2012 Yearbook - Sphinx Organization

15th Annual
SPHINX COMPETITION
for young Black and Latino string players
Presented by
Sphinx Symphony Orchestra
YEARBOOK 2012
Additional Support Provided by
Pickard Family Fund
GET IN TUNE!
BUILDING
DIVERSITY IN
CLASSICAL
MUSIC
SINCE
1997
SPHINX15
Sphinx Symphony Orchestra
2012
Maestro Michael Morgan
The Bauder Conductor’s Chair
Sphinx Symphony Orchestra is supported in part by an
award from the National Endowment for the Arts.
Musical Chairs Listings as of February 3, 2012
Leslie DeShazor Adams Viola
New Detroit, Inc. Chair
Happy Birthday to my wonderful Davin
and Happy Birthyear to my beautiful
Elora!
Beverly Baker Viola, Principal
Melanye K. Johnson Chair
In 1963 when I started taking violin lessons, I did not see anybody
that looked like me. Was this something a little black girl from
Virginia was supposed to do? It warms my heart to see what has
transpired in the music world since then. I would encourage all
Sphinx musicians to follow your dreams and stay the course.
Realize that the impact you have in the classical music world will
be felt for years to come. Even though I did not see them, there
were musicians who paved the way for me to accomplish the
things I have in my career. You have the same responsibility now
for those little upcoming musicians in the future!
Maurice Belle Bass
Akilah Bryant Flute
In Honor of Penny Fischer Chair
“Music is nothing separate from me. It
is me. You’d have to remove the music
surgically.”
- Ray Charles
Landres Bryant Tuba
David Burnett Violin II
In Honor of Joia Merriweather in memory of
Joe Merriweather, Jr. Chair
“After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the
inexpressible is music.”
- Aldous Huxley
Thank you Sphinx, for allowing us to express the inexpressible!
Douglas Cardwell Timpani, Principal
The SSO, an orchestra unlike any other in the world; I am proud to
“belong”. It is a pleasure to create music with these fine musicians.
It’s also a privilege to bring new depth to the symphonic world,
unity enhanced by diversity. Like the energy of the universe always
expanding, it is beneficial when orchestral music does the same in
rich assortment. I’m grateful to be included in such an organization.
Dennis Carter Flute, Principal
Deidre Bounds Chair
Leah Lucas Celebi Viola
Let’s Hear It For My Boys
Lydia Cleaver Harp
“To music noble art, we bow in adoration...for thy excelling gifts.”
All of the talent, skill and knowledge that I may possess as a
musician and educator, are dedicated to the beautiful students of
Detroit’s Cass Technical High School Music Department. They
are truly deserving of the enlightenment that comes through
exposure to the art of music.
Jonathan Colbert Bass
Damon Coleman Cello
Duane, Juliana & Drake Brown Chair
“You know what’s the loudest noise in the world,
man? The loudest noise in the world is silence.”
~Thelonious Monk
Valeria Cortes Violin II
“The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting
our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our
aim too low, and achieving our mark.’’
- Michelangelo
Maureen Conlon Dorosh Violin II
Patricia M. Garcia & Dennis A. Dahlmann Chair
“It’s easy to play any musical instrument: all you have to do is touch
the right key at the right time and the instrument will play itself.”
- J.S. Bach
“I’ve never known a musician who regretted being one. Whatever
deceptions life may have in store for you, music itself is not going to
let you down.” - Virgil Thompson (American composer)
“Nothing is as important as passion. No matter what you want to do
with your life, be passionate.” - Jon Bon Jovi
“Walk with purpose” - Andre Dowell (Sphinx Artistic Administrator
Shawn Edmonds Trumpet
Isabel Escalante Violin II
Gary M. Giardina & Dr. Eric Ayers Chair
“A man is not old until regrets take the place of dreams”
Nothing is closer to the truth than this. SO, don’t spend your life
thinking of what you could or should have done; enjoy living each
moment to the fullest since today, is tomorrow’s yesterday
Jim Ferraiuolo Oboe
Kudos to Aaron Dworkin, Afa Sadykhly Dworkin and the staff of
The Sphinx Organization for your tireless efforts in changing the
complexion of classical music, not only here in The United States
but also abroad. It has been a joy to take part in this venture the
last few seasons. I have had the pleasure of playing alongside so
many fine players and conductors such as Paul Freeman, Chelsea
Tipton, Kay George Roberts,Tito Munoz, Damon Gupton,Anthony
Elliott and Michael Morgan. I have developed some wonderful and long lasting
friendships during my time with Sphinx. I look forward to seeing old colleagues and
sharing the stage and meals with them this year. I wish you continued success in
promoting cultural diversity in classical music.
Langston Fitzgerald Trumpet, Principal
Tamara Gonzalez Violin II
This is my second year playing with the Sphinx Festival Orchestra
and I look forward to many more years with the ensemble. Last
year I experienced camaraderie and inspiration from all of those
involved in this wonderful organization. I really appreciate the
opportunity for both music-making and fellowship.
Sheena Gutierrez Violin II
Keith & Renata Ward Family Fund Chair
“Passion, confidence, and vulnerability are evidence of musical
talent. If music were not in our blood, we wouldn’t have such strong
feelings...Each person’s talent is unique, and some are more gifted
than others, but an intense desire to play well indicates that music
is already inside the person, pressing toward the surface and
needing to come out. Know this, and take heart from it as you make
your particular journey with music.”
-Madeline Bruser in The Art of Practicing
Bryan Hernandez-Luch Violin, Concertmaster
Maxine & Stuart Frankel Foundation for Art Chair
My thanks to Aaron and Afa for helping my experience with
Sphinx be so positive and encouraging throughout the years. Not
only have I met many friends and new colleagues since my first
year in the competition, I feel that my musical voice has been
heard and continues to be heard as a direct result of my own
involvement in the organization. Thank you to all who continue
to be of support, not only to me, but to each other. Cheers to the
beginnings of SPA and the many other programs that I’ve had
the chance to be a part of. Here’s to CJenk, J-rod, Gareth, Carl,
Shelby, Karlos, Karla, SPA faculties and the Virtuosi.
Mariana Green-Hill Violin I
In Honor of Sam Ash Chair
I am so humbled to know where I came from…I am not yet where
I wish to be But I thank God that I am not where I once was. I am
happy to say that now I am a woman striving to seek God’s face
in all that I do. After years of trying to figure out who I am, I have
come to understand that who I am is not married to what I do. I
have come to understand that I cannot please everyone all the
time and that I can do nothing without God, for he alone gives me
comfort, joy and peace beyond understanding. I also know that
giving of one’s self requires time to surrender and rest in one that
is greater than you for renewal and strength. I am so glad to know
that God holds my world in his hands.
Tami Lee Hughes Violin I
In Honor of Reggie Van Lee Chair
David Jackson Trombone, Principal
Geoffrey Johnson Oboe, Principal
Gilbert S. Omenn & Martha Darling Chair
Charles Larkins Trumpet
Carl & Charlene Herstein Chair
A note to let each of you know that you have helped to
make the Sphinx experience one of the most important and
meaningful in my fifty-year music career. Thanks for the
wonderful music and camaraderie.
“Work like you don’t need the money, love like you’ve never
been hurt, and dance like no one is watching.”
~ Satchel Paige
Gwen Laster Violin I
In honor of Kathleen McCree Lewis Chair
“Let yourself be silently drawn by the stronger pull of
what you truly love.”
- Rumi
Otis Lockhart Trombone
Marta Manildi & Paul Courant Chair
Bass/ Tenor Trombonist for the SSO for eight or more seasons
so far. My quote of encouragement is; Always strive for the
highest in all that you do. The time spent working with the
Sphinx Organization, has been some of the most rewarding and
unique experiences that I have ever had. Meeting and working
with some of the best Black and Latino orchestral musicians in
the country, has been a great joy in my life. I look forward to
doing whatever I can to make it better in the future.
Lori Lovato Clarinet, Principal
In Honor of Ricardo Morales Chair
John Madison Viola
Glenda D. Price Chair
Burt Mason Trombone
Dear Sphinx family, continue to make music breathe
and full of life. I wish you all the continued success
for the future.
Robin Massie Viola
I am honored to join the Sphinx Symphony Orchestra,
celebrating diversity in musical performance. Congratulations
to this year’s finalists! In the words of Kayne West: “I get my
hymns from Him, so it’s not me, it’s He that’s lyrical ... My
rhythmatic regimen navigates melodic notes for your soul and
your mental / That’s why I’m instrumental...”
Derek Menchan Cello
Robin H. Sowell, In Memory of Myzell Sowell Chair
Nermis Mieses English Horn
Jessie Montgomery Violin I
Malesa & Charles Plater Chair
Lisa Muci Violin II
Janice C. Snow Chair
“You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.
Sadly, too often creativity is smothered rather than nurtured. There
has to be a climate in which new ways of thinking, perceiving,
questioning are encouraged.” - Maya Angelou
Congratulations and thank you, SPHINX, for cultivating an
environment of creativity for the last 15 years!
Jannina Norpoth Violin I
Pickard Family Fund Chair
Terrance Patterson Clarinet
Dr. Herman B. Gray Chair
Congratulation to the Sphinx Origination for 15 years of
identifying and training of African-American and Latino Musicians!
I wish you the very best as you continue to celebrate and
advocate of behalf of all minority musicians worldwide!
Karla Donehew Perez Violin II, Principal
Aaron Dworkin & Afa Sadykhly Dworkin Chair
Bernard Phillips Piccolo
Dennis & Ellie Serras Chair
Bravo Sphinx! You have changed and continue to change the
face of classical music as I have known and experienced it.
This powerful vision, so movingly declared by the founder and
eloquently executed by the staff, provides a path through which
African American and Latino musicians and audiences exceed
the rigid boundaries of hegemony exhibited in classical music.
Sphinx’s goals increase the numbers of acclaimed musicians performing as soloists,
orchestra players, administrators and audiences in attendance thereby confidently
negating the old adage “the only one.” Today, this lonely moniker can no longer
describe the careers of a group of super talented musicians who collectively represent
only about 5% of all musicians in symphony orchestras of the U.S. As we think back
about the past fifteen years, let the revolution that has begun continue to expand the
awareness, advocacy and excellence of artistry through the maintenance of artistic
criteria held to the absolute highest.
Olman Piedra Percussion, Principal
In Honor of Tom Stegeman Chair
Manuel Ramos Violin I
Mark C. Wallace Chair
“If music be the food of love,
play on.”
Mary Ann Ramos Cello
Lynn & Bharat Gandhi Chair
Rick Robinson Bass, Principal
The Braylon Edwards Foundation Chair
Look for Mr. CutTime (cuttime.com) to pop up across the country
in 2012, sharing Classical Soul with everyone who thought they
couldn’t enjoy classical. Mighty Love, Highland Park, MI: City of
Trees and Pork ‘n Beans are a continuation of the revolution that
started with Sphinx. I thank my earthy father for showing me the
courage to accept things I cannot change and wisdom to recognize
what I can change! Absolutely everyone deserves to enjoy
such beautiful music... and we will show you WHY! Look for the
Classical Revolution (.org) nearest you!
Karlos Rodriguez Cello, Principal
MGM Grand Detroit Chair
James Rose French Horn
Jenice C. Mitchell Ford &
Charlene Jones Mitchell Chair
Chauntee Ross Violin II
Pickard Family Fund Chair
Marshall Sealy French Horn
Ruby & Peter Floyd Daniels,
Sr. of Pine Bluff, Arkansas
Chair
This year marks my thirteenth year
as a member of the Horn Section of
the Sphinx Symphony Orchestra. I must say that the
orchestra, administration and contestants have over the
years, continued to excel in overall quality and scope.
I can honestly say that I am proud to be associated with
the Sphinx Organization.
Jared Snyder Cello
Mylene Alexis-Garel Chair
Travel. Do it. Get on a plane because flights can be cheap. If you
can’t find a cheap flight, get in your car. Is your car a piece of
trash and flights aren’t your thing? Ok, then get on a train. Well, if
you don’t have a bunch of money since the train costs more than a
plane ticket, then get on the bus...if you really have to. Just get out and go somewhere
you haven’t gone to yet. It’s awesome. Believe me. I won’t lie to you. It’s awesome.
Just totally awesome. If you don’t have the money for it, quit smoking. If you don’t
smoke, then congratulations, and stop drinking for two weeks. If that’s not an option,
then give up your latte or sushi for the month. Can’t do it? Then put ten dollars a day
under the mattress for three weeks. It’ll totally be worth it when you explore a new
place. Do it. Got it? Hope so. If you don’t then let me tell you again. Travel. You will
love it and your life won’t be the same after it. Trust me because I said it before and I’ll
say it again that I won’t lie to you. Travel. Do it.
Maya Stone Bassoon
Rosalyn Story Violin I
Adrienne Taylor Cello
Norman & Debbie Herbert, in honor of our
granddaughter, Sarah Lind Goetzke, Chair
Xavier Verna Percussion
Alexander-Redding Chair
Good luck to, “Identity Cubed”, my newly formed
percussion trio as they embark on a journey to Luxembourg
to compete in an international percussion trio competition.
Dam-du-gu-Dam-du-gu-Dam!!!!
Lecolion Washington Bassoon, Principal
Roger Whitworth French Horn
“It doesn’t matter how many say it cannot be done or how
many people have tried it before; it’s important to realize
that whatever you’re doing, it’s your first attempt at it.”
Alycia Wilder Viola
Pickard Family Fund Chair
Larry Williams French Horn, Principal
I have been a proud member of the Sphinx Symphony Orchestra
since 2004. I have enjoyed performing with the brilliant
musicians in the orchestra and have been absolutely amazed at
the outstanding performances by the competitors each year.
To all Sphinx competitors past, present and future: I sincerely
wish you all the best in your studies, careers and lives. You truly
are the future!
To my great friends in the SSO: I have enjoyed every minute that we have spent
together and look forward to many more years of friendship and music making
with you!
To the Sphinx Staff: thank you guys so much for your friendship, and support!
You are absolutely fantastic!
To Aaron and Afa: Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to be a part
of this special organization. Thank you for your vision and leadership. I am
honored to call you friends and proud to be a member of the Sphinx family!
Edith Yokley Violin I
Cynthia M. Sargent Chair
Sphinx has made an indelible impression on my life, not only
as a musician, and one of color, but as a human being. Year
after year I am always inspired and motivated by the superlative
level of music making and artistry by each symphony member
and laureate. However what has always amazed me is the
intelligence, humanity, and constant strive for ever higher levels
of musicianship exhibited by all who participate. I have played with many ensembles
composed of extremely talented musicians in my life and not one has encompassed
as much achievement by its members off the stage, as well as on, in community
building efforts and betterment of life projects as the Sphinx. Happy 15th!
Brian Young Percussion
BIOS
Michael Morgan was born in Washington, DC, where he attended public
schools and began conducting at the age of 12. While a student at Oberlin College
Conservatory of Music, he spent a summer at the Berkshire Music Center at
Tanglewood, studying with Gunther Schuller and Seiji Ozawa. It was during this
summer that he first worked with Leonard Bernstein.
His operatic debut was in 1982 at the Vienna State Opera conducting Mozart’s The
Abduction from the Seraglio. In 1986, Sir Georg Solti chose him to become the
Assistant Conductor of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, a position he held for five
years under both Solti and Daniel Barenboim. In 1986 he was invited by Leonard
Bernstein to make his debut with the New York Philharmonic. As a guest conductor
he has appeared with most of America’s major orchestras as well as the New York
City Opera, St. Louis Opera Theater and Washington National Opera.
In addition to his duties with Oakland East Bay Symphony, Maestro Morgan serves
as Artistic Director of Oakland Youth Orchestra, Music Director of Sacramento
Philharmonic, Artistic Director of Festival Opera in Walnut Creek, Artistic Advisor to
the Peoria Symphony in Illinois and teaches the graduate conducting course at the
San Francisco Conservatory of Music. As Stage Director he has led productions of
the Bernstein Mass at the Oakland East Bay Symphony and stagings of Mozart’s Don
Giovanni and Benjamin Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Gounod’s Faust
at Festival Opera. As a chamber musician (piano) he has appeared on the Chamber
Music Alive series in Sacramento as well as the occasional appearance in the Bay
Area.
He was honored by the San Francisco Chapter of The Recording Academy with
the 2005 Governor’s Award for Community Service. On the opposite coast, the
American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) chose Morgan
as one of its five 2005 Concert Music Award recipients. ASCAP further honored
Oakland East Bay Symphony in 2006 with its Award for Adventurous Programming.
The San Francisco Foundation has honored him with one of its Community
Leadership Awards and he received an Honorary Doctorate from Holy Names
University.
He makes many appearances in the nation’s schools each year, particularly in the
East Bay, and is highly regarded as a champion of arts education and minority access
to the arts. He serves on the Board of the Purple Silk Music Education Foundation as
well as the International House at the University of California at Berkeley. He makes
his home in Oakland with his mother and sister.
Violist Leslie DeShazor is in demand as a soloist, teacher and recording artist.
Though classically trained, Mrs. DeShazor is a talented and diverse musician. As
a soloist, she has performed with the Toledo Symphony. She regularly performs
with the Ann Arbor, Saginaw, Flint and Sphinx Symphony Orchestras as well as jazz
ensembles, Leigh Daniels Ensemble and the Detroit-based, Musique Noire. She has
been featured on recordings by international, Grammy award winning R&B stars,
Smokey Robinson and Aretha Franklin and Grammy award winning gospel artists
Fred Hammond and Donnie McClurkin. An experienced instructor, she currently
teaches students of Detroit with instructional music programs offered through the
Arts League of Michigan and the Sphinx Organization. In addition to her instrumental performance, Mrs. DeShazor has performed with the West African dance
troupe Batu Askan Wi, Bichini Bia Congo, a group for which she has participated as a
musician and served as choreographer. A native of Michigan, Mrs. DeShazor holds a
bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan.
Beverly Kane Baker, viola, began violin lessons at the age of six with Margaret
Davis. While under Ms. Davis’s instruction, she traveled to Baltimore to participate
in the Suzuki Violin workshop and met the acclaimed Japanese teacher. After two
years of study, she advanced to Elizabeth Chapman’s studio. As a member of the
Chapman Youth Ensemble, Ms. Baker performed at the Smithsonian Institute in
Washington, D.C. and at the capital building in Richmond, Virginia. She traveled for
two summers to England to participate in the Purbeck Music Festival with the noted
Hungarian teacher Kato Havas. During this festival, Ms. Baker performed the Telemann Viola Concerto at the Royal College of Music in London. The following summer,
she was voted “Most Outstanding Musicician” and won the concerto competition at
the Eastern Music Festival in Greensboro, North Carolina. During her senior year in
highschool, she attended the Juilliard School of Music’s pre-college division studying viola with Christine Dethier. In 1979, she received a Bachelor of Music degree in
performance from the University of Missouri-Columbia, having studied with Carolyn
Kenneson. Ms. Baker performed in master classes with the Beaux Arts Trio, the Tokyo
String Quartet and Lillian Fuchs. She also received numerous coachings with Wayne
Crouse, former principal violist with the Houston Symphony.
In 1983, Ms. Baker joined the Virginia Symphony as a section player. In 1987, she was
appointed assistant principal viola. She won the principal position in 1994 and currently holds that position with the symphony as well as Virginia Opera. The Virginia
Symphony made its Carnegie Hall debut in 1997, and Ms. Baker performed with her
colleagues on NBC’s Today Show. She has performed with the Gateways Music Festival, a festival featuring African-American artists. She performs regularly with Norfolk
Chamber Consort and Virginia Chamber Players. Ms. Baker is a featured artist in
solo and chamber music performances with the Virginia Arts Festival. Many of these
performances have been broadcast on NPR’s Performance Today. She has also performed chamber music with the Miami String Quartet and members of the Chamber
Music Society of Lincoln Center. She performed Brandenburg no.6 with Jamie Laredo
and the Mozart Duo with renowned violinist Nadja-Salerno-Sonnenburg. Ms. Baker
has been featured in many solo performances with the Virginia Symphony Orchestra.
Ms. Baker is featured on Bruce Hornsby’s album “Harbor Lights” and her musical
studies have been documented in the book “Black Women in American Orchestras”
by D. Antoinette Handy.
Beverly and her husband Norman have raised three grown children Stephanie, Kelly
and Jason and are enjoying being grandparents to Jordan. In her spare time, she
enjoys working out and playing with her worship band.
Double Bassist Maurice Belle is an accomplished, versatile musician who has
honed his craft for 15 years and has performed at major venues throughout the
United States and abroad. A frequent contributor to several New York- based
orchestras, he regularly performs at Carnegie Hall, all 5 boroughs and the tri-state
area.
In October 2010, he toured across the Midwest as the principal bassist of the Sphinx
Chamber Orchestra. During the summer of 2010, he attended both Spoleto USA in
Charleston, South Carolina and the National Repertory Orchestra as co-principal
bassist in Breckenridge, Colorado.
Maurice traveled to the Pacific Music Festival in Japan in the summer of 2009,
where he performed in Sapporo, Osaka and Tokyo. While in Japan, he worked with
the major conductors Christoph Eshenbach, Michael Tilson Thomas, played with
members of the Vienna Philharmonic and renowned pianist Andre Watts.
As the principal bassist for many groups, he performs with the One World Symphony in Brooklyn, Harlem Symphony Orchestra, New Amsterdam Symphony, Bronx
Opera, and the Orchestra of the Bronx. He has also participated in various music
festivals, including the National Orchestral Institute for two summers at University
of Maryland and the Brevard Music Center in North Carolina.
A native of Atlanta, Georgia, Maurice earned his undergraduate degree in double
bass performance from The Manhattan School of Music and a graduate diploma
from The Juilliard School where he studied under Tim Cobb, principal bassist of
the Metropolitan Opera. He also studied with the late Homer Mensch of the NBC
Orchestra and Ralph Jones, principal bassist of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.
Akilah Bryant is currently pursuing a MM in Music Performance at the University
of Michigan, where she studies with Amy Porter. Akilah graduated magna cum
laude, with a BM in Music Performance, from the University of Alabama in 2010. At
the University of Alabama, she studied with Diane Boyd Schultz, and frequently performed as a soloist throughout the state of Alabama. Miss Bryant is a 2006 graduate
of the Alabama School of Fine Arts, where she studied with Kimberly Felder Scott.
Upon graduating from the U of M in 2012, Akilah hopes to continue her education
by completing a DMA in Flute Performance and Pedagogy.
Miss Bryant is currently a member of the National Federation of Music Clubs, and
received the 1st Place Award of the Clubs’ National Scholarship Competition in
2011. She serves as a volunteer mentor for the Ypsilanti Youth Orchestra. Akilah currently holds the Nelson Hauenstein Memorial Fellowship at the University of Michigan. In 2011, she won the Tuesday Musicale Scholarship, which supports musicians
at the University of Michigan. Akilah is a three-time recipient of the 1st Place Award
for the Alabama Federation of Music Clubs’ Scholarship Competition (2009-2011),
and recipient of the 2nd Place Award in 2008. In 2009, she won the 1st Place Award
for the Birmingham Music Club Guild’s Annual Scholarship Competition and the 2nd
Place Award in 2007. Akilah is a 2009 initiate of the Lambda Zeta Chapter of the
public service sorority: Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated. She is currently a
member of the Ann Arbor Alumnae Chapter of the sorority.
Tubaist Landres Bryant hails from West Palm Beach Florida. A graduate of the
University of Michigan he has played under conductors Michael Tilson Thomas,
Herbert Blomstedt, Christoph Eschenbach, Robert Spano Leonard Slatkin, and Peter
Oundjian. A diverse musician, Landres has also performed and worked with jazz
trombonist Jiggs Whigham, drummer Steve Houghton, the Army Blues Jazz Ensemble, current and former members of The Count Basie Orchestra, Tower of Power
and the Buddy Rich and Maynard Ferguson big bands. He has been a fellow at the
Tanglewood Music Festival, Das Schleswig Holstein Musik Festival and the Music
Academy of the West.
David Burnett, is a Harlem born violinist of Antiguan and Kittitian parents.
He began violin lessons with Galina Heifetz (Jasha Heifetz cousin) at The Third
Street Music School Settlement, while a student at LaGuardia’s High School
of Music and Art. David continued his studies at Oberlin Conservatory with
Marilyn McDonald, then Boston Conservatory with Lynn Chang. Upon returning
to New York, David continued his studies with Daniel Phillips. Mr. Burnett has
enjoyed teaching at The Harlem School of the Arts (22 years), Langston Hughes
Middle School (12 years), Garvey School (6 years), Assar Auset Charter School
(5 years) and Juilliard’s MAP Program (2 years). In addition to teaching, Mr.
Burnett performs with several groups, including but not limited to, The Harlem
Symphony, Harlem Chamber Players, New York Housing Authority Orchestra,
Soulful Symphony (which had a 5 year residency with the Baltimore Symphony),
New York Youth Symphony and The West Village String Quartet (an AfricanAmerican quartet, which he founded in 1987).
Douglas Cardwell currently holds the Principal Timpani Chair with the New
Mexico Philharmonic. He joined the Philharmonic after being affiliated with the
Detroit Symphony Orchestra. He was also been appointed Principal Timpanist of the
National Sphinx Orchestra.
Mr. Cardwell was a Fellowship recipient with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, and
performed with DSO including recording and touring Eastern and Western Europe.
Cardwell received a Bachelor of Music Education degree from James Madison
University. He performed with the Houston Symphony Orchestra on an Orchestral
Internship earning him a full tuition scholarship to Rice University where he received
a Master of Music Performance degree from the Shepherd School of Music. Other
credits include the Houston Grand Opera, the Spoleto Festival Orchestra in Italy and
an international tour with the American-Russian Orchestra.
While living in the Detroit area he was a member of “Embaire” which performs West
African and Western percussion ensemble music. Their work focused on the drumming of Ghana and Uganda, as well as, compositions for the Ugandan xylophone,
from which the ensemble takes its name.
Founder of the jazz quartet, After Five, Cardwell performs Jazz, R&B, & Funk with
several groups at local venues when not teaching privately at his percussion studio
in Albuquerque.
Visit http://www.DCPercussion.com/ to view new timpani mallets - The DC Series.
Dennis Carter has a Bachelor of Music in Flute Performance from Wayne State
University. His teachers were Ervin Monroe and Clement Barone. He continued his
studies by winning an Orchestral Apprenticeship with Operalaboratorio in Palermo,
Sicily and by invitation to attend Julius Baker’s Masterclass as a Performer.
He is well known as a soloist in the area having performed with the Wayne State
University, Warren Symphony, Emerald Sinfonietta, National Association of Negro
Musician Association-Collegiate Young Artist Concert, African American Composers
Concert at Wayne State and with the Brazael Dennard Community Chorus.
He has toured the US with the NY Gilbert and Sullivan Players, The New Sigmund
Romberg Orchestra and Carl Rosa Opera Company.
Currently Principal Flutist with the Dearborn Symphony, he also holds that position with the Fisher/Masonic Theater Orchestra of Detroit, Warren Symphony and
Orchestra Canton. A busy Free-lancer, he has performed with the all of the area
orchestras including Detroit Symphony, Ann Arbor Symphony and most recently the
Michigan Opera Theater Orchestra.
In addition to performing, Dennis taught flute for Henry Ford Community College,
is an Assistant Teacher with the Southfield Public Schools Elementary Band and
Orchestra and is a Performance Coach/ Theory Instructor for the Sphinx Preparatory
Institute.
Leah Lucas Celebi, a native of Peoria, Illinois, studied viola and piano at the Chicago College of the Performing Arts and received a Bachelors in Viola Performance
in 2003. In 2006, she received a Masters in Viola Performance from the University
of California Santa Barbara studying with internationally-renowned soloist Helen
Callus. While in Santa Barbara she performed with the Santa Barbara Symphony,
Santa Barbara Chamber Orchestra and the Irish band Danssair.
Now a sought-after performer and teacher, Leah performs with many local groups
in the Detroit area and is an instructor for the Detroit Symphony Orchestra’s Power
of Dreams String Project. As a certified Suzuki teacher, she joined the faculty at
Suzuki Royal Oak Institute of Music in 2008 where she teaches both viola and violin.
Although a classically trained musician, Leah can be heard performing live and in
the studio in a variety of genres as a member of the critically acclaimed World Jazz
ensemble Musique Noire. She has also performed behind nationally renowned
performers such as Aretha Franklin, Three Mo’ Tenors, Marcus Belgrave and many
more.
Leah resides in Harper Woods, Michigan with her jazz drummer, pianist and composer husband John Celebi and their two sons, Evren and Milo.
Lydia Cleaver, a graduate of Cass Technical High School in Detroit, received
her Bachelor of Music in Music Education, and graduate degrees in Harp Performance from the University of Michigan. She has been a featured performer for the
American Harp Society on several occasions. Lydia maintains an active performance
schedule in addition to continuing to train the next generation of harpists as director of the Cass Technical High School Harp department.
Born in 1985 in Atlanta Georgia, Jonathan Colbert is a product of the Atlanta
Public School System and started playing the double bass in his mother’s middle
school orchestra. At the age of 15, Jonathan’s family encouraged him to study with
the Principal Bass of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Mr. Ralph Jones. Through this
relationship of guidance, counseling, and professional advisement, his true musical
journey began.
Jonathan was a member of the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra and attended the
Interlochen Arts Camp as a recipient of the Emerson Scholarship. After graduating
from high school, Jonathan moved to New York to study at the Manhattan School of
Music and The Juilliard School.
As a college student, Mr. Colbert was invited to play with the Atlanta Symphony
Orchestra as a substitute; in 2009 Jonathan was invited to play one year with the
Kansas City Symphony. He has won positions in the Hartford Symphony, and the
Verbier Festival Orchestra in Verbier, Switzerland. Colbert has toured Europe, Asia,
South America, Australia and the USA.
His primary teachers have included Ralph Jones, Principal Bass of the Atlanta Sym-
phony), Timothy Cobb, Principal Bass of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Leigh
Mesh, Associate Principal Bass of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Albert
Laszlo.
Mr. Colbert is very active in his hometown and plans to continue to help kids from
his parents school achieve their goals in music and continue their education.
Cellist Damon Coleman began his cello studies through the Suzuki method in
his hometown of Detroit, Michigan. During high school, Damon studied cello with
members of the Detroit Symphony and University of Michigan faculty. He did his undergraduate work at the Eastman School of Music, and was a student of Paul Katz,
cellist of the Cleveland Quartet. Damon was a member of the New World Symphony
in Miami Beach for four years, serving as a principal cellist his last two seasons. He
has appeared in masterclasses with cellists including Janos Starker, Lynn Harrell,
and Mstislav Rostropovich. He has also studied independently with Steven Geber,
Ron Leonard, Anthony Elliott, and Steven Doane. Damon has been the principal
cellist of the Kalamazoo Symphony, the Flint Symphony, and the Michigan Chamber
Orchestra. He has served as a faculty member of the Miami School for the Arts,
the Ann Arbor School for the Arts, the New England Music Camp, The PRIZM Music
Festival, and the University of Toledo. In 2006 and 2009, he was the recipient of
the King-Chávez-Parks Visiting Professorship from the University of Michigan. In
February of 2011, he taught and performed as a visiting artist at the Sphinx Preparatory Music Institute in Detroit. Damon has performed concerts of the solo Bach
suites on international tours, and has been heard throughout the concert halls of
North America, South America, and Europe. He has been featured on PBS specials
and National Public Radio, as well as the television show ‘Sunday Morning’. Damon
currently maintains a private teaching studio in the Sylvania area. He is a member
of Toledo Symphony and performs chamber music as the cellist of the Bezonian Trio.
He is also a regular participant in the Sphinx Music Festival, where he has served as
a principal cellist for the past three years. Damon’s upcoming appearances include
chamber series performances of the Shostakovich Trio, the Kodály Duo, and a solo
recital series in the spring of 2012. He will also be performing Penderecki’s Triple
Concerto with the Toledo Symphony in the 2012-2013 season. In his spare time,
Damon enjoys literature, meditation, chess, and philosophy.
Valeria Cortés is a violinist originated in Villalba, Puerto Rico. She began her
studies at the age of ten at the Juan Morel Campos School of Music in Ponce, Puerto
Rico. She then went on to obtain her bachelor’s degree from the Conservatory of
Music of Puerto Rico, where she graduated with honors. She has attended various
music festivals and workshops around the United States, including the Festival of
the Youth Symphony Orchestra of the Americas and the New York Summer Music
Festival.
She has also had the oportunity to play with different orchestras around the Caribbean and the United States, including the Santo Domingo National Orchestra and
the Illinois Symphony Orchestra. She currently resides in Chicago, Illinois, where she
studies under the tutelage of renowned violinist Rachel Barton Pine.
A native of Mexico, Maureen Conlon has performed to much acclaim on many
stages throughout Latin America, Europe, and the U.S. Her appearances as soloist
with the Orchestra of the State of Mexico (OSEM) playing Dvorak’s Violin Concerto
in 2005 and Mozart’s Fourth Violin Concerto in 2009 were televised nationally and
internationally and aired on national radio.
Being a prize winner at various competitions has led to solo appearances and
recitals as well as scholarships to further her musical studies. She has collaborated
with bands and various recording artists on their CD releases. In addition to being a
concert violinist, Miss Conlon is a member of tango band, Aquitango, and plays with
cross-genre ensemble Forest of the Americas.
Miss Conlon began her musical studies at age six in the Centro Cultural El Nigromante in San Miguel de Allende, Gto. She earned her Bachelors in Music at the
Shepherd School of Music at Rice University in Houston, Texas and she earned her
Masters Degree in Violin Performance as a graduate assistant to Jim Lyon at Penn
State University where she was concertmaster of the Penn State Orchestras and
Baroque Ensemble, in addition to playing first violin of the graduate string quartet
and member of the Pennsylvania Centre Orchestra.
Teaching young students has played an important part in her career. She began
teaching private violin lessons at the age of 13 and currently has a private studio at
Musik Innovations in Pittsburgh, PA
Miss Conlon continues to actively perform as soloist and with the Trio Nova Mundi
and is a member of the Erie Philharmonic. She recently completed a Performance
Residency Program at Carnegie-Mellon University studying under Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra concertmaster, Andres Cárdenes.
www.maureenconlon.com
Shawn Edmonds made his solo debut with the Chicago Symphony at age 17 after
winning their Young Artist Solo Competition. After Graduating the Eastman School
of Music with a degree in classical trumpet he did a stint with the American Wind
Symphony and on cruise ships before moving to New York City. 6 months later he
landed a job with the Count Basie Orchestra where he remained for 10 years.
Shawn is currently Principal Trumpet in the Chelsea Opera Orchestra, Principal
Trumpet for the last 3 seasons in the Sphinx Festival Orchestra as well as a freelance
musician in New York City. Recent projects include a Cd with Joe Piscopo, recording for the Motion Picture Soundtrack “Louis” The story of Louis Armstrong with
Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra and a concert with the Utah
Symphony Orchestra with the Duke Ellington Band. In February of 2011 he played
“Elegy For Miles Davis” (part of Richard Bennett ’s Trumpet Concerto) with the New
England Conservatory Wind Ensemble.
He can be heard playing jazz on the Count Basie Orchestra release “Count Plays
Duke” which also won a Grammy Award.
Violinist Isabel Escalante started her musical training at the age of 6 at El Conservatorio de Carabobo in Venezuela. In 2003, she was granted a full scholarship to
continue her studies at the University of Southern Mississippi where she obtained
her Bachelor’s degree in music. She has received honors in several competitions including 3rd place in the Emil Friedman Violin Competition and 1st place in the 2007
William T. Gower Competition. She has been a semifinalist in the Sphinx Competition and the Lennox International Young Artist Competition. Ms. Escalante made her
solo debut at age 9 with the Carabobo Youth Symphony Orchestra and has appeared
as a soloist with the University of Southern Mississippi Orchestra.
As an orchestra musician, Ms. Escalante has been a member of numerous Gulf
Coast’s orchestras such as Mobile Symphony Orchestra, Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra, Tuscaloosa Symphony Orchestra and Pensacola Symphony Orchestra. This
year, she joined the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra for their 2010-2011 season.
She was a member of the Sphinx Chamber Orchestra in their Inaugural National
Tour in 2008 and their second tour in 2009.
As a music educator; Ms. Escalante was one of the founding teachers of the Baton Rouge Children’s Charter School string program in 2009. She has also been
an ongoing member of the Institute of Musicianship and Public Service since its
inauguration as well as a member of the 2010 National Dalcroze Conference held in
Cambridge, MA. She has taught violin at the Gulf Port High School in Biloxi, MS and
privately. Currently, Ms. Escalante is teaching strings in the JPS elementary schools
as part of the Mississippi Symphony Educational Program.
Jim Ferraiuolo is a native New Yorker. He holds a Masters Degree and a Post
Graduate Diploma in Oboe Performance from the Mannes College of Music and
a Bachelors Degree from The Manhattan School of Music. Jim has also studied at
The Ecole D’Art, in Fontainebleau, France. He has appeared with many orchestras
including: The Brooklyn Philharmonic, The Sphinx Symphony Orchestra, The Black
Pearl Chamber Orchestra, The Garden State Philharmonic, and The Orchestra of St.
Peter by the Sea.
Jim has also appeared on Broadway in the productions of The Producers, Gypsy, The
Wedding Singer, A Class Act, The Life, Seussical, Avenue Q and at Radio City Music
Hall.
In addition to oboe, Jim also plays flute, clarinet and saxophone. In his spare time,
Jim enjoys playing chess and regularly plays tournaments.
Dr. Langston J. Fitzgerald III, professor of trumpet at Penn State, played
trumpet with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra from 1970 to 2003. Fitzgerald has
played extra with the National Symphony, in Washington, D.C., and has performed
as assistant principal trumpet with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. For the past
twenty-seven years, he has been principal trumpet and musical contractor of the
Emmy and Grammy Award Winning Baltimore Choral Arts Society Orchestra (www.
baltimorechoralarts.org). Professor Fitzgerald performed as principal trumpet of the
Baltimore Opera Orchestra from 2003 until the company closed its doors in 2009,
leaving Baltimore without a grand opera company. Fitzgerald recently performed
the Franz Joseph Haydn Trumpet Concerto on the Baltimore Choral Arts Society’s
TOUR de France in Paris and Southern France (July 2007). Dr. Fitzgerald’s appearance in 2005 at the International Trumpet Guild Conference in Bangkok, Thailand,
not only featured him as trumpet soloist and chamber performer, but also as
conductor of the trumpet ensemble “en masse” to signal the end of the conference—a tradition that has continued to prevail. Most recently, Professor Fitzgerald
performed the world premiere work by Eric Ewazen, “Down a River of Time,” at the
35th International Trumpet Guild Conference in Sydney, Australia (July 2010). This
world premiere received its U.S. premiere in Fitzgerald’s faculty recital in September
2010 at Penn State, with the composer as his guest accompanist. Dr. Fitzgerald also
occasionally performs with the Penn State faculty brass quintet, The Pennsylvania
BrassWorks (WPSU TV/FM). In addition, he is first trumpet and founder of both
the Giovanni and the Potomac brass quintets. His freelancing in Baltimore and
Washington has included performing at three presidential inaugurations and three
“Christmas in Washington” nationally televised specials. He helped to contract and
played co-principal trumpet at the nationally televised Millennium celebration at
the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, D.C.
It is noteworthy to mention that Professor Fitzgerald has several former students
who have won positions in major symphony orchestras, including Tage Larsen,
fourth trumpet, Chicago Symphony Orchestra; Billy Hunter, principal trumpet, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra in New York City; Thomas Hooten, principal trumpet, Atlanta Symphony; and Andrew Wilson, solo cornet/trumpet, United States Air Force
Band, Washington, D.C. In addition to preparing many of his students for performing
careers, Fitzgerald has had numerous students pursue the degrees of Master of
Music and Doctor of Musical Arts in Performance.
Dr. Fitzgerald is a graduate of Howard University (B.M.E.) and Catholic University of
America (M.M. and D.M.A). He is a member of the International Trumpet Guild, and
is a founding and honorary member of the Board of Directors of the International
Women’s Brass Conference. Fitzgerald is also a member of the American Federation
of Musicians in both Washington, D.C., and Baltimore.
Tamara Gonzalez began her musical studies at the age of four in the Washington
DC area. She was enrolled in her local Suzuki violin program as well as in the DC
Youth Orchestra Program. At age nine, Tamara moved to Puerto Rico with her family
and began studying at the Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music Preparatory Program,
and was placed in the Advanced Orchestra. At age 11, Tamara was admitted into the
FOSJA summer festival and continued participating for the following six summers.
During her time living in Puerto Rico, Tamara studied with Jaime Medina, and served
as Concertmaster for the Advanced Orchestra for two years. In 1999, at the age of
15, Tamara graduated early from the Preparatory Program and began studying in
the P.R. Conservatory of Music ,with Henry Hutchinson. In the summer of 1999, Tamara attended Interlochen Arts Camp for the first time and was a member of WYSO.
She also began her viola studies at Interlochen that summer and continued to attend Interlochen through the summer of 2001, when she was awarded the Emerson
Scholar for Puerto Rico. Also in 2001, Mrs. Gonzalez won first place at the Puerto
Rico Conservatory Concerto Competition and first place at the FOSJA Concerto
Competition. In the fall of 2001, Tamara began her studies at DePaul University with
Joseph Genualdi and later with Robert Waters. She served as Concertmaster for the
DePaul Chamber Orchestra through-out her time at DePaul and graduated in 2005
with a BM in Violin Performance. Tamara returned to DePaul and in 2010 obtained
an M.M with Honors in Violin Performance, studying with Olga Kaler.
Tamara Gonzalez enjoys an active career as a free-lance violinist and violin/viola
instructor in the Chicago area. She has taught at DePaul Community Music, Smiling
Strings, Music Institute of Chicago and in the fall of 2011 will serve as Coordinator and Department Head of the Suzuki Department for Sherwood Conservatory.
She has received Suzuki Teacher Training through Suzuki Book 5, and will continue
her training in the fall of 2011. She has had success instructing Suzuki students as
young three years old, as well as working on advanced concerti with her high school
students at Lane Technical High School, and Vernon Hills High School. Tamara is an
active performer, and has played as a member of the Sphinx Festival Orchestra, Chicago Classical Symphony, Rockford Symphony and the Chicago Sinfonietta. She looks
forward to performing various solo and chamber recitals in the 2011-2012 season.
Mrs. Gonzalez resides in the Ravenswood neighborhood in Chicago, with her husband Joseph Kosowski, whom she married in September of 2010.
Of Bolivian parentage, Sheena Gutierrez began her violin self-studies at the age
of twelve. As a promising young talent, she participated consecutively at the Annual
Superintendent’s Honors Music Festival from 2003 to 2008. It was at New World
School of the Arts in Miami, Florida where she began her intensive studies under
guidance of distinguished faculty of: Alfred Gershfeld, Richard Fleischman, and
Thomas Moore.
Sheena made her debut at the age of 15 playing Vivaldi’s Four Season: Spring with
the Coral Gables Conservatory for the Art’s Young Musician’s Orchestra in Vizcaya,
Biltmore Hotel, Coral Gables Congregational Church, Miami Botanical Garden, and
Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County. She was also
fortunate to obtain master classes with the Eroica Trio, Ellis Marsalis, Anne-Akiko
Meyers, James Buswell, and Charles Castleman.
As distinguished finalist at the first Walenstein Concerto Competition in 2008,
Sheena has traveled to study violin as a participant in the Eastman School of Music:
Music Horizons Program, Stringendo School for Strings, Miami’s Classical Virtuosi
Music Festival, Boston’s Rictor Noren Intensive String Program, and in Bowdoin
International Music Festival 2011 as a full scholarship student. She also became the
semi-finalist of the 2011 Sphinx Competition in Michigan for young Black and Latino
players. She will be joining the Sphinx Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra on their Fall 2011
tour celebrating Sphinx Organization’s 15th anniversary. She will be presented in 15
concerts which include performances at Carnegie Hall, Chicago, New World Center,
Interlochen, and others.
She currently studies at The Boston Conservatory with Rictor Noren pursuing her
Bachelors of Music in Violin Performance.
As a Utah native of Peruvian descent, Bryan Hernandez-Luch began his violin
studies at the age of six. At the age of fifteen he made his solo debut with the Utah
Symphony Orchestra. Hailed by the press for his compelling performance at the
2003 Sphinx Competition, Bryan Hernandez-Luch won first place in the senior division while performing with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. As a Sphinx Laureate,
Bryan has appeared with the Cleveland, Atlanta, New Jersey, Utah, Chautauqua,
New World, Colorado, Nashville, Grand Rapids, Prince George Philharmonic and
Battle Creek symphony orchestras as well as Canada’s National Arts Center Orchestra. As a soloist he has worked with such conductors as Franz Welser-Möst, Robert
Spano, Keith Lockhart, David Cho, Arthur Fagan and Thomas Wilkins.
An avid chamber musician, Bryan is a founding member of the Catalyst Quartet.
Their performances have been featured in New York City’s Carnegie Hall - Stern Auditorium and Weill Hall – South Africa, London, and major cities throughout the U.S.
In the fall of 2011, he was the concertmaster of the Sphinx Virtuosi, a conductor-less
chamber orchestra, in their inaugural U.S. tour.
Bryan has also toured extensively across the U.S., Japan and Korea, as a guest artist
with the piano chamber ensemble, The 5 Browns. In 2007, Bryan wrote an arrangement for violinist Gil Shaham and The 5 Browns which can be found on the album,
Browns in Blue (RCA Red Seal/Sony). A highly sought after studio musician, Bryan
has recorded numerous soundtracks and solos for major motion films, including the
2010 World Cup soundtrack and music for the 2011 NBA Finals. He is also in frequent demand as a freelance artist, having performed alongside Josh Groban, Sarah
Brightman, Rod Stewart, Il Divo, and other popular artists.
Bryan is currently pursuing a master’s degree at The Juilliard School, studying with
Joseph Lin, first violinist of the Juilliard String Quartet. Bryan has studied at the
Manhattan School of Music, University of Utah and Brigham Young University. He
resides in New York City with his wife, concert pianist, Desirae Brown.
Mariana Green-Hill is the Artistic Director of Project STEP (www.projectstep.
org) located at Symphony Hall in Boston Massachusetts, where she teaches, coaches
and advises students and parents grades K-12. Project STEP provides comprehensive
music education to students from the Black and Latino communities with the goal of
giving these students an opportunity to compete and succeed in the world of classical music. She also performs in various venues as a soloist and chamber musician
and teaches privately and as a member of the New England Conservatory’s Preparatory Division. In August of 2011, Ms. Green-Hill became the Strings Director at Boston Arts Academy under the leadership of Gregory Holt, directing both technique
and orchestral classes for the school’s string students.
In 2009, Mariana Green-Hill was honored by the Sphinx Competition as the winner
of the Sanford Allen Award in recognition of her “artistic merit, persistence, and
extraordinary achievement. ” This year marks the fifth anniversary as Founder and
Director of “Four Strings Academy,” an intensive string program held during the
summer geared to children, ages 4-18, demonstrating the potential to become pro-
fessional musicians. This school year, Ms. Green-Hill joins the faculty of Boston Arts
Academy in their string department as a music teacher.
Mariana Green-Hill is a Second Prize Winner of The Sphinx Competition. She has
also won first place in the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Harry and Marion
Dubbs Competitions. Mrs. Green-Hill has been a featured guest soloist with the New
Jersey, Memphis, Detroit, and Boston Symphony Orchestras and The Boston Pops.
In addition to her solo performances, she is an experienced chamber and orchestral
musician. The Amaryllis String Quartet, of which she was a member, was awarded
First Prize in the prestigious Fischoff Chamber Music Competition (Jr. Division). Ms.
Green-Hill has performed with YoYo Ma, Pamela Frank, Lynn Chang, Marcus Thomson, and with members of the Houston and Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestras. She
was also a member of the Young Eight String Octet for six seasons.
Mariana Green-Hill is co-concertmaster of the Soulful Symphony that performs in
collaboration with the Baltimore Symphony and whose performance of “Song in
a Strange Land” composed and directed by Darrin Atwater earned an Emmy. Ms.
Green-Hill is the one of the violinists of the MarNi Duo that performed for a benefit
concert for the now President Barak Obama in Boston’s Jordan Hall. She enjoys performing with non-classical musicians, and has recorded with gospel artists Donnie
McClurkin and Richard Smallwood. She has also performed with the “Gorillaz,” and
with Joss Stone and Alicia Keys. Ms. Green-Hill studied violin under the auspices of
Project STEP and attended Walnut Hill School for the Arts. She received her Bachelor
and Masters Degrees from The Juilliard School and a Professional Studies Diploma
from the Mannes College of Music under the respective tutelage of Dean Stephen
Clapp, Ann Setzer and Ida Kavafian.
The passion and expressive qualities of violinist Tami Lee Hughes are marked by
her success as a premier artist. As soloist, she has appeared with a number of symphony orchestras across the United States, including the National, Monroe, Mississippi, and Pontiac-Oakland Symphony Orchestras among others. She has extensively
appeared as recitalist in universities and concert venues in the United States, Costa
Rica, Bermuda, Austria and Russia and has performed as solo or chamber artist in
the Ann Arbor Chamber Fest, Natchez Festival of Music, Silver Anniversary Celebration of the New Arts Cultural Society, and a tribute concert to composer Judith
Zaimont, broadcast on National Public Radio. Other notable appointments include
appearances with the Rocky Mountain Orchestra, Aspen Music Festival Opera Orchestra, Emerald Sinfonietta, Sphinx Symphony Orchestra, and Pro Consorde Chamber Consort. In August of 2011, Albany Records released Hughes’ debut solo album
Legacy: Violin Music of African-American Composers. She has also performed on
recordings for Profil and Verity Records. She is Assistant Professor of Violin at the
University of Kansas. A native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Hughes received a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Minnesota, and Master’s and Doctorate
degrees from the University of Michigan. Teachers include Nancy Langham, Jana
Burton, Sally O’Reilly, Camilla Wicks, and Paul Kantor.
David Jackson, a recognized and ardent supporter of new music, has commis-
sioned and premiered numerous compositions for the trombone. He most recently
commissioned and debuted Adolphus Hailstork’s John Henry’s Big at the 2011 Eastern Trombone Workshop. His upcoming CD, Inner Rebellion, includes debut recordings of Eric Ewazen, Adolphus Hailstork, Paul Richards, Steve Rush, and Matthew
Tommasini.
A native of Houston, Texas, Geoffrey Johnson currently is in his third season as
an oboe fellow with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. Prior to being a fellow with
DSO, Geoffrey played with Pittsburgh Symphony as a fellow for one season, and has
also played with several other orchestras, including Honolulu Symphony, National
Arts Centre Orchestra (Ottawa, Canada), Sarasota Symphony, Pittsburgh Opera,
Michigan Opera Theatre, and plays regularly with baroque orchestra, Seraphic Fire
in Miami, Florida. He holds Master of Music from the Cleveland Institute of Music,
where he studied with John Mack, and a Bachelor of Music from Baylor University.
Music has been at the center of Charles Larkins’ life since he first picked up a
trumpet as a child in the 1950s. Mr. Larkins was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan and
was a student in the Ann Arbor Public Schools music program from elementary
through high school. He attended Eastern Michigan University and the University of
Michigan, graduating with music degrees from both schools. In addition to having a
full-time teaching studio, Mr. Larkins is in demand as a soloist and maintains an active schedule as a performer. Throughout his career he has played with many of the
community orchestras in Michigan and Ohio, and has been a soloist with the Detroit
Symphony Orchestra and the Ann Arbor Symphony.
iiIn 1970 Mr. Larkins was invited to become a member of the Galliard Brass Ensemble, a brass quintet which performs concerts throughout in the eastern and
southern United States. Over time he assumed the responsibilities of music director
and business manager of the GBE, and his leadership brought the group to national
attention with their recordings on the Musical Heritage Society label in 1980, 1982,
and 1988. In 1992 the Galliard Brass toured to the south of France, and in 2004 they
represented the United States at the Harbin International Music Festival in Harbin,
China. Mr. Larkins is also the director of Brassworks, a music contracting service
providing skilled, professional musicians to churches, schools, and businesses for
special events throughout the metropolitan Detroit area.
Gwen Laster’s upbringing in urban and classical music was inspired by her mother’s love for blues and Jazz. Her motivation blossomed from her Detroit high school
orchestra teacher Anderson White who introduced Gwen to playing classical music
on electric violin, professional recording sessions and her first experiences of summer music camps. After earning her BM and MM from the University of Michigan
School of Music, Gwen relocated to New York City. She emerged herself in recording her own music, recording, touring and collaborating with other artists, playing
Broadway shows, Jazz clubs, traditional and non traditional chamber ensembles and
teaching improvisation to string players. She has recorded two original music projects; “Sneak Preview” and “I Hear You Smiling”. Her next recording “Gameboard”
to be released in September 2012 is a Global Music fusion of Western and non
Western instruments inspired by her love for yoga and Eastern philosophy. Gwen
has published a violin method book “Music for the Creative String Player”, several
string orchestra arrangements for improvising players and leads “Creative Strings
Workshops” for young musicians. She has traveled internationally sharing her music. Gwen is a certified yoga instructor and member of the Sphinx Symphony since
it’s inception.
www.gwenlaster.com
Otis Lockhart Bass Trombonist/ Tenor Trombonist
Graduated from Interlochen Arts Academy 1986
Studied at Florida A&M University for Music Education 1986 -1987
Studied at Wayne State University for Music Performance 1989 -1992
Freelance Musician in the Detroit Area for Twenty Five years
Played in numerous orchestras, jazz, pop, salsa groups.
Warren Symphony Orchestra, Pontiac-Oakland Symphony, St. Clair Symphony,
Assumption Grotto Orchestra, Sphinx Symphony Orchestra, Dearborn Symphony
Orchestra, Southfield Symphony Orchestra.
Attended Interlochen Music Camp 1985, Tanglewood Music Camp “Empire Brass
Seminar” 1991
Trombone Mentor for Detroit Civic Symphony Orchestra and Jazz Trombone Mentor
for Civic Jazz Orchestra at Orchestra Hall
Brass Teacher for the Sphinx Prep Program 2004 - present
Teachers I have studied with; Maury Okun, Principal Trombonist, Michigan Opera
Orchestra, Joseph Skrzynski, Second Trombonist, Detroit Symphony Orchestra (Deceased), Nathaniel Gurin, Second Trombonist, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Randall
Hawes, Bass Trombonist, Detroit Symphony, Scott Hartman, Trombonist, Empire
Brass.
Lori Lovato is clarinetist for the Santa Fe Symphony, New Mexico Philharmonic
(NM Phil), Música de Cámara Orchestra, Santa Fe New Music, Chamisa Chamber
Players, artist-clinician for Backun Musical Services in Canada, and founding member
of the New Mexico Woodwind Quintet (NMWQ.org). She has also appeared with
the Albuquerque Chamber Soloists, Music at Angel Fire, Chamber Music Albuquerque (CMA), Chatter New Music, Santa Fe Opera Orchestra, Sphinx Symphony in
Detroit, and the Orquesta Sinfónica de Monterrey, Mexico.
Lori is a graduate of Northwestern University and the University of New Mexico. Recently, she was a featured soloist with the Santa Fe Symphony in a performance of
the W.A. Mozart Sinfonia Concertante for Winds. This season she will be a part time
substitute professor at the University of New Mexico teaching private clarinet lessons second semester.
Prior to her orchestral career, Lori was the Band & Orchestra Director at West Mesa
and Cibola High Schools in Albuquerque for ten years and continues to participate
in the planning and implementation of educational-outreach projects and grants in
partnership with Albuquerque Public Schools, NM Phil and NMWQ.
John Madison received Bachelor and Masters Degrees in Viola Performance
from the University of Michigan and is currently the Principal violist of the Michigan
Opera Theater Orchestra, plays regularly with the Detroit Symphony, is a member of
the Sphinx Symphony, and Co founder and coordinator of The Cassini Ensemble,
an award winning Ann Arbor based chamber group that has performed extensively
throughout the United States. Mr. Madison recently toured as a guest with the
Chamber Orchestra of France and has performed with the New York City Opera
Company, the Toledo Symphony and Toledo Opera Orchestra, and has appeared as
soloist with The Toledo Symphony, The Southfield Philharmonic, The Jackson Symphony, The Adrian Symphony and The Cassini Ensemble.
Cellist Derek Menchan is currently professor of the Humanities and of Music at
Florida’s Polk State College, and also the advisor for the college’s Philosophy Club.
A former student of Olga Rostropovich, Harvey Shapiro, and Laszlo Varga, Menchan
has been principal cellist in numerous orchestras, including the Orlando Symphony,
New York Pro Arte Ensemble, and Houston’s avant garde OrchestraX. Menchan has
also been heard in recital throughout the U.S., and in Europe and Canada. Additionally, Menchan has collaborated in multimedia presentations with videographers,
dancers, poets and painters, and is a main participant in Houston’s vibrant consortium of young aritsts. These include the late Andy Mann, and Kristina Spritzer,
videographers; and David McGee and Tierney Malone, sensational African-American
painters. In addition to his musical activities, Menchan has also enjoyed giving talks
and lecture presentations at various institutions and schools on various topics from
the realm of the esoteric.
Burt Mason currently serves as Principal Trombone of both the Chamber Orchestra of New York and the Greenwich Village Orchestra. Recent appointments have
included solo trombone for the Miami Music Project and Principal Trombone and
soloist of the New York Staff Band of The Salvation Army. He has performed several
times with the New York Philharmonic in addition to numerous ensembles and
orchestras. He has also appeared as soloist with numerous ensembles, performing
throughout North America, The United Kingdom, Europe and Australia. Mr. Mason
has performed under the baton of notable conductors such as Mstislav Rostropovich, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Skitch Henderson, Kenneth Kiesler and Sidney Harth
amongst others in world-renowned venues such as Royal Albert Hall, Carnegie Hall,
Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center and the Apollo Theater.
Mr. Mason began playing trombone at age 12 but did not receive any formal lessons
until he entered college at the Crane School of Music (SUNY Potsdam). Despite this
lack of formal training, his natural skills as a trombonist placed him as a finalist in
the first annual New York Philharmonic Young Performers Audition, selection for
the esteemed MENC All-Eastern Band, the NYSSMA All-State Band and Orchestra,
as well as winning several local music contests. While in college at the Crane School
of Music, Mr. Mason won the Crane School of Music’s most prestigious performing
contest, the annual Crane Concerto Competition as a sophomore.
As a recording artist, Mr. Mason has been featured as a soloist on a variety of
recordings with the New York Staff Band on the Triumphonic label. He has also
completed the premier recording with Chamber Orchestra of New York, which was
released on the Naxos label in July 2011.
Mr. Mason has completed his Masters of Music in Orchestral Performance at the
Manhattan School of Music studying with David Finlayson of the New York Philharmonic. He has had additional studies with Joseph Alessi of the New York Philharmonic, Weston Sprott of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Mark Hartman
at the Crane School of Music. Outside of performing, he actively composes and
arranges. For more information visit www.burtmason.com (Re-launch spring 2012)
Robin Fay Massie is a professional violist in the Baltimore/D.C. area. She com-
pleted her education in Viola Performance after attending the following schools: The
University of Maryland, College Park (2003); New England Conservatory (2004); and
The Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University (2006).
Ms. Massie has cultivated a multi-faceted career as an orchestral violist, chamber
musician, soloist, recording artist and private instructor. She has performed with
The Philadelphia Orchestra and National Symphony Orchestra among other major
ensembles. She is Assistant Principal Viola with the Delaware Symphony Orchestra
and Co-Principal Viola with the Black Pearl Chamber Orchestra (Philadelphia). She
was featured on a recent episode of BET’s Bobby Jones Gospel show as part of gospel singer Tye Tribbett ’s backup ensemble.
With a heart for service, Ms. Massie is Founder and Executive Director of Musicians of Mercy (MOM) – a collective of over seventy musicians and artists in the
Metropolitan D.C. area. MOM raises funds for humanitarian causes through the
production of benefit concerts. MOM was recently recognized in a feature article
for The International Musician, official publication of the American Federation of
Musicians. For more information, please visit: www.musiciansofmercy.orgw
As an educator, Ms. Massie has taught viola on the collegiate level as a Guest
Viola Professor at The University of Delaware, Newark, DE. Today, she maintains a
private studio for area middle and high school students. She resides in Columbia,
MD.
Nermis Mieses, oboist, is the first prize winner of the First International Oboe
Competition of Santa Catarina, Brazil. She was born and raised in Puerto Rico where
she started her solo career at age 15 with a solo performance with the Puerto Rico
Symphony Orchestra. Also in her native country she attended the Conservatory of
Music and was awarded the Winds and Percussion Department Medal among other
awards.
Ms. Mieses is a doctoral student at the University of Michigan studying under Dr.
Nancy Ambrose King, with whom she also pursued a Masters degree. She has been
awarded for her academic merits and was selected to perform a recital as part of
the Cranbrook Music Guild Series in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. Ms. Mieses currently holds a faculty position at Hillsdale College as oboe instructor and performs
frequently with the Michigan Philharmonic, Dearborn Symphony Orchestra and the
Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra.
Jessie Montgomery is a New York native violinist, composer and music educa-
tor. She is a composer and performer of film, theater and concert music, performing regularly among New York’s classical and new music scenes.
Jessie is a co-founding member of PUBLIQuartet, an ensemble made up of composers and arrangers, featuring their own music as well as that of other New York based
composers.
For the 2011-2012 season, Jessie will be the Van Lier Composer Fellow at the
American Composers Orchestra, with performances of her works for small ensemble
showcased throughout New York City. Bachelor’s degree from The Juilliard School in
violin performance. Composition teachers and mentors include Joan Tower, Derek
Bermel, Mark Suozzo and Ira Newborn.
Violinist Lisa Muci is a full-time, core member of the Knoxville Symphony & Chamber Orchestra. Her service to the orchestra includes the position of Acting Co-Associate Concertmaster during the 2010 – 2011 season, and the role of Concertmaster
for the 2010 Independence Day Concert and the 2009 Festival of the Arts Concert.
A frequent soloist with the orchestra, Ms. Muci was most recently heard in 2009 as
the 1st Violin Soloist in the Concerto for 4 Violins in A Minor by Antonio Vivaldi, and
in 2008 in the Concerto for Oboe & Violin by J. S. Bach, with KSO Principal Oboist
Phylis Secrist.
An arts access advocate, Ms. Muci’s solo and chamber music repertoire is as diverse
as her performance venues, which include medical centers, community and cultural
centers, rural and urban educational facilities (preK – community college), and public radio and television. In October of 2011, sponsored by the Friends of the Knox
County Library and American Piano Gallery, she presented a recital celebrating the
music of Hispanic composers. Also in 2011, Ms. Muci was named a Grant Panelist
for the 2011 – 2012 Tennessee Arts Commission’s Arts Education Community Learning Peer Advisory Grant Panel.
Ms. Muci is also an arts integration specialist, and received a professional development award to attend the Tennessee Arts Commission’s Create2011 Conference.
Recently named Program Director of Arts Partners Wichita, Ms. Muci has attended
several professional development sessions of the Wolf Trap Early Childhood STEM
Learning Through the Arts Summer Institute, observing the creative interaction
between Wolf Trap Teaching Artists and classroom teachers.
A respected coach, teacher, and adjudicator, Ms. Muci is a former member of the
Wichita Symphony, the Des Moines Metro Opera Orchestra, and the acclaimed
Chicago Sinfonietta. Her training included a three-year fellowship with the National
Repertory Orchestra and studies at the Tafelmusik Baroque Summer Institute. Ms.
Muci is a Magna Cum Laude graduate of Wichita State University, and she received
her Master of Music degree in Violin Performance from Northwestern University.
Her teachers and coaches included Dr. Elisabeth Adkins, Ms. Linda Melsted, Mr.
Milton Thomas, Mr. Thomas Georgi, and Professors Blair Milton, Gerardo Ribeiro,
Andrzej Grabiec, James Ceaser, and Nancy Luttrell.
Jannina Norpoth made her solo debut at the age of 13 performing Wieniaski’s
Second Violin Concerto with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. Since then she has
performed internationally including appearances at the Montreux Detroit Jazz Festival, Steamboat Springs Chamber Music Festival, Mostly Mozart Festival, Great Lakes
Chamber Music Festival, VH1’s Save the Music, and IFC›s Dinner with the Band,
alongside musicians as diverse as Regina Carter, Itzhak Perlman, Marcus Belgrave,
Jay - Z, Beyonce, and My Brightest Diamond. Also a talented arranger, she frequently
writes and records strings for grammy winning producer Jerry ‹Wonda› Duplessis at
Platinum Sound in New York City.
A Jacksonville, Florida, native, clarinetist Terrance L. Patterson is Founder and
Executive Director of the Ritz Chamber Players and has performed in Paris, London,
Milan, Brussels, Belgrade, Munich, Amsterdam, Moscow, Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Miami, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and New York. He has performed with the
Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra, the Sphinx Symphony of Detroit and the Nashville,
Florida West Coast, Huntsville, Festival, and Las Vegas Symphonies. He attended the
Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University where he studied with clarinetist Lorin Kitt, principal clarinetist of the National Symphony Orchestra.
Born in Puerto Rico, Karla Donehew Perez began playing the violin at age three.
By age nine she had performed as a soloist with the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra, and shortly after that was featured on a national television show about young
gifted Latin American children. She was the youngest member of Festival Orchestra Juvenil de Las Americas during the Casals Festival. At age twelve, Karla moved
to California and entered The Crowden School, a middle school with a focus on
string chamber music. She continued her studies with Anne Crowden, Director and
founder of The Crowden School.
Karla completed her Bachelors and Masters degrees at the Cleveland Institute of
Music, studying performance with the heralded violin teachers Paul Kantor, David
Cerone, and William Preucil. As a student at CIM, Karla participated in numerous
Master Classes with distinguished artists, and served as the CIM Orchestra’s concertmaster. As a member of the WO-MEN String Quartet, she was awarded 1st place
at the Ohio String Teachers Association Competition, and Honorable Mention at the
Plowman Chamber Music Competition. The quartet was also chosen to represent
CIM for the Conservatory Project at the Kennedy Center for the Arts and was selected to play a recital for the Cleveland Chamber Music Society. In her junior year,
Karla was a recipient of the prestigious Dr. Jerome Gross Award in violin. Karla was
also awarded second place at the Sphinx Competition. Karla was featured on the
Young Artist Series for the Festival del Sole, in Napa Valley, California, and was guest
concertmaster of the Tucson Symphony Orchestra. Recently, Karla was a fellow at
the New World Symphony, where she often sat concertmaster or principal second
violin and performed as a soloist.
Karla performs on a fine violin by Charles and Samuel Thompson, London 1774, on
generous loan from Patricia Press Nissen in memory of Alvera and Dudley WarnerPress, and a fine violin bow by Victor Fetique, from the Rachel Elizabeth Barton
Foundation.
Flutist, Bernard Phillips is a lecturer in ethnomusicology and music theory at
Medgar Evers College, City University of New York. He was Director of Music at the
Harlem School of the Arts, Inc. from 1999 through 2004 and before that appointment he was principal flute of the Houston Grand Opera Orchestra for fourteen
seasons. He now maintains the advanced flute studies studio and conducts the
Harlem School of the Arts Flute Choir. He played solo flute in the Broadway production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Sunset Boulevard” and substituted in many
long running shows. He has performed flute and piccolo with the New York City
Opera Orchestra, in the Stage Band at the Metropolitan Opera and the Brooklyn
Philharmonic’s Educational Concert series. Recently, a music critic for New Jersey’s
Star Ledger wrote, “Phillips possessed this vivacity, along with brilliant tone and
flawless technique”. He holds a Master of Music degree in orchestral studies from
Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music and a Bachelor of Music degree in flute
performance from Florida State University in the studio of Albert Tipton. He earned
a certificate for advanced study at the Banff Centre’s School of Fine Arts in Banff,
Alberta. He is currently pursuing a Ph., D., in ethnomusicology focusing on African
Americans in symphonic music at Hunter College/CUNY. He was the 2005 and 2007
Martin Luther King-Cesar Chavez-Rosa Parks Visiting Professor at the University of
Michigan, Ann Arbor.
Olman E Piedra is the newly appointed assistant professor of Percussion and Jazz
studies at the University of Toledo. Mr. Piedra left Costa Rica in 1998 to further his
music studies and pursue a musical career in the United States. He has performed
with a variety of ensembles, including the Sphinx Orchestra (Detroit, MI), the National Symphony Orchestra of Costa Rica, the Waco Symphony Orchestra (principal
percussion), the American Wind Symphony Orchestra, the Toledo Jazz Orchestra,
the Ensamble de Percusión Costa Rica, the Detroit Chamber Winds and Strings, the
Toledo Symphony Percussion Trio, Italian pop artist Patrizio Buanne, NOMO afrofunk
band (toured around the United States, Canada, and Europe) and Roland Vazquez’
Latin Jazz Combo (Percussive Arts Society International Convention, Louisville, KY).
Olman has also been performing alongside Grammy Award winning artists The New
York Voices at Bowling Green State University’s vocal jazz camp since 2009.
As an active and versatile jazz, contemporary, Latin American, and concert musician,
he can be heard on William Bolcom’s Grammy award winning album “Songs Of Innocence And Of Experience” with Leonard Slatkin, conductor, on His Name Is Alive’s
“Detrola”, and “Sweet Earth Flower, a tribute to Marion Brown”, NOMO’s “New
Tones”, and upcoming CD releases with jazz guitarist/composer Paul Cohn and with
the University of Toledo Jazz Faculty ensemble.
A recipient of the Avedis Zildjian Percussion Scholars Scholarship (2003-2004), Olman E Piedra has studied under Fernando Meza, Bismarck Fernández, Manrique
Méndez, Larry Vanlandingham, Michael Udow, Michael Gould, Ellen Rowe, and
Roger Schupp. He holds two Master’s in Music degrees, in Percussion Performance
and in Improvisation from the University of Michigan, and a BM from Baylor University. He is currently a DMA candidate in Contemporary Music at Bowling Green State
University.
Manuel Ramos, born in Reynosa, Mexico, sixty years ago, is celebrating this
milestone by taking a leave of absence from the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. As
one of his native country’s Concertistas de Bellas Artes, Mr. Ramos is performing a
year of solo concerts featuring all 10 Beethoven sonatas, the 6 sonatas and partitas
of J. S. Bach, and Paganini’s 24 caprices. This is Mr. Ramos second appearance as a
member of the Sphinx Symphony Orchestra.
Dr. Mary Ann Ramos has been on cello faculty at Northern Arizona University
since the Fall of 2010. She holds prizes in various competitions, among them the
Mexican National Cello Competition and the Music Teachers National Association.
Solo concerto appearances include the Gateway Festival Orchestra, the University
City Symphony, the Alton Symphony, and the Kirkwood Symphony. On May 19,
2010, Dr. Ramos was invited to be the featured soloist at the Official State Luncheon
hosted by Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton in honor of the President of Mexico’s visit to
Washington D.C.
Dr. Ramos completed her Bachelor’s degree at New England Conservatory as a
student of Laurence Lesser, her Master’s degree at Cleveland Institute of Music as a
student of Richard Aaron, and her Doctorate at University of Michigan as a student
of Anthony Elliott.
Rick Robinson has played double bass for the Detroit Symphony Orchestra since
1989. This came after undergraduate studies at the Cleveland Institute of Music
with Larry Angell and graduate studies at the New England Conservatory of Music with Larry Wolfe. Rick held several principal positions with regional orchestras
throughout his studies and freelancing career, most notably including the Boston
Pops Esplanade Orchestra with John Williams.
After a few years with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Rick began transcribing
music by computer for solo bass and then a mixed octet from the orchestra called
CutTime Players. This proved to be an excellent vehicle for taking classical and
symphonic music to new audiences. Eventually Rick began composing in 1999. Here
too he began to create new works that introduce classical music in entertaining new
ways with a string sextet called CutTime Simfonica.
Then in 2010 Rick began a Detroit chapter of a worldwide movement organizing
chamber music readings in coffeehouses, restaurants and bars called Classical Revolution. Here Rick honed his desire and an innovative paradigm for relaxing classical
for a broader audience. Together, the two ensembles, his publications and progressive attitude form his artistic enterprise CutTime Productions, LLC (CutTime®) and
may be found online at www.cuttime.com.
Cellist Karlos Rodriguez made his orchestral debut at the age of thirteen to
great audience and critical acclaim. And has since been an avid soloist, recitalist,
and chamber musician appearing at many of our important musical venues including Carnegie Hall (Isaac Stern Auditorium), Merkin concert hall, Avery Fisher Hall,
Alice Tully Hall, Philadelphia’s Kimmel center, and Radio City Music Hall, to name a
few. Mr. Rodriguez has also had the honor of working with distinguished artists such
as the Beaux Arts Trio, American, Cavani, Cleveland, Emerson, Guarneri, Juilliard,
Miami, Orion, Tokyo, and Vermeer String Quartets; Janos Starker, Lynn Harrell, and
Steven Isserlis. His teachers have included Richard Aaron, Peter Wiley, and David
Soyer. A love of modern dance paired with live music has led to collaborations with
the Thomas/Ortiz Dance Company, Freefall, Mark Morris Dance Group, and Chita
Rivera. Karlos has attended and been a guest artist at the ENCORE School for Strings,
Sarasota, Aspen, and Kneisel Hall chamber music festivals, Cleveland Chamber
Music Society, and the Philadelphia Orchestra Chamber Music Society. As a teacher
he is on the faculty at Summertrios and the Sphinx Performance Academy. Mr.
Rodriguez has worked on various Broadway musicals and Pop albums, most recently
with Shakira and Marc Anthony. In addition to these musical activities he is also the
Principal Cellist of the Florida Grand Opera Orchestra in Miami and cellist of the
Catalyst Quartet. Karlos plays on a cello by Gregg T. Alf on generous loan from the
maker. www.alfstudios.com
James Rose, Jr. is an accomplished French Hornist and has performed the stan-
dard orchestral and solo horn literature over an enduring career. As an orchestral
player, James has performed with several major symphony orchestras including the
Detroit Symphony Orchestra. As well, he has performed with the Michigan Opera
Theater Orchestra and most recently the Sphinx Symphony Orchestra as Principal
Hornist.
As a horn soloist, James has performed all the Mozart Concertos over his career
with many different symphony orchestras. Most recently James performed the
Mozart Second Horn Concerto with the Southfield Mi. Symphony. As well, James
performed the Michigan Premier of Suite Rhapsodique for Horn and Organ by Naja
Hakim at the 30th Annual Music and Arts Guild Concert Series.
Upon his move to the Akron/Cleveland area James has performed with the Cleveland Philharmonic as Assistant Principal Horn and as a horn soloist on the Akron
Tuesday Musicale Concert Series performing Strauss Second Horn Concerto. James
also is an accomplished Baritone and sings many concerts annually. Of special note,
James has been selected on three occasions to be the keynote speaker for the Martin Luther King Concerts for The Cleveland Orchestra.
James holds a B.M. French Horn Performance, New England Conservatory of Music
and has participated in Post Graduate Study in French Horn Performance, Julliard
School of Music under the late Mr. Jerome Ashby.
Chauntee Ross is currently is a Junior at the University of Michigan School of Music Theatre and Dance where she studies with Aaron Berofsky. She is pursuing her
Bachelors degree in Violin Performance with a minor in African and African-American Studies. Chauntee studied with Katie Brooks at the String Academy of Wisconsin
for 12 years before she attended the Music Institute of Chicago where she was a
student of Almita Vamos. She is now a violinist in the University Symphony Orchestra at the SMTD under the baton of Kenneth Kiesler .She also currently serves as
Concertmaster of the University of Michigan Gilbert and Sullivan Society pit orchestra. She will be attending the New York String Orchestra Seminar this December.
A native of New York City, Marshall Sealy began his French horn study at the age
of 8 years. As a young musician, he performed with the Long Island Youth Orchestra
and attended Manhattan School of Music and Ithaca College, where he received
music and soccer scholarships. He then launched a successful second career as
a master of brass instrument restoration and modification. His musical career
continued with many performing opportunities such as the show orchestras of Tony
Bennett, Sammy Davis, Jr., Melba Moore, and the pit orchestras of The Dance Theatre of Harlem and Alvin Ailey Dance Company. In 1979, Marshall moved to Boston
(MA), where he played with the orchestra of the Opera Company of Boston (seven
seasons), Boston Pops Orchestra, Les Miserables Brass Band, Aardvark Jazz Orchestra, Boston Jazz Composers Orchestra, and the Boston Lyric Opera Orchestra. He has
been a soloist with the Plovdiv Symphony (Bulgaria) and U.S. Air Force Band and has
performed with Peter Nero and the Philly Pops Orchestra, The Philadelphia Orchestra, Brooklyn Philharmonic, and the Orchestra Filarmonica de Jalisco in Guadalajara,
Mexico. Since his return to New York, Marshall has played on Broadway in the pit
orchestras of Beauty and the Beast, Jekyll & Hyde, The Lion King and toured with
the National Tour of Evita. He has also performed with such notable artists as Lester
Bowie, J.J. Johnson, Max Roach, David Murray, Shirley Horn, Ray Charles, Paquito
D’Rivera and Steve Coleman. Marshall has appeared with the live television studio
orchestras of the Essence Awards, Emmy Awards, Grammy Awards, Christmas in
Washington, and the Whitney Houston HBO Special. He can be heard on recordings
with Les Miserables Brass Band, George Russell, J.J. Johnson, Max Roach, Oliver
Lake, Taj Mahal, Michael Jackson, Jay-Z, Nos, Will Smith, and Isaac Hayes (in the film
score from the 1999 “Shaft ”). Marshall has been Executive Director, New York City
Housing Authority Symphony Orchestra; Director of Music, Harlem School of the
Arts; and Horn Instructor, Berklee College of Music. He has delivered horn master
classes in the United States, Mexico, South Africa, Bulgaria, Serbia, the Dominican
Republic, and Saint Lucia
Jared Snyder is a cellist who loves to play, listen to, and create music. Every
member of his family is an instrumentalist or a singer, and music surrounded him
from the first day he appeared on this earth. If you want to find Jared, you would
need to search the recording studio, the teaching studio, seat 7A from Milwaukee to
Los Angeles, or driving to a U.S. state that he hasn’t explored yet in his beautiful car.
Up until now, Mr. Snyder has appeared on CBS TV’s “60 Minutes”, in Washington
D.C.’s Kennedy Center, on stage with singer Peter Gabriel, in New York City’s Carnegie Hall, in concert with the Guarneri Quartet, and performing for greats such as
the violinist Isaac Stern and cellist Yo-Yo Ma. Jared likes to smile, and if you need to
laugh or tune in to some positive energy, Jared Snyder is the one you need to know.
Maya Stone is an advocate of interdisciplinary art, and one of the founding
members of Cooperandi; a group organized with the composer Spencer Lambright
that focuses on varied artistic collaboration with contemporary musical ideas. As a
champion of contemporary music, she has recently commissioned and premiered
several works.
Stone has performed in Europe, South America and stays busy giving recital performances around the country. She performs at the International Double Reed Society
Convention, holds the second bassoon position in the Huntsville Symphony Orchestra and can be heard on the album Rocky Streams, with the Albany Records label.
At Bowling Green State University in Ohio, Dr. Stone mentors an active studio of
growing musicians. In addition to her work at BGSU, she gives frequent guest master
classes around the country. Stone is also on the board of the Meg Quigley Symposium and Competition for bassoonists.
Dr. Stone holds a D.M.A. in bassoon performance from the University of Texas at
Austin, a M.M. in bassoon performance and woodwind specialty from Michigan
State University, and a B.M. in music education from the SUNY Potsdam Crane
School of Music. Her teachers and mentors include Kristin Wolfe Jensen, Barrick
Stes, Frank Wangler and Michael Kroth.
Rosalyn Story is a professional classical violinist, journalist and author of both
fiction and non-fiction. A member of the violin section of the Fort Worth Symphony
Orchestra in Fort Worth, Texas, she divides her time between performing and
writing magazine and journal articles on the visual and performing arts, and has
penned three books. Her articles have appeared in Essence, The Washington Post,
The Dallas Morning News, Stagebill (the magazine of Lincoln Center), The Crisis (the
magazine of the NAACP), and she has been a frequent contributor to Opera News
magazine, writing about black opera singers, since 1990. Her first book, And So I
Sing: African American Divas of Opera and Concert, the first comprehensive book on
the history of black women in opera, was the inspiration for the PBS documentary
Aida’s Brothers and Sisters: Black Voices in Opera (in which she appears as commentator and served as consultant), and has been broadcast in the United States,
Europe, and New Zealand. Her first novel, More Than You Know, set against the
backdrop of the jazz worlds of Kansas City and New York, was an Essence magazine
bestseller, and has been developed into a screenplay. Her second novel, Wading
Home, set in post-Katrina New Orleans, was released in September 2010, and was
an Essence magazine book club pick and ‘recommended read.’ Wading Home was
also a 2011 nominee for the Hurston Wright Foundation Legacy Award. A native
of Kansas City, Rosalyn Story now lives in Dallas, Texas. Formerly a member of the
Kansas City and Tulsa Philharmonic orchestras, she has played in the violin section
of the Fort Worth Symphony for 22 years.
Adrienne Taylor received her Bachelor of Music and Performer Diploma from Indiana University and her Master of Music from Northwestern University. Her teachers include Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi, Hans Jørgen Jensen, and Janos Starker. In addition to
performing in the U.S. and abroad, Adrienne has been working to share music with
young people in the communities where she lives through her work with programs
such
as Community MusicWorks in Providence, RI and MusiConnects, in Boston, MA.
Adrienne has recently returned from a trip to Venezuela as part of the New England
Conservatory’s Abreu Fellows program, where she studied the world-renowned
youth orchestra program, El Sistema. Adrienne plans to bring ideas from El Sistema
to her work with students in the Providence community.
Xavier Verna graduated with a dual Bachelor’s degree in Music Performance with
Music Education Teacher Certification from the University of Michigan (U of M). He
has performed in a wide range of ensembles that have made him an outstanding
diverse percussionist. Xavier is a founder and current member of a new percussion trio based out of Ann Arbor named, Identity Cubed. The trio is preparing for
their first international appearance at the International Percussion Competition in
Luxembourg.
Xavier has also made his career as an educator in Ann Arbor, MI and Toledo, OH.
He is currently the Drumline Director for the University of Toledo Rocket Marching Band. He is an assistant band director at St. Francis of Assisi and also teaches
private lessons at Dexter High School.
Lecolion Washington, Jr. is the Associate Professor of Bassoon at the University
of Memphis, bassoonist in the Memphis Woodwind Quintet, principal bassoonist of
the Eroica Ensemble, and founder and director of the PRIZM Chamber Music Festival. He has performed solo recitals and given master classes at colleges and universities around the country including the Eastman School of Music and the University
of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music. As a member of the International
Double Reed Society he has been invited to perform at conferences in Austin (TX),
Ithaca (NY), and Birmingham (UK). As a Fox Products artist, he has been a featured
performer at conferences at Arizona State University and the University of Oklahoma. He has performed as soloist with many groups including the Eroica Ensemble,
the Meadows Symphony Orchestra at SMU, and the orchestra at the International
Festival Institute at Round Top. During the summers he teaches and performs at the
Stellenbosch International Chamber Music Festival in South Africa. His CD, Legacy:
Music for Bassoon by African-American Composers was met with favorable reviews
in several magazines including Fanfare Magazine and The American Record Guide.
Roger Whitworth, a native of Chicago, IL, attended Indiana University as a music
performance and education major. After leaving IU, Roger went back to Chicago to
free lance. He has played extra with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, performed
with Barry White’s “Love Unlimited Orchestra” and did numerous recording sessions. Roger toured 7 countries in Europe with the Milwaukee Touring Orchestra.
In July of 1977, Roger joined The President’s Own, U.S. Marine Band and was a
member until July of 1988. In January of 1989, he joined the 257th Army National
Guard Band, “The Band of The Nation’s Capitol”. He served as the principal French
Hornist in from July of 1989 until August of 2005. He served in the U. S. Armed
Forces for 29 years until his retirement in July of 2007. Roger was the first AfricanAmerican French Hornist in the history of the United States to become a member of
one of the major service bands.
He has played with Joffery Ballet, the American Ballet, Cher, Stevie Wonder, Aretha
Franklin, Amy Grant, Linda Carter, Bob Hope and several other celebrities.
Roger has recorded over 100 CD’s as principal French Hornist with, “The Washington Winds.” He has recorded with Enya as the principal horn in the “Talesian Orchestra”.
Roger has played numerous Broadway shows in DC and Chicago such as, “West Side
Story”, “The Wiz”, “Stop the World, I Want to Get Off ”, “Guys and Dolls”, “Oklahoma” and others.
Roger is one of the founding members of The International Woodwind Quintet, The
Georgetown Woodwind Quintet, The Whitworth Brass Quintet, The Roger Whitworth Jazztet, and The Roger Whitworth French Horn Quintet. These are some of
the ensembles he performs with. Roger is also one of the founding members of
“The Quintetssential Winds”, the world’s newest professional woodwind quintet!
Roger conducts “The European Orchestra of Washington, DC”, is a French Horn soloist with several area orchestras and is currently the principal French Hornist with
the American University Symphony Orchestra.
Roger has 4 daughters, Natalie, 28 who is a professional cosmetologist, Kathleen
and Jessica, both 26 and graduates of Northwestern University, and Jacquelyn 22 a
graduate of the University of Chicago who also plays French Horn professionally in
northern Illinois.
Alycia Wilder graduated from the Interlochen Arts Academy in 2006. She then
went on to study with Victoria Chiang at the Peabody Conservatory of Music. Alycia
currently lives in Royal Oak, MI and teaches violin in the Sphinx Organization’s Overture Program.
Larry Williams has distinguished himself as a multifaceted musician whose
artistry led the late Philip Farkas, (former Principal Horn of the Chicago Symphony
and master teacher), to describe him as “an outstanding artist-soloist with fine tone,
excellent intonation, superb accuracy, and superior musicianship”. Ebony magazine
listed Mr. Williams as one of the “50 Leaders of Tomorrow”, and The Maine Sunday
Telegram described Larry as “a phenomenally good horn player, with the brilliance
for solo work and the ear to blend perfectly with a string quartet that has been playing together for years”.
Williams is currently Artistic Director and /Principal Horn of The American Studio
Orchestra, Principal Horn, The Black Pearl Chamber Orchestra and memebr of The
Philadelphia Big Brass and Lyric Brass Quintet . Williams formerly served as Principal Horn of The New World Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Sir Michael
Tilson Thomas, and has performed with the Baltimore, Pittsburgh, and San Francisco
Symphony Orchestras. His wide range of musical styles include: solo & chamber
repertoire, jazz, pop, contemporary, gospel, film, and commercial music. Williams
has toured and performed with Jazz and Popular music greats: Frank Sinatra, Ray
Charles, and Arturo Sandoval.
Larry Williams is a Yamaha Performing Artist, and performs exclusively on Yamaha
Custom Horns.
Edith Yokley is a violinist from Chicago. Ms. Yokley is a member of the Chicago Sinfonietta and Soulful Symphony in Baltimore. She has performed with such artists as
CeeLo Green, J.Lo, Common, Barry White, Mos Def, Nancy Wilson, Andrea Boccelli,
Sheila E., Smokey Robinson, Aretha Franklin, Donnie McClurkin, Richard Smallwood,
Shirley Ceaser, Dennis DeYoung of the Styxx, and Diana Ross and the Supremes. Ms.
Yokley has appeared on the Oprah, Today, and Conan O’brien Shows as well as The
Voice. Edith received her masters degree from the University of Michigan at Ann
Arbor where as a violin fellow, she studied with Professor Paul Kantor. While at the
University of Michigan, Edith was a member of the University’s Mariach Troupe and
subsequently began jazz improvisation. She has been featured on several CDs including Alicia Keys, Faith Evans, Common, Donnie McClurkin, Joe, and does session work
in both Chicago and New York. In 2009,Edith started DjViolin.com in which she and
other musicians in her company improvise live with djs. MissEdith as she is known in
this realm performs at Y, Cuvee, and other clubs and lounges in Chicago and the rest
of the country. She is a member of the Covergirls Violin Show (a five female electric
violin band) and a violinist with the Steve Edwards Orchestra, High Society Orchestra
and Good Times Society Bands in Chicago. Edith is a contractor in New York and
Chicago having contracted ensembles for such notable venues as the Apollo Theater
and Rose Hall at Jazz at Lincoln Center, as well as recording sessions in New York.
Edith is the orchestral instructor for the Apostolic Church of God’s youth Orchestra,
violin instructor at the Merit School of Music, and maintains her own private studio.
Brian Young, a native of Ann Arbor, has been gaining recognition as a solo
performer throughout his undergraduate career. Young has won four concerto
competitions (one with an original concerto), and three chamber competitions
(also one with an original piece) at Eastern Michigan University, where he
did his undergraduate studies. As a composer, Young Is committed to bringing
new works that “insist on new tonality” to his audiences. Brian
Young is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree at the University of Michigan
where he studies composition with Michael Daugherty and percussion with
Ian Ding, Joseph Gramley, and Jonathan Ovalle. His other teachers have included: Dan Bauch, Dan Desena, John Dorsey, Brian Jones, and Jacob Nissly.
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