VIOLIN

Born into a musical family in rural Kentucky, Scott Moore began studying violin at age four and composing music at six. His insatiable curiosity and penchant for collaboration have led him along an exciting and unpredictable career path, from composing ballet scores to playing major bluegrass festivals around the country. Recent seasons have included a handful of solo engagements with the Louisville Orchestra and extensive collaboration with LO Music Director Teddy Abrams. As a session player, arranger, audio engineer, and budding producer, he is a seasoned professional on both sides of the microphone, and operates Open String Recordings with his wife, violinist Erica Pisaturo. 

Scott is an experienced concertmaster and is proud to join Lexington Symphony as Acting Concertmaster for the 2024-25 season. Since moving to New England in fall of 2019, he has also become Artist-in-Residence at the Annisquam Village Church in Gloucester, where his growing portfolio includes solo and group performances across a range of genres and media. He is a founding member of the Lobster Cove String Quartet, established in 2023. When not fully consumed making music, he’s very likely to be chasing one or both of his young children. In the remaining ten minutes of free time per year, he enjoys cooking, nature, photography, writing, things with two wheels, paddling around Cape Ann, and shooting Super 8 film.

Randy Hiller, assistant concertmaster, did his undergraduate work at Harvard University, and earned an MBA and Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics from MIT. In 2000, Mr. Hiller retired from a career in business in order to pursue music full-time. He is the Founder and Director of the Lexington Chamber Music Center, Inc., a non-profit focused on training middle and high school students in classical chamber music and presenting outreach concerts at area hospitals, retirement homes, homeless shelters, and charity events. As a freelance violinist, he has performed with many local ensembles, including Emmanuel Music, the Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra, the Chamber Orchestra of Boston, the Auros Ensemble, and Lexington Symphony. He was concertmaster of the Concord Orchestra from 1999 to 2004. Mr. Hiller studied violin with Sarah Scriven and Roger Shermont. An avid chamber musician, he has performed in small ensembles in and around Boston and has studied chamber music with Raphael Hillyer, Eugene Lehner, and Leon Kirschner. From 2012-2014, Mr. Hiller served as President of the board of Project STEP, a Boston-based program designed to provide string instrument training to talented minority children with the goal of encouraging them to pursue careers in music.

Barbara Hughey has played with Lexington Symphony since its inaugural concert in 1995. She received a Ph.D. in physics from MIT in 1989, where she is presently a Senior Lecturer in Mechanical Engineering, as well as Director of the Women’s Technology Program in Mechanical Engineering, a summer program to introduce high school girls to engineering. She was concertmaster of the Princeton University Orchestra as well as the MIT Symphony and performed the Brahms violin concerto at MIT in 1984. Barbara was an avid participant in the MIT Chamber Music Society while in graduate school and was delighted to rejoin the group for a performance of the Tchaikovsky Piano Trio in 2013 with her son, an accomplished pianist who was then an MIT undergraduate. Her violin teachers include Frances Magnes and Stephanie Chase. She has two children, a son who is an orthopedic surgeon in Pittsburgh, and a daughter who is an indie pop singer-songwriter in Nashville (elisabethbeckwitt.com). Barbara presently serves on the Lexington Symphony Board of Directors, and is a member of the Council for the Arts at MIT. She loves taking photographs of her trips hiking in beautiful places around the world.

Jessica Amidon grew up in Maine and holds a violin performance degree from Boston University, where her teachers included Roman Totenberg, Dana Mazurkevich, Lucia Lin, and Peter Zazofsky. She has taught in the Brookline Public Schools, Solomon Schechter Day School, and Conservatory Lab Charter School. As a freelance violinist, Jessica has performed with the Boston Ballet Orchestra, Boston Philharmonic Orchestra, Reading Symphony (Concertmaster), Cape Symphony, Cape Ann Symphony, and Symphony New Hampshire. Outside of music, Jessica enjoys yoga and writing.

Leah Bartell has performed recitals throughout the U.S. and Canada and completed a one-month residency in Calcutta, India, teaching violin and performing as a soloist with the Calcutta Foundation Orchestra, an organization dedicated to improving the lives of orphans through music education. As a freelance violinist in the Boston area, Ms. Bartell has performed with symphonies and opera companies throughout New England, including the Vermont Symphony, Opera North, PORT Opera, National Lyric Opera, Emmanuel Music, Lexington Symphony, and Portland Ballet. Ms. Bartell discovered her passion for chamber music while studying with the members of the Lafayette String Quartet at the University of Victoria in British Columbia, where she completed her M.Mus. in violin performance in 1999. Since then, Ms. Bartell has collaborated with musicians throughout the Boston area. As a conductor, Ms. Bartell has worked with young orchestras at New England Conservatory, Longy School of Music, and Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras. She is the music director at the Waldorf School of Lexington and is the founder and music director of the Great Meadows Chamber Orchestra. After a recent open rehearsal of one of Ms. Bartell’s ensembles, an audience member wrote, “…this kind of music-making doesn’t just happen; it is the product of inspired joy and hard work."

Allan Espinosa is an avid freelance violinist in the Boston area, performing with various New England ensembles such as the Vista Philharmonic Orchestra and The Reagle Theater Players of Waltham. Previous orchestral engagements have included Symphony by the Sea, The Plymouth Philharmonic, and The Vermont Symphony Orchestra. Allan came to Boston to complete his undergraduate degree at the Boston Conservatory, where he studied with Lynn Chang and graduated with honors in 2005. He continued with his studies at The Boston Conservatory and received his Masters degree in violin performance in 2007. Allan’s position as assistant Sales Manager at the Carriage House Violin shop of Johnson String Instruments consumes much of his time. He enjoys working with a variety of players, from beginners to professionals, to help find that personal match in instrument and bows. In his spare time, Allan enjoys mountain biking and hiking with his wife Alyson and two children through the different parts of New England.

Cindy Fong joined Lexington Symphony in 1996. A double-major in Music and English at Stanford University, she is now making use of both as a professor of Piano and English as a Second Language at Bunker Hill Community College. Ms. Fong’s other violin activities include regular participation in the Manhattan String Quartet’s workshops abroad (in Paris, Vienna, Prague, and Budapest to date) and an occasional orchestral gig. She also continues to be active as a pianist and has performed in piano chamber music concerts in the New England area and as orchestral pianist for the Longwood, Newton, and Brockton Symphonies. Since 2007, Ms. Fong has written frequent program notes for Lexington Symphony, thus making good use of one other skill she learned in college.

Rebecca Hawkins, violinist, has been a member of Lexington Symphony since 2002. She contributed many years of volunteer work to the Symphony in a variety of roles, including marketing, grant-writing, development, and children’s programming. She is also a first violinist with the Vista Philharmonic Orchestra at Groton Hill, performs frequently at local churches, and enjoys the wonderful students in her private teaching studio. As an undergraduate at Yale, she pursued a degree in English and was a professional player in the New Haven Symphony, working summers at the Aspen Music Festival to finance her degree. She went on to premiere many contemporary works with the New England Philharmonic as associate concertmaster. While briefly living in England with her husband and three boys, Rebecca performed as a principal player in several orchestras. She holds a law degree from Columbia Law School and practiced law in Boston before raising her children and returning to music.

Sarah Ibbett, who has played with Lexington Symphony since 2016, enjoys a diverse career as a violinist and violin teacher. She has performed with a variety of ensembles, including the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Florilegium and the Hanover Band in London, the Classical Music Consort in Toronto, and Apollo’s Fire in Cleveland. With her quartet, Fin de Siècle, she performs period performances of early 20th century repertoire on gut strings. She premieres new music with Multiverse, a concert series that interweaves music and science in live performance. She has performed many times on NPR and BBC Radio 3. A passionate teacher, Ms. Ibbett has served on the board of directors for Suzuki Massachusetts and has taught at the Conservatorio Franz Liszt in Quito, Ecuador, with the London Suzuki Hub and the Cambridge Suzuki Group in the UK, with the Suzuki School of Newton and at the American Suzuki Institute. She has earned degrees in violin performance at the Oberlin College Conservatory of Music, Boston University, and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

Ana-Maria LaPointe has been the concertmaster of the Plymouth Philharmonic Orchestra since 2008. She has a master’s degree graduate from Longy School of Music in Cambridge, MA, where she was a student of Malcolm Lowe (former concertmaster of Boston Symphony Orchestra) and Sophie Vilker. She is an active performer and teacher. She is a member of various orchestras including Lexington Symphony and Nashua Symphony Orchestra. Born in Bucharest, Romania, she is from a musical family, being the fourth generation to play the violin professionally. She won first prizes at the Orpheus Competition and the Interpretation Competition, Romania, as well as the Concerto Competition, Longy School of Music. She has appeared live on WGBH, the Romanian Radio Station, and the TV show “Musicians Today and Tomorrow.” She has given recitals in both Romania and the U.S., including at Carnegie Hall in New York. Ms. LaPointe is currently on the faculty at Atlantic Union College, Hopkinton High School, and Wellesley Public Schools.

Barbara Oren’s teachers have included Heidi and Charlie Castleman at the Philadelphia Musical Academy, as well as Nancy Cirillo, Marylou Speaker Churchill, and Atruro Delmoni. She graduated from the New England Conservatory with a degree in Violin Performance. She is a founding member of the Abbott Chamber Players, a group specializing in 20th century music, and she performs regularly with the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra and Lexington Symphony. She also has a private violin studio of 15 students.

Nicola Payne (Nicki) is a Boston-based freelance violinist and violist.  She grew up in Sudbury, Massachusetts, earning a Bachelor of Music from the Eastman School of Music,and a Master of Music at the Jacobs School of Music, Indiana University, studying with Marylou Speaker Churchill, Daniel Stepner, Lynn Blakeslee, and Mauricio Fuks.   She has over 25 years of teaching experience, from beginner to conservatory level.  

Nicki has performed throughout the United States and Europe.  She has toured to Brazil, Argentina, Monaco, Germany, and Israel, performing in venues that include Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, Kennedy Center, Boston Symphony Hall, and Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires.

She served as Principal Second of the Louisiana Philharmonic, and has been Principal Second of the Britt Festival Orchestra in Jacksonville, OR since 2003.  She was a tenured violinist in the Orquesta Sinfonica de Tenerife, Spain, for seven years. She also currently performs with the Vista Philarmonic Orchestra as a contracted member, and the Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra. Nicki performed frequently with the Lexington Symphony where she has sat Principal Viola in addition to Assistant Principal Second and Assistant Concertmaster. She has also performed with Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms Society, Chamber Orchestra of Boston, Newburyport Choral Society, and many others. 

Anita Sulski received her Bachelor of Music in violin performance from the Royal College of Music in London in 1998, studying under Yossi Zivoni. In 1996, she studied abroad in Salzburg at the Mozarteum with Ruggiero Ricci and performed frequently with the Mozart Players. Anita
also enjoyed immersing herself in Austrian folk culture, participating in the 1996 folk music competition in Innsbruck, Tyrol. While living in London, she performed with a number of chamber music groups in London, Spain, Portugal, Morocco and the United States. These groups included members of the London Symphony Orchestra and the English National Opera orchestra. From 1998 to 2000, Anita was a full-time tutor at the Edward Said National Palestinian Conservatory of Music in Ramallah. From 2000 to 2002, she was a member of the Cyprus State Chamber orchestra. Currently, Anita is a Playing Member of Lexington Symphony, plays regularly with the Chorus of Westerly in Rhode Island, the Worcester Chorus Orchestra, and Vista Philharmonic Orchestra. She also has a large private studio in Lexington and is on faculty at Worcester’s Community Music School’s Joy of Music Program.

Elizabeth Whitfield served as concertmaster of the Lexington Symphony from its formation in 1994 until stepping down in at the end of the 2022-2023 season. A native of England, she studied with Yfrah Neaman at London’s Guildhall School of Music & Drama. After graduating, she launched a career in London as a freelance musician, playing with Orchestra of St. John’s Smith Square, London Sinfonietta, City of London Sinfonia, London Mozart Players, and Kent Opera. In 1986, she moved to Boston and focused on raising her three daughters while playing on a more informal basis until attaining Green Card status and eventually U.S. citizenship, enabling her once more to freelance, in and around Boston, playing with symphony, chamber, opera, and ballet orchestras. Liz has been involved in many aspects of the Lexington Symphony, particularly in furthering the reach of LS’s educational outreach program, “Orchestrating Kids Through Classics”. When not playing the violin Liz loves to hike, bake, and spend time with her grandchildren.

VIOLA

Jan Lerbinger studied viola with Denes Koromzay at the Oberlin Conservatory and was later a student of George Neikrug. Jan was a member of the Wantastiquet Chamber Players in Vermont from 1980-1992, a group formed by Irene Serkin, wife of Rudolf Serkin. A member of the Lexington Symphony since 2000, Jan also works as a clinical psychologist. She is the Director of the Counseling Center at the New England Conservatory of Music, and has a private practice in Cambridge.

Born in Taiwan, Chen Lin has gained a versatile reputation playing diverse styles of music, from classical to jazz to contemporary. Ms. Lin has been a member of the Boston String Quartet since 2005. With the Quartet, Ms. Lin has performed in numerous venues such as Carnegie Hall, Boston Symphony Hall, Jordan Hall and Troy Music Hall. Described by the Boston Globe as “exploring different ways of sparking musical interest,” Ms. Lin’s Quartet frequently concertizes in the New England area and has created its educational programs in collaboration with high school and college music programs throughout the United States. With the group’s educational tour, Ms. Lin has led workshops, as well as given viola and chamber music master classes at numerous schools. As an orchestra musician, Ms. Lin is currently a member of the Boston Chamber Orchestra, Claflin Hill Symphony, and Neponset Valley Philharmonic Orchestra. Ms. Lin received her Doctoral of Musical Arts degree in Viola Performance at Boston University, where she was a full scholarship student under the tutelage of Professor Michelle LaCourse. Ms. Lin received her Bachelor’s degree in Music and Education from Taipei Municipal University of Education (Taiwan) and Master’s degree as a full scholarship student from The Boston Conservatory. Her previous teachers include Lee-Wen Wang, Teizo Yoshinaga, and Roger Tapping. Ms. Lin is also currently teaching at Chichibu International Music Festival (Japan), Assai! Performance Institute and Youth & Muse Music Festival.

Leslie Sonder began playing with Lexington Symphony in 2003. Leslie grew up in Tennessee, attended Washington University in St. Louis, and received her Ph.D. from Harvard University. During her student days in Boston she played in the Boston Philharmonic. She currently teaches and does research in Earth Sciences at Dartmouth College. She plays regularly with the Dartmouth Symphony and Opera North and fits in as much chamber music as she can. Coming from northern New England, Leslie has the honor of having the greatest distance to travel to Lexington Symphony rehearsals. In addition to music, Leslie’s other passion is rowing, but that is not so strange because the same skills used to create musical ensemble—internal rhythmic sense, use of eyes, ears, and body motion to play together, simultaneous relaxation and concentration, leading and following—also work to make a boat of eight rowers go fast.

Claudia Stumpf is both a violinist and violist. She studied with Aideen Zeitlin and Magdalena Richter at New England Conservatory’s Preparatory School and has also had the opportunity to learn from such musicians as Michael Zaretsky, Andrew Jennings, Mary Lou Speaker Churchill, Norman Fischer, Jonathan McPhee, and Benjamin Zander. She was a member of New England Conservatory’s Youth Philharmonic Orchestra and the president of the Yale Symphony Orchestra. Claudia currently gigs actively in the Boston area, performing with local orchestras and chamber music groups. Claudia holds a BA from Yale University and an MA and PhD in English from Tufts University. After over a decade of teaching in higher education, she currently works as an Instructional Technologist at Boston College High School.

CELLO

Nathaniel Lathrop is an active orchestral player, chamber musician, and teacher in the Boston area. He performs with the Nashua Symphony, the Thayer Symphony, and numerous other New England groups. Nathaniel teaches at the Middlesex School in Concord, as well as at his home studio in Carlisle. He has given K-8 musical outreach programs in the North Shore, MetroWest, and New Hampshire. He performs chamber music throughout New England. He has been a regular member of Symphony by the Sea, the Cape Ann Symphony, and principal cellist of the North Shore Philharmonic. Nathaniel received his musical training at Yale University. While at Yale, he also studied viola da gamba. Upon graduation, he became assistant principal of the Johnstown and Altoona symphonies in Pennsylvania, where he also played with the Nittany Valley and Williamsport symphonies. He was a classical radio announcer for WPSU, the central Pennsylvania NPR affiliate. In his free time, Nathaniel enjoys cooking and wilderness backpacking.

Russell Engler has been a member of Lexington Symphony since 2000.  His cello teachers have included Aldo Parisot, Robert Ripley and Joan Brockway Esch.  He is an avid chamber musician and previously served on the Board of Directors of Greenwood Music Camp. Russell is a longtime Lexington resident and has degrees from Yale and Harvard. He is a Professor of Law and the Director of Clinical Programs at New England Law | Boston.

Paul Glenn concertizes on both double bass and cello. The former principal cellist of the Concord Orchestra for its European tours and of the New England Philharmonic for over fifteen years, and the former principal bassist of the Civic Symphony of Boston, Mr. Glenn currently plays with Lexington Symphony and Wellesley Symphony. He also performs frequently in solo and duo recitals, with Boston chamber groups, and in various amateur chamber music festivals. Professional engagements include concertos with the Billings Symphony Orchestra, the Longy Summer Chamber Orchestra, and the Wellesley Symphony; chamber concerts with the Sonos Piano Quartet, the Interlochen Adult Music Conference faculty, and the Muir String Quartet, and with two of its founding members, Paul's wife Bayla Keyes and cellist Michael Reynolds. A student of the eminent pedagogue George Neikrug, Paul earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in physics at Harvard. He attended the Claremont Music Festival, and is currently on the faculty of the Interlochen Adult Chamber Music Conference.

Young Sook Lee, a native of South Korea, has earned acclaim as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral cellist across North America and Asia. Beginning her musical journey at ten, she studied at Seoul National University, the New England Conservatory, and earned her Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Boston University.

She has participated in prestigious festivals worldwide, including Asia Orchestra Week in Japan, Aspen Music Festival, Pacific Music Festival, and Tanglewood Music Festival. Lee has won numerous competitions and awards, such as the Boston University Soloists Competition, PSA Young Artist Competition, and Bay State Concerto Competition.

She has performed at renowned venues like Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center, UN Center, TD Garden, Boston Symphony Hall, and Lincoln Center’s Bruno Walter Auditorium. In 2021, she appeared as a soloist at the opening night of the Vista Philharmonic Orchestra (formerly the Orchestra of Indian Hill).

Currently, Ms. Lee is the principal cellist of the Vista Philharmonic Orchestra and regularly performs with Symphony New Hampshire, the Lexington Symphony, and Duo Nouveau.

Jane Sheena attended the Royal Academy of Music, London, on a scholarship and graduated in 1986. She won a position to play in the Hong Kong Philharmonic in 1987, playing there until 1991. Moving to San Antonio, Texas, she performed frequently in the San Antonio Symphony and was active as a chamber music player and teacher. Since moving to Boston in 1994 Jane has been enjoying teaching and freelancing. She is the cello teacher at The Waldorf School, Lexington. She has been a member of Lexington Symphony since 2005.

BASS

After graduating with his Masters of Music from Indiana University, double bassist Robb Aistrup earned a fellowship in the highly competitive New World Symphony in Miami Beach. While there, he participated in international tours to South America, Europe, and the Middle East. He also took part in recording projects, often as Principal Bass, under the baton of renowned conductor Michael Tilson Thomas. Soon after leaving Miami Beach Robb won the position of Associate Principal Double Bass with the Orquesta Sinfónica de Tenerife in Spain, where he performed for seven seasons. After leaving Spain, Robb performed back to back seasons with the Louisiana Philharmonic in New Orleans and the Kansas City Symphony as well as the Kansas City Baroque Consortiaum. Robb maintains a busy freelance and teaching schedule in the Boston area playing with such groups as Boston Ballet, the Vista Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Plymouth and New Bedford Symphonies.

Deborah Jones began playing the double bass at age nine and has studied with Ed Barker, Richard Stephan, Homer Mensch, and Henry Portnoi. She has a B.M. in music education from the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam, a M.M. in Music Performance from Penn State, and has completed the doctoral course in Musicology from Boston University. In addition to Lexington Symphony, Deborah plays in the Maine State Ballet orchestra and freelances around New England. Deborah also performs on the viola da gamba, violone, and baroque bass, having playing in Much Ado: A Renaissance Consort, the Hamilton Baroque Ensemble, Pastorello, and the SOHIP Chamber Players. For ten years, Deborah served on the board of the Society of Historically Informed Performance (SOHIP), as the President and Executive Director for the summer early music concert series. By day, Deborah is a Vice President of The Dartmouth Group in Bedford, MA.

Justin McCarty completed a Performance Diploma at New England Conservatory and a Master’s Degree at Boston Conservatory, studying with several members of the Boston Symphony, including Lawrence Wolfe and Dennis Roy. Justin has appeared as a soloist with orchestra in the Koussevitzky Concerto with the Amherst (NY) Chamber Orchestra. As a chamber musician, he has performed extensively in Boston and throughout New England, including the IMAI Chamber Music Festival and the Bowdoin Music Festival, both in Maine, and at the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, California. Justin has performed with Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble, and appears regularly as a guest artist with the MusicWorks Collective in Providence, Rhode Island. As an orchestral musician, Justin has performed with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra and the New World Symphony, and is currently a member of both the Lexington Symphony and the Vista Philharmonic Orchestra. In addition to his music studies, Justin completed a Bachelor’s Degree in chemistry, magna cum laude, at Harvard University. While studying at Harvard, Justin performed research on nanoparticle synthesis in the laboratory of Professor Hongkun Park, and was the recipient of a John Harvard Scholarship, the Detur Book Prize, and the CRC Press Chemistry Award. Justin currently teaches several chemistry courses at the Harvard Extension School and Harvard Summer School.

FLUTE

Ona Jonaityte is recognized for her “exceptional talent, poise and drive, as well as technical achievement and the ability to communicate devotion to flute music through performance.” Currently, she is the principal flute with Lexington Symphony and a piccolo player with the Vista Philharmonic Orchestra as well as a member of Vento Chiaro Woodwind Quintet. She has performed with various orchestras, including Boston Symphony, Detroit Symphony, New World Symphony, and Boston Lyric Opera. Ms. Jonaityte holds Artist and Graduate Performance Diplomas from the Boston Conservatory, and Master and Bachelor of Music Degrees from the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theater. She also spent a year studying at The Lyon National Conservatory of Music and Dance. Her teachers include Linda Toote, Philippe Bernold, Emannuelle Reville, and Elizabeth Rowe. Since 2009, Ona has been teaching and performing at The Boston University Tanglewood Institute. She is a President and a former winner of the James Pappoutsakis Flute Competition.

Cindy Moore holds a Bachelors of Music degree in Flute Performance from UMass Amherst and a Masters of Music in Flute Performance from Boston University. A music teacher in the public schools in Framingham, she has been a member of Longwood Symphony since 1993. She started performing with Lexington Symphony within its first two years.

PICCOLO

Stephanie Stathos earned her degree in Flute Performance from Boston University’s School for the Arts where she was a student of Doriot Anthony Dwyer.  As well as playing piccolo with the Lexington Symphony, Stephanie is currently the Principal Flute with the Cape Ann Symphony where she was featured soloist in 2015 and in 2018. From 2003-2013 she served as the piccolo and second flute with the touring orchestra of the National Lyric Opera of New York.  As a soloist Stephanie has performed throughout the United States and Europe, recently performing Cimarosa’s Concerto for Two Flutes with the Orchestra Del Concentus Musicus Patavinus in Padua, Italy (2016). An active freelancer and chamber musician appearances include performances with many of New England’s ensembles, including Boston Landmarks Orchestra, Rhode Island Philharmonic, Symphony New Hampshire, Atlantic Symphony Orchestra, Concord Chorale (NH), Newburyport Choral Society, North Shore Chamber Music, and with vocalist Catherine Hammond, with whom she has done two recordings.  Also passionate about jazz, New Music, and ethnic music of all kinds, she has toured and recorded for the Green Linnet label with Argentinean vocalist Mili Bermejo and jazz ensemble Orange Then Blue.

OBOE

Audrey Markowitz has been the principal oboist of the Lexington Symphony since its inception. She has also been the principal oboist for the Northshore Philharmonic and the Concord Orchestra and has freelanced with numerous ensembles in the Boston area, including the New England Philharmonic, the Cape Ann Symphony, and the Salem Philharmonic. Ms. Markowitz also freelances actively on the baroque oboe, performing with such groups as the Handel and Haydn Society Orchestra, Boston Baroque, Newton Baroque, Amphion’s Lyre, and Fanfare Consort. Ms. Markowitz attended Harvard University, where she earned a BA in English. She teaches music and French at the Waring School in Beverly, MA.

Kyoko Hida-Battaglia, oboe and English horn, is a regular player with the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra, Symphony New Hampshire, and Lexington Symphony. She has performed with the Boston Symphony, Boston Pops, Boston Ballet, Boston Lyric Opera, New Haven Symphony and Colorado Music Festival. She has a B.M. from Tokyo College of Music and Master’s degree from the New England Conservatory. She is currently a faculty at The Boston Conservatory, New England Conservatory Preparatory Division, Winchester Community Music School, and Manchester Community Music School in NH.

CLARINET

William Kirkley is a founding member of the Lexington Symphony Board of Directors. He has been a featured soloist twice for the orchestra. Mr Kirkley is also the Principal Clarinetist for the Cape Ann Symphony, Boston Musica Viva, and the Gordon Symphony. Additionally, he is a member of the Vista Philharmonic Orchestra, and is a substitute clarinetist for the Boston Symphony and Boston Pops. Mr. Kirkley’s playing has been called “emotional, committed, and intensely exciting” by the Boston Globe. He has performed with the Boston Symphony, the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra, the Dallas Symphony, Dallas Lyric Opera, Tulsa Philharmonic, the Bolshoi Ballet, the Santa Fe Opera, and the Chicago Civic Orchestra under Sir Georg Solti. He has taught on the music faculties of UMASS Boston, Harvard University, and Brandeis University. He is currently on the music faculty of Gordon College.

Monica Duncan, a native Michigander, freelances throughout the Greater Boston area. As well as being an orchestral player, Ms. Duncan also regularly performs with chamber groups and in pit orchestras. She has been heard recently with ensembles such as the Cape Ann Symphony, Salem Philharmonic, Pentucket Players, and Improbable Beasts. Ms. Duncan teaches clarinet at Salem State University and Chamber Music at Pingree School. She holds a M.M. from Indiana University and a B.M. from Michigan State University. In addition to her role as performer and teacher, Ms. Duncan is the author of the 2019 novel Twine published by Crowsnest Books.

SAXOPHONE

Jeffrey Leonard is a Summa Cum Laude graduate of the Berklee College of Music, having majored in Music Education and Jazz Composition and Arranging. He holds a Master’s Degree in Music Education from Boston University. Jeff was the director of bands and the jazz program at Lexington High School starting in 1983, and the Performing Arts Coordinator for the Lexington Public Schools from 2008 until his retirement at the end of the 2017 school year. He is the recipient of the Mass. Music Educators; Distinguished Service Award, the Mass. Jazz Educators; Lifetime Achievement Award, the Mass. Instrumental and Choral Conductors Association’s Hall of Fame Award, the Lexington Public School's “Teacher of the Year Award” and the Dr. Michael Fiveash Teaching Award. He is an Associate Professor in the Music Education/Professional Music Division of the Boston Conservatory at Berklee, an adjunct Professor of Music Education at Boston University, and is the co-director of the Youth Jazz Orchestra in the New England Conservatory Preparatory Division. Jeff is a multi-reed player who is found in theatre pit orchestras all around the Boston metropolitan area. He is an in-demand clinician, adjudicator, and conductor for regional, state and national music festivals, having conducted All-State Concert and Jazz Bands throughout New England. He has been with the Lexington Symphony as a performer since the group’s inception and a board member since 2012.

BASSOON

Sam Childers is a graduate of the University of Montana, where he was the recipient of the Candy Paris Honors Scholarship. While completing his undergraduate studies he was also a member of the Missoula Symphony and the Blue Mountain Wind Quintet. He then went on to study at the University of Michigan, where he was the recipient of the Hugh & Nan Cooper Memorial Scholarship.

Sam is the bassoonist for the acclaimed Boston wind quintet, Vento Chiaro, with whom he also teaches and performs at the Boston University Tanglewood Institute. He plays regularly with many ensembles in the area, including the Lexington Symphony, Plymouth Philharmonic, Cape Symphony, Boston Modern Orchestra Project, and others. Sam loves playing in the continuo section for Emmanuel Music, the Marsh Chapel Collegium, and the Bach Virtuosi Festival in Portland, ME.

Sam is a bassoon faculty member and chamber music coach at the Brookline Music School and he maintains a small private studio of bassoonists. In addition to his time spent practicing and making reeds, Sam is also a bike enthusiast.

Patti Yee graduated with honors from the Hartt School of Music (West Hartford, CT) where she received Bachelors and Masters of Music degrees in performance and music education, studying with prominent teachers Steven Maxym and Frank Morelli. She is currently the principal bassoonist with the Lexington Symphony, where she was featured soloist, Lexington Chamber Players, and the Claflin Hill Symphony Orchestra. As a freelanced bassoonist she has performed with National Lyric Opera of New York touring orchestra, the Boston and Rhode Island Philharmonics, New Haven and Hartford Symphonies (CT), Emmanuel Music, Boston Virtuosi, Boston Bel Canto Opera, Vista Philharmonic Orchestra, and many regional orchestras throughout New England. An avid chamber musician, Patti has performed in and around the Boston area. She has performed live on WGBH Boston, including in the spring of 2013 when she performed the chamber music of Joseph Jongen. She participated in the chamber music festival Le Festival International Du Domaine Forget in Quebec, Canada, where she studied with Christopher Millard, and in July 2010 she studied with Giorgio Versiglia and performed at the Sebino International Music Festival in Pisogne, Italy. More recently, Patti performed as a soloist with Musici Di Parma/Sebino Festival in Predore, Italy, in 2011, and was invited to be featured soloist performing the Mozart Bassoon Concerto in October 2012 with the Boston Chamber Orchestra. A passionate educator for over twenty years, she has served on the faculties of the University of Hartford/Hartt School of Music Preparatory Division, All Newton Music School, and Youth and Muse International Summer Festival, Boston Conservatory. In addition to maintaining a busy performance schedule, Patti teaches bassoon for the Brockton and Walpole Public Schools.

HORN

Anne Howarth is an active orchestral player, chamber musician, and teacher in the Boston area. Anne performs regularly with the wind quintet Vento Chiaro and the Plymouth Philharmonic Orchestra, and appears occasionally with the Hartford Symphony, the Rhode Island Philharmonic, the Portland Symphony, and the Boston Symphony Orchestra. She is a founding member of the mixed-instrumentation chamber group Radius Ensemble and serves as its outreach director. Fueled by an interest in the intersection between music and dance, Anne has collaborated with modern dance troupe Monkeyhouse and dancer/choreographer Karen Krolak. Anne teaches horn and coaches chamber music at Tufts University and the Boston University Tanglewood Institute, maintains a private studio, and is on the horn faculty of the Brookline Music School and the University of Massachusetts at Boston. Anne studied at the Hochschule für Musik in Munich and holds degrees from Oberlin College, Oberlin College Conservatory, and New England Conservatory.

Ellen Michaud Martins received her Bachelor of Music in Horn Performance from the University of Lowell, College of Music. She earned her Masters of Music in Horn Performance with Distinction as a Full Merit Scholarship recipient from the New England Conservatory of Music.  She performs frequently with the Boston Ballet Orchestra, ProArte Chamber Orchestra, Cantata Singers Orchestra, and is a member of Symphony New Hampshire and Lexington Symphony. In past years she has been a regular performer with Alea III, Portland Symphony, Springfield Symphony and Rhode Island Philharmonic and was a founding member of the CommonWealth Winds, an acclaimed woodwind quintet, and HarmonieMusik, the resident Wind Octet at UMass Lowell (1988-1994). International performances include 2 seasons with the Puccini Festival Orchestra in Lucca, Italy, and tours in England, and Wales. As a recitalist, she has performed in Iraklion, Crete, as part of the International Contemporary Music Festival and performed in contemporary chamber music concerts in Athens, Greece, and in St. Petersburg, Russia. 

Ms. Michaud Martins is on the music faculty as a horn professor in the Gordon College, Department of Music and the University of Massachusetts Lowell, Department of Music. She is the Wind Chair of New England Conservatory of Music Preparatory School and is on the horn faculty at the Groton Hill Music Center. In previous years she has been the Brass Coordinator and Applied Music/Ensemble Coordinator in the UMass Lowell Department of Music. She can be heard in orchestral and chamber music recordings on the Koch International, CRI, Titanic, and Albany labels.

Jeremy Ronkin, currently freelancing in and around the Boston area, is a highly sought after French Hornist. Jeremy has performed with orchestras throughout the country and has toured extensively in North America, Europe, and Asia. In addition to his busy performing schedule, Jeremy is also an active teacher and chamber music coach and currently is Instructor of French Horn at Brown University. A native of the Boston area, Jeremy holds a Bachelor of Music in composition from Memphis State University and a Master of Music in French Horn Performance from Northwestern University. His teachers include Dale Clevenger, Eric Ruske, and Richard Dolph.

Michael H. Weinstein is a composer, theorist, educator, and hornist.  He studied at S.U.N.Y. Purchase (B.F.A.), the New England Conservatory of Music (M.M.), and received his Ph.D in Composition and Theory from Brandeis University in 1991.  He is the chair of the music department at the Cambridge School of Weston, an Associate Professor of Composition at Berklee College of Music, and chair of music theory at the New England Conservatory of Music Preparatory Division.  He is third horn with the Symphony New Hampshire and the Lexington Symphony. His works have been commissioned, performed, and recorded by organizations such as: the NEC Wind Ensemble & Symphony Orchestra, the USAF Band (Washington, D.C.), the Boston Landmarks Orchestra, the Boston Classical Orchestra, the Symphony by the Sea, the Civic Symphony of Boston, the Boston Conservatory Symphony Orchestra, the MIT Wind Ensemble, the Washington Winds, the ars nova ensemble Berlin, the University of Washington Wind Ensemble, and the League ISCM – Boston among others. His music is published by Boosey & Hawkes and Micha Music. 

TRUMPET

Zebediah Upton, trumpet, has enjoyed great success both in the United States and abroad. Zeb is a graduate (B. Music, M. Music) of the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University, a former Tanglewood Music Center Fellow, and former Principal Trumpet of the Beijing Symphony Orchestra. Zeb has performed as a substitute with the Hartford Symphony Orchestra, Houston Grand Opera, and New World Symphony Orchestra. He has appeared as a soloist with the American Chamber Orchestra and the Greater Bridgeport Youth Orchestra. Most recently, as a member of Prism Brass, Zeb was a quarter-finalist at the 2008 Fischoff International Chamber Music Competition.

TROMBONE

In addition to being an active performer with the orchestral and chamber music communities in the greater Boston area, Peter Charig is a seasoned performing arts administrator. As an artist Peter has had the opportunity to perform with the Boston Philharmonic, Rhode Island Philharmonic, Albany Symphony, and Vermont Symphony, and he performs regularly with the Vista Philharmonic Orchestra, New Bedford Symphony Orchestra, and Plymouth Philharmonic. He has taken part in performances at the Eastern Trombone Workshop, the New York Brass Conference, and with the United States Military Academy Band at West Point, and he has served on the faculty of the Boston University Tanglewood Institute. As an arts administrator Peter specializes in the areas of event management, concert production, and strategic administrative operations, and has worked in directorial roles with the Boston Early Music Festival and the New England Conservatory of Music. He currently works as an administrator with the Harvard University Department of Music. With degrees in music performance from the Eastman School of Music and Boston University College of Fine Arts, Peter has performed as principal trombone with the Lexington Symphony since 2005.

BASS TROMBONE

Chris Beaudry, originally from Putnam, Connecticut, holds a Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Performer’s Certificate from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY. He is a Boston area freelance musician, performing regularly with the Lexington Symphony, the Plymouth Philharmonic, and Claflin Hill Symphony Orchestra. He has performed and recorded with the Boston Modern Orchestra Project and has also performed with the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra, Rhode Island Philharmonic, Portland Symphony, Vermont Symphony, Masterworks Chorale, and Vista Philharmonic Orchestra. In addition to his work in the New England area, Chris has also performed with the IRIS Chamber Orchestra, Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra.

TIMPANI

Principal timpanist Robert Schulz plays for several Boston ensembles, Back Bay Chorale, Cantata Singers, Emmanuel Music and Odyssey Opera among them.  Period performance practice is a particular interest and these groups include Boston Baroque, Handel & Hayden Society, Teatro Nuovo (NYC) and Opera Lafayette (Washington, D.C.). 

Mr. Schulz also serves as principal percussionist for the Boston Modern Orchestra Project, Boston Musica Viva, Boston Landmarks Orchestra and Dinosaur New Music Ensemble, performing a vast range of classic and contemporary works for both orchestra and chamber ensemble.  Other collaborations include both the Talea Ensemble and Novus (NYC) as well as the IRIS Orchestra (Memphis, TN).

As a soloist, Schulz has performed concerti by Tan Dun (Water Concerto), Lukas Foss (Percussion Concerto), Eric Moe (Kick & Ride Concerto for Drum Set and Orchestra) Concerto), and Philip Glass (Concerto Fantasy for Two Timpanists and Orchestra). With Chinese pipa virtuoso Wu Man, he has given recitals in Paris, Beijing, Vancouver and throughout the United States, including Carnegie Hall.  

PERCUSSION

Michael Ambroszewski, drummer and percussionist, performs throughout New England with a variety of ensembles encompassing many genres, including musical theatre, classical, and jazz. In addition to Lexington Symphony, Michael performs with several New England orchestras, including Vista Philharmonic (Principal Percussion), New Bedford Symphony Orchestra, Portland Symphony Orchestra, and Symphony New Hampshire. His extensive theatre work includes dozens of musical theatre productions in Boston, MA, Providence, RI, Worcester, MA, and at North Shore Music Theatre in Beverly, MA. Michael’s career also includes extensive touring with the National Tours of the Broadway shows Annie, Cats, and Les Miserables, performing in over 100 cities throughout the United States and Canada. He has performed with artists such as Aretha Franklin, Sid Caesar and Imogene Coca, Regis Philbin, Don Rickles, and Bernadette Peters.

HARP

Katie Lyon-Pingree has received critical acclaim for her harp solos from both the Boston Globe and the Chicago Tribune.  A native of Lexington, Katie received her Bachelor of Music from Northwestern University where she studied with Elizabeth Cifani of Chicago Lyric Opera. She earned her Master of Music degree at Northern Illinois University. Currently, in addition to Lexington Symphony, she also serves as principal harpist with the Boston Ballet Orchestra and has performed with many area ensembles and organizations. 

PIANO

Paul Carlson, pianist, has dedicated his performance career to presenting concerts with unique programming. He appears frequently as a solo recitalist and also as a collaborative musician. Freshness characterizes his programs, which strike a careful balance between the familiarity of great music of the standard repertoire, and the exciting discovery of new or neglected works. He has a special interest in music originating in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Very much in this vein, his CD features the First Piano Sonata by Charles Ives and the Preludes by Ruth Crawford Seeger. It is available online through all the major outlets. Paul received a Bachelor of Music degree from Gordon College, and Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees from Boston University. His teachers include Tong-Il Han, Raymond Hanson, Maria-Clodes Jaguaribe, Boris Berman, Fred Broer, Saul Skersey and Marjorie Richie. He has taught at Gordon College and the Boston University Tanglewood Institute. His is Music Director of The Peregrine Consort, an ensemble presenting the J.S. Bach Cantatas on period instruments, along with other works. Paul lives in Westford, MA, teaches at the Lexington Music School, and accompanies the Lexington High School choral ensembles.