Cellist, Rachel Bottner, is a Midwest native originally hailing from La Crosse, Wisconsin.  After leaving Wisconsin, Rachel pursued her musical studies at Interlochen Arts Academy, Eastman School of Music and University of Wisconsin, Madison where she studied with Crispin Campbell, Steven Doane and Uri Vardi, respectively.  During that time Rachel also participated in masterclasses for highly respected cellists such as Peter Wiley, Mark Kosower, Timothy Eddy, Eleanore Schoenfeld, Hans Jensen and Amir Eldan.  Rachel has spent her summers at festivals such as Bowdoin International Music Festival, Lakes Area Music Festival, Meadowmount School of Music and Northern Lights Chamber Music Institute.  

Currently, Rachel performs in orchestras throughout the Midwest including the Rochester Symphony as principal cellist, Sioux City Symphony Orchestra, and the La Crosse Symphony Orchestra as associate principal.  In addition to her orchestral work, Rachel is an avid chamber musician as part of the Stone Arch String Quartet and the Linwood Quartet, both based in the Twin Cities.  Outside of performing, Rachel maintains a small private studio where she hopes to help young students develop a lifelong love for music.

Marko Bajzer has written for a variety of media, including orchestra, wind ensemble, chamber music, voice, and electronics. His commissions include the Reno Philharmonic and the North State Symphony, with other works performed by the Travis Air Force Band of the Golden West, Blue Lake Festival Orchestra, Bay Area Rainbow Symphony, the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music Wind Ensemble, the CCM Brass Choir, the CCM Chamber Players, San Francisco Choral Artists, Yerba Buena Brass Quintet, Splinter Reeds Quintet, Blue Lake Festival Band, and others.

Bajzer's current large-scale project is From Sea to Shining Sea; a Musical Journey through America’s National Parks, a series of pieces depicting scenes from national parks across the United States. He was the Artist-in-Residence at Lassen Volcanic National Park in 2022 and wrote Lassen Awakes, which was performed by the North State Symphony in 2023. He was the 2023 Artist-in-Residence at Great Basin National Park, which will result in a performance by the Reno Philharmonic on March 22/23, 2025 of a piece entitled The Sacrifice of Prometheus. His 2024 residencies included Joshua Tree and Voyageurs National Parks, and works about those parks will premiere in 2025 and 2026. 

Bajzer earned his Bachelor of Music in music composition from the University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music, He obtained his Master of Music degree in composition from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. His primary teachers include Mason Bates, Dan Becker, Douglas Knehans, and Joel Hoffman, with additional studies with Samuel Adler, Derek Bermel, Ellen Harrison, Michael Fiday, and David Schneider. Bajzer taught music theory and composition at California State University - East Bay until 2023. 

Bajzer is also an active bassoonist and contrabassoonist, visual artist, and teacher. He presently resides in Mill Valley, California. Read more about the Sky-Tinted Water project, his artwork, and extensive teaching at https://www.markobajzer.com.