Collin Heade-Artistic Director/Conductor
Collin G. Heade embarks on celebrating his 14th season as Artistic Director/Conductor of Westside Community & Youth Orchestra in Hillsboro, Oregon (wcyo.org), and his 13th season as Conductor of the Junior Symphony of Vancouver, WA.
As a conductor, he has attended workshops with the Virginia, Baltimore and Norwalk Symphony Orchestras.
Of note, recently Collin has been asked by COMEA, Central Oregon Music Education Association to travel to Bend to direct a full two-day rehearsal schedule as well as concert leading their District V Honor String Orchestra, winter of 2025.
Collin has also taken on a very fun summer endeavor with the WCYO Summer String Workshop in the Hillsboro area, as Artistic Director leading the ensemble from his cello chair. This is absolutely free to abled string musicians, where they rehearse in the round. Last summer they gave a first luncheon Brown Bag, where the audience was able to partake the festivity from outside the round formation.
As an avid Composer, his compositional endeavors can be viewed from his website at PortlandCello.com. For a number of months he has been excited to take time to work on an extended piece for piano, with many sections, each in a different key. That composition is just now wrapping up. The piece is humbly dedicated to the life of Portland pianist and Portland Piano International founder, Harold Gray, who was also the pianist of the Florestan Trio at PSU, Collin’s alma mater. Collin’s study at PSU was very exciting, creating a firm musical foundation. His new piano piece is entitled “The Vision That Led to an Adventure.” Each smaller section has headings corresponding to different parts of an adventure, a story line, that could easily pertain to many of us. Dr. Gray’s professional life went on to take monumental and exhaustive feats in his lifetime, which are still thriving, and will continue to do so.
As a Cellist, Collin has performed as Principal with the Oregon Chamber Players, and the Oregon Arts Orchestra, with whom he has made four European tours, the most recent, and last, to the land of his father’s birth, Ireland. Collin has concentrated on cello instruction all his professional life and now teaches solely online from his home studio in southeast Portland.
Collin’s principal teachers have included Tomáš Svoboda, Composition; John Trudeau, Orchestral Conducting; and David J. Wilson, Choral Conducting. Collin has the honor of being Hamilton Cheifetz’s very first cello student in the Portland area who is also a member of the Florestan Trio; and received instruction from cellist, Dorien de Léon, as well.
Collin enjoys his home life immensely with spouse, Cameretta. Their two grandchildren, are constantly reminding them of their own childhood, which is precious. His daughter, Julie, is a Sr. Manager, Reputations Programs, Corporate Affairs, for Banfield Pet Hospital headquarters in Vancouver, WA. Julie has just published her first book, entitled Exponential: The Climate Crisis & You.
Mark Iven-Concertmaster
As the most skilled and knowledgeable violinist of the orchestra the concertmaster is chief intermediary between the musicians and the conductor. The concertmaster is responsible for the violin section, playing solo passages in the absence of a guest soloist, understanding the conductor's ideas and communicating them in technical terms to the rest of the orchestra. He also leads the orchestra in tuning before rehearsals and performances. He assists with aspects of the orchestra's management. He supervises the set-up and take down of chairs and equipment for rehearsals and performances. Iven has been with the orchestra since its beginning and represents the string sections on the board.