Lose Yourself in Music

Mayumi Tayake

Mayumi Tayake, enjoys an active musical life as a pianist, chamber musician, and a teacher.  She is a native of Japan but has spent most of her life in the United States.

Mayumi made her orchestral debut with the Grand Rapids Symphony at age 15 and received a Presidential Scholarship from Manhattan School of Music while working on her Bachelor’s degree. She was one of the winners of the 68th Young Musicians Concert Series which led to a performance at the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall.

Mayumi completed both Master’s and Doctor’s Degree as Graduate Teaching Assistant from Florida State University and University of Washington. She was a James Streem Endowment recipient and studied with James Streem at FSU and Craig Shepperd at UW. 

Mayumi has toured the Western Washington as Frances Walton competition winner. The same summer, she worked with the Unexpected Production featuring Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris at the iconic ‘Gum Wall’ Market theater.  She plays as pianist/celeste for Federal Way Symphony, Seattle Metropolitan Chamber Orchestra, Seattle Modern Orchestra, Seattle Philharmonic, and Philharmonia Northwest.

Mayumi has two children and a dog who keep her busy during her free time.  She is a foodie and enjoys planning trips around food and getting to know different culture through the local cuisine.

Mayumi has released two compact discs under the MSR label; Daniel Carr Volume I: Songs and Solo Piano and Volume II: For Flute and Piano.

Bohuslav Martinů (1890-1959) was a citizen of the world who never forgot his Czech roots.  After a childhood and teen years studying at the Prague Conservatory, Martinů spent three years in France before moving to the United States where he would live for most of the rest of his life. His became a prolific composer in his 20s, influenced by Debussy and Stravinsky but with an individual voice characterized by insistent rhythms and a natural, folklike melodiousness.  More

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) was an Austrian composer, widely recognized as one of the greatest composers in the history of Western music. With Haydn and Beethoven he brought to its height the achievement of the Viennese Classical school. His most famous compositions included the motet Exsultate, Jubilate, operas The Marriage of Figaro and Don Giovanni, and the Jupiter Symphony. More

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) is possibly the most popular Russian composer of all time. His extensive body of work includes The Nutcracker and Swan Lake ballets, Symphony No. 6, “Pathétique,” and the 1812 Overture. Although he showed interest and talent as a musician from a young age, Tchaikovsky was trained for a career in civil service and was in his 20s when he began studying music professionally. Tchaikovsky was internationally famous during his lifetime and in 1887, he finally overcame his fear of conducting and became a sought-after conductor throughout the world.  More

Michael Berry is the Federal Way Symphony principal bass and has been playing with the Symphony since moving to Washington in 2011. He is an orchestra teacher in the Puyallup School District and performs regularly with other orchestras in the region. He has also taught music classes at the University of Washington and Texas Tech University. In his free time, he enjoys writing, walking, exercising, cooking, and spending time with his family.

Sooyoung Hong has been a member of the Federal Way Symphony for nearly 10 years. A graduate of Kyungwon University in Korea, she studied Music Performance under the guidance of Eunkyung Park. Prior to relocating to the United States, Sooyoung performed with the Gyeonggi Philharmonic Orchestra, Lenis Piano Trio, and Lenis Ensemble, and served as concertmaster of the Onnuri Chamber Orchestra. After moving to the U.S., she played with the Seattle Philharmonic Orchestra as Assistant Concertmaster and second violin. With a deep passion for music, Sooyoung is dedicated to teaching and inspiring younger generations to embrace the joy of music in their lives.