Welcome Home Concert
The Welcome Home Concert brings home a locally trained student who has left Bellingham to pursue a career in music and/or is attending a college or conservatory to reach their goal of a music career. We applaud and honor them in this quest as well as their teachers and parents here in Bellingham that have started and aided them on this journey.
2026
Saturday, January 3, 2026, 7:00 P.M.
15th Annual welcome Home Concert
Valerian Roisin Connor & Liam Connor
Christ the Servant Lutheran Church
2600 Lakeway Dr
Bellingham 98229
This free concert is open to the public. Donations appreciated.
Valerian Roisin Connor, Violin
Valerian Connor grew up Bellingham, Washington, where they began studying the violin with Betsy Stuen-Walker and piano with Andrea Rackl. They are fortunate to have been surrounded by music their entire life. They are currently pursuing a degree in violin performance at Ithaca College in Ithaca, New York, where they study under James Zabawa-Martinez. Their previous teachers include Aimee Rieger, Susan Waterbury, Guillaume Pirard, and Christina Bouey.
In their time at Ithaca College, they have served as concertmaster of the IC Symphony Orchestra and the IC Chamber Orchestra, as well as participated in masterclasses with Christian Tetzlaff, David Bowlin, and Risa Hokamura. They have also enjoyed playing with the Cayuga Chamber Orchestra, the IC Contemporary Chamber Ensemble, and in various pit orchestras for opera and musical productions. They recently received first prize at the VII Anselmo Academy Music Competition.
Val has a passion for chamber music, and has participated in masterclasses with the Calidore Quartet, Aizuri Quartet, and Ulysses Quartet. Their current ensemble, the Euphoria Quartet, recently studied and performed this past summer as the Scholar Quartet in residence at the Heartlands Summer Chamber Music Festival in Kansas City. Val plans to pursue their studies in music post-graduation, and looks forward to continuing to share their deep love of music with the world through performance.
Liam Connor, Viola
Liam Connor is a 19 year old violist, currently in his second year studying with André Roy at McGill University in Montréal Canada. He grew up studying viola with Betsy Stuen-Walker in Bellingham, until he entered McGill University. He is now pursuing a degree in Viola Performance at McGill, where he plays in the Symphony Orchestra, as well as with his string quartet.
Liam is a previous winner of the Bellingham Music Club’s Strings competition, as well as a multiple time winner of the Washington State Music Teachers Association Regional Solo and Ensemble Contest. He won North Sound Youth Symphony’s concerto competition, performing the Walton Viola concerto with them in 2024. As a chamber musician, Liam has had the opportunity to perform in masterclasses with groups such as the Calidore Quartet, Verona Quartet and Quartet Integra. He has earned spots in summer music programs across the country, honing his skills with teachers from all around the world.
In addition to viola, Liam studied piano with Andrea Rackl, who also helped him to develop his theory and composition skills. In high school, he began teaching himself to play the electric guitar, and now enjoys writing and recording his own songs, and playing live shows with his friends.
At McGill, Liam has been elected to serve as the VP Executive Director of Administration on the Music Undergraduate Student Society, helping to build a strong and uplifting community in the school of music.
Where are they now?
2025
Penelope Keep
Piano and Saxophone
Penelope is a first year student at Stanford University where she studies both classical and jazz piano as well as jazz saxophone. In addition to her music she plans on pursuing an undergraduate degree focused in Human and Environmental Systems.
2024
Rachel Charbel
Violin
Rachel lives in Cincinnati with her husband and two children where she is a member of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. Rachel maintains a private studio of promising young violinists and continues as an avid chamber musician whenever possible.
2023 • The Nakatani’s, voice
Lindsey
Lindsey continues to pursue her musical career in New York, where she enjoys singing with The Brick Church Chancel Choir every Sunday. Lindsey was most recently seen in the world premiere of Shizue: An American Story with Portland Opera To Go.
Danielle
Danielle is learning and preparing her new voice type, Mezzo-soprano. She is currently filling her time when not singing, as a brewer at Aslan Brewery.
Christopher
Christopher continues to grow his passions along with his vocal register, He also follows his other professional interest as an interior designer and stager.
2022 • No concert due to Covid restrictions
2021 • Virtual “Welcome Home, 10 Years In Review”
2020
Maya Enstad
Cello
Maya plays as cellist in the Katarina String Quartet. Formed in 2022, the Katarina String Quartet has quickly emerged as one of Canada’s leading young string quartets. They are the current Graduate String Quartet in Residence at The Juilliard School in New York.
2019
Adam Billings
Composer
A graduate of Juilliard, Adam went on to receive his MM from the Mannes College of Music and will receive his DMA from Boston University in 2025. In the contemporary world, where our outlook on the future is increasingly bleak and dystopian, he feels it is important to create art that alleviates some of the anxieties incited by current events. “I choose to write chamber music as it is the most intimate expression of human connection.” And don’t we all need that.
2018
Hannie McGarity
Violin
After living in New York City, Hannie now resides in Victoria, BC where she is a violinist in the Victoria Symphony and last year played in our own Bellingham Festival of Music Orchestra.
2017
Eli Schille-Hudson
Guitar
Eli is a guitarist based in Bellingham, Washington where he heads the guitar studio at Western Washington University. At Western he teaches courses in music theory, guitar history, pedagogy, and fretboard harmony; he also teaches applied lessons and conducts and arranges for the WWU Guitar Ensemble.
2016
Cole Anderson
Piano
Cole is in the Bay Area, and recently joined the faculty for the SFCM pre-college. He is proprietor for the YouTube channel, “The Independent Piano”, teaching students online from around the globe while also keeping active as a performer with concerts throughout the US, Europe, Asia, New Zealand and Latin America.
2015
Jeff Siegfried
Saxophone
Jeff holds masters degrees in saxophone and musicology from Northwestern University and a doctorate in saxophone with certificates in musicology and performance studies from the University of Michigan. He serves as Assistant Professor of Saxophone at West Virginia University. He is a member of The Moanin’ Frogs and the Estrella Consort, both saxophone ensembles.
2014
Roman Yearian
Violin
Roman is Associate Principal Second Violin of the Naples Philharmonic where he also coaches chamber music and teaches privately.
2013
Albert Diaz
Guitar
Albert lives with his partner in Portland, Or. where he works for Siemens Smart Infrastructure. Albert holds a BM and MM in classical guitar performance from the University of Southern California, and an MA and degree of Candidate in Philosophy in musicology from the University of California, Los Angeles.
2013
Jon Hansen
Tuba
Jon is living in Zürich with his wife Rita (also a Bellinghamster) and their 4 children. He has been a featured soloist in North America, Europe, and Asia. As a composer Jon’s compositions have been performed/recorded in Europe, Asia, Australia, and North America.
2012
Lindsay Nakatani
Soprano
Lindsey continues to pursue her musical career in New York, where she enjoys singing with The Brick Church Chancel Choir every Sunday. Lindsey was most recently seen in the world premiere of Shizue: An American Story with Portland Opera To Go.
2011
Jeremy Berry
Viola
Jeremy continues playing to a world audience as a member of the Calidore String Quartet. The quartet are now full time professors of music and are the Distinguished Quartet in Residence at the University of Delaware School of Music and currently serve as directors of the newly established Graduate String Quartet Residency. Last year they released their 9th CD titled “The Beethoven Middle Quartets” and continue to travel the world sharing their music.