Onomatopoeia
Onomatopoeia (all alternate spellings accepted) is Cassie Lear, flutes; Soren Hamm saxophones; and Rebecca Olason, French horn. Faced with a menagerie of seldom-paired instruments and no repertoire whatsoever, these three award-winning soloists and longtime friends came together anyways to create a new kind of chamber ensemble. The result is a versatile, 21st century sound that makes everything – from classical to folk to contemporary music – sound fresh and new.
Onomatopoeia has many upcoming shows; check the calendar for more information. We are currently working on our local composers project; a recital series and recording of 10 new pieces commissioned from local composers. More information at www.onomatopoeiatrio.com
More Audio
Click on the photo to visit our Soundcloud for the most recent tracks!
Upcoming performances
We are currently on hiatus due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Please check back soon for more information.
Rebecca Olason, horn
Hornist and educator Rebecca Olason is passionate about music both as a tradition and as a living art form. In addition to performing with Onomatopoeia, she is a member of the Rose City Brass Quintet. She was the fourth horn in the Newport Symphony and Portland Columbia Symphony Orchestra, and performs as a substitute with various orchestras in the Pacific Northwest, including the Oregon Symphony and Oregon Ballet Theater orchestra.
As an avid and passionate teacher, Rebecca’s goal is to help her students discover their passions and goals in music. She has taught at Clackamas Community College, George Fox University, her own private studio and in clinics across the tri-county area.
Rebecca graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Oregon with a Bachelors of Music in Horn Performance and with a Masters of Music in Horn Performance from the Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University, where she studied with Lydia Van Dreel and Denise Tryon, respectively.
Soren Hamm, saxophones
Heard on the popular radio programs Performance Today and KING FM’s Northwest Focus Live, saxophonist Soren Hamm is a versatile musician, performing repertoire spanning the Renaissance through the Avant-garde. He is the first person to win both the solo and (with the Equus Saxophone Quartet) ensemble categories of the Frances Walton Competition, and was a winner of the Northwest MTNA Competitions on multiple occasions. Soren is passionate about chamber music, contemporary saxophone repertoire, and music outreach. He has premiered dozens of new works for saxophone, with a special focus on composers from the Pacific Northwest. Soren graduated from the University of Oregon (B.M.) and Bowling Green State University (M.M.), and also completed study in music education at Western Washington University. His teachers include Idit Shner, Fred Winkler, and John Sampen.
Cassie Lear, flutes
Cassie Lear is a performer and teacher based in Seattle, WA. She is a past first place winner of the Seattle Flute Society Young Artist Competition, the Maverick Flute Competition, and an alternate winner of the Francis Walton Solo Competition, as well as winning an Audience Choice award at the LaTex Electronic Music Festival. Cassie performs and subs with groups in and around the Seattle area, including Seattle Metropolitan Chamber Orchestra, the SoundEdge Orchestra, and Puget Sound Strings, and has also performed at the National Flute Association Annual Conference, the International Computer Music Conference, the Oregon Bach Festival, the International Lyric Academy in Italy, nief norf Summer Festival, and has been featured on the soundtrack of two short films, several plays, and one feature-length horror film.
Most recently Cassie spent the summer in Kolkata, India, working with both the Kolkata Symphony and performing in outreach concerts bringing Western classical music performances to children who wouldn’t normally get to hear them. While in India she performed the Godard Valse with the Kolkata Symphony.