A Musical Journey to Triumph

March 21, 2026, 7 p.m., Albany Performing Arts Center

March 22, 2026, 4 p.m., Ashbrook Independent School

Come experience inspiring music that explores themes of resilience and victory through a captivating selection of musical pieces. Percussionist, Colton Kohler, will be performing Golovko’s Marima Concerto and Cellist, Andrea Sullivan, will be performing Bruch’s Kol Nidrei. The orchestra will also be performing Boulanger’s D’un Matin de printemps and Dvořák’s Symphony No. 7. Come 45 minutes early to enjoy a pre-concert talk with our artistic director, Lance Inouye.

Golovko – Marimba Concerto featuring Colton Kohler

Bruch – Kol Nidrei featuring Andrea Sullivan on cello

Dvorak – Symphony No. 7

Lily Boulanger – D’un matin de printemps

Soloist Andrea Sullivan

Andrea Katelyn Sullivan, a native of Corvallis, was born into a very musical family. Her father, Rod Pauls, plays guitar, her brother, Joshua, plays piano and drums, and her mother, Jill Pauls, is a professional flutist with several area orchestras. Andrea began begging for an instrument at the age of three. She would walk around the house with a ukulele and baton, pretending to play the violin. Her mom took her to sit in on a cello lesson and she immediately fell in love with the instrument. At the age of four, Andrea began studying the Suzuki cello method with Ann Grabe. Sullivan has appeared as a soloist with the Corvallis OSU Symphony five times, including two performances at children’s concerts at 10 and 11 years of age. The pieces Sullivan performed in order include: Vivaldi G minor Double Cello Concerto mvt 1, Haydn C Major Cello Concerto mvt 3, Popper’s Hungarian Rhapsody, Tchaikovsky’s Rococo Theme and Variations, and Dvorak’s Silent Woods. Andrea joined the OSU symphony as a junior in high school, but prior to that she played in Penny Wolfe’s Orchestra, the Junior Honor Symphony and the Corvallis Youth Symphony. Additionally, she competed in various concerto competitions across the state. Multiple times, she was a finalist in the Oregon Mozart Players young soloist competition, and Andrea performed at Oregon Suzuki Institute Honors Recitals.

At Oregon State University, Sullivan received a Bachelor of Science in Audio Engineering and a Bachelor of Music in Cello Performance, where she studied with teacher Anne Ridlington. From 2022-2025, Andrea played with OSU’s premier student ensemble, the Castor String quartet which performed all across Oregon. As part of her audio engineering experience, Andrea recorded and produced an album for her thesis project. It included songs written and performed by Sullivan and a few of her friends. In addition, she wrote, performed, and recorded various string parts for each piece. Furthermore, Andrea did an internship with URSA Engage, an undergraduate research program at OSU. Her specific project included researching underrepresented groups at OSU, creating code, and composing music that displayed the data through music; a process called Data Sonification.

Currently, Andrea is a substitute cellist with the Eugene Symphony, performs with the iFive quintet, and just won a chair to perform with Orchestra Next, the Eugene Ballet orchestra. Sullivan is also an assistant teacher for Elementary Strings where she helps teach beginning cello, violin and viola. She helps produce the live stream for her church, and plays cello on the worship team. In addition to this, Andrea plays guitar, bass, piano and sings.

Sullivan met her now husband on the worship team at church; he is a drummer and guitar player as well as owns his own arborist company and is manufacturing manager at Dax Robotics. The two recently got a puppy who adores listening to Andrea practice cello, sleeping at her feet the whole time. When not playing music together, the two enjoy dirt biking, trail running, travelling, and spending time with friends and family. In the future, Andrea plans to continue cello education, possibly pursuing a Masters in Cello performance.

Soloist Colton Kohler

Colton Kohler is a third-year undergraduate student at the University of Oregon, where he studies percussion under the guidance of Pius Cheung and Ian Kerr. Originally from Roseburg, Oregon, he has presented numerous solo recitals throughout the state in recent years, demonstrating a strong artistic commitment and a refined approach to the percussive arts.

In addition to his solo work, Colton is an active chamber musician. In 2025, he co-founded the Pacific Percussion Duo with Andrés Pinzón. Since its inception, the duo has been deeply engaged in exploring and expanding the percussion duo repertoire, presenting multiple performances across the Pacific Northwest.

Alongside his solo and chamber pursuits, Kohler maintains a strong presence in orchestral performance. He currently holds principal percussion positions with the Willamette Valley Symphony and previously served in a principal role with the Corvallis Symphony Orchestra. Through these engagements, he continues to develop a versatile and collaborative musical presence across a wide range of performance settings.

Recently, Colton earned a position with the World Percussion Group under the direction of Tim Palmer. As a member of this internationally recognized ensemble, he will embark on a five-week European tour spanning 13 countries, performing alongside musicians from all over the world.

Happy 250th Birthday, America! A Celebration of American Composers

June 6, 2026, 7 p.m., Albany Performing Arts Center

June 7, 20206, 4 p.m., Ashbrook Independent School

Join WVS for a festive celebration of American music as we honor the 250^th anniversary of our nation. This concert features selections of work by renowned American composers, including Copland, Bernstein, Ellington, and more! Come 45 minutes early to enjoy a pre-concert talk with our artistic director, Lance Inouye.

Copland – Fanfare for the Common Man

Walker – Lyric for Strings

Bernstein – Candide Overture

Ellington – Black Brown and Beige

Hanson – Symphony No. 2