Playbill | Meet the Orchestra
TAIKI AZUMA
Bb Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Soprano Sax, Alto Sax
Takai currently serves on faculty at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, Catawba College, Wake Forest, Lenoir-Rhyne, Methodist and Fayetteville State Universities teaching various applied woodwind lessons as well as methods courses and chamber music. He is a doctoral candidate in saxophone performance and with a post baccalaureate certificate concentration in oboe performance and music education at UNC-Greensboro.
As a soloist and chamber musician he has performed at/with as Carnegie Hall, Smetana Hall, International Saxophone Symposium, EMF Festival Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle, Carolina Philharmonic, Piedmont Wind Symphony, Fayetteville Symphony, Florida Wind Symphony, Western Piedmont Symphony, Durham Symphony, International Double Reed Symposium, North American Saxophone Alliance Conferences, Boca Sinfonia, etc. In demand as a multi-instrumentalist, Taiki regularly performs in the Triad and beyond in addition to his duties as a pit orchestra contractor for UNCG and numerous local productions.
Taiki obtained his bachelor’s degree from the University of Miami on a full music and academic scholarship double-majoring in music and pre-med and an MA in instrumental wind conducting at Florida Atlantic University. His teachers include Dale Underwood, Steven Stusek, Mary-Ashley Barret (oboe), Carla-Copeland Burns (flute), Michael Burns (bassoon), and Kyle Prescott (conducting). He has completed additional studies with renowned saxophonist, Nobuya Sugawa, as a student of the 25th Hamamatsu International Wind Academy in Japan.
KATIE COX
Trombone/Euphonium
Not pictured.
JACK HOPPER
Double Bass
Jack is an undergraduate in music education at UNC Greensboro. He grew up in musical theatre, and eventually “fell” into the orchestra pit. Now, playing for musical theatre productions has become one of his favorite parts of the professional music world. Some recent productions he has played include McGregor Hall’s The Little Mermaid, Winston-Salem Theatre Alliance’s Escape to Margaritaville, and Henderson Rec Players’ The Fantasticks. Urinetown is Jack’s first production with University Theatre.
ROBERT HOPPER
Percussion
Not pictured.
MARK L. HOPPER
Musical Director/Keyboard
Mark is thrilled to join the Urinetown creative team for his first show with NC State. He is also thrilled to have the chance to share the pit with his sons Jack and Robert! Mark has directed and MD’d over forty shows across the southeast, frequently with his home companies at McGregor Hall, a new 1,000-seat PAC in Henderson where he is executive director. Mark is also organist and director of youth music and worship arts at Edenton Street United Methodist Church in Raleigh. “Thanks to Sharon and Eva for understanding and supporting me, and to Matt for always being at my right hand for every project I take on!”
TYLER NOWELL
Drums
Tyler has been playing drums for 18 years and has performed with community and regional theater for more than 10 years. Shows he has played include Oliver!, Cabaret, Godspell, Songs for a New World, and Little Shop of Horrors. Since 2016, Tyler has played for a variety of shows at McGregor Hall Performing Arts Center in Henderson, and in 2021 and 2022 he was the drummer for Triangle Rising Stars at DPAC. In addition, he has done technical work with set construction and running crew duties for multiple shows. Tyler is currently a Ph.D. candidate in history at Georgia State University.