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The core group of Onyx Chamber Players forms a piano trio. While they most frequently play the classical piano trio repertoire, they are often joined by guest artists to perform chamber music written for additional strings, woodwinds,
brass and voice.
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 Violinist James Garlick was born in Port Angeles, Washington and began studying violin at age five. Since graduating from the Oberlin Conservatory, he has been in increasing in demand as a soloist, chamber musician and concertmaster. James is Concertmaster of the Cascade Symphony, and frequently performs in the same capacity with the Northwest Sinfonietta chamber orchestra. He is also a member of the Seattle Baroque Orchestra, has performed with the Seattle Symphony, and is an artist with the Swiss Global Artistic Foundation, whose aim is to support emerging talent.
James recently made his Carnegie Hall Concerto Debut performing the Saint-Saens Introduction & Rondo Capriccioso to a packed house in the Issac Stern auditorium. 2009/2010 season highlights include concerti of Mendelssohn, Piazzolla, and Vivaldi with the Northwest Sinfonietta, Seattle Baroque Orchestra and the Octava Chamber Orchestra, as well as multiple recital appearances. James is winner of the Ladies Musical Club of Seattle Solo Competition, and was a semifinalist in the Stradivarius International Violin Competition where he was one of fifteen competitors from around the world.
A 2006 graduate of the Oberlin College and Conservatory, James earned a double degree in both violin performance and neuroscience. He was frequently concertmaster of the Oberlin Orchestras and award winning Oberlin Contemporary Music Ensemble, and has worked closely with conductors such as Robert Spano at Carnegie Hall and Sir Simon Rattle. James studied with Gregory Fulkerson at Oberlin, and was a full scholarship student of Paul Kantor at the Aspen Music Festival..In his free time, he enjoys long distance running, hiking, skiing and sailing.
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 Cellist Meg Brennand is known for her work on both modern and baroque
cello. "Stunning" (Seattle Weekly), "Exemplary musicianship and true
flair" (Journal-American). Meg is professor of cello at Seattle Pacific
University and a member of the Pacific Northwest Ballet Orchestra. Her
interest in historically informed performance practice led to the study
of the baroque cello and to appearances with acclaimed baroque
orchestras on the West Coast, including Seattle, Portland and Vancouver,
BC. Meg is a founding member of Gallery Concerts, performing chamber
music of the 18th century on period instruments, collaborating with some
of the most illustrious violinists of the early music world, including
Stanley Ritchie and Jaap Schroeder. An avid chamber music performer, she
has concertized throughout the Northwest with numerous chamber
ensembles. Meg is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music. She has
recorded for NPR, Wild Boar, CBC Radio and Centaur.
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 David White is equally at home as pianist, organist, harpsichordist, fortepianist, composer and conductor. He enjoys a national and international career as chamber musician, soloist, composer and church musician. White, a native of Chicago, gave his first public concert at the age of six, and won prizes in contests by the time he was 12 from the Society of American Musicians, Chicago Symphony Young Musicians' Guild, and Blue Lake Fine Arts. As soon as his feet could reach the pedals, he started studying organ, and has been a liturgical musician ever since. He served as Organist and Director of Music for several prestigious congregations, most recently Temple Menorah in Chicago, St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Medina, and St. James Episcopal Cathedral in Chicago. He has given organ recitals throughout the world, including Vienna, Australia, New Zealand, Leipzig and numerous cities in the United States and Canada. He is a sought-after accompanist and has won wide critical and public acclaim for his performances of lieder and chansons in recitals with many outstanding singers. His conducting career has touched many genre, including opera, symphony, Broadway musical and choral. As a composer, he has received commissions from choral and orchestral groups all over the world. His canon of works number more than 150, including many written specifically for the musicians who gave the premier performances. He has just completed his fourth commissioned opera, "The Adopted Son", and is writing a trio for Onyx.
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Guest Artist: Violist J. Melvin Butler made his solo concerto debut with the North Carolina Symphony at age fourteen playing Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante with violin protégé Kenji Kobayashi. As an undergraduate at Oberlin Conservatory of Music, Butler served as Associate Principal and Principal Violist of the Oberlin Orchestra while majoring in organ. During his graduate studies at the Eastman School of Music, where he received a doctorate in Organ Performance, he was violist in the select graduate Collegium String Quartet. He served his country during the Viet Nam War as violist in the U.S. Navy String Quartet stationed in Washington, DC. During this time he was invited to study with esteemed violist Paul Doktor. Following his military service, he played viola with the Rochester (NY) Philharmonic Orchestra for eighteen years and also performed as baroque violist with the Genesee Baroque Players. More recently, he has performed with the Allegro Baroque ensemble in Spokane, WA, and the Onyx Chamber Players in Seattle.
J. Melvin Butler has been Organist/Choirmaster at Saint Mark's Cathedral in Seattle for over seventeen years. He has served on the faculties of the Eastman School of Music and the University of Washington and was for many years Music Director and Conductor of the Rochester Bach Festival. He is a published composer and presents organ concerts nationally and internationally. His organ and choral recordings appear on the Loft/Gothic label.
Mel Butler will join Onyx on February 28, May 16 and June 20, 2010..
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