About Us



Synergia Northwest proudly presents Music Matters LIVE! 2012

Featuring Vicci Martinez, Alan White and White, LeRoy Bell and His Only Friends, Brad, Star Anna and the Laughing Dogs, Howard Leese and more! Along with and The Synergia Northwest Orchestra, to benefit school music programs throughout Washington State. The event will be hosted by KING 5 TV's Meeghan Black on Saturday, May 12, 2012 at The Paramount Theatre in Seattle. Tickets go on sale now: www.stgpresents.org

Music Matters LIVE! 2012 blends classical, contemporary, professional and student musicians into one evening of performances that unifies cultures and musical genres. The event raises funds to provide extended learning, enrichment and performance opportunities to Northwest area music students while raising awareness of Music Aid Northwest's new "Music Matters" specialty license plate.

Highlights of the evening will be performances by Vicci Martinez, who captured a national audience on season one of NBC's The Voice; Yes's Grammy award winning Alan White and White; BRAD feat. Pearl Jam's Stone Gossard and Shawn Smith, Heart guitarist Howard Leese; the gritty Americana-laced Star Anna and The Laughing Dogs; and a first time dance and music performance by Dora Oliveira's Samba-Reggae Revolution. Martinez will debut two brand new songs from her upcoming Universal Republic release "Vicci" with the Synergia Northwest Orchestra. Another special musical addition this year will be performances of selections from Elton John's rock classic Madman Across The Water. The original scores have been donated to Synergia Northwest especially for this event on behalf of Sir Elton John. In addition special guests are to be announced.


May 6, 2011, The Moore Theatre, Seattle, WA - Photo by Jerry and Lois Levin

The first Synergia Northwest concert launched in 2010 at Tacoma's historic Temple Ballroom in the Landmark Convention Center. And in 2011 made its Seattle debut at The Moore Theater featuring such artist as Alan White, Queensryche, Heart By Heart, Special guest appearances by Geoffrey Castle, Blues Traveler's John Popper and Brendan Hill and many others all alongside the 50 piece Synergia Northwest Orchestra. Plans for Synergia Northwest 2012 are currently underway.

Northwest recording artists who have lent their talents to the historic breathtaking performances at Synergia Northwest include some of the Pacific Northwest's most high profile rockers all backed by the Synergia Northwest Orchestra. These artists included among others Grammy award-winning drummer Alan White (Yes, John Lennon), Queensryche, renowned guitarist Howard Leese (Heart, Paul Rodgers, Bad Company) with Randy Hansen, Mike Derosier, Michael McMorrow - Grammy nominated Eugene, Oregon native Tracy Bonham (Mother, Mother), 31 year in the making reunion of original members of "Heart" with Leese, Derosier, Steve Fossen, Roger Fisher and powerhouse vocalist Somar Macek. Tennis Pro. Special guest appearances by Geoffrey Castle, Blues Traveler's John Popper and Brendan Hill, Scotty Olsen Seattle Seahawk's Blue Thunder Drum Line, KOKON Taiko and many others. A special tribute to the groundbreaking music of the late artist and Northwest Native American Indian Beaver Chief by his children and brother in acknowledgement of the area's deep cultural heritage also highlighted the 2010 event.

Who We are

Michael McMorrow - Executive Producer/Musical Director
Michael McMorrow is a composer, and recording artist as well as producer for some of Washington State’s most prestigious and beneficial music events. He, along with Brendan Hill of the Grammy-award winning rock band Blues Traveler, is also a founding member of the nationally recognized rock band Stolen Ogre. As executive producer and musical director Michael is currently producing Music Matters "LIVE", a concert event to raise funds and awareness for youth music in the Pacific Northwest, Spring 2012. In addition to developing the youth music oriented Synergia Northwest, McMorrow was recently appointed to act as Musical Director for Broadway Choreographer Joey McKneely from West Side Story for STG'S 13th Annual "DANCE This". McKneely studied under Jerome Robbins and reproduced and rejuvenated the choreography for the Tony Award Winning Broadway revival that opened in 2009 as well as directed several major productions of West Side Story around the world. McMorrow continues to write, record and perform with various projects while currently working on his new music project "Idlewood". Michael is a member of the Recording Academy of Arts and Sciences, a voting member of the Grammys and is an advisory board member of Music Aid Northwest www.michaelmcmorrow.com


Dr. Bret P. Smith - Synergia Northwest Orchestra Director
Assistant Professor of Music Education (B.A., B.M. with honors, University of Washington; M.M., Ph.D., University of Michigan) Bret Smith is a teacher educator, conductor, and cellist who specializes in instrumental music education. He holds degrees in music and systematic musicology from the University of Washington, where he worked with James C. Carlsen and Barbara Reeder Lundquist, and a Master of Music and Doctor of Philosophy in music education from the University of Michigan, where his mentors were Robert L. Culver, James O. Froseth, Richard J. Colwell, and Anthony Elliott. www.cwu.edu/~music/musiced/bpsmith.html



Guest Conductor - Dr. Nikolas Caoile
Nikolas Caoile is Music Director and Conductor of the Wenatchee Valley Symphony Orchestra and Director of Orchestral Activities at Central Washington University. There, he has grown the orchestras into one of the preeminent collegiate orchestra programs of the Northwest. The CWU Symphony Orchestra has consistently won invitations to perform at the Washington Music Educators Association Conferences. A passionate believer in music education for all ages, Caoile has conducted numerous educational and community engagement concerts. In October 2009, Caoile made his New York City debut with the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas in collaboration with the Morphoses Dance Company. He is a faculty member of the Kairos Chamber Music Lyceum.

William Boyd - Concertmaster:
William Boyd credits include concertmaster for the 5th Avenue and Paramount Theater Orchestras as well as violinist in the Pacific Northwest Ballet Orchestra. He has been acting principle second of the Seattle Symphony (including European Tour), co-concertmaster of the Little Orchestra Society of Philadelphia, violist with the Opus 4 Quartet, member of the Temple Quartet, concertmaster for such notables as Johnny Mathis, Tony Bennett, Rod Stewart among others and has numerous recording credits in radio, television and film. As a conductor, Mr. Boyd has directed the Philadelphia Junior Symphony, the Alaska Fairbanks Region Orchestra, and a variety of other orchestras and has taught in the Philadelphia Public Schools, the Federal Way, Tacoma, and Shoreline School Districts in Washington State. He is a member of the faculties of Temple University and University of Alaska Fairbanks.

Phillip (Phil) Peterson - Orchestrator/Arranger:
Phil Peterson is professional cellist as well as a sought after string arranger. A student of Richard Aaron (Cleveland Institute) and Raymond Davis (Seattle Symphony Principal cellist for 40+ years). By the age of 17 he was touring Europe with his cello. Phil is a producer who owns and operates his own studio, “The House of Breaking Glass”, and has worked with Nada Surf, Brandi Carlile, Ken Stringfellow, Chris Ballew (Presidents of the United States of America), The Grace Seattle Experimental Orchestra, LeRoy Bell, The Chronicles of Narnia (soundtrack), Steve Fisk, John Goodmanson, Tom Pfaeffle, Epitaph Records, Columbia Records, Sub Pop Records, Disney, EMI, and many more.

Beth Chandler - Orchestrator/Arranger:
Beth Chandler is a longtime performer/teacher of violin and piano/keyboards in the Northwest. After early musical opportunities with the Everett Junior and Youth Symphonies and Thalia Symphonies, she went on to graduate from the University of Washington with a music degree. She has toured, recorded, arranged and performed with artists such as the Northwest's own Danny O'Keefe, Roger Fisher and Alice Stuart and others including Ben Vereen and Bonnie Raitt. She has also toured for our troops via USO tours around the world. Chandler has been a tenured member of the Yakima Symphony for 10 years, but plays in many other musical genres as well. Her teaching and producing hundreds of young (& old!) violinists in her studio has been her way of giving back musically, and she has watched many of them pursue and enjoy music as a major part of their lives. She's thrilled to be a part of SYNERGIA NW to further contribute to the cause of musical education in Washington.

Amy Elyse - Production & Logistics Coordinator
Elyse joins the project with a long list of credentials of music industry events and productions. Since entering the national arena on the H.O.R.D.E tour working as music industry veteran Heidi Kelso's assistant, she has had various responsibilities on Live Nation's Pemberton Festival, House of Blues' Gorge Summer Concert Series, the European tour of Alanna Myles and the Canadian tours of Jann Arden and Melanie Doane. Her expertise also includes serving as production assistant and overseeing all performance related aspects of Phaneuf Production's DuMaurier Concert Series with The Tea Party and Orchestra and The Tea Party and the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra.

Brenna Davenport-Leigh, Hellbender Marketing/Media - Publicity
Prior to opening Hellbender in 2003, Davenport-Leigh worked for Titley & Associates Management, whose roster included nationally recognized touring and recording artists. Before joining that firm, she was head of the Artist Development/Media department for RCA/Nashville.

Carolyn Douglas-Broadcast Media
Carolyn Douglas is an Emmy award-winning broadcast news journalist and communications expert with two decades of experience in broadcast news, public speaking, and media consulting. As a fourth generation Washingtonian and a former anchor and reporter for KING TV, Carolyn has forged powerful connections to the Northwest community. Through Carolyn Douglas Communications, she and her partners are dedicated to helping people and organizations tell their stories to the world through exclusive media connections and community ties.

Shawn Stewart-Artist Relations
Shawn Stewart has worked at 3 of the best radio stations in America: Rev105 in Minneapolis, WXPN in Philadelphia, and most recently the Music Director at 103.7 FM The Mountain in Seattle. She's produced nationally syndicated radio shows including Revolution Radio, The Spin Radio Network, The Request Radio Hour, and The World Cafe. Among others Shawn has interview Adele and Allen Ginsberg, Heart, Metallica, and rage Against The Machine, just to name a few, hosted Spin TV for Spin Magazine and now... a blogger.
http://shawnalogue.wordpress.com/author/shawnalogue/

Bob Minkin, Minkin Design & Marketing – Website Development, Branding, Print Media
Bob is a partner in Minkin Design, a strategic marketing and design firm located in the San Francisco Bay Area. For over 20 years, he has designed and produced all forms of print and online media for clients nationally, from startups to Fortune 500 — with special emphasis on the music industry. Bob developed a breadth of CD and DVD packaging for Grateful Dead Productions, and has helped other artists and non-profits promote their music and their causes. Additionally, Bob is a renowned rock photographer with a prolific portfolio spanning 30+ years of capturing music icons such as Muddy Waters, Frank Zappa and the Grateful Dead. www.minkindesign.com