About Your Fabulous Hosts
Jonathan West and Chue Vue are Colorado natives with backgrounds in performing, teaching orchestra, and just being plain fabulous! Together they combine their wit, sass, and experience to create podcast magic.
Jonathan West
Jonathan West is a Colorado-based music educator. While growing up in Colorado Springs, Jonathan began playing the cello with the Colorado Springs Youth Symphony Association and the horn in his public school program.
While studying for a Bachelor of Music Education degree at The University of Northern Colorado, Jonathan took cello lessons from Gal Faganel. As a member of the University Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of Russel Guyver, Jonathan played for soloists such as Rachel Barton Pine, Peter Stumpf, and Robert deMaine.
At the outset of his teaching career, Jonathan was a teaching assistant during the inaugural years of the UNC String Project, a weekly after-school program for beginning string students in the fourth and fifth grades. This program helped solidify Jonathan’s love for teaching. Jonathan was featured in an article about the program’s success: “Colorado Teacher Shortage Presents Opportunities For Some Future Educators” by Stephanie Daniel on KUNC.org. As a young conductor, Jonathan was selected for the Colorado Music Educator Association 2019 Conducting Clinic and participated in the master class with Larry Livingston. For the 2021 CMEA conference, Jonathan was invited to speak for a panel session “Mixtures for Success,” discussing how new teachers are surviving teaching during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Jonathan is in his 6th year as Director of Orchestras at Creighton Middle School and Lakewood Area Elementary Schools teaching grades 5 through 8. During his time there, his orchestras have received “Excellent” and “Superior” ratings at large group festivals. His students participate in Solo and Ensemble competitions and perform for community organization events like the Lakewood Symphony. Jonathan is now in his 3rd season as Director of the Longmont Youth Symphony’s ‘Longmont Youth String Ensemble,’ and is Assistant Manager of Camp Con Brio: String Camp of the Rockies, a summer youth orchestra camp. Jonathan has recently judged and cliniced several orchestras for the 2024 Nordic Festival in Poudre School District.
Chue Yeng Vue
Chue Yeng Vue (he/him) holds music degrees from Colorado State University and Arizona State University. As Director of Orchestras at Westview Middle School in Longmont, Colorado, he serves over 150 students daily across multiple orchestra classes. Vue is also a private viola instructor and maintains an active studio. His students frequently win positions in honor groups such as District Honor Orchestra, Colorado All State Orchestra Festival, and Western States Honor Orchestra.
As a violist, he has performed with Cheyenne Symphony Orchestra, Phoenix Symphony Orchestra, Denver Philharmonic Orchestra, and Stratus Chamber Orchestra. Mr. Vue currently serves as Principal Viola of Longmont Symphony Orchestra, a position he has held since 2017. Vue has had the opportunity to perform with such artists as the Trans Siberian Orchestra, Michael Buble, Jonas Kauffman, Audra McDonald, Andre Bocelli, Reba MacIntyre, and the Harlem String Quartet.
As a product of the public schools, Mr. Vue believes in the power of music education in schools as a tool for equity and opportunity. He is a child of Hmong refugees who fled Laos during the Vietnam War. Vue chose the viola and began learning how to play it in secondary school. Mr. Vue believes that the orchestra classroom should be a place where all students have access to great musical experiences regardless of their life situation, social and economic status, and ability level.
In his free time he enjoys cooking, baking, traveling, camping, staying active, and spending time with his French Bulldogs, Bubba and Chuckie.