co-director of the Portland Youth Jazz Orchestra which she and husband, Ben Medler, founded in 2001 for regional music students ages 11 - 25 to gather study the art of Jazz.She has had a private lesson studio since 1995 and works as a clinician and adjudicator for school bands and solo/ensemble contests. Michelle grew up in the Jazz and Blues Communities of Portland, OR and Seattle, WA. As a teen, she played at Portland’s Ron Steen jam sessions, hit Seattle’s Blues scene with Sweet Talkin’ Jones and the Muscletones, and attended years of Mel Brown and Bud Shank Jazz Workshops. She studied classical music, playing in the Chamber Music Society of Oregon’s Orchestra from age 13, state solo contest at age 16, and as a featured soprano sax soloist in PSU’s wind ensemble. Michelle graduated from Portland State University with a Bachelors of Music, Jazz Emphasis. Simultaneous to college she was an artist in residence at Portland, Oregon’s Wilson High school band program. Michelle studied with: Bob Mover, Kim Richmond, Jeff Clayton, Don Lanphere, Scott Hall, Rob Scheps, Darrell Grant, Charley Gray, Jeff Homan, Gary Harris, Dan Schauffler, Tessa Brinkman, Richard Boberg, Red Mitchell and others.She has shared the stage with The Rebirth Brass Band, the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Charmaine Neville, and performed with Ingrid Jensen, Don Braden, , Mel Brown, and Terell Stafford with Portland State’s Jazz Ensemble.

MIEKE BRUGGEMAN Baritone Sax Mieke Bruggeman originally hails from Redlands, CA but has made a home in Portland since 2005. She received her B.A. in music performance and education from Northern Arizona University under the tutelage of Wildy Zumwalt. After an intensive student teaching program in Pittsburgh, PA, she taught private lessons before beginning a four-year stint as a musician in the Air Force. She spent half of her service with the Band of Flight in Dayton, OH, and finished up with the Band of the Golden West in Fairfield, CA. While serving, she performed with The Miracles, 4-time Grammy nominated saxophonist Greg Abate, John Phillip Sousa aficionado Ken Brion, jazz trumpeter Al Vizutti, Grammy nominated pop/gospel singer Susan Ashton, and saxophonist/composer Greg Yasininsky. She also had the honor of performing George Roumanis’ “American Ode” as a featured soloist on tour as well as on the 2002 CD release of First Flight. Currently she performs with Melao De Cuba, Bureau of Standards Big Band, Pacific Crest Wind Symphony, Portland Jazz Composers’ Ensemble, Lily Wilde Orchestra and the Quadraphonnes.