DISCOVER
Orchestra Musicians
James Lowe
MUSIC DIRECTOR
James Lowe, 45, the Music Director and Conductor of the Spokane Symphony, was selected after an extensive, two-year international search.
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Conductors
Dr. Meg Stohlmann
Conductor
Dr. Meg Stohlmann
CONDUCTOR
Dr. Meg Stohlmann is the director of choral and vocal studies at Gonzaga University where she conducts the Glee Club, Concert Choir and Chamber Singers. In addition, Meg also serves as the director of the Spokane Symphony Chorale. Most recently, she served as assistant professor of choral music education in the Hayes School of Music at Appalachian State University in North Carolina. There she conducted the Appalachian Glee Club, Appalachian Chorale, Appalachian Youth Chorale, and mentored many pre-service music educators. Dr. Stohlmann is an active member of the American Choral Directors Association and serves on the Northwest region’s board. She was also selected as one of six conductors to participate in the ACDA International Conductor’s Exchange program. She will host a conductor from Germany and travel to Germany in the summer of 2023 to represent the United States. Originally from Santa Rosa, California, Meg taught choir and guitar at the middle and high school level in Lexington, KY for six years and conducted the Danville Children’s Choir. Her children’s choir and high school advanced women’s choirs performed at the Kentucky Music Educators State Conference in 2014 and 2015, respectively. She earned her Doctoral of Musical Arts Degree at the University of Washington and Masters degree in Voice Performance and Choral Conducting from the University of Kentucky. A graduate of the United States Air Force Academy, Meg also served on active duty in the Air Force for 5 years in Arizona, Korea and Germany. She separated from the military in 2004 to pursue a second bachelor’s degree in Music Education at Sonoma State University. Meg’s lifelong love of choral music began as a charter member of the Santa Rosa Children’s Chorus where she sang for over 10 years and credits with her decision to make music education her career.
Violin I
Mateusz Wolski
Violin I, Concertmaster
Florence Wasmer Chair
Mateusz Wolski
VIOLIN I, CONCERTMASTER
Mateusz Wolski was born in Warsaw, Poland where he began his musical training at the age of seven. He studied at the Szymanowski Musical High School and the Chopin Music Academy in Warsaw before traveling to the U.S. to attend Manhattan School of Music. It was there, with full scholarship, that he completed his bachelor's and master's degrees under the tutelage of New York Philharmonic Concertmaster Glenn Dicterow.
Mateusz has enjoyed a distinguished solo career both in the U.S. and abroad. Recent performances include the Beethoven Violin Concerto; Sibelius Violin Concerto in D Minor; Paganini First Violin Concerto; Karlowicz Violin Concerto; Wieniawski Second Violin Concerto in D Minor and Polonaise in A Major; Mozart Concerto in G Major and Simphonia Concertante; Bach Violin Concerto in A Minor and Double Concerto; Waxman Carmen Fantasie; Sarasate Carmen Fantasy; Brahms Double Concerto; and Vivaldi Four Seasons.
As an orchestral musician, he has played with New York Philharmonic in over 200 concerts and four international tours, as well as with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and National Philharmonic. Also an enthusiastic chamber musician, he has appeared in New York City at Weill Hall, Merkin Concert Hall, 92nd Street Y, the Kosciuszko Foundation, and on radio broadcasts with WQXR. International appearances have included Wigmore Hall in London and the Mozarteum in Salzburg, as well as several engagements throughout Poland, Italy, England and Germany.
Mateusz has had the privilege to play under the batons of many of the most distinguished conductors of our time, including Lorin Maazel, Yuri Temirkanov, Kurt Masur, Gerard Schwartz, Christoph Eschenbach, Valery Giergiev, Charles Dutoit, George Manahan, Zdenec Macal, and Pinchas Zucherman.
Mateusz has recorded for dozens of movie soundtracks, including The Good Shepherd, The Departed, The Manchurian Candidate, Hitch, Intolerable Cruelty, The Rookie and Failure to Launch, as well as solo CDs of Audra MacDonald and Donny Osmond.
He performs on a violin owned by the Spokane Symphony that was crafted by Italian master Carlo Landolfi in 1779.
Erica Uzcátegui Campíns
Violin I, Associate Concertmaster
Carol L. Herak Chair
Erica Uzcátegui Campíns
VIOLIN I, ASSOCIATE CONCERTMASTER
Hailed as “A great soloist of the next generation” by Ruggiero Ricci, Erica Uzcátegui Campíns made her debut as soloist in Los Angeles, California at the age of 11 with the New West Symphony. Since then, her engagements include solo performances with the St. Petersburg State Symphony Orchestra in Russia, the Kiev Fantastic Orchestra and the Kiev Lyatoshynsky Ensemble in Ukraine, the Asunción Symphony in Paraguay, and the Bacchanalia Chamber Orchestra in New York City, USA. She was a featured soloist during the Irvine Classical Players tour to France, performing in 3 cities and playing the final concert in La Madeleine in Paris. Her upcoming solo engagements include a 10-city concert tour in Venezuela and the Pacific Academy Foundation Orchestra's European Tour, where the final performance will be a benefit concert for the Novak Djokovic Foundation.
Erica has been a member of several award-winning chamber ensembles including the Matisse Quartet. In addition to chamber series recitals throughout the Midwest and East Coast, Matisse Quartet activities included performing for an interview concert with Philip Glass, performing for Queen Sheikha Mozah in Doha, Qatar, and an Artist’s Residency at the Banff Centre in Canada. Her chamber music mentors include Leon Fleisher, Dawn Upshaw, Joel Krosnick, and Noah Bendix-Balgley.
Passionate about interdisciplinary collaboration, Erica performed at the TED headlining event TEDSummit 2016 with Joshua Roman, “Blinky Bill” Sellanga and Iyeoka Okoawo, commemorating the life of Prince. She was the soloist for a concert at the Skirball Museum honoring Albert Einstein and has played several collaborative visual arts concerts in museums including the Carnegie Museum of Art, the Miller Institute for Contemporary Art, and the Gene Autry Museum. She is featured in “The Staff of Mercury” as violin soloist in a documentary about the healing power of music which will be distributed by Sony and PBS in 2020.
Understanding the power music has to change lives, Erica seeks to be a musical ambassador in society which has led her to perform through several organizations bringing enrichment and education to everyone in the community. She has conducted several lecture concerts through Elderhostel and Osher Lifelong Learning Institute and performed through organizations such as Musicians with a Mission and Meet the Maestro, that offer music education and enrichment to the elderly and youth. While in Baltimore, Erica often performed in the Children’s Wing at the Hopkins Cancer Center.
Ms. Uzcátegui Campíns was awarded 1st Prize at the Burgos International Competition, the Pittsburgh Concert Society Major Artist Audition, and the Summit Music Festival International Competition. She has been a Solo Artist in Residence at the Banff Centre and has played concertmaster under conductors Leon Fleisher, Gerard Schwarz, Joseph Silverstein, Rob Kapilow, Ian Hobson, Andrés Cárdenes, Brad Keimach, Eckart Preu, and Jorge Luis Uzcátegui. She is currently the Associate Concertmaster of the Spokane Symphony.
Erica is Artistic Coordinator and Teaching Artist for Music Innovates, an intensive orchestral training program modeled after "El Sistema" in Venezuela. This collaboration between the Spokane Symphony and Spokane Public Schools provides free classical music
instruction to underprivileged students 4 days per week, creating a haven where students learn essential life skills through rigorous music education. As a pedagogue, Erica has conducted master classes for the Carnegie Mellon Pre-College Division and Meet the Maestro in Pittsburgh, and for Sonidos de la Tierra in Paraguay. She also holds her own studio of private students.
Erica began studying violin with Gayaneh Kumar in Los Angeles, California. Following her solo debut in Walt Disney Concert Hall at 16, Erica was awarded a scholarship to study with Victor Danchenko. After receiving her bachelor's degree from Peabody Conservatory, she continued her studies on full scholarship with Andrés Cárdenes receiving her master's degree from Carnegie Mellon University. Erica’s mentors include Ruggiero Ricci, Abram Shtern, and Joseph Silverstein. Erica plays on a 1716 Carlo Tononi violin generously provided by anonymous donors.
Jeanne Bourgeois
Violin I, Assistant Concertmaster
Jeanne Bourgeois
VIOLIN I, ASSISTANT CONCERTMASTER
Jeanne Bourgeois has been Assistant Concertmaster with the Spokane Symphony Orchestra since 2008. She has a doctorate in violin performance from the Eastman School of Music, a master's from Northwestern University and an undergraduate degree from the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. Her teachers include Charles Castleman, Almita and Roland Vamos, and Kurt Sassmannshuas. Jeanne has held orchestral positions with the Syracuse Symphony, Sarasota Opera, Utah Festival Opera, and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. She was Associate Concertmaster of the Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra and has also served as Concertmaster of the Spoleto USA Festival Orchestra in Charleston, S.C. As a soloist, she has performed with the Spokane Symphony Orchestra, Starling Chamber Orchestra (Cincinnati), as well as the West Suburban Symphony Orchestra (Chicago). She has taught at Whitworth University, is currently on faculty of Washington State University String Camp and also maintains a violin studio in Spokane. In her free time, Jeanne enjoys the great outdoors, cooking and traveling with her husband, Spokane Symphony bassist Stephen Swanson.
Margaret Bowers
Violin I
Ayer-Blegen Chair
Margaret Bowers
VIOLIN I
Margaret Bowers has played the violin since age eight. She completed her Bachelor of Science in Physics at the University of Rochester, while pursuing private lessons at the Eastman School of Music and the Aspen Music Festival. Before coming to Spokane, she played with the Santa Fe Symphony.
John Bennett
Violin I
John Bennett
VIOLIN I
John Bennett has been a violinist with the Spokane Symphony since 1977, is a string coach for the Young Musician's Enrichment Program in Spokane's District 81 schools, and teaches privately.
John has worked as a studio musician for television, film scores, and recordings. For the past ten years, he has been the Assistant Concertmaster for the Marina del Rey Music Festival. Additional California ensembles he has played with include the Peninsula Symphony, the Chamber Orchestra of the South Bay, the Southwest Music Festival, the Glendale Symphony, the Jofrey Ballet, the Los Angeles Opera, the San Diego Chamber Orchestra and the Pacific Symphony.
He was born in New York City, and after moving to LA with his parents, began violin study at age eight with his grandfather, Hedley Bennett, a violinist and band master of the Camberley Branch of the British Legion Band. He continued study with Manuel Compinsky, who was renowned in classical circles as a teacher, conductor and film score composer, while at California State University, Northridge, where John later attended college. During his free time, John enjoys fishing on regional lakes for rainbow trout and salmon from his boat, "Hedley's Bow," gardening, mountain biking, and playing billiards.
Jeri Bentley
Violin I
Jeri Bentley
VIOLIN I
Music comes from both sides of my family. My Mother played violin when she was very young, cut short by her teacher being in a serious accident. On my Father's side, his uncle was a violin maker. Our home was always full of music. Because my older sister played the violin, in 3rd grade, when the school offered a strings class, I jumped at the chance. Other than wanting to quit when it became hard in the beginning stages, I always had a passion to play the violin. I began college as a pre-med major, but realized at a certain point that I wouldn't be satisfied with the violin just being a sideline. I went on to receive my Bachelor of Arts from the University of Cincinnati's College Conservatory of Music and my Master of Music in violin from the University of Victoria.
Interestingly my inclinations toward the medical field did also somewhat find an avenue of expression. A short while after the International Association of Healing Rooms was founded in Spokane, I began volunteering there. Volunteers pray for people's medical needs as well as other requests. After a while I realized that my violin could also have a place there as an avenue for a healing touch.
In the summer I find delight in growing a large garden. The last few years I've been looking for any kind of bean that I can preserve easily — straight from the pod dried in the garden to the jar — lima, kidney, pinto, soy, and cranberry beans so far. Very fun. Probably my garden favorite is cuckoo fruit, as African friends call my chicken's eggs. When I'm not working to put food on the table, my dogs are busy persuading me to take them out for adventures. That does set all our hearts to singing.
Jason Moody
Violin I
Jason Moody
VIOLIN I
Since his solo debut at the Festival at Sandpoint at age sixteen, Jason Moody has performed across the United States, Europe and Japan. Jason is a member of the Spokane Symphony and is a substitute with the Seattle Symphony and Seattle Opera. In addition, he recently was awarded his D.M.A. from the University of Washington. Jason has been featured as soloist with orchestras throughout the Northwest, performed frequently at the Northwest Bach Festival, and has appeared on public radio several times with performances on Garrison Keillor's A Prairie Home Companion and NPR's From the Top. His summer festival engagements include the Aldeburgh Festival in England, Lancaster Festival, Spoleto USA Festival and Masters Music Festival in Kazusa, Japan. Jason holds a M.M. from Rice University and a B.A. in Music from Seattle Pacific University. He is adjunct faculty at Whitworth University and Edmonds Community College and is regularly heard performing as a part of Duo Zephyr with his wife, harpist Earecka Tregenza.
April Martin
Violin I
April Martin
VIOLIN I
Originally from Denver, April was an active part of the musical community there, performing with the Colorado Ballet Orchestra, Up Close and Musical, the St. Mary Baroque Orchestra, and as a substitute violinist with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra. She has degrees from the Lamont School of Music (University of Denver) and recently completed a D.M.A. from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Her teachers have included James Maurer, Lina Bahn, and Andres Cardenes.
In addition to performing, April enjoys teaching and currently maintains a private studio and string classes at the Coeur d'Alene Charter Academy. She is also an accomplished pianist and has maintained an active accompanying career.
Elizabeth Lund
Violin I
Elizabeth Lund
VIOLIN I
Elizabeth Lund holds a Master of Music in Violin Performance from Eastern Washington University, where she studied with Kelly Farris. Other important teachers include Jean-Jacques Kantorow and William Steck. She is a former member of the United States Air Force Band Strolling Strings in Washington, DC. She also performed with the Washington Bach Consort, and as a member of the Silver Bay String Quartet, based in the Adirondacks, N.Y. Elizabeth currently teaches at Holy Names Music Center.
Kathleen Teal
Violin I
Kathleen Teal
VIOLIN I
Kathleen Teal earned her Bachelor of Music from Western Michigan University, and a teaching certificate from Gonzaga University. Teal has played with the Spokane Symphony since 1983. She previously performed with orchestras in Michigan, Colorado, Wyoming and Minnesota. She taught elementary orchestra with the Spokane Schools.
Violin II
Amanda Howard-Phillips
Violin II, Principal
Washington Trust Chair
Amanda Howard-Phillips
VIOLIN II, PRINCIPAL
Washington Trust Chair
Amanda Howard-Phillips joined the Spokane Symphony in 2003, and was awarded the position of principal second violin in 2008. Originally from Bainbridge Island, Washington, Amanda began violin lessons at four years old, and made her solo debut with the Bainbridge Orchestra at age eleven. Amanda received her master's degree in violin performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music, and her bachelor's degree from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where she studied with Camilla Wicks. She has studied chamber music with many prominent chamber musicians, including Mark Sokol, Peter Salaff (of the Cleveland Quartet), the Cavani Quartet, Paul Hersh, Ian Swensen, Bonnie Hampton, and Clive Greensmith (of the Tokyo Quartet).
Amanda Howard-Phillips has been awarded fellowships to study at the National Repertory Orchestra and the International Festival-Institute at Round Top, and was awarded first prize in the Pacific Chamber Symphony Concerto Competition in San Francisco, playing the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto.
Amanda teaches violin at Gonzaga University and plays second violin with the Spokane String Quartet. During the summer, she performs with the Oregon Coast Music Festival. In 2009, Amanda married Spokane Symphony principal clarinetist Chip Phillips. In their spare time, they enjoy traveling, especially to the mountains, National Parks and the Oregon Coast. They welcomed their first child, David, in May of 2014.
David Armstrong
Violin II, Assistant Principal
David Armstrong
VIOLIN II, ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL
David Armstrong is assistant principal second violin for the Spokane Symphony. A former resident of Kirkland, WA, he earned a Bachelor of Music Performance from Michigan State University and a Master of Music Performance from Northwestern University. While a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, he was awarded a Civic Fellowship. Before coming to Spokane, David played for the Bellevue Philharmonic.
Duo Xu
Violin II
Duo Xu
VIOLIN II
A notable Chinese violinist, Dr. Duo Xu is an international music competition award winner and serves as Chair of the Judging Panel for String Instruments at Zhongsing International Music Competition in Singapore. Duo is the first Chinese violinist to earn the Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) degree from the world-renowned St. Petersburg State Conservatory in Russia. He also earned an Artist Diploma from Ball State University, Indiana, where he received superior violin and conducting education from Mrs Anna Vayman and Maestro Bohuslav Rattay. Duo has been invited to serve as Guest Concertmaster with the St. Petersburg Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra in Russia, Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra, Cheyenne Symphony Orchestra and Shreveport Symphony Orchestra in the U.S.A. He also has received invitations to give master classes in China and Singapore.
In 2010, Duo was appointed Associate Principal Second Violin of the China National Centre for the Performing Arts Orchestra in Beijing. With the NCPAO, he has partaken in over 200 performances of various concerts, operas and ballets. He has had the privilege to work with some of the most world-renowned conductors of our time, including Valery Gergiev, Lorin Maazel, Vladimir Ashkenazi, Christoph Eschenbach and Günther Herbig. Duo Xu has participated in concert tours through Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Russia, mainland China, Hong Kong, South Korea and the U.S.A. His music festival appearances include Salzburg Music Festival, Stuttgart Beethoven Music Festival, Luzern Music Festival and the Schleswig - Holstein Music Festival, among others.
Catherine Shipley
Violin II
Catherine Shipley
VIOLIN II
Catherine Shipley joined the Spokane Symphony’s violin section in fall 2001. A Seattle native, she began studying violin at her public school in 4th grade and viola in high school. She has a Bachelor of Music from Western Washington University and a Master’s in Violin Performance from the University of Washington. To supplement her in-state education, Catherine attended music festivals around the country, including the Aspen Music Festival (CO) and the Chautauqua Music Festival (NY). She was awarded fellowships for three consecutive summers to play in the National Repertory Orchestra in Breckenridge, Colorado. Her teachers included Walter Schwede, Karen Iglitzin, Peter Marsh, Kelly Farris, Robert Davidovici and Steven Staryk.
Since 2003 Catherine has been the violist of The Riverside Trio, playing with Symphony cellist Roberta Bottelli and former Symphony violinist Shelley Rotz. She enjoys being involved in various Spokane-area music education projects and is a member of the Symphony’s Education Committee. She also teaches private violin and viola lessons.
In her free time Catherine enjoys cooking and baking, reading, watching movies, traveling within the U.S. and beyond and hanging out with her family’s two cats. Above all, she loves spending time with her husband, Matt Altermatt, who is a computer programmer for Edmunds.com, and their son, Rowan, born in 2013.
Allion Salvador*
Violin II
Allion Salvador
VIOLIN II
Allion Salvador's playing has been described as "fiery, seething with passionate fervor." Since graduating with degrees in Neurobiology and Violin Performance from the University of Washington, demand for him as a soloist, chamber and orchestral musician has steadily grown. Most recently, he attended the Aspen Music Festival and School on scholarship to study with David Halen. His teachers include Carol Cole, Ronald Patterson, and Maria Larionoff.
Mr. Salvador has served as concertmaster of the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber Orchestra, Seattle Philharmonic, Pierre Monteux Festival Orchestra, University of Washington Symphony, and Sammamish Symphony. He has worked with the Aspen Festival Orchestra, Aspen Opera Orchestra, Skagit Opera, Seattle Collaborative Orchestra, Seattle Rock Orchestra, Ensemble Tremblay, Ars Flores, and the Pacific Northwest Film Scoring Project, among others. He has founded and worked with several vibrant chamber music projects, including the modern music-focused Inverted Space Ensemble, piano trio Andromeda, Sound Ensemble, and the Parnassus Project. In 2017, he accepted positions with String Orchestra of the Rockies, Symphony Tacoma, and Yakima Symphony, as their new assistant concertmaster.
Equally devoted to education, Mr. Salvador has coached at the University of Washington Symphony, Roosevelt and Issaquah High Schools, Seattle Youth Symphony, and the University of Washington Chamber Music Club. As part of the Yakima Symphony Quartet, he has presented series of chamber music concerts at schools throughout central Washington. He has performed as a guest soloist with the University of Washington Symphony, Seattle Metropolitan Chamber Orchestra, and Bainbridge Youth Orchestra, and played in masterclasses for Elmar Oliveira, Gil Shaham, Robert McDuffie, Paul Kantor, and William Preucil. Mr. Salvador made his soloist debut with the Sammamish Symphony performing the Brahms concerto in its 2018-2019 season.
Mr. Salvador’s interests extend towards the podium as well. He has held assistant conductor positions at the Seattle Philharmonic, Seattle Collaborative Orchestra, and University of Washington. His teachers include Michael Jinbo, Adam Stern, and Ludovic Morlot. Mr. Salvador is the founder and music director of the Seattle Philharmonic Strings, a community orchestra promoting string repertoire of the highest quality in intimate settings. His engagements for 2018-2019 include a quartet tour of Norway, Seattle Metropolitan Chamber Orchestra and Seattle Rock Orchestra concerts in Seattle and Montana, in addition to solo recital at the University of Washington.
Viola
Nicholas Carper
Viola, Principal
The Coughlin Chair
Nicholas Carper
VIOLA, PRINCIPAL
Nick Carper has been praised by critics, audiences, and fellow musicians for his dynamic energy and warmth of tone. Since joining the Spokane Symphony Orchestra in 2001, he has devoted himself to performing and teaching in the region and abroad.
Born in Spokane, Nick holds degrees from Columbus State and Butler Universities, where he studied with violists Manuel Diaz and Csaba Erdélyi.
Carper has performed widely throughout the U.S. in various capacities, as principal, chamber musician, and soloist. As principal and section player he has performed with the Eugene, Columbus, Macon, La Grange, and Muncie Symphony Orchestras and the Marion Philharmonic. He has been Principal Violist of the Ash Lawn Opera Festival, and has regularly participated in performances of the Spokane Opera and the Northwest Bach Festival. Recently he was guest Principal Violist of the 2010 American Prize-winning Lancaster Festival Orchestra in Ohio.
Carper has always been a passionate advocate of chamber music. With the Leichtenstein Quartet he won an internship to the Garth-Newell Chamber Music Festival in Virginia. From 2002-2004, he joined the Spokane String Quartet, artists-in-residence at Eastern Washington University. Currently he can be heard with the Inland Northwest Chamber Music Collective and on the Spokane Symphony's Chamber Soiree series.
Carper has been a frequent guest soloist with his colleagues of the Spokane Symphony Orchestra. He first appeared with bassist Darryl Miyasato in Dittersdorf's Sinfonia Concertante. In 2003, he performed the role of Sancho Panza, with cellist Gustav Ravinius as the quirky "knight" in Strauss's colorful tone poem Don Quixote. Nick reprised this role at the end of the 2011-2012 season with cellist Joshua Roman. More recently he performed Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 6 with Assistant Principal Violist Jeannette Wee-Yang. At the Sandpoint Festival in Idaho he was heard with Associate Concertmaster Jason Bell in the first movement of Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante. In the 2010-2011 season, he was featured with concertmaster Matuesz Wolski during the Classics series playing Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante.
As a teacher, Nick was on the faculty of Whitworth University from 2002-2003. He also taught private lessons in local public schools and coached sectionals there as part of the symphony's Youth Music Educators Program. Since 2002, he has been on the faculty of Gonzaga University, teaching viola and violin. He also teaches privately at home and at St. Dominic's School in Post Falls, Idaho. Nick enjoys being a frequent coach of Spokane's youth orchestras. His private students have gone on to win competitions, and begin their own careers in music.
Carper can be heard in solos as principal violist on two recent compact disc recordings, one with his colleagues in the Spokane Symphony Orchestra and baritone Thomas Hampson: Letters from Lincoln, and the other with The Lancaster Festival Orchestra and clarinetist Richard Stoltzman: Music of William Bolcom and Clare Fischer / Ragomania. More recently he was part of the orchestra for the Paradox cd MiX-5, featuring bassoonist Lynn Feller-Marshall and cellist John Marshall.
In addition to his concert schedule, Carper has been a guest on KPBX, Spokane Public Radio. Nick lives in Spokane with his wife, violinist Rachel Dorfman, their beautiful daughters and their two cats.
Jeannette Wee-Yang
Viola, Assistant Principal
Jeannette Wee-Yang
VIOLA, ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL
Jeannette Wee-Yang is assistant principal violist in the Spokane Symphony, and violist in the Spokane String Quartet. She has a bachelor's from the University of British Columbia, and a Master of Music from Indiana University. Jeannette has performed with the Milwaukee Symphony, Milwaukee Chamber, Singapore Symphony and Vancouver Symphony Orchestras. She was principal violist of the Sudbury Symphony in Ontario, and assistant principal violist of the Milwaukee Ballet Orchestra. She has taught at Whitworth University and Carroll College, WI. She currently serves as vice president of the Spokane Chamber Music Association and Spokane Youth Symphony boards.
Angela Mitchell
Viola
Angela Mitchell
VIOLA
Angela Mitchell, viola, has been a member of the Spokane Symphony since 1982. She holds Bachelor of Music in Viola Performance and Bachelor of Arts in Education degrees from Eastern Washington University, and a Master of Arts in Music Theory degree from the University of Oregon. Angela is on the adjunct faculty of Whitworth University and North Idaho College, teaching viola and violin, and runs an active private studio of middle school and high school students. She is a fan of science fiction, the British Royal Family and vintage jewelry.
Sarah Bass
Viola
Sara Bass
VIOLA
Sarah Bass has played viola with the Spokane Symphony since 2011. She graduated with honors from Indiana University in Bloomington and the University of Washington in Seattle, studying with Atar Arad and Melia Watras. She was a concerto competition winner at both schools and was also a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. Born in San Antonio, TX, Sarah began playing the viola at the age of nine.
Jessica Jasper
Viola
Jessica Jasper
VIOLA
After earning her Master’s degree in viola performance from the University of Minnesota in 2013, Jessica Jasper has lived in her home state of Washington. Since then, she has enjoyed being a freelance violist and violinist, chamber musician and teacher. She has been a tenured violist in the Spokane Symphony Orchestra since 2012, and a tenured violist with the Northwest Sinfonietta chamber orchestra since 2013. She also recently won the position of Assistant Principal viola of Yakima Symphony orchestra.
Jessica loves traveling, and her musical career has taken her around the globe-- In the summer of 2010 she studied abroad in Vienna, Austria and performed solo recitals as part of the Ronald E. McNair Scholars program. In the fall of 2014, she traveled to Gumi, South Korea and played as part of the Gumi International Music Festival. The past few summers, she has had the pleasure of rafting through the Grand Canyon, performing string quartets in natural amphitheaters along the Colorado River.
Jessica is excited to have recently moved to Spokane after making a several hour-long commute to the symphony for the past seven years. She can’t wait to spend far fewer hours in the car, and more hours playing and teaching music, hiking and enjoying nature!
James Marshall
Viola
James Marshall
VIOLA
James Marshall won a position in the viola section in 2018, having recently completed his Bachelor of Music at Eastern Washington Univesity. He has participated in several music festivals, including Red Rocks Music Festival, Marrowstone Music Festival, Baroque Performance Institute in Oberlin, OH, MusicFest Northwest and more. He is the son of principal cellist, John Marshall, and principal bassoonist Lynne Feller-Marshall.
Anita Perkins*
Viola
Anita Perkins
VIOLA
Anita began her musical studies with Betty Alexander at the age of six, studying piano, music theory, and composition. At age 9, she added violin to the mix, and added viola at 15, studying with John Spence and Joyce Ramee. She won a full scholarship to the Northwest School in Seattle, WA, and served for two years as principal violist of their award-winning International Chamber Orchestra. Anita spent time in high school playing in various area youth symphonies, and was in 1991-1992 the principal violist and student soloist in the Tacoma Youth Symphony.
After taking a gap year to pursue viola lessons and composition, she began studying viola performance at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music with Don Ehrlich, and was a member of the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra during their 1994-1995 season, accompanying the group on their four-country European tour, where she got the opportunity to perform in such historic concert halls such as the Gewandhaus in Leipzig and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam.
Battling playing-related overuse injuries, Anita returned home to pursue her studies in Music Composition and Philosophy; but after finding the experience somewhat less than rewarding, she dropped out of college to join a rock band. Touring with Sub Pop artist Jeremy Enigk on the "Return of the Frog Queen" tour opened the doors for her musically in the Seattle rock scene, and soon she was in demand as a string arranger and recording artist, as well as roving music teacher. In May of 2000, she founded a band with friends Josh Cowart and Michael Treacy called Hourglass Lake, whose debut album from 2002 prompted Seattle music notable and "The Stranger" staff writer Sean Nelson to write, "With... a musical stride that keeps one foot planted in NW indie pop and the other in early '80's U.K. wave, Hourglass Lake has just made Calliope, the most amazing out-of-nowhere debut CD I've heard in ages." That same year, she released a 5-song EP collaboration "The Hush Hush" with singer-songwriter Amy Carlsen on Lujo records.
In 2002-2003, she started an after-school orchestra program at an underserved Middle School in Seattle's Central District. The program was so popular that the school decided to bring orchestra back into the curriculum. Having just taught herself out of a job, Anita decided to return to school, this time to Central Washington University for a degree in Music Education, but got sidelined by a need to perform. In 2005, her quartet with cellist Bruce Walker and violinists Joel Thoreson and Lydia Tang won the Washington State MTNA Chamber Music Senior Division, and went on to compete in regionals. She became a regularly appearing sub in the Yakima Symphony, and formally auditioned to join the orchestra in 2007.
Having dropped out of college to pursue her financial health, Anita soon got heavily involved in the Eastern Washington "Freeway Philharmonic" symphony scene, performing as a regular member in the Yakima, Walla Walla, and Oregon East Symphonies. She won a seat in Spokane in June of 2008 and moved to become a regular member of the symphony, holding down the 8th chair position for 10 years.
Cello
John Marshall
Cello, Principal
Jerry R & Francis L. Strafford Chair
John Marshall
CELLO, PRINCIPAL
John Marshall has been the Principal Cellist with the Spokane Symphony Orchestra since 1994. He holds a joint teaching position at Eastern Washington University, where he is Director of Orchestra and Professor of Cello. Marshall is also the conductor of the Strings Orchestra of the Spokane Youth Symphony. He received degrees from Indiana, Yale, and Northwestern Universities, where he studied with Janos Starker, Aldo Parisot and Hans Jensen. His doctoral dissertation focuses on music for two cellos and orchestra. During the summers, Marshall teaches at the Interlochen Arts Camp in Michigan.
Along with his wife, Spokane Symphony Principal Bassoonist Lynne Feller-Marshall, Marshall has recorded three albums of music for cello and bassoon under their group name "Paradox". Paradox also recorded two innovative and fun videos featuring their arrangements of Take Five and Purple Haze. Both videos are available on YouTube. With their son James (also an SSO member), they now go by the name of "Paradox & Son".
When not performing with the Spokane Symphony, teaching, or recording, Marshall enjoys time with his family in the great outdoors — either by biking, soaking in hot springs, or working on their mini farm.
Helen Byrne
Cello, Assistant Principal
Helen Byrne
CELLO, ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL
Helen Byrne is the Assistant Principal Cello of the Spokane Symphony. A native of Spokane, she joined the orchestra in 1982 after earning her Bachelor of Music in cello performance from Northwestern University. She is also the cellist with the Spokane String Quartet, and the organist at Manito Presbyterian Church.
Roberta Botelli
Cello
Roberta Botelli
CELLO
Roberta Bottelli has been the third chair cellist in the Spokane Symphony since 2006. She teaches cello and chamber music at Whitworth University, cello and music theory at Holy Names Music Center, and conducts the Spokane Youth Philharmonic Orchestra. As a soloist, Roberta has performed with orchestras across the northwest, including the Lake Chelan Bach Fest orchestra, the Pacific Northwest Chamber Orchestra, and the Mid-Columbia Symphony. Roberta was the principal cellist of the Lake Chelan Bach Fest orchestra and the Mid-Columbia Symphony and has performed with Vancouver New Music and Victoria's Aventa ensemble.
Roberta enjoys collaborating as a chamber musician; she is currently the cellist for the Riverside String Trio and she was the founding cellist of Trio sTREga and the Cerberus Trio. In addition to teaching and performing, Roberta recently completed her Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada.
Louise Butler
Cello
Louise Butler
CELLO
Louise Butler plays with the Spokane Symphony and is an occasional soloist with Spokane's Allegro Baroque and Beyond. She studied with Ronald Leonard at Eastman School of Music, Dodia Feldin at Villa Maria Institute and David Soyer at Curtis Institute, where she took orchestral studies with Eugene Ormandy. Louise taught at Brussels' Royal Conservatory while playing in the Belgian Radio and Television Orchestra, and later at Nazareth College in Rochester, NY. Currently Louise teaches cello and music theory at her home studio, SFCC and Holy Names Music Center. She has two grown children.
Sean Lamont
Cello
Sean Lamont
CELLO
Sean Lamont is originally from Portland, OR. There he developed an interest for music at an early age. After attending Mt. Hood College he moved to eastern Washington to begin his music studies at EWU. He studied with Dr. John Marshall, with an emphasis on Cello Performance. Sean now resides in Brownes Addition, Spokane and has been playing cello in Spokane Symphony for 11 years. His hobbies include hiking, biking and reading.
Kevin Hekmatpanah
Cello
Kevin Hekmatpanah
CELLO
Kevin Hekmatpanah has numerous solo/chamber performances throughout America, including in Charleston, Chicago, Washington DC, Pennsylvania, Oregon, Princeton, and Sitka; and over 120 concerto appearances, including orchestras in Chicago, Richmond, Pueblo, Kingsport, Oregon, Salisbury, Colorado Springs, Tucson, and Fort Myers. Outside America, he’s performed concertos in Russia, Sweden, Bulgaria and Norway. He’s given recitals in Norway, Italy, Austria and Brazil. He’s a Professor at Gonzaga and the Gonzaga Symphony conductor. He earned a DMA from Peabody, MM from Indiana, and BM from USC. His teachers included Stephen Kates, Fritz Magg, Gabor Rejto, and coachings from Ma, Harrell, and Starker. Website: http://www.kevinhekmatpanah.com
Jared Carlson
Cello
Jared Carlson
CELLO
Jared Carlson has been a cellist in the Spokane Symphony since 2011. He received a Bachelor of Music degree from Lawrence University asa student of Professor Janet Anthony and the Masters Degree in Music Performance the University of Oregon as a student of Steve Pologe, where he was awarded the prestigious Graduate Teaching Fellowship. He has studied privately with Peter Howard, former principal cellist of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, and participated in master classes with Zuill Bailey, Lynn Harrell, Matt Haimovitz, Nathaniel Rosen, and Mark Summers.
In the past Carlson has performed as a member of the Eugene Symphony Orchestra, and served as principal cellist of the Juneau Symphony, where he performed the Shostakovich Cello concerto as soloist. He has performed extensively throughout Alaska and the PAC NW as a member of the Kenai Peninsula Orchestra, Juneau Lyric Opera, and CrossSound Music Festival.
Carlson is currently a Firefighter with the Seattle Fire Department, assigned to Fire Station No. 9 in Fremont. He divides his time between Seattle and Spokane, with strong roots in Juneau, AK and Minnesota. Non-musical interests include climbing, mountaineering, running, photography and aviation.
Johannes Kleinmann
Cello
Johannes Kleinmann
CELLO
Cellist in the Spokane Symphony, and principal cellist of McCall Summer Fest is a native of Germany. He finished his undergraduate degrees in cello performance and cello pedagogy at the Musikhochschule Freiburg, studying with Adriana Contino. Additionally, he holds a Master of Music degree from Louisiana State University where he studied with Dennis Parker, and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of North Texas, where he was awarded a teaching fellowship and studied with Eugene Osadchy.
Previously he has been principal cellist of both the San Angelo Symphony and the Opera in the Ozarks festival orchestra. Other orchestras he performed in include the Baton Rouge Symphony, Plano Symphony and Irving Symphony.
Dr. Kleinmann had been appointed to be on the cello faculty of the University of North Texas from Spring 2020 to May 2021, teaching applied cello students pursuing Undergraduate, Masters and Doctorate degrees.
Being an active performer and teacher, he is currently also on the faculty of Holy Names Music Center, is a string coach of the Spokane Youth Symphony and has a private cello studio in Spokane.
Bass
Patrick McNally
Bass, Principal
Patrick McNally
BASS, PRINCIPAL
Patrick McNally grew up in Illinois and received his master's degree at Indiana University under the tutelage of Bruce Bransby. He has been hired to play in orchestras in 6 different states across the United States, and has attended music festivals throughout the world, including the Aspen Music Festival, American Institute of Musical Studies in Austria and Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival in Germany. He moved to the West when hired as Principal Bass of the Spokane Symphony.
Kim Plewniak
Bass, Assistant Principal
Brian Kim Plewniak
BASS, ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL
Kim Plewniak is Assistant Principal Bass and has been with the Spokane Symphony since 1998. A native of Buffalo, NY, she hold degrees from the Eastman School of Music and the Manhattan School of Music. Performance opportunities have allowed Kim to play with several orchestras around the country, and also overseas at the Pacific Music Festival in Japan and at the Heidelburg Festival in Germany. Kim currently serves on the faculties of Eastern Washington University, Gonzaga University, and Whitman College and maintains a private studio. She is a frequent performer with many groups in town, including her band the Hot Club of Spokane.
Stephen Swanson
Bass
Stephen Swanson
BASS
Seattle native Stephen Swanson joined the Double Bass section of the Spokane Symphony in 2005. He attended the University of North Texas and Northwestern University, and has been a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and the Illinois Philharmonic. An avid performer of contemporary music, Stephen was invited by Pierre Boulez to attend the Lucerne Festival Academy in Switzerland from 2004 to 2008.
Also active in early music, Stephen has performed on the Viola da Gamba with Allegro Baroque and the Chicago Early Music Consort. He began playing the Gamba as an undergraduate at the University of North Texas, and continued his studies at Northwestern University with legendary gambist Mary Springfels. As a student at Northwestern, Stephen helped found the Chicago Early Music Consort and also performed with the San Francisco Early Music Society. Since joining the Spokane Symphony in 2005 Stephen has performed on many occasions with Allegro Baroque, as well as at the Northwest Bach Festival. His 2007 performance of Bach's Sonata in D Major with Allegro Baroque was hailed as "elegant and moving" by the Spokesman-Review.
Stephen is married to Spokane Symphony Assistant Concertmaster Jeanne Bourgeois.
Jack Koncel
Bass
Jack Koncel
BASS
Jack Koncel joined the Spokane Symphony bass section in 2013. He is a native of the Chicago area where he began his studies of music.and has been a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, Cedar Rapids Symphony, Orchestra Sinfonica Brasileira and Boise Philharmonic. Jack is a graduate of the Violin Making School of America and now resides in Spokane.
Brian Bonnell
Bass
Brian Bonnell
BASS
Brian Bonnell, double bassist, began playing in the Spokane Symphony bass section in 2016. Brian is an active performer and teacher of double bass throughout Washington and beyond. Previously, Brian has been engaged by the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, North Carolina Symphony and Civic Orchestra of Chicago. Whilst principal bass of the Fayetteville Symphony in North Carolina, the orchestra toured Jordan performing and teaching masterclasses alongside the Amman Symphony. Brian earned his Masters degree at the Eastman School of Music under Professor James VanDemark.
Greg Youmans
Bass
Greg Youmans
BASS
A native of Boise, I began musical instruction in public school, starting in 5th grade on an old cornet that my dad had played, being inspired by Al Hirt, Herb Alpert, and Doc Severinsen. I began the bass soon after and played them both through high school, playing in the Boise State University Community Symphony, the Boise Philharmonic, while also participating Math Club, and winning All-Conference honors in football as a center on the offensive line.
In Boise I won scholarships on bass to the AFM Congress of Strings at University of Washington, Boise State University, and Grand Prize in the Idaho Federated Music Clubs Solo Competition. Following that were scholarships to the Stetson Summer Institute, Aspen, and the University of Texas at Austin where I earned a degree in music performance as a student of Stuart Sankey, formerly of the Julliard faculty.
During college I played in various regional orchestras in Texas, joined the Austin Symphony, and developed an appreciation for traditional folk music. After college I pursued diverse freelance musical activities and learned old time fiddle. I spent several years traveling throughout North America and western Europe playing in streets and public markets. My busking (busking: the art of public performing with a receptacle for donations — not to be confused with begging or panhandling) activities eventually resulted in the development of my one-man-band, The Not Quite Fulharmonic Orchestra, an acoustic back pack percussion instrument played with fiddle or guitar.
I spent the 1990's based in Seattle where I played regularly at Pike Place Market, regional fairs and festivals, nightclubs (mostly blues) and once again, in regional orchestras. I revived my horn playing with a Seattle street band and my opportunities to participate in the Honkfest West and HonkTX Festivals are currently among my favorite musical activities
I also have a long-time affiliation with the Okanogan Family Barter Faire doing a food booth, Rice Around the World.
I joined the Spokane Symphony bass section in February 2000. I currently reside in Loon Lake, WA and am also a member of the Yakima and Walla Walla Symphonies. I teach very little and spend a good deal of time on the road. I volunteer for Spokane Public Radio and a member of the Peace and Justice Action League of Spokane (PJALS) and serve on it's Palestine-Israel Human Rights Committee (PIHRC). I'm a founding member of the P-Jammers Community Marching Band, (or PJAMRS - the Peace and Justice Activist Musical Rascals of Spokane) and have been involved with both the Spokane and Yakima Orchestra Committees, and the boards of AFM local 105, and the Regional Orchestra Players' Association (ROPA).
I grew up listening to my dad's truck radio and my sister's rock albums - Ray Charles, Roger Miller, the British invasion, etc. I have an affinity for late sixties - early seventies rock including Beatles, Frank Zappa, and the Grateful Dead. Classically, I'm a Bach-Beethoven- Mahler kind of guy. Currently my favorite band is Red Elvises - surf rock based with Russian idioms and insightful, funny lyrics, as well as their predecessor band, Limpopo - Russian folk music with a groove.
Between my orchestra circuit and the Not Quite Fulharmonic, I continue to make appearances throughout the great northwest, and in between gigs I enjoy snow skiing and jumping into lakes, often at a family cabin at my favorite place, McCall, Idaho.
Flute
Julia Pyke
Principal Flute
Julia Pyke
PRINCIPAL FLUTE
Frances L. Risdon Chair
From Seattle, Washington, Julia Pyke is the newly appointed Principal Flute of the Spokane Symphony and Adjunct Professor of Flute at Whitworth University. She was the winner of SFCM's Brass & Woodwind Concerto Competition and performed Lowell Liebermann's Flute Concerto with the SFCM Orchestra in 2021. She was also selected for several Danenberg Honors Recitals while at Oberlin, and for the 2019 Oberlin Orchestra tour at Carnegie Hall.
She has been a fellow at Aspen Music Festival as a member of the Aspen Conducting Academy, Music Academy of the West, and Texas Music Festival, and has performed with the New World Symphony as well as members of the Cleveland Orchestra and San Francisco Symphony. She has appeared in performance at Severance Hall in Cleveland, Ohio, and in Carnegie Hall. While at Aspen, she was runner-up for the woodwind concerto competition, and while at Music Academy of the West, she was a finalist for both the Duo Competition and the Keston MAX audition in partnership with the London Symphony Orchestra. She has performed under the baton of Michael Tilson Thomas, Marin Alsop, Larry Rachleff, John Adams, Hans Graf, Tim Weiss, Hugh Wolff, Markus Stenz, Andre Boreyko, and Ludovic Morlot.
Julia's primary teachers include Timothy Day, former Principal Flute of the San Francisco Symphony, and Dr. Alexa Still. She completed a Bachelor of Music at Oberlin Conservatory of Music, and a Master of Music and Professional Studies Certificate at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.
Colleen McElroy
Second Flute, Piccolo
Colleen McElroy
PICCOLO
Colleen McElroy holds the Piccolo/Second Flute chair in the Spokane Symphony, and is Second Flute/Piccolo in the Boise Philharmonic Orchestra. A passionate teacher, Colleen currently maintains a private flute studio in Seattle, Washington and enjoys working with enthusiastic students of all ages and levels. She is a frequent adjudicator for flute competitions in the greater Seattle area.
In 2015, Colleen was awarded first prize in both the 3rd Annual Seattle Flute Society Young Artist Competition and the Flutissimo! 2015 Solo Artist Competition in Athens, Georgia. Colleen won the University of Washington Wind Ensemble Concerto Competition in 2013, which resulted in a performance of Mike Mower's Flute Concerto with the ensemble. In past summers, Colleen has been invited to perform at the Brevard Music Center Institute in North Carolina and the Bay View Music Festival in northern Michigan.
Colleen is a member of Emissary Quartet, a flute ensemble dedicated to commissioning and performing new works and advocating for the flute quartet as a valuable and dynamic means of artistic expression. EQ gave their New York City debut performance in November 2016 with the premiere of Annika Socolofsky’s quartet, One wish, your honey lips, the music video of which was released with Second Inversion in April 2017. In 2017, EQ returned to NYC to premiere the three winning works from their inaugural Call for Scores, which were selected from over 190 submissions from around the world. Video recordings of all three new quartets can be found on EQ's YouTube Channel. In May 2018, EQ was invited to be the featured performers at the prestigious 2018 BMI Student Composer Awards Ceremony. EQ performed at the 2016 National Flute Convention in San Diego, CA, and at the 2017 Mid-Atlantic Flute Convention, and competed as quarter-finalists in the 2016 Fischoff Competition. The ensemble has held education and performance residencies across the US.
Colleen holds degrees from the University of Washington and Boston University. Her teachers include Linda Toote, Donna Shin, Zart Dombourian-Eby, and Iris Ingram.
Jennifer Slaughter
Third Flute
Jennifer Slaughter
THIRD FLUTE
Inspiring audiences, students, and musicians alike, flutist Jennifer Slaughter is one of today’s up and coming musical artists. Her sincere, engaging approach to performing and teaching has received much praise over the years.
Jennifer has performed with many ensembles, and she is currently Third Flute with the Spokane Symphony. She was previously Principal Flute of the Boise State University Symphonic Winds and Symphony Orchestra as well as the Lamont Symphony Orchestra and Wind Ensemble at the University of Denver. She was also a substitute flute and piccolo player in the Meridian Symphony Orchestra in Meridian, Idaho. In the fall of 2011, she studied abroad for a semester in Vienna, Austria, where she took lessons in flute and Alexander Technique. Along with Alexander Technique, Jennifer has experience with the practice of iRest, and both continue to have a major influence on her performing and pedagogical ideas regarding whole body awareness.
Additionally, Jennifer has given several solo recitals and participated in many masterclasses. She was chosen as a winner in the Boise State University Concerto Competition, which allowed her to perform the final movement of the Ibert Flute Concerto with the Symphony Orchestra. She has also played in masterclasses for renowned flutists such as William Bennett, Mimi Stillman, Amy Porter, Angeleita Floyd, Jill Felber, Claudia Anderson, Marianne Gedigian, and Alison Brown-Sincoff.
Jennifer recently received her Master of Music degree in Flute Performance from Boise State University under Dr. Nicole Molumby, Associate Professor of Flute. She received a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Denver’s Lamont School of Music in Denver, Colorado under Pamela Endsley, retired Professor of Flute and former Principal Flute of the Colorado Symphony Orchestra. Other instructors have included Jeffrey Barker, Barbara Gisler-Haase, and Sandra Moore Wacha.
Oboe
Keith Thomas
Principal Oboe
Keith Thomas
OBOE, PRINCIPAL
Keith Thomas is Principal Oboist of the Spokane Symphony and Organist for the Cathedral of Our Lady of Lourdes. He has served as Principal Oboist of the Connecticut Chamber Orchestra New Haven Connecticut, and Principal Oboist for summer festivals including the Lancaster Music Festival Lancaster Ohio, and Colorado Music Festival Boulder Colorado, he has also worked with students at Phillips Academy Summer Session Andover Massachusetts. In Spokane he has collaborated with the Northwest Bach Festival under the direction of Gunther Schuller, Allegro Baroque and Beyond, Royal Fireworks Concert and the Spokane String Quartet.
During his years in Connecticut he was organist and director of choirs at Plantsville Congregational Church, after moving to Spokane to play in the Symphony served as organist and director of choirs for Emmanuel Lutheran Church (now called All Saints Lutheran Church, Browne's Addition) a position he held for several years before serving in his present position at The Cathedral of Our Lady of Lourdes.
Keith says he has the best seat at a concert because he sits right in the middle of the orchestra and is inspired by the music making of his colleagues.
He holds a Master of Music degree from Yale University in addition to the Norma Seymour Scholarship award and holds a Bachelor of Music degree in addition to the Performer's Certificate from the Eastman School of Music.
Sheila Armstrong
Second Oboe, English Horn
Sheila Armstrong
OBOE, ENGLISH HORN
Sheila Armstrong plays Second Oboe and English Horn with the Spokane Symphony. Raised in northern Illinois, she attended the Eastman School of Music for her undergraduate music degree. Afterwards, she received her Master in Music Performance at Rice University in Houston, Texas. Before moving to Spokane, she held positions with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and Peoria Symphony in Illinois.
Clarinet
Chip Phillips
Principal Clarinet
Chip Phillips
CLARINET, PRINCIPAL
Chip Phillips has been Principal Clarinet with the Spokane Symphony since 2000, and holds the same position with the Oregon Coast Music Festival Orchestra. He received a Bachelor of Music from the New England Conservatory of Music. Chip teaches clarinet at Gonzaga University.
Apart from the Symphony, Chip explores his passion for landscape photography. Matt Kloskowski, Director of Education for Kelby Media Group and Editor-in-Chief of Lightroom Magazine, calls Phillips one of the landscape photographers to watch. He writes: "What I love about [Chip's] work is that regardless of what the location is, there’s always something different about his photos. He just has a meticulous eye for composition and I love the way he leads you through his photos."
Chip’s photos have been published in various magazines, including Popular Photography and Imaging, Digital Photography, and Digital Photo Magazine. Chip is also a member of photocascadia, a group consisting of some of the top landscape photographers in the Pacific Northwest. To see more of Chip’s work, check out his website.
Daniel Cotter
Second Clarinet, Eb Clarinet
Daniel Cotter
CLARINET, E-FLAT CLARINET
Member of the Spokane Symphony since 2005, Daniel holds dual roles as the orchestra’s General Manager and 2nd Clarinetist. With a Bachelor of Music Degree from Harid Conservatory and a Master of Music Degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music, Daniel has been invited to perform as a soloist with the National Symphony Orchestra, the Harid Philharmonia, the Cleveland Institute of Music Orchestra, the Philharmonic of Veracruz, and the Jalisco Philharmonic, among others.
After his solo appearance with the National Symphony Orchestra, The Washington Post praised his, "velvety tone and elegant phrasing." Also as a soloist, he has participated in concert broadcasts on various radio stations in New York, Cleveland, Washington D.C., and here in Spokane on KPBX. He has been invited to play with the Cleveland Orchestra and New World Symphony clarinet sections and has performed as Principal Clarinet of the Spokane Opera, the Veracruz Philharmonic, the Florida Sunshine Pops, the Miami Ballet, the Gold Coast Opera, the Florida Symphonic Pops Orchestra, the Sarasota Music Festival Orchestra, and the Santo Domingo Festival Orchestra.
From 2001-2005, Daniel held the position of Professor of Clarinet at the Superior Institute of Music of the State of Veracruz, Mexico. From 2005 through 2008 he served as the Music Director and Conductor for the Spokane Community Orchestra/Spokane Falls Community College Orchestra. Daniel has taught a large number of clarinet students in Spokane. In early 2015, his students took 1st and 3rd place in the Washington State Solo Competition. In addition to his private studio, Daniel has held the position of Adjunct Professor of Clarinet at Eastern Washington University and with Spokane Falls Community College.
Daniel and his wife, Bethany Schoeff-Cotter, are the owners of the popular oboe cane website, Northwest Oboe Cane. The business sells precisely prepared cane for making reeds to oboists around the world. Together they have twin boys, Ethan and Logan (AKA ‘Team Destructo’), born in 2012, who keep them incredibly busy.
Saxophone
Greg Yasinitsky
Principal Saxophone
Greg Yasinitsky
SAXOPHONE, PRINCIPAL
Gregory W. Yasinitsky, composer and saxophonist, is winner of the American Prize for Orchestral Composition, and is a recipient of grants and awards from the National Endowment for the Arts, The Commission Project, Artist Trust and ASCAP. He served as the composer and conductor of the JEN All Stars Big Band, which included some of the most acclaimed musicians in the world, and has written music especially for David Sanborn, Sean Jones, Clark Terry, Jeff Coffin, Dave Liebman and the USAF "Airmen of Note" big band. Yasinitsky has hundreds of published musical works which are performed in over 40 countries world-wide, and his compositions and saxophone playing are featured on over 50 recordings. Yasinitsky has performed with Randy Brecker, Marcus Printup, Tom Harrell, Ed Calle, Alex Acuna, Kirk Whalum, Claudio Roditi, Conrad Herwig, Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, Ray Charles, Louis Bellson, Stan Getz, Lionel Hampton, Lou Rawls, Manhattan Transfer, and many others. Yasinitsky is a member Washington State Music Educators Hall of Fame and is a Professor Emeritus at Washington State University, where he taught jazz studies, saxophone and composition for 40 years, received the WSU Eminent Faculty Award, the Sahlin Faculty Excellence Award for Research, Scholarship and Arts, and the Distinguished Faculty Award from the College of Arts and Sciences. Yasinitsky is a Yamaha performing artist and a JodyJazz Artist.
Bassoon
Lynne Feller-Marshall
Principal Bassoon
Paul & Susan Kennedy Chair
Lynne Feller-Marshall
BASSOON, PRINCIPAL
Originally from Rochester, NY, bassoonist Lynne Feller-Marshall has happily called Spokane ‘home’ for almost 28 years. In addition to performing in all manner of concerts around the Northwest, she teaches privately and at Eastern Washington and Whitworth Universities. She and cellist John Marshall have been married for 24 years, and both their children were born in Spokane. Maintaining their solar-powered hobby farm occupies much of her time, and keeps her in shape!
Luke Bakken
second bassoon, contrabassoon
Luke Bakken
BASSOON, CONTRABASSOON
Luke Bakken currently serves as second bassoon and contrabassoon with the Spokane Symphony. He holds a Bachelor's degree in music from the Eastman School of Music and a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science from the University of Rochester. His teachers include Per Hannevold, Principal Bassoon of the Bergen Philharmonic, Nancy Goeres, Principal Bassoon of the Pittsburgh Symphony and Steven Paulson, Principal Bassoon of the San Francisco Symphony. He began his studies in Spokane with Gary Plowman and Dr. Wendal Jones. Luke performed with the Moscow Chamber Orchestra and at the 1998 New York String Orchestra Seminar, both in Carnegie Hall. He held the contrabassoon fellowship at the Aspen Music Festival from 1996 until 1999. In July 2010, he performed as contrabassoon soloist with the WDR Rundfunkorchester in Cologne, Germany. He has been a regular performer with the Pacific Northwest Ballet in Seattle. He has performed on several Hollywood movie soundtracks including The Grudge and Drag Me To Hell. Luke joined VMware in June of 2017 as a member of the core engineering team for RabbitMQ, which is the most popular open-source messaging software around. When he's not working his day job or performing, he enjoys rock climbing, mountaineering, skiing, running and backpacking. He is married to violinist Margaret Bowers and has a crazy collie named Nelson and a mischevious cat named Loki.
Paul Plowman
third bassoon
Paul Plowman
BASSOON
With the Symphony since 1978, Spokane native Paul Plowman enjoys boating, woodworking, music arranging, audio recording and producing, and gardening. His education includes time at Spokane Falls Community College, Cal State Los Angeles, and Eastern Washington University. Paul’s favorite work featuring the bassoon is Daphnis et Chloe, written by one of his preferred composers, Maurice Ravel.
Horn
Katie Upton*
principal horn
Johnston-Fix Chair
Katie Upton
HORN, PRINCIPAL
The Johnston-Fix Chair
A dynamic and talented performer, Katie Upton “will have a musical impact on stages all around the country before her career is over” (Des Moines Register).
Katie is currently Principal Horn of the Spokane Symphony, but initially worked with the ensemble as Assistant Principal. Prior to her work in Spokane, she was the Principal Horn of La Orquesta Filarmónica de Boca del Río in Veracruz, Mexico. Before serving in these tenured positions, she performed with ensembles such as the Santa Monica Symphony, the Des Moines Symphony, the Meyer Orchestra, the Columbus (Indiana) Symphony, the Indiana University Festival Orchestra, Corni di Canto, and Holographic. Katie has performed as a soloist with the Des Moines Symphony and the Meyer Orchestra, and was the horn finalist in the 2009 Yamaha Young Performing Artists Competition.
Katie earned her Bachelor of Music degree from Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, where she studied with Jeff Nelsen, member of the Canadian Brass, and Dale Clevenger, former Principal Horn of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. She earned her Master’s degree at the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music, studying with Dr. Kristy Morrell of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra.
Charles Karschney
second horn
Charles Karschney
HORN
Chuck has been second horn in the Symphony for more than three decades. He began as a student growing up in Seattle where he was featured as a soloist with the Seattle Symphony under the direction of the late Rainer Miedel. Among many accomplishments throughout his career, he traveled and performed at the Blossom Music Festival, Snowbird Festival and spent several summers at the Grand Tetons Music Festival in Wyoming. Chuck attended the Cleveland Institute of Music, studying under Richard Solis and graduated from the University of Washington as a Full Brechemin Scholar.
Chuck also doubles as the Symphony's production and equipment manager. He designs the sets for every symphony concert, accommodating every possible combination of musicians from small ensembles to over two hundred musicians for Carmina Burana. You'll see Chuck put down his horn during a performance to move pianos in place for performers, reset the stage for string players and move the podium to improve sight lines.
Chuck is married and has three daughters, all of which are musicians. Beyond his music career, he enjoys car mechanics, rebuilding all types of cars, and often keeps many symphony musicians on the road!
Andrew Angelos
third horn
Andrew Angelos
HORN
Andrew Angelos is a Seattle native and third horn in the Spokane Symphony. He graduated with his undergrad and masters degree from the Manhattan School of Music in New York City studying with Javier Gandara and Michelle Baker. Upon graduating in 2022, he was awarded the Cecil Collins award for excellence in brass performance. Andrew also studied abroad for a year at the Royal College of Music in London, England under the tutelage of Timothy Jones, Simon Rayner and Nigel Black.
Andrew has performed as principal horn for the Seattle Collaborative Orchestra, and Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra. As an avid pit musician, he has performed in many musicals such as Sunday in the Park with George, Sweeney Todd, Mary Poppins, The Little Mermaid and Kiss Me Kate. He is also an avid free-lance musician in Washington State where he has performed with orchestras such as the Lake Washington Symphony Orchestra, Saratoga Orchestra of Whidbey Island, Bremerton Westsound Symphony, and Everett Philharmonic. Andrew was also featured on Seattle’s classical music radio station, 98.1 Classical King FM, on their evening Northwest Focus Live program.
In addition, Andrew was a winner of the 2016 Seattle Symphony Orchestra Young Artist competition. He has spent three summers at Marrowstone Music Festival and in 2018, he was a fellow at the National Symphony Orchestra Summer Music Institute. He has also performed with Carnegie Hall’s National Youth Orchestra of the USA and attended the Boston University Tanglewood Institute. Andrew is also a founding member of the Uptown Winds woodwind quintet based out of NYC. They were quarterfinalists at the Fischoff National Chamber Music competition and Fuchs Chamber Music Competition winners. Andrew enjoys walking along Riverfront Park here in Spokane and taking road trips through Eastern Washington. He also enjoys teaching and mentoring young musicians. In his spare time he likes to work on his 1966 Mustang and explore the brewery scene in Spokane.
Trumpet
Larry Jess
principal trumpet
Johnston-Fix Chair
Larry Jess
TRUMPET, PRINCIPAL
Larry Jess, Principal Trumpet of the Spokane Symphony since 1975, is a founding member of the Spokane Jazz Society and performs with the Spokane Falls Brass Band, Cathedral Brass, Clarion, and Brass Works. He has also toured with Gunther Schuller's New England Ragtime Ensemble. As a professional musician, Larry aspires to play multiple styles of music with proficiency and he enjoys a busy private teaching practice. If he had to choose a favorite composer, it would be Gustav Mahler. In his spare time he enjoys gardening, wine, family, and travel.
Chris Cook
second trumpet
Chris Cook
TRUMPET
Chris Cook graduated from the New England Conservatory of Music, and joined the Spokane Symphony shortly thereafter. He is the trumpet soloist at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Lourdes, and teaches music at Gonzaga University. Chris was a longtime member of the Spokane Falls Brass Band, touring and recording with them.
In October of 2019, Chris was named Spokane’s Poet Laureate. He has two collections of poetry: The View from the Broken Mic (2012) and Damn Good Cookie (2016). His short stories, essays and poetry have been published by Scablands Books, Sage Hill Press, The Spokesman-Review and The Inlander. His children’s poetry has been published by Little, Brown and Company, Meadowbrook and Scholastic Press. Chris represented Spokane in the 2014 Individual World Poetry Slam, and at the 2013 and 2014 National Poetry Slam. He is also the host and organizer of 3 Minute Mic, Auntie’s Bookstore’s first Friday poetry open mic, and co-hosts Broken Mic, Spokane’s longest-running poetry open mic.
Chris spent summers touring the U.S. and Europe as a professional yo-yo demonstrator after having been a two-time Washington state yo-yo champion. In other news about odd pursuits, he was also a nationally-ranked professional foosball player.
He and his wife, Kathi, have four grown children and two grandchildren. They enjoy exploring Spokane’s restaurant scene, and take daily walks with their dog, Ollie. Chris and Kathi also like to find hip mid-century furnishings for their Browne’s Addition condo.
Nicholas Slaggert
third trumpet
Nicholas Slaggert
TRUMPET
Nicholas Slaggert comes to Spokane from Evanston, Illinois, where he began studying the trumpet at age 10. After performing with the Chicago Youth Symphony in High School, Nicholas attended DePaul University, where he studied with Matt Lee, Bill Denton, and Billy Gerlach. In 2019, Nicholas left the Chicago area and moved west after he won his first professional orchestra position with the Helena Symphony. At that time, he also transferred to Montana State University, where he completed his undergraduate studies with Dr. Sarah Stoneback.
In addition to his new position with the Spokane Symphony, Nicholas performs regularly with other regional orchestras in the inland northwest, including the Great Falls, Helena, and Bozeman Symphonies. An avid chamber musician, Nicholas is a founding member of Midnight Smorgasbord, a professional brass quintet performing primarily in central Montana. Nicholas also co-directs the Helena Youth Orchestra and maintains an active teaching studio. His other interests include alpine skiing and ice hockey.
Andy Plamondon
fourth trumpet
Andy Plamondon
TRUMPET
Andrew Plamondon completed a bachelor's degree in Music Education at Boise State University in 1984. He attended graduate studies at Indiana University from 1984-86 where he was a student of William Adam. Other teachers include Galindo Rodriguez, Armando Ghittalla, and John McNeil. Andy has been an active clinician, adjudicator and performer since moving to Spokane in 1987. He is a member and often featured soloist with ensembles such as the Spokane Symphony, Spokane Jazz Orchestra, Bob Curnow Big Band, Clarion, and many others.
In 2001 Andy was selected as a senior lecturer at Eastern Washington University where he teaches trumpet, brass and jazz courses, and directs student groups such as brass quintets, trumpet ensemble, and jazz ensembles.
Mr. Plamondon has previously taught trumpet and jazz courses at Whitman, Gonzaga, Walla Walla, and Whitworth Universities.
He has performed as a guest soloist with many symphonies, bands and chamber ensembles and has appeared as a soloist on recently released recordings by Clarion, Desifinado, The Bob Curnow Band, The Spokane Jazz Orchestra, and Casey MacGill and the Spirits of Rhythm. He teaches and adjudicates at music festivals and camps throughout the US and Canada.
Andy has performed and toured with many of the world's most well known and respected jazz, country, rock, pop, folk, and classical artists throughout the US and abroad. He and his family love Spokane and the Northwest. Travel, hiking, sports, and reading are among his favorite hobbies.
Eric Moe*
third trumpet
Eric Moe
TRUMPET
Eric Moe has been playing trumpet professionally for 25 years. Eric’s journey includes being a member of both the Colorado Symphony and the Denver Brass, sharing the stage with the likes of Natalie Cole, Renee Flemming, and the Supremes. Whether in churches or Latin Night clubs, in pit orchestras or mountaintop weddings, Eric has found playing trumpet to be a great way to experience life and connect with people.
Trombone
John Church
principal trombone
John Church
TROMBONE, PRINCIPAL
John is a native of Portland, Oregon and the Pacific Northwest. He began his trombone and musical career in the sixth grade, then a year later began taking private lessons with Michael Oft. Once in high school, John joined the Metropolitan Youth Symphony and subsequently joined the Portland Youth Philharmonic. After graduating high school in 2011, he began his undergraduate studies at the University of Oregon, studying with Henry Henniger, where he graduated in 2015. John would then start his professional work as an orchestral trombonist, subbing with multiple orchestras in Oregon, including: Oregon Symphony, Eugene Symphony, Portland Opera, Astoria Music Festival, Newport Symphony, Mozart Players, and Salem Chamber Orchestra.
After his time as an undergraduate, John decided to further his studies as a Master’s student at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University, studying with Allen Barnhill. Within his first year, he performed with the Shepherd Symphony Orchestra at Carnegie Hall and won his first professional job with the Portland Opera as their principal trombonist. In his second year, John went on to win the Shepherd School of Music concerto competition in the winds/brass/percussion/harp division with the Nino Rota trombone concerto. He will perform the Rota sometime during the 2018-2019 school year. He teaches low brass at Gonzaga University.
Richard Strauch
second trombone
Richard Strauch
TROMBONE
Richard Strauch is Director of the Whitworth Wind Symphony and Professor of Music at Whitworth University. Under his direction, the Wind Symphony has appeared in concert at state and regional conferences of the Washington Music Educators Association, NAfME, and the College Band Directors National Association, and has toured throughout the western United States, Hawaii, Central America, and Thailand. The Wind Symphony can also be heard in performance on the ensemble’s YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/whitworthwinds). Strauch and the Wind Symphony have been active in commissioning new works and collaborating with composers around the world. Noted composers David Maslanka, Eric Ewazen, James David, and Peter Van Zandt Lane have praised the Wind Symphony’s performances of their music.
Strauch also teaches courses in music history, conducting, and leads Whitworth’s “Power and Politics of Art” study program to Rome, Florence, Vienna, and Berlin. Prior to joining the Whitworth music faculty he served as Director of Instrumental Activities at Phillips University, Acting Director of the Wheaton College Wind Ensemble and Assistant to the Director of Bands at Yale University. He has toured Europe as Music Director of the Oklahoma Ambassadors of Music and as conductor of the Fox Valley Youth Orchestra.
As a trombonist, he has been a member of the Spokane Symphony Orchestra since 2001, and his other performance credits include the Clarion Brass Choir, the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, the National Orchestral Institute, and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. Strauch holds Doctor of Musical Arts, Master of Musical Arts, and Master of Music degrees in trombone performance from Yale University, and the Bachelor of Music degree in trombone performance and music history from the Wheaton College Conservatory of Music. His teachers included John Swallow, Audrey Morrison, Steven Fissell, Milt Stevens, and Jay Friedman.
An active scholar, Strauch recently published a study of the controversy among Protestants surrounding the 1903 New York Met premier of Wagner’s Parsifal in the Nineteenth-Century Music Review (Cambridge UP). He is currently researching the nineteenth century American music critic John Sullivan Dwight and his role in forming America’s early concert culture.
Rich lives in north Spokane with his wife, Sally (an elementary educator in the West Valley School District), and their three children Rachel, Rebecca, and William. When not playing trombone, conducting, or teaching, Rich can be found riding his bike through the rolling countryside north of Spokane and brewing the occasional batch of beer.
Skyler Johnson
Bass Trombone
Skyler Johnson
BASS TROMBONE
Skyler Johnson is currently the bass trombonist of the Spokane Symphony Orchestra. Prior to his position with the Spokane Symphony, he served as a member of the Quad City Symphony, the Peoria Symphony, the Dubuque Symphony, and the Battle Creek Symphony. Since the Summer of 2011, Skyler has served as the bass trombonist of the Artosphere Festival Orchestraunder the baton of Corrado Rovaris in Fayetteville, AR. He has also performed with the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Grant Park Symphony, Milwaukee Symphony, Jacksonville Symphony, and the Oregon Symphony.
As a chamber musician, Skyler is a member of the Spokane Brass Quintet. He was also a founding member of the V3NTO Brass Trio and was a member from 2010-2016. You can hear the trio on their album, S.O.S.
Skyler is currently Adjunct Professor of Tuba & Euphonium at Eastern Washington University, Adjunct Professor of Low Brass at Spokane Falls Community College, and Lecturer of Tuba, Euphonium, and Trombone at the University of Idaho. Prior to his positions at EWU and SFCC, he served as Adjunct Professor of Low Brass at Saint Xavier University in Chicago, IL. Skyler has held masterclasses and lectures at the University of Oregon, Washington State University, Vandercook College of Music, Lawrence University, and Southwestern University.
Skyler received a Bachelor's of Music Degree in Euphonium Performance from the University of Oregon and a Master's of Music Degree in Bass Trombone Performance from DePaul University.His primary teachers include Michael Grose, Dan Satterwhite, Mark Fisher, and Charles Vernon. When he's not playing with the Symphony, Skyler enjoys barbecue, beer, and backpacking.
Skyler lives with his wife Heather, a flutist, and their two cats Murphy and Lily, and their dog,Darby.
Tuba
Leonard Byrne
principal tuba
Leonard Byrne
TUBA, PRINCIPAL
A native of Seattle, Leonard Byrne has an advanced degree in electrical engineering from the University of Idaho. He has played the tuba for the Spokane Symphony since 1975, spending years juggling more than fifty hours a week at an engineering job with symphony responsibilities. He retired in 2001 from his "day job" to devote more time to music.
Timpani
Meagan Gillis
principal timpani
Sherry Martin Knott Endowed Chair
Meagan Gillis
TIMPANI, PRINCIPAL
Sherry Martin Knott Endowed Chair
Originally from Churchton, Maryland, Meagan Gillis currently serves as principal timpanist of the Spokane Symphony. She received a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education from the University of Maryland and a Master’s in Timpani Performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music as a student of Paul Yancich (Cleveland Orchestra). She additionally holds the position of Principal Timpanist with the Maryland Symphony Orchestra, and has previously performed with the Auckland Philharmonia, Cleveland Orchestra, Columbus Symphony, Fort Worth Symphony, and Mansfield Symphony Orchestra.
In addition to timpani, Meagan has performed extensively on the xylophone. Since 2014, she has been a member of Music Under New York, the primary organization for New York’s subway performing acts. Meagan has also recorded and toured extensively with the contemporary jug band Bones Jugs, and can be heard on their albums Don’t Waste a Drop and Rag Day 2. She has also performed with transatlantic dance music group Hess Is More, most notably at the Kennedy Center(DC) and National Sawdust(NYC), and additionally has worked with acclaimed comedian Cole Escola.
Percussion
Paul Raymond
principal percussion
Paul Raymond
PERCUSSION, PRINCIPAL
A native of Michigan, Paul Raymond joined the Spokane Symphony as a section percussionist in early 1974 and became Principal Percussion in 1986. He holds degrees from Northwestern University and Eastern Washington University. Besides his duties with the orchestra, Paul performs in a Caribbean band called Moko Jumbie and can often be found playing in the pit with the visiting Best of Broadway productions. In addition to performing, he is currently on the faculty of Whitworth University, SFCC, and Holy Names Music Center.
Rick Westrick
second percussion
Rick Westrick
PERCUSSION
Rick auditioned for the Spokane Symphony in 1981 after graduating from Eastern Washington University and has been with the orchestra ever since. In addition to performing, Rick is an active educator. He has taught private drum lessons, directed a percussion ensemble at Gonzaga Preparatory School, taught percussion and drum set at Spokane Falls Community College, directed drum set studies at Whitworth University, and has taught beginning percussion in the classroom for students of the Mead School District Elementary Band Program. In addition to his duties with Spokane Symphony, Rick plays drum set with different groups such as Stagecoach West, Spare Parts, and the Brent Edstrom Jazz Trio. Rick married Linda Legerski in 1982, a teacher for the Coeur d' Alene School District. Their daughter Amy is employed as an industrial designer in Seattle.
Bryan Bogue
third percussion
Bryan Bogue
PERCUSSION
I am Bryan Bogue. I grew up in Tacoma, Washington. I have a Bachelor of Music in Percussion Performance from Eastern Washington University, Teaching Certification from Whitworth University and a Master of Arts in Music Education/Percussion Performance from the University of Washington. My first instrument was the piano at age 8. When I was 10 I started playing the drums. I have been playing in orchestras since age 11 beginning with the Tacoma Junior Symphony. My tenure with the Spokane Symphony began in 1975. I have always been inspired by the great orchestral composers, particularly from the Impressionistic Period. Composers like Debussy and Ravel led me to my love of Jazz and artists like Gary Burton, Cal Tjader and David Samuels; all great Vibraphonists. When I am not playing in the Spokane Symphony I am teaching as an adjunct professor at Whitworth University. I retired from teaching music in the public schools in 2016. I love to travel and was able to combine that love with teaching in 2011-12 when my wife and I moved to Chiang Mai, Thailand where I taught music at Payap University and my wife, who is Thai, volunteered working with women saved from human trafficking. Photography and writing and recording music are things I love to do when I have the spare time. Spokane is a great place to live and work. I especially enjoy being here because our 3 children along with their spouses and 7 grand children are all living here.
Harp
Earecka Tregenza Moody
Harp, Principal
Earecka Tregenza Moody
HARP, PRINCIPAL
Earecka Tregenza is an active performer throughout the Pacific Northwest, both as a soloist and orchestral musician. Ms. Tregenza is Principal Harp with the Spokane Symphony and performs as a substitute principal and extra harp with the Seattle Symphony, Seattle Opera and the Pacific Northwest Ballet. She is also regularly heard with her husband, violinist Jason Moody, as a part of Duo Zephyr.
Ms. Tregenza has performed extensively in Europe and North America, and has appeared as a guest principal harp with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Houston Symphony and the New World Symphony. Her music festival credits include fellowships at the Tanglewood Music Center, National Orchestral Institute, Aldeburgh Festival, Youth Orchestra of the Americas, Rome Festival, Round-Top Festival Institute and the Texas Music Festival. She was a finalist in the ASTA/NSOA National Solo Competition, and a winner of the Alice Chalifoux Prize for artistic excellence at CIM.
Earecka Tregenza earned a Master of Music from Rice University, Shepherd School of Music and a Bachelor of Music from the Cleveland Institute of Music. Following her graduation from Rice, she attended the Royal Conservatory of Music, Glenn Gould School. Her primary teachers have been Judy Loman, Paula Page, Yolanda Kondonassis, Alice Chalifoux, Marilyn Costello and Rebecca Lewis Wagner.
A dedicated teacher, Earecka Tregenza is the harp faculty at Gonzaga and Whitworth Universities, and has served as a harp instructor at the Interlochen Summer Arts Camp in Interlochen, Michigan and the Michael P. Hammond Preparatory Program at Rice University.
*one year leave
+one year apppointment
