the marea ensemble

MEET the resident ARTISTS

MAREA is a Bay Area-based, genre-bending quintet where strings and voice collide in bold, dynamic ways. Rooted in classical tradition but driven by curiosity, they craft immersive, out-of-the-box performances and are committed to commissioning and performing work from underrepresented composers.

With collective experience as renowned soloists, educators, arrangers, and producers, Marea’s musicians bring a dynamic versatility to every performance. Equally at home with classical masterworks, avant-garde explorations, and reimagined pop, they thrive in both acoustic and amplified settings. Adaptable and innovative, they customize arrangements for events and weddings, creating unique musical experiences. As the resident ensemble of Rogue Violin Studio, they provide remote string production for artists and films, contributing to projects with millions of streams. Their work includes the feature-length indie film SunFish, recently selected for Sundance, further cementing their impact across genres and media.

preview live in concert

  • Lori Schulman, a lyric-coloratura soprano is a native of Washington, D.C., Lori lives in Santa Cruz with her two children (age 6 and 9) and performs throughout the Bay Area and Monterey Peninsula in operas, musicals and as a concert soloist and recitalist.  She has been seen with companies such as Cabrillo Stage, Actor’s Theater, Ensemble Monterey Chamber Orchestra, Santa Cruz Chamber Players, and Santa Cruz Opera Project.  Some favorite roles include Cunegonde in Candide, Musetta in La Bohème,  Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro, Mabel in The Pirates of Penzance, Kathy in Company, Laurey in Oklahoma, Cosette in Les Misèrables, Papagena and Pamina in Die Zauberflöte, and  Ilia in Idomeneo. Upcoming performances include Andrea in Jerry Springer - The Opera with San Jose Playhouse,  Wolf's Italianisches Liederbuch benefiting Espressivo Orchestra, Laurey in The Tender Land (Suite for Chamber Orchestra) with Ensemble Monterey Chamber Orchestra, and Adele in Die Fledermaus with Santa Cruz Opera Project.   Lori has also has been teaching private voice lessons for more than 15 years, and recently co-founded Santa Cruz Opera Project.

  • Shannon D’Antonio is a violinist and educator performing, working, and raising her family in Santa Cruz County.  She plays regularly with local ensembles including Espressivo Orchestra, Santa Cruz New Music Works, Ensemble Monterey Chamber Orchestra, The Santa Cruz Chorale, The Santa Cruz Opera Project, and Musical Soulmates, as well as occasional work with the Santa Cruz Symphony and Opera San Jose.  Shannon holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Violin Performance from Stanford University, where she studied chamber music with the St. Lawrence String Quartet on both violin and viola.  She also holds a teaching position in Santa Cruz City Schools where she supports students with reading and math.

  • Samantha Bounkeua is a queer violinist-composer-producer and founder of Rogue Violin Studios, a remote string-driven production company dedicated to supporting creatives in elevating the emotional impact of their storytelling.  A recent recipient of the California Arts Council Emerging Individual Artist Fellowship for 2023, she specializes in cross-media collaborations that amplify queer/femme voices that often explore themes of vulnerability and mental-health. A graduate of Oberlin Conservatory, Samantha participated in the Re-Presence Artist Residency at Stanford University (2022) and has performed internationally at the Britten-Pears New Music Festival, Festival de Opera San Luis, Tuscia Opera Festival and more. Her work has featured in the International Meg Quigley Vivaldi Symposium, Kerala Short Film Festival, Breaking Ground Contemporary Dance Festival, among others.

  • Rebecca Dulatre-Corbin is a San Diego born violist now living and freelancing in the Santa Cruz area. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Viola Performance from California State University, Northridge and a Master of Music degree in Viola Performance from University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana where she studied with the Pacifica String Quartet. She was a guest musician on the album “Rattle Them Bones” by Big Bad Voodoo Daddy.  Rebecca is a music educator in the Pajaro Valley Unified School District and enjoys exploring the area with her husband Kelly, who also a musician and music educator, and their daughter Ella, who loves to sing.

  • Kristin is an active freelance musician and has performed throughout the San Francisco and Monterey Bay areas with the Monterey Symphony, Santa Cruz Symphony, West Bay Opera, New Music Works, Espressivo, and the Hidden Valley String Orchestra. She is an avid chamber musician, playing with the piano trio, Nisene Ensemble. Kristin is also active in the popular music scene. She has collaborated with various groups in the San Francisco Bay Area including indie band Blue Rabbit, Kenny Shick, Jenn Grinels, and the Thriving Artists organization. Kristin received her Master of Music degree from the Longy School of Music in Cambridge, MA where she studied with Dr. Terry King. She studied chamber music with Kathleen Lenski, Victor Rosenbaum, and Roger Tapping, and jazz improvisation with pianist Peter Cassino. In addition to performing, Kristin maintains a teaching studio at her home in Scotts Valley, CA.