Meet Our Musicians
LISA ALEXANDER
Bassoon
Lisa Alexander is a freelance bassoonist and chamber musician who has been in the Orchestra since 1991. She also holds positions with the Little Orchestra Society and has performed with the New York City Ballet Orchestra, the American Symphony, Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra, and many others. She has recordings with the New York Chamber Symphony. Lisa is Adjunct Professor of Bassoon at Hofstra University and also teaches at the Thurnauer School of Music in Tenafly, NJ. Lisa is a great proponent of bassoon ensemble chamber music and in the summer of 2009 was invited to perform with the Glickman Ensemble at The International Double Reed Society Conference in Birmingham England. She received a Bachelor of Performance and Music Education from the prestigious Peabody Conservatory and a Master of Musical Arts from Queens College.
Back to top DENNIS ARCANO
by
GEORGE LEEMAN
Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra
written 11/02/2006
Dennis J. Arcano is in his tenth consecutive season as percussionist with the Orchestra and was featured on drum set in last season’s “West Side Story Symphonic Suite.”
He studied at Western Connecticut State University with David L. Smith, Principal Percussionist of the New Haven Symphony. He served as the Assistant Musical Director on the 2003 National Tour of Jonathan Larson’s tick, tick…BOOM!, and has also performed in Australia and Bermuda. Other performance highlights include the Shirelles (Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Inductees), Peter Cetera, Molly Ringwald, Debby Boone, and many others.
Dennis is also a full-time music educator at Rockwell School in Bethel, and his beautiful wife Melina plays flute and piccolo with the Orchestra as well. A rock drummer at heart, Dennis plans to further his musical career as a performer into songwriting and producing, and more information can be found at his web site www.dennisjarcano.com.
Back to top
KEVIN CALLAGHAN
by
GEORGE LEEMAN
Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra
written 12/29/2005
Kevin Callaghan is Principal Bassist and has played in the
Orchestra for 16 years. He holds a Masters in bass performance
from the Manhattan School of Music.
He has taught at the George Fischer Middle School in Carmel, NY
for almost twenty years and directs the Orchestra there; he also
teaches bass privately.
Kevin has many years of bass performance in both classical music
and jazz. He has played in both chamber and full orchestras,
including the Bermuda Philharmonic. His jazz ensembles include
big bands, trios, and his own quartet, which he has led for
seven years. He has considerable theater experience, playing at
the Candlewood Playhouse and Westchester Broadway Theater. He
also played with the Mondo Boffo rock group in New York City for
six years.
In October 1993, he met French horn player Marjorie Seymour at
an Orchestra rehearsal, and they were married four years later.
They live in Danbury with their children Rory (6) and Braeden
(3).
Back to top
MARJORIE SEYMOUR CALLAGHAN
by
GEORGE LEEMAN
Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra
written 01/12/2006
Marjorie Seymour Callaghan has played French horn in the
Orchestra since 1992. She holds a Doctorate in horn performance
from the Manhattan School of Music and also has a Masters in
music history and a Bachelors in Spanish.
She is on the faculty of Western Connecticut State University
and has taught courses in music theory and history, brass
performance, and ear training; she also teaches French horn
privately.
Marjorie has experience in horn performance in both classical
music and jazz. She has played with many quartets and quintets
and orchestras, including the Paul Whiteman Orchestra. She
played in the Concert Happenings in Ridgefield’s Parks (CHIRP)
program with the Orchestra’s Brass Ensemble in August, 2004.
This year she published The Horn Guide: A Reference for
Solving Technical Problems, dealing with performance issues
of interest to students and teachers.
In October 1993, she met bass player Kevin Callaghan at an
Orchestra rehearsal, and they were married four years later.
They live in Danbury with their children Rory (6) and Braeden
(3).
Back
to top
SUZANNE COREY-SAHLIN
by TRAUG KELLER
Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra
written 10/06/2005
Suzanne Corey-Sahlin is the highly respected Principal Violist for the
Orchestra who has parlayed an early love for music into a life
filled with beautiful sound. As Principal Violist she is a key
leader of the Orchestra and has been called by Music Director
Sidney Rothstein “one of the most respected members of the
Orchestra.”
She has been selected to fill the role of conductor for the
fledgling Ridgefield Symphony Junior Orchestra, an offshoot of
the highly acclaimed Ridgefield Symphony Youth Orchestra. She is
a teacher both at the Greenwich Music Academy and the Greenwich
Music Source and teaches privately as well.
Sue is also Principal Violist with the Norwalk Symphony and
violist for the Tourmaline Quartet, a group she helped found.
She is one of the two longest tenured members of the Ridgefield
Orchestra and serves as chairwoman of the Orchestra Committee
which represents the Orchestra’s members.
Back to top
DOROTHY S. DARLINGTON
by GEORGE LEEMAN
Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra
written 11/23/2005
Many will claim a Symphony Orchestra’s three most important
members are concertmaster, principal oboe, and principal French
horn. Ridgefield has an outstanding trio, with Dorothy
Darlington as oboist. Her beautiful solos in countless works
have been applauded by audience and critics.
Dorothy holds a Bachelors, Masters, and Doctorate of music from
the Eastman School, Michigan State, and Catholic University of
America, respectively. She is also a regular with the Greenwich
Symphony and has been a substitute in the New York Philharmonic
for ten years. She played with the U.S. Marine Band in the White
House under President Reagan for six years. She has appeared on
television with John Williams and Jessie Norman and has also
played on Broadway; she is currently also on the Western
Connecticut University faculty.
Dorothy has two sons, twelve and nine. She is an Adirondack
Forty-Sixer, loves figure skating and gardening, and is a top
producing real estate agent in CT and NY; she lives in
Greenwich.
Back to top
SARA DELLA POSTA
by GEORGE LEEMAN
Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra
written 10/27/2005
Many will claim a Symphony
Orchestra’s three most important members are concertmaster,
principal oboe, and principal French horn. Ridgefield has
an outstanding trio, with Sara Della Posta at the latter
position. Her beautiful horn solos in recent
symphonies—Tchaikovsky’s Fifth, Hanson’s Romantic, Mahler’s Sixth, and
R. Strauss’ Alpine, to name only a few—have been
applauded by audience and critics.
Sara has played with more than
fifteen other orchestras, including Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra
(co-principal) for three years, Greenwich Symphony, and
Connecticut Grand Opera. She has performed in theaters,
including Phantom of the Opera on Broadway and
Westchester Broadway Theater. Sara has several recordings,
including CDs with singers Natalie Cole and Dena DeRose.
She is also choir director and organist at Armonk United
Methodist Church.
Sara holds a Masters from State
University of New York (Purchase). She is married to
Michael Kuennen, who plays bass with the Orchestra, and they
live in New York City.
Back to top
PETKO DIMITROV
by
ERIC RUBURY
Ridgefield Symphony Youth Orchestra
written 10/19/2006
Petko Dimitrov was named the Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra’s
Assistant Conductor in September, 2006. He is also the Music Director
of the Western Connecticut Youth Orchestra. A native of Bulgaria, Mr. Dimitrov is a
2000 graduate of the State Academy of Music in Sofia, the nation’s
capital. He made his conducting debut with the New Symphony Orchestra
in Sofia in 1998 and has since been Principal Guest Conductor of the
Orchestra. His CD of Schubert and Mendelssohn with that Orchestra has
received outstanding reviews. In 2004 he completed his Master’s Degree
in Orchestra Conducting at the University of Michigan. Mr. Dimitrov
recently received his Graduate Performance Diploma in Orchestral
Conducting from the Peabody Conservatory at John Hopkins University in
Baltimore. He is an Assistant Conductor of the Haddonfield Symphony in
New Jersey. In 2007, the Bruno Walter Memorial Foundation awarded Petko its prestigious emerging conductor award.
Back to top
CHRISTINE DONEY
by
ANN HUNTOON
Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra
written 04/06/2006
Christine Doney originally joined the Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra in 1975 as a violist under Beatrice Brown. After years away from the Orchestra, she rejoined in 2004, this time on her main instrument, violin, as part of the First Violin Section.
During high school, Christine attended Juilliard Preparatory School of Music, whose Orchestra lacked violists. Offering to play viola, she became the viola section leader and took on the challenge of learning another instrument in a short period of time.
Christine is currently in her 37th year of playing with the Greenwich Symphony as Assistant Principal 2nd violin. She also performs with other orchestras in the area, as well as being an active chamber music player. She lives in Norwalk with her husband, Christopher, who is a trumpet player in the Greenwich and Bridgeport Symphonies. They first met in 1975 at a Norwalk Symphony rehearsal and had their first date after a Greenwich Symphony concert.
Back to top
T. D. ELLIS
by TRAUG KELLER
Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra
written 09/22/2005
That deep-throated sound, key to so many dramatic and melodious
moments in Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra’s repertoire, comes
from the Bassoon section under the gifted leadership of
Principal Bassoonist T.D. Ellis. He is also Principal Bassoonist
for the Bermuda Philharmonic and plays Bassoon and Contrabassoon
in the Greenwich Symphony, Greater Bridgeport Symphony,
Orchestra New England and others. He owns The Music Source, a
classically-oriented music store in Old Greenwich with a huge
selection of printed music. T.D. Ellis Music Publishing
publishes the works of various composers as well as arrangements
by Mr. Ellis. As a music copyist, he has typeset scores for
musicians worldwide, including Tony Bennett, Elton John, Wynton
Marsalis, Yo Yo Ma, Luciano Pavarotti, Vanessa Williams, the
Boston Pops, Grammy Awards, Kennedy Center Honors and Piglet’s
Big Movie.
He is the Personnel Manager for the Ridgefield Symphony and is
Professor of Bassoon at both Bridgeport and Fairfield
universities.
Back to top
BARBARA FREEDMAN
by
GEORGE LEEMAN
Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra
written 12/07/2006
Percussionist Barbara Ann Freedman has performed with the Orchestra for four years. She also plays timpani and percussion with the Greenwich, Bridgeport, and Norwalk symphonies and has worked with other tri-state orchestras, opera, and ballet companies. Barbara has performed on Broadway, in popular and folk bands and Renaissance ensembles. She received a Masters from Mannes College of Music and studied timpani with Richard Horowitz, one of the Metropolitan Opera’s principal timpanists. Her interest in music of other cultures finds her working in Sephardic (Spanish Jewish community) and Ladino (language derived from Spanish and Hebrew) music. Barbara is currently the director of electronic music and audio engineering and the conductor of the marching band at Greenwich High School. She is also music director of the Sound Beach Volunteer Fire Department Band, Greenwich’s community band, which has a fifty year history of performing on Memorial Day and July 4; it includes Orchestra players Ed Chansky, Dorothy Darlington, and T. D. Ellis.
Back to top
SUSAN GOFF
by MARY KALETTA
Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra
written 12/15/2005
It’s difficult to see petite oboe player, Susan Goff, at
Symphony concerts, but when she plays a solo, everybody listens.
Sue has played oboe and English horn with the Orchestra since
1974.
She is perhaps better known by thousands of former Ridgefield
students, having taught in the school system for thirty years.
Currently she is resident music teacher at Veteran’s Park School
and director of the band at Farmingville School. In 1981 she
received a Fulbright grant and spent a year teaching in England.
Her own teachers include oboe soloist, Humbert Lucarelli; Art
Krilov of the American Symphony; and Tom Stacy of the New York
Philharmonic. In addition to performing in the tri-state area,
she has performed in Hawaii, Great Britain, Bermuda, New Zealand
and Australia.
Susan and her Orchestra musician husband, Arnie Gross, have two
daughters, Kristin, studying viola at the University of
Connecticut, and Lauren, who plays cello.
Back to top
ARNOLD GROSS
by MARY KALETTA
Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra
written 11/10/2005
“Versatile” is the best way to describe percussionist Arnie
Gross, who orchestrated and/or provided dance and vocal
arrangements for innumerable Broadway shows and motion pictures
including “Sugar Babies”, Stephen Sondheim’s “Merrily We Roll
Along”, and the Bob Fosse film, “All That Jazz”, in which he
also performed.
Arnie served as chief arranger for the United States Military
Academy Band at West Point, orchestrated the Emmy Award-winning
NBC-TV children’s series, “Unicorn Tales”, and was musical
director of “Annie” (original Broadway cast) from 1978 to 1983.
Arnie joined the Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra in 1984, and has
served in capacities of stage manager and associate conductor.
His instruments include oboe, English horn, percussion, and
piano.
He has taught arranging at Western Connecticut State University
and currently teaches instrumental classes at the Canterbury
School (New Milford) and the Housatonic Valley School (Newtown).
Back to top
MILA GUFELD
by
MARY KALETTA
Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra
written 03/02/2006
Mila Gufeld, violinist, brings the background of her native Russia to the Orchestra. She started taking private lessons at age five, and is a graduate of the State Conservatory of Odessa. For seven years she toured the Soviet Union with the Orchestra of Odessa Music Theatre.
Twenty-eight years ago Mila emigrated to the United States, and since then, has played with orchestras throughout Westchester County, New Jersey, and New York City, where she performed with the Camerata New York Orchestra at Lincoln Center. She joined the Orchestra two years ago.
When asked the difference between playing here and in Russia, she stressed that Russian conductors are extremely demanding and attentive to detail, not unlike conductor of the Orchestra, for whom she has great respect and admiration.
Mila lives in Scarsdale, NY with her husband. They have a son and daughter, both graduates of American universities.
Back to top
RACHEL HANDMAN
by
MARY KALETTA
Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra
written 10/05/2006
Rachel Handman, Principal Second Violin of the Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra, lives and works in the Hudson Valley. She is member of the Hudson Valley Philharmonic, the Tourmaline String Quartet, and, as part of the Botticelli Chamber Players, has experienced the powerful effects of music's healing nature, playing string trios in the Dyson Cancer Center.
During her career Ms. Handman has toured Europe with “My Fair Lady” and has worked as an actress, singer and musician in the Off-Broadway musical-comedy “Oil City Symphony.”
Her travels led her to South America, where she performed with the Simfonica Nacional de Bolivia and improvised with a Salsa band, Guapacha. She has three CDs made with her former group, “Barebones and Wildflowers,” specializing in acoustic folk and blue grass.
An extremely versatile musician, she freelances throughout New York and Connecticut, teaches privately, and coaches in summer programs in Port Milford, Canada and Poughkeepsie, NY.
Back to top
KEITH HEDIN
by TRAUG KELLER
Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra
written 01/26/2006
Keith Hedin doesn’t even have to be backed into a corner to admit he’s a Cleveland Indians fan. After all, Keith says, he is a native of Ohio. But he also plays a superb viola with the Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra and has since 1994.
He received a Bachelor’s degree in music from the Hartt School of Music in 1979 and since then has been a string educator in the Stamford and Newtown public schools. He took his Master’s Degree in Music Education from Western Connecticut State University.
He performed with the Norwalk Symphony for 17 years and has been a member of the Concert Society Chamber Orchestra since 1993. He was treasurer of the Connecticut-American String Teachers Assn. for 10 years. He lives in Newtown with his wife Wendy, a violinist, and their son, Kai, both Indian fans, Keith adds.
Back to top
TOD HEDRICK
by
GEORGE LEEMAN
Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra
written 07/20/2006
Tod Hedrick is a versatile bassist who plays classical, popular, jazz, and rock. He has played in the Orchestra for five years and also the Greenwich Symphony Orchestra, numerous small orchestras, opera companies, and chamber groups.
He played in “West Side Story” in China in 2005; in a musical revue in Iceland and Scotland with World Stage Concerts & Tours; and in many productions of musicals, such as “Guys and Dolls,” “Hello Dolly,” and “Cabaret.”
Tod has played at many of New York City’s most important venues, including Birdland, where he played for over four years. In 1999 his jazz septet performed in the Atrium at Madison Square Garden before the NBA playoffs. He also composes for his new quartet. He has played with the folk/rock singer Jacob, performing at the Sidewalk Café and Arlene Grocery, and is a member of the rock band Station 23, playing several times a year at Greenwich Village’s Bitter End.
Back to top
MARGARET HILL
by
GEORGE LEEMAN
Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra
written 07/13/2006
Meg Hill has played violin with the Orchestra for 10 years. She began violin with her mother at age 5. Her parents, both musicians, surrounded her with music, ranging from festive chamber music parties to her mother’s madrigal group.
After earning her Bachelors from Oberlin in violin, she played in the Kalamazoo Symphony and Honors String Quartet at Western Michigan University. Moving to New York, she established herself as a skilled teacher, teaching at three community musical schools and creating her own studio. At 25 she became director of the Suzuki String Department at Westchester Conservatory of Music, where she stayed for 10 years.
One of Meg’s proudest achievements is her creation of the chamber music camp, Music at Port Milford (www.mpmcamp.org) in Ontario, Canada. She has directed it for 20 years, and the camp has become a tremendous success, attracting students throughout the world and winning the Heidi Castleman/Gruber award for excellence in Chamber Music Teaching in 1995.
Back to top
JENNIFER MALONE HOBBS
by
GEORGE LEEMAN
Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra
written 09/14/2006
Jennifer Hobbs has played violin in the Orchestra for eight years. She received a Bachelors in music and history from Bowdoin and a Masters in music from the University of Connecticut. She has taught violin, from Suzuki to advanced, and has been a soloist and chamber musician for more than twenty years. For the last twelve years she has taught at the Kent School in Kent, CT, where she is director and conductor of the string Orchestra and full Orchestra and has taught many courses, including violin, viola, music history, and music theory. She also spent a season as an assistant manager for the Hartford Symphony Orchestra, coordinating school programs and interacting with guest artists.
Jennifer lives in Kent with her husband, a physics teacher and coach at the Kent School, and two children. Some of her favorite hobbies are writing and telling children’s stories, cooking, arts and crafts, hiking, and traveling.
Back to top
DARLENE KAUKORANTA
by
GEORGE LEEMAN
Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra
written 05/25/2006
Darlene Kaukoranta plays French horn with the Orchestra. She grew up in a musical Finnish family and plays horn, piano, and accordion. She was trained at Boston University, and all of her major instructors are former or current members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. She has received awards in competitions from Monterey, CA to Westport, CT.
Darlene’s orchestral credits include the Hudson Valley Philharmonic, Greenwich Symphony, Brooklyn Philharmonic, and the New York Virtuosi, among others. She has performed on Broadway for Cats, Les Misérables, and Phantom of the Opera, as well as tours of Evita, Peter Pan, and The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber. She began substituting for the Radio City Christmas Spectacular in 2005.
Darlene currently teaches in Dobbs Ferry, NY. She remarks, “One of the biggest benefits of my career is the opportunity to do extensive traveling nationally and internationally with my husband (percussionist David Nyberg, who has played with the Orchestra).” They live in Yonkers, NY.
Back to top
MARY JANE KUBECK-RODGERS
by GEORGE LEEMAN
Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra
written 09/08/2005
One of the two musicians responsible for the phenomenal clarinet playing in the Dvorak Serenade at the Dec. 3, 2005 concert was Mary Jane Kubeck-Rodgers, who has been in the Orchestra since 1979. She has a doctorate from the Manhattan School of Music and has received several music performance fellowships from Bowdoin, the Hartt School, and Yale. She has played with several orchestras in the area, including Waterbury, Chappaqua, and the Dance Theater of Harlem. She has many years of teaching experience, from college to elementary school; she currently teaches at Redding, where she won the teacher of the year award for 2003-2004. One of her most memorable musical experiences was escorting Wynton Marsalis to an audition at the Manhattan School!
Mary Jane met Andrew Rodgers when they both started playing in the Orchestra, and they were married four years later. They live in New Fairfield with their two daughters.
Back to top
MICHAEL KUENNEN
by GEORGE LEEMAN
Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra
written 01/19/2006
Michael Kuennen is a versatile
Double Bass player. He has performed in more than twenty
orchestras throughout the United States, including Tulsa
Philharmonic (assistant principal), Cedar Rapids Symphony
(principal), Ohio Light Opera Orchestra in Wooster (principal),
New Haven Symphony, Connecticut Grand Opera, and several
orchestras in Boston.
He plays theater and popular music
and has appeared in Carnegie Hall, with the New York Pops, and
in many New York shows. He has played in The Producers and Beauty and the Beast on Broadway, as well as Jolson & Company, Nothing Like a Dame, and Mame.
Mike has an active recording
career, ranging from Dvorák’s Greatest Hits to Chocolate Soldier and Jolson & Company. He just
completed playing in the soundtrack recording for the movie The Producers.
Mike holds a Masters from Boston
University. He is married to Sara Della Posta, principal French
horn with the Orchestra, and they live in New York City.
Back
to top
MARK KUSHNIR
by
GEORGE LEEMAN
Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra
written 12/21/2006
Violinist Mark Kushnir has played with the Orchestra for 9 years. He started violin at age ten, and a turning point was an encouraging hotel room audition at age 15 with the famous Korean soloist Young Uck Kim. He received his Bachelors from the Cleveland Institute of Music, his Masters from Sarah Lawrence, and training in Suzuki Pedagogy from the School for Strings in New York City. When he played with the Laurentian String Quartet, it won the Artists International Young musicians Competition in 1981. In 1983 he joined the faculty at the prestigious Hoff-Barthelson Music School in Scarsdale and has been teaching there ever since. Other orchestras he has performed with include the Westchester Symphony, Bronx Chamber Orchestra, Chappaqua Chamber Orchestra, Staten Island Symphony, Lyndhurst Festival Orchestra, Empire Pops Orchestra, and the Hudson Valley Philharmonic. He also plays in several chamber ensembles, including the Greenville Chamber Players, Hudson Highlands String Quartet, and Aves Musicum.
Back to top
LORETTA LAZARIS
by
MARY KALETTA
Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra
written 06/08/2006
Violinist Loretta Lazaris has been with the Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra since 1998 and regularly performs with the Wallingford and Norwalk Symphony Orchestras, as well as instructing string classes in the Fairfield Public Schools.
She received her Bachelors degree from Indiana University, under the tutelage of Daniel Guilet of the Beaux Arts Trio and Tadeusz Wronski, and her Masters from Central Connecticut University.
She freelanced with Symphonies in Connecticut and Long Island before moving to the Philadelphia area, where she performed with the Delaware, Princeton, and Reading Symphony Orchestras as well as “Peter Nero and the Philly Pops”.
A two year hiatus from Philadelphia was spent in Cali, Colombia, serving as principal 2nd violin and associate concertmistress of the Orquesta Sinfónica del Valle.
When time permits, Loretta is composing works for violin, string quartet, and Orchestra. In Weston, she is also a Reiki healer and presents workshops in psychic development.
Back to top
WENDY KERNER LUCAS
by MARY KALETTA
Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra
written 09/29/2005
Wendy Kerner Lucas and the harp are synonymous in music circles.
Born in Westport and educated at Juilliard, she started playing
the instrument at age seven. Now she is principal harpist for
the Ridgefield, Bridgeport, and Norwalk Symphonies, and a member
of several chamber groups, including The Fontenay Chamber
Players, The Glorian Duo, and Themselves,
which is dedicated to Irish music. The winner of numerous
awards, she is a prolific educator and passionate champion of
her instrument.
Wendy enjoys playing for special occasions. One of her more interesting experiences was playing for Hillary Clinton, a harp lover, when she was First Lady. When the secret service man approached Wendy, she feared a search, but he only wanted to make a request—“Moon River”.
Wendy, who lives in New Canaan with her supportive husband, joined the RSO in 1984.
As a veteran
performer, she has enjoyed watching the Orchestra grow and
flourish under current director, Sidney Rothstein. And audiences
have delighted in the angelic sounds produced by her grand
instrument.
Back to top
JAMES MARBURY
by
MARY KALETTA
Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra
written 03/30/2006
The Orchestra may not have “76 Trombones”, but it does have Jim Marbury, who creates a beautiful sound on that instrument.
Jim started playing the trombone in sixth grade. He received his Bachelor’s degree in music from the University of Bridgeport in 1984, the same year that he joined the Orchestra. He later earned his Master’s from SUNY Stony Brook.
Jim loves all types of music. Not only does he play classical with the Ridgefield and Norwalk Symphonies and the Connecticut Symphony Band, but jazz with the New Haven Jazz Orchestra, and rock with the Atwood Express. An appearance with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra introduced him to Sinatra impersonators, Rob Zupulla and Walt Andrus, which led to performances with their bands. On Broadway, he played a season with the musical, “A Spinning Tale.”
He lives in Stratford and currently teaches private students for Stratford, Fairfield, Wilton, Newtown, and Monroe School Systems.
Back to top
MARGARITA NULLER
by
GEORGE LEEMAN
Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra
written 12/14/2006
Margarita Nuller has been a pianist with the Orchestra for five years. She was born in St. Petersburg, Russia and received her Bachelors and Masters from St. Petersburg Conservatory. Since emigrating to the United States in 1990, she has performed extensively as a soloist and chamber musician in the New York metropolitan area and New England. Margarita presented a debut recital at Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall in 2000 as a winner of the Artists International Auditions. She was an Artist-in-Residence at the Shandalee (NY), Silver Bay (Kent, CT), and Conde de Gondomar (Bayona, Spain) music festivals. Her most recent performances include solos with the North Arkansas Symphony and Chamber Orchestra of Puerto Rico. She was on the faculty of the University of Hartford and the Mussorgsky College of Music (Russia). Margarita currently has a private studio in New Fairfield, CT. She produced a CD of Balakirev and Rachmaninoff piano music in 2003.
Back to top
SILVIA PADEGS GRENDZE
by
GEORGE LEEMAN
Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra
written 08/17/2006
Silvia Padegs Grendze has been a violinist in the Orchestra for over ten years. Her parents were astounded to hear Silvia singing in perfect tune at 6 months of age, and two years later she began violin with Japanese disciples of Suzuki. She continued her studies at the Manhattan School of Music for five years. She then began freelancing up and down the east coast, playing with orchestras from Boston, MA to Charleston, SC. She also sang professionally with choirs. She played in major halls such as Alice Tully Hall, Carnegie Hall, and the Kennedy Center, as well as in halls in Europe, South America, and Australia. Currently her primary career is in the U.S.
Silvia observes, “This Orchestra is unusual. Not only have many of the musicians known and played with each other for years, they continue to socialize with each other outside of the musical venue. This unites the Orchestra and enhances the quality of its music making.”
Back to top
ZAKHARY PARANYUK
by
GEORGE LEEMAN
Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra
written 01/04/2007
Cellist Zakhary Paranyuk has played with the Orchestra for eight years. He frequently appears with the Hartford Symphony, Brooklyn Chamber Orchestra, and Westchester Philharmonic. He and his wife, violinist Natalya Shamis, are in the Harmony String Quartet and frequently perform in piano trios with pianists Margarita Nuller and Max Vladimiroff.
He received his Masters from Kiev State Conservatory in the former Soviet Union. He performed as a soloist and a member of full orchestras and chamber ensembles throughout the Soviet Union and in numerous tours to Asia, Latin America, and several countries in Europe.
Zakhary emigrated to the United States in 1992. He lived in New York City for several years and played with many orchestras and chamber groups in the tri-state area. He moved to Danbury in 1998, where he maintains a private studio for teaching cello. He also teaches cello as part of the Visiting Artists Program in Newtown High School and has performed in musicals there.
Back to top
ANDREW RODGERS
by MARY KALETTA
Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra
written 02/16/2006
Not until he reached college, did Andrew Rodgers prioritize his
music above athletics—soccer and track. A student of the tuba,
he received a bachelor’s degree in music at Western Connecticut
State University, where he now teaches brass. He earned his
masters at Juilliard.
Andy has played with major orchestras throughout the New
York/Connecticut area, as well as performing for numerous
Broadway shows, movie sound tracks, and record labels.
Currently he plays with the Opera Orchestra of New York and the
Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra, of which he and his wife,
clarinetist Mary Jane Kubeck-Rodgers, have been members since
they met in 1978.
The holiday season finds Andy commuting to Radio City Music
Hall, where he has played since 1983—2500 performances to date.
“I have to warn newcomers about the moving stage,” he says.
“musicians are known to suffer from vertigo while they’re
performing there, and you definitely don’t want to fall off the
platform.”
Back to top
JOSEPH RUSSO
by
GEORGE LEEMAN
Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra
written 06/29/2006
Joe Russo has played bass with the Orchestra for 5 years and has a three-pronged musical career.
As an instrumentalist he freelances in the tri-state area. He played bass for the New Haven Symphony for fifteen years. He now performs with the Hartford Symphony and Springfield (MA) Symphony and is manager and Principal Bass of Orchestra New England in New Haven. He also played in the “Phantom of the Opera” National Tour and in “Fiddler on the Roof” and “Camelot” on Broadway.
As a teacher he has taught string bass and piano privately for the last 25 years. He has given master classes at Yale and in many school systems throughout Connecticut. He has also coached various chamber ensembles.
As a composer he has written several works, including a Symphony and multi-instrument concertos, for chamber groups, bands, and orchestras. He was trained in composition at Yale and Juilliard. He serves on the Youth Orchestra’s board and lives in Weston.
Back to top
GUNNAR SAHLIN
by
GEORGE LEEMAN
Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra
written 09/21/2006
Gunnar Sahlin plays cello with the Orchestra. He studied cello at the Academy of Music in Prague, Czechoslovakia, for three years and had a sabbatical to Juilliard in 1979–1980. During 1975–1988 he was a permanent member of the Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra in Sweden. He toured with that Orchestra all over Europe and in the United States, playing with world famous soloists and conductors. The Orchestra also appears at the annual Nobel Prize Ceremonies at the Stockholm Concert Hall. In 1987 Gunnar had the opportunity to perform for and learn from Yo-Yo Ma in a Master Class at the Stockholm Concert Hall.
Gunnar freelances in Connecticut and New York and is principal cellist of the Norwalk Symphony Orchestra. He teaches all age groups at the Riverside School of Music in Greenwich, and he is also a reference librarian at Norwalk Community College during the day. He is married to the Orchestra's principal violist, Suzanne Corey-Sahlin.
Back to top
DAVID SAPHRA
by
GEORGE LEEMAN
Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra
written 07/27/2006
Dave Saphra has played bass with the Orchestra for 15 years. He has two Masters degrees, in music performance and elementary school education.
Dave has taught in the New York City elementary schools for over 20 years. He also uses his computer knowledge to enhance his teaching. Examples include making tools for sight reading, creating websites with sound files and sheet music, and sharing programs for composing and learning song lyrics.
Dave is an expert on the lyra viol, described in his web site (www.lyraviol.org). The viol is a family of 16th-18th century string instruments different from the violin family, with six or seven strings instead of four. The lyra viol is a smaller bass for which many tuning systems are available to achieve different sonorities and qualities of resonance.
Dave lives in Irvington, NY with his wife, son, and two daughters. His sixteen-year old daughter Miriam is already playing flute and piccolo with remarkable style and virtuosity.
Back to top
MICHELLE STEWART
by
GEORGE LEEMAN
Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra
written 11/22/2006
Violinist Michelle Stewart has played with the Orchestra for eleven years and also plays in the Hudson Valley Philharmonic. She studied in New York City at the Performing Arts High School, Mannes College of Music, and Manhattan School of Music where she earned her Bachelors. She won the Lincoln Center Chamber Music Society competition and has performed at Alice Tully Hall, Carnegie Hall, and Merkin Hall. Michelle has also performed with James Taylor, Ray Charles, Dionne Warwick, and Richie Havens. She also enjoys doing Middle Eastern, Irish, and country fiddling. She is the sole violinist on the newest CD of Gary Portnoy, the well-known composer of the theme songs for the television shows “Cheers” and “Punky Brewster.” Her Amante String Quartet has an established reputation for playing at weddings. She has been a certified Suzuki teacher for twenty years and has her own studio in Kingston, NY.
Back to top
BERNARD TAMOSAITIS
by
TRAUG KELLER
Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra
written 03/16/2006
Like so many of the musicians, cellist Bernard Tamosaitis brought a rich and varied background with him when he joined the Orchestra in 2000. A Brooklyn native, he had graduated from Juilliard with a B.A. in violoncello and gone on to become a principal of the Bellas Artes Orchestra of Mexico City and later a member of the Quinteto de Xalapa chamber ensemble at the University of Vera Cruz. He performed extensively throughout Mexico and Latin America.
As cello soloist he performed on tour with the New York Symphonic Ensemble and with the Sinfonica de El Salvador, the Sound Shore and St. Thomas orchestras.
Mr. Tamosaitis is the founder and Music Director of the St. Thomas Orchestra of Mamaroneck, NY which he founded in 2002. In 2005 the Orchestra was awarded an Arts Alive grant from the Westchester Council of the Arts and the Exxon-Mobil Corp. He lives in Rye Neck with his wife, pianist Sayuri Ida, and children Alexis and Lori.
Back to top
KATHY TAYLOR
by
GEORGE LEEMAN
Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra
written 12/28/2006
Kathy Taylor has played clarinet and bass clarinet in the Orchestra for four years. An alumna of the Juilliard School, she studied with the legendary Leon Russianoff. She is a member of the Connecticut Grand Opera, Stamford Chamber Orchestra, and Greater Bridgeport Symphony Orchestra and is on the latter’s Board of Trustees. She also performs regularly with the New Haven, Hartford, and Stamford Symphonies.
Kathy has been a featured artist at the Newport Music Festival and the Windham, NY Festival. She teaches and gives master classes throughout the country at high schools, colleges, and universities. She was principal clarinetist in the American Sinfonietta 2001 European tour and is an extra in the Orchestra of the Disney production of “Beauty and the Beast” on Broadway. She plays in the Fontenay Chamber Players with harpist Wendy Kerner Lucas
and the Borealis Wind Quintet. The quintet’s CD “A La Carte” was a 2006 Grammy Nominee for Best Classical Chamber Music Performance.
Back to top
JOHN CHARLES THOMAS
by ANN HUNTOON
Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra
written 11/03/2005
The performance of John Charles Thomas, the principal trumpet
with the Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra, was described in a
Ridgefield Press review of Copland’s Quiet City as “impressive
both musically and dramatically.”
Another Press review, this time of Symphonie fantastique by
Berlioz, read “...Particular high points were the lovely second
movement waltz, featuring on this occasion a seldom-heard cornet
à piston obbligato, beautifully played by John Charles Thomas.”
John has performed with the New York Philharmonic as well as
many other orchestras both in the United States and in Europe.
In addition to orchestral concerts, he plays in the Grammy
Award-winning Chesnut Brass Company among other groups. He
currently teaches trumpet privately in New York City and at
Bard.
Back to top
KATHLEEN THOMSON
by
MARY KALETTA
Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra
written 06/01/2006
Violinist Kathleen Thomson is a native of Minneapolis, where, as a three-time competition winner, she soloed with the orchestras of Chicago and Green Bay, as well as her home town. A relative newcomer to the RSO, she is impressed with the warm reception of the community.
Kathleen earned a Master of Music degree from the Manhattan School of Music as a scholarship student of Raphael Bronstein and Ariana Bronne. She has performed at Carnegie, Town, and Avery Fisher Halls, as well as the Royal Albert Hall in London and the Spoleto Festival in Italy. She also performs here with the Stamford Symphony.
Committed to chamber music, she is a founding member of the Manhattan Chamber Artists and the Palisades Chamber Players, and is violinist for a number of string ensembles, with classical as well as contemporary venues.
She lives in Westchester County with her husband and two young children.
Back to top
LAKSHMI THORNE
by
TRAUG KELLER
Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra
written 05/04/2006
Like so many of the Orchestra’s talented musicians, Lakshmi Thorne is a gifted teacher of the viola and violin. A member of the Orchestra since 2002, Lakshmi is currently teaching at both the Riverside (CT) Music School and the Riverside Arts Council in Hastings-on-Hudson while playing regularly with the Westchester Chamber Orchestra and the Norwalk Symphony in addition to her role as a member of Suzanne Corey-Sahlin’s viola section in Ridgefield.
She graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelors from the Hartt School at the University of Hartford and graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Masters from SUNY at Purchase, both degrees in Viola Performance.
Lakshmi is also the founder of The Devonshire Players (www.thedevonshireplayers.com), a group that plays mainly as a string quartet for all special occasions, including weddings, cocktail hours, banquets, and much more.
With business experience with several other arts and music organizations Lakshmi has been able to serve effectively as music librarian for the Orchestra.
Back to top
MERCY VAILLANCOURT
by
GEORGE LEEMAN
Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra
written 08/31/2006
Mercy Vaillancourt has been a violist in the Orchestra for six years. She played piano at age 9 and clarinet at age 10. However, after hearing a fiddler accompany a singer, she began violin lessons at age 12. Four years later she switched to viola and successfully auditioned for the prestigious Boston University Tanglewood Institute, where she took private lessons with Boston Symphony Orchestra players.
Mercy graduated from the Hartt School in 1999 with a degree in music education and landed a job in the Greenwich school system. She has taught there for the past eight years. She runs her own private teaching studio at the Music Source and has played with the Greenwich and Norwalk Symphonies. She has varied tastes, liking classical, Latin, Irish, and popular music.
She observes, “This Orchestra is unusual in that the viola section has played as a unit for many years. Sue Corey-Sahlin is a wonderful leader, and the members work well together.”
Back to top
JOHN VOSS
by
GEORGE LEEMAN
Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra
written 03/23/2006
Cellist John Voss has played nonstop with the Orchestra since 1982, several times as Principal Cellist. He remembers hearing at age 9 the Philadelphia Orchestra playing Tchaikovsky’s Manfred Symphony, with its opening rich in cellos and basses; he began studying cello that year. He earned a Bachelors and Masters from Manhattan School of Music and started teaching thirty years ago. He was hired into the Scarsdale school system in 1984 by the late Sid Case of Ridgefield; he currently teaches students in the middle school and high school chamber orchestra there.
Looking back on the Orchestra, John says, “It has improved over the years and is now playing on a high standard. Sid Rothstein has raised the caliber of the string sections, and many of the other sections were always strong.”
John lives in Monroe, NY. His older son is a rock musician, and his younger son is trained in politics and economics.
Back to top
KERRY WALKER
by MARY KALETTA
Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra
written 02/09/2006
The RSO has its own “magic flutist” in the person of vivacious Kerry Walker.
Kerry, who received her PhD from Texas Tech University, attributes her undergraduate success to mentor, Judith Bentley, at the University of Michigan. In New York, she came to the attention of Julius Baker, with whom she studied and later performed dual recitals.
A dozen years ago Beatrice Brown, former conductor of the Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra, was looking for a flutist and contacted Mr. Baker. Upon his recommendation, Kerry joined the RSO, eventually becoming Principal Flutist. In addition to orchestral playing, she performs with the chamber groups, Ridgewinds, Prometheus, and Dual Expressions, with whom she recently produced a CD.
She is a full professor at Western Connecticut State University, where she teaches Flute Performance and Music History, and directs the Julius Baker Master Classes and the National High School Flute Institute, both held annually at the Mid-town campus.
Back to top
MELISSA WESTGATE
by ANN HUNTOON
Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra
written 12/08/2005
Courtney Caublé’s 2004 review of Rachmaninoff’s Capriccio
bohémien includes the following: “...an early work providing
much lovely gypsy-inspired lyricism. Especially notable were the
rich, full-throated sounds of the Ridgefield Symphony
Orchestra’s string section and the expressive solo cello
passages played by principal cellist Melissa Westgate.”
On a full scholarship Melissa earned her bachelor’s of music at
the Hartt School and won the Emerson String Quartet Student
Competition. She received a master’s of music from the Manhattan
School of Music also on a full scholarship.
With a string quartet, Melissa toured Russia where she played
solo works as well as chamber music. She also performed in the
New York String Orchestra together with Isaac Stern and Jamie
Laredo. In addition to the Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra,
Melissa Westgate plays with the Tourmaline String Quartet and
teaches privately.
Back to top
EDWARD WOJTOWICZ
by
GEORGE LEEMAN
Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra
written 03/09/2005
The musician responsible for the fantastic solos in the Dvorak Serenade (December 2005) and the Mozart Sinfonia concertante (January 2006) is Edward Wojtowicz, who has been Principal Clarinetist with the Orchestra for almost 20 years. He has a Masters from Juilliard and is regularly asked to play with major orchestras such as New Haven, Greater Bridgeport, Orchestra New England, and Norwalk. He has toured Japan, playing with the New Sousa Band. He has also worked with well-known artists from classical (e.g. Jessye Norman and Joshua Bell) to popular (e.g. Judy Collins and Skitch Henderson).
When Ed played the Mozart Clarinet Concerto with the Orchestra, a board member (also a clarinetist) followed along with a score and concluded that the performance was flawless.
Ed was an inspiring teacher and role model in the Ridgefield schools for 15 years and has been at the Norwalk schools for the past 5 years. He lives with his wife and son in Newtown.
Back to top
DAVID WONSEY
by TRAUG KELLER
Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra
written 10/13/2005
Ridgefielders who saw David Wonsey’s solo performance of the
Russell Peck “Harmonic Rhythm Concerto for Timpani and
Orchestra” in 2003 at the high school still talk about it. As
music critic Courtenay Caublé pointed out then, “The long
standing ovation, the bravos and the whistles were all for David
Wonsey. He was terrific.”
As timpanist and Principal Percussionist David’s talents are on
display at each of the Ridgefield Symphony’s concerts even while
he displays those talents in venues varying from Carnegie Hall
to Ale Mary’s Pub. He has performed with the North Carolina
Symphony, the Brooklyn Opera and the New England Consort. He has
been playing drum sets since the age of eight, snare drums since
seven and a world champion at sixteen and has taught, composed
for and performed with dozens of pipe bands throughout the east
coast.
He is an assistant professor at Fordham’s Marymount Campus and
an adjunct Professor at Kent and Wooster Schools, teaches
privately and runs seminars nationwide.
Back to top
ANDREW WOODRUFF
by
GEORGE LEEMAN
Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra
written 08/03/2006
Andy Woodruff has performed as a cellist with the orchestra for seven years and pursues dual careers in professional music and electrical engineering.
He has a Master’s degree in electrical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and 30 years of engineering experience. His work has led him in several diverse directions, such as designing equipment for offshore oil rigs, taking magnetic measurements above the arctic circle, and designing surgical tools.
In music, Andy’s principal teacher was Ronald Feldman of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Andy currently performs in various ensembles and teaches 20 cello students. He is one of a handful of musicians who have performed in every Orchestra concert for the last three seasons.
Andy loves both classical and non-classical musical styles—including Celtic music and jazz—and he particularly likes to perform for dancers. For instance, he recently performed English country dance music in a violin-cello-accordion trio for the annual Hartford Ball.
Back to top
LAURA WRIGHT
by
GEORGE LEEMAN
Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra
written 08/24/2006
Laura Wright has been a violinist in the Orchestra for 15 years. She has Masters degrees in violin performance and Suzuki pedagogy from the Cleveland Institute of Music and studied at the Interlochen and Tanglewood summer music festivals.
She has played throughout the United States, with over a dozen orchestras, and she currently plays with the Bridgeport, Ridgefield, and Wallingford Symphonies and freelances throughout Connecticut.
With over twenty years of teaching experience at all levels, Ms. Wright currently maintains two private studios, in Easton and New Haven, and is the violin instructor at the Wintergreen Interdistrict Arts Magnet School in Hamden, CT. She taught at the International Suzuki Institute in Melbourne, Australia in 1994 and played several years with the Bermuda Philharmonic and Chamber Orchestra. She has been performing for the music therapy program at Griffin Hospital in Derby, CT for more than ten years.
Laura lives in Hamden with her husband Michael Pierce, and they are expecting their first child in October.
Back to top