Our Team

A man dressed as a classical conductor, wearing a tuxedo and holding a baton, conducts an orchestra during a performance.

NOBUYOSHI YASUDA
Music Director and Conductor

Nobuyoshi Yasuda, affectionately known as ‘Nobu’, is the driving force behind and in front of all Chippewa Valley Symphony performances. Nobu has the energy to carry musicians through long rehearsals and inspire them in times of weakness.

Nobu selects the season’s repertoire with the help of the Artistic Advisory committee. His selections challenge the orchestra while showcasing their strengths. Through Nobu, the orchestra has grown to new levels of achievement.

A native of Takarazuka, Japan, Nobu’s violin studies began at the age of three. He holds degrees in violin performance from Soai University in Japan (BM), and Indiana University (MM), and has been active as a violin soloist and chamber musician throughout the United States and Japan. Nobu’s interest in conducting was sparked by his desire to find new ways to share his passion for music.

After his graduate studies, Nobu received fellowships to study with Gunther Schuller at the Festival at Sandpoint and Murry Sidlin and Michael Tilson Thomas at the Aspen Music Festival. Nobu credits Eiji Oue, the former Music Director of the Minnesota Orchestra, as his principal conducting mentor.

Nobu was appointed as Orchestra Director and Assistant Professor of Violin at UW-Eau Claire in 1991. He became music director of the Chippewa Valley Symphony in 1993 and was Associate Conductor of the Grand Teton Music Festival in 1999 – 2003. His performance of Milhaud’s Création du monde at the festival was broadcast on National Public Radio’s Performance Today in July 2001.

Nobu has served as guest conductor for the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra and acting assistant conductor for the Minnesota Orchestra. In May of 2003, he made his debut as guest conductor of the NDR Philharmonic-Hannover in Germany.

In March, 2004, Nobu conducted in Indiana and Japan. Early in March, he was the guest conductor of the Osaka Philharmonic at the Osaka Festival Hall in his hometown of Osaka, Japan, where he conducted Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5, as well as several other selections in a sold out house seating 3,000.

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ANNA RYBICKI
Executive Director

Anna Rybicki is a Cedar Rapids, Iowa, native who completed her undergraduate study at Illinois Wesleyan University with degrees in vocal performance and philosophy. She attended The University of Michigan Law School. Following graduation she served as a law clerk with the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit and then entered private legal practice in Cedar Rapids. While in Iowa she served on the boards of directors of Legion Arts and the Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre.

After relocating to Eau Claire, Ms. Rybicki became a founding board member and the community relations coordinator for Initiative for New Directions in Education (INDE). She is also a member of the grant writing and planning team for Anthony Acres School.

Ms. Rybicki is an active solo performer and member of choral ensembles Schola Cantorum and Oxbridge Consort. She previously sang with IWU’s Collegiate Choir, University of Michigan’s Outreach in the Performing Arts, Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre, Theatre Cedar Rapids, Just Brewed Jazz, The Master Singers, Chippewa Skiffle Orchestra, and Eauxpera.

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LIZ WILSON
Administrative Coordinator and Librarian

Liz has been connected with the Chippewa Valley Symphony since 2009 when she joined the clarinet section, which she now has the privilege of leading as principal. After serving two terms on the CVSO Board of Directors, Liz joined the staff as Administrative Coordinator and Librarian. Liz is also a collaborative pianist, accompanying dozens of high school and university students and various choirs in the Eau Claire area, and has served on the board of the Chippewa Valley Chapter of the American Guild of Organists.

Woman playing the cello on a stage, smiling at the camera.

SUSAN HALDERMAN
Personnel Manager

Susan Halderman teaches cello in The Cello Connection. She performs cello in Chippewa Valley Symphony, Eau Claire Chamber Orchestra, Red Cedar Symphony, Clear Water Chamber Players and Chippewa Valley String Quartet.

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Jerry Hui
Chippewa Valley Orchestra Choir Director

Jerry (Chiwei) Hui has written a wide variety of music that ranges from serious concert art music to humorous choral arrangements. His music has been performed in the United States, Germany, France, Scotland, Estonia, Indonesia, China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong by community choirs, campus ensembles, and professional groups. Described by critics as “seriously fun”, and with “accomplished contrapuntal texture”, his compositions have won prizes including the Robert Helps Prize 2008, and received a commission that was featured at the World Saxophone Congress.

As a conductor, Dr. Hui has founded and directed various community choirs, church choirs, chamber ensembles, and orchestras. At home in both early and contemporary music, he has performed often as baritone and countertenor, actively premiering works by fellow composers. Performances by his ensembles have been featured on Wisconsin Public Radio, Wisconsin Choral Directors Association conference, and the Fringe Series of Madison Early Music Festival. He is currently the director of choral activities at University of Wisconsin-Stout, director of the Chippewa Valley Festival Choir, and artistic director of the Schola Cantorum of Eau Claire.

A native of Hong Kong, Jerry Hui received his DMA degree in music composition at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Dr. Hui’s principal composition teachers include David Crumb, Stephen Dembski, Robert Kyr, Joel Naumann, and Laura Schwendinger. His conducting teachers are Beverly Taylor, Sharon Paul, and Bruce Gladstone.