A seasonal music camp for adults - DASC leads the way as a non-competitive, non-auditioned, educational orchestra for adult string players.
SARAH JYLKKA
DASC Symphony Founder & Executive Director
Willow Orchestra Director ​
​
Sarah Jylkka is a Denver-based professional violinist and violist with over 15 years of experience. She has directed orchestras at El Sistema Colorado, coached for various student festivals in the Denver metro area, and served as an orchestra director for Mapleton Public Schools in Thornton, CO from 2017-2021. She is active in the Colorado orchestra scene as an instrumental coach, performer, private teacher, and orchestra clinician.
Sarah holds both a Bachelor's Degree in Music Education from DePauw University in Greencastle, IN as well as an active Colorado State Teacher's License endorsed in K-12 instrumental music. Sarah was the 2016 recipient of the DePauw University Music Citizen award granted to a student with outstanding service to the community through music as well as the 2o16 recipient of the Leah Curnutt Prize granted to an outstanding senior Music Education major. Sarah has been featured in Life on Capitol Hill and VoyageDenver.
Notably, Sarah has performed with members of Elephant Revival, LVDY, The Blind Cafe Orchestra, Su Teatro, Nordic Daughter, Suhl Ensemble, the Arapahoe Philharmonic, Stratus Chamber Orchestra, recorded SFX for Mt. Mograph, and has designed sound for both The Pandemic Collective and Bewilderment Theater Company. Sarah has studied under Ericka Dicker, Dan Rizner, Tarn Travers, and Julia Taylor.
Sarah currently runs a home studio as well as teaching violin remotely through Trala Violin. You can see Sarah perform on violin around Colorado and the US with the Viking rock band, Nordic Daughter.
LINDSAY GENADEK
DASC Symphony Assistant Director
Non-performance ensemble Director
Willow Assistant Director
Lindsay teaches private violin and viola lessons from her home studio in Denver, Colorado and is the Outreach and Education Coordinator for Augustana Arts. She is currently President-Elect for Colorado American String Teachers Association. Prior to these positions, she taught orchestra at the public school level, most recently as an elementary and middle school orchestra director at Westminster Public Schools. Prior to this position, she served as the Head Orchestra Director at Mapleton Public Schools and taught at El Sistema Colorado as the String Teaching Artist.
Lindsay is very active in the music education community. She is currently the Outreach and Education Coordinator for Augustana Arts – City Strings helping bring music education to underserved communities and is on the American String Teachers Association (ASTA) Private Studio Committee,
served as a mentor for the ASTA New Teacher Mentor Program and has served as the Secretary of the Colorado American String Teachers Association. She is a published author in the ASTA Journal and has presented sessions at the American String Teachers Association National Conference, the Colorado Music Educators Association Conference as well as the Colorado American String Teachers Association Summer Conference.
She was the recipient of the Mapleton Public School’s Teacher of the Year Award in 2015 and was given the Colorado American String Teachers Association’s Exemplary Middle School and Junior High School Teacher Award in 2012.
​
Lindsay can be seen performing on her viola throughout Colorado in a variety of capacities. Most recently, Lindsay performed with the Boulder Symphony Orchestra as principal viola, the Denver Philharmonic where she played both section violist and principal violist, Stratus Chamber Orchestra Arapahoe Philharmonic, Evergreen Chamber Orchestra and the Grand Junction Symphony Orchestra.
OLASUYI IGE
Violin Coach
Olasuyi Ige is a violinist and an inspiring educator who received his Bachelor’s
in Violin Performance from the University of Denver Lamont School of Music
(Manga Cum Laude). He is currently pursuing his Masters in violin performance and composition at the Lamont School of Music under the instruction of Igor Pikayzen and Sean Friar.
As a violinist, Olasuyi has performed many works by Beethoven, Brahms,
William Grant Still, Mozart, and Wieniawski. Venues that Olasuyi has performed in include Dazzle Jazz Club, Gates Concert Hall, and Hamilton Recital Hall. Olasuyi enjoys working with the nonprofit organization called El Sistema Colorado that provides group and private music lessons to underrepresented youth in the Denver area. Teaching is one of Olasuyi’s passions and he enjoys seeing previous and current students share their love for music and learning.
​
Over the years he has been to many music festivals such as Pacific Region International Summer Music Academy (PRISMA) in Powell River, Canada, Interlochen Arts Camp in Interlochen, Michigan, and Sphinx Summer Academy in Chicago, Illinois.
When he is not performing or teaching Olasuyi likes to write and arrange
chamber music for both chamber groups and larger ensembles.
LAENA BATCHELDER
Violin Coach
Laena Grace Batchelder is a violinist, musician, and social justice advocate. Following her mission to support diversity, equity, and inclusion in classical music, she has programmed works by female, minority, contemporary, and non-traditional composers in her recitals including her honors project recital, Women of American Chamber Music. She believes in combining classical and popular music to appeal to wider audiences which she has implemented in recitals and YouTube videos. Laena also aims to apply these ideals to her teaching in her private studio. She learned violin from age six with the Suzuki Method, so that philosophy and repertoire are very present in her teaching. She has also been trained in teaching the method through Book 2. However, she incorporates many other methods and has assigned pieces from Music by Black Composers and the Barbara Barber method books as well as arrangements of popular songs.
​
Laena graduated with a Master of Music at the University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder) studying with Charles Wetherbee. Her studies there focused on chamber music, string pedagogy, and expanding her own technique and repertoire. Previously, she graduated from Texas Christian University (TCU) in her hometown of Fort Worth, Texas with a Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance (summa cum laude). She studied with Elisabeth Adkins at TCU and with Martha Walvoord during her high school years. She has attended summer festivals such as Wintergreen, the Texas Music Festival, the TCU Quartet Intensive, and the National Symphony Orchestra Summer Music Institute. She is also a section violinist with the Boulder Symphony and the Arapahoe Philharmonic.
​
​In addition to music, Laena enjoys reading, knitting, swing dancing, progressive politics, and hanging out with her friends.
JAKE THURSTON
Double Bass Coach
Originally from Buffalo NY, Jake Thurston earned his Bachelor’s degree in Music education from Buffalo State College and his Master’s Degree in Double Bass performance from the Fredonia School of music in Fredonia NY.
Jake Currently holds positions with the Boulder Symphony Orchestra and the Arapahoe Philharmonic and regularly subs with many orchestras in the area, including the Boulder Philharmonic, Greeley Philharmonic and Cheyenne Symphony Orchestra. He previously was a member of the Buffalo Civic Orchestra, Four Centuries Chamber Orchestra and the Warren Philharmonic and subbed regularly with the Western NY Chamber Orchestra.
Jake holds teaching positions as the Double Bass Instructor at Denver School of the Arts and Double Bass Studio TA at CU Boulder School of Music as well as maintaining a private double
bass studio.
