Musical Biographies

The core ensemble of Sequoia Chamber Music Society is comprised of flute, violin, viola, cello and piano, and the harp is a frequent guest.
Harpist Naomi Alter received her B.M. degree in harp at Oberlin Conservatory of Music under the tutelage of Alice Chalifoux. She has taught harp at Louisiana State University and performed with the Toledo, Baton Rouge, La Jolla and Palomar Symphonies. She resides in La Costa, teaching performing on the harp and raising three children with her husband, Aaron Alter of Aaron's Computer Relief.

Pianist John Danke received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Theory and composition from Chapman University. The Canadian-born artist has performed extensively throughout the United States, Mexico and Canada as a solo recitalist and accompanist, and has give a number of performances in Europe. He has appeared for a number of music festivals and organizations, including Community Concerts, Inc., Affiliate Artists Inc. and various city-sponsored artist-in-residence programs, and has been invited to give recitals in universities and on concert series throughout the country. Currently, Mr. Dank is active as a vocal accompanist throughout Southern California, while serving as organist and keyboards in several churches in the North County area. He serves as an accompanist for music departments at several schools in the area as well, and has recently joined the performing roster of the San Diego Chamber Orchestra.

Flutist Diana Gee, Director of the Pier View Way Concert Series, received the Doctor of Music degree from the University of Washington. She has performed solo, chamber and orchestral music in the United States, South America, the Caribbean and Europe. A participant in Master Classes with James Galway, Jean Pierre Rampal and Alain Marion, Ms. Gee has traveled to Switzerland, France and Ireland for these classes. A recipient of grants from Arts Councils in Nevada, Washington and Oregon, Ms. Gee has been a cofounder of chamber music series in Portland, Vancouver and Las Vegas. She was an invited performer at several National Flute Association Conventions and has been on the California Arts Council Touring Artists Roster. The University of Michigan Press publishes her doctoral dissertation Flute Chamber Music by American Women Composers. She has taught at Pacific University, Concordia College, Dominican College and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. . She has played with the Oregon Symphony, Nevada Symphony, California Coast Opera Orchestra, and the Westchester Philharmonic in addition to numerous chamber music ensembles in California, Oregon, Washington, Arizona and Nevada. She has performed concerti with orchestras in Las Vegas, Seattle, San Francisco, and La Jolla.

Fontaine Laing , piano, received the Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Texas and the Master of Music degree from the University of Michigan. She studied piano with M. Pressler, E. Bossart and Vitya Vronsky. She has toured Germany, Japan and Canada as an accompanist and chamber musician. Her recordings include performances with the International Chamber Orchestra and four albums with Ervin Monroe, first flute with the Detroit Symphony. She has appeared with the Detroit Art Institute Series, the Toledo Art Institute Series and the Cranbrook series. She has been a substitute pianist and harpsichordist with the Detroit Symphony and a pianist for National Flute Convention in St. Louis, Boston and Detroit. She has taught at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan.



Samuel Scott, cello, studied cello at the Peabody Conservatory of Music on a Rockefeller Scholarship. He received a Master of Music degree from Portland State University. Mr. Scott has performed internationally as a soloist in Taiwan and the Far East and as a chamber musician in Belgium, Italy, the Caribbean and the U.S. He has performed at several music festivals in California and has been to the California Arts Council Touring Artists Roster. Mr. Scott has performed with orchestras in Taiwan, San Francisco, Baltimore, Antwerp, Portland, Long Beach and Las Vegas. He has taught at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Pacific University and Dominican College.

Carolyn Van Loon, viola Ms. Van Loon is a graduate of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music where she taught violin in the Preparatory Department for many years. She has participated both as a violinist and violist in numerous International Music Festivals including the Von Karajan Music Festival in Berlin and the Sommer Music Mochen Chamber Festival in Trogan, Switzerland. As a principal violist she was invited to attend the Ivy Gitlis Festival in Monton, France, the Bach Festival in Monteraux, France and the San Francisco Chamber Music Ensemble in Mexico City. Prior to moving to San Diego, Ms. Van Loon was the recipient of a teaching grant from the Lafayette Arts and Science Foundation in Lafayette, California