Chamber Groups
Rochelle is an active chamber musician and performs throughout the San Francisco and San José areas with a number of chamber groups.
Sierra Quartet in rehearsal, complete with food and sleeping dogs. From left to right: Elbert Tsai, Rochelle Nguyen, James Jaffe, and Christina Simpson.
Sierra Quartet
The Sierra Quartet is comprised of Elbert Tsai and Rochelle Nguyen, violins; Christina Simpson, viola; and James Jaffe, cello. The Sierra Quartet has performed in numerous venues throughout the California.
Altea Piano Quartet performed at Santa Clara University Recital Hall in September 2019.
Altea Piano Quartet
The Altea Piano Quartet has delighted audiences in the South Bay and the greater Bay Area since its inception in 2018. The name “Altea” is derived from the Greek word meaning “to heal”, and Altea’s mission is to heal the cultural and artistic divides in our community through exceptional classical music performance.
A versatile pair, the Nguyen - Van Gee Duo performs music ranging from the standards of Mozart and Martinu to opera arias and Americana. They are also passionate about showcasing new and lesser known classical music. Sharing great music with audiences in the Bay Area and beyond!
Oceana String Quartet
Formed at the University of Washington in 2011, the Oceana String Quartet won the 2011 and 2012 UW Chamber Music Competition and first place at the Washington State and NW Regional MTNA Competitions. Seattle concerts together included: a performance of George Crumb’s Black Angels for amplified string quartet, a concert at the Rainier Club honoring Washington composer William Bolcom, and representing the School of Music at HuskyFest, celebrating UW’s 150th year.
The quartet was coached by Melia Watras, violist of the Corigliano Quartet, and has also worked with Atar Arad, Elisa Barston, Paul Kantor, Ronald Patterson and members of Cuarteto Casals, the Emerson String Quartet, the Gryphon Trio, the Juilliard String Quartet, and the St. Lawrence String Quartet.
In California, the OSQ has performed at the Sebastopol Performing Arts Center, as well as Stanford University as participants of the St. Lawrence String Quartet Chamber Music Seminar.
The Oceana String Quartet. Left to right: Rochelle Nguyen (violin), Sonja Myklebust (cello), Romaric Pokorny (viola), and Emilie Choi (violin).