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2009 Faculty
The faculty of the Eastern Music Festival is drawn from this country’s leading orchestras and music schools. Selection is based on performing and teaching credentials, and proven dedication to the education of young musicians. Besides sharing their musical and technical knowledge, Festival faculty provide an example of the highest standards of performance and musicianship.
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FIRST VIOLIN
EMF alumnus and concertmaster JEFFREY MULTER returns to Greensboro and the Eastern Music Festival for his twenty-third season in 2008. Mr. Multer is also first violinist of New York City’s critically acclaimed Elements Quartet, whose New York series was named "best classical music event of 2003" by the Washington Post. He has appeared as soloist and recitalist in concert halls throughout the United States, Europe, Asia and South America, including: the Lincoln Center in New York, the Mozarteum in Salzburg, the Rudolphinium in Prague and the Kennedy Center and National Gallery in Washington, D.C. As a chamber musician, he frequently appears with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and has served as first violinist of the Oxford String Quartet and as a member of the Kennedy Center Theater Chamber Players. He has been a core member of the Great Lakes Chamber Festival in Detroit, Michigan. Other concertmaster appointments include the Colorado Symphony, the Breckenridge Music Institute in Colorado, the Washington Concert Opera and the Echternacht Festival in Luxembourg. Recently, the Detroit Free Press praised him for his "extraordinary precision and poise," and the Cleveland Plain Dealer called him "a prodigious and aristocratic violinist," while the Washington Post called his recent solo recital at the National Gallery "a dazzling performance." Mr. Multer currently teaches at The Juilliard School in the pre-college division and is concertmaster of The Florida Orchestra in Tampa.
Since making her Carnegie Hall solo debut with the New York Youth Symphony, American violinist JESSICA GUIDERI has performed as soloist with such orchestras as the Queens Symphony, the Westchester Symphony, and the Symphony Orchestra of Campinas in Brazil. Ms. Guideri has given solo recitals in Taiwan, Italy, and the United States, including appearances at Steinway Hall, Lefrak Hall, and Lincoln Center. As the first violinist of the Fry Street Quartet, Ms. Guideri toured nationally and internationally, including performances in the Balkans (sponsored by Carnegie Hall and the U.S. Department of State), Prague, and France. As a chamber musician, she performed in Alice Tully Hall, The Banff Music Center, Merkin Hall, and Weill Hall and has participated in the Taos, Norfolk, Sarasota, Caramoor, and Aspen Music festivals. Ms. Guideri has served as concertmaster for the Juilliard Orchestra, the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival Orchestra in Germany, and the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra. She also was a member of the Long Island Philharmonic and the Prometheus Chamber Orchestra. She is currently the associate principal of the second violins in the Phoenix Symphony. Ms. Guideri received both the bachelor’s and master’s degrees in violin performance from The Juilliard School, where her teachers have included Dorothy Delay, Masao Kawasaki, and Joel Smirnoff. This is her second year at EMF.
JOHN FADIAL, associate professor of violin at the University of Wyoming in Laramie and concertmaster of the Greensboro Symphony Orchestra, has garnered critical acclaim for performances around the globe (“Wow!” The Washington Post, “sparkling technique” L’Est Republicain, Nancy, France). Recent seasons have featured concerts throughout the U.S., Brazil, and France. Highlights include: performances of the Brahms Violin Concerto with the Greensboro Symphony Orchestra; the French premiere, with cellist Beth Vanderborgh, of William Bolcom’s Suite for Violin and Cello, performed in the historic Salle Poirel in Nancy, France; and chamber music performances with Dmitry Sitkovetsky, Konstantin Lifschitz, Lynn Harrell, Bella Davidovich and the Quatuor Stanislas. Fadial’s recording of the chamber music of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor for the Centaur label was deemed “not to be missed” by American Record Guide. In October of 2005 he gave the world premiere of Arthur Gottschalk’s Concerto for Violin and Symphonic Wind Ensemble for the Society of Composers International Conference for contemporary music. His performance on the disc Where Does Love Go?: Chamber Music of Mark Engebretson for Innova was a Grammy™ semi-finalist for best chamber music recording for 2007. Currently, he is recording the complete Sonatas for Violin and Piano of Johannes Brahms, also for Centaur, scheduled to be released in spring of 2010. Fadial holds a D.M.A. from the University of Maryland, the M.M. from the Eastman School and the B.M. from the N.C. School of the Arts. His teachers have included Elaine Richey, Charles Castleman, Zoltan Szekely, and Arnold Steinhardt.
ARIADNA BAZARNIK-ILIKA, violinist, was born in Wroclaw, Poland, where she studied violin from age seven at the Karol Szymanowski Music School, studying under Bozena Wikar and Andrzej Woznica. At age 18, she entered the prestigious Krakow Music Academy to study with Adriadna Lwowicz and obtained her M.M. in 1998. Ms. Bazarnik-Ilika first came to the United States as a full-scholarship student at the Eastern Music Festival for her summers beginning at age 18 and became a full member of the faculty here in 1997. She has since held positions on modern violin with the Delaware Symphony, Opera Delaware, and the Concerto Soloists of Philadelphia and on Baroque violin with Philomel, Brandywine Baroque, and the Classical Symphony of Philadelphia. Since moving to North Carolina in 2001, she has substituted regularly with the North Carolina Symphony and free-lanced extensively around the Triangle metropolitan area. She lives in Garner, North Carolina, with her husband and two children.
KIRSTY GREEN has been a member of the Virginia Symphony Orchestra since 1996, where she has performed as both core and principal second violin. She is an active soloist and has appeared with orchestras throughout Europe and the United States. Ms. Green has been featured on classical radio programs including the Vermont Public Radio and Radio Geneva and produced “The Violin Music of Arthur Foote” recording for New World Records. Ms. Green is a faculty member at Virginia Wesleyan College and the Norfolk Academy of Music. Born in Geneva, Switzerland, she graduated with honors from the Conservatoire Populaire, received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the North Carolina School of the Arts and is a licentiate of the British Royal Schools of Music. Ms. Green attended EMF as a student and has been on the faculty since 2000.
Violinist JOAN GRIFFING is the concertmaster of the Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival Orchestra and the Shenandoah Symphony Orchestra, and is a member of the Virginia Symphony. She earned her bachelor’s and master’s of music degrees from Indiana University, where she studied with Tadeusz Wronski, and her D.M.A. in violin performance from The Ohio State University. She received chamber music coaching from such artists as Joseph Gingold, Janos Starker, James Buswell, the Fine Arts String Quartet, and the Tokyo String Quartet. In the spring of 1999, she premiered a violin concerto written for her by Terry Vosbein, composer-in-residence at Washington and Lee University. She has performed as Concertmaster with the AIMS Festival Orchestra in Austria and Italy as well as with the Coronado, Grand Teton, Norfolk and Spoleto Festivals in this country. She is a founding member of Tal Consort, a chamber music group based in the Shenandoah Valley. Dr. Griffing spent the 2003-04 year in Atlanta studying baroque violin and performing with the baroque ensemble Ritornello. Her recent international appearances include a three week tour of Taiwan in 2004 with the Atlanta Pops Orchestra, a series of guest recitals and masterclasses in the state of São Paulo, Brazil in May of 2006, a presentation at the International Viola Congress in Adelaide, Australia in June of 2007, and a series of chamber music recitals and master classes in the northeastern part of Brazil in August of 2007. She holds the position of Associate Professor of Music at Eastern Mennonite University.
COURTNEY LEBAUER is a Greensboro native and EMF alumna who began studying the violin at the age of six. While still in high school, she was asked to join the Greensboro Symphony Orchestra, becoming the youngest musician ever to play in the orchestra. Dr. LeBauer earned her B.M. summa cum laude at Rice University, studying with Kathleen Winker. She earned her M.M. with highest honors at the University of Michigan while studying with Paul Kantor and her D.M.A. at The Cleveland Institute of Music with William Preucil. As a Fulbright Scholar, she studied with Ida Bieler in Düsseldorf, Germany. After completing a year as visiting assistant professor of violin and chamber music at Arizona State University, she returned to Germany in 2004, where she was invited to join the faculty of Düsseldorf’s Städtische Clara-Schumann Musikschule. In addition to teaching, Dr. LeBauer performs as chamber musician, recitalist, and with orchestras in Düsseldorf, Essen, and Cologne. Since 2007, with the support of and representing the Zentralrat der Juden in Deutschland, she has performed throughout Germany as a member of the yiddish-cabaret style Borofsky Trio, playing programs presenting a mix of Broadway, Hebrew liturgical, Yiddish theater, and Klezmer music. This is her ninth year with EMF.
JENNIFER RICKARD is currently a substitute with the National Symphony Orchestra, the Richmond Symphony and the Alabama Symphony. She is a member of the National Chamber Orchestra and the National Gallery Orchestra, and holds a principal position in the Washington Chamber Symphony. In addition, she coaches violin sectionals and the string quartet program for the Northern Virginia Youth Symphony Association and maintains a private teaching studio in her home. Prior to moving to the Washington area, Ms. Rickard played in the New Orleans and Phoenix Symphonies, spending the 1991-92 season in New Orleans as associate and acting concertmaster. She received her B.A. from Barnard College in New York and her Master of Music from the Conservatory of Music in Cincinnati. Ms. Rickard has been on the faculty of Eastern Music Festival since 1990.
A native of Germany, ULI SPETH received most of his musical education at the Mozarteum in Salzburg/Austria where he graduated earning the ‘Grand Diploma.’ He was a student of Harald Herzl of the Pro Arte Quartet Salzburg. Uli participated in numerous performance classes given by such luminaries as Jaap Schroeder and Nicolaus Harnoncourt and, after migrating to the US, earned his master of music from the Mannes College of Music. He was a student of Felix Galimir from whom he received both violin and string quartet training. Uli is first violinist of the Diller-Quaile String Quartet, in residence at the Diller-Quaile School of Music in New York. The group has played concerts throughout the US, has commissioned and premiered new pieces for string quartet and performed live on Vermont Public Radio and KMFA of Texas. It maintains a vital presence in the New York community by offering a series of recitals and also giving outreach concerts for children in public schools in the South Bronx, Harlem, and the Lower East Side. As a chamber musician, Uli has also enjoyed the opportunity of performing alongside well known soloists and members of the Hagen, Pro Arte, Cavaliere and Ying quartets. Uli’s recent solo performances of various concerti by Bach, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven and Mendelssohn and recitals with pianist Mary Robbins have earned him praise by the critics for his “brilliant sound and facile fingers” (Austin American Statesman) and “gorgeous tone and stunning technique” (Salzburger Nachrichten). Uli serves as concertmaster of the Binghamton Philharmonic Orchestra.
A native of Chicago, SHAWN WEIL is in his sixth season on faculty at EMF. He was appointed to the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra violin section in April 2005. Mr. Weil made his solo debut with the SLSO in the 07-08 season under the direction of Music Director, David Robertson. Prior to his appointment, he played as a contracted member of the orchestra for two seasons. Mr. Weil is a violinist with the Sun Valley Summer Symphony and, for four seasons, was a member of the New World Symphony. During his tenure at the New World Symphony, Weil was invited to represent the institution in chamber music performances domestically in Manhattan and the Hamptons, and internationally, in Prague, Rome and Monte Carlo. An active educator and mentor, he is actively involved in the Community Partnerships program with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra performing and coaching throughout the Saint Louis Community. Shawn Weil received his bachelor of music degree and the performers diploma from Indiana University.
DAVID YARBROUGH earned his D.M.A. from the Peabody Institute of Music where he studied with Herbert Greenberg. He received a fellowship for his M.M. from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, where he studied with Lasar Gozman and holds a B.M. from the New School of Music in Philadelphia where he studied with Jasha Brodsky and Linda Sharon Cerone. Dr. Yarbrough has performed with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, the Baltimore Symphony, the Philadelphia Opera Company and the Delaware Symphony Orchestra. He is an active recitalist performing solo recitals, chamber music recitals and lecture-r ecitals throughout the Northeast. He helped found the Amistad String Quartet, an ensemble which performs not only traditional European repertoire, but also researches and performs the chamber works of African American composers. His participation in international music festivals include the Spoleto Festival in Charleston, South Carolina and Spoleto, Italy, the American Institute of Musical Studies (AIMS) in Graz, Austria, the Waterloo Festival in New Jersey, and the Gateways Festival in Rochester New York. Presently David is the Director of Orchestras at Eleanor Roosevelt High School in Greenbelt, Maryland, where he conducts four ensembles. Prior to this engagement he was the Assistant Director of the Baltimore Talent Education Center, a preparatory string instrument music program for the Baltimore City Public School System. Previous violin teaching positions include the Peabody Institute of Music Conservatory, Towson University and the Settlement School of Music in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
SECOND VIOLIN
RANDALL WEISS, principal second violin of the Eastern Festival Orchestra, made his solo debut as a winner of the Victoria, BC concerto competition. He studied with Tadeusz Wronski at Indiana University, received his M.M. from the University of Victoria under Paul Kling and engaged in further study at both the Peabody and Oberlin conservatories, most notably with Sylvia Rosenberg and William Berman. Mr. Weiss spent 17 years as assistant concertmaster of the San José Symphony, regularly substituting as concertmaster. He is currently assistant concertmaster of Symphony Silicon Valley and has been associate concertmaster of the Music in the Mountains Festival, as well as concertmaster of the Santa Cruz Symphony and the AIMS Orchestra in Graz, Austria. He has performed with the San Francisco Opera Orchestra, the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra and the New Century Chamber Orchestra. As a member of the Louisville Orchestra, Mr. Weiss participated in the First Edition recordings under the direction of Jorge Mester. Mr. Weiss is the founder of Music in the Mishkan, a chamber music series in San Francisco, and he is a founding member of The Bridge Players, a chamber ensemble based in San Francisco. Mr. Weiss joined the EMF faculty in 1989.
PENNY THOMPSON KRUSE serves as Associate Professor of Violin at Bowling Green State University (Bowling Green, Ohio) and previously taught for eight years at William Jewell College (Liberty, Missouri). Dr. Kruse was trained at Northwestern and Yale Universities and earned the D.M.A. in violin performance from the Conservatory of Music, University of Missouri —Kansas City. For five seasons, she was a member of the Kansas City Symphony, serving as associate concertmaster during the 1989-90 season. Dr. Kruse has performed extensively in solo and chamber recitals, in addition to solo appearances with numerous orchestras in the US. As first violinist of the Escher Quartet, she was an artist-in-residence at Music at Penn’s Woods at Pennsylvania State University. Her recording of Chinese Folk Dance Suite by Chen Yi with the BGSU Philharmonia, is available through Albany Records. Internationally, Dr. Kruse has performed and given masterclasses in Vietnam, Taiwan, Germany, and Romania. She has presented at conferences of the College Music Society, American String Teachers' Association, and International Viola Society. Dr. Kruse has co-authored articles with husband Steven Kruse in the American String Teacher, Journal of the American Viola Society, and Strad. Prior to joining EMF in 1993, she performed in the Grand Teton, Colorado, Peninsula, and Sunflower Music Festivals. Currently, Dr. Kruse serves as assistant principal second violin at Eastern Music Festival.
CATHERINE CARY has been an EMF faculty member since 1999, and is a member of the Richmond Symphony Orchestra and the Richmond Chamber Players. Ms. Cary joined the Richmond Symphony, under the direction of George Manahan, in 1994, and has performed as acting principal second and acting concertmaster. Ms. Cary began her career free-lancing in the Pennsylvania and New Jersey area, performing in the Harrisburg Symphony, the Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic and the Opera Company of Philadelphia, among others. For six summers, Ms. Cary was a violinist in the Glimmerglass Opera Orchestra in Cooperstown, New York. She has been an instructor of violin at St. Catherine’s School (Richmond), the Hartwick College Music Festival and Institute (Oneonta, NY) and Temple University’s Music Prep Community Music Program. Currently she instructs private violin lessons at her home studio in Richmond Virginia. Catherine’s teachers have included Julian Meyer, at the Jenkintown Music School, (now the Settlement Music School), Wolfgang Richter, William dePasquale (First Assistant Concertmaster of the Philadelphia Orchestra) and Philadelphia Orchestra violinist Yumi Ninomiya Scott at Temple University.
NANCY CHANG, originally from Taiwan, received her Bachelor and Master Degrees in Violin Performance from the Manhattan School of Music. As a chamber musician, she has performed with many ensembles in Los Angeles, New York and Miami. Ms. Chang performed as a soloist with the Burbank Chamber Orchestra, West Los Angeles Symphony and the California State at Los Angeles University Orchestra. Ms. Chang was a member of the New World Symphony from 2003-2006 in Miami, Florida. She joined The Florida Orchestra in 2006 and was recently appointed Associate Concertmaster in 2007. A current resident of Saint Petersburg, Florida, this is Ms. Chang’s second season at the Eastern Music Festival.
AMBER DIMOFF, violinist, received her Bachelor of Music, magna cum laude, from Baldwin-Wallace Conservatory and her Master of Music, magna cum laude, from Northwestern University. After her studies she joined the San Antonio Symphony and was a member for three years before moving to Seattle, Washington. Music endeavors in the Pacific Northwest included performing with the Seattle Symphony, the Seattle Opera, the Pacific Northwest Ballet, and the Northwest Chamber Orchestra. Ms. Dimoff kept her schedule full by also performing chamber music concerts, teaching, recording for movie soundtracks, as well as working in the Seattle Symphony Music Library. Ms. Dimoff moved back to the Cleveland area 11 years ago. Keeping a busy performance schedule as a member of both the Cleveland Chamber Orchestra and the Trinity Chamber Orchestra, she also frequently performs with the Akron Symphony, Opera Cleveland, the Canton Symphony, the Playhouse Square Ballet Orchestra, the Cleveland Pops Orchestra, the Baldwin-Wallace Conservatory Bach Festival, and was a founding member of both City Music Cleveland and Red {an orchestra}. Ms. Dimoff, a pianist as well, maintains a private piano studio with 15 students and in her free time volunteers for Arts for Us, a program dedicated to making musical arts accessible to families of children with special needs. This is Ms. Dimoff’s first season at EMF.
ANNE DONALDSON, violin, received her Bachelor of Music degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music and her Master's degree from Northwestern University, where she was the teaching assistant of Blair Milton. From 2004-2006 she was a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, serving as Associate Concertmaster during the 2005-2006 season. She has performed at such music festivals as Tanglewood Music Center, Brevard Music Center, Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, Eastern Music Festival, and Peninsula Music Festival. In Chicago, Ms. Donaldson is active in contemporary music and performs frequently with the Dal Niente New Music Ensemble as soloist and chamber musician. She has also been a performer on the Chicago Symphony Orchestra's Music NOW series. In January of 2008 she performed the concert premier of Augusta Read Thomas' Toft Serenade, with pianist Maureen Zoltek. Ms. Donaldson is the newest appointed member of the Alabama Symphony Orchestra and will join the ASO's second violin section in the Fall of 2008. She is also a substitute member of the Grant Park Symphony in Chicago. Anne's teachers have included David Updegraff, J. Patrick Rafferty, and Blair Milton.
IOANA GALU is a native of Romania, where she earned her B.M. and a M.M. in Violin Performance from Gheorghe Dima Music Academy of Cluj. Before coming to the US she served in the faculty of the Academy as Assistant Professor of Violin and Chamber Music. She earned a second Master’s in Violin Performance from Bowling Green State University, Ohio, studying with Prof. Vasile Beluska and is currently enrolled in a doctoral program in Music Performance at the College Conservatory of Music, University of Cincinnati, studying under the direction of Dr. Won Bin-Yim. Ioana Galu has received awards in numerous national and international competitions, including the Second Prize in Mozart International Competition for Piano Trios (Romania) and the First Prize and Special Prize of SOROS Foundation in George Enescu Violin National Competition (Romania). She also won the Second Prize in the Starling Violin Competition (University of Cincinnati) and was the winner of the University of Cincinnati Concerto Competition in February 2004. She has appeared as a soloist with several philharmonic orchestras in Romania and with CCM Orchestra in 2004, and is an active recitalist.
JOHN GERSON is a native of Naperville, Illinois and began playing the violin at the age of three. He received his B.M. and performer diploma from Indiana University where he studied with Henryk Kowalski and Yuval Yaron. After graduating college, John played in the Civic Orchestra of Chicago from 2000 through 2002. He currently resides in Fort Wayne, Indiana, with his wife, Yuka, and is a member of the Fort Wayne Philharmonic Orchestra, where has held the positions of assistant principal second violin and section violin. This is Mr. Gerson’s first season at EMF.
Violinist JENNY GRÉGOIRE appointed concertmaster of the Mobile Symphony Orchestra in August 2001 and in 2006, was offered the same position with the Meridian and the Gulf Coast Symphonies. Born in Québec, Canada, Jenny studied at the Québec Music Conservatoire with Jean Angers and Liliane Garnier-Le Sage, where she earned both undergraduate and graduate degrees in violin performance and a minor in chamber music. Upon leaving Québec, Mrs. Grégoire moved to Chicago to attend Northwestern University, where she would obtain a master’s degree in violin performance and pedagogy with Dr. Myron Kartman. While at Northwestern, Jenny played with the University Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Victor Yampolsky and held the concertmaster position for both years of study. She was also a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and worked with conductors Cliff Colnot, Mistlav Rostropovitch, Pierre Boulez and Daniel Barenboim. In September 2000, Jenny won a fellowship position with the New World Symphony under the direction of Michael Tilson Thomas. Jenny Grégoire currently lives in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. As a freelance musician, Jenny plays regularly with the Tuscaloosa Symphony and the Pensacola Symphony. In addition to having a full private studio, Mrs. Grégoire is an adjunct violin instructor at the University of Alabama.
Originally from Whitestone, New York, YUKA KADOTA is a graduate of Indiana University with a BM and a Performer Diploma in Violin Performance. Ms Kadota studied with Professors Henryk Kowalski and Franco Gulli while at Indiana. After graduating from Indiana, she was invited as a guest student to study at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm, Sweden, for two years. In addition to performing as a soloist with several orchestras in the New York area, Ms. Kadota has given performances at the White House, the Vatican and the UN General Assembly. She is currently associate concertmaster of the Fort Wayne Philharmonic and has been a featured soloist with that orchestra performing Prokofiev's Second Violin Concerto, Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante and both Vivaldi and Piazzolla's Four Seasons. She is also the second violinist of the Freimann Quartet, the quartet in residence of the Fort Wayne Philharmonic. Since the spring of 2007, Ms. Kadota has had the privilege of performing and touring with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
Violinist ERIC NORDSTROM currently resides in Tampa, Florida, where he regularly performs as a per-service player with The Florida Orchestra, The Sarasota Orchestra, and The Orlando Philharmonic. Nordstrom is an alumnus of the Interlochen Arts Academy and Mainz Konservatorium (Germany) and a graduate of Oberlin College and Conservatory, where he received degrees in Violin Performance and Biology. His principal teachers have included Julia Bushkova, Arthur Wendt, Sophia Herman, and Marilyn McDonald. From 1997-1999 Eric performed with the Rhode Island Philharmonic, while holding the position of Principal Second Violin with the New Bedford Symphony (MA) and performing with regional ensembles. Since 2004, he has been active as a music contractor, handling the management and hiring of players for, as well as performing with, Opera Tampa and the Master Chorale of Tampa Bay, among other organizations. Mr. Nordstrom served on the faculty of Berkeley Preparatory School (Tampa) for five years and is currently on the faculty of the Patel Conservatory at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, where he coaches chamber music and works with the Conservatory Youth Orchestra string section. He maintains a private violin studio at his home in Tampa.
SO YUN KIM began studying the violin at the age of four with her father, also a violinist. She attended Eastman School of Music, studying with Charles Castleman and Camilla Wicks, where she received her Bachelor’s degree in performance and a Performer’s Certificate. So Yun was a member of the Nightingale String quartet, a graduate string quartet in residence at the University of Nevada, Reno where she received her Master’s degree in performance in the studio of Phillip Ruder. Upon graduation, she began working for the Naples Philharmonic and, the next season, joined the North Carolina Symphony where she is currently part of the first violin section. So Yun has attended numerous music festivals including the Boston University Tanglewood Institute, Encore Summer festival, New York String Seminar, Heidleberg Opera festival, Sarasota Chamber Music Festival and Shleswig-Holstein Music Festival.
JEREMY PRESTON has performed in Canada and Brazil as well as major concert halls in the United States. He has performed at major music festivals including Tanglewood, Blossom, and Spoleto. Trained at New England Conservatory's Walnut Hill School, Rice University and at the Cleveland Institute of Music, his distinguished teachers include Marylou Speaker Churchill, Lynn Chang, Kathleen Winkler, Sally Thomas and William Preucil. His chamber music coaches include Norman Fisher, Pamela and Claude Frank and members of the Cleveland Quartet and Juillard Quartets. Jeremy has performed with the Spoleto Festival Orchestra, Akron Symphony Orchestra, Canton Symphony Orchestra, and was a concertmaster of the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra as well as the Shepherd School Orchestra at Rice University. Mr. Preston has recently joined the second violin section of the North Carolina Symphony.
DANIEL SKIDMORE is currently pursuing a D.M.A. in Violin Performance at the University of North Carolina in Greensboro and is an adjunct violin and viola professor at Appalachain State University. In the summer he teaches violin and performs with the faculty orchestra at the Eastern Music Festival. He is the Concertmaster of the Salisbury Symphony and also performs with the Greensboro and Winston-Salem Symphonies. Mr. Skidmore also arranges music for string quartet, other chamber ensembles and orchestra. Four of his arrangements are available through Alcove Publications in King, North Carolina.
DIANA TSALIOVICH, an EMF alumna, began violin lessons in Russia, when she was four years old. She continued her musical education upon immigrating to the United States and eventually received a B.M. from Mannes College of Music and an M.M. from Yale University. She has performed chamber music with the Emerson Quartet, studied with the Tokyo Quartet, and participated in master classes of Joseph Gingold and Ruggiero Ricci. She has performed concerti, recitals, and chamber music, including live radio broadcasts, in the United States, Europe, and Israel. Diana also has considerable experience as an orchestral player, performing as the concertmaster of the Spoleto Festival Orchestra and as the leader of an ensemble conducted by Pierre Boulez at the Aix-en-Provence Music Festival. After receiving a Fulbright Grant to study at the Sibelius Academy in Finland, she remained in Finland for 10 years while playing in the Finnish National Opera orchestra. In 2008 Diana became a member of the Jerusalem Symphony, her present occupation. Diana is enthusiastic about passing on her love of music to her students, completing long-term Suzuki Method training and teaching young musicians throughout her own musical career.
VIOLA
ANTON JIVAEV is a violist from Uzbekistan. He comes from a family of several generations of professional musicians ranging from classical to Jazz. After moving to the United States, he studied viola with Randolph Kelly at Duquesne University and Roberto Diaz at the Curtis Institute of Music. He worked closely with Isaac Stern, Arnold Steinhardt and the Emerson Quartet on chamber music literature and performed it at Carnegie on several occasions. He has also performed in the Pittsburgh Symphony and the New York Philharmonic. Currently, Anton is the Principal violist with the North Carolina Symphony Orchestra and the UBS Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra. Most recently he took part in the Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra concert tour with Maxim Vengerov, violin solo, including a concert at the Royal Albert Hall at London Proms and in the recording of Mozart’s works for violin and orchestra for EMI.
DANIEL REINKER has been a member of the EMF viola faculty since 1987. He recently joined the Nashville Symphony as principal violist after a number of seasons as associate principal with the San Antonio Symphony. In Nashville, he also serves as a member of the viola faculty at the Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University. While living in San Antonio, Mr. Reinker taught at the University of Texas at San Antonio and was a founding member of the chamber ensemble Musicopia. He has performed as principal violist with the Ohio Chamber Orchestra. Mr. Reinker received his education at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory, the Yale School of Music and the Cleveland Institute of Music.
Violist SARAH COTE has been a member of the faculties at Middle Tennessee State University and Belmont University since 2003. She was a member of the San Antonio Symphony for sixteen years. In San Antonio, she was a frequent chamber music performer and also Ms. Cote taught and was on the steering committee for the Music Advancement Program, a music program for inner city middle shcool students. Ms. Cote has served on the faculty of the Eastern Music Festival since 1995, spending two of those summers as Acting Assistant Principal of the Eastern Philharmonic Orchestra. She performs as a member of the Eastern Chamber Players. She also has performed at the Garth Newell, Fontana, and Blowing Rock chamber festivals, and with the Tippecanoe Chamber Music Society. Ms. Cote holds Bachelor's and Master's degrees from Indiana University where she studied with Yuval Yaron and Mimi Zweig. She spent a sabbatical year at Oberlin Conservatory, where she worked with Jeffrey Irvine and Lynne Ramsay Irvine. She has had coaching with Patricia McCarty and Burton Kaplan. Ms. Cote studied Baroque violin and viola with Marilyn MacDonald and Simon Standage. She also has done extensive pedagogy training with Mimi Zweig and Carol Dallinger. Currently, Sarah Cote performs with the Nashville Chamber Orchestra, the Nashville Symphony, the Alabama Symphony, the Bowling Green Chamber Orchestra, the Stones River Chamber Players and the Belmont Camerata.
Violist DANIELLE FARINA enjoys a varied career as a soloist, chamber musician, orchestral musician, teacher, and recording artist. As a soloist, Ms. Farina recently recorded Jon Bauman’s Viola Concerto with the Moravian Philharmonic, Andy Teirstein’s Viola Concerto with the Kiev Philharmonic and premiered Peter Schickele’s Viola Concerto with the Pasadena Symphony. She was a member of the Lark Quartet, touring extensively in North America, Europe, and Scandinavia performing at some of the most prestigious venues and festivals including Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, Library of Congress, Smithsonian Institution, Schleswig Holstein Festival, and the International Istanbul Music Festival. While with the Lark, Ms. Farina recorded Aaron Kernis’ string quartets, music of Amy Beach, and music of Giovanni Sollima. Currently a member of the Elements Quartet, she has participated in the Tibor Varga Festival in Budapest, the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival, been in residence at Utah Valley State College, and premiered “Snaphots”, a project commissioning dozens of composers from Regina Carter to Angelo Badalamenti, to John Corigliano and many more. She performs with a number of ensembles in the New York area, among them, the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, the Orchestra of St. Lukes, Concertante and Music From Copland House with whom she recorded music of John Musto. As an orchestral musician, Ms. Farina has served as principal violist of the Brooklyn Philharmonic. An active teacher, she is now on the faculty of the Juilliard School’s Pre-College Division. A graduate of The Curtis Institute of Music, Ms. Farina has studied with Karen Tuttle, Joseph dePasqaule, Stephen Werczynski, and Byrnina Socolofsky.
JAMIE HOFMAN is a graduate of Indiana University and holds performance degrees in violin (B.M.) and viola (B.M.), as well as a Performer Diploma for viola. His principal teachers have been Mimi Zweig, Jerry Horner, and Atar Arad. For the past two years, Mr. Hofman has performed with the Milwaukee Symphony while on faculty at the String Academy of Wisconsin and Carroll University. Prior to moving to Milwaukee, he was a member of the Louisville Orchestra and the Louisville String Quartet, quartet-in-residence at the University of Louisville, where he was also a faculty member. Mr. Hofman has performed at festivals such as the Hirosaki Chamber Music Festival (Japan), Schlewig-Holstein Musik Festival (Germany), European Musik Festival (Stuttgart), International Festival Symphony (Jerusalem), Pacific Music Festival (Japan), Blossom Music Festival (Cleveland), and the Sarasota Music Festival (Florida). Mr. Hofman won the second prize in the Chicago Viola Society solo competition and has performed as a soloist in Milwaukee with the Milwaukee Chamber Orchestra, the Catholic Symphony Orchestra, and on the Civic Music Artist and Ensemble series. Mr. Hofman is engaged to horn player Kelly Schurr.
Violist JENNIFER PUCKETT has just completed her third season as Principal Viola with the Memphis Symphony Orchestra. Prior to her tenure with the MSO, she was a member of the New World Symphony in Miami Beach, Florida for three years. Originally trained as a violinist, she received her bachelor’s degree in violin performance from the University of Alabama. She has also attended various summer music festivals such as the Brevard Music Center, Sewanee Summer Music Center, Meadowmount School of Music, National Repertory Orchestra, Sarasota Music Festival, and the Aspen Music Festival. Aspen led her to the University of Colorado in Boulder where she received her master’s degree in viola performance. Miss Puckett held teaching assistantships for the three years that she was at the University of Colorado including being a member of the graduate string quartet her first year. Over the years she has played professionally with many orchestras including the Colorado Symphony, Alabama Symphony, Missouri Symphony Society, Tuscaloosa Symphony, Tupelo Symphony, Huntsville Symphony, and the Central City Opera. Her experience as principal viola include the 2005 Mahlerfest in Boulder, Colorado, numerous occasions with the New World Symphony, and throughout her college career.
Violist STEVEN KRUSE currently serves as Special Instructor in Viola at the University of Windsor (Canada) and performs as principal violist of the Flint (Michigan) Symphony. He performed for six years as principal viola with the Kansas City Symphony and for four seasons as principal viola of the Kansas City Camerata, appearing as soloist with both groups. Dr. Kruse served on the faculty of the Conservatory of Music, University of Missouri-Kansas City for twelve years. He has also held teaching positions at West Virginia University, Bowling Green State University, the University of Toledo, Hillsdale College, William Jewell College, the University of Notre Dame, and Bethany College in West Virginia. Dr. Kruse earned his Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from the Manhattan School of Music, and a Doctorate from Ball State University. His principal teachers have been Lillian Fuchs, Milton Thomas, Robert Slaughter, and Jerzy Kosmala. He has performed in Germany, Taiwan, Romania, Canada, and Vietnam, where he appeared as both viola soloist and conductor. He currently performs with the Eastern Chamber Players and serves on the faculty of the Eastern Music Festival in Greensboro, North Carolina. Steven has co-authored articles with his wife, Penny, in the Strad, American String Teacher, and the Journal of the American Viola Society. Dr. Kruse is past treasurer of the American Viola Society and has served as an adjudicator for the William Primrose International Viola Competition.
EMF alumna DIANE PHOENIX-NEAL performs regularly as a collaborative chamber musician and as a soloist in addition to her roles as an educator and clinician. She currently teaches violin and viola at Guilford College and is assistant professor of music at Fayetteville State University. An active performer, she serves as a principal artist with the Carolina Chamber Symphony Players and is a founding member of the chamber ensemble Music Harmonia, which presented its second concert tour to Brazil in 2008. Her performances have taken her to concert stages worldwide, including China, North Africa, and more recently to music festivals in Brazil and to Australia, where she performed for the International Viola Congress in 2007. Highlights of her chamber music and solo recitals include performances at the Eastern Music Festival, Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center (New York String Orchestra), Salle Pleyel in Paris, the Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon, and the music festivals of Spoleto, Banff and Evian (France). Her varied and vibrant solo appearances include performances with the Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival, the North Carolina Symphony, and the Picardie Orchestra of France. Dr. Phoenix-Neal holds degrees from The Juilliard School, UNC School of the Arts, and UNCG. Her teachers include violists Sally Peck, William Lincer, and Paul Doktor, violinist Joel Smirnoff, and the Juilliard, Amadeus, and Orion Quartets. She served as principal violist of the Juilliard Orchestra and performed with the Juilliard Chamber Orchestra and with the New York Philharmonic. More recently, she has collaborated in chamber music concerts with Stuart Malino, members of the Orion Quartet, with cellists Lynn Harrell and Gary Hoffman, and with Dimitry Sitkovetsky in the chamber series “Dimitry Sitkovetsky and Friends.” Formerly the violist of the Joachim Quartet (France), Dr. Phoenix-Neal is the recipient of several top prizes, including awards from UNCG, the Banff International String Quartet Competition, and the French Foreign Ministry. This is her 13th season at EMF.
Violist JENNIFER PUCKETT has just completed her fourth season as principal viola with the Memphis Symphony Orchestra. Prior to her tenure with the MSO, she was a member of the New World Symphony in Miami Beach for three years. Originally trained as a violinist, she received her bachelor’s degree in violin performance from the University of Alabama. She has also attended various summer music festivals such as the Brevard Music Center, Sewanee Summer Music Center, Meadowmount School of Music, National Repertory Orchestra, Sarasota Music Festival, and the Aspen Music Festival. Aspen led her to the University of Colorado in Boulder where she received her master’s degree in viola performance. Miss Puckett held teaching assistantships for the three years that she was at the University of Colorado, including membership in the graduate string quartet her first year. Over the years she has played professionally with many orchestras including the Colorado Symphony, Alabama Symphony, Missouri Symphony Society, Tuscaloosa Symphony, Tupelo Symphony, Huntsville Symphony, and the Central City Opera. Her experience as principal viola includes the 2005 Mahlerfest in Boulder, Colorado, numerous occasions with the New World Symphony, and performances throughout her college career. In 2008 Ms. Puckett performed the Mozart Sinfonia Concertante with the Memphis Symphony. This is her fifth year with EMF.
VIOLONCELLO
Cellist NEAL CARY joined the EMF faculty in 1984 and has served as principal cello of the Eastern Philharmonic since 1988. He is principal cello with the Richmond Symphony and is on the adjunct faculty at the College of William and Mary and Virginia Commonwealth University. He was co-principal cello of the Kansas City Philharmonic and assistant principal cellist of the Tulsa Philharmonic, the San Antonio Symphony, and the Denver Symphony Orchestras. His major teachers have included Robert Newkirk, Channing Robbins, and the world-renowned Leonard Rose. Mr. Cary holds the M.M. from the Juilliard School of Music, holding a chamber music teaching assistant position to both Claus Adam and Earl Carlyss of the Juilliard String Quartet during his final year. Notable recital performances in the Richmond area include performances from memory of the 40 Popper Etudes and all the Bach Suites for Solo Cello. Mr. Cary has completed a new "performance edition" of the Popper Etudes (as yet unpublished) and is working on a companion book which explains how to practice these etudes. He has also completed an unpublished edition of the Bach Suites for Solo Cello, based on the three surviving copies from Bach's manuscript.
For the past twenty years, cellist JAMES WILSON has performed to the delight of audiences throughout the world. He has appeared in America’s Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, and Kennedy Center, Casal’s Hall in Tokyo, and the Sydney Opera House. As recitalist and chamber musician, he has performed at music festivals around the world such as the Hong Kong Arts Festival, the City of London Festival, the Deutches Mozartfest in Bavaria, the Mostly Mozart Festival in New York and the Aspen Music Festival in Colorado. Mr. Wilson has collaborated with such diverse artists as violinist Joshua Bell, flutist Eugenia Zukerman, guitarist Eliot Fisk, the Tokyo String Quartet, and the Mark Morris Dance Group. Championing musical works from all periods, Mr. Wilson performs on Baroque as well as modern cello in many ensembles including the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Music from Copland House, and the Music of the Spheres Society, as well as the Dodd String Quartet, an ensemble devoted to early string repertoire. A former member of the Shanghai and Chester String Quartets, he recorded and toured extensively worldwide with both groups. Mr. Wilson’s performances have been broadcast on West German Radio and Bavarian Radio in Germany, CBC radio in Canada, CBS television, and National Public Radio’s “Performance Today” and “Saint Paul Sunday.” A resident of both New York City and Staunton, Virginia, Mr. Wilson is currently the artistic director of the Chamber Music Society of Central Virginia and teaches cello and chamber music at Columbia University in New York. This year is Mr. Wilson’s first with Eastern Music Festival.
MARGO TATGENHORST DRAKOS is one of the most recognized young cellists in America. Margo is acting Principal Cellist of the San Diego Symphony for the 2006-07 season in addition to serving on the faculties of the Cleveland Institute of Music and the Manhattan School of Music. She served as the cellist of the American String Quartet from 2002-2006. Prior to joining the quartet Ms. Drakos was Associate Principal Cellist of the Pittsburgh Symphony and Principal Cellist of the Oregon Symphony. Margo has collaborated with some of the world's leading artists including members of the Emerson, Orion, Tokyo, and Guarneri Quartets, the Beaux Arts Trio, Jonathan Biss, Yefim Bronfman, Ida Kavafian and Richard Stoltzman. Margo is the co-founder of Divertimento, a string trio with violinist Soovin Kim, and violist Michael Tree. This season in celebration of the Vermont Symphony’s 70th anniversary, Margo premiered David Ludwig’s Cello Concerto, Jaime Laredo, conducting. Margo has spent multiple summers as a participant at the Marlboro Music Festival and continues to tour with Musicians from Marlboro. Ms. Drakos serves on the cello and chamber music faculty of Encore School for Strings. She is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music where she studied with David Soyer. Ms. Drakos performs on a 1891 Vincenzo Postiglione violoncello. Margo is completing her Masters Degree at Columbia University in Human Rights. She has presented her and Tarek Maassarani’s paper, Extracting Corporate Responsibility, at Yale Law School and it will be published in the Cornell International Law Journal, March 2007.
HANNAH HOLMAN is the cellist of the Maia Quartet, Quartet-in-Residence at the University of Iowa. Ms. Holman began her professional career in England, playing with the English String Orchestra under Yehudi Menuhin and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra under Simon Rattle. An active chamber musician, she was a founding member of the Beaumont Piano Trio, which performed recitals around the United States and England, and also founded Quadrivinium, a music ensemble in residence at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. She has an active solo career, performing solo recitals and with orchestras in Michigan, Virginia, Georgia, and Iowa. Additionally, Ms. Holman was invited to and participated in the Pablo Casals Cello competition in Germany and the Luis Sigall Cello Competition in Chile. Ms. Holman has served on faculties of Worcester College (UK), Michigan State University Community School, and Virginia Union University. In her orchestral career, she has been assistant principal cellist of the Richmond Symphony, the Michigan Chamber Orchestra, and the American Sinfonietta and performed with the Grand Tetons Festival Orchestra. Ms. Holman has just recently won a position as principal cellist of the Quad Cities Symphony. She studied at the Eastman School of Music and Michigan State University, where she completed her Bachelor of Music and obtained her Master of Music with Fritz Magg at the New England Conservatory. This is Ms. Holman’s first year at EMF.
Cellist DANIELLE GUIDERI performs extensively as chamber musician and soloist and has performed works such as Tchaikovsky Rococo Variations, Brahms Double Concerto, Haydn Cello Concerto, Tan Dun Elegy: Snow in June and Eternal Vow. An avid chamber musician, Ms. Guideri has appeared at Weill Concert Hall at Carnegie Hall, Merkin Hall, The James Lenox House, The Juilliard School, and Kaye Playhouse with The American Ballet Theatre, as well as the National Arts Club. From 2004 to 2006, she performed and taught at Colorado State University - Pueblo as an artist in residence and member of the Veronika String Quartet. Ms. Guideri began playing the cello with her mother at the age of five and later continued her studies at The Juilliard School pre-college division. She received her undergraduate and master's degrees in cello performance from the Aaron Copland School of Music at the City University of New York, Queens College, where she was a student of Ronald Thomas and the recipient of the Louis Pastore Cello Scholarship Award. Ms. Guideri currently lives in Phoenix where she is a member of the Phoenix Symphony and a frequent performer at the Downtown Chamber Series.
Cellist MARTA SIMIDTCHIEVA enjoys an active career as a soloist, chamber musician, and teacher. She is currently the assistant professor of cello at Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville, where she is also a member of the LeClaire Piano Trio and the Illinois Symphony Orchestra. A native of Bourgas, Bulgaria, and graduate of the Bulgarian State Academy of Music in Sofia, she earned her doctorate of music from Florida State University where she was a student of Lubomir Georgiev. Dr. Simidtchieva has also been a member of the Eppes String Quartet with whom she worked closely with composer Ellen Taafe-Zwilich and performed and premiered contemporary works for string quartet. Her interest in contemporary music has intersected with her desire to perform music by fellow Bulgarians. This research has led to a series of lectures and recitals presented at various universities throughout the United States titled “Lifting the Veil: Presenting Unknown Compositions for Cello and Piano by Bulgarian Composers to American Audiences.” In 2004, Dr. Simidtchieva performed the Vivaldi Concerto for Two Celli with vocalist Bobby McFerrin as part of the Tallahassee, Florida, Seven Days of Opening Nights festival. The recipient of numerous awards and prizes, she has been a member of, or performed with the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra, New Symphony Orchestra (Sofia, Bulgaria), Orlando Philharmonic, Columbus (Georgia) Symphony, Eastern Music Festival Orchestra, Wildwood Opera Festival, and at the New Bulgarian Music Festival.
Cellist BETH VANDERBORGH enjoys a rich and varied career as both soloist and chamber musician. In the summer of 2008 she was appointed to the faculty of the University of Wyoming, where she teaches cello and Baroque Performance Practice. In addition, she continues to serve as principal cellist of the Greensboro Symphony Orchestra. She was formerly principal cellist of the Winston-Salem Symphony and co-principal of the Carolina Chamber Symphony. She is a founding member of the acclaimed Stanislas Sextet, based in Nancy, France, and tours regularly with Musica Harmonia. The Stanislas Sextet’s recording of the two Brahms Sextets will be released on the Gallo label this fall. Dr. Vanderborgh has captured top prizes in the Baltimore Chamber Awards, the National Society of Arts and Letters Cello Competition, and the Ulrich Solo Competition. As United States Information Service Artistic Ambassador and member of the Fadial-Vanderborgh Duo, she has performed on four continents, including recitals at the Kennedy Center, the Phillips Collection, the Teatro Nacional in Costa Rica, and the American University in Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria. Recent solo highlights include Elgar's Cello Concerto with the Winston-Salem Symphony, Strauss' Don Quixote and Haydn's D Major Cello Concerto with the Greensboro Symphony, and solo cello in the sextet arrangement of Don Quixote at the Lazlo Varga Cello Celebration. She appears regularly on the chamber series "Dmitry Sitkovetsky and Friends" collaborating with guest artists Lynn Harrell, Augustin Hadelich, Elmar Oliveira, Bela Davidovich, Konstantin Lipschitz, Garrick Ohlsson, and Stuart Malina. Dr. Vanderborgh holds degrees from the Manhattan School of Music, the Eastman School of Music, and the University of Maryland, where her teachers included Evelyn Elsing, David Soyer, Steven Doane, and David Geber. She resides in Laramie, Wyoming with her husband, John Fadial, and their two children. This is her ninth season with EMF.
REBECCA ZIMMERMAN began studying piano at the age of four and cello at the age of ten. Throughout her early development as a cellist, she studied with several teachers including Dajing Yang, Jim Wilson of the Shanghai Quartet, and Neal Cary, principal cellist of the Richmond Symphony. Ms. Zimmerman graduated from the Cleveland Institute of Music in 2003 with a B.M. in Cello Performance, studying under Stephen Geber, former principal cellist of The Cleveland Orchestra. In 2008, she received her master’s degree from Northwestern University under the instruction of Hans Jorgen Jensen. Ms. Zimmerman has attended Eastern Music Festival, Tanglewood, Kent-Blossom Music Festival, and the National Orchestral Institute—all of which she served as principal cellist. Ms. Zimmerman’s competition winnings include the 1999 Richmond Symphony and the 2000 Eastern Music Festival concerto competitions. Ms. Zimmerman has held positions in the Canton Symphony, the Richmond Symphony, New World Symphony, and Northwest Indiana Symphony. She is currently an active teacher and performer in Chicago where she teaches for the Merit School of Music and plays with several chamber orchestras including Camerata Chicago, New Millenium Orchestra, and Erato Chamber Orchestra.
DOUBLE BASS
Bassist LEONID FINKELSHTEYN enjoys an active career as a performer and teacher. Currently principal bassist of the North Carolina Symphony Orchestra, the Eastern Festival Orchestra in North Carolina, and The Peninsula Music Festival Orchestra in Wisconsin, Mr.
Finkelshteyn serves on the faculty of East Carolina University in addition to maintaining a large private studio. He has served on the faculty at the Eastern Music Festival since 1999. As a soloist, he has made numerous concerto appearances with both the North Carolina Symphony Orchestra and the Peninsula Music Festival Orchestra including the North American premier of Gareth Glyn’s “Microncerto”. Upcoming performances include the world premiere of J.Mark Scearce’s”Antaeus”, a concerto for double bass and orchestra, with the North Carolina Symphony Orchestra commissioned by the orchestra for Mr. Finkelshteyn. Other artistic pursuits include tours with the Chicago Symphony, the New York Philharmonic, and the Philharmonia Hungarica in addition to appearing with the St. Louis, Cincinnati, and Dallas Symphonies as guest principal bassist. He has also performed with the Lyric Opera of Chicago, the Milwaukee Symphony, and the Baltimore Symphony. A native of Leningrad, in the former Soviet Union, he joined the Symphony Orchestra of the Leningrad Philharmonic at only 19 years of age, while still a student at the Leningrad Conservatory from which he earned a M.M. graduating with honors. His primary teachers were Peter Weinblatt and Serge Akopov. Eventually he became principal bassist of the Symphony Orchestra and was a prize winner of the Soviet Union Bass Competition before emigrating to the U.S. in 1990.
MAXIMILIAN DIMOFF is the principal double bassist with the Cleveland Orchestra and head of the Double Bass Department at the Cleveland Institute of Music. He has appeared as soloist with the Cleveland Orchestra at Severance Hall and the Blossom Music Center and on tour in Carnegie Hall and in Europe. Prior to his 1997 appointment with The Cleveland Orchestra, Mr. Dimoff was appointed assistant principal bass with the San Antonio Symphony while still a student at Northwestern University. He was soon promoted to the principal position with that same orchestra. In 1993, Mr. Dimoff moved to his hometown to join the Seattle Symphony Orchestra. During that time, he was also a member of the Grant Park Symphony Orchestra in Chicago. Mr. Dimoff is a coach and teacher with the New World Symphony in Miami, Fla. He has taught master classes at many major music schools, including The Juilliard School, The Manhattan School of Music, Northwestern University, Carnegie Mellon, The University of North Texas, The University of Michigan, and The Glenn Gould School at the Royal Conservatory in Toronto. Mr. Dimoff studied with Jeff Bradetich while attending Northwestern University. Other influential teachers include Ronald Simon of the Seattle Symphony, Gary Karr, Eugene Levinson of the New York Philharmonic, and Warren Benfield of the Chicago Symphony. Mr. Dimoff performs on a double bass made by the Italian maker Antonio Mariani dated 1651.
LUCIANO CARNEIRO received his D.M.A. from the University of Iowa, M.M. from Yale University, and his B.M. from the New England Conservatory of Music. He also attended the Franz Liszt Academy at Budapest and Universidade do Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. His major teachers have been Diana Gannett, Gary Karr, Zoltan Tibay, Bela Wurtzler and William Rhein. Dr. Silva has been principal bass of the Orquestra Estadual do Estado de São Paulo and a member in the double bass sections of the Virginia Symphony and the Hartford Symphony Orchestra. He has appeared as soloist with many major orchestras in South America and in numerous performances in Brazil and the United States. He is the recipient of the 1996-97 Henry and Parker Pelzer Award for strings. Dr. Carneiro has been on the Universidade Federal da Paraiba (Brazil) since 1992, and principal bass of the Orquestra Sinfônica do Rio Grande do Norte since 1989.
MARC FACCI is currently principal double bassist with the Tulsa Symphony Orchestra and the Tulsa Opera Orchestra. He also was associate principal bassist with the former Tulsa Philharmonic Orchestra and has been a member of The Florida Orchestra and the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Facci received his B.S. from the State University of New York at Fredonia and M.M. from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music where he studied with Barry Green. Mr. Facci has also studied with Peter Rofé and Walter Botti. Mr. Facci currently is on the faculty at the University of Arkansas – Fayetteville and returns to EMF for his 21st season.
MEREDITH JOHNSON was raised in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. He began playing the double bass while pursuing a bachelor’s degree in English literature at Vanderbilt University, studying with Edgar Meyer. He received his M.M. in Music Performance at Boston University where he studied with Todd Seeber and Edwin Barker of the Boston Symphony. Mr. Johnson has performed extensively throughout the United States and Europe as a member of festival orchestras including: Classical Winter in Jerusalem, Schleswig-Holstein, National Repertory Orchestra, Sarasota Chamber Music and Tanglewood Music Center. Meredith was the recipient of the Henri Cohn Memorial Award during the 2000 Tanglewood festival season and was also a member of the New World Symphony from 1999-2002. During his tenure with the New World Symphony, he was a substitute bassist with the Charleston and Atlanta symphonies. At the end of his Fellowship with the New World Symphony, he moved to Philadelphia. There he was a student of Philadelphia Orchestra Principal Bassist Hal Robinson, as well as nanny to Mr. Robinson’s son. In the fall of 2004, Mr. Johnson moved to Winnipeg, Manitoba to join the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra as principal bassist. He is also principal bassist with the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra, the Brandon Chamber Players and a regular guest performer with the Winnipeg Chamber Music Society. This is his eighth summer at EMF.
As an active freelance musician, RICK OSTROVSKY performs regularly with some of the most respected ensembles in New York City. They include the American Symphony Orchestra, the American Composers Orchestra, the Brooklyn Philharmonic Orchestra, and the New York City Ballet. He has toured extensively, playing in major concert halls throughout the United States, Europe, South America and Japan. He can be heard on orchestral recordings of the American Symphony Orchestra and the Orchestra of St. Lukes. Mr. Ostrovsky was a member of the Colombus Symphony Orchestra and was the solo bass with the Soviet Émigré Orchestra, an ensemble of thirteen string players. He has also had the opportunity to perform in a variety of chamber and solo settings, including a performance of the Bottesini Gran Duo in concert with violinist Erick Friedman, and to share the recital stage with his wife, soprano Kaori Sato. Mr. Ostrovsky received both his B.M. and M.M. from The Juilliard School.
FLUTE
LES ROETTGES, principal flute of the Eastern Music Festival, has been principal flute of the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra since 1986. A native of Ohio, Mr. Roettges became a student of The Cleveland Orchestra’s Maurice Sharp at age 15. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the New England Conservatory and a master’s from The Juilliard School, and he studied for a year in Paris. His teachers include Paula Robison, Julius Baker, Alain Marion and Robert Stallman. Mr. Roettges was the winner of the first annual James Papoutsakis Memorial Flute Competition. He is a regular participant in the Amelia Island (Fla.) Chamber Festival, the Madison (Ga.) Festival, and the Saint Augustine (Fla.) Festival and has participated in the Colorado Music Festival, the Bowdoin (Maine) Chamber Music Festival, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic Institute. Before taking the position in Jacksonville, he performed as the principal flute for the Philharmonic Orchestra of Mexico City, Solisti New York, the Opera Ensemble of New York, Bel Canto Opera Company of New York, the Boston Philharmonic, and many other freelance orchestras in New York and Boston. This is his ninth season with EMF.
ANN CHOOMACK performs with the Richmond Symphony in Richmond, Virginia as third flute/piccolo. A graduate of the Eastman School of Music, she went on to complete her master’s degree at the New England Conservatory in Boston, MA. Before arriving in Richmond, Ann participated in numerous music festivals including Music Academy of the West, National Repertory Orchestra, and the Tanglewood Music Center. In addition to her duties with the Richmond Symphony she also performs regularly with the Virginia Symphony, the Virginia Opera, as well as maintaining a private teaching studio in Richmond.
BRIAN GORDON has been assistant principal flute and piccolo with the Phoenix Symphony Orchestra since 1981 and has played piccolo and flute at Eastern Music Festival since 1986. He earned his B.M. from the Eastman School of Music and M.M. from Indiana University, where he performed as principal flute with the Evansville Philharmonic. As a soloist he has appeared with the Phoenix Symphony, the Columbus Symphony and the Shenandoah Bach Festival. As a chamber musician, he has performed at the Portland Chamber Festival in Maine, the Rossmore Music Series in California and the Sedona Chamber Festival in Arizona. In 1998, Mr. Gordon appeared as the guest piccolo player with the Boston Symphony Orchestra on their European tour. His teachers include William Hebert, Walfrid Kujala, Marcel Moyse, Kazuo Tokito and Lois Schaeffer.
OBOE
RANDALL ELLIS received his Bachelor of Music degree from the North Carolina School of the Arts and his Master of Music degree from the State University of New York at Stony Brook where he studied with Ronald Roseman. He is principal oboist of Lincoln Center’s Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra and is the oboist in Windscape Woodwind Quintet, artists in residence at the Manhattan School of Music. He was principal oboist of the New York Chamber Symphony and in that capacity received two Grammy nominations. He has performed with the New York Philharmonic, Seattle Symphony, San Diego Symphony, and the Florida Orchestra. Mr. Ellis has been a soloist with the New England Bach Festival, the International Bach Festival of Madeira, the Philharmonia Virtuosi of New York, and Chamber Music at the 92nd Street Y. He has toured extensively as a guest artist with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and has performed with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the Ensemble Wien-Berlin, Orchestra at St. Luke’s, the New York Philomusica and the Orchestras of the Martha Graham, Paul Taylor, and the American Ballet Theatre dance companies. Mr. Ellis has appeared on NBC’s Today Show, CBS’s Sunday Morning, and many times on PBS’s Live from Lincoln Center. His performances have been heard on National Public Radio, European radio, and NHK Radio and TV in Japan. Mr. Ellis has recorded for EMI/Angel, Deutsche Grammophon, Columbia, Sony, RCA, Vox, Nonesuch, CRI, Pro Arte and Delos. Mr. Ellis has performed with Winton Marsalis at Jazz at Lincoln Center and on Broadway in the orchestra for the musical Wicked.
KATHERINE YOUNG was appointed principal oboe of The Florida Orchestra in March 2007. Previously, she completed a fellowship with the New World Symphony in Miami Beach, Florida, where she served as principal oboe on numerous occasions under music director Michael Tilson Thomas and during residencies at the Accademia de Santa Cecilia in Rome, Italy, and New York's Carnegie Hall. Katherine has served as guest principal oboe in the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and the San Diego Symphony. She has performed in the music festivals of Tanglewood, Spoleto USA, Banff, Music in the Mountains in Durango, Colorado, and with the National Repertory Orchestra. An active chamber musician, Katherine has participated in chamber music festivals in Sarasota, Florida, and Norfolk, Connecticut, and has presented recitals in Washington, D.C., Columbus, Ohio, and throughout south Florida. She is a passionate advocate for music education and maintains a small private teaching studio. Katherine serves the on the faculty at the University of Tampa and at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp in western Michigan. A native of Lancaster, Ohio, Ms. Young holds a Bachelor of Music degree and the prestigious Performer's Certificate from the Eastman School of Music and a Master of Music degree from Rice University’s Shepherd School. Her primary teachers include Richard Killmer, Robert Atherholt, and Donna Conaty. This is her first season at the Eastern Music Festival.
SUSAN EISCHEID currently holds the position of Principal Oboe with the Valdosta Symphony and serves as Professor of Music at Valdosta State University. She received her Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and her Master of Music degree from the Philadelphia University of the Arts. Dr. Eischeid played for many years with the Mexico City Philharmonic Orchestra. She has also performed with the Richmond Symphony, the West Virginia Symphony, the Jacksonville Symphony and the Cincinnati Ballet Orchestra. Dr. Eischeid has been a member of the Eastern Philharmonic Orchestra since 1987. Her major teachers include Robert Bloom, James Gorton, and Sara Lambert Bloom. In 2004 she was awarded the Excellence in Professional Activity Award from the College of the Arts at VSU. In 2000, Dr. Eischeid was featured as soloist in the world premiere of the second oboe concerto by noted Hungarian composer Frigyes Hidas. In 2001 she released her first compact disc on the ACA Digital label. Dr. Eischeid is also a published author, currently writing a book about musical activities in Europe during the Second World War As an outgrowth of this research, she has presented lectures and recitals in over twenty cities in the United States and in Europe and has received multiple grants. Most recently, in 2005, 2006, and 2007 she was featured in performances in Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic and Poland.
KAREN BIRCH BLUNDELL is second oboe of the Sarasota Orchestra. An EMF alumna, this is her fifth season as English horn player for the Festival. Mrs. Birch Blundell has been a member of the New World Symphony, the Orquesta Sinfonica de Mineria, the Spoleto Festival Orchestra (Italy), the National Repertory Orchestra, and the New Sousa Band. She has performed with the Florida Philharmonic, the Naples Philharmonic, the Houston Symphony, and the Houston Ballet. In addition, she has been featured as a solo artist in Russia, St. Croix, Mexico, and Panama. She holds degrees from Oberlin Conservatory and the Hartt School where she studied with James Caldwell and Humbert Lucarelli, respectively. In addition to her work as a performer, she is an active teaching artist. She is the former director of community engagement at the New World Symphony and blogs regularly about classical music on the YouTube channel “Theme and Conversations.
CLARINET
SHANNON SCOTT has been principal clarinet of the Eastern Festival Orchestra since 1991. She is the instructor of clarinet and history of music and clarinetist for Solstice Woodwind Quintet at Washington State University School of Music in Pullman, Washington. As part of the Scott-Garrison Duo (flute and clarinet) with husband Leonard Garrison, Dr. Scott performs and is active in commissioning new music for the ensemble. Since moving to the Northwest, she has performed with the Spokane, Walla Wallak and Washington-Idaho symphonies. Before joining the WSU School of Music faculty, Dr. Scott taught clarinet and survey of music in fall 2006 and performed with the Northwest Winds Woodwind Quintet at the University of Idaho. From 1988 to 2006, she served as principal clarinetist of the Tulsa (Oklahoma) Opera Orchestra and the Tulsa Philharmonic Orchestra. While in Tulsa, she taught clarinet at the University of Tulsa, Oral Roberts University, Northeastern State University, and Tulsa Community College. She holds degrees from Juilliard, École Normale de Musique de Paris, Conservatoire Regional Marcel Dupre, Yale University, and Northwestern University. Her major clarinet teachers were Robert Marcellus, Keith Wilson, and Stanley Drucker. Before joining the Tulsa Philharmonic, she was associate principal clarinet of the Orchestra of the Opera of Lyon, was second clarinet for the Grant Park Symphony in Chicago, and played in the Marlboro Music Festival, where she participated in Music from Marlboro tours and recorded for the Marlboro Recording Society.
Clarinetist JUDITH DONALDSON is the second and E-flat clarinetist of the Alabama Symphony Orchestra. As a free-lancer, she has also played with the Tuscaloosa Symphony, with the orchestras of Tampa and Jacksonville and with the Florida Orchestra. She is on the faculties of Birmingham Southern College and University of Alabama at Birmingham. Former affiliations include University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa and the University of Montevallo. She was a founding member of the Cahaba Trio and the Birmingham Musica Antiqua. Ms. Donaldson received B.M. and M.M. degrees from the New England Conservatory of Music. She has been a member of the EMF faculty since 1976.
BASSOON
MARK TIMMERMAN, a native of Davenport, Iowa, is currently on leave from his position with the New Jersey Symphony to again perform with the Metropolitan Opera, where he recently played a season as principal bassoon. He is a graduate of The Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia and also studied at Temple University and the University of Michigan. An accomplished orchestral player, he has performed with the Chicago Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, National Symphony, Jacksonville Symphony, Utah Symphony, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Buffalo Philharmonic, Hawaii Symphony, and Glimmerglass Opera, and he plays often with the New York Philharmonic and the Orchestra of St. Lukes. Music festival appearances have taken Mark to Japan, the former Soviet Union, Italy and Brazil, and he participated for three summers in the Marlboro Music Festival in Vermont, including several Music from Marlboro U.S. tours and an appearance on the “St. Paul Sunday Morning” radio program. Other chamber music festivals include Blossom, St. Barts, Chamberfest in Salt Bay, Maine, and Pensacola, Fla., and Spoleto's Incontri Musicali. He continues on the faculty of New York University, and in the summer of 2009 he will join the Eastern Music Festival in Greensboro, N.C. as principal bassoon for the first time.
KARLA EKHOLM is an active freelancer in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she is a member of seven orchestras, playing principal bassoon with San Francisco Chamber Orchestra, Pacific Chamber Symphony, San Francisco Lyric Opera, Vallejo Symphony, San Francisco Opera Center, and second bassoon with the Marin and Santa Rosa symphonies. Ms. Ekholm has performed with the San Francisco Opera Orchestra, the San Francisco Symphony and the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra. She is a featured artist in the documentary film, “Freeway Philharmonic.” Ms. Ekholm received her B.M. from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and her M.M. from Temple University. Her major teachers have included Walter Green, Stephen Paulson and Bernard Garfield. This is her 26th year at EMF.
HORN
A native of Florida, KEVIN REID is currently the principal horn of the Jacksonville Symphony and has previously been a member of the New World Symphony in Miami Beach. His solo performances include Mozart's Forth Horn Concerto and the Sinfonia concertante. Kevin has an M.M. from Southern Methodist University, where he studied with Greg Hustis, and a B.M. from Florida State University, where he studied with William Capps. He has played with symphony orchestras in Dallas, Waco, Tallahassee, Albany, Aspen, Boston, Breckenridge and the Dominican Republic. Kevin is on faculty at the University of North Florida and served as Visiting Professor of Horn at Florida State University for the 2006-2007 school year. This is his eighth year at the Eastern Music Festival.
JOY HODGES BRANAGAN has been playing horn professionally since 1997, while still a student at the Manhattan School of Music. Upon graduation in May of 1998, she won a position as Second Horn in the San Antonio Symphony, where she played until 2003. While in San Antonio, she was a member of the San Antonio Brass and was on the faculty at St. Mary’s University, as well as being active as a performer and teacher throughout South Texas. In December of 2003, Joy moved to Washington D.C. and immediately began playing with notable symphony orchestras in the area including the Baltimore Symphony, National Symphony, Richmond Symphony, and the orchestra of the Baltimore Opera. In the spring of 2006, she was invited to perform as guest solo artist with the Cobb Symphony Orchestra in her hometown of Marietta, Georgia. Joy received her musical training from The University of Georgia and the Manhattan School of Music, and is currently Second Horn with the Richmond Symphony and Professor of Horn at Towson University in Maryland.
KELLY SCHURR is in her fifth season with EMF. She is currently third horn with the Southwest Michigan Symphony Orchestra and is an active freelancer in the greater Chicagoland area. In addition to two seasons with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, her freelance career has taken her beyond Chicago where she has performed with the Kansas City Symphony, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic, the Nashville Symphony, and many others. In her extra time, she performs at many retirement homes under the name "Music Elyon." Ms. Schurr has studiously attended Northwestern University, New England Conservatory, and the Cincinnati Conservatory and is honored to have studied with Gail Williams, Dick Mackey, Randy Gardner, and Ted Thayer. Ms. Schurr is engaged to EMF violist Jamie Hofman.
TRUMPET
MARK NIEHAUS has been principal trumpet of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra since 1998 where he has often been a featured soloist with the orchestra. He has also performed as a soloist with the New World Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony, Eastern Philharmonic and the New Haven Symphony. Mr. Niehaus also spent three seasons as principal trumpet of the New World Symphony on Miami Beach with Artistic Director Michael Tilson Thomas. He may be heard on two RCA label recordings with the New World Symphony: “The Music of Villa Lobos” and “New World Jazz,” on which he is a featured soloist. Mr. Niehaus began his professional career as principal trumpet of the New Haven Symphony – a post he attained while still a freshman at The Juilliard School. He remained with New Haven for six years, simultaneously serving as principal trumpet of the Juilliard Orchestra. His teachers at Juilliard included Mark Gould and Raymond Mase. Immediately upon graduation, Mr. Niehaus joined the faculty of The Juilliard School’s Pre-College Division and was active in The Juilliard School’s Music Advancement Program teaching high school students from the New York City public school system. He has spent past summers at the Tanglewood Music Festival, National Repertory Orchestra, Pacific Music Festival, Spoleto USA, and the Colorado Music Festival. Mr. Niehaus is also a founding member of the New York Big Brass Ensemble and the National Brass Virtuosi.
MICHAEL SACHS joined The Cleveland Orchestra as Principal Trumpet in 1988. Since his appointment he has been frequently featured as soloist with The Cleveland Orchestra. Highlights include the world premiere performances of John Williams' Concerto for Trumpet and the United States and New York premieres of Hans Werner Henze's Requiem. In April 2005, Mr. Sachs performed a recital of music for trumpet and organ with Todd Wilson as part of Severance Hall's Organ Recital Series. The recital was recorded and recently released on CD by the Musical Arts Association (parent organization of The Cleveland Orchestra). In addition to his active performing schedule, Mr. Sachs serves as Chairman of the Brass Division and Head of the Trumpet Department at the Cleveland Institute of Music. He is the author of Daily Fundamentals for the Trumpet and the three volume set of Mahler: Symphonic Works, Complete Trumpet Parts, both published by the International Music Company. His newest project, 14 Duets for Trumpet and Trombone, co-authored with Principal Trombone of the New York Philharmonic Joseph Alessi, was released in November 2007 published by Carl Fischer Music. Prior to joining The Cleveland Orchestra, Michael Sachs was a member of The Houston Symphony Orchestra where he also served on the faculty of the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University. Originally from Los Angeles, Mr. Sachs holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from UCLA with additional studies at The Juilliard School. His former teachers include Mark Gould, Anthony Plog, and James Stamp.
ROBERT WHITE holds the position of second trumpet with the Charlotte Symphony. Prior to joining the Charlotte Symphony in 2004, Mr. White was on the faculty of Indiana State University and enjoyed an active career in Indianapolis as a studio musician and freelance trumpeter. While in Indianapolis, Mr. White also performed regularly with the Indianapolis Symphony, the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, the Columbus Symphony, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic, and the New World Symphony. He has also participated in the Spoleto USA Festival, Music Academy of the West, and the Aspen Music Festival. Mr. White recently completed a doctor of music degree in trumpet from Indiana University, where he also received his Master of Music degree, and appeared as soloist with the IU Chamber Orchestra. Robert completed a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Western Michigan University. His primary trumpet teachers are John Rommel, Stephen Burns, and Scott Thornburg.
JUDITH SAXTON enjoys an international career as a versatile and sought-after performer, chamber musician, and clinician. Currently, she is principal and soloist with Key West Symphony and Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival and performs regularly with North Carolina, Greensboro, and Winston-Salem symphonies and various chamber organizations on the eastern seaboard. Most recently, she was a guest artist at Lieksa Brass Week, Finland, and toured Brazil with Musica Harmonia. Previously, she was associate professor at Wichita State University and principal with the Wichita Symphony and Wichita Brass Quintet. For three seasons, she was principal and soloist with the Hong Kong Philharmonic. A veteran Chicago freelancer, she performed with the Chicago and Grant Park symphonies and the CSO brass quintet, along with seven Chicago area orchestras. Ms. Saxton has performed and toured with the newly formed Tromba Mundi trumpet ensemble, UNCSA Brass Quintet, Jazz Septet, the Chicago Chamber Musicians, Sierra Brass, Millar, and Monarch Brass ensembles. Her recordings are on Crystal, Koss, Proto, Novitas, MSR Classics, and Moravian Music Foundation labels. She is on the boards of the International Trumpet Guild, International Women's Brass Conference, and the National Trumpet Competition. Her degrees are from Mansfield and Northwestern Universities. Her teachers include Vincent Cichowicz, Arnold Jacobs, William Scarlett, Susan Slaughter, and Michael Galloway. She taught previously at Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts and Illinois Wesleyan and Northeastern Illinois universities. She is artist faculty and brass coordinator at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and returns for her twelfth season at Eastern Music Festival.
TROMBONE
GREGORY COX returns for his 32nd season as principal trombone with the Eastern Festival Orchestra. During the remainder of the year, he is a member of the Vancouver Symphony. In addition to his orchestral position, he serves on the faculties of Western Washington University, the University of British Columbia, and the Vancouver Academy of Music. Mr. Cox is active as an adjudicator, clinician, chamber musician, and recitalist, and he has performed extensively in British Columbia, Washington, and North Carolina. Mr. Cox has recorded extensively on Polydor, Mark, CRI, and CBC labels and is also active as a studio musician. A former member of the North Carolina Symphony and a former faculty member of the North Carolina School of the Arts, Mr. Cox has also performed with the Rochester Philharmonic, the Regina and Winnipeg symphonies, and the CBC Vancouver Chamber Orchestra. Mr. Cox received his Bachelor of Music degree from the Eastman School of Music. His major teachers include Kenneth Cloud, William Gray, and Emory B. Remington.
MICHAEL KRIS is the Instructor of Low Brass and Director of Brass Chamber Music at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He also serves on the faculty of Duke University and regularly performs with the North Carolina Symphony, North Carolina Jazz Repertory Orchestra, North Carolina Theater Orchestra, North Carolina Opera Orchestra and a variety of chamber music ensembles. Mr. Kris has been a member of the North Carolina Symphony, serving as Principal and Second Trombone. In addition, he has been a member of the Winston-Salem Symphony and the Greensboro Symphony and has performed with several orchestras throughout the eastern United States. Apart from his orchestral work, Mr. Kris is an active soloist and clinician performing and teaching throughout the southeast. As a jazz musician, he has toured with groups in the United States and Europe and has worked with artists such as Tony Bennett, Clark Terry and Natalie Cole. Mr. Kris attended McNeese State University and the Cincinnati College/Conservatory of Music where he studied with Mr. Tony Chipurn, retired principal trombone of the Cincinnati Symphony. Mr. Kris has earned a bachelor of music education as well as a master of music in trombone performance.
Bass trombonist TERRY MIZESKO received his B.M. in theory and composition from East Carolina University where he studied composition with Martin Mailman and Gregory Kosteck, and trombone with Eugene Narmour. He has played bass trombone with the North Carolina Symphony since 1971. He also taught trombone for many years at Duke University, UNC-Chapel Hill, and St. Augustine's College. In addition to his performing duties in the North Carolina Symphony, Dr. Mizesko has also conducted education and holiday pops concerts, and has arranged and composed for the orchestra since 1989. His original compositions and arrangements have been played by several orchestras including Atlanta, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Louisville, Fort Worth, Syracuse, Virginia, and his own North Carolina Symphony. Mr. Mizesko's orchestral work, Sketches from Pinehurst, was premiered in April 2005 by the North Carolina Symphony. A compact disc featuring this piece was released in September of 2005 by the orchestra. Four new works were premiered in 2006. Sundays at Shackleford Banks was performed by the Triangle Youth Philharmonic in April, Last Voyage of the Currituck was commissioned by the NC Symphony and performed at the Tall Ships Festival in Beaufort, NC. The Divertimento for Clarinet and Strings was performed by Michael Cyzewski and member of the NC Symphony in November, and A Little Dance Suite was commissioned and performed by the Canton Symphony Orchestra, also in November. Mr. Mizesko resides in Raleigh with his wife Sandra Schwarcz, a violist with the NC Symphony, and their two children, Josh and Elena.
TUBA
LEE HIPP, principal tuba at EMF since 2000, is principal tuba of the San Antonio Symphony and the San Antonio Brass since 1989, has also performed with the Dallas, Houston and Atlanta symphonies, the Miami City Ballet Orchestra, the Southwest Florida Symphony, and two seasons as Acting Principal Tuba with the Utah Symphony. Mr. Hipp has also taught tuba and euphonium at the University of Texas at San Antonio, the University of Utah and is currently instructor of Tuba and Euphonium at St. Mary’s University. Mr. Hipp is a native Texan and received his B.M. in Education from Texas Tech University, studying with David Payne. He earned his M.M. in Tuba Performance at Southern Methodist University, studying with Everette Gilmore and Sandy Keathley. Mr. Hipp has also studied with David Kirk of the Houston Symphony, Dennis Miller of the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, and Donald Little of the University of North Texas and the Dallas Opera. Mr. Hipp has performed as a soloist, in concert and recital, with groups such as the San Antonio Symphony, the Utah Symphony, the Dallas Wind Symphony, the Winters Chamber Orchestra, the San Antonio Brass, the King William Winds and the University of Utah Wind Symphony. Lee has recorded with the Utah and Atlanta symphonies and can be heard on the 1999 Telarc recording of the Brahms Requiem with the Utah Symphony and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir as well as the 2005 Grammy Award winning Atlanta Symphony and Chorus recording of the Berlioz Requiem. Mr. Hipp has also conducted educational clinics throughout the state of Texas and across the United States. Along with his many performing and teaching duties, Mr. Hipp was also a contributing editor for The Tuba Source Book published by Indiana University Press. Mr. Hipp is a Yamaha Artist performing on the Yamaha 822 F Tuba and the Culbertson “Neptune” CC.
TIMPANI
JOHN FEDDERSEN is the principal timpanist with the Eastern Philharmonic Orchestra and the North Carolina Symphony Orchestra. He is a former member of the American Symphony Orchestra, the American Wind Ensemble, and the U.S. Navy Band, with which he appeared as soloist. Mr. Feddersen appeared as a clinician and soloist with the Percussive Arts Society and has made solo and chamber music appearances in North Carolina, Virginia, and Indiana. He received his Performer's Certificate from Indiana University. His major teachers include Warren Benson, Paul Price, George Gaber, and Cloyd Duff.
PERCUSSION
ERIC SCHWEIKERT is the principal percussionist with the Eastern Philharmonic Orchestra and the principal timpanist with the Fort Wayne Philharmonic. He has performed with the Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland and Indianapolis Symphony Orchestras and appeared as soloist with the Fort Wayne Philharmonic and Detroit Symphony Orchestras. Former principal with the New World Symphony and the Victoria Symphony, Mr. Schweikert received his B.M. from the Cleveland Institute of Music and studied further at The Juilliard School of Music. His major teachers include Paul Yancich, Richard Weiner, Cloyd Duff, Roland Kohloff and James Ross.
JOHN SHAW is the principal percussionist with The Florida Orchestra, a position he has held since 1996. He had previously served as a section percussionist with The Florida Orchestra beginning in 1992. A native of Milton, Florida, Shaw earned a Bachelor of Music degree from Florida State University, where he studied with Gary Werdesheim, and a Master of Music degree from Temple University as a student of Alan Abel. He received additional training at the Aspen Music Festival and Grand Tetons Orchestral Seminar. In addition to his duties with The Florida Orchestra, Mr. Shaw is the head of the percussion studio at St. Petersburg College. He has been featured as a soloist with The Florida Orchestra many times, performing the Concerto for Percussion by Joseph Schwantner, Concerto for Two Pianos and Percussion by Bartok, and Veni, veni Emmanuel by James MacMillan. His seven-member steel drum band, the Tampa Bay Steel Orchestra, was featured with The Florida Orchestra in March 2005 in a program entitled “Music of the Islands” as part of the orchestra’s pops series. The steel drum band will appear with The Florida Orchestra again in October, and has received acclaim for its first recording. He lives in St. Petersburg with his wife, Florida Orchestra principal harpist Anna Kate Mackle, and their children. This is his second season with EMF.
HARP
ANNA KATE MACKLE has served as the principal harpist of The Florida Orchestra since 1999. She formerly served as principal harpist of the New World Symphony, the Spoleto Festivals (Italy and USA), Sarasota Opera, the National Repertory Orchestra, and the Colorado Music Festival, among others. Originally from New York City, she studied with Alice Chalifoux at Baldwin-Wallace College and the Cleveland Institute of Music, where she earned Bachelor and Master of Music degrees, respectively. She is on the faculty at St. Petersburg College and Pinellas County Center for the Arts and is a former faculty member at the Interlochen Arts Camp. Ms. Mackle was named one of the top ten female musicians in the Tampa Bay area by Creative Loafing magazine, and will perform Ginastera’s Harp Concerto during The Florida Orchestra’s 2009-2010 season. In her free time, Ms. Mackle enjoys long distance running and has completed two marathons, as well as numerous 5K, 10K and half marathons. Ms. Mackle lives in St. Petersburg, Florida, with her husband, EMF faculty member and Florida Orchestra principal percussionist John Shaw, and their three children. A former EMF student, Ms. Mackle returns for her tenth season as faculty member and principal harpist of the Festival.
JOSÉ-LUIS NOVO is currently Music Director and Conductor of the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra (MD) and the Binghamton Philharmonic (NY). Prior to these appointments, Mr. Novo held the positions of assistant conductor of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, music director of the Cincinnati Symphony Youth Orchestra, the Oxford Chamber Orchestra (OH), and the Miami University Symphony Orchestra, associate conductor of the National Repertory Orchestra, and assistant conductor of the National Youth Orchestra of Spain and the Yale Symphony Orchestra. Recent and upcoming engagements include the Baltimore, Syracuse, Modesto, Tulsa, Ridgefield, Tallahassee and Stamford Symphonies, The National Repertory Orchestra, the Cleveland Institute of Music Orchestra and the Abilene Philharmonic. Previous guest conducting engagements have included appearances with the Minnesota Orchestra, the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, the Windsor Symphony, the Cleveland Philharmonic, the Echternach Festival Orchestra at the Kennedy Center and on tour in Luxembourg and Germany, and numerous Spanish orchestras, including performances at the National Auditorium and at the Royal Opera House in Madrid, and the Palau de la Música in Barcelona. Mr. Novo holds music degrees from the Cleveland Institute of Music, Yale University and the Royal Conservatory of Music in Brussels.
