Rachel Kiyo Iwaasa, piano Concerts Café Classico SeriesSunday, November 30, 2025 – 2:30pm
July 17, 2025
Concerts Café Classico Series Opener
Cellos Galore
What’s Better Than One Cello? Two, Three… or Even Nine!
Join LCMS faculty cellists Joel Stobbe, Nico Stephenson, Albert Seo, and Ben Goheen for an unforgettable afternoon of music featuring a stroll through great music literature-all performed on the cello.
The program will include audience favourites from Vivaldi and Bach to Dvořák and Bruch, showcasing both the expressive melodies and vibrant energy of the cello.
For a spectacular finale, the faculty artists will be joined by select LCMS cello students to form a nine-cello ensemble, performing Piazzolla’s fiery tango Death of an Angel and the beloved Russian folk tune Korobeiniki “The Peddlers”.
The concert will open with an informal conversation between LCMS’ Artistic Director Elizabeth Bergmann and the artists, followed by complimentary coffee, tea and refreshments before the performance. The performance will take place in the Rose Gellert Hall and will last approximately 60 minutes, with no intermission.
Commentary & Coffee – 2:30pm, Concert – 3:15pm
Subscribe to the Season and Save!
Concerts Café Classico Series
Single Tickets: Adult $28 / Senior $26 / Student $10
Flex Pass (4 concerts of your choice): Adult $101 | Senior $94
Season Subscription (6 concerts): Adult $143 | Senior $133 | Student $59
Order Today!
To place an order, or if you have any questions, please call the Box Office at 604-534-2848. You can also purchase online at Eventbrite.
About Joel Stobbe, cello
Born and raised in Prince George, BC, Joel Stobbe was active in the local music scene with music festivals and orchestras. Since then, he has received his Artistic Diploma of Music Performance from the Augsburg Conservatory of Music in Germany, regularly performing as soloist and with chamber groups in Germany, France and Italy. Upon his return to Canada, Joel was a founding member of the Borealis String Quartet (2000-2005). He toured with the quartet, giving performances throughout Canada and the United States, with frequent broadcasts on radio and television. In addition to regular quartet activities, Joel enjoyed giving educational concerts and masterclasses together with the quartet to young people from Dawson City to New York City.
Joel was the Principal Cellist of the Vancouver Island Symphony from 2006-2014, and artistic director of its Noteworthy Kids program from 2012-2014. During this time he continued to be active as both a soloist and chamber musician in regular recitals and concerts. Joel is currently a cello teacher at the Langley Community Music School where he holds a substantial class of private cello students and serves as coordinator for LCMS’s advanced progams. In 2014, Joel expanded his career to conduct the Surrey Youth Orchestra and to serve as its Artistic Director. In addition to his busy teaching, administrative and conducting schedule, Joel enjoys regular adjudicating, teaching masterclasses and summer chamber music programs. He lives in Langley, BC, with his wife and young son, to whom he hopes to pass down his life-long hobby of classic automotive restoration.
About Nico Stephenson, cello
Nico Stephenson is a cellist and teacher from Vancouver BC. Since graduating from the University of Montreal in 2014 where he was a student of Johanne Perron, Nico has devoted himself to fostering high-quality music education in the lower mainland. In addition to his work with LCMS, he is also on the faculty of the Langley Fine Arts School as an orchestras and chamber music teacher, and the Vancouver Youth Symphony Orchestra as a string assistant. He spends his summers teaching cello at the Yukon Summer Music Camp in Whitehorse.
Nico has performed in masterclasses at the Banff Centre, the Domaine Forget festival, the National Youth Orchestra, and the MusicAlp festival for such teachers as Emmanuelle Bertrand, Hans Jorgen Jensen, Stefan Kropfitsch, and Ronald Leonard. His performance highlights include concerts at some of Canada’s most prestigious halls.
In his free time, Nico enjoys hiking, climbing, skiing, and camping around BC.
About Albert See, cello
Albert Seo is a Canadian cellist born and raised in Vancouver, BC. He began his studies at the age of seven with Cristian Markos, a current member of the orchestra. Former teachers include Ariel Barnes at the VSO School of Music, Joseph Elworthy at the Vancouver Academy of Music, and Sungyong Lim of the Borealis Quartet. Recently, he studied at the renowned Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, completing his undergraduate studies in 2021. His professors were Carter Brey, principal cellist of the New York Philharmonic, and Peter Wiley, former cellist of the Guarneri Quartet.
He also spent summers participating in summer festivals and masterclasses, exploring all types of music with various ensembles. Some of these summer programs included the Aspen Music Festival & School, Domaine Forget, Abbaye de Fontainebleau, and Heifetz International Music Institute. At these programs and schools, he is grateful to have participated in masterclasses with Gary Hoffman, Colin Carr, Lluís Claret, Philippe Muller, Raphael Wallfisch, Paul Watkins, Paul Marleyn, and Roman Borys.
In 2015, Albert was a finalist at the Johansen International Competition for Young String Players and a semifinalist at the Stulberg International String Competition, where he also won the Bach Award. In 2016, he won the senior division of the VSO School of Music Future of Excellence Competition, resulting in the opportunity to perform Tchaikovsky’s Rococo Variations with the VSO. Other international competitions he has participated in include Concours OSM 2019 and Isangyun International Competition 2018.
Constantly finding ways to make music more relevant, Albert focuses not only on how he enjoys music but also on how he can share his love with the audience. To this day, Albert aspires to achieve a fluid playing style; though he is interpreting through the cello, he strives to make the performance as organic as possible.
About Ben Goheen, cello
Ben Goheen holds his Masters degree in Cello Performance from the University of British Columbia. Since his move from Ontario, he has enjoyed performing with several symphonies and ensembles, including the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Vancouver Opera Orchestra, Vancouver Island Symphony Orchestra, and Vancouver Inter-Cultural Orchestra.
Ben is also an active chamber musician and loves performing with a variety of smaller chamber ensembles throughout the Lower Mainland, including Langley Community Music School’s Resident Ensemble, the Rose Gellert String Quartet. In addition to performing, Ben enjoys teaching a full roster of cello students throughout the week as well as recording for various in-studio sessions on a project basis. If he had to choose a second passion for life, his answer would be quick and easy: beach volleyball.
