MUSIC STAFF
DIRECTOR OF MUSIC
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Dr. Stephen Marshall is our Organist and Director of Music. Stephen has multiple music degrees, including proficiencies in piano, conducting, composition, and sacred music, and has studied with instructors from leading institutions including Westminster Choir College, The Juilliard School, and Christ Church at Oxford University. He has taught at Seattle Pacific University, and served as Professor and Chair of the Music Department at Trinity Lutheran College.
Growing up in a musical family and community, Stephen began studying music at an early age. At age fifteen, he began studying the pipe organ and performed his first solo four-week European concert tour at age seventeen, performing nineteen concerts in seven countries. He built his resultant musical career on collaborative creativity and performance, spending thirty years serving prominent churches, synagogues, and educational institutions in Seattle. During 2020 and 2021, he transitioned out of his busy Seattle life into semi-retirement. His greatest joys are found in bringing people together through musical community, often focusing his work on using the arts to give voice to social justice concerns. Moving to Los Angeles in the Fall of 2025, Dr. Marshall accepted the position as Director of Music & Organist at The Episcopal Church of the Ascension. Additionally, he spends time teaching and mentoring extraordinary students and collaborating with outstanding musicians, enthusiastically including Benny Yi Bing Chu. |
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CELLIST-IN-RESIDENCE
Benny Yi-Bing Chu began studying cello at the age of eight under the guidance of his father, a distinguished cello professor at Beijing’s Central Conservatory of Music. His mother, of Swiss-Chinese descent, was a pianist and on the faculty there. In 1983, he began to study at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris under the legendary cellist Maurice Gendron. He graduated with the prestigious Premier Prix in 1987, becoming the first Chinese musician to earn this honor.
In 1986, at the Geneva International Music Competition, Chu gained international acclaim by being the first-ever Chinese cellist to win a prize at any such international competition. This milestone launched his European performance career. In 1989, he was appointed principal cellist of the Sinfonieorchester Basel in Switzerland, a position he held for fifteen years.
In 2004, after 21 years in Europe, Chu returned to China to serve as Professor of Cello at the Central Conservatory of Music. There, he became a pivotal figure in advancing cello performance and chamber music education nationwide. He founded the Chu Yi- Bing Cello Ensemble and established the SuperCello Festival in Beijing. He continues to champion classical music with passion, accessibility, and innovation. In 2026, Chu joined the Cello Faculty at the Music Academy of The Colburn School, downtown Los Angeles. Through sharing his music in community and collaborating with Dr. Marshall throughout 2026, Chu accepted the role as Cellist-in-Residence at Ascension, sharing his glorious music in concert and frequently during our worship services.
In 1986, at the Geneva International Music Competition, Chu gained international acclaim by being the first-ever Chinese cellist to win a prize at any such international competition. This milestone launched his European performance career. In 1989, he was appointed principal cellist of the Sinfonieorchester Basel in Switzerland, a position he held for fifteen years.
In 2004, after 21 years in Europe, Chu returned to China to serve as Professor of Cello at the Central Conservatory of Music. There, he became a pivotal figure in advancing cello performance and chamber music education nationwide. He founded the Chu Yi- Bing Cello Ensemble and established the SuperCello Festival in Beijing. He continues to champion classical music with passion, accessibility, and innovation. In 2026, Chu joined the Cello Faculty at the Music Academy of The Colburn School, downtown Los Angeles. Through sharing his music in community and collaborating with Dr. Marshall throughout 2026, Chu accepted the role as Cellist-in-Residence at Ascension, sharing his glorious music in concert and frequently during our worship services.
MUSIC LIBRARIAN
Colette Ostrye is our Music Librarian.
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The Episcopal Church of the Ascension
25 East Laurel Ave Sierra Madre, CA 91024 Phone: 626-355-1133 Email: parish@ascension-sierramadre.com Sunday Schedule 8:00 a.m. - The Holy Eucharist (Rite I) 10:15 a.m. - The Holy Eucharist (Rite II, with music) |
