Kris Palmer,
Music Director and Conductor
The Spotlight on Soloists
& Low Flutes
Friday May 1st 2026
6:30pm to 7:30pm
Music Village in San Jose
2971 Union Avenue
(at Foxworthy Avenue)
Join us for food and drinks
after the concert.
CONCERTINO by CECILE CHAMINADE
arranged by Robert Rainford
featuring Zahin Helal
ADAGIO FOR STRINGS by SAMUEL BARBER
arranged by Andy Findon
featuring a whole bunch of alto, bass,
and contrabass flutes
SUITE ANTIQUE by JOHN RUTTER
arranged by Robert Rainford
featuring all of our flutists as soloists
THE MEMBERS
ZAHIN HELAL has been playing the flute for 20 years and currently studies with Ai Goldsmith. His musical journey launched in high school where he played in the marching band, small ensembles, pit orchestras, and solo shows. He was selected as a member of the Santa Clara County Honor Band. Since graduating from college, Zahin has played in numerous ensembles including Cupertino Symphonic Band, Ohlone Community Band, and multiple flute quartets. Away from the flute, Zahin works as a technical recruiter. He loves spending quality time with friends and family, eating delicious food, going on long walks, and obsessively listening to music.
CATHY LEMESHEWSKY began her musical studies on the flute in elementary school and later performed with the U. C. Santa Cruz Orchestra. During her career in Japan, she studied Western classical flute with the principal flutist of the Nagoya Philharmonic and pursued traditional Japanese music through formal study of the Kinko-Ryu shakuhachi. Following an extended hiatus from the flute to focus on a career in Silicon Valley while raising twins, she is now actively re-engaging with performances and musical studies. She studies flute with Lars Johannesson.
BARBARA RAVE is a graduate of Arizona State University, where she studied flute with Joe Corral. She completed her degree in Business Computer Information Systems and paved a 38-year career in the aerospace industry with Lockheed Martin. She has served as a software and systems engineer as well as a project manager of data warehousing and analytics teams. After a 15-year absence, she reunited with the flute and performs frequently at open mic shows in San Jose as a soloist and chamber musician. She studies the flute with Kris Palmer.
KIM WALESH re-discovered her love of playing flute after retiring from a career in city government. She’s especially enjoyed learning to play Cuban and Brazilian music and to improvise. Kim plays in the Latin Jazz combo Sofrito and in the salsa dance band El Sol Santa Cruz. She plays percussion with Bloco do Sol Brazilian drum ensemble and is the founder of the San Jose Choro Music Club.
After a rigorous stint as first chair flutist at Campbell High School, GEORGE MUELLER took a much-deserved 47-year hiatus from music in order to develop a successful career in the semiconductor industry. He resumed his musical studies with Kris Palmer in 2022 and currently studies with Gala Yaroshevsky-Whiting. When he’s not practicing, he is cycling and skiing and fracturing collarbones.